Shaw Family Diary

BB Circus Time!

2012-02-05T10:43:00.000-05:00

Oh wow! Let the fun begin!

SRES Luau Night!

2012-02-04T19:27:00.002-05:00

We had a fun time at the kids school today. They put on a luau with dancing, limbo, volleyball, and food! Wow, what fun!

Let's Go Upward

2012-02-04T14:02:00.004-05:00

Jennifer did a great job at Cheerleading today. She got the "Most Christ Like" star to put on her megaphone. Way to go, Jenni. We are so proud of you!

Father son time: building

2012-02-02T20:40:00.000-05:00

Austin and I had some time to enjoy the beautiful 70 degree weather. So we tackled a shelving project. We want to better organize or toys. :)

A neighbor boy decided to help first thing Austin said was, "let's get you some gloves. " How great is that. Parents must be doing something right. I felt good!

Sky High Sports

2012-01-31T14:22:00.004-05:00

The kids went to a cub scout event at Sky High Sports last night. It is a warehouse filled with trampolines. You can jump into foam pits and there is even trampoline dodge ball. It was a blast!

Not testing the message. Ok, maybe a little.

2012-01-28T01:46:00.001-05:00

Sew Fun!

2012-01-25T11:03:00.003-05:00

Jennifer went to a Sew Fun party this past weekend and made a beautiful tote bag. She loved using the sewing machine and adding all the bling with a hot glue gun afterward. Now she wants to go sign up for sewing classes! Amazing!

Kids ready for school!

2012-01-25T06:51:00.000-05:00

This morning the kids looked so great for school.

"...a person is justified by works and not by faith alone." ACT today in Faith! Reach out of your comfort zone! Give a random ACT of kindness! Make a record of what you did here.

2012-01-23T11:21:00.001-05:00

Best Regards,

David R Shaw
704-248-0719

Austin: Causing me introspect!

2012-01-19T15:25:00.003-05:00

As I lay hear on Austin's bed watching him do homework, I'm astonished that he is typing up a paper. To think what I was doing in 4th grade, it wasn't typing. So, to see him typing a report on the computer is awesome. I did not envision this when I was in school, and I love electronics. I do take some satisfaction that we started him early on a computer. Ever since he could walk, Austin would beat the keys on an old IBM 600 laptop. He has been the quickest in his class to accept the computer and use it effectively and not just for games. However, I'd be wrong to say he doesn't play any games. He is quite good at them.

The paper? The paper is about the Pittsburgh Steeler's. This is surely credit I do take. I am a huge Steeler's fan. And have converted many in my family to love the sport. They aren't near my enthusiasm, but we are on the same field now. :) I'm excited to see my son take an interest in sports, especially a team I like. But, the fact he is using a computer for his presentation is more exciting than my love for the game. He is already thinking of where the pictures are going to go and what the cover page will look like. Wow, I'm impressed!

The Paper:

Kids holiday

2012-01-16T17:15:00.001-05:00

Kids bowling, yes!!!

2012-01-16T14:26:00.001-05:00

Have a great day bowling with the kids!

Take a peek a Logan's mechanic call. :)

Check game 1 and 2 scores?

Austin NFL Picks

2012-01-15T09:23:00.001-05:00

15th
1. Packers to win
2. Ravens win.
Warmest Regards,

David R. Shaw
704-248-0719

Jenni Cheerleading, by Austin

2012-01-14T11:00:00.001-05:00

I attended a wonderful veteran's breakfast this morning at Calvary. However, I did miss Jenni's cheerleading. Well, my technology savvy son took this video for me. Austin emailed me this cool video from his iTouch. How loving, that a brother captures his sister's moments and ensure his father is kept in the loop. Thank you!

I love you Austin!

Kids practicing music!

2012-01-12T15:52:00.001-05:00

Austin is working on his recorder skills. Jenni is working our her harmonic skills. It is so neat watching the kids learn music. It reminds me of learning the drums.

Austin Airport

2012-01-08T17:00:00.000-05:00

Fun in Austin, TX

2012-01-08T02:50:00.000-05:00

Upward Cheerleading and Basketball

2012-01-07T20:39:00.003-05:00

Jennifer started cheerleading with the "Groovy Girls" today and Austin started basketball with the Cornhuskers team. Both are offered through Upward at the Weddington United Methodist Church.

Jenni earned a star for best practice for learning her cheers and Austin earned a star for best offence. Austin scored 10 points for his team and they won 30 to 22.

We are so proud of our athletes.

Go Upward!

Phx Family!

2012-01-05T21:08:00.000-05:00

Spending some time with the family in Phx. Thx Brandon!

Breakfast - ATL

2012-01-04T07:39:00.000-05:00

Looking good!

The World's Largest MickyD's!

2012-01-02T12:09:00.001-05:00

This place is crazy huge with 2 stories of fun filled passion! We ordered and sent the kids off upstairs to rumble. Wow, there is a bunch here!!!

And our pic's are in!
WDW 2011

WDW: Is there a rest stop along the highway of fun?!?

2011-12-31T14:24:00.004-05:00

What a huge day we are having. The kids are so excited. We have been all over Magic Kingdom. We surely left our mark on the place! Let's get back to Nick for some pool and rest before Magic Kingdom New Years!!! This has to be the best, last minute trip we have planned. The totals are in. We did 4 nights at Nickelodeon Resorts (including New Years Eve), Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Downtown Disney, and all the rides we could handle on the inexpensive side. What a very wonderful time we had!

Please enjoy the photos and videos!

And our pic's and vid'are in!
WDW 2011 pics

WDW 2011 vids

Downtown Disney - T'REX!

2011-12-30T15:20:00.003-05:00

Wow, what a great place to eat! A nice spin on Rainforest Cafe. The place looks awesome. We are sitting near the Kitchen of Fire. We had one wild moment when the place got dark and all the animals went crazy. Oh, the dessert surprise for Jenni was fantastic!

Our waitress, Diana, is great. She is just awesome.

And our pic's are in!
WDW 2011

WDW: Shaw's are here!!!

2011-12-30T11:33:00.002-05:00

And our pic's are in!
WDW 2011

White Doves

2011-12-30T09:33:00.001-05:00

Austin and I came across this group of white doves. There must have been 7. Not something you see everyday.

Krissy's Birthday!

2011-12-30T09:30:00.001-05:00

Oh, yes. The kids got mom roped into a birthday song at On The Border. She specifically picked this place because she's never seen them do birthdays. I have never seen it either. But, here we see they do sing! Well, Jenni made sure all the staff members knew. And they put on a show!

WDW: The Ride

2011-12-30T08:56:00.001-05:00

Ok, so we are making our grand tour to WDW and I've seen some interesting vehicles, like the Mercedes van earlier. But nothing prepared me for this awesomeness. Check out this moving house with attached garage. Wow, what a beauty. That's the type of traveling I'm looking forward to in my future!

Well, I think we just crossed the border to FL. We had to switch drivers. After a big Crackle Barrel breakfast, I'm tired. :)

Really, Mercedes Van - at a Starbucks?!?

2011-12-30T08:14:00.000-05:00

We saw this on our way to WDW!

The Great Christmas Eve Pickle Hunt

2011-12-24T15:09:00.001-05:00

The kids were all geared up for the hunt. After some searching, Austin came up with the pickle. He gets the pickle present. He shared the moment with Jenni.

Meals on Wheels

2011-12-21T12:20:00.000-05:00

Got an invite from a friend to tag along. So the Austin, Jenni and I are headed to Monroe to pick up some meals. This will be a great experience for the kids - and I! We can't do the whole day, but we'll do what we can. Let me see if I can capture it in this blog.

We stopped at CVS to get some candy to pass on for Christmas. Picked up our meals and heading out. There are some Secret Santa. Gifts to hand out in addition to meals. We weren't able to see all the great people. But we have plans for more runs. What a great feeling we all have. The kids want to do this everyday. The kids loved handing it out and being close to those that need help.

Wow, what a massive area to cover. Great rolling hills. Good bike ride.

God works in His own time: Water leaks

2011-12-20T18:25:00.003-05:00

Wow, we had a fun surprise. Every morning or two Kris and I would hear a hissing sound in our dining room, behind the wall. It was wild . It would hiss and then stop within 30 minutes. As we thought about it, it was after my wife takes her sauna, hot as the sun, showers. Our builder stopped by the morning I emailed him, yesterday. With one word, he said water. I was shocked because I did not see any water pooling up. He mentioned that the hot water tank line ran behind that part of the wall. The chair railing that was added might have punctured the line. At first there is no issue as the water hose absorbs the nail. But as the nail rusts, the hole is left and the pressure pushes little pieces out. Then the hissing starts after the pressure is ramped up. Well, he was right. As he pulled the drywall back, bingo - hole with water. 10 minutes of plumber work and we are all fixed.

Not so fast. As the drywall repair guy stopped by today, he found another link in the cold water side. I was uptown at the time. I left my wife thinking a quick, simple repair was going to be done. Yea. That did not happen. She nicely sent me the picture below of the new leak and huge hole in the wall, which was now going to get bigger. My stomach turns thinking of all this work and how my wife is going to take it. Kris was awesome! It is what it is. And she is right.

I had several minutes to chat with everyone involved in the repair. I was surprised how everyone was so willing to help us. They felt bad for us that this had happened. I felt bad that the were working for us during the Christmas holidays. We all had great conversations and left in great moods!

Score, God's love!

CFA fun! A little slap happy

2011-12-20T11:16:00.005-05:00

I had a few kids today to shake some fun into. We had a blast at Chick-fil-a. Then we took the fun home for a bit. On the way home we stopped by the Foxhole. A little sight seeing. :)

The dream team

My tongue is cold

Ice cream boys

Some slap happy

Taking the fun train to CFA. 3 families, 5 kids and a dad. Let the good times roll!

2011-12-20T09:51:00.001-05:00

WWDC 2nd Annual Turkey Fry!

2011-12-17T17:44:00.003-05:00

What a fun day! We jumped into a full turkey fry day! Kris and Sariah baked all day, gifts for our neighbors.

Icing 101!

2011-12-17T13:53:00.000-05:00

Peppermint Mocha Hot Chocolate!

2011-12-15T14:56:00.001-05:00

Mailing our letters to Santa!

2011-12-15T14:37:00.000-05:00

2011-12-15T11:19:00.007-05:00

My Dearest Love -

As I reflect on our 10 years, I would have never imaged my life being this great, so full, so wonderful, so surreal. You have made me so happy, so many times over the years. I am not sure what love is to everyone, but with you I have learned a deeper, mature love full of beauty, charisma, and trust. A love now that I could not live without. I'm in a new territory of life. One that now requires miracles of the heart, a touch from God.

We have two wonderful children together, Austin and Jennifer. Through you, they have been a large blessing to me. With all the years of punishment on my body; broken bones and aching shoulder, the children have sparked a physical fire in me that I thought had been lost. I love how you share your love with them each and every day. The way you play with them, running around playing tag over the years. I believe you must have played more tag than a soccer player runs in a lifetime. Watching you fills my heart with joy!

We have traveled all over enjoying this great world of ours. But, the best of all places is when your arms are wrapped around me.

With your guidance, the Lord has become the center piece of our lives and home. Thank you so much for helping me strengthen my relationship with the Lord; encouraging me, guiding me, and interpreting with me. In all these, I am grateful for my savior Jesus Christ. For He has opened my eyes, my ears, and my heart to a new level of love, beauty, and forgiveness.

With the Lord front and center in our lives, I looking forward, happily, to the rest of our lives together. We are just scratching the surface today. With this fuel of new found love, we will embark on a great, loving journey together! I LOVE you with all my heart Kristine.

Love,

Your Knight,

David

Austin's SRES party!

2011-12-14T12:33:00.003-05:00

Santa Kitty

2011-12-12T10:23:00.002-05:00

Cats can really sleep hard. Here's our, snoring!

2011-12-12T02:00:00.000-05:00

We love our neighbors, go Balthazar! We just received sweet gifts from our neighbors. Please, salivate over the picture and let me know which ones I should choose in your name. Better yet, come over and share these gifts and the Word with us!

2011-12-11T22:43:00.001-05:00

Waxhaw Parade Day. Go Pack 20!

2011-12-11T16:27:00.009-05:00

Today was Waxhaw's town parade. Sure is good to be in a small town where we can still appreciate such events. the Troop was picked to walk in the parade this year. Cold? Yes, it was low 40's and seemed to dip quick near the end. All scouts were given candy to pass out. That candy was gone in the first half of the parade. It was great to see the kids walking over and handing candy out to other kids. What a great pack!

The assemble

Leader of the pack...

Weblos Woods! Scouts learning day.

2011-12-10T15:30:00.006-05:00

The troop had a great time at camp Barnhardt. It was a chilly day. But, the kids could careless. I'm so proud of my son and the advances he is making.

Grilled cheese sandwich

Pie made with dutch over (no covers involved - LOL)

First Aid

More first aid

Lunch! Chili was it. Boy, they were strong.

Some bow and arrow time

Tomahawk toss. Can you find the hatchet?

Building their fire together!

Our lunch at Zoe's!

2011-12-06T12:52:00.001-05:00

Jenni Thanksgiving Party

2011-12-02T10:31:00.003-05:00

We attended a great Thanksgiving party where the kindergarten sang to us.

Rufus At Scout Night

2011-12-02T10:27:00.002-05:00

Rufus the Charlotte basketball mascot stopped by for advancement day!

Great scout night with Rufus!

Jenni Lost Another Tooth

2011-12-02T10:22:00.003-05:00

Jenni lost another tooth. First top tooth. Wow, another tooth falls!

Halloween Fun!

2011-11-11T06:59:00.004-05:00

Halloween snuck up on us this year. But we were still ready!

More pic's

Cub Scout Advancement day with Rufus!

2011-11-08T10:41:00.003-05:00

What a fun day for the scouts. Austin was beaming with the belt loops he earned!

The scouts had an advancement day and Rufus, the Charlotte Bobcats Mascot, was there to present them!

Community Fun

2011-11-08T10:36:00.004-05:00

A little community gathering before Halloween day. It was a little chilly, but the kids felt nothing but fun!

More pic's

Cub Scouts Gold Rush Camp

2011-11-08T10:23:00.004-05:00

Austin had another great time at the Gold Rush camp.

Disney On Ice - Dare To Dream

2011-10-28T10:34:00.010-05:00

Sandy Ridge Elementary School Beautification Project

2011-10-28T10:24:00.008-05:00

October 15, 2011
What a fabulous day! We volunteered for the Sandy Ridge Elemenatry School Beautification Project. We planted spring flower bulbs, pansies, spread pine straw, and planted evergreen trees. The kids made bird feeders and got to bring a bag of bird seed home too. It was so much fun!

Jenni's First Day Of School - Kindergarten

2011-08-26T06:54:00.007-05:00

Our baby girl is growing up. Jenni started kindergarten today. She said she met Ava, Lily, and William. She had music class, lunch at the same time as Austin, climed the monkey bars at recess, and read a book about a ginger bread man and had ginger bread man cookies. Sounds like a great day!

First Day of School 2011/2012

2011-08-25T13:45:00.007-05:00

Today was the first day of school! Austin has Ms. Ciara McNally and Jenni has Ms. Kristin Rinebold. Jenni's first day of school is tomorrow since Union County has a staggered entry for kindergarteners. Sariah is a senior this year! Last first day of high school!

Myrtle Beach; Touchdown!

2011-08-03T04:47:00.005-05:00

We planned a mini vacation to Myrtle Beach! Mind you, we usually stay a week at Oak Island, See Ya Love ya. Oak Island is more relaxed from the hustle and bustle of Myrtle Beach.
Plus, the outlook for Myrtle hasn’t been all that family friendly. We were headed for a fun filled trip full of beach, seashell picking, putt putt golf (we did Capt Hook), and Ripley’s!

My wife picked out a place, Dunes Village. It is a beach side hotel, but the Dunes understood that the beach does not have 100% good weather. Therefore, the extensive indoor recreational area was well received by many on those rainy days or blistering hot days that we experienced. The Dunes is split into two towers and share amenities. There are slides fast and slow, Jacuzzi’s large and small, lazy rivers, indoor and outdoor pools, and plenty of other no water actives like shuffle board to foosball. Our room was a oceanfront double deluxe condo; two rooms, Jacuzzi baths, full kitchen, etc.

The stay was great, and just the right amount of time. The wife and I still think a week is too long at Myrtle. When we first arrived, Kris and I were hit with a barrage of “Let’s go to the beach. Can we, can we, can we?!?” This kids were so excited. We dropped off out stuff in the room and got ready as fast as humanly possible. Of course, we weren’t at kid speed. We spent a few hours at the beach. The sun was out in full force. I suppose making a huge appearance, making up for the lack of one at the beginning of the week. I heard that Monday and Tuesday that is had rained all day. A beach goers party foul. So the sun was out to make a statement, and it did.

We were prepared at the Dunes. We spent a few more hours at the indoor pools and slides. The kids could not get enough. Up and up and up they went on the spiral staircase to the slides. Austin and Jenni had a blast! They just kept at it. After an hour or so, mom and I slipped into one of the vacant jacuzzi’s. Wow, did that feel good after a long drive. Well, 4 hours long that is. I’m sure it is all relative, but the jacuzzi was great to my back! When night fell we spent a few moments collecting shells. I’m not sure we collected that many the first night. But, we sure did make up for it the next few days by collecting a few buckets worth.

More pic's

Dream Backyard

2011-07-26T11:55:00.002-05:00

Kris ran across this postcard of our future backyard setup. I thinking I'm going to start on it! :)

Shaw's with Steelers Hines Ward and Jerome Bettis!

2011-07-24T15:36:00.004-05:00

Kris hooked up the family with one on one photos and autograph sessions with the Steelers top stars! I was so happy, and clueless. Even the kids knew what was coming. Boy, can they keep a secret. This was the first time I've ever done something like this. It was great. Ward and Bettis are the most professional folks on and off the field. They treated my family was respect, greeting us as friends with hugs and handshakes with smiles. It was truly a great experience. My hat is off to these professionals who craft their skills wiht honest daily hard labor. And yet, have the time to meet us with such openness.

Thank you Kris for a great weekend and memories I'll keep for ever!

Can an 8G SD Card Survive the Wash Cycle?

2011-07-20T06:28:00.003-05:00

This morning I found an 8G SD card staring at me from on top of a heap of cloths after the wash cycle. It was accompanied by two coins; penny and nickle. The card was in the case, but it is not water proof. The card was damp to the touch. That speaks volumes to our spin cycle. :) I've got the card in a bag of rice on the windows sill to take advantage of the morning sun. This rice treatment is courteous of my friend Ben. I've read about his follies with electronics and its arch enemy, water. I'm thinking that since there is no moving parts we should be relatively safe from water damage to the card. But I took the precaution to let the rice try to soak up with is left. I'd like to make sure the camera doesn't get ruined if there happens to be some water sloshing around.

More later.

2011-07-05T13:24:00.002-05:00

The stage was set for a memorial time!

The mission to acquire fireworks was successful. We had plenty to delight and entertain.

General idea was to start congregating around 4'ish on the 3rd. Each family was responsible for their own food, a BYOB event.

Weather was to hit low 90's with 30% chance of rain starting at 2 PM, which didn't materialize. Although, it did get windy for a bit. We were able to start the fireworks just after sunset, 8:30ish

Eve of Independence Ride

2011-07-05T08:01:00.003-05:00

WWDC pulled a nice 100 mile ride of on the eve of our great Independence. It was wonderful traveling along the countryside, soaking up all ambiance around us.

Here is the map.

View Larger Map

What a group

Jenni's Gymnastics; with injury

2011-06-27T17:20:00.005-05:00

Jenni had her foot wrapped today for gymnastics. What a true Shaw. Check out the picture!

Instructor looking Jenni over

This was after she had 2 hours at Hip Hop camp. What a trooper!!! She had hurt her foot a few days prior coming out of the theater. The left side of her left foot was scraped by the door. Poor girl. Mom brought her home and we bandaged her up. It wasn't deep. A long skinny sliver of skin was torn, like road rash. Not pretty, but we expect a full recovery with neosporin.

Austin's Dream Blog - 20110626

2011-06-27T17:15:00.001-05:00

Today I had a dream about me at the house so here is the story I was at the house with a rolled up piece of paper and it was lit up and I pot(put) it in my moth(mouth) and portend(pretended) it was a sugar(cigar) and I said drop the sugars(cigars) and us(use) the next ones and then we got in a car and no adult was there so a kid drove good and I saw a pelican 2 of them and it looked like he was going to hit him but no they Flo(flew) away and had a bag in it(s) moth(mouth) and set it down on a log the end that is my dream.

==============
(Dad) Austin is looking to update this with proper punctuation.

Family Ride

2011-06-25T07:58:00.002-05:00

We took a 3 family, 2 hour, 60 mile ride the other day. What a exciting time. These are the days memories are made of!

Jenni's Gymnastics Competition

2011-06-25T07:46:00.004-05:00

What a fun day for Jenni. All the winners.

Sunday's Ride Plan

2011-06-11T19:13:00.003-05:00

We are getting a ride planned for tomorrow. We have a rider with a new bike and would like to get it out. So, we must oblige. Here is the proposed plans

PLAN A

View Larger Map

PLAN B

View Larger Map

Weather dictates.

Jenni gets a gymnastics medal

2011-06-11T17:31:00.001-05:00

Jenni received her first gymnastics medal from Weddington Activity Center today. Way to go Jenni! We are so proud of you.

Low Country Boil

2011-06-11T06:31:00.007-05:00

Man, oh, man!

This was a great time. We are REALLY getting great at this neighborhood events! This one took about 2 weeks planning and I think we nailed it. The food was awesome; shrimp, sausage, potatoes, and fixings were top notch. I think we might need to start a little business here, WWDC Poor Boy Works.

Sariah put on some great dessert! My Fav!

Jim and Wilkins putting the cook on!

The Ladies

Man! That looks great

Austin's SRES EOY party

2011-06-11T06:15:00.004-05:00

We had a great time at the end of year party for Austin. It was a year of new understanding as 3rd grade takes EOG's. Undue stress in my opinion. However, we got through it. We know now what we need to do to help the kids be successful. That means some sutble changes as a family, like more reading time together. :)

Son's Love

2011-06-08T19:28:00.002-05:00

Austin had a day to teach the class for 10 minutes on anything he wanted. He chose to teach about the United States Air Force and his dad's service. I was so honored to hear this. He even sat with me for a little interview, took notes, and worked up an agenda. I am so proud. I love you Austin!

Here is his work:

Austin in my jROTC uniform

Great Memorial Day!

2011-05-31T04:57:00.002-05:00

Great Memorial Day!

We celebrated at the Patriot Festival in Southpark. Austin and I had a great ride on the bike on the way in. The event was great. It had a kid zone with inflatables, plenty of food vendors, recruiting tents, bomb squad (EOD) with gear, water balloon duel, and many more. We had a blast. Austin and I got soaked against mom and Jenni. Since it was such a hot day, that was fine by us! The best part of the event was the parachutist coming in. One was paraplegic and made his own jump. He also carried a 20’ American flag with red smoke on the way down. I was emotional watching this greatness unfold. True American hero’s!

Austin's Dream Blog

2011-05-29T00:20:00.002-05:00

An email collection of Austin's dreams, as he writes them.

A Dream - May 28th

I had a dream that I was at school and I am like why am I at school I told my teacher why am I hear and I said today is not Friday it is Saturday and I kept saying it and then I got up and had a good dream.

See Ya Later,
AR Shaw

May 26th

Hi dad I think I had a dream about these clips that make your teeth invisible because I saw it on good lock Charley and I had a fun time at great wolf loge I wish we were still there love you.

See Ya Later,
AR Shaw

the thunder - May 11th

Today when I waked-up and heard the thunder it sounded like a bear roaring no no not that a hurricane with more power and with boom boom crash yes that's it.

See Ya Later,
AR Shaw

Junior Prom 2011

2011-05-15T05:57:00.006-05:00

Marvin Ridge High School Midnight Masqerade Prom was Saturday, May 14, 2011. It was held at the Bank of America Stadium in uptown Charlotte. Sariah rode with her friends in the Party Bus! She said it was a blast! She looked amazing!

Austin Plays Quarterback in Saturday's Game

2011-05-15T05:57:00.003-05:00

Austin really rocked it today! He was QB and made a big differance. He was a good leader on the field. He also had some big defense plays, block passes. On fire!

Funky Fest

2011-05-13T13:15:00.005-05:00

This was a great place for fun. The Fountains had a bouncy, karaoke, dance off, holla hop competition, games, face paintings, DJ, rapping, and food. It was a lot of fun. Austin was really hook on the science section. There had very cold bubbles that you could jungle in your hands, if you had gloves on. They also had slime that was a big hit with the kids. Jenni was more into the dance and singing section of the event. She will be a big star some day.

Mother’s Day

2011-05-13T13:15:00.004-05:00

Ah, the day of all days – Mother’s Day. We started mom off with a nice long sleep in. Then she awoke to a great placement of flowers, plants, cards, gifts, and most of all LOVE. We had a great morning celebrating how wonder Kristine has been to the family. She is really the engine behind this thriving family. The kids are pampered by her love constantly. Mom surprised us all with a trip to Carowinds for the day! I mean the day! After Mother’s breakfast, which Sariah so graciously picked up the tab, she spring Carowinds on the kids. Even on her day, she was thinking of the others. What a wonderful person.

I LOVE you Kris! TLF

More Football!

2011-05-13T13:14:00.004-05:00

The family has been enjoying the Saturday games. Austin is doing very well and getting more aggressive with his approach. He is hustling more and well to take a fall to make a play. He is still very respectful of sportsmanship, which is one of our goals for Austin to learn.

Austin’s School Field Day

2011-05-13T13:14:00.003-05:00

This was a great event. The kids had an all day school field day. It was so much from to watch. There were many events; tug of war, water sponge toss, pizza box carry, parachute bounce, and many many more. The kids rotated every 25 minutes to the next event. It was really fun to watch. I think I played in a few myself. There was one station that was “rest only.” But that was short lived by the kids. Most of them would only stop to get a drink of water and then commence a game of tag or duck, duck, goose on their own.
Austin did spend a few moments snapping some photos. What bunch of hams. LOL

Easter Fun

2011-05-03T05:53:00.004-05:00

We had a fun Easter with family and friends. We started the previous night with a movie called Hop. Very funny. I had no idea Easter Bunny's pooped jelly beans. Cool, gross, so conflicted on that one. The next morning the kids were up early check out the goodies the Easter Bunny left behind. We had a great indoor egg hunt too. Later that morning we raced over to Stallings for a huge egg hunt. There were thousands of eggs to get and it was age based. So everyone was getting an egg! There was face paintings, games, and gifts. What a fun day.

Dirt, feeding, animal. Lazy 5 Ranch!

2011-04-23T06:20:00.007-05:00

Wow, did we have a blast with the family at Lazy 5 Ranch. This place is amazing. We were out for over an hour driving the whole place. With the windows down and the hatch open, we hit the trail. Along the way we saw all ways of life. Afterwards, we noticed the dust everywhere. So we headed over to get the truck washed, inside and out!

What a fun time!!!

Austin: Lazy 5 Ranch was the awesomeness things I've done.

Jenni: It was fun!

Enjoy the pic's!

Back up big boy

Do you have a comb?

Look, I have a tooth ache right there. See it?!? Ugh, the slobber

The ride

feed me, up here!

Go dad, go!

Seriously, go dad!

If I don't see you, you aren't there

Only Kris can make my day better!

Swing, swing, swing

Yes! Lucky man

Please don't spit

Let's eat!

Calvary Easter Parade

2011-04-15T05:29:00.002-05:00

We had an awesome event at Calvary Church. Jenni loves to dress up and she did a great job today. Enjoy!

More pic's

Bring on the Hop!

2011-04-15T05:23:00.001-05:00

Today's Funny. Brougt to you by Krissy. The hottest wife a man could ask for.

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

SRES Character Presentation

2011-04-13T09:21:00.007-05:00

What a great start to the day! I took Jenni and Sariah to the character presentation that was being put on by Austin's 3rd grade class. It was a wax museum theme. This was a fabulous event. The kids all had different characters throughout history that they did a presentations on, with a display! Austin chose Walt Whitman. Hmmm. I picked Edgar Allen Poe when I was a kid. Maybe Austin will be the writer! The kids would stand still with their hand out waiting to be pushed like a button. Once pushed, they would recite a script they had on their character. Once they were done, the went back to the ready position. It was awesome. We must have pushed Austin's button 10 times! He was a great sport! All the kids did a great job. I was really impressed with this event. Good show Teach!!!

Enjoy the pic's!!!

Can you name them all?

More Pic's
A vid

SRES Africa Parade

2011-04-13T06:01:00.004-05:00

The 3rd grade had a Africa Parade. Austin's class represented Kenya. It was fun to see, but a little off beat as well. The kids did a great job, but the orginization was a little off. For example, there was about a 10 minute computer show that showed the recordings of the kids doing weather reports for Africa in Spanish. What?!? It made me wonder if the common language in Africa was Spanish. I knew from my school days that wasn't the case. Ok, so the teachers tried to sneak in some extra curriculam, I guess. Overall, it was good to see my son, but I wish it had been a bit more personal, student driven. The kids did do a song a first, as a group. That was fun to hear and see!

Austin's Flag

A vid

Riverbank Zoo Scout Sleepover!

2011-04-10T05:43:00.006-05:00

Oh boy, what a night! We spent the evening walking around, looking behind the scenes of some exhibits. We visited the elephants, aquarium, hyena's, lion's den, owl barn, and a few more - all at night! It was eerie walking through the jungle night life. Our instructors were really good too. They took their time to explain what each area was and answered all the questions the group had, no matter how silly. One kid asked, "if a hyena dies of syphilis, would the other hyena's eat him?". Ok, weird question. Lights out was at 11 pm. I'm not sure I slept that much. Everyone was great, getting ready, no horse playing, etc. But, I didn't catch a really good sleep. I know I was tired enough from all that walking, that's for sure. :) I had to use the restroom at like 4. Ugh! So, using my crackberry as a flash light, I made the careful walk out of the auditorium, across people strewn about as they slept. We were a little cramped for space to say the least. Oh, and the snorers were ALL there. I can't wait to hear what Jenni might say about that.

Oh yea, I need to get back to the bed. I tried to trek back to our bivouac, surgically, so I don't impel someone sleeping with my 250lbs foot. :) For the last 5 feet I had to strech my long legs over the 3 rows of chairs, as both paths to our camp was blocked by campers. Lights on was at 8. It was bright. We all got up for snacks. Well, us adults swarmed the only coffee pot. It was on and ready. Really the pick up we needed.

We were not sure if we were staying that long the next morning. The neighbor and us carpooled. They need to be back by 2 and my body was way good with that! :) Plus, we talked about breakfast at Cracker Barrel, family favorite! Therefore, we'd mostly like be out of there by 10. So I told my wife "Please don't make the trip down here, as it won't be long. Wake Sariah up and go play instead!!!" :) And they did!

We spent a few hours at the zoo and then headed out. I think it was like 11 before we left. We plotted a course for Cracker Barrel and off we went. Wow, what a full day!

After we made it through the jungle to the house. We headed to the park! Family first!

Scout sleepover at Riverside Zoo with Austin and Jenni!!!

More Pic's
a vid

Missed Expectations?

2011-03-30T09:28:00.004-05:00

So, there are times in life you let things go and other times you don’t. Well, this is one of those fence riding events for me. Thus, I’m posting here. I need to get it somewhere.

We’ve had a less than enthusiastic time with CHAMPS. It is not CHAMPS fault, just the program in which we are participating in. IMHO, while I welcome a "winning" attitude, I believe there are levels that should be demonstrate per age group. In other words, age appropriate level of enthusiasm toward "winning". No, this isn’t a Charlie Sheen discussion. Anyways, at a third grade level I expect "winning" to take a backseat to leadership development, sportsmanship, and meritocracy. With that said, there have been some parents that have expressed their concern(s) over the coaching of their children. Some items like; practice is too long, more water breaks, more child rotation, and too early on game days. I'm sure there may have been more. Just so we are clear, ‘expressing a concern’ is feedback in my book - a form of communication.

Well, one of the 15 year old coaches, who told us that he was eager to teach the youth football, posted this below on his FB BTW, which has over 500 friends. Which ones are true friends is another discussion. For anonymity, let’s use a boy's name, Robbie.

“now that all of the complainers are gone from the football team it is going to be much easier without there parents emails and calls every day”

Now, IMHO, this was unnecessary. So, I crafted this response:

Tyro Robbie –

I understand you are putting on big boy pants to coach a church league and help youths grow in the sport, but this post is unnecessary and damaging to your reputation as a leader. I hope this is not dinner table discussion at your house, or I will be sorely disappointed. I look forward to your public explanation by our next meeting.

I crafted a response, I have not posted it. Well, expect for here.

Shaw Weekend Fun: Football, Pinewood Derby, B-Party, Xbox, Oh My!

2011-03-26T20:54:00.005-05:00

The Shaw's had another wonderful kick off to the weekend! The line up was fantastic and built for fun. However, Austin had one very hard decision to make. The football game and pinewood derby race was at the same time. Austin chose to do football and try to attend the derby race. So, we gave our derby car to some great neighbors to race it for us if we couldn't make it.

Getting focused with a book: Along Walk For Water

Football
Austin had a strong showing at the game today. Austin made captain of the team last practice. A strong leadership skill he demonstrates at the field, helping and show others the way. I do give mom the credit. She is a loving, passionate woman giving the kids the best of traits. All the kids showed up ready to play. The cold rain made its way to the game as well. It was around 47 degree's at the start of the game. The Saints, the football team, was ready to take the field with the Colts. The Colts are rumored to be tough, playing together for nearly 3 years and not allowing any scores. Wow. Stuff legends are made of. Well, the kick of was great and the rain didn't let up. The Colts scored on a long run within 3 snaps. The game was on. The Colts scored two more times before we snapped the streak! We scored on a great pass. It was 21-7 at halftime. The kids rested up, got drinks, and huddled under umberllas. In the second half Austin jumped up to block a pass and got kneed in the leg by a teammate. He was down. He was not getting up. It didn't look good. We watched as he laid there with both teams and coaches around him. He got up and limped over to the sidelines with a loud round of applause and cheers from the fans! Sariah rushed over to him with water and the umbrella. Good job! They walked the sidelines to work out the leg. Before I knew it, he was back in the game! Yea for Austin we shouted!!! What a tough kid. The Saints scored one more goal to round the game out 21-14. Not a bad game for a team rumored to be so tough. With the cold and rain, the team showed great spirit out there playing hard. We were soaked and hurried to the car. We raced over to the derby, of which I was getting updates from our neighbors.

Pinewood Derby
We made it after the pack had ran their cars. The track was huge; 4 lanes, 5 feet high to start, sloped down for 4 feet, and tapered off for another 35 feet. This thing was complete with numbering and laser scoring. Wow, what and exciting time! They allowed us to take Austin's car down the track for unofficial racing. He was thrilled. We must have ran it 10 time. We raced our friends and did well. We think we have a few new ideas for next year. Austin's car placed 3rd in the Bear den. Very respectable. Our neighbors both did well too. Connor took 3rd in Weblos. But, Logan!!! Logan, took 1st in the Tiger den, winning 5 races. And, tool 3rd overall for the pack!!! WOW!!! Great job Logan!!! All the kid did a great job. If you remember, they worked hard on their cars earlier in the week. They all did a great job. Next year, the dad's are entering cars for the "Open Class." Man, we saw some cool cars in the group. One had a remote control propeller?!? Seriously!

We are also making plans for rocket, CO2 cars, etc. Let's hear the ideas. Our WWDC company has opened a new division in which these are were built in, BMW (Balthazar Motor Works)! Let's rock it!

The Sub-beast

Pose

Normal

Birthday Party
Mom and Jenni had stayed in the car for part of the football game. It was just too cold for them to be out. Mom and Jenni ran home to get blankets, coats, and umbrella for us. Great job girls!!! Then, they were off for fun at the birthday party!!!

Xbox
After all the racing and celebratory lunch at Buffalo Wings/Rings, we invited Logan and his dad over for some Xbox action. We played the 4 wheeler game. It was awesome. We learned how to do tricks, boost, and drive these wild 4 wheelers. Austin seemed to beat us all without doing any tricks. I'm not sure how. As we did tricks and stunts we got boost. But in the end, Austin finished 2nd and I was barley in the top 15. :) Kids...

Movies!
To wrapped up the evening after a long and exciting day, Austin and I cleaned up the peanut shells and put on a movie. We picked The Chosen One. It is a dork movie, but I was happy how Austin was picking up AND pointing out plot items. It was cool. After that ended, we picked up, in mid stroke, a movie that starred the kid from Transformers. He had an ankle bracelet on and a new girl moved in next door. I think we'll need to find that on Netflix. :)

Have a great day!!!

Happy St. Patty's Day!!!

2011-03-17T05:38:00.006-05:00

We celebrate St. Patrick's Day in this house!!!

Austin
http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/hFwLDlUOBRs5G3N7Vmyj

Riverdance Family
http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/AsFLwehGOZ3UJ1nG

Jenni
http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/zsnypKsn1aUWVdbp

Family Celebration!
http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/E9U6XSK6OoztzKU8

Have a great day!!!

Pinewood Derby: Creating Cars

2011-03-12T23:59:00.007-05:00

Today, we started making the cars for the Pinewood Derby. The kids and adults had a great time. We had purchased a few tools; vise, graphite, and some sandpaper. We had a fun designing the cars. Logan picked a really cool rally car. Austin pick a submarine. Connor pick a wedgemobile! The kids spent some time with the drawing and being creative. When that was all compete, the adults broke out the power tools. And bot]y did we have some cutting to do.

(Cutting the rally car looked pretty hard)

Brian trust!

(Supervising the painting)

(Taking time to reflect)

Whad a great day!

Jenni's New Bike!

2011-03-04T14:40:00.003-05:00

The other day I found a good deal on craigslist. Jenni had out grown her 12" bike for some time now. She looked like a clown now. Austin went through the same phase. I found a bike for Jenni at little cost. It was more than half of what I could get at the cheapest discount store. Leary of the deal, I went the next day to the house to check it out. The bike looked great! It was working well and had all good parts, no scratches, no marks, and tires were good. A great fine. I spent a few minutes with a Clorox wipe when I got home and that was it. The bike was 5 years old, but looked brand new. WOW!

So, here are the pictures!

(Mom bring the bike out as hers)

(Jenni in shock of her cool new bike)

(Like a fish to water, she was off!)

Have fun Jenni!

Elf Yourself: Year Round Fun!

2011-03-04T05:42:00.002-05:00

They folks at Elf Yourself have been allowing everyone year round fun with their product. This i especially fun during seasonal events, say, like St. Patrick's Day!

Here is one:
St. Patrick's Day

Austin Sports

2011-03-03T07:20:00.002-05:00

Austin has joined up with Calvary sports doing flag football. I'm so happy for him. He had practice a few days ago. It was cold, but he didn't complain once. I did. :) All the neighborhood ball playing has molded Austin's mind. I'm really excited for him. He has pratice this weekend too. I think the games are on Saturday's. We'll post the best we can.

Have a great day!

Good 'Ole Family Update: Family Matters

2011-03-03T06:06:00.005-05:00

Wow, a good 'Ole fashion update from the Shaw's!

We've had so much happening this year, I'm starting to forget it all. I can't believe we have hit March already. What?!? Where is the time going? I mean seriously. It was just the other day the kids where celebrating Christmas! Time is flying people. PLEASE, stop and appreciate what's around you before it is gone. Good old time keeps moving. You can't by time back. Once you've used it, it is gone. Gone forever and ever, only to exist in memories. Make sure they are YOUR memories!

I'd like to start by talking about my daughter Sariah. She is living with us for now. She is doing great and is loving life, learning about life, and most of all LOVE. She got a job at a locate business and is doing great in school. Of coarse, I have much higher hopes for her. Duh! What am I thinking?!? This girl is healthy, happy, and well adjusted! I couldn't ask for a better 17 year old! We have great conversations. I challenger her daily to think. Think about every decision. Think about others. Think about how she can help others. She is adapting to that very well. She has always done this mind you. But now, she is understanding the decision behind the actions. She is doing great. School? She is getting good grade. She always did. She is in the AP courses. Sometimes she has to work hard, but most of the time she understands the material the first time. The best thing, she is a self starter. Once she is motivated, she will do what it takes. Take the cell we recently got her. She did the research, picked plans, and did a pro/con list. At first this was hard. She didn't see the value in it. A curse I passed on. :) The "how" to pay for it was difficult at first. As a father, I need to prepare the children for the world. And, the world isn't always just. So, while some items I task my children with seem hard to others, I see opportunities for my children to grow in an ever fast paced world. I believe everyone will fail at something. That is acceptable. It is the same repeated failures where nothing is learned that is disturbing. So, while I expect greatness from my children in their decision making, I accept the failures they will have. I rather them try hard under me and fail, then fail in the world. There is nothing more solid and secure than family. Take family away, and it will be a hard, cold world. So, I afford my children great leeway at my expense. Again, I expect failure now, under me, because they will learn and grow healthy from their mistakes and take this into society. Something I feel is lacking in the world, true family. I digress. Sariah is learning this fast. As for the cell phone, her decision to get a cell was for emergencies. However, her theory came unraveled as I told her she could have my old cell phone. It will make 911 calls without a plan. So began the research. Then the question came up of how to pay. This took an entire day for her to decide. At first she said it was a parents duty to buy the phone, of which I promptly noted that there is no emergency where she would not be near a land line. She doesn't drive alone. The school as phones. Work has phones. Not a good plan. :) So I asked what the phone was for. Bam! The truth drips out. She says that she'd like to call my friends, email, and web. Ok, now that she has some wants, I asked how is she going to pay for that. Again, it is her wants, not a need. At the end of the day, she comes up with a plan to pay $35 towards a phone. Now, we are talking! The point here was to get her in as a stakeholder, one who has some ownership in the game. Now, which plan? Again, she approached me with the big plan, spints $69 - all you can eat. Well, let's say $80 after tax. Sounds great I said. So for being lazy, we want to spend $1920 on a two year contact? Lazy she says. Why yes! You have all the free Internet and phone you can use right here at the house. So, basically, you want to be lazy and keep up with friends on the phone? Yes, dad. Well, that is cool I said. I would have thought you wanted to save that towards a car. Um, yes she says. Then let's think harder about a plan I say. After a few days of research, which seemed like years to her, she finally asked if we could share a line. What an idea!!! After checking into it, she agrees to pay for a line added to my wife's plan. They share 550 minutes, which my daughter said, "what?" I reminder her that is compare to her plan now, nothing. She was then back on track to share. I noted, this is a phone for emergencies, remember? :) With AT&T, she has unlimited text (teenager's primary communication to the world. Another post) and can call me and Kris for free. What a deal I thought. She agreed. She also picked up the $15 Internet use. So, her $35 toward the phone is working well. Now, what phone. Well, Kris did all that. She picked out an iPhone. It was $40. I admit, it is a great phone. Kris has used hers constantly. She is always getting information at her finger tips. My plan was to get her an android phone, letting her be the first to test it in the family. But, as some plans, not all materialize and I'm cool with that. So, first bill, no extra charges. Sariah did great. Albeit, the text usage was 2100 text messages, in/out. But hey, no texting after hours or going over the plan and we are all good. This was a bg life lesson for Sariah. Yes, I know a trivial phone. But it was more than that. It was the decision that lead to this deal; negotiating with us, researching plans, renegotiating, understand wants versus needs, and most of all we need to be honest with ourselves on our decisions. We had a great experience, all of us! Good job Sariah!!!

Pray, Love, Live

Good Breakfast, Early School Bus: UGH!

2011-02-25T07:08:00.002-05:00

The day started great. I was able to get up just before 5 and catch my wife before she left for work. We shared a nice breakfast, long hug, and a perfect kiss under the moonlight. This isn't a fairtale. I get to live this every morning. Yea!

After my wife left, I did a few items for work items and got ready for my son. We decided to make some pancakes! Cool! He cracked the egg, poured the batter, and mixed it all. We cooked them and served them to each other. Poured a little syrup on them in that cool circle fashion. We enjoyed them so much we almost didn't hear the bus rolling down the street. We had to rush to get ready; shoes, jacket, and backpack. Of coarse it was raining out today and the bus didn't make its usually uturn at the end of the street. So the pressure was on for my poor boy. We made without issue. But I emailed the teacher just in case he forgot something.

And, we start the Shaw day!

Austin's Great Report Card

2011-02-18T08:09:00.001-05:00

Austin has done a great job this year in school. We celebrted by taking him to his choice of dinner. He chose Buffalo Wings and Rings!

See Mom, he did great!

Sign You Need To Pray At Work

2011-02-18T07:19:00.006-05:00

Yes, I'll pray for me too as I posed this and I knew all the bleeped out work.

Enjoy your Friday!

Go Steelers

2011-02-06T12:33:00.001-05:00

Sleeping with the Grossology!

2011-02-05T20:04:00.004-05:00

Austin and I had a scout trip to, Spending the Night at the Museum!
http://www.museum.state.sc.us/exhibits/animalgrossology.aspx

This is a great trip. We enjoyed our time. We arrived at 6pm and spent the till 10:30 with the place to ourselves, and the rest of the 40 + scouts. Very cool time. Austin even dissected a cast, Owl Pellet - vomit. They usually consist of things that have not been digested, like bones of previous prey. So, to get rid of them, the un-digested 'stuff' kind of squishes together to form a ball-like figure, otherwise known as a Pellet. They upchuck the pellet, and spit it out. Oooo, Austin was grossed out.

Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Do_owls_vomit_owl_pellets

More Pic's

January 23, 2011 - Jenni Lost Her First Tooth

2011-01-24T07:10:00.003-05:00

Jenni lost her first tooth on Sunday, January 23, 2011. She was pretending to be a dog and playing fetch with Sariah. She would fetch a piece of plastic and bring it back to Sariah. She decided to bite down on the plastic to play "tug of war" and out came her tooth. We had a visit from the tooth fairy!

She is growing up so fast.