1st Grade Homework

Colin wrote the attached story about Magical Boots in his first grade class in September. Enjoy!

Translation: My magical boots help me fly away from booby traps and I like it because they were super fast like a race car and they can go invisible and can go straight through peoples bodies and jump up very high but I am not doing that right now.

I'm looking forward to more creative writing assignments from Colin and to when Megan starts bringing these gems home!

Mammoth Cave

Last week was fall break for the kids, so my dad and I took Colin and Megan to Mammoth Cave. It was pretty fun. It would have been more fun if it hadn't rained all morning...

On the drive down there, Megan told us she was not going into the cave - that she would just wait for us by the door. Which is hilarious. Her reasoning - she thought there would be bears in the cave. :) But when she saw our tour group of ~100 people, she decided it must be safe. She actually was very brave and enjoyed herself. Colin enjoyed himself too - so did Dad and I.

The tour was about 2 hours in length. I think kids smaller than 5 would probably be a real pain. The cave is absolutley not handicap accessible. There are spaces in which a clausterphobic person would be miserable. So no strollers. The tour we went on started with the decent of 280 wet, slippery, metal stairs - which is what convinced me that toddlers would be a pain in the cave.

But kids 5+ would just love it. And the tour guides catered very well to the kids answering their questions and talking in a way that the kids enjoyed the schpeels too.

Bank Accounts

Colin and Megan opened savings accounts last week. Colin was pretty excited about it, but Megan had decided she wasn't going to give any of her money to the bank. But when she saw that she would get a green booklet out of the deal, she changed her mind and agreed to put in $3. She was concerned that then money wouldn't be safe. In the end we convinced her to put all $15 of her dollars in.

The nice man who helped us at the bank, Tim, gave Colin and Megan a tour of the vault. They really liked that part and I think it helped them feel safer about leaving thier money in the bank.

They are totally stoked about thier bank accounts, so I'm sure they would love cash gifts at Christmas or Birthdays if that is something you're interested in.

Parent Teacher Conferences

At Megan's Kindergarten Parent Teacher Conference, Ms. D said Megan is doing GREAT! She knows almost everything a kindergartener should know by the END of the year, and its only the beginning. We're very proud of Megan!

At Colin's First Grade Parent Teacher Conference, Mrs. Westerhoff siad Colin is doing GREAT! She said Colin has all A's - in Math, Reading, and Spelling. We're very proud of Colin!

Soccer - Fall 2008

Colin and Megan participated in U-8 soccer this fall. They had lots of fun, learned alot about soccer, and met several new friends. Their team was called the Tarheals and was coached by Coach Derrick. He is a terrific coach - giving them lots of vocal feedback.

This was Megan's first season to play and Colin's 4th. They both had a lot to learn. The first game Coach sent Megan in and told her to go stand by the "Ref", but she had no idea what a "Ref" was. By the end of the season she was getting in there and contributing. In season's past, Colin liked to chase the other players more than the ball, but this season, he was starting to get into the game. Even a glimmer of passing strategy started to shine through by the end of the season.

The Tarheals won every game of the regular season except two - which they tied. In the tournament, they came in second place - first place went to the travel team. So the Tarheals had a terrific season.

This is the picture of the Championship game of the Tournament. The black team was the travel team, who won the game. The blue team was Colin and Megan's team - the Tarheals.

Colin's First Loose Tooth - Fell Out

On September 4, 2008 Colin lost his first tooth. The permanent tooth replacement was halfway up before the baby one finally came out.

The Tooth Fairy came, but she was running late. She came sometime after Colin woke up and before he was done getting ready for school. He thinks she snuck in while he was in the bathroom. She left a dollar. Initially Colin was pretty devastated that she didn't come, but once the dollar was in his hot little hands he was completely happy.

Hopefully next time the Tooth Fairy will come while he's still sleeping. He already has another loose tooth, so time will tell. :)

Colin's 7th Birthday

We celebrated Colin's birthday a few times since we didn't have the traditional family party at our house this year. We started out celebrating with the Smoker side of the family at "Smoker Family Fun Day." Kraig was totally into it and blew out Colin's candles for him. What a little helper :P We all laughed (except Colin, of course) and re-lit the candles so Colin could take a turn.



The week of his birthday, we had a party at Pump-It-Up and invited all his friends. They had a blast. Having the party off-site (i.e. not at our house) was sure easier on us. And we don't have giant bounce houses to goof around in. :)

Lucas Oil Stadium...

...is a beautiful place to see a football game. These pictures are from the first pre-season game. It was a lovely, breezy August evening. Nate still hasn't had the chance to go to a game, even though we have season tickets. Its a real shame. Looks like it will be December before he gets an opportunity.

For those of you who don't follow Colts football, Lucas Oil Stadium is brand new this year. It is the replacement to the RCA dome which can be seen in the picture below. Since the picture was taken the dome part has been deflated as part of the demolition. The new stadium is a prominent part of the ever-changing Indianapolis skyline. As you approach downtown from the west (from the airport) the stadium looks like it could swallow the rest of downtown - its so big!