Adam's 8th Birthday Party Sleepover

Playing hockey before pizza

At LaserQuest lining up to give their names for the mission. I kept suggesting "Strawberry Shortcake" or "My Little Pony", but they kept picking names like "Ninja".

(L-R) Patrick, Ryan, Adam, Gavin, Zack, Derek, John


Waiting to go in

After the mission - all sweaty and checking out their scores

Back at home and all wound up

Cake and ice cream

Sacked out watching "Indiana Jones"

Spread out around the playroom and ready for bed

In the morning watch cartoons

Adam didn't seem to mind that we waited until morning to open presents

Adam's breakfast choice: french toast, eggs, and sausage

Playing Wii while they wait for parent pickup

On Saturday night Adam had a sleepover birthday party. It was a couple weeks after his real birthday because of Spring Break and a big Cub Scout outing that all his friends were going to.

Adam picked Domino's pizza for dinner and LaserQuest for the entertainment. Derek was originally going to sleep over his friend Gavin's house, but Gavin's father wasn't feeling well so they also ended up at our house - 7 boys in all. It actually worked out because the older boys became the party coordinators for the evening.

The kids seemed to really enjoy themselves and were well behaved. Loud and rambunctious, but well behaved considering all the excitement.

Home Ownership Bliss

The old dishwasher

Frantically pulling out the old dishwasher


The new dishwasher



Old Lawnboy mower on the left and new Toro on the right

Home ownership is such bliss. If it's not one thing it's another. Before you can get around to making all the home ownership purchases you envision, the things you previously purchased and checked off your list start giving out. We've been in our house almost 17 years now and many of our previous purchases are running out of steam.

A couple months ago we finally replaced our dishwasher. I had replaced a number of parts on it over the years, but it was finally time to give up on it. It was really loud and the cleaning was suspect. It was so loud that we would only run it at night or while we were gone, but one night when we started it the dishwasher sounded like an airplane taking off and that's when we decided it was probably time.

We arranged for delivery of the new dishwasher at which time they were also going to take our old one away. The problem was that we had some activity on Friday night that kept me from disconnecting the old one and then the delivery people called us very early Saturday morning to tell us that they were on their way. I frantically rushed downstairs to remove the old dishwasher and, as usual, things are never as easy as you think they're going to be.

The installation of the new dishwasher took longer than I wanted because I was irritated that the new dishwasher required a "converter" because the water inlet valve connection changed sometime in the past 17 years and the only converter I could find was sold in an overpriced kit along with a bunch of other stuff I didn't really need. I wasted a bunch of time searching for a lone connector before finally biting the bullet and using the kit - Grrrrrr.

The bright spot is that the new dishwasher is so quiet that we don't have to run it while we're asleep and we can even talk to each other while it's running. Who knew?

Last week our 17 year old lawnmower started acting up. I thought I had fixed it with a new spark plug, but it cut out again while Helen was mowing and wouldn't restart. It was a good mower, but it was time for a new one so our Friday night family entertainment became a trip to Home Depot.

Everyone was so excited about the new mower. I went out to try it and Derek and Helen quickly followed me. When it was Helen's turn and she engaged the self propel and saw how easy it was she shot me mean look. Over the years I had replaced the self propel cable on our old mower a couple times, but it's been many years since it last broke and I never fixed it. I figured it wasn't that bad and, besides, it was good exercise.

Mom's New Computer

Mom met us at Adam's basketball awards ceremony where Adam picked up this cool trophy that has moving body parts

Showing Mom all her new stuff

Saturday March 6, 2010

These pictures are from last month when my Mom came over to pick up the computer and printer I bought and configured for her. She paid for it all, but I did the research, made the purchase, and did the configuration.

Her last computer had been stolen by a neighborhood kid and she was overwhelmed with trying to purchase a new one so I pitched in to help her out - otherwise she wouldn't be able to keep up with the blog (Hi Mom).

Adam's Planet Project

Saturday March 6, 2010

These pictures are from last month. Adam's class was studying the Solar System and Adam had to do a project on Earth. Thankfully, big brother Derek was there to help. Derek really is a great big brother and often helps Adam. He didn't get that from me. I've got my own never ending todo list: I take care of my business, you take care of yours, and we're all good. It's not that I refuse to help, but if it's someone else's task then I need to see that they've already invested quite a bit of their own time and effort before I pitch in.

Walk To School Day

Adam wants to know why he can't run and catch up with his friends (aka fun people)

Adam is happy now that he caught up with his friends

Derek and Lulu


Ryan and Adam

Parents gathering to watch the kids cross over to the school

These pictures are from the "Walk To School Day" last month - Derek's last official walk to school day since he'll be in middle school next year :(

Derek rode his bike today like he does most days. Adam can't ride since the school only allows 5th graders to ride their bikes. However, Derek and Adam worked out a plan where Derek rides the bus a couple days a week in the morning so that he and Adam can walk home together in the afternoon.

Adam and I walked to school today. Adam said it wasn't fair that he had to walk and Derek didn't have to because Derek rides his bike. I replied, "What's not fair - that you get to spend extra time with your Dad and Derek doesn't?"

Neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt

Derek is still up for the egg hunt

Adam in action

Helen and Adam with the Easter Bunny

It appears that it's not a party without a sheet cake

The kids count their loot

Derek and the bunny

The gracious host family

Quickly packing up as the rain moves in

Sunday March 28, 2010

Before Spring Break we had our annual neighborhood easter egg hunt. It was touch and go, but the rain stopped just long enough to get the hunt in. The skies opened just as the party was winding down and sent everyone scattering home.

The family that hosts the hunt likes to tell the story of how they were at the closing table buying the house when the previous owners informed them that they had always hosted the annual neighborhood easter egg hunt and that the new owners would have to carry on the tradition if they wanted the house. The original owners were kidding, of course, but the new owners have carried on the tradition just the same. We like the location since it's right across the street from our house.

Adam's 8th Birthday

Adam wanted to decorate his own cake

Adam's birthday dinner pick - California Pizza Kitchen

The usual straw wrapper assault

Honey chicken pizza - hold the tomato sauce

Derek approves of his cheeseburger pizza

Adam checks out his birthday sundae "to go"

Can't wait to open presents

The big present was a new table hockey game

Sunday April 11, 2010

Adam's birthday was last Sunday. He is now 8! We had just gotten back from a week at the beach the day before so things were hectic. We're just now getting back on top of all the todo's.

I was outside all day catching up on yard work and in bad shape allergy wise. I had to take some benadryl and it was all I could do to stay awake while I watched the end of the final round of the Masters. I was barely holding on for the birthday festivities.

Adam picked California Pizza Kitchen for his dinner choice. Adam's picky about pizza. He only likes a few places for pizza and prefers it cold. We think it's the tomato sauce that he doesn't really like. He's not a big fan of spaghetti either - crazy kid.

Adam and Derek have a great birthday thing going. Since their birthdays are only a couple weeks apart and there's the friend parties, the immediate family parties, the extended family parties - it seems like we're doing something related to one of their birthday's for a month - and they love it!

Presents so far include Lego's, pirate gun and action figures, a camouflage play tent, and money. And he's still got a couple more parties to go. The big present was a table hockey game. Adam was very excited about his big present and couldn't wait to see what it was. He has had all his friends parading in and out of the house to play with him.