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10 May 2008 We've seen some good baseball this past week! Lauren made her pitching debut! It was a bit nerve-racking, but she did have a strikeout. Brendon continues to pitch well. His new bat has come alive! Today he launched one into the field, the ball bouncing to hit the wall. The team record is 4 and 1. Lauren's team has won 1 :)
6 May 2008 Brendon had a great 12th birthday. He received his much-desired Stealth bat and was surprised (pleasantly) to receive Guitar Hero for the WII. Lots of other awesome gifts I might add. Gift cards he has big plans to go shopping with!! He had a nice birthday with family and friends. Brendon and Lauren both won their games yesterday. Lauren got her first hit of the season - a nice smack to the short-stop area. She ended up scoring on the play and was very happy!
30 April 2008 You win some, you lose some! Tonight both kids played their first baseball games of the season. Lauren played catcher, right field and somewhere else. No hits tonight. Actually the team only had 2 hits all night! Yikes! They lost 9 or 10 to 2...we kind of stopped counting. Still a fun game. Brendon played tonight. He pitched 3 innings, 1 hit, 1 walk, fanning 7 batters. Impressive on the mound. Not a good night at the plate for him either...one of his at bats he struck out with the bases loaded. He was miffed!! But his pitching was good, and they won a back and forth nail biter 7 to 5. Pictures of Brendon's game will be posted on the team webpage soon. 26 April 2008 School vacation is almost over. We tried to make the most of it - went to Boston to the Museum of Science, batting at the batting cages, shopping, did some planting & yard clean up, out for pizza and biking at Odiorne Park to name a few!
17 April 2008 The Auction & Dinner Gala was a huge success. Thank you to family and friends who suppored us throughout this journey. Lauren is enjoying drama (Charlotte's Web), dance and baseball...Brendon is excited to have started baseball. Todd is coaching...the team is the Elks (Major 70'). Let the games begin... 5 April 2008 Lauren and her dance team participated in Sophisticated Productions dance competition Satuday...while the judging was very tough overall, her group won a Gold! They also received a special award, the Perky Patriots Award. She also had a great time performing and was not nervous at all! The studio (Studio 109) also won the studio with the most spirit award! Baseball tryouts were yesteday...can it be so??!!? There is still snow on the ground here! Our big Auction event is this coming Satuday...it looks to be a fabulous event again this year. Thanks to all who have supported us through the chaos!!
31 March 2008 Lauren's 1st dance competition with the Studio 109 Performance Troupe dance team was in Fitchburg, MA yesterday. Performing for the first time at comp, her group received a gold (diamond is the highest, followed by platinum, high gold, gold, silver, bronze). She had a great time and did a wonderful job! She also received the Team Spirit award for cheerleading this winter. We love our little performer!
23 March 2008 Happy Easter! Here are some recent pictures, including tree climbing, snow tubing and Easter. Brendon and Todd skied Stratton Mountain in VT yesterday. They were fortunate enough to be there during the US Open Snowboarding competition and got to see snowboarding greats like Shaun White and others nail tricks in the halfpipe! Quite a thrill for him.
29 February 2008 Happy Leap Year! Beauty and the Beast is amazing! Lauren has enjoyed being a part of it all. It's definately an experience. :) 9 shows to go....Hope you can attend!!
19 February 2008 Beauty and the Beast update - click here for more information! The show opens February 28, 2008 for 10 shows. PS - Lauren auditioned for Alice in Wonderland and has made the cast! Shows May 1, 2 and 3. Stay tuned! 11 February 2008 Pats fans unite! And by the way - the sledding is great! Weeeeeee...
4 February 2008 Lots going on - sorry for the lack of updates! We've moved on the baseball season. Enough said. Lauren will be in Beauty and the Beast opening Feb 28th for 10 shows (dates on the side). Let us know if you want to come to a show!! She is also on the PT minis (performance troupe) dance team and will compete in her very first dance shows in March (dates on the side). She auditions for Alice in Wonderland tomorrow!! Brendon will finish up snowboard this Thursday. He has enjoyed this season and has asked that we move somewhere that has snow 365 days/year. He has discovered IM and spends (too many) hours chatting with his buddies. Despite their busy lives, both continue to do well in school....thankfully. Happy (belated) Birthday to Uncle Keith and Aunt Karen!
5 January 2008 Happy New Year! Life is getting back to "normal" whatever that is!! Lauren had her first basketball game to cheer at today. She did great - was captain today - in the white skirt (they rotate throughout the squad). She is bubbly and cute to watch. Brendon started snowboarding at Attitash Mountain yesterday. Todd went as a chaperone. The conditions were outstanding...lots of powder!
26 December 2007 Merry Christmas! December 23 the kids and I went to drop off Lauren's pet food donation to the Humane Society in Dover and came home with Brady, our new kitten. He is so sweet...4 months old. We had a wonderful Christmas Eve - family was here. We laughed as we sang carols at the piano...pure craziness. Kids went to bed on their own at 8pm. But before they did...Lauren had a Santa sighting on our back deck. He delivered a gift bag of new PJs. Up at 7:30am SHARP (they were told to stay in bed until then!!) Lots of presents, laughs, precious moments and good food. It was great to celebrate with our newest family member, Spencer...although he didn't feel all that well. Happy New Year!
15 December 2007 Lauren will be 7 tomorrow! She celebrated with her friends on Friday night enjoying pizza at Weeksies Pizza and then to Naked Plates Pottery, both in Dover. 13 girls enjoyed decorating their own masterpieces. Today, we partied with family - more pizza and another Kitty Litter Cake!! We all had a swell time and I know Lauren enjoyed every second of her special day. Lauren took up a collection of pet items for the Cocheco Valley Humane Society in Dover. She has a HUGE basket to deliver thanks to the kindness of her friends and family. We're bracing for some weather tomorrow...
7 December 2007 Lauren's Christmas Concert was delightful! The second grade sang "O Little Town of Bethlehem", "Angels We Have Heard On High" and the whole group sang "Joy to the World". In between songs, the kids recited the Christmas story, including bible verses. Lauren said "And so it was, that while they were there, that she should be delivered."
2 December 2007 The Annual Rochester Christmas Parade was today (yes, the excitement has subsided downtown near the Hillary Campaign!!) Lauren danced with her studio. She did a great job and her studio won first place in the parade! Brrr. It was cold.
23 November 2007 Had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Need to share one of the many reasons we are thankful this year...nephew Spencer Paul Hickman!
20 November 2007 What are we thankful for this Thanksgiving? Our children, our family and friends, our health, our freedom. May God bless you all this season. We love you! PS - All A's and A+'s on the most recent report cards- their best ever I think! Soccer MVPs too. We are so proud and thankful! They work very hard for their accomplishments. 11 November 2007 Second place in the soccer tournament for Brendon's TCCA team. Brrrr. It was COLD. They had a great season. Started the endless job of raking today...even after cutting down some trees in our year the leaves are plentiful. I'm waiting for a nice stiff wind to carry them away!!
4 November 2007 Changes! Todd has started his own business SRW Environmental Consulting (Soil, Rock, Water). Wish him well in this endeavor. Brendon will finish soccer next Saturday, November 10 with a tournament. He scored in every game this season, leading the team in scoring...we're very proud of him. His team finished their regular season record was 7-0-1....outstanding team effort! Lauren's team has been finished for a couple of weeks now. She is excited about starting cheerleading. It was a difficult decision - cheering or basketball. Her cheering coach persuaded her in the end! School is going well for both kids. I'm enjoying my position in the Advancement Office at St. Thomas Aquinas High School. Coaching is over for me, so I have shifted gears to focus my attention on chairing the school's auction and dinner fundraiser. We have big shoes to fill as the 2007 event was such a big success...and it will be especially exciting planning the 2008 event as the school has just purchased another facility about a mile away...proceeding with their expansion plans. We are very excited about their growth! Best to you all. xxoo 21 October 2007 Great Halloween Party yesterday - we must have had 150 people attend this year. Weather was spectacular! Pictures coming soon.
13 October 2007 Lauren's team finally wins their first game 3 to 2. Lauren scored all 3 goals - she was ecstatic! Brendon's team remains undefeated with a win today 4-0. B scored 2 goals today. After the games we headed to walk a corn maze, pick pumpkins and enjoy homemade ice cream with the Landers family and friends. Go Red Sox
6 October 2007 A super fun weekend in Keene...apple picking! Soccer season has been fun. Brendon's team is still undefeated! He is the high scorer on his team. Lauren's team has yet to win a game (boohoo) - I think she leads the team with 2 goals!! They are both off to a great start at school. We are gearing up fo the 2008 Auction - that should keep us busy in the next few months! Congrats to Eric, Susan and Ursula who welcomed Matilda into their family on September 26.
8 September 2007 Back to school week - we're off and running. Brendon has Pastor Clark and Mrs. Guptill for teachers and Lauren has Mrs. Hearn. Both are enjoying their new classes/teachers so far. Both mom and dad agreed to coach soccer (I think we're nuts). The kids played today - Brendon's team won 4-0 (dad coaching) and Lauren's team (mom coaching) - well - they need some more practice...one day this week for an hour wasn't enough for some of these newcomers!! They actually played a doubleheader - it was 90 degrees today. The first game was a blowout, the second game saw improvement, so that is all that matters...as Lauren told her teammates today "it doesn't matter if we win or lose, as long as we have fun!"
2 September 2007 Congratulations to Leigh and Rachel on their new bundle of joy - Spencer Paul Hickman was born August 30th at 2:56pm (a short 5 hour labor). He weighed in at 8.2 pounds and was 20-5/8 inches long. Mom and baby are doing well (baby has a nice set of lungs - he came out crying!). Leigh and Mimi were with Rachel when she delivered Spencer. We (Brendon, Lauren and I) arrived about 10 minutes after he was born (boohoo).
18 August 2007 We had a wonderful vacation! Many photos were taken (only a few shown in the link to the left). 14 of us enjoyed the region and each others company! BH (and Trenton where our house was located) was great as usual...here are some of the things we did:
10 August 2007 Started vacation yesterday! We stayed at the Sugarloaf Grand Summit Hotel. The resort is quite nice - quiet actually...but then again it is WAY up here in Maine! Today, we went white water rafting in West Forks, Maine (WAY up there) - Google shows it just a hop skip and away from where we are, but there are actually some very large mountains in the way! Brendon and Todd enjoyed the first half of the trip - class 4 rapids. Photos from the Aug 10 trip are posted on the Three Rivers website (check out our favorites: Kennebec River / TRW 8-10-07 K003 and Kennebec River / TRW 8-10-07 K017 ). Lauren and I joined the trip halfway for Class 2 and 3 rapids and then a long mellow floating trip back to base. The only wildlife spotted on the journey thus far was a large osprey nest, with mom sitting next to it high in the tree tops, while little youngings could be heard on the water of the Kennebec. Off to Bar Harbor tomorrow for a week! 28 July 2007 - 11:11pm The team had their second loss tonight so they have been eliminated from the N.E. Regionals. Thank you for all of your support and cheers! We're actually pretty excited to have a break from the game. Take care everyone. Go Amherst!! 28 July 2007 - 1:30pm Game 2 = LOSS. Next game Saturday, July 28 4:00pm 27 July 2007 - 10:23pm Game 1 = WIN. Next game Saturday, July 28 10:00am vs Eastern MA (Kingston) Lauren's dance show (Pirates Adventure) was terrific!
27 July 2007 Game 1 - New England Regionals: 7:30pm at Roger Allen Field in Rochester. Roger Allen (Rochester) plays Vermont. New England Regionals in Rochester, NH Another nice article on the team. Lauren's dance camp ends today with a performance at the Berwick Town Hall. Stay tuned for pictures!! 25 July 2007 What a run they had - second in the states. Up from the losers bracket (we played 7 games total, 2 more than Amherst and 2 days of doubleheaders) they had to win two last night. The Rochester team pulled off the first win (ending Amhersts reported 24 game win streak), but ran out of steam when it came time to hit for the second game. The aces were on the hills making hits sparce - Brendon pitched equally as well as Amherst's ace. Both pitchers allowed only 4 hits - unfortunately for us the hits for Amherst came in a clump and they went on to win. They scored 2 runs, 1 earned against Brendon. He was happy to meet the Governor and get a trophy. The latest Fosters Daily Democrat article. Some amazing batting stats for Brendon during the All-Stars: .426 BA (20 for 47) Pitching stats during the Districts and States: Pitched in 10 out of
11 games, 26 innings
Next Tournament: New England Regionals in Rochester, NH 22 July 2007 Two more games in the win column. Next game for the Rochester All-Stars will be Monday, July 23 at 6:00pm (in Hopkinton). Lauren has been having fun too! A sleepover at Mimi and Papas and an invite to her friend Makayla's (in Bow) saved her from a day at the ball field. She had a wonderful time! Starts dance camp tomorrow! Hope to see you at the game! Click here for the latest
21 July 2007 Brendon lost game 2 of the State Tourney - he will resume play tomorrow, Sunday, at 2pm in Hopkinton. Click here for the latest. They need to win to stay alive...wish them luck. 19 July 2007 Bravo Lauren for a wonderful performance in the musical "How Does Your Garden Grow?" The production was the finale after a 2-week drama/broadway for kids summer camp at TCCA. She sang six songs - all choreographed, danced and remembered all of her lines in the half-hour performance. Brendon wins game 1 of States! His pitching was outstanding, striking out 9 batters in 3 innings of work (1 hit, 1 walk, 34 total strikes). He left the game after 3 innings (and a 1 hour rain delay) ahead 5-0. The Team won 5-1. He hit his deepest ball this season - a LONG (185'?) shot to dead center field, over the fielder's head. A good win and he's excited to be in the winner's bracket still!!
15 July 2007 Congratulations Brendon - DISTRICT Champions! Read about their win. (Brendon is not a lefty pitcher as the article states - just a lefty batter!) On to the States...in Hopkinton, NH. Next game will be Thursday, July 19 at 5:00pm. If they win, they play Saturday, July 21 at 5:00. If they lose, they play Saturday, July 21 at 11:00am. This website has directions and the brackets (Go Roger Allen / Rochester)! Also held a "surpise" Teddy Bear Picnic Baby Shower for Auntie Rachel today. Only a few more weeks - we can't wait to meet the little tyke. Congrats Hickman family!
13 July 2007 Brendon is in the Championship round of the District tournament - game is Sunday. If he wins, next stop is States (in Hopkinton, NH). He has had a great tourney. Read this article in the Fosters Daily Democrat. He was so excited to be interviewed! Lauren started dance class Monday - tap for an hour and jazz for an hour. She's been going to Broadway musical camp - having fun learning her lines, dancing and singing. Brendon is at USA Training for baseball camp for this week and next. He's enjoying camp! See ya soon.
4 July 2007 Happy Fourth of July. We celebrated America by climbing to the top of Mt. Major in Alton overlooking Lake Winnipesaukee - our first hike of the season actually. We were glad to pull on our boots, strap on our camelbaks and head for the summit!
1 July 2007 July already - whew! What happened to June? Lulu's dance recital, last day of school, finishing up regular season baseball, all-stars, 2nd place in invitational tournament, and lots of work for mom and dad. We've made it though - more all-stars starting this weekend at the districts in Newmarket. Brendon led his team in batting average and RBIs. His pitching was also outstanding. Lauren received MVP for her baseball team. She's going to be a great little player if she continues. Brendon finished the year with highest honors all 4 quarters, the phys ed award and other academic awards. Lauren received high honors (or better) all 4 quarters, the music award and other academic awards. We're very proud of their many accomplishments. We hope they have a nice relaxing and fun summer!! And we hope you do too!
14 June 2007 Happy Flag Day! Enjoy these photos from a flag raising ceremony that happened this morning at TCCA. This is the flag Mimi had flown in Washington, DC on Brendon's birthday. The school wanted Brendon and Lauren to raise it today, Flag Day. The band played and it was a lovely little ceremony.
10 June 2007 Hi family & friends!! We finally had the opportunity to work with Lauren on riding her bike for the first time this year. She tried last year, would travel a bit, but couldn't turn or stop very well. Well, in about 30 seconds she was off and riding this year! Her bike is too small for her, and once she has had a bit more practice, maybe she will dip into her savings and reward herself with a new "ride"!! Dance recital this Saturday...baseball playoffs this week!
3 June 2007 Mimi and Papa presented TCCA a flag at the kids recent Spring Concert (A Tribute to Broadway) - the flag was flown over the U.S. Capitol Building on May 4 (Brendon's Birthday). Brendon will raise the new flag on Flag Day (June 14) at TCCA. Lauren was Simba at the Concert - making a guest appearance in the High School number ("Circle of Life") and was one of two soloists in the First Grade Song "I Just Can't Wait to be King" - she did great. Brendon was in a song from the musical Newsies. His part was non-vocal! (hee hee) Must be the age...I don't think many 5th grade boys like to sing. School is winding down and we're still as busy as ever! Todd and I have made it 12 years today!
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