Caped Crusaders

Cullen and Simone have recently entered into the Superhero phase.  I am noticing that all kids must go through this.  Two years ago, I bought the kids capes and they never really played with them.  Now, it's the go-to accessory.  Mimi even found Dirk's old Superman sheets and now Cullen is sleeping with them.  I'm not sure what Cullen and Simone's super powers are, but whatever they grow into is sure to be spectacular!

Heidel House

We took an extended weekend get-away to the Heidel House on Green Lake.  It's a cute old resort (think Dirty Dancing) on a beautiful lake.  The best part is that it only required a two hour drive from home which we strategically planned during nap time.  We met our good friends Dennis and Kari Vogel - along with their two kids (Jack (4) and Stella (2)).  Dennis used his persuasive skills to secure adjoining poolside rooms.  This was the perfect set-up as we could let the kids sleep and hang out on the balconies after hours.  As you can see, the weekend consisted of swimming, swimming and more swimming.  The kids loved the pools (indoor and outdoor).  Short of a few meltdowns due to being overtired, the kids did great and even the adults managed to have a little fun.

Happy Bats

Cullen just finished his summer t-ball season.  This wasn't really the grueling bi-weekly game schedule kind of t-ball season.  Cullen played once a week with a group of other 4 - 6 year-olds and a group of college-aged coaches.  It was time spent on drills:  hitting, catching, fielding, running the bases, etc.  All skills that will pay off next year when we starts actual league play.  Cullen is obsessed.  He loves baseball.  In fact, he runs out to the street whenever he sees the neighbor boys warming up in their  yard.  They often include him and throw a few pitches his way.  Simone believes that she should be able to do whatever her brother does and gets mad when we try to have her bat from the tee.  Maybe we have two future ball players in our house.

Faces of Summer

Cullen and Simone really get along.  Dirk and I are both baffled by this phenomenon.  Not that we were enemies with our own siblings, but there seemed to be a much bickering as there was peace.  I would honestly say that these two play well in the sandbox at least 80% of the time.  It's nice for us, because on the weekends they really don't demand the companionship of friends - they are fine just hanging together.  Here are some pics from their recent slip and slide experience.

playsets, pools and pals

This weekend we also spent some time with good friends.  The Dahl Family had us over for dinner and Cullen and Simone enjoyed playing with Lauren and Katherine on their giant playset - complete with Simone's favorite - swings!  On Sunday, we ventured to the Dickinson household to swim in the pool.  All of the Dickinson grandkids were there - so it wasn't much trouble to add two more rugrats to the mix!  Cullen had his first experience jumping from the diving board - and he loved it. Fearless Simone had no trouble keeping up with the big kids and loved jumping off the side (keeping her Dad busy).

Kids Tri 2.0

This past weekend, Cullen participated in his second Kids Triathlon.  He had been pretty excited about the event for the last couple of months.  Everyday as we would walk in or out of the Y, he would excitedly point to the poster and ask how long until the race.  Race day came and as we walked up to the registration, the excitement for the event faded and was replaced by the draw of the huge Ironman Bounce House.  After informing Cullen that the bounce house had to wait until after the race, we headed toward the start.

The event, starts with the swim, and a kid is sent in the water every 5 sec.  Cullen started somewhere around 10-15 spots back of the first kid and pretty much stayed in that position through the duration of the swim.  On to the bike, with his little sister chanting "Go, Cullen, Go", he made his move.  Cullen had the distinct advantage of being one of the two kids who was riding on two wheels vs training wheels (or even a big wheel).  He quickly moved into second place and was neck and neck with the leader, the other kid on two wheels.  As the run began and with his sister still chanting "Go, Brother, Go," he pulled into first place.  The battle for the lead went back and forth until the very end, when Cullen followed Dad, who he had asked to run along side him, out of bounds.  He quickly got back on course and finished in 2nd Place!  We ran up to congratulate him and lost track of him in the mix of people.  After looking around for a brief second we were able to locate him...in line for the bounce house.   His sweet reward was not the medal placed around his neck (every participant got one!), but the giant, inflatable toy.

A few of our neighbors and our nephew, Jameson, also participated in the Kids Tri.  And we are proud of them all.

Big Fish Lake 2012

We had another fun-filled vacation at Wowee's cabin on Big Fish Lake. For the first time in many years, we picked a great weekend with warm temperatures - perfect for swimming.  The cousins had so much fun just being together (and so did the sisters).  Cullen and Mason each jumped off the diving dock at least 746 times.  Simone perfected her "cammenball" into the baby pool.  And Dane, he just took it all in with a smile.  Thanks to my parents for hosting us (organizing the meals and buying the beer).  We can't wait for next year!