7 years old!

Great weather for Maddie's 7th.  We had a great turnout as well, 25 kids showed up -- party was a success, Madison had a great time!  Contrary to recent articles of worried parents and "safety" in bounce houses, there were no injuries to report.

Inflatable Pool

Once again we made good use out of the portable pool.  Busted this out on the first warm day of the year and the kids spent hours playing in it.  Seriously, I think they played in the backyard for over 3 hours -- only wish we still had it.  You see, I left it out over night and we have a few night critters that like to make appearances, by morning it was completely deflated and shredded in one area.  Dylan was crushed, not a happy boy when he woke up only to be living his worst nightmare.  Minutes later it was forgotten, we do need to get a replacement though.

In one year

What a difference one year makes.  Last year Madison wouldn't go near the ball and get in the play, now she's right in the thick of it!  It's been fun watching Maddie play this Spring, two more games left this season.

Madison's first piano recital

Madison started playing piano in January, here's her first recital.  She's doing a good job picking it up, plus it's a good opportunity to boost Maddie's comfort level in front of larger audiences.

Mother's Day 2014

Weather was perfect for Mother's day.

Easter Trip

We visited WNY for Easter.... it was one of my worst weekend experiences while visiting the family.  You see, 4 days before we left, Dylan had a stomach bug which led to digestive issues not worth describing here on the blog.  By the time we were ready to leave for Buffalo, he was cleared for travel (by Furlani family medical team -- Mom & Dad) and the trip was authorized as a "go".

Long story short, about two hours after our arrival to Buffalo, the bug struck -- me!  I was pretty much useless, although I did make it to a mini-putt excursion mid-day Saturday.  I wasn't at the top of my game either, due to onset of severe illness, leading to a rough back nine.

Later that night, Cathy got hit with the virus as well.  Good news is, the kids seemed to enjoy each others' company the whole time and had a blast.

So we left around noon Easter Sunday, and by Monday morning the entire WNY branch of the family was on the floor.  So to sum it up, we traveled from MI to WNY, successfully importing a highly contagious virus across the border, and spent a good portion of our time laying on the couch.

Plenty to sea

Pics from the aquarium in Chicago, definitely the best one I have ever been too.  Sharks, dolphins, whales... good stuff.

The Store

Master of the photobomb

So we visited the American Girl store in Chicago, the place was huge!  Mom scheduled a hair appointment... for the doll (there was a 45 minute wait).  Then the shopping began for Madison and her doll -- matching dresses, which I hear is a common part of the American Girl "experience".  Next up was the fancy lunch at the restaurant in the store (Mom made reservations ahead of time of course) -- the place was filled to the max, we even got a free tea cup!  Madison loved it there, definitely her favorite part of the trip.

Blackhawks store

 

Before...

after...

Patrick Kane -- one of the 4 Blackhawks Dylan knows by name/number.

Dylan's favorite part of the trip.  While he is 100% Red Wings, it doesn't stop D from collecting jerseys (he now has Red Wings, Flyers, Sabres and Blackhawks).  The Chicago jersey ranks high though, he managed to find one for Crawford, who happens to play Dylan's favorite position -- goalie. 

Chicago trip

We spent a few days in Chicago over the Spring break.  Were able to see quite a bit -- museums, aquarium, zoo, American Girl store, Blackhawks store -- have lots of pictures as well.  Will try to post more from the trip within the next week.

Pentathlon

     

 

 

 

 

Madison competed in the Math Pentathlon and took home a bronze medal.  She had been practicing after class and played against us just about every day during the week leading up to the tournament.  Madison's hard work paid off, she was very proud of her medal -- of course we were too!



Wings game 2

Dylan and I went to another game a couple weeks back -- Wings/Wild.  Unfortunately the Wings couldn't pull it off, they lost in overtime -- good scoring game though, Nyquist netted two, which made the little guy happy.  We had a great time, and to top it off,  Dylan made it on the scoreboard twice!