Thursday, November 16, 2006
Birthdays
Andrew's 19th birthday came and went in October. He has reached that age where birthdays are not the big deal that they were when you were a kid. We had a good blow-out party for his 18th birthday. For his 19th birthday we had a family get together (including grandmas and aunts) for a nice dinner out, but it was otherwise quiet.
Hayley, on the other hand, turns 11 today. We stop the big parties at age 10, but she is having some friends spend the night. Tomorrow will feature mini golfing at Boomers in Irvine(http://www.boomersparks.com/park/irvine/mgolf.html) and sharing our new fun hobby of geocaching with her friends. We are on the hunt for a cache that had us stumped, but we have it figured out now (http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=9108c28d-9292-4835-ac4a-47b048670d76). I forget what we have on the schedule for Saturday, but I'm sure it will be something else fun. This is in addition to a family dinner with grandmas, etc. that we had last weekend.
Overall, I think turning 11 is better than turning 19 in terms of birthday fun.
Hayley, on the other hand, turns 11 today. We stop the big parties at age 10, but she is having some friends spend the night. Tomorrow will feature mini golfing at Boomers in Irvine(http://www.boomersparks.com/park/irvine/mgolf.html) and sharing our new fun hobby of geocaching with her friends. We are on the hunt for a cache that had us stumped, but we have it figured out now (http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=9108c28d-9292-4835-ac4a-47b048670d76). I forget what we have on the schedule for Saturday, but I'm sure it will be something else fun. This is in addition to a family dinner with grandmas, etc. that we had last weekend.
Overall, I think turning 11 is better than turning 19 in terms of birthday fun.
Labels: Andrew, Birthdays, Family, Hayley
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Geocaching
We have discovered a new hobby: geocaching. Some friends mentioned this to us a while ago, but we never got around to trying it until last weekend. The girls are now hooked!
Geocaching is basically a GPS treasure hunt. Find a cache that is near you (we use www.geocaching.com), enter the coordinates in your portable GPS, take along any clues of where the cache is hidden, and go. When you find it, at a minimum you sign the log book. Most caches have prizes within where the rule is to take something out and put something in.
We have only found 3 so far, but they have been fun to hunt down. Some people out there get VERY creative in how they hide those things! Last night the girls and I figured out a puzzle for the next one that we are going to find. That's one cool thing about this activity -- it combines computer work, puzzle solving, and outdoor activity.
I'm looking forward to it as something new to do outside with the kids. For example, our local Aliso Creek Bike Trail has a bunch of them hidden along the route. We can go for a bike ride and track down caches as we go. The caches are literally hidden all over the world. Bethany's Girl Scout troop wants to create a cache of their own and publish it. There are enough people with this desire that there are many places to practice this hobby.
Geocaching is basically a GPS treasure hunt. Find a cache that is near you (we use www.geocaching.com), enter the coordinates in your portable GPS, take along any clues of where the cache is hidden, and go. When you find it, at a minimum you sign the log book. Most caches have prizes within where the rule is to take something out and put something in.
We have only found 3 so far, but they have been fun to hunt down. Some people out there get VERY creative in how they hide those things! Last night the girls and I figured out a puzzle for the next one that we are going to find. That's one cool thing about this activity -- it combines computer work, puzzle solving, and outdoor activity.
I'm looking forward to it as something new to do outside with the kids. For example, our local Aliso Creek Bike Trail has a bunch of them hidden along the route. We can go for a bike ride and track down caches as we go. The caches are literally hidden all over the world. Bethany's Girl Scout troop wants to create a cache of their own and publish it. There are enough people with this desire that there are many places to practice this hobby.
Labels: Family, Geocaching, GPS
Monday, November 06, 2006
Hayley & Volleyball - 1st Season Over
Our family's first youth sports season is over. It went great! Hayley made it to every practice and game. I made it to every game, but only 2 practices. Hayley may not make it to the Olympics, but she did very well. She pushed herself on skills -- especially on the overhand serve. She was a good team player, although it was frustrating for her when her teammates did not play as a team as well. Despite that, the team did well together and seemed to have fun.
This was a good family event too. Once the real games started (we never kept score, but we did play against teams from other parks) the rest of the family and the Grandmas came out to watch. We had one Saturday rain-out, but otherwise the weather was on our side.
Bethany enjoyed watching so much that she wanted to sign up. The next league starts in the Spring and we will be there with two girls on the court!
This was a good family event too. Once the real games started (we never kept score, but we did play against teams from other parks) the rest of the family and the Grandmas came out to watch. We had one Saturday rain-out, but otherwise the weather was on our side.
Bethany enjoyed watching so much that she wanted to sign up. The next league starts in the Spring and we will be there with two girls on the court!
Labels: Hayley, Volleyball
I'm back!
In case anyone is still reading my blog, I am back. I had lost the user name and password and due to a heavy work schedule didn't have time to get them back. However, I tracked it down today.
Watch for more posts soon!
Watch for more posts soon!
Labels: Blogging
