Bump, Set, Spike

It is really just about serves.

Emma had two volleyball games this morning. She was so cute out there. She is so much like her mom it's funny. She did a great job today with her serves. At this level of competition it's all about being able to serve it over the net and in bounds. These are two tough things to do at this level and if you can do both I'd say you win the point 75% of the time.

Emma shows great potential for volleyball. She had a run of about four good serves in a row today and then she seemed to get a bit nervous and hit it out of bounds. She also had some nice returns when her team was on defense. The teams are getting better and serves are now returned more regularly than they were during the first weeks of the season. There were even a few very good volleys today with the ball going over the net four or five times. It was actually quite exciting. Emma's coaches are great and are very instructional and encouraging. The coach keeps telling Emma how much potential she has if she keeps working. As a lefty she will become a great asset to any team as an outside hitter.

She's cute out there with her pony-tail swishing back and forth as she runs all over the court. She has a cute and infectious smile as she either makes a good play or a not so good play. I'm proud of her. It is so fun to see her enjoying herself so much. She's a good kid. I look forward to seeing where this new adventure takes her.

The King

Andrew ran home from the bus stop in the pouring rain today. It was pouring buckets. He had to fjord a river running through the street between our house and the path home. He walked through the door with the biggest grin on his face. It's good to be a kid. He was so excited. It was cute.

We also appreciate his love for the King. I don't know why, but the boy loves Elvis. He even dressed up as Elvis for Halloween. The funny thing was many of the trick-or-treaters didn't know who he was, but the parents sure appreciated it. We're hoping to take him to Graceland one day. He is very excited to see it. I'm a little scared that it won't live up to his expectations. Some things in life are better anticipated than experienced. We'll see. We're still going to take him one day.

Thank you, thank you very much.

Just Laura

One part of my job that I like is there are random weekdays when I'm off. These turn in to fun days I get to spend with Charlotte and Laura. It is so different to have just Laura without Emma and Andrew. Laura is already getting so big she doesn't really seem like the baby of the family anymore but she still is and still gets treated like the baby. Being the youngest has become part of her character, that's good and bad, both positive and negative. She has been our little princess from birth.

The other part I like about these random days off is walking Emma and Andrew to the bus stop. It's fun to be with them and enjoy part of their day.

So as Charlotte, Laura and I prepare to head out for a day together running some errands, I'm looking forward to spending the day with two of my ladies. It's fun to take them to lunch and enjoy them. How did Laura turn five already?

Night Owl

Those of you who know Charlotte well know that she's a night owl. I never know what she's up to at night after I go to bed and I never know how late she'll stay up. Some mornings as I kiss my sleeping beauty good-bye for the day before I head out for work, I'm scared to ask her what time she went to bed. Another part of who Charlotte is that I love (and at times drives me crazy) is that she is a go-getter, nothing can get done fast enough, no time like the present. As she used to tell an old friend of hers "hurry up so we don't have rush".

Well, this morning I had to laugh when I walked out of our room. Yesterday we had a new sectional couch delivered. It's a very large sectional, taking up most of the family room. Well, last night I guess Charlotte decided she didn't like how it was positioned in the family room so she moved it. I don't know how she moved it all by herself. It was no small task and to think of her moving it around last night did not surprise me but it did make me laugh. Like I said, I'm never sure what she's up to at night after I go to bed.

No Bearfoot

We just returned from a Spring Break trip to Crown Paradise Club in Cancun. The sign on the door to one of the main restaurants at the resort warned patrons "No Bearfoot". We laughed and joked with each other before we descended upon the buffet as we checked to make sure we didn't bring our "bear feet". I still laugh out loud when I think of Andrew laughing and reminding everyone no bear feet.

As you all know our family couldn't be together for Thanksgiving or Christmas this year. So we decided to celebrate the holidays with a family vacation over spring break. We spent nine days enjoying the sun and the water. Laura kept asking me if I had to go to work the next day. She was always relieved to hear that I had all day to spend with her and the family. It was a welcome change.

The highlight of the week for the kids was the day we took a ferry over to Isla Mujeres and swam with the dolphins at Dolphin Discovery. Charlotte and Laura did the Dolphin encounter and were able to receive a dolphin kiss, do a pectoral shake, feel and swim with "Lissy" the dolphin. Emma, Andrew and I watched from behind the observation rope and enjoyed watching Laura's confidence grow. They were in the water with Lissy for a half hour and by the end Laura's little hands shot out every time the Lissy swam by. She was so excited when her session was over. She could not stop talking about it. The experience was capped off later in the week when on her birthday she painted a ceramic dolphin that is now prominently displayed on her dresser. Emma, Andrew and I did the next level up and were able the do all Charlotte and Laura did and additionally we received a belly ride and a Boogie board ride from "Picasso" our dolphin. It was very fun. The kids loved it.

After we had finished our dolphin experience we had about an hour until the ferry back to Cancun departed. It was the perfect opportunity to hit a geocache. I'll leave that for another story but let's just say we made a new friend Gilberto and it was just as memorable as the dolphin encounter.