The Coleman Chronicles

2010-01-20T07:58:00.000-08:00

Auntie Al's Winter Visit
My sister Allison decided to come and enjoy winter in AZ. She joined us the day after Christmas...and the fun began! There was shopping, movies, hours of MarioKart, Jamba Juice, dress up, museums, parks, girls day, basketball, interior design, oranges and way too much Mexican food. As all the fun was coming to an end, Allison decided she wanted more, so she extended her visit one more week. Actually it was Aaron's idea, thank you so much Aaron! We all had so much fun with Allison. Whenever her and Tyler are ready to give up big city life...AZ suburbia is waiting!!! -Amanda

Dentist Patient Generating Holiday

2009-11-11T14:38:00.000-08:00

Halloween is actually becoming an enjoyable holiday - our kids are at the age when they get the whole concept of Halloween: Get as much free candy as you can and give it to your father. This year Lincoln went as a Star Wars Clone, Noelle was a Rock Star/Princess, and Henrik was a skeleton pirate. We did the "Trunk or Treat" in our ward building parking lot and then headed down to Gilbert to Trick or Treat with the cousins and the Deeres. Hope you all had as much fun as we did.

Insert Funny Title About Texas Here...

2009-11-11T13:56:00.000-08:00

Okay, still trying to get caught up.... Back in September I took a trip with all the guys in my firm (Josh, Matt, and Ken) to Dallas, TX for the BYU/Oklahoma football game. It was the inaugural game played in the new Cowboys Stadium. Josh, Matt and I flew out to Dallas in Matt's airplane - this was the first time I'd ever flown in a small passenger aircraft and it was a cool experience. The plane was a Piper Saratoga II. We took off from Falcon Field in Mesa, stopped over in Las Cruces, NM, and then flew into Arlington Municipal Airport. The Stadium lived up to the hype, its incredible - first class all the way. Our seats were also amazing. Josh, through his "connections" and influence, got us tickets on the 50 yard line, second row. The 180 foot jumbotron didn't hurt the experience either. BYU ended up beating OU 14-13, causing Josh (the world's biggest OU fan) to console himself with about 8000 calories of Texas ribs and steak. I topped off the trip by getting a pic snapped with Mr. Tysman himself.

The Jarsey Shoah

2009-11-11T13:21:00.000-08:00

While on the East Coast Summer Tour '09, Amanda and the kids took their annual pilgrimage to Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey - birthplace of Jersey Mikes - best sub sammiches on the planet. As always it was a blast. I was able to hook up with them for the tail end of the trip. Pizza on the beach, the Boardwalk, Funnel Cakes and Zepoles, my (annual) failed attempt at playing Bethpage Black, parasailing, Sundays Ice Cream, sandcastles, etc. And Lincoln got to ride a dirtbike by himself for the first time. Glad we get to return here every summer.

Long Time No Blog

2009-08-18T20:34:00.000-07:00

Okay, I've been extremely lazy with the blog, which has coincided with being extremely busy with everything else in life. Check back soon for post about "Trip to the Jersey Shore", "Trip to DC/VA", and the long awaited second season episode of "Cribs". You know you wanna.

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-21T13:15:00.001-07:00

I figured I would finally contribute to our blog. But I can't take all the credit, the kids will be helping. We started off this special day with breakfast in bed for Dad. While cooking I asked the kids what they love about their Dad. Many, many, many things were said, too many to document so here are my favorites.

Noelle loves that her Dad takes her to Golden Spoon and swims with her. But she especially likes to snuggle with Dad. Lincoln loves anything sports with Dad...going to games, playing sports in the backyard, watching sports on TV, playing NBA live on Game Cube, and even just talking about sports. Lincoln ended with he just loves Dad in every type of way. As for Henrik, the most I got out of him was DA DA followed with a mischievous smile. Which we all know means I love you Dad for a 1 1/2 year old.

Aaron thank you for all that you do for us. Especially bringing laughter and happiness into our home everyday. We love you in every type of way. We hope all the fathers out there have a wonderful day. Happy Father's Day!

Palm Springing

2009-05-30T15:25:00.000-07:00

For Mother's Day Weekend the Colemans and the Deeres packed up the families and headed west to Palm Springs. Josh and I managed to get in a round of golf at the Cimarron Golf Resort in Cathedral City before the families arrived on Friday (we earned it - my car had no AC the entire weekend). Once again we packed a lot into just a few days. We stayed at the Marriott Vacation Club in Palm Desert. If you have the means (or inlaws willing to let you use their points - thanks Oma and Grandpa!) I highly recommend it. Friday was a great day just lounging by the pool and soaking up (more) sun. Saturday we headed to L.A. to catch a Dodger game versus the Giants (come on, Dodger fans - the stadium was about 30% full for an 80 degree Saturday game?!). Nice stadium, better than expected. From there we headed over to Cousin Jennifer's house in Manhattan Beach. The kids were crazy enough to brave the freezing water. Sunday we went into downtown Palm Springs and ate at a great mexican food restaurant for Mother's Day. Sunday night Josh and I had to head back to AZ for work on Monday. Amanda, Brittany and the kids stayed until Wednesday and had a ton of fun - Kids Museum, playgrounds, pool, etc. Palm Springs is definitely a place we'd like to visit again(maybe not when its 100 degrees +)

Lincoln at the Bat

2009-05-07T07:37:00.000-07:00

This was Lincoln's first season of baseball. He was drafted by coach-pitched "Bats" of the Red Mountain Little League and had a great time. Lincoln was able to fulfill his life-long dream of playing left field just like his favorite player, Alfonso Soriano. At a Cubs/DBacks game the other night Lincoln said to me, "Hey dad, maybe someday people will come and watch me play just like I come to watch Soriano." Lincoln, my retirement is counting on it. The Bats last game was yesterday and Lincoln went 2 for 3 and made 2 outs from second base. All the boys had a great seasons and really learned a lot about baseball while having a ton of fun. Can't wait for next season.

Happy Anniversary!!!

2009-04-26T12:15:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm a few days late in getting this posted. Amanda and I celebrated our 9th Anniversary on the 22nd. I'm sure she can't believe she's put up with me this long. Rather than give her flowers for the 9th year in a row I decided to come up with something different. I worked with Amanda's brother, Matt, to come up with a video timetable of the past 9 years for Amanda. Matt did most of the work, I just gave him the pictures and said "go". He did an AWESOME job. Pay attention - you just might make a cameo appearance. Here it goes...

Henrik Loves Blossom

2009-04-04T22:22:00.000-07:00

We teach our kids to share. Sometimes, not a good thing.

Spring Fling - AZ Style

2009-04-01T21:39:00.000-07:00

This spring we were blessed with visits from Amanda's parents and cousin (Christine) from the nether parts of the U.S. where it was still a balmy 15 degrees. AZ? 80 degrees and sunny! As always, it was a blast having everyone visit - of course Amanda goes crazy for the two weeks before the visit trying to come up with fun and exciting activities for the visitors so that they just might want to visit us again (and again). The week was packed with the following activities: Day trip to Sedona, two Spring Training games (Cubs, Giants), Botanical Gardens (glass exhibit), and good ol' fashion sunbathing. This was the first time Christine had ever been west of Texas, and judging by all the fun our kids had with her, we hope she makes the trip again very soon. Take a look...

Two (2) 20 Oz. Breast Augmentations - $2.89

2009-03-08T18:17:00.001-07:00

Get yours now! Available only at Peter Piper Pizza. Limited quantities available. May leak. Sassy look not included.

M.I.C. - See you real soon! K.E.Y.....

2009-02-15T11:19:00.000-08:00

Yes, its taken us a month to recover from our trip to Disney World. (Actually, it only took us a week but we couldn't find the power cord to charge up our camera so we couldn't download the pictures). Simply put - we had a BLAST on our trip to Orlando. The entire Toskovich clan was in attendance (except for Kevin who was having just as much fun in the MTC I'm sure).

In short, this was our itinerary: for New Year's Eve we hit Disney's Hollywood Studios - probably the best place in Florida to ring in the New Year. We were at the park until 3 a.m., spending most of our time scaring other riders on the Tower of Terror; New Year's Day we slept in and took it easy the whole day; on Friday we went to the Magic Kingdom - we hit all the great rides without much waiting by using our trusty Un-official Guide to Disney (highly recommended); on Saturday we took a brief break from Disney and visited Adam and Renee Garrett in Lakewood, FL - we had a great time reminiscing about Suriname (Adam was my greenie) and took the kids out for a spirited boat ride on the lake; Next the boys and girls split up and had separate "character breakfasts" - the girls dined with the Disney Princesses and the boys hooked up with Minnie & Mickey; On Monday we got our growl on at the Animal Kingdom (Simba 1, Simba 1 - poachers ahead!!!). We then topped off our trip with an amazing private dinner at Epcot which concluded with the IllumiNations fireworks show.

If you can wade through the entire slideshow you'll see what a great time everyone had. Grandpa and Oma sure do know how to throw together AMAZING vacations. From start to finish the entire week was Magical - good ol' Walt would have been so proud.

Birthday Sisters

2008-12-27T08:24:00.000-08:00

Amanda and her sister, Allison, share the same birthday and they've managed to be together on that day for the last 25 years. Its quite a feat when you consider they've lived in different parts of the country for a good part of the last 12 years. It took a lot of effort, surprises, and love to keep the streak going this long. Today the streak finally comes to an end. But they'll be together in 3 days at Disney World!!! (so stop the tears ladies) Their consolation this year was that Allison was able to come visit Amanda in Arizona for 10 days a few weeks ago and they (we all) had a great time.

So here is a little birthday tribute in honor of the Toskovich girls.

Let's hope we start a new streak next year...

Papa T's Birthday Tribute

2008-12-25T08:57:00.000-08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PAPA T!!!!!

Jumbalaya Birthday Post

2008-12-21T09:42:00.000-08:00

This is totally lazy blogging, but in the past 5 weeks all of our kids have had their birthdays. Lincoln had a cul-de-sac birthday party and all his friends and cousins brought over their bikes and scooters. They mostly ended up playing with Bakugons in the driveway.

Noelle had her birthday bash at Peter Piper Pizza with all the little princesses. They feasted on a delicious cupcake tower (Note to parents - midweek-afternoon is the only time to visit this place. It was totally empty).

At Henrik's birthday party he nearly ate himself drunk on cupcakes. He preferred an intimate "family only" gathering with special guest "Oma" via iChat.

Christmas Lists...

2008-12-20T09:11:00.000-08:00

Lincoln, Noelle, and Henrik officially whispered in Santa's ear and informed him of their deepest Christmas desires. One of Santa's helpers relayed the message to us, this is what they asked for...

Lincoln asked for a bottle of Drakkar Noir cologne (he's old school like that). It never hurts to add that little extra scent when trying to smooth the ladies on the playground (circa 1987).

Noelle asked for a day spa package complete with hot stone massage, avocado face mask, mani/pedi, and a cut and style.

Henrik asked for a Hewlett-Packard Officejet 6310 All-in-One Printer/Fax/Scanner/Copier. This kid is constantly on the move and this will surely take his multitasking to light speed.

Wednesday Night Lights

2008-11-19T19:23:00.000-08:00

The Broncos played their first (and only) playoff game this Wednesday. It was a fierce matchup against the Titans (remember them? moving on...). The Broncos struck first with a great run by Jake Whittaker and took a 6-0 halftime lead. However, on the first play of the second half the Titans (coached by Denzel) scored on great run by Eddie George to tie it at 6-6. The Titans scored again on their next possession and made it 13-6. The Broncos did not relent. Jake had another great run which contained about 19 cutbacks. The PAT was no good and the Broncos still trailed 13-12. The Titans running game proved to be too strong, as they put together drive which milked most of the clock. They scored another touchdown with under a minute to go and put the game away with a 2-point conversion - 21-12.

It was a great season and all the boys had a lot of fun and showed much improvement every game. Just wait 'till next season.

Lincoln established himself as a solid full-back. This video is one example of his hard-nosed running up the middle. (its hard to see, but Lincoln makes about 4 cuts with his swift feet)

ROADTRIP!!!!

2008-11-17T19:57:00.000-08:00

Alright, so a couple weeks ago I suddenly and unexpectedly became "employment-challenged". After securing a job at a firm here in Mesa (thanks, Josh) I realized that we'd have almost a week before I was due to start. So Amanda and I decided Friday night that we should go on a road trip - ETD Saturday morning. We (read - Amanda) threw our van together as quick as possible and we hit the open road.*

So the itinerary went like this: We actually ended up leaving Mesa around 1pm (good road trips rarely begin on time) and headed up through Las Vegas to St.George, Utah. There we stopped and had dinner with Cousins Whitney and McKenzie and their families. Lincoln was baptized into the world of XBox360 - which is now the focus of every prayer he gives, hoping he receives one for his birthday.

We left St. George around 10:30pm and rolled in to Provo around 2:30am. Bryan and Roxanne let us shack up for the night and made us a great lunch - pot roast! Sunday afternoon we decided to get a little church in so we visited the Mt. Timpanogos Temple - the place where our marital bliss began over 8 years ago (3 eternities for Amanda).

Then we were off to visit our good friends Rick and Laurie Ferguson in Sandy. Our kids had a blast playing drums, having dance parties, throwing snow balls, and riding their pint-sized ATV - Mitch managed to hit two cars and a house while behind the wheels (rumor has it he blew .12 BAC). I got to spend the day with Rick "working" in Midway - one of the most awesomest places in Utah.

Monday night we went down the road and had dinner with Karen & Mike Hill and Matt & Aimee Ferre - and their kids. Karen & Mike's home has always been one of my favorites - such a great feeling everytime we visit. Later Monday night we went back to Provo to stay again with "Broxanne".

Early Tuesday we headed down to St.George to visit Whitney and the kids again. We went to a very cool park that had some sweet stuff for the kids. Harper taught Lincoln how to skateboard and the kids had another bodacious dance party.

Wednesday we headed out for our last leg of the trip. We made two stops in Henderson, NV to visit Tiffney Anderson (one of Amanda's college friends) and Jaime Bringhurst (one of Aaron's college friends). It was great catching up with them and watching our kids have a blast together - yet another impromptu dance party broke out at Jaime's house (noticing a trend here?). Noah has a wicked "pop and lock" that is bound to be legendary some day.

Thats 1500 miles in 5 days. Although we weren't able to document everything we did with pictures we had a great time visiting everyone along the way. We can honestly say that each stop was not nearly as long as we would have liked it to have been (though our hosts may think otherwise). If any of our friends or family are every passing through Arizona you are more than welcome to come visit.

*This road trip was sponsored by Mt. Dew, Finding Nemo, Pringles, Red Vines, Pepsi, Kung-Fu Panda, 5-Hour Energy, the Letter "T", and the Number "7".

Uber-Late Halloween Post

2008-11-17T19:24:00.001-08:00

Yeah, its almost Thanksgiving and we're just now posting about Halloween. Sue me. Lincoln went as Optimus Prime and Noelle went as a Mouse. After deliberating between Snow Princess, Barbie Island Princess, and Cheerleader, Noelle decided on a Mouse. I was reminded to write this post as I was eating some of the candy they garnished from Trick-Or-Treating. Their box of candy is still half full. The kids had a great time at the school Halloween parties, the ward Truck-Or-Treat, and running around our neighborhood. I'm glad Halloween now consists of a full week's worth of festivities. What a great holiday.

Seriously, who gives out bags of Doritos for Halloween?

De-Mulleterization

2008-11-17T19:07:00.000-08:00

All of our kids have started out life with unusual hair growth. Lincoln had no hair for a year. Noelle had no hair for 15 months and then when it came in it came in as a she-mullet. Henrik was starting life on the mullet path as well. So we decided to '86 the mullet. Check it out.
Our tool of choice is the is the Conair Professional Clipper 2000 with 7 adjustments and ear trimmers. See how much happier and smarter Henrik looks with the new mulletless cranium?
*Any people offended by this post need to look in a mirror, backwards, with another handheld mirror, then trim away.

Pazookies

2008-11-07T19:18:00.000-08:00

When Kevin came to visit last week we went to dinner at Oregano's - one of our favorite places to eat, and eat some more. For dessert - Pazookies. The video says it all.

Baby Steps - These are the Things Daddies Miss While at Work

2008-10-28T17:12:00.001-07:00

And, no, Henrik can't do anything without yelling.

Fashion Week - Lincoln Style!!!

2008-10-22T10:43:00.001-07:00

One of the many things we love obout Lincoln is his no-holds-barred approach to fashion. We've been letting him pick out his own outfits for a few years now - making him wear the clothes that "we" thought were "appropriate" wasn't a battle we wanted to fight. If there is an "avatar" that Lincoln has created for himself it is definitely the socks. You couldn't get this kid to wear plain white socks if you promised him daily trips to the dollar store.

So in honor of Lincoln's fashion creativity we're posting pictures of his outfits for the week.

Church socks only for Sunday? Nope. He wears them to school on Monday and he pulls them up to his knees. I particularly like the look of the white shoes with black socks. Lincoln is also a big fan of sport shorts.
On Tuesday he was feeling the "light blue" vibe. You might not be able to tell from the picture, but his shirt has a fish on it and his socks have sharks. He is very "theme" oriented. I caught him off guard while his socks started to "quit" on him - but he pulled them right back up after the photo. Wednesday's ensembles is one of my favorites to date. Lets go from top to bottom. Superman sunglasses to protect the eyes when he's at recess, and to hide the eyes when checking out the chicas. Brown Quiksilver shirt. Camo cargo shorts. And just when you thought he was going with the brown theme for the day - BAM!- aqua colored pirate skull&crossbone socks! And yes, he's in a white shoe phase - no white after Labor Day be damned!

Thursday's special guest - Noelle! We call her outfit "weather-challenged". Tank top because it might get warm later, but Disney Ice-Princess winter boots because its still chilly in the morning. And the black tights with small white polka dots ties it all together. Thursday was "new shoe" day for Lincoln. Amanda took him to Target to look at shoes - he was wearning size 11.5 and it turns out he wears a size 12.5. So she got him a snazzy pair of new Nike sport shoes - grey with orange trim. White socks with orange and blue trim. Grey sport shorts with red trim. White volcom shirt. We scrambled this morning to finish his homework and didn't have time to comb his hair. Blue backpack that hangs down to his socks.

And we end with a bang! Up top we have a greenish-brown "HULK" t-shirt. He was feeling sporty, again, and rocked the orange sport shorts (which also double as his flag football uniform). Round out the week of wild socks - camouflage. With the Nikes to complete the look. This one actually looks like thought went into it. Its quite the mix of orange and camouflage colors.

And there you go - a weeks worth of outfits brought to you from a free-thinking 5-year-old. Hope you had as much fun as we did.

Encore presentation - I just couldn't pass this outfit up. This outfit is part surfer, old man, church, and athletic. Beautiful.

(In no way is this post meant to poke fun at Lincoln - there are a lot of lessons that can be learned from his attitude about what he wears - wear clothes that you feel comfortable in and wear them because you like it - not to meet certain social standards or to please others. Be yourself!)

The Weekend...

2008-10-20T10:44:00.001-07:00

On Friday night we had Lincoln's soccer game (another great game). AYSO was participating in "Silent Sideline" (aka - the most annoying way to attend any sporting event). No yelling, cheering, instructing, etc. Onlookers could only use "non-verbal communication" during the game - can anyone think of a NVC that isn't simply "clapping"? I only had one slip-up but managed to escape prosecution from the SS Police.

After the soccer game Lincoln and I went to the Mt.View/Basha football game. For once I swallowed my RMHS "Pride" (get it? moving on....) and supported the Toros del Mt. View. One of my young-men is the starting QB for Mt. View. Great game that went down to the wire.

Saturday morning we had Lincoln's flag football game in which the Broncos posted a 20-8 victory over the Cowboys. These games are seriously a blast to go to - the kids have so much fun, win or lose.

Saturday night was our ward's informal "Daddy/Daughter" night. A group of us decided to take our daughters out for a special night on the town for dinner and dancing - at Wendy's. The cuisine was outstanding and the company was even better. Noelle is a blast to be around (when she's not being attacked by her brothers). We then had an evening of tasty S'mores in our backyard firepit. What is it about marshmellows that just scream "Set Me On Fire!!!" to anyone under the age of 12?

Satuday "late-night" Amanda and I managed to escape to the theater to see "Eagle Eye". I think Amanda has a crush on Shia Lebeouf (aka Even Stevens or Stanley Yelnats). Pretty good movie with a lot of action (personally, I could do without the liberal slant that seems to infect every movie coming out of Hollywood these days).

Sunday was a wonderfully rest-filled day - between Henrik waking up too-early, the hour-long fight to get our kids ready for Church, wrestling with our children to keep them quiet during Church, preparing and giving Sunday School lessons, hometeaching, etc. etc. (one of those etc. is me following my fantasy football team online) - Sunday seems to be more exhausting than Saturday. When does the "rest" get here?

A Great Day for Amanda....

2008-10-01T15:22:00.001-07:00

Are You Ready for Some (Flag) Football?!

2008-09-29T09:41:00.001-07:00

Saturday morning Lincoln had his first flag football game. The Broncos took on the 49ers in an epic struggle of will and courage. The lead changed hands several times, even twice in the last minute. With the Broncos ahead 22-18 with 30 seconds left the 49ers ran the entire length of the field to take the lead 24-22 (PAT no good). But the Broncos did not concede defeat. On the final play of the game, with 6 seconcds left and in the shadow of the 49ers end zone, Jake Whittaker took the handoff and sprinted for the game winning touchdown. All the boys played great and had a lot of fun.

Lincoln caught a pass (one of only two completions the entire game - 5-6 year old FF is a "run heavy" league) and scored a two-point conversion from 10 yards out. The coach told Lincoln to take the handoff and run to his daddy - and Lincoln did just that. Just before going out of bounds (to his daddy) Lincoln followed Granny's pointing finger to the end zone.

South of the Border, Down Mexico Way

2008-09-23T14:15:00.000-07:00

When your boss says he's planning a deep sea fishing trip to Mexico and he'd like for you to come - you go. So I went. A group of us headed down to the southern tip of Baja California for three incredible days of deep sea fishing. We fished out of the sleepy little fishing village of Buena Vista, about an hours drive northeast of Cabo San Lucas. We stayed at Rancho Buena Vista - a small resort built in the '50s (probably hasn't changed much since) which was an isolated getaway for Hollywood celebs. Being that it was in between vacationing seasons, we were the only guests at the resort - we had the place all to ourselves. On to the pictures...

Here is the view from the front porch of our casita. When a resort has more hammocks than phones and TVs, its a good sign.

Every morning all the fishing boats would head out to the "squid spot" to catch a few squid, which would be used for bait. Here are pictures of the sunrise over the Sea of Cortez, our Captain (Gilberto) gaffing a squid, and Gordon Mohr (el Hefe) reeling in a squid.

Here are the spoils of the first day of fishing - two 65lb yellowfin tuna and two mahi mahi. What happened to the tuna on the right you ask? After hooking the tuna I fought it for over 30 minutes. Just as it became visible from the boat a sea lion (yes, a sea lion, probably about 400lbs easy) attacked the tuna and started tearing it apart. The Captain and 1st Mate (Jose) threw gaffs at the sea lion to chase it away - but it kept attacking the tuna all the way to the back dock of the boat. After taking a good chunk of the tuna it finally swam away.

Here is a picture of Michael Wright bringing in a tuna on day two. About 30 seconds after taking this picture Michael collapsed of exhaustion after boating the fish. I think this was the last time he touched a pole on the trip.

The second day ended up being a great day for fishing. Our boat caught two more tuna and about 12 mahi mahi. Here is a picture of the tuna I caught that didn't get attacked by the sea lion. Gordon had been fishing for about 30 minutes with no bite. He asked if I wanted to give it a shot so I grabbed the pole. About 15 seconds later I hooked the tuna. Beginners luck.

On the last day we didn't have any luck catching tuna so we decided to troll for mahi mahi. After trolling for about an hour we caught 8 mahi mahi in the span of 5 mintues - the boat was chaotic. Just when Jose was telling us there weren't any more fish (no mas) in the area Jim (Gordon's son-in-law) spotted something dark just off the back of the boat. Gilberto put a minnow on a hook and cast it in - almost immediately hooking a sail fish. Being that I was the rookie on the boat the crew let me do most of the work reeling. The sailfish was about 7 feet long and 110lbs and fought like crazy. (better pic coming). Catching the sailfish ended up being a great way to top off the trip.

Lincoln "Pele" Coleman

2008-09-12T21:53:00.000-07:00

Friday night was Lincoln's first organized sporting event. His AYSO soccer team, "The Tigers" took the field against "The Hampsters" (I forgot their name) for a spirited soccer match. The Tigers walked off the field with a 1-0 record (although there was no official score). In case you missed SportsCenter - here is a highlight clip of Lincoln breaking away from the pack to score his first career goal.

Ladies and Gentlemen - Your 2008 Taco Bell Dance Squad!!!

2008-08-28T09:32:00.000-07:00

Last night while we were partaking of the goodness which is Taco Bell (I had the always delicious #6 - two Beef Chalupas Baja Style) Noelle got that special feeling and couldn't resist busting out into full dance mode. She was inspired by "On an Escapade" (Janet Jackson). (If you listen close, you can here Lincoln adding in beats of his own). This girl has no reservations about displaying her devastatingly precise and humorous dance moves. Check 'em out...

Where Everybody Knows Your Name

2008-08-25T16:31:00.000-07:00

Okay, I can't just put up the 90210 and The OC clips without paying homage to my all-time favorite TV series - Cheers. I still TiVo Cheers episodes and seldom do I come accross an episode I haven't seen. Here's some Season 1 highlights of Ernie "Coach" Pantusso.

Some interesting facts about "Cheers":

In its first season Cheers was ranked 77th out of 77 shows and was nearly cancelled.
It was written and produced by Les and Glen Charles - mormon brothers born and raised in Henderson, NV.
Ted Danson earned $450,000 for the final season.
Six different cast members have won Emmy's for their roles on Cheers.
The first name of George Wendt's character is actually Hillary - Norm is his middle name.

Guilty Pleasures - Teen Shows

2008-08-25T14:44:00.000-07:00

Well, I graduated high school in '93 with Dylan McKay, Brandon & Brenda Walsh, Steve Sanders, Donna Martin, David Silver, Kelly Taylor, and Andrea Zuckerman. Since then I've always been a sucker for a teen-based movie or TV show. I'm not sure if this was an accidental "Secret" desire that came to pass, but I can't say I'm disappointed that 90210 is making a comeback. Every time a new teen soap opera comes out I get my hopes up that it'll be as life-altering as the original 90210, but they usually end up being half-cracked wannabees or they end after only 3 seasons (I'm looking at you "The OC").

So, in honor of the OG 90210, I'm posting the show's all time greatest moment.

Also, this special moment from the OC is too good not to post.

Walkin' on the Streets of DC....

2008-08-12T15:03:00.000-07:00

Although we live in AZ now a big part of our hearts still remains on the East Coast. Amanda and the kids spent the whole month of July visiting her family and I joined them for the last week. While I was extremely bored at home (9 visits to the movie theater, 5 DBack games, and 5 rounds of golf notwithstanding) the rest of the family had a blast in DC and New Jersey.

Below is just a sampling of all the fun we had during our last week there.

Bryan and Roxanne got married at the Washington, DC Temple the morning I arrived. The day was partly cloudy with a nice cool breeze (j/k - DC in the summertime is no picnic - 186% humidity is not comfortable.) The DC Temple is awesome - for those of you who aren't LDS I highly suggest you get baptized just so you can attend weddings there. I have two friends who'd like to speak with you if you're interested ;)

We then roadtripped up to Point Pleasant Beach, NJ for a BBQ/Openhouse with the entire Toskovich clan at Oma's Beach House. The weather didn't exactly cooperate, but it was great seeing everyone. Henrik got to meet his great-grandmother - Stadababa. I'm not sure I feel comfortable with someone with a 'stache like CJ's being that close to my kid.

We spent plenty of time just hanging out at the beach. The rest of the week the weather was great. Point Pleasant is a little slice of heaven. I know what those of you who haven't been to the Jersey Shore are thinking - New Jersey and Heaven do not belong in the same sentence. I'm here to tell you they do - and in a big way. You've got the beach, the boardwalk, amusement rides, funnel cakes, zeppolies (google it and eat), swimming pool, Jersey Mikes, Hoffman's Ice Cream, Breakfast by the Shore, etc. (wow, did I mention enough food?) This is by far one of my favorite places on earth. And for some reason Lincoln and Noelle got addicted to fake tattoos while we were there. Amanda got addicted to vampire novels.

Yes, I'm bringing back the over-the-eyeglasses-sunglasses. So convenient and fashionable its astounding. Don't tell me they were never "in", that is just plain foolishness.

Can you say beach diva?

Henrik feasted on a steady diet of sand while at the beach.

Look, Lincoln found a crab and Noelle found an implant (er, whoops, I mean jellyfish).

The ladies were nice enough to let the guys breakaway for a day for a great guy-0-rama. It started of with me and Tyler making a pilgramage to Bethpage, New York - sight of the 2002 and 2009 U.S. Open and the countries best municipal golf facility. We didn't get to play the "black" course but were still treated to some great golf. Bethpage has five (5) 18-hole golf courses - we played the "blue" course which was plenty tough for us. We even got paired up with two locals who were a lot of fun to play with. Tyler and I made the wise decision to walk the course with pull-carts. After a 5 1/2 round we redefined the word "rotch".

After golf we met up with Kevin, Matt, Papa T and Lincoln at Yankee stadium. Although I am not a Yankee fan, there is something magical about Yankee Stadium - it will be sad to see it torn down after the end of the season. You've got to respect a place that can draw 55,000+ on a Tuesday night. Yankee Dogs, A-Rod's homerun, the Yankee "Roll Call", a drunk guy falling onto the backstop net = great night of baseball (and the Oriole's won).

This is what its all about, people.

Back in DC Amanda and I went to a Nationals game at Nationals Park. A great stadium all around, a big improvement over the old RFK. Although its a very modern venue (HD scoreboard is awesome) it has a lot of classic baseball cues. It was a neat experience visiting Yankee Stadium (which is in its last year of operation) and Nationals Park (brand new) in the same week.

And so the summer vacation comes to an end. This is what a month worth of "vacationing" looks like as it travels back to AZ...

A Special Tribute to Auntie AL

2008-08-11T22:15:00.000-07:00

I wasn't prompted to do this or anything, but I felt it necessary to have a post dedicated to Auntie AL. She was a big help on the East Coast Trip and was handsomely rewarded with a punctured eardrum from Lincoln.

She was a good sport letting Noelle and Lincoln sneak into her bed at night (sorry Tyler) and she was always at the ready to spell Amanda when Henrik would cry, whine, cry, whine, etc..

Here she is with Papa T and Lincoln at "Breakfast by the Shore" - by far the best breakfast food East of Filiberto's breakfast burritos. They don't serve bacon by the slice, they serve it by the handful. And I love that the sign "Enter as Strangers, Leave as Friends" is in this picture.

The kids are already looking forward to seeing her at Disney this winter - where Auntie AL will continue her preparation to becoming a mommy herself in 2010!

The "Talk"

2008-08-11T18:03:00.000-07:00

This story is too cute.

Sunday night we had a little family pow-wow to discuss "safety" issues with Lincoln, as he is now going into full-time kindergarten. We watched "The Safe Side" DVD (John Walsh). After the video we had "the talk" with Lincoln about our "private areas."

Amanda asked Lincoln, "What are some places on our bodies that are private and that we don't let anyone else touch?"

Lincoln's answer: "Balls".

Amanda and I looked at each other trying not to laugh. "What?"

Lincoln further explains: "Eye balls. I don't like getting poked in the eye balls."

Underwater Camera - Fun for the Whole Family!

2008-08-10T09:37:00.000-07:00

Sink or swim, Sophia!!!

America's Best Dance Crew - Lincoln & Noelle

2008-07-20T10:46:00.000-07:00

CRIBS - The Coleman Edition

2008-07-06T17:04:00.000-07:00

Hah, hah! Watupyo?! Welcome to my crib, MTV. I knew it'd only be a matter of time before my international stardom would allow me to showcase my spacious pad on the critically acclaimed MTV Cribs. So lets get it started.Of course, I know ya'll are mad interested in what I have in my fridge. Let me break it down for you like this. WATER. When you live in a place that eats 110 degrees for breakfast, you must hydrate. I cannot emphasize this enough. When I'm not drinking water I'm downing Organic Plain Soy Milk. And for special occasions I bust out the Cristal (Light). Werd.True players always gotta have a big TV, and I am no exception. Back in 1999 Toshiba came out with an amazing THIRTY TWO INCH projection TV, so I snatched one off the loading dock at Best Buy. Sure, other guys have TVs that are 2, 3, or 10 times bigger than mine, but if I sit real close it feels like I'm at the dollar theater.I know, I keep hearing that if you wanna be a big dawg you gotta rock Scareface. But if you wanna crank it up a notch you gotta kick Days of Thunder and Cheers reruns. BAM!Lets kick it over to the living room for a sec - I need to make a call on my Hasbro Transformer Cell Phone. I be blowin' up, yo! We never use this room, unless our Hometeachers decide to make their semiannual visit to preach the Word.I do some of my best work in the bathroom. No doubt. Sometimes when I'm in the shower and I'm lathering up my skull with some special edition Suave Shampoo & Conditioner (15 bonus ounces) an idea just hits me and I have to lay down the track right then and there. So I've converted my shower into a fully functional recording studio, complete with a Taco Bell Edition American Idol Microphone. Ain't no frontin' up in here.I don't have a full-court basketball court in my backyard, or a skatepark, or a motocross track, or a driving range, but how many celbs do you know that have a Spalding Pitching Target Return Throw Back Stop? I got the answer for you right here. NONE.I got three words for you. Bar. Bee. Que. When its not 115 degrees outside I've been known to cook up a mean burger. For all my grillin' needs my Patio Classic 2000 Series Charcoal Grill does the job. Burgers, Dawgs, Italian Sausage, Salmon, or Spam - my grill kills 'em all.Alright, MTV, you ain't got to go home, but... actually, you do have to go home. I've got to mow the lawn and trim the bushes before my spectacular pool party. Lates!

(See, this is what happens when my wife leaves town with the kids for a month and I get bored - and I'm only on day five. Yikes)

Henrik - The Laugh Machine

2008-07-06T16:56:00.000-07:00

If this doesn't make you laugh, check your pulse.

Jump Up and Down Cuz That's the 311 Style

2008-06-27T13:22:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite all time bands on this planet Earth, if not THE favorite, is 311 (pronounced: three eleven). And as you can tell from the last entry I am a rather nostalgic person. I was introduced to 311 my freshman year at BYU by my friend Tony Davis. Tony was from Mission Viejo, CA and had a CD from a new group called 311. That summer we wore the CD out and I've been hooked ever since. Since then I have seen them several times in concert (Park City, Salt Lake, Mesa, Phoenix (2), Lauderdale, VA, MD, etc.). Their contemplative message of unity, peace, and positivity delivered with such force has always been energizing to listen to. (Check out Speak Easy --->) In fact, one of our kids' favorite songs is the "Reggae Got Soul " cover that 311 performed for the "Surfs Up" soundtrack.

Well, on Tuesday 311 played at the Dodge Theater in Phoenix. Amanda and I and some friends decided to act as though we weren't as old as we really are and attended the concert. 311's live shows are a high energy, loud, fun, artistic display of an eclectic music style that includes rock, punk, reggae, and funk - and this show was no different. We had a great time. We are getting older so the assigned seating (as opposed to a general admission moshpit) suited us well. Oh yeah, and it never hurts to have some Dee Oh Double Gizzle on the side.

Words to live by...

"Everything you do it comes back to you.

Whatever it may be.

If it isn't one thing rest assured that something -

Will come back and pay you for your deed.

A shortcut's a self defeating means, if you cannot do it clean -

You'll never reach your reward.

And when the day is done, what you receive is the sum -

Of what you took out, from what you put in."

BANNER 17

2008-06-26T11:44:00.000-07:00

Almost a year ago today, the Boston Celtics made the first of two blockbuster trades that would eventually bring the franchise their SEVENTEENTH World Championship. The Celtics first acquired Ray Allen (Jesus Shuttlesworth) from Seattle and then Kevin Garnett (The Big Ticket) to compliment long time Celtic, Paul Pierce (The Truth).
I grew up in the 80’s and was a big Celtics fan (still am obviously) – John and Mark (brothers)were both fans of Magic Johnson’s “Showtime” Los Angeles Lakers – I was the Celtics fan bookended by two Laker fans. I had the life-sized Larry Bird poster and my brothers had the life-sized Magic Johnson poster. I remember Bird hitting the money-ball to win his 3rd straight 3-Point Contest, while walking away with his finger in the air. I remember watching the epic battles of Boston’s original “Big Three” – Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parrish – and Magic’s Lakers – Kareem, James Worthy, Byron Scott, etc. I remember the original "BEAT L.A." chant. You don’t see two franchises trade punches like this anymore. Boston won rings in ’81, ’84, and ’86. L.A. won rings in ’80, ’82, ’85, ’87, and ’88. The Lakers have had success since the ‘80s, winning rings in ’00, ’01, and ’02. The Celtics, however, seemed to have slowly faded into oblivion after ’86 due to tragedy and bad luck: Len Bias (one of the best college basketball players ever) died of a drug overdose 2 days after being drafted by Boston in 1986, Bird and McHale were hampered by injuries after ’86 and both had to retire early, Reggie Lewis (the Celtics All-Star shooting guard) suffered a fatal heart attack on the court during an off-season practice in 1993 (the NBA's lovely commissioner, David Stern, required Boston to count Lewis' salary against the cap for 3 years after his death), and the infamous “Rick Patino” era. (not to mention tearing down the famed Boston Garden).

So, when Danny Ainge (former Celtic and current G.M.) acquired Ray and KG, life was breathed back into the Celtics’ franchise. The Celtics had the biggest turn around in NBA history - +42 wins, going 66-16.

Well, I won’t ramble through the entire season, suffice it to say that we were treated to a renewed rivalry in this year’s Finals – the Lakers and Celtics at it again. It was a great match up with great players on both teams. The series had drama, controversy, injuries, etc. In the end, the Celtics prevailed in game 6 (calling it a blowout would be an understatement), preventing Laker’s Coach, Phil Jackson, from surpassing Red Auerbach (former Celtic’s coach) in total championships (both have 9).
As nostalgic as I am (and you know this), I hope the Lakers and Celtics meet several more times in the Finals – both teams seem to be equipped to do just that.

At the end of last year, Ainge was on his way out as G.M., Doc Rivers was on his way out as coach, Paul Pierce was nearly traded, KG and Ray were stuck on bad teams and it looked like they would never play for a contender. In the words of KG during one of the scariest post game interviews ever… "Anything's possssiiibbbblllleeee!!!!"

A Special Father's Day Post for Papa T

2008-06-15T10:38:00.000-07:00

Lincoln and Noelle wanted to share of few of their favorite things to do with Grandpa. We are really looking forward to visiting you in July! We love you.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

* If you can't understand what Noelle is saying, here is the script we told her to read from - Noelle: I like it when he takes me to the beach, and getting candy in his office, and going to the carnival and taking sips of his soda. I love you, Grandpa.

Henrik Is Mobile

2008-06-01T18:03:00.000-07:00

On May 31 Henrik D Coleman became the newest member of the Coleman household to use body appendages to move about on this planet Earth. Check it out...

Noelle - Our Little Darling

2008-05-28T23:49:00.001-07:00

Alright, I'm going through all our pictures and decided that we need to have a post dedicated to pictures of Noelle. She is such a spark plug. Yes, lately she has definitely done her darnedest to earn the nickname "Drama Queen", but she will always be my Sugar Bear.

IT WORKED AGAIN!!!

2008-05-28T23:12:00.000-07:00

You know all about it... "The Secret"... sending your sweetest desires out into the cosmos... the prophetess... Oprah ... and apparently there are parties where you can "manifest" your desires too... Well, desire #2 has been answered!!!

KRISPY KREME IS BACK IN ARIZONA!!!

After having to endure the closings of some of our most frequented Krispy Kreme establishments (Philadelphia, PA; Brick, New Jersey; Chandler, AZ), Krispy Kreme has returned to the Valley of the Sun. If you absolutely must get in touch with of me and I'm not picking up my cell phone, you can find me at the crossroads of Power Road and Baseline, salivating in front of the "HOT NOW" sign at 10:30pm. Between Krispy Kreme and Jersey Mike's, I've already started a savings account for my quadruple bypass in 2011. If you'd also like to contribute, paypal me.

Alright, I've been Tagged. Here it goes...

2008-05-14T10:11:00.000-07:00

1. 4 jobs that I have had:
Shuttle Driver – Sundance Ski Resort
Intern for U.S. Congressman Jeff Flake
Pizza Delivery
Attorney

2. 4 Movies that I watch over and over:
Tommy Boy
Karate Kid
Finding Nemo
Casino Royale
(honorable mentions: Goonies, any teener movie, Point Break, Transformers, The Natural, Hoosiers, The Firm, Aspen Extreme, Days of Thunder, Ocean's Eleven, Caddyshack, Talledega Nights)

3. 4 places I've lived:
Provo, UT
Davie, FL
Fairfax, VA
Paramaribo, Suriname

4. 4 people that regularly email me:
Overstock.com
AllProDad.com
Amazon.com
Chris Keller

5. 4 Foods that I love:
Jersey Mike’s Club Supreme, Mike’s Way, Giant
Filiberto’s Carne Asada Burrito
Tia Rosa’s Seafood Tacos
Moby Dick’s House of Kabobs – Combo I – Beef and Sirloin
(honorable mentions: 5 Guys, Madison Deli, Surf Taco, Pete's Fish & Chips, Tortas El Guero, Tocanos, Chuck Box)

6. 4 places I'd rather be right now:
Point Pleasant, NJ
Golf Course, Anywhere, USA
Tumbling River Ranch, CO
Hilton Head, SC
(honrable mentions: Park City, UT; San Diego, CA, Wash. D.C., Camping, and see question #5)

7. 4 things I am looking forward to:
East Coast Trip – end of the summer.
Henrik crawling
Finishing our backyard
Guys weekend ‘09

8. 4 People that I would like to TAG
Emily
Tyllison
Mattelle
The Deeres

Fathers & Sons Outing

2008-05-11T09:55:00.000-07:00

The weekend of May 2-3, Lincoln and I went on our first official Fathers & Sons Outing with John and his boys (John's ward). The location was Woods Canyon Lake which is about 25 miles northeast of Payson, AZ, just above the Mogollon Rim (pronounced mo-GEE-on).

We had all the ingredients of a great camp out: dutch-oven cobbler, roasting marshmallows, gorgeous weather, etc. Lincoln had a great time roaming the forest with his cousins and throwing snowballs (yes, snowballs in AZ in May) and rocks into the lake - which greatly amused all the fishermen. I've read somewhere that 90% of forest fires are started by unsupervised campfires on Fathers & Sons Outings. After this weekend, this statistic is hard to refute.

I still have memories of going camping with my family in my parent's VW Bus. Camping has always been a big part of the "Coleman" family and Woods Canyon Lake was one of our favorite camping destinations. The tradition continues.

JERSEY MIKE'S! JERSEY MIKE'S! JERSEY MIKE'S!!!

2008-04-29T09:53:00.001-07:00

Surely you've heard of the book "The Secret" written by prophetess Rhonda Byrne. The book has been featured on Oprah, Ellen Degeneres, and Larry King. It teaches the principle that people's feelings and thoughts attract real events in the world into their lives (if you want something bad enough, you'll get it). Apparently this book, though not scripture, has changed the lives of thousands.

So we sat down one quiet evening and decided to put "The Secret" to the test. We asked ourselves the question - "What could make our lives better?" Money? Vacations? Power? Country Club Membership? NO. We decided to send our "request" out into the cosmos and let the Secret work its magic. Low and behold, our wish was granted.....

JERSEY MIKE'S HAS COME TO ARIZONA!!!!

The delicious goodness from Point Pleasant, New Jersey has made the transcontinental journey to Tempe, Arizona. Sure, its not 1/2 mile from the beach, its too far to ride to on a beach cruiser, and the sandwich techs aren't as fluid (yet) in their craft - but it sure does get us through those long droughts between trips to the Shore. If you haven't had the pleasure of partaking of a Jersey Mike's Sub... DO YOSELF A FAVAH!!! (jersey accent).

Opening Day - Arizona Diamondbacks

2008-04-08T12:13:00.000-07:00

I went to opening day last night at Chase Field where the D-Backs took on the Joe Torre lead Dodgers of Los Angeles. The D-Backs lit up the new HD scoreboard (seriously, this thing is rediculuos) with a 9-3 victory. The top of the stadium was open, perfect weather, four f-16 pre-game flyover, delicious italian sausage, 4 home runs by the D-backs - what more could you ask for? A baseball poem? Okay, here you go...

I arose in a time of turmoil, when men were traded like horses
I have witnessed enemies become friends, and friends become enemies
I've noticed winners with tears of joy
And I have seen losers with looks of grief and despair
Still young at the turn of this century
I bared eyes on the horseless carriage and the flight at Kittyhawk
I gave life and a name to an orphan who became a sultan
Then I granted him an Ironhorse too
I was devastated when eight men compromised their childhood dreams
I chipped a tooth on one of the toughest Georgia peach's known
I survived both world wars and any other my homeland has faced
I've been both beat up and pampered
I have seen children grow and mature under my wing
I saw a miracle that shocked my followers in a summer of love
Spahn and Sain pray for rain and the triumph of Coogan's Bluff,
I was a handyman with a trusting hammer, I called Hank
A few times in my life I've been perfect, and fell short on many others
There have been many tragedies in my life including depression and a strike
People have seen me on T.V., in person, and even on the radio
Children are put to bed with stories I was author to
I am a bond of greatness, between father and son
A splendid splinter in the working thumb of America
I have seen lots of changes, but I, myself, have not
I love my followers as they love me
And thats why I will always be A Nation's Constant

Nation's Constant by Michael Steven Richards

Tubac, Arizona

2008-04-08T10:36:00.001-07:00

"You went on a retreat with Tupac!?!? I knew he was alive!!"

Sorry, Tubac, not Tupac. Amanda and I went on the Mohr Hackett firm retreat this past weekend to Tubac, Arizona and had a great time. We were fortunate enough to have Amanda's parents and brothers (Bryan and Kevin) in town to babysit the kids. Tubac is a little town (very little) about 40 miles south of Tucson and just north of Nogales. The resort was fantastic. The activities for the weekend included hiking, golfing, massages, eating, spelunking, and a ride-along with the U.S. Border Patrol (kidding).

For the golf aficionados, the Tubac golf course was the site of the fictitious U.S. Open in "Tin Cup." The course was great. There were cattle that roamed openly around the course. I even managed to hit a shot into the lake on the "Trainwreck" hole. My scramble foursome, made up of myself, Tom Axelson, Dan Beeks, and Matt Kelly, won the Mohr Hackett Invitational Scramble with a score of 68 (4 under).

On Sunday we took a jaunt over to the Tumacacori National Historical Park. Others in our group hiked the 4 miles to the site. We, on the other hand, taking advantage of modern technology, drove. Tumacacori is a mission that was established in 1691. I can't imagine that the area has changed that much in the last 300 years.

Next, we headed over Kartchner Caverns State Park. Rather than give you a long and elaborate description of what we saw, I will sum it up like this: It was big hole. If you like caves, this is heaven. They wouldn't let us take pictures of the caves, so I downloaded these copyrighted pictures illegally off the internet.

We had a blast and were thankful for the opportunity to get to miss our kids - which we did. This is definitely a place we'd like to come back to.

*For the IRS - we did manage to incorporate a 3 hour continuing legal education class into the weekend.

"At Christmas you get presents, at Easter you get CANDY!"

2008-03-24T21:00:00.000-07:00

Easter came a little too early in the morning for Dad. Lincoln was out in the backyard at 6:45 looking for all the little goodies the Easter Bunny had left. He then woke up Noelle and Henrik and they all attempted to wake up Dad so the festivities could begin. Dad was not amused with the Three-Child Alarm Clock that was purchased on-sale at CVS.

Before the kids went on the Easter Egg hunt Mom and Dad, being the great parents that they are, sat down and had a "True Meaning of Easter" lesson with the kids. The children, undeterred by the Doctrines of Salvation, couldn't get their minds off the glories of candy. Thus we proceeded to the fun.

I tried to get a picture of Henrik searching for the eggs but he was so fast I couldn't focus the camera quick enough. And, yes, Halloween Bags can double as Easter Egg Baskets.
Who knew!

SUNSational Night

2008-03-24T20:30:00.000-07:00

Lincoln and I went to U.S. Airways Arena on Saturday to see the Suns take on the Rockets. Lincoln was really excited to see Shaq play. He pointed him out before the game and said, "Look, he has number 32 just like me! I love my Shaq jersey, Dad." (I didn't have the heart to tell him that his jersey is actually an outdated Amare Stoudemire jersey that has number 32 on it, luckily he couldn't see the name on the back). It was a very exciting game and Los Suns won 122-113. My brother, John, got to go down to the court for a shooting contest during a timeout and won a "21" gift bag. However, the best part of the night? Pizza.

Mohr Hackett Spring Fling '08

2008-03-17T13:55:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Mohr Hackett, P.C. (aka - my employer) had its annual spring fling at Kiwanis Park in Tempe. As you can see from the pictures, Lincoln and Noelle had a blast. There was a rock climbing wall, a SuperMan Slide, and various other games that had cash prizes (Lincoln won a total of $12! - which purchased my lunch today at Schlotzsky's Deli).

Videos of Lincoln and Noelle

2008-03-13T09:47:00.000-07:00

Lincoln - trying to earn a new beach cruiser at Oma's Beach House

Noelle - So tired... can't... stay... awake...

Henrik D Coleman - Offspring #3

2008-03-10T09:25:00.000-07:00

In an attempt to not short the youngest of our three children with blog exposure we decided to dedicate an entire post just to Henrik. So here he is. Lets start at the beginning. He was born at our home on Nov. 17, '07 and came in at 9 lbs. 10.5 ozs. and 23 inches. (yes, Amanda is a warrior - no anesthesia!) Here is a picture taken an hour after his birth (we have other pics, but they aren't "decent") and two taken about a week later.

That isn't a typo in the post title. His middle name is just the letter "D". This is a tribute to my grandfather Clinton D Ray. With all of our kids we've used their middle names to pay homage to relatives. We anticipate Henrik will be asked the question - "what does the D stand for?" for his entire life - so be it. I've had to explain that Aaron is my middle name and Bradley is my first name but I've always been called Aaron... yes, it gets annoying, and we wanted at least one child to also experience the pleasure of having to explain their name repeatedly. As for the name Henrik, we just like it, so deal. (we managed to take a few pictures without having the siblings jumping into the shot... We'll call these (1) Holy Cow; (2) I'm happy, but please change my diaper; and (3) Henrik, aka "The Yapper")

As of now Henrik likes bouncing around the room in his bouncer. That's about it. (yes, this bouncer once held our very own Keveezie T. Please see link-->) He's pretty much a happy baby with quite a personality. He's been very patient with his mother and her obsession with finding the "perfect" baby carrier. Its a miracle that he hasn't dislocated any joints thus far. He also loves his brother and sister, even though Noelle tends to enjoy giving him aggressive hugs that smother him.

Fun With Animals

2008-03-06T19:10:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday was full of animally goodness. We jaunted over to Lehi to partake of the "Lehi Days Rodeo" with Uncle Mike, Aunt Sharon, Josh & Cassidy. There was cotton candy, BBQ, a petting zoo, and more Wrangler jeans than you could shake a stick at. Noelle and Lincoln enjoyed a ride on the ponies. We were so proud of Lincoln and his ability to suppress the infamous "'07 Tumbling River Ranch break away horse" memory.

We then had some fun with our dogs Blossom and Strawberry in the backyard. We've been trying to teach them to catch things out of the air - frisbees, balls, etc. Blossom is "catching on"; Strawberry? - not so much. Blossom has developed the amazingly useful skill of catching water shot from a hose.

Park City - the Humble Beginning of "Guys Weekend"

2008-02-28T17:36:00.000-08:00

Alright, well our guys weekend "tradition" has gotten off to a meager start, but its a start nonetheless. Attendees were Bryan, Kevin, Matt, Aaron & Lincoln. Kyle and Jason happened to be up in Park City that weekend too.

Lincoln had a great time at ski school. He mostly learned how to make and throw snowballs. The weather was great - you can't have good snow without it snowing. And it snowed a lot. Matt and I had a good day on the slopes. Bryan had a restful weekend at the Marriott. Kevin's attempt to join the snow festivities was foiled by a "phantom lost cell-phone."

Lincoln and I survived a total of 21 hours in the car together. I was assisted by several coloring books, DVDs, and Krispy Kremes. (my parenting advice for the week: I just sit back and let the DVDs do all the work).

Overal it was an enjoyable trip to the ol' stomping grounds. I got to meet my neice, Sophia. She is darling. Maybe next time I see her she'll actually make some kind of noise. She was completely quite. Not a sound. I also managed to drop in on my good buddy Ricardo de Ferguson and have Sunday dinner at Karen & Mike Hill's home to see a lot of family.

The Colemans Have Joined the InformationSuperHighway

2008-02-28T14:24:00.001-08:00

Yes, we've created a blog. Its true. I know what you're thinking - where do they find the time in there insanely busy schedules to blog? The answer is - we don't know. We hope to be able to neglect our kids for just a few minutes every now and then so we can update the world on our happenings. We knew the world is curious about us - so we finally decided to oblige.

Okay, so we're here. Now what?