Congrats, Carson!

Carson is learning lots in 2nd grade....and so are we. Several weeks ago, Carson brought home his weekly spelling quiz and he missed a few. Even though Tara and I thought the words looked pretty difficult, we asked him, and his TEACHER, about the spelling test. What we didn't know is that Carson aces his regular spelling quiz every week....and if this happens, he gets another 'advanced test' that is quite a bit more difficult. Here is a photo of his most recent 'advanced spelling test':

As usual, GREAT JOB CARSON!!

Of course, school work isn't the only thing going on around our house. Carson just had his last soccer game of the season however soccer isn't over. He rolls right into another session of indoor soccer for the winter season. Here is a photo of Carson controlling the ball. It's really amazing how far these kids have come in the past 3 or 4 years.

If you ask Carson whats been going on recently, he will undoubtedly give you a big smile and tell you the same thing he's been telling everyone else for the past week......Grandpa (Don) in Elmwood is helping coach his Dominator's select baseball team. This is a really big deal to Carson and goes to show you that it isn't a $300 Playstation 3 or a $500 Ipad that means the most to kids. Carson says, 'Thanks Grandpa.' And he really means it.

Sight Words

Tara and I went to Hannah's parent-teacher conferences a few days ago and were told that Hannah was working on 'sight words'. She brought flash-cards home to help work on these and tonight unveiled these cards. She has several of them down but asked for help on a few. Here is an example on one she needed help on:

She wasn't quite sure if the first letter was an 'h' or an 'n'. Radically different meanings so I hope it's an 'n'. At least for a word they are learning in preschool. To top it all off, her teacher sent home some of Hannah's school work completed during the day. Of course, they were working on sight words again. Her teacher got a kick out of it....and so did we. Again, I'm not quite sure what they are trying to achieve in preschool but she has a few choice sight words down:

...And Hannah's View on Vacation

Hannah had fun on vacation with the camera. She especially liked taking pictures of herself! After taking a few pics of something that caught her eye, she would say 'now, I'll take a picture of me.' Here is one of those pictures:

Here is one that she snapped....but Carson is practicing his 'major league no-pictures' pose:

Another of herself:

And another:

And one of the statue in the room....it's kind of an interesting picture:

Vacation Pics

As promised, here are a few pictures of vacation. This one is of Carson near the top of the mountain:

This one is Carson on a Bungee set-up at the activities center near the entrance to the gondola:

Here is one of Carson, Hannah, and I looking down one of the ski runs near the top of the mountain:

This one is a staged picture by Carson. He fell in love with a $3 million dollar home and wanted his picture taken by the front of it. We told him to offer the owner $3.1 million for it but they can't cash the check for another 15 years...

Pushing out the Cessna 182 before the flight:

Here is a photo taken by Hannah near the top of Fish Creek Falls, an extremely scenic place that we visited...

This first one is of the kids off a trail at the top of the mountain. We rode the gondola to the top and started to walk the trails...

Here is a view of the kids at the top after just getting off the gondola...

Our 'ride' up in the mountains. Cheryl let us borrow her CJ-7 to drive up Buff Pass and around in the mountains. The kids liked driving around without any doors!

Ahhh.....Vacation!

We just returned from a vacation in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. I swear, everytime I go there, I think about selling the house and staying a few years. We had a blast...it was definately a vacation to remember. While I plan on inserting a few photographs and blogging on this trip a bit more, I wanted to throw up a few videos that were captured on the trip:

The first one is of the family going up in a Cessna 182 flown around Steamboat. This was the first time the kids have been on an airplane and they did great!

The next one is of Hannah participating in one of the fun stations at the base of the mountain. It was mostly geared toward older kids but this bouncy house was just up her alley:

When we took Carson to the kids activity area at the base of the mountain, he immediately wanted to participate in the mechanical bull station. I'm actually shocked that he knew some of the 'technique':

Here is a clip of Hannah dancing at her first concert. Believe me, this was some first concert....complete with earth-loving people smoking fancy cigarettes (read between the lines on this one). The music was outstanding though, and if you listen closely, you can hear Carson wanting to leave and Hannah in complete disagreement:

I will post pictures of the trip later as well....but we had a really great stay. We love this place!

And a Few Other Pics...

We've had a busy summer. Here are a few random pictures of us....
I'm still on the SWAT team and serve as one of the Team Leaders. Here, Destry and I are coming up with a game plan during a training scenario using explosive breaching.

The group coming to see Jon Sundermeier and I play at a local winery. From left: Troy, JoAnn, Krista, Tara, a friend of my Grandma's, and Grandma Dorothy.

Jon and I playing at a local winery....we play acoustic sets from time to time at different venues.

Hannah after getting home from a birthday party for one of her close friends.

Baseball Season Over...Sort Of

Carson had his last game of the season a few days ago. This was a GREAT game....certainly the best of the year. His team was the 2nd seed in the tournament and they were paired up against the #1 seed for all the marbles. I think that Tara and I were more nervous about the game then Carson was.

At any rate, our team came out sluggish as they usually did all year and the other team hung 3 runs on our guys quick. The rest of the game was back and forth. In the top of the 6th inning (the last inning for this age group) our guys came back from slightly behind to take a 9-7 lead.

When the other team was up to bat in the bottom of the inning, our guys recorded two quick outs and began to 'celebrate'...they were hugging and high-fiving, and pouring champagne over each other's heads (not really...but they were excited). Then, the other team loaded the bases and brought their best hitter to the plate.

All of the parents, including Tara and I, were nervous. Their best player lined one to the 2nd baseman who snagged the ball for the last out....and our guys really began to celebrate! It was the best game all year, by far.

Here are a couple 'action shots' taken of Carson during his last game as a Junior Saltdog:

This season is in the books HOWEVER, Carson tried out for a select baseball team and made it. Now, he plays for the Dominators, a very competitive select baseball team made up of 8 year olds....and they've already started practice gearing up for fall ball and a winter tournament.

Great game and season Carson (undefeated)....and good luck with the new team.

Interesting Questions for a Grandpa

This past week, Grandpa Steve from Columbus made the trip to Lincoln to watch Carson's baseball game. On the car ride home, after a significant route of the other team by Carson and his team of 8 and 9 year old professionals, Hannah overheard Tara and Steve mention something about Troy, her uncle.

'So, you know Troy?' Hannah asks Steve.

This made everyone laugh and reminded us of the time that Carson was sitting at the dinner table with Grandpa Steve in Columbus. Out of the blue, Carson asked Steve, 'So, do you have kids?'

Looks like Carson and Hannah are even when it comes to trick questions for Grandpa Steve.

'Cept They're Old

We have another Hannah-ism that reared its head awhile ago...

She was talking about The Landing again, a retirement community where their school travels from time to time. Hannah was telling Tara about her day.

She said that 'they' do the same things that she does. About that same time, she saw one of her drawings on the floor.

'They color too, just like us....'cept their old,' Hannah said.

Not very politically correct but she is a sharp one.

GOOOAAAALLLLLLL!!!!!

Carson had his last soccer game this afternoon. They played about 8 or 10 games this season and the other teams got progressively more talented. So today's game ended up being a good one. Despite the weather being somewhat hot and windy, the boys played hard and ended up with a win. Score: 4 to 3.

Before the game, we talked to Carson and told him that it was his last game. He needed to give it his all and hustle when he's on the field. Carson did his usual 'I know, I know' comment....so we weren't quite sure how much he heard but when the ball was put in play, Carson brought his 'A' game. He played great defense, passed the ball well, hustled back to thwart a few scoring opportunities by the other team, and scored a few goals. 4 goals to be exact....and the last one was the best one of all:

The score was tied 3-3. About 5 minutes left in the game. The intensity began to pick up with both teams trying to break the tie. Carson stole the ball from mid field and dribbled around a few defenders toward the right side.....then hammered a shot from the right edge of the box past the goalie.

Great season Carson! He scored at least 2 goals in every game, played aggressively, is continuing to improve his soccer skills every game, and had lots of fun. I can't wait until fall soccer starts up to see the show.

Going to the Dogs

This past weekend was host to neighborhood garage sales in our area. Once our kids found out about it, they were asking to do a lemonade stand...and have been asking about it for about two weeks! So, Tara and her friend purchased some lemonade, tea, pop, and cookies for the stand, made up signage for the kids, and helped them set up. Pictured above is Hannah, Carson, and their friend Lillie peddling their inventory.

The cool thing about this pop stand...all the proceeds will NOT be going towards video games, soccer balls, baby dolls, or candy. It's going to benefit the kids' favorite charity...the Capital Humane Society. The kids were excited for the stand because they were excited to earn money to give to the dogs.

It's really important for the kids to learn generosity and they have really taken to the Capital Humane Society. So, in about 4 hours work (which has to be close to the Guinness World Record for 3 kids sitting in one place selling drinks) they were able to earn a whopping $23 which will be taken to the center sometime this week. Great job, Hannah, Carson, and Lillie!!!

That's My Boy

I snapped a photo of Carson one morning this week. It's a typical morning for him....get up and get dressed, brush his hair and teeth, and catch a little ESPN Sportscenter (in the toy room) while waiting for me to make him breakfast.

That's the kind of thing that makes a Dad smile!

Mother's Day Weekend

Hannah, Tara, and her mom decided to plan a girls getaway in Kansas City this past weekend. They booked a hotel room, planned to shop until they dropped, and drove down on Saturday. I talked with them often and it sounded like they were having a great time. In fact, I couldn't get Hannah off the phone when she called Saturday evening to tell me about the day's events.

On Sunday, they decided to do a bit more shopping and on the way out of town, they made a quick stop at Cabela's. Now, anyone who knows Tara would realize that Cabela's isn't her first choice in stores...and it isn't JoAnn's either. And Hannah doesn't know the difference...

So before going into the store, Tara prepped Hannah for what she might see. Of course there are several trophy animals stuffed and mounted in Kansas City Cabela's and this can be a tough one to explain to a four year old whose only experience with these types of animals is in a zoo...where they are alive. Tara explained that hunters donated the animals that they shot so other people could see them. They look real but they are not alive.

They started their tour looking at raccoon and wolves, bears and deer. Hannah was pretty inquisitive asking who shot all the deer....and they continued the tour until they came across this: And Hannah says matter of factly, 'And that's the person that got shotted.' Yep folks. Cabela's stuffs people as well...it's only fair.

Been Awhile

It's been quite a while since we've (I've) posted a story. It's not that we haven't had new and funny things happen; It's just that I haven't been very religious about documenting them in key strokes.

Since the last post, we've been going in all different directions. Carson was playing league soccer with several Yugoslavian and Spanish kids for several weeks. They take their soccer seriously so this was the first time Carson played using goalies and referees calling everything. He really excelled at this.....the coaches put Carson at forward however he HATES when the other team scores so he would naturally migrate back a little far to protect the goal. That means that Carson was tired after each game, which is good for him.

Carson is now playing on a YMCA soccer team with a few of his friends from Adams School. They played their first two games in late March/early April so they could rank the teams and make the games more competitive. Carson scored two goals in his first game and 4 goals in the second game. They played their third game last week where he scored two goals; One was an outstanding kick from the right corner where he only had a small window to get it in. He is really doing well.

Carson also plays flag football and is attending a football clinic where they teach him different parts of the game and get the kids ready for the fall. He is signed up for baseball already (back in February) but hasn't had a practice or game yet.....that is the next thing to look forward to.

Hannah is feisty as ever. We call her our 'project manager' and that is an understatement. She has a great memory and likes to point out all the things that we need to do or forgot to do. Case in point: Carson went through his homework a little fast last week. Tara mentioned to Carson that if his homework isn't up to snuff, his teacher will have a problem with it. Hannah made an obvious mental note of this because when Tara picked Carson up that day, Hannah was in the back seat asking her brother, 'Carson, what did your teacher say about your homework?'

Hannah is currently doing a program called 'Dance, Dance, Dance' through her daycare. She looks forward to her Dance day and LOVES music. She also LOVES to annoy her brother so breaking up scrums in the living room over some dumb toy that neither child would ever really want to play with is a daily occurrence.

Tara and I are still doing the same thing.....work, cleaning the house, trying to talk the kids into taking baths and going to bed at a reasonable hour, getting them to their birthday parties, practices, games, etc.

It's been busy around here..........

Past Due For a Post

Well.....we had a great Christmas and new years and things have been busy around our house. Between scooping snow, running kids to activities, keeping up with work, taking care of house projects and hanging out with friends, I've been slacking on writing anything on this blog. Life happens!!

Hannah is in gymnastics class now at the YMCA and loves it. Last Wednesday was her first day and we were worried that she wouldn't want to participate. Any of you that know Hannah knows that she is 'all talk' before any activity then turns into a clingy shy girl when it come 'game time.' I took her to class and she seemed excited but when the instructors called all the kids to stretch out before getting into the activities, she became clingy again....'uh oh' I thought. But soon thereafter, she was out there doing what she was supposed to do and listening to the instructors like a champ. I'm glad she found something that she likes to keep her busy.

Today, the whole family ran Carson to indoor soccer...this is about the 3rd or 4th Saturday of the winter session. Up until today, I've been taking Carson by myself and giving feedback to Tara about how he was doing but it doesn't really do it justice. She had to see for herself.

Today, the kids practiced for the first 40 minutes (like usual) and then the head coach split the kids up for 5 on 5 games lasting the last 20 minutes. After the coach made the selections, Tara asked why Marty (the coach) handpicks the teams. 'You'll see,' I told her.

For the next 20 minutes, Tara was a proud mother. Carson did great and it was a battle out there between all 10 players. It's amazing to see the progress from the first time he touched a soccer ball and now. Towards the end of the game, a guy sitting next to Tara struck up a conversation about having Carson play on his YMCA team. He was impressed with how Carson handled the ball and his hustle on the field. The man's wife joked around about giving Tara recruiting paperwork. As a parent, I'm sure Tara was beaming with pride to have someone ask her son to play on their team.

As soon as the game ended, the mother of two boys that Carson had just played against came over to Tara and asked if Carson would play on their Capital Soccer select team. Her husband was a soccer player in Yugoslavia and is now an international referee. They too were impressed with Carson's play and believe that good players should play with other good players to continue to excel. I was proud but probably not as much as Tara. Tara and Carson have a special bond and I could see that today was an extremely proud moment for her.

As a parent, you're always proud of your kids' accomplishments and usually their biggest fans. And you usually have a biased view about how they do in sports or school or whatever. It's always nice for others to ratify what you believe in your kids.....

Go Carson! Keep working hard and, for gosh sakes, please get a scholarship so I don't have to pay for college!