Erik's braces are off!

It was a lot of money, but it was work it. Erik never once complained about his expanders or his braces, and he's always been very good about taking care of his teeth. Love ya Erik!

They are making snow at Wilmot!

Peter & Kurt have said they are boarding this year, and have new (used) snowboards, but our mogul boy Erik is sticking with skis.

Spooksville

The grim reaper and the indian terrorized the neighborhood together and came back with about five pounds of loot. The vampire stalked about with his mother.

Rocks my World

After mulling over last nights Awaking My Soul message at Willow Creek, I am left thinking about how Paul's letter in 1 Corinthians 13:1-7 goes so well with Jesus teachings in Matthew 22:37-40. Very powerful scripture that just rocks my world.

Weekend Trip

Peter & Erik went with their grandma & grandpa to Shangralia this weekend while Annie and I work on the bedroom closets.

Back to School

Peter (5th grade), Erik (3rd grade), and Kurt (2nd grade) all went back to North Barrington Elementary yesterday. After this year they won't all be in the same school again until high school!

Loving Life

I'm in love with Annie's smile and her soft kisses. I love Peter's enthusiasm and when he laughs from his belly. I love Erik's memory of life and the twinkle in his eye when he's excited. I love Kurt's love for people and his gentle spirit, and that he still reaches for my hand sometimes when we walk together.

Seaplane Rating

Popper and I got our seaplane ratings while vacationing in Grand Haven for the week. Mark Schmitt, an MD80 captain at American gave us the training in his Super Cub on Lake Bella Vista near Rockford, MI.

Campout with Kurt & Bruno

We spent 2-nights at the Bonanza campground in the Wisconsin Dells, and a day at the Mt Olympus waterpark. They loved the roller-coasters and the big wave pool. On the way back we spent the day at Devil's Lake, and took the car ferry across the Wisconsin river.

Erik gets braces!

Erik got braces on his 9th birthday yesterday. He's very excited about it, and we are so proud of what a great kid he is. His braces are red-white-blue in celebration of the 4th July.

Kurt the super-thrasher

Kurt is notorious for thrashing around during his sleep. When I fall asleep reading to him I usually wake up with a knee or elbow in my back. He is also still our baby, and he likes to sneak into our bed when one of us is missing. Here's the scene when I tried getting into bed tonight.

PeterEriKurt Sluggers

Baseball season just ended, Kurt & Erik played on the same team together, and Peter played with a bunch of North Barrington kids.

Principal: No Walking to School

Earlier this month, the principal of our elementary school asked me to stop walking my kids to school because she thought it was unsafe. Here's the walking route, and here was my response.

Biplane Ride

Peter got a ride in an open cockpit biplane this weekend while we were at a pilot picnic at the Popular Grove airport. Check out the smile on his face.

Climate Change

The arctic is melting for the first time in thousands of years! But the earth is estimated to be 4.5 billion years old. Is the carbon from power plants and cars a bigger contributor to the warming trend, or are natural causes the underlying cause? I wish the debate was more focused on this.

The Hill, by Ed Hommer.

I loved this book. It's a story about a guy who crashes an airplane into Alaska's Mt McKinley, and at the age of 26 he lost both feet to frostbite. Then 16 years later he climbs the same mountain as a double amputee. He was also an American Airlines pilot, but died just a few years ago while climbing Mt Rainier.

Hardwood Flooring in Chicagoland

If you need hardwood flooring work done, then give Michael Alvarado a call. He does a wonderful job of restoring and repairing hardwood floors.

Michael's Hardwood Flooring
7250 East Ave.
Hanover Park, IL 60133
630-550-9116
michaelshardwoodflooring@yahoo.com

Ferdinand Magellan

Here is Peter's 4th grade Explorers project. We are very proud of you Peter!

War On The Coons

An army of coons have been breaking into our screen room for more than a year now. No more mr nice guy. Those rat traps will serve as land mines, and yes, that's a laser site on the rifle, and it's spot on.

Erik gets chance at an Ipod Touch!

Erik will get an Ipod Touch if he can get at least 90/100 on his timed math test by the end of this school year. Good Luck Erik!

Facebook

I haven't posted much to my blog recently because I was thinking of shutting it down and just using Facebook. But I just can't do it. Not many people know about this site, and that gives me the freedom to be a little more quirky, and maybe share stuff I normally wouldn't. But Facebook is so easy and convenient. I can take a photo with my phone, and have it up on Facebook a few minutes later. That is great.. killer... love it. But my JethroMania blog will live on, even if I do not post often.

Pilot Hat

My airline recently made the pilot hat an optional piece of the uniform, and I just returned from my first trip without it. After wearing the darn thing for 21 years, it just felt weird to not have it. This got me thinking... in just a couple years I will have been an airline pilot for more years than I was not an airline pilot. Does that makes sense? Ughh, I'm getting old.

Birdie & Winter

Erik used some of his spending money to get a companion for "Birdie". The new parakeet has a real name, "Winter". The two birds were immediate friends. They frequently kiss (no kidding), and give each other neck massages with their beaks.

TWA ~ Grandpa Jack

Grandpa Jack flew at TWA from 1938-1968. He started on the DC2, and retired on the Convair 880. He was a chief-pilot and check-airman, and logged over 15,000 hours on the Super Connie. A friend from work has a dad who also worked at TWA, and he found Grandpa's signature in his logbook.

Here's a couple photos from Popper's scrapbook...

2010 Slideshow

Winter Craziness

Erik getting a little wild & crazy with his snow-angels.

Love You Annie!

We had a little scare last month, but thank the Lord that it all turned out OK. I'll never forget the feeling when I was called into the doctors office after Annie's surgery. Joy and relief. We took a family cruise this month to celebrate.