Tickle those ivories . . .

Today we had the privilege of attending a piano recital with 2 budding virtuosos.

Andrew and Daniel are somewhere between their 2nd and 3rd year of piano - and have done really well. We are super proud of them; and they can play piano better after 2 years than I could play clarinet/saxophone after 6+.

Enjoy!!

We also have a dispute we want the reading audience to settle. There was a contest to see who did the best bow at the end of the performance. At stake are 14 year old bragging rights - so take your role very seriously. Please register your votes in the comments.

Andrew



Daniel

14 Years

See what 14 (very short) years bring?



The boys had a good birthday. Andrew had razzleberry pie and Daniel choose a DQ ice cream cake. We celebrated at home, with family. A few days after the birthday we went out to Red Lobster for a seafood feast.

And - another reference point for what 14 years can bring - check this out.




We love our Andrew and Daniel. Best wishes for a great 14th year and many more great adventures.

mom & dad

ScooterCatBirthdayParty - said quickly

This is much delayed - but better late than never. Most of you know - we traveled to Ukraine to get Katie & Emie in July 2008. We began our travels on July 19, 2008 - which happened to be Katies' birthday. So, buried in that bit trivia is the irony that Katie had to

(endure/survive/live/fuss/whine and cry)

through: Lee, Daniel, Andrew, Sam, David, Emie, Annie and Karens' birthdays - before it was her turn.

We are not 100% sure where ScooterCatBirthdayParty came from - but somewhere in her head - between seeing Emies puppy cake and Annies elephant cake - Katie decided that her birthday should just simply be known as: 'ScooterCatBirthdayParty'. Scooter - by the way - was the cat that we were custodians of where their owners were overseas (for 8 yrs or something like that).

So - here it is . . . . ScooterCatBirthdayParty 2010.

Week @ the Cabin: Fourth & Final

A few last photos. . .







During the week that we were there - a few fires were burning in the Superior National Forest, and the crew was using our ranger station as a base - so it was really exciting to see the helicopter come in - fuel up and take people / supplies deep into the forest. One day they made three or four trips.


Katie & Emie - beginning their canoe adventure.












One day (what else do you do on vacation) - I counted the rings on one of the larger logs on our cabin. Not real easy - but I counted 139 rings. Knowing that our cabin was built in 1930 - that means that the tree that this log came from started growing in the 1790s - pretty amazing.





Fruit pizza - a Daniel creation and a real treat after long days outside.




One of our favorite activities is go to to the Marina in Silver Bay and hike out to the island. Officially it is known as Pellet Island - we call it Pirate Island. The day we did this - it was shrouded in fog and really a neat hike. Out on the island is a great view, some bird nests, a mini lighthouse - and a great place to explore.

It is a about 1/4 mile out and to reach the island you have to hop over literally millions of tons of boulders that have been placed.

Great adventures!

Week @ the Cabin: Part 3

As promised - more photos

Annie helping break eggs into the bowl from breakfast; she actually really does a good job.







Emie with a morning snack outside the cabin.












What more is there to say? Sam!

















Dirty David



















Andrew solos with the canoe for the first time. He did really well.











We almost had a catastrophe - running out of coffee 26 miles from the closest store? Desperate times call for desperate measures. Thankfully there was some tucked away in the freezer.









Katie at Lake Superior.

A Week @ The Cabin: Part 2: Wheels

One of the things at the cabin is that we have quite a collection of wheels. We have bikes, trikes, scooters, a doodlebug (minibike) - 3 wheeler, 4 wheeler . . . you get the idea.

One thing that has started making the trip is Davids' jeep. He saw his brothers jumping bikes and a mini-bike over a stump in the front yard and had to get into the action.



Also, Sam is becoming quite adept at driving the go-cart - which we keep up there.






Next post will include some girls and nature - I promise.

A Week @ The Cabin

The next few blog posts will be random events from our week at the cabin.

A few preview highlights. . .
any idea how long one can stay in Lake Superior without freezing their toes?
ever seen a 3 year old try and jump a stump in a battery powered jeep?
how old are the logs in our log cabin?
and a few other fun photos and events that we recorded.

First - the Lake Superior question - how long can someone stay in Lake Superior without freezing their toes?
Andrew - 21 seconds
Daniel & Lee - about 46 seconds
and Zach - aka Zachman, Zacheroni, Zackmeister . . . over 50 seconds.

But the best is this little gem captured for the world to see - here is how Andrew handles the adversity of cold feet.

Watch and enjoy. . . .