Finally, an Update

Since our last post....we have have been extremely busy. In December, we took a trip to Tampa, FL. I (Kathy) had a Volleyball Coaches Convention down there...so we opted to make this a mini-vacation as well. While I attended workshops during the day...Shane and Trey enjoyed some of the sights in Tampa (including the zoo and the aquarium). We also attended the semi-final and finals (Division I Championship). Go Penn State! The matches were awesome!

Christmas was also very enjoyable. This year was a little different than years past. We actually stayed home for the holidays (rather than travel to Minnesota--due to Shane's work schedule). Shane's brother's family came down and stayed with us for 5 nights. We had a great time and I can say with confidence that I survived cooking the entire Christmas dinner. Now that's amazing! (I'm not so domestic...). :o)

For the past couple of weeks, Trey has been in pre-hockey. He has classes/practices twice a week. Overall, it has been great! He still struggles with following directions at times. It's not that he is defiant.... It's just that he has his own agenda...which includes simply skating forward (the normal way). His coaches try to get the kids to practice skating backward and on one foot. Trey tends to give up when something is difficult and he is the king of drama....so if it seems hard, he will simply collapse on the floor -- sort of a "woe is me" type of body language---like he just can't do it. The thing that has really helped is that Shane and Trey have been going to "open skating" on Sunday afternoons. At the open skate sessions, Shane and Trey work on the skills that Trey has trouble with (such as: backwards and on one skate) which has really helped Trey to improve overall. The past couple of practices, Trey has shown marked improvement in these skills (he still has a longggg way to go, though). Nonetheless, he is so darn cute out there on the ice. They wear full gear for their practices...so it literally takes about 15 minutes to get him dressed. I am usually sweating by the time he is dressed for practice!

I also want to comment on how much Trey has grown over the past 20 months. I measured Trey this morning and he has grown 6 inches since April 2008! Amazing! He is such a big boy!

Speaking of a big boy...Trey is really enjoying school. This semester, Trey's teacher has begun to implement spelling tests and memory work (bible verses--he goes to a Christian school). Trey aced his first spelling test and his memory work last week! He loves working on these things at home and he loves reading as well! I guess that I need to cherish these moments while I can because I know that there will come a day when it will be a struggle to get him to do his homework.... However, for now, it's great!

Overall, life is good. We are starting to enjoy after school play dates with friends and youth sports. It's been a fun, yet busy time. We hope that you all are doing well! :o)

Back to Blogland!

It has been soooo longggg since we have even looked at our blog. I really apologize. I have the best of intentions...however, the internet sometimes takes a backseat to real life (and that's a good thing, I'm sure). :o)

Since I last posted, volleyball season has ended. Now, our days are much more "normal". I pick Trey up from school at 3:00 p.m. everyday and we are usually on our way home by 4:00 p.m. Trey's school is about 200 yards from my office...so it can't get any more convenient for us.

Trey finished his swimming lessons a couple of weeks ago. He did really well this session and really has become a little fish in the water. In fact, a couple of weeks ago...Trey and I were at the Health Club and we decided to go swimming. The indoor pool has a water slide. Trey must have gone down it 25 times! He is so daring and extremely talented in swimming once he reaches the bottom (pool). It was so much fun to watch him!

Another new adventure is that Trey will be starting to play hockey in January! I have never envisioned my child as a hockey player. However, he has been talking about hockey for at least 6 months! He really has wanted to try it. In fact, we got him some roller blades for his birthday (summer) and he really did well with these. Anyway, since Trey has persisted in his desire to play hockey...we decided to take him to "open skate" at a rink near our house. Well...as suspected...he did awesome and he loved it! Therefore, we have opted to put him in "pre-hockey" at this point. Basically, he will be learning to skate and learning the rules of the game. He won't be on a team yet. To give you a sneak peek at our little skater...we put his gear on recently (minus the skates) for your amusement. Enjoy the picture!




We are also gearing up a family trip this week. I (Kathy) have a convention that I will be attending in Florida. Therefore, I am taking Shane and Trey along with me. While I attend my coaching seminars, the boys will be "tourists". Then, we will all hang out together in the evenings. Trey is extremely excited about the trip because he has been wanting to fly on a plane ever since we flew home from Russia. I'm sure that he is going to love this experience once again.

Finally, we are definitely excited for Christmas! Last year, Trey had no idea what Christmas was....or what Santa was...or what Jesus was, etc. However, this year, he has a reference point (last year). Therefore, he is soooo excited! He sat on Santa's lap last Friday night. It was funny because he was one of the biggest kids in line. However, we knew that this year was our chance. Last year, he didn't "get it" and next year....the cat might be out of the bag (if you know what I mean....)...so this was the perfect time to get a Santa picture. Trey was so excited to talk to Santa! He told him everything that he wants for Christmas! It was adorable!

Well, again we apologize for the lack of posts. Now, I need to browse everyone else's blogs to catch up on everything that I have missed over the past several months. We hope that you are all doing well and have a Blessed Christmas!

God's Blessings,
Shane, Kathy, and Trey

The past month has definitely been full of activity. I am still in the middle of my volleyball season, which makes life "extra crazy". Trey is also in the midst of 1st grade, swim lessons, and spending a great deal of time with sitters. Shane is also working hard.

Therefore, we really cherish our Sundays when we can all spend time together. On Sundays, we go to church and then typically spend the day getting odd jobs done, watching football, and playing together. Today, we went to church. Then, we ordered a pizza and threw on the Vikings game. After lunch, Shane and Trey stayed home and played/watched the game while I took off to the grocery store. (Sundays are also my grocery day.) When I got home, Trey and I spent some time building with some of his building toys. The three of us then had dinner together, watched some T.V. and then after Trey's bath, we spent some time reading bedtime stories. Trey loves reading! He loves spelling and is often asking how to spell words that he is interested in. Overall, we had a very fun, low-key day...which was awesome! We love Sundays!

Nonetheless, life is good. Trey is doing really well in school. He is making more friends and really enjoying his teacher. She is truly awesome! My volleyball season has had it's ups and downs. However, we are currently playing really well and I'm so excited about our potential as we get closer to our conference tournament, etc. I truly hope that we play our best volleyball here at the end of the season. :o) Shane continues to do well at work and really loves selling Audis....so all is well. Oh..on a side note.... Trey was so cute last week at one of my matches. He typically sits in the bleachers with Shane. However, we allowed him to stand on the court with the players during the National Anthem. He held hands with the players on either side of him. Then, just like the rest of the players...he tossed a mini-volleyball into the stands and shook all of the opponent players' hands prior to the match. It was sooooo cute! Of course, after that, he joined Shane in the stands. It was really cute, though. :o)

On a different note, Trey and I picked out his Halloween costume last Saturday. He really wanted to be a skeleton this year. (I have no idea why...). Therefore, we found a skeleton costume for him. It was about the scariest option that I would allow him to have. Nonetheless, I'm excited that he found a costume that he likes. Last year, he had no idea of what Halloween was all about.....He was a fireman last year and he didn't even keep his costume on because he just didn't get it. I can't wait to take him trick-or-treating this year.

We hope that you and your family are doing well!

God's Blessings,
Shane, Kathy, and Trey

Our Little Vikings Fan!

I realize that it has been a while since I have posted pictures...and these Vikings photos might not be "the best"....but I couldn't resist. Shane is a HUGE Vikings fan (he's from MN) and today Trey put on the horns and braids. The opportunity to snap a photo was too tempting....Therefore, we have our little Vikings fan all decked out for the blog! Enjoy!

By the way, you might notice that Trey is missing a couple of bottom teeth. I call him "Our Little Jack-O-Lantern". Let's just say that the tooth fairy has made a couple of stops at our house lately. :O)

In general, life is good. We are extremely busy with school, volleyball season, swim lessons, volleyball season, etc. etc. etc. Yes, I realize that I wrote "volleyball season" twice. It's just that time of year when we are constantly on-the-go. I must say that Trey has been amazing through it all! He is really thriving in 1st grade. He loves learning! He is reading so well! It's funny because he is always asking us how to spell certain words. Today, he actually asked how to spell the word "OK". Hah! My response was "O-K". Oh the joys! Trey brings home math games and small books and we have a great time working on his 1st grade work. He really is excelling. What a change in a year and a half! We are so happy with all that he has done.

Today, Trey and I went to a movie to simply enjoy our Sunday afternoon. We saw the movie "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs". It's always so much fun to go to movies with him. I can honestly say that I have been to the movie theater more times in the past year than I had in the previous 5 years! It's fun to go to the theater, get our popcorn, and watch the movie together. He also thinks that it's a real treat...so it's a great reward for his good behavior. By the way, we really enjoyed the movie. (My favorite movie that we have seen together is "UP"--Hands down...This is such a cute movie!)

My volleyball season is going really well. We are almost at the half-way point in our season. It's such a crazy time of year. However, it's so much more enjoyable when my team is doing well. So far, we are off to a good start. :) Please pray for us this week.... We've got some big conference matches coming up! ;) Trey typically doesn't come to my practices and he only comes to my home matches (with Shane). However, yesterday, I brought him to my practice. We set up a little area on the side where he had movies, paper & crayons, toys, etc. to keep him entertained. I have to say that he did REALLY well for my 2 hour practice. He is really maturing and becoming more independent. It was great to see him behaving so well. He has changed SO MUCH over the past year and a half!

Well, It's getting late.... I hope that you are all doing well! God's Blessings this week! We'll try to post again soon.

Happy Labor Day!

Well, I think that I have successfully made my blog private. I hope that this worked anyway....

It's been a crazy few weeks. Trey started 1st grade and is loving it! He loves his teacher and seems to be really enjoying the structure of school. He's such a big boy...sitting at a desk all day.....bringing his lunch! He loves school and really LOVES reading! We are so proud of him!

Life has been a little nutty lately. Trey is in 1st grade and I am in volleyball season. We leave home at 7:00 a.m. daily and return home around 8:00 p.m. (just in time for a quick supper and bedtime). It's not easy for this little guy...but he really is doing an amazing job with all of the madness. I'm so thankful that he rolls with the fall schedule so well. After the middle of November, we will start returning home around 5:00 or 6:00 p.m. on a daily basis...which will be so nice for our family.

Trey will be starting his 2nd session swimming lessons this fall. He is such a fish! He loves the pool...so I'm excited to see how he progresses this fall. He already swims better than I did at age 12! He loves the water and can navigate very well under the water.

Shane continues to like his job at Audi. As you may remember....he went without a job for several months last winter. He started working at an Audi store in January...and it has really been a blessing. He truly likes the people that he works with and has settled in really well at this store.

Otherwise, we don't have any new updates. Life is just moving by quickly..we are just trying to keep up. Our little boy is really getting big (grown over 4 1/2 inches in the past year and a half). He has been such a blessing to us. His humor and his personality are such a joy! He is so full of life. We feel extremely blessed.

We hope that you are doing well!

God's Blessings this Labor Day!

Back to School/ Volleyball Season!

Well, August has flown by.... Trey will begin 1st grade tomorrow. I can't believe it! He will start at a new school and his teacher seems to be awesome! He already knows 3 of the girls in his class (from his summer program), so he should transition well.... We're excited to see how he does!

I also have begun my volleyball season at Concordia University. It's going to be a busy fall....but it should be fun! Our life will definitely be hectic for the next few months. However, Trey loves Concordia and he LOVES the Cougars! I hope that he does well with our crazy schedule.

One other thing that I have been pondering lately is making our blog private. I know that several of our friends have done this and I think that it might be time for us to do the same. I have heard some recent stories that lead me to believe that it would be best to keep the blog private and open only to invited guests. Therefore, if you would like to continue following our blog....please email me at: kathygebhardt@comcast.net . We'll add you to the list and likely go "private" in a few weeks. I think that it might be the best for our family (as many of you have done the same...)

Well, I better get "my little assistant coach" off to bed! Have a GREAT Night!

God's Blessings,
Kathy

Summer Days

I can't believe that July is flying by so quickly! We have definitely stayed busy lately. Trey goes to a day camp at my work everyday while I go to work. After day camp/work, we typically go the health club to workout/play or we come home and swim or roller blade. Trey is doing so well with his roller blades. He is a true "natural". He has a strong interest in playing hockey.....so with his expertise in roller blades....he could definitely be a good ice skater as well. We'll see if we take on hockey this winter!!!

We have seen some major maturity growth in Trey this summer which has been awesome! He tends to be very active and sometimes has trouble following directions. However, lately...he has been an angel! He is really priding himself on good behavior and he is definitely making his parents proud! It's been great to see him change over time. His English is awesome! He is sooooo smart! And...now, he is really making strides in terms of good behavior. We are extremely impressed with his growth.

Tonight, Trey's 1st grade teacher came to our house. She makes home visits for everyone in her class. It was really nice to visit with her. She also had a couple of activities for Trey to complete, which he really enjoyed. I can't believe that "our little guy" is going to be a 1st grader this fall! It's so unbelievable! I am really looking forward to witnessing his growth as a reader. He really enjoys school and is very curious regarding spelling. I'm sure that he will be a strong reader as well. This should be a fun year at school for him.

Trey probably won't participate in any youth sports/activities this fall because I will be in the middle of volleyball season. We are gearing up for my busiest time of the year (coaching volleyball). It's a fun time of year...but extremely hectic. Trey is a great fan. My players are like his "big sisters". He truly loves them and I know that the love is reciprocated. It's a lot of fun to see them interact.

Well, I just wanted to post a few items regarding what we are up to. I hope that you are all doing well!

God's Blessings,
Kathy