Hunter's Birthday Second Edition

Yes, the boys did end up on the floor in the living room. Not because they were cold, but because we had pity on our neighbors. No they don't wear out no matter what you put them through. They seemed to get louder the closer it got to 1 AM.

Here are some more highlights of the night from our photobank.

All of the boys got a chance to do an on field game. Here is Blake's Burger race. He is the yellow burger. His two buddies are the other burgers. If you listen closely you can hear the announcer say his name. He is on the inside by the dirt.

In case you missed it, Blake won.

Here is Hunter shooting hot dogs at the crowd. He is the one with his arms wrapped around the giant hot dog.

They did survive the night but we are sure there were a few having a rough Sunday the next day.
Breakfast: Pancakes and Hot Chocolate

Hunter's Baseball Bash

Becky and Al here in Des Moines. We herded ten 9 year-olds (or should we say ten cats?) around Principal Park last night to celebrate Hunter's 9th birthday. It's 10 a.m. the next morning and the guys are just now going home from the party...yes, it was an all-nighter with sleeping in tents in the Underwoods' backyard. We hope they survived the 49 degree overnight low temperature. :) We're betting that sleep happened on the living room floor.

Look for Amy and Dave's view of the party...they're sure to have some pictures to share. Meanwhile, here's the party table organized by the ball park and a couple shots of Hunter watching a fly ball over the grandstand.

We Flew the Ford

	Kim and Adam here with another little adventure. This past Saturday the two of us took the opportunity to experience a little aviation history first-hand. The EAA’s (Experimental Aircraft Association) 1929 Ford Tri-Motor 4-AT-E. You can read more about the Ford Tri-Motor here. A couple interesting things you might note in the pictures, the plane is covered in a shiny corrugated aluminum, which is strong but not necessarily aerodynamic and if you look at the detail picture of the motor you can see the gauges the pilot used to monitor them from inside the cockpit.
Ford Tri-Motor taxiing to us.
After a pancake breakfast and checking out the other planes at the Ankeny Regional Airport we took our turn in this historical aircraft. If you ever have the chance to ride in it I highly recommend it. Also try to sit in the back seat if you can, though each seat has a window and a great view. Our flight was about 20 minutes long, I can only imagine what it was like to ride with all that noise for hours, but it was still faster than the train.
	Kim enjoying the ride.
Tail detail	Ford flying overhead.
Adam posing by the fuselage	Detail of the motor, note the guauges.
Ford taxiing away, past a Piper Tri-Pacer	Detail of the cabin

School

Hunter and Blake went back to school yesterday.

Hunter to 4th grade - this was the year it was NOT cool to have mom go to the classroom on the first day. I just dropped him off at the curb and drove away.

Blake started 2nd grade - this year he has his best buddies Ben and Jake in his class so he is really excited about going to school! He only got in trouble for talking too much once on the first day. No first day jitters here.

We all wonder when Blake will be ready for his next haircut. How long do they grow it now? Hunter doesn't seem to have a need for hair at all. Polar opposites!

2008 - First day of 1st and 3rd

2007 - First day of K and 2nd

Rain, Rain, Don't Go Away

It's a lovely view from our balcony, the flowerbox flowers drink it in while the willows weep. The rain comes straight down at a slow, soft pace. It continues all day, we're going green.

Art Camp

Hunter and Blake spent the last week of summer with Grandpa Al. (Kids West had closed down for a break before starting the school year.) That meant reading and playing ball in the mornings before Grandpa Al took them to Art Camp (12:30-2:30) at the Des Moines Art Center. They painted and sculpted a project every day. On Thursday, they made papier mache balloon animals that weren't dry until the last day. On the last day, they made wire sculptures.

Lyle Throws the First Pitch

As promised here is the update about Lyle's night at the Iowa Cubs game on Saturday night. Not only did we have a great time with the whole Hayes family but Lyle got to throw out the first pitch before the game. Thanks to John Washburn for taking all the pictures, we appreciate it.
Lyle throwing his first pitch.	This is a group shot of the family in anticipation before Lyle went out on the field (Adam, Duane, Kim, Lyle, some other guy not with us, and Ray). The rest of the Hayes family is in the stands.
Here is a close-up of the rest of the Hayes family (Kerry (standing), Janet (waving), Joseph, Joci (waving), Mandy (waving), Mady (waving), Kelli and Noah (waving)).

The Reader

Blake has magically transformed from a player to a reader. He still reserves plenty of time for playing but if he wants to be in second grade, he has to practice reading every day.

He has progressed to reading chapter books like the rest of his classmates. Today he is reading a Magic Tree House book, Dawn of the Dinosaurs.

Hunter's Day Off

Hunter accompanied Grandpa Al and Nana Becky to the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis where we met up with Becky's sister, Solveig, and brother, Stan. It was Sunday afternoon, Hunter's day off from Kids' West and our plan was to tour the Guthrie and the nearby vicinity along the Mississppi.

If you'd like to see a tour of our trip through the marvelous new Guthrie Theater, Mill City, and the old Stone Bridge over the Mississippi, click on the Rolfsruds & Friends link, left.

Meanwhile, here's a shot of our chic lunch spot at the brand-new Sea Change restaurant under the Guthrie's roof. Also, a picture of Hunter with his running buddy, Stan. They jogged for 45 minutes over the old Stone Bridge and back.