December Memories

Our December was filled with a flurry of activity beginning with the decorating of our home. Each year we select a tree from Uncle Ronnie's tree lot and this year the boys gave a lot of input. Carter walked up and down the aisles while Brady scurried to keep up. Jim held up each tree we were interested in until we selected the perfect live tree for our home. Carter was so excited to help decorate and couldn't help but stop to nibble on candy canes. It was such a fun day and it was the perfect tree.

Next, Mom and I took the boys to Lunch with Santa where we were successful in getting the Santa lap photo. Brady being 18 months old was afraid of the man in red but was comforted by Mrs. Claus and her candy cane. They had such a good time with the games and activities and the exquisite lunch of pizza and potato chips!

Once family began to arrive at the Derham household, the real festivities began. One of our favorite nights was attending Christmas in Loveland. We began the evening eating pizza at the Works and then we ventured out to take in all the holiday spirit. The boys got to ride in a train and we then listened to Pop as he led his Christmas choir. After Christmas in Loveland, Steph, Gerben, Jim, and I attended a reunioun at a local bar for those of in town for the holidays. And this was all the week BEFORE Christmas. More pics to come. Our love to all!

Thanksgiving 2008

The Thanksgiving festivities began with a trip to the Northwest. Yes, that's right, Mommy went solo. I was supposed to attend a New Kids on the Block concert (I can hear you laughing) but they cancelled their show. Not to worry, Steph, Doug, Gerben, Miki and I had more time together. We had our own Thanksgiving celebration complete with a smoked turkey courtesy of Gerben. If you haven't ever smoked a turkey, I highly recommend it. We each contributed to the cooking (and drinking) and it was a fantastic meal. The Northwest weather was the perfect fall experience and I had a wonderful time.

The next day, we welcomed some of the Lepperts, the Kidd Family, and Donnie and Desiree to our home for Thanksgiving. I utilized my new kitchen in every way. Each guest brought a dish and we served the dinner buffet-style. It was a wonderful day filled with food, family, and fun. Our love to all!

My New Kitchen

My favorite part by far is the microwave above the range. I hadn't realized how much space my counter top microwave was taking up until this renovation.

The half wall is my favorite feature here because it really creates the feeling of separation from the entry room. This half wall was the former entry way into the kitchen.

Well, we have one happy customer! Our love to all!

Cook Kitchen Makeover!

So Jim and I were thinking one evening, wouldn't it be nice to have tile in our kitchen? Our house dates back to the late 60's and renovations were done in the late 90's. Some of the improvements were shotty and not well planned. We, (well mostly Jim), decided to raise the cabinets, put in ceramic tile, create a new entryway, put in a microwave over the range, and build a half wall. Jim started 3 weeks ago and is more than halfway done. Since he is only able to work at night, it has been an exhausting process. As you can see, it is messy to say the least. I am so proud of him for all the work he has put into it and it will be beautiful. For now, we are telling Carter that the kitchen is broken and he can't wait to have Daddy "fix it". Our love to all!

A few pictures of the Derham/Cook Halloween. Why does Pop always get to the Reese's first?

Halloween 2008....The year of Spiderman and Tigger!

As you can see from the video, Carter has this trick-or-treating thing down pat. He remembered those magic words in which to receive his treats and most importantly remembered to say "thank you". It makes a Mommy proud to watch such good manners. He waited his turn and was very grateful. Meanwhile, Brady hung out with the festive neighbors with Daddy and Pop. Such a party animal! All in all, it was a wonderful evening with temps in the 70's. We hope you enjoy the pictures. Our love to all!

Brady enjoying the balls at the pumkin farms

Brothers at play

Carter's first day of school

Brady at the Butler County Fair

Mommy and Carter at Hueston Woods

Goodbye Summer. Hello Fall!

I know that we are well into Fall but here in Greater Cincinnati, the seasons can be unpredictable. Take for example, our trip to the pumpkin farms. My mother and I decided to take the boys on our yearly quest to the local farms to pick a pumpkin. I was so excited to dress Carter and Brady in their finest Halloween long sleeve t's and fall boots. As the weekend approached, the days were getting hotter and hotter and the highs were reaching 75 degrees. By Saturday afternoon it was almost 80 degrees. Mom and I kept taking off layers until finally Brady was in a onesie and jeans and Carter was in shorts and barefoot! Fun was had by all and we are now experiencing lows in the 30's. I thouught everyone would enjoy some summer into fall pictures. Our love to all!

Sad News

Last night at around 7:30 pm, the Loveland Stage Company caught on fire and is now expected to be a total loss. Jim was checking the news and came in to tell me at around 11pm. I spoke with my dad and mom and they had been to the scene earlier that evening. I could hear the sadness in my dad's voice and I myself wanted to cry thinking about all the wonderful memories from the Loveland Stage Company. Paul Derham made his theatrical debut in 2000 with a very memorable Frank Sinatra rendition. And who could forget the pirate and the cowboy in later productions? Our most cherished memory is that of Carter and his Pop appearing together (but not sharing stage time) last spring in the LSC production of The King and I. We will be forever grateful for all the wonderful performances and we look forward with hope that the community will pull together and decide to rebuild. Our love to all!

Before the fire....

October 20, 2008 - http://www.cincinnati.com/

Welcome Gerben!

On August 8, 2008, Gerben Gerritsen and Stephanie Derham met in their backyard with family and friends to join their lives as husband and wife. It was a beautiful ceremony filled with personal touches for all to witness. Despite the extremely hot weather (102 degrees in the shade), everything went off without a hitch! Steph was beautiful in her champagne colored dress and Gerben was the handsome groom in black. He did, however, have a little trouble seeing Steph through the sweat and tears flowing for his bride. It was a day filled with eating, drinking, and celebrating! What a wonderful visit and our best wishes to the newest member of the Derham/Cook/Gerritsen family! Our love to all!