Christmas Faces!

When you have six children, inevitably each of them have different sleeping habits.  So the early morning risers get up early on Christmas morning like every morning, but the sleepy heads sleep in as usual.

This leads to a most interesting picture as the early risers desperately want to know what Santa brought, but they stand around staring because nobody is allowed to touch anything until everyone is up...



Malia is a bundle of joy as she opens presents...



Especially when she gets the thing she wanted most - her very own art kit...



Kekoa insisted we start a fire so he could stay warm next to the fireplace.

Of course, starting a fire in our house means flipping a switch on the wall to turn on the gas.  He liked it anyway...



And what more can a guy ask for than Star Wars lego stuff...



Bret Jr. wanted clothes for Christmas.

Seriously, he's 13 and he wants clothes.

So we bought him clothes.  Look at how excited he is...



His Christmas spirit was overflowing...



The excitement was just unbearable...



His Christmas list asked for lots of clothes from Aeropostale, and that's a lot of what he got...



His older brother David, on the other hand, had some very unusual things on his list...



David has some pretty great faces when he opens Christmas presents...



You'd think he'd be an actor with all these faces...



I guess I'm too old to understand the joke, but he really wanted this shirt and he got it...



Alyssa is home from the East Coast for Christmas, and she has some good faces of her own...



I'm not exactly sure what her opinion is of this particular gift...



But when it comes to opening gifts, nobody does it quite like Nalani...



We take turn opening presents, and Nalani makes everyone wait while shakes every gift, sizes it up - all while she has the most unusual of expressions on her face...



I'm not exactly sure what she thinks she's going to hear...



Pondering which one to open next...



Sizing up another present...



And her overjoyed excitement when she opens the wrapper and finds a white box...



That's Nalani for you.

One of the Christmas presents for the whole family are tickets to American Folklore Theatre's beloved Guys on Ice...



They play is about a couple of guys who go ice fishing.  One of their deep insights into life is that if hell is hot, the heaven must be really cold.  And if it's cold in heaven, then there must be ice fishing.

As for me, my kids bought me this terrific book...



It's all about the 1990s dynasty of the Dallas Cowboys, which most football experts - including broadcaster great Pat Summerall - consider the greatest dynasty ever.  It was only the foolishness between Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson that kept them from winning 4 or 5 Super Bowls in a row instead of just the 3 in 4 years that they won.

What a great Christmas present!



Happy Holidays!

Christmas Decorating!

It's the day after Thanksgiving.  While that certainly means my wife went shopping at some ridiculous hour this Black Friday morning, it also means we set up for Christmas.

The day began with our annual walk through the woods of the Christmas tree farm to find that perfect tree... and as we like to point out each year... to find it, cut it down and kill it.

But we like to stick it in a pot of water for a month to prolong its agonizing death.

Here we are decorating this year's victim...



This was the biggest tree we've ever had.  The entryway to our home goes up two stories, so the tree seems tiny even though it's too tall for any single story room in our house.

And like the hunter who shot some enormous 16 point buck, our kids wanted to take pictures next to their vegetarian prey...



Gotta admit that it looks great all lit up...



And while we're not over the top crazy with lights, we do like to do a little something outside...



Merry Christmas!

Sturgeon Bay Beats Algoma!

The Sturgeon Bay Clippers (in white) finish their epic comeback against Algoma.  Well, as epic as a 7th grade basketball game can get.

Bret Jr. is #35, and he's on the bottom right on the screen setting up to rebound as the video begins...



Go Clippers!

She's Leaving Home

I think it's going to rain today.

Kekoa's Ready for Some Football!

Football is back!  And Kekoa is playing more this year than ever.

He's #22 - and lines up at wing on the offense...



On defense he is now the starting safety...



Kekoa's a little smaller than most of the kids.  So when he makes a tackle, he has to throw his whole body into it.  Here is a series of images of Kekoa helping to bring down the running back...









Naturally he ends up at the bottom of the pile!

Congratulations Kekoa!

He's Got Marty Feldman Eyes...

Here is my son David's newest video...



Makes me think of that 1980's classic, She's Got Marty Feldman Eyes...

"Home Alone" - starring David Bicoy

Our son David was home alone...



That's my boy!

Fire Dancing

Some kids roast marshmellows around the fire.  Other kids make smores.  Apparently Bicoy kids dance.

Happy fourth of July!

Nalani Sings at Sea

We bought a sailboat so we could have some peace and quiet at sea.

So naturally, Nalani uses the quiet as an opportunity to sing us another one of her original songs...



Thank you Nalani!

Nerd Plays Basketball

An original video by my son David, starring David and his younger brother Bret Jr...

Nalani & Malia on Broadway (or at least Third Avenue)

We had several errands to run today, so Nalani and Malia spent the time in the car composing their own Broadway tunes.

On the way home, they asked if we could drive down Third Avenue in Sturgeon Bay (a street usually populated with tourists this time of year) so they could roll down the windows and sing.

Well, here they are, Nalani & Malia, singing their original songs...



Another day in Door County!

Who Needs Football or Basketball?

Okay, maybe running in a circle isn't quite as much fun to watch as football or basketball, but it was nice to see our middle son at today's track meet.

Bret Jr. runs the 400 meter dash and the 800 meter race.

He finished 4th in the 400 meter dash. And here are the highlights of his 800 meter run...



He finished third, which is really good considering that Bret has never been a runner before this year.

Of course, after his races, he is pretty worn out...



Congratulations Bret.

Kekoa is a Star!

Our kids were asked to participate in a political commercial for their grandfather - which they were all happy to do (but unfortunately, Alyssa had to work).  Their roles consisted of sitting on a couch with their grandpa as he read them a book.

But the director really liked Kekoa and asked if he would be willing to do a few more lines as a closeup.

Here he is, standing before the crew...



Of course, his brothers gave him a bit of grief as the the lady in blue applied more makeup on Kekoa...



But hey, no matter what his brothers say, Kekoa was a star today!



Congratulations Kekoa!

David Gets a Haircut

Finally, after more than a year, our oldest son David decided to get a haircut.

Of course, he didn't trust anyone to do it but himself...



And here was the outcome...



For a while there, it was looking like we had four daughters - but no more!

Bret Loves Pi

On April 1st, the bookstore on 3rd Avenue - "Untitled" - posted an unusual challenge on their Facebook page:

"Today and today only, we at "Untitled" will be giving away a $100 gift certificate to any customer today who can come in and recite the correct sequence of pi to the 100th decimal point.  Come on down and have some pi!"

Of course, it was meant to be an April Fool's joke. Who in their right mind could memorize 100 digits of pi before the day was over?.

Well, apparently my son Bret Jr. isn't of his right mind.

Bret's teacher had challenged him to memorize 50 digits of pi in March. He spent two weeks doing it, but eventually he memorized the 50 digits - by far the most of anyone in his class! But that was as far as he thought he could go.

Then Alyssa noticed the joke/challenge on Facebook on April Fool's Day - and pushed her brother to see if he could memorize the rest.

So he spent about 4 hours working on it, and we went to the store about 15 minutes before it closed.

And much to the incredible surprise of the bookstore owner, my son recited all 100 digits of pi.

He was so impressed that he gave Bret the $100 gift certificate even thought it was supposed to be a joke:



Congratulations Bret!

Happy Birthday Grandpa Bernie!

A birthday video for Grandpa upon his 88th birthday...

Springtime for Children in Door County!

It's springtime for children in Door County! Okay, maybe that's not quite a Mel Brooks song, but it does mean it's time for spring concerts!

There are few communities in the country that celebrate the arts more than Door County, so it's not surprising that we have very elaborate music and art programs. Here are the highlights of the concerts from three of our kids.

The first is Malia's performance. Here are the 1st graders doing a tribute to Appalachian folk songs...



Our elementary schools in Sturgeon Bay are separated by grade. 1st & 2nd grade go to Sawyer Elementary, 3rd, 4th & 5th go to Sunrise Elementary.

This means that Nalani goes to a different elementary school than Malia - but they sang the same songs.

Here is the third grade also singing a collection of Appalachian folk songs...



And finally, we have Kekoa and the 5th graders. They decided to be hippies for a day - complete with tie dyed shirts of their own design...



Springtime in Door County!

Plays & Performances Abound

Bret Jr.'s basketball tournaments have been eating up a lot of our time - but there's also all the stuff that our other kids do on the side.  For instance, David served as the co-host of the Sturgeon Bay Middle School Arts Night.

Here's a compilation of videos of my son introducing the acts along with his friend Charles...



Of course, everyone thought we were nuts. I was the only guy in the room who'd pick up the video camera to film the guys who introduce the acts - only to put the camera down once the acts began.

Last week we also attended the Destination Imagination performances of a couple of our kids. For the uninitiated, Destination Imagination (or "DI" as it's known) is a program in which kids have to perform a challenge in the context of a skit they write for themselves. They practice this for several weeks before performing it before an audience and a panel of judges the day of the DI Tournament.

Bret Jr., Kekoa and Nalani all participated in the program.

Unfortunately, Nalani and Bret Jr.'s performances were scheduled for the same time in different rooms. Cari was one of the coaches of Nalani's team, so I went to see Bret Jr.'s peformance on the day of the tournament while Cari stayed with Nalani.

But I wanted to see Nalani's skit, so I attended her final practice which her team put on before her classmates.

Here's a video of the final practice of Nalani's 3rd grade team. Early on, Nalani plays the role of the Fruit Queen - sending her troops to battle the evil Candy Soldiers. Later, all the girls are Cheesehead Aliens and they walk with a strange walk.

Hey, it's an original skit written by 3rd graders...



Kekoa's 5th grade team did a nice job as well. The story revolves around a dream of a "dumb nerd," played by my son Kekoa...



Bret Jr. also participated on a 6th grade team, but he asked his mother not to post the video online. Oh well.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmm.

I came home today and discovered stacks and stacks of Girl Scout cookies.  The garage smells wonderful!



I was going to dig in, but Cari (the troop leader) wouldn't let me.  Something about other people already paying for them.

Evil temptress.

A School Board Adventure

Last week we received a letter from the Sturgeon Bay School District, requesting that we bring our middle son, Bret Jr., to a School Board meeting this evening.

Sounds like fun, doesn't it.

Actually, it wasn't bad news, it was good news. Here is Bret being recognized by the the Superintendent and the School Board...




They presented him with this certificate "in recognition of your oustanding effort to help our district and students."





Here is the text of the citation:  "Bret Bicoy is a dependable student and is dedicated to exemplifying responsibility, positive attitude, and open-mindedness.  He has proven to be a thoughtful member of our school, and motivates his fellow classmates to try new things by simply being himself.  It has been a pleasure working with Bret so far this year and we look forward to watching his success."

Feel free to send accolades to Cari and me as his parents!

Wife, Mother of 6, and Straight A Student

We received this letter earlier this week...

Yes, my wife, mother to 6 children, just received "highest honors" for her perfect 4.0 grade point average in her first semester back in college.

My kids are mad because if their mommy gets straight A's and can still be a mom to six children, those six children have no excuse for not doing the same!

David Discovers You Tube

My teenage son David has learned to use You Tube.  Here are a few of his recently posted videos.

First, his Star Trek transporter...



Then there's his attempt at magic using his little sisters...



And finally, his first longer video...



He may seem quiet, but clearly he is my son - and a true Bicoy!

Two GREAT Basketball Seasons!

This week marked the final games for our sons' Sturgeon Bay Clippers 5th and 6th grade basketball teams.

Yes, it's a bit sad to see the season end, but I will admit that my rear end won't miss sitting on a bleacher for 3 hours at a stretch a couple of nights a week.  Put two basketball games back to back, and it's 3 hours, folks.

Here's our middle son Bret Jr. - the 6th grader - finishing up what he does best...

 

He just grabbed another rebound and is making the outlet pass.  His coach says that Bret Jr. is the best rebounder on the team.  He's not the tallest kid in class, although he certainly is among them.  What makes Bret Jr. a great rebounder is how he uses his defensive tackle of a body to get position - and he knows how to time his jumps well.

Of course, he is a Bicoy, so when he takes a shot, you know it has to be done with an over-exaggerated sense of style.  Look at how he finishes his free throws...



But for me, probably the coolest thing about his team is that in Door County, Wisconsin, there are three Filipinos on it - including the guy who is clearly the best player on the team (#51 above and below)!  Okay, maybe Bret's Filipino blood has been diluted a bit, but it's still in there somewhere. 

And of the Filipinos on the team, two of them are the starters - #51 below and Bret Jr. (in the glasses) walking next to him...



This is Wisconsin, the land of milk and meat and tall Scandinavian giants - and two Filipino boys are starters on the basketball team!

There are no playoffs at this level of basketball, but Bret's 6th grade team finished with a terrific 12-3 record for the season.  Congratulations boys!

Our 5th grade son Kekoa isn't a starter on his team, and his skills are still developing, but he is probably the most tenacious defender they have.  This boy doesn't know how to stop running and he never, ever quits.  Here he is getting ready to take a shot...



The 5th Grade Sturgeon Bay Clippers played a few more games than their 6th grade counterparts - and they were perfect.

Yes, Kekoa's team finished with a absolutely perfect 17-0 record.  These boys were amazing - and I must say that their coach is the best coach of kids this age I've ever seen.  Our boys had some talent, but there was no truly exceptional player on the team like there was with Bret Jr.'s.  Kekoa's team was just taught the fundamentals of basketball really well and every boy was coached to make good decisions on the floor.

Bravo coaches!

 

Kekoa's was a disciplined team, but since they finished the season with a perfect record, the coaches let them get a little goofy for their final picture...



Congratulations to both our sons on two great basketball seasons.