Big birthday for Hal

Hal is 15 years old now! He had an exciting birthday yesterday-- he and I ran in the Soldier Field 10 mile race, and Hal was pretty quick on the first 9 miles, but at the 9 mile marker the medics grabbed him and put him in a big tub of ice water for heat exhaustion and dehydration. He got to spend a few hours in nearby Mercy Hospital.

Afterwards, we had some of Teresa's famous strawberry/spongecake / whipped cream / pudding cake to celebrate Hal's birthday. Yum! It went pretty fast. Hal played his new video game, Portal 2, which looks kind of confusing to me. He also got some new clothes.

The whole family went to see the new Pirates of the Carribean "On Stranger Tides" movie last night, as part of Hal's birthday request. Lots of pirates and swordfights in that movie, by the way.

When we got home, we had Drumsticks and Hal worked on his talk for today on repentance. A pretty big day for Hal.

Courtney had her first real day of work yesterday working as a lifeguard at a nearby pool. She was texting me about how Hal was doing in the hospital, and was very bored because not a single person came to the pool all day. Maybe not so exciting being a lifeguard at times, I guess.

Allie's Spring Vocal Concert

Spring is the time of school concerts. Allie has the best vocal teacher, Mr Nagle. His concerts are always entertaining. We've lived in a lot of school districts and this is not always the case when it comes to concerts. We are lucky and blessed. My favorite thing is that Allie gets to do all of these concerts with her bosom buddy(they just read Anne of Green Gables together) that lives right down the street.

My Beautiful Lilacs

My Lilac bushes were exceptionally loaded with blooms this year. Our house smelled so wonderful at night when we opened the windows.

Visitors to our yard

Sunday Walk at Cuba Marsh Nature Preserve

Hanging out with George and Anna in Taipei

It was fun to see George and Anna in Taiwan this week. Their vacation ended up overlapping my meetings in Taipei, so we got together and ate at McDonald's and rode a ferris wheel. Cool!

Allie's 4th Grade Spring Orchestra Concert

Allie has been playing violin for one school year, now. It amazes me how much she has learned in one year. She has a great orchestra teacher, Mr. Sackschewsky. The kids call him Mr. S. He was Hal's middle school orchestra teacher, too. He is a great guy and my kids love him. He gently encourages them but makes them work hard, too. He is another one of the teachers we owe great "on". The top pic. is Allie and her BFF.

Ty becomes a teenager

Where does the time go? It's hard to believe Ty is already a teenager. He is a good kid and I'm grateful to be his Mom.

5/11/11 = 18 years!

Today is our anniversary! We have been married for 18 years. In many ways the time has flown by so quickly. However, when I look at these photos, I hardy recognize these two young children. Wow, we were young. We had no idea what love was really about but I'm glad we were willing to give it a try. I'm grateful for the last 18 years and my wonderful husband.

Volleyball, Volleyball and More Volleyball

Both big boys are doing Volleyball this Spring. This is Hal's third season and Ty's first. They are both doing really good. As a Mom I noticed something the other day. Seventh grade Volleyball makes me a nervous wreck(it did when Hal played too). The seventh grade team is still learning to play as a team and it's hard for them. It is almost painful to watch them struggle to learn this skill. But it amazes me how much they improve by Freshman year. The Freshman games are a lot more enjoyable for me to watch because they are not so abrupt. They really have figured out how to work together at that point. It's hard to believe they are the same boys as the year before sometimes. Tyler is an excellent server and Hal does a great job blocking on the front row.

Allie makes a quilt for her 4th grade teacher's new baby!

Allie has been busy for the last few weeks making a quilt for her 4th grade teacher, Mrs Robins. Mrs. Robins is having her first baby at the end of the school year. Allie made the quilt all by herself. The only thing I did was cut the fabric for her. We love Mrs. Robins. She is an amazing teacher! The Japanese always speak of owing "on" to those that have done a great deed for them that can never be repaid. That is how we feel about Mrs. Robins. We owe her great "on". She is one of those teachers that really makes a difference in your child's life and we feel blessed to have her be a part of our daily life.

And Another Funny Dan Story

Tonight Courtney and I had to dress like each other for a young women activity. She wore some of my things and I wore some of hers. Dan thought it was hilarious. While I was driving to the activity someone pulled out in front of me and I had to stop quickly. Dan pipes up from the back seat, "She even drives like Courtney." He is such a little stinker sometimes:)