Katharine and Maya

We hung out with Jeramy and Maya today, as she gets ready to embark on a month-long trip to Europe with her Mom next week.

We just booked our own family trip to Europe, from December 15 through January 11th. 

It is a pretty long trip, but when you have to buy seven intercontinental plane tickets you better make it worthwhile :)

Pictures courtesy of Jeramy's iphone.

Happy Birthday to me

I turned 45 today.

Yikes!

Random Erik facts:

I recently moved over into concept art from level design at Gearbox

Favorite foods: Wholefoods whole wheat pretzels, vegetable soup, watermelon, pork chops, Red Hot Blue chips, asparagus, orange mango smoothies

Currently re-reading Stephen King's 'The Stand"

I've lost 20 pounds this Spring (no special diet, just eating better and exercising)

Currently playing (and enjoying) 'The Last of Us'

I love to watch my kids play soccer and baseball games

I love to watch my kids dance, but less so other kids

I need a vacation

Speaking of that, I still want to travel to Ireland and Iceland
I hate flies, and will hunt them down if one is buzzing around the house
I like to grill, but have no interest in cooking beyond that
Speaking of that, my palette is rather limited (I could eat pasta and sauce every night if need be)
When I have nothing to do I'll play a video game
nytimes.com is my most frequented website
I like to drink socially, but never drink when I'm just with the wife and kids
I don't like camping
I don't get enough sleep
If I ever retire, I would like to do so in Europe
I don't like getting up early, but am pretty good at it
I'm a fan of the Boston Red Sox, Miami Dolphins, and FC Dallas
I don't like hockey
I am horrible at remembering names
I have really good reflexes, and can often catch stuff that I drop
My favorite musician is Leonard Cohen
Most of the time when I work I wear my noise canceling headphones but don't play any music
I hate talking on the phone (but need to call my brother more)
I prefer mountains to beaches, and cities to suburbs
I bought myself a Belstaff man-bag for my birthday
I love my job

Recitals- Day Two

Saturday was the last day of recitals.

Katharine was there for 12 hours and danced in all of the shows. 

Lukas danced in the final show.

All in all there were a lot of great performances. I always love to see my kids up there, and the preschool-age dance routines are always amusing...

Here are some group pics:

And who was that photo-bombing the previous picture?

Miss Gwen!

Lego High School

The kids built this today, and dragged me upstairs to show it off right after I walked through the door.

Saturday Swag

Lukas got two awards this past Saturday.

First off was one of the game balls from his Little League game, where he went 2 for 2 as the Phillies handed the division's only unbeaten team their first loss (14-2).

Next up was his "Five Year Award" from Sheena's Dance Academy, followed by a great dance performance on his part.

Great job, Lukas!

Farewell to the Grandparents

My Mon and Dad are headed home after a five day visit.

We will definitely miss them (especially the Grand kids).

Father's Day

It was great being able to celebrate Father's Day with my awesome Dad, who has both mentored and supported me throughout my entire life. 

I really love the guy, despite him passing down his hairline to me :)

And it looks like he is doing ok as a Grandpa as well.

Dress Rehearsal 2013

This year, Katharine was in so many dances, I didn't have time or the opportunity to take any pictures. Between changing 4 kids in and out of costumes and getting them ready for line up, and working a volunteer shift at the button making station, there  was just not enough time to take pictures. Erik got a few shots, and thankfully friends took a few pictures, too.

Soccer Camp

The boys attended FC Dallas Soccer Camp this week. 

The temperatures soared, but they both ended up having a lot of fun. 

Each got a new ball and shirt, along with a ticket to an FC Dallas soccer game next Saturday (woohoo!).

Here are the boys at the start of the final camp session.

The coaches were all from the FC Dallas's youth development program, which runs up through high school (and has started a few pro careers).

At this age, learning through fun and play are emphasized over competition.

Lukas's group even played some games that didn't even require a soccer ball.

Lennon improved on his dribbling skills.

And Lukas made some new friends. 

He told me that this kid was from San Francisco, and had traveled here to attend the camp.

Here is the final group meeting, and then we were back in the car and heading to dress rehearsal.

Note the two boys looking a bit more red, tired, and over-heated since they arrived :)

Final Act?

Lukas dances tonight at the recital, and here are some pictures from his dress rehearsal.

If you ask him now, this will be his final dance recital (he really hates the long sleeves and bow tie).

But you never know... in a few years he might start to better appreciate that girl to boy ratio.

Equipped

The boys eat breakfast, with their Minecraft sword and pick-axe at the ready.

Gifts from the visiting Grandparents :)

Recitals- Day One

This is recital weekend. 

Katharine has about 6-12 dances per show, but our two little girls got some time in for their performances on Friday night.

Keira was exhausted when it finally ended.

Cat on the Powl

We kept wondering why Marmalade was going into the bathroom and howling at night. 

With her it usually means she is about to throw-up or pee somewhere, but in the case it actually turned out that she had sighted some salamander or lizard type creatures that like to hang out on our second floor bathroom window.

Sunbathing

Lennon and Keira drying out in the sun after playing in the pool.

I think that Lennon preferred the water...