Saturday, August 30, 2008
Tennis Update
Kevin was crushed Friday, 6-1, 6-0. Kevin crushed Saturday 6-0, 6-0. Played much better Saturday though....but, some tough lessons for Kevin here. We were having a tough time figuring out how to fit in tennis with cross-country and the musical....at least this helped to solidify the decision to punt on tennis until Thanksgiving (except for another tournament, a satellite in 2 weeks) and focus on everything else.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
It's just a flesh wound.....
Matthew decided to cap off the summer with the best of all possible scrapes and bruises....a head wound.
Went down to Mason tonight to watch the Chieftains play their first football game (a first...we actually know a few starters this year, but, it's going to be a looooong year). The night is going pretty well, kids are out and about and checking in every once in a while, it's a nice night, 3rd quarter is coming to an end and I distinctly remember thinking "Hey, we're going to make it to the end of this game!"
And then Kevin comes up "Mom, Matthew is bleeding". And there's Matthew, right behind him, and there is blood everywhere.....it's covered the whole side of his face..his shirt has blood stains everywhere. He's not really crying though.
Rush him over to the nearest 'facility', the concession stand, and realize as we're walking that he's not bleeding so much anymore and it's just a small puncture on top of a big bump on his head....he had fallen into some rocks playing where he shouldn't have been behind a shed behind the stands. Wash him off and he looks much better, but, for a moment there, he was every parent's worst nightmare....straight out of a horror movie. Suzanne was thinking of getting his haircut this weekend before school starts, but, that plan is out, the hair needs to stay long to hide the bump!
Went down to Mason tonight to watch the Chieftains play their first football game (a first...we actually know a few starters this year, but, it's going to be a looooong year). The night is going pretty well, kids are out and about and checking in every once in a while, it's a nice night, 3rd quarter is coming to an end and I distinctly remember thinking "Hey, we're going to make it to the end of this game!"
And then Kevin comes up "Mom, Matthew is bleeding". And there's Matthew, right behind him, and there is blood everywhere.....it's covered the whole side of his face..his shirt has blood stains everywhere. He's not really crying though.
Rush him over to the nearest 'facility', the concession stand, and realize as we're walking that he's not bleeding so much anymore and it's just a small puncture on top of a big bump on his head....he had fallen into some rocks playing where he shouldn't have been behind a shed behind the stands. Wash him off and he looks much better, but, for a moment there, he was every parent's worst nightmare....straight out of a horror movie. Suzanne was thinking of getting his haircut this weekend before school starts, but, that plan is out, the hair needs to stay long to hide the bump!
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Random musings
School is less than a week away....
Kevin: Seems to be ready for school. Has faithfully reviewed last year's math book and looked ahead....this was a good exercise since it helped us identify the part of the book that was/is causing him trouble (Chapter 11....). Has a tennis tournament this weekend; it's a challenger, not a satellite, so, the competition is tougher...we'll see how he does. Has been running with the cross-country team...the top seven times count and yesterday he finished 6th, so, he has hopes that once the whole team is together that he can be maintain that position.
Christopher: Speaking of tennis....last weekend we went to a tennis "jamboree" at the MAC...basically, 2 hours of free lessons and fun. All the boys went; Matthew and Christopher off with the smaller kids; Kevin up with 2 other sixth graders. Of course, Christopher started off with "No, I don't want to go" and all of the usual complaints, but, at the end, when asked if he would rather do tennis or karate, he was very clear....tennis. So, we'll be signing him up for that (with Matthew, of course).
Matthew: I love fall...the changing of the seasons, the bright cloudless warm Indian Summer days, and of course, football. Matthew is happy for fall too....as it marks the start of his favorite season...football. He's already stated he'll be staying up late to watch football (his favorite event is getting ready for bed and seeing football on TV, and slowly, but with great relish, stopping and saying "Can I watch that?"). On Monday night, when he came inside and saw that the Seahawks and Chargers were on TV, he was bouncing off the wall in glee as he ran upstairs to watch it. Smile started in one ear and extended to the other...he's shouting "goodie, goodie, goodie" as he marches upstairs.
Kevin: Seems to be ready for school. Has faithfully reviewed last year's math book and looked ahead....this was a good exercise since it helped us identify the part of the book that was/is causing him trouble (Chapter 11....). Has a tennis tournament this weekend; it's a challenger, not a satellite, so, the competition is tougher...we'll see how he does. Has been running with the cross-country team...the top seven times count and yesterday he finished 6th, so, he has hopes that once the whole team is together that he can be maintain that position.
Christopher: Speaking of tennis....last weekend we went to a tennis "jamboree" at the MAC...basically, 2 hours of free lessons and fun. All the boys went; Matthew and Christopher off with the smaller kids; Kevin up with 2 other sixth graders. Of course, Christopher started off with "No, I don't want to go" and all of the usual complaints, but, at the end, when asked if he would rather do tennis or karate, he was very clear....tennis. So, we'll be signing him up for that (with Matthew, of course).
Matthew: I love fall...the changing of the seasons, the bright cloudless warm Indian Summer days, and of course, football. Matthew is happy for fall too....as it marks the start of his favorite season...football. He's already stated he'll be staying up late to watch football (his favorite event is getting ready for bed and seeing football on TV, and slowly, but with great relish, stopping and saying "Can I watch that?"). On Monday night, when he came inside and saw that the Seahawks and Chargers were on TV, he was bouncing off the wall in glee as he ran upstairs to watch it. Smile started in one ear and extended to the other...he's shouting "goodie, goodie, goodie" as he marches upstairs.
More Travel Follies
So, I'm off to West Virginia today; fly back tomorrow.
I'm sitting in Detroit Metro...waiting for the flight, and the next gate over is going to Roanoke. And it's overweight (it's a small plane) and she is looking for volunteers. She already has one person who snapped up the chance to make $500 to wait for 8-9 hours, but the flight is still overweight, and she needs more volunteers. Two twenty-something girls say, ok, that's fine.
Of course, in the land of bumping and volunteering, all isn't as it seems. Northwest actually, once they get the weight balance figured out, only needs two volunteers. The first guy isn't going now, he's in for the $300 voucher. The other two won't go without each other. And I'm sitting next to this debacle...the girls saying "I can't go without her" and "I think I'm going to cry" and "Sir, I'll give you $20 if you go" and the guy going "no" "no" and "no". The Northwest agent says "one of you have to choose, one of you have to choose"....
Finally couldn't stand it anymore and walked to the other side of the terminal. Last report was the agent telling the two girls they could both stay, but only one of them was being compensated, and only one of them was going to be confirmed on the next flight, the other would be on standby.
I'm sitting in Detroit Metro...waiting for the flight, and the next gate over is going to Roanoke. And it's overweight (it's a small plane) and she is looking for volunteers. She already has one person who snapped up the chance to make $500 to wait for 8-9 hours, but the flight is still overweight, and she needs more volunteers. Two twenty-something girls say, ok, that's fine.
Of course, in the land of bumping and volunteering, all isn't as it seems. Northwest actually, once they get the weight balance figured out, only needs two volunteers. The first guy isn't going now, he's in for the $300 voucher. The other two won't go without each other. And I'm sitting next to this debacle...the girls saying "I can't go without her" and "I think I'm going to cry" and "Sir, I'll give you $20 if you go" and the guy going "no" "no" and "no". The Northwest agent says "one of you have to choose, one of you have to choose"....
Finally couldn't stand it anymore and walked to the other side of the terminal. Last report was the agent telling the two girls they could both stay, but only one of them was being compensated, and only one of them was going to be confirmed on the next flight, the other would be on standby.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Concerto in G Major, 1st Movement, G.P. Telemann
The debut of the 16" viola, Summer Recital 2008.
Accompaniment by Rumia, from Bulgaria (via MSU). Had to take Kevin at lunch today over to MSU to practice with her so that he knew how the piano part sounded.
Can't believe that Kevin is doing this type of piece....you can find it on Youtube with some serious performers doing it.
Accompaniment by Rumia, from Bulgaria (via MSU). Had to take Kevin at lunch today over to MSU to practice with her so that he knew how the piano part sounded.
Can't believe that Kevin is doing this type of piece....you can find it on Youtube with some serious performers doing it.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Karate
Last week we are out at the mall, and I'm off with Matthew and Kevin (I forget where) and meet up with Suzanne and Christopher....and find out that they have been waylaid in the middle of the mall by a representative from one of the local martial arts studios. Suzanne has a card in hand, it's a VIP thing for one month off a membership yeah yeah yeah.
Christopher, on and off, has mentioned he'd be interested. We, on and off, have thought that Christopher would benefit quite a bit from lessons, and, would like him to be more involved in *something*. With Matthew, this isn't so much an issue ("Hey Matthew, do you want to play x?....sure!"), but, with Christopher, any suggestion is followed by an adamant 'no'. So, we've learned, sign him up for something and see what happens, even if he goes kicking or screaming.
Day after the mall visit the calls start from the studio....hey, do you want to sign up? Hey, how about a private lesson? Finally, ask Christopher, he shouts "no!".....and finally tell the people we'll try the lesson, Christopher has said he doesn't want to do it, but, let's try it out. Lesson is Saturday at noon. He asks if he'll get to break a board before the lesson, we tell him, no, probably not....it will probably be pretty basic.
Saturday morning, time to get going. Christopher, are you ready? "No!" Come on, let's go. "No!". Just try it, it's only 20-30 minutes, go get changed. "No!". You're in a lot of trouble right now, let's not make it worse, go get changed......."No!"...but stomps upstairs and changes....
Get to the studio, we're the only ones there, plus the instructor. We talk with him a little bit, and then he shows Christopher some drills...how to punch "saying ki-ya!", how to kick, and how to do some self-defense moves, if someone grabs your shirt and if someone has you in a bear hug. He picks up on all of this pretty quickly, and especially does well with the bear hug maneuver. The last think he gets to do is......break a board! Instructor holds up a piece of wood....braces himself, "Ki-Yahh!", and Christopher has two pieces of wood! He's smiling up a storm....
So, the sales pitch continues after the lesson, we sit down, he wants to sign us up right then and there for 6 months, and the VIP card only is good if we sign up right then and there yeah yeah yeah.......and I had told them on the phone, wasn't going to make any decision until I could talk with Suzanne and Christopher after the lesson.
Surprisingly, they haven't called again....and we haven't called back to sign up. I think we might check out the other studio in Okemos, and I'm sure we'll sign him up at some point in the next month. Christopher is all for doing the lessons now. Private lesson. Lessons with other kids...that's a "No!".
Christopher, on and off, has mentioned he'd be interested. We, on and off, have thought that Christopher would benefit quite a bit from lessons, and, would like him to be more involved in *something*. With Matthew, this isn't so much an issue ("Hey Matthew, do you want to play x?....sure!"), but, with Christopher, any suggestion is followed by an adamant 'no'. So, we've learned, sign him up for something and see what happens, even if he goes kicking or screaming.
Day after the mall visit the calls start from the studio....hey, do you want to sign up? Hey, how about a private lesson? Finally, ask Christopher, he shouts "no!".....and finally tell the people we'll try the lesson, Christopher has said he doesn't want to do it, but, let's try it out. Lesson is Saturday at noon. He asks if he'll get to break a board before the lesson, we tell him, no, probably not....it will probably be pretty basic.
Saturday morning, time to get going. Christopher, are you ready? "No!" Come on, let's go. "No!". Just try it, it's only 20-30 minutes, go get changed. "No!". You're in a lot of trouble right now, let's not make it worse, go get changed......."No!"...but stomps upstairs and changes....
Get to the studio, we're the only ones there, plus the instructor. We talk with him a little bit, and then he shows Christopher some drills...how to punch "saying ki-ya!", how to kick, and how to do some self-defense moves, if someone grabs your shirt and if someone has you in a bear hug. He picks up on all of this pretty quickly, and especially does well with the bear hug maneuver. The last think he gets to do is......break a board! Instructor holds up a piece of wood....braces himself, "Ki-Yahh!", and Christopher has two pieces of wood! He's smiling up a storm....
So, the sales pitch continues after the lesson, we sit down, he wants to sign us up right then and there for 6 months, and the VIP card only is good if we sign up right then and there yeah yeah yeah.......and I had told them on the phone, wasn't going to make any decision until I could talk with Suzanne and Christopher after the lesson.
Surprisingly, they haven't called again....and we haven't called back to sign up. I think we might check out the other studio in Okemos, and I'm sure we'll sign him up at some point in the next month. Christopher is all for doing the lessons now. Private lesson. Lessons with other kids...that's a "No!".
Kevin's Splinter and Blisters
Need to play a little catch-up on things I wanted to write, but haven't.
Picked Kevin up from Spring Hill last Friday....the camp ended with a 'rally' that featured the end of their camp competition (Titans -vs- Argonauts) and a performance by the camp-band (Gray Holiday...they were pretty good!). Kevin had a great time, and received the camp award for his determination, he simply would not give up on trying to climb the rock wall at camp (so much so that they had to chase him off because the next group was coming!). This determination, however, came at a price...Kevin had the nastiest blisters I've seen...he had three separate gaping holes on his hands. But, those were manageable. Get him home and notice his thumb is all red and swollen, he has a splinter, and has had it for a few days. The mere mention of a needle, or digging it out, has Kevin squirming and squealing. Good lesson for Kevin, when you get one, get it out ASAP before the infection starts and it becomes more painful to go on a dig.
Kevin's started cross-country practice...I think now he's still running to run, and not really trying to be fast at it, so, will be interesting to see when that changes for him.
Picked Kevin up from Spring Hill last Friday....the camp ended with a 'rally' that featured the end of their camp competition (Titans -vs- Argonauts) and a performance by the camp-band (Gray Holiday...they were pretty good!). Kevin had a great time, and received the camp award for his determination, he simply would not give up on trying to climb the rock wall at camp (so much so that they had to chase him off because the next group was coming!). This determination, however, came at a price...Kevin had the nastiest blisters I've seen...he had three separate gaping holes on his hands. But, those were manageable. Get him home and notice his thumb is all red and swollen, he has a splinter, and has had it for a few days. The mere mention of a needle, or digging it out, has Kevin squirming and squealing. Good lesson for Kevin, when you get one, get it out ASAP before the infection starts and it becomes more painful to go on a dig.
Kevin's started cross-country practice...I think now he's still running to run, and not really trying to be fast at it, so, will be interesting to see when that changes for him.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
The Hammer Falls
File under "If I'm going to post all the good...I have to be honest with the bad"
I don't think Kevin was ever in as much trouble as Christopher and Matthew have gotten into over the last day or two. It's a long story on how we've gotten to this point. I guess, as background, we should point out that there are two new boys in the neighborhood. They are a year older than Christopher and Matthew, and it's been a really good thing for the boys. Combined with the discovery of the Yu-gi-oh-playing boys on the other side of Sower (2 boys in 2nd grade, one in 4th, and, on top of all that, a girl in the 3rd) a whole new world of fun has opened up in the neighborhood.
But, it's required some adjustments on Mom and Dad's part. Kevin was never allowed to cross Sower on his own, Kevin was at least in 4th grade before we were ok with it. The two new boys on Graystone cross Sower at will; of course Matthew and Christopher want to as well. We've tried to be reasonable with this....we've asked the boys to come back and tell us they are crossing Sower, but, have let them go with the understanding to 'be careful'.
The other not-so-good thing is that it turns out the new boys on Graystone and most of the new kids on Sower also ride their bikes without helmets. Mom and Dad haven't given on this point....if you're going to ride your bike, you must wear a helmet. I'm not too surprised that the incidents of Christopher and Matthew riding without helmets has gone up, but, Mom and Dad have grown increasingly more stringent on this....both boys have lost bike privileges for a day or two before....and that brings us to Thursday.
Thursday night, the boys aren't around, and I forget why we decided we needed to go and check up on them, but, leaving Wiley inside (to avoid the constant barking that accompanies Dad's departure from the house if Wiley is outside), Dad heads up the street to find the boys. First contact is with Matthew, who has taken his bike (that's he's lost privileges for) out of the garage, and ridden across Sower. He's coming back now, so, I get to watch him, singing(!), cross the street at Sower (without stopping to look!), without a helmet(!!!!). He sees me, pulls up next to me with his head bowed, and gets told that he's in a world of trouble, and he'd better head home right now. And where's Christopher? Christopher sees me, and hops on the bike of one of the new kids (that he's borrowed) and comes riding over. Again, no stop to look for traffic, no helmet, and, best yet, no shoes. Boys are sent to their room for the night (it's late anyway), told that bikes can't be ridden again until after the weekend, and that one more violation of the bike policies (shoes, helmet, and looking for traffic) will result in not getting to ride their bikes for the rest of the summer.
We were supposed to go see the new Star Wars movie Friday night...the time we had at home (after getting Kevin from camp and picking the boys up) was totally impromptu...we were going to go out to dinner and the movie (and leave home after 30 minutes) but, the boys had asked to skip the dinner out so they could play outside for a little bit. In hindsight, this was a disastrous move on the boys part. Right before I'm about to go find the boys and get them home so we can go, the doorbell rings. It's the neighbor from up the street (the other direction). He's very apologetic, asked me if Christopher had mentioned what happened. Of course, I have no idea what he's talking about, but fear the worst. Turns out Christopher had violated the bike rule, and had taken his bike over to that house, and then violated another rule that we've been harping on all summer, and dropped his bike on the ground in their driveway. So, his wife backed up over it. Handlebar of the bike is trashed, seat is ruined....I'm still not sure at this point whether it can be salvaged, it will require a call to the manufacturer to see if I can purchase the part that's bent
Our neighbor is extremely apologetic...he's offering to buy a new bike, he's really sorry, maybe we can order the part, and all I can thing (as steam is coming out of my ears!) is that the bike shouldn't have been over there in the first place! Make sure his car is ok (it is), politely, but adamantly, refuse any offer of paying for the bike, and set off to find the culprits. Again, first contact is Matthew, ON HIS BIKE, without a helmet. He's told that he's lost his bike for the summer, and he needs to get home. Find Christopher, and he's told to get home as well.
The boys lost their bike for the summer (Christopher for longer than that....if I can't fix it, he won't get a new one until next Spring) and all of their Yu-Gi-Oh cards. Trip to the movie cancelled. Boys confined to their room for the night and told that they were restricted to our yard for a week.
And that brings us to today. I know, you're reading this and thinking, how could it get any worse? Suzanne and I were actually asking if we'd gone too far with the punishment.....bikes fine, cards fine, grounded....maybe we should reconsider. That concept is so funny right now...that we were thinking of being lenient. Hah!
Christopher had a previously scheduled intro Karate lesson at noon, and the boys had been well behaved up to this point. Suzanne and I were going to go look at a new washer and dryer, so, we agreed, I'd take Cpher to the lesson, and Suzanne would meet up with me at Best Buy afterwards, and Kevin could watch Matthew. As I leave, Matthew is playing outside, in our yard, with Maddie from up the street. Meet up with Suzanne at Best Buy...her first words are "I am so mad at Matthew". I can't imagine what he's done now!
So, Suzanne leaves the house, tells Matthew specifically that Kevin's home watching him, but, he can stay outside and play with Maddie, but, he can't leave the yard. Instead of heading to Best Buy, Suzanne sees the signs for 2 garage sales going on today...she heads over to check them out. Heading back from there, she drives by Graystone, looks down the street, and there's Matthew on his bike, without a helmet, four houses away from home!
Suzanne pulls up, Matthew has his head down, he knows he's in deep deep trouble. He's banished to his room, he can't leave the house for the rest of the day. Twice, during this afternoon, he's headed outside, and twice, during this afternoon, he's been banished back to his room for extended periods of time.
Christopher hears about this, sees all this, and, up until 4 pm is a pretty good boy. Asks us if he can leave the yard, we repeatedly say no. About 4:30 start wondering where he is, turns out he's left the yard. Gone over to the house where his bike died, he's in there. So, go fetch him, and march him home....turns out that he wrote one of the kids bikes over there (again, no helmet!) He's banished to his room, can't go out today, can't go out tomorrow.
They are upstairs, supposedly in their room....Chistopher comes down to ask how long he has to be there and he smells of perfume (another thing the boys have been told several times recently...stay out of Mom's smelly stuff). So, walk him back upstairs, Matthew scurries out of Mom's room, guilty. They are shuffled back into their room....and now the TV is turned off, with a stern warning that it better not get turned back on.
30 minutes later crying from upstairs.....he hit me, etc etc. Go up, tell each of them they have to not just stay in their room, they have to stay in their bed now, turn the corner into the room and the TV is on. Take the satellite box out of their room, TV is gone now for a few days.
Unbelievable.
Upcoming posts: "Kevin's splinter and blisters", "Kevin goes cross-country", "Jury Duty, Round 2" and "Christopher's Karate Lesson"
I don't think Kevin was ever in as much trouble as Christopher and Matthew have gotten into over the last day or two. It's a long story on how we've gotten to this point. I guess, as background, we should point out that there are two new boys in the neighborhood. They are a year older than Christopher and Matthew, and it's been a really good thing for the boys. Combined with the discovery of the Yu-gi-oh-playing boys on the other side of Sower (2 boys in 2nd grade, one in 4th, and, on top of all that, a girl in the 3rd) a whole new world of fun has opened up in the neighborhood.
But, it's required some adjustments on Mom and Dad's part. Kevin was never allowed to cross Sower on his own, Kevin was at least in 4th grade before we were ok with it. The two new boys on Graystone cross Sower at will; of course Matthew and Christopher want to as well. We've tried to be reasonable with this....we've asked the boys to come back and tell us they are crossing Sower, but, have let them go with the understanding to 'be careful'.
The other not-so-good thing is that it turns out the new boys on Graystone and most of the new kids on Sower also ride their bikes without helmets. Mom and Dad haven't given on this point....if you're going to ride your bike, you must wear a helmet. I'm not too surprised that the incidents of Christopher and Matthew riding without helmets has gone up, but, Mom and Dad have grown increasingly more stringent on this....both boys have lost bike privileges for a day or two before....and that brings us to Thursday.
Thursday night, the boys aren't around, and I forget why we decided we needed to go and check up on them, but, leaving Wiley inside (to avoid the constant barking that accompanies Dad's departure from the house if Wiley is outside), Dad heads up the street to find the boys. First contact is with Matthew, who has taken his bike (that's he's lost privileges for) out of the garage, and ridden across Sower. He's coming back now, so, I get to watch him, singing(!), cross the street at Sower (without stopping to look!), without a helmet(!!!!). He sees me, pulls up next to me with his head bowed, and gets told that he's in a world of trouble, and he'd better head home right now. And where's Christopher? Christopher sees me, and hops on the bike of one of the new kids (that he's borrowed) and comes riding over. Again, no stop to look for traffic, no helmet, and, best yet, no shoes. Boys are sent to their room for the night (it's late anyway), told that bikes can't be ridden again until after the weekend, and that one more violation of the bike policies (shoes, helmet, and looking for traffic) will result in not getting to ride their bikes for the rest of the summer.
We were supposed to go see the new Star Wars movie Friday night...the time we had at home (after getting Kevin from camp and picking the boys up) was totally impromptu...we were going to go out to dinner and the movie (and leave home after 30 minutes) but, the boys had asked to skip the dinner out so they could play outside for a little bit. In hindsight, this was a disastrous move on the boys part. Right before I'm about to go find the boys and get them home so we can go, the doorbell rings. It's the neighbor from up the street (the other direction). He's very apologetic, asked me if Christopher had mentioned what happened. Of course, I have no idea what he's talking about, but fear the worst. Turns out Christopher had violated the bike rule, and had taken his bike over to that house, and then violated another rule that we've been harping on all summer, and dropped his bike on the ground in their driveway. So, his wife backed up over it. Handlebar of the bike is trashed, seat is ruined....I'm still not sure at this point whether it can be salvaged, it will require a call to the manufacturer to see if I can purchase the part that's bent
Our neighbor is extremely apologetic...he's offering to buy a new bike, he's really sorry, maybe we can order the part, and all I can thing (as steam is coming out of my ears!) is that the bike shouldn't have been over there in the first place! Make sure his car is ok (it is), politely, but adamantly, refuse any offer of paying for the bike, and set off to find the culprits. Again, first contact is Matthew, ON HIS BIKE, without a helmet. He's told that he's lost his bike for the summer, and he needs to get home. Find Christopher, and he's told to get home as well.
The boys lost their bike for the summer (Christopher for longer than that....if I can't fix it, he won't get a new one until next Spring) and all of their Yu-Gi-Oh cards. Trip to the movie cancelled. Boys confined to their room for the night and told that they were restricted to our yard for a week.
And that brings us to today. I know, you're reading this and thinking, how could it get any worse? Suzanne and I were actually asking if we'd gone too far with the punishment.....bikes fine, cards fine, grounded....maybe we should reconsider. That concept is so funny right now...that we were thinking of being lenient. Hah!
Christopher had a previously scheduled intro Karate lesson at noon, and the boys had been well behaved up to this point. Suzanne and I were going to go look at a new washer and dryer, so, we agreed, I'd take Cpher to the lesson, and Suzanne would meet up with me at Best Buy afterwards, and Kevin could watch Matthew. As I leave, Matthew is playing outside, in our yard, with Maddie from up the street. Meet up with Suzanne at Best Buy...her first words are "I am so mad at Matthew". I can't imagine what he's done now!
So, Suzanne leaves the house, tells Matthew specifically that Kevin's home watching him, but, he can stay outside and play with Maddie, but, he can't leave the yard. Instead of heading to Best Buy, Suzanne sees the signs for 2 garage sales going on today...she heads over to check them out. Heading back from there, she drives by Graystone, looks down the street, and there's Matthew on his bike, without a helmet, four houses away from home!
Suzanne pulls up, Matthew has his head down, he knows he's in deep deep trouble. He's banished to his room, he can't leave the house for the rest of the day. Twice, during this afternoon, he's headed outside, and twice, during this afternoon, he's been banished back to his room for extended periods of time.
Christopher hears about this, sees all this, and, up until 4 pm is a pretty good boy. Asks us if he can leave the yard, we repeatedly say no. About 4:30 start wondering where he is, turns out he's left the yard. Gone over to the house where his bike died, he's in there. So, go fetch him, and march him home....turns out that he wrote one of the kids bikes over there (again, no helmet!) He's banished to his room, can't go out today, can't go out tomorrow.
They are upstairs, supposedly in their room....Chistopher comes down to ask how long he has to be there and he smells of perfume (another thing the boys have been told several times recently...stay out of Mom's smelly stuff). So, walk him back upstairs, Matthew scurries out of Mom's room, guilty. They are shuffled back into their room....and now the TV is turned off, with a stern warning that it better not get turned back on.
30 minutes later crying from upstairs.....he hit me, etc etc. Go up, tell each of them they have to not just stay in their room, they have to stay in their bed now, turn the corner into the room and the TV is on. Take the satellite box out of their room, TV is gone now for a few days.
Unbelievable.
Upcoming posts: "Kevin's splinter and blisters", "Kevin goes cross-country", "Jury Duty, Round 2" and "Christopher's Karate Lesson"
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
YMCA Camp Songs
For all the complaining about YMCA camp (and, this week has gone much better than the last); the boys always come off of the bus singing the camp songs.
So, here's two clips of the duo in action!
So, here's two clips of the duo in action!
Monday, August 11, 2008
Monday Update
Kevin: Off at his last camp for the summer; this week he's up at Spring Hill, about 2 hours away. Unlike Blue Lake, Spring Hill posts pictures each day AND while not letting your camper email home, does deliver emails from you to him. So, Suzanne is sending him Olympic updates. He'll be back on Friday, and is running a 5k Saturday Morning. His fall semester is shaping up to be pretty full of events...he wants to try cross-country, wants to be a little more serious about tennis, and can't wait to find out what this year's musical is!
Pick Kevin up Friday afternoon....will be curious to hear what these pictures were all about!
Christopher: Was pretty emphatic this morning in relaying his opinion of this week's summer camp choice: a return to YMCA's Camp Pa-wa-pi. "This sucks." "Camp sucks." "We have to sing and sing here; it really sucks!" "The counselors are mean" "Did I mention that camp sucks?" But, surprise surprise, pick him and Matthew up off the bus and ask him how his day was, and he says "good!". After making sure aliens haven't abducted my son and left me with a clone, he says it really was a good day. Last time at camp, the evil mean counselors, for some reason, wouldn't agree that Christopher had passed the swimming test, so, he was confined to the shallow end (Matthew also didn't pass the first time, but, went back and completed it the next day.....I never did get the full story, but, apparently the problem was that the counselors were requiring a pretty good crawl technique...while the boys are perfectly comforable in deep water, they're crawl isn't the best) Today, Christopher did pass the test, and was pretty happy to relay that news to Mom on the phone on the way home.
Matthew: Still trying to become the human scab....we went almost a week without more damage, but this weekend has brought fresh wounds to the left knee and both elbows. Plays baseball with Ashton up the street, came home last night crowing that he had hit his first home run "over the green monster!". Enthralled by the Olympics.....we were watching the soccer and he said "I can do that"...watched the men's gymnastics and he wasn't so confident to say he could do that! We had taped the 4 x 100 relay, and he enjoyed watching the French getting their lesson about "le trash talk".
Pick Kevin up Friday afternoon....will be curious to hear what these pictures were all about!
Christopher: Was pretty emphatic this morning in relaying his opinion of this week's summer camp choice: a return to YMCA's Camp Pa-wa-pi. "This sucks." "Camp sucks." "We have to sing and sing here; it really sucks!" "The counselors are mean" "Did I mention that camp sucks?" But, surprise surprise, pick him and Matthew up off the bus and ask him how his day was, and he says "good!". After making sure aliens haven't abducted my son and left me with a clone, he says it really was a good day. Last time at camp, the evil mean counselors, for some reason, wouldn't agree that Christopher had passed the swimming test, so, he was confined to the shallow end (Matthew also didn't pass the first time, but, went back and completed it the next day.....I never did get the full story, but, apparently the problem was that the counselors were requiring a pretty good crawl technique...while the boys are perfectly comforable in deep water, they're crawl isn't the best) Today, Christopher did pass the test, and was pretty happy to relay that news to Mom on the phone on the way home.
Matthew: Still trying to become the human scab....we went almost a week without more damage, but this weekend has brought fresh wounds to the left knee and both elbows. Plays baseball with Ashton up the street, came home last night crowing that he had hit his first home run "over the green monster!". Enthralled by the Olympics.....we were watching the soccer and he said "I can do that"...watched the men's gymnastics and he wasn't so confident to say he could do that! We had taped the 4 x 100 relay, and he enjoyed watching the French getting their lesson about "le trash talk".
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Mid-week Tales of Randomness
No real theme here...
- Kevin had his first viola lesson in 6 weeks.....it's notable for a couple of reasons. 1) Kevin's moved up from a 14" viola to a 16" viola. He's big enough (now) to play it; this is the instrument size he'll play from here on out. The viola has a better tone, and he apprarently handled the transition pretty well. His summer recital is two weeks from Friday, so, we'll see how that sounds. 2) Kevin's instructor forwarded us an amazon.com link for another book of music for Kevin to work with; received it in the mail and it is copyrighted 1925! It's music for 2 violas, and, from what I could tell, seems to be exercises designed to reinforce different bow techniques.
- Don't know if I've mentioned the latest Christopher-Matthew fad....Yu-Gi-Oh! Cards. They've been battling and trading with the other boys in the neighborhood....we have no idea if they really know how to play and have advised them, after the first couple of days, to discontinue trading until they know what cards are 'good' and which ones aren't.
- Christopher, Matthew, and Kevin have all discovered the local garage sale, which started to day. Christopher and Matthew encountered the 'pre-sale' last night....made a mad dash home for dollars and bought a) a container of bouncy balls b) an etch-a-sketch (dubbed 'the map maker' by the two-some) c) a scooter ($4!) and a bunch of random junk. Kevin went up today after lunch and came home with a New York skyline jigsaw puzzle.
- Christopher and Matthew are at camp at Potter Park Zoo this week....remarkably, no complaints (had a family meeting to discuss behavior and complaints...more on that later). Next week is back to YMCA Pa-wa-pi and then back to Bennett Woods to end the summer
- As mentioned, had a family meeting to discuss behavior and complaining and the plan to begin daily study time. Lots of nodding heads and yes's and ok's....walked away wondering how much got through and how much didn't. First study time went well, and we were asked by the boys the next night when we were going to start. We had told the boys that the constant stream of complaints, about the camps, about the food, was getting old...so, the next morning, Suzanne makes pancakes and gives them to the boys. Matthew dives in, Christopher goes "Hey, this one is burnt!"....and promptly follows with "No offense, Mom". So, we know he was at least listening....
- Kitchen remodeling is back in full swing. Not going as planned. More on this later.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
West Michigan Beaches
Saturday, after watching Kevin and his campmates thrill us with their acting skills, we headed south to the beach.
Started at Pere Marquette Beach; it's one of the nicer beaches on Lake Michigan (actually has a 'clean beach' designation). Parked, trucked out to the water, did the beach thing. Wondered at how cold the water would be (a nice balmy 74 degrees), so, it was cold at first but you got used to it. What made it really cold was the wind.....must have blowing at least 15-20 mph and man, it made it pretty challenging. Once you were adjusted to the water temp, you froze when you came out of the water.
Booked our hotel late in the week, so, the options were slim. Ended up paying the bucks and staying at a Residence Inn down in Holland. Left Muskegon around 5 pm, went to the hotel, went to dinner, and then, after dinner, decided to go down to the shore again. This time we ended up at Holland State Park. Unlike Muskegon, where the green flags were out and the conditions were calm, the red flags were up here. We never intended to go swimming, but, it looked rough. I'm not sure if there was any rip current, there were certainly a number of people swimming, but, the waves were coming in fast and furious. So, we walked along the beach, and walked out one of the 'breaks' to the lighthouse.
Started at Pere Marquette Beach; it's one of the nicer beaches on Lake Michigan (actually has a 'clean beach' designation). Parked, trucked out to the water, did the beach thing. Wondered at how cold the water would be (a nice balmy 74 degrees), so, it was cold at first but you got used to it. What made it really cold was the wind.....must have blowing at least 15-20 mph and man, it made it pretty challenging. Once you were adjusted to the water temp, you froze when you came out of the water.
Booked our hotel late in the week, so, the options were slim. Ended up paying the bucks and staying at a Residence Inn down in Holland. Left Muskegon around 5 pm, went to the hotel, went to dinner, and then, after dinner, decided to go down to the shore again. This time we ended up at Holland State Park. Unlike Muskegon, where the green flags were out and the conditions were calm, the red flags were up here. We never intended to go swimming, but, it looked rough. I'm not sure if there was any rip current, there were certainly a number of people swimming, but, the waves were coming in fast and furious. So, we walked along the beach, and walked out one of the 'breaks' to the lighthouse.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
End of Blue Lake Day Two
Journeyed back to Blue Lake today to take physical possession of our child and hear the Concert Orchestra's final performance.
Received two written evaluations of Kevin; one from his cabin counselor, one from his section leader. Both good, may scan the viola evaluation and put it up here later. Said something like "glad that Kevin's initial 1st day placement stayed the same after the auditions".....so, had to quiz Kevin on this. Turns out, after the auditions on the first day, Kevin was the 2nd chair!
But, after 3 auditions during the week, they finalize the chairs....Kevin fell to 4th, the 1st chair fell to 5th, and the initial 6th chair moved up to 1st.
I think, and I think Kevin agrees, that his initial placement is because while he plays well for his age, he sight reads extremely well for his age, so, at first, he was perceived to be better, but, once everyone knew the piece that they were playing fairly well, he dropped back a bit, as technique and sound became more of a differentiator. The instructor said that it was close (and Kevin perceives no difference between himself, and the 3rd, or the 5th chair), but, that Kevin's staccatos and accents weren't.....what they should be. Not sure what that means, but, Kevin has a viola lesson on Wednesday, so, I'm hoping to understand this a little bit more after talking with his instructor.
Anyway, here's the 5 pieces the Orchestra performed. There are five of them, and none of them is longer than 5 minutes. Video somewhat unsteady at times (probably not worth watching, just listen); you can see Kevin clearly, but, the tripod was left at home, so, the camera is Dad-held throughout.
Overture to "Nabucco"
Night Beat
Cross Creek
Chaconne
Dance of the Tumblers
Received two written evaluations of Kevin; one from his cabin counselor, one from his section leader. Both good, may scan the viola evaluation and put it up here later. Said something like "glad that Kevin's initial 1st day placement stayed the same after the auditions".....so, had to quiz Kevin on this. Turns out, after the auditions on the first day, Kevin was the 2nd chair!
But, after 3 auditions during the week, they finalize the chairs....Kevin fell to 4th, the 1st chair fell to 5th, and the initial 6th chair moved up to 1st.
I think, and I think Kevin agrees, that his initial placement is because while he plays well for his age, he sight reads extremely well for his age, so, at first, he was perceived to be better, but, once everyone knew the piece that they were playing fairly well, he dropped back a bit, as technique and sound became more of a differentiator. The instructor said that it was close (and Kevin perceives no difference between himself, and the 3rd, or the 5th chair), but, that Kevin's staccatos and accents weren't.....what they should be. Not sure what that means, but, Kevin has a viola lesson on Wednesday, so, I'm hoping to understand this a little bit more after talking with his instructor.
Anyway, here's the 5 pieces the Orchestra performed. There are five of them, and none of them is longer than 5 minutes. Video somewhat unsteady at times (probably not worth watching, just listen); you can see Kevin clearly, but, the tripod was left at home, so, the camera is Dad-held throughout.
Overture to "Nabucco"
Night Beat
Cross Creek
Chaconne
Dance of the Tumblers
Saturday, August 2, 2008
End of Blue Lake Day One
We journeyed out to West Michigan today to a) stop by Blue Lake and watch the presentations for the 'minor' subjects....Kevin 'minored' in Acting and b) to go to the shores of Lake Michigan for some summertime frolic.
We'll discuss the frolic and frivolity of the beaches at Pere Marquette and Holland next week, because it deserves it's own post. We only saw Kevin for about 5 minutes, but, the acting and those 5 minutes are enough for tonight.
Acting: It seemed as if the other minors that presented in the theatre seemed to progress from less skilled to most skilled, certainly dance and musical theatre seemed that way. Not sure if it was that way for acting, but, Kevin was in the last group of actors. They were tasked with coming up with skits to perform, it seems they mostly went with implausible real life events......like Dad going to prison!
Kevin Debrief: Kevin had to hurry off to Concert Orchestra rehearsal, so, we only got to speak to him for a minute at the theatre and part of the walk over to the rehearsal hall. Nevertheless, he conveyed quite a bit of good info:
We'll discuss the frolic and frivolity of the beaches at Pere Marquette and Holland next week, because it deserves it's own post. We only saw Kevin for about 5 minutes, but, the acting and those 5 minutes are enough for tonight.
Acting: It seemed as if the other minors that presented in the theatre seemed to progress from less skilled to most skilled, certainly dance and musical theatre seemed that way. Not sure if it was that way for acting, but, Kevin was in the last group of actors. They were tasked with coming up with skits to perform, it seems they mostly went with implausible real life events......like Dad going to prison!
Kevin Debrief: Kevin had to hurry off to Concert Orchestra rehearsal, so, we only got to speak to him for a minute at the theatre and part of the walk over to the rehearsal hall. Nevertheless, he conveyed quite a bit of good info:
- "Dad, I made the Concert Orchestra!".....his first sentence to us....
- "I'm the best viola-ist my age here!"
- .....found out there are 12 violas in the Concert Orchestra, so, he didn't just make it, he's one of the better ones there. Suzanne and I have always had the sense that he's pretty good, but, this is the first time he's been in a competitive environment for viola; we're glad it's gone so well for him.
- He's having lots of fun; he knows 11 people from school and one other from tennis lessons.
- Had fun at the dance; did dance in a group with 4-5 girls. More info will be dragged out of him about this tomorrow....
- Told us one of the highlights was the carnival where he won the hula-hoop contest seven times. Asked him if winning once wasn't enough, and he said that you received tickets for winning, and that was better than paying for the tickets. So, he dominated the hula-hoop proceedings......
- And then he rushed off to practice.
Friday, August 1, 2008
A message from the forest
So, Kevin did remember to send mail
A few notes:
1) Wikipedia says there are 8 to 12 violas in an orchestra. We think this is the first time Kevin's been in an orchestra where they had chairs, so, will be interesting to get the scoop on that.
2) Kevin missed a few sentences. Like "I'm having fun." or "Thanks for the care packages. The home-made chocolate cookies Mom sent were especially nice."
3) Have to say I'm surprised by the underlining....was certain walking away from the cabin that Kevin wouldn't be enamored of the kid underneath him in the bunkbeds, but, that boy is underlined......
4) Turns out Dad actually has some of the music Kevin mentioned. Nabucco is an opera by Verdi, and I have this overture on CD, and "Dance of the Tumblers" is from Rimsky-Korsakov's Snow Maiden, and I have the suite to that....
5) Kevin might have to work on writing more than 6 lines of text next go round......
A few notes:
1) Wikipedia says there are 8 to 12 violas in an orchestra. We think this is the first time Kevin's been in an orchestra where they had chairs, so, will be interesting to get the scoop on that.
2) Kevin missed a few sentences. Like "I'm having fun." or "Thanks for the care packages. The home-made chocolate cookies Mom sent were especially nice."
3) Have to say I'm surprised by the underlining....was certain walking away from the cabin that Kevin wouldn't be enamored of the kid underneath him in the bunkbeds, but, that boy is underlined......
4) Turns out Dad actually has some of the music Kevin mentioned. Nabucco is an opera by Verdi, and I have this overture on CD, and "Dance of the Tumblers" is from Rimsky-Korsakov's Snow Maiden, and I have the suite to that....
5) Kevin might have to work on writing more than 6 lines of text next go round......
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)