Biking and camping

The last 3 weeks have been a lot of fun for Team Oppenheimer.

It all started with a nice visit from Marisa's parents. The clear highlight of their trip was the purchase of Henry's Birthday present, his 1st bicycle, complete with training wheels and a red "Cars" helmet. We have now been around the block many many times, and have met some more of our neighbors as a result.


Gemma has Henry's old tricycle and has her own helmet too, so she is not left out.
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They make an adorable pair when they are both riding around in our driveway.

The following weekend was the 4th of July holiday.

This was a beautiful weekend. We ate 7 meals outdoors over 3 days, going to people's houses for grill out parties a couple of times and having people over ourselves a few times. Of course Henry and Gemma loved the 2 most important things about independence day.... Fireworks and the Nathans Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest (a competitive eating hosted in Coney Island, NY once a year). The Hot Dog contest was won by Joey Chestnut, Henry's new idol. We have watched the video of it about 10 times since the 4th of July.






This weekend, we spent a night camping at a cabin on Lake Vermillion (about 40 minutes from Sioux Falls).


For $25 a night, you can rent a small 1 room cabin. All the cabin has in it is 2 beds, a table and an air conditioner. It has a deck, and is located on the river. There is also a camp fire area for each cabin. The kids loved grilling hot dogs, playing in the lake, and spending some time outdoors. The only real problem we had was that they were all awake at 5.50am. Nobody slept very well.




This week is going to be action packed for us. I am doing my first bit of professional coaching, training 2 teams to play in a tournament in Brookings next weekend.

Henry also has his final summer course this week, at St. Mary's, where he will be attending pre-school in August. This week's course is called, "Playful Pirates" and should be fun for him.

Have a great week everyone!

4 Weeks, 1 Blog

It has been over a month since we last sent a shot into the blogosphere, so I will now endeavor to cover all those weeks in 1 blog. (This could get long)

Memorial day was 3 weekends ago. We spent 4 very fun days in Hallock visiting Marisa's family.
 
Marisa has a cousin, Kris, who is a beef farmer. During our time there, one of his kids had a birthday party so we went out to their farm. Henry and Gemma both got to ride on a horse for the first time (and I ended up on a horse for the 1st time in 20 years). They also enjoyed seeing the cows in the field up close. Gemma managed to find a piece of dog poop to step in, while wearing her new white tennis shoes. Grandpa Jim had the pleasure of cleaning that up. 

We also spent a lot of time catching up with Marisa's siblings and parents, as well as seeing or nieces and nephews. Henry even got a hair cut from his Aunt Heidi (Turk's wife). 

On the way there we made it 395 out of 400 miles without the kids needing a toilet break, but 5 miles before Hallock, Henry had to go ! So we stopped at the Lindegard Farm (part owned by Lisa's husband Joel, and our oldest nephew Kary), so Henry could pee. Henry later got to tell Uncle Joel that he took a whiz on his building.

All in all, we had a wonderful trip.

The following weekend, James went to Kansas City to see the Minnesota Twins play some baseball against the Kansas City Royals. The Twins won the game we went to (and have actually won 13 of 16 games since. They are on fire !).

The trip was with my friends Kurt and Sam. We had a lot of fun, but there are no pictures from this trip. Kansas City is known for having the best bbq food in the U.S. We had lunch one day at a place called, "Oklahoma Joe's" which is widely regarded as the best bbq place in Kansas City, and is listed in Anthony Bourdain's list of 10 places to eat before you die. It was delicious !

I previously explained that my friend, Sam, who came on the trip, plays Choo Choo Bob on Henry's favorite TV show, so Henry was THRILLED to meet Choo Choo Bob in person, and peppered Sam with questions and played with him while we were in Sioux Falls. 


Following that weekend, James flew back to London for 4 days for Nannie's Funeral. Although Nannie's death was not a surprise, it was still very sad. The funeral went off without a hitch, and included short speeches from James and Mark. Although Nannie is now not around, Gemma carries her name, and will be made very aware of how special a lady she was.

While Nannie's funeral was not the happiest reason to go back to England, it did give me a chance to see my family. It was really nice to see my family. I enjoyed hanging out with Mum and James, having breakfast with Dad, lunch with Grandpa, catching up with Andrew, Josie and Laura. I also had the pleasure of spending some quality time with my little bro. A ride in Mark's Audi R8 was a unique experience, not dissimilar to riding in a Formula 1 car.

This weekend has been fun so far. Saturday was a very nice family day out. James and his friend, Marcus ran in a 10mkilometer race in Rock Rapids, Iowa (about 30 minutes from Sioux Falls). James finished 13th in a time of 45 mins, 37 seconds (7.21 per mile). The race was at 8am and was part of the "Heritage Days" celebration in Rock Rapids. Marisa and Marcus's wife, Jennifer, arrived with the kids (Marcus and Jennifer have a 6 year old and a 1 year old) at 11am for the rest of the day's celebrations.

Heritage Days included a parade (carnival), some bouncy inflatables, food and a car show. We spent a few enjoyable hours there before driving home.

 

Yesterday evening, Marcus and Jennifer came over with the kids to finish the day with a grill out and drinks. We got out the paddling pool and sprinkler, so the kids spend most of the evening playing in the water.

Today is Fathers Day. James was given a very nice canvas picture of the kids, and a Starbucks Latte in bed this morning. I am also playing soccer later today.

This week Henry is doing a pre-school program at his new school, so Marisa will get to walk him across the street to pre-school all week. It should be a fun experience.

Gemma's speech is coming on more and more. She is volunteering more information without prompting and is starting to string more words together.

Have a great week !

A week of Football and Running

This week was a busy week for James, and a quiet week for everyone else.
Monday started with a 5-0 defeat for my girls soccer team, against the league champions. Actually not a bad result given the quality of the competition.

Tuesday was fairly uneventful. I had a practice for my girls team.
On Wednesday, my adult team played and won 7-1. I scored 3 beautiful goals.
Anyway, on Thursday the whole family attended the "Goalossal Soccer Bash" that was put on by Dakota Alliance Soccer (the Sioux Falls Youth Soccer Association). The convention center room that it was held in was designed told hold maybe 500 people. When we got there, I would guess that over 1000 people were in attendance. This resulted in the kids not having a great time and leaving after 15 minutes with Marisa. They walked across the street to the Sioux Falls Pheasants Baseball Stadium and looked at the giant inflatable pheasant for a while.

Meanwhile, I stayed behind for the awards part of the event and was awarded COACH OF THE YEAR.
On Friday, Marisa took the kids to the Children's Museum in Brookings. They had a great time playing all day, and especially liked the giant dinosaurs that are located outside. These are mechanical, motion activated models of dinosaurs.

Saturday was an active day. I ran in a 4 mile race and was greeted at the finish line by Marisa and the kids. I came 3rd. Henry was excited to see me run. He came with me to have some water and a banana after the race.

That afternoon Team Hamm (my girls team) played their last game of the season. This was a 12-2 win. It was a nice was to end the season. Again, Henry, Gemma and Marisa came to the game. Henry had a great time and came with me when I took the girls for ice cream afterwards to celebrate the end of the season. He enjoyed giving high fives to the girls and telling them that they did a good job scoring goals.


Last night, we had movie night. We all sat down with popcorn and watched, "Daddy Daycare." Everyone sitting down lasted approximately 10 minutes (until the popcorn was gone). Then Gemma found more interesting things to do. After about an hour we decided it was bedtime !
The Oppenheimers have a busy few weeks coming up now. On Thursday, we take off for Hallock to go and visit Marisa's parents for a few days. The kids are excited to see Grandma and Grandpa, as well as their cousins, aunts and uncles.
 

We get back from Hallock on Monday (Memorial Day Holiday). On Thursday night, my friends Kurt and Sam are coming into town. We are going on a road trip that weekend to Kansas City to watch the Minnesota Twins play 2 games there. Henry is probably more excited about Sam coming than anyone else. Sam plays "Choo Choo Bob" in a local kids TV show in Minneapolis. We have all of the DVD's and CD's. Henry loves them and is pumped that Choo Choo Bob is coming to visit.
Have a great week everyone.

Another Week in the Books

Well, there goes another week for our little family. The kids are a week older, and not much wiser.

Not the most eventful week in the world.

The football team that I play on is off to a winning start, with a 6-4 victory last week, in which I scored twice and had a penalty saved. We then won again this afternoon, 9-1. I had 2 assists.

Yesterday, we took a family trip to the town of Watertown, which is about 99 miles away, to visit some friends of ours, Holly and Matt, and their 6 month old baby Stella. The kids enjoyed meeting a baby and going to an indoor playground called "Ton O Fun." Henry particularly enjoyed jumping into the ball pit, and onto Gemma who was already in the ball pit.



In the evening, we had a babysitter come so Marisa and I could go and see the movie, "Bridesmaids," which was extremely funny.

Sunday was fairly quiet as well.

The day started with the kids and I eating breakfast and watching Chelsea Vs Newcastle.



After Chelsea conceded a 93rd minute equalizer, we decided to go to the Sioux Falls outdoor campus, and go for a nature walk. As you can see the children had a lot of fun.

The weather is slowly getting nicer so we have been able to spend some time outside which has been pleasant.
 
I am still running, and have a 4 mile race next Saturday. I also entered myself into a 10k race in June.

This coming week is extremely busy for me. Monday night, my girls team plays against the league champions. Tuesday night, the girls team has practice. Wednesday night, my adult team has a midweek game, Thursday night is the end of season party for my girls team league. I have been nominated for coach of the year, so get to find out if I won. Then Saturday, I run in a 4 mile race, and that is followed by the final match of the season for my Under 12 girls.

Meanwhile, Marisa and the kids will be on their own for most of the week.

Marisa Vacation and Mothers Day

This has been another eventful week in the Oppenheimer house.

After coming 2nd in a 3 month weight loss challenge, Marisa celebrated by taking us all out to eat at a new restaurant in town named, "Cravin." Their unique gimmick is that they start off your meal by giving you a martini glass full of Candy Floss/ Cotton Candy.

On Wednesday, Marisa further celebrated by leaving us for a relaxing few days in Minneapolis. She spent some time in her office, as well as visiting and staying with friends. Somehow Marisa also squeezed a trip to the Mall of America and Ikea into her hectic schedule.

Meanwhile, the kids and James had some quality Daddy and children bonding time.

The kids were immaculately well behaved for me. We went to some parks to play each night, and made Mothers Day cards for Marisa. Both kids, however, were very excited for Mummy to come home on Friday.

Saturday was a big day for Henry. He went to his 1st big kid birthday party. One of Henry's friends, Kamden, turned 4 on Saturday, so his Mum, Nikki (our daycare provider) came and picked up Henry, along with a few other kids for a party that included trips to McDonalds and the Sioux Falls Zoo. Henry returned exhausted and excited to tell us all about his day.


In the mean time, Marisa and I got to spend some time with Gemma. We think this is probably the 1st time since she was born that we have had a whole afternoon with the 2 of us and just Gemma. It was quite a relaxing afternoon. Gemma certainly enjoyed the extra attention.


Part of our afternoon with Gemma involved a trip to the Greenhouse to purchase flowers and pots for the yard. When I paid, and the bill came in at approximately $100 more than expected, I was a little shocked, until I studied the receipt and discovered we were charged for 14 bags of potting soil instead of just 1. After that $90 adjustment, the bill was a little bit more satisfactory.

Saturday evening, we also had our 1st bonfire of the Summer. Our friends Tim and Christie came over with their 2 kids. The kids helped me lost up the sticks onto the fire before we lit it. The children enjoyed making and eating "S'mores" which for those of you who have never had one, is a cooked marshmallow, and a bar of chocolate sandwiched in between a Graham Cracker (which is a big digestive biscuit). You toast the marshmallows on the campfire.

Mothers day has also been a success so far. Marisa loved her presents (flowers and cook books) and the home made cards from the kids. We also went out and had a delicious breakfast at the Phillips Diner this morning.

The other highlights this week included a victory for Marisa's Volleyball team, a long awaited win for my U12 girls team, and this evening will be my 1st outdoor football game of the year.

Have a great week all.