Lions and Tigers and Bears OH MY!

Well, it was Olivia's last day of Summer Vacation so Greg took the day off and we took our 3 monkeys to the zoo.

After feeding the giraffes, and fish, and goats, and exploring all the other animals there, we had some lunch and then went bowling at Lighthouse Lanes. Then we were off to dairy queen for some ice cream. It was a great day for all!

Remembering Ryan

I'm a day behind, yesterday would have been Ryan's 16th birthday. I'm pretty sure this is a picture of him at a Super Saturday dance. I'm told he only went to the dances for the food, and this picture pretty much proves that... We love and miss you!

Ryan Dimitry Chapman
17 August 1993 - 9 July 2008

Excuse my pride....

Well, many of you have already heard, but for those of you who have not...Olivia tested for the gifted program. She had to take an I.Q. test. We got the results back and her I.Q. is 139, which is pretty dang good for a 6-year-old. In order to qualify for the gifted program, or WINGS, she had to score a 133 or above, so we go next week for her WINGS orientation. I'm told her Grandpa Chapman had an I.Q. of 138, so I'm guessing that's where she gets it from, because she sure as heck didn't get it from me. I told her that she could try out the school and if she doesn't like it she can stop going, but I think she will like it. It's two days a week at a school on the other side of town. They will get to do lots of cool things. I am very proud of her. Maybe that is her excuse for frequent emotional meltdowns. She just doesn't know how to express herself in moments of anger.
School starts in 9 days and she is sooooooo excited.

The Flying Olivia and Noah

Zane the In-Sane Pain in the Choo-Choo Train (Caboose)

I debated taking Zane with us to the lake, since he hates wearing a life jacket and he's not supposed to get water in his ears, but I'm glad we brought him along. The day wouldn't have been complete without him...and this photo. He may be a pain, but he sure is CUTE.

4th Annual Smith-Chapman Lake Excursion

Captain Noey Bear: Okay, the kids and I got on the tube and I had to wear an extremely uncomfortable life jacket that was choking me. I got tired of the ride and told Greg to stop the boat. The kids then bailed off the tube, and then for some reason, I could not swim back to the boat. The more I paddled my arms, the further away I got. I was laughing my head off. So Greg had to turn the boat around and come pick me up. I guess I can't swim to save my own life, even with a life jacket on. That's pretty sad.

Captain O:

Captain Peg-Leg with Co-Pilot Z-love:

One tired baby:

We had a blast! But we decided next year we would skip renting the boat (and save the 300 bucks) and just go to the beach for the day. The kids wanted to swim the whole time we had the boat anyway.

A Blast from the Past

This is when my baby Zane was about 4 months old. Ain't he a cutie?

Here's the 2005 Chapman Family Reunion. Check out the sweet little face of baby Noah and the innocence of Olivia.

And, here's Grandpa Lewis. I love this picture. And I LOVE Grandpa Lewis.