Preschool 2010 Begins

This past Wednesday found Aidan starting his second year of Preschool at GCA. Not much to report yet, just really wanted to post this pic...look how excited the little guy is...

Final Hurrah

Over Labor Day weekend, with the 2010 Summer season winding down, Mom and I took the kids to Ocean City, MD and met up with Nana and Poppop for one last outing.

While Saturday and Sunday were mostly standard beach fare, there is one bit that deserves note: The waves. With hurricane Earl having just passed by off-shore the day before, Saturday was inundated by a ceaseless parade of the hulking beasts, curling over then crashing abusively on the sand.

Like a fearless marble statue, Alex stood his ground
as the great beast bore down on him.

On Monday, it was time for something new and exciting: A morning of go-karting at Baja Amusements. Alex, Abigail, Amanda, Nana, myself, and, yes, even Aidan, all got some time behind the wheel of these pavement blistering machines.

Thanks, Nana and Poppop. We had a great weekend.

Glasgow Fiasco

Its madness I tell you: 5 blog posts in 5 consecutive days. That's got to be a record. Speaking of records...

On Saturday, August 21st Mom took part in her third run of the season: The 2nd Annual Glasgow Fiasco 5K Run/Walk.



The all important results: Mom completed the new course in 26.14; her best time yet! She came in 53rd out of 162 participants and 4th in her division.

Congratulations, Mom!

Getting Away

Seeking a wee respite from our daily routines, Mom and I recently packed up the crew and went on holiday to the Delaware shore for a week.

Traveling down Friday morning, the boys and Sadie rode with me in the truck while Mom took the girls in the van. While en route, Mom stopped to pick up Abby's friends, Emily and Kristin, who stayed with us over the weekend. That evening, after getting settled and some take-out Grottos, we loaded the 8 of us onto public transportation to ride in to Rehoboth and wander the boardwalk.

Saturday and Sunday were both beach days at Tower's beach. Blessed with an abundance of good weather, both days yielded a wealth of holes dug, waves rode, and memories made.

But alas, not all was well: Sunday, Aidan was just...off. Thinking he was just sapped from the day prior, I had him take a nap with me under the umbrella. He ended up sleeping for over 2 hours. When he awoke, Mom commented that he seemed warm. We later confirmed he had a fever over 100°. As a result, we laid low Monday and Tuesday at the beach house, giving Aidan a chance to recoup.

Wednesday, with Aidan seeming better, we packed light and took an afternoon trip out to Tower's. What a great time. It really was one of those near perfect beach trips: Not too hot, not too cold, not too crowded, waves just big enough to ride without beating you up. Everything was so right we stuck around until close to 6 that evening.

Thursday, under threat of showers, we headed over to the Outlets for some shopping. This would have been OK if we hadn't had to deal with the millions of other people who also were not on the beach. Wow was it busy. The evening culminated with a Kid's Eat Free dinner at IHOP.

Friday, Grammy popped in. So, despite the cloudy skies, we took another afternoon trip over to Tower's. What a difference a day or 2 makes: Huge, crashing waves and a strong undertow were the order of the day. You'd have thought we had a Cat 5 hurricane off the coast. I think we saw 3 rescues by the Life Guards just in the first 45 minutes we were there.

Finally, Saturday, the sun returned. For our final hurrah, we once more headed over to Tower's beach. This time we met up with 2 separate groups of friends: Alex's friend Zach and his family as well as the family who introduced us to Tower's just last summer. We had a great time catching up and watching all the kids play together...

So despite a few hiccups here and there, all in all in was nice to get away. Thanks Grammy and Grandad for the use of the place. We always appreciate it.

Wild Kingdom

On Monday morning, while Sadie was out for her morning constitutional, I noted that she had taken a particular interest in the kid's play-set, sniffing intently around one outside corner. When she darted to the inside of the same corner I knew something was up. I dashed down the stairs to seperate her from her quarry and found a wrack of 4 bunnies.

Monday evening, during a pre-walk bunny sweep, we found no trace of the babes. Thinking they had moved on, we sent Sadie out in the yard on her own. This lapse in judgement resulted in soon finding Sadie with her curious nose pressed against the now wet forehead of one of the little ones who had wandered back into the yard.

Now, on Tuesday night, our 4 hares have multiplied out to 7. Yes, 7 baby bunnies are now nesting is my heavily dog-scented back yard. I know the housing situation is tough out there right now but...come on...!

3/4 of a First Day of School

Well, the 2010-11 school year has mostly kicked off. Alex, Abigail, and Amanda started back at Red Lion today. Emotions ranged from excited (note who's wearing cheery colors) to depressed (note who's wearing black).

New for this year: Uniforms. While the initial cost is a bit of an ouchy, the payoff will come with decreased disagreements over appropriate dress during the morning prep time.

While Alex plans to continue his foray into the world of soccer, Abigail is hoping to follow in Mom's footsteps by securing a place on the Field hockey team. And Amanda should be taking up an instrument in band. Maybe. I think. More on this as it develops.

Open Wide and Say 'Aaagh...'

Here's something I myself have never experienced: One of my kids at the dentist. More over, this was Aidan's first trip. He was so well behaved that they were even able to do a fluoride treatment.