The First Shall Be Last

My Mom

2011-10-06T09:54:00.001-04:00

Matthew had to write a personal narrative for his English Class this year. He wrote this about my mom who died of Pancreatic Cancer 5 years ago today. I thought I would share:

My grandma was one of a kind. She had a huge influence on me throughout my life. My grandma was a great cook, she was always willing to be with me, and she taught me key lessons in life that affect me today. Grandma helped shape me into the person that I have become and hope to be.

My grandma’s cooking was the quality of a five star restaurant chef. She made delicious food for every meal. I especially remember her warm and creamy wild rice soup that she always made on Christmas Eve. Sometimes I was hesitant to try some of the things that she made. “This won’t taste good,” I would think to myself, but Grandma always encouraged me to try new things. This is one of the many qualities my grandma etched into my brain. I am never afraid to try new things and venture into the unknown, because of my grandma. Grandma always said, “Try before you even say no.” This quote has stuck with me and changed the way I look at life.

I was my grandma’s first grandchild, and from the day I was born until the day she died, she and I had a great connection. She came over to our house every day for two whole weeks after I was born to take care of me so my mom could rest. My best memories about my grandma and me are the ones when I went over to her house for vacation bible school. She lived in Lansing while we lived in Redford at the time so it was just Grandma and me. After I had finished at vacation bible school I would go back to her house to drink sugary coffee (which was really just a little bit of coffee mixed with a lot of cream and sugar) and watch the movie, Babe. Grandma would put this movie on and I would snuggle up with her to watch. I was so relaxed with Grandma that I fell asleep in her arms every time. To this day, I still have not finished that movie. My grandma loved the fact that I regularly watched Veggie Tales, and one of the quotes that she always told me was, “God made you special, and He loves you very much.” The love and affection that Grandma gave me taught me how to live my life and treat others.

The times I spent with my grandma were times of memories and lessons. Whether it was through her actions or through her words, my grandma taught me lessons of God and lessons of life. When I was at her home, my grandma always took me to church to learn to lead a life of Christ. One of the most important lessons that my grandma taught me was the lesson of acceptance. She was always able to accept the harshest things that life gave to her. She was able to accept the fact that she had pancreatic cancer and she was able to understand that she was going to die, and she did it with courage. My grandma always knew that God had a plan for her and that’s one of the lessons that I took from her when she passed away. My grandma also taught me the importance of family. She always had us come up and visit with Papa and her, especially on holidays. The traditions Grandma started with her family continue today. When my grandma died she died with all of the family around her. She was loved greatly by her family and she loved her family greatly. I hope I have that same personality when I grow up.

My grandma was very special. She was an awesome cook, she was always there for me when I needed her, and she was a role model for me. Grandma always believed that I could do anything. She was so proud of me from the day I was born and I strive to keep her proud. My grandma died of pancreatic cancer almost five years ago, but her memories always remain in my words and in my actions.

Matthew's 8th Grade Graduation Speech

2010-06-17T08:42:00.001-04:00

As Student Council President, Matthew was asked to give a speech at his 8th grade graduation. I know I am biased, but I think he did a great job.

Wouldn't let Matthew buy this

2010-06-11T12:46:00.000-04:00

Free Scoop Day

2010-06-11T12:07:00.000-04:00

Sea Dog

2010-06-11T10:31:00.000-04:00

Architectural tour of Chicago

The Whole Group

2010-06-10T19:21:00.000-04:00

Ed Debevics

2010-06-10T18:40:00.000-04:00

Skydeck

2010-06-10T13:52:00.000-04:00

Sears (what you talking about) Willis Tower

U. S. Cellular

2010-06-09T19:51:00.000-04:00

Tigers vs Sox

The Whole Gang

2010-06-09T12:38:00.000-04:00

Arrived in Chicago

2010-06-09T10:47:00.000-04:00

Going to the planetarium then aquarium then the Field Museum.

Mill Creek

2010-05-28T09:27:00.001-04:00

Tyler helping out at the saw mill.

Lunch at the Grand

2010-05-28T07:02:00.001-04:00

On the Porch

2010-05-28T07:01:00.000-04:00

At the Grand Hotel.

Arch Rock

2010-05-27T11:06:00.000-04:00

On the carriage tour at arch rock.

Heading to the Island

2010-05-26T16:31:00.000-04:00

Lunch By The Bridge

2010-05-26T12:39:00.000-04:00

The highest point in Michigan

2010-05-26T09:28:00.000-04:00

First Rest Stop

2010-05-26T09:16:00.000-04:00

2009 Soccer Champs!

2009-10-31T22:00:00.000-04:00

This fall Andrew played on two soccer teams. The rec team that I have been coaching for the past 6 years and his school team. Both teams came in first place in their respective leagues.

Today Andrew had three soccer games. The first game at 9:30 this morning was our last Sonics game. We won 9 - 0. Andrew had one goal and one assist. We finished the season 7 - 1 - 1.

Right after we headed to Belleville for the School Tournament. Fortunately their team had a bye and only had to play two games. They won their first game 10 -1 and they beat their cross town rivals South Arbor 3 -1. In addition to winning the Tournament, they also won the sportsmanship trophy that is voted on by all the teams in their league.

For the tournament, they all painted their hair red. It really stood out on Andrew's head.

The Trophies!!!

2009 Halloween

2009-10-31T21:40:00.003-04:00

Andrew as Astro Boy.
I made the boots from foam rubber and felt and the hat is paper-mache'.

Matthew as Chuck Norris as Walker Texas Ranger
Thanks to Sarah, Matthew was sporting his official State of Texas Belt buckle and Walker Texas Ranger badge...direct from Texas.

Stephen as a Mime

Pumpkin Carving

2009-10-30T21:42:00.001-04:00

Due to a busy week we carved pumpkins on Thursday night. Sara came over with her pumpkin as well.

Robofest at CCA

2009-04-04T14:08:00.002-04:00

Andrew and his three friends entered the Robofest this year at CCA. They entered the Exhibition portion of the competition. They used LEGO RCX Mindstorm kits to make their robots. Trying to get 4 boys to focus on a task when there are three huge boxes of LEGO's, motors and sensors was like hearding cats.

We finally were able to focus them enough to complete their robots last night.

Their robot exhibition was called the Robot Recycler. The cans came down a chute and was picked up by a claw and taken to the crane. The crane had a magnet on it that picked up the can and moved it to the recyclying bin.

This is a short video of the robots in action. They ran into a couple of slight problems with the program towards the end of the competition that made the crane go a little haywire.

Final Four Seat Cushions

2009-04-04T14:05:00.001-04:00

Friday night Matthew and I went down to Ford Field to help prepare for Saturday's NCAA Final Four Games. Boys from our Scout Troop along with about 200 other scouts placed seat cushions on every seat in Ford Field. The stadium is set up to seat about 75,000 people for these games on Saturday. We did get a free seat cushions as a souvenir.

Sunday in the Park with Abe

2009-03-30T21:14:00.000-04:00

We started off on Sunday heading to the Washington Monument. When we
arrived at 10:00 all the tickets were gone for the day. Apparently you
had to get in line at 7:30 for tickets (they start distinuting them at
8:30). So we headed to the Jefferson Memorial. In addition to the
statue, it was the begining of the cherry blossom festival. The trees
around the Elipse were just begining to bloom.

We then headed to the American History Museum. We spent about four
hours there. There was a great exhibit about Abraham Lincoln as it
would have been his 200th birthday.

Matthew wanted to go to the ESPN Sportszone for dinner. I protested,
but he got his way. It was the worst meal of the trip. Food was
horrible and the service was weak.

After dinner we headed back to he Mall to see the WWII Memorial, the
Korean War Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial and the Vietnam War
Memorial. These were even better to see at night.

Saturday in DC

2009-03-29T10:19:00.001-04:00

On Saturday we visited Arlington Cemetary. We took the Metro out
there We saw the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers, JFK's tomb and Robert
E Lee's house. It was still drizzling out so we decided we to go hit
some museums rather than the zoo.

We went to the Air and Space Museum. My favorite exhibit was Wonder
Women's plane. We also ate lunch there. I have never dropped $42.00
on Mcdonalds for a family of five. (and some were still hungry).

Andrew had been bugging us all day to go to the Spy Museum. It was a
little pricey (especially compared to the Smithsonian), but was worth
it once.

We then went to the National Archives or "ar chives" as Andrew calls
it. We were in somewhat of a hurry due to dinner reservations, but
were able to see the Dexlaration of Independanxe and the Constitution.

We then met with Mike Zarowny, a friend from college that we had not
seen in almost 20 years. We had a nice dinner at an English Pub called
the Elwohant and Castle. After dinner we went back to the hotel for a
few drinks and to get caught up.

The Metro offers one day pass on the weekends. We took advantage of
this all day.

First night in DC

2009-03-27T21:19:00.000-04:00

We left Canton this morning a little after seven and after $20.00 in
tolls we arrived in Washington DC about 5:30.

We are staying at the JW Marriott right on Pennsylvania ave. Two
blocks from the White House.

At the reccomendation of my Dad we ate dinner at The Old Ebbitt
Grill. There was an hour wait, so we put our names in and went for a
walk around the White House. By the time we returned, we had a ten
minute wait Very good food. Kris had the crab cakes and I had the
trout. The two older boys split jambalaya. Stephen had their world
famous grilled cheese. We were going to hit the mall after dinner to
see some of the memorials, but it was raining. We came back and the
kids went swimming and I am getting ready to watch the State game.

Speed Eraser

2009-03-15T19:25:00.001-04:00

Stephen and I finished his pinewood derby car tonight. I only had to
help with one car this year. I have learned after helping build eleven
cars over the years that I don't know how to build for speed, only
show. The boys have won every year for design or paint. Stephen won
third place his first year (out of four boys).
Next year will be our last year for building pinewood derby cars.

My Side of the Mountain

2009-03-03T10:44:00.002-05:00

This week is reading week at the boys school. Today they dressed up
like a character from their favorite book. Andrew dressed as Sam, the
boy from the book My Side of the Mountain. This is one of his
favorite books. He has probably read it 10 times.

The glove is a falconer's glove for those of you who never read the
book. Sam had a pet falcon named Frightful that he raised from a chick.

Sports Team Day

2009-02-12T14:47:00.002-05:00

Today the boys got to wear a sports team uniform. Andrew wore a Pohang
Steelers, S. Korean soccer (football) team jersey that I brought back
from Korea a couple of years ago. Posco Steel sponsors the team.

Matthew wore his MSU shirt and Stephen wore a soccer jersey I brought
back from the Netherlands. The team is IJsselmeervpgels from
Spakenburg, NL.

50's Day

2009-02-11T15:40:00.000-05:00

Today was 50's day at school. Matthew dressed up as a nerd. Stephen
had his letter sweater, t-shirt and jeans. He had a pack of smokes in
his sleeve, but you can't see it on the photo. Andrew was still
playing Gordon Ramsey this morning and didn't want to dress up.

Crazy Hat Day

2009-02-10T09:16:00.000-05:00

I guess this one is self explanatory...

Career Day

2009-02-09T08:50:00.001-05:00

This week is Spirit Week at the boys school. Today is Career Day.
Andrew wants to be a Chef these days. He was so grumpy this morning we
started calling him Gordon Ramsey. Stephen wants to be a Doctor and
Matthew wants to be a Politician.

White Elephant

2009-01-24T22:33:00.001-05:00

We went to a white elephant party tonight. Our present is self
explanitory.

New Glasses

2009-01-24T15:09:00.000-05:00

Following in the long line of Kurts with bad eyes, Andrew went to the
eye doctor today and we found out he needed glasses. We chose the
frames below except they are brown and don't have a sticker across the
left eye.

Cub Scout Lock-up

2009-01-17T09:13:00.001-05:00

The Cub Scouts are touring the Canton police department. The are in
the holding cell.

Readyman

2009-01-15T20:43:00.001-05:00

Tonight my dad came down to work with Andrew's Webelos group on their
Readyman Badge. He taught them first aid.

Let it Snow

2009-01-10T12:47:00.002-05:00

This morning the boys spent about 2 1/2 hours outside. The built this cool snow fort by piling up all the snow on the driveway. The bonus is that I didn't have to shovel or snow blow.

Lilly Kathryn Dudley

2009-01-06T19:24:00.004-05:00

My new niece. She will have three big brothers to take care of her.

Born January 6, 2009

8 pounds 7 ounces

21 inches long

Lilly Kathryn

2009-01-06T19:23:00.002-05:00

Lilly Kathryn

2009-01-06T19:21:00.002-05:00

Reggie the Tuque Wearing Ballerina

2009-01-02T15:10:00.001-05:00

Shiner

2008-12-06T20:03:00.000-05:00

Snake face

2008-11-26T18:47:00.000-05:00

Daytona 500 Painting

2008-11-26T15:38:00.006-05:00

As many of you know since going to MIS, my family has become a huge NASCAR family. I saw a commercial for the following painting the other day. Any guess who the artist is?

Scroll
Down
for
the
Answer

The artist is Thomas Kinkade...The Painter of Light! My brother Jon thinks that Kinkade has gone too commercial.

Halloween Costumes

2008-10-31T20:35:00.003-04:00

Andrew the US Army Soldier

Stephen - Anakin Skywalker Matthew - Joe the Plumber

Joe the Plumber, complete with Buttcrack.

The Results

2008-10-28T21:38:00.003-04:00

We finished carving the pumpkins tonight. Normally we do it the day before Halloween, but this week is so hectic with Scouts, basketball tryouts, CCD, etc. this was the only day we could do it.

It gets easier to carve pumpkins each year. I remember there would be years where after about 10 minutes, I would be the only one left at the table. This year Matthew & Andrew pretty much gutted and carved their pumpkins by themselves. Stephen gutted his pumpkin and drew the design on for me to cut out.

I did find a cool website with a bunch of free patterns. Check this site out.

Andrew

Matthew

Stephen

Carving Pumpkins

2008-10-28T21:37:00.000-04:00

Make Up Artist Part 2

2008-10-27T22:18:00.001-04:00

She also used me as a victim. She needed to show the boys how to make up someone as an old man. (I think she figured that I was half way to being an old man, I was an easy choice.)

Make Up Artist

2008-10-27T22:10:00.001-04:00

At tonights Troop Meeting they were working on the Theatre Merit Badge. We had a professional make up artist come in to show the boys some cool make up ideas for Halloween and also for the stage. Kim is a professional make up artist in the area that has been working on many of the films that have been shot in Detroit recently.

She made Matthew up as a Zombie. The fleshy like stuff hanging off his face is made by letting spirit gum get tacky on the face and putting Kleenex on the sticky area. Then put grey and red make up around the area.

Before

During

After

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2008-10-27T20:14:00.000-04:00

Red Wings vs. Thrashers

2008-10-24T21:27:00.002-04:00

Making Chili

2008-10-21T19:55:00.005-04:00

Last weekend I made a big pot of chili. Andrew and Stephen wanted to help out. When it came time to chop the onions, they were having a tough time holding back the tears. Andrew tried out a few ideas he learned from Mythbusters, but none of them seemed to work. The next step was the swim goggles.

Four Religious Truths:

2008-10-20T09:51:00.001-04:00

An important primer on some of the world's great religions, as found on Niel Rubin's blog:

1. Muslims do not recognize Jews as God's chosen people.

2. Jews do not recognize Jesus as the Messiah.

3. Protestants do not recognize the Pope as the leader of the Christian world.

4. Baptists do not recognize each other at Hooters.

Lions Pre-Season Champions Shirts

2008-10-14T08:37:00.001-04:00

Click on picture for larger image.

Extreme Makover

2008-09-30T17:59:00.008-04:00

Our house just finished having a face-lift. Early this summer we decided that it was looking pretty shabby. Our house is about 34 years old and the trim was beginning to rot in some places, the nails holding the gutters were popping and the aluminum siding was stained. We ended up having all the siding replaced with vinyl, all the trim covered with aluminum and new vinyl soffets. We also had all new gutters and shutters installed.

When we were choosing the color for the siding, Kris wanted white. I let her know that if we were spending that kind of money, I wanted to make sure that people could tell that we had something done to the house. We chose a Tuscan Clay siding with white trim and blue shutters. We are very happy with the way it turned out.

The best news is that I will never have to paint the exterior!!!

Front BEFORE

Front AFTER

Side BEFORE

Side AFTER

Back BEFORE
Back AFTER

Family Room BEFORE
Family Room AFTER

Interesting Stat...

2008-09-16T18:40:00.002-04:00

Read this in the Detroit News today...

"Jon Kitna has thrown more interceptions than touchdown passes as a Lion."

Lion's New Logo

2008-09-12T21:26:00.000-04:00

Night of Destruction

2008-09-06T15:35:00.002-04:00

Friday night we went to the Toledo Speed way for the NIGHT OF DESTRUCTION!!!! There was a group of 20 that went down to see the figure 8 demolition derby, roll over contest, chain race, plywood race and the school bus figure 8 races.

The School Bus races ended abruptly when one of the bus' throttle stuck open and ran in to the retaining wall and fence. Fortunately no one was hurt and the driver walked away from the bus. This could have been a lot worse the bus stopped about 5 feet from the grand stand.

Video's from last years races are here, here and here. (they are about the same as this year).

Happy Birthday Kris!!!

2008-09-03T00:01:00.000-04:00

Now she is as old as I am...for nine days every year she tells me how much older I am, but sooner than later she seems to catch up to me.

Back to School

2008-09-02T22:53:00.002-04:00

Don't they look thrilled to be going back to school? Apparently 7:00 am was way too early to wake up today.

Matthew

Andrew

Stephen

President

2008-08-30T13:34:00.001-04:00

Not sure if you had heard or seen it on the news, but I have decided to throw my hat into the ring. You can check it out here.

Weekend Plans

2008-08-29T08:03:00.003-04:00

For those of you with no weekend plans yet, this guy has all the information you need to keep busy. Here is a list of all the TV marathons that are on this weekend. I can't wait for Monday when the "John & Kate Plus 8" Marathon airs on TLC.

Birthday Phone Call

2008-08-25T11:20:00.004-04:00

For those of you who forgot the rules to the Birthday Phone Call, or any new members of the family, here is the official link. Please note that these have been posted since November 28, 2006. There should be no excuses.

Apparently someone forgot Stephen's birthday and claimed he did not know the rules. I won't mention any names, but his birthday was on the same day that the rules were posted.

Rogers City (Guest Blogger)

2008-08-18T19:11:00.013-04:00

Last week Bob and Amy and their boys, Dan and I and our boys, and Mom and Wally went to Rogers City, MI. My mom was kind enough to rent her cousin, Marvin's cottage for us. There are 3 bedrooms and 1 huge loft room and 2 bathrooms. The cottage is just down the road from Lake Huron. It is on lots of land. The kids built a fort which kept them very occupied. There was enough room in the yard to play baseball and kickball. You know it's going to be a good game when the pregnant Aunt Amy is the best player on the adult team. Bob and Dan might have been better but they had to hold Max on their shoulders for pitching and batting.

One of the favorite things to do while we were at the cottage was using the ATV's. Marvin has 7 ATVs. When we were finished only 4 were in the same condition we found them in. 3 are being repaired. The kids were doing great on them at first and we became a little lax. On the first day Matthew, Andrew, and Alex ran into trees. No one was seriously hurt though Alex had to have stitches in his forehead.

Later we were more responsible and had an adult start the line of ATVs and another adult at the end.

I loved riding the ATV and was not in charge of any children when the accidents happened.

Marvin went up to the cottage the week before we arrived to make sure everything was in order. He went around and changed all of the names on the trails so that each of the kids and I had our names on a sign. The kids thought this was great. It was a very special touch that we would never have found anywhere else.
When we arrived Stephen's baby found its long lost dog. It was sitting on the porch waiting for our arrival.

Casino was one of the highlights. Bubba Wally is teaching all of the kids to play poker and black jack. He even supplies the money for gambling. Each of the kids came away with approximately $7. We also taught the Dudley's to play Speed Scrabble and Hearts. I learned to play Cribbage. We played lots of checkers and chess, too.

We tried to get a good picture at the end of the trip. The only place we could get Max to smile was sitting on the ATV. So the background on this picture isn't the greatest but Max is happy. (Mom, you look great in this picture).

Max turns 2 on August 18th (Happy Birthday Max!) and Stephen turns 8 on August 22nd. We celebrated their birthdays at the cottage. Stephen got a bunch of stuff from the dollar store (cap guns, trick cards, a whoopie cushion, flarp, and other items that made his mother extremely happy). Max got a flashlight and Little People boat.

We also went to Mackinac City, St. Ignace for the Mystery Spot, the beach on Lake Michigan that runs along Rte. 2 in the UP, Ocqueoc Falls, the beach in Rogers City, and the quarry in Rogers City. It was a great vacation. All of the kids got along great. My children picked up some new Samisms and Maxisms. We were all sorry to see the week end. We hope to be allowed to go again.

Nascar Carfax 250

2008-08-16T14:50:00.001-04:00

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2008-08-16T12:00:00.000-04:00

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2008-08-16T11:19:00.000-04:00

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2008-08-16T11:16:00.000-04:00

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2008-08-10T22:48:00.000-04:00

2008 Summer Olympics

2008-08-10T22:07:00.000-04:00

I have ATT Uverse for my cable (It's not really cable as it all comes through the telephone line and is distributed throughout my house via CAT5 wiring). For Olympic coverage I have 17 channels (10 in HD) that are broadcasting the Olypmics during somepoint in the day. I even have a Korean Olympic channel. I just finished watching the Korean women beat the Italians in team archery (At least I think they did, it was all in Korean).

In addition, they have VOD for events that happen throughout the day. I was able to re-watch the Opening Ceremony. They also have an interactive site which gives up to the minute medal status and news stories.

I am really looking forward to this year's Olympics although I am very dissapointed that Jon and Beth did not make it.

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2008-08-08T14:37:00.000-04:00

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2008-08-08T14:35:00.000-04:00

Sleeping in Airports

2008-07-17T09:38:00.004-04:00

For those of you who travel quite a bit, you may want to think about investing in one of these babies...the Mini Motel.For $50.00 it comes with the following:

Air Mattress
Pillow
Bed Sheet
Alarm Clock
Reading Light
Tooth Brush & Tooth Paste
Ear Plugs
Eye Shades

Another website that may be of interest is www.sleepinginairports.com. Amserdam was the #1 and Seoul, Incheon Korea was ranked #8 as the best airports to sleep in. They have ranked Chicago O'Hare as the #3 worst airport to sleep in and JFK received a dishonorable mention.

Like Mother, Like Daughter.

2008-07-06T12:10:00.001-04:00

Everyone thinks that Allie is a "Little Susan." These pictures prove it!

Scout Camp

2008-06-30T16:57:00.000-04:00

Matthew was at Scout Camp last week. His troop was at Cole Canoe Base in Alger. While there he earned Swimming, Camping & Sports Merit Badges. He also earned a partial in Physical Fitness, Orienteering & Archery.

His favorite meal was the Beast Feast. Each troop cooks their specialty food and everyone from camp can sample the other groups food. They had a River Rat Rodeo, War Canoe Race, Ice Cream Social, Movie Night and Pig Roast on Friday.

The weather was OK. It rained a little almost every day. When we arrived on Friday night to pick him up, there were thunderstorm warnings. About 8:30, right before the big closing campfire was to begin, it started coming down in buckets. They ended up moving the campfire under the large pavilion.

This was Matthew & Bendan's tent at the start of camp.

This was Matthew's side of the tent on the last day of camp.

This was Brendan's side.

Fore!!

2008-06-30T16:56:00.000-04:00

Andrew and Stephen took golf lessons last week. They learned putting & pitching, driving and use of their irons.

I consider these lessons part of my retirement plan. Hopefully one of them will be the next Tiger Woods.

They both seemed to really enjoy it. I have taken them to Lower Huron Metro Parks which has a nice par 3 course. Best thing about it is that it is $6.00 for 18 holes. The longest hole is about 125 yards.

Innapropriate Use of Air Quotes

2008-06-24T19:36:00.001-04:00

Stephen and Andrew took golf lessons this week. After his first lesson, Stephen asked Kris for a golf "Shirt" (using air quotes where the quotation marks are).

Apparently he wanted a Dri-Fit golf shirt.

Happy Fathers Day, Dan! (Guest Blogger)

2008-06-15T19:35:00.002-04:00

Dan got a coupon jar from Stephen, a Dremel, a pizza pan for the grill, a cover for the grill, a "King of the House" crown from Matthew, Dad's root beer candy from Andrew, and some Margaritaville chips and salsas. Happy Father's Day to the best Dad around!

Fathers Weekend Sunday (Guest Blogger)

2008-06-15T19:10:00.003-04:00

Today we went to the Tigers vs. Dodgers game at Comerica Park. Friends from Dan's old job had eight tickets. Matthew sat with them in the Tiger Den...cushy seats right behind home plate. Dan, Andrew, Stephen, and I sat in Tiger Den also but in the foul ball section along the third base line.

Magglio Ordonez and Placido Polanco warming up before the game started.

One big bat!

Tigers won the game 5-4. We did have a rain delay of about 45 minutes in the fifth inning. It poured! We went to Cheli's Chili Bar in Dearborn (the restaurant in the one downtown was not open). The chili was excellent!

Fathers Weekend Saturday (Guest blogger)

2008-06-15T19:06:00.007-04:00

On Saturday we went to Cathie's parents for a Fathers Day Weekend Pool Party. The kids are all waterbabies and spent the day in the pool. They did take time out to enjoy some delicious food. The wings are always a favorite!

Susan, Dave, and Dan take a quick break from the water.

Dad and Judy were only able to stay for a short time as they had a graduation party to attend.

All of the kids spent some time jumping into the pool in some way. Ben jumped to Susan.

Andrew was airlifted by Uncle Dave!

Dave, Kevin, and Matthew tried diving into the floating basketball net.

Matthew being tossed about by Uncle Dave.

We got a good laugh watching and trying to teach Susan how to dive. She did manage to actually dive one time. Most of the time, however, she belly flopped or just fell in.

Dan tried making a smiley face out of sunscreen on Dave's belly while he was sleeping. Ben saw it and said, "He not know that there, does he? That funny." We all thought so, too, especially when Dave put his hand on his stomach and then rubbed his hair down.

Stephen shows what an exhausting day we had with tons of fun! Thanks to the Lebbons to opening their home and pool to our motley crew.

To see the rest of the pictures click here.

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2008-06-15T12:42:00.001-04:00

Jimmy Buffett 2008

2008-06-10T22:46:00.001-04:00

Kris and I went to see Jimmy Buffett tonight at Pine Knob (DTE Music Theater).

Great concert as always. Believe it or not, we were not the oldest people there (nor the youngest).

Below are my attempts at taking video with my phone. Needs some work.

Margaritaville

2008-06-10T22:13:00.002-04:00

Pirate Looks at 40

2008-06-10T22:01:00.002-04:00

Cheeseburger in Paradise

2008-06-10T21:05:00.002-04:00

Young Eagles

2008-06-07T14:08:00.001-04:00

This morning the two older boys took part in the EAA Young Eagles program at the Canton Mettetal Airport.

A couple of Sunday's ago they boys went through the training session, learning about flying, Bernoulli's principal, etc. It was too windy to fly, so the flight was rescheduled for today.

These pilots donate their time and fuel and plane to take these kids up for a 10-15 minute ride.

Co-Pilot Andrew

Andrew taking off. Another one of the scouts heading back in.

Matthew & Brendan after their flight.

Cedar Point Field Trip

2008-06-07T13:45:00.002-04:00

Kris went with Matthew and his class to Cedar Point yesterday for a field trip.

Memorial Day

2008-05-23T22:48:00.001-04:00

In school, Matthew has to do community service each month that pertains the moral focus of the month. This month their theme is Patriotism.

Matthew and his friend Brendan helped place flags on the Grave Sites of Veterans at the Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly, MI tonight.

They placed the flag in front of each site and then saluted each veteran.

Lunch at the Grand

2008-05-22T13:17:00.001-04:00

Arch Rock

2008-05-22T12:49:00.001-04:00

Boarding the Jon for the Island

2008-05-21T19:15:00.001-04:00

Sleeping Bear Dunes

2008-05-21T10:25:00.001-04:00

Way too Early

2008-05-21T07:57:00.001-04:00

Left at 3:00 am heading to Mackinac Island with the 4th grade class. Stopped in Kalkaska for breakfast.

HAT TRICK!!!!

2008-05-10T17:40:00.002-04:00

Andrew had his second Hat Trick of his career this afternoon as the Sonics won 4-3. This hat trick would be considered a "flawless hat trick" as he scored all three goals consecutively and in the same period. It was not a perfect hat trick as he did not score one with his right foot, left foot and head.

Sonics record is now 4-1-1.

Bathroom Remodel

2008-05-08T22:46:00.003-04:00

I am on the downside of our bathroom remodel. It all started with a leak in the bathroom around the bathtub. I decided to re-caulk the tub and surround. As I was scraping up the old caulk, the vinyl flooring cracked. As we now had to replace the flooring, the project grew from this to if we replace the floor, we have to pull the vanity up. If we pull the vanity up, we might as well get a new vanity. If we get new vanity, we need a new counter top, stink, faucets, etc. Then of course we had to strip the boarder and re-paint and get new hardware for the walls so that everything matches.

Good news is that the trim around the window in the bathroom has been painted. We had new windows installed 2 years ago. This is the first to get painted.

Best part about it is that there is extra room for toothbrushes on the counter top.

I am pleased at how it turned out. The only thing left is to get the kick-plate installed (we had to send the original one back) and seal the grout.

Here are a few destruction shots and finished shots.

Sonics Game #5

2008-05-07T20:58:00.000-04:00

Sonics tied today 3 -3. We came from a 3 - 1 deficit in the last 10 minutes of the game. Andrew scored our third goal to bring us to a tie. This team is the other undefeated team in our league.

This is Andrew's 4th goal in the past three games. Two of these goals were key goals. The first to win the game 1-0 and the second to tie us up in the last seconds of the game. Five more games left.

Sonics Game 4

2008-05-03T20:57:00.000-04:00

Sonics lost today. This puts our record at 3-1. Fortunaltely this was a non-conference game and does not count in the official standings.

The score was 6 -4. Andrew was on a roll today and scored 2 goals for the Sonics. Bribery will get you somewhere. We told him if he scored today he could choose the restaurant that we went to for dinner. Much to my Dad & Judy's dismay, we went to O'Sushi for some Tuna Rolls, California Rolls, Bulgogi and Bibimbap. This is Andrews favorite restaurant.

Ben at O'Sushi

2008-05-03T17:26:00.001-04:00

Cross Country Final Meet

2008-05-02T20:59:00.000-04:00

Matthew had his final meet last Thursday. He ran the 1.5 miles in 12:25. He will be going to the State Meet (for all of the NHA schools in Michigan) in Lansing next Wednesday. He will be running in the non-qualifier race (only the top 7 qualify to run in the state meet).