Neglected, but not forgotten...

My blog has been neglected for the past two years (at least!), while I got on with navigating this thing called life.  Before my eyes, my children went from children to adults (almost completely) and what they wanted and, importantly, needed from me changed drastically.  There were growing pains for us all.  Here's the thing:  I've loved being a stay-at-home mom.  I know not everyone does and that's okay, but for me, I've loved it.  I felt like I was exactly where I was supposed to be and where I wanted to be.   I never resented the opportunity costs associated with staying home. 


Change is inevitable and unavoidable and, if I'm honest, to be desired.  After all, if I've done my job correctly, my children will be independent, capable individuals who will not need me to wait in the wings, managing their lives from the shadows.  And, if the past few years have been any indication, I've done a terrific job.  My children are fascinating individuals, each charting a different path, as they wind their way toward adulthood.  I couldn't be more proud of them for bravely charting their courses (and I'm pretty proud of myself for letting go of the reins so they could!).  They've taught me so much...I continue to be transformed by the privilege of raising them.


A quick recap of the kids, and then they won't be here much (adult privacy and all that!):  Charming has been living out of the house for almost 6 years and will be 25 next month.  He's a terrific person who is teaching himself piano and programming in his free time...oh, and he's getting ready to run his first half-marathon.  Valiant is going to be 20 next month and is a Junior at EWU with a goal to finish with two degrees (one in Mechanical Engineering and one in Physics)...yeah, he didn't get that from me.  When he's not at school or work, he's contemplating Descarte or religion and is active in his church.  Buttercup will be 17 in two months...she's attending both the local junior college (through Running Start) and our local high school, where she throws javelin and does all sorts of creative things with pottery.  When she's not at school or work, she can be found tooling around in her little truck, most likely headed to or from one gym or another, or headed off to a sporting event.  (Oh, yeah, she's pretty darned pleased by the Carolina Panthers right now...she's a fan.)


So, back to my blog...now that you know where I've been, I hope you'll forgive my absence.  I have been doing so much, I'm eager to get back to sharing it with you.  Random thoughts, sewing projects (I'm pretty proud of my progress!), my CrossFit fails (a shoulder injury a few years ago seriously derailed me...still no pull-up, darn it!!), mostly grain-free recipes (Amish Baked Oatmeal is still a morning favorite--haven't given up oats entirely!), DIY, and anything else that occurs to my blogging mind.


Anyway, to the people who asked (last year!) where I got the wheels for my New Craft Table, my husband just found them at Home Depot.  They're nothing special, you could use any that will support the weight of your table.


That's it for now...have a great day!

Back to Blogging after a Four-Month Hiatus!

It has been four months plus since my last blog post.  You know how people always say things like, "Oh, I can't believe how much time has passed?"  Um, I am not going to say that!  I can completely believe it.  We've had a crazy busy past four months and I'm actually glad that things have finally calmed down enough that I have the time to blog again. 

Let me catch you up:

Superman is home for good!  Woot!  Yes, indeed!  After almost three years (!) of contracting overseas, Superman came home.  Best of all, we managed to "sneak" him home a month earlier than the kids expected!  We pulled off the last, best suprise of the journey.  The kids thought their dad was coming home on December 1, so imagine the surprise when the two younger kids registered the sound of my car pulling into the garage, registered the sound of the door opening, didn't even look up when someone walked up the stairs, and then caught sight of their dad!  It was amazing.  We kept the surprises going by inviting Charming to meet up with us for dinner and got to see the look on his face when he walked into the restaurant and saw his father!  Seriously, being able to surprise your adult and almost adult children is NOT easy and oh-so fun...

The spider knew my secret!

The next night we had dinner at the house and the boys decided to play around with Nagle family deadlifts.  (Seriously, Crossfit families are just weird!)

Boys will be boys...the hardest part?  Holding on to the bar!

Charming deadlifted Superman...

"I've got you, Dad!"

Then Valiant stepped up to deadlift Superman...

Valiant was up next...

Then Superman deadlifted little Buttercup.  With...

Buttercup had no problem holding on!

...and without the bar!

But she found it a little more difficult to be the bar!

Then life began to settle back into normal-for-us Nagle5 craziness.  Man, it is good to have Superman home!

I hope you'll enjoy the ride as I fast forward you through the holidays and the projects and the other good stuff that makes up a normal life...I'll give you a few hints of what is coming up:  Scrabble, stairs, bed, hearts, and frames!

Life in the Nagle5 Household

Superman is suffering from "short-timers" in a bad way.  As he counts down the days and continues with his job search (trying to land a job from 12000 miles away), he is often frustrated and impatient.  (Let's be real...he's not finding the Middle East to be a garden spot in the best of circumstances and these days, we're not seeing the best of circumstances!)  My job right now is to keep him upbeat and positive and distract him from the days oh-so-slowly turning on the calendar.  To that end, I try to share the humor and chaos of life at home.  Everything from the cats bringing live birds into the house (two this month (!), both of which we saved from an unsavory end) to tales of life in high school to my failed attempts at mastering a handstand (grr!) have become the language of life in the Nagle5 household. 



Who knew earbuds were so vital to daily life?

It seems the artists who draw our favorite comic strips have doubled down and joined the effort to keep Superman smiling.  So many have struck me, that I started cutting them out and adding commentary for Superman.  We get the local paper (comics are a great way to introduce your child to reading the newspaper!) and  I'm linking to the comics directly and sharing these with you here because Superman struggles to get internet that allows surfing websites and he'll get this as an email.  Here is a sampling of what I've cut out:  Our favorites these days are Baby Blues (no babies here anymore, but these guys obviously live what they draw...three kids are exponentially more than two, I tell you!), Zits (I haven't found the hidden camera that keeps capturing Valiant, but I know it is here), and Off the Mark (definitely our weird sense of humor.)

Life with Valiant:

Seriously...where is the hidden camera in my house?

Life with Buttercup:

After raising two boys, I feel qualified to say that girls are
different...no better, no worse, but definitely different!

(And don't you think Charming is relieved to have moved out of the house so I don't compare his life to life in the comic strips?)

I have to wonder...

if the designers at Inov-8, used this little tree frog...

This little tree frog has beautiful coloring...definitely the muse for shoe
designers at Inov-8. 

 ...as their inspiration for my son's new shoes.

The shoes have the same "beautiful" coloring...on size 14 (!) shoes.

Let's review:

Colorful frog ...


The Frog

...leads to colorful shoes.







The Shoes--oh so impressive in person.

I'm convinced that is how it happened.  Are you with me?

The Conclusion of the Holiday and a Cool New Shirt

Patriotic deck...love the view...we've been lucky that no one has built in
the field behind us the entire time we've lived here.  I know it is coming,
but for now, I remain oh so grateful for our amazing view.

I keep my patriotic decor up from Memorial Day through Independence Day...kind of a festive welcome to summer.  After July 4th, however, I'm definitely ready to put it all away.  So, in a little bit of productivity for the day, I got it taken down and put away for next year. 

Until next year...

Hmmm...I'm thinking pinwheels for the remainder of summer.  Wouldn't those be fun, festive, and inexpensive?  Here is a quick and easy DIY tutorial.  I love it.  What do you think?

Anyway, moving right along.  I should have been working in the yard today, but realistically, that is going to wait a week...there is nothing that needs to be done urgently enough that I'm going to brave 100 degree weather to do it.  Nope, just not doing it.  Instead, after a morning spent running errands like getting another package off to Superman, after Valiant headed off to work, Buttercup and I retreated to the basement where it was nice and cool, even without the air conditioner on.

Cleaned my desk, ironed some napkins, and watched "My Cat from Hell".  Love that show.  Jackson seems to really care.  I'm just astounded by how little common sense people have.  Then again, I'm a cat person, so maybe obvious to me isn't obvious to non-cat people.

In the meantime, I needed to keep busy in the basement.  I'm not good at sitting around doing nothing.  I had one more plain t-shirt in Valiant's size and I knew just the image that would bring a smile to his face.  So, I got out my Silhouette machine and some heat-transfer vinyl and got to work.

Heat transfer vinyl is so cool!  Just remember to cut the mirror image of your
final look...

Once I cleaned up the image, I flipped it so I had a mirror image and sent it through the Silhouette.  A few minutes weeding the excess vinyl and I was ready to iron it on.

Ironing it on takes 30 seconds...

A few minutes later, I had a finished product designed to appeal to a teen-aged boy. 

"Everyday, I'm Shufflin'"...

When he came in from work, the smile on his face told me that Valiant did, indeed, like his new shirt.

Day 117.  Another day closer to Superman coming home and I was successfully productive again!  Woot!

New Door Knob

The door from our garage to our backyard is in desperate need of replacing, but I haven't the foggiest idea how to make sure a door is true (and this one is definitely off-kilter).  That project will need to wait for Superman's return this fall.  In the meantime, though, I was more than willing to tackle the project of replacing the old door knob.  It turned out to be more complicated than an I anticipated, but still, I prevailed and the new door knob is working out beautifully.

New door knob with nifty patch job!

First, I took off the old door knob.  Easy peasy.  So easy, in fact, that I forgot to take a picture of it.  Once the door knob and locking mechanism were removed, I was left with this hole.

This hole is way to big for a standard door knob.

I quickly determined that part of the problem with the old door knob was that the hole was actually too big for a standard door knob.  I was stumped...how to "patch" a hole in a door.  Then inspiration hit.  Back to Home Depot I went to get these plastic wall guards that protect wall from the damage done by kids slamming the door knob into the drywall.  These things are so handy...if you haven't used them, you'll thank me after you do.  (Not that my angels have ever put a dent or a hole in a wall, you understand.  They've always been paragons of restraint...NOT!)  These come in two sizes and I bought two of the larger size.  Back home again, I needed to drill door knob-sized holes in them before sticking them to the door.  There is actually a bit to do that job.

I think this is the size the previous owners used when they installed the original
door knob.  At close to 3", it is far too large.

This is the correct bit, but the wrong size.  I couldn't find the correct size, so I had to improvise.

I think the bit I used is for making counter-sink holes...maybe to seat washer and screws,
but I really don't know.  All I know is that I was able to make it work for my project.

Got out a scrap board, grabbed my husband's drill (mine didn't like the job), lay my plastic disk down (after figuring out where the hole needed to be--off-centered to work on the door), stepped on the disk to hold it in place (high-tech, I know), and drilled the hole.

Notice my foot holding the disk in place?  Necessity is the mother of weird techniques!
Thanks for letting me use your new drill, Honey.  It worked beautifully and had
a lot more power than mine.  You're too sweet!

After that, I fit the door knob in the new hole and then removed the covering from the adhesive tabs.  It was simple to fit the piece into the locking mechanism already in the door and then I just pressed firmly on the disk and the door was patched and my door knob was in the correct position.



By fitting the door knob mechanism in the hole before I put it through the door,
I had the opportunity to finesse it a bit to get it exactly the way I wanted it.

It was quick work to drill the hole in the other plastic disk and fit it properly. 



Felt pretty foolish when Valiant pointed out my error, but, hey, at least I knew
how to correct it!  Plus, I had canine supervision...they should have told me.

After that, I screwed it all together and was quite proud of myself...right up until Valiant asked me why I installed in backwards.  Sigh.

Now it is done correctly.  Even the dogs got bored by this point...

Pulled the door knob apart, turned the mechanism over, put it all back together, and we have a new door knob on our garage-to-backyard door.

Beautiful, isn't it?

 I confess, I felt pretty productive after I finished that little project.  Day 118 of Productivity can be considered successful!

Days 8 & 9 - 30 Paleo Challenge - A New Driver's License, A Climber, and Some Egg Salad!

My computer has been having issues the past few days and with my IT guy still a little more than a month from being home on leave, it is making me crazy.  That doesn't mean we haven't been doing the 30 Day Paleo Challenge, though...some of us are still going strong.  (Some of us, not so much!)

So, let's get going!  First things first...my second child now has his driver's license...what a mixed bag for Mom, right?  Seriously.  I gave Valiant his last stern warning the day before he tested, as he was giving me a bit of attitude (your 16-year old son doesn't give you a bit of attitude?  really? hmmm...I'm not sure I believe you).  I finally looked at him and said, "Look...you are asking me to give you the power to kill yourself and/or others and the tool to do it with, so you're just going to have to deal with me being concerned.  This is the biggest act of faith your parents have had to go forward with, so cut me some slack."  I'm happy to report that gave him pause.  The next morning, he passed his driving test and became the proud possessor of a driver's license.  He's pretty darned tickled and I confess to being really happy to have another driver in the house.  Let the next parenting challenge begin!

In the meantime, while my Valiant is keeping me on the edge of my seat with visions of automobile disasters, my beloved little Buttercup (not so little, but still little to me) decided to jump in the fray with Women's Climb Night at REI.  Now, you need to understand something.  I've never thought of myself as afraid of heights and I don't really think I am.  However, I've never been one of those people who sees a rock wall and thinks to herself, "Man, I'd love to climb to the top of that...just to see if I can."  Seriously.  That is not who I am.  Ask me if I can lift something heavy and I'll be intrigued with the possibility...climbing, not so much.  But, because God has a sense of humor, that is exactly who Buttercup is.  Off to the rock wall we headed...

Making it look easy!

...and look who climbed all the way up her first try!  You guessed it:  my little Buttercup.  Sigh.

Listening to the belayer at the bottom...how can she hear her way up there?

She wasn't content to do it once, either.  Nope.  When her turn came around the second time, she scrambled right up.  She was frustrated we couldn't stay for her third run, but Valiant still needed a ride home from work, as this was BDL (Before Driver's License)...she really was itching to go again.  (I wonder if there is mountain goat is Superman's side of the family?)  Honestly, she was amazing.  I was in awe of her confidence and her mad skills.  Crossfit has been so good for her...I am so thankful we found it and a box opened near enough to our home to make it worthwhile.

 I didn't want to let her down, so I tried my hand at it.  Honestly, I didn't love it.  I'm not sure I'll ever love it.  Maybe it is just not my thing.

This was far enough for me...my arms were shaking...this is hard!

Still, I made it two-thirds of the way up before I was done.  Not bad for 48-years old...maybe next time I'll make it up to the top.  Oh, please, you know I'll have to go back and try again...now that I've failed, I have to make it up to the top at least once.  Sheesh...

Now on to the food!  Remember a few days ago, I made homemade mayonnaise?  Well, on Day 8 I used some of that wonderful mayonnaise to make some egg salad  (using my pressure cooker hard-boiled eggs) and it was phenomenal.  After sitting all night in the refrigerator, the mayonnaise was just, well, mayo.  I was worried that I'd taste the lemon and I didn't.   It really was better than "Best Foods"...who knew?

Dinner Day 8 was CORN: Clean Out Refrigerator Night.  We used up all the little bits and pieces left from the previous week and had a Paleo feast.  Dinner Day 9?  We had dinner with friends who did their very best not to undermine our challenge:  Steak, Salad, and Fruit Salad for dessert.  (They had potatoes available, but we declined.  Pretty cool, right?

Oh, and I made it to the gym both days...had pretty decent performance, too.  Got a new PR (personal record) for my 3x Deadlift on Monday and had a not-embarassing time on the scaled Diane (which was also a PR, but when it is scaled, I don't really count it much...I can't do a handstand, let alone a handstand push up, but, hey, they're on my CF to-do list!).    Rowed 2000 meters in under 9 minutes on Tuesday...pretty cool, right?

Day 4 - 30 Day Paleo Challenge

Sorry for the late posting...Superman gave me grief because I didn't get this post up last night.  Don't worry, though, we haven't quit!

It is still early days and I'm trying to make this all work.  Day 4 proved to be our most challenging day so far. I am having trouble sleeping and 6.75 hours is just not enough (not to mention that it is costing me points!). 

Doesn't this look fabulous?

Lunch was a fabulous smoothie:  Spinach, coconut milk, 100% whey protein, strawberries, and frozen mixed berries.  Even the kids enjoyed it. 

There go the strawberries!

I really don't know why I'm not sleeping, but I'm not and it really showed at the gym.  I never got energized...I felt like my entire body was so heavy and, of course, it was a killer WOD.  I was surprised  how hard the whole thing felt...I never got in the zone where I got a rhythm and was just plugging away.  It has been a long time since I've contemplated accepting a DNF ("Did Not Finish"), but I felt terrible through the entire thing and was oh so tempted to throw in the towel.  I scaled the weight on the kettle bell swings (from 53 to 35) and had to back up a band (from red to blue) on my pull-ups...making that decision was really discouraging, but in the end, I was glad I did because I wouldn't have finished otherwise.  My results reflected my low energy, as I finished in 52:11 and, man, was I spent.  It was one of those days when I really feel like I didn't accomplish anything.  Still, I showed up and I didn't phone it in.  My all just wasn't much.

Need some water...it is too thick!

Valiant joined me at the gym and he pushed through, choosing not to scale and it nearly killed him.  I was so proud of him for plugging away at this workout.  Despite a not-so-great time, he can really be proud of himself for sticking to it and for keeping it at that level.  He was definitely my hero yesterday.

Now look at it churning!

Anyway, the workout had us at the gym an hour and 15 minutes later than I thought we'd be.  So much for my Dutch Oven Chicken...it was 5:30 when we got home and we were starved!  Combined with the serendipity of  hungry friends showing up at the gym to drop something off with me saw us headed to Carl's Jr. for dinner.  Buttercup and Valiant are really not happy with our challenge (Valiant more than Buttercup, but she's a close second in dissent!) and you would have thought I gave them each a $1000 when I said, "Fine.  We'll me The Friends for dinner."  Still, I tried hard to keep my goals in mind and just had two  hamburger patties and a Diet Coke.  (Yeah, look, I'm human and I'd been beaten to death by the workout!)  That meal cost me 2 points...grrr.

Terrific lunch for two!

Finished off the night with my homemade almond butter and a Granny Smith apple.  Perfect snack!

Day 4 is in the books! 

On to Day 5...

Day 2 - 30 Day Paleo Challenge

Day 2 of our 30 Day Paleo Challenge!  You know what that means?  Only 28 more days to go!  Yes, it is like that...we're already counting down. Valiant is having trouble with this challenge...he broke on Day One and had a cupcake! A cupcake!!   On the flip side, Buttercup held firm, even in the face of spaghetti and garlic bread!  I was so proud of her.  To add to our commitment, Superman has let me know that he's giving up coffee for 30 days in solidarity.  Isn't that the sweetest? 

This morning was tough.   We had a hectic day that started really early and all anyone could think about was how limited they're feeling.   Throw in some serious stress and I really, really wanted some comfort food or, at the least, a Diet Coke.  I drove by my dealer, um, I mean, the gas station, where I normally get my Diet Coke fix and I just kept driving.   Valiant really, really wanted me to pull in, but I held firm. 

I even managed to make it to the gym to get my point for doing the WOD.  I didn't do really well, but there were aspects of my workout that thrilled me.  I am getting so close to being able to do a real pull-up.  I don't know if I'll make it before our one year anniversary at the gym (May 13), but I'll sure be close.

Dinner tonight was an experiement that turned out pretty well.  The kids prepared themselves for gross and were pleasantly surprised.  I used Superman's new wok (it was great, Honey!) to throw together some chicken stir-fry using coconut aminos instead of soy sauce.  (Soy sauce has soy and wheat...both are paleo no-nos.)  Next time I make it, I think I'll add some beef broth for some depth of flavor, but I was really pleased with how it all came together.

Quick Chicken Stir-Fry

2 Boneless Skinless Chicken breasts - cut up into small pieces
2 Zucchinis - cut into chunks
2 Yellow Squash - cut into chunks
a bunch of Broccoli florets
a cup of Baby Carrots - cut into chunks
Baby Bok Choy - chopped
4 Mushrooms - sliced
1/2 yellow onion - sliced into large chunks (so my daughter can pick them out!)
Sesame Oil
Chinese Five Spice seasoning
Coconut Aminos
Minced Garlic
Salt *  (I think that beef broth would make this unnecessary)
Pepper
Red Pepper Flakes
(Beef Broth)* - next time, I'll be adding this!

Get your pan (wok!) onto the stove and add the sesame oil.  Throw in the chicken, the onion, garlic, and a generous bit of coconut aminos and begin to cook the chicken.  As the chicken absorbs some of the liquid, add the beef broth, the five spice, and pepper until the chicken is done.  Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. 

Using the same pan, add in all the vegetables, a little of the coconut aminos (a tablespoon), and some beef broth and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.  Cook until the vegetables are done and then add back in the meat.

That is it...once everything is cooked, you just serve it up.  As I said, this wasn't perfect, but it was pretty darned good and I'm inspired to try it again soon.

30 Day Paleo Challenge - Day 1

Our Crossfit gym is hosting a 30-day Paleo Challenge that begins today.  In our wisdom, Buttercup, Valiant, and I decided participating in this challenge would be a good idea.  (This was obviously made in the haze of caffeinated happiness.)  To read the specifics of our challenge, you can head to the site here, but in a nutshell:  no grains, no legumes, no dairy, no sugar, and pretty much nothing processed. 

Now, this little subset of Nagles has already given up grains, legumes, and most dairy, but, we've really struggled since the holidays (four months, I know!) to get the sugar back out of our diet, thus our willingness to embark on this little journey.  We spent a week cleaning out our kitchen and getting rid of stuff that would tempt us.  I even ordered a dehydrator to make my own beef jerky (it arrived today)!

Which brings us here to Day 1...a day full of "whine".


Don't get me wrong, we're all committed.  No one wants to be the one to mess things up and do something that costs us points.  Still, the caffeine withdrawal headache has been horrible.  Buttercup has a nasty cold and can't taste anything, so she's craving processed food, and Valiant?  He's just hungry and is stubbornly refusing to eat fruit.  The games have begun...

Friday, the kids and I all had our weight and body fat % measured...it was a good/bad reality check.  This is what I wrote in my log book following that experience:

Of course I had to make my log book something cute!

"Reality checks are a difficult thing to deal with.  While my weight was a happy surprise, I have to admit that I was dismayed by my body fat percentage. All these weeks of slippery nutrition have taken their toll or, at the very least, slowed my progress tremendously.  Today's numbers helped my resolve to give this challenge my total commitment.  I'm curious what can be accomplished in 30 days of strict adherence."

It will be an interesting ride, don't you think?

Our Young Job Hunter



Look how tall!  See the
door frame?

Our sixteen-year old son, Valiant, has been tasked with getting a job.  Just as our parents expected of us, we expect our children to get jobs when they are legally able.  Oh, and to add to his incentive, we won't let him get a driver's license until he has a job.  No job, no driving without Mom or Dad.  The boy has incentive and a chauffeur.  Now he just needs to get a job.  As you might have heard, it is a tough job market out there.  Applicants need to be sharp, look sharp, and present themselves in a way that will set them apart from all the other applicants. 



Oh, and he whips out a smile
when he shows up to apply!

This is how our Valiant is dressed to drop off applications and resumes, to follow up on the same, and, of course, for any interviews he can snag.  (From a mother's point of view, it is even more impressive when you realize everything he's wearing other than the tie had to be special ordered because the boy is so tall!)




So, what do you think?  Doesn't he look sharp?   Wouldn't you give him a job?  Let's hope someone else agrees with us!  I'm ready for him to get a job and quit my job as chauffeur for the job search.

Growing like a weed...

Sometimes it is difficult for Superman to understand just how quickly our kids are growing...this picture taken at our gym really illustrated it for him.

This is Valiant with one of the other CF509 members:

Photo credit:  Crossfit509

Isn't it a fabulous picture?  They were both getting ready for pull-ups.  Guess he didn't need the box to reach the bar...

Did I mention he just turned 16 in February and that is the highest bar the gym has?   I don't know which bar he'll be using next!

Birthday Cake!

Our Prince Valiant turned 16 a few weeks ago.  Poor guy, however, can't have wheat or dairy without really paying the price.   That made birthday cake a challenge.

Still, we came up with a solution...rice crispie bar birthday cake!  Ta da!  I even used our three round cake pans.  The only problem?  The candles actually burned the cake in places where the flame got a little close.  Still, it was a hoot and he loved it.   Anybody have any other birthday cake alternatives?

Happy Birthday, Valiant!

16 years old today!

 Our beloved Prince Valiant turns 16 today!  He's grown up so much in the past year and this coming year will be even faster (for Mom and Dad!)  This year will bring driving, employment, and junior college, so for now, I'm looking backwards.

Obviously, he couldn't find the movie he was looking for...

1997 - Silly baby!  He really gets into movies.


Still, he was darned cute in his uniform!

2001 - He never really liked baseball, but we tried...



Wild and Crazy Boy!

2002 - Dancing with Buttercup.  Who needs pants?  (at least he wears shorts now!)



He still has his little green friend.

The California ScienCenter was one of his favorite places. 

Who needs musical instruments?  The rubber mallet is an awesome air guitar!

Oh So Cool! (in Mom's blazer and sunglasses!)

2003 - Too cool for school!

7 years ago today...his sister has always been his biggest fan!

2005 - Happy Birthday, Valiant!  We do so love you!