Tomorrow morning I'm going to pick up two of my three favorite boys from camp! So so so excited to see them again. We're heading straight from there to Lodi, because Brendan has a soccer game at 2pm.
It's his last game until the fall, so get your soccer fix now, while you still can. Also, we're playing the Jackson Fury boys team, which is comprised mostly of his old teammates from Jackson Select (which doesn't exist anymore - long story), so it'll be a reunion of sorts :)
It's going to be their last game with their current goalkeeper, Andrew, who is moving to another state with his family before the next school year. Field six, hope to see you there! Bring chairs. And sunscreen. And water.
Friday, June 22, 2012
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Scout camp
Here's our very favorite Tiger Cub, enjoying cub scout day camp, the same week his brother is off at Boy Scout camp with Daddy:
This picture makes me laugh. He's so awesome. Thanks so much to everyone for helping out this week to make it happen for him!! Grandpa George volunteered to chaperone for two days, Grandma JP did one, and Papa took one, too. Many fish were caught, crafts made, arrows shot, and slingshots slung. We're outrageously grateful for all of the wonderful family support we have.
This picture makes me laugh. He's so awesome. Thanks so much to everyone for helping out this week to make it happen for him!! Grandpa George volunteered to chaperone for two days, Grandma JP did one, and Papa took one, too. Many fish were caught, crafts made, arrows shot, and slingshots slung. We're outrageously grateful for all of the wonderful family support we have.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
This weekend (6/16)
Nothing. That's all. Not a single sporting event for either child. You'll have to find some other way to entertain yourselves with all the free time :)
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Six!!
This post is long-overdue, but everyone who reads this blog knows I barely have time to shower these days. I swear the phrase "Better late than never!" was tattooed on my behind the day I entered this world.
This is what six looks like:
So, we celebrated. And celebrated some more! We started off with a carnival themed birthday party for all of Nate's friends from Kindergarten. It was even better than I could have ever imagined!! Some of Brendan's friends came and helped out with the games, and I'm pretty sure they had just as much fun as the little kids.
They played soccer
Throw the ball at a pyramid of cans
Balloon darts (heavily supervised by Papa, thank goodness!)
Ring toss:
Bowling and duck pond
Tickets for prizes
There were popcorn and cotton candy, and of course, cupcakes!
And everyone had a blast and went home with a bag of random prizes and a belly full of junk food. The end.
But wait! There's more!!
Right after his kid party the family came and celebrated with him, too! There was even more junk food, even more cake (thanks Miss Charlene!), and even some presents! What a lucky little boy.
We celebrated on his actual birthday at the QQ Buffet, one of his favorite places on the planet. We were supposed to go to Rude Dawgs, but it turns out they're not open on Sundays. So, we had a grand time at QQ, and promised a raincheck on Rude Dawgs.
He got to cash in his rain check the very next day, just to make sure that Birthdaypalooza continued with flair.
Rude Dawgs is a local restaurant that serves mostly hot dogs. They're also supposed to be rude to the customers, but the girl waiting on us was a sweet teenager whose attempts to be rude fell totally flat. Here's the birthday boy, playing Vanna White:
Their schtick is that they have a hot dog called the Porter Pounder. It's a one-pound hot dog, on a loaf of french bread, covered in chili, nacho cheese, french fries, pickles, and god knows what else. If you can eat it in ten minutes or fewer, then you get a t-shirt or something. Nate has been coveting one of these things for months, ever since he saw a group of guys order them one night when he was there with Mike. We promised him he could have one for his birthday, and he's been gleefully looking forward to this day ever since. His brother decided to make the ultimate sacrifice and pitch in to help eat it.
This is what six looks like:
So, we celebrated. And celebrated some more! We started off with a carnival themed birthday party for all of Nate's friends from Kindergarten. It was even better than I could have ever imagined!! Some of Brendan's friends came and helped out with the games, and I'm pretty sure they had just as much fun as the little kids.
They played soccer
Throw the ball at a pyramid of cans
Balloon darts (heavily supervised by Papa, thank goodness!)
Ring toss:
Bowling and duck pond
Tickets for prizes
(strategizing)
There were popcorn and cotton candy, and of course, cupcakes!
And everyone had a blast and went home with a bag of random prizes and a belly full of junk food. The end.
But wait! There's more!!
Right after his kid party the family came and celebrated with him, too! There was even more junk food, even more cake (thanks Miss Charlene!), and even some presents! What a lucky little boy.
We celebrated on his actual birthday at the QQ Buffet, one of his favorite places on the planet. We were supposed to go to Rude Dawgs, but it turns out they're not open on Sundays. So, we had a grand time at QQ, and promised a raincheck on Rude Dawgs.
He got to cash in his rain check the very next day, just to make sure that Birthdaypalooza continued with flair.
Rude Dawgs is a local restaurant that serves mostly hot dogs. They're also supposed to be rude to the customers, but the girl waiting on us was a sweet teenager whose attempts to be rude fell totally flat. Here's the birthday boy, playing Vanna White:
Their schtick is that they have a hot dog called the Porter Pounder. It's a one-pound hot dog, on a loaf of french bread, covered in chili, nacho cheese, french fries, pickles, and god knows what else. If you can eat it in ten minutes or fewer, then you get a t-shirt or something. Nate has been coveting one of these things for months, ever since he saw a group of guys order them one night when he was there with Mike. We promised him he could have one for his birthday, and he's been gleefully looking forward to this day ever since. His brother decided to make the ultimate sacrifice and pitch in to help eat it.
Whoa, you weren't kidding!
I can take this thing! Watch me eat this pickle!
No, seriously, this thing was ginormous. You truly have no way to picture what a one pound hot dog looks like without a visual aid.
It's really pretty hard to say whether more ended up on his face, or in his belly.
Defeated! But honestly, aren't you surprised at how much they ate?
Nathan even decided to challenge the Man vs. Food guy to a challenge. Enjoy the hilarity (you probably have to turn your head to the right. I might fix it later if I have the time or inclination):
It's just outrageous how awesome this kid is. He's sweet, thoughtful, smart, and hilarious. We wouldn't trade him for anything. Keep rocking six, buddy.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
This weekend (6/9)
Sorry I haven't posted in forever. Life has . . . gotten in the way. I'm working an insane amount of hours, and things are just crazy.
At any rate, this weekend should be an exciting one! I'll throw out a plug for the Canton Blues Festival ( http://www.downtowncantonevents.com/canton-blues-festival). We go every year. Usually it falls closer to our anniversary and we go make a fun date of it. This year we're just going to have to try to cram it in on our usual Friday night date night. I'm also crossing my fingers and hoping that our favorite restaurant, the Canton Club, is open.
So, Saturday, we have a time conflict with the boys' soccer games. Nathan's last game of the season is going to be Saturday morning at 9:30, field 2. Afterward, they're going to give out participation certificates and I think have a little celebration with a bounce house in the Middle School gym.
Unfortunately, Brendan has a game in Lodi at 9:00, too. He has to be there by 8:30 for warmup, and the game will last until 10-ish, so there's really no hope of catching any portion of Nate's game. Boo! It may or may not be his last game of the spring season. He has another one scheduled for 6/23, which I think is the day they're coming back from scout camp, so I don't know if he's going to make it. Mike is hopeful. I'm dubious.
In other news, we now have a Middle Schooler and a First Grader! Can you believe it? Neither can we! The boys' last day of school was yesterday. The cub scout pack planned a super fun celebration at Sluggers and Putters in Canal Fulton. It was such a blast! The boys rode the bumper boats and got soaked. Nate rode the bumper cars three times in a row and didn't throw up! He also cheated ridiculously at mini golf, and accidentally lost his ball in a decorative fire hydrant. Ooops! We capped the night off with a trip to Menchie's for Last Day of School ice cream, per our family tradition. The kids were soaking wet, the night was chilly, and the ice cream didn't help. Here's a very dark and blurry camera phone picture of Nathan enjoying his ridiculous concoction:
This summer they both have an action-packed schedule. Nate is spending most of the summer at a YMCA camp that's not far from our house. One week he's going to bible school at St. Stephen's, one week he's going to cub scout day camp, and one week they're both going to the beach with Papa. Brendan's schedule is a little more complicated. He's spending one week at boy scout camp, one week at the University of Akron's soccer camp, three weeks at Stark State's Kids College, one week at the beach, and the rest of the summer at Y-camp like Natey. Am I forgetting anything? Probably. Remember that old PSA, "It's five o'clock, do you know where your child is?" Well, around here, the answer is sometimes "No, not really."
At any rate, this weekend should be an exciting one! I'll throw out a plug for the Canton Blues Festival ( http://www.downtowncantonevents.com/canton-blues-festival). We go every year. Usually it falls closer to our anniversary and we go make a fun date of it. This year we're just going to have to try to cram it in on our usual Friday night date night. I'm also crossing my fingers and hoping that our favorite restaurant, the Canton Club, is open.
So, Saturday, we have a time conflict with the boys' soccer games. Nathan's last game of the season is going to be Saturday morning at 9:30, field 2. Afterward, they're going to give out participation certificates and I think have a little celebration with a bounce house in the Middle School gym.
Unfortunately, Brendan has a game in Lodi at 9:00, too. He has to be there by 8:30 for warmup, and the game will last until 10-ish, so there's really no hope of catching any portion of Nate's game. Boo! It may or may not be his last game of the spring season. He has another one scheduled for 6/23, which I think is the day they're coming back from scout camp, so I don't know if he's going to make it. Mike is hopeful. I'm dubious.
In other news, we now have a Middle Schooler and a First Grader! Can you believe it? Neither can we! The boys' last day of school was yesterday. The cub scout pack planned a super fun celebration at Sluggers and Putters in Canal Fulton. It was such a blast! The boys rode the bumper boats and got soaked. Nate rode the bumper cars three times in a row and didn't throw up! He also cheated ridiculously at mini golf, and accidentally lost his ball in a decorative fire hydrant. Ooops! We capped the night off with a trip to Menchie's for Last Day of School ice cream, per our family tradition. The kids were soaking wet, the night was chilly, and the ice cream didn't help. Here's a very dark and blurry camera phone picture of Nathan enjoying his ridiculous concoction:
This summer they both have an action-packed schedule. Nate is spending most of the summer at a YMCA camp that's not far from our house. One week he's going to bible school at St. Stephen's, one week he's going to cub scout day camp, and one week they're both going to the beach with Papa. Brendan's schedule is a little more complicated. He's spending one week at boy scout camp, one week at the University of Akron's soccer camp, three weeks at Stark State's Kids College, one week at the beach, and the rest of the summer at Y-camp like Natey. Am I forgetting anything? Probably. Remember that old PSA, "It's five o'clock, do you know where your child is?" Well, around here, the answer is sometimes "No, not really."