Max Fouts

The boys played flag football this past Winter.  Charlie and Will were on the same team, while Max played with his age group.

I don't have many photos or videos of Charlie and Will playing (frankly, because they are not my youngest anymore).  Both played well.  Charlie would take a handoff and sprint 50 yards at least once a game.  Will would catch a ball in the flat and run like Babe Ruth in those old videos.

But Max was the quarterback on his team, the Trojans.  And in his league, all the teams focused on running the ball.  Sweep left ... sweep right.  Pitch left ... pitch right.  Fake sweep left, reverse right ... B O R I N G !!!

Meanwhile, Max's team aired it out like the old San Diego Chargers' Air Coryell.  Mixed in with some traditional West Coast offensive plays (short passes to the backs, slants to the WRs), when they faced a major situation, Max would go deep.  Luckily, he had the best WR in the league who could catch those long passes.

Here's a highlight video of plays.  I was really impressed with his poise under pressure.  Most of the plays are passes ... but there is one hand-off (watch Max fake a throw after handing it off ... a la Brett Favre).

My apologies, but the camera man was pretty bad in most of these videos.  #me

Max Highlight Film ... Starring as Max Fouts (after former San Diego Charger QB Dan Fouts

If you are wondering if Max has any future playing in the NFL ... my apologies, but, flag football is as far as he gets to playing any type of organized football.

After a slow start to the season, the Trojans won three straight games in one day to win the Championship!

Snow in North Carolina

It's snowing again in North Carolina.

A couple of weeks ago, while I was in Orlando, a small snowstorm came through and knocked the state around for four days. 

Today, it started snowing again.  We are expecting 5-6 total inches + sleet + ice + + +. We'll send new pictures, but here are a couple taken by Max from a couple weeks ago.

 Our neighbor next door (high school senior) took a unique approach to building a snowman, given the scant amount of snow available.  Use buckets!

Here's Max taking a selfie with the snowman.  Yeah, when it's really cold, those freckles sure pop out!

My Non-Apology Apology Post

I'm sorry.

No, I'm not.

Well, yes I am.

It's been a while since my last post.  I could say that we were abducted by aliens for the last eight months, but some of you have seen us or talked with us.  I could say that we moved in with Mom, but that's been done and eight months would have been like a weekend (sorry, Julie ... but, especially sorry to Frank - who deserves a big screen TV for his commitment!).  I could say we were planning something big for the boys again and had to go on zero-communication for a period.  But none of that works.

I will say, though, that we have been busy - as busy as any family with three boys can be.  School, friends, activities - they definitely pull you out of the house.  There are times Shelly and I are constantly on the road, driving from one event to another.  They say when you move from two children to three children, you move from man-to-man defense to zone defense.  That's true when they are young ... but as they get older, that zone expands beyond the house and across the county.  Thank goodness for cell phones and texting.  (BTW ... a favorite activity of ours is talking about old movies or plays that would be irrelevant if they only had cell phones.  C'mon, Romeo and Juliet is just a teenage drama if they had cell phones ... no death, no miscommunication.  However, it would lead to a whole slew of other movies where cell phones contribute to outrageous drama because of auto-correct or an inadvertent text sent to the wrong person.  Think about it ... its a fun game to play.)

One of the biggest factors has been the acquisition of my old company, Harland Financial Solutions, by a Canadian company called D+H (announced last July, completed in August, and our re-branding of our company was just announced last week ... we are officially D+H).  I know what you're thinking.  I did not share with my new company the expansive examples of the use of "+" by my sister.  If I had, they would likely have had second thoughts, worried that they could be sued for copyright infringement.  (Wow, two digs at Julie+Frank in my first blog of the year ... I'm sure they would be happy if I went quiet for another eight months!).

The acquisition has been huge ... hugely positive for our company ... and hugely positive for me, personally.  Years ago, I asked Charlie what his daddy did for work.  He knew I traveled quite a bit, often times to conferences.  And when I would return, I sometimes had a box of pens with me - we would give out the pens at the conference, and I would return home with the box of leftovers to return to our main office.  After thinking really hard, he replied, "you sell pens?"

Not quite.  We sell technology solutions to banks, credit unions, and mortgage companies around the country and a little bit around the world.  From software that runs the bank for internal processes, to customer facing software like online banking and mobile banking.

What I do ... (Charlie, have a read, here, please) ... is work with the influencer community - from research firms that write about new technologies, to consultants that advise banks on what technologies to pursue, to the financial press that write about what banks are doing with technology - I communicate our technology strategy with them, and glean their perspectives to share back with our executive team as part of our strategic initiatives.

Alas, I realize that all of the above is well and good ... but you just read this to get to the pictures.  So, here are a few pictures:

Charlie played on an All-Star team throughout June and July of last year.  The team traveled all over North Carolina, playing in several tournaments.  After a slow start, they finished in first or second in their last four tournaments.  Charlie provided great outfield defense and speed on the bases.  The camaraderie of the boys was probably the best part of the experience.

Max was asked to play for an All Star team at the end of the All Star season (in early August) where he played for a 10 year old team at the age of 9.  He held his own, playing really well at first base and collecting a bunch of hits in four games over two days.  They won the tournament and dedicated the win to Max because he had not won an All-Star tournament yet that summer.

Will, not to be over-looked, had a fantastic season, too.  He hit his first home run in the Fall season (over the fence) and pitched well throughout the season.

In September, Max and Daddy went to Nashville, TN to see his San Diego Chargers play the Tennessee Titans as part of a birthday present for Daddy.  While there, we visited the replica of the Parthenon they have in their Centennial Park.  All the boys have read the Percy Jackson series of books and this was the location of one of the events in the book.

 Happy 10th Birthday to Max in December

 Will ... showing off his Super Man boxers at Christmas in Florida

 The Cullinan's six grandchildren ... all boys ... from youngest to oldest ... Liam, Eli, TJ, Max, Will, and Charlie ... at Christmas in Florida

 Pre-game activities at an Orlando Magic game late in the year.  Finally convinced Will and Max to join in the picture ... Charlie has about 5 other pictures with various cheerleaders as we wandered the concourse.

The Living Museum

In the third grade, students are asked to do a report on a famous person (current or historical).  As part of the project, they also participate in "The Living Museum" in which they present a short portion of their biography "live" whenever someone presses a fake button on the ground.  Max just performed his "Living Museum" along with the rest of third grade this past week.  It's very interesting to see how our other sons looked like in the third grade doing their presentations ... have a look:

2008 - Charlie Fleischer as Martin Luther King, Jr

Yes, it is pretty funny that a blond haired, Florida-born, 9 year old boy would choose Martin Luther King, Jr. to do his biography.  We didn't want to send him into school black-faced, so a simple ensemble of black pants, white shirt, and black tie did the trick.  

When I asked why he chose Martin Luther King, Jr., "Is it because of what he believed in ... his work in the civil rights movement ... his 'I have a Dream' speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial ... is that why you chose him?"

Charlie responded, "Well, we needed to have a couple of reference books for the biography and it seemed like there were lots for him" 

In the second picture above, you can kind of see the layout of the classroom.  "Living Biographies" stand and wait till someone presses the red button on the floor in front of them and they start their biography with, "Hello, my name is Martin Luther King, Jr.  I was born on ... I was married to ... I grew up in ... I'm famous for ... etc."  All memorized ... and repeated about 100 times during the day as parents and other classes walked through.

2011 - Will Fleischer as Vince Lombardi

This was a bit more predictable.  Will was enthralled with the Green Bay Packers at the time (pre-Colin Kap), and we quashed his other requests of doing the biography on Aaron Rodgers or Donald Driver (they're in their 20s or 30s ... what life have they lived, yet!!!).  

I so wanted Will to start off his Living Museum speech with this line from Vince Lombardi:

Alas, he chose to play it straight and not get kicked out of school.

It was a bit warm in May 2008, so no winter coat needed.  We decided to go with an ensemble of black pants, white shirt, and black tie ... with a couple other props ...

 

2013 - Max Fleischer as Max Fleischer

This was a natural ... Max Fleischer as Max Fleischer, the cartoonist.  One of the most interesting coincidences we found ... Max's father was William ... and Max's older brother was Charles.

Of course, Max's introduction in the Living Museum was, "Hello, my name is Max Fleischer ..."  which went over the head for most of the parents walking through, but the other students in the school that knew Max thought this was interesting.  One girl was completely befuddled ... "I know you're name is Max Fleischer, but who is your famous person?"  To which Max replied, "Max Fleischer!"  It was a mini, Fleischer-version of "Who's on first?"

By now, you might recognize the ensemble ... black pants, white shirt, and black tie ... with some added props for Max (nice mustache!).  He wore suspenders for the pictures at home, but didn't want to wear them at school (of course, he was already wearing a belt ... who wears a belt AND suspenders!!!!)

 

The Masters

 

After the Masters last year, I heard of an opportunity to put your name in for a select number of tournament tickets for the following year.  It didn't cost anything and everything was online.  By mid-Summer, they replied that I was not selected, but that I can apply for practice round tickets, too.  I did ... and a few months later, was notified that I had been selected and was able to buy four tickets for Tuesday's practice round this year.

At the time, I thought it would be great to have Shelly's parents join us for a meeting in Augusta, then follow-up with a drive up to NC for a visit.  Unfortunately, Jim had some health scares, and while recovering fully, did not feel well enough for a long day of walking the grounds at Augusta National Golf Club.

So, Will and I took off after school on Monday afternoon for a three hour drive to Columbia, SC (about an hour away from Augusta, GA).  I decided months ago to stay away from the high priced hotels around Augusta.  Interestingly, a lot of people had the same idea, as nearly everyone we saw / met at the hotel were in town to see the Masters.

On Tuesday morning, we took off for the hour drive to Augusta, just on the Georgian side of the GA / SC border.  We were able to sell our two additional tickets on the side of the road ... then were asked by a hundred others on our drive and walk into the golf club if we had any additional tickets.

As we entered the grounds, we heard others remark on the immaculate manicure of the grass, shrubs, landscape ... everything ... at Augusta National.  "This place is cleaner than Disney!", one patron remarked ... and he was right.  I've never seen such a well-kept landscape.  As you watch the tournament, in all its glory, there really isn't a way to describe how meticulous they are ... and how friendly the staff is.  Better than Disney is a shocking standard, but I think they achieved it.

Will and I spent the first three hours walking around.  Since it was a practice round, there were no scheduled tee-off times, but we were able to see some areas where they posted names of golfers teeing off or on the practice range.  It was pretty sparse of players, but amazingly crowded with spectators.  In those first few hours, we were able to see Phil Mickelson and Gary Player fairly close

 Phil Mickelson on the fairway at 11th, the start of Amen Corner

 

Gary Player, coming off the 9th green towards the 10th tee

 

After grabbing a bite to eat (Will loved the chicken sandwich), which only cost $10 for two sandwiches, two drinks, and a bag a chips.  Any other major sporting event would have cost $30 for the same meal.  (No, we did not have a Pimento Cheese sandwich).  We decided to find some shade and hang out at a hole for a while and watch players come through ... and we knew that Tiger would be teeing off soon, so we found some grandstands off the 4th hole green (a Par 3) with a view of the 5th hole tee area, too.  Not too many people were there and we were able to see several players come through.  As a practice round, the players hit multiple shots into the green, then practiced their putting and chipping from same place around the green in preparation for the various hole locations during the tournament.  Kind of blah viewing, but we were on vacation.  It was good to see grass grow for a bit.

Then, we heard that Tiger was on his way ... and the stands started to get crowded ... and the area around the tee box was swelling with people ... from 1-2 people deep ... to 6-7 people deep. 

 Will's first shot of Tiger ... rookie mistake

 Tiger with Fred Couples

 As the afternoon got longer, and the first few holes were no longer being practiced on, the lawn mower teams came out to trim just a little bit more

 On Hole 16, a par 3, Al Geiberger (Mr. 59 for being the first professional to shoot a 59 in a tournament round) pleases the crowd by hitting some trick shots ... ahead of the tee area, he hit some low shots, skipping them off the water multiple times (like skipping rocks) and having the ball hit up on to the green safely ... or into a nearby bunker

 Look how tough these greens are!!!  (Will taking some liberty with the camera angle)

Overall, we had a great time.  Lots of walking!  Hopefully I can "win" another set of tickets for next year's tournament and take a different son.

Morning ... Mourning

I'm not sure if the British spell morning with an added "u" or not, but this past Monday morning was Monday "mourning" for me.  I was speechless.  I walked around muttering, "Uggghhhh"  Shelly didn't notice anything different till much later in the day when I was still muttering.  The 49ers lost the Super Bowl.  How?  I have no idea.  

I've been refraining from updating the blog because you don't want to change anything in your routine when your team is this close to a championship.  I wore the same shirt and pants during the playoff run.  The boys had to sit in the same position during the games (with Max in a very uncomfortable position lying down with his feet by Charlie's face ... er ... with Charlie in an uncomfortable position with Max's feet in his face).

The 49ers lost.  It happens.  We move on.

We're doing well.  

Speaking of the British ... I just saw a picture of Tim Lincecum / Patrick Fleischer with a new haircut as he addressed the media before heading to Spring Training next week (see below):

 

Max's Birthday

Max celebrated his birthday with his friends ... and for the first time, he actually got to celebrate his birthday with his friends ON his birthday.  Usually we have to celebrate it a week or two before ... or as with last year, a month later ... as many of his friends scatter to be with family for Christmas.  As it turned out, yesterday was the last day of school ... so what better way to celebrate the last day of school AND Max's birthday AND the end of the world (according to some misguided Mayans ... also interesting to note: for those doomsdayers that thought today was going to be the end of time, is it coincidence that as they emerged from their bunkers and saw their shadow ... six more weeks till Groundhog Day!!!!) ... A sleepover at our house!!!! 

We hosted six of Max's friends.  Unfortunately, rain forced them inside earlier than expected, but that just meant they could come inside and torment big brother Charlie.  Have you ever seen a pack of hyenas take on a lone lion ... that's what it was like ... Charlie could hold them off one at a time, but when the pack attacked together, he cowered in defeat.

The best Birthday present for Max, though, by far, was the presence of his mom ... Shelly came home from Orlando after over a month.  Shelly's dad, Jim, had successful surgery on his liver two weeks ago and also returned home on Max's birthday.  What a welcome home for mom!  10 boys eagerly awaiting pizza, cake, and ice cream.

Above and below ... the pack circling dessert after feasting on Charlie (notice, he's not pictured anywhere ... oh, my, where's Will?  They must have gotten him, too!!!)

Max, prolonging the wait with a monologue on why the San Diego Chargers are actually better than what their record would indicate.

Charlie Boy

A certain reader of this blog complained about the lack of pictures of Charlie.  Here's a few reasons:
1. He is almost as tall as I am
2. His voice is deeper than mine
3. He calls me "old man"

Here is his normal position when I am having an important conversation with him ...

 As soon as I mention girls, he perks up ...

Actually, Charlie takes a lot of pictures with our main camera.  Thus, that's why he is rarely on the other side.  Shelly supplied these photos from her phone.  Charlie, here, in front of a small waterfall near Lake Michigan in Milwaukee on our trip this summer.

The gang in front of Lake Michigan. 

We're still around ...

Sorry for the long delay between posts.  Wow, we skipped all of November.  I have to say, I was pretty excited about the Giants winning the World Series again (just a tad less full of "torture" than in 2010).

As the boys grow, I realize that they don't do anything cute anymore.  No gnawing on the dining room table, no chasing butterflies, no putting on mommy's make-up (wait a minute, I still do that myself).  Regardless, followers just want to see the boys. 

Max is approaching 9 years old (hint, hint).  This weekend, I told the boys that we needed to clean the cars out - Mom's and Dad's - fully ... vacuum, interior cleaning, and complete wash.  Groans, groans, groans.  According to Will, weekend's are NOT for cleaning and that I'm RUINING the fun of weekends!!!  Trying to divvy up all the responsibilities, I told Max that I wanted him to start by vacuuming my car.  "Then, what?", he asked ... looking to negotiate the least amount of work in the day.  I responded, "If you do a good job, you can then sweep the garage ... if not, you'll have to vacuum Mom's car, too".  Completely matter-of-factly, he replies, "Dad, that doesn't make any sense at all ... if I do a great job, don't you WANT me to vacuum Mom's car?  If I did a bad job, then why would you want me to vacuum another car?"  He added, "Parents ...  can't figure them out!"

So I grounded him and vacuumed both cars myself.  That will team him!

 Max dancing ...

Halloween was kind of odd here.  Usually, there's a pretty good build-up to it with anticipation.  I think since Shelly bought the mammoth pack of candies from Costco a few weeks earlier ... and we had already gone through all of it (except for the Almond Joy's and Costco's version of a peanut butter cup that was really awful ... and took up half the bag) the lure of trick or treating was lessened. 

Charlie went with a group of friends - mostly to go to the houses of girls they knew; realize that they were not there; hang outside their house kind of creepily; text the girls; text their friends next to them; text the girls about texting their friends; etc. 

Will  had one of those Halloweens we've all had.  He had a great idea ... he was going to be "Fork in the road".  Essentially, a black shirt with lane markers and a plastic fork taped at the intersection.  Brilliant.  Simple.  Easy to wear.  No explanation.  Perfect ... until Halloween night ... when he put it on and thought he looked stupid.  So then we spend the next two hours trying out all other types of costume ideas and he ends up dressing as ... a baseball player.  I'd laugh, but I've been there, too!

Max wanted to be a weird, scary guy ... but we didn't having any dress robes for him to dress like Patrick.  Ha, ha!

Fall in North Carolina ... I ruined another "perfectly good weekend" (according to Will) by making the boys rake all the leaves!

Will ... showing his support for the first place 49ers!  He's so young ... doesn't he know that NO ONE uses a cell phone to make calls anymore!

Thanksgiving visit to Florida

Will, with cousin Liam

Six grandsons of the Cullinan's ... from left to right ... Liam, Will, Eli, TJ, Max, and Charlie

Granddaddy with Liam

 Eli (left) and Liam on the piano

On a serious note, after our visit to Florida for Thanksgiving, I drove home with the boys and left Shelly behind.  Her dad, Jim, was to undergo a procedure and surgery to remove a cancerous piece of his liver.  The procedure took place on the Monday after Thanksgiving ... to look for any other signs of cancer.  Nothing else was found, thankfully.  After further discussion, his doctors recommended that they perform surgery to remove the cancer.  This past Monday, he entered the hospital to start receiving treatment in preparation for surgery on Friday (Dec 7th).  The surgery was successful!  He will remain in the hospital for several more days as he recovers. 

In the meantime, I've been doing the Mr. Mom thing at home - with complete respect to all those single parents out there that have to manage a family and work at the same time.  The boys have been supportive and have enjoyed the experience, but clearly, we miss our Shelly. 

Depending on Jim's recovery, we'll either drive down to Florida for Christmas and we'll all drive home together before the New Year - or - if the thought of hosting three (or four) rambunctious boys while trying to fully recuperate is too much, we might have Shelly fly home for Christmas.

Secret Trip - Game

With about 30 minutes before kickoff, we were asked to leave the field-level area and go to our seats.  We had just enough time to find a place to eat, order some dogs and chicken fingers and drinks, then go find our seats.  WOW!  What seats!  Right on the 50 yard line, twenty rows up.  With food in hand, we got to our seats as they were introducing the Packers ... then the National Anthem ... followed by a flyover of military jets (probably the most awesome sight ... seeing jets fly over the stadium and hear their roar as they dart into the distance.  One time, at a Jacksonville Jaguar game years ago, I saw a Stealth Bomber do a fly-by ... absolutely the most amazing sight and sound ever ... one giant plane leaving one huge impression on 75,000 people).

Do you know why they are called the Packers?  Something to do with meat-packing ... but really, it's how they pack their fans into the stadium.  Remember those aluminum bleachers I was talking about in the previous blog post ... no seats (unless in the suites), just benches ... and these benches were designed for fans 70 years ago, not the modern day girth of fans like ... well, like me.  Apparently, fans 70 years ago didn't have legs, either, as there was minimal leg room between yourself and the fan's back sitting in front of you.  By far, the most uncomfortable three hours of football watching in my life.

Ahh, but the joy of watching the 49ers win.  What a great game!  Some pictures (only took a few at the end of the game because it was so cramped, I didn't want to pull out my camera without fear of someone spilling something all over us).

 Final play for the Packers ... 4th and a long way to go ... under a minute to go

 Pressure from the corner causes an errant pass, which falls incomplete down the far right sideline

Victory Formation ... last snap to win the game!

Visual evidence as the clock counts down for a 49er Victory!