Up and coming summer review

I realize that this blog, which we used to be pretty faithful in updating on a regular basis, has not seen a new entry in awhile. All I can say is that the summer has kept us busy and we are just now starting to catch up. There will be new posts regarding our summer adventures and photos to follow this, just as soon as I can figure out where exactly they are on our desktop...so keep your eyes peeled for the up and coming...

Quinn at Riverwalk

We took the kids to Riverwalk today and the weather was outstanding. 80 degrees in Manitowoc, on the lakefront, WOW!!! The kids each got to feed the camel with Quinn thing the camel wasn't going to stop until he ate her hand (Quinn wasn't harmed, thought the picture might say otherwise). Then we watched a kids singer behind the YMCA and Quinn went on stage to perform with some other kids. She then proceeded to fall down the stairs on her way off stage (again, remarkably unharmed). We got an upclose look at the USS Cobia, watched a kayak demo and watched the coal ship come into dock (its HUGE!). Lots of bands, beer and music make the event more adult friendly than kid friendly but it wasn't bad.

Haircuts Galore at Jon's Cabin

Quinn and Gavin both got haircuts at Jon's cabin this week. Gavin chose to go with the "Aang"-ish mo-hawk look while Quinn took the contemporary "Pixie" hair do. Quinn was so good, it was scary. Jen picked the day after her best night's sleep, knowing she was already in a good mood that morning. We've save clips of the hair for the godparents if they want them. Send a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope... (just kidding). We'll get them to you.

Jon's Cabin 2007

The Maurer's had a great time at Jon's Cabin this year. Except for two days which were extremely windy, we fished all week, with Owen taking biggest fish honors in the categories of Dogfish, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye and Bullhead in the family. His monster dogfish destroyed his fishing reel but we got it into the net which also broke after we got the fish into the boat. He also caught a very big smallmouth bass on his first trip out with Grandpa and Grandma. He also landed a nice 14" Walleye that was just under the minimum requirements to keep, a really big bullhead and a nice sized largemouth bass on the first day on just a leech at "Moonbar".

Gavin caught a handful of panfish which included two keeper Perch that tasted delicious and lost a nice dogfish after hooking it in what is now known as "Owen's Bay" in the Lund.

Jen also caught a dogfish as well as three northerns fishing with the grownups in dad's SmokerCraft. She also lost a large mystery fish, "another dogfish perhaps?"

James caught four small bass, a small walleye, and a rock bass just off the "Rock Pile".

"Rob's Bay" was fairly silent this week and we found a new bay, which we named "Gavin's Bay" to try out next year.

In addition to the fishing, Gavin sported a mow-hawk for the week, Quinn got a big-girl haircut, we did some disc golfing at the new course in Alexandria, some shopping in downtown Alexandria and a day trip to the Cabela's in Rogers, MN where we ended up getting two new Ugly Sticks that are "dogfish proof".

Take me out to the ballgame...

Owen and Gavin played their first Little League game tonight at the Expo Field at the Fairgrounds in Manitowoc. Owen had three hits and Gavin had two hits during the game. The game was actually pretty good for a bunch of 7,8 & 9 year olds. There were of course a few "circus" moments with balls being thrown here and there but overall, the kids had a great time which was the important part. We have videos of the boys hits which we will put up soon.

Springtime and Birthday's

As you can see the kids were busy on one of the recent nicer evenings with art, art, art. Their combined effort produced this lovely self portrait of the "Soccer boys". I guess they are really into the sport.

As for James, he celebrated his 36th big one! Many thanks to those who called and sent cards. His birthday was spent working...and upon his return home to a decorated dining room, we ate a huge pile of nachos and had angelfood cake with the Vater's and Seiler's out on the deck. The weather was overcast but lovely warm. Outside of feeling just a bit older, it was a day well spent!

GOOOOOOAAAAALLL x 5

The Maurer tandem of Owen and Gavin accounted for five goals on Saturday morning at their Manitowoc Youth Soccer games. Owen had a hat trick, depositing three goals while narrowly missing two others. Gavin also had a good day on the pitch during his game, scoring twice in his 30 minute game. Both are improving greatly with lots of backyard practice. There are still a few weeks to catch a game. They play on Saturday mornings so give us a call if you want the game times.

Lion King Musical: Amazing!

Jen and I went and experienced the Lion King musical at the Appleton Performing Arts Center this past week. I had gotten her the tickets for Christmas, even though, the loud lady behind us was proclaiming during intermission how she had been one of the first to get hers in January and that she needed to use her usher friend to get them that early (guess she hasn't heard of Ticketmaster Online yet).

The show was amazing from start to finish, our favorite part was when Simba finds Mufassa in himself by looking into the pool of water and the ensemble puts together the mask of Mufassa behind the curtains. It's cool how it just comes together and than WOW!. The music was outstanding (they are pros I guess) but it really does give you goose bumps.

The costumes are unbelievable! Zazu and Rafiki were hilarious. Scar was worth hating.

The show is coming to Milwaukee next February and the boys have the tickets on their Christmas lists already. Definately worth taking them to see it.

Rawley's Bike Trail

The Maurer's and the Seiler's spent this beautiful Saturday afternoon to bike from Walsh Field in Two Rivers to Point Beach State Forest for a picnic and play day. We loaded everyone's bikes into our rickety old trailer, picked up four footlong subs from Subway and headed up Lake Michigan's shoreline for a bike ride. The trip is 12 miles round trip so we went the first six miles and picnic'd at Point Beach Campground's play area where we brought out the soccer ball to work on Owen's mad skills. Don taught us a new move to learn and after lunch we jumped back on the bikes for the six mile return trip. The day was perfect and the trails are amazing. We are all a bit tired and sore but it was a great experience. Owen and Gavin each rode the whole way with minimal complaining (all from Owen) but I was impressed that they kept up the pace almost the whole way and had a little left over at the end. We're definately going to try another trail somewhere else this summer, maybe Kohler Andrae Park in Sheboygan.

Up North Trip

We spent last weekend at the Creagh's house at Camp Manitowish in Boulder Junction, Wisconsin. We had a great time over the course of the two day visit. We got up at 4 am on Saturday and headed out with most of the vanload which included Lauren sleeping a bit. We arrived in Minocqua just under three hours later and pulled into Paul Bunyan's Breakfast Buffet Restaurant. The food was great and the entertainment was even better as "Mr. Bunyan" himself made a guest visit and sat with us at our table.

After a solid breakfast we headed out for some geo-caching in the Great Northwoods. During the first find, we visited an abandoned summer resort area that had been reclaimed by the State over 50 years ago. Only the foundations and a small stairway remained. In addition to the cache, we found about one-two ticks on every member of our party. During our third cache of the day, we spotted a bald eagle over a small, pristine lake in the middle of nowhere. We found six caches on the day and Brooke gave Lauren a tour of Coon's Lodge before we drove the rest of the way to Camp Manitowish.

At Camp Manitowish, we walked through all the buildings and outdoor facilities. We also tried our hand at a few of the challenge course obstacles which was a lot of fun. On our way back, we peeked at the winter cottages available for week-long stays and saw four deer in the woods. Afterwards, we had burgers, brats, hotdogs and smores. Brooke won a game of Settlers of Catan and we went to bed with the windows open and a great Northwoods breeze circulating through the house that made sleeping perfect and refreshing.

The next morning, James watched the kids while the rest of the group took off for a 3-mile run. They spotted another Bald Eagle near the lakefront. After they came back, we had eggs and waffles and then headed out for a canoe trip around the bay. Everyone got paddles and helped out, including Brooke & Jay's neighbor Brent.

We circled the large bay, grounded the canoe in the shallows between the island and the land, backed it back out and went around the island. After putting everything back where we found it, we toured the haunted house on site and headed for home.

Thanks Brooke & Jay for a great weekend! Pictures to come.

Our new additions

When it rains, it pours...isn't that some famous catch phrase? I will begin my take with a trip to the basement where, in an attempt to take a chunk out of a mountain of laundry, I discover that our washer has decided that it no longer wants to agitate...at all. After an "information collecting" trip to a few appliance stores, a frantic search of ratings on the internet and a call to Grandma, we are now the proud owners of a set of "Fisher and Paykel"s. So far I couldn't be happier with their performance and the efficient 20 minute turn over for laundry loads. Thank you Grandma for the wonderful suggestions!

Next I would like to display our most recent additions to our upstairs bathroom project. The faucets complete our sink top leaving just some woodwork, stain and trim to complete the room. If only money grew on trees...!

He Shoots...He Scores!

Owen's soccer team celebrated its first victory of the season with a 4-1 victory over the Teal team. Owen scored a goal in the second half on a great shot. The video shows the shot he took just minutes earlier and missed wide left. He also made a nice corner kick to his teammate Jarret who scored the team's second goal of the game. The kids improved dramatically over last week and kind of understood what it means to spread out, although there were a few times when the great white "amoeba" still floats around the ball. The team is all first-timers so they'll continue to improve. Gavin team's only practiced today so there is no game score to report.

Milwaukee County Zoo

On Sunday after church we headed off to the Milwaukee County Zoo to enjoy the Free Family Day. So did the rest of Milwaukee. The weather was a perfect 80 degrees and the zoo was FULL of people. After eating a nice picnic lunch in the parking lot, we navigated through the buildings which included the new Big Cat House which was really nice, the Fish & Reptile Building, the Aviary and Primate building. The crowds were so great and it was difficult to weave through the buildings so we passed on the small mammals and kangaroos . The elephants and giraffes were all out and the polar bears put on a nice fighting show. James unfortunately witnessed some monkey hanky-panky and is now scarred for life. Thankfully, the rest of the family was spared the sight.

Soccer Season Begins

The boys had their first soccer games of the season on Saturday morning at GoalGetters in Manitowoc. Owen's team took one on the chin with a 6-0 loss. It was the first game ever for a lot of the players, including Owen. He did make a great save while playing goalie in the first half though. Gavin's team also lost, by a score of 4-1. Gavin narrowly missed a goal as he took the ball down the field and pushed it just past the goal. Both boys play each Saturday morning. We'll post game times in the near future.

Owen's First Communion

Sunday marked Owen's First Communion at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church. After months of diligent training and education, Owen made the step forward and has joined the ranks. He did a great job!

Pool Tricks from Inverness

We've been raising fish in this family. During our stay in Florida, the kids spent no less than five hours per day in the swimming pool. Jen's question: Do you think you could get used to this? Their answer: YEEEAAAAHHHH!

Gavin B-Day Videos

Here's two videos of Gavin opening his Razor Scooter and his remote controlled car. You'll enjoy both of them. He loved having his birthday in Florida although I'm slightly concerned he will want exotic locations for all of his birthday parties. Maybe just Chuck E. Cheese next year.

Owen's Pinewood Derby Race

Owen gave it his best at the Pinewood Derby race but fell short in his first and only race of the evening. Running the car he and Gpa made on Sunday, Owen was a good sport. With Gpa's encouragement and after the racing was over, Owen raced against the first and second place cars and ran his car backwards. He smoked the other two competitors by a long way. We'll have to keep the design and run the car in the other direction next year and go for the gold!

We're Home! Safe and Sound!

We wrapped up our trip to Florida by enjoying Thursday with a breakfast at Joe's in Inverness since the power was out at the Lauermann's. We ate a great pork chop dinner, drank down some White Russians (thanks Chris for the recipe) and enjoyed the pool one last day. We got up early on Friday morning and left Calvary Terrace at 8:30 pm. We were hoping to have clear sailing and did great for the first five hours, until we hit Atlanta. At that time, traffic came to a standstill for nearly two hours. We know that since we listened/watched all of Pirates of the Carribean 2 in only 30 miles distance. We even tried to get off I-75 and loop around Atlanta which only got us a tour of the countryside which opened into Atlanta Motor Speedway and through the city of Fayetteville before rejoining I-75 and enjoying about 10 minutes of movement before traffic stopped again. After clearing Atlanta in 8+ hours after hoping to do so in 6 hours, we drove 1.5 hours to Chattanooga and then 1.5 hours to Nashville (where it was snowing) and then 45 minutes to Clarkesville which is on the border of Tennessee and Kentucky. They have about 15 hotels at that Exit but we didn't have reservations and most were booked or only had smoking rooms available which was not an option. Finally, we found the Hampton Inn which had a jacuzzi suite available. That sounded great after 13+ hours in the car and Owen claimed it "the best hotel he's ever stayed at in his whole entire life!" On Saturday we got up and 8-ish, had a great hot breakfast in the lobby and headed back out. We stopped in Effingham for lunch/gas and at Gurnee Mills to stretch our legs. We dropped off a few things at Lauren's which dramatically improved the gas mileage for the last hour of the trip. Thanks Gma & Gpa for a great week in Florida!

Working Wednesday in Florida

We've finished our list of to-do's while in Florida since last evening and have also found plenty of time to enjoy the pool as well. It was another 80+ degree day today with no rain so we got out and loaded the Christmas tree, verified it was devoid of la coocharachas and filled the Hope Chest and put it in the back of the van. We vacuumed out the swimming pool area of the millions of tiny seeds that have fallen from the trees. We blew out the gutters and the areas around the pool. We spread wood chips and fixed the concrete edges that Gma had driven over with the car and twisted. We flipped the mattress on their bed. We swept out and cleaned up the shed and garage. We finished cleaning out the liquor cabinet. Jen powerwashed the swing and brick patio under it and I sighted in Gma's pellet rifle (don't think it will help though.) And then went back in the pool again after a great set-it-and-forget-it chicken dinner.