Hockey at Wrigley?!

I'm THERE! Let's see... chocolate and peanut butter, bacon and eggs, beer and peanuts all go together... but hockey and Wrigley? That sounds cool enough for me to be interested in tickets. I remember seeing the NHL Winter Classic last winter in Buffalo between the Sabres and Penguins. It looked cold but the atmosphere looked cool. Well, I just saw on Yahoo today that rumors are flying about having next year's outdoor game at Wrigley Field or Soldier Field between the Blackhawks and Red Wings.

But before that, we'll worry about winning the cup THIS YEAR. GO WINGS!

May Birthdays for the Weiss & McDaid kids

Continuing on with our theme of non-stop birthday parties for the whole month of May, we celebrated, Nathan, William, and Allison's birthdays up north on 5/24. There was plenty of food, drink, dirt, fishing, kayaking, and one pinata. Bob & Pam were nice enough to let everyone stop down and enjoy the lake. And while Zoe evidently flipped Sam off the dock and into the water, nobody got hurt during the whole party. But Nathan, Zach, Noah, and Will did get awfully dirty riding quads through the woods. (click to enlarge pics)

<-- Noisy Party
Nathan & Noah kayaking on Pettibone Lake -->
<-- Weiss kids going fishing with Papa on the S.S. Bouwens.
Turtle hunting -->
<-- Zach getting psyched up to break the pinata

Happy 6th Birthday Allison!

Allison Marie McDaid was born at 6:46pm on May 24, 2002. Now she's six (going on sixteen...yikes!). Allisons birthday happened to fall on a Saturday when we would be celebrating her birthday (along with Nathan's and William's) up north. Since we weren't going to be home on her actual birthday, she got to open her gift from Mom & Dad on Friday night. She got a purple mountain bike with fancy flower stickers all over it. But we do need to work on the hand brakes or she's going to be wearing out a few pairs of shoes trying to stop with her feet!

Happy Birthday Sweetie!!

Allison on the morning of her birthday... time to open presents!

Lord Stanley's Finals - Go WINGS!

Nathan was excited that the Red Wings decided to dispose of the Dallas Stars and advance to the Stanley Cup Finals on his birthday (5/19). He thought that was pretty special and expects the Wings to hoist the cup by beating "Sid the Kid" and the rest of the Penguins. The funny thing is Nathan has a life-size growth chart of Sidney Crosby on his closet door (with a picture of him when he played for Tim Horton's like Nathan). Unfortunately, the first two games are on Versus which we don't get anymore with Dish Network. So we may have to make a late night of it and visit a local sports bar to watch the games. I wonder if Nathan could pass for 21....

HAPPY 9th BIRTHDAY NATHAN!!!

Nathan James McDaid was born at 9:43pm on May 19, 1999. Wow, time sure does fly! Nathan woke up early this morning and was able to "open" his gift from Mom & Dad before school. He got a cool new mountain bike. "Giddy" doesn't begin to describe his mood today... Tonight, we'll be going out for birthday dinner... Nate's choice.

Enjoy your special day little buddy!


Nathan playing with one of his presents from Grandma & Grandpa Anderson - Speed Stacks. He's pretty fast but not this fast.

Nathan's "Up North" Birthday Party

Nathan invited a few of his friends up north on Saturday/Sunday for his birthday. There weren't any real grand plans but the kids always seem to have fun up there. We had a Water War, a Treasure Hunt, campfire (with s'mores of course), built a fort in the woods, smashed a pinata, took a stroll through the woods in the dark (only a couple of the kids were brave enough), and came home very tired. The kids all seemed to have fun. I'm beat but it was worth it. Here are a few pictures...

Water War Red Team (Allison, Nathan, Jonas, & Zach)

Getting ready for S'mores!

Finding clues on the treasure hunt...

Found the treasure (Pop-Its and Whoopie Cushions...what a loud night)!

Play Ball!

This is Allison's first year playing softball (tee-ball). She is having a lot of fun and is doing pretty well. We just learned they're going to take the tee away and do coach pitch for the next game. If they don't hit it then they'll let them hit off the tee. Ally shouldn't have any problem hitting pitches. We've been practicing in the yard lately and she's got quite the power swing and a strong arm for a little girl! Here are a few photos from a recent game...

Let the parties begin!

May is the month of non-stop birthday parties it seems. Grandma & Grandpa Anderson came over tonight to celebrate Breanna (7th), Nathan (9th), and Allison's (6th) birthdays. Birthdays: Breanna - 5/18, Nathan - 5/19, Allison - 5/24. Grandma made little cakes for each of the kids and they all got to open their presents. Everyone seemed very happy but singing happy birthday was tricky to fit in all three names.

Showing off presents...

Allison's Dance Recital

On Friday May 2nd, Allison performed in her third dance recital in as many years in front of a couple hundred people at Zeeland High School. This year, her group did a tap dance to the song Jeepers Creepers (...where'd you get those peepers...). It's fun to watch the girls improve each year. They did a great job and all seemed to know the routine without watching each other. Allison also received an award for perfect attendance and will be getting a trophy (as long as she doesn't miss one of the last classes this month). Great job Al!

Allison posing and tapping before the show -->

<-- Allison and Nathan after the show