Garrett-Lacey.com

Just when you thought I wasn't posting anymore...

2007-10-08T12:43:00.000-05:00

Truth be told I have been cheating. Cheating against this website. You see, I bought a new MAC and have been testing out it's web site design software by building an alternative family website. While I haven't made up my mind yet if it will replace this site, I thought I should at least give everyone a chance to view it and send me their opinion. So please visit the following:

Garrett-Lacey.com Beta Website

Take a look around and make sure to read the blog. Also check out the videos on the site as well. (Make sure you have QuickTime installed). I think you will like it but please send me your feedback either way.

Cheers,

Patrick

All aboard...

2007-06-01T19:40:00.000-05:00

As many of you know we decided to take a few days this year and vacation around St. Louis. Over the last 2 days we have visited Castlewood State Park, Grant's Farm and now today - The St. Louis Museum of Transportation. If you haven't been to the museum in a long time I highly suggest you take some time and head over there. They have one of the best collections of train engines that I have ever seen. The kids absolutely loved it. In fact, it went over so well we wound up staying there for over 4 hours without a lunch break.

Here are some of our photos from the day with the trains.

Castlewood State Park

2007-06-01T19:36:00.000-05:00

Took the kids down to Castlewood State Park today as part of our St. Louis Vacation. They had a blast spashing in the river and getting as dirty as humanly possible. Enjoy the photos.

Adventure at Suson Park

2007-05-21T20:45:00.000-05:00

We are all so happy that Spring has finally decided to give us a few great days with amazing weather. We spent Sunday afternoon at Suson Park with the kid's cousins. We toured the farm area and saw the goats, sheep, horses, cows and more. Everyone really enjoyed seeing the animals and walking around the lakes. We wrapped up the day by playing on the playground and finally headed off to dinner. View the day's photos here.

As you can imagine by the time we got home the kids were more than ready for bed. Don't you just love the fresh air and how it puts children to sleep...

Mother's Day 2007

2007-05-19T13:12:00.000-05:00

Mother's Day was sponsored by Mother Nature this year. We couldn't have asked for better weather. It was so nice we spent the entire day outside once we left church in the morning. We have plenty of photos to share with you as proof of how nice it was outside.

While we spent Sunday afternoon with Kate's family, all of us visited my Mom on Saturday evening. We took her out to dinner to one of her favortie restaurants and then the kids played outside back at her house. Everyone had a good time and enjoyed spending Mother's Day together - even if it was the night before.

Alligators and search marketing...

2007-05-19T13:02:00.000-05:00

I spent 4 days in Florida about 2 weeks ago for an industry conference called The Search Insider Summit. This particular conference series is always good for our company and this spring's was no different. Along with the in-depth conference sessions and time spent networking with clients and colleagues we also get a chance to explore the area in which we are spending our time. This round it meant taking an air boat ride through the Everglades. I was fully prepared for the experience and had my trusty camera ready to photograph the varied wildlife - including alligators. Surprisingly we didn't see a single Alligator in the wild. In fact, we didn't see a single animal during our tour. While I enjoyed the ride it was terribly disappointing that we didn't get to see anything other than mud, water and trees. The photo below was taken on the dock where we boarded our air boat for the tour. At least this gator wasn't shy.

Easter 2007

2007-04-23T20:55:00.000-05:00

I don't know about all of you but I recall having Easter Egg hunts when the weather was warm and comfortable. But based on the weather this past Easter you would think that it's a winter holiday instead of a spring holiday. The weather was so cold that all of the kids had to wear coats for the Easter egg hunt. While it definitely added bulk to the event it by no means took away any of the fun. The kids had a great time hunting for eggs with their cousins this year. We were blessed to have everyone from both families join us for Easter this year. Despite a very packed house everyone seemed to have a good time. Plus, we got some great photos of the event and the early morning when the kids went hunting for eggs inside the house from the Easter Bunny. (I especially like the photos of Jack eating the Peeps.)

Photo Feed Link

Jack's 3rd Birthday

2007-04-23T20:43:00.000-05:00

Whew, just getting this posting in under the 30-day deadline. We celebrated Jack's 3rd birthday back on March 31st - his official birthday. Jack had a blast and got tons of cool stuff - a sand digger, a swimming pool, beach toys and lots of GeoTrax train track and buildings. (If you've never seen GeoTrax I highly suggest you check it out. We think it's even better than Brio trains.) Everyone was there and had a good time eating cake and ice cream. According to Jack he's officially a big boy and wants everyone to know it. Hope you enjoy the photos.

Photo Feed Link

Photos delivered direct to you...

2007-04-07T19:21:00.000-05:00

I am happy to announce that I am now able to offer everyone a photo feed of the photos that I post to this website. When I post photos to the site going forward I will also include a web link like the one below that will allow you to view the photos in your browser (via an RSS feed) and then download those you like in a high-resolution format -- perfect for printing.

http://web.mac.com/garrepa/iPhoto/2007-03-11---mom-lacey's-birthday/index.rss

I hope you enjoy this new feature. Please let me know if you experience any problems with the link or photos.

Enjoy!

- Patrick

Mom Lacey's Birthday Party

2007-03-18T13:45:00.000-05:00

Everyone in the Lacey clan got together about a week ago to celebrate Mom Lacey's birthday. We were blessed not only with a good party but also with wonderful weather. So nice in fact that the kids got to play outside which made everyone (especially the parents) very happy. Here are some more photos from the party.

Photo Feed Link

In living color

2007-02-24T17:04:00.000-06:00

Here are a few photos of the boys having a good time on Saturday afternoon. I thought these bright and colorful photos would cheer everyone up as we try to get through winter in one piece.

Rub a dub dub...3 kids in a tub

2007-02-24T17:00:00.000-06:00

Just couldn't resist taking a photo of all three kids in the bath together. Libby usually takes a shower so I thought this may be one of the last times I would get them al together like this for a photo.

1...2...3.....4...ready for a thumb war!

2007-02-03T19:46:00.000-06:00

We are thrilled to announce that Libby's recent thumb surgery was a success. This past week she had her final cast removed and has regained almost all control and movement in her thumb back. In fact, she is able to move her thumb more than she has in years. Thank you all for your prayers during her surgery and recovery process. Below is a photo of Libby and her cast which was promptly signed by all of her classmates the very same day she had it put on her hand.

Bigfoot may not exist but...

2007-02-03T19:44:00.000-06:00

here's proof that sibling harmony can exist - even if for only a few seconds at a time.

Libby's 6th Birthday

2007-02-03T19:27:00.000-06:00

And so another year has passed and my little girl has grown another year older. For the past five years I've never had an issue with her getting older but now that she's on the north side of five I finally felt a little pain in my heart as I realize that she won't be my little girl forever.

Looking back to when we moved into our current house and photos of Libby on moving day (she was 3 years old) I can't believe she's the same girl that just celebrated her sixth birthday. When people say that times fly they aren't kidding. It just requires you to look back and realize the fact.

Despite my sentimental comments Libby had a good birthday and enjoyed having her family over to celebrate. And in addition to her family celebrated birthday she also had a party at Chevy's with her girlfriends where she received a authentic sombrero and then went to see Charlotte's Web at the movies. All had a wonderful time.

Click here to view photos from the family birthday party.

Merry Christmas 2006

2007-01-07T14:03:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas to everyone!

Everyone had a great Xmas this year. As you can see by the photo above Jack had a wonderful time as a fireman on Christmas morning. We hope you enjoy the photos.

The Christmas Spirit

2006-12-21T16:18:00.000-06:00

If anyone ever doubts my Xmas spirit again they need only view this photo taken at our company party the other night. As you can see yours truly is Santa along with my boss, Chris, as my trusty elf. Our marketing manager, Cindy Spellman, is in the middle and is the one responsible for ordering the amazing santa suit. I hope this provides some joy for your holiday season.

Fun in the ice

2006-12-02T15:34:00.000-06:00

As I previously posted we survived this week's ice storm just fine. In fact we even managed to go out and have a little fun since my office was closed for the day. Click here to see more fun in the ice photos.

Playroom Renovation

2006-12-02T15:12:00.000-06:00

As many of you have heard I started a project several weeks ago (a month actually ago) to renovate our playroom. The old one was dark and dreary with poor lighting and ragged carpet. We started the project by removing the carpet and tearing down the drop ceiling tiles all the time thinking that we would simply replace the tiles with something newer and more bright. However, after comparing material costs we decided to actually replace the tiles with a bead-board ceiling instead. And with that decision came about 3 weeks extra work - even though the material costs stayed the same.

I had to completely remove the grid system from the tiles as well as old ceiling insulation that was covered with years of yuck and muck. The we discovered remnants of the old porch ceiling that we had to repair so that things didn't look too odd once our new ceiling was in place. I also had to update wiring so we could install recessed lighting. Once all of this was done we began working on the ceiling itself.

Let me just say that putting in a 20 foot long ceiling one 3-inch board at a time is time consuming and mind numbing. Not only is it slow but you have to be on a ladder the entire time with someone else helping you. (Thanks Dad, Kate and Jason) And did I forget to mention that we had to prime the boards and then give them 2 coats of paint prior to having them sit in the playroom for 2 days to acclimate before installing?

Finally it was done and we had to move onto the crown molding installation. Let me just sum this one up for you.....thanks Uncle D for putting in my crown molding.

After painting (including 1 gallon of primer and 1.5 gallons of paint just for the brick wall) we were ready for the carpet to be installed. Once that was completed it was all over except for moving the furniture back into the room. Click on the link below to see some before and after photos.

Playroom before-and-after photos.

Icy but well

2006-12-02T14:55:00.000-06:00

Just a quick note to let everyone know that we appear to be recovered from the flu this week. But of course we did get iced in this Friday by the storm that came through St. Louis. Luckly though we didn't lose power like so many other people. Here's a picture from our yard. It's of Libby's baby tree. As you can see the ice was so thick and heavy that it has totally bent the tree over to the ground.

There he/she blows....

2006-11-29T20:31:00.000-06:00

Well as expected all of the kids have gotten the flu. While Will recovered by sleeping through the night we were awoken early this morning by Libby who said her stomach hurt. And sure enough about 45 minutes later she was sick. The good thing about her though is that she's old enough to make it to the bathroom on her own.

Kate spent the day nursing her and dealing with a better, yet cranky, William and wild Jack. I arrived home to find that Jack was complaining about a sore stomach. So we ate dinner - not Jack or Libby - and then retired to the living. For the next 45 minutes Kate sat on the floor with Jack and a towel in case of doom. Then Jack was ready for bed so Kate moved to the couch with Jack, Libby and a book. About 5 minutes into it Jack decided to expel his lunch all over himself, Kate, the book, the couch and part of the floor. Somehow Libby escaped being hit by the explosion. It was quite a scene. Let's just say Kate won't let Jack eat 2 hot dogs for lunch anytime soon.

So we got cleaned up and everyone is bed. Now we just have to wait until Jack gets sick again tonight. (And by the way, did I mention that although Libby was feeling better she got sick again right before bed? And that we have paved the way from Jack's bed to his door with towels? After all, a 2 year old doesn't want to use a bucket, doesn't get to the bathroom quick enough and typically just gets up knowing something isn't' right, heads to the door and then......You get the picture.)

Sweet dreams everyone. I sign off knowing that by tomorrow morning I will be jealous of your restful night.

Holiday season and all through the house...

2006-11-28T21:56:00.000-06:00

Everyone was sick and all was not nice. Actually, only Will and I are sick but that's more than enough to dampen the recent beginning of the holiday season. I got the flu this past Sunday and Will got it today. He's sleeping right now so hopefully the worst is over. But then again, he is a baby and babies like to wake you up at night when everyone should be sleeping. Keep your fingers crossed that I don't have to post again tomorrow about how we didn't get any sleep. Now let's hope that no one else in the house gets sick. That would be a holiday miracle.

Photo library updated

2006-11-28T21:54:00.000-06:00

Attention one and all, I have updated the Photo Archives section of the website. Additionally I have added photos notes for those of you interested in getting images for printing purposes. Enjoy!

Work, work, work...

2006-11-25T15:23:00.000-06:00

About 20% of the work year I have to travel out of town to various conferences and to visit clients. This past week I was gone from Sunday to Saturday. I spent the first half of the week in sunny Palm Springs and the remainder of the week in dreary and cold Seattle to visit Microsoft. Although I know that by posting these photos people in my family will hassle me about how hard my job is I know that many other people (who are not so quick to judge) might actually enjoy them.

Things to come

2006-11-22T21:24:00.000-06:00

Yes, your right. It's been ages since I last updated this website. I apologize for the delay but I have been upgrading the site's hosting infrastructure and as a result I have gotten behind in my work. So thanks for your patience and please check back soon for several updates.