Jack and Cate Update -- October, 2009

Friday, October 2, 2009

The entire family took advantage of [DISD's](http://www.dallasisd.org/) elementary school Fair Day by (as the name suggests) taking our kids to the [State Fair of Texas](http://www.bigtex.com/). Having earned her wings in previous years, Cate flew the carousel solo.

Friday, October 2, 2009

Riding the carousel, you can sense Cate's youthful wonderment. Can't you? *Can't you?!?*

Friday, October 2, 2009

At mid-day, we met boy-talkin' Neely and her Mom. Boy-talkin' Neely is the one with the stuffed bear.

Friday, October 2, 2009

Although Jack had dropped all his allotted tickets on roller coasters and a fun-house, Neely's Mom arranged a bridge loan that allowed him to join the other kids on the Super Slide. I'll say it again: youthful wonderment.

Friday, October 2, 2009

This hawk falcon bird flew at very high speed from the top of the [Texas Star](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_star) to his trainer at the bird show, skimming just over the heads of audience members. After their near-miss experience, I love the varied reactions on the right.

Friday, October 2, 2009

Bird. A big bird.

Friday, October 2, 2009

We visited the barnyard animal exhibit late in the day. Missing from the photo: barnyard animals.

October, 2009

For the first time in ages, we had a family portait taken for our church directory. Let's run down the players: Lisa: perfect in every shot. Cate: stylin' the straight-hair look (at her request). Jack: attempting the extremely difficult combination of one-half smile with one-third enthusiasm. Greg: sporting a haircut known as "the dangerous loner."

Saturday, October 17, 2009

For inexplicable reasons, we decided to have dinner at [Blue Goose](http://www.bluegoosecantina.com/) shortly after the [Texas-OU game](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_River_Rivalry#2009). Because of our unblemished clean living, we got an unprecidented front-row parking spot, a table on the patio, and this lovely iPhone photo of the girls.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Photo day for Jack's soccer team. On the left, a test shot in the shadows, and Jack renders his opinion of the whole team-soccer-photo idea. On the right, Jack's individual photo. There were a couple kids on the team that had trouble looking into the sun for their photo -- Jack was one of them.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

The Strikers. Back row: Anthony, Oscar, Christian, Jackson, Gage, and Coach Francie. Front row: Jack, Zack, Matthew, Jake, and James.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Jack secures his gear and then hustles for the ball. In the last few practices and games, Jack started to turn his game around, hustling and keeping his head in the game.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Which of these things isn't like the others? Jack cleverly ensures no one creeps up from the back-side while everyone else concentrates on an opposing corner kick.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Jack dribbles the ball in traffic -- this is real progress in just a few weeks!

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Another opposing corner kick, and Jack vigilantly guards the far post. There'll be no scoring from here.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Cate and Shriver brave the temporary graveyard before Francie and Mary's annual Halloween party. Shriver's enthusiasm arrived a short time later.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

[Killer boots, man!](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109686/quotes)

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Check out those sideburns! And the killer 'tude!

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Killer boots shoes, man!

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Jack and Jackson both dressed as [Thriller](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOnqjkJTMaA)-era Michael Jackson, and they both sang and danced boistrously to the song when we first arrived. But five minutes later, Jack was out of his costume and declining to photographically participate. Par for the course.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Michael Daane and the boys invited us to join them for the [Fort Worth Alliance Airshow](http://www.allianceairshow.com/). Despite a complete lack of planning, we arrived just thirty minutes before the [Blue Angels](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Angels) took to the air.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

The overcast skies and the sun descending on the opposite side of the runway conspired against great photography, but I liked this one because the tent in the foreground gives you a sense for how low they perform over the runway.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

I think one of them must be doing it wrong.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

I don't know how close they are when they pass, but it *feels* like they're inches apart. It's pretty cool.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

I like this one because one of the two other [fighters](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F/A-18_Hornet) is visible between the smoke trails.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

The boys enjoyed the Blue Angels for a solid fifteen minutes. Then they demanded pretzels.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

I may complain about the light and my lack of location planning, but that didn't stop me from taking a couple hundred photos. If you ask nicely, I'd be willing to spend a quiet evening reviewing them all with you. No? Well, I just thought I'd offer.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

TBD [Insert discerning comment here.]

Sunday, October 25, 2009

These two pilots slowly (and I mean slowly) flew side-by-side down the length of the runway doing what Michael aptly called "a wheelie." When they reach the end of the runway, one leveled off and sped away from his wingman.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Mercifully, here's one final shot with all six planes. Again, the flagpole in the foreground gives you some idea how close/low they perform.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Jack, Evan, Aaron, and a [Rubik's Cube](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubik%27s_Cube). Never leave home without the Cube...

Sunday, October 25, 2009

The military aircraft were exciting and all, but you can't ignore the allure of a high-quality porta-potty. Evan proudly told his Dad that he could break into a porta-potty even if someone is in it. When asked why he would ever want to do that, he seemed decidedly unsure.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

[W.B. Travis TAG Vanguard and Academy](http://www.dallasisd.org/schools/es/t_z/travis/index.htm) (now that's a mouthful) is the talented and gifted magnet school for 4th through 8th graders in DISD. In a blatant recruiting effort, they also recognize all DISD third-graders who score over 95 on all sections of the [ITBS](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iowa_Test_of_Basic_Skills). Of nearly 13,000 third-graders, Cate and 116 others were recognized this year.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

I thought Cate might want to apply to Travis if only for their Timber Wolf mascot, but she seems to have no desire to leave [Lakewood Elementary](http://www.lakewoodelementary.net/news/Overview.htm) and all her classmates.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

She was very proud. Frankly, so were we.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Although DISD has more than 150 elementary schools, Lakewood accounted for about 20% of the students recognized. They had a reception after the ceremony, and this is a small sampling of the Lakewood students able to withstand the withering temperature of an overcrowded cafeteria.

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Only Cate could be convinced to don a costume for trick-or-treating, and she was a woman on fire. Like last year, we spent Halloween with friends on [Swiss Avenue](http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=all&q=swiss+avenue+dallas+house&m=text), but she also insisted we do some late-evening trick-or-treating in our neighborhood too. In a Nelsongang first, we covered several blocks of both Lakewood Boulevard and Lakeshore Drive. Brave. Very brave, indeed.

Saturday, October 31, 2009

If you're not using pryotechnics, you're not doing it right. Our friends on Swiss Avenue know how to do Halloween right.