the lees

You know you watch too much football when...

2011-01-17T10:33:00.003-05:00

...your 5 year old starts calling penalties on his little brother in the playroom.

Braden has decided that he wants to be a referee.

Our own Christmas Pageant

2010-12-16T16:14:00.009-05:00

This year I decided that I wanted my kids to be in a Christmas Pageant. Braden's preschool does a Christmas concert and the church does various Christmas activities, but no pageant... so I decided to write and direct my own. I am very thankful that I have friends who are as crazy as I am and agreed to participate.

We transformed the dining room into our stage and we were off...of course Rozy's bed got utilized so she also enjoyed all the pageant preparations:

We started with some dress rehearsals/playdates...

Then came opening night...

The crowd: family friends and local celebrities (including Mary Cummings who took many of these pictures for us!):

They sang their hearts out:"Joy to the World" Finale with instruments.

The cast:

Joseph: Braden Lee

Mary: Addy Ritner

Shepherds: Coleman Lee and Jax Ritner

Head Angel: Lily King

Heavenly Host: Sophia and Olivia Simone

Three Wisemen: Jack Irving, Parker King, Jackson Obie

Stable Animals: Harper Obie and Ella Irving The brothers enjoyed their costumes...

Post-performance cookieSinging again...

Addy and Braden singing their song Silent night at one of the rehearsals:

If I knew how to upload the video of the event to a computer I would...

Oh how we love the Tribe

2010-11-30T18:33:00.005-05:00

We are very thankful these days; for family and friends, a great community to live in, God's provision. We try to lift up an attitude of gratitude in our family, so when Braden's preschool teacher asked him what he was thankful for so she could post it on the wall for everyone to see Braden replied "fields". "You know Football fields, soccer fields, baseball fields and basketball fields..." Braden we are thankful for fields as well and for living in the town of our alma mater where we can root on the Tribe as a family.

And yes, we have embraced the Griffin as the new mascot... I when I say embrace I mean that literally. Coleman hugs the Griffin every time he sees him. He actually is no longer afraid of the Chick fil A cow because we convinced him that the cow is friends with the Griffin.

Basketball season has arrived...

Halloween Celebrations

2010-11-02T11:34:00.020-04:00

Yes these costumes may look familiar. Braden picks the costumes each year and they coordinate with his birthday theme. He is a Tribe Basketball player and Coleman is his basketball. Next year Braden has already declared that he wants to be a USA soccer player and Coleman can be the soccer ball. I think Coleman might be old enough next year to know that he is getting the short end of the stick in this arrangement. Last year he was Braden's ref; maybe next year we could have two soccer players. Eventually we will run out of sports...Yes Coleman has a green pumpkin. He begged for this green one and it actually was helpful in determining whose was whose... Halloween lasted for weeks here... 3 parades, a trip to Dada's office, a party at Nana and Papa's new retirement home, a trip to the pumpkin patch, pumpkin painting at Chick fila, pumpkin carving, and of course our annual Halloween party with trick-or-treating around the most enthusiastic Halloween neighborhood ever. Let's just say that the effort I made sewing Coleman's costume was time well spent. (it is now a basketball pillow)

Thank you Chickfila for allowing us to do such a fun craft without the danger of having paint all over my kitchen... English Holland you are my hero...

Pumpkinville Braden' school parade. Coleman of course joined the class. He thinks he is in the class anyway and begs to "Go to Braden's class" every time we drop him off.
This is Coleman's costume in the "deflated" state. I could only take the the time to stuff him 4 times; the parade didn't make the cut.
Nana and Papa's new place held a great Halloween festival. Bingo, trick-or-treating, crafts, and cookies... Pumpkin carving. We found it was easier to just use the Mr. Potato head method... knives and young boys not a good combo... A visit to Dada's work...
Halloween dinner and trick-or-treating with friends!

Braden is 5

2010-10-18T16:33:00.018-04:00

Braden turned 5 on September 18 and we celebrated! Braden has been envisioning his basketball birthday party since last year's football party. We love to celebrate in the Lee household... these decorations remained up for a week.

Our new basketball court came in handy for the kids' "drills" run by Coach Bryce and Papa the Ref. Addy and BradenAs if were weren't having enough fun; 6 Tribe Basketball players made a guest appearance. (thank you Travis for coordinating their arrival!) They ran down the steps onto the basketball court with the Tribe fight song playing in the background... magical...

They dunked for us and even did a mini scrimmage... Kristyn cried with joy at Braden reaction... what a moment!We are very thankful for a community of family and friends that enjoy celebrating with us... Of course there had to be a basketball pinata...The basketball players stayed for lunch and cake. They even sang Happy Birthday to Braden!Hot Dogs and orange themed food ... cheese balls, gold fish, hi-c... Nina did a great post on her blog about the birthday party... check it out here http://ninaandtravis.blogspot.com/2010/09/im-having-moment.html

Summertime fun

2010-07-06T07:34:00.010-04:00

Summertime activities here in Williamsburg.

Blueberry Picking with the Ritners. We could have just riden the ferry back and forth and called it a day. (more ferry pictures on the ritner's blog www.jkaritner.blogspot.com) The kids loved picking and filling their basket, they even did amazingly well picking only the ripe ones. They were quick and enthusiastic ... I see now why they have child labor laws... Picking more blueberries then we could ever possibly eat means blueberry cake, blueberry muffins, and blueberries straight up...

Our garden actually produced vegetables. Here are our ribbon worthy zucchinni squash. We picked all of these in the same day... many zucchini recipes were developed...

Pools!

Fun dinners at picnic tables...

Braden swims... not exactly Michael Phelps, but we are still working on him. He would rather just play basketball or football in the pool, so this is actually a pretty big accomplishment.

We loved this fun water slide at the pool!

Our new Basketball Court!

2010-06-20T08:00:00.006-04:00

The next time you visit the Lee household be prepared to play some hoops. We love our new basketball court that Mark Berry put in for us. Here are Ritner, Todd, Cookie, Ben and Bryce celebrating Bryce's Birthday.

The process of installing the court was thrilling for the boys(including Bryce). Stage one left us with a giant dirt pile in which to play. We decided to just clear this side area of our yard for the court... well it turns out we are not the best judges of space ... it looks much bigger without the bushes there... Endless hours of entertainment ...watching the "digger" and hopping in the digger once the workers left for the day were the highlights.

The many perches from which the boys watched the action: Rosie also enjoyed the dirt The concrete truck arrives!

Making our handprints

The final product has already been enjoyed by many. Braden "shoots hoops" for hours upon hours and the boys love riding their bikes back there. Braden has already drawn the 3 point line and the free-throw line in chalk. (We lower the hoop down for him and he actually can make most of his shots... and Bryce can dunk...)Nina has pointed out in her creativity that it is really a multi-use space. She has visions of a dance floor, tent, rehearsal dinner spot... Nina's non-sports vision is matched by Ritner's sports vision: a walled in hockey arena, netted batting cage.

The bottom line is that yes, we have paved a good portion of our side yard (leaving the backyard grass for a football/soccer field) and No, we do not anticiapte either of our boys making the NBA ranks, but we do see many fun years ahead!

Some videos

2010-06-19T07:50:00.003-04:00

Trina and I did program for a women's weekend a couple months ago and the kids became guinea pigs for our skits...

Fun times in the playroom

Stitches

2010-06-18T18:44:00.004-04:00

Coleman had a little trip to the ER last weekend... Bryce and Papa were very impressed that he didn't cry getting the stitches put in (or during the shots to the area before the stitching occurred); he is a tough one. He has already almost healed...

Catching up

2010-06-18T17:03:00.011-04:00

I apologize for not updating the blog more often. Sometimes I forget that anyone actually checks this until I start getting the nasty emails about my hiatus. So here are some of the highlights from the last couple months:

We, the Lee family, have officially decided to embrace the new W&M mascot the Griffin. We realize it is not a real animal and that it does not really change anything because we will remain the Tribe, but it could have been worse... Not a ringing endorsement but we have enthusiastically attended the unveiling (and we highlighted in the video) and met the Griffin at the Spring Game. Hark upon the gale...

Braden and Addy attended swim lessons for the first time this spring. I know, I vowed never to pay for swim lessons because I did teach these exact lessons for many summers, but alas teaching Braden to swim without a pool membership before the summer months with a two year old in tow wasn't in the cards.Softball season is up and running yet again; intense "interactions" with umpires, endless rehashing, and hopefully another enormous trophy to use for the Wiffleball World Series. Wouldn't be summer without it.

Congrats to Davis and Kelly! We had a great time in JAX saw so many friends that have moved away from the 'burg. We also got to hear Andy play the cello and get a picture with "the statue." cross that off the bucket list...

Lisa came to visit for a little picnic at the Governor's Palace.

Bingo night at Chick-fil-A. The joy of shouting bingo in the middle of our favorite restaurant...priceless...

This is the scene that often plays out in our living room. Braden sets up the "Baseball Guys" or "Football Guys" and plays a game. The cars are the spectators. Actually Braden sets up baseball and football games with everything: blocks, marbles, and cars can all serve as players if the baseball/football men are not available. We have had many in depth discussions about the different positions, defensive and offiensive schemes, and how each team should celebrate their victories and run out on the field. If only they made "basketball guys" our lives would be complete.

Sometimes you just need an ice cream cone...

Family Pictures

2010-04-26T13:27:00.006-04:00

Here are some family pictures taken by Mary Cummings. We must have rescheduled this about 5 times due to illness/injury, so these were taken even though Braden had broken his big left toe.

Happy Easter

2010-04-05T12:08:00.009-04:00

We had a great Easter. I love to celebrate and Easter is such a worthy occasion.

We started our day opening Easter baskets. And yes, the boys are in matching shirts. They ask to match every day, but since most of Coleman's clothes are hand-me-downs from Braden I cannot justify buying more clothes just so they can match. Sooooo most days they have to just color coordinate. Holidays are the special days when they get to match; and they are overjoyed.Then on to our Easter Egg Hunt in the backyard. The boys have enjoyed all the Easter Egg Hunts they have participated in. Braden is focused and competitive, Coleman wants to know what is in each egg he picks.

We loved having the Obie, Ritner, and King families celebrate with us!

Coleman was most interested in the donuts... He works on one donut hole for about an hour; savoring each bite.

If you want to check-in your babies at the Chapel this is the scene that you will encounter. Braden and Coleman have taken over the desk area; they love the computers...

After church we went over to the Chuckney/Anderson river house and had a relaxing afternoon with great food and great fellowship. (Coleman even took a great nap)

Debbie even hid some eggs for Braden and Sophia (Olivia and Coleman slept through the fun)

W&M Athletic Hall of Fame

2010-03-28T08:52:00.006-04:00

Congratulations to Mike Cook on being inducted into the W&M Athletic Hall of Fame! What a great night with great friends; laughing at old stories, reliving our younger days. Papa Cook even got in a little jab or two...

Welcome Barrett Michele Robison!!!

2010-03-27T09:16:00.000-04:00

We are very excited to have a new niece/cousin!

Jumpin' Joeys

2010-03-25T09:19:00.003-04:00

Dada made his first trip to Jumpin' Joeys (aka Jumpin' Germs) a couple of weeks ago. A busy Saturday full of birthday parties was probably not the best time to choose in retrospect, but fun was had by all...

Go Tribe!

2010-03-08T07:34:00.005-05:00

We are very excited about the Tribe playing in the CAA Championship game tonight (ESPN 7pm). Braden has faithfully attended all home games again this year and even Coleman got to go to a couple day games.

Braden plays "Go Tribe Basketball game" every day in the playroom. He simulates the warm-ups, running out of the locker room (the pantry), player announcements, fouls, free-throws, 3-point shots, time outs, huddling around the coach for a play, half time, etc...
If the Tribe wins tonight they will go to the NCAA tournament for the first time ever! GO TRIBE!!!

Here are some pictures from a game that actually got postponed due to one of our snow storms this year.

Happy 2nd Birthday Coleman!

2010-02-16T13:06:00.008-05:00

Today is Coleman's second birthday : We enjoyed a Thomas the Train celebration on Saturday. Coleman thoroughly enjoyed the day that he had been looking forward to for months. At any mention of party or birthday for the past two months Coleman has interjected: "Choo Choo" and he would need to hear the response ... "yes Coleman you are having a Choo Choo party for your birthday"

Grandpa Dean was our conductor.Fun with friends...

Thomas Cake

We enjoyed decorating Train cookies ... and eating them.

More Fun in the Snow

2010-01-31T12:29:00.006-05:00

Another day in the snow... today was even better since our faces weren't being pelted by snow. We heard today that this was the most snow in Williamsburg in 2 decades...hence my need to document this event.

The roads in our neighborhood are completely packed down with snow which makes for great walks pulling the kids in their sleds. Braden: "I am going to be sooo sad when the snow melts." me too Braden, me too...

Football in the snow

As if slides couldn't get more fun...

Snow Day

2010-01-31T08:21:00.009-05:00

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!
The snow that normally falls in Williamsburg can best be described as a dusting. Well, yesterday we got real snow. The kind of snow I remember as a child... snow all day, wind, cold, shovel the driveway only to have it covered again by the time you finish type snow. I think we got almost a foot. Our street has yet to be plowed; the county normally just waits for any snow that falls here to melt. This time that approach may be a problem since it is only going to be in 20s today. W&M basketball games, birthday parties, and baby showers postponed, church cancelled... but Bryce still got out in the 4-wheel drive so that Nina and the girls could come over for dinner.

Here are some pictures from our day playing in the snow. The boys actually lasted a lot longer then I anticipated. About an hour both times we were out; pretty impressive considering neither of them have snow pants or snow boots. We improvised with rain boots and wind pants...

Braden enjoyed pulling Coleman in the sled. Coleman sat in the sled almost the entire time we were outside asking for "More! More!"

Mama and Coleman sledding together...

Rozy(now totally blind) made an appearance in the snow.Family walk around the neighborhoodTrip to the neighborhood park...

Braden got the hang out it pretty quickly...

Thank you to Garrison who waded through a near riot to get us this sled and to Kathleen for loaning us her extras. The boys can't wait to get out again today for more sledding!

Christmas Pictures...

2009-12-07T13:32:00.004-05:00

With Bryce's travel schedule this month; I decided that 8:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning was as good a time as any to try and get a family Christmas picture. We set-up the tri-pod and here are the results. I am proud to say the process was relatively painless and we chose and edited the pictures and had our Christmas cards ordered by 9:00 a.m. Feel free to vote for your favorites...

Advent calendar activities continue...

2009-12-07T12:57:00.005-05:00

As soon as Braden wakes up in the morning he asks if he can open the next day on the advent calendar. I have to admit that sometimes I fear my chosen activities won't live up to the anticipation. So far this has not been a problem.

On Saturday, the Christmas parade was cancelled, so I did a quick switch and added "Go Tribe football game." Braden corrected me and said, "Mama, today is the Go Tribe PLAYOFF football game." I stand corrected.

We had fun watching the game with the Simone and Ritner families and the Tribe rolled again... semi-finals here we come!
Day 4 - Christmas Cookies

Coleman really enjoyed the sprinkles...

Some videos

2009-12-03T08:05:00.010-05:00

Here are some videos that will probably be good blackmail for these boys someday... that's the purpose of videotaping them at this age right?!?!

Party in the USA:

Gingerbread House:

Jumping with Tigger:

Indoor Baseball Fun:

Christmastime

2009-12-03T07:45:00.003-05:00

We are enjoying the Christmas season here at the house. Braden put ALL the Christmas ornaments on the tree this year by himself. It took him over an hour, but the boy loves to "work" and "do projects." I tried not to do to much rearranging once he had finished.Not bad...

Coleman got in on the fun. He didn't exactly get the concept: throwing the ball ornaments and taking the ornaments he liked off the tree. After some coaching from Braden he did stuff a couple ornaments into the center of the tree.This year for our Advent calendar(it is a magnet nativity scene thing) we added a Christmas activity for each day. When we come down for breakfast Braden runs to the calendar to see what we will get to do that day. Dec 1 was to make our gingerbread house... Braden again took over all the decorating; with Coleman as his assistant.

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-12-02T15:52:00.004-05:00

We enjoyed Thanksgiving Day in VA Beach. Lots of food, football, and family.

Our attempt at a picture of the boys before we drove down to the beach. Braden made the turkey hat at school.

The kids table... real china ... risky...

Go Tribe!

2009-12-02T15:47:00.002-05:00

We had to pry Braden away from the last home Tribe football game of the season. The Tribe won the first round of the playoffs 38-0, but the rest of the playoffs will be played away.

Braden prayed last night for more home Tribe football games. We have explained to him that we will be able to watch them on TV, but he insists that its not the same. (he's right)

We do have all the home Basketball games to look forward to... Go Tribe!

Braden goes to the Dentist

2009-12-02T15:44:00.003-05:00

I am embarassed to admit that I took pictures of this; I did miss the opportunity to get a shot of Coleman and Braden in the chair together, but during that episode I was too busy protecting all the dental devices from Coleman's grasp. Braden did great and he now likes to tell everyone that he has 20 teeth.

Jess and Hawley's Wedding!

2009-12-02T15:37:00.005-05:00

Congratulations to Jess and Hawley! What an amazing celebration...

Coleman Batting

2009-12-02T15:31:00.002-05:00

Coleman now wants in on all the fun. Here he is taking some batting practice. Yes we play baseball in our family room; with a very soft ball ... this will not last much longer as they now can hit some pretty impressive line drives.

27

2009-11-05T13:16:00.002-05:00

What a season! Braden can now recite the entire Yankees batting order and their starting pitchers and closer. I believe that an ESPN analyst said it best last night: "The Yankees are the best franchise is all of sports world wide." And yes I look a little tired in these pictures ... World Series Champions = sleep deprivation.

Halloween 2009

2009-11-02T09:34:00.006-05:00

We had a great Halloween here at the house. The Pearson, Garrison, Ritner, Ellis, and Cook families joined us for dinner and some very lively Trick-or-Treating around the neighborhood.

Our Tribe football player and referee...

(from front left: Addy Ritner, Coleman, Peter Cook, Braden, Cara Ellis, Jax Ritner, Caroline Cook, Reece Ellis, Yeardley Pearson, Gillian Garrison, Si Garrison)Braden and Addy

Braden and YeardleyTrick-or-treating ... I am pretty sure Braden is trying to enforce the "No running" rule here.

Coleman loved Trick-or-treating... he went to every house, but definitely wanted to start eating the candy as soon as it was given to him.

We descended on houses with force...

The Tribe rolls on...

2009-09-27T18:17:00.004-04:00

Another great win for the Tribe ... 4-0! We had a great time and Braden got to hang out with Marv Levy (who coached at W&M back in the day). Braden was actually much more impressed with the fact that he coached at William &Mary then that he is one of only 18 coaches in the NFL Hall of Fame.

Yes, Braden would wear this jersey every day if we let him.

Braden is 4!

2009-09-21T21:56:00.008-04:00

Braden celebrated his birthday with a "Go Tribe!" football bash on Saturday.

Braden's football uniform. I had to buy a Packers one and convert it... He wears the helmet all the time. I caught him eating breakfast with it on the other day. Me: "Braden you can't eat with your helmet on." Braden: "Mama, yes I can, look you just put your spoon through the holes." Me: "Braden you are right again."

Grandma and Grandpa Dean came down to celebrate!He loved the "Go Tribe" stadium that appeared in the back yard and has scored touchdowns and run sprints on it every day since... we may never mow the grass again. The fun and chaos of playing football with kids that ranged in age from 11 years to 10 months.
Running, tackling, kicking the ball off the tee...
Papa Lee was the official Referee.

Pinata time! Amazingly no kids we injured during this process.

Yes, that is the W&M vs. UVA game playing in the background which we recorded the day after when it was replayed on tv. Braden has watched it at least 10 times.

what do you do when...

2009-08-11T18:07:00.004-04:00

Question: What do you do with two little boys when it is 105 degrees (the opposite of a 'dry' heat) in Williamsburg and a dump truck backs into a utility pole knocking out power to your neighborhood?

Answer: BOWLING!Braden thoroughly enjoyed his first ever bowling experience. Addy Ritner showed him the ropes! Tie score...Special apparatus to help kids bowl...

The lighting in this picture is terrible, but what a date photo...

Trip to CT

2009-08-06T09:46:00.009-04:00

Last weekend we took a trip up to CT and got to see family and friends.

Traveling with two little ones is quite an adventure but all in all they did pretty well. (not including the long wait in the security line at Laguardia)

Waiting to board the plane in Newport News:

Oh the anticipation...

On the plane

You haven't lived until you are stuck on the tarmac with little ones and you resort to playing with the overhead air blower things...

Braden enjoyed his "in-flight movie"

Having fun with Cousins Abby and Will:Playing at the park:

Grandma Dean

Jimmy!

Family and Friends:

On the boat with Captain Grandpa:

Relaxing and watching some golf...

2009-07-29T12:50:00.002-04:00

The End of another softball season...

2009-07-29T12:38:00.006-04:00

Braden loves to watch Dada play softball. We haven't been able to go to too many games this season because many of the games were too late. Thankfully, Fall Ball is just around the corner. Braden loves the enormous Championship trophy that now is proudly displayed in his room.(hopefully only temporarily)
Playing on the playground before a game.

Lions

2009-07-29T12:34:00.002-04:00

Braden loves to "match Coleman". Since all Coleman's clothes are hand me downs it is hard to really have them "match"; so Braden usually asks for at least coordinating colors. Thankfully they do get to "match" after bathtime.

"Roooaaarrr"

Pool Time

2009-07-29T12:28:00.003-04:00

We have yet to join a pool here in town. The pressure is mounting... but we do go with friends to their pools. Most of the time the pool on the back deck is just as exciting. Here are some pictures from some pool fun on the deck.

Fourth of July

2009-07-16T21:51:00.005-04:00

Our July 4th celebration with the Simone's...eating on the back deck, relaxing, and putting the kids to bed before the fireworks start...

For Braden the Fourth of July... as with most holidays... is defined by the dessert. The Flag Cake(which was really a giant sugar cookie) was a huge hit.Coleman reaching for dessert...

Olivia...

Braden and Sophia

Non-beach fun at Nags Head

2009-07-16T21:01:00.009-04:00

We took Braden to play minature golf for the first time. He plays golf around the house with his plastic clubs daily... hitting drives off walls and into Coleman's high chair, but this putt putt course really blew his mind. He declared as he ran from hole to hole, "This is the Greatest."

Coleman decided during our vacation that he no longer wants to be fed his yogurt; he can take it from here...

Pool Time...

The boys loved the games in the basement of the house.

Nags Head

2009-07-16T14:55:00.011-04:00

We had a great time in Nags Head with the Lee side of the family. Here are some shots of the kids at the beach.

Coleman enjoyed playing in the sand with the largest shovels he could find, lounging in any beach chair he could climb into and of course eating many snacks...

Braden would spend all of his time in the water if we let him. He kept asking to "go out in the deep water so he could jump the waves."

Here he is with Mumba explaining how he needs to be out in the water.Fun Times with Cousin Collin

Chatting with PapaA Fun Game of Paddleball

Coleman needed to get in on the game...

We were glad we brought our pool to have on the beach. Not exactly a necessary item without kids, but we all ended up in the pool somehow.

Congrats to the Kushins!

2009-07-13T16:54:00.000-04:00

Kaylie Grace Kushin was born today, Monday, July 13, 2009 at 10:59 a.m. She weighs 7 lbs. 14 oz. and she is beautiful! Both mom and baby are healthy.

Laurie's Birthday

2009-06-27T14:28:00.004-04:00

We enjoyed Laurie's Birthday with the boys (birthday hats required) and then with the Garrisons at Chef's Kitchen. The YL committee generously gave us gift cards for Christmas and we loved using them to have a great dinner/cooking class. It was like going to Emeril's show with lots of good food and cooking banter. Garrison definitely wanted to get on the mic. (we held him back)

Happy 30th Bryce

2009-06-21T08:43:00.014-04:00

Bryce turned the big 3-0 on June 11th. Those of us who are older then Bryce have been awaiting this day for years. We had a great celebration out on the Garrison's Farm. The guys "shot some skeet" (yes, i now know some of the lingo)

Here are some pictures of the adventures:

(thanks to Cookie for taking all the great pictures)

Bryce skooting skeet for the first time:

I would make some whitty remarks about the guys' form or stance if I had any clue what I was talking about, but alas I do not. So, I will simply tell you who is shooting in the picture.

Garrison

Wynn BerryEric

Todd Ellis

Scottie WieseMike Cook PapaScott Kelsey

Peterson

Then some homemade BBQ (by chef Garrison) and the only cake Bryce enjoys (icecream peanut butter fudge)

Bryce's hat: "I am 30" the boys' hats: "My dad is 30"

Some theology from Braden

2009-05-22T09:15:00.003-04:00

The other day Braden came up to me and declared that he was special, I asked him about it and here is what he said.

Braden also has prayed some very inspiration prayers recently. He always prays for Coleman and Rozy and tends to thank God not only for people and fun events; but he also now includes everyday objects such as doors, door knobs, stairs, the railing on the stairs, walls, floors, etc... A couple of nights ago he thanked God for the Yankees and for the players that hit the home runs. (he has watched a couple of innings of each of the games of the recent Orioles series... he got to see many home runs).

Mother's Day

2009-05-20T18:57:00.000-04:00

Random Fun

2009-05-20T18:24:00.004-04:00

Here are some pictures of the boys everyday life...There are many hours spent playing in the play room. Often we will walk in on what Braden likes to call "Coleman time." ... which translates into hug/tackle time.

Coleman loves it!

Spring Game 2009

Bedtime stories with Dada.

Bathtime games, Coleman started this one...

The Boys while we were away...

2009-05-20T18:01:00.003-04:00

Braden and Coleman did great while we were away... or at least that is what we were told. There was a definite grandparent "detox" necessary when they returned home. Aunt Sydney and Cousin Collin came down to VA Beach to help Mumba (who was laid up with a bad neck) and Papa. Here are some pictures of the cousins.

Our Trip

2009-05-20T15:54:00.005-04:00

We had a great time on Bryce's business trip to the Dominican Republic at the beginning of the month and we avoided the swine flu... It was our first trip away together since Coleman arrived last February.Our room was the one right over Bryce's left shoulder.
Relaxation...

The Infiniti PoolThat is Bryce at the base of the waterfall that flowed out of the infiniti pool.

Braden and Sophia

2009-04-17T10:04:00.004-04:00

For most people a trip to the amusement park with the kids is quite an involved day long event. Here in Williamsburg Nina and I go to Busch Gardens for an hour or two to make it through those tough late afternoons. We are very appreciative to have our season passes.

Braden and Sophia with a little PDA in line for the "water ride" as Braden calls it.

The Tram ride to and from the parking lot is sometimes the highlight of the whole trip.

Coleman and Olivia were with us, but alas the poor second children did not get their pictures taken. They enjoy Busch Gardens as well.

Easter Sunday!

2009-04-12T16:45:00.007-04:00

Happy Easter! We had a great Easter with Mumba, Papa, Ma, and friends.

We started the day with breakfast with the family.

Then we got dressed for church and opened Easter baskets.

Coleman did not know what to make of the fake grass in his basket. Mama doesn't really like that stuff either. We will be finding it all over the house for months.Yes, Coleman is sporting a Seersucker suit... an adorable hand-me-down from Cousin Collin.Then we hosted our Annual Easter Egg Hunt in the backyard with our friends before church.Braden was extremely diligent in his search for eggs; filling his entire basket.Coleman decided that sliding on the slide was more fun then finding eggs. Maybe he realized that he wasn't going to get to eat any of the candy inside the eggs anyway.On Wednesday we dyed Easter eggs with many of our friends. This was definitely an out on the back deck activity, but Braden did do a test run in the kitchen before everyone arrived.Coleman mostly enjoyed watching this activity:

2009-04-12T15:58:00.005-04:00

Braden loves to "work". Whenever anyone is doing any sort of "job" he wants to be a part of it: cooking, dusting, putting things away, reading, writing, really anything. Here he is helping Dada with some mulch and mowing the lawn.

Sophia and Braden in CW.

Rozy hasn't had her picture up on the blog recently so here is our sweet Rozy...

Bathtime fun

Busch Gardens

2009-04-12T15:42:00.007-04:00

It is spring so here in Williamsburg that means that it is time to go to Busch Gardens. Braden has been asking about when Busch Gardens will open for the last two months so we were pretty excited to finally get to go. So much so that we went 4 times in a week and a half. Here are some of the highlights:

The train continues to be a favorite. We got to ride in the special caboose on one our trips last week.

Coleman LOVES to ride any ride they will let him on. He would ride the same ride over and over again.

A new addition to Busch this year is Sesame Street Forest of Fun. Braden loves all the new rides; especially the "big kid" Roller Coaster. It's the real deal... a big drop and everything! Braden loves to watch the characters from a distance but does not want to get too close...

Flag Football

2009-03-09T22:00:00.004-04:00

Flag Football season has begun and Braden is very excited to watch Dada play. He was very intently watching the game and afterwards was concerned that they weren't wearing helmets. "Dada when you play football you need to wear helmets..." We didn't have the heart to tell him that this was not the NFL.

Braden throwing a pass to Dada.

Coleman loved playing on the field turf.

Pre-game fun at the playground.

Coleman in the Snow

2009-03-02T12:54:00.003-05:00

After naptime Coleman played in snow for the first time in his life!

He didn't know what to make of the snowman.

Snow Day

2009-03-02T09:54:00.011-05:00

Last night Williamsburg actually got some snow that didn't melt immediately after falling to the ground.

Braden got out early to shovel the driveway so Dad could get out to work. Of course VDOT has not even attempted to plow any secondary roads so our driveway is the only clear driving surface that Bryce got to drive on until getting out to Route 199. Good thing his commute is only a couple of miles.

Braden also made a snow angel. He told me he needed to make a person in the snow and move his arms. (The stuff they remember from Christmas videos... amazing)

At lunchtime Bryce came home and we made a snowman on the back deck.

Coleman is One!

2009-03-02T09:38:00.003-05:00

Coleman officially turned 1 on February 16th! He has taken his first steps and has finally slept through the night (though not consistently). Here are a couple of pictures of our little guy all grown up!

Fun times in Colonial WIlliamsburg

2009-03-02T06:45:00.000-05:00

Occassionally we do actually get down to the Colonial area and enjoy nice weather and good times with friends and family. Here we are with Grandpa Dean and the Simones.

Coleman's Birthday Party

2009-02-09T15:47:00.018-05:00

Coleman doesn't officially turn 1 until the 16th, but due to scheduling issues we had the party this Saturday afternoon. I thought that if I added enough pictures of the birthday party you would all be able to feel as if you were actually here to enjoy all the craziness. (thank you to the Cooks for letting us borrow their great camera)

Braden helps decorate for the party:

Rozy getting into the spirit...It's fun to be 1. Coleman did not know what to make of the cake, the singing, or the party hat.
What is this?

Coleman didn't like eating the cake...

but he did enjoy eating his party hat... Braden was a great Big Brother all day... and enjoyed all the cake.

Sophia also enjoyed the treats!All the kids in their party hats:Opening Presents

The Ritners with Coleman.

Grill from Grandma and Grandpa Dean.New hoodie from Aunt MisColeman loves chewing on this Gator given by the Cooks.

oh the chaos...
some backyard fun to burn off all that sugar... a nice 70 degree day in February!

Walking... Coleman now pushes everything around the house; even items that are meant to be stationary (chairs, small tables, etc.)

We appreciate the friends and family that celebrated with us!
Grandpa Dean came for the party. no, that isn't a new baby for the Garrisons ... its Andrew Cook.

Olivia Simone with MumbaAunt Syd and Cousin Collin

Big Papa, Papa, Aunt Debbie, and Nana

Aunt Bev read Braden many many books...

Sophia

Garrison...

Travis and Olivia
Andrew Cook:
Addy Ritner: Addy drew pictures of our family on Coleman's present. Coleman is the tiny one on the right; she is quite an artist.

GG - Uncle Eric's Grandmother playing with the kids.
What a party!

Old friends bring New Friends

2009-01-31T08:14:00.004-05:00

We love it when college friends come back to Williamsburg to visit.

Their little ones = new friends for Braden and Coleman!

Coleman enjoyed playing with Lucy Wiese (Scott and Jan's daughter)lots of boys:

Wes and Jennifer Farkas' boys Sam & Luke; Liz (Martin) Woodward's little guy Robert; and our little men.

One more Christmas Celebration

2009-01-15T13:05:00.003-05:00

Grandma and Grandpa Dean came to visit this past week. Despite a nasty cold for Grandma (which the rest of us avoided getting... so far) we all had a great time. Good thing Coleman had mostly recovered from his pneumonia.
Christmas "morning" number 3...Coleman loves his new push toy! What's in this BIG present?
New Bike!

Coleman and Grandma... pre-sickness.

Braden, Grandpa, and Dada went to 2 Tribe Basketball games together.

Christmas in VA Beach

2008-12-29T21:07:00.004-05:00

Christmas Day we headed down to VA Beach for our Lee Family Christmas. The cousins had a great time playing together.This gift was especially popular.

Coleman discovered something even better then wrapping paper to eat... ribbon!

Christmas Day

2008-12-29T19:29:00.005-05:00

Christmas morning with the boys.

As you can see from this picture Coleman is very spiritual. He was very into reading the Christmas story in Luke on Christmas morning. Braden was a little more interested in his stocking.

Opening their stockings.

Coleman loved opening his gifts -- he mostly enjoyed eating the wrapping paper, but his favorite actual gift was his bongo set.

Braden got this great remote control car called the "bounce back racer." It is "squishy" so it is pretty indestructible and it flips over when it hits something. Many people other then Braden have also enjoyed playing with it the past couple of days.Braden could not stop playing with his new toys ... even to take this picture.

Christmas Eve

2008-12-29T18:52:00.009-05:00

We enjoyed a great Christmas Eve.

Bryce demanded that the boys get to open a gift each on Christmas Eve morning... soooo they did.

Then we hosted our annual Christmas Eve party. Here are Coleman and Braden waiting for their friends to arrive.

Braden's favorite food at the party was the train cake.

Here are some of the friends that shared the afternoon with us.

Sophia JosiahJackThe Conner girlsTommyEli Tori and MelissaTrav and Nina Cathleen and Trina Garrison Ben decided that he would do some coloring as well.

Sophia working on the puzzle with the big girls...

We ended the night by going to church and the whole family went to "big church" to watch the Simones light the Advent Candle. Christmas in Williamsburg...

Getting Ready for Christmas

2008-12-20T19:26:00.005-05:00

Coleman is excited for his first Christmas. Here are some of the many smiles of Coleman:

Braden enjoyed making Christmas cookies today. He was an integral part of each step in the process; making the dough, rolling it out, cutting shapes with the cookie cutters, adding the sprinkles, and of course eating the final product. He did the sprinkles on each and every cookie himself. When asked if he needed any help he said, "No, I'm working I will finish all of them." --- and he did.

Tribe Basketball

2008-12-20T19:10:00.003-05:00

Braden has loved attending all the home William and Mary Basketball games this season. Today there was a day game so the whole family got to go and the Ritners joined us. Here we are with all our Tribe Pride!

Happy Birthday Peter and Welcome Andrew!

2008-12-16T22:08:00.003-05:00

We enjoyed celebrating Peter Cook's 3rd birthday last Saturday before his new brother Andrew arrived on Wednesday. Meredith threw a terrific party despite being on bed rest and Mike took these great pictures with their new camera.

Coleman and Jax Ritner. (buddies already)

Andrew Kolbe Cook

Jingle Bells by Braden and Sophia

2008-12-14T14:24:00.002-05:00

Its Christmas Time

2008-12-14T14:08:00.004-05:00

The boys are enjoying the Christmas Season here in Williamsburg. Here are some attempts at Christmas pictures in front of the tree... I think we got mostly "out takes". Hard to get a good picture with the two boys, a dog, and running in from setting the timer on the camera... but we got a good laugh.

Braden loves to "match" Coleman, so these days after I dress Coleman I have to search through Braden's closet to see if he has anything that "matches".In this one you can see the angel ornament that Braden made at church... he is very proud of it.

Braden may now be over his fear of Santa. Rozy's Vet had a little Christmas Open House so we took the family over (since the people know us so well over there since the Rozy "skewer surgery" incident). Braden screamed when he heard that Santa was going to be there, but warmed up to him quickly once he saw that Santa liked playing Basketball. So here are Braden's first ever pictures with Santa... Coleman had had enough by the end of it all...

Where did the Fall go...

2008-12-07T08:44:00.007-05:00

Here are some highlights from our blogging hiatus ---

Throughout the Fall we enjoyed all the Tribe home football games. Braden sits and watches the entire game; explaining whats happening to anyone who will listen and imitating the officials as they call penalties. He continually shouts "GO Tribe!"... he is very intense about it. (We have now moved on to Tribe Basketball Games which Braden is equally excited to cheer for)During Tribe Football season it was also Tech football time so Cousin Collin came to visit often. We had such fun times with Collin!Braden enjoys that Coleman now plays with him. Here they are playing in the ball bin and playing Firemen with Dada.

One last trip to Busch Gardens before it closed for the season. We are excited that next year they will stay open through Christmas for a special "Christmas Town" celebration. We are not excited that next year we will have to buy a season pass for Braden.

How can it be December already. Here is Braden in front of the Christmas tree before we headed off to Peter Cook's birthday party. (The Ritner's have other great pictures at the party at this link: http://jkaritner.blogspot.com/2008/12/happy-birthday-petersorry-we-didnt-take.html)

Thanksgiving

2008-12-06T09:16:00.000-05:00

We had a great Thanksgiving at Bryce's Aunt Debbie's house in Richmond. Food, football, and fun for all.

The brothers:

Braden enjoyed his Thanksgiving dinner.

After dinner he reclined and watched some football while reading his Sports Illustrated.

Then played some football.

Coleman's favorite activity: Jumping! (while holding a football of course)

Cousins:

A new Friend!!!

2008-11-06T07:41:00.004-05:00

Olivia Gail Simone is here! She was born on Monday... 7lbs. 15 ounces. She looks just like Travis. All the Simones are doing great. Braden and Coleman can't wait to meet her; we are all so thankful for wonderful friends.

Happy Halloween

2008-11-01T18:30:00.006-04:00

We had an incredibly fun filled Halloween. Braden was a Bee Keeper and Coleman and Rozy were the bees. The fun started at Barnes and Noble story-time... Halloween stories and then a Trick-or-Treat Parade through the store. (total chaos)

Addy (a flower), Sophia (Curious George), Cara (bride), Fischer (Peter Pan) and many other friends posing for some post parade pictures. Then a trip to Bryce's office.

Then dinner with the Simones and Garrisons followed by Trick-or-Treating around the neighborhood. Our neighbors go all out for Halloween - decorations and dressing up. Needless to say it was quite a night. yes that is Sophia under the George costume (you Braden experts will remember that Braden wore that costume two years ago)

Sophia liked to run into the houses -- she had to be retrieved multiple times.

What a great night!

2008-10-28T20:46:00.004-04:00

Trina's sister Courtney took these pictures of us around William and Mary a couple weeks ago. She is a great photographer... her website is http://www.courtneyvogelphotography.com/

Pumpkinville

2008-10-18T19:29:00.005-04:00

We had a fun family trip to Pumpkinville today.

Braden loved riding the hay ride (twice).

We could barely keep up with Braden as he ran through the corn maze (twice).

Tribe Football

2008-10-11T19:29:00.004-04:00

Coleman enjoyed his first Tribe football game last Saturday. Yes, he did sleep through the second quarter, but the Tribe was losing badly at that point. He rallied later in the game to watch the near comeback.

Braden and Addy also enjoyed cheering on the Tribe!

(this post was for you Sammy... sorry for the delay)

The TODAY SHOW in Williamsburg

2008-09-27T13:37:00.001-04:00

here is a link to the Ritners blog with all the Today show fun... http://jkaritner.blogspot.com/2008/09/what-in-world-is-matt-lauer-doing-here.html

Braden is 3!!!

2008-09-23T20:21:00.013-04:00

Braden turned 3 on September 18th. Needless to say we threw quite a party; well actually two parties. A family party and a friends party. At the friends party a "Big" firetruck actually came to the house.

Here's a picture of some of Braden's friends and family who made it in time to see the truck:

Firetruck Cake!

Opening gifts with Addy.

Firehats for everyone.

A firetruck pinata.

Coleman enjoyed the party.

Hugs for Addy and Sophia.

Grandpa Dean came for the party: and installed a new dishwasher and garbage disposal...

The BLSL

2008-09-07T09:15:00.004-04:00

We didn't let a little Tropical Storm stop us from having our inaugural practice of the "BLSL" the Bryce Lee Soccer League for Toddlers. Yes we started our own little league to avoid the crazy cost of soccer for 2-3 year olds, some might call us a little cheap ... others ingenious. Logos, tshirts to follow...

Due to the weather we had to transform our living room into an indoor soccer field. So for the first practice we were the --- the BL"I"SL; the Bryce Lee Indoor Soccer League. Hopefully next week the weather will cooperate because with the practice indoors the lure of the playroom was too great for many of our "players".

Coach Bryce started them off with some stretching:

Our complete roster of 17 kids was not able to make it out in the storm but we did have quite a line-up.

Cousin Collin

2008-09-07T09:11:00.001-04:00

oh how we love cousin collin!

Busch Gardens pics on the Ritners Blog

2008-08-25T19:28:00.001-04:00

Kristyn is the only one who remembers to bring her camera to Busch Gardens, so here are some pictures of Braden on their blog:
http://jkaritner.blogspot.com/2008/08/saturday-at-bg.html

2008-08-25T14:57:00.007-04:00

After many complaints about my lack of updating the blog, here are some random pictures from the past couple of weeks.

Braden continues to be obsessed with "Baby Coleman." He always wants to hold him, hug him, see him. Hence, here are some of the many pictures of the brothers Lee.

Braden and Coleman were excited that their cousin Rachel came to vistit while she checked out W&M. Sophia and Braden at the Chick Fil A playplace.

Coleman loves his "Lion"... there is no name for the Lion... Braden named him simply "Lion"

Here is a Rozy picture in case you think we have forgotten about our sweet dog.

Story Time

2008-08-01T20:21:00.000-04:00

check out this video on the Ritner's blog of Braden and Addy...
http://jkaritner.blogspot.com/2008/07/story-time.html

the lees

You know you watch too much football when...

Our own Christmas Pageant

Oh how we love the Tribe

Halloween Celebrations

Braden is 5

Summertime fun

Our new Basketball Court!

Some videos

Stitches

Catching up

Family Pictures

Happy Easter

W&M Athletic Hall of Fame

Welcome Barrett Michele Robison!!!

Jumpin' Joeys

Go Tribe!

Happy 2nd Birthday Coleman!

More Fun in the Snow

Snow Day

More videos...

Christmas Pictures...

Advent calendar activities continue...

Some videos

Christmastime

Happy Thanksgiving

Go Tribe!

Braden goes to the Dentist

Jess and Hawley's Wedding!

Coleman Batting

27

Halloween 2009

The Tribe rolls on...

Braden is 4!

what do you do when...

Trip to CT

Relaxing and watching some golf...

The End of another softball season...

Lions

Pool Time

Fourth of July

Non-beach fun at Nags Head

Nags Head

Congrats to the Kushins!

Laurie's Birthday

Happy 30th Bryce

Some theology from Braden

Mother's Day

Random Fun

The Boys while we were away...

Our Trip

Braden and Sophia

Easter Sunday!

Busch Gardens

Flag Football

Coleman in the Snow

Snow Day

Coleman is One!

Fun times in Colonial WIlliamsburg

Coleman's Birthday Party

Old friends bring New Friends

One more Christmas Celebration

Christmas in VA Beach

Christmas Day

Christmas Eve

Getting Ready for Christmas

Tribe Basketball

Happy Birthday Peter and Welcome Andrew!

Jingle Bells by Braden and Sophia

Its Christmas Time

Where did the Fall go...

Thanksgiving

A new Friend!!!

Happy Halloween

Pumpkinville

Tribe Football

The TODAY SHOW in Williamsburg

Braden is 3!!!

The BLSL

Cousin Collin