First Day of First Grade

Laura's first day of first grade at JP! Excitement. Nerves. Excitement. Fear. Excitement. That sums up her roller coaster of emotions that past two days. But this morning there was no hiding her 100% excitement and eagerness to get on the bus!

With Zoe, Kaylee and Owen in other classrooms, Laura feared she wouldn't know anyone in her class. Fortunately, we dropped off supplies last week and recognized a few names from her kindergarten class and one who used to live in our house [and currently rides her bus]. So that helped ease some of her anxiety.

In addition, similar to the first day of kindergarten, Mom once again presented Laura with a gift called Schultute that contained school-related gifts such as a journal, dolphin stickers, dolphin sandwich cutter, new Laker colored headband, and a 1st gr. reading activity toy. This is a Czech/German ritual to help with first day jitters. Kudos to Mom for showing off her creativity to help Laura start the school year in a positive, encouraging way.

Schultute
[When children in Germany and Czech Republic set off for their first day in school upon entering first grade, their parents and/or grandparents present them with a big cardboard cone, prettily decorated and filled with toys, chocolate, candies, school supplies, and various other goodies. It is given to children to make this anxiously awaited first day of school a little bit sweeter.]

The Schultute

New Shoes!

First Grade

The Walk

Fishing Trip 2015

View of Redwing Lodge in Morson, Ontario

This year's fishing trip brought us to a new resort/lodging on the east side of the Lake of the Woods. Redwing Lodge just outside of Morson, Ontario.

We wanted to try out a new part of the lake as we have been on Oak Island for the past 8 years. It's tough to leave the honeyholes that we have become accustomed to.

Due to our unfamiliarity with this area, fishing numbers and size were down a bit. Although, I somehow outfished Dave's entire boat 92 to 88. Lucky I guess.

Likes: Something new, shorter drive to the resort, better docks, gas grills
Dislikes: More open water/less islands, smaller cabins, cost more

This might have been the 23" walleye.

Max, myself, and Jeremy showcasing today's catch

Getting ready for dinner in our cabin

Added a new feature to this year's mix - grilling meat

Max casting for muskie on the dock at sunset

Pulling up on an island for shore lunch

This year's trip I outfished Dave's entire boat - 92 walleye vs 88!

Disney World

Laura, Mom and Dad did a quick four day, three night getaway to Orlando, Florida, for Laura to experience what Disney World has to offer. We began to notice that she was slowly becoming less interested in princesses therefore it was the appropriate time for her to meet her fictional idols before her interests moved on to something else.

This was Laura's first plane ride and she couldn't have been more thrilled. Unfortunately, before and during the trip, all three of us caught the flu bug. Even though our appetite wasn't there, we persevered and made it to all of our planned destinations (Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios).

The days were long and Mom planned out each ride, attraction, parade, and play perfectly. Laura was a trooper, never complained, and appreciated the whole experience. I take that back, she was a little fussy about meeting the princesses but did a great when they talked to her.

We learned a few things from this trip. Laura does well on trips. She enjoys plane rides and long days walking around. Who knew that she would like roller coasters (Big Thunder Mountain and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train) and a scary ride (Haunted Mansion).

Here are a few pictures of our Disney trip

Excited to board the plane!

Of course Laura would site with Mom

Easy on the coffee, Anna

Laura ran up at the last second for this picture with Belle

Cindy

Queen Elsa

Fireworks at Magic Kingdom as we race for the bus

Ice Cream... Yes please!

Mickey-shaped pretzel as large as her head

Our hotel resort (who is hiding in the zero)

Mom and Laura at the Magic Kingdom

Family pic - darn that construction

Magic Kingdom Parade

Rapunzel

Rapunzel's Tower

I think we forced Laura to ride with me on Aladdin's Magic Carpet

Dumbo!

Teacups - Mom was shouting, "Slow down!"

It's A Small World

Ryan Thinks He Is Baby Jesus

This Christmas as usual, we took out our Nativity toys for the kids.  Ryan hadn't shown a lot of interest in them in the past, but this year he really liked setting them up and playing with them, especially "Baby Jesus."

As Christmas arrived, Ryan really liked the whole scenario and wanted to "play" this with our family. He assigned roles - "I am Baby Jesus, Mama is Mary, Daddy is Jofis (Joseph), Wowa (Laura) is the angel." I was ok with this pretend game because mostly I just had to hold Ryan or wrap him up in a blanket.

He's continued to like the Baby Jesus game, and a couple of days ago we were hanging out in his room.  He walked over to his bed and patted it and told me, "I am Baby Jesus.  This is my hay."  Ha! Dad and I suggested that he sleep on his hay just like Jesus when nighttime rolls around.  He's made some rather annoying changes in his sleep habits lately and we are suffering.  More on that another time.

New Entertainment Center

Boring Wall.

In the third-level of our house, "downstairs," is a room that Mom and I have ignored designing from day one of move in. We haven't been pleased with its 'boring' appearance but at the same time we haven't been inspired to change it - due to the fact that we're not good at designing rooms.

To make matters worse, neither of us have the same taste in design/layout, etc. Which is the main reason that room has not changed in four years. I take it back, we did hang a small clock (off-centered on the wall) via screw that the previous owner left behind.

Last fall, I had a vision to finally tackle the downstairs room. I had planned to buy furniture and a television, paint, and put up bookshelves. Instead, we went off course and bought a piano.

In June, the itch was back and motivated to start the project. Both Mom and I scoured the internet for types of bookshelves and entertainment centers. She looked at Pinterest and I looked at both prebuilt and cabinet manufacturer's examples. It was a challenge to find something in our price range that would fill this sizable wall. After some discussion, we both agreed that a simple bookshelf and large tv wasn't the right approach. We had to go the custom-design route.

I then contacted four local cabinet manufacturers. Four companies came out to our house but only one responded with a bid and design. Isn't that crazy?!? Unfortunately, the only company to respond was booked until October. I suppose that was a good thing because it took us a couple of months to decide on the type of wood, stain, and final design.

Last week I was notified that the entertainment center was finished and ready for installation. Today, two guys installed it in about 5 hours. So, here it is, our brand new, custom-built entertainment center. We love it!

All that remains are two cabinet doors, television, pictures and books!

The next phase of the project is to redesign the fireplace to match the entertainment center, apply a fresh coat of paint to the walls, and conclude with new furniture.

Laura Loses Her First Tooth

Laura lost her first tooth at dinner. I must say that we were all ready for it to fall out. This tooth has been on center stage at both school and home for at least a week.

At conferences, Laura's teacher had mentioned that her classmates have been jockeying for position for who will walk with her to the nurses office if it should fall out during school. At home, Laura has been constantly rocking it back and forth in our faces - reminding us that it's close to coming out. Neither Mom or I want any part of the extraction process. Just the thought of pulling it gets me weak in the knees.

Like I had mentioned, the tooth fell out at dinner via caramel apple. The grossest part was hearing the sound of it clinking onto the table. Uffda! Laura's initial reaction... like many "first times" in her young life, was immediate shocked/scared but quickly came to be excited/happy!

Can you tell what's missing?

Tooth Fairy

Cue up the Benny Hill theme song. This ordeal did not go according to plan.

Laura placed her tooth, wrapped in Kleenex, under her pillow. At midnight, I watched "The Tooth Fairy" get on her hands and knees to make the switch. She turned around and said it's not there. So, I went in, moved blankets, removed pillows and searched with a flashlight. 

Suddenly, Laura woke up and I froze. She opened her eyes and said, "Dad, what are you doing?" I said that I was placing the the tooth toward the edge of the bed so the tooth fairy could find it easily." She fell back asleep. 

The tooth was gone! We assumed that Laura probably had played or looked at it in the dark and it dropped somewhere by her bed. The next morning, she ran into our room and was excited to see the present. Both Mom and I took turns to go into her room and look for it. Still not there. 

Pretty Smile

Fast forward five days. Laura was playing in her room and I walked in to see what she was doing - because it was awfully quiet. I sat next to her on the floor in the middle of her room. There it was! Embedded into the carpet, right behind from where she was sitting. In haste, I quietly grabbed it and showed it to Mom. We don't know if Laura hid it or it was sitting there the whole time. Nevertheless, the whole ordeal and mystery was finally solved.

King Kong Castle Playset

Never saw this day coming but we now have a gigantic playset in our backyard. We are the owners of a Rainbow King Kong Castle, a twelve-year old hand-me-down from our neighbors.

Getting this big piece of equipment was not easy or simple. I'll try to summarize the twists and turns of (a) convincing us to buy it, (b) actually buying it, and (c) dismantling/moving/and erecting it in our yard.

Here it is. King Kong.

Last year, the Pribbles sent subtle hints that they were ready to unload the playset. At that time, I didn't want it and showed no interest.

This spring, they approached me and suggested that "King Kong" would look good in our empty backyard. I replied with a laugh and a "maybe." A few days later, I brought Laura over to see if she had interest... and of course, she immediately LOVED it, wanted it, and begged for me to buy it.

The next time I saw the Pribbles, I asked how much $? He shrugged his shoulders and gave me the runaround. I thought, "Oh no, the roles have reversed. I now want this darn thing and he is no longer selling."

Two weeks later, more determined than ever, I coincidentally bumped into him on a walk, asked again, and he replied that they were now offering it to a family member. For several weeks, I stewed in bitterness that I didn't act faster.

Fast forward to late July, about two months from the initial discussion, I decided to go to their house with cash in hand and tell them I'll buy it. And just like that...SOLD.

Now was the issue of getting that thing into our yard. I asked a buddy to assist and we gave it a go for about 10 minutes. It was apparent that this task was way too big for us novice handymen. I leveraged the online directory of Craigslist and found a guy who used to work for Rainbow and does installation on the side. I paid him $200 bucks and he dismantled, moved, and installed it in less than 4 hours. Money well spent.

That's the story in a nutshell. The end result is what matters most - Ryan and Laura absolutely love it and play on it daily! That's the point, right?

Ryan's favorite thing to do is the swing and slide, whereas Laura digs the monkey bars, trapeze and rings, and swing. In fact, we have had a couple of picnics and a number of snacks on it. Fun times.

Late in the fall, I put in a sandbox for Ryan. I would say that he enjoys playing in the sandbox but has more fun throwing sand out of the sandbox...stinker!

Typical evening - hanging out on the playset

"Underdog, Dad"

Laura loves the monkey bars. "Catch Me!"

Ryan fell through a few times but determined to climb again

Coming at ya!

Ryan wants Dad to trap him on the slide

The playset is complete with sandbox and all

Garden Recap 2014

Alas, the garden season has come and gone, and it's time to reflect on the season that was. Some of the stand-out moments were watching the kids' excitement to pick and eat veggies, and seeing some of the new plants grow.

In every growing season, there are surprises and frustrations. This season had more frustrating moments than any other year - record rains, disease, low yield, etc.

Here is a garden 2014 recap...

What was planted?

This year's crop had the usual staples - cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, kohlrabi, onions, cilantro, and peas. After a two year hiatus, garlic was reintroduced. Making a first-time appearance were sunflowers, califlower and carrots.

Harvest Results?!?

The Best - Sunflowers and Peas

Good - Onions, Tomatoes, Cilantro, Garlic

The Bad - Cucumbers, Peppers, Carrots

Non-existent - Kohlrabi and Califlower
Note: There were a couple of factors that resulted in the low yield - record rains in June led to rot/disease, and the tree roots next to the garden appears to have stole important nutrients for growth.

Changes in 2015

• Smaller Garden
• I have had enough of dealing with tree roots. As a result, I trimmed 5ft of the garden closest to the tree. 
• The garden will be 60sq ft smaller next year. Tough decision but had to be done.
• Sticking with the Staples
• There will be no more sunflowers or kohlrabi. The sunflowers took over the garden and may have stole nutrients from other plants. 
• Kohlrabi has never done well, so that experiment is over.
• Going back to the basics - cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, garlic, carrots, onions, peas, and cilantro. Considering giving califlower a second chance.
• Experiment
• Adding mulch to the bottom of tomato plants. The rain splash has caused blight the last two years. Mulch will absorb backsplash.
• Buying a trellis for cucumbers. The cucumbers haven't produced because (a) its leaves touch the ground, thus more susceptible to diesease, (b) its leaves block sunlight, causing vine rot. A trellis will prevent all that from happening - I hope.
•  Not sure what to do with peppers - just praying for a better year.

Highlights

Once again, the best moments of the season were the kids picking and eating produce. 

• Ryan and Laura 
• Totally consumed the limited supply of cucumbers. We ate in our usual spot - on the dining room floor.
• Gobbled up all of the peas.
• Found a fascination to dig for worms
• Laura 
• A super-duper helper by carrying tomatoes and cucumbers into the house.
• Told me when the wind blew over the sunflowers.
• Enjoyed eating carrots. All two of them. :)
• Ryan
• Wanted to help with digging.
• Enjoyed eating peas so much that he begged me to "find more!"

Pictures

The Sunflower Harvest

Gigantic Sunflowers

The first carrot

Where is Ryan? Must be behind that carrot!

Days before the sunflowers bloomed. Sad looking garden

Picking peas for Ry-Roo

Where are the worms?

New addition...Tulips in the front yard.