Last Post of 2008?

Hello Everyone. Christmas has past and we are now dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Baby's 1st Christmas that hit our living room this past week.

We had a fantastic Christmas holiday and Kai loved spending a couple of days with Grandpa and Grandma Eridon.

Here is Stephanie's present from Auntie Kimberly. Looks like Kai is going to have the best decorated cupcakes for party days at school (of course we know that all things brought to school now have to be store bought)


I have been wanting a flag to hang outside on game days but just couldn't part with the coin to buy one. Now I don't have to! Thanks Mom and Pop In-Law!

There were presents and toys everywhere but Kai was content with a gold box that one of Stephanie's presents came in. We have a lot of pictures like this, but this was the only one where Grandpa is adjusting his hearing aid.

Auntie Jessica sent Kai a dragon cape all the way from Japan. We may take a picture of him every week in this because it is just so cool!

What is that on your face Kai? Well, its some of my favorites. There is some yams, some apples, Christmas ham, graham crackers, and milk. If you had all of this on your face you would look messy, Kai makes this look good!

We hope that you all had fantastic Christmas times with your families.

Please accept the present that was brought to you, for God has been gracious to me and I have all I need." And because Jacob insisted, Esau accepted it. - Genesis 33:11

Christmas Morning!

Merry Christmas! Kai is taking his Christmas morning nap so we thought that we would put out a couple of pictures of Kai's first Christmas morning so that the grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, and acquaintances didn't have to wait.

We video taped everything as well but we'll need to spend some time editing the footage. Hopefully we will have the time to do that in time for our weekly post on Sunday.

Here is me assembling Kai's truck on Christmas Eve. I have to make sure I get it done quick, according to the NORAD Santa Tracker, we have to get to bed soon because Santa is getting closer!
When Kai got up he went straight for his new truck which was unwrapped under the tree.


Here is Kai with his wrapped present from Santa. He ripped off some paper then took the pieces of paper and ran throughout the house. Awesome!
Kai figured out his truck pretty quick!
Merry Christmas from the Lesnets!God Bless us Everyone - Tiny Tim

Kai Meets Santa

Today was amazingly cold here in Central Indiana. When we woke up it was in the single digits and I think it only got up to 18 before wind chill.

I don't know if you have noticed but it appears that the days of the enclosed mall is all but over. They keep building these open air "lifestyle centers" malls all over the place. They are very nice in the summer but it makes waiting in line to see Santa completely insane!

Anyway, after 2 trips to the "lifestyle center", we were finally able to get Kai in to Santa's little workshop for a picture.

So, here is Kai with his new buddy Santa.

I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. - 2 Corinthians 11:27

Merry Christmas Eve Eve Eve Eve

The Indiana Lesnets have had an extremely eventful week.

On Monday (12/15), Stephanie and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary by taking Kai to the Macaroni Grill. Although our meal was great, Kai ran out of patience about 3/4 of the way through dinner. We were able to keep him calm enough for us to finish our meal but it took a lot of effort. By the time we left, we were completely exhausted! I think that is the last anniversary dinner that we will be taking Kai to for a while.

Tuesday was Kai's 11 month birthday. Unfortunately I had to work a little late on Tuesday and Kai was a little too tired to take his monthly monkey picture by the time I got home. On Wednesday, we took Kai's 11 month picture. Hopefully he didn't grow too much over night and he was the same size on Wednesday as he was on Tuesday.

Also on Wednesday, we took our Christmas pictures. We got a sweet tripod from Grandpa Eridon last year for Christmas and so we were able to take pictures of ourselves. We took a lot of pictures because it was hard to get everyone to look at the camera at the same time. None of these pictures are the "Official Lesnet Christmas Picture", but they are good pictures and we thought we would share them with you all.

Here is Kai and his mom all dressed up for the holidays

Here I am with Kai and Kiki trying to be good while we wait for Santa to come. Kiki has on a special holiday collar but you really can't see it in the picture.

This picture is the first runner-up for this years official Christmas picture.

On Thursday evening, Stephanie and I celebrated our 7 year anniversary in style! We both took half days off of work. We met our estate attorney for lunch and signed our wills, then went to the stores to finish off our Christmas shopping. After braving the malls, we came home real quick to give Kai lots of hugs and kisses then we headed to Flemming's for an amazing steak dinner! It's a pretty costly place as we had a $100 gift card that I got last year for Christmas and we still had to add a Grant to get out of there.

On last week's post, I mentioned that I had made the playoffs and that I had my boss in the first round match up. I won huge in the first round which takes me to the championship game. Unfortunately my opponent this week is just on fire this week and it looks like I'll have to settle for being second place (or 1st loser) and the much much smaller cash prize.

This week is Christmas week and we will be staying close to home. Our nanny is on vacation for the week so I will be on daddy duty this week on Monday through Wednesday while Stephanie holds things down at the office.

Kai sure looks like a stinker in this picture. I think he gets this look from his daddy!

Isn't There Anyone Who Knows What Christmas is All About?

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. - Luke 2:8-14 as recited by Linus in "A Charlie Brown Christmas" in response to Charlie Brown.

A Quiet Week

This week was quiet from a news stand point but it is most definitely not a quiet evening. Kai is crying and refuses to go to bed. We have been trying to get him to go down for an hour and a half so now we have decided to let him cry himself to sleep tonight.

The irrigation folks were out a lot this week and got everything finished up today. Greg, the irrigation guy fixed Kiki's fence as well by running new wire all around the perimeter of the yard. Kiki was very surprised to find that her fence is up and running again.

Stephanie had to work all weekend long so Kai and I got to hang out a lot. We made a trip to Lowe's and Kai loved looking around at all of the stuff. He made friends with nearly every associate in the store. Other than that, we hung pretty close to home and tried to keep Kai on his daily schedule.

We went to Stephanie's holiday party on Saturday night. We got all dressed up for what I think is the 3rd time since Kai has been born. We had a great time getting to know Stephanie's new co-workers.

This year I joined my first fantasy football league. I am in a league with a few guys from work and I am the only person who is only in 1 league and I am most definitely the only rookie in the league. I finished the regular season in 2nd place and this is the first week of the playoffs. There is a cash prize for 1st through 3rd places. All I have to do is beat my boss-man this weekend and I'm going to the 'ship!

This coming week is going to be HUGE. Tomorrow is Stephanie and my 7th wedding anniversary. I find it hard to believe that I was smart enough 7 years ago to make such an intelligent decision. Stephanie, I love you so much, thank you for marrying me!

Also this week, we will celebrate Kai's 11 month birthday. Its hard to believe that he is nearly a year old. We will be sure to take a picture of Kai with his monkey and put it on our next blog post.

Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ. - 1 Peter 5:14

A Winter Wonderland

We are "enjoying" an extremely cold weather pattern here in Central Indiana lately. We have had a couple of snow storms that has left it looking a lot like Christmas around here!

We have all spent the week battling whatever bug that is going around while getting very little sleep. Kai has a stuffy nose and he cut 2 more teeth this week so he has been keeping mommy and I up.

I have scored an amazing Christmas present this year from my incredible wife! The Indiana Lesnet Estate will now have an automatic irrigation system. They started installing it on Friday so our yard looks really funny with a lot of pipe sticking out of the ground. The only negative to the install is that the irrigation installers cut Kiki's underground invisible fence. Now we have to keep a close eye on her all the time so that she doesn't escape!

Kai scored a sweet electric guitar (I call it his "axe") from his Great Aunt Nora out in California. He really likes all of the lights and music. Mom and I dig the whammy bar!

On Sunday, I was able to go to my first Colts game at the brand new Lucas Oil Stadium. It is a pretty awesome facility complete with retractable roof. The Colts won big over the Bengals. I also learned where my company's tickets are, and I like them very much! In order for me to go to the game Stephanie had to cover for me teaching Sunday school. Her topic was on "Why Can't Countries Get Along?". She did an awesome job and I hear that the kids like her better than me so I may have taught my last lesson!

The new Lucas Oil Stadium is adjacent to the old RCA Dome where the Colts used to play. They have deflated the dome and it is set for implosion pretty soon. Also in this picture is Jared from Subway who lives here in Central Indiana. I didn't mean to take his picture but it's pretty funny that he could just as much be the subject of the picture as the old dome.

Although we put up the tree last weekend, we didn't actually put any ornaments on it until this past weekend. Kai really enjoyed watching us and running away with the ornaments and garland. We made sure that there are no ornaments within his reach but we're still afraid that we will have a big Christmas tree accident this year from an elusive, mobile baby boy!

It's amazing how fun it is to put garland on the tree when it is a big game of chase around the tree! Daddy may be a little quicker but Kai has waaaayyyy more endurance!

C'mon dad, hurry up! I see a place on the tree that needs garland!

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. - Luke 2:16

Happy Holidays!

We have been reminded by a few of our loyal readers that we did not update the blog last Sunday. I'm sure that many of you were concerned that Kai and daddy didn't make it until mom got home and have been anxiously awaiting the next blog update to make sure that everything is still okay. Well, we are happy to report that we are all just fine and we are ecstatic that the holidays are here!

We had a great Thanksgiving and we stayed away from the stores on Black Friday!

We left Thanksgiving morning for North West Ohio. Our first stop was Montpelier for the Briner Family Thanksgiving celebration. I'm not exactly sure what the final official count was, but I believe that it was around 45 people.

Kai loved eating some new foods with grandma and grandpa Lesnet!


Kai had a good time playing with his cousins! Here he is with his second cousins; Elaine, April, and Kelly.

Stephanie and I had our first overnight date since Kai has been born on Friday night. We went up to Detroit to catch a Red Wings game and try to catch up on some sleep. Grandma and grandpa Eridon watched Kai while we were away. I have been a Wings fan since I was 8 or so and I had not been to Joe Louis Arena before. I have such an amazing wife who likes to do things like this with me! Don't we look like super fans in our jerseys?

On Saturday evening, we met up with Stephanie's extended family and ate some "no more turkey". Kai had a good time playing with his cousins and especially enjoyed exploring Uncle Jack and Aunt Pat's house which is all decorated for Christmas!

Doesn't this look like it could be grandpa and grandma Eridon's Christmas card this year?

After hanging out with the extended family on Saturday evening, we drove home. We pulled in to our driveway at about 11:30.

Kai had a rough night and Stephanie was up with him quite a bit throughout the night. I tagged in from time to time but we are both pretty tired after a pretty restless night.

Today we put up the Christmas tree and have started doing some decorating for Christmas. Kai helped daddy put the lights on the tree!

These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng. - Psalm 42:4

Update at the Midway Point

Hi All. I know that you have probably been checking in a lot this week to not only see Kai's latest video over and over but also to see if there was any updates as to how the boys are getting along without mom around.

Well, we were doing great until this evening. This evening Kai doesn't feel very good. It has been exhausting. I think that I am going to go to sleep right after I get this posted.

Well, without further delay, here are some pictures from the bachelor pad:

Here are a couple of pictures from Monday night. Kai and daddy had a great time and we even tried out a cool new Mr. T hairstyle. I kept trying to get him to say "I pity the fool" and "Quit your jibber-jabber" but he just said "da da da". Sounds just right to me!

Here are some pictures of Kai from tonight. I tried to console him and make him feel better but nothing that I tried worked very well. After about an hour, I gave up and just started taking pictures of him. I know that this probably isn't the best way to parent, but I really needed some comic relief and this sure provided it!

Yeah, he just was not feeling well. It is "just" gas though so I gave him some of those gas drops so hopefully he'll sleep through the night and feel all better in the morning.

He did cheer up a little bit during his bath!

So he told her everything. "No razor has ever been used on my head," he said, "because I have been a Nazirite set apart to God since birth. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man." - Judges 16:17

10 Months Today!

Today is Kai's 10 month birthday and just like every other monthly birthday, we took his picture with his stuffed monkey. It is pretty much impossible to pose him at this point of his life so here is the best picture we could get of him with the monkey today.
This week Stephanie had Veteran's Day off from work. Veterans Day was on Tuesday and that is the reason that you didn't receive any mail, although I bet you did go to the mail box. Stephanie enjoyed her bank holiday as she ran some errands and got a facial. This is Stephanie's second bank holiday since she started at the bank at the end of September. I'll admit it, I'm a bit jealous!

This week Kai cut tooth # 5 and tooth #6. Tooth #7 is just about ready to pop through as well. These teeth have definitely made for some interesting nights of "sleep". I have heard that exhausted parents of teething babies may not keep a close enough eye on their incredibly mobile children and those children discover that they can fit in to the dog's kennel and that her chew toys are a lot of fun. Sure glad that hasn't happened to us!

Kai had a play date with "Master P" this week and I believe that he is to have one of Thursday this week.

The Indiana Lesnets spent a lot of time in the kitchen this week. We cooked 24 pounds of turkey breast (3 different 8 pounders) and 15 pounds of ground beef. With all of the meat we made 4 pans of lasagna, 120 stuffed shells, 4 french toast casseroles, 3 corn casseroles, 4 cheesy potatoes, 4 ham and potatoes, 4 turkey spaghetti casseroles, 6 turkey pot pies, 4 Mexican casseroles, 24 pizza burgers, 4 bags of Mexican meat filling for tacos, 3 Cherokee turkey dishes, and 5 meals worth of spaghetti sauce. Our little chest freezer is filled to capacity but we don't think that we should need to cook again for 3 or 4 months. Stephanie and I are pretty tired from all of this cooking (and lack of sleep from teething baby) but we are sure glad to have it done!

This week Stephanie is in Washington DC for a conference for work and then some continuing education for her CPA designation. That means that the boys are home alone for a whole week! Please pray that everything goes very well for the Lesnet men while mom's away and that mom doesn't miss her awesome boys too much while she's gone.

In some depressing news, we may be in the market for a new washing machine. Ours started smoking a bit this weekend. I pulled it out and learned that Whirlpool doesn't want Joe Q. Public messing with the innards or their washing machines. There is something like 20 screws and a solid back plate covering everything up. We did another load of clothes yesterday and it worked pretty well. Maybe I'll take the back off and check it out while Stephanie's in DC.

Here is a video of Kai walking around upstairs here on his 10 month birthday. He is just all over the place and its pretty remarkable for a kid his age. He wasn't being as cooperative last week during our filming but I was able to score some good footage tonight!

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God - Colossians 1:9-10

Pray for the Persecuted Church

Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. - Hebrews 13:3

Today is The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church so we Indiana Lesnets would like to take a moment to encourage each one of you to pray for the persecuted church. Could you please do it right now? Just take a quick moment and pray for our brothers and sisters whom live lives of faith and courage while they face the immense challenge of living in such dangerous conditions. Please pray now, the blog will still be here for you to read when your done. If you would like further information about the persecuted church, please check out The Voice of the Martyr.

On Tuesday, the Indiana Lesnets practiced our civic duty and voted. I have to admit that I feel bad voting for the local government positions as I do absolutely no research about the local candidates or the issues that effect us here in the suburbs. Stephanie and I however did do a lot of research on the presidential and gubernatorial elections. Regardless of your politics, our country witnessed an historic election of our first African-American President, Barack Obama. Watching the coverage around the world and in schools and colleges across America, it was an extremely emotional event for our nation. While we disagree with President-elect Obama on a number of social policy and economic matters, we do share the sense of excitement he has brought to the country. Now that the election is over, it is time to put the bitterness and division of politics behind us and to unite in our support of our new Commander-in-Chief. I ask that you join with us and pray for our new President and for his wisdom and integrity to lead our nation in to a brighter future.

Wow, this blog posting is pretty heavy! Okay, back to the stories about Kai!

Kai has been taking steps for a couple of weeks but he has really started walking now. He can walk from one end of the house to the other, but he chooses to only do that when the camera is in its case. We were able to catch some footage of him walking around this weekend. Enjoy!

Saturday was a big day around here as I helped some of our friends move out of their house and in to a couple of PODS. They are building a new house a couple of miles south of the one that they live in now but that house isn't done yet and they are closing on the house they live in now on Monday. I guess that means that I will have to help them move again, just in time for my hands to stop hurting from moving all of the heavy furniture in to the PODS.

Also on Saturday, we took a family trip down to the outlet mall in Edinburgh which is about 50 miles south of our house. There are a lot of baby stores down there including a Stride Right, The Children's Place, Gymboree, and Carter's. We didn't buy him much as we really weren't impressed with the items that they had for the prices they were charging.

Kai has scored some pretty cool new stuff this week as he got a set of blocks and some maracas. He really likes these toys! Kai also got his first pair of shoes. They are pretty sweet shoes but they are like kryptonite as he cannot walk too good in them.

This week Kai took his first bath in the big tubby. He really likes the big tub and the bath toys that his Lesnet grandparents bought for him. He is also infatuated with the drain. Here is a picture of him in the big tubby playing with his toys.

Yep, still 4 teeth! Here is good picture of all 4 of them!

He has discovered my golf clubs as I have finally brought them in from the trunk of my car. Golf season has most definitely passed but Kai's season has just begun!

We bought a squash this week to make for Kai. We don't know a lot about squashes but we thought that the "spaghetti squash" looked pretty cool since it was just big and round and didn't have the gourd-type shape that the other squashes that we had in the past. It has a very interesting texture as it breaks apart in to little spaghetti looking pieces (hence the name) and they are impossible to puree for the boy. It looks like mom and dad are going to be eating some squash this week while Kai eats the pears and sweet potatoes that we made for him.

Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated — the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. - Hebrews 11:36-38

Sleepless in Indianapolis

Happy November! If you are in Central Indiana like the Indiana Lesnet's you are enjoying some unseasonably incredible weather. The last couple of days have been sunny skies with highs in the lower 70's. Normally, the average temperature here is in the lower 50's so we are definitely basking in the sun!

Friday was October 31st and therefore Halloween. Trick-or-Treating hours were from 5 to 8 here in the 'burbs. Stephanie and I were both home before 5 but it sure makes for a less-than-restful evening when you have to get home, get the boy fed, get the boy in his costume, try to get mom and dad fed, and put on your smile in time for the early bird trick or treaters.

Kai was a lion for Halloween and he is a natural trick-or-treater. He brought in quite the stash of candy and he even grabbed his own candy out of everyone's bowls. Grandpa Lesnet came down on Friday evening and handed out candy while mom and I took Kai around the neighborhood. Kai wasn't able to figure out what was going on but he sure liked all of the neighbors telling him how cute he was and then giving him something wrapped in paper to chew on. He wasn't sure what to make of all of the costumes, but everything was okay because mom and dad were there to protect him!

Here is a picture of Kai with his friend "Master P", the land shark.
Here is Kai with his Halloween plunder. We had to keep a close eye on him as he was able to chew through the wrappers! We're not quite ready to give Kai candy...we're sure that he will enjoy Halloween much more next year when he gets to enjoy the fruits of his labor!

Kai the lion with Grandpa Lesnet.

On Saturday, 6 of us went up to Purdue to see the Boilers beat the Michigan Wolverines. It was a beautiful day, it was hard to believe that it was shorts and t-shirt weather on November 1st! We had a fantastic tailgate with a pancake breakfast, complete with sausage, bacon, and fresh 100% pure maple syrup (thanks dad!). We also had some fresh burgers from the farm along with hot dogs, brats, sauteed vegetables, home made salsa, some stogies, cornhole, and of course a brew or 2. This was by far our best tailgate ever! And, in case you missed it, Purdue won the game on a hook and lateral play at the end of regulation. Awesome!Today (11/2), Kai enjoyed some orange juice straight out of a glass. He really really liked the OJ! He is cutting another tooth and also has a cold, so it has been a rough weekend. Even with his stuffy nose and cough, as you can see by the picture below, Kai loves his dog!

Be that as it may, I have not been a burden to you. Yet, crafty fellow that I am, I caught you by trickery! Did I exploit you through any of the men I sent you? - 2 Corinithians 12:16-17