From Sydney to Sydney

A couple of years ago Karen had the opportunity to help our her Uncle Dennis by donating bone marrow.  She had gone through numerous tests to confirm she was a proper match.  Before we knew it, Karen and I were on a 14 hour flight with an 18 month old, destined for Australia.

While we were there we made several trips to the hospital for testing and for the actual procedure, but we did get to enjoy spending some time with Kris, Becca, and Dennis.  We also got to see some of the sights of Sydney. 

This April, Uncle Dennis made the jump over the big blue pond to make several stops in the U.S. This gave us a chance to catch up and visit while he was here.  So, he literally traveled from his wonderful Sydney to our wonderful Sydney.  I know, from Sydney to Sydney sounds like the sequel to another bad chick flick.  But, of course, Sydney was thoroughly excited to have company.  We managed to have some great conversation about tips for creating the best espresso, and also shared camera tricks for getting a great image.  All in all, a very fun day.  We hope he enjoyed his time in the states, and will look forward to the next time we get to see him.

In other news, Sydney completed her last swim class.  She'll take a little break before beginning whatever he next endeavor is.  Beyond that, we expect a busy busy summer with a trip to Florida, then a trip to Montana for a wedding, and then the arrival of our friends from Japan.  This will certainly be a very full schedule, but it's all fun stuff that we are looking forward to.

That's it for now, but we'll have some fun things to share soon! 

Have a great weekend!!!

Fury on Wheels!

What is pink, has two wheels, and cruises faster than the speed of light??? If you guessed Sydney’s new bike, then you were correct (actually, it’s four if you count the training wheels). It’s pink in color, but really all you see is a streak of pink light as she blazes past you. The shutter speed on my camera cannot even compensate for the velocity. Okay, that’s a little bit of an overstatement. She’s actually still in the process of learning how the pedaling works, let alone pedaling fast. She hasn’t been able to acquire mobility under her own power yet, but there is a handy handle that protrudes out the back of the bike, allowing me to push and also help steer. It also lets me help her rapidly accelerate at times, which she finds highly entertaining.

We had thought about getting her a tricycle, but then ultimately considered just moving straight to a bicycle that has training wheels. She’s been terribly excited about the whole thing. And, of course, safety is important. The acquisition of a new bike required obtaining a helmet to help protect her small, yet rapidly developing brain. As a result, she managed to get a ‘Tangled’ helmet (aka Rapunzel). A purple helmet and a pink bike…could it get any more girlie? That’s ok…she has fun and loves it, and that’s all a big manly daddy like myself could ask for.

In other news, Sydney will finish up her swim class in a couple of weeks. She’ll hopefully be able to put her new skills to the test when we go on vacation soon. Our resort has a pool slide, but she said she didn’t want to go down it. Perhaps she’ll change her mind once we’re there and she sees how much fun it is. She is a bit of a thrill seeker.  Until the next time, have a great weekend!!!

Sydney also wanted to wish her Great-Grandma Pagels a very

Happy Birthday!!!