Dad-Daughter Time Traveling



Wayne and Kirstin on boat around Harbor in Baltimore

 Wayne ventured to Alexandria, VA, last Wednesday to spend some time with Kirstin and move her to New York.  He went a few days early to spend some time with her as well as see Darby and Deanne.....he saw plenty of Darby and they had a little "too much" fun together.  Just kidding.  It was great for them to spend some time with Darby and Deanne and the girls before heading to New York.  He had the pleasure of going to school with Kirstin on morning, meeting her students, and watching her with the kids.  He called me and said he was almost crying from being so proud when he was watching her! I am sure she is a natural!  They spent some time with the family Kirstin stayed with before having one last night at Darby and Deannes' and leaving Saturday morning for Baltimore. 



Kirstin doing oyster shooter in Baltimore

They decided to take a trip to Baltimore to take advantage of being out east as well as Wayne wanted to go back to where we spent some time with Ken when Ken lived there.  When Sara, Wayne and I went to Baltimore to see Ken, he made everyone do Oyster Shooters so Sara and I felt it was only right that Kirstin do them as well.  Next time you see her you will have to ask her how that experience went.....she did it and I know Ken was smiling!!!!  They took a boat ride around the Harbor in Baltimore and had a nice dinner that evening.  In between there, Wayne was so pumped that ISU beat Texas in football they stopped at "Hooters" for a celebration drink.  I think Wayne liked the scenery there as much as the victory drink.  :)


Wayne celebrating after ISU beat Texas....

 And now, they are at my uncle/aunt, Dennis and Connies' outside New York City in Rye.  Kirstin is beyond excited!  She has already been on a walk with the dog (that looks like our dog, Norah) and is loving the location!  Thank you so much Dennis and Connie!!!!  We couldn't be more grateful that you are giving her this experience........Wayne called tonight and told me that when the family was doing prayer before dinner tonight, my uncle Dennis made a comment to his 3 boys (who are the ages of Elyse and Alex) something like, "And we are so excited to have the boys welcome their new sister."  It almost made me cry!!!!  She drove by her school and is pumped to be with 2nd graders as well as spend some time with James, William, and Joseph.  I know she will have many ventures there with the Deutmeyer family.....(I am kind of jealous...I admit!!! :)

Connor's Baptism in Houston, Texas



Connor

 This weekend the family is literally spread across the US.  I traveled to Houston, Texas, on Friday for my nephew, Connor's, baptism while Wayne went to the east coast to move Kirstin from Alexandria to New York.  He decided he needed some "dad-daughter" time, which I am glad he did, so they are enjoying a whole week together.  Although my trip was quick, it was wonderful to be in Houston with a great family and enjoy the warm, sunny weather.  (Hard to come back to this junky weather in Iowa!!!)



Kim and Connor

 Connor was baptized at the chapel in which Derek's mom and Pastor Ron were married.  It was a very quaint ceremony that was very special!  Pastor Ron held the ceremony with another Pastor and they did a wonderful job making it very meaningful.  Graham held the holy water for his brother and was a super helper!!!  Wayne and I were godparents, along with Derek's sister and brother-in-law, but Wayne was unable to make it.  He was there in heart though and loves little Connor!!!!

We had a super night out at a Tex-Mex restaurant, which was so good!  The margaritas weren't bad either....they were great!!!!  Derek's mom, Gretchen, and his sister, Amy, were wonderful hostesses and made our short visit very enjoyable.  We even spent some time at Mike's recording studio.....Graham loved that!!!!  Sara and I decided it was a good thing that we hadn't had too much to drink or we would have been "rocking it" out in the studio!! :)  So fun!  We also can say that we have never seen our mother and Derek's mother have so much fun dancing with Graham.....until now!!!!  Special memories with special people!!!

Oh yeah....perfect time to be in Texas as well because Iowa State beat Texas in football Saturday!  Go Cyclones!  (had to throw that in there).

Love you Connor!  We are proud to be your godparents!!!

Family Fun at the Pumpkin Patch in Hastings

It was been a week of memories for the Kerian family.  I thought I would back up a week and share the fun day the whole family had. Last Sunday the Kerians met up with Kim's family in Hastings, Minnesota, at the pumpkin patch.  Perfect weather and lots of things to do so it was a wonderful day!!!! We all spent some time at the petting zoo, which Graham was a little hesitate to feed the calves and it was so cute.  Then we let Graham play on the playground before taking a hayride to the pumpkin patch and back for some apple cider, caramel apples, and a balloon hat for Graham.  The start to the day couldn't have been better!  Super place to take your family on a fall day and lots to do!

Then we headed up to Minneapolis to Sara and Dereks' for some soup.  The boys prepped before heading to the Vikings game.  The Vikes were playing my dad's favorite team, the Dallas Cowboys, so it was a big competetion within the family.  Of course, Alex was rubbing it in to his Papa, as well as vice versa.  Luckily, the Vikings pulled out a win so the guys had a super time....my dad was not happy how his Cowboys played, but he was pumped because the owner of the Cowboys, Jerry Jones, was in the box seats right behind the boys at the stadium.  According to my dad, he waved his Cowboy hat at him and Jerry Jones waved back.  Highlight of the day for my dad.  :)

Fun day for the whole family!  Go Vikes!

A Little Humor in Football

Alex going to smash little opponent.

I had to post these two pictures seperately because I think they are hilarious.  Now, Alex is a big boy, but there are a lot of boys on all the teams his size and much bigger.  Somehow today for a few plays, the opponents put this little guy up against Alex.  It was so funny, as you can tell by the pictures.  Alex just pounced on him and that was it.  Not funny for the little kid, but the picture is great.

Another picture shows Alex pretty much lifting up a guy and then he did take him down!  No problem!

Go get'em Alex!  Very proud of you!!! At least you did not hurt either one too badly. 

Wonder what Alex is thinking as he faces this little guy.



Alex picking up opponent and eventually throwing him down to ground



Alex's Final Football Game of Season - Next Week; Vikings vs. Cowboys!!!!



Alex, 45, playing defense busting through to hold them.

 I think we would all agree what a gorgeous October day it was today!  Wow!  80+ degrees might just be a little warm for boys to play football, but they survived.  Sadly, Alex's team did not come out victorious.  A turnover turned into a touchdown for the other team was the winning score as Alex's team lost 6 to 0.  Tough game played by all. 



Alex and teammate taking down opponent on 1 yard line.  Alex is
going in for tackle behind player in red.

 Highlights of the game include Alex having a 60 yard punt that was so sweet the whole crowd was just amazed.  He also had a few qb sacks and great tackles that I have included pictures of. Another highlight was Decorah getting to the 1 yard line and our defense holding them there, even when they went for it on 4th down!!! I have posted a picture of Alex and another teammate taking down the opponent trying to run the ball in at the 1.  Very exciting!! 



Alex with a quarterback sack.  He is on the ground
tackling their qb.

 All in all though, it was a rough day for the line and while our defense was fabulous, our offense just couldn't hold the line so our quarterback could make some plays.  Coach Wayne as a little frustrated, to say the least, so it was a quiet ride home.  This was Alex's last game playing with his team as they have one game left next weekend but Alex and Wayne will be enjoying the Vikings vs. Cowboys football game with my dad and brother-in-law Derek.  So, great season to the Cresco Admirals!  Nice job Coach Wayne and my number 45, Alex Kerian!  Proud of both of you!!!!

Halloween Fun with Elyse and Friends - Elyse is the Witch

Elyse was having a little fun with "Jib Jab" and came up with this.  Maybe it will put you in the Halloween Mood!
Elyse- witch
Molly - Dracula
Megan- Frankenstein
Hannah - Mummy
Rachel - Ghoul

Enjoy!

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Long Day of Volleyball on a Gorgeous Fall Day!

Elyse's freshman volleyball team had their last Saturday tournament yesterday.  While it wasn't a display of "skilled" volleyball all day, there were some very exciting volleys and hits, and her turned ended up placing 5th out of 8 teams.  Not too bad....but they could have played better.....the good part was that no team was really "dominating" and every team was struggling a little the whole day.    We ended up playing 5 matches (each went to third game for best out of 3).  Her team won 3 of the matches and lost 2 of them.  The hardest part of the day was the fact that we were all inside and it was 80+ degrees outside for October 9th.  We did have a chance to sneak outside between games and enjoy the sunshine a little bit.

Elyse had some very good hits and blocks that were fun to watch.  I got a new camera from Wayne and the kids for my birthday that takes six pictures in a second so I spent most of the day trying to figure out how to get everything on it to work.....which I still haven't as there are some many options and gadgets....but I am loving it and it works perfect for the kids sports!  I have included some of the pictures I have taken of either her blocking or hitting.

Thanks to G'ma Janet for making another trip up and spending the day watching Elyse play volleyball!  The only thing better would have been for her to spend the weekend with us but she had to get back home.  My mom, Elyse's G'ma, really gets into sports so it is almost as fun to watch her as it is to watch the team!  :)  Thanks for coming up Mom!

Elyse wraps up her volleyball season tomorrow night.  Her team started the season strong, had a downhill crash, but have build themselves back up and won most of the games the last two weeks.  She has already been preparing for basketball by going to open gym at 7 am twice a week and attending a camp at Wartberg college on the weekends.  Never a dull moment......and always on the go......gotta love it!!

Oh yeah...a funny comment.....my mom, Wayne, my friend Julie, and I have determined that after so many volleyball games and Saturday tournaments (3 out of last 4 weekends) that there truly is a condition called "bleacher butt".  Throw in all the football games and we are positive there is such a condition because after sitting at volleyball from 8:45-3:30 yesterday, I felt like I needed to seek medical attention for mine.  :)  And Julie and I refuse to get those "stadium seats" that fold and you can use on bleachers.  As she said, "We might as well get our senior citizens card and realize we are getting hold when we buy those."  Sadly, we both realize it might be sooner than later. :)

Homecoming Fun 2010

Homecoming week just wrapped up for Crestwood High School.  Elyse and Alex both participated in a variety of activities during the week....Elyse is enjoying her "high school" freedom and having a super time while at it.  I posted some pics from the week.  One is of Elyse and her friends waiting for the parade to go by (she's in the middle).  Two others are of Alex on the Youth Football League float (he's number 45 in the middle).  The last one is of Wayne's nephew, Brandon Kerian as he was a Homecoming King Candidate.  Congratulations Brandon!!!!

The football team pulled out a super win for the game.  Brandon played awesome football and scored two huge touchdowns!  It is so exciting to watch him as he is so aggressive and determined.  A funny thing happened that day that I thought was kind of cute...Brandon probably didn't even realize it.....but we had a pep assembly at school Friday morning for Homecoming.  Our's was just for elementary and middle school.  Anyway, Brandon is a football captain so he and the other three captains spoke quickly to the elementary and jr. high students during the pep rally.  I told a few of my students that Brandon was my nephew and when he said his name, I wanted them to scream, "Go Brandon!".  Well, when he said his name, a few of them, including myself scream, "Yeah Brandon!"  He may not have noticed where it was coming from, but it was really cute and my students not think he is "so cool".  Makes me giggle!

Walk for ALS 2010- Because We Can!

Not only was today a gorgeous day, but it was a special day in that I had the opportunity to participate in raising money and awareness in "Walk to Defeat ALS". Although our team was small consisting of myself, my mom, my dad, my aunt, and a past high school teacher we had in school, we were strong and walked the 3 miles that were part of today's walk.  It was a special day, sad in it's own way, but one that I know was important and I was glad to be a part of again. 


Each team had a little sign to carry around on a stick.  Of course, our's said "Team Nadermann".  Those of you who knew Ken would know that if he were sitting up above the bleachers like he did at last year's walk, he would tell me not to look like a dork and don't carry that sign around.....so I didn't.  The thought of him saying that made my mom and I laugh.....he wouldn't have said it directly, but I would have been able to read it in his eyes and "the look" we are all familiar with.  Brings a little smile to my face remembering "the look" we would all get from him.....although we didn't like getting "the look" at times, I'd do anything to have him here and giving me "the look" just one more time.....

The goal of today's walk was to raise $25,000 for ALS Association of Iowa.  Well......when we left the stadium where the walk was held, they were over $31,000 and still counting!!!!  Way to go Iowa!!!!  I posted a picture of my mom, my dad, and my aunt walking as well as the scoreboard at the Kernal's stadium saying "Walk to Defeat ALS....Because We Can!".  I am sure Ken was watching over us, and the many others who walked today.  Until next year's walk......because we can!

Alex's Football Game - Ends with a Tie

Although I missed his game today, Alex said they played well.  Sad part was that his team was on the 1 yard line within inches of scoring when the time ran out and game was over.  Bummer!  So his game today ended with a tie of 12 to 12.  Alex scored another touchdown today, again on his favorite play of "22 Dump Pass"!  Great job Alex and team!

Alex is number 45.....kid with ball.  Last picture he is making a catch.

It's Been a Long Time Since They Won....But They Did It!!!

Elyse's freshmen volleyball team had their conference tournament yesterday.  It's been a rough couple of weeks for them as they haven't won since the first two weeks of the season....close matches....but no luck winning.  That turned around yesterday as they finally pulled a win out against Decorah.  Girls played great volleyball and were pumped to get a win after such a dry spell.   There were some losses as well....vs Waverly and Waukon (who they have beat before) but at least it wasn't a total loss of a day.  Anyway, one and a half weeks left and volleyball is done for Elyse......then off to basketball.  Great job yesterday Elyse and freshmen team!!!