Joey's First Kumite

Joey's been studying Karate for a couple of years now, and he's progressed through a rainbow of different colored belts as a "little dragon". He was recently invited to move up to the Juniors program so he can begin learning some basic forms, katas and kumite (sparring) techniques. Here is a short video of Joey's first kumite.

Pond Hockey (well, sort of)

Michael has been getting a lot of ice time this week by practicing on a skating rink behind the firehouse. When it gets cold enough, they dump a full tank of water (about 1500 gallons) on the rink to smooth it out. Here is a movie of Michael playing with Uncle Stephen.

The Happy Napper

He must have had a busy day at Nursery School today. Actually, it's been a tough week for Ryan. He had tubes but in both ears yesterday (for the third time) and he spent much of the morning recovering from the anesthesia they gave him during the procedure.

Ryan's First Day of School

Ryan started Nursery School this morning. He did great! He colored a picture with crayons, made a dog out of a paper bag, and listened to the teacher read a story.

Michael and Jamie

We met Jamie Langenbrunner (captain of NJ Devils) at the snack counter after Michael's game in Randolph yesterday. His son plays for the Montclair Blues.

Our first batch of wings

Danielle and the boys got me a deep fryer for Christmas so we could experiment with new Michael-safe chicken wing recipes. Here's how we made our first batch:

8 tbsp Frank's Hot Sauce

2 tsp white vinegar

3 tbsp Earth Balance imitation butter

1 shake of garlic powder

1 shake of red pepper

1 shake of oregano

some salt and pepper

Stir the sauce over low heat. Bread fresh wings in flour (no eggs or milk) and deep fry for 16 minutes at 375 degrees. Cover with sauce and serve with a lot of water!

Cousins

We had another great visit from our nephew, Quentin. It was sad to watch him leave this morning, but I'm thankful for the time we got to spend with him. It's amazing how fast the boys grow up.

In this picture, their hockey gear doubled as protective armor for the mock battle in our basement.

Santa Run

Michael helped out this year on the Santa Run. It was pretty cold, but for the first time in 2 or 3 years, it wasn't snowing or raining. We drove around town for seven hours handing out candy canes then returned to the firehouse for pizza, subs and birch beer.

A special "thank you" goes out to my wife and other people that served us cookies and hot chocolate along the way.

Thanksgiving Hockey Tournament

We spent Thanksgiving Weekend in Philadelphia at a hockey tournament. Our hotel was right next to a railroad and the airport, so there was plenty of stuff to see right from our window.

We also visited the Camden Aquarium and swam in the hotel pool between games. On the way home, we stopped at Geno's Steaks for an authentic Philly Cheese Steak with Wiz (that's the way you have to ask for it - it's short for Cheese Wiz).

One year later...

2009 vs 2010

Joey-ism

The boys and I got haircuts tonight. When we got back home, I helped Joey get his pajamas on and asked how he liked his haircut. He said "it's ok, but it kills girls". I had to think about it for a minute, and then I remembered... after the barber finished cutting Joey's hair, he stepped back and said "now that's a ladykiller haircut!"

Buddies Day

The boys and I had a long overdue Buddies Day on Sunday. We started by going to the local pet store to look at the fish and other animals. The store had this huge tank of crickets, and of course Ryan had to remove the lid to look inside. I'm not sure how many escaped before I saw what he was doing and closed the lid :)

Our next stop was 7-11 so we could get some Slurpees and bring them to Horseshoe Lake. It was 60 degrees and sunny, but it was a little too cold to drink them outside so we headed back to the truck and finished them in the parking lot.

For the rest of the afternoon, we just drove around Roxbury to look at train tracks and old railroad bridges. The town received stimulus money to restore some of the rail lines, and I think most people are against the idea of more trains going through our town, but the kids and I agree that trains are cool so we don't mind. I can't wait to show them what happens to a penny when you leave it on the tracks.

Atlantic City

Danielle and I went to Atlantic City for the Teacher's Convention this weekend. Danielle had to deliver a speech to an audience of union executives and other delegates, participate in a forum with teacher representatives from each county in New Jersey, and fulfill some other TOY obligations. It was a nice weekend but we really missed the boys. They got to spend a few days with Grandma and Grandpa though so I'm pretty sure they had a good time.

Halloween costume

Last night, Michael asked me what I would be wearing for Halloween. I told him that I wouldn't be trick-or-treating, but I'd be crouching in the bushes watching him knock on doors. He said "Dad, why don't you just dress up as a bush for Halloween?"

What a great idea :)

No more crib.

This was such a happy moment for Ryan, but for some reason it was sad for us. This was the crib that all three boys slept in. One by one those milestones go by...

Danielle Kovach, 2010-2011 NJ Teacher of the Year!

Congratulations to my wife Danielle for winning New Jersey Teacher of the Year for 2010-2011!

Danielle's going to be on paid sabbatical after January. She will use the time to perform her duties as Teacher of the Year, which include numerous speaking engagements and trips. She'll get to meet the President and have tea with Joe Biden in the Rose Garden, to attend Space Camp in Huntsville and to be a presenter for the 2010 Teacher's Convention in Atlantic City in the High Tech Hall. The NJEA leased a new car for her since she'll be doing so much travelling.

NJEA.org - Special Education Teacher Danielle M. Kovach Named 2010-2011 NJ Teacher of the Year

Stitches Are Out!

Joey went to the plastic surgeon and had his stitches removed. It was no big deal, in fact they came out when the band-aid was pulled off.

I brought him to work with me for the rest of the day. We ate lunch at McDonalds, and Joey did odd jobs around the office and played on the gym equipment.

Wetdown!

What a great weekend! Saturday was Suckasunny Day (correct spelling) followed by a wetdown to celebrate Roxbury's purchase of a new tender. To those of you that have no idea what a tender is, they used to be called tankers until a few years ago when FEMA decided that the fire department needed to standardize it's terminology, so there would be less confusion while coordinating multi-jurisdictional responses for large incidents. In other words, they were afraid that if someone from New Jersey called for a tanker in California, they would get a water drop from an airplane instead of a truck. So if someone from California asks for an engine, do we get to send them a locomotive?

You say potato...

Anyway, the kids had a good time. There was a lot of good food and plenty of beer, and trucks from neighboring towns came in with lights and sirens before they stretched their lines and soaked our new TENDER.

Drum Roll, Please...

Bang away, buddy! Just keep it in the basement...

It was an interesting weekend. Michael played in two hockey games - his team lost to the Long Island Ice Cats on Saturday and they beat the NJ Devils on Sunday.

At Sunday's game, Joey hit his head on the bleachers and ended up with almost 20 stitches. He toughed it out and didn't even cry while the doctor put in the stitches. At one point he even made us laugh by acting like a monster! After having 3 boys, I guess we've come to realize that a weekend is not complete unless it involves something dramatic like an ambulance ride to the emergency room.

Next Sunday is Michael's hockey jamboree in Stockholm, and Joey's Karate school is having a demonstration on Saturday for Succasunna Day. I don't think Joey will be participating, but we may stop by to lend our support.

Unfortunately, our flag football season is over because of Joey's stitches. We just can't take any chances. However, I'm looking forward to watching many Jets games next to him on the couch!

Appetizer

When all you get from the garden is three peppers...

Make Salsa! Thanks hon.