The Fleitz Family

Jade's Graduation from Pre-K

2009-08-10T09:12:00.002-04:00

Jade graduated from Pre-K last Monday just before we went on vacation. She enjoyed the cap and gown attire. Jade will now join Preston in the after school program. She starts Kindergarten in a couple of weeks and Preston will be in 1st grade!!!

RVFFCU Mill Mountain Meeting

2009-08-10T08:54:00.004-04:00

Each year, the RVFFCU holds its annual meeting at the Mill Mountain Zoo. RVFFCU, or Roanoke Virginia Firemen Federal Credit Union is the Credit Union for Roanoke City Firefighters and their families. Rhett has worked there part-time for the past 4 years.

Preston, Jade, and Rhett were able to make it this year. Becky was out of town. Below are some images.

Royce and Cathleens Wedding Video

2009-07-30T09:24:00.002-04:00

Enjoy a video of Royce and Cathleen Fleitz's wedding from last year.

Melena's Birthday Party

2008-12-13T10:16:00.004-05:00

Some pictures from Melena's Birthday party. Nonny, Becky's mom, got a pony for the kids to ride. All of the kids had a blast

Breanna's Birthday Party

2008-12-13T10:13:00.004-05:00

Breanna, one of Jade's friends on our street, had a birthday party at Pump it Up. All of the kids enjoyed the party. Rhett and Tim, Breanna's father, even had some fun getting in on the action and raced on the obstacle course.

Halloween

2008-12-13T10:09:00.005-05:00

Paul and Vanessa came to visit us for Halloween. We had a blast in the new neighborhood and had a lot of trick or treaters. We decorated the house up for the night and some of the kids were too scared to get candy off the porch.

Pumpkin Carving Party

2008-12-13T09:54:00.004-05:00

We invited the neighbors over for a pumpkin carving party and everyone had a blast. I will have to admit that pumpkin carving has come a long way.

Roanoke Firefighter Auxiliary trip to the Layman Corn Maze

2008-12-13T09:50:00.003-05:00

Each year, we enjoy going to the Layman Corn Maze. This year, the Roanoke Firefighters Auxiliary planned a trip to the corn maze and we enjoyed the day with many others.

Preston's Birthday Party

2008-12-13T09:45:00.002-05:00

Preston had his 6th birthday party in October and enjoyed the party at our house. All of the kids had a blast.

Fleitz Family Beach Vacation in September

2008-12-13T09:23:00.003-05:00

In September we went to Nags Head for a week with Becky's Family. We had a blast. View some of the pictures here and then some of the other very interesting stuff we got into at the end.

At the Aquarium in Roanoke Island, NC. We enjoy taking the kids here.

Preston, Melena, and Jade at the pool of the house we stayed at.

Rhett and Bill went diving off the coast of Hatteras. We dove on the wreck of the Dixie Arrow and had a blast diving with some sand tiger sharks. View More here.I also got to photograph a house fire north of where we were staying. Luckily no one was injured, but the wind gave the firefighters a hard time. The house you see was badly damaged as an exposure to the house next to it that you can't see because of the smoke. The house were the fire started burned to the ground.

Preston's First Day of Kindergarten

2008-08-26T10:49:00.004-04:00

Here are some pictures from Preston's first day of Kindergarten. Preston was so excited to go to school that it left very little time or opportunity for pictures or for Mommy or Daddy to get emotional. Preston left for his first day without any glitches. Daddy gave Preston a haircut the night before his first day.

Here is one bonus picture from the recent Salem Avalanche game we attended. Preston got a bowl of ice cream in a Cincinnati Reds baseball cap. I can remember my father taking Royce and I to Cincinnati Reds games and getting the same. This was a defining moment in my fatherhood. If it worked for my father, then it works for me. I enjoy following in his footsteps.

Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Royce Fleitz

2008-08-04T12:26:00.003-04:00

Royce and Cathleen tied the knot on Saturday August 2nd. The wedding, reception, rehearsal dinner, and all other festivities were top notch. The events were attended by many friends and family members and I believe the two had a great time during their marriage weekend. I wish the both of them the best in their new lives together. I took over 300 pictures during the weekend and you may view them by clicking on the picture.

Click here for more pictures

I apologize, but there are a lot of pictures of my children. I did get a lot of pictures of everyone else too.

Some pictures from the neighborhood

2008-07-28T09:00:00.003-04:00

These shots are of our new house in Wedgwood. We do not live far from our previous house, and we love the neighborhood and our neighbors.

One day, we all took a drive on our lawn tractors. We drove around the neighborhood and Preston got to drive.

Here is Preston on his bike.

Here is Jade with a Friend down the street having fun.

Fleitz Family enjoy Fence Post July 4th Block Party

2008-07-11T19:34:00.005-04:00

We enjoyed another great block party with the Hyltons on July 5th. It was a great time and the kids enjoyed every second.

Kim & Becky

Best Friends Forever, Jade & Trinity

Watch out, here they come

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2008-01-01T01:23:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas

2007-12-25T18:15:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas from the Fleitz Family.

Paul and Vanessa's Wedding Pictures

2007-10-31T19:21:00.000-04:00

The Fleitz Family had a blast at Paul and Vanessa's wedding in the Bahamas. We enjoyed meeting a lot of Paul's Family as well as getting together with the extended Fleitz Family.

I uploaded the pictures (all 580 of them). The reason why I uploaded all of them is because I wanted to offer you guys the opprotunity to see all of the pictures taken. I apologize to those of you who don't want to look through all of them, but that is the deal. Feel free to download any of the pictures you want. Just right click on the picture and save the image to your computer.

Click here to see the whole picture gallery.

The Fleitz Family in Richmond

2007-10-03T00:16:00.001-04:00

The Fleitz Family was in Richmond recently for Becky's 10 year high school reunion. While we were there, Preston had fun playing ball with Papa and the kids all got together for a photo.

Summer UPDATE

2007-09-08T17:49:00.001-04:00

Ok, so we know it has been quite a while since the last post, and Rhett has been saying for a while now that I should start posting stuff here. I have finally decided to take his advice.

In June, Preston was at the fishing game again at the Waldron family pond (AKA Preston's Pond). This is the only one he could hold up on his own, but he did catch two catfish that same day.

Preston "The fishing Machine"

Preston & Jade played in their new pool several times this summer. This day they stayed in the pool all day long and loved every minute of it.

During Melena's visit, the kids enjoyed the pool.

They even played with water balloons.

Fence Post Cr July 4th Block Party

Jade and Trinity (Jade's best friend since she was 11 months old) coloring with chalk.

Preston on the neighbors new B-day 4-wheeler

We have been really busy as you can probably see, but have been saving up energy for Vanessa & Paul's wedding in the Bahamas in October. We can't wait.

Roanoke Fire-EMS 100th Anniversary Celebration

2007-03-21T23:44:00.000-04:00

Preston, Jade, Becky , and I enjoyed the day at Fire Station #1 for the 100th Anniversary. Preston is pictured below with the Dalmatians from the Dalmatian Rescue, and then sitting in the Tiller of Ladder 1 .

Roanoke's St. Patrick's Day Parade

2007-03-21T23:29:00.000-04:00

Here are some pictures of the children at the Roanoke St. Patrick's Day Parade in Downtown Roanoke.

The children had a blast watching all the floats, firetrucks, and clowns even though it was extremely cold out.
After the Parade, we enjoyed lunch at Macado's downtown Roanoke.

Preston catches a Bass at the pond

2007-03-21T23:23:00.000-04:00

While we were up on the Mountain, Preston wanted to go fishing with his new fishing rod that his best buddy Steven got him. He caught a couple of fish, this being the biggest of the day. It was cool out and we were only able to fish for a little while.

Preston and Jade enjoy the Virginia Museum of Transportation

2007-03-21T23:12:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, I had a book signing at the Virginia Museum of Transportation and realized that the children hadn't been to the museum in quite a while. Becky was out of town, so we visited the museum the following day.

Preston and Jade on the 1218

Preston and Jade enjoy coloring at the museum.

The New Year in Roanoke

2007-01-01T11:41:00.000-05:00

The Fleitz Family would like to wish you a Happy New Year. We have had a great year and look forward to another one in 2007. Thank you to all of our family we have been able to visit and who have visited us. We look forward to travelling more this year and seeing many of our friends and family who are not close to Roanoke.

We enjoyed a quiet New Year's Eve at home with the kids. We cooked several appetizers and enjoyed each others company. We watched some television and the kids enjoyed playing around. Jade has reached an age where she can play with Preston and they enjoy playing together. Jade looks identical to Vanessa when she was young, especially with the new hair cut Becky got her.

Preston and Jade enjoy Shirley Temple's

Here is the Family as we pose just after the New Year 2007.

Christmas in Roanoke

2007-01-01T11:23:00.000-05:00

After getting back from Nashville, we still had to celebrate Christmas with Becky's side of the family. We were able to celebrate Christmas with Becky's Parents two days before New Year's Eve followed by going up the mountain to the Waldron Farm to celebrate with everyone the following day.

Preston and Jade's stockings were just about as big as they are.
Preston takes on Papa in a friendly game of Rockem Sockem as Daddy cheers on.
Preston and Jade pose with Nonny for a photo.
Jade and Melena enjoyed playing with each other and were running around and laughing all night long.
Fawn opens a present as Grandma and the rest of the family watch on.

Christmas 2006

2007-01-01T10:53:00.000-05:00

This year we spent Christmas in Nashville with the Fleitz side of the family. All of Rhett's siblings were able to celebrate Christmas with Grammy and Grampy Fleitz. Unfortunately, Royce had to leave early and neither Cathleen (Royce's girlfriend), or Paul (Vanessa's Fiance) could make it. Due to Rhett's work schedule, we only get to travel on Christmas every so many years. Most of the time, Rhett has to work Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.

That is right, the Tuesday after Christmas Paul asked Vanessa to marry him and she accepted. Paul and Vanessa are a great couple and are currently living in Fort Lauderdale.

Here are some pictures from Christmas in Nashville:

Preston and Jade wait at the top of the stairs for all the cameras to get into place.
They were anxious to see what Santa Claus had left for them.
Jade enjoyed handing out presents to everyone
Preston and Grampy play with a matchbox car garage from Rhett's childhood.
Grammy and Vanessa enjoy some wine on Christmas Eve.
Jade catches a piggy back ride from Valicia.
It isn't often that we get pictures of just ourselves.

Becky runs in the Nike Women's Marathon

2006-10-24T13:03:00.000-04:00

Becky and her friend Kate ran in the Nike Women's Marathon this past weekend. They arrived back in Roanoke late last night. Both of them had been training and collecting money for months with Team in Training to support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Becky had hurt her foot about 6 weeks ago which limited her training nearing the marathon. However, with her foot better, she persevered. They decided to sign up for the early start knowing that Becky would not be able to run the complete marathon, and not wanting to be the last people in. Unfortunately, Becky reinjured her foot on the 9th mile and was just able to hobble to the half marathon mark (13 miles). Kate went on to complete the marathon and they met up afterwards. They really had fun in San Francisco, and hope to keep running in the future. Becky wants to thank all of the family members and friends who helped by donating money towards her goal.

The Fleitz Family - updated

2006-09-15T21:03:00.000-04:00

It has been several months since we have updated this site. We will attempt to keep it updated from here on out. We have been very busy with the kids, vacationing, working, and travelling. We began this summer by travelling to Charleston for vacation. Preston and Jade were dropped off with Grammy and Grampy Fleitz. We met them in Knoxville for the precious cargo exchange. We headed to Charleston for a week with Royce and Cathleen, Vanessa and Paul, and Valicia and Carlos. We had a blast. We stayed on Folly Beach and had great weather.

The following week, Becky had to travel to Orlando for an Alpha Phi convention. She flew back into Richmond where Rhett was waiting to pick her up with the kids. We were off to Nags Head for the week with Nonny and Papa Price. Weather was great and Rhett was able to get his feet wet SCUBA diving for the first time in open water. Rhett, Bill (Becky's father), and Mill (Bill's brother) went diving on the ship Huron. Preston, Jade, and Melena (Tracy's daughter) had a lot of fun with Nathan and Quentin (Mill's sons). We love vacationing in Nags Head.

We were all vacationed out after that busy 3 weeks. Rhett has been travelling with the Roanoke Fire Fighters Association where he is Secretary/Treasurer. He just got back from Toronto where he attended the International Association of Fire Fighters Convention. This past week he was in Virginia Beach for the Virginia Professional Fire Fighters Association Educational Seminar. In November, he will be travelling to Atlanta for the IAFF Affiliate Leadership Training Seminar (ALTS).

Rhett is finishing the final proof for his book he has written. The book is on the history of the Roanoke City Fire Department titled "Firefighting in Roanoke". The book is set to be published by March 2007.

Preston and Jade are still enjoying their daycare. We have really lucked out with how much they teach at such young ages. Preston is growing and his speech and vocabulary are amazing. Jade's vocab and speech is getting better now that we determined her allergies/sinusitis issues. She loves talking and is catching up quickly. Preston will be having his 4th birthday in October.

Becky began a new job with Carilion Health Systems. She works for the Technology Services Group and is enjoying her new role as an Application System Analyst. Becky still works Downtown Roanoke although she is a little bit closer to home now. The building where she works was originally a Norfolk Southern building.

Rhett and Becky have been getting into web design more and more. We have begun a small start-up business and are focusing on a Fire related news site. VAFireNews.com is a Fire/EMS/Rescue site focusing on Virginia. The site has had great reception by firefighters and EMT's in Virginia so far. We hope to continue to expand the site.

We also built Rhett's father a site for his new business: FMAInc.net.

Rhett has assisted with building several other websites for neighboring IAFF locals.

Isabella

2006-09-15T20:56:00.000-04:00

This is Isabella and Tate. Isabella is our new dog. She is the black Chihuahua/Min-Pin mix. We rescued Isabella from a shelter in West Virginia. She is fitting right in with Tate and the kids. We thought that Tate would wear her out, but she is the one actually wearing Tate out. Preston always calls Isabella his favorite dog.

We are still here

2006-09-15T20:52:00.000-04:00

Here is Preston at the station the other day.

Preston and Jade in the front of one of the engines.

Preston and Captain Willie Wines Jr. in Engine 14.

Becky runs 5K

2006-05-07T16:02:00.000-04:00

Becky just finished running her first 5k in almost 10 years. Her time was 42 minutes. The course was set on Patrick Henry High School's cross country course. Did I mention that it has been pouring rain all day, and it is around 49 degrees outside. She is getting geared up for her Marathon in October. Preston and Jade stayed at home with a babysitter, and unfortunately Rhett had to work. You can bet the whole family will be at the next run.

The event today was Run with Grace 5K named after Grace Lovegrove a college student at Christopher Newport and cross country runner who graduated from Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia. Grace died unexpectedly during a training run while at Christopher Newport in January 2005.

Team in Training

2006-04-19T18:56:00.000-04:00

Check out Becky's website to raise money for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. She will be running the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco on October 22nd, 2006. You can also send donations through the mail. Let us know if you need the address. Becky's email is BeckyFleitz@adelphia.net

Team in Training:

Becky Fleitz's Team In Training Page
Racing to Save Lives

Welcome to my Team In Training home page.

I am training to participate in the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco as a member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training. All of us on Team In Training are raising funds to help stop leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives. I'm completing this marathon in honor of all individuals who are battling blood cancers. These people are the real heroes on our team, and we need your support to cross the ultimate finish line - a cure!

Please make a donation to support my participation in Team In Training and help advance the Society's mission.

I hope you'll visit my web site often. Be sure to check back frequently to see my progress. Thanks for your support!

Easter in Atlanta

2006-04-17T22:58:00.000-04:00

The Fleitz Family ventured to Atlanta this past weekend to spend Easter with Vanessa and the Gonzalez Family (Valicia and Carlos). It was a short trip, we arrived Friday evening and left Sunday around 2 to return to Roanoke. The traffic was not fun on the way down, though it was a little lighter on the way back.

We began the weekend on Saturday at at the Georgia Renaissance Festival. Vanessa took us there, and the kids really enjoyed themselves. We were amazed at how many people actually dress up in period costumes to go to the festival.

Here is Jade as Mona Lisa

Preston the Beastmaster and Jade as Xena
Rhett as Beastmaster and Becky as Xena

Here Vanessa and Jade partake in the customary Turkey Leg at the Festival
Preston enjoyed the rug slide

Valicia, Carlos, and Vanessa put on an Easter Egg hunt for the kids. They really enjoyed themselves. There was plenty of eggs to go around.

Preston and Jade get peeps before the hunt with Valicia

Jade finds some more eggs
Preston and Jade in the middle of the hunt
Here is Jade after the hunt.

Preston and Jade hiding after the hunt. I think they were trying to eat as much as possible before they got caught.

Vanessa to be on Movie and a Makeover.

2006-03-23T23:42:00.000-05:00

Message from Paul :

Be sure to tune into TBS this Saturday the 25th at 10:00am (eastern time zone)...Vanessa will be on the show Movie and a Makeover! The film is "Something to Talk About" starring Julia Roberts so if you own a TiVo I would suggest using it. Otherwise you might have to sit through this thrilling drama. I know she had a lot of fun doing this and is happy with the results, not that she needed a makeover yet it is a nice change. I've attached a couple of before pictures but you'll have to watch for the after shots. I hope this all finds you well and I hope to hear from you soon.
Take Care- Paul

Uncle Royce visits the Fleitz Family

2006-02-12T19:46:00.000-05:00

Royce came down from his new home in Hagerstown Maryland. He visited for the weekend and had a lot of fun playing with the kids. He took us all out for dinner at Outback Steakhouse as an unexpected treat.
We enjoyed playing in the snow. We got about 5 or 6 inches, and it was perfect for making a big snowman.
Jade got out in her new snow gear and enjoyed the snow.
Royce, Rhett, Preston, Jeff, and Jonas enjoyed the Monster Truck Jam. Jeff is a firefighter in St. Petersburg, Florida, who hopes to get a job with Roanoke City. None of us had been to a Monster Jam before, and none of us will probably be going very frequently. Don't get me wrong, it was a lot of fun, and the kids loved it. The exhaust was not good though. I thought it was interesting how as a firefighter I put a lot of work into making sure that my fellow firefighters got diesel exhaust systems put in the stations for the exhaust, yet I paid to sit in the stands at this event and inhale all the exhaust. But I digress, the whole reason we went was for Preston to have fun, and we accomplished that.
The best thing about taking Preston to events like this, is that I have an excuse to go to events like this.

Visiting the Fleitz Family in Nashville

2006-02-12T19:38:00.000-05:00

Back in January we made it down to Nashville to visit Grammy and Grampy Fleitz. We were able to celebrate a belated Christmas as well. We certainly do not make it down to Nashville as often as we would like, but we do our best.

Here, Preston is shown at a Model Railroad set inside one of the Mall's in the Nashville area. The model train set was extraordinary. Preston and Jade loved it, as well as Me and Grammpy.

The Fleitz Family Genealogy Projects

2006-01-29T19:58:00.000-05:00

We are still working on Genealogy for our families. Becky is working on names such as Waldron, King, Huff, and Williams. Rhett is working on surnames Fleitz, Gaugh, Bloom, Branco (Brancacio), Shock, DeMoss, and Joya. Of course there are hundreds of other surnames that we are both working on. We have kept our trees seperate as we work. Each of us recieves emails on the genealogy we have been working on. If indeed you have anything to add, or would like to see our progress, or want to make sure we have you then by all means contact us. We will publish our emails for you all to contact us. Do not hesitate to drop us a line.

Becky - BeckyFleitz@adelphia.net
Rhett - FireFleitz@adelphia.net

Preston's Trainset

2006-01-29T19:51:00.000-05:00

We built Preston his first train set today. Rhett and Preston built him a 4' X 8' train set. It has started off with one simple oval and one switch. We hope to include another track so that Preston can operate two trains at the same time. Preston enjoyed watching daddy lay the track out and everything. We will incorporate pictures soon.

Christmas 2005 Pictures

2005-12-25T23:33:00.000-05:00

Here are some of the pictures from Christmas 2005
Here is Preston and Jade singing some Christmas Carols at Daycare. We got to stop by early to watch the performance.

Here Jade is opening her stocking.

"Hey Mommy, I will fix that thing that Daddy keeps putting off." Uh-oh, we might have another handyman on our hands.

Here Daddy puts together a toy for Preston.

Preston and Jade taking it easy with the new dolls. Jade got two Cabbage Patch Kids for Christmas and Preston has been helping her take care of them.

Jade got a new tricycle.

Christmas with the Fleitz Family

2005-12-24T23:47:00.000-05:00

Well Christmas is over for the immediate Fleitz Family. I will be working on Christmas day, so we celebrated it today. Preston and Jade enjoyed opening all of the gifts. They got plenty of toys. It looks like Toys R' Us exploded in our house. Becky is taking the children to Richmond tomorrow to spend the day with her Parents and Family. I might meet up with them in Richmond on the 26th for a couple of hours before they head back to Roanoke.

I will upload the images tomorrow. We got our letters out late this year. If you are on our mailing list, you can expect our Christmas letter Tuesday or Wednesday.

If you want to get ahold of the Fleitz Family you can email us at FireFleitz@adelphia.net.

Merry Christmas and God Bless

Merry Christmas

2005-12-19T23:35:00.000-05:00

I know! I know! Where in the heck has Rhett been, and why hasn't he posted anything? You guys want to hear about Preston and Jade and maybe even see some pictures. Well I will have to add some pictures in the next couple of days. I have been fairly busy with work and everything, so I will try to update you as to what is going on.

Our Christmas letters will be going out soon. Becky is working on a little something for the Holidays as we speak.

Preston and Jade are growing up very quickly, and we are trying to keep up with them. They have a Christmas play on Wednesday. We are looking forward to seeing it and we will post some pictures afterwards.

Preston's vocabulary is amazing. He speaks so well and is using a wide assortment of words. He enjoys talking, much like his father, and will point various things out and talk about them.

Jade has a lot of attitude, which we are sure is going to be a small problem once she begins speaking. She is mumbling now and likes pointing her finger while she raises her voice and gives funny little faces. She is probably going to be a handful.

Rhett is working on Christmas Day, and Becky will be taking the children to Richmond that day to celebrate with Nonny and Papa.

We will actually celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve Day. We are planning on acting like it is the day, and hopefully Preston and Jade don't catch on.

We hope to find everyone in good health and surrounded by Friends and Family during the Holidays.

God Bless

A day at Layman Bros. Cornfield Maze

2005-10-30T12:06:00.000-05:00

On Saturday we headed out to Layman Bros. Cornfield Maze in Daleville, Virginia. Preston was very excited to go. The maze was fun, although maybe a little too long for carrying around 2 young children.

Here Preston had fun impersonating a scarecrow.
Preston and Jade had fun feeding the goats.
Daddy had a blast carrying around Jade. Jade just kinda enjoyed all the corn everywhere.
Isn't she photogenic.
Here is Jade with her ear of corn. Jade held on tight to the corn all day. We had to keep her from eating it though.
Where's Preston. Preston had fun trying to hide from Mommy and Daddy.
Jade picked out her pumpkin and carried it all the way to pay for it. Preston could carry his pumpkin far, as he picked out a larger one.

Oktoberfest in Roanoke

2005-10-28T22:41:00.000-04:00

The Fleitz Family ventured into Oktoberfest last weekend. We enjoyed bratwurst, sauerkraut, a funnel cake, and German Beer. We listened to some great music, and Preston got his face painted. Preston enjoyed running around with all the other kids, dancing and jumping around. The event was held in Elmwood Park downtown Roanoke.

Here Preston is getting his war paint on. He was Spiderman. There were a lot of spidermen running around. But Preston was the best. He even scaled the First Union Tower. We got a lot of looks from the other parents, but who cares. The don't know what it is like raising Spiderman.

Here are the Women of the Fleitz household. Jade is becoming increasingly higher maintenance. This is not a good thing.

Here is Spiderman having fun with all the girls, and this other boy. Preston told me he could take him though, if he had too.

Here the women are hanging out, while Daddy chased after Spiderman all day.

Here is Spiderman and Mommy. What a picture.

Preston's Birthday today

2005-10-13T10:40:00.000-04:00

Today Preston turns three years old. Wow how time flies. Preston has been such a joy for our family. We have enjoyed watching him grow up. Since he is our first born, we learned through him which made raising Jade soooo much easier. I would imagine that is the way it works in most families. Preston loves seeing his relatives and remembers most all of them by name now. We will be in Richmond this weekend for Rhett's 10 year High School Reunion. Although it does not seem like 10 years since he graduated. We hope to bump into a lot of friends from High School, and hopefully we will not be the only ones with children. We are taking Preston and Jade to the football game on Friday night at Midlothian HS. That is the first event for the Reunion. I think that it will be fun, and I am sure that Preston will love watching the game. See you all next week with some pictures.

Valicia and Carlos Gonzalez

2005-10-10T20:45:00.000-04:00

I present to you Carlos and Valicia Gonzalez. Their wedding was beautiful. I think that they both had the best night of their lives. We wish them the best.

Here you can see Royce and Cathleen cutting a rug out on the dance floor. You can notice the WHITE MAN in the back, yeah I mean Paul. What a dancer. No not really, I am kidding.
This was the proudest Father of the evening. Mom and Dad Fleitz truly are the best and luckiest Parents in the World.
Here is Preston cruising around after the wedding. He had a blast.
Jade, what can be said. She is just the cutest little girl. Jade is always so happy.

Valicia and Carlos' Rehearsal and Stone Mountain

2005-10-10T20:07:00.000-04:00

Here is Rhett and Becky at the Rehearsal Dinner. The dinner was held at Loca Luna's in Atlanta. The restaurant serves Tapas which is basically Spanish appetizers which make a meal when ordered together. We had some great food that evening. As well as several Jager Bomb's.

Here is (R-L) Madhura, Valicia, and Vanessa at the Rehearsal Dinner. Both ladies were bridesmaids in Valicia's Wedding.
Here is Paul and Vanessa. What a cute couple. Paul is a pilot...nothing much else to say. Ha gotcha.

This is Stone Mountain just outside of Atlanta. This thing is amazing. A huge rock just sitting in the middle of the area. When I say rock, I mean rock. It looks like this thing fell out of the sky. I think they filmed the Apollo moon landings on the top of this thing.
Here is Preston and Royce. Preston was checking out a Babe, and of course Royce was looking for a Jet in the sky.
This is the top of Stone Mountain. Notice Preston heading right for the puddle. He thought that was fun.
Here is (R-L) Jade, Paul, Royce, Brad Bloom, Preston, and Bill Pickard. Brad and Bill are Rhett and Royce's Cousins. If you look close you can see the Atlanta skyline in the background. You can pretty much fall right off the side of this rock if you wanted to. Did I mention that it was Guys day out. You can imagine the looks we got from everyone. Five guys who look like they couldn't take care of themselves with two children.
Here is Jade and Paul with the Atlanta skyline in the background.

Preston Won

2005-10-04T23:03:00.000-04:00

That is right, Preston won the Carlin Chronicles Annual Fishing Picture Competition. Preston is so proud and cannot wait until he gets to spend the $100 Gift Certificate to Dick's Sporting Goods. He also won a WSLS gift bag. We have not picked up the prizes yet. We will probably pick it up next week. Of course this weekend we will be in Atlanta for Valicia and Carlos' wedding. We look forward to seeing some of you all there.

Vote for Preston in the Carlin Chronicles Fishing Picture Competition

2005-09-15T18:27:00.000-04:00

Be sure to vote for Preston in the fishing picture competition at www.wsls.com. You can find the direct link here.

Preston on the News

2005-09-08T20:34:00.000-04:00

Preston was on the news today featured in the Carlin Chronicles fishing picture contest. Preston was pictured holding a fish with his fishing rod in his hand. Daddy took him fishing at Great Papa's pond on Bent Mountain several weeks ago and he caught several fish.

We hope to begin writing more on the blog for you all to read. We have been busy with everything recently and have been constricted to posting pictures every week or two.

We will be traveling to Atlanta for Valicia and Carlos' wedding in October and hope to see you all there. We will be traveling to Richmond the following weekend to go to Rhett's 10 year High School Reunion. We are looking forward to seeing old classmates and show off our precious Children. It is hard to believe that it has been 10 years since graduation. Rhett is coming up on his 7th year working for Roanoke Fire-EMS Department.

We have been hearing from several distant relatives in relation to our work on our Family Tree. Becky has been working diligently on her side while Rhett has taken a break for a little while. Rhett hopes to begin working on it again soon. We recently bought a new software program that will assist us in tracking our ancestors and continue to find our roots. Becky has gone all the way back to Eve. Just kidding. If you would like to find out more about our Family Tree or have information to add please contact Rhett.

Preston at the Fountain With Fire Station #1 in the Background

2005-08-29T22:55:00.000-04:00

Preston and Jade around the House

2005-08-29T22:40:00.000-04:00

Jade and Melena

2005-08-22T23:49:00.000-04:00

Preston and Jade at Nonny and Papa's House

2005-08-22T23:30:00.000-04:00

Here are some pictures from Preston and Jade at Nonny and Papa's house in Richmond. These were taken while Rhett and Becky were in Atlanta.

Melena Victoria

2005-08-22T23:11:00.000-04:00

Here are some pictures of Melena Victoria Preston and Jade's cousin.

Preston's new haircut

2005-08-22T08:36:00.000-04:00

Here are some pictures of Preston's new hair cut that mommy gave him. I have to admit that he looks a little different, however he is still cute. What a stud.

Valicia and Carlos

2005-08-16T16:12:00.000-04:00

Valicia and Tina

2005-08-16T16:07:00.000-04:00

Vanessa and Dad

2005-08-16T16:06:00.000-04:00

Valicia with Tina and Ramon

2005-08-16T16:02:00.000-04:00

Tina, Ramon, and Vanessa are responsible for hosting the Couples shower for Valicia and Carlos. I must say that Becky and I had a blast. It was well worth the drive.

Mom and Dad at the shower

2005-08-16T16:00:00.000-04:00

Rhett and Becky at Valicia + Carlos Bridal Shower

2005-08-16T15:55:00.000-04:00

Preston and the fish

2005-08-07T16:05:00.000-04:00

Here is Preston with the big catch. He has his signature smile on for everyone to see. Preston caught about 5 fish this day. He had a blast and cannot wait to go back. Preston and his fish were emailed to the local tv station for a fishing picture competition. Check it out at WSLS and look for fishing photos.

Like Mother Like Daughter

2005-08-07T16:04:00.000-04:00

Jade and Becky were walking the runway while the guys were fishing.

Fishing with Daddy

2005-08-07T16:02:00.000-04:00

Here is Preston showing Daddy how to fish. Preston would like to let Uncle Royce know that if he wants to learn how to fish, Preston would be glad to teach him.

Fishing at Papa's

2005-08-07T16:00:00.000-04:00

Here is Preston, Jade, and Becky after feeding all of the fish. You would not believe the size of some of the catfish in that pond. No wonder no one will go swimming in it anymore.

Jade and the Apple

2005-08-07T15:57:00.000-04:00

Here is Jade and the Apple.

An Apple

2005-08-07T15:54:00.000-04:00

Here is an apple. If you look closely you can see Jade behind it, at least that is what Becky said when she took the photo.

Roanoke Sky Line

2005-08-07T15:52:00.000-04:00

Here is a picture of Roanoke from the Star on Mill Mountain. Unfortunately it was a little foggy that day as well as being overcast. But you get the general idea. This is the downtown area. It is hard to take a bad photo from up here.

Preston and Jade in the Tub

2005-08-07T15:49:00.000-04:00

Here is a picture of Preston and Jade in the bathtub, they love playing around with whatever they can get their hands on.

2005-07-07T11:03:00.000-04:00

Here is Rhett, Mom, Dad, Royce, Becky and Preston on Rasberry Hill in Bellville Ohio. This is the site of the cabin where Milton Shock and Emma Shock raised their 4 children. The Limestone we are standing on is similiar to the Limestone which was used as the foundation for the cabin. My parents have several of the actual stones from the foundation. It was neat getting back to the site after many many years. We also stopped by the Bellville cemetery and took pictures of the tombstones of a lot of our relatives. Ruth Shock was one of the children raised in this cabin and is my Great Grandmother on my moms side.

2005-07-07T11:01:00.000-04:00

Here is Grandpa Adams with Preston and Jade at the Railroad Museum in Bellevue Ohio. What a proud Great Grandpa.

2005-07-07T11:00:00.000-04:00

Here is Preston and Becky near the site of Royce's cell phone's death earlier in the day. Royce's cell phone came out of his pocket on the Max Air which is a new ride that is awesome. On the next turn of the ride the phone fell out of the seat where he had been sitting and fell about 100 feet to its death. I think a part of Royce died with that phone. It is his lifeline to all of his friends. So Royce will have to reprogram a new phone with his friends numbers in it. That should take about a minute. Royce only has one friend.

2005-07-07T10:56:00.001-04:00

Here is the Smith Family Adele, Allen, Logan,. and Kylie on the Log Flume.

2005-07-07T10:56:00.000-04:00

Here I am reliving the glory days of climbing the trees in front of the Adams house(my grandparents). Hey what is this black limb up here. ZAP.

2005-07-07T10:51:00.000-04:00

Here is the picture with the family and Vanessa this time. Notice the little grave digger (Preston). the Shocks are buried in the first row and the Blooms behind us. Royce never misses an opprotunity to pose even at a cemetery. Who is he trying to impress?

2005-07-07T10:45:00.000-04:00

Here is Mom Fleitz and Preston on a nice little walk around the Mill Pond in Bellevue Ohio. We were in town for the Branco Family Reunion. We really had a good time with all of our relatives.

2005-06-29T23:39:00.000-04:00

Here is Jade and her proud Papa at the wedding. Jade and Preston made it a couple of minutes before they both passed out on Great Grandma and Great Papa's laps.

2005-06-29T23:38:00.000-04:00

Here is a picture of Sean and Gina's bridal party. The wedding was in January, however I didn't have this site up and running back then. So we thought we would add it now. Sean and Gina are leaving in a week or so for Korea where they will be deployed for 2 years. They are both officers in the United States Air Force.

2005-06-29T23:33:00.000-04:00

Jade is taking a break after her second birthday party of the day. Preston kept going and going and going.

2005-06-29T23:32:00.000-04:00

Here Jade takes a little break on daddy's shoulder.

2005-06-29T23:31:00.000-04:00

Here is Preston and Jade playing with some of their friends at a birthday party. Jade can really get around well since she began to walk. It seems as though Preston is growing an inch a week now.

Becky and Jade on the 611

2005-05-29T14:35:00.000-04:00

Becky and Jade are just hanging out on the 611. We all really enjoyed the day out, and the kids really love seeing new and exciting stuff.

Preston loves Trains

2005-05-29T14:33:00.000-04:00

Here is Preston at the helm of this Diesel Engine. The Transportation Museum is located downtown Roanoke and has several different exhibits and plenty of rolling stock.

Becky and the children

2005-05-29T14:32:00.000-04:00

Here is Becky, Preston, and Jade in front of the 611. Preston really had a lot of fun at the Museum. Jade was practicing walking all day. She has it down pat now. She pretty much looks like a drunk when she walks.

Preston and the 1218

2005-05-29T14:29:00.000-04:00

Hey Grandpa Adams eat your heart out. Preston said he can't wait for you to come down again and he can take you to the Transportation Museum to see his trains. This is the 1218 and it sits next to the 611.

Steven Waldron Graduation

2005-05-29T14:28:00.000-04:00

Here is the very proud and recently graduated Steven Waldron. Steven graduated from Emory and Henry College which is located in Southwest Virginia. As you can see Papa and Grandma Waldron were very proud of their grandson also. Uncle Steve and Aunt Cathy were delighted to see their first son graduate. Ryan will be soon behind. The graduation was excellent. Having been to an OSU and UT graduation in the past it was nice to actually be among the thousands instead of tens of thousands of friends and family members. The weather was perfect and we really enjoyed the barbeque afterwards. I'll have to admit the DVD picture collage that Aunt Cathy had made was a true tearjerker. We wish Steven the best and have fun this summer in Europe.

My Family

2005-05-24T15:18:00.000-04:00

I have started a yahoo group for the members of all the extended families. Anyone can join/post/comment on this group forum. The website is http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MyFamily22. You can go there and become a member. You can subscribe to the forum by sending an email to MyFamily22-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. By subscribing you will be notified by email of any posts to the forum. I hope that this will open up an informal dialogue between all of us. Let me know what you think. Feel free to use the site for what you wish.

Here's Preston

2005-05-04T23:12:00.000-04:00

Here is the man of the hour. Preston loved the deck. Preston spent the weekend with Gammy and Gampy in Nashville. Preston really liked Aunt Valicia chasing him around the deck. He is growing up so quick and his hair won't stop growing long enough to cut it.

The deck

2005-05-04T23:10:00.000-04:00

Here is the final product of the deck from the view of the back yard. This was a jungle before Rhett and Paul cut down about 40 trees when Vanessa bought the house. Vanessa designed the deck around the big oak tree in the right of the picture. So we built a bench seat in front of it.

The Fleitz Women

2005-05-04T23:09:00.000-04:00

Here are all of the Fleitz women.
L-R: Valicia, Becky, Mom (Gammy), Vanessa, Jade.
Gotta love those Fleitz women.

Captain Paul fishing on the boat

2005-05-04T23:07:00.000-04:00

Look at the determination on this guys face, or maybe he swallowed a fly.

Here is Paul showing off his fly fishing skills. He and Vanessa took us out on his boat for the day. We had lunch, fished a little, and toured the lake. Paul has a 22' center console. It really makes me want to get a boat. Paul had the big catch of the day: a 4.5" blue gill. Rhett came up empty handed.

Supervisory Skills

2005-05-04T23:03:00.000-04:00

Fundamentally there is something wrong with this picture. Notice that Rhett's skills with woodworking are wearing off on Becky. That is Rhett's shop apron she is wearing. Valicia is the other one in the picture working. So that pretty much leaves Carlos (Valicia's Fiance). We had to tell him to slow it down a little and take a break. Then he pointed out the fact that neither Royce nor Paul were there at that particular moment. What moment you ask. The moment when we were building Vanessa a deck on the back of her house. That moment lasted the whole day. Maybe he was just showcasing his supervisory skills. If he thinks this is going to get him anywhere with Valicia he is in for a rude awakening huh. Seriously everyone who helped on the deck really did a superb job. We knocked it out quick.

A darling little Jade

2005-05-04T22:54:00.000-04:00

Here is Jade the cutest little girl in the world (so what if I have a biased opinion). I just can't bring myself to put a funny caption with this picture. She is beginning to look like Becky a little bit.

Ok maybe just one:

"Daddy doesn't have a clue about the worrying I am going to cause him does he"

The latest Fleitz/Amish Deck Raising

2005-05-04T13:16:00.000-04:00

So here it is 8 days since I vowed to post more. I however have been busy. I apologize if there are any loyal readers out there that we have not given you anything to read.

So we got back last night at midnight from Atlanta where Valicia and Vanessa live. The whole family went down on Friday and Gammy and Gampy (Fleitz) came and picked up Preston and Jade to take them to Nashville with them for the weekend. Meanwhile Becky and I got to enjoy a weekend without parental responsibilities. So the purpose of the trip was to build a deck onto the back of Vanessa's house. We were able to do that as well as have an enjoyable time at some restaurants and bars in the Atlanta area.

The deck is 20' wide and 16' deep in the back of the house. It ends up being about 5 1/2' off the ground at the tallest part. It was a joint effort by Carlos, Valicia, Vanessa, Paul, Becky, and me, Dad even helped out for a few hours when they came to pick up the kids. He just couldn't help himself. The deck really didn't take as long as I thought it would to complete.

The reference to the Amish is that they all get together for Barn raising, and it seems that our family gets together to help each other with big projects. So what if we don't call the building inspector. What fun would that be?

Valicia and Carlos are still busy planning the wedding. I put Carlos' name in there for effect. We all know(the ones of us that are married) that he doesn't get to pick anything. HEY CARLOS if you have any pull in the wedding then Royce will be in a baby blue tux and I will be in orange, both with matching top hats, tails, and canes. We'll see about that.

Hospitality

If you ever have the chance to spend the night or weekend at Vanessa's or Valicia's you are in for a treat. They are the hosts that you will continue to compare everyone else to. I feel like a schmuck having people over after staying there for a few days.

Gammy and Gampy got to spend the weekend with Preston and Jade. I am sure they had fun. Preston always enjoys going to visit with relatives. He certainly cannot wait to see everyone at the reunion in July.

The single greatest invention in family travel isn't the minivan it is the DVD player. This thing is great. Preston and Jade can sit there and be perfectly content in watching their toons while we drive to various destinations. However our DVD player broke on the trip to Atlanta. Luckily Preston and Jade were content in laughing at each other and making funny noises. So they haven't forgotten how to make an enjoyable trip with each other. I will however be getting another DVD player for them.

I will have pictures on here soon. I will try to download them tonight and have some up later tonight. Until then God Bless you all.

We are back

2005-04-18T21:08:00.000-04:00

Sorry it has been so long since we have posted. We have been going through a transitional period here at the Fleitz household. Preston and Jade have began going to day care at a respectable place that we picked out and are very happy with. The couple who watches Preston and Jade have Christian beliefs and read and sing Christian books and songs. Everything has gone smoothly with the transition to child care and the children enjoy playing with the other children at the day care. Preston is even learning how to share. Jade is on the verge of walking now and we expect it any day.

So with the children in day care, Rhett has begun working a second job. He is a teller at the Roanoke Valley Firemen Federal Credit Union. It is the credit union for the firefighters of Roanoke Fire-EMS, which was started by firemen back in the '40s so the guys could afford the uniforms to go to work. The RVFFCU is located in the upstairs of station #8 and is relatively small. Rhett is in training now but when he finishes he will be taking care of deposits, transactions, loans, and the like. It is a reasonable second job and is not to stressful most of the time.

Becky is still enjoying her work for Provox and is now in the office 5 days a week, so she has had a transition period also. She has recently found time to paint the kitchen which means that the next time anyone is in our home the entire house will be painted. I cannot wait.

We are looking forward to a yard sale this weekend followed by some yard work. Then we will be gearing up to head to Atlanta to install a new deck on the back of Vanessa's house. Rhett loves to showcase his woodworking and help out the family. I think in a past life he was Amish.

Love you all and we will be posting more often I swear...

Look for updated pictures of Preston and Jade soon...

Cousin Melena

2005-04-04T23:19:00.000-04:00

Here is cousin Melena with Nonny. Jade and I enjoyed seeing Melena and giving her kisses. I think that Melena is going to have fun playing with us when she gets a little older.

Jade and her birthday cake

2005-04-04T23:18:00.000-04:00

Here is Jade stuffing her face with the cake that Gammy sent from Nashville. She sure did make a sticky mess. Daddy doesn't like sticky messes and cannot stand when Jade or I get all sticky.

Jade's 1st birthday

2005-04-04T23:14:00.000-04:00

Here is Jade at her 1st birthday party. She is joined by Hannah, who was born the day before Preston, Mommy, Me (Preston), and Mikayla (sp). Jade really loves all of the play kitchen items mommy and daddy got her, and the kitchen that Nonny and Papa got her. I love playing with Jade's kitchen stuff too and cooking for mommy and daddy.

The Whole Family

2005-03-30T23:42:00.000-05:00

Well here we are the whole family. This picture was taken at the Union Station in Nashville, Tennessee. We had a blast at the Flying Saucer located around the corner from the Station. The Flying Saucer has about 70 beers on tap and another 100 or so bottled beers. I recommend (Rhett Speaking not Preston) this place to anyone who enjoys beer. We all had a great time in Nashville and we were able to build a bridge and deck at the Fleitz homestead. Next month we will be building a deck at Vanessa's house in Atlanta.

Happy Easter

2005-03-30T23:38:00.000-05:00

HAPPY EASTER. Gammy and Gampy got us a lot of neat gifts and the Easter Bunny left us a lot of candy also.