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Easter 2009
Easter sure is fun for James because when he gets his Easter basket he’s about as happy as can be. Say what you want about the Easter Bunny and Santa not being real, but don’t say it to James because he does not want to hear it. I guess he knows a gravy train when he sees one.
This Easter we spent most of the time outdoors. James is learning the value of money and got a basketball piggy bank which works right into that theme. His main concern is quarters for the gumball and tattoo machines that we see when leaving restaurants and stores and this will allow him to save up his own money rather than having to ask Mom and Dad for money for his gumball machine escapades.
New Bird Family Members 2009
I remember we used to give the dove eggs away because they never were fertile and the doves would spend weeks sitting on eggs that never hatched. Its kind of rare for doves in captivity to breed, none the less, the doves we got last year hatched 2 chicks and the proud parent doves are taking good care of the chicks, feeding them and cleaning them. They still can’t fly and sometimes stumble and fall but they are doing pretty good and should be able to fend on their own in a couple weeks.
Pretty bird would be proud to see how her tradition is being carried on. For those who don’t know we do several magic sites and use the birds in magic tricks to promote those sites.
Christmas 2008
I remember as a child my mom would tell me stories about how their parents would keep the door to the workshop closed and locked before Christmas and they would hear them working on presents as Christmas got closer and closer. This year I thought about that as I snuck down stairs and spent several hours putting together all the wonderful gifts for James. So many had to be assembled that I felt like there really was a workshop in the house, although it was just me and a screwdriver for the most part.
James was completely surprised when he woke up and saw the living room filled with his toys already put together. It was a great moment for all of us. Thanks to all who sent us presents, as you can see they were very well received. Later on I took James to his Aunt Pegs to check out the Christmas display she made. A very memorable Christmas for sure.
Magic Capitol Christmas Parade and More 2008
What a blast we had in Colon this Christmas, a very cold and snowy day, tents were set up with hot cocoa and cookies, a small petting zoo, a Santa parade with Santa ending up in the library where the kids could make Christmas crafts. The celebration ended with a free magic show at Abbotts. A very traditional Christmas celebration, how refreshing. Although the weather was very cold, we went home with a warm fuzzy feeling from the events of the day.
Probably the best thing was the livestock that they had outside the library including llama’s that the kids could pet. What a nice treat during the Holidays for the kids, this was much more than we expected.
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Halloween 2008
This year we had a big trip to the pumpkin patch where James got to pick out whatever pumpkins he wanted, then we took them home and cleaned them up, and carved them up. James did the little one all by himself. Great work James.
Halloween James got to dress up as Mary’s favorite race car driver, Tony Stewart. In fact, you could hardly tell the two apart. James trick or treated all of Tulane and Vassar, then made it up to Grindley and Parker before bringing his stash in. Peg came by to hand out candy so we could be with James.
James heard us talking about the tale where my sister Criss soaped the inside of the windows on devils night, not to be outdone by his Aunt, James did a little artwork himself on the window.
Outdoor Escape Stunt At The Magic Capitol 2008
James got to see a live escape by a girl who was placed inside a box then hoisted up into the air. The rope holding her box up was lit on fire and everyone though she would perish, but when the box was opened she was gone and then came out from the pizza parlor with a pizza. The crowd of about 100-200 people applauded and it was a great fall day for all.
The police and fire dept were on hand not only in case of an emergency but also to block off main street from traffic. You have to wonder what people traveling down 86 thought when they had to be detoured because a woman was bound, put in a box, and hung from a burning rope on mainstreet. They must have thought they were in the dark ages.
Once the street was blocked off the first thing James did was run across it, must be a natural instinct for a 5 year old.
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Moms Birthday Surprise 2008
I thought James would have fun helping me decorate for a small surprise party for Mom. He was in school now but I wanted him to know we can still have a lot of fun together afterwards.
After he got home we went to the party store and got balloons, noisemakers, and cake to celebrate and decorated the kitchen table while Mom was out shopping. James and I had a blast and Mary was certainly surprised when she walked in with groceries and saw the decorations.
The candles were lit, happy birthday was sung, everyone had a great time and we wish Mom many more birthdays just like this one.
James Begins Kindergarten 2008
James did not look very happy when we dropped him off for his first day of Kindergarten. He did ok when we picked him up but we felt bad for the little guy, so we made a project for him, tinkertoys and hot wheels. Two toys that really do not go together we thought maybe James would be able to combine them into something interesting, sure enough he did.
After playing with the tinkertoys separately, then playing with the hot wheels separately, he combined the two for something original and unusual. We have added the pics to this post of his latest creation.
Originally we were hoping that James would go to St Albert like his Dad and Aunt, but unfortunately St Alberts school closed down a few years back due to lack of students.
Renee’s Vegas Wedding 2008
These pictures were sent from Ron and are of Renee’s wedding in Las Vegas. Lots of pictures of the Vegas attractions in this post as well as the wedding. It looks like a great time was had by all and we wish them all the best in their new marriage.
Both Renee and her husband are in the military and have done several tour in Iraq, the entire family is so proud of them. Later on in the year, Renee had a reception up in Gaylord MI for those who could not make it out to Las Vegas. The last few pictures are of the Gaylord event and they were taken by Peg on her visit up there.
Tony Stewart #20 Car 2008
Tony Stewart had just announced that he would be leaving Home Depot to start his own race team, so Home Depot had sort of a farewell tour for the Tony Stewart #20 car and it came to the Home Depot in Allen Park.
Tony Stewart is Mary’s favorite driver so she did not want to miss seeing the car, although she almost did, they were loading it up when we arrived but the crew was nice enough to give her a tour and she got to snap a couple pics off before they drove to their next stop.
Tony Stewart was replaced by Joey Logano who is an up and coming driver in his own rights, but Tony is still Mary’s favorite no matter what team he is racing for. He is an exceptional driver.
