Fireworks at Mount Trashmore

Pete and Sam enjoyed going to see fireworks on July 4 with the Orlowskis near "Mount Trashmore" in Virginia Beach.

We arrived several hours before dark, so there were various activities to fill the time.

Finally, the fireworks started.

Red Rock Wilderness Overlook

On Father's Day, we had a nice family hike in Red Rock Wilderness Overlook Regional Park.

Peaceful Playground

One hot afternoon, Sam and Dad enjoyed the surreal experience of being the only people at Dinosaur Park.

Can you spot Sam in the picture?

True Story

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale,

A tale of a fateful trip

That started from Virginia Beach

With a drive to Poppy's ship.

The mates were Sarah, Pete, and Sam,

The skipper brave and sure.
Five passengers set sail that day

For a three hour tour, a three hour tour.

The weather started getting rough,
The tiny ship was tossed,
If not for the courage of the fearless crew

2 ME's would be lost, 2 ME's would be lost.

The ship set ground on a sandbar,

100 feet from the dock,

With Pete

Sam too,

Dad, without his wife,

Sarah,

The professor too,

Here on Hampton Isle.

So this is the tale of the castways,

Stuck there for a long, long time,
They had to make the best of things,

It was an an uphill climb.

The first mate and the Skipper too,

Did their very best,

To throw some rope to some guys on shore,

In the tropic island nest.

They tugged with all their might,

And pulled the boat away,

Thanks to their Cub Scout skills,

A tight knot had saved the day.

That is the end of the tale my friends,

We hope you had a smile,

From five stranded castways,

Here on Pete and Sam's Isle.

Three Years

Today marks the three year anniversary of this blog, started on July 22, 2005.

Challenge: see if you can guess which picture is from July 2005 and which is from July 2008.

Skateboard Camp

Contratulations to Pete for making it through two Skateboarding Camps this summer with no major injuries. The first camp was for a week at Crittenden Park, and the second was a week at Claude Moore.

Pete started in the lowest group of the first camp, and moved up to the highest group in the second camp, where they do the vert ramps and all of the tricks. One of the instructors at Crittenden broke his ankle on the last day of camp.

Mark of the Beast

The above picture, captured in Winchester VA, should eliminate any doubt that Sam is the devil incarnate. Observe the rare double chicken McNugget, which creates a perfect triumvirate of evil along with Sam’s shirt and the expression on his face.

Movie Night

Pete and Sam watched a movie with Caleb, Brandon, and Nick, a final event before Caleb's move to North Carolina.

As you can see, they are watching the 3-D version of Sharkboy and Lavagirl.

Too Early

Pete greets Sam after waking up:

Pete: Sam, how did you sleep?

Sam: Good

Nana: Pete, that was a nice question to ask your brother

Pete: It's too early - I don't have the energy to fight with him yet.

What Smells Like Soap

Conversation between Sam and Dad in the bathroom:

Sam: What smells like soap?

Dad: I don't know.

Sam: Maybe soap.

Bear Scout Informal Crossover Ceremony

After the formal Crossover Ceremony, Pete's den had a second gathering to get their new books, neckerchiefs, and slides.

Dad helped Pete get his new neckerchief together:

Then everyone had ice cream (I think this picture was taken before the ice cream):

Sam was up to his usual hijinks on a hammock:

They also got their flints at this event, so if you see Pete approaching you with some kindling - look out!

Bear Scout Formal Crossover Ceremony

Pete crossed over to Bear scout at a ceremony in Algonkian Park.

After the main ceremony, there was another ceremony where they burned flags that were ready to be retired.

Pete and Dad were the last people to leave the event, about an hour after everything was torn down and the last of the leaders had left.

Guitar Hero

Congratulations to Pete for enduring an epic encore on Freebird to complete Guitar Hero 2 (which Dad received for Father's Day).

Sam is also getting much better, and is almost good enough to finish his first song in Career mode.

Ice Cream Truck

Pete and Sam are enjoying a treat from the ice cream truck at the bottom of the driveway. Sam's started out as a Spongebob popsicle, and Pete's is a cup of ice cream dots.

Farewell Pool Party

Pete and Sam had fun at Caleb's farewell party, which was held at the "Bucket Pool". Caleb is moving to North Carolina.

Matt Wilhelm

We went to see Matt Wilhelm at the Ashburn Library on Saturday. He did some cool bike tricks, including Time Machine, Tornado Spin, Jump Rope, and Spider Man. The music was awesome too. When we got home, we had to put the song San Dimas High School Football Rules on Pete and Sam's MP3 players.

One Way To Get Alone Time

The other day Pete provided a unique proposal for getting some time alone:

“Mom! Sam keeps bothering me. Bring me a gun. I want to give it to Sam so he can shoot me. Then I will go to heaven and he will go to hell.”

Last To Leave

When Pete and Dad go to an event, they are often the last ones to leave. They help every one clean up, then hang out for a while doing nothing or just looking around for more things to do. Dad has many fond memories of time spent at such events.

One of the best was Pete’s last baseball game a few weeks ago at Newton-Lee. It was an evening on the last day of a heat wave – the heat index was in the 90-100 range, and humid. Mom and Sam had left the game earlier. Pete’s teammates and coaches finished their post-game snack, packed everything up, and headed home. Everyone was sweaty and exhausted. Dad asked coach if they could keep one ball. Dad and Pete stayed on the deserted field and played another 30 minutes of one-on-one baseball. The rule was that every hit was either an out or a home run.

Bible Study

Sam reads in his Bible the story of Joseph and the Power Rangers of Many Colors.

Lots of Learning

I'm not sure what subjects they're covering at Pete's school this month, but the students seem to be enjoying it.

Somehow it involves Sam, also.

Crayfish Boil

Pete and Sam had fun at the neighborhood Crawfish boil on Memorial Day weekend. Here is Sam playing with the fish before they went into the pot.

I See Dead People

Dad: Sam, did you have a good time at church?

Sam: Yeah, Mom took me with her into the cemetery!

Mom: Sanctuary

Late Night Activity

Pete's friend Eric (from Pittsburgh) came for a brief visit on Saturday night. His family was passing through town on their way back from vacation in North Carolina. Like most visitors, Eric slept in Pete's bottom bunk. Dad asked Pete the next morning about their late-night activities.

Dad: What were you guys doing up until 10:30 last night?
Pete: We were passing math problems to each other in my journal.

Sprucing Up the Basement

Pete and Sam were helpful in getting the basement painted.

And unlike most local painters, they are legally permitted to be in the United States.

Tornado Warning

It is not too often that we get tornado warnings in Virginia, so perhaps we should not have been surprised to find the trampoline in a new location about an hour later.

Pete's question was not "how did that get there?". If you know Pete, you can probably guess what he asked.

What is She Cooking?

Sam: What is Mommy cooking in there?

Dad: I think it's ham and eggs.

Sam: Oh. I was thinking it smells like barbecued poop.

Desire To Help

Inspiration for concept from here.

Baseball Lineup

Pete's baseball game was a good test of endurance, with temperatures close to 100 degrees. It was also a good opportunity to learn some of the new terms for upcoming batters:

If you're up next, you're "on deck" (knew that one)
If you're up 3rd, you're "in the hole"
If you're up 4th, you're "in the mouse house"
If you're up 5th, you're "in the backpack"
If you're up 6th, you're "asleep"

There were only 8 players at this game, so if you weren't one of the above you just had to wait 1 or 2 batters to get into the rotation.

Lyme Disease

Pete had a rash, so he went to the doctor yesterday. They gave him some anti-biotics in case it is Lyme Disease.

Pete was asking the doctor about the medicine:

Pete: Will the medicine taste good?
Doctor: Oh, yes.
Pete: As good as the Strep Throat medicine?

Hair Math

Guess What He Will Say Next

Today we will play "guess what Sam will say next". This one is very easy - difficulty is 2.5 (on a scale of 1-10).

Dad: Sam, bring this Life Saver to Pete.

Sam: I want a Life Saver too.

Dad: Pete needs a Life Saver because his throat is sore.

Sam: _____________________

National Spelling Bee

Pete and Sam had fun watching the National Spelling Bee over the weekend. It is unfortunate that none of those words have any practical value. Pete had a good suggestion, which is that we attend next year (since it is in DC).

On a related note, the website for the Speeling Bee that Pete participated in has now posted the winners along with what seems like a few thousand photos. Here is one additional photo of Pete we found:

Orienteering at the Cub Scout Campout

Pete had fun learning about orienteering with a compass.

First the group plotted their course:

Watch out for that snake!

Then they completed the course and claimed their prize:

Caterpillar Net

Sam forces a smile in his pre-school class, despite having apparently dropped his orange slice into the caterpillar prison.

Playroom Upgrades

We have recently made two upgrades to the playroom:

1. We created the "Library Corner", which is a basket of books with a nice little sign that says "Library Corner". It is getting easier to keep Sam entertained with books, as he can now read most of the books we have (up to basic chapter books).

2. There is a bucket of junk which has those assorted toys which have been abandoned over time. We re-named this as the "Bucket of Fun", so now it gets a lot more use.

Disease Inventory

One afternoon, Dad was wrestling with Pete. Dad was talking a little too much trash, so Pete put his hand over Dad's mouth. It was at that moment when Dad thought back to what Pete had touched over the course of the day.

1. Every game and candy machine at Ultra Zone (during Nick's Laser Tag party)

2. About 75% of the webkinz at Zazu

Conclusion: It is a miracle that Dad is still alive.

Another Sign They Watch Too Much TV

While Sam was roasting a marshmallow, Dad made another realization that perhaps he watches too much TV.

Dad: So Sam, what season are we in?
Sam: Season 2 ?

Electronic Dictionary

Pete and Sam each have an electronic dictionary, which inexplicably also has an MP3 player. Of course, they find themselves using it more to listen to songs than for looking up words.

Here are the songs that are currently on Pete's device:

International Night

The above picture is from International Night at Sam's school. The premise is for every family to bring in an ethnic dish to share, and the children eat a little taste of each dish. This ingenious event was dreamed up by a creative individual who has never had any children.

You can see that the picture was taken during a time when Pete and Sam were not eating - also known as "any time between the start and the end of the event". Note, there is one item in the picture that Sam and Pete ate (near Pete's left hand). Hint: eating it precluded us from making our Fruit Loop necklaces.

God Created Sam

As you can see in the picture above, God created Sam. Perhaps this was while Dad was away on a business trip. Anyhow, here are the entries on the page, in case you can't see them:

My name is: Sam
My age is: 4
My eyes are the color: Green
My hair color is: Blond
My favorite food is: Ice Cream Sunday
My favorite drink is: Black Cherry
I enjoy: Playing Lego Star Wars
When I grow up, I want to be: A Mechanic

Filling this out is good practice for later in life, when Sam will get an e-mail from someone he hasn't talked to in 6 years, indicating the answers to a list of questions such as their favorite food and what color underwear they are wearing. The e-mail will implore him to answer the questions and forward it to 5 people to avoid breaking the chain.

Congratulations Mom

Congratulations to Mom on completing her two continuing education classes for renewing her Virginia teacher certification.

Mom had been going to class every Wednesday evening for several months. After her last class, Pete and Sam surprised her with some decorations and posters.

Spelling Bee

Pete participated in his first Spelling Bee on Saturday. It is a local event that was held this year for the first time, for kids who are too young to be in the National Spelling Bee. There was a $25 entrance fee, so the contest was for serious spellers. There were also no restrictions on location - any child (4th grade or younger) could participate.

There were 125 entrants in the contest. They started with a written test, and 55 qualified for the oral finals on stage. Pete won first place on the written test for Second Grade (which is the trophy he is receiving in the picture above). He also finshed 12th in the overall bee. We believe he was the highest finisher younger than age 8, but haven't confirmed this yet.

In rounds 1-5 of the competition on stage, Pete correctly spelled the words another, oyster, tone, message, and grammar. He was eliminated in round 6 by the word fathom.

Sam has also started spelling words around the house, throughout the day. Next year he will be a good candidate for the Kindergarten division, even though he will be a little younger than the other participants.

Click here to see several additional phots from the event.

Hot Tub

Pete and Sam were happy to help us refill the water in the hot tub last weekend.

Playground?

This is a picture of Pete at a local playground. There is also a cool video to go with it, but YouTube keeps rejecting it for some unknown reason. So you will just have to use your imagination, or come over the house to watch the video.



(ok, you can click the picture if you need a hint)

Baseball Parade

Pete, Sam, Mom, and Dad marched together through the streets of Ashburn in the Dulles Little League Opening Day Parade. This is a bizarre annual event where the league participants walk about 1/2 mile and then have an on-field "ceremony" followed by a small festival. Last year Dad was a volunteer traffic manager, so did not get to march with everyone.

Pete is in the back with Sajon, who was also on Pete's team last year. Sajon's dad also played safety for the Indianapolis Colts. Also somewhat visible in the picture are Mom and Sam.

Opening Day Festival

Pete's baseball team this year is the River Cats. He is in the Rookie league, which is "coach-pitch". Sam is wearing Pete's hat in the above picture.

The fire truck was a welcome diversion while waiting for the insufferable opening day ceremony, which inexplicably does not permit parents or siblings on the field, to end. Dad and Sam went in the truck a few times. By the end of the ceremony, Sam was quite the expert regarding the tools on the truck, including the Jaws of Life.

Penn State Shirts

Pete and Sam like their Penn State shirts that Dad brought back from his recent trip to Pennsylvania. Sam said he is going to wear it every day for the rest of the world.

The above picture is from a Sunday geocache hike along the Washington & Old Dominion trail near Belmont Ridge Road. Unfortunately, the hike involved traversing two steep embankments, since we did not realize that there were paths on both sides of the trail. The hike was delayed, since Pete and Sam need to stop every time they see a caterpillar, which this time of year amounted to about 94 times.

Situation Under Control

Sam: I'm not ready for bed. I'm still hungry.
Dad: Ok, I'll get you some chocolate milk.

[Dad gives Sam some chocolate milk]

[5 minutes later]

Sam: It's not a good idea to drink chocolate milk while you're lying down.
Dad: Oh. Let me check to see if you spilled anything.
Sam: It's ok, I already flipped it over to the dry side.

Will He Eat?

Do you think Sam would eat this much steak, in order to qualify for getting dessert?

Click here to see the correct answer.