The Graduate

Yesterday, Maren graduated from Preschool! It was quite an event, and we had a great time.

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Here are some video highlights! (3:47)

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A few still pics...

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Maren's grand entrance!

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He knew that Maren was going to sing Yankee Doodle, so Deacon made sure to bring a flag!

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A tragic song called I Am a Pizza.

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Maren's "When I Grow Up" art

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St. Paul's Preschool Class of 2009!

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The ultimate photo op.

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Maren's diploma! Pretty fancy, too. Wait, does this mean she can practice medicine now??
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Payton and Maren, future Doctor/Nurse and Nurse/Teacher

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Dad/Key Grip.

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Her eyes are closed, but I thought this was cute anyway.
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For her first meal as a Preschool graduate, Maren chose to eat at Olive Garden. Here is the evolution of a winning tic-tac-toe move.

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Reviewing her final exams...

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Goofy guys!

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Congratulations, Maren! We'll do it all over again at Kindergarten Graduation next year!

Last Day of First Grade!

Deacon and his class celebrated their last full day of 1st grade today by going to Sherman Oaks Castle Park for some mini golf!
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Ms. Hartel gives some pre-game pointers...

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Derek's carpool kids.

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Team St. Paul's was a formidable bunch!

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Deacon on the green - actually brand-new red turf. It hurts to look at it, in fact, so I toned it down in Photoshop, but left a swatch of the actual color.

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A sudden thunderstorm rained out the golf game, so they went in to the arcade... here are Deacon and Sonya, Air Hockey Champs!

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Deacon and Vincent in front of a violent driving game (they loved it).

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Heading back to school!

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Said Derek of his golf performance, "Scorekeeping was not possible. A good time was had by all." In truth, I think first-time golfing prodigy Sonya would have won the round, had the scorekeeping not been deemed "not possible".

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Tomorrow, the kids clean out their desks, and then they're done. And on Friday we'll have a full report on Maren's preschool graduation!

Awards Night

Tonight Deacon received an award at St. Paul's for his participation in the Spelling Bee!
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Here's a movie... with a bit of recycled music. Note that Deacon mesmerizes himself with his ribbon... later he said, "I forgot where I was." How very Deacon!

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The Spellers

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Deacon insisted on looking "crazed" for these... *sigh*

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Tomorrow... Deacon wraps up First Grade with a trip to play Mini Golf! Derek will be joining the group... will it turn out better than last time?

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Check back soon for a full report!!

The AFB Turns 2!

Today, the AFB officially enters the Terrible Twos.

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THANK YOU everyone for sharing our adventures!

The Karate Kid Part III

Here's a rousing video montage (under 1 minute) of Maren earning her gold belt today!
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What's Your Rank?

In a move that is sure to generate controversy, Maren has put together a list ranking "people I like."
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Did you make the top 20?? Read on, if you dare.
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MAREN'S LIST

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20. Baby David

19. Jessica

18. William

17. Gramps

16. Uncle Chris

15. Grandma

14. Grandpa

13. Uncle Phillip

12. Great Grandpa Papa

11. Auntie Jana

10. Elias

9. Grammie

8. Eve (Genesis)

7. Adam (Genesis)

6. Daddy

5. Mommy

4. Horses

3. Maren

2. Payton

1. (co-ranked) Deacon/Jesus

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I suppose what we can take away from this is that we all need to work harder if we want to move up in Maren's rankings. The Queen of America has spoken.

This Day In History: May 24, 2003

Deacon on May 24, 2003

Art Showcase: "Praying Mantis" by Deacon

Praying Mantis, by Deacon

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Deacon drew this using our computer's "Paint" accessory.

BREAKING NEWS: AFTERSHOCK TERRORIZES OFFICE WORKERS

A 4.1 aftershock has rattled nerves at WDSHE Legal in Burbank.
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Derek reported in moments ago, saying, "my monitor went back and forth."
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Co-workers have recounted similar terrifying experiences. Brent provided this map, which he stated was better than the one Derek emailed within seconds of the temblor.



Stay tuned for news as it develops...

Breaking News: No Earthquake Felt at AFB HQ

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After inquiries this morning, we thought we should report that we did not feel yesterday evening's rather large earthquake.
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Others in our zip code scored it a III... the official ranking of the AFB is I.

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We'll continue to keep you posted as aftershocks are not felt here at the AFB.

Andrew and Christine's Wedding

Calvary Chapel Burbank's own celebrity couple, Andrew and Christine, got married yesterday!
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For some reason we neglected to bring our camera, so all we have are low-quality cell phone pics.
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Christine with her dad...

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Officially Mr. and Mrs.!!

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Their grand entrance to the reception!

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Andrew and Christine and Susie!

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...and here they are with some old people.

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The kids got to blow bubbles during the first dance!

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We don't think Cinko was an invited guest, but Deacon made a tie for him and brought him anyway.

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Congratulations Andrew and Christine, and God bless you!!

And the AFBy goes to...

We thought this video deserved an award, so we have created

the AFBy Awards!
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The first ever AFBy Award goes to... BRENT! He wins in multiple categories: Outstanding Achievement in Surveillance Video Editing and Outstanding Direction of a Wild Animal.

Oh, and Best Picture.
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Without further ado... the winner of the first AFBy Award...
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The Intruder
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HAPPY MOTNER'S DAY!

If Mother's Day is the best day of the year when you're a mom...
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Motner's Day is even better.
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Happy Mother's Day to all moms - especially ours!! We love you very much!

Easter Break Road Trip: Chico, Part 2 (4/17/09)

Finally finishing up our Road Trip coverage!
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Besides serving as a location for a little bit of Gone With the Wind (1939) and a whole bunch of The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), Bidwell Park is just a great place to spend a day. First stop: Caper Acres!

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Daddy's mutterings about leaving them in the cage didn't go over very well with Mommy and Grammie.

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Lots of fun things to climb on!

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Later... the kids stood on the stump of the famous Hooker Oak tree. See that low concrete wall way in the background? It extends out of frame right and left and up to the position of the photographer of this shot. The tree's branches used to spread out that far!

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From the Wikipedia entry:

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Hooker Oak was a large valley oak tree (Quercus lobata) in Chico, California. It was named after English botanist and Director of the Royal Botanical Gardens, Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker by Annie Bidwell in 1887. When it fell on May 1, 1977, it was nearly a hundred feet tall (30 m) and 29 feet (8.8 m) in circumference eight feet (2.4 m) from the ground. The largest branch measured 111 feet (33.6 m) from trunk to tip and the circumference of outside branches was nearly five hundred feet (150 m). Its age had been estimated at a thousand years, but on its demise it was found to be two trees, of 325 years each which had long ago grown into one.

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I remember visiting the three shortly before it fell and then shortly after... my parents still have a few twigs that we collected from the site!

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The Hooker Oak, circa 1910.

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After spending a few hours in Bidwell Park, we decided that we need to go back before too long. So we'll go ahead and advertise a Chico Road Trip Part 3 post within a year!

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I think we still have a few more Bugz items to post in the next few days, so check back soon!

BUGZ Video!

Here's Deacon's part and the final song...

The BUGZ Have Arrived!!!

Tonight we were treated to a dinner and preview performance of St. Paul's school musical Bugz!
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Deacon and Derek at the dinner before the show.

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Maren, Sweet Flower Sweetie Alff, and Mommy.

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Derek is ready to record!

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Deacon is underneath the Z!

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Deacon (the Praying Mantis) and Vincent (the Stink Bug) in the show's gripping final scene!

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As the Praying Mantis, Deacon proposes that flowers be given to everyone to mask the Stink Bug's stench!

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Deacon, again.

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A hug from Daddy for a job well-done!

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But Daddy was also impressed by Vincent, whose driver patiently waited as Derek discussed the nuances of his performance.

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One more performance of Bugz tomorrow night... then we're looking forward to a restful weekend!