Jack and Cate Update -- July, 2009

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Although striving mightily to conceal it, Jack is proud of his new Tony Hawk BMX bike. And, if you're like me, the name [Tony Hawk](http://www.tonyhawk.com/bio.html) conjures images of high quality... er... bike... construction.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

The lack of a [coaster brake](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coaster_brake#Coaster_brakes) only adds to the fun and risk of bodily injury. The brake levers are just far enough from the handlebars and just hard enough to pull that it's a bit of a challenge for Jack. Before he took to the street for the first time, he confidently demonstrated how he could pull the back brake lever if he used *both* of his hands. I explained that the two-handed technique might prove cumbersome when the bike was actually in motion. Fear not, he's quickly developed his breaking braking skills over the past month.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Grandma Irene and I met Hannah and the rest of the Peaslees at the Lakewood Fourth of July parade.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Jack and Cate had the honor of riding on the float for the Lakewood Home Tour. Lisa had the honor of walking/running beside the float in the heat and the humidity.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

The theme for this year's party is the [LakeBushwood Caddyshack](http://www.lecpta.org/lakewoodhomefestival/Party/Party.htm). Unfortunately, no one had an actual gopher for the float, so the golf cart is instead driven by a crazed beaver. It works for me.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Leah Peaslee. F-L-I-R-T, flirt.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

After the parade, Mary and Francie invited us to a Fourth of July pool party with a few friends. After her unexpected parade-half-marathon, Lisa couldn't be bothered to put on her swimsuit and jumped straight into the pool.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

I'm positive this might build somewhat stronger abs.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

What makes a day at the pool with great friends even greater? There's only one answer, of course: lobster. Mary had them delivered from her native New England.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Jack. Again with the back flips.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Just to change things up, he unnerved us all by jumping just a few inches from the diving board. It had ER written all over it.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

As if they hadn't had enough of us already, Mary and Francie invited us to their home before we all watched fireworks that evening. Jack was the only one who could quickly master Coach Coleman's miniature bike. Note: you have to be pretty tough to make a bike like this look cool.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

A girl, her dog, and her fingernail polish.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Jack, Jackson, Canyon and Cate. We all enjoyed a beautiful evening [overlooking the lake and downtown Dallas](http://bit.ly/qfloC)... ...until Jack needed a visit to the ER (emergency restroom).

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Chillin' with Snick-D.

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Just as Jack did last month, Cate celebrated her eighth birthday by hosting a slumber party for her closest friends: Neely, Macie, Kaitlyn, and Aubrey. Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised, but we had a much harder time getting the girls to settle down and go to sleep than we did with six boys.

Thursday, July 9, 2009

To avoid the early stages of Cate's party, Jack chose to go with me to [Ice Age 3D](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1080016/). On the way home, I asked if he wanted to watch TV in our room and avoid the slumber party. "No," he replied, "the girls will want to chase me for a while."

Friday, July 10, 2009

Not having a job definitely has its perks. I was able to join Jack at his weekly tennis lesson. It was a special treat since I'd never been able to join him before.

Friday, July 10, 2009

This photo immediately made me think of Grandpa Dick and how proud he would be to see Jack playing.

Friday, July 10, 2009

Jack takes lessons once a week from Greg at Lakewood Country Club.

Friday, July 10, 2009

The club is where Lakewood's well-to-do gather to golf, dine, and play tennis. It's also where they reluctantly let us take lessons because we're friends with the tennis pro.

Friday, July 10, 2009

Tennis is serious business. Intense, serious business. Consumingly intense, serious business.

Friday, July 10, 2009

It may be serious business, but 8:30 AM comes pretty early in the morning.

Friday, July 10, 2009

Greg reviewed some of the finer points when Jack switched to hitting backhands.

Friday, July 10, 2009

If you think I'm showing a lot of tennis photos, you don't know the half of it -- I took nearly three hundred tennis photos. Did I mention it's a thirty-minute lesson?

Friday, July 10, 2009

He looks like he's admiring a long home-run shot. Fortunately, the ball didn't clear the fence.

Friday, July 10, 2009

Step 1: wind-up. Looking at this, I can hear my Dad telling me to drop my shoulder while hitting a backhand.

Friday, July 10, 2009

Step 2: Contact.

Friday, July 10, 2009

Step 3: Admire.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Nice. Hair. In a desperate attempt to avoid leaving the Peaslee's (see this month's videos), the kids decide they simply *must* seesaw for a while.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

The Atwoods graciously invited us for an afternoon at their pool, and we ungraciously brought our dog. Fortunately, she fell in the pool just a few minutes after we arrived. I wouldn't want to be their pool filter...

Sunday, July 19, 2009

After falling once, Snick was wary of another swim -- both accidental and human-induced (I'm looking at you, Cate).

Sunday, July 19, 2009

We spent the day at the Ranch with Grandma Irene before spending the afternoon and sharing dinner with the Atwoods. And yet, Cate has the energy to keep swimming (and swimming) even as the sun starts to set.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

With three noodles, she's (technically) no longer swimming. With a few more noodles, she would (technically) no longer be wet.