The Dye Family

Here comes summer!

2011-05-24T13:42:00.000-07:00

I guess summer time is right around the corner. It's already arrived for everyone in GA. Unfortunately, up here in MD we are still in school until June 22nd. The kids love their snow days until it's time for summer and then they have to make up those days!We have been busy as usual and I'm ready for things to start slowing down a little. I am wrapping up my spring season with Life Touch photography. It was a great learning experience! They even recognized me with the rookie photographer of the quarter award! It was nice to be noticed for all my hard work this season. I am thankfully going to be off work this summer. It's going to be a nice break.

Ezra is almost done with his Freshman year. He is really looking forward to the summer. I think the new work load was a bit of a surprise for him. I also had to get used to not knowing what was going on at school. I felt that there was a huge disconnect for me. I tried to keep up with everything he was doing, but it was pretty hard because there was so much. He will be participating in a 200 mile bike ride/camping trip this summer with his scout troop. It'll take place over a week. He knows it'll be hard, but I think he can do it! He is still taking Guitar and continues to improve in that as well. Here is a picture I just took right before he has his hair cut. He wouldn't sit very long for a lot of photos, but I love this one!

Gabe is all about soccer right now. He is doing really well and is stellar defensively. His team had a great season as well with only 1 loss between the fall and spring season. He recently was chosen for a Soccer Association of Columbia under 10 Recreational Select team. It's one step below travel team soccer and pretty hard to get on the team. He had a great tryout though and we received a phone call today offering him a spot! This past season he played up an age division to the U-9 division (he should have been in U-8). The select team he made continues to be a age division higher than he should play. He's one tough kid taking all kinds of hits on the field, but never letting it stop him! Here are a few of Gabe. He is a little more cooperative when it comes to getting his picture taken.

2011-01-11T20:37:00.000-08:00

Welcome 2o11

Wow! I am so glad to see 2010 in the rear view mirror! It was a year not to be forgotten with Todd's knee injury and recovery, well over 7 feet of snow, multiple house disasters, Gabe's face scar, Ezra starting High School, Gabe Starting second grade and Soccer, trips to New York, Georgia, Ohio, a new job for me, My and Todd's 12 year anniversary, and lots of laughs and love. The past year was a roller coaster with lots of ups and downs. I am hoping for a year of more ups than downs this time around!

This year has started off pretty great so far. We drove out to Western Maryland not long ago and picked up a new member of the family. We now have what I think is the cutest dog on the planet. Her name is Lily and she is 8 weeks old. She is a goldendoodle (golden retriever and poodle). She is sweet with a little bit of sassy. The kids love her and she is fitting in really well with the family.

February will bring another season of photography work with Lifetouch photography for me. The job seems to be a good fit for the family. They are early mornings... sometimes I'm getting up at 3:30 or 4 am, but I usually get home around the time the kids get home. Plus it's seasonal so I am off during the holidays and summer.

Well, I'm gonna keep this short. Hopefully if I keep these posts short and sweet there will be more posts and I won't be so pathetic at keeping up with all this. It's a little embarrassing to see the last times I posted anything on this site. Happy New Year to everyone!

2009-07-07T18:43:00.000-07:00

Birthdays and Kindergarten

The Big 13!

I can hardly believe that my baby is a teenager now. Ezra celebrated his 13th today and I realized how fast the years have passed. He has at least an inch probably more on me in height and now wears a size 10 shoe. I am floored at how fast he has grown and how quickly time has passed. It seems like yesterday that I held him for the first time. I know it has been a really long time since he was my "baby", but they are not supposed to grow this fast. To top it all off it makes me feel that much older too! Todd is pretty good at reminding me that I am the oldest though =) We have all been doing well. Life has been treating us well and we have been having fun this summer so far.

Ez was done with pics at this point.

Notice how much Gabe loves Oreo pie. You can actually gauge how much he loves something by how much of it is on his face. Also, notice how unfazed he seems to have Ezra's fist next to his head.

Finishing Kindergarten

Well, Gabe had a great year in Kindergarten this year. He improved so much and he had a wonderful teacher. Mrs. Small was patient, kind, and encouraged the kids to really care for each other and be themselves. We are going to miss her next year. Gabe also made some great little friends too. He is excited to see them again soon in first grade.

What a roller coaster

2009-02-28T12:21:00.000-08:00

Well, I finally took a good look at my blog and realized that I have not posted since September. What a loser- really. I can't believe that it has been that long. We had a good holiday season. We went to GA for Thanksgiving. It was hectic, but fun to see family.

We have been very busy since the Holidays. I had a number of Christmas Photography Shoots and then after a trip to Seattle for one of My best friends weddings - Shannon - I started a new job at a retail Clothing store called Crazy 8. I actually managed to get a position as a assistant manager there. It's a really great place with a great staff and Store Manager. I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to work there. Here are some pictures of the kids during the holidays.We hope all is well with everyone. I am working on getting my photography blog going too. I have one up and running, but it needs to be reworked- It's pretty boring right now. I will let you all know when I get that fixed up. Todd is still loving his job and we feel so blessed to have all that we have at this time. Thanks for taking a look and I promise to update again soon.

2008-09-26T19:59:00.000-07:00

Gabe is a nut!

Here is a quick post about our Gabe. As we were getting ready for church last week Gabe found some 3-D glasses and put them on. He looked like he was getting ready to meet up with Jake and Elwood and go on tour!

Then later on it the week he and Ezra were creating some cardboard box cars and drawing designs on them. The cars looked good and then I saw Gabe's other creation! His name on one leg in black Sharpie. I am not sure how he managed it, but he wrote his name on both the inside and outside of his calf muscle- quite well might I add. It's still there to this day- We keep scrubbing it- It's almost gone though. You can see in the first picture how proud he is of himself.

2008-09-15T18:44:00.000-07:00

Back to School

The kids started school on the 25th of August. Gabe loves it and Ezra does not. So, it's pretty much what you would expect for those two. Gabe's teacher is really nice and he has made a lot of fun little friends there. Ezra's favorite teacher's name is Mr. Mc Million. Pretty cool name if you ask me. He has 2 male teachers this year and they are both cool from what he tells me. I am gearing up for my job hunt. Finishing up my resume and getting ready to get at it. Wish me luck..... I am gonna need it! Enjoy the Pictures

2008-09-07T19:12:00.000-07:00

Summer Time Fun

This summer started off with packing a house into PODS and storing it for three weeks! Not the most exciting way to do things, but it had to be done. After getting the house packed we took off to GA for 2 weeks of traveling. Our first stop was Gainesville where we spent time with family and had a little fun. The kids always have a great time playing together and it was great to see our family.

Ezra celebrated his 12th birthday while we were in Ga. It was great to be with family for that. It's hard to believe that our boy has grown so much so fast. He keeps mentioning getting to drive when he is 16- I said you have plenty of time and then realized it's only 4 short years away! HELP!!!!!
We are very proud of how much he has accomplished and what a great young man he is becoming. We love you Ezra

Myrtle Beach with Aunt Tiffy!

After a week in Ga we were off to the beach to visit Aunt Tiffany. We had a blast there and stayed with her for 5 days. She was a wonderful hostess and even hooked us up with some tickets to the Ripley's Aquarium there. We had great food, tons of fun, and most importantly- we got to see Tiff!

So that is our summer story in a nut shell. We are now moved into the home we purchased. We are in the process of painting and getting everything just like we want it. The next post will be a back to school post and then after that a post about our home with some pictures too! Thanks for keeping up with us and sorry this took so long. It's been a busy few months.
Love you all
Michelle and the family

T-Ball Time

2008-05-11T19:38:00.000-07:00

Hello All,
Here is an update on Gabe's first T-Ball practice. This is more of a skills class so I don't think we will be having games or anything like that really. It's real laid back and Gabe had a wonderful time just getting out there and messing around. He wants to practice everyday so I get outside with him quite a bit and play catch. It's so much fun. Enjoy the pictures!

Visiting the Washington Nationals new stadium

2008-05-06T05:25:00.000-07:00

About a week ago we decided to go see the braves play the Nationals down in D.C. I had been looking for cheap tickets and finally came across some good outfield seats for $10 a piece on Ebay. So I bid on them, Won, and off we went. We took the metro down as we usually do and had a short walk to the stadium. Wow, the stadium is really nice. They had some really nice touches. Ezra was in heaven with his personal Papa John's pizza. The other food was just ok and priced about like you would expect (rip off), and to top it all off I think the food workers have a scam going on. When you order your coke product they take the cap off the drink and put it in their pocket before giving it to you. They are probably earning some ridiculous prizes for the my coke rewards program!

We sat out near the bullpen and got a chance to see Hudson throw some practice pitches. Glavine pitched that night so we had a chance to see him in the pen too. The boys stood around during batting practice hoping to catch a long one, but no luck.

We lost that night. It started to fall apart in the bottom of the 7th. The kids were tired, so we took off early to beat the masses. Upon leaving I realized that the guys behind us spilled beer all over a section of my NEW camera bag! It was dubbed my beer bag for the rest of the evening. I tried to get it out at the stadium, but it was a losing battle. Thankfully it didn't ruin any of my stuff inside. It can always be worse..... Right? The coolest part of the evening for Ez came on the Metro on the way home. This guy sitting behind us was a Boston fan in Braves gear and decided he didn't want his signed Braves Majestic jersey or hat anymore- so he asked Ez if he wanted it. Ez was happy to take it. So, he came away with a nice signed road jersey and braves hat. The signatures were ok- nothing really special like Chipper or anything, but what a cool way to end a great evening.

So, One stadium down- many to go up here in the "North". We know we technically aren't in the North, but we are pretty far up here! We hope to get to Yankee stadium before the end of the season (they are tearing it down after this season) Not because we like the Yankees (yuck) but because we want to see that piece of baseball history before it's gone! With a little luck we might make it. Gabe's t-ball experience is up next so keep checking back for updates!

What Next????

2008-05-02T17:35:00.001-07:00

I know asking this question is just asking for trouble. We have been dealing with all kinds of Crazy life events lately. The biggest is that the home we are currently living in in being sold. We just received our 60 day notice to vacate. So, let the countdown begin. When we initially moved into this house we knew it would be temporary. I just didn't think that I would be working on packing a house again in less than a year! It has been a little stressful, but what can you do? There is not much to do when you are in a position like we are. All we can do is move forward and find a new place to live! So, we have a Realtor and are now on the path to hopefully owning a home if all goes well. At this point I am just looking for some housing stability whatever that may be.
Easter was fun. I refrained from buying all kinds of stuff for the kids and really tried to make it more about Christ. They did get to have a Easter Egg hunt with the neighbors and we had our traditional basket search in the morning, but I really took it easy. It's really funny they didn't even revolt! They appreciated what they received and didn't complain at all. What a surprise. Below are a few pics of their egg creations.

I just hit the ripe age of 32! It was pretty funny, I was thinking about it a week before my birthday you know.....about how old I was. It was actually pretty sad because I realized that I had been thinking of myself as a 32 year old all year already. I completely skipped the 31st year! What a bummer. I guess it was a good example of my negative state of mind at times. I had been so bummed about 32 coming that I wasted a whole year thinking I was already there. Lesson learned........ I won't make that same mistake again. At any rate, Todd and the boys woke me up that morning with my Ice cream Cake and candles from Cold Stone Creamery (we ate it later- not at 7:30 am). They sang happy Birthday and gave me a sweet new Lowepro camera bag. Todd took off work that day too. I treated myself to a badly needed haircut and then Todd arranged for a baby sitter and took me to dinner. Man I lucked out when I married him. What a wonderful husband he is!

The kids are great. Ezra has made the A/B honor roll for the second time this year. He is doing really great and adjusting well. He is currently swimming for a USA swimming club team here in Maryland. The drive is getting to be a little much though. We drive about 100 miles a week total for just practice so we might look for a team a little closer to home to save on gas. Ez really is growing so fast and I can hardly believe that he will be 12 in a few months. Time has really gone so much faster than I ever thought it would. He is such a handsome kid and he really is hilarious. He has a great sense of humor. He Swam in one of his first big Swim Meets in March. He did great with a 6th, 7th, and 8th place in the events he swam. He received 3 medals too. We are so proud of him.

Gabe is such a card! He is a really happy kids and has a lot of fun with whatever he does. We have a membership at the YMCA here and he has made a lot of little friends that he plays with there. He goes to his first T-Ball practice tomorrow. That should be fun. I am not sure who is more excited.... Gabe or Todd. Todd loves doing stuff like this with the kids. Plus, this is his first opportunity to start grooming his "braves player".

On another note.... Todd's mom came up to Maryland to visit for a few days at the end of March. It was a lot of fun and we were all so happy to see her. We went down to D.C. for the Cherry Blossom festival and introduced her to some Persian food. She was able to go to Ezra's swim meet and we also took her to a restaurant for some great seafood. It was a nice visit and we were all sad to see her go. It's funny, being so far away from everyone now really makes the time we spend with family so precious. Living in Augusta before we never really experienced it like we are now. It's pretty hard.

So This has turned into a really long post. I want to post more in a day or two after Gabe has his T-ball thing. So, until next time.......... Love you all!

Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Year!

2008-01-20T19:57:00.000-08:00

The first snow of the season came to us before Christmas and the boys had a blast. We received about 4 inches of snow. I bought a couple of sleds and they had a blast playing with the kids in the neighborhood. It's cold right now- supposed to get down to about 10 degrees. The high was only about 25 and the boys decided to go outside and work on their fort. Don't ask me..... I thought it was way too cold. I know for some of you 10 isn't that cold, but for us who just spent the last 8 years in Augusta, GA -it's REALLY COLD!

The Holidays were pretty good. We went back to Gainesville for Thanksgiving. For those of you we didn't see..... Please forgive us. We debated making it widely known that we would be coming back, but decided to keep it to ourselves because we wouldn't have enough time to get up with everyone and spend time with our Family. When we visit next time we'll make sure to let everyone know and make some time for visits. This was our first Christmas all by ourselves. We usually either visit family or they visit us. It was nice though and we really enjoyed spending the time together.

New years was pretty void of excitement. We stayed up and let the kids stay up too. Gabe barely made it. Once midnight rolled around he said "that's it?" It was a little anticlimactic for him. We bought the boys some confetti guns (how appropriate for boys) and they had fun shooting them. We adopted a tradition from Todd's dad (chocolate fondue) and bought all kinds of junk food. We snacked all night and played some games. Maybe next year we will be a little more adventurous.
So that's it for the most part. Things are back to normal now and we are just plugging away at life. Todd's job is going great and Ezra is doing well in school. Gabe and I just hang out at home, go to the gym and play! What a rough life. Thanks for checking in. I'll post more soon.

Halloween and Birthdays

2007-11-12T20:37:00.000-08:00

Halloween and Gabe's 5th Birthday!

This will be a combo post. Halloween has come and gone. The boys had a great time this year. Ezra was A gangster and Gabe was the Grim Reaper. We went trick-or-treating in the neighborhood next to ours and the boys made out with some good candy. They have some friends that live in that neighborhood and we tagged along with them. Gabe also celebrated his 5th birthday on the 12th of November. He had a great day that started with breakfast at Ihop (though he was really wanting Waffle House) and then a trip to Outdoor World. He said he wanted the huge catfish in the tank for a present. Then later that day we went to Dave and Busters for bowling. Todd kicked our tails in the bowling game and then it was home for Cake and the spongebob Atlantis Squarepantis movie. It was a lot of fun and now we have a 5 year old to make us feel just a little bit older.

We made it to Maryland!

2007-11-04T17:57:00.000-08:00

I know most of you know that we are living in Maryland now, but for those of you who don't.... we made it. Things have been good for the most part. The area is wonderful with tons to do. We basically live between Baltimore and Washington D.C., although we are a little closer to the city of Baltimore. We moved up here at the end of June from Augusta GA. We love it here, but do miss our family and friends back in GA.
Ezra started Middle School this year. He is liking it and is making new friends. The school system is great in the county we live in. They sink a lot of money into the system and have the best school system in the state. Gabe will be starting Kindergarten this coming school year and is very excited about making more friends and being "big like his brother".
We live in Elkridge, Md. a quaint town that was founded in the 1600's, but is now in the middle of great growth. There are many homes here that are easily 100 years old. We live about 10 minutes from the Baltimore Washington international airport, 15 min from Baltimore, and 30 min from Washington D.C. We have been very lucky to find a rental home here in Elkridge. The housing is incredibly expensive here. The home we are renting would sell for around $500,000- so we are not really in a hurry to buy due to the high cost here.

Todd loves his new job here and I love the area. I am still at home with Gabe and plan on getting a job when he starts school next year. Hope you all enjoy the pics and keep an eye out for my Halloween post which will be coming soon!