Traveling to Berlin...

We left the house at 3:30am PT on Thursday and arrived in Houston at 11am CT. We were already tired and prepared for a 3 hour layover. That three hours was filled with infinite jaunts back and forth on the moving sidewalk.
Sean and Meghan were in good spirits for most of the trip.
Here they are immediately after going through customs in Amsterdamn.
Amsterdamn is a HUGE airport. It is 3x the size of LAX and has only one terminal. It took us 25 minutes to walk to our next gate. Unfortunately, the last hour jump from AMS to Berlin was delayed. We got on the plane and they couldn't get the left engine started. So we had to be towed back to the gate and get on another plan. We had been en route for 21 hours. Ouch.
We did eventually reach Berlin in time to have a late lunch with the Yerms.

Just before we go on vacation...

I am updating the happenings right before we go on vacation for two weeks to see the Yermacks in Berlin. Family vacation metaphor: The excitement surrounding big family vacations are like airline tickets in many ways. Airline tickets are worth more and more as the departure time approaches, but when the plane takes off, the value goes to zero. The excitement builds until you actually leave... then the work begins.
Both Sean and Meghan are in swimming lessons each day. It has been 7 weeks of daily pool visits at 5:20pm. The first couple weeks were rough. Meghan cried the whole first week. Sean had to be forceably carried while in hysterics by the teacher and unceremoniously thrown off the diving board. The swim instructors were under orders to apply whatever technique was necessary. They are much better now, but they still can't swim!...7 weeks is a long time.
Sean is playing Xbox. I took it from him and he can get it back when he learns to read. It has been two months....We'll see who is more stubborn. The problem with this strategy is that I lost alot of behavioral correction leverage. Drat!
This is our Weim, Wilson. He had an anal sack abscess and had to wear underwear so it wouldn't get everywhere while it was draining. Yuck!

This is our 13 year old cat, Scratchy. She is named that because when you walk by her she tries to scratch at you. She has a growth on her head that has to be drained every two weeks. It cost me a $80 trip to the vet who said I could drain it myself. Yuck!

Memorial Day...Beach

We were dog sitting this weekend. Lady is a 5 mo. old black lab. This dog doesn't sleep enough for Wilson's taste.

Then on Monday, we went to Seal Beach again. The kids seemed to enjoy it last time. This time they went to the playground. There were a ton of parents and kids there.

Then in the afternoon, we dropped Meghan off for her nap and went over to Rex's where he had a huge water slide and was BBQ'in. The boys all played legos.

Sunday at Seal Beach...

Last Sunday we went to Seal Beach and enjoyed the June Gloom weather. It kept the crowds away and kept the temperatures down. So it all evens out. I used to go to this beach as a kid. I noticed playground has been updated since then. I guess the old iron rocket ship was getting a little dated. It was fascinating to count the number of things that these kids could find to fight over (i.e. the size of the tower used to cover yourself, the number of chips eaten, the color of the gatorade, whether one has their shirt on, what side of the umbrella post they're on, etc. etc. etc.) Funtastic time.

Latest goings on...

There have been many goings on since X-mas. But mostly we have been just kicking back and having fun...
Here is Silvia and Meghan on a Sunday morning.

Sean recently lost a second tooth.

At 5 yrs old, Sean is already an avid FPS PC gamer. He likes Republic Commandos. It is all about the Star Wars.

The Yermacks go fishing...

So I had invited Warren to go fishing a month or so back in an email. What I didn't realize was that the exclusion of his sister Cassie made it all that more important. It was always my intention to include everyone who wanted to go. In the end, it was Sean who wanted to stay home.

Warren initiated himself into the sport of fishing by playing with the net and falling into the lake.
Warren then recovered by cathing a 2 lb catfish in the middle of winter.
But it was Cassie who led the way with two fish caught. The first was a little farm trout and then she simulteneously caught a catfish of equal size to her brother. At $4.50/lb our trip was concluded.

The joke of the day was that a catfish is so dumb that it is dead and doesn't know it yet. And when it finally realizes it is dead the information isn't of any use to it.

Here is a picture of the girls before bed on New Year's Eve.

This is where we spent Christmas day this year. The air temperature was near 80 degrees. The water temperature was near 50. But after about 3-4 minutes, numbness replaced the sensation of cold. In the picture is Warren, Cassie and Sean.

X-mas 2006

Christmas this year heralded the inclusion of a new addition, Christopher (9mo.). As is customary, we celebrated the arrival of the Yermack clan with a birthday party for Cassie who turned six on the 19th.
With six children now in the household, space was a premium. So the kids slept two to a bed. This strategy had its flaws. I think the parents ultimately suffered the greatest by them.

A Christmas eve shot of Wilson guarding the presents. He ate Santa's milk and cookies. I hope Santa was understanding in this regard. The morning pictures are too gruesome to post. There is a lot of child drama usually involving some crying.

Here is Sean and Meghan in the midst of unwrapping their many gifts...

We got shirts for all the kids to wear for the group picture.

It was such a beautiful day that we suited up and went to Huntington Beach for the afternoon. The water was about 50 degrees, but the kids didn't mind.

Fun was had by all! We look forward to next year....

Sean lost his first tooth...

Sean came home from school less a tooth today.

Tiling the fireplace...

So this Thanksgiving I tiled the mantle. It only took me 3 months. I guess next weekend I will grout it.

Sean's 5th Birthday...

I would like thank everyone who contributed to making Sean's 5th birthday special. I think it was more of a 'birthday-week'. First, we went to Las Vegas. Sean went bowling at The Orleans Casino. He said,"I really like bowling, Dad." That evening Tia Marisol made a great chicken dinner. Sean's friend Jacob came over and they played "Army." I am not sure of the rules; but it apparently involves three basic components: loud yelling and wild gyrations coupled with the intricate staging of army men figurines. Then we had cake.

After cake, Sean's parents and Tios went to see "The Who" in concert. During the concert it appeared as if some of the audience were playing "Army" but substituted the setup of figurines with alcohol consumption.

The next day, we drove home and had ANOTHER birthday party in our back yard with a jumper and local friends. Here are the pics.

Halloween in CA

Here are the pics from Halloween. We went to the La Palma park carnival after doing some trick or treating.

Here is the pic...

Here is the most requested pic from Marisol's wedding. No she is not in it...=)

Marisol's Wedding....

Last weekend Marisol got married. I have no words so here's the pics.

Meghan's Second Birthday/Trip to Las Vegas

Meghand shares her birthday with our anniversary. She got a new tricycle as well as the horse "Tacky." That weekend we went to Las Vegas to get Sean and Rob fitted for Rob and Marisol's wedding.

One ongoing project... the hearth.

Here is the latest pics of my progress on tiling the hearth. First there were bricks. Then there was a hole. Now there is hardy back. Next is the hardy back to cover the front bricks and then tile. I am planning to use those big 16" sq. tiles. Something light and sandy...