Week of August 30 - September 5 2004

Tuesday was the first day of class at Perry for Kostas. He is now in second grade! Here he is outside the school showing off his new backpack



Here he is in his classroom. Most kids were late in the first day since the buses always run late in the first day. Kostas knows most of the kids from first grade.



The workers are almost done finishing the siding work in our house. It looks really nice now that the black shingles around the windows in the front have been replaced by white vinyl siding. Here are Barb's kids in front of our house as they stopped by from their adventure walk in the tree area behind the neighborhood houses



Kostas is back in soccer practice after missing last week, he was in New York.



On Thursday Dad and Kostas went to the first EMU football game of the season against University of Buffalo. EMU won 37-34 in a very exciting game. Here is a nice shot of the stadium


Kostas had the honors of recovering EMU's kick off tee. This almost turned out to a disaster since another EMU staff person did not realize Kostas was going to do it and he raced to pick up the tee just cutting off Kosta who run back to the sidelines in tears...Thankfully, our former neighbor Dave Keller intervened and Kostas went back out in the field at the next kickoff time as I calmed Kosta down...Here he is running on the field to recover the tee



and here he is running back to the sidelines with it, obviously, this time, very happy


At this game EMU brought in the famous San Diego Chicken, here is a bad pic of Kostas with him


Here is another pic of Kostas with EMU's mascot Swoopes


Here are two final pics taken on the field, the game is even more intense watching it so close!



On Friday Barb took the kids (from the left: Cole, Aaron, Sophia, Madison, Ethan, Paul) to the Lansing zoo, here is a nice pic Tracey sent us, got to love Ethan's expression!



On Saturday night we went to another neighborhood potluck at Don and Tracey's house next door for Don's 29th B-day. We also got to meet the new neighbor Mike who bought the house next to Barb. The kids had a ball as usual and the food was plentiful too. The mud slide drink was very good!

Here are three pics of Sophia with Don and Tracey's son Aaron, Sophia's pose is hmm, quite interesting:-)








and here is Mom and Dad hanging out in Don & Tracey's party




On Sunday we did some work around the house...cut down a few small trees/bushes, trimmed a few other trees, installed some gutter covers, and general cleaning. Dad grilled some awesome sausages for all for dinner. Simon and Maggie and May came over.