School Pictures

School pictures have arrived.  I am still at a loss as to where Owen gets the red hair.  He is definitely the odd man out of the three.  We are very proud of Bailey and Jake for their hard work and impressive accomplishments at their new school.  Owen has taken a leave of absence from his pre-school due to a multitude of double ear infections over the past 6 weeks.  Understandably, Mommy is tired of taking care of a sick baby every other week.  I can't blame her.  The boys are excite about Christmas and looking forward to another week off from the rigors of school.  I'll be posting videos of Christmas morning so even though the family is not together, you'll be able to share some of the memories.  

Christmas Cookies

What would Christmas be without cookies?  A little tradition in the Pritchard household has developed over the years with Cindy and Jake.  A couple of days before Christmas, Cindy and Jake make those fabulous cookies with sprinkles and other delicious decorations.  This has become a special time for mother and son to bond.  Jake has always been interested in cooking and getting involved with all the preparation.  The tough part is keeping me away from the cookies long enough to have an ample supply to leave for Santa on Christmas Eve.  Cindy and Jake have once again baked a delicious batch of sprinkle cookies.  Santa will be pleased.

Christmas Card Photo Shoot

Today was our annual photo shoot to find a suitable picture for our Christmas card to family and friends.  This has always been an adventure in trying to get 5 people to look at the camera and smile at the same time.  Even more trying is attempting to get Owen just to look at the camera at the exact moment the timer expires on the auto shoot feature.  The slideshow above goes through all the attempts today to get the photo that is "just right".  Enjoy.

Scott, Cindy, Bailey, Jake & Owen  

Christmas Tree Selection & Decoration

One of the most exciting events of the Christmas holiday for our family has been picking out the perfect tree.  Typically we go the first weekend in December to the local Optimist Club who has a fine selection of trees for a good price.  Over the years as the boys have gotten older the actual selection process has become slightly more difficult.  This is due in part to Bailey and Jake each having rather strong convictions as to which tree will look the best in our living room.  This year the boys picked out a fine tree.  Owen seems to like anything his older two brothers pick out.  

Once home, the decorating begins.  My job is to hang the lights, wrap the tinsel and then sit back and watch the kids hang the ornaments.  This was really Owen's first year to be included in the tree decorating.  Nothing like small, breakable objects to get his attention; at least for a few minutes.    After that, back to climbing on furniture and tossing ornaments at the tree.  This is easily one of mine and Cindy's more cherished holiday family time.  

 

Happy Birthday Grandpa John!

Today Grandpa John is celebrating his 60 something birthday. We'll keep the specific number classifed to protect the innocent. It should not be too long though before Grandpa John starts getting close to actually shooting his age on the links, at least for the front nine!
All kidding aside, we all want to wish you a special day and thank you for being a great Dad and even better Grandpa. Bailey, Jake, Owen, Cindy and I love you and look forward to celebrating many more birthday's! Enjoy your day!

Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing all of our family and friends a Happy Thanksgiving! We celebrated this Thanksgiving at the Kagan's beautiful home in Soundside. The weather was a gorgeous 70 deg. with clear skies and a spectacular sunset on the water. Bailey and Jake got to play football with their cousins and Owen enjoyed playing in the water and knocking around golf balls.

Thanksgiving has given us the chance to reflect on the things that are truly meaningful to our family. Our 3 beautiful and healthy boys, a great job that I enjoy doing and friends and family. We have truly been blessed with so many gifts. We tend to lose sight of the important things with all the stresses of everyday life. Between school, sports, household chores and trying to keep up with Owen, the days just seem to fly by. We should all strive to make thanksgiving not just a day, but a way of life.

Scott's New Squadron

For the past 8 weeks I have been in training to get "requalified" to start instructing future Naval Aviators.  Monday morning will be my first flight with a student.  I am flying with Training Squadron SIX (VT-6) stationed at Naval Air Station Whiting Field.  Once again I will be flying the T-34C Turbo Mentor, a plane I flew from 1998 through 2002 while stationed at NAS Pensacola.  So far I have accumulated over 2,000 flight hours in this aircraft.   

In January I will be heading back to NAS Pensacola to start training in the T-6A Texan II.  The Navy will be buying the 

T-6B Texan II to replace the T-34C.  I will be involve with the transition process and training new instructors how to fly the new planes and train our future aviators.   This will definitely make my last 3 years in the Navy exciting.  

 

Jakes Field Trip

Jake and his 2nd grade class at Trinitas took a field trip this week to the Langley Bell 4-H Club in Pensacola.  What an amazing trip!  They learned about all of the organisms and animals that live in the ponds in the local area.  Things like tadpoles, frogs, shrimp, crickets and Jake's personal favorite: "gooey egg larvae".

Other interesting nature facts included discussions on the life of a tree, how cotton is grown and harvested, a walk through the corn stalks, and the intricacies of the bee colonies.  The staff and volunteers at the center did an excellent job.  I think Cindy actually had more fun than Jake.

For those of you who wonder what 4-H clubs do; it is a non-formal, practical education program for kids that focus on such projects as gardening, woodworking, small animals, food and nutrition, livestock, photography etc.  The 4 H's are "Head, Heart, Hands and Health"  Their overall mission is to develop competent, caring and contributing citizens to the world.   

New School

This past month Cindy and I decided to change schools for Bailey and Jake.  For the past couple of years they have both attended Redeemer Lutheran School.  Between high gas prices, the long drive and looking for a more challenging school for Bailey, we decided to transfer.  Tomorrow marks the first month that both have been attending Trinitas Christian School.   The most notable difference is that Trinitas is a classical christian curriculum that employs  the classical approach to learning based upon the centuries-old trivium.  It has definitely been challenging for both boys and Cindy.  I am proud to say that they have both done extremely well in this new academic environment.  Their success is a result of their hard work and the dedication of Cindy .   

Both boys are learning Latin in addition to grammar, history, science and mathematics.  The biggest adjustment for Jake has been having to wear a tie on Friday!  Cindy and I are both very proud of their efforts and positive attitude in this new endeavor.  

Sunday Golf

Today Bailey and I hit the links for a quick 9 holes at Scenic Hills Country Club.  Lighting fast greens and brisk temperatures (48 deg.) made for a challenging day.  Bailey managed a personal best 49 that should have been at least a 45 (thanks to a 4 putt and 3 putt).  Bailey hit the ball great all day from tee to green and put a pretty good whoopin on his old man!  This coming Friday we will be playing in a 4 man scramble at the same course.  Hopefully with some warmer weather and better playing from Dad.  

End of Soccer Season

Today Bailey and Jake had their last soccer games of the season.  Bailey has been playing on a U-12 team called the Fireballs.  The Fireballs went undefeated this season and were the league champions!  Bailey started at right forward and had a total of 10 goals this season.  He had a tremendous season.  

Jake also had an outstanding soccer season.  Although not achieving as many wins, Jacob probably led the league in goals.  Jake scored 4 goals today to secure a 6-5 win in the season finale.  For the season Jake scored 30 goals!  Jake has turned into a scoring machine!

Little "O" with Big Swing

Little Owen showing a fantastic swing for 18 months.