So long 2008...

Our end to 2008 was pretty great overall.  First, we decided we wanted to take Isaac to the Guthrie again one more time while he is still an only child.  It is so fu

n to see him get all dressed up and take a fancy night out so seriously.  We had dinner at Cue which is pretty cool if you want to have NO IDEA what you are eating.  It's good, but you just have to eat what is in front of you.  The Christmas Carol was GREAT as always and Isaac even stayed awake this year - always a plus.

We also decided this year to open gifts with just the 3 of us before the break began since once we are off from school on Tuesday the traveling begins.  One present Isaac and I were both particularly excited about was our new hoc

key skates.  I haven't had new skates since I was in high school so that was very cool and kinda weird.  Isaac has wanted new skates for a long time so we w

as REALLY excited to go try them out that night at SCSU.

On Monday night Isaac had his big theatrical performance a

s Joseph at the Newman Center's Christmas program.  He only had a few lines but was on stage most of the play.  He tends to get really quiet in front of people (no I am not kidding...) but he did such a GREAT job.

  2008 was such a great year for the Cox-Ebnet family.  We continue to have so much to be thankful for.  Heather and I are lucky to have jobs that we both love with coworkers that are so great.  Isaac continues to grow and amaze us with the young man he is becoming.  And finally we were blessed with an addition coming in 2009 which will no doubt make that yet another year full of change and excitement.

2009 - BRING IT ON!!!

Tis the Season

Yup - it's that time of year again, and I don't mean lights, garland, and gifts. This season is singlets, headgear, and lots of concessions. Isaac has officially started wrestling again and it's fun to see him getting better. He is starting to move from little kid wrestling where they pretty much just fall on each other and the eventual winner was the one that landed on top to actually doing some moves. Last night he had his first duals meet and did really well. Did he win? No, but he held his own against some older kids and kept off his back in both matches. Now begins the evenings practices and once in a while weekend tournaments. We don't go to a whole lot since it can get to be a bit much, but just enough that he gets a few trophies (they all do) and has some fun. Plus, nothing more fun for me (only speaking for me...) than watching Isaac, eating a hot dog for lunch, and moving from mat to mat. As long as he continues to enjoy it, there's nothing I'd rather be doing.

And the wins will come...

Yes We Did - A Message For My Kids...

Yes - it is 2:30 a.m. and I am going to call it a night pretty soon, but not without a few thoughts about what we have just experienced as a nation.  And I'm saying this beyond the topic of race, but for an American identity that we can finally feel good about again.  I think I am the happiest for my son that will wake up in a few hours and look into the face of our new President and see a piece of himself looking back at him.  Isaac and President Elect Obama share a common story of family that gives me so much hope for both our nation, and Isaac.  I can't wait to wake him up and have the chance to tell him that his hero is now his President.

I'm also hopeful for my son that is yet to arrive.  He will not know an America where a vast group of citizens have been disenfranchised and left out of the political process.  He will group up in an America where anything is possible and anyone can make it.  He will come into an America that is better than the one his brother came into.  Not because a President Obama can single handedly change everything that is wrong and fix every problem, but because a door has opened that before tonight has always been locked for some people.  Yes We Can!

I'm not entirely sure if there has ever been a picture I liked more than this one - ever. To me, this says it all about what we are hoping to have (lottery would be a strong second - distant, but strong).
There's also a funny story that I have to post - again, I grew up for some reason always loving politics. Election night for me is one of the most exciting and nerve wracking nights of the year. Poor Heather has to listen to me yell up as results are coming in on a variety of elections. My mom loves to tell the story of when I was in Kindergarten or First Grade, holding my own political voting polls on the bus on the way to school (how I ever got married I'll never know). Well, the cycle continues and I couldn't be happier. Isaac apparently asked his teacher this past week if he and his friend could hold elections in their Third Grade class - they'd do everything including counting the votes

I think I teared up a bit...

Election's Around the Corner

Hey Everyone,
If you know me, you know that I like politics - A LOT!!!

Now, I know there are a lot of messages being portrayed out there concerning who to vote for, but when you sift through all of the "crap" - I really think that Barack Obama is the best person for the job at this time of our country. I'm not saying that John McCain wouldn't make a great president, but the skills he brings to the table would have been better in the election of 2000, not the election of 2008. Why? Because his strength with experience and a military history remind me some of Dwight Eisenhower. A grandfather figure that people could trust and feel the reassurance that our safety is in his hands. I know that we are still in military conflict in both Iraq and Afghanistan, but the time has come to move away from military pursuits and bring in the peace-makers. Barack Obama has the ability to calm a nation, create trust, and bring people back to a place where they believe in both themselves, and each other. So much of the power a president has in his (someday her) ability to speak to the nation and rally support. Bush did it in 2001 following 9/11 and look at his rating then. Obama can speak to us today and bring us back to a point where we see a better future.

Plus - Opie, Richie, and the Fonz all believe in him -what else do we need...

Here Comes the Son

Well, today Heather, Isaac, and I had a pretty exciting day - we got to get a better look at our newest member of the family, and it's a boy. Pretty crazy for all three of us to be looking at the screen and seeing this face looking back at us. Everything so far is going perfect - the doctors couldn't be happier - thus making us feel pretty good too. The heartbeat is still on the higher end of normal (150-something - normal is 170) but what else do you expect - it's not like I am the most low-key person, as anyone who knows me already knows.

I wish I would have had a camera though, watching Isaac with his fingers crossed going "boy, boy, boy..." - the only ones that seemed to think it was going to be a boy was Heather and Isaac - and they were right. Maybe there is something to this "intuition" after all.

Our Day at St. Johns

Today we had to take advantage of the awesome weather and headed out to St. Johns for the afternoon. I know as a Concordia alum I'm not supposed to say this but...this place is so awesome!!!! Above you can see a short video with some of the pics from our walk. It was fun to get a chance to just get out of the house and enjoy the fresh air and hang out.

Everything else is going overall pretty great. Heather continues to feel well and we are now under 2 weeks before we get an update on the baby and if we are having a boy or a girl. What's really exciting is how anxious Isaac has been lately about having a brother or sister. He has said over and over again that he wants a brother which is a change - for so long this summer he said he was hoping for a sister. When it all comes, I don't think he's going to care. Nothing else too exciting to update - sorry, kind of a boring week...

I'm back...

Okay - it is about time that I come back and give a quick update about how things are going here. With school starting and everything else that comes with that looking at this site has kinda taken a back seat lately.

It seems like I am riding the same boat as everyone else with school starting - what a crazy year!!!! I'm not sure if it is working with new people on Team 3 or the "newness" of South is starting to disappear (my third year now) so I am starting to look at things differently or what but WHOA has it been a sprint for us all. I have to say though - I still wake up and think to myself how lucky I am to be at South - if I'm going to sail a ship in a storm there's no crew I'd rather be sinking with...

Heather is having an equally crazy year but it seems that she is doing a VERY good job at keeping balance in her life - I need to take lessons... She's not staying nearly as late - she finds a way to get her workout in about 5 days a week and even found time to make a GREAT dinner last night - I can't wait for winter cause then she REALLY has her best meals!!!!!! Just one of many reasons that I am really lucky...

Isaac is having a GREAT start to the year - his math grades are coming in really high and his reading is getting better every week. He just finished another book the other day and is now reading one my favorites growing up - The Mouse and the Motorcycle. I saw it at the bookstore and had to get it for him. We also had a lot of fun bird-watching together on Sunday -even spotted a Turkey Vulture - so that was fun. He is expressing a lot of interest in that now so I may have to find him an inexpensive set of binoculars and a bird book of his own to go "watching."

Heather also went to the Dr. today regarding "baby to be named later" and things continue to go GREAT in every way so we are keeping our fingers crossed. Heather will be at 20 weeks over MEA break so we are going to be able to find out gender and have another ultra sound taken then. We're also not the kind of couple that keeps secrets real well so we'll be telling everyone the gender and names as soon as we know - girl name I think is set and REALLY grown on me - boy name is up in the air - I'm sure it will be a boy just for that reason. I wonder if he'd care if we just go with the "girl name" anyway - kind of a Johnny Cash - Boy Named Sue kind of story. We'll see.

Isaac's First Day of Third Grade

HI MY NAME IS ISAAC TODAY IS MY FIRST DAY BACK TO SCHOOL.I SAW ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS HIS NAME IS THOMAS. I MET MY TEACHER HER NAME IS MRS. RASMUSSEN ONE THING I LIKED ABOUT HER IS SHE IS NICE.

School is just around the corner...

You can always tell that school is just about to start - the teachers are in their rooms getting boards ready and curriculum set up, parents are stopping by for their children's schedules, and kids are looking frantically around wondering what happened to summer.

Heather and I have been spending time in our rooms lately trying to get things ready before in-service workshop begins next week. I haven't seen Talahi yet, but South is still a ways from being ready for open house next Wednesday. Lots of stuff in the halls yet, rooms are still being cleaned, and a bunch of us still don't have our floors completely finished.

But, I got quite a bit done these past few days and am really excited for the year to begin. It's crazy to think that this is my 12th year teaching and I still get nervous for that first day.

Isaac is getting excited for school to start too - but I think it is more so that he can wear his new white shoes than anything else. He is so much his mother's son it is crazy - loves his new clothes.

We're hoping to hit the State Fair before school starts - Heather loves ALL food on a stick so that is always a good time. She doesn't really eat so much as she loves to sample - one bite here and then off to something else. Good times...

Things are going well...

Just wanted to let you know that things seem to be going really well for Heather and her pregnancy so far. It's still pretty early but we are getting closer to the end of the First Trimester so we are keeping our fingers crossed. The day before we left for Wyoming Heather had her first ultrasound and tests and everything then was GREAT - heartbeat was 162 (I think) which many say is signs of a girl, but I checked and that isn't necessarily the case. We got to see the baby and it was moving - looks a bit hyper so it apparently is starting off to take after me - I'm hoping that changes...

Her due date was moved to March 8th based on the pictures which will be nice since we start Spring Break March 9th so that will give us the week to just take care of Isaac and Baby.

I think Heather is enjoying shopping for new clothes since she now has the excuse that "things aren't fitting quite right." Very convenient... Oh well, she is feeling good and able to exercise still which she loves - she has even begun to run just a little bit again which I think she missed a lot.

Isaac says he is excited but I'm sure he is nervous too - I don't blame him - I am too...

Our Last Trip to the Mountains

Today was our last trip out to Yellowstone, and for me the most challenging BY FAR. All we had left to really see in the park was the Northern path so that is where we headed. This was our furthest drive thus far too so it was a long trip in the car. This path also took us over the highest altitude of the park -almost 9000 feet.

First we headed to Mammoth Springs, which is basically a HUGE spring that has hardened into this 300 foot high structure. It looks so much like a huge chunk of ice - very cool. After this we headed to the nearby village which was actually an old army camp which was the former headquarters for the entire park before the National Park Service was established. The buildings were really old - very cool.

From here we headed down through a variety of sites including Tower Falls - very beautiful waterfall that we were able to walk down near the base. Not as tough of walk as the Lower Falls, but very nice.

We also ran across our third bear, but the first one that we had enough time to take a picture of. Heather wanted me to make sure I noted that she was the photographer for this picture. Our last drive took us to that highest point and wound through the park and finally down the mountain for the last time.


We'll be taking off tomorrow morning and driving to Dickinson, ND most like where we'll stay overnight. Since the drive straight through is about 14 hours (with no stops at all) driving all the way though won't be possible - Isaac has only so many movies in the car. We'll be home Friday as soon as we can - Heather really misses Chloe.

Yellowstone Park - Day 2

Today was a day about cliffs and waterfalls. We started the morning as we have the last few - eating breakfast, going swimming, and getting ready to go. As we headed back out to Yellowstone - I felt a little better about driving up the side of the mountain, but still not great. Heather and Isaac both were a bit tired so things were quieter in the car.

Today we decided to spend most of our day checking out the Yellowstone River path up to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Isaac enjoyed wading in the river and even stayed dry somehow - which for him was a first. Then we headed up to the canyon - only to run into the ONLY possible traffic jam possible in Yellowstone - CAUSED BY BUFFALO THAT WOULDN'T LEAVE THE ROAD!!! The cars were backed up for a while and we ended up waiting 30 minutes but we got to see a lot of wildlife on the wait.

The Grand Canyon was pretty amazing but continued to test my "love" of heights. One of the most amazing sites was the Lower Falls which we were able to see from a few angles. At one point we ended up walking down what is called "Uncle Tom's Trail" which was a small metal staircase overlooking the water fall - much to Heather's surprise I headed down with her and Isaac and even was able to look over at the drop off. We couldn't figure out why everyone walking up looked so tired and out of breathe until we made the trek up ourselves - WOW!!!! Even Heather, who is VERY in shape had to stop every once in a while catch her breathe and let her legs rest. Well worth the walk.

We then headed out to Artist Point to see what I think may have been the best view so far. You sit on a platform overlooking the Lower Waterfall again, but seeing it through the cannon. Very cool.

We did a bit of looking around Cannon Village, had some dinner and decided to start heading back to Cody (about 85 mile drive) and wouldn't you know it - ANOTHER BUFFALO TRAFFIC JAM - this one last 1 HOUR!!!!!! We ended up being in the car for 3 hours but had fun talking pretty much the entire time - even Isaac since Heather banned the DVD player for the entire day.

Tomorrow is our last day before making the journey home - we're going to head back up the mountain one more time and see the hot springs and that area and then get some rest back the hotel so we can be rested for the drive.

Our trip in the Mountains

Today we finally headed up into the mountains to Yellowstone National Park. Anyone that knows me knows what a wimp I am about driving in high elevations so this was going to be interesting. However, I did it by keeping my eyes straight ahead the entire way up the side of the mountain. My favorite quote of the day from Heather is when she said (as we were approaching a HUGE drop off area) "Ryan, don't look. Isaac, check this out..." I was laughing about that the rest of the day.

We got into the park and up into the mountains only to see a really awesome lake - Yellowstone Lake. It was kinda weird to see this lake up so high and in the middle of this mountain. One thing we are getting used to smelling around here is the sulfur smell of the hot spots. By the lake we could see smoke come from the ground which is one these hot spots that around the park. Pretty cool.

We made a few other small stops at some nice scenery, but kind of focused our day on getting to Old Faithful. That was a pretty amazing area of the park - walking around and seeing these "pots" of boiling water in the ground. However, it smells like they are boiling rotten eggs. Then, at 6:36 we got a chance to see Old Faithful "erupt" - exactly when they predicted - unreal!!!

Also today, we got a chance to see some GREAT wildlife - surprising since there were so many cars around. I think we saw 2 bears, a herd of buffalo (and even one walking down the road at us), 2 coyotes, a few deer. After all this, it was back down the mountain (thank God it was dark and I couldn't see over the edge) and back to Cody.

Tomorrow - back to Yellowstone for the hot springs and whatever else we can run across.

Western Trip - Day 3

Well, today started off pretty interesting. We got up and went to enjoy a relaxing breakfast but I think had the same plan as everyone else at the same time -the lobby was nuts. Our hotel room isn't attached to the main lobby area (it's a motor hotel - rows of hotel rooms) which made Heather REALLY nervous right away. However - the rooms are GREAT - very clean, separate sink and bathroom so we can get ready at the same time - fridge, microwave, etc...

After breakfast we headed to the pool for a morning swim - here is where the entertainment began (I wish I had the camera with me at this point...). Heather went to work out while Isaac and I swam when the Europeans arrived. We think Italian, but we're not 100% sure. Heather, Isaac, and I couldn't stop laughing when they, as a family, jumped into the pool, and began to do "family aerobics" together - running around in their speedos and thongs inside of the pool chanting something together. Then the dad (yes, wearing a little speedo) got out and headed for the WOMEN'S LOCKER ROOM and goes in to get ready. Dad then comes out wearing only a towel and accidentally flashes Heather looking for his stuff - new idea for "Italian Sausage". I'm not sure I've ever seen her turn so red before. Not even Noon here yet - wow!!!!! After what we just saw, I'm not sure the mountains are the scariest thing anymore.

In the afternoon, we checked out the Buffalo Bill Historical Center which is a mix of 5 different museums. The first one we checked out was a history of guns which was pretty cool for Isaac and I, but Heather was bored to tears there. The other museums (Natural History, Plains Indians, Buffalo Bill, etc...) were REALLY cool for all of us - I think we all learned a lot!!!!

Tonight we went to the Rodeo on the edge of Cody - what a GREAT experience for all three of us!!! Isaac had a blast and even got down into the arena. I think after this - he had a new calling - RODEO STAR!!!!!

Tomorrow - we're heading out to Yellowstone - ummm......

Western Trek - Day 2

Today we enjoyed a relaxing morning and then packed up and back in the car. Before we left Medora, Isaac had to get his toy cowboy kit complete with pistol, mask, spurs, and knife. I think most of it was broken before we got out of North Dakota. Right outside of Medora is the Roosevelt National Park. It was pretty amazing seeing the Badlands of North Dakota. Isaac always loves a chance to see prairie dogs, plus some buffalo and horses.
Next, it was off for another long trip which lasted almost 7 hours with stops. This time we headed across Montana and then dropped down into Wyoming. What amazed us was just how LIFELESS the drive was. You can drive and drive and seriously not see anything except rock and brown grass - not even a highway sign. I set the cruise at 80 for most of the trip and hoped I wasn't speeding too bad. Heather slept for a few hours and Isaac enjoyed a few movies in our new car. The DVD player has been a lifesaver!!!!!
We had a little scare as the sun was going down with directions - since there are no signs we had no idea if we were for sure going to find Cody. It turned up though finally with the mountains in the background. - THEY ARE REALLY HUGE. Find out how big tomorrow I'm sure...

Go West Young Man - Day 1

Today we left for our summer vacation that we usually try to plan in August every year. We are heading out west, through North Dakota, stopping in Medora. WHAT A LONG DRIVE!!!! We spent about 8 hours in the car all together between dropping off Chloe at Heather's parents' house and driving through Moorhead and across the entire state. I think right now we are about 27 miles from the Montana border. It was really flat for about 99% of the drive but then all of sudden the Bad Lands of ND popped up and there we were. Heather planned a really fun evening for us - dinner at the Pitchfork Steak Fondue and the Medora Musical. Both were a lot of fun - food was awesome, the view was GREAT, and the play was really, really good!!! I think Isaac was getting tired by the time it was all over, but he seemed to have fun. Tomorrow - after checking out some places near Medora, we're back in the car and off to the Mountains and Cody, WY. Since I hate driving in areas that high it should be interesting, but I think Heather and Isaac are excited. Good times...

Isaac's Last Hit of the Summer