There has never been a day when I have not been proud of you, I said to my daughter, though some days I’m louder about other stuff so it’s easy to miss that. – Brian Andreas from Storypeople
Chocolate Wafers (Ice Cream Sandwich Cookies)
21 Apr 11 by Jenn Martin | 1 Comment | 567 view(s)Categories: family, food | Tags: aspen, dessert
3rd Place is Awesome
29 Jan 11 by Tim Martin | No Comments | 16 view(s)Categories: family | Tags: aspen, award
Congratulations are in order for Aspen… This week she managed to win the spelling bee in her class, and she finished 3rd overall in the school! How cool is that? She was beaten only by two fifth graders, and she was sure to let us know that she was unlucky. She knew every word that other guy missed! Oh well, it was super cool to watch her care about something intrinsicly. Neither Jenn nor I did anything but cheer her efforts…
So, congrats, Aspen. Very well done.
Happy Halloween 2010
31 Oct 10 by Tim Martin | 2 Comments | 42 view(s)Categories: family | Tags: aspen, halloween, lindy, oakley
This year, featuring Hermione Grainger (Harry Potter), Mrs. Which (A Wrinkle in Time), and Elphaba (Wicked), minus the green face.
Also featuring, a white pumpkin, lit up by two birthday candles. Funny.
Fall Break… time for fill-ins
19 Oct 10 by Tim Martin | No Comments | 5 view(s)Categories: family | Tags: aspen, oakley, soccer, video
That’s right, we’ve already seen Oakley play soccer this week, but she found herself in a second game this week. Watch for Oakley’s near misses and Aspen’s successes.
David Beckham
28 Sep 10 by Tim Martin | 1 Comment | 22 view(s)Categories: family | Tags: aspen, soccer, video
No. She doesn’t have any tattoos. Nor does she have magazine worthy abs. Nor do I believe that she could do it every time. But this past Saturday, David Beckham had nothing on Aspen.
If you’d care to watch the whole game, feel free to do that. It’s a good all around performance by the Fire & Ice. Nisi had a fantastic game (including some Didier Drogba moments, like several goals and an open net miss that somehow isn’t in the video).
If you’re here for Aspen’s moment, though. You can click right here to jump to it. I’ve provided it in full speed and slow motion. Take note of the the distance, the arc, the curve, and the finish in the side netting. Beckham would be proud.
Another reason to love this game… Ra had a swim meet Saturday and Sunday, so she wasn’t going to be able to make it to the game. But wait one second… I think I saw a number 3 running around out on that field… I’m loving seeing the girls play for each other and wanting to be there badly. It’s so much fun.
Fire & Ice, Game 2
19 Sep 10 by Tim Martin | No Comments | 40 view(s)Categories: family | Tags: aspen, soccer, video
A week ago, we featured a lot of video from Lindy and Oakley’s games, but we mostly had stills from Aspen’s game. Not so this week. For your perusal, we have nearly 10 minutes of exciting video from Fire & Ice. This features good moments from most of the team…
The team played great, especially early on, and jumped out to a big lead against a team that played with us in the league last year. This was a U10 team, just like us, and one that beat us a year ago. So the girls were thoroughly pleased to get a victory.
Aspen writes too… about Camp Chippewa
15 Sep 10 by Tim Martin | 3 Comments | 57 view(s)Categories: family | Tags: aspen, writing
I’ve written on several occasions about a little writer named Oakley, but she isn’t the only one in this house. No, no, Aspen is quite a writer herself (she just doesn’t know it yet).
This is a piece she wrote for school under the assignment “My Labor Day Weekend”
On my Labor Day weekend in 2010, I went to Camp Chippewa. Camp Chippewa is a summer camp that my dad went to from 1988-1990. He was a counselor there in 1993, 1994, 1995, and 1997. Camp Chippewa is only a boy’s camp, but many former campers and counselors brought up their family’s for the 75th reunion. There was a huge turnout with 130 people. One of my favorite things there was the Paul Bunyan Swing. It was a huge rope swing attached to a bungee cord that was tied between two trees. Then there was a 10 ft. tall platform that you would jump off of with the swing. Oh, I forgot to mention Camp is located the shores of Cass and Buck Lake. It was a great weekend.
The End
The Other Side of the Coin
14 Sep 10 by Tim Martin | No Comments | 35 view(s)Categories: family | Tags: aspen, soccer, video
A year ago, Aspen’s team played in one tough league. The league consisted of the Purple Pandas, 3 teams from Brentwood Soccer Club, 1 team of pseudo club players, and 1 other team comparable to the Pandas. Frankly, there were several very challenging games. But the girls never gave up… they kept working, they won and tied their last two games… and they were all excited to come back.
Well, this year they reaped the benefits of their efforts in game one. Part of the reason is that they’re now the older girls in a combined division of U9 and U10 girls. But part of it is that they’ve just gotten good. I think they deserved one game like they got yesterday… (A blowout, of the 12-0 variety, I hear.)
Duck 2010, in pictures
18 Jul 10 by Tim Martin | 4 Comments | 118 view(s)Categories: family | Tags: aspen, duck, lindy, oakley
It’s one of our very favorite traditions… a week at the beach with the Haile family. Every year, we find our way to Duck, where Grammie’s family has gathered for 30 years. And every year, we love it.
Thank you, Grammie & Grandpa
Wave Slamming
18 Jul 10 by Tim Martin | 1 Comment | 40 view(s)Categories: family | Tags: aspen, duck, lindy, oakley, video
The kids (ours and the cousins) were all about the waves this year. While it makes me nervous on occasion, I can’t really argue with them. The waves are absolutely my favorite part of going to the beach too. For you, I have a review of the best wave jumping seen at Port Trinitie last week…