Wall E

Lately it seems that there just aren't that many good children's movies. Most of the ones that are marketed toward children contain animated characters that are vulgar in their humor and plot lines that contain "adult" content. I have found that for our family a once child appropriate PG rating is no longer appropriate. We look for a G rating and even that isn't a guarantee of finding a movie that doesn't have some type of content flaw. After reading Plugged In's review of the much anticipated new release from Pixar, Wall E, I was anxious to see if it would live up to all the accolades. It did. It was funny. It was moving (yes, I was sappy). It had a great message about loving others and taking care of the world that God created (without being preachy). It even entertained both parents and children (if the laughing in the theater is any indication). This movie will definitely find its way into our movie rack and I encourage you to see it (even if you don't have children).

Jacob and Ethan with Grandpa and Grandma

Pink is in

I officially have pink eye. I haven't had this lovely ailment since I was about 6. Since we are set to leave on our grand vacation in just NINE days I am hoping and praying that if we are all going to have it, that it spreads quickly and heals even quicker. So far no one else is having symptoms, but the doctor said that it was a pretty good bet that the boys would get it too.

p.s. I didn't know that my nose was quite that crooked.

Making Progress

Yesterday during the last fifteen minutes of swim class the guards all moved down to the deep end of the pool to let the kids jump off the diving board. Ethan was brave and bold and went off with just a little help and he did it again today. His jumping looks much like yesterday except that his walking of the plank went a little faster and he went first today. I made sure to bring the camera just in case they did it again. I wanted to make sure that I was able to share all that bravery with you. Here he is....

Now, yesterday, Jacob was having none of it. I even tried to bribe him by telling him that he could stay up during naptime if he would be brave and give it a try but he said, "No way, maybe when I'm seven". He just turned six in April. Imagine my surprise today when I saw him following the line of kids to the diving board. This is what we saw.....

OK, so maybe their jumping wasn't really jumping and their bravery could be called into question, But, they did it. And all they needed was a little push (or drop as the case may be).

Vacation Bible School

This past week the boys spent their mornings at First Baptist Church in Albion participating in the summer VBS program. My good friend Rachel helped organize the whole thing and Rachel's dad (who is a missionary for RBM) lead the group. It is a great program that not only "church" kids attend, but also kids that aren't in church for the rest of the year.


This is Al (Rachel's dad) during the parents program on Friday morning. He has so much energy and the kids love him, they all call him "Uncle Al". His heart for these kids is just so big. (Thank you for all you do for these kids. You are very much appreciated.)

This is Grace and Jacob reciting the main memory verse for the kindergarten group. They had a primary verse for the week and then they had daily verses to work on too. Just a quick point out... Jacob is standing up in front of a large group of people with a microphone in front of him reciting his verse. What a big step for him!




After the parents program all the kids were able to participate in a water balloon drenching of the team leaders (Pastor Tom and Pastor Rodney) and also Uncle Al, you guys were such great sports. Here are the kids getting ready to launch their one sided attack.







Here are the poor guys getting soaked (left to right--Pastor Rodney, Uncle Al, Pastor Tom). I need to inform you that they only stood in front of the big wall for the kindergarten and first graders. After these little ones were done drenching them the guys went to another area so that the big kids could have their share of the fun. At one point Pastor Tom was hiding behind a folding chair. It was so much fun just watching the kids have all the fun.






Finally, after all 1000 or so water balloons were burst we had a fabulous hotdog picnic. I don't know who was in charge of it all, but thank you, it was fabulous. We very much appreciate all the work that went into making VBS such a success. Not only is it a fun time for the kids, but more importantly they learn about God, they hear the Gospel, many of them for the first time.

Their First Swim Lesson...

I have mentioned before how timid and shy Jacob is and how hard it is for him to do something new. For those of you that know him well, you have witnessed the struggle that we have had and seen him slowly improve. Well, today was something new. At their first swim lesson both boys showed me that they are growing and maturing. Here is a peek at what Curt and I saw.

In this picture Ethan was using a kick board to move across the water. His instructor is an exchange student from Germany who has elected to stay here for a while. He is also a certified life guard.

Here he is in action.

I must be truthful and tell you that I got a little sappy (I know a big shock to you all) when I saw the boys doing so good. It's not that I don't want them to grow, its just that they are growing beyond my expectations and I am so proud of them overcoming their inhibitions.

This is Jacob with his instructor (I don't know their names yet). Jacob's instructor is 15. In fact today was his birthday so all of his swim team buddies gave him the ol' heave-ho into the water after the class was over.

Jacob was doing this without help before class ended.

Happy Birthday Mom!!

Wow, today you are officially 53!! That is pretty impressive. I hope that you have a wonderful day. I love you and I am so thankful that you are my Mom.

My Mom and Dad, June 14, 2008

Off to the Races

We always try to do something the day after school lets out to signify that it is the beginning of our summer break. In years past we have taken trips to Binder Park Zoo, this year we decided to take the boys to the track. MIS (Michigan International Speedway) is hosting the Nascar Sprint Cup race this Sunday and today was practice and qualifying. We thought it would be great fun to take the boys out there and give them their first little taste of what its like at the track.

I was pleasantly surprised at the number of kids we saw. I hadn't expected today to be such a family day, but it was great. There weren't too many people, although the crowd was decent, and that made it easy to maneuver around with the boys. They did such a good job of holding hands and following directions (It was the car ride home that got tricky).



We walked around outside the track for a while looking at all the trucks. I love seeing things through the eyes of children. The boys were in awe of all the stuff we saw. Ethan was able to get his picture taken in a Tony Stewart car and we got another bag of free stuff (different stuff) from the Sprint/Nextel truck. Ethan kept asking when we were going to see the cars so eventually we just had to give up the search for the DLP truck (at Lowe's Motor Speedway we saw a 3-D movie trailer and were hoping the boys could see it) and take them into the stands.


It ended up being perfect because we only had to wait about 10 minutes for the qualifying laps to start. We were able to watch the crews push the cars out of the garage area and line them up on pit road. We were also able to watch some of the drivers come out to do their qualifying laps.








This is Kyle Busch heading out to his car.









This is Mark Martin climbing out of the #8 after his qualifying run.

Chad, Brad, these pics are for you!!

This is Kurt Busch talking to some of his crew after he finished his laps.

This is Ryan Newman heading out to his car.

Unfortunately, the rain that had been predicted showed up after only 11 drivers qualified. We decided to head out and come home. We were disappointed that we didn't see Jimmie do his thing and we missed seeing the ARCA race, but we were grateful that we left when we did. The closer we got to home the worse the skies looked and by the time we made it to Albion the downpour was in full swing.

(Just a quick note - if you click on the above pictures your browser should open them up so you can see them better.)

H.O.V.

Here it is, and I'm sure you probably knew it all along. H.O.V. stands for High-Occupancy Vehicles. I'm not really sure why we had so much trouble coming up with that. It did make every trip up and down that stretch of road full of very funny attempts at figuring it out. Did I mention that I laughed a lot??

The End of Kindergarten

Many of you know that I am fond of, rather protective and a smidge-bit sappy when it comes to my children. That being said, yesterday was Jacob's last day as a kindergartner. I was pretty OK with him going off to kindergarten this past fall. I drove him there myself. I didn't even cry (although my eyes misted when Ethan begged me to go back down the hallway to get Jacob because Jacob was crying and didn't want to be there), I was a rock (almost). But, I have been really sappy about him finishing kindergarten. Why?? I have been wondering the same thing.


It's not as if he is about to meet the girl of his dreams and run off to get married tomorrow. It's not as if he is going to pack his bags and move across the country to college tomorrow. It's not as if he is never going to come home or give me a hug or ask for a couple of chapters in his favorite book. It isn't as if I will never hear him torture his little brother or burp way to loud in a quiet little restaurant or say toot or poop just because he knows I can't stand it.

It is just something about finishing kindergarten and moving up to a real grade (like First Grade) that is too close to him growing up. Where did the time go?? Have I missed anything?? Forgotten anything??

I need to admit to you that although I am feeling very sappy right now, I was very close to stringing Jacob up by his toenails this afternoon when he wouldn't leave his little brother alone. But, right now he is soundly sleeping in his bed and looking like he was sent by the angels.....

Dear Mrs. Brail,

I am not sure that I have the right or enough words to express my thanks to you for all you have done for Jacob (and me) this year.

The first day of school was not only an adjustment for Jacob, but also for me. He was nervous about doing something (anything) new, not knowing his teacher and not knowing the kids that he would be spending his days with. But, Jacob quickly (more quickly than I ever imagined) grew to love school. He came home everyday excited about what he learned, eager to sing the songs, share the letter sounds and write his numbers. He found great pleasure in being able to teach all he had learned to his younger brother. He was able to enjoy gym and music class. He learned that he could do things without Mom or Dad watching him. He became more independent and willing to try new things (even foods like broccoli, which he likes!). This was because of YOU!!

I had never left my child with anyone other than Grandma. I didn’t want to. He is my firstborn and sometimes it seems like time isn’t passing a second, minute, hour or day at a time. Instead it travels at light speed and if I blink, I miss something wonderful. I want Jacob to grow and become independent. I want him to learn about this wonderful world that God created. I want him to grow into the man God wants him to be. I want him to soar. As these changes happen I have to let go. Sometimes letting go comes in little bits and sometimes in great big chunks (I much prefer the little bits). You helped me let go a little bit each day. You let me come into the class so that I didn’t feel like I was missing out on his life. You encouraged me to guide him into independence. Because of the way you show your love for your class, your students, my Jacob, I was able to trust that he would be OK without me. This was because of YOU!!

Of all the teachers I had throughout elementary school, middle school, high school and college, the one I remember most and with the fondest memories is my Kindergarten teacher. Thank you for being Jacob’s. Thank you for teaching Him. Thank you for guiding him. Thank you for loving him. Thank you for helping him Soar.

The Michigan Song

Jacob's class was learning all about our great state of Michigan during the month of May and of course being a kindergarten class, they learned a song. When I got home from work a few weeks ago he sang the song for me. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to post the video. I reshot him singing the song outside today and here it (finally) is. I hope that you enjoy this as much as I do.

I think I have fallen in love with Michigan all over again. Or, maybe for the first time. I don't recall having loved Michigan before (especially in February) but, now I do!! How could I not?? What, with all the red cherries, apple blossoms and sweet faced boys singing its praises.

The Rest of Nascar Weekend (part 2)

OK, so do any of you know what HOV is?? No, well I do. We saw these HOV signs all over the highway in Charlotte and couldn't figure out what they were about. You had to have a HOV vehicle to drive in a certain lane and if you didn't, well then, you were fined. We were afraid that we weren't part of that HOV group so we didn't drive in that "special" lane. Our best guess as to what HOV meant was "Hatians on Vicodin". Although that was the best we could come up with we were pretty certain (and definately hopeful) that we were wrong. It wasn't until a few days after coming home that Rachel looked it up online and was able to tell me what it meant. Do you have any guesses?? I will give the answer next time I post (whenever that may be).

Anyway, onto Sunday of the Nascar Vacation Saga....

We had planned to meet with Chad and Rachel in the hallway of our hotel at 9:45am. Curt woke me up at 6:40am. I tried to get him to go back to sleep, but he was pacing at the foot of the bed and was just plain too full of excitement to sit still one more minute. I did my best to settle him down, but it was race day and it just wasn't going to happen. It turned out OK because Chad and Rachel were ready early too. After a fabulous and leasurely breakfast (I might be joking here) we left the hotel and headed for the track.

I think we got there about 10:00 and started looking at all the trailers. I can't say that I enjoyed the trailers that were just selling stuff, but there were a lot of trailers that had stuff for us to do. We played plinko, we did a race simulation (and although Chad was listed ahead of me if you look closely at our printout it shows that my time was the fastest, but I'm not competitive at all so it really doesn't matter :->), the guys got to work a impact drill, and we got some free potato chips and Heluva Good dip. After doing all the play stuff we went back to the van and had some lunch.

Then, it was off to the races.

I need to be clear with all of you reading this. I love Nascar. I love the smell, I love the noise (for about 2 laps and then I have to cover my ears), I love having fun with my husband and sharing this time with him, I love seeing him so happy and excited, I love the competition, I just love it.

So, here is a little video of the start of the race. It gets a little shaky because they were going faster and faster and I was having a hard time keeping up. Enjoy!!

If you want to see more of our adventure you can check out Rachel's blog and here you can see the boys on go-carts and here you can learn about Nascar style people watching and here you can see the last little bit of our saga. She has a lot of pictures posted (most of the ones of me are really goofy)!!

The Rest of Nascar Weekend

So, I am sure that you have been hanging by the seat of your pants wondering what was so wonderful about our Nascar weekend. Well, here is the thing.... everything was wonderful about the weekend. I loved it. I had so much fun with our friends and I did a lot of laughing.


Saturday morning we got up and headed out to visit all of the race shops. We started at Penske and although the store wasn't loaded with goods we were able to get into the garage (via a upper level walkway) so we could see what goes on very well. The only draw back to visiting these places on Saturday before race day is that not much was going on. I was really amazed at how clean it was. When I think of garages and working on cars, I think oil, grease, not very clean. This place sparkled.

After Penske we went to Joe Gibbs racing (home of Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano) then on to Hendrick Motorsports (home of Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhart Jr. and Casey Mears). Hendrick was part Nascar superstore and part museum. I loved visiting all the shops, but Hendrick was definately the better shop to visit.

We were able to squeeze ourselves into a racing seat (those guys obviously don't have any thighs).

As I said before the Hendrick store had a bit of a museum running through it. We saw lots of stuff including....

Jimmie Johnson's Daytona winning car. I love that it still has the confetti stuck to the paint. Very authentic!!

And, "The Claw" that is used to make sure all the new cars are built to the same specifications. Altering the shape of the car can influence the speed by causing downforce or more aerodynamics. This is used to keep everyone on an even playing field (when it comes to the building of the car anyway).

We also had a quick (and very funny) pitstop at Sonic for some lunch. I must say I had the biggest burger I've ever had at a fast food restaurant. Thank you Rachel for suggesting it.

After all the garage fun we decided to go off to a movie. We saw Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull. I loved it. I am a big fan of the funny action adventure with a little romance thrown in kind of movies. I thought that it kept well with Harrison Ford's age and didn't try to turn him into another over the hill action star. I laughed out loud several times.

After the movie we were still trying to kill time (we really didn't want to spend any more time than we had to at our hotel) so we went into a Bass Pro Shops for a little while. I found a hat that I really liked and I should have bought, but didn't. Then we noticed that the Bass Pro Shop was attached to a HUGE mall. We went for a short walk around the mall and I ended up buying two pair of shoes, the guys went go-cart racing and we had a late dinner at Chili's. 5 1/2 hours later we practically ran back to our car so that we wouldn't be locked in. There was a lot of laughing over that too. I did a lot of laughing.