Tea with a T-Rex

As I'm on the computer working on some Girl Scout stuff for that evening's meeting, I realize that Anna has been really quiet...and as every parent knows, when it gets quiet...you need to see what they're up to!

This particular afternoon Anna decided to have a tea party with one of Jack's dinosaurs that she has adopted. For some reason, she found this dinosaur and has been sleeping with it and taking it to the commissary, etc. I'm sure he's loving the attention, but not the bib decorated in hearts so much.

Hey Now, Hey Now!

So, Sarah comes up to me and says that she's going to try out for the talent show. "Okay", I say, half listening. Another week passes and she says, "It's not a talent show, it's Elementary Idol and Nisha asked me to sing with her." "Yeah, yeah, that's great", I reply.

Then she comes to me and says, "They're only accepting 10 acts out of 25." "Oh, you have to try out? Okay - well honey, at least you had fun doing this." Shame on me for having no faith in my aspiring little diva - they made the cut! Woo-hoo! The girls sang, "Hey Now, Hey Now" by Hilary Duff.

Here the girls are in all their diva glory:

They didn't win the Elementary Idol - but they had a great time doing it and I was so proud of Sarah for just going up there and singing....she wasn't even nervous - she obviously gets this from her father! :)

Sports Day 2009

One of my lasting memories of being a kid and a yearly right of passage was field day. That day each June when we kids could compete against each other in various competitions and basically have a blast and celebrate the end of the school year. As Catholic School kids field day held even more importance. For the most part we did not have P.E. And if we did we were shipped off to the local public school to have it taught to us there. Yep that worked out great. A bunch of pre-pubescent kids in blue shirts and plaid ties dropped into the halls of the local public school for shop, art and P.E. class. There were a few of us who experienced the weekly beat down.

Of course one of my lasting memories comes from my 8th grade field day. Me and my super fly hip hop brothers decided on a half day of school in early June to go into the school building and "break in" to the teachers lunch room. Once we were in we had a blast. There was a large container of Morton's Salt on the table (I guess nuns liked salt). We thought we were pretty good break dancers. Let's face it, it was 1984 and break dancing and parachute pants were at the height of their popularity. We dumped the salt all over the floor because it would help us slide across the floor. As all thirteen year olds do...we got busted. A week before field day. So come field day it was our time for a punishment. Father Kletzle locked us all in the big maintenance cage for the morning. NO FIELD DAY. And our last one before moving on to high school. Basically the priest was putting us on display for the whole school to see as an example of what might happen if they stepped out of line. A modern day Crucifixion if you will. What he did not count on was Cath, and her back up: Ruth. My mother - what can I say. She came, she saw, she conquered. First of all Kletzle was a little man. It was easy to push him around - if my memory serves me well. Between my mom and mom sidekick Ruth it was a lost cause before he ever even got started. The Two Hip Crew was sprung for their last field day!! We had a blast and then spent the afternoon digging a ditch that would hold a box for a chain to go across the church driveway entrance. For twenty years that box remained. Twenty years!! I will go back this summer and see if it is still there!
As usual I digress. As the elementary PE guy I got to run the field day this year. We call it Sports Day here but it is the same thing. I had to do three different days as our school is growing. The kids loved it. I stressed. But in the end it was cool. If you look real close you can see Father Kletzle in the background.

Swim Team

Both Sarah and Jack swam as part of the RT Swim Club swim team this season. They take their swim program very seriously here. Four days a week for an hour and a half and meets on Thursday's. I am the coaching coordinator for the team and therefore spent most of my Thursday's working swim meets in various roles. The kids were amazing. They worked hard and went far. Sarah originally did not make the A-Regional Championships and was relegated to swim in the B-Championships. Jack qualified for the A's during the regular swim season. Needless to say this motivated Sarah a little bit. She was not going to have him swim the A's while she watched. So what did she do? She went into the B's and placed 3rd overall in her age group and ended up qualifying for two events in the A's. Needless to say she was pretty happy with herself. Here she is with her trophy and 5 medals to show for her hard work that day:





So off we went to the A's. It had been a long year of swim team and deep down I was hoping this would be the end. The A's are a two day meet attended by all the swim teams in the Eastern Province. Once again our kids were amazing. They both went out and swam really well. Well enough that for about a 24 hour period we thought that they had both swam themselves into the country's National Swim Championships. In the end they did not. They each had national consideration times but had missed qualifying times by a hair. What an accomplishment for both of them. They are already talking about next season. I can't wait. I get so proud watching how strong the two of them are as they swim - really well. We had taken a bunch of pictures of the course of this season. Here are few of the best. Enjoy!! Swim season is over - hallelujah.