2007

1/2007:

- Ivy has about 80 animals picked out for our home in NC.

- Gage moved out of the closet and sleeps in Tucker's room!

- Ivy and Aspen clean the mouse cage!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is big news....

- Ivy said that if she found a dog that was on a 'Lost Dog' poster that she would keep the dog. Aspen said she would give the dog back if the reward was 1 million dollars.

- Dad said that he is looking forward to the kids growing up and making money so they could send him cash. Ivy responded by saying that he would be dead by then....then said that she was not going to send $100 to him when he's dead.

- Aspen did not brush her hair for school because she thought it was a waste of time. She said, "Why bother...it's windy today!"

2006

12/2006:

- Dad takes Tucker and Ivy to a High School State Football Game and all Tucker did was talk about the mascot and the cheerleaders.

- Tucker takes his Holiday show at school very serious and does a great job.

-Aspen says she is going to lock her bedroom door on Christmas Eve when she is married...she wants to make sure her husband is not playing Santa for the kids. She also told Mom she was going to have a lot of explaining to do if Santa is not real.

- Ivy gets her second stitches in about 8 months. Her biggest fears were that Aspen would not want to sleep with her because Aspen would be scared of her...and that the kids at school would look at her weird because she looks like a freak. She was afraid she would be on Santa's Naught List because she cried. She was also sad that Papi was not hear to take out her stitches...but Mom stepped up to the plate...and Dad thought a Medical Doctor should of taken the stitches out. :-)


11/2006:

- Tucker tells dad that he should not lose weight unless he doesn't mind wasting money on having to buy new clothes.

- Tucker said that the best way to break up with a girl is to push her on a swing so hard that she flies away.

- Ivy has lost or forgotten her homework about half the time the last two weeks of school?


10/2006:

- Ivy thinks it's cool how the president made Halloween on a Tuesday because her school gets out early on Tuesdays. She thinks he did this so the kids can rest up for trick-or-treating.

- Dad asks Tucker if he loves french fries. Tucker says...No I love you Dad! Another child that has mastered the art of manipulation.

- Gage is all over both physically and with his verbal attempts. He loves to parrot everybody with actions and words.

- Kids are keeping very busy writing and rewriting their xmas lists.

- Girls are enjoying riding on the handlebars...


9/2006:

- Ivy wants to take the candy with us during trick-or-treating because she is worried that nobody will be home when people come to our house and she wants to pass out the candy as we go around the neighborhood.

- Aspen has her 8th B-Day party at Skateland.

- Ivy is starting her hip-hop class.

- Tucker is very excited about going to preschool on Wednesday mornings. He keeps telling everybody that he's starting school and he's only 4.

- Rosarito Beach trip with family to Mexico was a blast. Horse Back Riding: Ivy and Tucker had their own horses but were tied to the guide's horse. Ivy kept saying "untie me!"...then the cowboy kept getting her horse to slow down and Ivy kept kicking the horse to go faster.

- Aspen has lots of money and Tucker's money is missing...hmmmmmm?

- Tucker starts riding a two wheeler.

- Ivy wants to stop doing choices and is OK with not getting any more allowance.

- Van incident first day of school.

- Kids start school. Ivy 1st grade with Ms. Marino and Aspen 3rd grade with Ms. Romas.


8/2006:


- If Ivy were president she would have ice cream be a vegetable.

- Family spends a week in Asheville, NC for Nani and Papi's 2nd Wedding. Kids did great at the talent contest...dance with Ellen...Dance with Nani...and Aspen did the drums with Uncle Barry. Mom and Dad and Ellen did "Whose Line..." with the McGinleys.

- Aspen feels terrible for Dad because he is home alone and has no kids to take with him on auditions so he can drive in the carpool lane.

- www.bridgethegenerations.com is launched

- Mom and Dad head to Rosarito Beach, Mexico

7/2006:

- Great time at Fountain Park including the annual visit to Cochran's farm. All the kids were able to ride horses.

- Kids and Ellen head to Asheville for a visit.

- Aspen and Ivy water ski for the first time and are addicted.

6/2006:

- Ivy graduates from Kindergarten and Aspen graduates from 2nd grade. Aspen is asked to be in the GATE program with LAUSD.

- Ivy turns 6 with a swimming pool bash.

5/2006:

- Tucker is in love and obsessed with his future bride...Kim from Texas.  We said he could give her a call when he turns 18.  He said she should call him.

- Tucker tells everyone (male and female) they are cute...pretty...handsome etc.

- Another family vacation that the stomach flu has shown up in force.

- Aspen and Dad went white water rafting and had a blast.  Mostly level three rapids but one level four that was pretty intense.  Aspen thought it was great and enjoyed being part of the rescue raft for a raft that had four people get knocked out.

- Went hiking at Beaver Run Ski Resort and Tucker gets an F...Ivy a C...and Aspen an A.

- Aspen fall in love with beef jerky.  Tucker keeps asking to have some of that Turkey stuff that Aspen likes.

- Visited Boulder and met up with old friends from Boulder and Purdue.

- Went to Breckenridge, CO to hang with the Openshaw family.  A 14 hour trip that turned in to about an 18 hour trip.  Gage gets an F for his first road trip.

- Tucker says if the family ever needs a cop, fireman, superhero, or any type of help...the family can just ask him.  He then went on to say he would kick the bad-guy in the peanut.

- Aspen begins to toe the line about Santa.

- Aspen tries to manipulate mom into getting her a glass of water.  Adena is not fooled and says no so Aspen said "Can't you do one little thing for your daughter?"

- Ivy continues to try and get Aspen in trouble for stealing change from anyone and eveyone.

- Aspen makes the T-Ball All-Star team but will be in CO when they play the game.

- Aspen ends her spring basketball season and plays well.

- Tucker says that once Spider man is done making movies he will be dead.  He also says that he makes webs because a bunch of spiders live inside of him.

- Aspen says that she doesn't think Gage adores her anymore.

- Gage goes swimming for the first time and LOVES it!

- Aspen is taking care of the van and making sure nobody gets it dirty.

- Aspen decides that she wants to be a baseball card collector.

- When Tucker found out Aspen's friend Devan was coming over...he said he was going to kiss his bride.

- Leased a Toyota mini-van.  Ivy's wish comes true!

- Ivy says that Sam is her boyfriend.

- Tucker loves the computer... 


4/2006:

- Tucker approaches people in public and attempts to speak to them in Spanish.

- Ivy wins the game ball for T-Ball.

- Tucker really wants to be a painter when he grows up.

- Ivy said she wanted the van to die so we could get a new van.  The transmission went out that day and would of cost 1500 dollars to fix.  So the van was sold to the mechanic for $1000.

- Aspen wins the game ball for T-Ball.

- Ivy says if she was king of the world she would make ice cream a vegetable.

- Dad falls in love with Maccy.

- Tucker suffers his first big floor burn by getting dragged across the courtyard by big Matt from Simi-Valley...Tyler's cousin.


3/2006:

- Dad is trying to teach the kids Spanish...although he doesn't know Spanish.  Tucker speaks Spanish to people in public for practice.

- Mom attends Clarrisa and Ben's wedding in Texas.

- Ivy attends Aspen's B-Ball practice and tries her best to get involved.  She dresses in her b-ball uniform and hovers the entire practice.

- Aspen starts an Archeology Club at school and finds fossils at lunch/recess.

- Ivy lays down through most of T-Ball practice and claims she doesn't want to play.  Coaches have to talk to parents about Ivy and her dangerous bat antics.

- Tucker thinks he is a world class magician.

- Tucker is adding numbers together and is very very proud.

- Tucker tells Dad he really wants to work for him when he gets older.  Tucker said that Dad could use him because he needs smart people to work for him.

- Aspen starts basketball again and scores the only basket of the game on a break-away lay-up.

- Aspen and Ivy want lap tops and think we should have a computer lab at home.

- Ivy and Aspen start going on their first play dates at Devan's house.


2/2006:

- The kids ran a race sponsored by The Children's Hospital of Los Angeles.  Tucker was passing kids at the end and saying "Naa naa na naa naa".  Dad tried hard not to laugh and had a talk with Tuck about sportsmanship.

- Aspen starts a writers group at school.

- Tucker goes to the emergency room for constipation.  He is amazed that the Doctor knows how to make people fart.  He is upset that Dad does not make him fart like the Doctor did.

- Ivy and Aspen started T-Ball and are on the Orioles.

- Gage turns 1.

- Tucker has Tuberculosis (infection) but it is not active.  He will be on meds for 9 months and should be fine.

- Tucker turns 4 and has a bowling party.


1/2006:

- Ivy splits open her chin and gets 7 stitches.  She enjoys two weeks of eating lunch in the office with the "bad kids".

- Gage's cleft pallet surgery goes well.

- Ellen Bowers joins the family from New York.


2005

12/2005:

- Christmas Eve...1st time Papa V and Grandma Judy had all 17 grandkids together.  Adam spends a thousand hours messing up their refrigerator.

- Tip to IN & NC went well but almost everyone became sick at some point.  Ivy and Adena missed Andrew and Brook's Wedding on December 31st.

- Santa came early (Dec. 18th) so the family could make the trip to IN/NC for the Holidays.

- Aspen wishes she was a guitar so she could live in Dad's guitar case.


11/2005:

- Ivy calls her friend Amy on the phone about 2 times a day.  It is all starting!

- Ivy claims she doesn't miss Tucker and that our family has two teams...boys -vs- girls.

- Thanksgiving with the Hunter Family.  Ivy says she wants to eat the boobs of the turkey.

- Papi visits and takes Gage and Tucker back for a 3 week visit to North Carolina.

- Aspen and Ivy finished T-Ball and had a great time.

- Ivy is kissing boys (on the cheek) at school.


10/2005:

- Tucker names our fish "I love You".

-Aspen enjoys batting, catching, throwing, and running but doesn't like waiting around. (T-Ball)


9/2005:

- Ivy and Aspen start T-Ball and love it!

- Tucker wants to be a swimsuit guy and have an up-and-down car when he grows up.  His up-and-down car can do everything from making ice cream to defending the free world.

- Gage has tubes put into his ears...his next surgery will be November 17.

- Ivy and Aspen continue to compete for the attentions of the neighbor boy...Damitri.

- Aspen begins 2nd grade with Ms. Irshay.

- Ivy begins Kindergarten with Ms. Olson...she gets in trouble for stealing by sticking plastic forks and spoons down her tights to play with later.


8/2005:

- Ivy claims that Aunt Chita said that you can do whatever you want when you become a teenager.

- Gage is not crawling but he is a rolling machine.  He ate a page of Mom's notes for work.

- Aspen is planning on retiring when she is 13.  Aspen is planning on marrying an actor and sitting on a chair and not working.  She is planning on having her sweetie pies (kids) take care of the dogs.

- Tucker continues to talk about his previous lives?  "When I was big..."

- Ivy is obsessed with the ivy on buildings.

- While walking up to the beach Tucker said he was going to talk to the ducks in spanish.  No ducks at the beach and no spanish words in Tucker.

- Aspen can't wait to be a teenager so she can have a butterfly bed.

- Aspen tells Dad and Ivy that you can do whatever you want when you are 18.

- Aspen tells Dad and Ivy that babies are made by French Kissing.

- Aspen and Ivy receive their first trophy for basketball.  Tucker did not receive a trophy because he refused to play in 3 of the four games.

- Aunt Anita, Chelsea, and Jaren visit for a week.

- Kids had a blast at Camp Nani and Papi 2005.

- Ivy scores a lot of points in basketball but has never met an assist.  Aspen plays well all around and scores her first bucket of her career.  Tucker continues to lay on the floor in the middle of the games.


7/2005:

- Kids have a blast at Fountain Park with their cousins.

- Bunny joins the family...Tucker names her Eara.

- Tucker, Ivy, and Aspen join the YMCA summer b-ball league.


6/2005:

- Gage's first surgery goes great!

- Ivy turns five with a party at Skateland.  Lap times:  Aspen 15 seconds...Ivy 45 secons...Tucker 5 minutes.


5/2005:

- Aspen forgets how to wave and asks Dad how it's done.


4/2005:

- Aspen and Ivy play on their first basketball team.  Aspen improved a great deal and did a great job of rebounding.  Ivy did a good job of stealing the ball from her own team.


3/2005:

- Tucker books his first print job.

- Papi, Papa V, Grandma Judy, Aunt Joy, Aunt Anita, and Cousin Garrett come to L.A. to meet Gage.

- Move to Chatsworth, CA.


2/11/2005:

- Nani, Aunt Jill, Uncle Doug, and Cousin Jackson make the trip to L.A. to meet Gage.

- Gage Douglas Vanderwielen is born at Tarzana-Incino Hospital in Tarzana, CA.


1/2005:

- Vacation to Orlando, FL with Papa V and Grandma Judy.


1997-2004

8/2003:

- Ricci Schweitzer joins the family.

- Move to Northridge, CA.


5/2003:

- Adena gets her PHD from the University of Virginia.


8/2002:

- Big move to Santa Monica, CA.  Van breaks down in West Virginia.  Yard sale in IN.


2/3/2002:

- Tucker Sky Vanderwielen is born at Martha Jefferson Hospital in Charlottesville, VA.


6/5/2000:

- Ivy Lynnette Vanderwielen is born at Martha Jefferson Hospital in Charlottesville, VA.


9/15/1998:

- Aspen Rose Vanderwielen is born at Martha Jefferson Hospital in Charlottesville, VA.


8/1997:

- Adena and Adam move to Charlottesville, VA for Adena to pursue a degree in Clinical Psychology.  Adam will be teaching Kindergarten at Brownsville Elementary in Crozet, VA.


6/1997:

- Adena and Adam are married in Dyer, IN at 6:30 PM with a reception following in Munster, IN.  They go to Cancun, Mexico for the Honeymoon.