Soccer Camp '07

Acacia attended a soccer camp this summer, put on by the UW - Madison Men's and Women's soccer teams. She went with her friend Maya (and her soccer couches daughter). They learned skills like heading and kneeing the ball. They had a great time and then got to have pizza when it was all over.













Here is a short movie clip of Acacia (teal green shirt) and her friend, Maya



One of my friends was there with her son and Chris wanted his picture taken with him. So, here is Chris and Robert.

End of Summer Soccer '07

Once Acacia's full cast came off she was able to play in the summer soccer program we signed her up for (not knowing she was going to break her arm). The very last game was rained out and a make up game was scheduled. But, the other team was a no show so the parents played the kids. Acacia said she liked playing the parents better as they were "easier to beat ...". Coach Russ was her coach again (and he will be again in the fall). We can't wait!!

Eagle School Concert '07

Acacia's class finished up their summer program with a concert. The summer was spent learning about America. They sang songs all about the United States. She had a great time and learned a lot. She can recite the 50 states in alphabetical order now!! Ask her next time you see her! She is in the pink dress on the end ...

Chris' Frog Bog Pot Luck '07

It is getting to be that time of the year. The day care is winding down their summer program. Chris' class had a pot luck dinner. They displayed some of their art work and the kids all helped make a cake. Acacia went through this class two years ago ... I did not eat the cake then either .... Don't forget you can click on any photo to see it enlarged. You may want to do this to the cake photo at least ... you know, to see the texture and all ...

This is Chris showing us his water color art work. And his friend Tiffany behind him.
Here Chris is trying to show us his self portrait of him being a statue. His the the very top one with the green boarder.
We received no explanation for what this is.
This is Chris' centipede done is sidewalk chalk.
Just next to Chris on the table is his "city" he built with blocks of wood and 6 bottles of Elmer's glue.
Acacia helps show of this lovely wishing bowl that Chris made and painted. His is the pink and blue bowl.
This is some kind of stamped work they did. He did a great job explaining to me each step involved ... I have since forgotten ....
This is Chris and his friend Ethan, modeling the tie die shirts they made for this very special event.
Well, this is ... the cake. Even the inside of the cake is colored. Click it to see the detail. One parent did actually try the cake. The adjective used to describe the cake was ... crunchy .... MMMMMMM - pass me a piece! They are available for weddings ....

The BITE

OK - by now, most of you have already heard this story. But, it needs to be documented. The day care where the kids go to school has a policy where if your child is the victim or the assailant you receive an incident report with the pertinent info on it. Everything you need to know about what happened, except who the other child was that was involved. This you simply get from your own child. In the past, we have had some interesting ones dealing with Chris. Chris is usually the aggressor. Example ... Chris struck "a friend" with a traffic cone while playing near the dramatic play area. Or Chris hit another "friend" in the back with a hammer .... you know, stuff like this. The most recent one was a bit comical. It was bad enough as well that I received a voice mail from the teacher. Seems Chris and "a friend" were racing towards a climber. Chris won and started to climb up. By climbing up one step of the climber placed his buttocks at mouth level with said "friend" who allegedly then decided to bite Chris ... in the butt. So, through Chris' jean shorts and underwear - Chris got bit. Now, knowing Chris and his classmates I first found some humor in this. When I saw Chris I asked to see his butt. The mark that was left on his butt shocked me! I could not believe the size and color of this mark. This "friend" has some serious jaw issues. Yoli asked if we got a dog collar for this child! I think that is a great idea. Anyway, Chris could really care less and I am trying to get over it. But, I did tell Chris if this kid hits, pushes, bites.... him again that he should just hit him back. Chris looked all confused at me and said ".... but mom, Kaleb is my friend." I almost started to cry. Anyway, the next night it looked much better, but still ... a mark. Here is a photo taken Friday night ... 1+ days after the event.

Cast

OK - we have talked about it long enough. Here is Acacia with her cast. This was taken on the way to the DR. We were told that at this visit they would x-ray and then remove this old fashioned, super heavy, hot, plaster cast and put on the cast of her dreams, light weight, cool color ... But, the x-ray showed the bone was positioned perfectly and was healing great. So, they decided not to risk aggravating the bone by removing this cast. We have since decorated it with red and blue stars and some autographs. She seems fine with the cast now but when she sees someone for the first time is still VERY embarrassed about the entire thing and will shove her cast up my shirt. She is getting very agile with a chop stick (used for scratching down the cast). You can see it coming out of the top of the cast. The cast is due to come off this Friday (August 3rd). Then, back to soccer that Sunday, horse back riding lessons and swim lessons will start back up in Sept. As if nothing ever happened .... :)

The East Coast Tour '07

Acacia's last day of kindergarten
OK - are we ready to go? Sun screen? Check. Bathing suits? Check. Flip flops, sunglasses and hats? Check. I think we are ready. Massive yellow scrape to the passenger side of the van? Check. Ok - I guess we are all set. Two days before we took off for three weeks of vacation I took a turn in a parking garage I bit too close to one of those lovely yellow hazard poles. Quite literally the entire passenger side of the van was scratched up and yellow. But, no one got hurt and the engine still worked so off we went. Departed Madison at 11:30pm Friday the 15th of June. This was also Acacia's last day of kindergarten.

Don't forget - you can click on any photo to see it enlarged .... Enjoy!

If you want to see a few minute summary of what we did, click the play button to see a little movie. You can tell towards the end of the movie I realized how to set the camera to take better quality movies. Oh well. Live and learn as they say.



On the road
We drove straight through to Huntington, WV where we stopped to go to Camden Park amusement park. This was nice as there were no real lines (except for the only real ride - log ride) but the kids got to run around and burn off energy after being in the car for 12 hours. Click the link to see a slide show of Camden Park.

Slide show of Camden Park '07

Father's Day
Back in the van we arrived to Emme and Nono's around 2am Sunday the 17th (aka - Father's Day). In case you did not catch the exhausting truth - we never stopped to sleep. So, 11:30p Friday until 2a Sunday - Randy and I were driving. Needless to say, we slept well once we got to Emme and Nono's. We woke to beautiful NC weather. 90's and humid. Well, I guess it really was not all that humid. The guys (Randy, Chris, Bill and my Dad) hit the links while the women tended to the children, laundry and kitchen. Well, the truth here is that it was Father's Day. The kids spent the day preparing ties (complete with their photos on them), drawing pictures, writing notes and letters and hanging streamers and anything else that could be held up with tape all over the deck, house and garage. They made hand and foot prints pictures and assembled them in the shape of a house (the house the "dad's" built). They were busy! My sister Valerie rallied the women to do a little run every (almost) AM - so off we went for that. After the "run" we prepared the "meal". It is all a blur now but I do recall some confusion on how to keep the grill lit. As far as I know the meat was cooked. Click the link to see a slide show of Father's Day.

Slide show of Father's Day '07

Beach Action
Much time was spent at the beach. We visited a couple different beaches. The kids ended up liking the beach at the end of Holden Beach Island. When the tide was anything but high, the water was 1-2 feet deep. The kids could swim and play and walk for a lllllooooonnnnngggg way without it getting deep. We were able to walk to sandbars and hang out on them and watch the tide come in around us. Acacia collected about 113 broken pieces of sand dollars while Chris was thrilled with the fact that he could "swim" in the ocean. Once high tide was in the boogie boards came out and the kids took up body board surfing. Click the link to see a slide show of beach photos.

Slide show of Beach Action '07

Pool Action
The pool proved to be the perfect spot if you were looking to be tossed or rocketed out of the water! Click the link to see a slide show of pool photos.

Slide show of Pool Action '07

Boat Action
We went on a couple boat rides. The kids each got to drive Nono's boat. Click the link to see a slide show of Nono's boat photos.

Slide show of Baot Action '07


The "un-birthday"
Chris turned 4 on June 11th and we were so busy before we left we were not sure if we were going to be able to get a party in for him. So, Emme decided to celebrate all birthdays with the "un-birthday" party. The kids got to decorate ice cream cone cakes and then everyone got to open presents!! How cool is that!!?? Big Chris even got me a present. But, being the loving sister in law I am ... I decided that Yoli should have my present!! (Yoli's birthday was the 13th) Click the link to see a slide show of the un-birthday party.

Slide show of the Un Birthday Party '07

Racing
Randy spent some quality time with Chris and took him to the Myrtle Beach Speedway. Hooters was sponsoring the Greased Lighting 200. Chris can't wait until he is 16 and can drive one of these fast cars. Chris knows everything a 4 year old can possibly know about racing now. He has not stop talking about this race. Randy liked the Hooters girls .... We also went to an Indy car race in Richmond. This was loud and fast and no Hooters girls. Click the link to see a slide show of the car races.

Slide show of the Races '07

Lighthouse
Acacia school gave a list of all the field trips they would be taking during the summer and one was to a light house. She was going to miss this trip since we were on vacation. For some reason this really upset her. Soooo - being that we were on the coast we managed to find a light house for her to see!! Click the link to see a slide show of the trip to the light house.


Slide show of the Lighthouse '07

Myrtle Beach
Lastly, before we left NC we took a day and went to the Planetarium, Alligator Adventure and grabbed a little mini golf. A great time was had by all!! :) Click the link to see a slide show of our day in Myrtle Beach.

Slide show of our day in Myrtle Beach '07

Family Photos
During our two week stay at Emme and Nono's we saw a lot of people and took a lot of photos! Of course we got see Great Nani (my mom's mom) and Great Grandma (my dad's mom)! They are two pretty witty women and if you are not careful they will pull one over on you!! Great Auntie Kathy can for a day!! Sure wish it was longer! Tim Bettilyon and his family came for a week end and did some camping. I know Tim from our days in Singapore back in the early 80's!! And my mom's best friend Judy, two of her boys (Lane and Larry) and their kids all made it down for some time (sporadic as it may have been). I have not seen Larry or Lane since our days in LO back in the 70's!! And now they have kids ranging (in age) from 10 to 25!!! CRAZY!! It was great to see everyone - but the time together was way too short! I hope I did not miss anyone! Click the link to see a slide show of random photos of everyone!

Slide show of Family Shots '07

Kings Dominion
Well, Friday the 29th we packed up the big red van (which now is red and not half yellow - thanks to my brother spending an evening with some kind of magic compound that removed the yellow paint - he is the greatest brother ever!!). Of we went to Richmond, VA to spend a few days with Randy's sister, her family and Randy's brother Kevin, wife Glenda and son Ben. Staying with them is like staying at a resort! They have a nice big house with plenty of room for everyone, a pool, trampoline and play system, bikes, scooters and of course - close to Kings Dominion!! The guys did some golfing and the rest of us just chilled by the pool for the most part. Monday we all packed up and went to King's Dominion. Ben fully over came any fear of roller coasters he ever had and went on at least three different ones (several times)! Everyone had a great time! We ended up in the water park for the final cool down before we had to depart and go our separate ways. Click the link to see a slide show of Kings Dominion.

Slide show of Kings Dominion '07

Pgh and the Pirates
Our last but not least stop was at Randy's brother Sean's house in Pgh, PA. We did not arrive until pretty early Tuesday AM (like 1 or 2a). Sean was up folding laundry!! After a good nights sleep we had a great breakfast (complete with monkey bread) and got to visit with Dianne and Jenna and Karen and Bill. The kids got to make cookies with grandma and then Randy, Sean and Karen took the kids to a park for some exercise. After some traditional waffling the decision was made and tickets were purchases (commitment) to go to a Pirates game. Dianne was able to get a GREAT deal on tickets in a luxury suite (inside AC) and outside stadium seating. After the game the band Live played and after that there was a great fire works show! This was my first time in the new stadium since my days of working at Three Rivers. This was truly an amazing stadium! I want to work there!!! Well, after the long day of stadium activities it was time to pack (for the last time) and get to bed. We left around 11a Wednesday morning (July 4th) and actually had a pretty smooth ride home. Click the link to see a slide show of our Pgh visit and the Pirates game.

Slide show of Pgh and the Pirates Game '07

So, we are home now. Unpacking, trying to sell our house and find a new one, getting back to work, taking care of Nita .... ahhhh home!! It's always great to get away and it's even great to get home. Anyway - we are here for a while now. Time to come to Madison for a visit!! Madison is great from now until winter!! To be honest, winter is even nice if you like to ski, skate and sled!! Come see us!!

Bike Fund Raiser

Acacia's friend Rachel wanted some moral support on a one mile bike trip WITHOUT training wheels. I promised Acacia if she was able to complete the course without her training wheels she could get a new bike basket and a kick stand for her bike. Sooooo - off we went. We had to ride our bikes to the park, so that was about a half mile right there. Acacia and Rachel did a great job around the course and just as they were about to finish the first mile they both decided they wanted to do it again. So, off we go. As they were rounding the final turn a little competitiveness got the best of Acacia. She attempted to pass Rachel on the outside turn and just took her out. The two of them went flying. Rachel just got up and checked out her skinned knee and was ready to finish the race. But, Acacia being the drama queen had to make a bit more out of it. But, she did finish and they are still friends! We finished up the course and got some face painting. Today, I took Acacia to get her kick stand and basket. Chris did the course too. He got a hamburger bell and they both got lights for their bikes. All is good with the world.

Me and some tall guy.



Acacia warming up.



The family, ready for action.



Chris and Braden at the starting gate.



Chris and Braden after the race.



Chris with his yummy turkey sandwich.




Acacia's dog face.



Rachel's facial hair and Acacia dog face - after the make up.

Bowling

One of Chris' friends (Alex O) had a bowling party (just for fun - no birthday!!). Dad stayed home to "paint the house" and do an open house and we went bowling. Acacia did great, even with her cast. Chris did - well - he is Chris. Check out the video below.

Chris is 4 - well almost

Chris had a great birthday party. And we totally lucked out with the weather. It had been raining off and on for days and was supposed to be cloudy with 40-60% chance of rain on Sat. We watched the radar for hours. His party started at 2p. At 1:45p the clouds rolled away and the sun came out. It stayed sunny for the entire party! Sooooo - swimming, sprinkler fun, super fun Kaji blow-up jumper, the play system and the Grand Emme and Nono swing were the fun back yard activities of choice. Until the gifts were open. Then the deck was turned into a speed way. It was made clear that mom would make a Cars cake. Not as easy as you may think. It took two entire containers of red dye just to get the cake dark pink. But, Chris thought it was AWESOME and that is all that matters!! Although, I do think that Lightning McQueen was looking a little more like Mater (pink or no pink).




Click the link to see more photos of the party.

Chris is 4 - well almost '07

Roller Skating

It was Ellie's birthday party and we all were invited to go to her roller skating party. Acacia could not skate due to the cast, but Chris could. For whatever reason, I was the only one who skated. But, somehow everyone had fun anyway!!

Click the link to see more photos.

Ellie's Roller Skating Party '07

Soccer

Acacia finished her first soccer season in a cast. The Monday before her 2nd to last game she leap off her swing and landed on her arms instead of her feet. Apparetly, this gave her a buckle fracture .... but we did not know it until she fell off the rocking chair on Tuesday and went into tears over something that would normally have been thought of as fun and then on Wed was playing soccer (2nd to last game). She was one of three team mates (we were a little short of players that day). They were playing 4 on 3. Acacia goes down a lot during any game - she's just rough that way. With about 2 minutes left to play she went down and again went into tears. I forced her to finish out the game. "Your teammates need you!!" Even her coach convinced her she was OK. They ended up winning the game. I took her home and ask Randy to take her to get it x rayed. So, she's been in this cast ever since. Including her last game (which she was not allowed to play in). They got their team photos taken AND they each received very cool tropheys. Acacia received the award for the toughest player given that she played with a broken arm and even scored. Her coach was impressed with her skill enough that he hand selected her to play on a team he will be coaching this summer. Acacia is thrilled and has her soccer stuff all packed so she can practice at the beach with her Aunt Yoli and her cousins (and anyone else brave enough to take her on)!!