Saturday, March 25, 2006

A unbelieveably overwhelming typical day...

A football game. A new restaurant. A dip in the pool. A birthday.

Such is a typical day in the Bicoy household.

The day began with yet another football game for Bretty's team, the Bobcats.

Unfortunately, they were playing the best team in the league, the Desert Heat. Here's our boy lining up (number 22)...



He did his part and played well...



On this play below, he even helped spring their running back to a touchdown and a (albeit brief) 7 to 6 lead...



The Desert Heat consits entirely of 8 year-olds who have been playing together for 2 to 3 years already. Our beloved Bobcats are ages 6 to 8 and this is their first season together.

The Bobcats just couldn't keep up...



But that didn't stop us from cheering on our boys.

Here is Cari next to her friend Angela...



Angela's half Filipino. Apparently my wife is a Filipino groupie. She just gravitates to us.

Must be the pheromones.


David was the only of our other children to join us for today's showdown in the desert.

He was totally enthralled and couldn't take his eyes of the game...



Actually, we're pretty sure David came along because we normally head out for brunch after Bretty's games.

Today is David's birthday so we thought we'd try something new.

So we visited Hash House A Go Go.

Yes, that is really it's name.

You've never seen so much food on a plate in your life.

Here are the boys cheeseburgers -- and remember, these are kids portions...



The adult meals are just, well, to borrow a word from our three year old daughter, the plates are just gianormous.

Here are Cari's eggs, potatoes, and apple cinnamon pancake...



See, "gianormous" is exactly the right word!

David really wanted to go swimming on his 9th birthday, and since spring has sprung in Las Vegas, we thought we'd take advantage of the 75 degree weather.

We turned on the pool's heater and even though it was warm outside, we made the pool into a bathtub. We heated it to 90 degrees which is a good thing because Kekoa is really, really skinny...



Cari and the little girls loved it as well...



Here are Bretty and David showing off their best canonball...



Alyssa got in the pool as well but wouldn't let us take her picture.

This is the first time we've used the pool in the last four months because of the cooler weather of the desert winter.

Alyssa wore the bottom of her old bathing suit but had to wear the top of one of Cari's old suits. It appears that Alyssa's, well, you know, kinda blossomed, I guess, over winter and, um, couldn't squeeze, uh, into her old, well, bathing suit top.

Okay. Next subject.

Today is David's birthday, so we had to celebrate.

In the Bicoy fashion, the birthday boy or girl chooses their meal and type of cake.

David selected a chocolate birthday pie...



Here are all the kids singing "Happy Birthday" to David. Naturally, Bretty has to make a face and Kekoa can't stop thinking about the pie...



David has become quite an avid reader and has been placed in an accelerated reading group at school. He is only in 3rd grade but is reading at a 7th grade level. He is by far the most naturally athletic of our children, but his nose is always buried into a book. Cool, huh?

He's currently working his way through the "Harry Potter" series, but I decided it was time to introduce him to the greatest book of my youth...



"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by the late Douglas Adams.

Not the crappy movie, but the remarkably funny book. I got my version as a boy travelling with my parents through Europe. It was the British version complete with their silly spelling (hey, we rescued their rear end in WWII so they should adopt our spelling!). My copy sits on my bookshelf today. I even have a birthday card autographed by Douglas Adams courtesy of Matt Shepard, my roommate from my old days at Tufts University.

So rather than give David my old copy, I wanted him to have one of his own.

It makes you remember how old you're getting when you're buying the books you loved in your younger days for your own children!

Anyway, while he reads at a 7th grade level, he's still just 9 and loves his toys. His brothers and sisters bought a cool lightsaber for him. Here he is in the dark with his newest toy...



We also got him a book of ridiculous inventions. David loves to dream up new ideas and sketch out inventions of his own.

Here's my favorite idea from David's new book...



It's a grid on the back of the shirt so you can call out the specific spot you want scratched.

I gotta get me one of these. I could tell Cari where to scratch with pinpoint accuracy. I'm sure she'd love that!

Saturday, March 18, 2006

Bretty's Team Takes on the Packers!

We finally received our jerseys!

In the tradition of over-exuberant parents everywhere, Cari and I ordered customized Bobcats jerseys to match that of our son Bretty...



Of course, you can see from the sidelines of today's game that so did pretty much everyone else (Cari is holding Malia on the far left of the photo below)...



This saturday the entire family got together to cheer on Bretty and the Bobcats. Alyssa and David were gabbing on the sidelines...



Look at the picture below and you'll see our 15 year old daughter drinking a cup of coffee. Naturally it can't be a 75 cent cup from McDonalds. No, it has to be a marble mocha macchiato venti from Starbucks.



I believe there is something about paying $4.85 for a cup of coffee as one of the signs of the end of the world. I'm sure I heard Pat Robertson saying that this is God's way of punishing Democrats or something.

Anyway, I'd tell Alyssa to stop drinking it because the caffeine might stunt her growth, but she's already 5'7" and taller than Cari so it seems kind of silly.

David thought he'd inspect Alyssa's drink...



But the thought of coffee turned him off pretty quick.

Then Kekoa wanted to sniff it...



He thought the stuff was gross!

Thank goodness or I'd be paying more for coffee than I paid for their lunch. Seriously, their kiddie meals of cheeseburgers and chicken finger meals at the restaurant only cost $4.50!

Well, on to the game. Today our beloved Bobcats took on the Packers.

Last week, the Bobcats lost their first game. In the last minute of the 4th quarter the Bobcats had just scored to take the lead. But during the ensuing kickoff, their opponents ran back the ball for a touchdown.

Our boys were crushed.

Unfortunately for the Packers, the Bobcats were going to come back this week and do some crushing of their own.

Here is the offensive line ready to bull over anyone standing in their way. Bretty is in the middle...



Below, Bretty, number 22, is pushing around a defensive lineman...



On a play late in the 4th quarter of today's game, Bretty manhandled his guy which helped create the hole to spring their running back for a touchdown...



Just like their real NFL namesake of last season, these Packers never had a chance.

Bobcats 28. Packers 0.

To celebrate, we headed off for lunch...



In particular, Malia's excitement over the win was palpable...



Here's Bretty and his proud papa...



The Bobcats are 3-1 halfway through the season.

Next week, our Bobcats take on the Heat -- the toughest team in the league. Keep your fingers crossed!



Sunday, March 05, 2006

The Bicoys go to the Oscars...

Cari and Alyssa were talking about who they thought would win the various Oscars during tonight's show.

And then they got an idea.

And when the two of them get an idea, I get out of the way.

They thought, "What if the Bicoys went to the Academy Awards?"

Well, they decided that whole the family was going to dress up and "go" to the Oscars...



Complete with a couple of bottles of the finest sparking grape juice, the pre-Oscar party began.

Bretty took off his football uniform and struck a GQ pose...



Kekoa and Nalani mingled with the crowd...



And David did his best George Clooney imitation...



And when the Oscars began, everyone gathered to partake of the "Hollywood" Hors D'oeuvres, including Thai Chicken, Creamcheese Filled Potstickers, Chocalate Eclairs, and other weird things we would normally never eat...



Oh, and why isn't Daddy in any of the pictures?

'Cause I did the shopping and cooking (well, heating in the oven) so Cari didn't make me change out of my boxer shorts and undershirt. Oscars or no Oscars, I gotta wear a suit every day during the week so I'm not wearing them on Sunday!



Saturday, March 04, 2006

The Bobcats take on the Broncos...

After a great win last week and a couple of cold practices in the desert, the Bretty's Bobcats took on the Broncos this Saturday.

Of course, Bretty had to wear his red shirt again. Red is his favorite color and he says that it worked for them during last week's win.




During practice this week Bretty was moved to offense, and here he is coming up to the line...



Here he is with a run breaking around him...



We're not exactly sure what he was doing while walking up to the line, but he seemed to be having fun...



Here he is making a hole for his running back...



Taking a knee after the game...



He's having a heck of a good time playing.

Oh, and the final score?

Bobcats 34. Broncos 24.