One of the nice things about our old little sailboat is that it has a modest cabin below deck. It's great because Malia can go below and we don't have to worry about where she is while we're sailing.
Little did I know that she had taken over one of our mobile phones and started making little films.
The pictures are a bit bumpy - she's only 6 after all - but it defintely is Malia's idea of fun!
Our youngest son Kekoa isn't the biggest boy around.
Okay, let's just admit the obvious. He's probably the shortest, skinniest 5th grader in his class.
But that boy has spunk, and he wants to play football. So darn it, he's going to play football!
Good for you, Kekoa!
This was his first game of his first season, and he was pretty excited. He was picked as one of the co-captains for the Bobcats this week so out he went to mid-field for the coin toss.
Kekoa is number 22 below...
His 6th grade older brother Bret Jr. is a bruiser. He normally lines up at nose tackle in the heart of the defensive line.
Kekoa is a defensive back. He normally plays corner or safety. Here he is below (circled in red), lining up at safety...
Look at my boy run to the ball!
He had a lot of fun today...
My favorite part was when they called up a blitz and away he want, charging into the heart of the offensive line...
But before he got there, one of the Bobcat's lineman stripped the ball and it flew straight up in the air...
Kekoa's team recovered the fumble!
Don't ya just love football!? It's going to be a fun season!
Today marked the maiden sail of our new boat. Well, it's not really a new boat. She's actually an old boat. But like every hot woman, she'll be 29 forever!
Her name is Sewecane.
Sewecane is pronounced seh-wee-can-ee.
It is an Arapaho word which means "do this so all may eat."
That just seemed like the perfect name for our boat.
Well, that sounds like a great explanation, doesn't it?
But it's a complete lie.
"Sewecane" is actually a nickname we gave our daughter Alyssa when she was about 5 years old. We were going out to dinner, but we were late because Cari and Alyssa were waiting for me as usual.
Alyssa kept calling out to get me to hurry up. I teased her by saying, "why."
She yelled back as quickly as she could talk, "so we can eat."
But talking so fast, it came out sounding like "seh-wee-can-ee."
Henceforth that became Alyssa's Native American nickname.
And it's now the name of our new boat. Sewecane's a 21 foot sailboat with a swing keel.
We took her out last week under power to try out her engine, but we didn't raise the sails. Today, we let 'em all out and braved the tumultuous seas of Sturgeon Bay and her mighty 8 mph winds.
Here is the fearless crew as they get ready for their three hour tour...
I can't figure out which one of them is Gilligan.
It took a bit to get the sails set...
But we rigged them correctly and set underway...
You can see us here in the distance...
David even took the helm for a bit...
It was a fun first sail...
He dreams about one day, an island he'll find Out lost in the ocean, just passing in time He'd rather be sailing...
As you can imagine, I'm rather fond of her, so I want to make sure everything works out just as it should. I thought the best way to ensure that you were fully prepared for the experience of spending the rest of your life with her is to fully disclose all that she truly is.
I thought about writing you a letter about all of her good traits - and her little oddities - so that there would be no surprises.
But then I remembered there is nothing cleaner or more pure than a mathematical proof.
So I've spend the last few weeks trying to distill the very essence of my sister into a simple and elegant equation. I'm pleased to report that I've finally accomplished this most difficult of tasks.
Here it is, my explanation of that which is at the very heart of my sister Dawn...
The time has come for the 7th season of the Bicoy Football League! If you're interested in being a part of our fantasy football league this year, please let us know as soon as possible!
It's hard to believe, but we've crowned six previous champions. The ultimate winner gets their name inscribed on the Bicoy Football League Championship Plaque...
The plaque is on display in our house, but the Champion gets to take home the Bicoy Football League Championship Trophy...
We have traditionally played through the NFL/CBS Sportsline system, but this year the NFL and CBS Sportsline have gone their separate ways. We're stick with the CBS Sportsline online software since it's most like the system we used in the past.
All of the costs for the Bicoy Football League are paid for by us (including the plaque and trophy). There is absolutely NO COST to any of our friends and family who do play.
If you've never played fantasy football before, it's really quite easy to learn. However, since we will almost certainly have to turn people away, we do expect that if you join us, you'll stick with it and actively play through the duration of the real NFL season.
Our league will have a live, online draft which has been tentatively scheduled for Saturday, August 14th at 3 p.m. eastern time (that's 2 p.m. in Wisconsin, noon in California, and 9 a.m. in Hawaii). We'd like everyone to be online at that time, but it is still possible to play if you can't make that time.
So if you're interested in playing this year, please drop us an email or send us a message via Facebook.
Football season is back!
Bret & Cari Bicoy Commissioners Bicoy Football League
There is no journey quite so unusual as life with six kids!
With friends and family spread from Boston back east to Aiea in the middle of the pacific, we offer this little record of our adventures for all to share. Whether you're one of our kids' grandparents, uncles, aunties, or one of their many, many cousins, we welcome you to follow along.
And if you’re just someone who needs a bit of ridiculousness in their life (or a cure for insomnia), please join us on our nonsensical travels!
Bret & Cari
TRANSITION TO FACEBOOK: Once upon a time, this was the best way to communicate with our friends and family who were so far away from us. Today, we just use Facebook. So if you're a friend or family member from afar, looks us up on Facebook and let's follow each other!