Pump It Up!

This new place called "Pump It Up" just opened right near Children's Village a couple weeks ago. It is a giant bounce house place. Sarah and I took the kids tonight to check it out. The kids cost $7 each and the parents jump for free. And it was a blast. Its a franchise type outfit, so if you live near one, you should pay them a visit.

First Day of Kindergarten

My baby started Kindergarten today. :(

Like I told Nate, I think I have this fantasy that I'm tougher than I am because I was pretty beside myself all day today. Anyway, she did great. Her teacher's name is Ms. D. So far, so good.

Of course, part of moving on to Kindergarten means that she has to leave her Pre-K class behind. We have been SO fortunate to have Colin and then Megan under the care of Ms. Rachelle at Children's Village for the past couple of years. Ms. Rachelle has made Nate and I so comfortable about where the kids have been. And she has taught them so much - academically and socially. She is a special teacher and we have been completely blessed that she has been part of our kids lives - and ours. Thank you Ms. Rachelle!!!

1st Day of 1st Grade

Monday was Colin's first day of first grade. His teacher's name is Mrs. Scott. And everything seems to be going along smoothly so far. No lost kids on the bus this year, thank goodness. Looks a heck of a lot less nervous here than he did last year, huh?

State Fair 2008

As we do each summer, Lindsey and I took the kids to the Indiana State Fair. This year we added a new member to our tradition - Sarah.

So we ate till we all had stomach aches, watched the kids ride the rides in the midway, saw some animals, and went home exhausted. The weather was terrific. All in all, a successful trip. Next year, Lindsey will be have a 6 month old in-tow. We're hoping she'll still be up for it...

San Francisco

My parents and I took a trip last month to San Francisco - just the three of us (no Nate, no kids). It was terrific. Here are few of the hilites of our trip.

Day 1 - We rented bicycles in downtown S.F. and biked across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito, had lunch, then took a ferry back to downtown S.F. to return the bikes. Then we went back to the hotel and collapsed.

There were 2 "Emergency Phone and Crisis Counseling" spots on the bridge. I found the smaller sign down below a bit startling. In case you can't read it, it says...

Crisis Counseling

There is hope.

Make the call.

The consequences of jumping from this bridge are fatal and tragic.

Besides that the bridge was absolutley stunning. We were there on a beautiful Sunday afternoon in July. I think most anyone with half a brain would expect there to be a significant number of tourists on hand. However, there were also many "Lance Armstrong" types who wanted to ride as fast as they could across the thing. These arrogant riders acted all put out and inconvenienced if they were slowed in any way. They were pretty rude. I still cautiously took my time crossing the bridge. Careful not to get run over by the crazy "Lance Armstrong" types. My parents were way ahead of me and when I finally caught up with them, they were about ready to turn back and search. But as I told them - they sent me to Purdue to be a CIVIL ENGINEER! I wanted to check it out in detail. Not just a drive by. To all my bridge engineer friends...eat your heart out. :)

This is picture is taken from where we crossed underneath the structure south of the big spans. Lots of utilites were along for the ride.

This picture shows what all the cables are attached too. It amounts to sections of approx 36" pipes connected together.

At a pier looking up.

At a pier looking down.

If you are in civil engineering - you've got to put this on your "Life's To-Do" list.

Day 2 - We drove down south down the pacific coast to Carmel. Then back north to Saratoga where we went to a Marc Cohn concert at a venue called the Mountain Winery. The drive was spectacular. The concert was awesome. We liked the concert so much that the next day we purchased tickets to his Indy show and went again in August.

The drive down the pacific coast was great too. There are lots of places where you can pull off the roadway and go down to the beach. Another striking thing about the drive to me was the amount of agriculture going on.

Day 3 - Alcatraz & Fisherman's Wharf

We did the US Park Service Alcatraz trip. It was ok. I guess in comparision with all the other amazing things we did, a tour of a super old prison just doesn't take the cake for me. But I'm glad we did it.

Fisherman's wharf - I guess I feel the same about Pier 39. Kind of a low point for me. A crowded over commercialized tourist trap. We did see the actor who played the Hulk on the original series there signing autographs.

Day 4 - Muir Woods & Chinatown

Muir woods is a majestic, breath-taking place. I LOVED it. Its hard to describe the beauty of these trees. They are ~1,000 years old. They are huge.

Megan's New Haircut

Megan got her back to school haircut - a bob. She loves it. And I love it. But I think Nate is still recovering from shock.

She has a lot easier time taking care of it and keeping it out of her food. :) In this picture she is sporting her new Disney Princesses backpack too.

Colin's First Loose Tooth - Update

As of today - the new tooth has erupted...but the old tooth is still hanging on.