Ghost Raptors Fall 2017 Season

Once again, Bruce led the Ghost Raptors to not only a winning season, but an undefeated season!  We brought our team of merry misfits together again for a successful Fall season.  The weather was spectacular and the boys really enjoyed the games - with some new skills discovered!  

Noel used to prefer defense as he was a little timid about getting into the thick of it.  This season, however, he was all about offense!  He was a great team player and was able to grasp the concept of team work, passing and that assisting is sometimes as important as making the goal!

Ethan was a little reluctant to play this season - however, we quickly found our secret weapon in Ethan's goalie abilities.  He loves the equipment factor (constantly checking his gloves) and he's got a great gift for endlessly blocking goals.  One of the highlights - we were up by one point in the last 30 seconds of the game - a lone opponent came barreling down the field and kicked it straight towards Ethan.  It hit him square in the face and bounces out of bounds.  He was borderline in all out tears  (he did just kicked kick in the face, Fabiana!) until he realized he'd won the game.  His social standing immediately skyrocketed and he was all smiles!

Group shot below with commentary on the team members

Back Row (L to R)
 - Noel: Newly discovered offensive dude/bro - he loves being a part of the team and winning!
 - Keaton: His "baby giraffe" grace from previous seasons was refined and anything he might have lacked in coordination, he more than made up for in sheer determination to score a goal!
 - Abe: Impervious to pain, sweet as all get out and just a brute force - he's besties with Noel and also goes by the nicknames "Abraham and Cheese Sandwich" and "Abraham Lincoln."  Oh - and he has the voice of a man who smokes two packs of unfiltered Camels a day.
 - Sean: A true sports phenom - he hates playing goalie as it deprives him of field time.  An amazing athlete and another great kid!
 - Nathan: New to the Raptors - he's always smiling, happy to be with the boys and a great addition to the team!

Front Row (L to R)
 - Jack: Our British transplant who leaves us this summer.  Jack loves the glory of scoring - though equally as notable is that spark of mischief oozing out of the photo - we'll miss him dearly!
 - Kellan: Comes from a family of soccer players and it's all he wants to do.  He's got a foot of gold and determination to boot!
 - Sid: He's equally as good as Kellan and Bruce often times told him to shoot with his bad foot just to give the other team a break - he'd still score using his bad foot....
 - Ethan: Newly found goalie skills made him so happy!
 - Not photoed - Ethan's gloves

Full team photo below (Chris - one of Bruce's employees, worked with me on weekly practices, and is pictured below)

Second Grade School Photos - 2017/2018

School photos came back and it's always fun to see how the boys have changed year over year.  Check out THIS for a year-by-year progression.

Noel has only one fashion rule - comfort above all else, so Picture Day can be a bit of a struggle for him as jeans are not super comfy.  This year, though, he was a champ.  He looks adorable and was agreeable to boot!

And our sweet Ethan gives us another awesome story to go along with the below.  It was the day before photos and he declares he wants to wear a bow tie.  Mind you, it's 3.30p the day before photos.

We skedaddled over the Gap and found the perfect bowtie and loafers and headed home.  Once home, Ethan wanted to try on his entire outfit - once on, he says, "Oh - I can't do this without a belt." - at 5.00p, the day before photos.......

He wanted to go back to the Gap and we finally compromised by finding a belt online and ordering it for store pickup after rush hour traffic died down.  The next morning - he was all smiles when he sees his belt and all is good and right in the world!

And mind you - Noel has watched this unfold over the previous 12 hours and it's so not relatable for him - I swear he looked like this:

This investment of time and energy into a "look" is so foreign to Noel where Ethan is all about presentation.

I'm unsure of where the full class photos are and will update once they are discovered?

Ethan Knievel!

Yesterday was likely one of the last sunny days of the season and Uncle Ronnie took Ethan out for a bike ride.

Right next to the bike path that goes around the lake is a course of hills and jumps made out of dirt.  Ethan always notices it when we go to tennis and here was his chance.  Ronnie always toes the line of medical professional and professional kid, which we appreciate.

Sometimes it works out questionably (watching Jurassic Park at age 3) and sometimes it turns out to be magical (see below).  Ethan is super proud of himself all while maintaining his cool persona (double peace signs afterwards).

Lego Animation Camp

The boys started their Summer Camp Extravaganza this week and it kicked off with Lego Animation Camp.

The great news - the boys love Legos.  the bad news? It was not only at their school, but it was IN ETHAN'S OLD CLASSROOM.  Ethan moaned, "Paiiiiiiii, it's like we're still in school!"

While to boys were mildly disappointed that this wasn't a straight up Lego building camp, they were able to see the fruits of their labor in the short films below.

Honestly, though, when you think about how many pictures they had to take in order to make this into a film - they get huge props for concentration and commitment!

Microwave some popcorn and hit platy below on these cinematic beauties:


Ethan's: "The Magic Story"

And Noel's: "Noellie Potter"

Camp Colman 2017 (Part 2) - Beach and Bonfires!

I mean, the day was so long, we had to break this up into two posts!

So, to no-one's surprise, around midday, Bruce got a case of the introverts.  Positioned that we needed more firewood and more wine he volunteered to be the man for the job.  And, hey, if he happened to find a place for lunch or a pedicure, he might pop in there for a second and read for a bit.

He arrived back at the camp refreshed, replenished with supplies and ready for more Gaga Ball.  The day ended and we opted against doing any skits and headed back down to the beach.  Some great photos of the boys from one of the other dads:

Throwing a Nerf torpedo - soon after Nathan's nose (l) collided with Noel's melon (r) and blood was spilled

I like my marshmallows like meteors - crispy and on fire!

Keeping warm by the fire 

Ethan playing in the sand

Ethan preparing a marshmallow

Ethan was fascinated with the sea creatures on this pipe - he would make them squirt water.

How did neither of us fall in the water??

Ethan wanted us to look cool with our hoods on.

The second night ended with each of the 9 boys effectively melting down.  It was a long day full of activity without a break.  That being said, we all went to sleep early and slept in the next day until 7.30a!!

And bet your bottom dollar, Bruce had us packed before breakfast was served and on the road soon after.

Overall, a great Milam Men camping experience!

Camp Colman 2017 (Part 1) - New and Improved with Bruce!

I can't believe it - here we are, one year later.  In THIS post from last year, I wondered if Bruce would join us on our trip to Camp Colman.  And be still my beating heart - he was in for the experience!!

For those of you who don't know Bruce (which would be odd if you're reading this and don't have exposure to Bruce), he's a man that prefers dryfit and a dry forehead.  Only one of those made an appearance at Camp Colman...

The trip really couldn't have gone better - the weather was amazing, the other dads/sons were (mostly) super and the experience left us with great memories.

We left on Friday and caught a ferry over to Bremerton and drove down to Camp Colman arriving a little before dinner.  Last year was our first year and we didn't prepare for the eating situation (boiled hamburgers, "Chinese Food" and questions from the boys as to where the menus were.). 

This year was different - we skipped the cafeteria and headed to the beach where we had campfire grilled salmon, hamburgers and hot dogs and s'mores (no photos were taken seemingly).

Noel, Jack and Keaton on the beach before dinner.

The next day the boys first rose at 5.30a as the cabin had no blackout curtains.  Bruce quickly shut that down and we finally arose at 7.00a.  After breakfast, we ventured off for a day full of activities.

The great thing about this year is that we had a parent for each child, allowing us to go in different directions as needed.  Pictures below:

Noel hitting the arts and crafts cabin making some Shrinky Dinks

Ethan tackling the rock climbing wall

Noel having a go at it as well

Okay, now for the highlight - Gaga Ball.  We saw Gaga Ball on the calendar and there were signs for it all around, but never really paid attention to it.  Well, I ran back to the cabin and on the way back Bruce texted and told me they were there.  I arrived to see what was effectively an elementary school version of Fight Club. 

Gaga Ball in its simplest form: Hit the ball open handed towards other competitors.  If you get hit below the waist, you're out.  If you hit the ball twice in a row, you're out.  Be the last person standing.

This is what I saw when I walked up:

I'm not saying there were bets taken.....

The green ball screeching towards Ethan - he had great defensive skills.

Bruce found a smaller Gaga court around the corner and we decided for a Bertschi-only game (dads included):

Ethan making his way to the new court

The dads quickly took out the children after this photo was taken and it became a real death match!

But Bruce gets so much credit here - for an extrovert with luxe tendencies, he dove in full-force knowing the boys would remember this trip forever.  He got to know the dads, made sure all of the kids were included and just made the whole experience more fun.

More to come in the next post.  

First Break of Spring, 2017 - The Boys Day Out with Mari

We are very fortunate to have great people in our life to help keep us afloat.  We've had Mari for about a year now - she's an adorable UW student and has really taken to the boys.  She often watches them on Sunday afternoons while Bruce and I get our Sunday errands taken care of.

 On Easter, she took them up to the university to see the Cherry Blossoms in bloom and they were more enamored with the library (you'll see why below):

Lunch on the quad

The boys were floored at the Harry Potter Library (that's what the kids call it)

Learning their first spells

Noel went immediately to the Avada Kadavra Curse

A rare shot of Noel leading the hugs - its usually the other way around

Winter Break 2017: First Hibachi Grill Experience!

As noted before, it turns out the Milam Men are a skiing family.  Bruce is an old pro, Pai's lessons were a success and the boys loved it.  Ethan even proclaimed, "Is skiing a sport?  If so, I'm good at sports and found one that I love!"

On our last night in Whistler, we'd made a reservation at a Hibachi restaurant just next to our hotel.  Though, after a day of skiing, we were all tired and leaning towards some R&R (Robes and Room Service, that is).  

I pushed for us to rally out to dinner and was very happy we did.   The place we went to was like a Benihana - 12 people around a table and it's a production.  Lots of knife skills and action to be witnessed.  And we tried our best to keep the big ball of fire a surprise to the boys - check out their reaction in the videos below:

Ethan was very particular about his outfit - he even stole my cap to complete the look.
He also took his hairbrush so he could redo his hair once we arrived and the hat came off. 

Pai and Noel looking sharp.

Ethan bellied up to the bar like he owned the place - toothpick and all.

Noel wasn't feeling the photo opp.

And the moment we've all been waiting for:

Winter Break 2017: Whistler & First Skiing Experience!

This year, we decided to take our first Snow Vacation up in Whistler.  We consider ourselves a warm and sunny kind of family and this was a gamble.  Neither of our boys have braved the cold very well and we (namely Pai) were preparing for all scenarios.

Bruce has gone skiing a number of times and I haven't really gone skiing since I was a teenager.  What I was really unsure of was how the boys would take to 3 days of Ski School and we'd be separated all day.  Well, lo and behold, we had nothing to worry about - the Ski School at Whistler is amazing and the boys emerged each day to regale us with tales of their adventures and everything they achieved.  Most notably was that the boys were better skiers than Pai after the end of it all.

See below for some highlights:

The boys wearing their ski gear on arrival day.

Bruce snapped a picture of the boys in school

Pai taking the Peak 2 Peak gondola with Daddy - our first time skiing together

A view from below on the gondola

Sunny at the base of the mountain - grey and cold up top

Brotherly Love

Know we sent this picture around earlier this week, but wanted it somewhere permanent.

They recently began sleeping in the same bed again and we came in from date night to this scene.  Beyond adorable and makes our hearts swell.

This perfectly illustrates their relationship - they rely on each other first and foremost  - even before us.  It's a fascinating bond to witness - one that's more like a marriage or partnership than a typical sibling relationship.