Kay is finally 10!

The big day finally arrived and the birthday girl was in her glory! She woke up look around and stated, today's my birthday and I can do whatever I want.....

So after a party with her school friends, opening a special present from Grandma Bunny and Grandpa Jim, the family birthday was looking like a let down. About half way through the day Kay exclaimed, it's my birthday but it feels like a regular day. That translated to basically, Hey let's go to Target where I can spend several hours looking at stuff that drives my parents crazy, like but not limited to moon powder and glue. Steering her away from that and towards a much simpler idea of Yorgurty's the local yogurt shop was much less stressful and more cost effective.





Tracy left work early so we could all go out to dinner of Kay's choice which of course was Korean!!!

We had heard a rumor our favorite Korean restaurant in Toronto ( nothing beats Mirror of Korea),
has shut down but to no avail, never believe everything you hear, Nak Won, was alive and cranking our the best kim bap, duk galbi, mandu, tofu ji guy, in all of the GTA, shut the front door, good!






We invited our neighbors, Rod & Peggy along with their 2 kids, Jake and Josh and the German Exchange student, Francie and it was suddenly a party. Those who follow this crazy blog know that our kids when offered Korean food eat like there is no tomorrow and apparently so do our neighbors, there was not a scrap left! So we headed home for... not cake because Kay had to have Lemon Meringue Pie, well it's Kay.





The presents were opened (heavy focus on slushy makers, popsicle molds and baking items - including cake mix and frosting)  pie was enjoyed and Kay finally had to admit it was not just a normal day anymore.

Happy 10th Birthday Kay! We love you and are blessed everyday with your smile, hugs and love.

FYI, just because the birthday has come and gone ...the party never ends. Grandma Kay and Grandpa Jeremiah have a little birthday celebration planned for Kay when we head back to Minneapolis next week, seriously.....  more to come.

The Pettersetter's Arrive!

Kristin, Crag, Anders and Bjorn, our neighbors and friends from the infamous gated community back in Golden Valley, made the trek to Michigan and then followed us back to Toronto.

We arrived amidst typical Toronto Traffic and the 401 at a stand still but we preserved and after 11 hours, which should have been 8 we made it home, ironically Tracy actually beat us home from work! Friday we had a great time catching up talking gossip and the kids of course had a ball, like it was just yesterday we were at Lyon's Park.

Saturday morning was filled with the usual Loudamericans schedule, school for Tom, football for Jimmy dog walk for Nikki and pedicures for Tracy and Kristin. Then the fun began after lunch we headed out to show them our town, nah, nah ,nah, nah, nah, this my town...

The subway brought us to Union Station and we headed out to explore the water front and the Asian Festival. We were planning on going out to Centre Island however the other 5 million residents had the same plan so we took a pass and ended up watching a live infomercial. Purina Dog Food was having a Pro Plan dog show and the kids we enthralled watching the different breeds of dog go through a series of cones, gates, hoops and slides, we had to drag the kids away. Then it was off to listen to some awesome live music and explore the water front. No tour of Toronto is complete with out a stop in Kensington Market, which is also Jimmy's favorite part of Toronto, it is like Haite Asbury, Bohemian headquarters all rolled into one. We wondered through China town as well where Bjorn and Kay had to have a fresh coconut chopped and with a straw, it was not a hit.

The subway delivered us to one of our favorite Toronto restaurants, GUU, a mix of Sushi and Western food such as a classic version of Chicken Nuggets, seriously the best in the GTA! We had a fabulous dinner and a couple of tall cold beverages and it was back on the subway homeward bound. Back at the ranch we watched of course cooking shows!, and the kids played themselves out and it was off to dreamland.

Sunday was brunch extraordinaire, Cinnamon French toast, apple infused potato hash browns, cinnamon whipped cream and Vidalia onion Merlot jam, nap anyone? The day was sort of a start and stop kind of day, rain in the forecast, Jimmy had a double header that kept us in and out of commission so the Pettersetter's ventured out on their own to visit the Hockey Hall of Fame and made it back to tell all about it. Of course both Jimmy's games were cancelled and the day was a waste from that perspective. None to fear when you have oil, fresh cod and a couple of boxes of Panko's you can create the best fried fish on the planet!

All good things have to come to a break so on Monday morning Tracy left for work and Kristin, Craig, Anders and Bjorn headed back to the gated community. We are super thankful they came to visit and now the kids are home sick and can't wait to return to Golden Valley and their Minnesota friends.

Summer Vacation begins...

The end of school marks the beginning of the second most favorite time of the year, after Christmas that is, Summer Vacation! This year is no different and with the well laid plans it is expected to be the best summer ever....

We loaded up the family truckster and headed off to the airport to pick up Tom from his trip back to Minneapolis to work at the Golf for the Gift Fundraiser, which we have to say Thanks to all who participated!, and we were off to Michigan to visit Tracy's family. The drive over was full of quiet and no arguing as everyone had their own ear buds and electronics. We arrived on Friday night to hugs and laughs from Grandma and Grandpa and Julie, Cedric and Solomon, totally fun!

Saturday began the week of fun, laughs and catching up. We headed over to Sleeping Bear Dunes where some of us hiked and explored the dunes while others relaxed at the picnic table and discussed detailed stats and opinions on every sport known to man (guess who that was?!). It was too bad we did not bring water because the kids were geared up to walk all the way to Lake Michigan, about a 90 minute round trip.

The afternoon we hung out at the cabin and swam in Little Glen and began the first game of the World Series.  If you saw the reactions of the kids you would have thought that it was the final game. At one point Tom had to umpire and explained that the kids were playing with a waffle ball, a plastic Fred Flintstone type bat and were using a bush as a pitching mound and a tree for second base ( not to mention there was not first or third), that getting called out on strikes was really no big deal. When that didn't calm the kids down he had to pull the dreaded um card and said " Do you know why you are out? No why? " Because I am the ump"!

Sunday the Loudamericans moved into the upper guest cottage at Maple Lake resort to make room at Grandma and Grandpa's for Tammy and Jeff along with Georgia, Joey and Herby and Aunt Sue!
We headed off to Empire to do the Empire Dunes walk and broke the rules by hopping the fence and running down the sand dunes to Lake Michigan. The boys from Costa Rica we complaining of cold ( it was in the 70's) while Jimmy was rolling in the lake saying how refreshing 35 degree water can be! Meanwhile back at the ranch Grandma and Grandpa got a fire going and we had s'mores and hot chocolate to chase away the cold.

Monday Tracy had to head back to Toronto and work, Grandpa Jim, who is a Park Ranger volunteer, (which is super cool), had to go to work. The rest of us swam in the lake, played more baseball and continued on our merry way. We are very grateful and thankful for all Tracy does for us.

Tuesday was off to Traverse City for a minor league (farm team) baseball game - The Dune Dudes (not sure that's the actual team name but its apropos).  Actually its the Beach Bums.  The girls stayed home for some girl time and the boys had a gas cheering for their new favorite team.

Now you can not lead a Rock Star life as a kid and have a Rock Star vacation if you don't have a vacation within a vacation, so it was in this vain our neighbors and friends from Golden Valley, Craig, Kristin, Anders and Bjorn, came to Glen Lake. Tracy and Grandpa Jim had gone over to the campground and secure a site for them and passed the information on to Tom who promptly forgot what he was supposed to tell them. So when we met up to give them the paperwork and they headed over to the campground and were promptly chewed out by the Rangers, it was no wonder. They even let their co-worker Grandpa Jim have a piece of their minds, but all is well that ends well. ( more on the PeterSetters later).

The rest of the week was filled with more of the same, picnics, swimming, BBQ's and you know summer. One of the highlights of the trip was the 4th of July Parade. It is still a piece of small town America~  floats, Uncle Sam on Stilts, the Statue of Liberty, (on stilts), a kazoo marching band consisting of who ever happened to have a kazoo handy and tons and tons of candy. Not to mention guys and girls on Rollerblades throwing hot dogs to the crowd, it went on for over 45 minutes which was awesome.

Friday we had to say goodbye to our cousins, second cousins, Aunt Sue and Grandma and Grandpa. It was a super fun week and we say to Grandma and Grandpa... we love, we
are blessed to be with you and for all the good times and fun we say THANK YOU!

Billys Gotcha Day!!

Happy Gotcha Day Billy!

8 years ago today, Billy came home to be a permanent part of our family and the LoudAmericans.
He was a very intense baby that watched/studied us all endlessly. He giggled uncontrollably and was a great cuddler.

Not much has changed:) Billy is still extremely observant and asks the most insightful questions (he and I had a 45 min conversation about God and heaven last weekend, made me pause and reflect on not only what I believe but how do you communicate that to someone who is actively trying to from an opinion). He is always the 1st to give a kiss, cuddle or say "I love you" and has the best silly/belly laugh of all times.

Billy, also know as Baloo, Bill Pickle, Shauny, Buncu (when the other kids want to get a rise out of him) and... when we are upset with him WIlliam Francis Kim !!  is a green belt in Tae Kwon Do, a Lego expert, a talented skateboarder and getting really good at reading music and playing piano.

He's also an expert gamer and knows EVERYTHING about Skylanders and my phone is loaded with No Zombies, Monster, Class of Clans, BattleNations, DragonVale, Knights and Hungry Shark (the current favorite). 

Nikki is his soul mate and when he tells me that he loves me "almost as much as I love Nikki" its actually a HUGE compliment as I KNOW that she is his whole world.

He's generous with his friends and plays with anyone. He's a total squirrel and can get his friends to do some mean break dance moves.

He has a memory "problem", whenever he doesnt want to answer a question he says "I forget". He also shuts down when angry or sad and its virtually impossible to get him to speak/express himself (we are working on both of these but I feel bad for future people he dates - he's definitely going to be the silent type).

Some Billy-isms:

• I look just like Juanita (said when his eye swelled shut due to a bug bite - basically he was comparing himself to Juantia the 1 eyed dog)
• Cuddle me but dont touch me (nightly request)
• Hi Mom how was your day? (translated means...can I use your phone?  We told him he couldnt ask for my phone until he welcomed me home and gave me a hug) 
• Imagine if....(this is currenlty how he starts 95% of his sentences - he's a thinker that one....)
• Make me something I like (when asked what he wants for breakfast, or lunch or dinner)
• Can I have that thing I had at Tammy's (the answer to what do you want for breakfast?  He means a hard boiled egg)
• I like being a kid, I dont know anything about grown ups (he TOTALLY knows he's got a good thing going and is in NO hurry to grow up)

Billy, you are an amazing, smart, loving, generous, thoughtful, insightful,sensitive person. We cant wait to be a part of the rest of your life:)

We Love you Billy!!

   

And..the results are in!!!

Tomorrow is the last day of school. Yes, we go to school from the Tuesday after Labor Day until the last Thursday of June. Holy School Batman!

With this comes ... field trips, treats, teacher gifts, in classroom movies and.... report cards!

Report cards came home today and I'm please to announce....(drum roll please)

Jimmy was awarded...
The Dance Award (huh?)
The Music Award ('duh!)
Honor Roll (I think its new math, you'll see why when I discuss his grades below...)
He is super duper thrilled about these awards as your name gets called off and you get to go up during assembly. he said he had butterflies in his stomach when it came to the honor roll since he's been "working so hard!"  Gradewise, improvements across the board with a range of C+ (measurement - empiral to metric has him really screwed up) to A in Phy Ed ('duh) and Music (double 'duh).  His teacher said he is a "confident student" with a "positive attitude towards learning".  The only advice? "encouraged to stay remain on task even when the task becomes challenging". Don't we all?!
So proud of you Jimmy!! From skipping 5th grade to Honor Roll in 6th grade - woo hooo!!!

Kays report card was GLOWING!!!
Her grades ranged from B (healthy living, IT, writing, number sense and measurement - see above on Jimmy's comments) to A+ (oral communication & visual arts). Her teachers comments were so encouraging and made us smile (and wonder if Mrs Chung is talking about the same kid.....) " "reliable student" "completes written tasks with time and care "is always an enthusiastic learner, seeks new opportunities to learn" "always demonstrates curiosity and interest" "often results conflict in a group" the only advice? "encouraged to ...be more encouraging and understanding of with her classmates"        (can the last 2 comments be interpreted as bossy?!)  She got Excellents in Responsibility and Initiative (starting to sound like leadership dimensions at work!!!)
Kay - you amaze us, never lose your earnestness and willingness to learn!

Billy - what to say about Billy... once I describe the below, it'll make you wonder what he could do if he actually applied himself and didn't just 'skate' through grade 2...
Teacher comments 1st "works with others to resolve conflicts and is a positive team member" looks for ...new ideas and opportunities for learning" "reflects critically on his strengths and needs" (this is starting to sound like a performance review - have to remind myself he's 8 and in grade 2!!) the advice? "he is encouraged to find a quiet area away from his friends in order to complete his work" (this is called the Murphy curse as all of the LoudAmericans have gotten this feedback repetitively.  Grade wise - solid solid B's - A- in Number Sense and Media Literacy.  I think the best indication though is, they asked his teacher (Ms Cuttz) if she'd take on Grade 3 next years. She said - only if I get the same Grade 2 class. you must keep them all together. - so... guess who his teacher is next year - we are thrilled! Go Billy Go! Nicely done!

Now, for the actual last day of school tomorrow. Not excited to see the s-it that comes home in the backpacks and see how much sugar they have consumed during the last day of school parties:)

More on that later:)...

One more reason for cake

It was birthday "fest" at the LoudAmericans this weekend. Kay, in a flash of 9 yr old brilliance, decided to have her birthday part before school got out and every left for summer vacation (yes, our kids go to school until 6/27 - the horror of it all!). Keep in mind, this was a full 3 weeks before her actual birthday AND on the eve of Tracy's birthday.  Ever try to fit 20 lbs of sh-t in a 10 lb bag? just sayin....

Kay has spent the last 30 days planning her party, where should it be, who should she invite, sleepover?, gift bags? the decisions are endless. Remind us to stay WELL clear when she decides to plan her wedding! At the end of the day, the verdict? ....cooking school at Loblaw (think Byerlies kitchen) with 10 girls. The menu?  Tapas (aka: lots of easy appetizers and sugar induced products). The girls had cake AND made cookies AND got to decorate and bring home 6 cupcakes each. Aiy Yai Yai!!  Needless to say, when they made it back to our house it was pure girl mayhem.  But, they had a great time!

While Kay was holding court as Iron Chef, Billy was getting tested for his green belt. He was perfect on his pomsae (patterns) but they needed to do non-contact sparring as they had the largest group ever trying to all pass up a belt color. He rocked it and is now an official green belt. He is cruising through these belts. 1/2 way to black belt. assuming it'll get hard and/or slow down but we'll see. There is a semi-professional soccer team in North York and Master Myungs (Billys dojo) was asked to do the 1/2 time show. They picked their "best" students and guess who's going to demonstrate his TKD skills? Yep ol' Bill. We'll post an update of the prestigious event.

Saturday was Tracy's birthday and to be honest, it looked like any other Saturday ... football practice and kids activities. Kay did clean her room (which is like cleaning a nuclear waste site) so that was a really good present. Then, she went strawberry picking with her friends while Tracy walked the dog, Billy road his bike and Jimmy laid on the couch like a slug.  We did get a "date" night in at a yummy Indian restaurant and came home to .... you guessed it, a mini neighborhood surprise party. Rod, Peggy, Kim and all their kids were here to welcome us home with champagne and cake. It was really fun and we cant believe how lucky/blessed we are to have 2 neighborhoods (Toronto and Golden Valley) filled with great friends and fun.

Sunday was a baseball tournament for Jimmy (rescheduled from last week) and super duper hot. They rallied, the score went back and forth, but at the end of the day, lost and took 3rd place.  The ump was questionable and even our convener (the person in charge of keeping parents in line) was yelling "so the other team has 10 players?  9 12 yr olds and the ump?!"  Nice. Jimmy seems fine with the loss but that could be because he got to go swimming afterwards. The tribulations of a kid are short lived.  Kay is also off to a swim party with all the same girls from Friday night.. Golsa is moving back to Iran and they decided to see her off in style. As a treat, Tracy took Billy out of lunch (gyros and fries and the best of all...a huge orange Fanta soda). Our kids have it made. Very jealous.

Tom had BBQ class yesterday and Mediterranean class today, tonights dinner will be a mix of what ever he brings home. Its always yummy so no one is complaining!!    

Overall, a few reasons to cut cake, lay low, be with friends and family, cheer each other on and basically enjoy life.

Happy Weekend!    

Anchors Away!

Tracy and I, after 5 years, were able to get away for a few days, just us... no kids, all thanks to Sue!!!!

















We left Toronto in the middle of the night for sunny Miami where we boarded the cruise ship )Carnival Victory) for a 5 day cruise out to Grand Turk, and the Bahamas'. This was our first cruise aboard a ship this size, we are used to sailing our own ship and having our own crew (and being our own cooks and maids:)).

The ship was huge (as you can imagine), there were 3000 guests and around 1000 employees which is a pretty good ratio. The ship had a workout room, which... if you get car sick or have motion issues is not the place to be while the ship is moving... and you are trying to ride a exercise bike, fyi, just sayin".

Each morning we would receive a brochure that included the events of the day, destination, dress code for dinner, ect, you know the old saying.. if you can't remember your name just go the front desk and they will tell you ...like that. The comdeians were pretty funny, the food was 'so so' but the name that tune night which featured the 70's one night, the 80's another it was by far our favorite event!

So Monday afternoon we seat sail and headed for Grand Turk and spent all night Monday and all day Tuesday enroute. We explored the ship and the buffet's, tried to carnival brand beer Thirsty Frog and basically relaxed and read books. The island of Grand Turk is fairly small and when we rented bikes the bike owner told us that only one French couple has ever made it to the light house so, in the words of Homer Simpson "sounds like a bet to me" off we went. The views from the lighthouse were awesome and the reef off the coast of Grand Turk was is responsible for 1000's of shipwrecks, crazy!









Wednesday we set sail for Half Moon cay, the obligatory cruise-line owned island. It was a beach BBQ party and basically laying in the sun, not to much to write home about. Tracy and I walked along the beach enjoyed the BBQ and had a leisurely afternoon. The rains came in around 3:00 and all 3000 passengers beat cheeks to get to the boat causing the shuttle lines to back up and of course, everyone headed to the bar and continued on their merry way! The crew would constantly remind people, "yell louder, drink more, your on vacation"!









Thursday night after the storm we headed to the Bahamas', which were bigger than I imagined. The place has a British Colony fell to the place with the bright colored buildings, horse drawn carriages and barkers trying to get you into their store, restaurant, etc, the only thing missing were people trying to sell us chicklets. Once such barker manage to snag us, coincidently right before the rains came and into Two Bbrothers we went. Since the cruise came with all you could eat and drink having lunch and buying a couple of beers seemed, well you know ...."hey your on vacation!" Tom found this cool new hat and the beer was super cold, local and the appy of choice of course, conch fritters!

Friday we set sail for Miami and the end of the cruise. The dinners each night were somewhat different and the key we found was to get the anytime dining option, which like it says let's you dine any time you want. That way we were never rushed, and never had the same waiter or table which was great. The food I must say was mediocre but the dinner entertainment was top notch. There is no way to report this without being politically in-correct so in the same vain as the waiters sing Jingle Bells in the cult classic " a Christmas Carol" the waiters every night sang Happy Birthday, a link to their performance is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KumQHXEmEE4&feature=youtu.be. Now on the last night they out did themselves by signing a parody to "Your leaving on a Jet Plane" , and sang " Your leaving our fun Ship" the link for that is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CoWXpoB0Lc. It totally cracked us up!

A vacation or trip to Miami would not be complete without a trip to the everglades, which if you have never been I would say... don't waste your money, unless you have a few hours to kill between flights and need a ride to the airport, if that's the case then I say ...you must go! Chessey tourist trap and
more...

 

Overall the trip was great and being able to relax with just Tracy and I and each of us reading 4 books was well... awesome.

exactly what we needed:)

Happy Fathers Day!

Also known as ...we love Tom day!!

1st of all, Happy Fathers Day to ALL the Fathers in our life...
    Grandfathers (Jeremiah and Jim) - you are great examples of staying active and engaged in what you love; whether its golf or basketball or your friends AND (of course) your family!
    Godfathers (Jim, Mike and Jeff) - thank you for all the care and attention you give our kids, they love you for it and it makes you a part of our family:)
     Birth and Foster fathers (all in Korea:)) - thank you for your love, healthy start, and amazing ability to give the biggest gift EVER ... life !!!  AND...then make the most selfless decision EVER, to let your children be raised by someone else in a new/different forever family. I cant even imagine ... you are our heros!!

But... all of this pales in comparison to what Tom does for us everyday - he's Father of the Year! Let me list a few....
    School:  Makes every school lunch, knows every teacher, volunteers for every activity (including super boring field trips)
   Friends: knows all the kids friends AND their parents! keeps us in a healthy supply of loving/caring friendship when I run out of time, makes sure we have fun and down time together
   Sports/Activities: is chauffeur to baseball, basketball, football, gymanstics, Tae Kwon Do, piano, drums, playdates, camp, etc etc....
   Chef: using his talents in the classroom to make us the most unbelievable family meals, its such a treat (in this day an age especially) to be able to eat a homemade meal as a family EVERY night of year. AND...its not all fish sticks and tator tots. Our menu includes: Greek, Korean, Indian, Coastal, BBQ, you name it, he can make it!!
    CEO of the House: does all the shopping, cleaning, fixing, calling, negoitating, etc that goes with running a household of 5, especially when you arent playing with a home field advantage:)
    Advocate for kids and families everywhere: sits on the board of Gift of Adoption (a grant making organization for adoptive families), is engaged in Crisis Nursery (a non-profit support network/facility for families in crisis), frequenlty is a mentor to newly promoted stay at home dads and new expats. 

Tom made a decision a few years ago that being a "father" was going to be his full time job and he wanted to be the best at it. Well...Tom... you've done it. You are amazing and we lead a rich, blessed, loving, engaged, active, hectic, crazy and fun life because of YOU!!

I love you. The kids love you. Thank you for being the best.... Happy Fathers Day!       

MS150 recap

Thank YOU for your support and best wishes for the MS150!  I was WAY over my fundraising goal (yeah $2880 on a goal of $2500!!!) and finished yet another yearJ  In total, there were 3,500 riders, 1,000 volunteers and overall we raised +$3 million for MS – WOW!!!

As always- a wild ride.   Our support crew was incredible;  first the dedicated team of Annemiek, Eva and Lucy (the dog) for drop off service in Duluth (Wendy’s family).  We did some site seeing in Duluth and had dinner at an awesome new microbrewery – Canal Park Brewery. The food was fantastic and they beer/mead divine. It was good carbo loading for the weekend.

The support by Target Commercial Interiors was amazing-  key to us; the TLC from the Team Luggage truck, the dedicated Massage Team and Target Tent with food and cold barley carbohydrate recovery Beverage on tap!!! Target is amazing at these type of events and it makes me really really proud.

Saturday weather was GREAT- sun and cool temps.   A perfect day for riding and pure joy!

Sunday, well…unpleasant is the best I can describe.,,, it was quite soggy with rain and some head/cross-winds to keep us keenly aware of the physical struggle behind this charity ride.

Thank you to Wendy and Ned for pulling together to keep each other (& me) safe and entertained on the difficult Sunday ride.  I *think* I’ve successfully scrubbed all of the mud off myself! The post ride hot shower felt like heaven!!

Wendy made a new friend and was on the news, The Wild’s Nate Prosser.    http://www.kare11.com/news/article/1028636/24/Teammates-show-support-for-Wilds-Josh-Harding-at-MS-150-Ride

As a close- please send thoughts of healing to the riders injured on this year’s ride.  There were at least four serious injuries on Saturday, including one ‘chain reaction’ crash that injured 3 riders and an airlift into the cities for medical treatment.

Take a look at the photos from the ride attachedJ

Until next year, THANK YOU and Ride On!

Tracy

Kay 3-Peats!!!

The competitions are over for this year and the results are in. In a stunning performance Kay Marie Jeon pulls off a first ever recorded 3-peat. She place first over all in all three of her meets as well is first on floor, beam, uneven bars and second on vault! Amazing work for our PooK-A-Rouk!!

When asked about the performance she simplily stated " I was born to do gymnastics!" She recived a total of:

3 Gold's in overall performance.
3 Gold's on the Floor
3 Gold's on the Beam
3 Gold's on the Un-even Bars
3 Silvers on the Vault





In the final meet there were special recognition awards identifying the athletes the delivered outstanding routines on each of the events. Only ONE athlete among the 50 entrants was awarded 3 of these awards, Kay Marie Jeon ! She was awarded the most expressive on the floor, the highest leaps and jumps on the beam and the best casts on the bars. Now for those of you who are unfamiliar with gymnastics lingo, I will save you from the embarrassment that befell me. When I asked Kay what a cast was she looked at me and said :" Jeez Dad I have been doing this for 4 years and you don't know anything about gymnastics?!"  So a cast is when you jump up to the bar spin around the bar and " cast" your legs off as high as you can, follow?




In this meet Jimmy, who without being prodded from Mom and Dad, was one of Kay's biggest fans
was worried about the competition. "She's got some competish!" As he watched he became a bit agitated that she was in for a tough go and when she won he was (as well all are) very proud of her!

The next season starts in late July with Kay going from 9 hours a week to 12! Meanwhile out of Ottawa, The Nations Capital " those who fail the citizenship, but meet all the other requirements, will get a do over" really....

Below is a link to the outstanding floor routine. We are proud and love you Kay!!
more to come....

Summer Olypmics 2020, here we come!

http://youtu.be/JhG0kbsls6M

100%

      

MS 150 - 7 days and counting....AHHHHHHH

Oh…my…. We are 1 week away and I could use another 4 weeks on many different levels!!

Fundraising – might need to focus my “wins” this year on fundraising and not training (more on that later). You are all AMAZING!  $2,195 on a goal of $2,500 – already ahead of last year and all most there, we can do it!!

Keep the $ comingJ

Training – not going to be my best year. Spring was late and then really wet and windy. I have been getting some rides in after work but…I’d characterize my training and short but frequent. No long rides yet, but 4-5/week 60-90 min rides on my mountain bike.  We’ll see how that translates into two 7 hour days on a road bike.  I just keep reminding myself, I am doing the best I can at the moment.

So, the next update will be post ride. I will let you know how it goes and….

If you aren’t able to help with $$, send me good vibes…. Cloudy, mid 60’s, downhill, wind at my back, Advil, loose muscles and cold beer at the finish.

Sounds like a nice weekendJ
Tracy           

Happy Anniversary!

15 years ago gathered on the side of a sunlight hill in Annandale,

Little Nutbrown Hare, who was going to bed, held on tight to Big Nutbrown Hare's very long ears.
He wanted to be sure that Big Nutbrown Hare was listening. "Guess how much I love", he said.
"Oh, I don't think I could guess that," said Big Nutbrown Hare.
"This much" said Little Nutbrown Hare, stretching out his arms as wide as they could go.
Big Nutbrown Hare has even longer arms. " But I love you this much," he said.
Hmm, that is a lot, thought Little Nutbrown Hare.

" I love you as high as I can reach," said Little Nutbrown Hare.
" I love you as high as I can reach," said Big Nutbrown Hare. Then Little Nutbrown Hare has a good idea. He tumbled upside down and reached up the tree trunk with his feet. " I love you all the way to my toes!" he said. " And I love you all the way up to your toes," said Big Nutbrown Hare swinging him up over his head.

" I love you as high as I can hop!" laughed Little Nutbrown Hare, bouncing up and down.
" But I love you as high as I can hop," smiled Big Nut Brown Hare- and he hopped so high that his ears touched the branches above. That's good hopping, thought Little Nutbrown Hare. I wish I could hop like that.

" I love you all the way down the lane as far as the river," cried Little Nutbrown Hare.
" I love you across the river and over the hills," said Big Nutbrown Hare.



That's very far, thought Little Nut Brown Hare. He was almost too sleepy to think anymore. Then he looked beyond the thornbushes, out into the big dark night. Nothing could be father than the sky. " I love you right up to the moon," he said, and closed his eyes.



" Oh that's far," said Big Nutbrown Hare. " That's very very far." Big Nutbrown Hare settled Little Nutbrown Hare into his bed of leaves. He leaned over and kissed him good night. Then he lay down close by and whispered with a smile, "I love you right up to the moon- and back."

Happy Anniversary, I love you!

Ottawa here we come..

This past weekend was Victoria Day in Canada, commonly known as May 24, and a holiday on Monday so we set off to the Capital City of Canada and home of many interesting sites, stories and the Ottawa Senators, Go Sens! Eh.

A little PSA for any of you whom find yourself in Toronto facing a long weekend, do not leave late in the day, the 401, the main artery in and out of Toronto becomes a parking lot around 4:00. Leave early like around 3:00 am just to be safe. It took us over an hour to go 3 miles, seriously! We arrived in Ottawa a couple hours later then we wanted, found the hotel and high tailed off to the closest watering hole, I mean restaurant and walked right into a Senators Hockey Game. Every TV in every house, bar and public place had the game on and it was loud. True to form, they lost and by the time our food game everyone had left the restaurant so we were able to eat in peace.

Saturday the plan was for Tracy to get a training ride in while the rest of us slept in, one out 2 isn't bad. The day was gorgeous so we could not bring ourselves to go to the museums so we went to the ByWard Market, which is this gigantic outdoor market, farmers market, restaurant, street entertainer area. We watched street performers contort themselves into a ring and roll around in circles and not get sick, that is a talent. Kay had to stop at every shop and look around, she is a serious shopper, the boys not so much. In any event the market was fun, we had lunch at an awesome burrito place, strolled around, Jimmy found and awesome wolves' lid and Billy came up with a kite, yep?, the parental units (whom I might add are going on a cruise shortly) found a backpack that will only hold 2 passports, 2 towels and 2 books, get the picture! We found a small park loaded with tulips and a place for Kay to blow the new bubbles she bought and Billy to fly his kite, Jimmy just sat around complaining about how Ottawa does not have any good restaurants, looking cool in his new lid.
 Dinner was some really random Lebanese place that we all loved sans Jimmy, his first day in Ottawa was not good as far as food.

Saturday night we went on a Haunted walk through the downtown area along the river, a perfect scene for scary stories and weird goings on. The tour was a couple of hours and although we did not see any ghosts, the kids were engaged and had fun, a little too engaged as that night no one could sleep in their own beds. Musical beds in a 2 bed 1 roll away room is not fun.

Sunday it rained, all day and it was perfect weather to be in a museum, the Airplane & Science museum to be exact along with a really cool interactive Star Wars exhibit. The planes dated back to the beginning of time and categorized and chronicled how crazy the early pilots were. Then we headed over to the Stars Wars exhibit which, if you get a chance, you must find out if " The force is with you"

Basically the whole making of Star Wars, character building and design, outfits, human, robot  is there. You are given a bracelet, and a headset and wander from station to station answering questions, learning about human and robot behavior all in search of your own identity. Then you must chose to remain in the rebel camp or go over to the Dark Side.....Guess which 2 of us are now aligned with DarthVadar?

Sunday nigh was low key at the local Irish Pub and relaxing in the room with three amped up kids and a Disney movie.

Monday we packed up and began the trek home. PSA #2 do not attempt to return to Toronto around 6:30 in the evening because everyone that was on the 401 the previous Friday is on it again.
We stopped at this really cool cave and tour place. We learned about this crazy local guy who found the caves and remained alive after trying to kill himself several times while finding the caves, the details are worth the visit. The tour is about an hour and the perfect distraction on the way home.

We arrived in time to join out neighbors for fireworks and a bit of neighborhood bonding before falling in our own beds in our own rooms. There was a bit of news,  a worker at a children's center in Halifax was put on paid leave when it was discovered that several of the kids in her care had duct tape marks around their mouths, paid leave? The movie never ends it goes on and on and on.....
more to come!

We are planning a winter trip to Ottawa we liked it so much. Its got gorgeous bike paths, amazing architecture, 2 rivers and a canal going through town and a really cool European vibe. In the winter there is iceskating on the canal, just like the Netherlands. we'll be back.....

 cool waterfall along bike path

Billys future career, jet pilot

Jimmy and Billy sleeping in and cuddling

Pillow? that's not a pillow!

Picking our species

The guitar Canadian astronaut Chris

 Hatfield took into space

Check out the Star Wars characters we created. Jimmy was the only one to "go" to the Dark Side.


Tracys -

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Toms

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Jimmys

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Kays

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Billys

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Happy Mothers Day and Bringing home the Gold

Mothers Day weekend around here was full of the usual Loudamericans events with a major bonus,
Grandma and Grandpa came in for a few days to become sleep deprived like the rest of us. The weekend events included and not in any order of importance, Tom started the summer semester at George Brown (Mediterranean and BBQ), Jimmy had his first select baseball team tryout, Billy had Taekwondo sparring practice, Kay had track practice and her first gymnastics meet, Tracy had work and MS 150 training and that was just Saturday. Sunday was more school for Tom, and Mothers Day with an early celebration of Grandmas birthday. Heres a breakdown:

Jim and Bunny arrived on Thursday afternoon in time to relax before the storm. Kay's gymnastics coach has been pestering Tom for weeks wondering where his wife is? Not sure why until he inquired and as it turns out the coach was very nervous about Kay's hair for the upcoming meet, sensing a bit of prejudice he told here not to worry that Kay's Grandma was coming to take over "the hair" ownership. Being her coach is from the Ukraine, something was lost in translation. However we we walked in the door and Kay's Coach saw Grandma and figured out what was going on she stated "I am now very happy". We all met back at the homestead had a great dinner of Chapplupa's finished homework and stated our favorite part of the day was... all of us being together!

Friday was the quietest day of the bunch. The kids were off to school and Grandpa Jim and Tom have been wanting to try Wimpy's for breakfast and Grandma Bunny came along as well. To say it was good is an understatement, plates completely clean all three of us said " wow I didn't think I was going to eat all that!" What's not to like fat free, low calories, eggs, potatoes, french toast, bacon, sausage, all good! The afternoon was filled with hanging out and watching Billy practice his sparring. Tracy was able to get home early and we have a great family dinner. Curried Lemon Grass chicken, feast chicken, rice pilaf, all good. We caught up and Glee and hit the rack early Saturday was going to be a long day!

Saturday found Tom leaving at 7:30 for BBQ class totally excited for it! This class is full of awesome ways to marinade, smoke, steam, roast, deep fry, and of course BBQ not only meats,but fish and vegetables as well! Look out summer! Tracy was able to get a long dog walk and a bike ride to train for the MS150. Grandpa Jim took Jimmy to baseball practice, Billy was reacquainting himself with electronics and Grandma was busy with Kay's hair, yep this was Kay's big day, her first ever competitive Gymnastics meet. Nervous, well a little. After a bit of running around we all found our selves in the Vaughn Gymnastics Center. There were around 75 athletes between the ages of 7-9. Being this is Kay's first year she was in the group of level 2 gymnasts. Just a note that Kay practices at level 3 , but has to compete at level 2, where in Canada, Eh?

In any event the competition is set up as follows:
3:00-3:30 check-in
3:30-4:00 March in
4:00-4:30 warm Up
4:30-7:00 competition
7:00-8:00 Awards
We were all prepared for a long afternoon. Note: None of us, including Kay, have ever been to a competitive gymnastics meet, let alone a non-competitive one, meaning we had no idea what to expect and when we were walking out the door at 6:00 we were shocked! what the hell was that?

Here is a recap:
At around 4:00 all of a sudden there was a lot of activities, athletes swinging on the uneven parallel bars, floor routines, cartwheels, hand springs, the balance beam was rocking and the kids were vaulting them selves into the next room. The competition had started, no fanfare, no here we go, gun shot like track, just start on tumbling. On another side note, Kay asked me " Daddy you know this is my first meet and do you know what would make it really special?" "No honey I don't" " If when I get off the podium you had flowers for me!"

So Kay's first event was the vault, not the horse (that is for boys) the vault. She did a couple of warm-ups, the event has the gymnasts running as fast they they can, I am not sure of the rules but I think their tongue has to hang out of the right side of their mouth, the leap onto the vault thing, place their hands on the mat ( like a giant pillow) flip over land on their back, place their feet in the pike position and arms behind their head hands at a 25 degrees angle to the floor, then dismount, butt out, hands in the air, whew. Kay landed about 5 feet further than any other kid, not sure of that's good or bad?

Next up uneven parallel bars. Jump up swing around a few times hop onto the top bar dismount from 10 feet  without breaking your ankles, butt out,  hands in the air, piece of cake. The balance beam stood in the corner like the devils triangle. Kay's coach appeared out of now where and had Kay doing all these practice moves and such, not sure. After the event her coach said "you should have seen the look of determination on your daughters face when she approached the beam". Up she went immediately into the splits, roll over onto her feet, a couple of prances, a few spins, 4ft tall hops, and a cartwheel hand spring off the beam and stuck like glue, dismount, you know... the butt out, and hand thing by now.

Last up floor routine, time now 5:10? At this point I was flowerless and thinking how "Am I going to get flowers while sitting in an industrial park and worse dash the dreams of Kay? "She walked out bowed to the judges, like you ain't seen nothing yet, and nailed her routine ( see below). Grandpa Jim and Grandma Bunny took off in search of flowers thinking "we have at least an hour until the awards", wrong, they made it back just as the kids were being called to center mat.

Since Kay was at level 2 the athlete's do not get called to the podium as the judges do not want to hurt the feeling of the kids who may not have done well. So they simply call the kids by team give them a certificate and a medal stating to the crowd that the certificates have the place the kids finished.

To see Kay's face when we handed her the flowers was priceless. When she handed us her certificated well what's more than priceless?!  Kay placed first in beam, first in floor, first in vault and second in bars and GOLD MEDAL FIRST OVERALL!! Way to go Kay!

Mothers day was another more or less quiet day. Another class for Tom  training for Tracy and relaxing with Grandma and Grandpa. We had a killer French toast breakfast curtoeusy of brunch class and then Tracy created an out of the park shut the front door, dinner with smoked salmon, risotto, salad and asparagus. It is starting to sound like all we do around here is go from kid event to the other and then eat, not bad work if you can get it. The 2 mom's received several heart felt pieces of art from the kids and a few choice books, training gear and hours of massage, also more love than they know. We had a premature birthday for Grandma Bunny, her birthday was Monday, and a special pecan pie, her favorite.

A big thanks for Grandpa Jim and Grandma Bunny for coming not only for the chaos that is our daily lives but to share Mothers Day and Grandma Bunny's birthday!

To all of the wonderful Mothers out there we are blessed by all you do.
HAPPY MOTHERS DAY, LOVE,  TTJKB
more to come...

Good Friends

My very good and longtime friend Michelle came to visit last weekend for a girls weekend. She called in mid Feb, during a snowstorm when her kids were driving her crazy and said "I gotta get out of here! When is a good time to visit?!".

Michelle and I met on the 1st day of college, we lived on the same floor in our dorm and she was the super smart, sarcastic, funny, blunt girl. I loved her the minute we met. She is still one of the smartest people I know and shes got a very "get to the point" view of life. Keeps me on my toes.

We lucked out with a sitter on Friday night and headed down to our favourite Japanese/Korean restaurant - Guu. It was so fun and loud and yummy. My kind of place:)

Tom was a gem and took on the majority of kid duty on Saturday so Michelle and I were able to take a bike ride, shop in Kensington Market, have a mimosa with lunch, see the Bata Shoe Museum, have a mid afternoon manhattan and walk along the lakeshore. (even grabbed and ice cream). It was such a nice way to chill and catch up.

Sunday was Billys Tae Kwon Do tournament and Michelle was a trouper, sitting through 5 hours of competition to see Billy participate for exactly 90 seconds. She got to try a Tim Hortons Double Double and the kids were thrilled to take her to Jack Astors, so...all was not lost.

I flew home with her on Sunday as I need to be in MPLS for work Mon and Tues. It worked out great as we were able to keep our girls weekend going a bit longer with gossip magazines and a glass of wine on the flight. Work travel with your friends is the only way to go!

Then, I doubly lucked out, Monday night, my good friend Annette was able to meet me for dinner.  Annette and I met through her ex 20 years ago when she started doing my hair. I'd make a Friday afternoon hair appointment so that we could go out afterwards. She has since switched careers, but shes still my go to person for all grooming advice (which I desperately need)  We headed out for Mexican and it was so awesome to catch up on some more girl time. I dont think she's thrilled that I'm letting my hair go grey but... shes an awesome friend and kept it to herself:)    

 Its amazing and so wonderfully special when you have friends that have known you forever and even if you havent seen or talked to them in 9 months, its just exactly the same - comfortable, fun and a million things to talk about.   I love my girlfriends!! I'm so blessed!     

MS150 training/fundraising update

Well, we are 4 weeks away and I have to say, fundraising is going MUCH better than training…$1,455 more than ½ way to my goal! Yippee!!! Keep the $$ comingJ

 In terms of training, April was a month of rain and 40 degree weather, not great biking weather but I’m not complaining… MPLS had SNOW all month. So, looking at the bright side, I’m not any further behind than any of my biking buddies. 

 I had my 4^th ride last night and have a new mid-week program.  Ride for an hour after work a few times a week before I pick up Kay. This means I bring my bike to work, get outfitted up and then set off to find adventure in Mississauga. As luck would have it, I did find a limestone bike path that rides along a creek and the airport. An interesting combination but nice to not have to battle traffic.

Thanks for all your support!  And wish me luck as I super-size my training…

(my other glass ½ full thought?! No matter how little I train, nothing can be as bad as last year’s ride….right?!  Hope I didn’t just jinx us…)