Megan's 1st day of 2nd grade - oh yeah and the fat guy get's older.

Holy match your backpack and your cloths...

Double layer cake for a double chin!

Cute girl!

Connor and his friend Dylan

Connor has a best friend that lives 3 doors down. They are about a year apart, but they are great friends. Dylan had a pirate themed birthday.
Captain Jack Sparrow (Dylan), and The Dreaded Pirate Roberts (Connor).


Ahoy Matie!



Tie that scurvy dog to the yard arm! Oh wait that's a cake!

Family Dog

In the late 1980's there was this fantastic show that was produced by Steven Spielberg called Amazing Story's. It normally had some twisted almost scary tail that freaked out my younger sisters and brother. But this carton became a favorite in our home - so much that we even influenced other families like the Cowdell's, Brooks, Ashton's, and Billings. We watched it at our house at least once a month until the tape wore out - sometimes we watched it just before SNL to get us amped up for the Carvey, Myers hour and a half of insanity featuring Sandler and Farley.

Any who I still find myself quoting this film today. Anyone who's had a dog, and an angry dad can appreciate this one - so please enjoy!

Connor's first Rocket Launch

As many of you know, I travel a lot for work. So far this year I've flown over 80,000 miles on United alone... That means I'm away from the home too much. Luckily the kids miss me and want me home, and when I come home, it's time to play! Last week Connor called me and said "next year when you come home, lets build a rocket and I get to push the button". It was fantastic - especially the "next year" comment. It hurt my heart a little, because I know I need to be home more.

Any who - when I returned home we went and bought an Estes rocket kit - $26 with launch pad - everything we needed to launch our first rocket together. We built it that day!

Any way, as you can tell in the video, everything went well, and we recovered the rocket. The second launch the next day didn't go so well - the rocket is still missing.

Mallory is our American Idol singer!

 

Shimano Family Fun Day

Shimano puts on a nice little family fun day at Irvine park each year. The kids have fun, and the parents get fat from all the food - doesn't help out the fitness program they support... Any who, its fun and the kids get to ride on the train etc. We won a beach canopy tent thing for the kids.

The kids got their faces painted.

 

Fire boy - last year he wanted blue fire hydrants on his face.

 

Megan got a butterfly, Mallory got anoid but she does have a red heart nose...

 

There are monkeys in the trees!

 

This was supposed to be hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil, and smell no evil, but will take what we see here.

Night, Alpe, flowers, and a Bridge.

 

Engelberg at night

 

Furnalpe

 

Some flowers

 

Chapel bridge in Luzern. It's a cool bridge with paintings inside, it caught fire a few years ago, but they restored most of back.

Even more Engelberg - waterfalls and flowers

 

 

 

 

More Bunny Farm

 

Megan and Connor loved playing with the Guinea Pigs, and put them all on the bench so they couldn't run away.

 

Megan loves her bunnies.

 

Good girl Mallory, stick your finger in the pigs nose!

Bunny Farm

About a month ago we took the kids to the bunny farm down in Mission Viejo. Actually Megan had been bugging us to go for some time!

 

Connor on a horse!

 

Mallory too small to ride a horse, but not to small to sit in a fake car and tell her dad to go get her another snack!

 

Megan is allergic to horses, so check out all the clothes she is wearing - long sleeves, gloves, and long pants - it was about 90 degrees out, but at least she got to ride!

Alpine Slides!

Today had to be the most beautiful day since I've been here! Not just because Jenny was here, and not because the skies were clear, and I went to the top of the tallest peak in central Switzerland, but because I got to do all those things with her!

Today we went up the Brunni gondola where they have a little family park, with swings, trampolines, bounce houses, sand boxes, and an ALPINE SLIDE! It was tons of fun, as the video demonstrates - next time we come here we are bringing the kids!

Megan, Connor and Mallory, if you are reading this, then please know we love and miss you tons!
Love,
Mom and Dad!

Some more from Engelberg

Engelberg, Switzerland sml

Here are some photos from Engelberg. I'll post more when I return - and have time to edit the photos to clean them up. These are just raw photos unedited and made smaller for email purposes. Let me know if you want me to send you any of these in the original sizes.

More Engelberg - WATERFALLS!

Here is a fantastic panorama of some of the waterfalls we encountered on our ride today. Working for a living is hard some times... It's hard for me to feel like this is work, when I get to be in such cool places - sorry for rubbing it in, and bragging about how cool my job is, but hey, I've never been here, and I don't know when I'll be back.

Engelberg, Switzerland

My job is too cool sometimes! Today I'm in Engelberg Switzerland, check out the panorama! It was raining all day, so it isn't too clear, regardless, I can't believe I'm here working...

Camping with Connor

We went camping with Aaron, Ethan and Isac, of course the kids got all dirty as soon as we arrived, but the worst part was the dirt slide - as you can tell.

Trek 100 Charity Ride For Hope - MACC Fund

Yesterday - June 2nd was our 12th anniversary! It's the first anniversary I've missed since we got hitched. I think my wife will forgive me, as I spent the day riding a 100k (62 miles for you math geniuses out there), raising money to defeat childhood cancers.

The ride turned into 70 miles as we were diverted to a different road by a zealous group leader... I don't know the total of how many people participated in the ride, but I know that we helped raise over $1.5 million USD to support the MACC Fund. This was my first time riding more than 50 miles. I've ridden 50 miles before, but not too often - you see I'm a mountain biker, not a roadie, so this was difficult for me. I have to say, that I've never felt better after riding - something about doing this to support this cause energized me. I'm not saying I wasn't beat, I was, I just felt so good, it amazed me!

At mile marker 23 I was a little worried I wouldn't make it, since we went off course and tacked on an extra 8 miles, I wasn't sure I was going to have the legs to continue. But somehow I caught my 14th wind and was able to pull through, not to surprisingly the last 5 miles were the hardest, not because of hills, but because my legs hurt - I had been singing a song by my brother Wayne, who passed away from a childhood cancer Ewing's Sarcoma, it was aptly titled "Pinch the Cats Tail". My favorite line "Syrup in every square" referring to the way we Limburgs fill each square of a waffle with syrup. My other favorite reference in that song is "Formica mountain tops". I just kept singing that song in my head and it gave me some strength to continue - even though Wayne couldn't.

I crashed in my hotel room after the ride. Jenny and I had a good phone conversation, covering the immense amount of love we share, and how we both feel dependent on each other for loving support etc. It's amazing how a fatiguing ride makes one feel closer to those they love. I can't wait for my next long ride for a cause like this one. I'll post some photos when I return home.

Any way, if you read this blog, I hope you find ways to contribute to a cause that helps combat cancer.

Mallory and one of her current favorite noises.

This doesn't really need an introduction, but I will add that she is in contention for the cutest girl in the world!

Kids playing cute.

 

I don't think this one needs an explanation.

This one is for my friend at Shimano.

Here you go Dan!

Easter Eggs!

 

Get ready... Set - hey wait I didn't say go! Oh well...

 

Megan has to be the fastest at everything.

 

Not to be out done - Connor runs to the closest egg.