Swim Meet at the YMCA

This past Saturday the kids swam in a swim meet at our YMCA. This is the "home" pool for the kid's winter swim team aka "The Dolphins".

They both swam well and had a good time. I am including video clips of both kids during their Freestyle races. Madison swam the 50 meters for her age group and James swam the 100 meters for his age group.

This was just a dual meet against a team from another YMCA, so we only spent around 2 1/2 hours at the pool instead of the sometimes 4 + hours for the larger meets. That certainly made it more enjoyable.

We have definitely seen both of the kids improve in their swimming over the past year.

Madison


James

Braving The North Carolina Winter

Here we are 3 weeks into January already. I can’t believe how fast the New Year is flying by.



























We are settling in to another typical North Carolina winter. A little over a week ago J.T. mowed the lawn during a nice 50+ degree weekend. We had been putting it off, but although the grass slows down here in the winter, it does not completely stop growing and it is necessary to mow it every few weeks.





















Earlier this week we saw some severe weather that got the whole area nervous. We got a ¼” – ½” of snow. The schools were cancelled for the day, so no one had to be out and driving during that treacherous weather. Although I joke, we do tend to get ice with our snow since the weather is rarely below freezing for very long. This particular time didn’t have much ice, but they cancel schools to play it safe.



























The kids tried to make the most of their snow time by sledding down the driveway on any little patch of the white stuff that they could find. By the time I came home from work it was all gone except for the snowball that J.T. had stashed in the freezer.





















It has been tough adjusting to the brutal winters in NC, but don’t worry we are doing our best to deal with it.

Our cold spell appears to be ending as the thermometer is back above 60 again today.

Stay Warm!

Enjoying Afternoon Tea in Style

Today's Blog is brought to you by Michelle. She saw how much fun I was having and wanted to try writing an article about her recent outing with Madison and her mother.

Take it away Michelle...



























Madison has become quite the lover of tea houses lately, so I was so excited for us to try the Afternoon Tea at the O. Henry Hotel in Greensboro, NC.

The hotel is named after the short story author, O Henry, who was born William Sydney Porter in 1862 in Greensboro, NC. The tea is served daily in the Social Lobby of the hotel which is a beautiful area very similar to the impressive library at the Biltmore Estate.

I had set up a Girl’s Day Out for Madison, my Mom, and myself while James and Grandpap took in the latest movie and lunch. We arrived dressed in our holiday best and were escorted into the inviting lobby with tables of various sizes set up. We were pleased when we were shown to our intimate table for three which had a beautiful rose centerpiece in the middle.

We were given menus and we all decided to try the O. Henry Tea which sounded wonderful. Madison chose the Holiday Peppermint tea, Mom picked Raspberry Delight, and I tried the Christmas Tea. The tea was brought in three beautiful tea pots with matching tea cups, along with sugar cubes (a must!) and cream. Madison was beaming from ear to ear.

The waiter then took our order and we enjoyed our tea while we took in the beautiful surroundings and the wonderful holiday music. After a cup or so of tea, our food arrived. It was presented in such a beautiful way as it was brought out on a tiered tray. Our tea was comprised of freshly baked scones with clotted cream and preserve, chicken salad on a toasted round which Madison absolutely loved, roasted red pepper and white cheddar on whole wheat, sliced cucumber over cream cheese dill mousse on white, spicy cheese wafers, and an assortment of chocolates, cookies, and fruit.

The food and atmosphere was wonderful. We enjoyed this quiet, relaxing afternoon in the midst of the busy holiday season.

Madison declared that she should have been born in England because she could do this every day. Maybe not every day, but we have already decided that this will become a new holiday tradition for the girls.

Happy 3rd Birthday Teddy!

It was almost three years ago that I relented. I finally caved in and agreed to buy into the concept of getting a dog. Michelle researched dogs on the internet and the kids promised all the things that they would do to take care of the dog.

I asked them,

“I am not going to have to feed him, right?” “Right Dad!”
“I am not going to have to take him outside to go potty, right?” “Right Dad!”
“I am not going to have to take him for walks, right?” “Right, Dad!”
“I am not going to have to pick up dog poop, right?” “Right Dad!”

Despite their promises I was still leary. I was comfortable with the fact that I only had two children. I wasn’t mentally prepared to handle a third.

Nonetheless, Michelle found the dog of her dreams and had her heart set on getting it. The kids were on her side and I was out numbered. As I said before I relented.

Along Came Teddy

In March of 2006, we picked Teddy up at a gas station. That was quite an auspicious debut for a little puppy. He was extremely cute, but as expected, it was just like having an infant in the house.

My negativity has worn off during these three years as I’ve even almost forgiven him for eating my Family room carpet in three places.

Teddy has been a good dog and he has grown up along with the kids. He has learned quite a bit over time and has fallen into his routine.

He has fallen in love with Grandma Judy and loves going to visit her as much as the kids do.

Michelle is still his favorite, as he will follow at her heels all day long if he was allowed to. He has proven to be quite the soccer player with James in the back yard. He also enjoys nighttime with Madison, since she rarely moves or kicks at night, she has proven to be his perfect nighttime companion.

Slowly Teddy has broken down the barriers and taken over the household. One by one he pretty much has accomplished all of the “The Dog will never….” List.

This Christmas he gained what might be the last item on the list, by going on vacation with us to Ohio for Christmas. Fortunately, Teddy behaved, as well as, or better than the kids during the long van ride.

Teddy is definitely part of our family now.

Happy 3rd Birthday Teddy!

Another Holiday Season Flies By

Can you believe it? 2009 is here already. It seems like only yesterday that the kids were trick-or-treating and we started to think about the upcoming holiday season. Then before you know it the end of the year has flown by and here we are in 2009.

Fortunately all of the travelling went smoothly. Rick and his family made it safely to NC and my family and Ed & Judy made it successfully to Ohio and back. I know that J.T. and Madison were not happy that they did not see snow in Ohio for Christmas, but being the person who did most of the driving, I can honestly say that I did not miss it.

It was good to see everyone at Christmas. It is amazing how the newest additions to the family, Lia and Ryan, are growing so quickly.

Teddy even managed to talk us into taking him to Ohio for Christmas. I'll write more about that topic on Tuesday as Teddy celebrates his 3rd birthday.

For those of you that were unable to make it to NC for the Holiday season, I am including several pictures of our decorations. James was in charge of the exterior decorations and lighting this year and I think he did a great job.

I want to thank all of you for making our Christmas so special.

Now its time to make those New Year's Resolutions.

Happy New Year!