Labor Day Weekend 2015

As one of my favorite Jimmy Buffet song say “They’re closin’ down the hangout The air is turning cool they’re shuttin’ off the super slide The kids are back in school.”

The end of summer was here with Labor Day weekend approaching.  Jame was already in Kindergarten and Hope would soon be starting her first year of preschool.  Rock is constantly growing and moving more and more.  

Jame was moving up in soccer from the U6 to the U8 division and even though I was the President of the club I still did not know a lot about soccer.  Mom and I also thought it might be good to see how he would do with another coach.  Sometimes it’s hard to be a coach and a Dad.  I caught myself letting other players getting away with something and yelling at Jame for doing the same.  I still loved coaching and still loved working with some of the kids so I decided to coach U6 again.  At the time it sounded like a good idea but it was a mistake.  I wound up coaching when Jame was playing.  At the end of the season I had only seen two of Jame’s games and one I had to fill in as coach.   Jame did okay when he put his mind to the game but that was rare and we don’t really think he is enjoying soccer as much as he once had.

At the park it was hard having both kids and coaching at the same time.  Hope would come by my U6 team a lot and she loved hanging out with the girls on the team.  It wasn’t long before I noticed how well she was playing and enjoying the game and I was still feeling really bad about not coaching Jame.  I called the equipment manager and asked that she order another jersey for her.  I know she was only 3 and needed to be 4 but she was doing really well and it would help with my guilt.  She loved it and I would put her in for maybe a minute of the game just so she felt like part of the team.  She got knocked around the one game as she played I was a bit scared but she got up and went right after the ball again. 

Hope did great and so did the entire team; it was a fun season. The last practice of the season was the parents vs. kids and it’s always a great time.  I had the giant soccer ball for the kids to play with but this season I also introduced a mini ball and that turned out to be a lot of fun as well.  At the end of the season we had our team party at the house.  This year we had our favorite restaurant Chips and Salsa cater the party and as always it was delicious.  One of our players mom not only was the past President of Dyer Kickers but also a regular at Chips, also another player was recommended to my team by Reuben the owner of Chips to play.  The kids had a great time at the party and I had funny super hero awards for all the kids along with their trophies.  They had the bounce house and the train we ran down the trail.    

Hope started preschool, the same preschool Jame went to and she was excited to be going to Jame’s old school.  She was only going two days a week Tuesday and Thursday’s and as we would drive her passed Jame’s new school we would say hi to Jame.  So far she is doing well in school and we hear a lot about the baby dolls they have there something we did not hear from Jame when he went there.  She is writing with her left hand and it looks like she is a lefty.  The teachers have been working with her writing and coloring and we have noticed a big improvement.  The only thing that has us baffled is that the teachers say she doesn’t talk much in school.

For the Labor Day Weekend we headed to Ludington, MI to Grandpa Mike and Grandma Vicki’s place.  Once again we loaded up the new van including Rock this time and headed north.  Labor Day weekend used to be the end of summer but with Jame already in school it was the last three day weekend for a while.  Hopefully the weather would allow us to get in some final beach time for the year.

After our drive up we got unpacked ate some lunch while Grandma Vicki and Grandpa Mike enjoyed time with the kids and the kids enjoyed some time with them.  Afterwards we decided it was nice enough to head to the beach.  This would be Rock’s first time at the beach and it was going to interesting to see how he would react to the sand and the water.  After a short drive and a bit of a hike over some sand dunes we staked our claim on a piece of the beach.  Rock was a bit unsure at first of the sand but soon got used to the feel of it.  Jame took off running up and down the shore letting the waves hit his legs and even went in a bit deeper but still trying hard not to get his head wet.  Hope stayed close to the shore and played in the waves.  

Jame was running and playing while he was carrying a small green shovel we had brought.  The shovel gave me the idea to bury him in the sand.  He wasn’t too keen on the idea at first and it took a bit of convincing for him to let us bury him in the sand.  He was okay as long as we did not get his face with any sand so, I guess it’s water and sand he doesn’t like on his face but peanut butter and jelly around the mouth is okay.  Hope had a blast just sitting and letting the waves rush up on her.  Rock had no problem taking a nap on the beach after he filled his sand curiosity.

We had a great day on the beach but soon it was time to hike back to the cars and head back to the house.  We got back to the house and showered grabbed a bite and headed into town to watch the Badger leave Ludington but the Badger was not going out that night but rather spending the night in Ludington.  We had a good evening walking along the water and looking out at the lighthouse.  The evening may not have turned out the way Grandpa Mike and Grandma Vicki had hoped but we had a great and memorable time on a beautiful evening.

Grandma and Grandpa had gotten the kids some gifts, Rock got a ball pit that he loves.  We had no idea he was such a ball kid, he was picking up throwing and chasing the balls all over.  Rock was truly living up to his namesake Grampy Rock and loving playing with the balls.

The next day we spent some more time at the beach.  We found a beach ball walking over the dunes to the beach and of course Rock loved playing with it all day.  I also decided to bring a kite and thought we could try flying it at the beach; I had no idea how easy it would take to the sky.  As soon as I pulled out the kite I could hardly hold it down.  We let a bunch of line out and tied off the kite as it simply few itself.  We did have some fun with the kite, Jame held it for a bit and I tried to do a few tricks with it and only crashed a few times.  We spent a good part of the day at the beach but it was time to go and enjoy the downtown area of Ludington.

We headed to the park so the kids could play a bit.  The park was nice with the lake breeze blowing in and cooling things down a bit.  Jame and Hope always love playing at the park Rock was still a bit unsure and wasn’t too sure about the baby swing, he tolerated for only so long, maybe just to amuse us until he wanted out.  Hope and Jame also were curious about the coin operated binoculars on the shore so we put some coins in and they had fun for a bit looking but their interest only lasted a short while and they were heading back to the park.  We played and then headed for some lunch in town but ate outside on such a beautiful day.  There was a game of bags outside so I played with the kids a bit who just liked to throw the bags to try and get them in the hole.  At one point Jame throws the bag at the hole as Hope runs passed nearly missing the bag in mid air I was amazed at the timing. 

After lunch we walked down to the famous House of Flavors for some ice cream.  They have a Superman flavor that Jame loves; the colors are red, yellow and blue.  The line was a bit long for ice cream so Rock and I took a walk down to a nearby park and found a picnic table in the shade.  I did my best to keep him entertained until they joined us with the ice cream and soon enough he discovered how much he loves Superman ice cream as well.  Rock had Superman colors all over his face at the end.
 Hope and Jame after they finished their ice cream found a stage nearby where they had a great time playing; they ran back and forth on the stage.  It wasn’t long before Hope was on the stage belting out “Let it go!”  Jame was not interested in singing Frozen but running around the stage.

That evening we went to the lakefront again to watch the Badger head out onto the lake.  We had a pleasant walk along the shore to the pier.  At the end of the pier we could see the lighthouse and I did my best to take some pictures but with the low light and the kids not willing to sit still it was difficult.  The kids had fun playing near the end of the pier while we waited for the Badger to leave.  After a bit the loud whistle sounded and the Badger made her way out towards the lake.  As she passed by us the kids had fun waving at the people on the ship and you could hear the music and parties onboard.  The Badger was just going out for a few hours to celebrate the end of the season.  When the Badger passed we heard the sound of a bagpipe being played by a man standing on the stern of the boat.  We watched the ship head out into the night.  We spent some more time on the pier letting the kids play before the nice walk back to the car on a beautiful evening. 

The next day we had to head back to reality our Kindergartner and Preschooler had to get back.  The kids enjoyed the time they got to spend with Grandma Vicki and Grandpa Mike and the beach and park time they got.  We truly built some memories in Ludington this Labor Day weekend.    Before we headed out of town we thought it might be nice to get some pictures with the kids and the Ludington lighthouse.  Rock was not in agreement with our thought he was a bit freaked out by the grass for some reason and refused to sit on the grass.  We then tried the kids on the bench but they had to face backwards since all the benches faced the lake.  Getting the picture of all three of them was not easy but we eventually got something close.  We packed the kids up and headed home.

End of summer 2015

I guess we were aware but did not want to admit it but our summers were now shorter.  The end of summer 2015 was the start of big changes in our family.  We were excited and sad at the changes that were now taking place.  Even with the changes we still had to send summer 2015 out in style and cram as much as we could into it.

The summer was ending so quickly because Little Man was now starting school and they start in August.  We took him to an orientation with the thought that he was going to go half a day to Kindergarten  but as we toured the school Little Man got more and more excited about his new school and asked why he was only going a half day when he would really like to go a full day.  The difference between half and full was the full day kids ate lunch, went to gym, art class and music the fun parts of the day.  Near the end of the day and with her eyes filled with tears Mom switched Little Man from a half to a full day of kindergarten. 

We had big plans for the end of summer that we still wanted to do with the kids but time ran out on us and the first day of school rolled around.  It was a bittersweet day that morning as we woke up Little Man that first morning and headed down to the end of the drive to wait for the bus.  He was filled with excitement as the bus pulled up that morning, the doors opened up and he introduced himself to Ms. Caroline the bus driver.  The door closed on the bus and our Little Man had officially started school.

Mom and I headed back up the drive to the house and I could see her eyes were still filled with tears but I had no idea what was going to happen next.  Mom was not in the house for more than a few minutes when she grabbed the keys and headed for the door.  She stopped for a second looked at me and asked if I was going with.  “Where?” I replied.  “To the school so we know he made it okay” she replied.  All I could do was laugh and with that she turned and headed to the school to see him off the bus.  Sure enough she returned home with video on her phone of him getting off the bus and his nonchalant “Hi Mom.” As he walked with the rest of the kids passed her.   The video mom shot was good and I was able to put together a nice video of his first day of school.  He loved and still loves school today but he doesn’t always like to get up in the morning.

Our mechanic told us our old faithful van was on her last legs and that we needed to buy a new one.  We started to look at different vans and Mom is one of the best car negotiators out there but we had no luck finding something.  I came home from work one day and Mom dragged me to the car dealership where she had purchased a Honda Odyssey minivan.  The kids were excited about the new van but sad that we had to say goodbye to the old one, not to worry, by the next day they were over it and loving the new van.

We decided with the new van it was a good time for a road trip.  We had to pull Little Man out of school for a couple of days but it was worth it.  We decided to head to the State Fair and then to Schaffer Lake then on the way back we would stop off at Fair Oaks Farm.  This was certainly going to be a great test for the new van.  Rock was not going to get much out of the trip so he stayed home with Mimi.  A friend of the family, Morgan, took off from school and came along for the fun and help with the gruesome twosome.

We got up early in the morning loaded the new van and headed south to the Indiana State Fair.  The first thing the kids wanted to do was go on the rides.  Jame still loves all kind of rides and is very adventurous to the point where we have to tell him that he can’t go on certain rides.  They did hit all of their favorites.  Jame loves the fun houses and the cars even if they do just go in a circle, they also hit the kiddy coaster and the carousel. Auntie Jea Jea and Cousin Alex/Jeannie met us there later in the day and we headed over to see the animals.  The kids love the pigs, the sheep and the horses.  Jame was amazed by the pig weighing over a thousand pounds and to be honest so was I.  I couldn’t help but to think how much bacon was laying there right before me.  They also loved the little piglets still nursing off their mother.  The sheep are always fun with the baaa’s all over and the funny looking outfits they put on them after they get sheered.   The horses are great to see and they are beautiful animals but I’m always a bit nervous around them with the kids, I just don’t want them to get kicked.

We walked over to one of our favorite parts of the fair, the kid’s farm.  The kids follow a path and have to collect items or perform certain tasks and then it shows them later how that will help them.  They have to collect soybeans and then trade them in to power the tractor.  They collect eggs and milk and then trade them in for money they can spend at the store to get a treat.  The kids loved it so much we did the path twice.  After the farm we walked into an area where they had an old fashion barn.  They had cows and oxen in the barn.  At another part they had guys working with old tools and both the kids got to make a wooden dowel pin.  We spent the rest of the day exploring the fair including some mini golf and the petting zoo.

As the night drew near we stopped for some dinner and then returned to the rides for the kids.  Jame loved a fun house that he kept going in over and over again.  Hope was tired and the fun house just wasn’t her thing so she was more than happy to just rest.  At the end of the night we hit up the food trucks one more time for some deep fried dessert, this was more of Hope’s thing.  We feasted on deep fried Oreos and peanut butter cups, thinking about what a great day we had at the fair.  We weren’t far out of the parking lot when quiet fell on the backseat.  We drove from the fair to Auntie

Jea  Jea and Uncle Wally’s cottage for a rest.

The next morning we slept in a bit but then got going to breakfast before our next big day.  After breakfast we headed to Shafer for some old fashion fun.  There have been a few updates to IndianaBeach but the nostalgia is still there.  We hit some of the classics right off the bat the bumper cars there’s nothing like crashing into the ones you love.  I had to ride with Jame because he still just a bit short but it was fun for me just to ride along and screaming and laughing.  It was great to look up and see the electrical sparks above us and just to remember when I was a kid driving the bumper cars in the same place.  Next we headed to the Scrambler, always a classic at Indiana Beach, as you spin and head out towards the water feeling the cool breeze from the lake.  Jame did not want to ride with Mom or Dad this time so we got in the car with Hopey.  Hope was fine having a great time until the ride started and she does not have the same love for rides that Jame does.  She held on with a death grip and buried her face until the ride came to a complete stop.

One memory I have of Indiana Beach is bringing old bread to feed the carp.  Now a days they sell fish food in an ice cream cone.  You throw the food down to the carp and they climb over each other trying to get the food.  After the food is gone you can either break up the cone and toss it to them or just throw in the whole cone and watch as they destroy the cone.  I was fascinated with the fish as a kid and still today I love watching the carp climb over each other for the food.

We tried to ride the train; for many years I have come to Indiana Beach and have seen the railroad tracks but never remember seeing a train.  A few people were in line waiting for the train so we joined them.  The train came into the station and we loaded up ready to go, the kids sitting right behind the engine.  I had no idea where the train would go, this was going to be an adventure for me as well. This would be the first time on the train and the mystery tracks that I had always seen at Indiana Beach.  As luck would have it, the train never moved and we eventually had to get off the train, as it broke.  The train to me is like a Scooby Doo mystery train at this point that only runs when I’m not there.  We didn’t even see the train run the rest of the day.  One day I hope to return to Indiana Beach and ride the train.

We then hit the kiddie rides; the kids still love the simple rides.  The cars and boats that just go in a circle, it’s also nice for Mom and me to take a break and relax while the kids ride.  We had to laugh as we put the kids on a pumpkin Ferris wheel and Hope made a new friend and spent most of the ride talking to her.  We have no idea what the conversation was about but she was determined to give the girl her story.  The kids had a great time on the rides but needed a break so we stopped for lunch.

After lunch we entered a time warp and stepped back in time into the Skee-Ball room.  The Skee-Ball room has not changed much since I was a kid.  As a kid my family would spend what seemed like hours playing Skee-Ball and collecting tickets, after a while I don’t think the tickets mattered much we just liked to play.  Jame really got into playing this time and Hope was okay for a bit but soon lost interest in the game which opened up an opportunity for me to throw a few games and re- live those childhood memories.  I don’t think Indiana Beach will be the same if they ever renovate the Skee-Ball room.

After walking down memory lane in the Skee-Ball room we headed down the boardwalk to another childhood memory of mine that has been renovated.  The Mystery Mansion was a two story haunted ride the thrill was when the ride got to the second level it came out on the balcony that gave you a chance to wave to Mom.  Most of the ride was boring with wood cut out of witches and ghouls that would pop out but we waited with great anticipation for the end where a loud truck horn and lights would scare you, even though you knew it was coming.  We always left the ride laughing at the scare.   Now the ride is called the Den of Lost thieves the truck horn is gone but the balcony is still there.  The ride is now an interactive ride where you get points for shooting at targets.

The ride is still fun but the line can get long and you really have to judge if it’s worth the time to wait.  We had to wait to get on the ride as it broke a few times.  The thought of giving up and getting out of line crossed my mind a few times but we stuck it out and made it to the front of the line.  Jame and Hope love the ride because you get to shoot at targets and it’s not scary.  The balcony is still there and it is fun when the doors pop open and the sunlight blasts in and when you figure out what’s going on, you are on the balcony.  Just as you get used to the outside, the car jerks and you slam into the doors thrusted back into the darkness.  It’s now and updated ride but it still has the feel of the old school ride with the jerking around the corners and at times you feel like the ride is just simply going to stop.

One of the new attractions is an adventure point that you walk across balance beams and other obstacles.   Jame and I took on the course.  We got on our harnesses and headed up to the course, I kept up with him through the first balance beam but he quickly left me in his dust on the next obstacles.   He would have been way ahead of me if we hadn’t told him to slow down and wait.  I also helped myself by trying to be funny on a few of the obstacles so he had to slow down and wait.  Hey if you can’t be first, you might as well be funny and spectacular.  I was glad to see the end of the course and happy that we could not go to the top level of the course, I was just happy to walk after completing the lower course.

We then took the Skyride, talk about being old school.  You stand on the footprints as the chair swings around behind you and you have only seconds to sit down and get the bar across before you start heading upwards.  This is hard enough to get in the seat by yourself but even harder when you are trying to get a kid in the seat first and then yourself all within a few seconds.  Once you make it passed that the ride is beautiful over the board walk.  The only time it becomes a bit scary is passing the towers as the chair bounces. The ride will also stop on occasion I assume for those who don’t jump in time.  This gave me time to ask the kids what they would do if we got stuck up there all night.  Jame said he would enjoy spending the night up there.   We rode the sky ride both ways and both Jame and hope enjoyed the ride it was a nice way to wind down the night.

As we walked down the boardwalk one last time the fireworks show started.  The fireworks were a nice way for us to say goodbye to Indiana Beach for the season.  We headed to the car tired from all the fun and walking and headed back to the cottage.  The car wasn’t even out of the parking lot and the snores started from the back seat.  The kids needed their rest as we still had one more day of fun left before we traveled home.

The next morning we woke and started preparing for the trip home but we were going to stop at Fair Oaks Farm along the way.  Fair Oaks Farm not only has cows but now has pigs and we have not yet seen the pig portion of the farm.  Honestly who could resist seeing all that pre-bacon?  Mom went to go buy the tickets for the pig tour and I took the kids to play.  We started off finding a cow that was a chalk board so we had some fun drawing on the cow and coloring big lips on it.  We then went off to hit the other attractions like the cow carrousel.  Once mom returned with the tickets we had some time before our tour so we headed down to the pig waiting area.  Along the way we stopped at the cow birthing area to watch a cow being born and with our luck it was not an easy birth and they had to come in and pull the calf out, not the beautiful experience we thought it would be.  Hopefully the kids are not too scared by what they saw. 

The new pig area was fantastic as we waited for our tour time they had a lot for the kids to do while we waited.  They had a lot of photo places for the kids to stick their head in and take a funny picture.  They also had an adventure area somewhat similar to Indiana Beach.  Jame was upset because he was not allowed to go up to the high area but did do the lower area along with Hope.  We soon found out that Hope is not the adventurous type.  Hope was happy just to sit by one of the transition areas and watch everyone else go.  Jame sped through the course and we had to tell him to wait and slow down a few times.  Mom had to carry Hope over the obstacles if she hadn’t Hope would still be there.

We then found a kids playhouse and this was more of Hope’s speed, she fell in love instantly.  They had cartoon looking furniture, complete with a fireplace and kitchen that Jame decided to make me coffee.  

Hope soon made herself too comfortable and started kicking other kids out, until we stopped her.   The kids had a great time playing in the clubhouse and the entire waiting room.  Hope did not like it when a costumed pig came out, she treated him the same as Santa and the Easter Bunny.  Jame was willing to take a picture with the pig. 

Our fun wrapped up and we headed to the pig bus.  On the bus we all had to do our best pig impersonations.  When you arrive at the pigs they have you take a virtual shower the kids had a great time playing with the shower the more you moved the more bubbles appeared.  We then were able to see the new piglets and the kids loved seeing all the little baby pigs.  We saw them nursing off their mothers and one of them that still had the umbilical cord attached.  After a bit an employee entered grabbed the piglet and with a quick snap the piglet was freed, she then quickly tied the cord and put the pig down where it joined in on the feeding.

We then walked down to see the bigger pigs and Jame asked one of the guides what the brown stuff was in the pig pen his face was priceless when she told him it was poop.  Jame also decided he was going to be a farmer and would have pigs on his farm but only 4.  We discovered an area where you could do ultrasounds on a fake pig to see how many she was having then it would give you a print out of how many you found.  We finally had to tell Jame to stop he was doing it so much and handing us the results.  Then the kids found an area where they could play pig doctors with stethoscopes and white doctor’s jackets.  The fake pig in that area got a full check up including underneath where they checked on the food service for the little pigs and at the end of the check up, it was still a fake pig.  The kids had a blast playing pig doctors.

Before we left the pig center we played in the fake cornfield chasing each other around and playing with the virtual pigs that would come to you on a screen.  The kids had a blast not only seeing the pigs but all the fun we had at Fair Oaks Farm.  We loaded on the bus back to the center and enjoyed some ice cream and relaxed before the final drive home.

 Summer was now over and it was back to normal or as normal as we get.  We dropped off Morgan headed home unpacked the car and settled in with our memories of the fun we had near the end of summer 2015.   

Summer Birthday's

Summer 2015 was not going to let last winter show her up and we were hit with the heat and humidity.  We are ones to never let weather stand in our way and it may have slowed us a bit at times but we did not let it win.  This was also the last summer before Little Man starts his academic career and we needed it to be great.

We blinked and the Fourth of July was upon us, the soccer club was once again marching in the parade and Mom had bought a new trailer this year for her business but it seemed like the perfect thing for the parade.  We decked it out with walls, decorations and benches for the kids to stand and sit on during the parade.  I woke up early that morning and headed out to Elgin Illinois to direct the parade there.  I always enjoy their parade and my hope is that one year the kids can come out to see it with me.  As soon as the parade was over I quickly said goodbye and headed for the Munster parade.  I made it in time and quickly changed into the soccer ball costume.  Grandma Rosie and Grandpa Jim joined us and rode in the truck.  Auntie JeaJea marched along with us. Rock and Mimi stayed home with Auntie Jame.   The kids had fun seeing all their soccer friends and playing before we started.  The parade was extremely hot but they toughed it out and had some fun along the way.

Jame decided to try playing in the three on three tournament in soccer so, his off season from soccer was not only filled with Summer Camp, Sporty for Shorty’s and now soccer practice.  This was the first time the soccer club had a lot of teams playing in the tournament.  Jame’s team was young for the tournament and it became clear that not only were they young but they also were outplayed by more advanced teams.  The biggest thing was that he had fun that day playing soccer and hanging out with the other kids.

The Gruesome Twosomes birthday was getting close and plans were on a roll for the big day.  This year we had decided on a cowboy cowgirl party.  Mom had gotten a lead on horses for horse rides.  We started off with a cowboy photo shoot for the invitations the kids had great fun getting dressed up and playing cowboys, well Jame and Hope did I’m not so sure Rock knew what was going on.  I took the pictures and came up with a wanted poster invitation that with a little help from some old coffee and burned the edges.  The invitation turned out fantastic, now all we needed to do was top last year’s pirate party.

I shared my Pintrest finds and we were off.  We raided the recycling center to get cardboard boxes to build an old west town.  Auntie JeaJea did an awesome job of designing the town, complete with Mimi’s Café, School House “Rock”, Miss Hope’s Boarding house Jame’s General Store, a saloon and of course a Sherriff’s office and jail.  I ordered a bunch of squirt guns so we could have a shootout on the street.   Auntie JeaJea and Mimi gathered a bunch of milk jugs and other plastic jugs and with a little paint they became totem poles, they turned out very whimsical and a perfect fit for the party.  We used mom’s new trailer and turned it into a stage coach with the help of some PVC pipe and a painter’s tarp.  We also had the train, a piñata and of course the bounce house.  With the help of Facebook, I made wanted signs for all those who planned on attending.

All of our planning and hard work could not overcome the weather.  The days and weeks before the party the weather was either extremely hot or rainy.  The day before the party we had to lay a mulch path from the back to the front since the ground was so wet.  The path actually worked out since it led everyone right threw the old west town.  I took the tractor for a spin, it was wet on the trail but passable.  After all the rain the day of the party the temperature shot up.  We got a lot of people and kids who thought it was just too hot to go out.  We forged ahead and changed a few things; there was a great shootout and everyone joined in shooting everyone, it was a pleasant cool down on a hot day.  We still did the piñata and ran the train but some of the games we nixed because of the extreme heat.  

The horses showed up and we had hoped that they could walk down the path but it was too wet.  Instead they walked around the drive.  Mom did a great job, Hope’s eyes lit up when she saw the horses coming into the yard.  Hope could hardly contain herself wanting to jump up on the small pony.  Once she got up, I thought we might never get her off.  Hope wanted nothing to do with the big horse but kept riding the pony over and over again.  Jame had no problem and jumped right up on the big horse and rode it around, he even felt the need to go inside and take his bathing suit off and get into his cowboy outfit to ride the horse.  The kids and adults had a great time riding the horses and then feeding apples to the horses.  

Getting a cowboy cake was not as easy as we had thought it would be; I guess kids are not into cowboys as they once were.  We called our normal place to order the cake and asked if we could get photos on it and they informed us the photo machine was broken and they had no idea when it would be up again.  A few more phone calls and a couple of stops at bakeries we found that Walt’s would be able to do the cake with the pictures.  Walt’s did an awesome job with the cake and went above and beyond it was simply terrific!  When we cut into the cake the taste was just as good.  I think we found a new place for cakes.

The party did not go off as planned but the kids did have fun and enjoyed themselves.  The heat and humidity may have dampened the plans but it was still a great time and a lot of memories for the kids.  I have already begun pinning for next year’s Star Wars party.  The kids have begun watching Star Wars in anticipation of the release of Star Wars 7 this winter.  Hope has decided that Darth Vader is her favorite because he lifts people up with his hands.  I guess it is time to trade in the six shooters for lightsabers.   

Easter 2015

We were all excited to watch old man winter give way to spring, warmer temperatures and longer days were just right around the corner.  We were going to need the longer days to fit in all the activities spring had in store for us.  Spring certainly had some stuff to spring on us and milestones to reach.

Before the snow even melted plans were being made to stripe the soccer fields now that Mom had us on the soccer board.  Soon to follow another season of coaching and a new team this season we became the Black Knights.  I never thought I would love coaching soccer of all sports as much as I do but I know it has more to do with the smiling little faces at me than the game itself.  We are still trying to figure out how much Jame likes soccer sometimes he tells us he wants a break and then it seems as soon as we give him a break he asks why we aren’t going to soccer anymore.  The other fun at soccer this season is watching Hopey she loves to sit on the bench with the kids and she even practices with the kids but her attention span is only so long

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The Dyer Easter egg hunt was first up on our Easter celebration this year.  I was in Texas working so Mom, Mimi and Grandma Vicki took Jame and Hopey to the hunt.  The town does a really great job of putting on the hunt but it is harder now with the two kids in different age divisions.  They hand out a ton of prizes, Hopey won a basket but Jame did not it made things a bit awkward for awhile until Mom suggested they share the basket. 

Jame’s favorite restaurant has become an Easter tradition with us now we have a “special” relationship with the Easter Bunny and love to see him there.  Grandma Vicki and Grandpa Mike joined us along with some other old woman who I don’t know but somehow she is related.  Auntie Jea Jea also hopped over with us.  We were there a long time in fact I think the Easter Bunny left before us.  The night was filled with a lot of fun.  Jame had no problem with the Easter Bunny and neither did Rock but Hopey wanted nothing to do with the bunny.  The Easter bunny tried and tried to play with her but she was not going to give in.  Hopey did have a great time playing with Grandpa Mike and Grandpa Mike liked the Easter Bunny but even with that going for the bunny Hopey was still not a fan.

Normally we would try and go to the big helicopter egg drop but Aunt Wendy and Bailey called and asked if we would like to join them at Water Park that they belong to.  It was still too cold for the water park but they had plenty of Easter games and things to do on a spring morning.  This time it was Mom who was tied up and could not make the event so I set out with Jame and Hopey to Aunt Wendy’s house.  This was truly a change where mom could not make it but dad was able to make it good thing Aunt Wendy was there to help dad in his new role.  We arrived at the Water Park and the kids were very excited just about jumping out of the car to get to the park.  Once again the Easter Bunny was there to greet us and Jame had no problem meeting him but Hopey would not even look at him.  The kids quickly focused on the bounce houses; I always find it amusing since they have a bounce house at home with no line.  Luckily the lines for these were much shorter than the ones at the egg drop. 

The announcements started for a potato sack race and we asked the kids who wanted to try it out since none of them had ever done it before.  I was very proud that Jame was willing to give it a try.  We got him in the sack and all lined up for the big race, the race started and he started hopping away.  He fell a few times but always got back up and finished the race.  I was very happy that he did not let the falls get to him and he kept jumping. 

We then lined up for the first egg hunt and when the horn sounded the chaos started I tried my best to get Hopey to move a bit faster but she wanted to take her time and look at each piece of candy and place it gently into the basket.  Hope did not get much candy and when we found Bailey and Jame they did not do much better either.  We walked away rubbed our wounds and made plans for the next hunt. 

In the time between hunts we walked over to the petting zoo they had set up.  I was amazed at the animals they had there.  I was expecting goats, rabbits and a pony but they had a Kangaroo. I had never seen a kangaroo before in a petting zoo.  I was amazed by the kangaroo Hopey was amazed by the pony they had and couldn’t get enough of him.  Jame was running from bunny to goat to the horse and even a brief look at the kangaroo.  I eventually walked over to the strange animal in the petting zoo, the camel.  The camel took an immediate liking to me or more so my hat.  As soon as I got close to the fence the camel marched over and started playing with my hat.  The encounter was a bit tense at first but when I figured the camel was just there for fun we had a good time.  I took time and held both kids and they would get a nice up close visit from the camel, they were both nervous at first but then couldn’t help but laugh.

We now had our plan on how to get the most candy for the hunt as we lined up for the next run.  Aunt Wendy took a moment and went over the strategy on last time with the kiddos before the horn blew and they were off.  They did listen and were soon grabbing candy and filling up their bags.  Before you knew it the locust of children stripped the field of every last piece of candy and everyone stood there staring at each other.  We had our victory and full bags of candy.  We played a few carnival games before we headed out back to Aunt Wendy’s house and then the car ride home where both kids took a nap and I wished I could have joined them, it was a very busy day.

Easter Morning was here and the Easter Bunny did not disappoint.  When the kids got up they headed in to the front room but in that true silly Easter Bunny fashion there was only one basket for Rock along with an egg and a note for Jame and Hope.  The note read “For Jame and Hope Love The Easter Bunny” Looking a bit puzzled they opened the egg and there was a picture of Rock’s bassinet so they went there and sure enough another egg this time with a picture of silverware the hunt lead them all over the house finding more and more eggs with pictures in them.  My heart was filled with joy when I heard him say “Now this is a real egg hunt!”  Their laughs as they found the clues were all my heart needed on that Easter Morning.  Eventually the hunt led them to the bathtub where both of their Easter Baskets were hidden.  They quickly got into all the toys and candy.  Our Easter was finished off with Family and friends stopping by and celebrating.

Easter was once again a wonderful time of year and we built some great memories and we can only hope that in years to come that Hope comes to like to bunny and Rock will as well.  It will be interesting to see how Santa goes this year.  Thank you Easter Bunny!

I missed last year’s spring soccer tournament due to work.  This year it worked out that my schedule did not interfere.  I arrived at the field shortly after the crack of dawn and started setting up; Mom brought Jame, Hope and Mimi later.  Uncle Brett made the trip out to the tournament as well.  The day had a Chick-Fil-a cow playing soccer with Spiderman and then Anna and Elsa showed up to paint faces.  Our first game went well against the Lime Green Leprechaun Dogs but our second game was funny since most of the team had decided to have their faces painted.  Hopey had her face painted by Anna who also painted a soccer ball on my bald head.  I had two girls named Madison on the team this year and one had a princess’s crown painted on her forehead so to this day we still call her princess.  Hope now likes to be called princess as well.  The tournament was a huge success and a lot of fun for the kids.  The Black Knights played well and we built a lot of memories on the day.

Jame wrapped up his last year in preschool and they had a graduation for his class. He did well in preschool this year but we do think he may have been a bit bored since we were seeing many of the same arts and crafts projects come home.  Work kept me away from the graduation but Grandma Rosie, Grandpa Jim, Grandma Vicki and Grandpa Mike were there along with Auntie JeaJea and Mommy.  Next year he starts kindergarten I think he is ready but I’m not so sure about Mom. 

Also in May was one of my favorite times of the year, Movies in the park.  This year it was Big Hero 6.  Luckily my crazy work schedule allowed me to be there but the weekend following it is the town fest and work was taking me to Nashville.  The town sets up a big blow up screen in the park and everyone brings out blanket, chairs and something to eat.  Mom, Meghan and as I call them now the Gruesome Twosome Hopey and Jame got Pop’s beef sandwiches and Auntie Jea Jea showed up with White Castles.  It was a beautiful night and the kids enjoy running and playing in the park before the movie, it is hard to calm them down later when the movie does start.  Jame is a pretty good movie watcher but Hopey is only good for short moments at a time.  I flew out of town the next day and Mom and Auntie Jea Jea found sometime between the rain to take the kids to the carnival and even watch some fireworks.

In May, the Soccer club arranged a trip to a Chicago Fire Game and a picture on the field that night.  We were very excited but the weather was not.  All day we watched the radar and thought the rain would blow over but no luck.  Jame had scored two goals in the prior game and I had told him he could use it to get two things at the game.  We arrived at the game and headed for the souvenir stand Jame picked out a ball and a giant foam finger that looked like a flame for the Chicago Fire.  We arrived at our seats and yes they were under the awning but the wind was still whipping around and the rain still falling.  I did my best to shield the kids from the rain as they huddled under a blanket.  Jame and Hope got a big kick out of the fireworks at the opening introductions but they loved the mascot Sparky.  The game started and I actually found it interesting and chuckled to myself, as I understood what was going on.  As the game progressed and the weather was still just as bad we would occasionally ask the kids if they were ready to leave, they always replied no.  Auntie Jea jea  leaned over to me at one point and said “We love the Cubs but, we would never stay in a storm this bad to watch the Cubs and yet here we sit in this storm watching soccer.”  I couldn’t agree more, I guess it is truly amazing what you do for your kids.  Yes we stayed the entire time and the Chicago Fire won but we did not even want to go down to the soaked field to have our picture taken, we only wanted to leave.  We took a couple of pictures in the stands and headed for the warmth of the car.

It was near the end of the soccer season, when a few emails starting flying back and forth between soccer board members.  Mom and I did our best to keep the peace but some were hurt and others were just fed up.  When the dust settled and the smoke cleared there was a finger pointed at me saying “I nominate Roger.”  The next thing I knew I was now president of the soccer club.  I thought it wasn’t going to be that hard or difficult but boy was I wrong.  Soccer moms and dads can be really mean.  I’m now starting to get used to it and hopefully moving the club forward.

The soccer season ended too quickly for me.  This was Jame’s last season in U8 along with a few other kids that I had coached for a few seasons now.  Jame was moving up a division and my decision of where to coach next season would soon have to be made.  I wish that I could coach two teams but my crazy schedule would not allow it.  The decision was not an easy one and I spent a few nights tossing and turning thinking about it.  I finally decided to stay and coach in the U6 division and see how Jame does with a new coach. 

With soccer done and the summer in full swing we decided to put Jame and Hope in day camp with the parks department and Jame once a week would go to a camp called Sporties for Shorties.  We had no idea they would love the camp as much as they did.  The day camp kept them busy with arts and crafts, visits from the works department where they brought out tractors for the kids to sit in.  The police department had a day where they brought out police cars and the fire department brought out the fire truck for them to see.  They even had a grandparent’s day where Mimi, Grandma Rosie and Grandpa Jim went with them to camp.  When we would pick them up from camp it was fun to hear the adventures they had that day but you would always hear from Hope that they sang the goodbye song.  They absolutely loved camp.

We thought Sporties for Shorties would be good for Jame to see what sports he might enjoy and maybe another chance for t ball that he did not like.  I’m confident that he did not like t ball since his team never showed up at one point we had more coaches than players.  They showed him a bunch of sports not just t ball but basketball, tennis and yes even soccer.  I was able to attend one day and they had an obstacle course set up for the kids and they ran and ran and ran the thing, it was right up Jame’s alley.  As normal on those days we raced from sporties to day camp so he could finish out the last hour at camp with Hope.  He loved Sporties for Shorties but I do not think we have a better idea of what sport he likes, he claimed to like them all.

Rock is getting bigger and bigger and will soon be giving the gruesome twosome a run for their money.  He likes to grab the stools in the kitchen get them onto his walker then walk around with the stool.  They are all growing way to fast it seems like yesterday we were heading to pick them up and now we are planning Jame’s 6^th and Hopes 3^rd birthday.