So Proud of our little Engineer!

Charlie is a member of the TSA = Technical Students Association at school. I wasn't really sure what it was.... other than an after school club. So, when he qualified for the State competition last weekend, I decided I'd drive down to Bellevue to see what this was all about. He spent a couple nights at the Bellevue Hilton where the competition was. So, I figured that he was just screwing around for a couple days. But, turns out that this is serious stuff!

It is a bunch of creative competitions, but the ones that Charlie competes in are mostly directed at engineering type activities. His two best contributions are pictured here. One is a tower that he built out of balsa wood. They give each contestant/team 10 strips, 2 feet each of balsa wood. They then have two hours to cut, design and build a tower as strong as possible. My mom went to check this out and happened to show up just as they were building them. So, she got to see him in action. I guess there were 115 entries into the competition. They take each one after it's completed and put it in a machine that applies pressure to it... believe it or not, this little tower you see here (about 1 1/2 foot tall) withheld over 200 lbs of pressure before it broke! Charlie got 4th place out of all those entries! As a freshman, no less!

Then, he competed in the "Manufacturing Prototype" competition. That produced the five clear plates on the wooden stands that you see. I'm sorry that the picture doesn't show them well... but, Charlie and his teammate worked very hard on them. They engraved the words and designed the graphics, built the wooden stands, etc. For these, they won 2nd place in this category.. you can see their award in the middle.

I was so proud and impressed. And, I was so glad that I went to see it for myself. Sometimes, Charlie fails to communicate the magnitude of his achievements. And, this was a big one that I was glad to be a part of. You can see him in the middle back of the top picture... the guy with his hands raised up in the air! Be sure to congratulate him next time you see him.

Now, the only problem is that he has been invited to compete at the National Convention in Dallas, TX. It's a big honor for a freshman... but, not sure if his mom is willing to part with him for that long in another state without parental supervision. I told him he would definitely have to fund raise to earn some of the $1,100 it costs to go.... so, if we decide to let him go after we get all of the information, get ready for car washes, garage sales, lawn mowing, etc. I'll let you know what he dreams up... hopefully, it will be something that we actually all need!

Birthday Boy!

As you all know, Cody had an 8th birthday back on March 20. So, I got to go up to school and take cupcakes to his class room. Here he is being sung to by his classmates. Then, they say that noone can have a bite of their treat until the birthday boy takes his first bite... what torture! Can you see the kid drooling just behind Cody? He teased them by pretending to take a bite, then saying "NAW!" a few times before actually taking a bite!

He had a good birthday. We started the day at Grammie's house with waffles with whipping cream and strawberries! Life is good - the birthday boys request. And after Matthew's basket ball game, we went to Red Robin. Cody asked to bring a friend, so Trent got to come along! Then, he wanted to see a movie.. so, we went to see "Rango" at the Stanwood Cinemas... complete with all you can eat popcorn.

Cody and his two buddies Ian and Trent bring their Nintendo's to Matthew's basketball games (the other boys have brothers on the team as well). They can somehow link them together and play against each other!! They're so cute!

A pretty simple day, but he exclaimed as he fell asleep that it was the best day EVER!

And, since it is his 8th birthday.. we will be doing the traditional Vail family trip to Disneyland (for each boys 8th bday). We leave 4/5 - 4/9, and everyone is very excited! Should be a great trip!

Snappy Dresser!

I couldn't go without uploading this picture of Charlie. This was his St Patrick's Day outfit that he wore to school! The scary thing is that the lovely green corduroy pants were found in his fathers closet... again, I say my husband keep EVERYTHING! For once they actually came in handy.

It appears that Charlie has inheritted his fathers sense of style!! (ha, ha)

The big game!

We were lucky enough to get some great seats to the Seattle University vs University of Washington game. So, we asked a few of Matthew's team mates to join us. Of course, we had to make them wear red... we happened to have four of Ed's replica jerseys. Don't they look great here with Ed at the pre-game rally? And of course, our favorite cheerleader Charlie in the back!

SU didn't win, but they played well and we had a great time!

Good Looking!

Charlie, after two long years has finally gotten his braces off!! He was so excited to get them off! So, here's the progression....

Before we went into the orthodontists office.

During.. here he is sitting in the chair for his 2 hour appointment! Good thing it had a happy ending, that's a long time to sit patiently!

And After! Isn't he handsome!?

An award for ?...

Cody got an award in school for, as you can see "Responsibility". We were so proud of him until we asked him what that meant and what he did to achieve this prestigious award. He said "I dunno."

Well, we're still proud, even if we don't know why he got it.

The Big Show!

We have been practicing and preparing for the big day at our house. And, finally, last Thursday it was here! The big 2nd grade choir show! Cody was so excited and chose the perfect outfit out especially for the day.

Unlike his brother Matthew, who mouths his way through any choir activity, Cody loves his choir teacher and wakes up saying "Yeah! I get to go to choir class today!" He performed all of the hand gestures and sung beautifully at the top of his lungs.

I apologize for the camera work - I used my cell phone. Not sure why I changed the orientation mid clip, but you get the idea. Cody is the enthusiastic one in the top right corner, in the black and grey striped shirt.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTNpz9DGe04

5th Grade AAU Wesco Undefeated champs!

This past weekend was the league playoffs for Matthews "Wesco" league. Since we went into the playoffs in the #1 standing, every team was out to beat us! So, it was very exciting! The boys played well, a few shaky moments.. but, some awesome shots and Matthew had some great "moves" and made some crucial rebounds! All in all, we're very proud of the team.. and, as you can see from the picture, they won all of their games.. leaving them the undefeated #1 team in their league. Now, next weekend we go to the Wesco League vs the Eastside League playoff tournament... when does it end?! Don't worry if you've missed the excitement of these games... because after that, Fall Basketball is over.. but, Spring Ball starts!! (I can't decide if that is a good thing or not!) We will have a slight shift in coaching, lose one kid and gain another.. but, basically the same team moving forward. It's pretty much our social life. And, in the spring, it will include some tournaments in exotic locations like Port Angeles, Yakima and Ellensburg!

Congratulations 5th Grade Spartans... great job!

Valentine's Day!

Do you remember how exciting Valentine's Day was when you were a kid?! Parties and candy and cards? I was lucky enough this Valentine's Day to go up to Cody's class and help with the party. Part of the festivities was a judging of the valentines boxes. Each kid made a "special" box with a slit in the top for their valentines to go into. After the judging, some of the mom volunteers tallied up the votes to see who won the prizes. Miraculously, there were just enough prizes and certificates that each student received one! (Teachers are so smart!) Cody won for most unique box!

Most kids put some candy in with their Valentines. So, they were having a party, doing crafts and eating sweets - a terrific day for the 2nd grade!! This picture is Cody (aka Gene Simmons) after he had some green sugary treat! Lovely!!

I got to go up to Matthew's 5th grade class as well for a bit. But, was not allowed (per my very cool 11 year old son) to take pictures there. I didn't notice any "special" valentines in his pile of cards and candy. I'm not sure he's noticed girls much yet... too busy with basketball!! That is just fine with his parents!!

Anyways, we made ice cream (studying liquids to solids in science... clever teacher) and played Valentines trivia. All in all - a great day!

Charlie's 15 years old!

When I asked Charlie what he would like to do for his 15th birthday, he said he would like to take a few friends skiing. So, last Friday I went to our condo at Crystal Mtn with three 15 year old boys. We spent the night. Jeff had to stay home and run the other two boys to their basketball games... I would say he got the better draw!!

Charlie and friends stayed up late and ate junk food and drank pop (a rare indulgence that we don't usually allow Charlie). I thought they were old enough to make their own decisions, so I let them be and went to sleep about midnight. At about 7:30 AM Saturday morning, Charlie announced that they were hungry, could we start breakfast? It turns out that those crazy boys, amped up on sugar, etc had stayed up most of the night! Sounds exhausting to me! But, they are young and crazy. After breakfast, they sledded then decided to give snowboarding a try. One friend had done it before, Charlie and Ben had not. So, I think that they spent a lot of time falling, but they had a ball. They weren't out there long enough for me to get any pictures... I was waiting for them to get better at it, then was going to take videos for you all. But, they were in and asking for more food before I had time!

After snow boarding, they decided to go swimming! Where do they get the energy?! By about 3:30, they were all dozing off on the couch (see the picture). So, I made some quick dinner and packed it up and we went home. I think it was a whirlwind crazy trip, but Charlie and friends had a great time! I think Charlie was in bed asleep by 9:00 that night!

So, happy birthday to Charlie!!

Family Fun Night!

Now, I don't want you to get too impressed.. this is something new we are trying out and it's the first time we've done it. But, Jeff and the two older boys have now joined my gym, thinking that they would like to go work out. And, here is the result... not great pictures, but you get the idea.

First there is Charlie and Jeff playing racquetball. Jeff is getting him back for giving his mom such a beating... but, Charlie's learning quick! He seems to really like to play. And, what a great sport for him to improve his speed and agility! He does not have a PE class this semester at school. He is lifting weights with the football team after school a couple days a week. But, it is good for him to get some cardio exercise also... and, believe me, Jeff had him running!

I took this picture through the glass, so you might not be able to see it very well. But, at the same time as the big racquetball game, Matthew was playing basketball in the gym with the DeBoers and a bunch of older guys... just an "open gym" time. He's the one on the "skins" team in the middle of the picture with his hands up, guarding the 20-something guy. He was able to hold his own with the older boys pretty well. I was impressed. But, he was pretty tired afterwards!

Since all my boys were entertained, I got a few quiet minutes with my Ipod on the treadmill. It was kind of fun to have the whole family up there, even though we were all doing our own thing.

And, then, there is sweet Cody... always going with the flow. He is evidently too young to be on the equipment. And, had no desire to join either of his brothers in their activities. So, he sat in this comfy chair where he could see everyone. He played "Cut the Rope" (his favorite Iphone application) on my phone and was happy as a clam! I made him join me when I went to stretch out... and we had a pretty good laugh together then.

And, of course... since we all had worked out so hard, we stopped at DQ on the way home and got a round of Blizzards for everyone! A perfect quality family evenging at the Vail household!

Our crazy but fun lives...

I have been recently inspired to revive my two year old family blog. We have so much going on in our lives daily.. I will do my best to update you on the best of it when I can...

Yesterday was a day of basketball, basketball, basketball. We started the day with Cody's game. He has improved greatly this season thanks to great coaching and time with his brothers out on the sport court. His dad has him on a "point system" for motivation (a point for a rebound and for a steal, points for a basket, etc). And, if he gets the right amount of pre-determined points (yesterday it was 6), then he gets to pick a treat at Dairy Queen. We were so happy yesterday in the first half of the game.. a basket, several rebounds. He was playing like a champ! He came off at half time and flashed up six fingers to Jeff, indicating that he had been keeping track himself and knew that he had reached his goal. He said, "I want a blizzard!" But, we soon realized the short-coming in our system when he came out in the second half with much less enthusiasm and played a pretty mediocre quarter. Of course, he had reached his goal, he was getting his blizzard... time for a reconsideration of the system! Nonetheless, we were very proud of him, he did very well.

Then, Matthew's team had two games in the afternoon. They played well against the Arlington Bulls at 1:30 and won by about 32 points. At 4:10 they played in Shoreline and by the beginning of the 4th quarter they were about 50 points ahead. So, the coach saw the opportunity to "mix it up" a little bit. He put Matthew at guard, a rare opportunity to handle the ball a lot more since he is usually the guy blocking people out and making the tough shots from under the basket. You should've seen the smile on his face when he made a 3-point shot! He's usually so serious out there and he was smiling ear-to-ear! I wish I'd had my camera! What fun!

We were lucky enough to get the DeBoer twins with us last night. So we seized to opportunity to go out and do something fun. Mom was able to get us some last minute tickets to the Seattle University vs Portland game at Key Arena. Yes, me and six boys (including Jeff)! What a hoot! We had a great time despite the fact that my alma mater lost. It was a good game.

At a commercial break during the game, they announced that they were doing "ice cream and cake" for kids 12 and under down on the floor. So, needless to say Cody, Matthew, Trygve and Karl jumped at the chance, thinking they were going to get some treats! Charlie was bummed, but took it like a man - since he was pretty sure that at 6 foot + tall he probably wouldn't pass for 12. The boys were surprised when they got down there and found out that the "ice cream and cake" was a dance that they had to do when on the floor. I couldn't get the video I took to work, so had to post to Youtube. Go to the following link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PDdy594DtY

Whew!! all that blogging and that's just one day! I will try to get better at pictures....

I do have to add one more thing that is a BIG source of pride for me as a parent. Charlie got his first semester of high school grades back last week. He got straight A's except one small A- in his art class (go figure)! But, he worked VERY hard to get those grades up with very little parental interjection. So, we are very proud of his achievement. And, I also want to point out that in a couple months, my "baby" will be starting drivers education with his new drivers permit! Where did the time go? And, if any of you retired grandparents want to test your patience out - feel free to come up and help us get him some of the required hours behind the wheel!

Charlie has joined my gym with me and he has been brave enough to get up one morning a week at 5:30 with me and go into the gym. We play racquetball together. And, after he got good enough to whoop on his old mom, I was able to talk my good friend Ken into giving him a "schooling" in some real racquetball!! Ken's my retired friend who has the luxury to spend lots of time hanging out in the gym. Charlie was surprised to be beaten by a retired guy.. and he says "Mom, I don't think he was even trying!" That'll show him not to beat his mom again!