Dr. Phillips Park

We had a blast (if only for a few hours before the rain came) at the Dr. P Phillips Park.  Very fun for all ages with the basketball court, sand volleyball, park, water park ... thanks to Uncle Jed for all the fun!!  After this fun morning, he took Andrew, Kate and Moo bowling, mini-golfing and then to custard.  

Bump Set Spike

I got to see Katie practice volleyball for the first time today.  She really did a great job ... totally into it and really gave 100%!  I was always awful at volleyball ... when I went to bump, it went backwards.  She is working hard and hoping to be able to play on the school team this fall.  Also, the cross training for softball is really helping her with her strength and cardio.  We are so proud of how hard she works!!!  

No Hitter

Congratulation to Katie ... she threw her FIRST NO HITTER yesterday at the NSA State Tournament.  She struck out 11 (of the 12 outs!) and only walked two.  She was in the zone and it was really nice to see all her hard work come together.  At the time limit, it was tied so we played a Texas tiebreaker where you start the inning with a runner on 2nd.  We were up to bat first and we laid down a good bunt, moved the runner to 3rd , then another hit and she scored.  What a great lead to take into the bottom inning.  Katie struck out the side and fought back on the 2nd batter from 2 - 0 to get her!!  She was named the MVP of the game and we were so happy not so much for the accomplishment, but for her confidence.  I am so glad that I lugged my scooter and sore foot to the field to see that!!  Too bad I did not bring my camera ... i took these pics with my phone!

Jetta, Katie and Abby

Together Time

Jules and Will are really starting to play together .. and it is a big help for me!!  Loved sitting on the couch (with my foot elevated of course!) and watching them play blocks together.  As Will gets more and more words, Jules gets more and more patient.  Can't believe our baby will be 2 in only 5 weeks!!

Bad Hair Day

Sean and I always say you can tell how a kid sleeps at night by the condition of their hair .. this morning we knew would be a crabby day with William.  He truly had the wildest hair of all time (rivaling Aunt Mere's morning rockadoodle hair).  Obviously a fitful night of sleep ....

Finally out of the house ...

Yeah, finally out of the house today.  I got my stitches out yesterday and am allowed to be mobile on my scooter or crutches.  My friend Chris and her kids invited us to their house for pool and fun this afternoon.  I was able to sit on her lanai and watch the kids have so much fun and enjoy some yummy treats!!!  Thanks Chris for a wonderful afternoon. 

Katie showing off her guns

Matthew in his typical pose with some type of weapon.

Julia posing for the camera (she was wearing a bikini!!)

Katie helping William get Matthew with the water gun.  

Goin' Old School

Even the big kids loved the slip n slide ... it was very heartwarming to see all of my kids outside playing, laughing, teasing, really having fun!!  The big kids really helped the little kids!!!

Matthew took the prize for the most excited and aggressive slider.  He had SO MUCH FUN!!  He was the first to test it out and the last to leave.  I love this age where you are a big kid ... but you still get excited like a little kid!

William digging the slip n slide.  He was so proud of himself!!

Sweet Lilly had a blast with all the kids.  We are so lucky to have the Tourvilles with us this week helping me with the kiddos while Sean is traveling.  Lilly has a little brother, Ben, who is 9 weeks old.  Adorable.  I will post some pictures later!!

Father's Day

As promised, here are the drawings for Sean's father's day posters.  We all particularly liked Julia's drawing of a giraffe parade.  "This is me riding on a giraffe, with daddy holding the rope with a duck on the other side of Daddy.  Katie is in the giraffe parade with a blue tutu on".  Not sure how this ties into Father's Day, but Julia was sure this was exactly what Sean wanted.  So funny ...

Freckles

Nothing better than a face full of freckles .... only Katie and Matthew have them!! Jules and Andrew don't have any and Will hasn't been in the sun enough to tell if he will get them. A few popped up on his nose!!

Sunkissed

Took these cute pictures of Katie and Jules yesterday ... they both are so pretty!!!

Matthew's First Round of Golf

Matthew and Sean had so much fun playing nine holes last night. They both came home so happy ... fun way to spend Father's Day. Enjoy these pictures ... and yes, Misty, this is Coops shirt. Matthew was wearing red like Tiger does on his final day.

Sean's Father's Day

So ... did we send Dad out for a wonderful round of golf, a massage, breakfast in bed, buy him wonderful gifts? Well, with my current disability, Sean received homemade posters from the kids and a Happy Father's Day greeting from me this morning. But he did get to ...

1) Take 4 kids to 8:00am Mass
2) Then take them to Market Street for a big breakfast
3) Took Katie hitting and pitching
4) Ran to Publix
5) Took Andrew to a hitting lesson in Lakeland
6) Matthew took him to play nine holes
7) Took the older three out for ice cream
8) Took my list to Target @ 9:30pm
9) Set his alarm for 6:00am to make sure he wakes up to take Andrew to football practice

This is a picture of a GREAT DAD (and husband!!). These past 3 months (and the 12 weeks to come!) have not been easy for our family ... but Sean has been so amazing through all of this, while running his business, coaching, being on the different boards and still picking up all the things that I can't do. I have some pictures from today at the various events that I will post later. Happy Father's Day Sean ... did you ever imagine that you would be a Daddy to FIVE kids? You are a wonderful dad to each of them. We love you!!

Fore

Matthew went to golf camp this week with his buddy, Brody!!  Matthew REALLY liked this camp and hopes to go back later in the summer.  The camp was from 9 - 1 and they got to eat lunch eat day in the clubhouse.  The actually got to play on the junior course and some holes on the big course.  He is taking Sean tomorrow out for nine holes for Father's Day.  Matthew is the first Kane kid to take interest in golf so that makes Daddy very, very happy.  He got a certificate, his own Ping hat (see the picture), a sleeve of balls and a gopher club cover.  It was really fun seeing Matthew get excited about something new ....  Also a huge shout out to Kristin, Brody's mom, who ran Matthew back and forth to camp, took him home, to the pool .... what huge, huge help for our family!!

Another Foot Update

Went to the doctor yesterday and received an A+ from my doctor for staying off my foot!!  There was no swelling and the incision site looked great ... but, another week of my foot up and being iced.  So, here I sit on the couch, waiting for this bone to heal.  I have moved into the house so I am more involved with the family instead of hiding in the garage apartment!!  So my timetable is:  next week increase mobility on crutches and scooter for 3-4 weeks.  Then 2 more weeks of walking in the boot, then 4 weeks of walking in tennis shoes and then EXERCISE!!  So I am looking at another 10 weeks before I can get back to normal, but only 4 - 5 weeks until I can drive!!  

Water Fun

We are at the point in the summer that the only fun outside involves water.  Poor Kane kids have not had many trips to the pool or water park this summer because of mom's broken foot.  So Katie took things into her own hands and got the kids in the alley with the house the other day.  I filled up some balloons and William thought that was fun!!

Littlest Pet Shop

It is very fun when a younger child in the family discovers a "new" toy for the first time.  Julia LOVES the little pet shop animals.  Katie collected so many of them and we got the bin down for Jules a couple of weeks ago.  They kept her busy for over two hours and when I went to check on her, she had lined them all up on the footboard of her bed.  Very cute ... plus a bonus that these little guys are magnetic so they are perfect to take out to dinner and they stick right to the silverware!!

Wow ... Look how they changed!

August 2008

June 2009


 

You don't realize how much the kids change in just one school year until you put the before and after pictures next to each other.  Each of the kids had an amazing school year at WPS ... awesome teachers, great coaches, nice friends, wonderful grades and all that with a busy, over scheduled family.  Looking forward to the slow down of the summer, to staying up late and sleeping in (for some of the kids, sorry Andrew ... your sports are early!) and just enjoying each other.  Not too many exciting trips or outings this summer because of Mom's foot, but we will have fun nonetheless. 

Happy 11th Birthday, Katie

Our sweet Katie turned eleven this week.  I can remember when we found out we were expecting another baby so soon after Andrew was born.  Andrew was only 5 months old and we found out that Sean was transferred with P& G to Jacksonville and then another baby on the way.  Both Sean and I were very overwhelmed and uncertain about having two little ones so soon!!  Little did we know what an amazing little girl that God had sent to us.  

Katie is such a good daughter .... she is very nuturing to her siblings, always on top of her school work, works really hard on her sports teams, is a good friend and I can really count on her.  Sean and I are so very proud of all her accomplishments, but more so are so amazed at the young woman that she is becoming.  We look forward to this 11th year with her ... to watch her grow, to see her transition to middle school and fall more in love with our Katie girl!!

Since I am laid up in bed, Katie's birthday was a bit low key this year.  Daddy took her to Benihana and then to La Nouba to celebrate with Casey and her dad. Grandma Wilkie and Mom took her shopping last weekend and she got a bunch of new clothes.  She also good a cool new camera .....

What a Season!!

Andrew had a great final little league season on the Yankees this year!! His entire game elevated to a new level. He had the highest batting average on his team (over 600!), hit 6 homeruns, a bunch of extra base hits (many of them at key points in the game) and pitched really well. He has played on the Yankees for four years and it was somewhat sad to see him play his final regular season game on the small field. I was most proud of all the hard work that he put in to his game. It really showed on the field .... we are really looking forward to All Star which begins next week. All Stars is a great opportunity to see some great pitching and play with kids that are as committed and serious about baseball as he is!!! I also am very proud of Sean as the manager of the Yankees. He put so much time in coaching these boys, planning practices, traveling back from business meetings to not miss a game or even a practice. Not only is he a very technical coach, but he really cares about these kids!! I am so lucky that my son had his Dad as his coach!!!

Also, I loved this picture of William looking through the back of the dugout for Andrew ... Andrew would talk to him through the cracks and give him knuckles. So very sweet!!!

Great Season Phillies

Matthew had a great Spring Machine Pitch season!!  His team, the Phillies, really came together as a team.  They all did a great job, all getting big hits, making defensive plays, learning the fundamentals and having a blast!!!  The parents were incredibly supportive, fun and committed.  What a pleasure for Sean and I to work with this team.  Matthew had a great season ... played pitcher and 2nd base and got a bunch of great hits.  He is beginning to really love baseball like his Daddy and big brother.  Still, I think that football is his favorite!!

Our Leading Man

Matthew had the lead in the First Grade play.  He had a lot of lines and didn't need any help with them.  We kept asking him if he wanted to practice, but he said he had it under control.  He did ... he didn't even need any prompting from his teacher!!  Katie got out of class to see the play and was very proud of Matthew.  His timing was really good and he got some chuckles.  Matthew continues to surprise us  ... we are so very proud of him!!!

Building on Solid Ground

We are so blessed to be part of the construction of Corpus Christi Catholic Church here in Celebration. Our parish began in Celebration in May 2005 (right when Jules was born). We met at the beginning in the K/8 cafeteria, and then we outgrew that space, we move into the high school cafeteria. We have been worshipping there for the past 2 1/2 years. Sean is the head of the finance committee and part of the building committee. The picture above is what our church will look like upon completion (hopefully for Christmas Mass this year).

While inside the site, Sean saw the skywriter put the word Jesus in the sky and had our church photographer, Jim Seigel, capture this very cool picture!!!

Sean out at the building site with other members of the building committee. He says the entire process is very interesting .... this day the inside ceiling beams were installed.

Crossing the Bridge

Grandma and Katie 

Part of the tradition at Windermere Prep is Crossing the Bridge for the 5th grade students. Our campus is divided between the lower and upper school (separated by a bridge), so it is a symbolic moving to the Upper School.  Unfortunately, it was a rainy day so we had to hold the ceremony in the gymnasium.  They set up a small bridge in the center aisle and when each child walked over, they played a recording of the child's voice reciting their favorite quote and memory of 5th grade.  

Mrs. Walsh, Mr.Crocetti, Ms. Geloso & Mrs. Dautrieve