"There's 104 days of summer vacation and school comes along just to end it..."

It is official, summer vacation has begun as the kids have been out of school for a week. Of course, I have been in school now for a week (summer semester) as well, but things are getting off to a rocky start.

Ryan started the summer with his normal wheezing and coughing fits which prompted us to pick up the oral and inhaled steroid treatments again. We now know to expect this every summer and fall, but keep hoping he will grow out of it soon. Luckily, the treatments have been working as we have been able to push back to just the morning and night dose of Pulmicort and his coughing has diminished noticeably. He is still a happy child though, full of smiles and hugs, even when sick.

Ashley has been struck by strep throat though and is in the course of an antibiotic treatment with coughing and sore throat. Unfortunately, it coincides with the start of vacation bible school and a summer engineering camp she is attending. We believe she is passed the infectious stage so we are going to send her and see what happens.

Otherwise, it has been hot with temperatures in the mid to high 90's for the last couple of weeks. It is definitely being hailed as one of the worst weather years on record with the snow in January, the tornadoes in April and now the record high temps. Maybe the Mayans knew what they were talking about and we have a little over a year to get our affairs in order.



On a good note, Cathy and I will have been married 20 years this August and when thinking about it last night, I couldn't figure out which made me feel older: that I have been married for almost 20 years or that we are celebrating by seeing the musical Les Miserables for a 3rd time. Oh well, I guess when we get home I can perform my poorly executed John Bohnam impression. Oh dang, there goes that age thing again!

So until next time, try to stay cool.

Update - After the Storm

Hello all, as you probably know, on April 27th, 2011, a record number of tornados touched down in the mid southern United States with the most damage being done in northern and central Alabama. Luckily, we escaped direct damage from the tornados, even though an EF5 moved through several miles from our location. Like everyone else in this area, we had branches down and no power. The TVA lines feeding Decatur Utilities were damaged leading to nearly 5 days without power. We headed south to MS and spent those days with the in-laws, so we were only slightly inconvenienced. As I said before, we were lucky as over 200 people in Alabama lost their lives and thousands lost their homes. The college is out this week, but will resume operation next week with a week delay in final exams. I will still be heading out to Las Vegas for the IAAAM conference this weekend and life is returning to normal with Ashley's dance classes and Ryan's soccer games, as well as their school,  resuming. Our thoughts go out to those who lost during this day of storms.

Our Little Soccer Star

So after a few practices and not a lot of optimism as to their chances, the Decatur City U5-8 soccer team took the field for their first soccer game on Saturday, April 9th. The teams play 3-on-3 which worked out since the "Sharks" only had 3 players show up. The players played hard, ran around and were in good spirits for 4-eight minute quarters. Goals were scored and fun was had as the tired players shook hands after the match. All were winners as the score was not kept and even the rookie assistant coach was pleased  with the effort afforded the team. It was a fun outing for families, the kids enjoyed the play and are looking forward to the next game this Tuesday. Below are a few pictures from the event.

Ryan before the game.

Ryan with assistant coach Daddy.

Ryan with the goal kick.

Get the ball, Ryan!

Defense, Defense!

You tell 'um, coach!

Ryan and the Soccer Ball

Ryan is now officially part of the youth soccer movement in the US. His first practice was last week and he did better than we expected. He is not the fastest player on the team, but he keeps on trying. He remembers what the coach says and, for the most part, does what he is supposed to do. Luckily, the coach is more focused on fun and lets the kids play. He is encouraging and supportive while teaching them how to play according to the rules. 

Ryan has become frustrated a few times since he is so competitive and we have had to tell him not to growl at the other players, but he gives it his all even in the running drills when he is last most of the time, he doesn't give up. We are proud of the little bugger even though the team will probably not win much this year.

Watch out ...

This morning I took Ryan to school in the new car, and there was a seemingly new lady there to get him out. He waited a short moment for her to "get" him out frontways, but then said, Wait, I got this." and turned around to come out feet first. He quickly looked back to see the lady a little too close and he said, "Watch out ... Here comes the bootie!"

Watch out ...

This morning I took Ryan to school in the new car, and there was a seemingly new lady there to get him out. He waited a short moment for her to "get" him out frontways, but then said, Wait, I got this." and turned around to come out feet first. He quickly looked back to see the lady a little too close and he said, "Watch out ... Here comes the bootie!"

Little Green Car (1997 - 2011)

We are gathered here today to pay our respects to the car known fondly as the Little Green Car. Those of us who knew this 1997 Honda Civic DX well, thought her more of a friend than a mode of transportation. Now that her title has been transferred, we remember the many miles and many good times spent with the little lady...

Hey, who cares, WE GOT A NEW CAR!!! 

With the coming demise of the '97 Civic due to age and environmental exposure (i.e. flooding), we decided to take advantage of the special deals Honda was running to secure our driving future for a few more years. This is a 2011 Honda Civic LX and we felt a little like we were stealing it based on all of the features for the price. Of course Cathy has offered to "let" me drive the Saturn now, but I'm sure we will "share" the new ride. The kids have taken to it quickly with Ryan coining the name for the new car (he coined the term little green car as well). I would like to introduce everyone to "the little grey big black car". I have no idea where he came up with that either!