Duck. Duck. Gray Duck.

Everything is fun.

Everything is fun:
Hiking.
A map.
A wastepaper basket.
Couch cushions.
Books.
Trikes and bikes.
A kazoo.
Crazy chicken hat.
Puppies.
Bathtime.

Futball

We call is soccer.  Other countries call it futball.   Whichever word you choose - it's a fun sport!  We signed Cullen up for YMCA youth/parent soccer.  Just like his t-ball experience, it wasn't really a team - there were no official soccer games played.  The kids worked with two coaches who led us through fun games and drills.  Cullen learned to dribble, pass, shoot and score.  He loved running around the soccer field with his buddy Parks.  The most important rule was remembering "no hands".  And the coaches did a great job of mixing games like Freeze Tag and "What Time Is It Mr. Fox?" in with the learning drills.

The program not only teaches sports, but also the YMCA's core values:  respect, honesty, responsibility and caring.  At the end of every drill, the coaches will spend 5 minutes talking about the importance of the key values.  When Coach Sam asked the kids to give an example of what "caring" means, Cullen piped in and told her "don't carry the ball with your hands."  He was right, but not quite....

 

Fall Fun.

What have Cullen and Simone been up to - you might ask?  The answer is:  fall fun.  The pics speak for themselves.  Enjoy.

TriQuest

This weekend Dirk competed in a race:  Tri-Quest (http://tri-quest.org).  Tri-Quest consists of a 5K run, followed by a 33k bike and 18 holes of golf (no cart).  Dirk competed as a 2-person team with his friend Charlie Nelson.  Kari Nelson, Cullen, Simone and I drove out to the race to cheer the guys on.  I am proud to announce that Dirk and Charlie finished first in the 2-person-team men's 30-39 year-old division.

Goodnight cookie-cookie-banana-pants!

Goodnight cookie-cookie-banana-pants is how Cullen signed off tonight.  He is in a silly stage and loves making up crazy words and rhymes that sound funny.  It's such a sweet and innocent time, some days I want to trap him at this age forever.  Other days, not some much - like when we have to negotiate which shoes he is going to wear for 10 minutes when we are already running late in the morning.  The other day, a little girl at school told Cullen that he was her boyfriend.  Not really understanding the true definition of the word, he corrected her and told her that he couldn't be her boyfriend because he was already "daddy's buddy".  Cullen also started in a new classroom at school:  the 3-year-old room with Miss Jenny and Miss Rachel.  This year the focus is on independent activities, basic learning (numbers, letters, colors, etc.) and continuing to develop social skills.  So far, his favorite activities have been cutting paper with the safety scissors, swim lessons and feeding the classroom's pet fish.

Simone continues to amaze us with how much she actually understands.  I can tell her it's bath time, and she will run right for the tub.  She has also become a little gopher (no pun intended!) and will fetch certain items at our request.  When we were up at Big Fish Lake, Grandma Liz asked Simone to pick up her glasses.  Overhearing the conversation, Mason ran over to the glasses, picked them up and handed them to her.  Then, he told Grandma Liz that "Simone doesn't speak English".  While this is partly true, she sure does understand a lot and is learning more and more English vocabulary each week.  Simone is now proficient at "quacking" whenever she sees a duck.  When we pick her up from school, she greets us with a big grin, puts her arms up and after we scoop her up, she turns to her teachers and friends and says "Ba-Bye" (translation:  I'm outta here!).  Last weekend, I put Simone's hair in pig-tails.  It was a mullet looking hairdo (bald on top and party in the back), but it really was cute. 

Finally, we had a much needed parents' night out with the Swanson clan to celebrate Bob and Mimi's anniversary.  It was nice to sit around and chat without the distraction of our crazy little rugrats!

Big Fish Lake Weekend 2011

The LaVigne clan headed up to Wowee's cabin on Big Fish Lake for Labor Day Weekend.  The weather wasn't all that great (cool and super windy), but we still had a great time.  Cullen and Mason loved riding bikes, collecting rocks, playing beach ball soccer and just hangin' out.  Simone loved getting into all of the knick-knacks (which were breakable of course), playing with her grandma and grandpa and eating (she loves to eat and is always down for a meal or a snack).  My cousins MaryBeth and Martha, who go to college at St. Ben's, stopped over for a home-cooked meal on Saturday night.  It's so nice to have this great cabin in the family.  We have so many memories here as kids, and it's fun to allow our kids the opportunity to create theirs.