The rain managed to stay away for one hour on Saturday - the exact hour of JB's soccer game. And what a game it was. Joel's undefeated team of three seasons was disbanded this year as his teammates and he entered a different league - one which purposely evens out the talent. So this weekend Joel played against a team that had one of his buddies from that powerhouse and it made for a great game! Which was great for me because I was fortunate enough to see it, and since the rain held off, I actually got to see it from the sidelines and not from the front seat of the car. Emma had a dance competition in Windsor which required no costume changes (a rare thing) and so we took the opportunity to "swap" typical duties and Dad accompanied Emma to Canada while I took in the soccer.
The photos of Joel playing soccer are stills captured from video. A skill I've only just taught myself in the last two hours. (!) And I know now there's a lot more to learn. Mostly for sharpening and resolution. But I think these will do nicely for this week. I tried to capture some action as well as some "mood" shots. This one above is what JB looks like when he isn't laughing or celebrating. He truly loves this game.
It really was a low-key week. Busy, but not stressful. One of the highlights was Emma's 4th grade musical at school of "The Princess and the Pea" in which she was an understudy and villager. She didn't get to exercise her understudy chops but seemed to have a ball (ha ha) as a villager. The director let the seven understudies write the words to a song to be played after the final curtain in which they sing of the raw deal and understudy is given. It was a stitch! They nailed it and had everyone in the audience laughing. Blogger won't allow too much in the way of uploading video - the size restrictions are ridiculously small. But you can catch a glimpse of her onstage by clicking on the video below. Don't ask where the audio is - I just can't win with this video stuff. But you get the idea anyway. It was big fun watching her first production! :)

We're off to a wedding this weekend - the first of four we have this year! So it should be a festive week. Spring is official - I pruned roses, pulled a couple weeds, and Joel cut the grass. Having initiated that is both exciting and daunting, knowing of the many weeds to come!

Have a wonderful Mother's Day everyone!!

Well, we've initiated the soccer and dance season and successfully weathered a torn ligament along the way. No, not from the dancers or soccer players, but from the middle-aged mom. There I was comfortably living through my pain until my husband threw me to the wolves one night. Or, wolf, in this instance. You got it - said wolf would be my mother who happened to join our family for dinner one night and had about all she could take of her daughter wincing from pain when breathing. I was promptly whisked away for a medical opinion. As my smiling husband waved and smiled and cheerily said "Have fun!!" Traitor. Turns out a rib had popped out of socket and managed to tear a ligament on its way. Needless to say, I've been sidelined and haven't been much in the mood to blog. But I'm on the repair and getting back to normal. It still hurts to sneeze or laugh very hard. Fortunately, I only have to do one or the other, oh, every hour or so. :) But on the upside, maybe this will fix my golf swing. But then again, I've always thought my golf game was just fine. It's my coach who constantly wants to fix it.

As I said, JB is in full swing of his soccer season and he's loving his new league and team. He's playing lots of positions and learning a lot from his new coach. He suffered his first loss in about three years this last weekend, but seems to have shouldered it well. There were photos taken of his game for the slide show, but they were inadvertently erased. So look for those next time.

As for dance . . . the girls had their first competition of the season on Saturday. First one ever for Shannon. I was alone at this one since Joel was managing the soccer constituency so I had some difficulty trying to manage both the camera and the camcorder at the same time. (I forgot the tripod.) Ultimately I abandoned the still camera for video. So there are essentially no stills of dancing for the slide show either. However as soon as I have an extra six hours or so I'll get right on reading the user manual for that thing and figure out how to extract single frames from the video. Or better yet, maybe I'll find a third grader to figure it out for me.

Oh, I should mention results: Shannon did well - finishing fifth in one of her two dances. Emma did great - finishing 3rd and 5th in two of her four dances. It was a fun weekend - lots of swimming at the hotel pool. (The competition was held at a hotel which makes for a lot of fun for the kids.) And the kids all collapsed on Sunday. But not before . . .

Their final choir concert of the year. Another beautiful festival held at the Kirk on Sunday evening with all choirs of the church (6) represented. It was a truly wonderful way to wind down a very hectic weekend and even though the kids were completely spent by the time the ice cream social came around, it really rounded out the weekend very nicely. Put us all in the right frame of mind.

Alas, there's no rest for the weary as we're already looking ahead to a school musical for Emma on Thursday night of the "Princess and the Pea" in which Emma is a villager and understudy of the princess role. Then another dance event on Saturday and a soccer game (deep breath) at the exact same time as dance again. This should be the last conflict though and things will begin to settle down.

Okay, you can stop laughing now. A girl can dream, can't she?

It’s been one birthday celebration after another here at the Fickel’s. JB celebrated his 8th birthday last Friday and Shannon turned five today. We had an “all boy” day on Saturday for Joel and five of his classmates. The boys started bright and early by going with dad to a local gym to play basketball and football. Then came the pit stop at home to eat pizza and cake, play outside some more, open some presents, play a little Wii of course, and then we all went to a local arcade. (Think ESPN Zone here – not the Galaga and Centipede of yesteryear.) I have to admit, the games were pretty cool – and as my kids will tell you I am not a gamer.

Today was the flipside of that boy day with Shannon celebrating this afternoon with two buddies from her preschool class. We did a low-key afternoon with lunch and then making cup cakes together. Of course, when two or more girls gather . . . there will be dress-up also. Each girl also got to create their own color of frosting and then top the cup cakes with sprinkles. Or pixie dust – whatever you prefer. It was a mess! But an absolute blast. Shannon’s birthday seem to have a “wheel” theme this year with getting a scooter from mom and dad and a bike “tag-along” from Nana and Grandpa. We’ve already initiated the bike with a trip downtown while everyone else is at choir practice. It’s a little chilly outside, but there’s something about a new birthday gift that makes it bearable. (Oh, and don’t worry and don’t call Child Services or anything. Shannon always wears a helmet – we were just posing for a photo op.)

What I lack in cake, cookies, and brownies in my diet because of the gluten, I have made up for ten-fold in frosting just today! The funny thing is – I never used to like frosting. But somehow I couldn’t resist a “green light” sweet especially when the cake batter bowl was staring me down and taunting me. Besides, how else was I supposed to get the frosting off my fingers? You don’t just wash that stuff down the drain!! I’m telling ya – if I ever fall off this Celiac wagon, it won’t be for a beer – it’ll be for cake or cookie batter. Count on it.


One final thing to offer as closure on last week’s post . . . Emma received a 95% on her Spain report! Way to go Emma!!

Other than that, we’re starting to get back into dance and soccer season, rounding out the school year, and kicking up the fertilizer! 42 days left of school for the kids – 50 days left for me! (Yes, you bet I’m counting!)

Now, I better go take some ibuprofen for this massive sugar headache I have. Boy was it worth it though!!

How do you say Halleluiah in Spanish? I don’t know either but if we did I bet they could hear us all the way to Barcelona tonight. Emma’s project on Spain is DONE!!! It took three months and she is handing it in tomorrow and giving her oral presentation to her class tomorrow! Wow – what a trip this has been. Believe me, the whole family is rejoicing the end of this project. Congrats to Emma though for all her hard work. The photo you see is of her “doll” that was one of the required elements of the report. She had to dress this wooden figure in a native costume of her assigned country. I snapped this photo before she drew the face on, but I think you can appreciate the challenge this was. Needless to say, I am not the craftiest person in the world. So while I’m sure moms all over Rochester were whipping out their Viking sewing machines, Emma and I were gluing felt together with plain ol’ Elmer’s glue. Some things you just never let go of.

My dad treated the kids to a trip to the Detroit Science Center last week during Easter break. We all had a great time – I haven’t been there since eighth grade! I have to say it was nice to have a 1:1 ratio so that we could all dive into whatever activity appealed to each kid. Shannon LOVED the simulated factory pouring molten metal, putting gears together, using the forklift. JB loved the IMAX movie and especially the “jam room” which was a sound studio with drums, electric guitars and other instruments. Emma spent a lot of time on the body section. You know – blood, arteries, veins, muscles, etc. All the things any girl dreams of. Yes, this is the child that gives herself her own shots at the doctor’s office while her mother covers her eyes and shakes like a leaf.

Somehow I missed all the photos of the kids’ Easter egg hunt on Easter afternoon. Joel and I hid 75 eggs around the house – since it was around 35 degrees outside. We’re still working our way through the jelly beans. And speaking of missing things, I’m not going to list happy birthday wishes on here anymore because I’m bound to forget someone and I just wouldn’t be able to handle the guilt. Better to bow out now unscathed.

Other than that, we had a very relaxing break and everyone’s tucked in bed and ready for their return to school tomorrow. JB had his second grade music concert just before break and I’m trying to get the video uploaded, but I may be in over my head. He celebrates his 8th birthday this Friday. So look for photos from those festivities next week.

I hope everyone enjoyed a beautiful Easter. I was checking out the forsythia, dogwood and magnolia tree today. We’re almost there. The halleluiahs just keep on comin’!

Sweet Hosannas! The sky opened up today for the first time in what seems like forever and we had the warm sun to enjoy all morning. What could be better? One of my favorite hymns on Palm Sunday includes the words "from whom the lips of children made sweet hosannas ring!" And our family enjoyed that - literally - this morning with both Emma and Joel singing in church this morning. It's hard to start the week in anything but a sunny mood after leaving church on Palm Sunday. I hope that all of you enjoyed the same warmth and excitement. Even though it was a crisp 35 degrees outside today, there was no lack of sunshine in our house and hearts today!

Joel is safely home from California and has survived his jet lag. He had a wonderful visit with his family and friends - especially with his mom. It was a breakneck pace of visiting, but the important thing was the precious moments he had with everyone even though it was so short. His reunion with some LHN friends took him to some fun places like Santa Monica and the beaches of Malibu and he had a great time. He didn't take nearly as many photos as his daughter would have - only producing a scant ten or so! But here's two - one of the group, and one of his highlight meal. A banana and cheese sandwich. I know what you're thinking - I think you had to be there. But I value a delicious meal immensely these days - so it warrants a spot here today! :)

Some explanations of the photos in the slide show this week include pics of Emma (and friends) as well as JB (and friends) during their lunch period on Thursday at school. No, the kids don't normally have to eat their lunches on the floor. The kids had "spirit week" at school this week and Thursday was beach party day. So the kids take beach blankets in that day and eat and dance to Beach Boys songs. It was fun to visit with them and see them so excited with their friends.

I also snapped a few photos on my phone from a night we went to have some Chinese food. Notice Shannon's technique with chop sticks. Joel's friend Oliver was with us and very astutely concluded that it's much easier to just stab your chicken right through with the chop stick instead of the goofy Chinese way. I couldn't agree more - and it was a lot of fun watching the kids eat their lo mein.

Joel's dad also came for a visit and there's a photo of JB and him at dinner one night. I don't always have my good camera on me when these opportunities present themselves, which is what makes camera phones SO COOL - but not quite as good in quality. Regardless, it allows us to record things we wouldn't have in the past. And I love that.

The handsome little boy in the slide show is our friend Jake. He joined us for some afternoon ice cream today - remember I told you how "sunny" today felt? It may still be winter out there, but we fought it today. Jake's a blast and the kids had fun goofing off with him and his totally boring parents. ;)

Finally, what would a blog be without a few "Shannon-isms"? Here's a photo of Shannon with snow shovel in tow. The picture doesn't exactly seem all that unusual - but when Joel and I checked on her playing outside we found her shoveling snow off the lawn and onto the sidewalk. When we asked the reason, without looking up from her very busy work, she replied "I'm getting rid of all this snow because I'm ready for spring already!" Hear, hear Shannon! I couldn't agree more.

The other photo with Shannon is her and I tonight before dinner. Shannon persuaded me to "get beautiful" for dinner. I love a Jane Austen story as much as the next girl, so she didn't have to twist my arm. Getting "dressed for dinner" is just what girls do, right? Add some beads, high heels, boleros and bobbles and we were set! It was such a success, Shannon declared next Sunday it will be the boys' turn. I can hardly wait!!

Even though I was in a perfectly "palmy" mood today complete with fashioning ten or so palms into palm crosses (When did I earn this title? Anyone else want it??) I would be remiss if I neglected to mention the other important event in our day today - particularly the end of the day - and the reason I need to wrap this blog up . . . the NCAA tournament selection-ology. Okay, bracketology. Or, whatever - you know what I mean. Yes, our family will soon be consumed by March Madness. But before I go, I want to wish you all a happy Evacuation Day tomorrow (look it up, you'll impress at the water cooler.) It's way more interesting to those of us who aren't Irish or Catholic or any combination therein.

But if I don't go, Joel won't be able to print the brackets for JB . . . and that just won't be pretty in the morning. Happy birthday to Jake and Seth! And Happy Easter everyone!!!

Highlight: Emma

I was scraping to find some photos for this week's entry and decided to check Emma's camera for material. While scanning 116 photos (!) which she has saved on her camera, I came across some really good ones of her that aren't from this week but are fairly recent. This is a great one of Emma at Build-A-Bear which was a reward she earned through schoolwork. Here she is stuffing and dressing her latest stuffed buddy which she named Bindi. I don't think this was the last time Emma will visit this store. She had a great time and I'm sure she'll want to earn this trip again.


Another photo is of Emma meeting her latest cousin Nora Jane at Christmas-time. Nora is the first child of our cousins Sara and Andre. We don't get to see them very often so it was a great treat to meet little Nora and even though Emma isn't looking directly at the camera, I think it still captures her excitement in holding Nora.

We had the delight of hearing Emma's choir sing this morning in church again - which is always a treat. This photo is from Christmas-time I think, but here is her troop with her brilliant director whom Emma truly enjoys. Emma is in the front row closest to her director, Mr. Miller.

Lastly, to stick to the "Emma" theme - I have mentioned earlier that Emma has a new interest in photography and when the batteries aren't dead her camera is usually not far from her if not attached to her wrist. The result is she can sometimes catch one of us doing something spontaneous and whimisical - or even downright embarrassing. This photo represents all three and is one she snapped of me in an inexplicable outfit. (Seriously, don't ask.) So this is a highlight of Emma behind the camera instead of in front.

This could prove to be a useful format for the blog. When events are light I might just pick a few photos of one of the kids and highlight their latest news. Joel and I simply aren't that exciting of people to have news each week. Shocking, I know. Of course I could include photos of laundry and dirty dishes and shoveling snow, but I think we'll spare you the excitement. :)

Joel's off to California this weekend and I have a ridiculously busy weekend ahead . . . so I might miss a week on the blog. If so, look for highlights from California when he returns and stories of exhaustion from me. (What else is new, right?)

Have a wonderful week! And happy birthday to my brother Chris!! We had a great web-call with him today which was really nice. I love the Jetsons' age!!