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| Happy New Year 2009 |
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Happy New Year...
Dressed in the year of our birth, we partied like it was 2009 with Andrew & Rachael, Jeff & Melissa, and a bunch of tight asses!!! Happy new year everyone...
Friday, December 26, 2008
BONZAI !!!!!!!
First day of the season at Bogus!!! With 31 inches of new snow in the last 5 days, the call of the great white was just too irresistible. The great snow conditions were a nice compensation for the fog, slight breeze and 15F (-10c) temperature. Sid picked up right where he left off last year with some nice measured turns on blue runs while Colin was just out of control straight down the hill, BONZAI !!!
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| The Boys at Bogus |
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Ho Ho Ho.....
Guess what Colin and Sid received from Santa? Here is a hint: the Lego company is not going out of business any time soon...
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| Ho Ho Ho..... |
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Claus n Paws
Off we went to the annual "Claus n Paws" at the Boise Zoo. Today, Santa was just a fixture as Colin and Sidney were way more focused on the animals. Sidney was very impressed by the new giraffe, Julius Longfellow. Julius, a 3 year old male, is replacing Shingo who unexpectedly died last month. Luckily for Joseph, the other giraffe at the Boise zoo, a companion was quickly found and transported from Ohio in order to keep him company. It is very important for herd animals like giraffes to have a friend. Colin particularly enjoyed the Snow Leopard and the Red Panda. Here are the few photos that turned out.
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| Clause and Paws |
Monday, November 24, 2008
Science night at Liberty
On Monday, Colin, Sidney and I went to our first "Science night" at Liberty. It was organized by Mr. Taylor, the science teacher, and the students of the Science Club. The object of the contest was to build the highest standing structure with 30 straws and one meter of tape. The building could not be taped to the ground or could not lean on anything. First, we brainstormed some ideas on the different shapes our edifice could take with the advantages and drawbacks of each layout. Then, we drew a preliminary plan on paper and finally we attempted to deliver our brainchild. In 30 minutes, we managed to build a self-standing tower measuring 194 cm (76.38 inches or 6 ft and 3.38 inches). The winner's tower reached an impressive height of 217 cm.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Happy Halloween...
For this Halloween, Colin decided to dress as a "pirate" and Sidney as an "Ambulance man"... Well, that's before he switched to a "Police man." Luckily, we still had Colin's police costume from last year.
While drinking our traditional pumpkin soup for dinner, we handed out some bouncy balls and pencils to the early knockers (Laura's idea). Then, it was our turn to ravage through the neighborhood like wild predators in quest of our next prey. Eventually, the boys collected enough candies and chocolates to open their own candy store. Unfortunately for them, the junk food Nazi struck down. Laura only allowed them to keep 15 pieces each. The boys happily obliged and after a few minutes of careful deliberation, they reached the magic number. Without a fuss, they witnessed the candies' fateful ending. Yes, our boys are clearly brainwashed. Luckily for us, they are not able to compare their 15 meager pieces of candies with the mountains other kids get to keep. Otherwise, we'd probably have a little revolution on our hands.
While drinking our traditional pumpkin soup for dinner, we handed out some bouncy balls and pencils to the early knockers (Laura's idea). Then, it was our turn to ravage through the neighborhood like wild predators in quest of our next prey. Eventually, the boys collected enough candies and chocolates to open their own candy store. Unfortunately for them, the junk food Nazi struck down. Laura only allowed them to keep 15 pieces each. The boys happily obliged and after a few minutes of careful deliberation, they reached the magic number. Without a fuss, they witnessed the candies' fateful ending. Yes, our boys are clearly brainwashed. Luckily for us, they are not able to compare their 15 meager pieces of candies with the mountains other kids get to keep. Otherwise, we'd probably have a little revolution on our hands.
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| Halloween |
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Laura's vegetable garden
Laura had a pretty successful vegetable garden. She planted and harvested tomatoes, lettuce, mache, green onions, carrots, cucumbers, zucchinis, string beans, red and yellow beats, peppers, parsley, and thyme... Here are some early July photos:
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| Laura's vegetable garden |
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Fall soccer
This Fall, Colin played in his second soccer season with his "Thunderbolts" U8-9 team. With eight games and just about as many practices, the nine boys improved tremendously. The team had a French rookie assistant coach who did not contribute a lot but, he greatly enjoyed the experience. In an effort to have all boys play an equal amount of time, the coaches rotated the boys from goalie to defender to striker every games. Colin scored a total of five goals in those eight games.
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Sunday, October 12, 2008
Harrison Classic
Sidney ran his second Harrison Classic one mile run. Colin decided to skip the race this year. He was probably feeling a little tired from a long soccer season.
The whole weekend had been such a deluge with snow on Friday and a storm on Saturday. Then, 30 minutes before Sidney's race on Sunday, the clouds parted, the sun showed up and we enjoyed a great afternoon on Harrison Blvd with temperatures in the 70s.
Sidney ran a great race and did not stop until the finish line. He was focused on his competitors and consistent in his stride. We think he reached the finish in about the top 5 for his age group (5 to 6 year old boys).
Finish Time: 9:00:18 for 1 mile.
The whole weekend had been such a deluge with snow on Friday and a storm on Saturday. Then, 30 minutes before Sidney's race on Sunday, the clouds parted, the sun showed up and we enjoyed a great afternoon on Harrison Blvd with temperatures in the 70s.
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| Harrison Classic |
Sidney ran a great race and did not stop until the finish line. He was focused on his competitors and consistent in his stride. We think he reached the finish in about the top 5 for his age group (5 to 6 year old boys).
Finish Time: 9:00:18 for 1 mile.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Just call me Pythagore!!!
Sidney doing some math work at school during his Kindergarten year.
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| Sidney at School |
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Gunfighter Skies 2008
On Sunday, we drove to the Mountain Home Air Force base for the Gunfighter Skies 2008 Air Show. The base was first built in 1942 to serve as training ground for the WWII bombers. It is located 55 miles to the South East of Boise in the middle of the Idaho desert.
The show, which only happens every few years, is extremely popular. Besides witnessing the plane’s gravity defying acrobatic moves, the 60,000 visitors could also climb into the cockpits of 6 fighter jets, 4 helicopters, and dozens of monster military planes. There were also tanks, rockets, civilian airplanes, and historic war bombers lining the landing strip. The highlight of the show came from the five Thunderbirds performing tricks at 500 miles per hour within literally arm’s length of each other. The deafening sounds of the jet engines and the agility of those metal birds flying so fast and so close to the ground mesmerized Colin and Sidney for hours…
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| Gunfighter Skies 2008 Sept 14, 2008 |
The show, which only happens every few years, is extremely popular. Besides witnessing the plane’s gravity defying acrobatic moves, the 60,000 visitors could also climb into the cockpits of 6 fighter jets, 4 helicopters, and dozens of monster military planes. There were also tanks, rockets, civilian airplanes, and historic war bombers lining the landing strip. The highlight of the show came from the five Thunderbirds performing tricks at 500 miles per hour within literally arm’s length of each other. The deafening sounds of the jet engines and the agility of those metal birds flying so fast and so close to the ground mesmerized Colin and Sidney for hours…
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Fall pool rats...
With the days quickly getting shorter and cooler, we are making the most of our last pool escapades for the year...
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| Fall swim |
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Boys in the hood...
Our trip to France, in August, was filled with emotions and fun. Laura was MIA on our trek back to the old world since she was starting PA school. Although her absence was hard on all of us, especially on Sidney, my mom filled the emotional void quite well with her motherly instincts.
After an uneventful flight taking us from Boise to Paris CDG via Seattle, we jumped in the car to pursue our journey to the Auvergne region. We finally arrived to La Prulhiere, a tiny countryside village, 28.5 hours after leaving home. It was a very long trip for me. The boys, however, did just fine thanks to many naps on the plane and in the car.
Over the following week, we explored a farmer’s market in Cunhlat, visited a honey bee keeper, and toured the town of Thiers which is world renowned for it cutlery. We also hiked to the Martinanche castle and down to the Mindiolet stream, visited Madame Flot and of course watched a lot of the Olympics.
After a week, we drove back to Willems. On our way, we stopped at the village of Pierrefonds and visited its fortified castle. It was first built in 1393 by Louis of Orleans to keep an eye on trade between Flanders and Burgundy, which were the fiefdoms of the Dukes of Burgundy who were rivals of the Orleans. In 1616, Louis XIII laid a fatal siege to the Pierrefonds Castle. Over the following two centuries, the structure deteriorated to the point of becoming a ruin. Spurred by an interest in medieval castles, Napoleon I bought it in 1810. It took a few decades before the castle was fully restored to its genuine state.
After a few days in Willems, we headed to Braydunes, the northern most town in France, on the English Channel (La Manche). Our life there is pretty simple. We spend our entire days on the beach or in the dunes. On the days the weather did not cooperate, we went to Veurnes in Belgium for the farmer’s market and Bergues for lunch. Of course, we also visited Tonton and shared a meal with him at the restaurant “Le beau Site.”
Before heading back to Willems, we stopped in Westvleteren at the St. Sixtus Abbey. Lost among the farm fields and little villages of the Westhoek, its austere buildings exude simplicity and tranquility. Don’t let it fool you, though. The Trappist beer brewed by the Cistercian monks living behind these walls is considered to be nothing short of the best beer in the world. The abbey of St. Sixtus first received its brewer’s license in 1838. The monks inhabiting the abbey completely devote their life to god. This is clear, among other things, from the botherly unity, solitude, tranquility, prayer and…work! Indeed, manual labor is held in special esteem within this tradition: the income from the sale is used for their sustenance and for helping others. It is a symbol of solidarity with all those who work for a living. They therefore brew to live and not live to brew. It is therefore extremely hard to purchase St. Sixtus beer. Only a limited quantity is available for sale at the abbey, once every few weeks, and only following prior reservation by telephone. Trappist Westvleteren is only available for sale for private end consumers whereby all buyers agree not to sell it on. However, the abbey has solely contracted with a café called “In de Vrede” (In the Shadow) to make the beer available for consumption only on location. Three brews are produced: a blonde 5.8%, a dark 8.8% and the world renowned dark 10.2%. At the café, you can savor this nectar of gods with a pâté and cheese sandwich and then you can let yourself be tempted by beer flavored ice cream… A true taste bud orgasm!!!
We also managed to take a trip to Lille where the boys rode shot gun in the first automated subway built. They also got to see the TGV (fastest train in the world: 357mph) up close and personal in the Lille train station. A week earlier, driving on the freeway, we had witnessed the TGV’s tremendous speed as it was traveling the same direction as us. Considering that we were driving at 85 mph, it was simply amazing to be passed by a train travelling more than twice as fast as us (200mph as commercial speed).
On our last weekend in France, Dimitri and Caroline Dupont drove with their family from Brussels to spend the day with us. We tried to wear out the kids by playing a little bit of soccer, but I think the opposite was achieved: I was cooked.
It was a three week trip that seemed to go by as three days would. After saying our emotion filled good byes, we hopped on the plane and flew back to Idaho on a Wednesday. We were back to school and work on Thursday. Tough reality check!
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| Boys in the hood |
After an uneventful flight taking us from Boise to Paris CDG via Seattle, we jumped in the car to pursue our journey to the Auvergne region. We finally arrived to La Prulhiere, a tiny countryside village, 28.5 hours after leaving home. It was a very long trip for me. The boys, however, did just fine thanks to many naps on the plane and in the car.
Over the following week, we explored a farmer’s market in Cunhlat, visited a honey bee keeper, and toured the town of Thiers which is world renowned for it cutlery. We also hiked to the Martinanche castle and down to the Mindiolet stream, visited Madame Flot and of course watched a lot of the Olympics.
After a week, we drove back to Willems. On our way, we stopped at the village of Pierrefonds and visited its fortified castle. It was first built in 1393 by Louis of Orleans to keep an eye on trade between Flanders and Burgundy, which were the fiefdoms of the Dukes of Burgundy who were rivals of the Orleans. In 1616, Louis XIII laid a fatal siege to the Pierrefonds Castle. Over the following two centuries, the structure deteriorated to the point of becoming a ruin. Spurred by an interest in medieval castles, Napoleon I bought it in 1810. It took a few decades before the castle was fully restored to its genuine state.
After a few days in Willems, we headed to Braydunes, the northern most town in France, on the English Channel (La Manche). Our life there is pretty simple. We spend our entire days on the beach or in the dunes. On the days the weather did not cooperate, we went to Veurnes in Belgium for the farmer’s market and Bergues for lunch. Of course, we also visited Tonton and shared a meal with him at the restaurant “Le beau Site.”
Before heading back to Willems, we stopped in Westvleteren at the St. Sixtus Abbey. Lost among the farm fields and little villages of the Westhoek, its austere buildings exude simplicity and tranquility. Don’t let it fool you, though. The Trappist beer brewed by the Cistercian monks living behind these walls is considered to be nothing short of the best beer in the world. The abbey of St. Sixtus first received its brewer’s license in 1838. The monks inhabiting the abbey completely devote their life to god. This is clear, among other things, from the botherly unity, solitude, tranquility, prayer and…work! Indeed, manual labor is held in special esteem within this tradition: the income from the sale is used for their sustenance and for helping others. It is a symbol of solidarity with all those who work for a living. They therefore brew to live and not live to brew. It is therefore extremely hard to purchase St. Sixtus beer. Only a limited quantity is available for sale at the abbey, once every few weeks, and only following prior reservation by telephone. Trappist Westvleteren is only available for sale for private end consumers whereby all buyers agree not to sell it on. However, the abbey has solely contracted with a café called “In de Vrede” (In the Shadow) to make the beer available for consumption only on location. Three brews are produced: a blonde 5.8%, a dark 8.8% and the world renowned dark 10.2%. At the café, you can savor this nectar of gods with a pâté and cheese sandwich and then you can let yourself be tempted by beer flavored ice cream… A true taste bud orgasm!!!
We also managed to take a trip to Lille where the boys rode shot gun in the first automated subway built. They also got to see the TGV (fastest train in the world: 357mph) up close and personal in the Lille train station. A week earlier, driving on the freeway, we had witnessed the TGV’s tremendous speed as it was traveling the same direction as us. Considering that we were driving at 85 mph, it was simply amazing to be passed by a train travelling more than twice as fast as us (200mph as commercial speed).
On our last weekend in France, Dimitri and Caroline Dupont drove with their family from Brussels to spend the day with us. We tried to wear out the kids by playing a little bit of soccer, but I think the opposite was achieved: I was cooked.
It was a three week trip that seemed to go by as three days would. After saying our emotion filled good byes, we hopped on the plane and flew back to Idaho on a Wednesday. We were back to school and work on Thursday. Tough reality check!
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Camping at Iron Creek
We managed to squeeze in another camping trip with the Fowers family before the boys left for France. Venturing away from the welcomed amenities (toilet, showers, etc.), we set camp at a remote site next to the creek at Iron Creek campgrounds.
Some of the activities we enjoyed...
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| Hike to Alpine Lake |
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| At the Campground |
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| Playing at Red Fish Lake |
Some of the activities we enjoyed...
- 8-mile hike to Alpine Lake
- Roasting marshmallows
- Paper-plate target practice
- Rustic tic-tac-toe
- Feeding almonds to the chipmunks
- Dutch oven dinners
- Playing in the creek
- Riding the paddle boats at Red Fish Lake
- Fishing for minnows
- Catching frogs
Some of the memories... - Witnessing a car driving off the road
- Sidney's mosquito bite between the eyes that warranted the nickname "elephant man"
- Fowers' girls being less sore than their dad after the hike
- Jeff telling scary stories around the campfire as a deer peaks his head around the tent
- Caterpillars dangling from the trees from what would become their cocoons
- oh, and our car getting a flat tire at Redfish Lake on a saturday evening!!!
The pictures tell the rest of the story. Enjoy!
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