Crazy kids, Crazy Life

Fishing in Oregon

2009-07-30T06:35:00.000-07:00

Will has some help landing a monster.

Will really loved driving the boat.

Taylor with a small mouth. We taught her to do the 'long arm' pose!

Rhian with a perch.

Jordan was a little unsure about lipping this small bass. It will be alright Jordy!

Grandpa and I spent a great afternoon on the water with all four of the kids fishing. The perch in the coastal waters of Oregon are known to be wily, and quite often deadly. Well, they were no match for the fishing skills of the Jonckowski children! We even latched onto a number of small mouth bass. It was a great day, topped off by a stop for milkshakes on the way home. Thanks Grandpa! Will had as much, or more, fun waxing the boat as he did fishing!

Poker Run with Papa's Car Club

2009-07-27T05:11:00.000-07:00

Bill's 55 Cameo

Bill and the girls

Hot Rod chicks!

We spent a beautiful summer day on the road with Grandpa Bill and his car club. Will was in heaven, surrounded by all of the old hot rods. Of course, his Papa had the coolest car there! It was a ton of fun and we got to see some beautiful country.

Fourth of July

2009-07-13T08:10:00.000-07:00

Amie gets in on the fun!

Will kept everyone on their toes!

Great Grandpa was there to lend a hand.

Jordan with her sparkler.

Rhian the ham!

Grandma lights some snakes.

Taylor with her sparkler.

The whole gang out in the driveway.

We spent the Fourth of July in Medford, OR with the whole family. We had a wonderful time playing with sparklers, cooking out and relaxing. Will spent most of the day shooting ants (and his sisters) with his new water gun. It is so beautiful there and it was nice to be out of the heat for a few days!

Oregon Cousins

2009-07-11T10:44:00.000-07:00

Jake and "Mini-Me"

The whole gang.

Will making new friends.

Tickle time with cousin Jake.

Buddies!

Will and Aunt Nancy.

We headed out to Oregon to visit the family. We spent our first morning in the Portland area with Aunt Nancy, Uncle Roger and cousins Kimberly and Jake. With Will, Jake has his own 'Mini-Me'. We had a great morning with them and then headed down to Medford for a visit with Bill and Sue.

Rhian turns 11!

2009-06-15T15:59:00.000-07:00

The birthday girl!

Rhian turned 11 Sunday. Holy Crap! We celebrated with ice cream cake for breakfast and trip alone with her folks to the IHOP for something more substantial. We then headed to the store to pick out a new bike! In our continuing efforts to be the worst parents ever we had been lax in teaching Rhian to master a two wheeler. Well, she kept at it all day and was cruising by the end of the afternoon! The kids also spent some time killing the lawn,er, sliding down the super 3-D water slide Will picked out for his sister. The kids all loved it and it made for some refreshing activity on a sticky day. For dinner we made burgers on the grill and relaxed. It was great day!

Taylor with her gifts..Webkinz.

Will with his gift...a 3-D Slip 'n' Slide.

Rhian and her new wheels!

Taylor heads down the slide.

Rhian hamming it up.

Will gives it a try.

Camping at Greenleaf State Park

2009-06-15T15:34:00.001-07:00

We took the kids camping over the weekend. We had tons of fun roaming around the park, taking in the lake, cooking out over the fire, taking a dip in the pool and enjoying some adult beverages. The most memorable part by far was the crazy deer that invaded our camp and began eating right out of our hands. Nuts!

Crazy deer!

Up close and personal!

Will loved pounding in the tent stakes...about every ten minutes just for good measure.

Will and Jordan.

Kevin rockin' some camp breakfast.

Will at the pool. He loved the slide!

Taylor on the rolling log.

Rhian was the first to make it across!

Will decides to give it a go.Will racked out hard on the way home!

Pierced ears for Jordan

2009-06-15T15:26:00.000-07:00

Now that Jordan is all grown up, she has elected to have her ears pierced. Previous mentions of the procedure resulted in hysterical screaming so her parents were somewhat shocked the other day when she announced that she would like holes poked in her ears. She brought along a couple of friends for moral support and survived the procedure in remarkably good shape.

T Ball Under the lights! How cool is that?

2009-05-27T09:02:00.000-07:00

Good shot of the Oklahoma sky at dusk.

Kind of looks like a young Chipper Jones to me.

You can't fake a smile like that!

Just like in the bigs!

Eat bat, ball!

High five from coach Scott.

Not sure about the follow through here!

Will is nearing the end of his first year of T ball, but he got a special treat last night when they got to play under the lights. He has really made good progress with his hitting this year, though his focus in the field remains a tad elusive! Still, he is a ton of fun to watch!

The Grandmas come for a Visit

2009-05-27T08:32:00.000-07:00

The kids were of course thrilled that the Grandma team made it out for a recent visit. They spent lots of time indoors, as it rained every day that they were here! They got to do some cooking, crafts, games and piano duets. Of course they also got take in lots of ice skating and some karate. You just can't help but love your grandma!

Rooster Days Parade

2009-05-27T08:26:00.000-07:00

Rhian and her support team.

The parade.

Sisters waiting for the parade.

Rhian marched in the recent Rooster Days Parade here in Broken Arrow. Her karate school, Apollo's Karate, participated in the parade and later in a karate demonstration. It was a cool, wet morning but we all enjoyed ourselves. Jordan especially enjoyed the free ice cream being given away by the Blue Bell creamery!

Jordan Goes for the Gold!

2009-05-23T10:59:00.001-07:00

Jordan with her medals.

Getting some advice from Coach Martina

Will helps out with the raffle!

Recently Jordan competed in the Spring Spectacular competition at Oilers Ice Center. She did three events, winning gold in compulsory and free skate, and a silver in jumps. Way to go Jordan!

Jordan's First Communion

2009-05-08T07:37:00.000-07:00

Jordan's banner, complete with bling!

Fancy toenails!

A girl has to have her 'mani-pedi- before her big event.

With little brother.

With Rhian.

With Taylor.

Will being quiet at church?

Ready to go with Mom.

She looked so pretty!

On May 2, Jordan made her first communion. Nana Sue, Uncle B and Grandma Diane all came to town to help make the day special. Jordan of course did a fabulous job and we all celebrated by sprinting from the church to a piano recital for Taylor and Rhian. Afterwards we kicked back with some BBQ and presents.

Broken Arrow Music Teachers Festival

2009-05-08T07:30:00.000-07:00

Shopping for some new camo!

Will's favorite

At the entrance.

Recently the older girls participated in the Broken Arrow Music Teachers Association festival. They both had to memorize and perform a piece of music on the piano. They both did a great job! In between performances we ventured down the hill to kill some time at the Bass Pro Shops Super Store. This was a big hit with Will, as he got to check out the fish and test drive all of the boats and quads. We even had time for a stroll around the lake!

Rhian's Karate Test

2009-04-26T09:59:00.000-07:00

Saturday Rhian had another karate test, this time for her recommended black belt. Of course she passed with flying colors! The whole family turned out to watch, even Ms. Jane and the Slanes. We celebrated with lunch at the Which Which afterwards. Rhian has now progressed through 11 ranks, with only her black belt remaining. We are so proud!

Skate Kansas City

2009-04-06T07:32:00.000-07:00

Jordan competed in Skate Kansas City over the weekend. Unfortunately I don't have any photos of her exploits, but she did very well. She won gold in both her compulsory and spins events, silver in jumps and placed sixth in her free skate (she took a tumble on her axel). She made friends in abundance just like always, taking a particular shine to a fellow competitor from Chicago. We are all very proud of her. The attached photo is from another competition, but is from the same program.

Will's first ever at bat!

2009-04-04T10:22:00.000-07:00

Opening Day of Tee Ball!

2009-04-04T10:06:00.000-07:00

Will scores a run.

Ready to head out to the field.

Headed for home!

Getting his thoughts together.

Will had his first official tee ball game today. What a hoot! Reminded me of those 'cat herding' commercials. Tee ball sure has changed since I was a kid! When I was a kid we got a t-shirt and a mesh ball cap. We chose our bats out of a communal bat bag and shared the four or five batting helmets provided by the league. Now, every kid has their own bat, helmet, full uniform, batting gloves, cleats and bat bag. It was a little jarring to see 14 bat bags hanging in the dugout for a game of three and four year olds. I guess time has passed me by. Anyway, the game was a ton of fun. Will did a great job, and is arguably the team's most intense player. He even barreled over a runner for the other team in an effort to field a ground ball. He looked like Jack Lambert out there! Next game is Monday night and I am not sure who is more excited-Father or Son?

Stars on Ice

2009-02-20T06:41:00.000-08:00

Kickin' it in the suite!

Sasha Cohen signs for Katherine. I love the look on Taylor's face! (she is to the right)

Sasha signing for Taylor

Rhian with former World Champion, Todd Eldredge

The group with two time U.S. National champion and two time Olympic medalist, Evan Lysacek.

The 'Stars on Ice' tour came to Tulsa this past Sunday and through the generosity of the Tulsa Figure Skating Club, and some good friends, the kids got to take in all of the action from the privacy of a corporate box. The girls all had a blast and even got to meet the skaters afterwards. Jordan was near fainting when she got to meet Olympic Silver Medalist, Sasha Cohen!

The best part of being a kid....

2009-02-12T16:03:00.000-08:00

The best part about being a kid is that all you need to play basketball in Madison Square Garden is a mostly deflated balloon left over from your birthday party, some laundry baskets and a couple of bar stools. I walked into the kitchen over the weekend to discover Will playing basketball with these exact accessories. It made me smile, thinking back to when I was a kid. Though he couldn't quite dunk, he was money from downtown!

Sooner State Games

2009-02-11T15:37:00.001-08:00

Jordan and Peyton

Basking in the glow!

Jordan with some of her loot.

We spent the weekend in OKC for Sooner State 2009. Amie ran the volunteer program, even enlisting the help of the girls. Both of the girls skated great! Taylor won one gold and two bronze medals. Jordan won two silvers and a bronze. They love hotel living and made great use of the pool and take out food!

Monkeys number one and two.

Taylor and Jamie. Friends first, competitors second.

Rhian acted as a runner, helping to post event results.

William turns Four!

2009-02-08T11:44:00.001-08:00

The Birthday Kids!

Good Morning!

Presents and cake, the breakfast of champions!

Our little buddy turned four years old the other day and we celebrated with Birthday cake for breakfast and presents. A couple of day later we had a joint party for him and his sister Jordan at Pump it Up. All of the kids had a blast and got quite a workout by the time it was over. I still can't quite believe that he is four already.

Jordan and her buddy Carly.

One of the inflatables at Pump it Up. This was Will's favorite, along with the obstacle course.

Jordan, always the ham.

Taylor makes it down the slide.

Rhian and April.

Will is ready to celebrate.

Jordan blows out her candle.

A little patty cake to celebrate!

Super Bowl Weekend!

2009-02-03T17:53:00.000-08:00

Ready to Roll!

On Sunday we had the "Super Fans" ready to watch the Super Bowl. Amie fired up the offspring and everyone was decked out in black and gold. A special shout out to the Slane family for continuing to associate with us even after the show we put on! Amie's lifelong dedication to the Steelers, cemented during formative years when she got to meet Terry "Super Wanker" Bradshaw, paid off once again when they snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. Welcome to "Sixburgh" baby!

We were able to enlist the help of Martha Stewart in a place setting design.

Intense!

Will crashed before the big play! Poor little guy!

Day Six-The Bahamas

2009-01-28T12:28:00.001-08:00

The port in Castaway Cay

Our final day of the cruise was spent on Disney's private island in the Bahamas. Dad started the day with the 5k fun run while Mom and the family hit the beach. We did some serious lounging! The Grandparents took the children to swim with the stingrays, where they got to feed and interact with the rays. It was the most relaxing day of the entire trip! Mom even got to enjoy a few signature chocolate margaritas! The next day we headed for home.

Will builds a sand castle.

Uncle Billy with a chocolate margarita!

Amie too!

Will and Papa sword fighting in the pirate tradition.

Rhian and Jordan beneath the shade of a palm tree.

Will tries on Papa's new Margaritaville hat!

The whole gang with the ship in the background. Also visible is the Flying Dutchman from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

Take that big sisters!!

Exhausted, Will fell asleep at the Orlando airport! Too much fun for such a little guy!

Day Five-At Sea

2009-01-28T11:59:00.000-08:00

Papa and Will at breakfast

Day number five was spent at sea. The kids enjoyed the character breakfast complete with funny hats made from napkins. Rhian and Jordan also participated in the kid program produced show "Friendship Rocks!" Will especially loved the unlimited chocolate pastries at breakfast!

Jordan and Nana

Taylor channeling Goofy

Group shot with Mr. Mouse

Rhian with a beautiful bow!

Grandparents and Grandkids

Cuba! You could see Cuba from our stateroom balcony.

Day Four-Cozumel, Mexico

2009-01-24T07:40:00.001-08:00

The port in Cozumel.

We sailed through the night and arrived in Cozumel first thing in the morning. It was a cool rainy day in Mexico but we still had a great time. We blew all of our money on a shore excursion for Amie, the girls and the Grandparents to swim with the Dolphins. It was the highlight of the trip for them! It was something that Amie has always wanted to do and I am glad she got to do it! That night we celebrated with a pirate themed dinner on board the ship. What a great day!

Three Pirates!

This is the kind of factory store that I can get behind!

Jordan goes for a Dolphin ride!

Rhian too!

Even Papa got into the act.

Amie got to fulfill her lifelong dream of swimming with the Dolphins.

Jordan shaking "hands".

Taylor gets a kiss.

Taylor basking in the "fun"!

Rhian

Rhian gets a kiss.

Taylor goes for a ride!

Making new friends!

Smoochy, Smoochy!

Day Three-Grand Cayman Island

2009-01-24T07:23:00.000-08:00

The port on Grand Cayman

Nana, Pop and the girls make landfall.

Three hams at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville

There are still pirates in these waters!

There were these enormous Iguanas all over the island. Some were almost five feet long from nose to tail. Amie was not impressed!

Taylor and Will on Six Mile Beach

Jordan soaking up some rays!

Rhian and Jordan enjoy the ocean.

After a day at sea we made port on Grand Cayman Island. We spent the day sight-seeing and lounging on famous Six Mile Beach. It was a beautiful, warm Caribbean day. The kids all enjoyed swimming in the ocean, except for Will who did not care much for the "saucy water". It was a tad shocking to see the tremendous reach of American franchise restaurants. On the cab ride to the beach we passed a KFC, Pizza Hut, Papa Johns and a Wendy's. Who goes to grand Cayman for a Frosty? We did pass an interesting Irish pub called Fidel O'Riellys. It featured a leprechaun on the sign with a striking likeness to Fidel Castro. It was very relaxing day!

Day Two

2009-01-22T06:59:00.000-08:00

This is our waitress, Daniella. She was from Serbia and has visited Poland many times. She even taught us some key phrases in Polish, like "Beer Please!" She was very smitten with Jordan who collected the chocolates from her pillow every night and gave them to her.

This is Taylor on our formal night. She looks so grown up!

Sunset at sea.

Will enjoying the water jets!

Will rides the Mickey slide!

Jordan on the slide platform. What a ham!

Our second day was spent at sea, enjoying all that the ship had to offer. The kids lounged around the pool and we had a formal dinner that evening. Will was especially fond of the 'water jets' in the kiddie pool. It was a beautiful day and we all enjoyed soaking up some of the Caribbean sun.

Day One-Key West, FL

2009-01-18T16:54:00.001-08:00

Land Ho! (This might be my favorite William picture of all time!)

The port in Key West.

We arrived in Key West and spent the day wandering around the island. We took in the original Margaritaville, Sloppy Joe's bar, the Truman summer White house, Ernest Hemmingway's home, the beach where Tennessee Williams used to write and the southern most point in the continental United States. In other words, we did that sucker up Griswald style! Dad got a little cranky by the end of the day! Thank God for booze! Dad was also battling a serious bout of nicotine withdrawal and was not on his best behavior! Still, we managed to have a great time shopping and so forth. We would all love to go back and spend some more time there!

The family at the southern-most point in the continental United States. As you can see, Will showed his excitement by collapsing asleep! I think that comes from Grandpa Dave?

Amie and Bill as we were docking.

The girls at the southern-most beach in America.

World Famous!

In front of the Hemmingway house.

Taylor was psyched to see this sign!

Caribbean Vacation 2009

2009-01-18T09:28:00.001-08:00

Sunset in Port Canaveral as we set out to "sail the seeds", as Will says

Buddies at the cast off party

Perhaps they don't get enough attention at home?

Taylor, Papa Bill and Uncle Billy at the cast off party

Taylor and Will waiting to board the ship.

Will was not all that happy about the safety drill!

Given our abuse of prescription medication, we once again found ourselves in an altered state and agreeing to travel with all of our offspring. No simple weekend excursion would get it done for us, we had to take them out of the country! Damn those opiates! We embarked on a Disney brand cruise to the Caribbean this past week. Over the coming days I will be posting the highlights of that trip, as best as I can remember them (we consumed a tremendous amount of rum). I am sure all of our blog followers will be excited (both of you!) to see our vacation unfold. Today's installment: cast off and day one in Key West, Florida. Get ready to live!

Watch Out Grant Fuhr!

2008-12-29T10:04:00.001-08:00

Will has been going crazy with his mini-sticks that his cousins sent him for Christmas! His favorite is to play goalie, using a laundry basket as a net. He is quite an animal!

Family Ice Show

2008-12-28T17:25:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the poor quality of this video-our camera died just as the kids were about to go on! Of course! Still, you get the idea. Four goofballs having fun!

Christmas 2008

2008-12-26T18:05:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2008 was spent with the relatives from Oregon. We ordered Christmas dinner in a box, figuring that would be an easy way to handle the meal. Unfortunately, the dinner was not hot and ready to serve as we believed. Instead it was frozen as hard as a brick! We did get it heated up and we all enjoyed it. The kids had a ball opening presents and such. It was a nice simple holiday. One we will remember for years.

Christmas Eve Hockey

2008-12-26T17:46:00.000-08:00

Santa Claus is coming to town...

2008-12-22T15:44:00.000-08:00

Will makes a very jolly Santa!

Yuletide Music!

2008-12-22T15:05:00.001-08:00

With Grandma Nana in town, the piano has been getting a tremendous amount of use! Lots of fun for all involved!

An Ice Skating Christmas

2008-12-20T16:44:00.001-08:00

All of the kids had the opportunity to participate in the annual figure skating club ice show, even little brother! Will played the role of the Grinch, while his sisters were the, "Whos down in Whoville". It seemed to be well received by all and the girls had a ball dragging their kid brother around the ice. They are already working on themes for next year's performance.

Will's Christmas Show

2008-12-20T16:27:00.000-08:00

Will had his annual Christmas show at school this week. He was a somewhat reluctant participant during the singing portion of the event, but he seemed very pleased to be flirting with one of the little girls in his class. We are not sure how to feel about that!

Cowboys vs. Steelers

2008-12-13T11:08:00.000-08:00

One happy couple!

Will pretending to be Tony Romo!

Rhian and Will getting ready to go.

Father and Son.

Last Sunday the Cowboys and Steelers renewed acquaintances and we took the opportunity to throw a party! Sadly, the Steelers won the game but a great time was had by all!

Jordan is Eight!

2008-12-13T10:50:00.000-08:00

Every young girls dream...a monster truck from her little brother!

Jordan and her American Girl ice skating doll

Right out of bed and down to the presents!

Our youngest little girl is 8 already! Crazy! Jordan had a fantastic day. She celebrated with the Tulsa FSC during the club's scheduled ice time. We had cake and presents and the whole nine yards. She is such a ball of fire that sometimes it seems like she is closer to 20 than to 10!

Piano Recital

2008-11-30T09:54:00.000-08:00

Taylor wore the Santa hat for extra credit!

Rhian performing 'O Come all ye Faithful'.

A Packed house.

Ready to go on!

On Saturday, Taylor and Rhian both participated in a piano recital at an area Barnes and Noble bookstore. They both performed Christmas pieces and did an excellent job. Great work girls!

Thanksgiving Feast

2008-11-30T09:12:00.000-08:00

The kids are ready to enjoy the day!

We had a very quiet Thanksgiving in Oklahoma this year. For the first time that we can recall we did not host, not travel to, a big dinner. Nearly all of our local friends have their own families close by to celebrate the holiday with so we spent the afternoon all by ourselves. It was actually kind of fun! Having lived in the south for nearly 10 years now (scary!) we decided to make a Tur-duc-hen. This is a turkey breast stuffed with chicken and duck. Hence the name! I t was quite good! The kids all helped make dinner, then we sat down to watch the Cowboys destroy the Seahawks. Awesome! Will was running around our living room pretending he was Tony Romo! After the game we put up the tree and watched Christmas movies. It was a great day indeed!

Forsaking Tur-duc-hen, Will opts for his favorite, monkey and cheese.

130 pounds of slobbering stupidity

Taylor gives her little brother a hand with the ornaments.

Mom gives Rhian a hand.

Jordan inspects the tree.

Amie's Birthday!

2008-11-23T14:02:00.000-08:00

Mom and her kids

We celebrated Amie's birthday on Saturday. Rhian and Jordan made their mother some custom bath salts, milk bath and oatmeal soap. Taylor pitched in with a chocolate mousse cheesecake and the whole family bought Mom a new electronic book called a kindle. Rhian also painted an original work of art featuring Donald Duck. We all went to lunch at the Santa Fe (very popular with the kids because you can throw your peanut shells on the floor!). Then we attended the TU-Tulane football game with the Slane family. TU won going away in Amie's honor and we spent a quiet evening at home.

Rhian, Taylor and Bailey

Mom and Will try to keep warm

Jordan loves the kettle corn at the ball game!

A view of the crowd. Not a sell out on Saturday-evidently Tulsans were unaware of the occasion?

Everyone cutting up!

Touchdown! (I love this photo!)

Rhian's Birthday Trip

2008-11-23T13:32:00.001-08:00

What a nut!

We have a family tradition that when each of the children reach their tenth birthday, they get to take a "Mommy and Me' trip just the two of them. Rhian and Amie made their trip this November. They spent a week at Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL. Nana and Uncle B also joined them for a few days. The two of them had a great time taking in all of the sights and rides. As a bonus, they also got to see a space shuttle launch and Jessica Simpson! They also spent a day at the spa complete with Mommy and Me massages. The timing of the trip was a surprise to Rhian! The two of them were taking Dad to the airport to attend a meeting only to find out that he was headed home and the two of them were boarding the airplane. It was a great time for all involved!

Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum indeed!

At the spa.

Ready for some pampering...

Fun with Nana

With Nana and Uncle B

The cutest viking I have ever seen!

Halloween Fun!

2008-11-02T16:12:00.000-08:00

Crazy Group! Rhian (pig), Taylor (Diane Fossey, Gorilla researcher), Will (Indiana Jones) and Jordan (Spooky Witch).

Goofy Girls!

Indiana Jones!

We had a week of Halloween fun. William had his school program, consisting of some spooky songs, costume parade and tons of candy. We also made a visit to the pumpkin patch, carved Jack-o-Lanterns and went trick or treating. We ventured around the neighborhood with our cul-de sac mates the Terry and Cleveland families. That was especially nice as the Cleveland family is moving to Switzerland after the first of the year. The weather was perfect! We have been in the 80's during the days the last few days, so it was a very mild evening. It was great fall weekend!

Rhian designing her Jack-o-lantern.

Will picks a winner at the pumpkin patch.

Rhian at the pumpkin patch.

Will and his girlfriend, Kate, at the preschool Halloween show.

Harber Village

2008-10-27T08:05:00.000-07:00

Rhian and her congregation

On Sunday we took the kids out to Harber Village with the Slane family. The village is located in Grove,OK on Grand Lake of the Cherokees. It is an old time village filled with antiques and collections of every shape and size. Most of the building are set up to resemble scenes from days gone by, with appropriate vignettes in each (general store, bank, school, etc.). It was a beautiful fall day and the kids had a ball. There was much to see and do and the admission for the whole family was only $7. You can't beat that!

Will takes in the view from the front porch of a cabin

Rhian and Jordan at the wishing well

Some of the buildings near the lake shore

A view of the lake

Will and Momma enjoy the sights (It appears Mom more than Will!)

Rhian and Jordan

How is this for a water main?

Part of the village

Goofy kids!

Glow Skate with the Figure Skating Club

2008-10-27T07:58:00.000-07:00

Taylor and Bailey

Group Photo

On Saturday morning the figure skating club held it's annual glow skate. They turn off most of all of the lights and the kids get to skate around with all sorts of glowing accessories on their person. It is always a bit hit, accompanied by the appropriate Halloween attire and candy. This year Taylor went as Diane Fossey (of course!), Rhian went as a pig and Jordan went as a benevolent witch. It was a very fun morning!

Family Night at the Football game

2008-10-21T05:43:00.000-07:00

We are sitting in the far corner, about 8 rows up. See us?
Here is the view from our seats. We are only about 8 rows off of the field but we were in the end zone. For free, they were pretty darn good!

Just a little while back we took the whole clan to a University of Tulsa football game. It was a perfect autumn evening, the temperature right around 70 degrees. Tulsa beat Rice, 63-28. The kids especially loved the hot kettle corn! In case you haven't been paying attention, the Golden Hurricane are now up to #19 in the latest poll! The stadium has been totally renovated, making game time a much more festive event. Unfortunately most of our kid photos did not turn out but we still had a great time. Jordan spent the entire first half waiving to the cheerleaders!

Halloween comes early!

2008-10-19T13:56:00.000-07:00

Homemade pizza!

While Dad was out for the evening at the zoo, the rest of the family had a party of their own. Rhian and Jordan decided on a Halloween theme. They bobbed for apples, made pizza from a pizza kit, painted their faces, danced to Halloween music, scarfed ice cream and had a movie night with Mom. It was indeed a good night! The pictures were taken with Mom's IPhone so they are a little grainy. Sorry!
Jordan bobbing for apples. Note the degree of difficulty. A glorified cereal bowl!
Success!
Rhian comes up a winner!
Spooky faces!

Taylor's Birthday Night at the zoo!

2008-10-18T10:58:00.001-07:00

Bailey putting on a show in the tent!

In celebration of Taylor's birthday, her brave father (and an even braver Mr. Slane) journeyed to the Tulsa Zoo for 'Starry Safari' 2008. For those unfamiliar, it is an event that allows overnight camping inside the zoo. We pitched our tent and enjoyed a catered dinner, unlimited rides on the zoo train and carousel, special presentations ans s'mores. The girls seemed to have a great time and even managed to get some sleep (though not nearly enough for their father's taste). All of the kids were very well behaved and seemed to start a new trend when they began rolling down the hillside outside of the amphitheater. Soon a dozen or more children were enjoying the activity, prompting Taylor's Dad to remark, "Who brought those silly girls? Glad they're not my kids!" We all had a great time and everyone survived intact. Mission accomplished!
Getting up close and personal with the flamingos

What a group! From left: Bailey, Jenny, Taylor, Amanda(back) and Chelsea. All members of the Tulsa Figure Skating Club.
Our home for the night
Jenny and Taylor on the carousel
A more opportune photo had never been taken!
The girls at the science show

Taylor is 12!

2008-09-25T10:34:00.000-07:00

Rhian flying a jet pack on Mars
Will testing out the aerodynamics of an F-16
Will enjoying the planetarium
The Jonckowski girls launching the space shuttle
Will climbing up the monkey bars

A view of the facility
Goofy Girls!
Taylor, future world champion figure skater/fighter pilot
Jordan trying out the paper airplane launching pad
Rhian flying

This past Sunday our baby girl turned 12. We had our traditional birthday cake breakfast and present unwrapping. Taylor wanted to visit the Air and Space museum so that is exactly what we did! We had a great day checking out all of the aircraft and experiments. The kids got to fly a fighter jet, launch the space shuttle, fire a rocket, drive a jet pack on Mars, play on the playground, and on and on. We also took in a show at the planetarium (though both father and son fell asleep). It was a great day topped off with Taylor's choice of fried chicken for dinner. It is is amazing to me that she is 12 years old already. Time does indeed fly when you are having fun!

Rhian's Harvest

2008-09-10T18:52:00.001-07:00

Rhian has been very busy tending to her garden. We have picked oodles of bell peppers, grape tomatoes, regular tomatoes, carrots and finally....her first watermelon! She is proving to have quite the green thumb!

Will's First Day of School

2008-08-26T19:28:00.000-07:00

Jordan lends some moral support
Will is fired up and ready to roll
Still smiling!
Mom is right by his side!

Today was Will's first day of school. He has been upgraded to the Bee's class for this year. He was very excited to see his favorite girl Kate! The whole family went with him to drop him off and make our usual big production. He seemed to enjoy the day. He wore his "good luck" shirt with a picture of Papa's truck on it. Live it up until Mama gets her hooks into you little boy!

Rhian's Brown Belt Test

2008-08-25T16:57:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday Rhian tested for her brown belt. She did an amazing job! She had to do 50 push ups, complete her form and one step, show her jujitsu moves, break a board using her flying side kick and spar with two people at once! It was very hard work! We are so proud of her! Only two more ranks to go until she is a black belt.

Rhian's Form

2008-08-25T16:30:00.000-07:00

A Night at the Drillers Game

2008-08-10T18:23:00.000-07:00

At the entance to Driller's Stadium
Four goof balls mugging for the camera!
Will enjoying some popcorn and baseball.
The view from our seats. Not bad for free!

On Friday night we took the whole family 'out to the ballgame' when we attended a Tulsa Drillers game. The Drillers are the double A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. It was a beautiful night, which was a welcome break from the unruly heat that we have had here lately. It was close game until the Drillers added a couple of insurance runs in the bottom of the seventh and then 8 insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth to win 13-2. We all had a great time!

The Blue Hole Park

2008-07-27T09:18:00.000-07:00

Jordan catching some rays
William cooling off
The girls relaxing in the creek

Will testing the water
Bathing Beauties
Taking young Will for a ride
Giving Mom some sugar
Hanging out with Mr. Slane

For a true Oklahoma experience we journeyed with our friends, the Slane Family, to the Blue Hole Park near Salina, OK. The Blue Hole Park is an old-fashioned swimming hole fed by a natural spring. The water is crystal clear and very cold! It was a tremendous relief as the day we were there the heat index was about 108. The Slanes brought a grill and charcoal and we cooked out along the creek bank. The kids spent the afternoon swimming, jumping in the creek on the rope swing and catching crayfish. Crayfish catching was a much bigger hit than I expected! It amused them for hours! In the true Oklahoma spirit we got to witness a touching exchange between the couple camped next to us. Clearly inebriated, the husband attempted to woo his young companion by backing over her with the family car, nearly breaking her leg and pinning her to the picnic table. She responded to the amorous advance by picking up a chair and pounding the back of the vehicle. It was truly touching, as they laid into each other with an obscenity laced tirade. Who says the locals don't know h0w to have a good time?

Taylor on the Swing

2008-07-27T09:14:00.000-07:00

Rhian on the Swing

2008-07-27T09:11:00.000-07:00

Blue Bell Ice Cream Taste of Summer

2008-07-27T08:31:00.000-07:00

The local Corvette club had a display at the Taste of Summer
You can see the ominous clouds in the back ground
What makes a little boy happier than unlimited ice cream?
Kevin's shirt: Save the Humans! Taylor's Shirt: Save the Whales!
Will had all he could take!

Anyone who has ever lived in, or visited, the south knows that Blue Bell Ice Cream is absolutely the best ice cream in the whole world. We happen to be fortunate enough to have a Blue Bell creamery right here in our town. Once a year they open up the place to the public and they call it the Taste of Summer. For five bucks you get all the ice cream you can eat. Every flavor they make is available as well as every type of bar, sandwich and Popsicle. They also have live music, Jupiter jumps, and other assorted distractions. Unfortunately the weather this year was not ideal but we still had a great time. Will had so much fun that he collapsed on his mother's shoulder!

Assorted Montana Fun

2008-07-27T08:23:00.000-07:00

Uncle Josh turns 35

2008-07-27T08:17:00.000-07:00

Smores

2008-07-27T08:10:00.001-07:00

Red, White and Blue Night

2008-07-27T07:59:00.001-07:00

Luau Night

2008-07-27T07:50:00.001-07:00

Water Balloon Fight!

2008-07-27T07:42:00.000-07:00

Pool Time!

2008-07-27T07:32:00.000-07:00

Egg Toss

2008-07-27T07:27:00.000-07:00

The kids (and Grandpa) got a chance to play the good old-fashioned game of egg toss.

Lake Hills Golf Club

2008-07-27T07:17:00.000-07:00

Among the many highlights of our trip home was a the chance I got to play golf one morning with James, Erik and my Dad. Total old school crew. In my lifetime I would be willing to bet that I have still played more rounds of golf at Lake Hills than any other golf club I have ever been a member of.

Fiesta Night

2008-07-26T21:38:00.000-07:00

Aunt Julie went above and beyond by scheduling a series of themed dinners while we were back home. One of those was a fiesta complete with a pinata! Even Great Grandpa dressed up for the occasion!

Dayton River Dance

2008-07-26T21:35:00.000-07:00

The Sample Yard

2008-07-26T21:14:00.000-07:00

One afternoon we turned the kids loose in the Sample's font yard to damage whatever they could. Have you ever seen a pair of three year olds play baseball? Well get ready to live!

A day at the golf Course

2008-07-26T21:02:00.000-07:00

Young Sample lines up a putt Villegas style
The Sample Boys
Grandpa and most of his crew

A quality group shot
On the first tee
Jordan and Will driving the cart
Dayton and Jordan
Putts better than his dad that is for sure!

One afternoon Grandpa, Great Grandpa and Dad took all of the cousins out to the golf course. We were joined by the Sample Boys as well. Though the course record did not fall all survived intact. Uncle Bob and Aunt Terri met us at Old Chicago for a post round lunch a well deserved cold beverage.

The Old Cabin

2008-07-26T20:43:00.000-07:00

Hiking down the old road
The entrance to the Lewis and Clark National Forest
Grandma and Grandson throwing rocks in the creek
A view across the creek
Happy kids out for a hike

Aunt Jewelry and her boys
A view from the front gate
The old cabin
Dad takes in the view
Grandma preparing dinner over the campfire

All of the cousins on the canyon gate
Great Grandpa Larry
Grandma Diane in Swimming Woman Creek
The kids hunting for fossils in a cave
The kids and Ozzie take in the view from the top of the hill

We took a day trip up to the old family cabin. It has now been in the family for over 80 years. It had been at least 15 years since I had been up there and the old girl looks even better than I remember. We did some hiking and threw rocks in the creek. Grandma Diane made us a meal of spaghetti and meatballs over the campfire. We were privileged to have Great Grandpa Larry along for the ride as well. The kids got to see some wildlife like antelope and deer, even a golden Eagle that greeted us as we approached the cabin. Pretty damn cool if you ask me.

Horse-back Riding

2008-07-26T20:23:00.000-07:00

Happy campers
Taylor takes a shot
Taylor has found a new friend

Will making new friends
Dayton on board
Dawson takes a donkey for a walk
Rhian and Aunt Lynn

Horse-back Riding

2008-07-26T20:07:00.000-07:00

Dad and Will go for a ride
Jordan meets a horse
Dawson and Aunt Lynn
The group around the campfire
Jordan enjoys the fire

Aunt Lynn was gracious enough to host a crop of greenhorns out at her place for an afternoon of riding. It was a big thrill for all of the kids, especially Jordan who once dressed up as Seabiscuit for Halloween (yes the horse, not his jockey). At the end of the afternoon we finished up with a prize grab and some s'mores. It was good authentic Montana style fun.

A Night at the Mustangs Game

2008-07-26T19:58:00.000-07:00

The whole family at the old ball game
Grandpa, Rhian and Dawson on the left field rail
Aunt Jewelry, Jordan and Dayton
Rhian take in all of the sights

We attended a Mustangs game on Sunday night. The Ponies won and a good time was had by all. The new ballpark is fantastic and the kids even got to run the bases!

Our Trip to Montana

2008-07-26T19:41:00.000-07:00

Taylor and Will at the Tulsa Airport as we depart

During July we loaded up the kids and headed north to Montana
to visit the Polish side of the family. We had a great time!

Afternoon at the Opera

2008-06-20T07:58:00.000-07:00

Amie and Rhian attended an afternoon performance of Phantom of the Opera in celebration of her 10th birthday. They both had a ball and topped the day off with a trip to Hideaway Pizza. The best pizza in the world!

Rhian's Birthday!

2008-06-14T18:48:00.000-07:00

Rhian blowing out her candles
Phantom of the Opera tickets
Jordan with her gift-bean seeds!
Three happy girls

Rhian turned 10 on June 14! We started the day with a Jonckowski family tradition-cake for breakfast! Rhian opened her presents and was thrilled by all of them, especially tickets to the Phantom of the Opera! She and Amie will be attending at the Tulsa PAC this week. To top the day off she did some power shopping with Mom followed by a meal at the Melting Pot. She seemed to have a great day. We are so proud of her!

Gardens for the Girls

2008-05-30T10:53:00.000-07:00

On Grandma Diane's recent visit we headed out to the garden center. Each of the girls were given a budget and allowed to pick out which plants they wanted to grow. Taylor and Jordan both opted to plant flower gardens with a mix of perennials, roses and annuals. Rhian opted to plant a vegetable garden. They all had a great time and head out to the back yard every morning to check on the progress of the various plants. We send Sitka out there on varmit patrol to run off any would be garden pests.

Our Own Indiana Jones

2008-05-30T10:45:00.000-07:00

With the recent release of the new Indiana Jones movie, Will has been going through a period of particular fascination with the famous archaeologist. He even has come up with his own signature, Indiana-inspired look. He normally has a flyswatter stuffed in his belt loop to use for a whip. The photo is absolutely one of my favorites. To me it is what being a kid is all about. Coming up with a costume out of stuff around the house and play-acting the drama all afternoon in the back yard with your big, dumb dog by your side!

Another of Rhian's Board Breaks

2008-05-29T20:41:00.000-07:00

This is an additional video of Rhian breaking boards at karate. Watch out future boyfriends!

Evening Trip to the Driving Range

2008-05-29T20:29:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful late spring evening here tonight so I loaded up the kids and headed to the local driving range. They believe in a 'links style' turf maintenance program there, which is to say it is about as well groomed as a goat ranch. In other words, it is the perfect place for young children to swat balls! They all seemed to enjoy themselves and particularly loved petting the range cat. Will even hit so many balls that he got a blister! Jordan cleaned all of the clubs when we were done, though she complained about the tip she received. A great way to spend some time with the kids!

Taylor at the Driving Range

2008-05-29T20:23:00.000-07:00

New Piano

2008-05-29T20:08:00.000-07:00

Taylor and Rhian have been taking piano lessons for about a year and they finally got their own piano! They have been practicing like crazy and seem to love the new instrument.

Jordan, Ice Skating Princess

2008-05-25T18:08:00.000-07:00

Jordan is our youngest daughter and in addition to her budding career as a rock star, she is also our resident social butterfly and skating prodigy. Given that we are new to the blog thing it has become apparent to me that we will certainly need a post for each of the children to avoid total anarchy. Jordan competed in the annual Spring Fling competition here in town on May 17 and won gold in both the compulsory and free skate events. We do not yet have photographic evidence of her performance but you can enjoy these photos of her skating prowess, taken at the State Games of America competition last August in Colorado Springs.

Skate Kansas City

2008-05-25T17:36:00.000-07:00

Taylor traveled with some family friends from the figure skating club to compete in Kansas City, MO in the annual Skate Kansas City competition. While there Taylor had a tremendous time and won a gold medal for her compulsory performance. She also skated a beautiful free program though the judges didn't seem to like it as much as her family did. We even got a chance to visit with our friends the Georges while we were in town.

Rhian's Karate Test

2008-05-25T17:04:00.000-07:00

Recently Rhian tested (successfully) for her red belt at Apollo's Karate. For those of you unfamiliar with the belt ranking system used in karate, there are 12 rankings between a white belt and a black belt. The ninth belt in that progression is the red belt. Needless to say, we are all enormously proud of Rhian and all of her hard work!