6-23-2010

Blog #337

David

Brigitta's Harry Potter Birthday Party

This Saturday we gave Brigitta a super Harry Potter themed party.  By "we" I really mean mild mannered Joan slipped into a phone booth and emerged as Supermom creating: games, crafts, food and magic that the girls and their friends will never forget.  I took over 1,000 photos and put the best 56 photos on this page about her party.

6-22-2010

Blog #336

David

Father's Day Paddle

I had a great Father's Day.  The highlight was kayaking with the family on Mogador Reservoir.  Joan paddled two kids in the three hole kayak; Svea and Brigitta took turns in the Kiddiyak.  Each girl paddled a mile.  I figure Joan paddled six person/miles.  Brigitta overcame much of her fear of the boat and capsizing and is getting the hang of the rudder.

We had a bit of dry ice left over from Brigitta's Harry Potter Birthday Party.  It would have all evaporated soon anyway so we brought it to the lake to see what would happen.  It bubbled, gurgled and sank as dry ice does.

Annika Chillin'

Annika takes a little turn.

6-13-2010

Blog #335

David

Happy Birthday Joan!

Yesterday was Joan's birthday; no I wouldn't trade her in on two twenty one year-olds.  We went on a family paddle and row and then out to a family dinner at Hibachi Japan. 

Luau

On Friday we invited a few friends over for a Luau.

Annika passed out leis.

The bubble pool is a big hit at every party.

Everyone looks their best in Hawaiian clothes.

Good Hawaiian style summer food.

Fifteen years and three months after we met on a beach in Hawaii.

A big gust of wind is always exciting when the pool has a big head of foam.

And then a Piaggio P.180 Avanti flew overhead.  This is a nine seat Italian canard-ish, 450 mph turboprop pusher plane.

The climbing wall was a hit for exactly two minutes.

Jennifer baked Joan a very cool beach birthday cake.

The kids

The dads

The moms

Dan entertained us by bouncing up and down on an exercise ball

Until Svea kicked it out from underneath him.

Paddle and Row

   Yesterday we celebrated Joan's birthday with our first family row/paddle of the year.  Svea paddled the Kiddiyak, Joan paddled the Sprinter and I rowed Brigitta and Annika in the rowboat.  Svea finally has the knack of the Kiddiyak rudder and can make it go where she wants.  The Kiddiyak and Sprinter are both very efficient and fast boats and I could could not keep up in the boxy rowboat.  We made it to June 26th Island (the island I made on June 26th, 2007), took a few pictures and headed back since the clouds looked thunderous.  Brigitta is the bravest of all the neighborhood girls when it comes to everything except paddling the Kiddiyak.  Her one capsize is always fresh on her mind when she gets near that boat.  She took a little confidence building paddle near the launch.  Then Annika took a turn.  She paddled in it once at age three when we first tested the boat in the thawed back yard ice rink.  Yesterday she also paddled it along the shore at the launch.

Chinese Fortune Cookies "In Your Underwear"

   Years ago my family adopted the common joke of adding "... between the sheets" or "... in bed" to the end of fortune cookie readings.  It's funny, but not something that is appropriate while dining with children.  Last summer in Alaska we had dinner in a Japanese restaurant with my parents and Uncle Mark.  I came up with children-appropriate alternative to "... between the sheets"; we now add: "... in your underwear" at the end of our fortune cookie readings.  To celebrate Joan's birthday last night Papa treated the family to dinner at Hibachi Japan.  Some of our fortunes read: "Encourage me, and I will not forget you... in your underwear.", "Take a vacation, you will have unexpected gains... in your underwear.", and "Efficiency is doing better what is already been done...  in your underwear.". 

6-10-2010

Blog #334

David & Joan

Six Girls on a Bench

Annika 1, Barney 0

Maca Park Opens

 After much begging from the girls and clear, warm weather, we finally went to Maca Park today.

IHM's DVD Yearbook is Out!

   Over the past month I've been immersed into grading, fixing and compiling files for the DVD Yearbook.  This year the yearbook required two disks.  Disk one contained all of the student personal pages and slideshows, we were able to get it out before the last day of school.   Disk 1 has 206 videos/slideshows totaling 12 hours and 437 web pages.  Disk 2 contains slideshows, movies and pages about major school: events, shows, clubs, holidays, graduations, etc.  It has 110 videos/slideshows totally 13 hours plus 44 pages.  I received the last files for Disk 2 on Sunday and finished burning all 250 copies on Monday.  My summer vacation really didn't begin until I dropped off the disks for pick-up on Tuesday.  If you are an IHM student or parent, pick up your copy at the church rectory.