Celebrating No. 15

How do you celebrate your 15th wedding anniversary? With everyone in tow, of course!

That's what Mom and Dad decided to do today to mark 15 years (and 17 overall) together. First, we went to see "Horton Hears a Who!" at the dollar theater. Then, we got 99 cent shakes at Sonic. After all, Mom and Dad celebrated with ice cream cakes (from Dairy Queen) at their wedding.

Mom presented Dad with a $15 iTunes gift card (one song for every year together), while Dad got her a new Mickey Mouse watch with a charm-type wristband.

Here are a few photos:

You can blame Emily for the bunny years on Mom.

Mom checks out her new Mickey Mouse watch.

The "funny face" photo. (Dad apparently didn't get the message.)

Hanging Out At Grandma Bev's Birthday

Lauren showed off her prowess on the monkey bars.

Grandma Bev (who isn't actually our grandma, but the grandmother of the girls' cousins), celebrated her 80th birthday on Monday. It was a chance for the girls to mingle with their aunts, uncles and cousins. Much of the afternoon, though, was spent playing on the playground at St. Mary's school, where the reception was held.

Mom, with some of her nieces, in a shot that looks like something for "Vogue."

Julia, in a pose that reminds us of her days in gymnastics.

Olivia, as usual, did not want her picture taken.

Veronica fit nicely in the lockers in the restroom.

Memorial Day 2008

Fr. Paul's grave was among many we visited Monday.
This has been a tough year for Mom and Dad when it comes to losing loved ones. Mom's grandmother on her Dad's side died and her best friend, Dana, had her father die. And Dad lost two uncles 24 days apart in February in March.

So visiting graves on Memorial Day took on some extra meaning this year. In addition to visiting Uncle Arch's grave, we also stopped by Walt and Dorothy's and Fr. Paul's. Mom would have visited Dana's father's grave, but she wasn't sure where that cemetery is located.

Footnote:
Dad's cousin, Mindy, wrote a letter about Fr. Paul that was published in the Omaha World-Herald:

Gone but not forgotten
I thank The World-Herald for publishing the May 26 special section, “Rendezvous with destiny.” The men and women of World War II have amazing stories to tell.

In January, I lost my uncle, the Rev. Paul J. Begley, who was not only a devoted Catholic priest but also a proud World War II veteran who served as a radio operator aboard the USS Nassau CVE 16.

He often met with other veterans for lunch to share stories and reminisce about the experiences they had during their stint in the U.S. Navy. His pride was evident to the end, as “Anchors Aweigh” was played at his funeral.

The memory of that tune being sung by his family and friends will forever be etched in my mind. I cherish the stories that Uncle Paul passed on to me about his service to our country and hope the surviving veterans do us the honor in sharing their histories with us.

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Playing At The Old House

As many of you know, Mom and Dad used to live in the house where Aunt Dee-Dee and Uncle Jon live now. Emily, Lauren and Julia remember it, but Olivia says she does not. That's not a surprise, since we moved out in July of 2004 - when she was not even two.

Saturday, the girls and Dad stopped by the old house (Mom was working at the school) to play on the swingset, etc. Here are a few pics.

These chalk drawings show the feet of witches, who were trapped beneath the house (according to Emily).

Veronica enjoys the little car Emily used to drive.

Lauren took a unique approach to playing on the swingset.

(More) Spring Cleaning

Saturday was "Cleaning Day" at the YD house, with a much-needed sprucing up in order for the girls' rooms, the kitchen and the living room and dining rooms.

So while Mom was off working in her classroom, Dad got the girls organized for the effort. Eventually, Aunt Dee-Dee showed up to lend a final helping hand. Here's the results of some of their work:

There's "Tiny" making her way to the top bunk.

And here's the "after" version of Veronica, Olivia and Lauren's room.

Julia and Emily had a lot on their floor.

It appears much of it has migrated to the dressers in the "after" picture.

Here's Dad's handiwork in the kitchen.

You won't normally see this table shiny clean and uncluttered.

Indiana Jones A Hit With Emily, Lauren

Sometimes the best laid plans...

For months, Uncle Jon and Aunt Dee-Dee have been planning to take the girls to see the new "Indiana Jones" movie, premiering May 22. Their intent was to see the midnight screening and invite Emily and Lauren along, since May 22 (Thursday) was their final day of classes.

But what we didn't know was that the movie actually premiered at midnight Wednesday, not Thursday. Since that wasn't realistic - even with the girls only being in class from 8 to 11 a.m. on the final day - Plan B was drawn up.

Dee-Dee picked the girls up immediately after school and rushed them out to Village Pointe, where they met up with Jon and his parents. Dad took Julia and Olivia to Grandma and Grandpa YD's house, much to Julia's protests (more on that later). What was expected to be a sold-out show wound up with a theater that was about 75 percent full. Still, it was quite a show.

Emily and Lauren both admitted to being a little scared, especially when the crystal skull was first revealed. This was exactly as Julia had predicted, and something that had her not so disappointed about going to the premier showing. Emily - seated next to Dad - kept her hands over her ears for a good part of the movie. ("They can tell me about all the scary parts before they happen when I go," Julia said.) But the girls really enjoyed it, particularly the part where Indy survives a nuclear blast.

Now the two girls are hoping to see it again, this time with Mom in tow.

Anxious To Get Started Again?

Just how anxious are the girls to get back to school? They set up a classroom in the computer room and had "summer school" today.

2007-08 School Year: It's A Wrap

Lauren earned 20 reading test certificates.
The girls brought home a mountain of paperwork in their backpacks today - the final day of the 2007-08 school year.

Among the more notable items were measurement charts, with each girl's height and weight from the beginning of the year to the end. Here is a snapshot glance:

Emily:
Height last year - 58 inches tall. This year - 61.5.
Weight last year - 81 pounds. This year - 101. (73rd percentile for body mass.)

Lauren:
Height last year - 47 inches tall. This year - 49.
Weight last year - 50 pounds. This year - 51. (24th percentile for body mass.)

Julia:
Height last year - 48 inches tall. This year - 49.
Weight last year - 52 pounds. This year - 63. (90th percentile for body mass.)

As for the certificates and awards, Lauren received the fourth quarter "Spirit of St. Mary Award." Unfortunately, her teacher did not let Mom and Dad know, so only Mom was there to watch Lauren receive it.

Other notable honors:

Lauren:
All-Star Reader certificate for successfully completing all six months of the "Book It!" reading program.

Julia:
Certificate for reading 100 books
Certificate for completing the Promise Program
Certificate for El alumno sobre saliente (something to do with Spanish)
"Great Speller" award
Certificate for "Terrific Printing"

Olivia:
"The Artistic Award" for being such a colorful and creative student
"The Penmanship Award" for such "write on" work
"The GOlden Pencil Award" in honor of her creative writing talents

Last Day of School

For some reason, hardly any of the girls wanted to get their picture taken this morning - like we do on the first day of school.

But here are they are. You decide which one looks better (click to enlarge).

Teacher Gifts

The finished products, ready for delivery.
An annual tradition in the YD house that Mom started was making (not buying) gifts for teachers. So Wednesday afternoon, the kitchen table became a crafts area. The girls - and Mom - painted various glassware for their teachers and the principal. Some teachers will receive vases, while others get candy dishes.

Lauren worked up a roses design.

Olivia was careful not to get paint on her clothing.

Veronica used every color - at least twice.

Emily had a horizontal design going on her vase.

Mom helped Julia with a vertical design.

Not to be overlooked was the homemade card aspect. Every girl made their teacher a card, which featured the beginning-of-the-year photo on the cover. As you can see from Lauren's card (below), they were pretty unique.

Soaking Up Sun, Eyes Closed

No, the girls did not all blink at about the same time.
"Dad, Dad! Take our picture!"

Those were the pleas heard from the backyard earlier this afternoon as the girls were relaxing in the pool. They were apparently instructed (by Emily) to keep their eyes closed and soak up some sun. And soak up some rays they did. Apparently, that was yesterday when Mom and Dad were slathering on the sunscreen. Oops.

The result was some pretty pink girls when we dodged off to afternoon mass for cousin Kevin's eighth grade graduation mass. And when it came to go to bed, a few of the girls were still feeling the burn - most notably, Veronica. "Tiny" was uncomfortable, even with a cool washcloth on her back. Eventually, a little Aloe Vera did the trick and the little sweet was down for the count.

One other backyard happening is worth mentioning. And it will explain the photo at left. Veronica asked that her potty chair be moved outdoors this afternoon. Dad obliged and Emily put in the assist with a privacy towel. We will spare you the details of what happened afterwards.

Splash And Crash

Olivia (left) and Lauren couldn't wait to get the pool filled.
Summer must officially be here because the girls were in their swimsuits in the backyard pool Saturday afternoon.

All that work cleaning bathrooms and bedrooms paid off for the girls in the form of a couple hours of playing in bone-chilling water in our inflatable pool. Mom (pictured at right) spent about an hour holding the portable air pump to the nozzles to get it blown up. And just as soon as it was, Veronica was in it, bouncing between the four walls.

"Dad, this is just like 'Merican Gadeeators," she said.

Once the water was in place, the girls took turns running from the chilly water to the towels and back inside the house - despite Mom's pleas not to track in water.

The one tiny detail both Mom and Dad seemed to miscommunicate on Saturday had to do with the patio table umbrella. Mom set up the table and chairs before Dad put the glass top on the table in place. Mom topped it all off with the umbrella. Unfortunately, the umbrella wasn't seated in its base entirely and Mom's mention of it did nothing to make Dad fix it (he thought she was going to do it).

A couple hours later, a gust of wind swept through the backyard, sending the umbrella aloft - and with it, the glass table. Fortunately, no one was near the shattered pile of glass fragments. So the cleaning continued - with sweeping, vacuuming and a wet wash. As you can see from the photos, it looked a lot like snow. And, as Emily can attest, those glass fragments were heavy!

The toppled umbrella shattered the table.
Everything that was on the table was now amidst the glass.
Emily swept in the safety of her high-heeled sandals.

Time To Clean

Veronica cleaned the toilet while Julia did the window.
The girls took a big stab at trying to clean up the house by working together to get their bedrooms and the upstairs bathrooms cleaned today.

It was hard work, but they got off to a great start. Keeping the momentum going was the hardest part.

The highlight of the day had to be when Mom found the electric air pump for our inflatable pool. The girls have been begging to have their swimming pool in place and this cleared the way.

Lauren conquered the girls bathroom.

It's Big Fred's Night!

It is a state track meet tradition dating back to as long as Mom and Dad have known each other: Big Fred's Night.

Big Fred's is a local pizza joint near Burke Stadium, where the Nebraska State Track Meet is annually held on about the third weekend in May. Dad covered the meet for the Grand Island Independent from 1987 through to at least about 2001 or 2002 (he doesn't quite remember). It's a pretty amazing event that draws about 20,000 spectators and includes nearly 1,500 athletes.

The weather typically plays an interesting role. Usually, one day is really nice or really hot and the other day is cold or nasty or stormy. One of the first years that Mom and Dad knew each other, Mom rounded up a bunch of rain jackets and coats and brought them to the track for Dad's fellow sportswriters, who were unprepared for 40-degree weather and rain. Mom also used to take lunch orders for the sportswriters and fight the bumper-to-bumper traffic near the stadium to deliver the food to the press box.

So tonight, after the evening session concludes at the track, we will meet the sportswriters for pizza and drinks at Big Fred's. Bob Hamar of the The Grand Island Independent - our favorite - will be there, along with Stu Pospisil of the Omaha World-Herald and Ryly Jane Hambleton and Ron Powell of the Lincoln Journal Star. We also expect to see sportswriters from the Kearney Daily Hub (Buck Mahoney) and Hastings Tribune and Norfolk Daily News.

Last Day Of School (For Mom)

Mom's pre-kindergarten class graduates today.
Nine months of hard work culminates for Mom today. Her pre-kindergarten students are moving onward and upward to kindergarten.

If you haven't been to a pre-kindergarten classroom recently (and chances are, you have not), it is an amazing experience to see how much guidance and instruction goes into shaping and molding these youngsters. Mom and her two aides continually remind the children what is acceptable behavior and they commend them on good deeds and accomplishments.

Way to go, Mom. You are the best teacher and Dad and the girls are proud to have you teaching us every day.

Field Day 2008: For Emily

So Mom and Dad were back in action snapping pictures and taking video during Emily's Field Day today. As for Emily, she was kind of in action. Dad gets a little bit frustrated sometimes that Emily isn't the ultra-competitor that he would like her to be, but at least she's out competing, right?

Emily looked great in the softball throw, tossing it six feet short of the class best by a girl (who is a softball player, by the way) and she also had a decent standing long jump. Her 50-yard dash resembled a jog more than a sprint, but Dad and Mom weren't the sprinting types either.

Mom is feverishly working to get everything ready for pre-kindergarten graduation, which is tomorrow.

Emily was pretty adept at the sponge relay.
From left: Laura, Sarah, Maddy, Emily and cousin Stephen.

Field Day 2008

Wednesday was Field Day at school for the pre-kindergarten students through fourth grade. So Olivia, Julia and Lauren were out and about on the playground all morning, playing games and having lots of fun.

Mom took some fantastic pictures (see below) and Dad was capturing everything on video while supervising the water relay area. The weather was a bit on the chilly side, but otherwise sunny. Afterwards, the girls enjoyed corndogs for lunch.

Thursday is Emily's field day. Hopefully, we will have some photos to share.

Olivia was working it during the sponge relay.
Dad didn't understand this game. But Julia did.
Lauren ended up on all fours during the 50-yard dash.
Olivia looks like a VIP on a parade float with that wave.
This is about the only time Mom was able to relax.