LaCombe Chronicle News - LCN: January 2007

Army 53 Navy 50 - Go ARMY!

William and Mommy surprised Daddy with tickets to the the Army-Navy basketball game. The game was televised on ESPN. The Army-Navy rivalry is legendary, so the Christi Arena was filled with energy for this game. The West Point cadets filled the stands, the Army Spirit band played from one end of the court, the Navy Band played on the other end, both teams brought cheerleaders, and the top Army brass from West Point led the cadets in cheers!

William missed a nap to attend. He was not phased by the bands and buzzers! He did not miss a second of the action!

GO ARMY!

The West Point cadets fill the stands!

Army scores two more!

Sandals to Snow boots

So, this is snow?

We had our first snowfall on Friday of last week. Just two days before, William was running around (literally) in sandals and shorts while in Florida. Now, he's running around (again, literally) in snow boots and fleece!

What is this stuff?

What do I do now?

Fly, fly away! (William does this to make his Dad laugh!)

Snow Birds Visit Orlando

When you wish upon a star,

makes no difference who you are.

Anything your heart desires will come to you.

Taking to the skies once again, Mommy and I met Daddy between his business trips in Orlando, Florida - home of all kinds of Magic.

Meeting Daddy at the airport was a lot of fun. Daddy had coffee in hand for Mommy and a big hug for me; then, we wasted no time before hitting the road - our destination...The Contemporary Resort in the heart of the Magic Kingdom.

We threw our bags in the room and dashed to get a bird's-eye view of the fireworks (see artist's rendition above). I loved the thunderous booms as the night sky lit up over Cinderella's Castle.

I could hardly sleep knowing that in a few short hours we'd be eating breakfast with Mickey Mouse and his friends.

After breakfast we headed to the Magic Kingdom for a day of fun. The highlights of the visit were the Merry-go-round and train ride, but the ice cream was pretty good too!

After some quality time with the Mouse...we high-tailed it back to the room to get ready for dinner with Daddy's friends Michael and Lynda Gordon. Daddy and Dr. Gordon talked shop while I alternately flirted with Mommy and Lynda.

Dr. Michael and Lynda Gordon

Just when I thought that the fun couldn't get any better, we headed south to visit my friend, Robbie. We played with Robbie's toys while Mommy visited with Aunt Amy and Uncle Mike. I sure wish that Robbie and his parents would move to New York so we could play all the time!

Thank you Mommy and Daddy - I had a great time in Florida! When are we going back? I have a lot more to see and do!

Little Snow Bird

Who is that cool dude with the shades and sunhat?

It's William (a.k.a. Pookah) -- he's preparing for his trip to Orlando!

Trees and Trucks

Whoa... what's going on in my front yard?

What a morning young Willliam had... trucks right outside our front window. Our neighbor had a tree removed, and we had a tree stump ground. William had a wonderful time looking out the front window at all the big trucks ("...cks" he calls them... the "tru...." is silent!) The open windows let him hear the sounds as he observed. Of course, it's 33 degrees, but it feels like 24 degrees with the wind chill (this info provided by The Weather Channel). So, he had to put on his hat and coat in the house!

That's our neighbor's house in the background

This is exciting, Mom!

William loved watching the man in the cherry picker!

It's cold outside, but I can't go inside and miss something important!

What a morning...so much excitement for a Wednesday!

Reading IS fun!

William was so excited when we visited the Barnes and Noble Children's section on Saturday. He is just getting started with his shopping!

Hmmm... a book about trucks... now that's a possibility!

Hey Dad... let's read this one!

William discoved the Thomas the Train set. He was fascinated! He spent almost an hour playing with it! Other children came and went, and our William was a die-hard!

Hey Will, stand by the train set and smile!

Rail car in hand, William played and played!

What a ham!

Funny Moments at Gymboree

Pookah playing at Gymboree... we used Dad's new cell to get this photo!!

William is enrolled in Gymboree for the Winter session... of course, it's 70 degrees today, and we have not had snow yet!

During parachute time, Young William decided he did not want to sit, rather he wanted to stand while the grown-up twirled the parachute around while singing, "The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round, round and round..." He even stood up when "the children on the bus went bump, bump, bump... bump, bump, bump." Everyone laughed outloud at young William's determination. He was not phased!!
Our little kissing bandit was excited to see his friends - Madison and Zion. He kissed and hugged both! Mr. Affection.
At the end of each class, "Gymbo" visits. (He's a stuffed doll.) He performs several activities with the children. Then, he gives good-bye kisses. Well, Mr. Affection was not satisfied with one kiss from Gymbo. He threw up his hands as if to say "that's all?" So, William waited patiently and got a few more stolen moments with Gymbo... big hugs and kisses were involved!!!

What a great family morning!!

Family Tradition

William and Daddy at the sushi restaurant

Thursday nights have traditionally been SUSHI nights for our family. During our relocation, we sort of abandoned this tradition for logistical reasons. However, we're back Baby!! We spent the first Thursday of 2007 restoring our little ritual! Pookah had a great time with the chopsticks!!

Pookah using chopsticks with his special fried rice!

Quite a satisfied customer! Thanks Aunt Cindy for my pilot outfit!

Happy New Year!

On New Year's Eve, the LaCombe Family tried to stay up until midnight and watch the ball drop in Times Square (on television that is...).

We did not make it.

Instead, Pookah went to sleep around 9:15 pm, and shortly thereafter Mommy and Daddy toasted the New Year with champagne... well, champagne truffles from Teuscher Chocolates! We purchased these on our anniversary and saved two just for this occasion!

http://www.teuscherfifthavenue.com/

We are looking forward to a wonderful year!

Hoops at USMA

WEST POINT, N.Y. – Jarell Brown hit a three-pointer with two seconds left on the clock to propel the Army men’s basketball team to a scintillating 59-58 victory over visiting Sacred Heart Sunday afternoon at Christl Arena.

Scoring a few tickets to the ARMY basketball game, Will invited his parents to join him for an afternoon of NCAA basketball.

We arrived during warm-up. Will enjoyed watching the big boys shoot hoops as he danced to the overhead music. Daddy treated the family to dollar hotdogs, chips, and ice cold cola.

Mr. Basketball sporting a smile!

Mommy getting some good loving from her boy.

Half-time score: ARMY 28 Sacred Heart 31. We had to get our VIP home for a nap (if you know what we mean). Fortunately, the ARMY Black Knights were able to win without our cheering!

Party-pic at West Point.

Christmas in Review

Reflecting on the 2006 Christmas season brings many joyful memories. We first want to thank our family and friends for thinking of us - your thoughtfl cards, gifts, and phone calls are very much appreciated. We hope that you enjoyed the fruit cake we sent to you. There's plenty more...so please let us know when you need another batch.

Our greatest joy is, of course, William Noel. This is his second Christmas with us and seeing the holiday through his eyes is a pretty cool experience. Will is an intuitive fellow and he could sense that something big was about to happen in the days leading to Christmas.

Here's a brief overview Christmas eve and the "Big Day!"