Friends & Ohana

We had dinner tonight (minus Sydney) with my friend Rachel and her husband Steve and their two adorable sons, Max and Coby. Rachel & I have known each other I think since 7th grade- we went to "dancing school" together. Often times we are mistaken for sisters. The last time we saw one another was New Years 2000 and 3 out of the 8 of us at dinner were not even born. But as good friends often do, we did not skip a beat. I think having e-mail (and now blogs) makes it so easy to stay in touch. Even though I had never met her boys in person, I felt as if I had already known them because I had seen them in photos over the years. The kids had a great time too!

Our Little Chefs

The girls made dinner for us tonight- homemade pizza. They both were excellent and faster than if we had ordered takeout!...now we just have to work on the clean up!!!!

A Visit to the Pumpkin Patch

Josie's 2nd grade class had an outing to The Pumpkin Patch, which inspired us to go as a family later that same evening. We had a lot of fun picking out different sizes and shapes. The highlight for Griffin was sticking his head through the "monster cutouts" inspired by his new favorite show "Happy Monster Band". Happy Fall!!!

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A Healthy Rivalry

Once upon a time, Lee & I used to watch sports on t.v. on a regular basis. Then we became parents. Moving to Kauai further complicated the issue, b/c sporting events were always on at crazy times- football before breakfast? Anyways, watching sports for me always ended up as a painful experience because my teams (Browns, Indians) always ended up losing & Lee's teams (Giants, Yankees) have won both The Superbowl & The World Series more than a few times. So I have to admit, over the past 10 years I have become somewhat of a fairweather fan because I don't really pay attention until the seasons come to a close- however I do enjoy a good game especially attending in person. So, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to have a casual get together with our friends and fellow fans Kathy, Al (Yankees) and Terri (Indians) to watch game one of the AL division series Indians v. Yankees. Lots of food and cheering (it's always good when Terri is on your side) and a win for Cleveland. Lee was a great sport as Cleveland won the series- I think he is secretly relieved that he does not have to her me repeat again..."I've never witnessed a championship team in any major sport in all my life". It ain't over yet and I am not the most confident fan, but I have to admit it is fun looking forward to watching the games in October. Hopefully, this win be the year that I can put an end to that all too familiar saying.

Griffin (2) & Mark (3)'s Birthday Party

Today my good friend Meg & I threw a very casual birthday party for Griffin & her son Mark. My favorite parties that I have thrown for our children have been the ones that have caused the least amount of stress (code for least preparation)- so this one ranks right up at the top. Meg & I planned this party in minutes and I think we would both agree the outcome was fantastic and we really enjoyed being with our friends. Everyone seems to be so busy, it was nice to be able to spend time with friends in a very relaxed environment. Okay, so it felt like 100 degrees and we probably sweat more than we liked to, but that's all good. Many of our friends who are beyond the toddler stage came to the party as well, which was great. Look for Griffin & Mark's Birthday Bash 2008!

Our Birthday Boy!

We cannot believe how fast these past two years have gone by!!! What a sweet, funny, lovable, expressive little guy we have. When we came in to his room on his birthday, I think he was put off by all the singing and excitement we had. We made our way to our family room where we continued our family tradition which is singing & dancing to "The Birthday Song" by The Beattles...which I think it is safe to say is Griffin's new favorite song due to the fact that we played it for him atleast 30 times...at his request. We had a fun morning at My Gym (see the picture I like to call "Look ma, no hands" above). We all went out to dinner at Chef Mickey's where Griffin ate a well balanced meal of gummy bears & sprinkles (hey you only turn 2 once). Griffin was not afraid at all of any of the characters- however, sitting down to a meal is not one of his strengths- I do not know too many 2 years who do have this ability. Happy 2nd Birthday Griffie- we can't wait to see what's in store for year 3!!!

The Breakaway

It's Lee's favorite time of year...soccer season. He LOVES to watch her play (me too). After taking a few months off, we dug out her cleats and shin guards. Josie always looks so natural to me in a soccer uniform. Her team is called the RED BULLS, and she is once again coached by Coach Chuck and his wife Honey who are always fun to be around. Her team was unable to practice this week due to typical Central Florida lightening but the kids all looked great on the field and despite what felt like 100 degree weather - they stayed tough through the entire game. A highlight for us was when Josie got the ball and broke away from the other players and ran almost the entire field and scored. I think one of the fun things about soccer and I imagine most sports that parents watch their kids play, is that it gives us a chance to shake off stress from the rest of the week by shouting and jumping like a bunch of idiots! But we're all doing it together, so who cares!!!! Updates on the rest of the season to follow.