Summer Fun!

August 10, 2009 - We can't believe how fast the summer has flown by. Tucker spent a fun week at horse camp - thank you to Granny and Papa for sending him. Tucker also spent an exciting with his Grandpa Sam in Banner Elk. The trip included a visit with Cousin Gabe who lives in Pennsylvania. Thank you to Anna for letting him have a sleepover at her house too. We also had a fun week at the Hinson beach house. It's always fun to spend time with Maggie and Betsy.

Most of the summer has been spent enjoying time at home. The above ground pool in the backyard has been used almost everyday. We enjoyed lots of late night campfires and just time together as a family. The big event of the summer was Tucker's bike accident. His first trip to the emergency room resulted in 4 stiches and a new bike! Mom and Dad also have new bikes and the family has enjoyed fun rides on the Charlotte Greenway.

Tucker has developed some new interests this summer. Our neighbors have introduced us to www.letterboxing.org and we have had some fun adventures. Tucker is enjoying reading Harry Potter each night with his mom. We wish we could go to Hogwarts and meet all of Harry's friends. Tucker has a new addiction - POKEMON! Billy feels pretty certain we will have to perform an intervention before school starts.

The puppies are growing and have destroyed most of the backyard. We have spent most of the summer trying to keep them in our fence.

Our summer is coming to a close and once again we think it has been the best one ever!

New Puppies!

May 2, 2009 - The Guignard family adopted two puppies from foster care the first week of May! They were from a litter of seven that had been abandoned with their mother who is a Brittany Spaniel around the first of March. We're not sure about the father (or fathers), but we think they are perfect. Tucker has wanted a puppy for a really long time. He is thrilled!!! We can't believe how responsible he has become. The little girl (black and white) was originally named Henrietta. We call her Steeler - after Tucker's favorite football team. She is the dainty one and truly looks like a Spaniel. She is a lap dog! The little boy (white with a little brown) was originally named Twinkie. We call him Cowboy - after dad's favorite football team. He loves to eat and his hair is a mess. We're not sure what he looks like except adorable! The puppies have truly become part of our family.

Let's Go Racing!

May 2009 - The Guignard family made their annual pilgrimage to the race track. We had lots of fun tailgating and enjoying the day. This was the first year that Tucker did not go to sleep during the race. Jimmy Johnson did not win, but we still had fun. We could tell that the economy had kept lots of people away from the races. We had lots of empty seats around us.

Odyssey of the Mind State Finals 2009

April 4, 2009 - Tucker's Odyssey of the Mind team competed at Wingate University in the State Competition. Cousin Betsy was also a member of his team this year. Their Superstition problem had one of the best tranformations that we saw. His team of seven also placed first in Spontaneous. Their team competed against the best teams from across the state of NC and placed third. They were happy with their medals and trophy, but disappointed that they would not move on to the World Finals in Iowa. Only 7 points separated 2nd and 3rd place. Only the first and second place teams advance to the World Finals. For the first time ever, Unionville Elementary School will be sending two teams to the World Finals. OM is an amazing program and we are so thankful that Tucker has the opportunity to be part of it.

Happy Birthday to Tucker!

April 3, 2009 - We can hardly believe that Tucker is 9 years old! He was so excited about his special day that he got up at 5:30 a.m. He got a Flip Camera for the birthday and absolutely loves it! He has lots of filming to do. He ended his special day with an Odyssey of the Mind party at Cici's pizza. Our family celebrated his special day with Aunt Pammy (April 6) and Granny (April 9) on Sunday, April 5 with a cookout.

Speed Stacking Champions!

March 21, 2009 - Tucker had a fun day at the speed competition held at Wingate University. Tucker's team, the Flamining Foursome, placed second in the 3-6-3 relay. Tucker didn't win any individual awards this year, but he had a wonderful time. If he could only win one medal, I was glad it was for the team event. The kids had a great time. Thank you to their PE teacher Ms. Card for devoting her Friday afternoons to the Unionville Cup Stacking club.

Odyssey of the Minds Regional Competition

March 7, 2009 - Tucker once again was a member of Unionville Elementary's competitive Odyssey of the Mind program. It is a very big deal to be chosen as one of the twenty-eight students that comprise four teams. They start working in October for their regional event at Wingate University. This year Tucker and his cousin Betsy were on the same team. Their problem was to explain two documented superstitions and to create one of their own. The real challenge was to produce a transformation of scenery. In their case, a cruise ship backdrop becomes a life boat and finding a pirannah's tooth saves the day! The team placed 2nd at regional and are preparing for the state competition which will also be held at Wingate University on April 4. Cross your fingers for some good luck! If you want to read more about the Odyssey of the Mind program, visit http://www.odysseyofthemind.com/.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

January 20, 2009 - Happy New Year to you all! Tucker and Mommy were thrilled about their first snow day of the year. Dad had to work while we had some snow fun! Sledding was the best part of the day.

Yellowstone or Bust!

Our family Christmas vacation for 2008 involved a few more family members than usual. There was 23 family and friends on this exciting trip. Thank you to Cousin Stan for organizing this "White Christmas". We flew to Bozeman, Montana (after a quick layover in Minneapolis) on Sunday, December 28, 2008. From Bozeman, we took a motorcoach to West Yellowstone - located 2 hours away. The temperature continued to drop as we approached West Yellowstone and the snow amounts continued to increase. It was a beautiful drive. West Yellowstone is a very small town at one of the entrance gates to Yellowstone National Park. West Yellowstone is located in Montana, but we were only a few miles from Wyoming and Idaho. We would spend the next three days enjoying everything Yellowstone has to offer in the winter. The scenery and animals were spectacular! Billy and I decided that this vacation would fall in our top 3 favorites of all time. We will definitely do this trip again.



The only way to enter Yellowstone in the winter is with a guide. You could travel by snow coach or by snowmobile (which everyone calls sleds). Temperatures were cold, but we dressed appropriately and had no problems. The snowmobiles had heated seats and handlebars. We spent a day at Old Faithful, a day touring the Grand Canyons of Yellowstone, and a day exploring snowmobile trails into Idaho on our own. We had a blast! We were all sad to return from our snow fun to North Carolina on January 1, 2009.


Funny Moments of the Trip:
1) We were driven to the airport on a Silver Fox Limo Bus. Too bad there was only enough room for 23 people - and NO luggage! We had luggage piled everywhere. It's a good thing no one was claustrophobic or needed to exit the bus quickly!
2) Betsy entered the men's restroom at the Charlotte airport before we even left for Montana. She blushed and exited quickly.
3) Our Snow coach tour to Old Faithful was very slow. It's amazing that we actually made it to the lodge. During lunch, the coach broke down and we all had to hitch rides back to the hotel on other coaches. Some of us had quite a bumpy ride.
4) Stan, Dallas, and Amy had a little adventure on one of the trails near town. They managed to get all 3 snowmobiles stuck, plow over a tree, and get separated in the woods while it was dark. Luckily, they were rescued and they did not encounter any bears or wolves.
5) Chris and Sherri received a police escort to the restaurant after being pulled over for driving their snowmobile on a prohibited street.
6) Rachel got stuck in a snowdrift several times on her way to see Old Faithful. Her sister Carolyn just stepped right over her and kept on walking. She wasn't missing the "show".
7) J.J. fell out of a booth during lunch with a huge thump while trying to take a picture.
8) While snowmobiling, we encountered a large buffalo in the road. As we drove past, Jimmy jumped off his snowmobile to retrieve a pair of sunglasses. This left the rest of us very close to a grumpy looking buffalo.
9) Stan led us to the top of Two Tops on a snowmobile adventure. The sun was shining when we left, but by the time we reached the top we were surrounded by blowing snow. Only Amy was brave enough to take a picture. The rest of us headed down the mountain as quickly as possible.


Happy New Year to you all! If you ever get the chance, the Guignard family recommends a winter visit to Yellowstone National Park!

Christmas 2008

Merry Christmas from the Guignard family! We spent the holidays enjoying time spent with our family and friends. Tucker was very excited about Santa this year. He requested a red Ipod, a replacement Nintendo DS (his old one broke), and RockBand for Wii. He must have been a really good boy this year - Santa brought it all. In the Guignard home, Santa only delivers 3 gifts. This is symbolic of the fact that Baby Jesus received three gifts at his birth. We spent Christmas day with family and looked forward to our 2008 Christmas vacation. This year we would be snowmobiling in Yellowstone. Finally, we would have a true "white Christmas".

Halloween 2008

October 31, 2008 - Tucker went trick-or-treating for the first time ever!!!! Tucker has always went to Granny's church for Halloween, but this year he decided he wanted to go trick-or-treating. We didn't think it was going to happen after our doctors visit on October 30 for strep throat, but the shot did the trick and Tucker was able to go on a short neighborhood trip. He was Super Mario this year - love the moustache. We also roasted hotdogs and marshmallows with the Hinsons and Granny & Papa while the kids went trick-or-treating. The weather was perfect for a campfire. It was a fun night! Tucker and Papa carved the pumpkin while he was out of school with strep throat.

Betsy's Birthday Celebration!

September 22, 2008 - Cousin Betsy Clair celebrated her 11th birthday at Granny and Papa's house. We had a fun family cookout and enjoyed the beautiful day. Tucker's favorite part was the huge clown cookie!

School Days!

September 20, 2008 - Tucker and mom have been back to school for four weeks now. Yes, we were "out of school shape", but things are getting better. Tucker loves being a 4th grader and was thrilled to find out he would be in Ms. Luce's room. AIG classes are keeping him busy and it took lots of work to get him organized. Tucker and his speed stacking buddies performed at Piedmont's football game during halftime. It was very exciting! Outside of school, Tucker has been taking golf lessons at Emerald Lake and has enjoyed their youth clinic that is held each Saturday during September. Dad is loving Tucker's new interest in golf!

July 2008

Tucker and Mom had an awesome July together. Lazy days of sleeping late (don't tell Dad), playing Mario Kart (yes, Mom stinks), being real life "Cooking Mama's" (we have lots of meals in the freezer to prove it), trying to keep the Wii Fit lady from yelling at us about our weight, and some day camps too! Tucker has taken two sessions of swim lessons at Wingate, a 4-day tennis camp at Wingate with cousin Betsy, and a week long horse camp with Betsy while staying at Granny and Papa's house. Things are winding down in the Guignard home as Mom frantically (okay, maybe not so much) tries to finish her summer cleaning and Tucker tries to avoid the "S-Word" (yes, SCHOOL). Every summer I say that Tucker and I have had the best summer together yet - and every summer it just gets better!

Go West with Mickey!

June 11-22, 2008 - The Guignard family planned this vacation in January of 2007. We have been counting down for way too long! We had an amazing time. Aunt Pammy, Uncle Tom, Cousin Maggie, and Cousin Betsy joined us for the fun. Ken, Sue, and Jordan also made the journey. This would be the second Disney cruise that the three families have sailed together.

We flew to Long Beach, California on June 11 to begin the first part of our vacation. The Hinson and Guignard families would be staying in the Disney Grand Californian Lodge until June 15. The hotel was amazing. It was connected to Downtown Disney and the two parks. We loved being able to walk to everything. Those of you that have been to Walt Disney World in Florida will understand the difference. We had been warned that the parks would be much more compact and the castle would be smaller. We still weren't prepared for that tiny castle, but we absolutely loved everything about the parks. The Guignards had a 4-day park hopper pass and visited the parks everyday. That still left time for relaxing by the amazing pool. Temperatures in Anaheim were lower 80's with no humidity. Considering that we had left North Carolina with temperatures near 100, we thought we were in heaven!

Billy and Jennifer celebrated their 14th wedding anniversary on June 12. What a wonderful way to celebrate the day! How will Billy top this gift next year???

On Friday, June 13, the entire gang went to see the Atlanta Braves play the Anaheim Angels. It was a lot of fun. We couldn't believe how many Braves fans were at the game. Yes, the Braves won!

Father's Day was Sunday, June 15. Tucker had a great time sneaking to the store with Mommy to buy matching Disneyland shirts for the whole family. Billy loved it! Tucker also picked out a "Soarin" pin for his dad since this is Billy's favorite ride.

The best part of Father's Day was the fact that we were leaving on the cruise! The Guignard's love cruising. The Disney Magic was on the West Coast in 2005 and we knew that if it ever returned that we wanted to be a part of it! The Disney Magic will only be in Californina this summer. The weather was beautiful and we couldn't wait for the cruise to begin!

We really had a magical week with Mickey and his friends. The Mexican Riviera was beautiful, but we decided that we prefer the Caribbean. The first port of call was Cabo San Lucas. We took a cataraman ride out to the Los Arcos. What a beautiful and amazing sight!

The next port of call was Mazatlan. Everyone decided to spend the day enjoying the boat. This was our hottest day! We cooled off in the pool and enjoyed Minnie's Fiesta Party that included real Mexican band and churros!

The last port we would visit was Puerto Vallarta. The Hinson and Guignard family enjoyed the day on a Pirate Ship. We had a fun day and took lots of dramamine! Everyone's favorite part of the day was the banana boat ride at the private beach. We ended the day with Mickey's Pirate Party. He even shot off fireworks from the cruise ship! Yes, even Bear wore his pirate clothes!

We were all sad to see our amazing "Go West Vacation" come to an end. Tucker's picture below really sums up the way we all felt! We made some great memories with our friends and family. Let's start planning our next trip!!!!