Why Spelling is so Important

We are having somewhat of a rough time teaching our oldest daughter to spell. She is improving a lot now, but just doesn't "get" why spelling is so important, a real fundamental element of a good education. I don't share this with her (she is 10), but this is a good example of just how important spelling really is.

Happy Birthday Halle!

Today is Halle's 10th birthday! Wow, double-digits already! Did you ever think you'd spend part of your birthday weekend building boat parts? :)

I'm sorry that you had to go to school on your birthday, but I hope you enjoyed having fun this past weekend. I know this past year has been very rough on you, but you are pulling through like a real trooper! Your mom and I love you very much and hope you have a wonderful birthday!

All About Boats

It seems that I have forgotten to update my blog lately, thanks dad for pointing that out! :) Actually we have been very busy, but lately our new family boat has been what is taking up our time. We bought a 1990 Mariah 1850XL from Rawhide Boys Ranch and have been working to get it all fixed up and ready for boat season, which we hope will start in about 6 weeks.

The boat is a 18.5' bowrider for fishing and skiing, with a 175 HP Mercruiser 4.3 liter V-6. As far as we know right now, the work we have to do is mostly cosmetic. We are replacing all the vinyl, and converting the standard back-to-back seating to the much more contemporary sundeck with bench seating style. It's a little hard to explain, but I will post some pictures here as we make more progress.

Here is some of the work we did last weekend.

The new "Doghouse" Cover. It supports the sundeck on top and provides the bench seating on the front.

Halle sanding the doghouse.

Halle waterproofing the wood. I supervised.