Rockets and Rabbits

 

It was a dry weekend albeit cloudy and cool.  There was enough promise of spring or maybe just desire for the whole clan to grill out on the patio Friday and top of the evening with a big game of kickball and a short post postprandial stroll with a great football toss.  Saturday was equally fun, Merrick headed over to a friend's house for some skateboarding and in the afternoon we finally launched the big rocket.  It was going on its third summer based on our fear that it was too much rocket for our launching field.  It took us two trips to the field, the first being aborted due to faulty launch batteries, but then after we trimmed the parachute to limit the float/drift we sent it off.  There were smiles all around and then the rocket floated out over some houses.  The kids were sent around the block to retrieve the errant rocket and Amy and I followed in the chase vehicle.  We then trimmed the parachute (rocket surgery) some more and were able to launch several more times and keep the reentry inside of the field.  We wandered back home for some good old fashioned yard fun and even 'found' a rabbit that was still good enough to turn into Sunday's dinner.  We did the old skin stretch on its hide and talked not only about respecting what you eat but also the Wisconsin fur trapping history.  Saturday night however was a manicotti feast.  In the morning we hiked Baird's creek a built a cairn out of some freshly cut popple trees that must have crossed the trail.  The kids built their own fort and climbed in the trees before we headed off to the coffee shop for some oversized board games and hot chocolate.  The weekend rounded off with two obligatory birthday parties.  Sophia and I went and ran some errands as well as stopped at a new park to play for a while before heading back to the Children's Museum to retrieve Merrick from his party.  Everyone is getting healthy again and with the organizational meetings in full swing for soccer, spring is surely getting closer.


(Sophia's Entry):  On Friday Amy and the girls came up to hang out with us. We had chicken on the grill. We also played kick ball kids vs. adults. Totally awesome! Kids totally denominated the adults. We took a walk and through the football around. Then we settled into bed and fell asleep. The next morning we watched cartoons until everyone got up we ate breakfast and got ready for the day. Dad went to a soccer meeting for Merrick while Amy watched us. the kids played orphanage run away and made a really cool fort. Dad helped a "little" with the fort. (Really he just did every thing for us by getting the tarps and stapling them to all of the walls while we sat in side the fort and watch him put the walls up.) It was so dark in there. We pretended that evil people were comig to take us. We looked out the peep hole to see if they were coming. Once Ella and I even had to ride our bikes to get away from the bad guys.    

Highs, Lows, Ins and Outs

 It has been a week of changes.  We started off with ice cream  and kick ball in the early spring sun and will likely end the same way but the middle has been little worse.  Both kids were sick, Merrick woke up Monday night with a double ear infection and missed two days of school, Sophia woke up Tuesday night with a nasty stomach bug and her dyspeptic nature caused plenty of floor scrubbing over a 12 hour period.  Both of them missed some school but have rebounded now as the week heads towards the weekend.  Sophia was selected to represent her grade at a district art show and it is a great piece and was a nice showing at a local eatery that was packed with people.  She was proud of her work and I was proud of her, tonight will be a red plate night for her efforts.  She also passed her hunter's safety field test, including shooting small rifles and shot guns.  It was enjoyable to practice with her as she worked on loading and unloading and gun handling in the basement. She will take her written exam next week before being one of Wisconsin's newest hunters.  Merrick is getting helping us study as well and we all worked on cleaning the guns too. The school year is seemingly drawing to an end as we start shifting gears and filling up the calendar with soccer schedules and day dreams of woodland camping/hiking trips.  the forecast is a little below average for this weekend, but I suspect it will still find us getting a little mud on our boots and listening to the birds wake up the starting flowers.

3 days packed into one, a great gift

It was my birthday weekend and the Weather on Sunday was gorgeous, so we made the most of it and put the living room on notice, that it would be lonely.  All the bikes came out of the basement and got new spring air pumped into their tires.  Amy and the girls made it with their rides in the late morning and we headed out on the trail.  We rode the bike trail up to the fishing pier to watch the anglers take casts at the walleye run.  The boats were close to each other as always and packed in about 700 of them between the bridges.  After a short hike on the fishing pier we rode back to the park and the kids played a great game of tag, chasing and darting around the toys and including others in the mulch madness.  The return trip was uneventful although circuitous as the kids weave a wander path even with in their own lanes.  The mid afternoon was filled with baseball with several that left the playing bounds of our back yard, a soccer game and a couple more bike rides for the kids around the neighborhood.  Merrick and I picked up sticks to keep the fire burning and he was tossed the matches to work on his fire starting skills. Burgers were grilled and after another helping of ice cream cake was added a short walk to our list of weekend activities.  Everyone's faces felt a little tight from all the sun and their eyelids were a little droopy from the day of fresh air.  It was a great way to spend a birthday.