First grade is done!

Today was Lucas's last day of school for first grade. Technically, tomorrow is the last day, but unlike the high school teachers, the elementary school teachers don't get a day free from kids for grading and taking care of their classrooms so Marilu decided to help lessen Lucas's teacher's work by keeping him home on the official last day.

In case you're wondering, this is what he looked like on the first day of first grade.

And here he is this morning, equal parts serious, happy, and goofy.

Man, I just realized we've had the same chalk writing by our door for the entire school year. I should really get on that this summer. Anyway, hope you enjoyed!

Catching Up 2013 - The Videos

To finish out the Catching Up series from 2013, here are the few remaining videos. I'm actually surprised most of these didn't get uploaded back when they happened, but posting videos is a multi-step, kind of annoying process, so I guess I just put them off. That said, you've probably seen pictures of everything here; now you get to see them "live."

First up, Lucas takes a ride on a skateboard. He's got a long way to go, but given his interest in skateboarding and snowboarding games on the PlayStation, it probably won't be long before he's holding his own on the board.



Next up, a belated video welcome to the newest member of our family, Spot the gecko.



I'm not really sure what to say about this next one so I'll let the video speak for itself.



And finally, we take a look at Lucas playing hockey in two wildly different settings. Here he is playing at Canadian Tire Centre (home of the Ottawa Senators) for the first time. Lucas is #7. Side note: Tracey, she of the wonderful photos we post from time to time, has a cameo about halfway through this video.



And here Lucas is playing hockey on a community tennis court that has been converted to a skating rink for the winter. With him are Marilu and one of his friends, Liam. Good to see that Lucas is self-policing as he gives himself a penalty.



So that's it for 2013, officially. I've still got some iPhone photos that might find their way to the blog if I'm running low on current photos, but from here on out, it should almost all be 2014. Whew!

Lucas's 7th Birthday Party

As mentioned in the previous post, Lucas's 7th birthday party was held this past Saturday. There's really not much to add to that so let's get to the action shots. The kids spent the first hour playing soccer on the indoor field. Initially, they wanted to play the full length of the field, but after about 20 minutes they realized that was a bad idea and just played the width.

There's always time to goof off a bit.

After soccer was pizza eating time. The place we went, the OzDome, made their own pizza, and it was surprisingly good.

I have no idea what prompted this face, but it makes me laugh.

Next up: cake!

My favorite part about this is that when he was making a wish, he said out loud, "I wish there was no more French." In reference to the language. He's definitely my son.

Can't have a party without presents!

There was a foosball table at the place that completely enthralled the kids. I don't think many of them had seen one before. As you can see, it was a hit.

Quick sidenote. The woman standing next to Marilu was the mother of one of Lucas's good friends, Anthony. She's from Ghana so we talked about the upcoming World Cup game between Ghana and the U.S. Now that the game has been played, I just want to say, "USA! USA! USA!" :)

And finally, we close with a couple of pictures that don't fit anywhere else above. First, Lucas and Thierry no doubt having an important discussion about Pokemon cards.

The Family Deal.

7th Birthday Party

Although Lucas's birthday isn't until Monday, we had his party today. There are plenty of pictures to come, especially since photographer extraordinaire Tracey was helping out, but for now, enjoy this one of Lucas and his friend Lauren goofing for the camera.

It's worth noting that Lauren is one of two girls he invited to his party, something he's never done before. Our baby boy is growing up!

We had his party at the Oz Dome, an indoor soccer field located just west of us in Carp. I wasn't sure what to expect, but they did a good job and the kids has a great time. Once I get the rest of our photos uploaded (as well as access to Tracey's), I'll post the best ones.