Webster vs. Canandaigua - November 19, 2011

Noah's house team played in Canandaigua. They lost 7-2. Noah did score a goal despite someone on the opposing team throwing his stick at Noah while he was shooting! Noah was bummed to lose but still had fun.

Noah played this game as center on the first line! He is becoming more of a leader every game.

SU Lax Fest - November 13, 2011

Grace's travel team played at the SU LaxFest. It was yet another gorgeous weekend. We were so lucky this fall - only one tournament of rain, and the rest were clear and beautiful. Some cold days, but I'll take that over rain or snow!!

The girls played outside for one game and then inside Manley Field House for the last two. They were 2-1 in the tournament. Grace scored a lot of goals again, and had a great time. Noah was there to cheer her on once again.

We stopped at Heid's in Liverpool for old time's sake - and a great hot dog!!

FAST swim meet in Fairport - November 12, 2011

Grace swam at the FAST meet, and she had another good day. More best times and a lot of fun! Here she is with her friends Rebecca, Anna, and Allison.

Cornfield Classic in Tully - November 6, 2011

It was another gorgeous weekend (very brisk!) spent outside in Tully. Noah played with Webster on the 5/6 team. They were 2-1 for the tournament. He had a lot of fun. Grace was there to cheer him on.

We stopped up at Syracuse University to walk around and had lunch at Cosmos Pizza. We had to shop of course, and the kids got some SU gear for Christmas.

Spencerport Swim Meet - November 5, 2011

Grace swam in a meet and did very well. She placed first in both events she entered. We are so proud of her for all the hard work she does with her swimming! She practices 3-4 nights a week, and she usually swims 5000-6000 yards every practice. Yikes!!

Halloween 2011

Grace and her friend Maddie trick-or-treated together in our neighborhood this year. Charlie was there to get some candy too! Grace was a vampiress, and Maddie wore Grace's costume from last year and went as a bee. Charlie was a cute doggie.

Noah went to a party at a friend's house, so he didn't make it for any pictures. He was some sort of hip hop rapster. It wasn't much of a costume, and I didn't ask!

Goblin Games in Ithaca - October 29, 2011

Grace played in a lacrosse tournament over Halloween weekend. The fields were super muddy, and it was chilly!

Noah was there to support his sister, and he got pretty dirty in the process! Grace's team lost in the semifinals only after a 3 minute overtime and a sudden death shootout. It was a fun family day complete with a trip to Ithaca Wegmans and to Cornell University for a walk around the campus.

Brighton lacrosse tournament - October 23, 2011

Grace played in a lacrosse tournament at Brighton High School. She scored 15 goals in 5 games. It was a beautiful day. Stacy and Charlie came to see her play. Go Grace!!

Noah's first hockey game - October 22, 2011

Noah played his first official hockey game on October 22. He was excited to be out there, and he skated well! Noah put pink tape on his hockey stick because it was Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and his grandma is a survivor!! Go Noah!!

Joey turns 16 - October 22, 2011

Lou's godson Joey turned 16 on October 22, and his family had a surprise party for him on the 22nd. Here is a picture of his godmother Katherine, Joey, and Lou. It was fun to be in on the surprise and to have it come off without a hitch.

Penfield swim meet - October 16, 2011

Grace had a swim meet at Penfield HS (Lou's alma mater) and did very well. Noah was there to cheer her on!

Seaway Classic - October 9, 2011

Talk about a

180 degree swing! Grace played in a tournament this next weekend, and the weather was sunny and 75 all day. Not a cloud in the sky! McKenzie played on a 3/4 grade team from Baldwinsville, so it was fun for the cousins to hang out between games and to watch each other play. Stacy brought Mom up to watch her grandchildren. What a lovely day!

Grace's team won all five games, and she scored 9 goals.

TSE Lacrosse Tournament - October 2, 2011

Grace played on her Relentless Hustle 2018 team for a lacrosse tournament. The first two games were played outside in the lovely 46 degree and pouring rain weather. Just when you thought it couldn't rain any more, it did. We were bundled up for the third game when it was announced we were playing inside. Hooray!

Grace is standing next to her coach in the back row.

Rochester Half Marathon - September 18, 2011

Luckily this race went a lot better than the one two weeks previous! It was a beautiful cool and sunny day which was perfect for running. My time was 2:14 which was good for me! Lori, Jen, and I had trained since June for the race. We got up early (running at 5:30am or 5:45am about five days a week) and built up our mileage. The half marathon was on my bucket list, and it's nice to cross it off. Not so sure about a full marathon though ... 13.1 miles seems far enough for me.

Finger Lakes Triathlon - September 11, 2011

This was my second triathlon. I was slower than last year, but since I didn't train for the bike or the swim at all, it was a good showing. Still under two hours, so it was good enough for me. It was a beautiful day, and Lou and the kids came down to cheer for me! My friend Renee took this picture on the bike course. It was still early in the two hours as you can see! :)

Finger Lakes Triathlon - Kids - September 10, 2011

Grace competed in her first ever "timed" kids triathlon. She did very well, coming in third overall in her age group of 11-15 girls. She was fourth out of the water after the swim, first after the bike, and placed third which was awesome! She had a lot of fun and plans to do it next year!

Grace's Citizenship Award ceremony - September 8, 2011

Grace received the Citizenship Award from the Webster Retired Educators Association in June at Moving Up Day at Plank North. The recipients from all schools were honored at the Webster School Board meeting on September 8. Their nominations were read, and the board congratulated them on their achievements. This is a picture of them at a nice reception after with cake and drinks. Congratulations Grace!

Splash Lagoon - September 4-5, 2011

Grace and Noah had been wanting to go to Splash Lagoon for quite some time. Noah had been with some friends, and we had taken Grace to Great Wolf for her 10th birthday, and Noah wanted in on the action. So I woke up on Sunday morning, called the place, booked a room and bought tickets, and we left at noon. The kids had a great time on the water slides, in the pool, and in the arcade. It was a nice getaway for our family!

Corbett's Glen - September 3, 2011

My girlfriend Lori told me about this place in Penfield. Since Lou was working, we decided to check it out. The kids were very skeptical that I knew what I was talking about. The park is a wonderful mix of trails, water, falls, and lots of fun. Grace and Noah ended up going in to the stream in their clothes and really enjoyed themselves. We stopped at Abbott's on our way home for custard for a nice end to the afternoon!

Summerfest 15K race - September 3, 2011

On this day, Lori, Jen, and I ran our first 15K at Mendon Ponds Park. It was about 90 degrees outside at 9am when the race started, and the humidity was literally at 90%. This picture is after we finished the race, arguably the ugliest any of us have ever run. None of us "had it". We decided it was a good wakeup call for the half marathon and that we needed to get our acts together. But we did it!

Cape Cod - August 6-13, 2011

The McKenzie - Germano - Schmidt - Repman families spent a week on Cape Cod in August. It was our first ever total family vacation. We stayed in a big house in Falmouth/Mashpee. I managed to run 15 miles as it was mid way through my half marathon running. We had a lot of fun at the beaches, Martha's Vineyard, and enjoying lobster rolls.

Canandaigua Lake at the Harris' cottage - July 31, 2011

We were invited to the Harris' cottage on Canandaigua Lake on Sunday. We had a great time - the kids swam and went out on the rowboat, they played hide and go seek, told ghost stories, tried to scare each other, and generally had a lot of fun. The adults sat on the dock and relaxed and had a great meal and a great day. This is a picture of all the kids on the big back porch - it's an annual tradition now.

Sam and Micah are home - July 30, 2011

Sam and Micah were back in Rochester for a few days, and Aunt Debbie was nice enough to host a picnic for everyone to get together. We had a great afternoon hanging out and chatting. The kids swam and jumped on the trampoline. We had a nice meal and then played euchre. Debbie and I finally beat Uncle Bud! Say it ain't so!

Keuka Lake - July 17, 2011

We were invited to the Bastian Cottage to spend the day with our friends the Riders. Grace and their daughter Paige went to preschool together, and we have stayed close for the last 8 years.

The kids swam, played hide and seek, fished, and went tubing that day. It was another beautiful sunny summer day to enjoy with good friends!

Sackets Harbor tournament - July 16, 2011

Grace's new lacrosse team, Relentless Hustle, played in the 1812 Shootout Lacrosse tournament. She had a great day! Lou took her since Noah was at a friend's house, and I had an 8 mile run to do that morning. She loves playing lacrosse and had a lot of fun with her friends.

Shannon's house - July 10, 2011

We had a great day at Shannon's last Sunday. The kids swam all day. We had yummy macaroni and cheese, hot dogs, and

lots of snacks. This is a picture of Grace and McKenzie lounging on the pool float.

Kershaw Park - July 7, 2011

Grace, Noah, and I headed to Canandaigua for a change of scenery today. It has been a beautiful week, and they love the water, so we took advantage of the beach at Kershaw Park and spent the day swimming and playing in the sand. My vacation is almost over - time does fly!

Ritzenthalers' party - July 3, 2011

We were invited to Spencerport for my friend Tracy's Fourth of July party. We had a great time hanging out in their back yard and watching the kids make new friends!

Out on Northrups' boat - July 3, 2011

Our friends, the Northrups, invited us out on their boat over the holiday weekend. It was a beautiful sunny day, and we had a great afternoon! Grace and Lillian hung out together, and Noah and Michael did many many jumps off the front of the boat! We put down the anchor toward the shore of Irondequoit Bay so the kids could swim and play. What a great day!

Lou and I in New York City - June 24-26, 2011

Lou and I went to NYC last weekend. It was Lou's first time there! We went with Shannon and her husband Jack along with two other couples. This picture is of us in Central Park in Saturday morning. We did some sightseeing at Ground Zero and the South Street Seaport, went to a Yankees game, shopping at Bloomingdale's with the girls, and had two fabulous dinners. We are planning on taking Grace and Noah later this summer!

Canandaigua lacrosse tournament - June 18, 2011

Noah played in his last lacrosse tournament of the season on June 18. It was a nice sunny breezy day in Canandaigua. He played goalie for one game and attack and middie in the others. Noah is definitely happiest on the lacrosse field!!

Noah's 10th birthday kids party - June 17, 2011

Noah had his last kids' birthday party at Premier Sports on June 17th. The kids played lacrosse and soccer before enjoying pizza and cake. They were all tired campers by the end of the evening!

Hilton lacrosse tournament - June 12, 2011

Noah played in the Hilton lacrosse tournament on June 12th. It was another beautiful day! The boys had a great time playing on the middie line together - Noah and his friends Stevie and Jon. Grace was a good sport watching her brother from the sidelines!

Fairport Lacrosse Tournament - June 11, 2011

Noah and Grace both played in the Fairport Lacrosse Tournament today. Noah played three games in the morning, and Grace played three in the afternoon. Both of them had a good time. The weather was beautiful - warm and breezy, no rain, and kind of overcast so we weren't sitting in the blazing sun all day. Fun!

5th grade social - June 10, 2011

After the moving up ceremony, the PTSA threw a super social for the kids. They had carnival games, PE games, dinner, and then a dance with a DJ. I "chaperoned" the dance and took pictures much to Grace's chagrin. It was fun to see the kids having such a good time! Here is Grace with one of her best friends, Rosie.

5th grade moving up ceremony - June 10, 2011

Grace "moved up" from 5th to 6th grade yesterday. The school did a great job with a nice ceremony (they even played "Pomp and Circumstance") honoring all the 5th graders for various achievements. Grace won the Citizenship Award which is the highest honor bestowed on one fifth grader at each elementary school. Her name is inscribed on a plaque that hangs in the school forever!!

We are very proud of Grace!

Longaberger event at Yankee Candle in Deerfield, MA - June 9, 2011

Grace and I traveled with my friend Jeanine and her daughter Emily to Massachusetts for a Longaberger basket event at the Yankee Candle flagship store in West Deerfield. We all made our own baskets and shopped, of course! The girls each won a door prize which was a make-your-own-candle and wax hand coupon. They had great fun doing each activity. We filled Jeanine's Prius with our purchases of candles and baskets. It was a fun girls only road trip!

Noah's lacrosse tournament at Aquinas - June 5, 2011

Noah played in a lacrosse tournament last weekend. It was held at Aquinas Institute. They have a beautiful athletic facility courtesy of the late Robert Wegman. This is a picture of Noah and his best friend Jon after their last game.

Blue Fins Banquet - June 4, 2011

The end of the year banquet for Grace's swim team, the Webster Blue Fins, was held last week. This is a picture of Grace receiving an award. Standing next to her is Alec,

her "boyfriend" since January. The club did a nice job recognizing all the swimmers.

Memorial Day 2011

Stacy invited us over for a barbecue on Memorial Day. Noah sat with Charlie at his picnic table and helped him with his umbrella. It went up and down, up and down, all afternoon long.

Thanks to Stacy and Brian for a great meal!

Public Market - May 28, 2011

The kids and I went to the Public Market this morning. Rochester's was named the best in the US. Everyone else must have had the same idea today, because the place was packed! It took us about 30 minutes to find a parking spot! We got cheese curds and sharp provolone, giant cookies for the kids, zucchini, tomatoes, and a nice bacon egg and cheese breakfast sandwich for Noah. We saw Grace's friend Simon there with his Mom, Bridget. Even though the kids won't admit it, they had a good time.

Concerts - May 2011

We were lucky enough to go to both spring concerts at Plank North this year. Last week was Noah's orchestra performance, and Grace sang in the choir. Last night was Grace's band performance. Noah is having fun playing the cello (although not as much fun as playing lacrosse) and Grace thinks she will stick with clarinet next year in middle school.