4th of July Sparklers.

Happy 4th of July to all of those who celebrated and thank you to those that serve our country so that we can enjoy our freedoms. We started the day off by playing some beach volleyball with some friends in the morning. Although we don't have any beaches around here there is a pretty decent sand court that is not used very much where we can play. We then went over to Jennie's parents for a party their development was hosting. They had food and lots of games for the kids to play. It was a fun way to spend an afternoon plus we didn't have to prepare any food and didn't have to clean anything up after. We then came home and hung out while waiting for the fireworks to start. We didn't have to go anywhere as we could see them from our house. This was nice because not only did we not have to deal with traffic but we were also far enough away that the noise wasn't extremely loud. Brooklyn is not a big fan of loud noises and has never been a fan of fireworks in the past. She wasn't too bad this year as we weren't right under them and they were that loud. You sacrifice a little of the view but overall it is well worth it. After the show was over we just tucked the kids into bed and we were done.


The family watching fireworks outside.


Brooklyn with her sparkler.


Maddux and his sparkler.


The kids loved the sparklers and we only had two minor accidents with them. Both were a result of the kids not paying attention. First Brooklyn turned into Maddux and caught his arm with the end (burnt a little hole in his sleeve) and then she did the same thing again but burned a little mark across Nolan's upper lip. He has a little mark across his lip but otherwise is fine.


Gotta love the look on Nolan's face. He is so intense sometimes.


Nolan chasing Maddux. I am happy to report that he did not catch up to him.


Maddux running after Brooklyn.


Nolan running with his sparkler.


Maddux in his PJ's right before the fireworks started.


Maddux and Nolan watched the fireworks from on top of the car.


Since Nolan is now a big boy he is peeing all the time. You will often see him watering the grass (as he calls it). It is better than peeing in his pants and making a mess.


Nolan dancing outside.


I was trying some of the different modes on the camera to see what they did and I think the effects of this picture. Nolan was swinging around some sparklers while running in the yard.

Here are some various pictures of the fireworks from our house. I am still trying to figure out all the modes to the camera and what they do. I really need to get a book that walks me through it. One of these days I will figure them all out. It is amazing how many different things a camera can do now.












Well we hope you all had a wonderful holiday and are enjoying your summer. We wish you could be closer to us and hope that these pictures and posts are enough to keep you up to date on our family.

Maddux Baseball update.

Thanks to Uncle Spencer I was finally able to get some decent action shots of Maddux at baseball. We played three games this week and went 3 - 0. That brings us to 7 - 2 on the season. I did witness two things that I may never see again. An unassisted triple play and a cycle on four pitches. Unfortunately, the unassisted triple play was against us. One of my batters hit a line drive that I still don't think the kid saw it which was caught by the shortstop. Of course the kids don't understand that they can't run if the ball is caught so they all take off. I had the bases loaded and if there was such a thing as four outs we would have been victim to that. I am screaming at the top of my lungs for the kids to run back because the fielder didn't know what to do at first. To no avail my kids kept running and he stepped on second base for the second out and then walked to third and stepped on third. My runner on third was standing in the dugout giving high fives thinking he had scored a run. Then in the same game Maddux hit for the cycle on four pitches. If the pitch is anywhere near the plate Maddux is going to swing. I am not sure if he has even taken a pitch yet this year. His first at bat he hit a double, then followed with a triple, then a long home run and finally a single. What was nice was the fact that they were all line drives and hit really well. He has hit the ball really well all week and is starting to do much better. I try to go out 45 minutes before each game and let him take some swings to get loose and it seems to be working. We will have to work on his fielding next as he tends to lose focus quite often. Anyways the boys are doing very well and there has been a huge difference since the beginning of the season for some of them. It is nice to see them progress and the expressions on their faces when they do something good. Here are some pictures of Maddux in action.


Maddux heading home on his homerun. As you can see in the picture the third baseman is still waiting for the ball to come in and Maddux is almost home.


Maddux breaking down his stride as he scoots into second on a double.


Good shot of Maddux getting ready to tee off on the pitcher.


Unlike his father ever did Maddux can hit the ball to right field. Here is a good shot of Maddux on his triple and you can see the right fielder running to get the ball.


Total concentration. I wish you could see the front of his face because his eyes are probably popping out of his head and he is probably licking his chops getting ready to send it on a ride.


Maddux with some of his teammates watching the game. It looks like Maddux is really into the game but I am sure that there was someone doing something on the field that he wanted to watch.


Maddux playing catcher. I have to teach him that it is ok to catch the ball once the batter misses. He likes to let the umpire pick it up and hand it to him to throw back.


Nolan and Sarah playing in the woods. Maddux has one of his friends on the team and they have kids our kids ages so it is nice for them to be able to play with each other during the game. This is funny because the girl asked Nolan to marry her the other day, at the game, and Nolan politely accepted.


Nolan and Joseph running amuck in the woods.


Brooklyn just happy to be there.

Well there are only 5 more games left in the season and it has flown by fast. I am glad that I can be a part of this team and coach these little boys on the fundamentals of baseball. We may not be the best team but I guarantee that we have the most fun. Until next time ........

Misc Kids Shots.

I feel kind of bad because I always have lots of pictures of Brooklyn and Maddux but seem to come up short with Nolan and Payton. So I decided to get some of them around the house to show how big they are getting. Nolan is out of diapers and has done a pretty good job at using the toilet. His main struggle seems to be around going #2. He doesn't really have an issue with potty but still poops his pants quite a bit. I am not sure why he doesn't like to go on the potty and poop but for one reason or another he doesn't. The other day he came up from the TV room and kept saying "I'll dump it out, I'll dump it out." Jennie and I had no idea what he was talking about until he started to head towards the bathroom. It was then that we figured out that he pooped his pants and was going to dump in out in the toilet himself. Jennie has figured out a way to help him use the potty. He has a Wiggle guitar that he loves to play with and if he poops his pants he loses the guitar for the day. He can then get it back by going on the toilet. It works sometimes but he still has the occasional accident. I guess that is something that will just come with time. However, I don't know how long Jennie can keep cleaning him up after his accidents. I am just thankful that she is willing to do that and doesn't make me do it.

Payton is also getting very big. She has 8 teeth, 4 on top and 4 on the bottom, and is now eating just about everything that we eat. She really loves pizza and ate 4 pieces, minus the crust, the other night when we went out. She is a very good eater. She is also becoming quite mobile. She is sitting up all by herself and pulls herself all around the house. She has gotten on her knees a couple of times but still isn't really crawling yet. She did pull herself up and stand the other day which is something we haven't seen her do yet. She kept standing up and would walk around the window sill in little steps. Maybe she will skip the crawling and go straight to walking. She will be 1 in a couple of weeks so it is about that time. She has a great laugh and is becoming daddy's little girl. It was funny because I picked her up after her nap this afternoon and had some things to put away so I gave her to Jennie. The next thing you know she is crying and reaching for me. She wanted nothing to do with Jennie at that time. I am sure that won't last for long. She has picked up clapping and waving as well and will say hi when waving. She also will say hot from time to time and dada when she sees me. It is truly amazing at how fast they grow up.

Since I don't seem to have as many pictures of Nolan and Payton as I do of Brooklyn and Maddux here are a couple from this week.



This is her standing up on the window sill. She kept pressing her face against the glass and blowing on it making noise. I ran outside and tried to get a picture from outside looking in but she wouldn't blow on the window. I did however get some good facial expressions. This is her pounding on the window at me.


Isn't she the cutest thing you have ever seen.


I just love her expressions.


Just look at that smile.


Here she is waving goodbye.


Nolan with his new big boys. Grandma took him and Kenzie out to buy new underwear after they started going on the potty. He has some Hulks, some Bobs and Spider-Mans. The funniest thing is to watch him put them on. He loves to put them on backwards because then he can see the characters better.


This is what happens when I am away at work during the day. Jennie lets Brooklyn put clips in Maddux's hair and then takes pictures for future occasions.


I tell you this would never happen when I was home.


Our big boys smile. He is such a cute boy and his smile gets him out of a lot of trouble.

Payton with her comb.



Nolan sleeping on the lovesac with his big sister.

We hope you have enjoyed these pictures and wish you were all close and could watch them grow up. Stay tuned for some potty training pictures and pictures from Maddux's last 3 baseball games.

The Beards Weekly Sports Review Update.

Here is a summary of the past week for Brooklyn and Maddux and their sporting events. After starting the year 2 - 0 in baseball the team hit a two game skid before snapping out of it Thursday night with a win. For some reason they decided that they were not going to hit for two straight games. I have never seen a whole team not hit but we managed to do it twice. Maddux struck out twice on six pitches, not even coming close to hitting one, another thing I have never seen. He actually hit in the second game but we ran up against a team that could hit the ball. Our main problem is getting the kids to focus. I don't know how you teach focus but if we could figure that out we would be really good. I stand right next to them and try to get them to watch the batter and what is going on. Wouldn't you know it, as soon as the ball is hit they are digging a tunnel in the dirt or starring straight up into the sky looking at who knows what. I guess at this age it is all about having fun and that we are. I decided to open Maddux's stance up a little bit and he has been doing a much better job at hitting. It forces him to step towards the plate instead of third base and thus he has a better chance of hitting the ball. I have also started working with him at hitting left handed and he has done surprisingly well. After two attempts he has the stance down and is making contact constantly. Doesn't have the power yet but that will come with practice. We usually go out 1/2 before the game or practice to get some extra swings. I am just thankful that I have the opportunity to coach his team and watch his talent grow on a day by day basis.


One of the few occasions where Maddux is actually paying attention and not drifting off. He has gotten better at his fielding and just needs to remember to slide his feet and get in front of the ball. His catching and throwing have also improved significantly.


On the way to the game. He doesn't wear the glasses in the game but I like the look.

Brooklyn went to her first basketball camp this past week and it was really her first organized basketball of any kind. She went with her friend, Maddie, which I think made things a little funner. The camp was Monday thru Friday and taught by an ex-player for the University of Akron. I did manage to get and see a little of the camp and I think the girls had fun. Brooklyn did struggle the last couple of days but that was due to sunburn. She went swimming outside at her friend's pool and the sunscreen Jennie put on must not have been waterproof because she burned pretty good. She has such fair skin to begin with that it doesn't take much to burn. I also think she over acted just a bit but she ended up skipping Thursday because she couldn't lift her arms up because it hurt. She has the height and now just needs to develop the coordination and the hunger to play. From what I hear about Jennie she was the same way when little. For those of you who know Jennie she is far from that now so there is hope. Here are a couple of pictures that I managed to get the one day.


Brooklyn passing the ball to her teammate. Look at that form.


Here she is getting ready to check the ball in. I had a problem with how they ran these little pick up games. If you notice in the picture there are 5 kids trying to steal the ball. The way he had it set up there were 5 older and bigger kids against 5 littler kids. The older kids would pressure the younger kids and make it near impossible for them to pass the ball. Notice that you can't see any of the kids on Brooklyn's team. They are behind the wall of taller defenders. I just think they should have split the teams up a little. The final score was 14 - 0. I don't even think Brooklyn's team got a shot off.


This is how Brooklyn played defense most of the time. Just standing there watching.


Here she is playing knock-out or lightening to some. She made it to the third round before being knocked out by a 14 year old.


Brooklyn's friend Maddie shooting the ball.

These last couple of pictures are not sports related but from the week.


Since school is out the kids have gotten to play with their cousins quite a bit.


Brooklyn reading to Great Grandma Elaine.


Brooklyn loves to read.

Where have the past 8 years gone?

Tuesday June 16th marked Jennie and I's 8 year wedding anniversary. We have known each other for a little over 11 years now and man has time has flown by. I am sure that 4 kids, 3 addresses and 2 states help with that but it seems like we were just dating not to long ago. We have been blessed during these first 8 years with a beautiful family, a good job, a nice home, good friends and no major issues, knock on wood.

What was suppose to be a big surprise filled day turned into a rather normal day. We had the carpets cleaned in the morning. Then took the kids out for lunch at McDonald's. Came back home put the little ones down for naps while we cleaned up a little. I then ran to Home Depot to pick up some mulch and stopped to pick Jennie's present up on the way home. She has been wanting a treadmill for quite some time now and I finally found a decent deal on one and picked it up for her. I think she was a little surprise but loved it at the same time.


What a geek.


Striking a pose.


The new treadmill just waiting to be used.

Now we just need to figure out where to put it. We then dropped the kids off at the grandparents and headed off to our surprise. I had the whole thing planned out and it would have been perfect if not for some high winds. Jennie had no idea what we were going to do and wouldn't have until we pulled up if I had it my way. I was going to surprise her with a hot air balloon ride over the Ohio countryside. But instead of floating over the trees we ended up spending 3 hours driving around. The launch site was an hour and a half away and five minutes before we get there they call me up and tell me we have to reschedule because it was going to be too windy where we were going. The weather was perfect on the ground but the higher up you go the windier it got. I was so pissed that they spoiled my perfect plan. I ended up telling Jennie what we were going to do and now we have to reschedule for a different day.


This is as close as we got to going up.

It will still be fun but not as good as I had planned. It would have been fun to see the look on her face as we pulled up to a huge balloon sitting in a field ready for take off. We ended up going shopping at the Super Wal Mart so it wasn't a total waste of time but not what I had planned at all. While it was nice to shop without any of the kids I would have much rather been sailing around in a balloon. We finished off the night with a trip to DQ and then went back and picked up the kids.

Now I will have to come up with something even better next year to make up for this debacle. It was still nice to spend a couple hours without the kids, as those are extremely rare, and here is to many, many, many more years together. I love you honey:)