Ocean Institute

On November 1, 2010, Hannah had to wake up at 3:30 am. She and Dad were going on a GATE field trip to Dana Point Ocean Institute. One of the benefits of being in the gifted and talented program in our school district is the fabulous field trips. Hannah was so excited that Dad was able to go along as a chaperone! In this picture you can see the clock reads 3:47am as Russ and Hannah were headed out the door.
The sun was rising as they got ready to board the boat that would take them out on the ocean. They were able to see dolphins and sea lions.
Back at the Ocean Institute the children got to dissect a fish. Hannah loved this!
Hannah was very excited to find a real star fish in the tide pools.
Uh Oh....dad was caught in the act of checking his emails from work.

It was a long day, but a great day!

Camp KEEP

In October, Haley spent five fun filled days at Montano de Oro State Park for Camp KEEP. Every year the sixth graders at Reagan Elementary get to have this great adventure.
The days are filled with hikes where the children get to explore the tide pools and enjoy the beauties of nature all around them.

One of Haley's favorite things was the view of the ocean from high atop the cliff.
Haley loved the kid-friendly cuisine at Camp KEEP. Hamburgers, tacos, chicken nuggets, pancakes, etc...

The evenings were filled with campfires, singing, laughing and storytelling. Haley will always treasure her wonderful experience at Camp KEEP.

Hannah can't wait till she's in 6th grade!

Rafting on the Mighty Kern

On September 6, 2010, Russ, Emily and Uncle Brian went river rafting on the Kern River. Brian had been a few weeks prior and loved it so much he talked Russ and Emily into going with him for an adventure. The rapids were decent, and they had a blast.
Emily's face...priceless!
High fives all around to celebrate the fact that no one fell out and drowned in the MIGHTY KERN.

After the rapids, lunch was served and then came cliff jumping. Twenty feet may not seem that high until you are looking down into the water.

A fun day was had by all. Can't wait to do it again next year!

Ballet makes them Happy!!

Haley and Hannah spend six hours a week at the dance studio and they love it. They each moved up to new levels this year and it is so fun to watch them dance. Their feet move so fast when they tap! They are becoming so graceful in ballet.

The best part is seeing the smiles on their faces!

All good things must come to an end....

Emily finished this tennis season off with a bang. She came in first place in the SWYL JV singles tournament.
Here is Emily with her coach and a few teammates.
Emily had several tough matches this year, but she fought hard and came out victorious!

Haley had another great year on the Ronald Reagan Elementary volleyball team. She practiced a lot and improved over last year.

Here she is before a game with her coach and teammates.
Look at the concentration!

Getting ready to serve. She helped her team win this game with several good serves.....Go Haley!
After the big win.... posing with the team!!

Men, Mud, Teamwork, Survival.....

Russ, Tony and Jeff all decided to run the Volkslauf 10K.

They began training a few months ago. As you will see in the pictures, the race consisted of first running 6 miles, followed by some pretty difficult obstacles.
All smiles as the race began....
Now that Russ is exhausted from running 6 miles in 90 degree heat, he gets to walk through a 1/4 mile mud pit.
Out of the mud, (at least there was deep water to trudge through at the end to clean your shoes before hitting the next phase) now it is time to climb a wall...
no problem. That one seemed easy for Russ. Next came a trench of water followed by crawling up a hill.
Then you had to crawl down on your stomach.
Followed by yet another trench....
and another wall. This one was brutal. Thank goodness someone was there to give Russ a boost.
Then came the pole wall.
Up and over!!
Guess what..another trench, but this time you had to pull yourself through on your back.
The water was a nice relief from the heat and dust. Russ took his time crossing the log so he wouldn't fall in and have to start over.
At this point Russ caught up with his friends and they all helped each other over the big walls.
One final wall. Thank goodness!
Russ was glad to have his gloves on.
The final swim. These guys are so tired!!
One final hill to climb
And were off to a victory!!!
Three tired, muddy men who should be very proud of themselves!! They completed the Volkslauf 10K!!!!!!
When do we start training for next year?