Hancocks Roll

3.28.2010

Birthday Weekend....

Today is my birthday!! The kids organized and threw a surprise birthday party for me. So fun! They made the guest list, planned the volcano & hawaii beach cake, blew up balloons and just generally rocked it out! It was so fun being celebrated by my kiddos! Yesterday in preparation for the big day we worked in the yard. Bryan and I were in the back and when we came around front this is what we saw. Thats right- a party for all of our neighbors. They are all so glad they live near us! Hallie in the princess dress, Noah in the muscle shirt, Mills in the hot pants and dancing for everyone. I was filming from inside so the music is hard to hear - I knew if I showed my face the good moves would end. Especially watch Mills at the 1:10 min mark...Classic. ENJOY!

And another...I LOVE MY KIDS! this is really normal everyday life...what a gift!

3.18.2010

If this is PRESCHOOL...What we will do for COLLEGE?

So last Monday was registration for Protestant Preschool and Kindergarten. All of the Hancocks have gone there. Starting as sweet 2 1/2 year olds - all the way to kindergarten. We LOVE It! What a fun group of teachers and families. Back in the day when Noah was there, we just showed up on registration morning - maybe a little early - and signed up. As the years have gone by things have been getting a little more competitive. Last year, I arrived at 6:00am for 8:00 registration and the daggone line of parents in lawn chairs wrapped in blankets drinking coffee was HUGE. I barely got in....and I froze.

SO this coming year Hallie will be the last Hancock needing a spot at the ol preschool (so SAD). However, we want her to be in the 4 day a week, 4 year old class. There is only one class with 10 students. The director is on our YL committee. She told me that there were lots of kids wanting to be in that class - that if I wanted Hallie in there I should come early. I was hoping she had pulled me aside to tell me she would save me the trouble and go ahead and sign Hallie up. I mean the good we do for the community and all. No such luck. The moms were already chatting about how they were gonna get to the school at 4:00AM to stand in line. What? Was I gonna have to get up at 3:30?? I was dreading it.

Enter Bryan - he heard us talking and volunteered to get in line. i LOVE this man! So Sunday night he decides that he would rather set up a tent by the front door at 11:30pm, rent a redbox movie to watch on the laptop, roll out the thermarest and downcomforter and just sleep out there. Way better than getting up at 3:30. I mean he can get a good nights sleep - wake up at 7:45, step out of the tent and sign my girl up for school. I thought that would be hilarious.

Everything went according to plan... kinda - at 12:00am another dad rolled up with a plastic adirondack chair to wait out the night. Not a big deal. They chat. They decide to call it a night and hit the tent and , well, chair. But at 3:30 AM a group of moms rolls in - they notice the tent and instead of giving bryan some room, plant their chairs right up next to it. Some might have even shaken it and said, "Hey - person in the tent - don't try to sleep in there...etc, etc". Then they chatted for 4 hours straight. no lie. poor bryan. he sat in his tent silently letting them believe he was asleep. i think he dozed some - but good night's sleep it was not.

The crowd did clap when he came out of the tent in the morning AND, naturally, we were #1 in line. Wonder what I will have to do next year???

check the tent posted up by the door!!! (7:30AM)

Victory is sweet! I mean preschool is sweet!!

2.28.2010

1st graders take over BLADEZ on ICE...

Noah's class at Tommy's Rd. Elementary school went ice skating on Friday. So fun and what a comedy show to watch. Lots of varying skill level...lots of falling on the ice. Check out Noah's moves!

Noah looking good!

going down

made it all the way around!

Sorry about the focus....but this is Noah and his teacher, ms. Bryant!

Noah, Lien and Leann

Noah and Shamon

Noah and Rahul

somedays you gotta dance...

we had a warm day last weekend (i KNOW - a miracle)! The girls were camped out on the back deck singing and dancing with abandon...ENJOY!

preparing for the music...

the emotion

the finger...

enter hallie grace...

i mean the butterfly dance outfit...

shake what your mama gave you!

2.13.2010

The Goonch Meets the Mighty Neuse...

The goonch: An old school party barge pontoon, completely stripped, reassembled and painted camo (of course - we do live in Wayne County). Think Huck Finn. No motor, no steering wheel, just pontoons and plywood. Named after some man eating catfish in China. Enter in Greg Hook, Ben Parker and Sam Metzler. EWHS graduates, UNC and NCSU alums, married men and some of my husbands best friends. Greg flew home from Boulder CO where he is on Young Life staff to spend a long weekend with the boys. They need/crave adventure. This is where the goonch comes in. The gonch and the Mighty Neuse together - a hard to resist combination! Let the fun begin!

The goonch has been living in our backyard for a long time. I wanted to put a step ladder to it and serve cocktails on Thanksgiving. It looks the same today as it did then. The grass under it is redneck tall. I was excited to hear it was coming out of the yard. Well until this...

in our effort to get the goonch out of the backyard - we forgot to account for the total yard saturation...Bryan's car stuck down to the frame...good times

the enormous hole and mess left

props to the minivan that pulled that suv out of the yard!!

The adventure is about to begin! Have a mentioned that the river is moving FAST! Good for a boat with no motor. However, it may be hard to steer this sucker and the water is up as high as I have ever seen it. Plus the goonch has never actually been in water since we have owned it. Hope it floats!

tail light of Ben's brand new truck. the goonch pontoon busted the light in a tight left hand turn. I may or may not have been driving...so glad Ben already liked me.

getting ready

the goonch meets the water

so far so good! Loaded down

they are off...6:45 PM Friday Night. Whitetail Landing. The Neuse River is MOVING at flood stage. Hope they fit under all the bridges!

amazing...what they woke up to

Ben, Greg & Sam

the tent

the Mighty Neuse

the goonch in all her glory!

what maneuverability...

Mom - please note the life jackets in the back...safety first for us Hancocks (please disregard the fact that they are not wearing those jackets and the complete lack of rails or sides to the raft - how did they distinguinsh the edge of the raft with the black water at night??? )