Kingdom and Castle: March 2012

Vday and the Wonkinator....

Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day was a fun experience for all this year. King Tony pulled out all the stops and special ordered two boxes of the most delicious chocolate ever created by chocolatiers, Jacques Torres (Mr. Chocolate) and Fritz Knipschildt of Chocopologie in South Norwalk and introduced, the Chocolate Challenge. We pit these two master craftsmen against one another--chocolate for chocolate and found interestingly, that Fritz took home the winning box! Even the kids got in on the fun this year so we could help elevate their palletes beyond Hersheys. :)

Chef Aramis also decided to make some chocolate of his own--brownies for Papa! :)

Alec stands at the ready to begin the chocolate challenge--donning his newest Chic Boutique Creations design from Auntie Wendy, and you can catch a glimpse of Aramis' and Abby's too! :)

The weather was so warm in late February that we were able to take out our new bikes and test run our new Raskulls helmets--which the kids love!! :)

Love that we're on our way to biking the trails around the region! :)

For an unusual weekend activity, we took in a community theater rendition of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory--our kids' first play. They were absolutely mesmerized by the showmanship, colorful costumes, music and adventure. A good choice all around. I guess it helped that we attended with good friends, the Schmiedels. :) Abby's bestest gal pal Colleen is cousin to the young lady who played Violet Beauregarde -- the blueberry. And, she really did blow up like a blueberry! :)

The kids with Emily (aka Violet) and Colleen post-show. :)

Alec takes a turn at a trumpet, courtesy of musician, Bill Pickles. Thanks Bill! :)

And the hijinx continue as we begin to head out to local parks. The missing snow has sent our region into a moderate draught, sadly, but the kids couldn't be happier. They've enjoyed 80 degree weather already this Spring, and multiple visits to several parks. King Tony and Queen Wendy took them to one this past weekend--even though the temps never got above 45 degrees. We found interesting ways to keep the kids laughing though as we scaled the play structures ourselves.

You are never too old to prove to your kids that you'll be young at heart...forever.

Happy Spring, you little devil! :)

Van Halen...Jump!!

There they stand (L to R), David Lee Roth, Eddie Van Halen and Eddie's son, Wolfgang, on tour with Kool and the Gang. While Wendy prefers a Sammy Hagar led Van Halen to a DLR, Van Halen in any capacity just sets Tony on fire! So, for a very special date night, we joined a number of friends, cousin Juan Mario, and godparents Auntie Laurie and Uncle Regis for an adventure-filled evening out on the town. Van Halen did not disappoint and even Eddie's son proved his street cred, pumping out the historic jams nearly as equal as Michael Anthony. Some may consider that blasphemy, but in all seriousness, he got the job done!

"Jump!"

Father and son duo on stage....

Ever the showman, David Lee Roth in spandex....

Auntie Laurie catches (as a special birthday gift), Van Halen chocolate thrown to the crowd! Nice catch!!

Eddie solos for a while...

Karate Success....

Karate has been a family tradition for year. Uncle Erick and all the kids' cousins in New York have succeeded in earning their second-degree black belts in short order, and over the course of the last year, all three Agudelo kidlets have started their athletic journey as well. Recently, Princess Abs earned her first colored belt--marking a major step up in her abilities and conditioning. The boys, who started several months after her, have also done quite well--earning their tips ahead of schedule--under the watchful eye and strong guidance of their Sensei Louie. We couldn't be more proud of all of them...of their dedication to physical exercise and their commitment to the art of karate. Tony and Wendy just look forward to the moment when 'self discipline' kicks in.... :)

Aramis earning another tip...

Not to be outdone, Alec earns his the same day. :)

And some fun videos of them during training exercises.... :)

Final Winter Fun....

It has been such an incredibly busy Spring for us, that we have literally been too busy to blog! :( So, you'll see a number of posts go up as we do our best to play catch up! Let's see...where to begin. Oh yes, winter. Well, the lack of winter here in New England, actually. Winter 2011-2012 was nearly non-existent. We had a terrible storm the week before Halloween that devastated the area with downed trees, power lines and missing power for upwards of a full week. Then, a green Christmas followed by a green New Year's. One small storm in January, followed by one more in mid-February, and that is all. The snow didn't stay around for more than 4 days, so we had to rally the royals to make the most of the snow that DID fall. Here's what we did:

Making snowmen--three of them to be exact.....

"I did it!" (with a little help from my brothers...)

"Why are you sliding on your belly?? Let me show you how it is done, sister...!"

"Like this???"

And a video of the kids enjoying the snow and mud to the hilt!

Our snowmen morphed into a snow wall...since the rain came and melted our little guys.... :(

We thought the storm above was the last of our fun in the snow, but a quick weekend roadtrip to Upstate NY changed all of that. We arrived with no snow on the ground and woke up to a blizzard! (see photo below)

It was beautiful and crisp looking out over Delta Lake, and Princess Abigail joined her Auntie, Cousins and Grandma Mary for a dip in the hot tub (eating flavored sno cones) while it continued to snow. Now THAT was an experience to remember. Thanks Auntie Beth!!

While it remained chilly outside, the boys found their own activities. Aramis, being as cerebral as his Auntie Beth, took over her iPad while she worked on the data report for NASSA's winning project--"Does a syphon work in zero gravity." Members from the Neighborhood After School Science Association (which Beth and her daughters founded), traveled to the NASA Space Center in Ohio to complete a drop test of their invention. The results: a syphon does not work in zero gravity and does require gravity to work. They put their theory to the test, and they were correct. Nicely done!!

Okay, we know you want more of our snow man making afternoon...so here it is.... :)

Daddy's Fantasy Camp Experience....

Trot Nixon and King Tony

He may not initially strike you as a superior athlete, but King Tony played for the Boston Red Sox at the newly constructed JetBlue Park even before the incumbent players got a chance to set foot on the field! Yes, it is true. Tony flew to Ft. Myers right before Spring Training started to enjoy a fantasy camp experience. Check it off the bucket list.

After a full week of ball play, evening activities with Red Sox legends and players, he returned to Boston fulfilled...and slightly worse for wear. A few blisters, bruises, scraped up knees from sliding, and lovely 'frozen shoulder/rotator cuff tendonitis' were just a small token brought back from Florida alongside some great memories, new baseball techniques, and one very happy man. :)

In Tony's words, the best part of his entire experience was playing the game with guys who loved to play as much as he did..."and of course, my walk off hit!"