Christmas Time is Here...

Been a busy few days in the Walter house.

We've been going like crazy.

Friday:

Ethan's sixth grade band concert and Aidan's first wrestling match of the year, scheduled at the same time.

Saturday:

Red Ribbon Christmas deliveries, sledding/snowman building/snowball fighting at grandpa and grandma's Lilah's birthday party in Toledo (which we unfortunately didn't get to go to), "Christmas" movie marathon

Sunday:

Church, "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" (review forthcoming), sugar cookie making and icing.

Challenge #4

While we don't have video proof of how well (or poorly) Erica and I did with our "Star Wars" trivia, this weekend gave us the opportunity to do another challenge. While the snow began to fall Friday night, Dean (grandpa Melcher) had the idea of letting the boys come over to sled and ride the quad. Surprisingly, neither boy had any issue with this idea.

After another morning of service, we went back to grandpa and grandma Melcher's. A quick note on our volunteering. Erica resigned from the Kokomo Rescue Mission a couple months ago, but offered her services to helping with the Red Ribbon Christmas. The mission packed over 1,000 boxes filled with toys and food for families in need this Christmas season. The mission actually fills boxes for more than just Kokomo. My school in Logansport was a hub where they were passing out boxes and in Frankfurt the boys, Dean and myself delivered boxes to people that couldn't pick them up. We delivered boxes to nine families and cleaned off the sidewalks in front of several of their houses. I am so thankful to have a father-in-law that is willing to do the work of the Lord and meet people where they are. His conversation with the boys on spiritual matters filled out the day and made it even more meaningful.

When we arrived back and grandpa and grandma Melcher's the boys wasted very little time getting their hands dirty. They built a snowman, we had a snowball fight, then the competition began. We couldn't have asked for much better conditions than this past Saturday. Mid-30's, no wind, bundled, warm and sleds "chomping at the bit".

Rules:
1. The boys are the participants.
2. "Regular" sledding rules apply.
3. Run in two individual heats. The first heat will have the boys sledding at the same time.

4. Second heat will have similar conditions. Each will use the same track, same sled and have the same running distance.

5. In the case of a tie the winner will be decided upon by other means.

Here is how the whole thing shook out...Challenge #4 - The Sledding Escapade

We have our first draw. The boys lost interest in finishing their giant snowballs, so we can only go with the evidence we have. Aidan was the champion of the head to head race, while Ethan edge out in the individual run. We end with our first "Challenge" draw. It was still a lot of fun.

Challenge #3 (Part II): Ethan's Second Go

As I said earlier, in a misguided attempt to make the three and a half hour trip to Ohio for Thanksgiving a little quicker I tried doing the first two videos of "Challenge #3" on the road. This turned out to work against us as the noise of the road drowned out any chance of hearing the answers or the questions themselves. As it were, Ethan got 50% (5/10) right and will be credited as his posted score. But just for fun we had him do another 10 questions. Here's how he did.

Aidan: 6/10
Ethan: 5/10

My second attempt and Erica (flexing her newly released from nursing school brain power) to follow.

Challenge #3 (Part I)

I must admit to making a goof. I had wanted our "Star Wars Trivia" challenge to take place over Thanksgiving break. Brilliant Drew decided to use the hours in the car as an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. 1. Entertain the boys and 2. Knock out a challenge. Not knowing that the road was going to be ridiculously loud. Re-watching the videos (Ethan and myself) it became obvious that the videos were unwatchable. The results of those two videos will stand. As a result, I finish getting 4/10 correct and Ethan besting my score getting 5/10. (But I call shenanigans because I didn't get a single question from "The Empire Strikes Back" nor "A New Hope", so I call bunk!)

Aidan was first up tonight. Here's how he did.

So proud of our boy

Ethan was given an incredibly unique opportunity last Sunday to compete on the same field as some truly elite athletes. Keep in mind he was not competing at the same time as said elite athletes, but it was a tremendous opportunity. His team was at the top of their division in 6th grade this year. Because of their exceptional play, one of the parents reached out to the Colts and inquired about an exhibition. This led to something special.

We were given a chance to watch our boy play at Lucas Oil Stadium minutes after professional NFL players had played on the same turf. What was set in motion a couple months ago came to fruition as we (Aidan, Erica, myself, Chad, Andrea, mom and dad Melcher) were able to scream our lungs out as Ethan played in the stadium.

We were not only able to cheer Ethan on, but went to the slightly less exciting game that preceded it. The Colts battled hard to win an intra-divisional game against the Titans. This wasn't even the second most exciting thing that happened. We were very fortunate to get field passes which allowed us to go on the sidelines before the game. We were, literally, 20 feet from Robert Mathis (who is absolutely huge by the way). Chad and I couldn't help but comment about how fast these huge guys were. It was nothing short of mind blowing.

The boys were the lucky ones. While we were on the field as a family before the game we saw:
1. Andrew Luck warming up
2. T.Y. Hilton stretching
3. Robert Mathis looking intimidating...just standing there
4. Jeff Saturday (whose autograph was gotten by the boys)
5. Trent Richardson (Erica and I saw the preseason game when he was on the Browns pre-trade, it was the second uniform I have seen him in this year).

6. The boys made it on the jumbotron 30 seconds after we made it on the field.
7. We got to share this great experience with a great aunt and uncle to the boys. Thank you Andrea and Chad!
8. Grandpa and Grandma Melcher were able to be there and get excited with us. (Even if Grandma HAD to sit through a whole football game to get to the game she wanted to see!)

It was all super exciting. But this all came in a distant second to the pride our family felt being able to watch one of our own compete in a scrimmage after the game. We are so proud of Ethan and Aidan. All of the hard work they put in this year competing and cheering each other on. They are the consummate teammates. And we are so glad they are on our team.

Another amazing experience I could have never imagined being able to participate in even a single short year ago. Looking forward to everything else we will get to do as a family.

And there are some pretty big plans in the work. Stay tuned for what's still to come.

Thanksgiving, and giving

We honestly hope that everyone had plenty to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. It was a very busy week for the Walter family. We drove back to Mommo and Bapa's (my mom and dad) on Wednesday.

Thursday started with our family serving with the Galion Free Methodist Church. We helped package 200 Thanksgiving dinners that were delivered to 190 people who wouldn't have otherwise had a Thanksgiving. The boys were great helps going through the line multiple times and filling plates for others, while their mom and I were stuck passing out turkey and gravy respectfully. After being able to serve we made our way to the Melcher family Thanksgiving.

It was a great time. 24 people sharing in great food, wonderful conversation and plenty of fun games. It is surreal to think that a year ago was the first time I had ever met Erica face-to-face. Now I was being welcomed with open arms by a new family. They certainly are a great bunch.

Friday was Walter Thanksgiving. 34 people crammed into Mommo and Bapa's house. We were missing very few to make it complete, but Liz, Mark, Lilah and Claire (and Ben) were able to join us via Facetime. Amazing food and quality family time.

Saturday was another opportunity to serve. The boys and I spent the morning helping the GFMC with a 5th Saturday project. We spent nearly 3 hours raking, bagging and hauling leaves for a neighborhood of people we didn't know. And many were truly appreciative for having been served, it was truly worthwhile for our boys to see how blessed we are to be able to give to others.

We are so very blessed. I am thankful for so many things. Health, community, winter coats. The greatest of these being the people whose lives I am daily blessed by. I love my family. They truly are a treasure.

Giving back

Our challenge took a backseat to a much more serious need.

The city of Kokomo suffered a devastating tornado a little more than a week ago. Many houses and businesses were destroyed and the recovery/rebuilding process is going to be a slow and arduous one. The Walter family escaped completely unscathed. We are incredibly thankful for all the prayers and concern that has been passed along on our behalf.

While we were personally unaffected, a great many people in our community where left with little or nothing after the storm. Erica, in her infinite wisdom, volunteered our help to clean up on Saturday. It was a time for us to be able to serve together as a family and a tangible reminder of all we have to be grateful for. We were humbled by all we saw.

Even though it was a cold and windy 20 degrees, the discomfort we felt was greatly outweighed by the joy of being able to do something for the kingdom. We are so blessed and it is necessary to be reminded that sometimes.

 We loved being able to serve next to our friends and fellow believers from Crossroads. A call went out and was answered by more than 75 people. People willing to put their own comfort aside and help out.

What had been full of debris and leaves was left much cleaner an hour later.

 "A joyful heart is good medicine..." -Proverbs 17:22

So proud of the work my family did. And did so with a smile on their faces.

No place to put everything that was destroyed. It lined the street on both sides.

It wasn't much and there is a long way to go, but I am glad to say that we were able to be there at the start. We will be committed to helping anyway we can.

Challenge #3

As many will tell you, I am the king of useless information that less than nobody cared about. Well, in a completely impractical challenge I am going to test my own knowledge (or lack there of as the case would have it).

Today at school I was given a book titled, "Obsessed with Star Wars". Perfect, right? It is a compendium of Star Wars information from across the six (existing) movies. 2,500 questions. The most interesting feature is that the answers aren't "in" the book. There is, in fact, a little device on the outside of the book which supplies the reader with a question. Upon the reader choosing an answer (as pushing A, B, C, or D on the device), one finds out whether or not they are correct.

I love Star Wars, but my knowledge is nowhere up to the challenge of answering all these questions. Let's make it a challenge. Each contestant will have a turn with the book answering 10 questions at random (which is the only way they come) from the book. The person that answers the most questions correct is the winner. This is going to be interesting.

The Rules:
1. Each contestant must answer each sequential question that is presented to them. No skipping or getting a question intentionally wrong to try again.
2. The contestant must, to the best of their ability, read the question and answers in full before selecting their choice.
3. This is completely random and is meant to be fun. I imagine a lot of guessing will be taking place. Should be good theater if nothing else.

Video of each participant will be loaded in the days to follow with results coming after the last video.

Sidenote:
Tomorrow we, as a family, are taking time to give a little back to the Kokomo community. We were mostly untouched by the tornadoes that ripped through Kokomo less than a week ago, but still feel the impact through our friends that were not as fortunate. The boys, Erica and I will be volunteering and helping to clean up in whatever way we can. Erica already has done much helping a classmate that was greatly affected by the storm and I couldn't be prouder of the example she has been this week. Our prayers continue to go out to the people that are still trying to piece their lives together after this tragedy. And we are doing our best to help them in any way we can.

First Contribution

When this whole thing started I said at various times there would be others participating along with the family. We have our first outside contributor. Even I was surprised that it happened as quickly as it did and was surprised that it came from a non-blood relation.

When I posted the cereal challenge a friend on facebook answered the call. I sent samples of each cereal to him so he and his wife could participate. Ben Blake is the first guest contestant in "The Walter Family Challenge".

Ben has been a part of my life longer than the others, but has already played an integral role in my family. This was the man who designed the program for the biggest day of my family's short life. Tasked with constructing a wedding program with members of the wedding party as famous superheroes, he was more than up for the job. It turned out great.

Upon receiving the cereal, Ben shared his excitement on facebook. He weighed in with his vote giving the edge to Franken Berry.

We are so blessed to be surrounded by people that share in the fun things that life can provide. We are also excited to head into the holiday season with fresh ideas that we will be able to experience (and document) with our family, large and small.

2013 Highlights

Their mother and I couldn't be prouder of the boys. They both had amazing football seasons this year with each of their respective teams going undefeated. Even more than the success of their teams, we were overwhelmingly proud of their sportsmanship the entire season. They were the consummate teammates on the sidelines and relentless players on the field.

Look for numbers 10 and 2 and marvel.

Turkey Run

Last weekend, The Walter family was able to get away for some camping/hiking. We had a ton of fun climbing boulders, trekking down rivers and taking lots of pictures.

Ender's Game

I can't even begin to think of how difficult it is to take 30 year old book with overlapping and complex themes, which every person that read it has a different part with which they attach themselves to, and try to condense it into a two hour movie. As with all novel adaptations, there were things left out, liberties taken (like having Bean being one of the Launchies from the start of the movie) and tone that is different from how I interpreted it.

All that said, "Ender's Game" is an enjoyable movie. Five likes:

1. Watching with Ethan and Aidan. I know this doesn't have anything to do with the movie specifically, but I loved how excited they were. How they looked forward to seeing the differences, seeing their imaginations come to life, and being able to discuss their thoughts intelligently.
2. The Battle Room. In the book there were multiple battle rooms which could be switched in and out. This gave the impression to me that they were long a cylindrical, but on the smaller side. In the movie there is only one battle room and it is massive. An exterior shot of the Battle School, it is the most impressive and imposingly noticeable part of the structure.
3. Zero gravity. In some movies it sometimes feels like you can see the hooks and wires, or tell where the CGI begins and ends, but this was not the case. The zero gravity scenes look beautiful with individuals reacting as one would think they would in the absence of gravity.
4. Sir Ben Kingsley. While subtle, and borderline soft spoken, it feels like he "gets" the character. While this shouldn't be at all surprising with such a well accomplished actor, he brought in the cerebral and psychological aspect to the story that needed to bridge the gap from the more physical parts of the film.
5. The Simulator. The climactic scene has explosions, ships going every direction, and one person in the middle of it all directing his squad leaders like conductor of an orchestra. The visuals were impressive, they were changing camera angles to keep you close to the action but not overwhelmingly so. With the final gut punch coming at the end, the tension leading up to that moment peaked and hits you in the face when the "simulator" comes back on.

There were also some dislikes. Five of those:

1. Bonzo being shorter than Ender. I don't remember this being the case in the book, but it kinda felt like a big deal that I should have remembered.
2. The Petra/Ender love interest angle. First, they're kids. Second, they're training to be killers.
3. The downplaying of everything that's happening on Earth with the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact and Russia's (could have been changed to China or North Korea to be more current) forces moving against the west.
4. Needed more time with the desk. The game on the desk was such an important part of the psychological aspect of the book, I feel like they missed an opportunity with the movie.
5. No "Speaker for the Dead". The most heart-wrenching part of the book was nowhere to be seen. The only mention came from Rackham of all places when talking about his tattoos.

Bonus dislike: The previews. Awful. I was embarrassed having sat through them. I can't imaging paying money to see any of them. (Except "Mr. Peabody and Sherman". I would gladly pay to relive my childhood through those crazy Rocky and Bulwinkle characters.)

Overall "Ender's Game" was an enjoyable Sci-Fi movie that had enough similarities to the book to be considered the realm of accurate interpretation.

Next up: "Treasure Island"

The Belt Boys Go to the Movies

In the first of what will assuredly be a long series of videos, I present to you Ethan and Aidan's take on a movie we have recently seen. The movie this time is "Ender's Game".

We began reading the book at the beginning of the summer, knowing that the movie was coming out. While progress was slow during the summer (and slowed to a halt through football season), we busted through the last half of the book the week the movie came out. Here is what the boyos thought of the movie, the book and the differences between the two.

My thoughts to be detailed later.

Next on the docket..."Treasure Island". Multiple movies for a single book? Absolutely.

Challenge #2

Our second great challenge. Check it out to see who the obvious winner is. Suffice it to say this was not Drew.

It's The Great Pumpkin "Chunkin'" Charlie Brown

Or "Chucking" depending what region you are from.

For our second contest everyone will choose one of the carved pumpkins to throw. The rules are as follows:

1. In ascending order of age, each participant will choose the pumpkin they wish to *chunk.

2. Picking up of the pumpkins in a suitable measurement. We are attempting to give the youngest the opportunity to choose the pumpkins which are lightest while also attempting to level the playing field slightly.

3. Once the pumpkin has been chosen, it is yours until it is smashed to little bits.

4. Each contestant will release from the same starting line.

5. The pumpkin which travels the most distance (total cumulative distance does not just have to be in the air) is the winner.

6. Any pumpkins not smashed due to contact must be pulverized by other means...left to the discretion of the youngest present.

*I am still trying to figure out what a "chunkin'", but now that I have gotten in the habit of saying it, I can't not say it. Whatever it is, that's what we did. We had to find some way of disposing of our carved pumpkins.

Video of results to come tomorrow. Leave comments on who you think won.

The Final Countdown (Pumpkin)

Drew's pumpkin is last but not least. While I could have gone a multitude of directions, as with my interests, I went with something that is always near and dear. To the layman it may look like a pirate, those with a little more background knowledge I hope will appreciate.

What did Ethan choose?

You may have been asking yourself this very question. Well, anyone who knows this boy well enough can tell you that he is very much so about his video games. One video game that he particularly likes is "Minecraft". Even to the point of having a "Minecraft" cake for his birthday. So...in the spirit of spookiness connected with this time of year, Ethan turned his pumpkin into a Creeper.

In his words (when mom asked what a "creeper" was), "A creeper is a character in the Minecraft world that you can't see until it's too late. You don't know they're around until you hear them behind you and then it's too late. It's sure death."

I present to you, Ethan's Creeper pumpkin.

Done completely by hand. We were all very impressed.

Aidan's pumpkin

Probably the easiest to guess. It was guessed correctly by everyone. Either he's that transparent, or I need to think of more Aidan like things to confuse people. I give you The Pumpk-IU.

Don't worry grandpa(s)...I'm working on this.

The Results are in...

We each ranked the cereals from least to most favorite. As a reminder, the cereals we ranked were Count Chocula, Franken Berry, Boo Berry, Frute Brute and Fruity Yummy Mummy. We added the total number of points (one for the least all the way to five for the best) and totaled them up to find the winner.

Now that our poll is complete we can reveal the winner.

Aidan's votes:
1. Frute Brute
2. Boo Berry
3. Fruity Yummy Mummy
4. Count Chocula
5. Franken Berry

Ethan's votes:
1. Frute Brute
2. Fruity Yummy Mummy
3. Franken Berry
4. Boo Berry
5. Count Chocula

Mom's votes:
1. Boo Berry
2. Frute Brute
3. Count Chocula
4. Fruity Yummy Mummy
5. Franken Berry

Drew's votes:
1. Fruity Yummy Mummy
2. Frute Brute
3. Boo Berry
4. Franken Berry
5. Count Chocula

The totals:
Fifth place - Frute Brute (6 points)
Second Runners-up - Boo Berry and Fruity Yummy Mummy (10 points each)
First place (tie) - Count Chocula and Franken Berry (17 points each)

Because of the result, the tie will be broken by the fruit finished first. The three lowest scoring cereals will be eaten. Once they have been consumed in full, the box finished first between Count Chocula and Franken Berry will be the winner.

Full disclosure, we weren't impressed with any of the cereals and picked the cereal which just wasn't absolutely horrible. Saying "best" cereal was more of a matter of not being the worst. It was a lot of fun to do this together though.

As promised...Erica's pumpkin

Completely done without assistance. I am beyond impressed with all this woman can do. She is going to make an amazing nurse.

Busy Night

As mom studied her brains out, the boys had a little fun. The boys went out and checked out some ideas for Christmas and picked up some pumpkins for carving.

We went and got family pictures taken for the first time since the wedding and had a nice relaxing night carving the pumpkins (while we watched tOSU carve up Penn St.)

Pictures of the final products to come. While you wait. Please leave comments (votes) for which carving each of us did.

(Erica's is forthcoming as her's was the most impressive and we all loved it's perfect representation of who she is.)

What did Aidan choose to carve?
1. A Colt's horseshoe
2. The "Flash" symbol
3. A box of mac 'n cheese
4. An IU symbol

What did Ethan choose to carve?
1. A "Creeper"
2. The "Blue Beetle" symbol
3. A football
4. Himself

What did Drew choose to carve?
1. The TARDIS
2. Something "Wicked"
3. Chuck Norris
4. A golden snitch

Dear People

I'm Aidan Belt. I'm 10 years old. I have red hair. I'm very short and I love IU (Indiana University).

I'm very happy that we are a family. It has been hard for me to adjust. In my version of Drew, he is a nice guy.

I would really want to do another food challenge. I love food. I like superheroes, sports, and strawberry stuff a lot.

I'm an outside person. My favorite food is mac 'n cheese. I think my family, starting with Ethan, is my favorite part the family. He is kinds, respectful, and sharing. Drew is kind respectful, loving. Mom is very, very thoughtful. She picks up our slack and encourages people. That is my family.

Dear Biography Readers

My name is Ethan W. Belt. At the moment I am 11 years old and have a brother that is 10. I have dirty blonde hair with dark brown eyes. My favorite food is pizza, and my favorite color is black.

I have one brother which is Aidan, a mom which is Erica, and my step-dad which is Drew. I really enjoy hanging out with my family. I typically play video games like Medieval total war, unless there's a football around.

I think that I am the typical sixth grader that you see on his bike. I like the sixth grade probably better than I think. My family is kind of like a plate. Mom is like the fruit, sweet and caring. Drew is the meat, strong and important. Aidan is the grains and carbohydrates, always keeps us going. I'm like the veggies, juicy and entertaining. God is like the dairy, helps our skeleton and holds us together.

That's my life.

The First Challenge

Check out video with our reactions to the various cereals. We had so much fun. Enjoy.

Hey there!

I'm Erica Walter, most affectionately referred to as "Mom". I grew up the oldest of three girls, in a Christian home. Being homeschooled, it was easy to feel like a square peg trying to fit in to a round hole.

I became a mom to Ethan at the tender age of 18, quickly followed 14 months later with another son, Aidan.  Being a mom for almost 12 years, it has been my primary focus to protect, defend, train, and love my young cubs. For nearly 4 years, I did it all alone, providing for them and going to school full-time. As I prayed for God to guide me to the right man He had set aside to join us and complete our family, I knew that it wasn't going to be easy. I was protective. I had walls up. I was going to fight.

And then God sent Drew. My walls quickly crumbled. I didn't need to be protective. I didn't want to fight. I loved this man, with all of my being. The boys did the same. There wasn't an ounce of doubt. There wasn't a single question. We were a family.

Since getting married this summer, we have been on a roller coaster ride. We have had lots of 'big' things happen. I have said to others, it's as if we have lived at least five years of marriage in three months. It's made for lots of excitement, exhaustion, and our family standing on a foundation that's ready for the future.

Now we have made it half way through the first semester, Drew is cancer free, and we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. We are all looking forward to Christmas break, where we can relax and enjoy our time together. In the meantime, we are working hard to enjoy each day, appreciate our differences, and love each other the best we can.

I look back now and I can't figure out how I did it without such a supportive partner. Nor do I want to. My life is exactly as it should be. God brought Ethan, Aidan and me the perfect man to complete our family. I love these three guys more than anything. 

Come in, -- come in! and know me better, man!

A brief introduction, for those that don't know. My name is Drew Walter. Son of a preacher-man, world traveler, former collegiate tennis player, amateur artist/guitarist/writer,  husband, dad and (most recently) cancer survivor.

I met my now wife (Erica, a.k.a. "mom") a little more than a year ago. While our courtship was brief, it was clear that we were both ready for each other. While we were ready, there were two others which my über-intelligent wife had to consider. Enter into my life the three most important people. There are none more important to me than Erica, Ethan, and Aidan. It is with them in mind that this whole crazy idea came about.

In the few months we have been married, Erica and I have experienced a less than normal honeymoon period. In the first month of our marriage I got a new job, bought a "new" car, she started back to school, the boys started back to school, I had surgery, found out that I had cancer, had another surgery, went to all the boys events (especially football), and received a treatment in which I had to be isolated for five days (cause I was...radioactive, radioactive.) Now that the boys are settling into school, as is my beautiful wife, I am settling into my job and the cancer is gone we finally feel the opportunity to have some fun.

As it were, I have a slate of challenges which I am hoping will bring as many laughs for all of you as it will for us. This family was enough to pull me back to the states after living abroad for the last seven years, I hope everyone can see how special they are. Most of all...to me.

Challenge #01: The Great "Monster" Taste Test

Perimeters:
Each participant will have a small sampling of each of five General Mills "Monster" cereals. Each participant will reserve judgement until all cereals have been tasted.

Rules:
Rule #1 - No trying to influence the other contestants into liking a cereal different than the one they chose.
Rule #2 - Each contestant will be able to choose whether they would like to have their cereal dry, or with milk.
Rule #3 - Any person not interested in participating must decide before said taste test begins (once we start, you're in it til the end.)
Rule #4 - Every person will have an opportunity to video tape, so that reactions of each contestant can be captured (and any embarrassing facial expressions can be used as blackmail at a later date.)
Rule #5 - This is all about fun and that's what we are going to have.

Medium:
Please take the polls to guess which cereal was the family favorite.

The game begins tonight.

The Details

Goal: To bring a closeness and sense of unity to a blended family searching for an identity.

Participants: Drew Walter (Drew), Erica Walter (Mom), Ethan Belt (Ethan), and Aidan Belt (Aidan). Guest participants (Grandpa and Grandma Melcher, Mommo and Bapa, cousins, friends, aunts and uncles) at the request/invitation of Drew and Erica. Requests by Ethan and Aidan must be submitted in writing and copied in triplicate.

Ground rules:

• Each participant (which will vary based on event) must participate to the best of their ability. No mailing it in!
• All responsibilities for the day need to be completed by all participants before a challenge may commence (homework, reading, chores and the like).
• Any video taping/recording will be done by adults, unless otherwise designated (i.e. mom v. Drew competitions).
• Competitions will not necessarily all be themed, however there will be some seasonal competitions.
• Precaution: these competitions are for fun and our own personal amusement. Any poor sportsmanship or displays of bad attitude will not be permissible. Bad/disrespectful attitude will be met with extreme prejudice.
• Games (time permitting) will be initiated by parents at appropriate times. Events will be decided upon and planned for accordingly.
• Publication and promotion will mostly fall on the parents (social media-wise) while other participants will be able to recommend and the others via word of mouth.

Challenges will be uploaded and new polls will be available for a more interactive experience for all involved. Please feel free to participate in our adventure.

Welcome to the Jungle

I live in a family of wild cats. Having grown up a tiger, I later became a panther. Into my fold I have taken two additional panthers. We are approaching a right jamboree.

Our blended family is taking shape and in need of a solidifying force to help unify this new unit we have begun. Enter the world of our extreme family challenge. During our free time with our boys, Erica and I will be participating in a variety of contests. While a "winner" will be declared, we will all be winners through the strengthening of our family.

These tasks will take place through a wide range of competitions that test everything from our endurance to memory, accuracy to our directional acuity. We will be posting videos in an attempt to provide everyone with the most up-to-date information. To that end, keeping others involved (through the use of polls and supportive comments) that we can use to help motivate our cubs into giving it their bests.

Goals and ground rules upcoming. Welcome to our challenge.