Category Archives: James

Patty’s 17th Birthday

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Patty’s 17th birthday came in three parts this year. The first part was a picnic with her friends at the Munroe Falls Metro Park. Hot dogs were made, presents were given, and Patty and her friends enjoyed swimming, going on the paddle boats, and had a really nice time there. The second part of the birthday was the cookout, which is exclusively for family.

Her Grandma, both her parents and siblings attended her birthday cookout. There were presents and a cake. This was also a good time. The third part is a day with me, her Dad. We went to Summit Mall and got her gifts at the Bath and Body Works. We enjoyed some StarBucks while we walked around the mall for a bit, before deciding to go to another store. She wanted The Last of Us video game for the PS3. I introduced her to Pad Thai. She enjoyed that more than Chinese, which is what she usually requests for her birthday dinner. We finished up the day by getting the books her and Eddy need for summer reading.

Patty is going to be a high school senior this year and it is going to be a very busy year for everyone. She got to enjoy this birthday, but who knows what the next year will hold. She has to start making choices about college, taking a SAT and/or ACT, and keep up with all of her after school activities. We are hoping that she is chosen for Varsity lacrosse this year, but we will have to see how that works out in the Spring. The rest of the pictures can be found on the pictures page.

Patty’s 16th Birthday

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Patty’s 16th birthday went well. The weather permitted a fine cookout. Cake and ice cream were served. All of the family that could be there were. She even got the only thing she asked for, which was an iPhone.

The cookout included chicken that had been marinating overnight. Plain chicken seemed awful boring and mesquite seemed to be a flavor that everyone would enjoy. With Kristy’s help bacon was added to the cheddar cheeseburgers, after cooking bacon on the grill did not turn out so well and it had to be completed inside. Everyone really enjoyed the food.

The cake and ice cream was served after the dinner and Patty finally got her gift. She already knew what it was, because she only asked for one thing. Everyone really pitched in for this gift and it was worth it, because she really loves it. As usual you can find all the pictures on the pictures page.

4th of July

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As part of a 4th of July tradition we biked down the Towpath to Lock 3 in downtown Akron and watched the fireworks. The fireworks show was much improved over last year. Not to complain, but last year was over very quickly without much in the way of actual fireworks. There were some light sprinkles on the way back home, but it did not pour down like it did last year. We managed to get a great place to stand to watch the show. All the pictures can be seen on the pictures page.

Michelle’s 18th

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Originally the plan for this birthday was a cookout, which has become a bit of a tradition, but the weather was not cooperating this week with temperatures in the 40’s and quite a bit of rain. It certainly looked as though the cookout could happen and the preparations were made to have one, but in the end the plans had to be changed. It was decided that the meal should be a favorite of Michelle’s choosing and what she wanted was potato gnocchi with vodka sauce. This dish is usually served with a vegetable, so yellow squash, zucchini, onions, and mushrooms were sauteed. This was served with a parmesan crusted chicken. It was a very elaborate meal.

Dinner was served and it came out extremely well and there was plenty for everyone to eat. Next was the singing of “Happy Birthday” and ice cream cake. Finally, the presents were given to Michelle. The original gifts were things that she needed, but were sort of gag gifts in order to throw her off from the main gift, which was a new laptop. The complete set of pictures can be found on the pictures page.

Saturday with Patty

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Patty needed tennis shoes for gym class and for lacrosse. The official first required practice for lacrosse is February 25th, so that is only a little over a month away now. James was at his mother’s so it seemed like a good weekend to look for shoes.

The hunt for tennis shoes began at Summit Mall, because Patty does not often get to go there. It is a little bit more of a drive. Walking around the mall, it did not seem there was much of a selection. Actually, there was plenty of selection, the problem was coming to the realization that the cost of the tennis shoes was going to far exceed what was budgeted. Patty got Starbucks after a series of questions. It sort of went like this:

Starbucks: Do you want coffee?
Patty: Yes

Starbucks: Hot or cold?
Patty: Cold

Starbucks: Vanilla, chocolate, or caramel?
Patty: Caramel

So, that is how she ended up with an iced caramel frappuccino, which she thoroughly enjoyed.

Next was to Dick’s Sporting Goods. There she tried on a few different pairs of shoes and the decision came down to two pair. Originally she was advised to go with the pair that would last longer, but ultimately the decision was made that it would not matter and she should get whichever pair she liked the most. The pair she liked was a Nike running shoe. Orange with yellow laces. They are nice.

Next was to Chapel Hill Mall to get socks and she managed to talk her way into getting earings. She ended up getting more earings than she should have, because they were buy one get one 50% off.

The night ended with popcorn, candy, and Redbox movies. The first movie was Snow White and the Huntsman, which I did not believe James would like a great deal, and after having watched it I still maintain that opinion. Patty liked it quite a bit. It was not planned this way, but for the second movie both Patty and I and James and his mother ended up all watching Paranorman last night. I joked that when their mother takes Patty that we should plan the movie, so that both kids can watch the same movie again. The movie was enjoyable and it was a good end to a good day.

Lunches

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Lunches are a constant problem, because there is only so much that can be packed and with the long days that the kids have at school they are often very hungry when they get home. Assorted granola bars, packing more, and what not has not seem to alleviate the problem. They insist that they should receive money for snacks after school, but that is just chips and soda out of the machine. The search for the perfect lunch continues.

Christmas 2012

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Christmas this year was truly a fantastic holiday event. Michelle was able to join us all on Sunday and stay until Christmas evening, so all three of the children were here for Christmas morning to unwrap their presents. The holiday kicked off with attending midnight mass at St. Bernards on Christmas Eve. Cookies were baked and breaking from some holiday traditions the children were actually not allowed to open a single present upon returning home from midnight mass.

One of the great things about having children that have grown up is that they are prepared for Christmas morning. They get dressed appropriately for pictures to be taken while they open their gifts and almost as importantly they start the coffee. Christmas morning was fantastic with a lit tree and snow outside. They awoke to more candy than they could readily consume in a day in their stockings and plenty of presents under the tree for all of them.

They all got what they wanted and then some and spent Christmas day playing card games, watching Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, and playing Connect 4. Grandma made a fantastic ham for dinner. It really was one of the best Christmas days ever. As always all the pictures can be found on the pictures page.

James’ Birthday 2012

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James’ 14th birthday cookout was held at Becky and Andrew’s this year. They offered to host it, because they had a scheduling conflict and could not make it on Saturday, and so they did a huge favor to us all by hosting it at their house and buying the food. The birthday was held on Monday, which was Labor Day, and it was great. Grandma, Becky and Andrew, Zach, Abby, Patty, James, and I were all there.

Dinner was hamburgers, but they were not just normal hamburgers. These were specialty hamburgers that they prepare at Giant Eagle. The burgers included blue cheese, bacon and cheddar, jalapenos, and a turkey burger for Becky. Andrew did the grilling for the hamburgers and hotdogs. It all turned out great. Chips and watermelon slices made it all even more enjoyable and we all ate to our fill.

Becky and Andrew bought a very decorative chocolate cake and we finished the evening by having cake, ice cream, and James opened his cards and birthday presents. He actually received quite a few more presents than there are pictures of, because there were items that he wanted that had to be ordered from the internet. It was an awesome birthday. As always all the pictures are on the pictures page.