We watched The Grinch, as always, and I paused the screen at the funny part where the dog leaps onto the Grinch's sleigh because he thinks he gets to ride on it, as always. And the kids laughed.
We made our own snow globes from a kit I bought at an art store. The idea was to do it on some quiet evening or weekend day, but instead we did it in the hour before gymnastics for Kate and Winter Clinic for Jack. They both wanted to make the reindeer one but Jack very generously let Kate do it. He made the snowman. They did a really nice job of it, better than I thought possible. Jack mixed blue and yellow clay to make a green tree, plus a blue penguin. Kate made a red and white candy cane arch. We filled them with sprinkles and water and it snowed in them.
Today, the kids made gingerbread houses at an after school activity. Jack's gingerbread people had funny little outfits made out of icing. Might have been underwear. On the roof he wrote his nickname, I think, "Jickety." Kate went very heavy on the icing. And she might have been eating some when I showed up.
We came home and Jack finished a Secret Santa project he had dreamed up. It was a board game set in a hockey rink, with little hockey players and an aluminum foil ice and cards he had made. Altogether he probably spent 4-5 hours on it this week. Impressive. Kate helped me make a pizza., rolling out the dough and going very heavy on the cheese. She is not as keen on sauce, so it had a lot of cheese.
We ate pizza together, listened to Mariah Carey Christmas songs, then I cracked open the mini chocolate Santas for a special treat. We watched some lame Christmas special on Netflix, because we wanted to save the good ones for when Emily was home (she had a work holiday dinner). But the kids enjoyed it. Got Kate showered, watched some football with Jack, and they went to bed. and I came downstairs to clean up pizza, write this blog, and realize Christmas is just a week away.
Thursday, December 17, 2015
Thursday, December 03, 2015
Basketball
Jack and Kate have started playing basketball this year in a local league, 3rd grade girls and 5th grade boys. We almost signed Jack up last year, then changed at the last minute and he did swimming instead. (After a few basketball practices, he said, "I love basketball! Why haven't I played before this?" And I said, well, you did swimming last year. Which do you like more? No hesitation. "Basketball. I hated swim team. Well, I didn't hate it. I just didn't like it.") A couple of times he had basketball and baseball practice at the same time. He wanted to go to basketball.
Kate seems to enjoy it. She wanted to do it, so we signed her up. I'm not certain she is really engrossed in it, but she gamely runs up and down the court waving her arms and generally smiling, so that's good. She had her first scrimmage the other day and a pass was sent her way and she tried to catch it. It's going to be a learning year for her.
Jack more or less knows what he's doing out there. He goes to his spots on offense and defense, runs hard up and down the floor, tries to guard people and participate on offense. He had a scrimmage last week and looked kind of overwhelmed. A lot of the kids did, we got clobbered by a better team. I believe they were called the All-Stars or Ringers or Globetrotters or something.
But the practices are helping, seem to be anyway. We play a lot of Horse in the driveway these days. I wish I could say I let him beat me, but that would not be entirely accurate. He likes to play, likes to practice, go out and shoot.
Tonight was his first real game. It was a lot like the scrimmage. We got clobbered early, the team looked like it needed a lot more practices, lots of kids didn't know where to go or what to do. When Jack handled the ball or tried to defend other kids he did fine, but it's not instinctual, clearly. Still figuring things out. I think he had a steal at one point, which was cool, and then he got saved from either a travel or a double dribble by a timeout.
With about 30 seconds left in the game he got a pass, and went to shoot for the first time, and they called a foul. So he went to the line for the first time. We were at the other end of the court so we couldn't see him, but I imagine he was nervous or excited or both. Seemed to hurry the first shot and missed, off to the right of the rim I think. Coach told him to slow down, take his time. He bounced it a couple of times and took the second shot. Banked it in off the glass. His first point.
He and the team jogged back down the floor. I think he was trying to be cool, but this little smile was peeking through. Then a bigger smile. Half a minute later the game ended, he had the post game meeting, and came over to us. Still smiling.
We congratulated him, chatted a bit with other parents, went outside. Jack was talking about this lucky quarter he found before the game and put in his shoe. "I'm always going to have this quarter," he said. Later he was still smiling, either about making his free throw or his lucky quarter, I'm not sure which.
Put him to bed, congratulated him again. He was still really happy.
So, the kids play basketball now.
Kate seems to enjoy it. She wanted to do it, so we signed her up. I'm not certain she is really engrossed in it, but she gamely runs up and down the court waving her arms and generally smiling, so that's good. She had her first scrimmage the other day and a pass was sent her way and she tried to catch it. It's going to be a learning year for her.
Jack more or less knows what he's doing out there. He goes to his spots on offense and defense, runs hard up and down the floor, tries to guard people and participate on offense. He had a scrimmage last week and looked kind of overwhelmed. A lot of the kids did, we got clobbered by a better team. I believe they were called the All-Stars or Ringers or Globetrotters or something.
But the practices are helping, seem to be anyway. We play a lot of Horse in the driveway these days. I wish I could say I let him beat me, but that would not be entirely accurate. He likes to play, likes to practice, go out and shoot.
Tonight was his first real game. It was a lot like the scrimmage. We got clobbered early, the team looked like it needed a lot more practices, lots of kids didn't know where to go or what to do. When Jack handled the ball or tried to defend other kids he did fine, but it's not instinctual, clearly. Still figuring things out. I think he had a steal at one point, which was cool, and then he got saved from either a travel or a double dribble by a timeout.
With about 30 seconds left in the game he got a pass, and went to shoot for the first time, and they called a foul. So he went to the line for the first time. We were at the other end of the court so we couldn't see him, but I imagine he was nervous or excited or both. Seemed to hurry the first shot and missed, off to the right of the rim I think. Coach told him to slow down, take his time. He bounced it a couple of times and took the second shot. Banked it in off the glass. His first point.
He and the team jogged back down the floor. I think he was trying to be cool, but this little smile was peeking through. Then a bigger smile. Half a minute later the game ended, he had the post game meeting, and came over to us. Still smiling.
We congratulated him, chatted a bit with other parents, went outside. Jack was talking about this lucky quarter he found before the game and put in his shoe. "I'm always going to have this quarter," he said. Later he was still smiling, either about making his free throw or his lucky quarter, I'm not sure which.
Put him to bed, congratulated him again. He was still really happy.
So, the kids play basketball now.
Friday, November 20, 2015
Thanksgiving Crafts
Been a while! So the past four years I've been doing this Thanksgiving crafts thing at Jack and Kate's elementary school. I honestly don't remember how I got started, I have probably written about it before but am not going to look it up. Basically a week before the holiday I lead an after school program where 25 or so kids make turkeys out of paper plates and random food items.
The number gradually crept up to 35 over the course of the week through late additions who I couldn't say no to. I spent some time the last couple of days gathering the supplies and cutting out turkey components in construction paper. Fretted about the various things I could forget, or not having enough apples or paper bags, or whatnot.
But 2:30 today came, and I got everything together and went in. Rounded up all the kids in front of the auditorium. Including Kate who was doing it and Jack who was helping out with a friend of his. Wisely, I had it in a classroom instead of the gym this year, so fewer distractions for them.
The din of kids was, uh, incredible. The classroom teacher, old hat at this, quieted them all with a few stern words. And then I spoke loudly, something like, "Who wants to make an apple and marshmallow turkey?" And a big cheer went up and we started in.
Kids were pretty good. Some put their own spin on the turkeys - "Can I put the marshmallows on before the raisins?" "Sure!" - which was nice to see. Some made toothpick legs, some gave more feathers, some less. I believe some just ate a whole lot of marshmallows and candy corns, another part of the crafts.
But the kids generally worked together and helped each other. They took pride in their little creations. Kate kept showing me hers proudly. Jack and his friend helped the littler kids. One girl asked for help all the time. Another kid kept eating stuff and asking for more. I had extra! Ha! Everyone had fun.
It was kind of chaos and the hour ticked by slowly, but then it was over, one of the Moms helping me got the all together for a photo op and some cleanup, and it was time to go home. Kate had me carefully bring her apple for her. Jack ate his.
A nice activity to do with the kids. I can't imagine doing it all of the time, but I'm glad I can do it some of it.
The number gradually crept up to 35 over the course of the week through late additions who I couldn't say no to. I spent some time the last couple of days gathering the supplies and cutting out turkey components in construction paper. Fretted about the various things I could forget, or not having enough apples or paper bags, or whatnot.
But 2:30 today came, and I got everything together and went in. Rounded up all the kids in front of the auditorium. Including Kate who was doing it and Jack who was helping out with a friend of his. Wisely, I had it in a classroom instead of the gym this year, so fewer distractions for them.
The din of kids was, uh, incredible. The classroom teacher, old hat at this, quieted them all with a few stern words. And then I spoke loudly, something like, "Who wants to make an apple and marshmallow turkey?" And a big cheer went up and we started in.
Kids were pretty good. Some put their own spin on the turkeys - "Can I put the marshmallows on before the raisins?" "Sure!" - which was nice to see. Some made toothpick legs, some gave more feathers, some less. I believe some just ate a whole lot of marshmallows and candy corns, another part of the crafts.
But the kids generally worked together and helped each other. They took pride in their little creations. Kate kept showing me hers proudly. Jack and his friend helped the littler kids. One girl asked for help all the time. Another kid kept eating stuff and asking for more. I had extra! Ha! Everyone had fun.
It was kind of chaos and the hour ticked by slowly, but then it was over, one of the Moms helping me got the all together for a photo op and some cleanup, and it was time to go home. Kate had me carefully bring her apple for her. Jack ate his.
A nice activity to do with the kids. I can't imagine doing it all of the time, but I'm glad I can do it some of it.
Thursday, October 01, 2015
Halloween unpacking
Jack had a play date after school, but Kate and I had important business. It's October 1st, so we had to get all the Halloween stuff out of the attic.
It's a huge orange container about the size of a coffee table, and it has our outside decorations, inside decorations, and the stuff the kids have made on Halloweens past. And the books we've gradually accumulated, like Dragon's Halloween, Masie's Halloween, Runaway Pumpkin, and a dozen others. We've been reading them for years and years and I hope we are still reading them a decade from now or longer.
I found pictures of them from past trips to pumpkin patches, where we got some of the decorations we have now. Crafts they made years ago, bat hats and cutout Frankenstein monsters. Vampire and witch pez dispensers. Stuffed ghosts, black cats, monsters. Wind up ghosts and vampires. Kate's first Halloween costume. Jacks first carved pumpkin -- ew! Nah, just kidding.
Kate and I pulled everything out and strung it up all around the house. When I was putting something up outside, she put on a black wig and witch hat and cackled. We read Runaway Pumpkin and laughed, and she pointed out things in the pictures that I had never noticed before. "And that chicken is like BAWK, and that chicken is all BA-Kawk!"
Together we decorated windows with gel cling ghosts and pumpkins from years ago. Still good! She said, "Put the haunted house on a hill, like that," and "Let's put a pumpkin in a tree. It's a pumpkin tree!"
Halloween is here! And we've got 30 more days of it this year!
It's a huge orange container about the size of a coffee table, and it has our outside decorations, inside decorations, and the stuff the kids have made on Halloweens past. And the books we've gradually accumulated, like Dragon's Halloween, Masie's Halloween, Runaway Pumpkin, and a dozen others. We've been reading them for years and years and I hope we are still reading them a decade from now or longer.
I found pictures of them from past trips to pumpkin patches, where we got some of the decorations we have now. Crafts they made years ago, bat hats and cutout Frankenstein monsters. Vampire and witch pez dispensers. Stuffed ghosts, black cats, monsters. Wind up ghosts and vampires. Kate's first Halloween costume. Jacks first carved pumpkin -- ew! Nah, just kidding.
Kate and I pulled everything out and strung it up all around the house. When I was putting something up outside, she put on a black wig and witch hat and cackled. We read Runaway Pumpkin and laughed, and she pointed out things in the pictures that I had never noticed before. "And that chicken is like BAWK, and that chicken is all BA-Kawk!"
Together we decorated windows with gel cling ghosts and pumpkins from years ago. Still good! She said, "Put the haunted house on a hill, like that," and "Let's put a pumpkin in a tree. It's a pumpkin tree!"
Halloween is here! And we've got 30 more days of it this year!
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Kate date
Kate had the afternoon off from school. She and I went to lunch at McDonalds, her choice. While I stood in line, she found a table. I brought the food over, and we ate and talked about our mornings. She said how she loved the burgers there. Just ketchup.
We went to Home Depot for a light bulb. She kept bringing over different Halloween decoration items. No, Kate, we will go to Sam Bridge, like always. She brought out a smiling scarecrow. "This one has curly hair!"
At home, we did her birthday party Thank your. She made little pictures of her and her friend on each card.
Labeled them "me" and "Ava" on each picture. Very cute.
We played Go Fish. Hadn't done that for a while.
We went to the Rye Y for Jacks swimming class. Kate was supposed to have one too, but she fractured her finger and needs to take some time off from Sports. We played with blocks, she made little houses, and put the pet shop toys she brought in them. We played air hockey, using our opposite hands. We played in the new ExerZone area, basically a workout area for kids, but fun. She jumped and laughed and smiled.
At home before bed, we read Kelsey Green together. Sometimes she brings lots of emotion to the dialogue and I have to ask her not to yell in my ear. But it's kind of funny, too.
I tell her I had a nice afternoon with her and help her into her new loft bed. She says, can you touch the ceiling from the bottom step? I say yes, and show her. "Oooh" she says.
We went to Home Depot for a light bulb. She kept bringing over different Halloween decoration items. No, Kate, we will go to Sam Bridge, like always. She brought out a smiling scarecrow. "This one has curly hair!"
At home, we did her birthday party Thank your. She made little pictures of her and her friend on each card.
Labeled them "me" and "Ava" on each picture. Very cute.
We played Go Fish. Hadn't done that for a while.
We went to the Rye Y for Jacks swimming class. Kate was supposed to have one too, but she fractured her finger and needs to take some time off from Sports. We played with blocks, she made little houses, and put the pet shop toys she brought in them. We played air hockey, using our opposite hands. We played in the new ExerZone area, basically a workout area for kids, but fun. She jumped and laughed and smiled.
At home before bed, we read Kelsey Green together. Sometimes she brings lots of emotion to the dialogue and I have to ask her not to yell in my ear. But it's kind of funny, too.
I tell her I had a nice afternoon with her and help her into her new loft bed. She says, can you touch the ceiling from the bottom step? I say yes, and show her. "Oooh" she says.
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Jack Day
Kate's doing a gymnastics camp this week, so I'm spending a little more time with Jack. He has typically done a baseball camp this time of year, but we figured, let's let him take a break.
The first couple of days of the week weren't anything special; back from vacation, we had stuff that had to get done. Work, haircuts, mowing lawns, catching up on XBox and Instagram. But today? This was a Jack day.
First, we hauled out the batting tee, the net, the balls and his bat. We hadn't done anything baseball related for almost two weeks -- since his last game, really -- and it was a little rough. It was also about 90 degrees out, but whatever.
We start by him hitting off the tee into the net to get his swing down. Then I soft toss him balls from the side and he drills them into the net. Finally I pitch to him, not baseballs but soft, stress-type balls and a couple of dryer balls, much to Emily's dismay. Anyway, the pitching part started out poorly. Lot of swing and misses, lot of fouls behind him. Some of my pitches were bad, some his timing was off, whatever. He started to get frustrated. I said, Hey, this is why we practice. We're out of the routine and need to get back into it. No worries. (Because, you know, Fall Ball!)
Anyway, he was obviously getting tired, and hot, and frustrated. I asked him if he wanted to stop, he shook his head. Gradually it got better, and he started rocketing them onto the deck and off the side of the house. Ok, he said, we can stop now.
We each guzzled a Gatorade and drove to the comic store in Stamford. Hadn't been in a long while. They also had Baseball cards, which was his main interest. He ended up getting a Jacob DeGromm (Met star) and Max Scherzer with a piece of his game-worn jersey. Yeah, they're doing some crazy things with limited edition cards these days. Anyway, he was happy.
On the way home we saw these dinosaur sculptures scattered through the town. Something Stamford does, themed artwork that changes each year or so. "Cool!" Said Jack, as we saw each new one. Me too.
We went home and grilled hotdogs for lunch, Jack read a comic I bought for Kate. Then we scooped up a friend of Kate's on our way to get Kate and go to the pool. Tried to get one of Jack's, too, but almost everyone goes on vacation this week. I guess I will have to play with you at the pool, Jack, I said. "Yay!"
You probably aren't aware just how many pool games there are that involve throwing a soft fabric ball around the water. I certainly wasn't. We played The Skipping Game, Catch, Pepper, Diving, One Hand, and several others. When we weren't doing that, I threw the ball for him to dive in off the side of the pool to catch it, the more spectacular the better. Occasionally we took breaks, hanging out by the side of the pool and talking about NFL players / fantasy football and baseball. And did you know his card had a piece of Max Scherzer's jersey in it?
You will be glad to know we kept an eye on the girls, which wasn't hard since they went down the slide about a billion times. And hung out in the shallow end playing on kick boards. And traded goggles, and hair ties, and made each other laugh. And swam some too. At one point I sent Jack over to play with them or toss the ball to them. He came back shortly. "They just splashed me and sent me away," he said. Ok then.
End of the day, we came home and had dinner. While Kate showed Emily something upstairs, Jack and I threw the football around the back yard. On the 5th try we nailed our most difficult route, called Shed, with a perfect throw and catch. Ok, we agreed, we're done here.
Putting him to bed, I said, Hey Jack, I had a really fun day with you. I realized that really, we hadn't done that in a while, spent a day together doing stuff. He said, "Yeah, we played baseball...went to the comic store...the pool...had hotdogs...we even played football!" Pretty sure he went to bed smiling. Me too.
The first couple of days of the week weren't anything special; back from vacation, we had stuff that had to get done. Work, haircuts, mowing lawns, catching up on XBox and Instagram. But today? This was a Jack day.
First, we hauled out the batting tee, the net, the balls and his bat. We hadn't done anything baseball related for almost two weeks -- since his last game, really -- and it was a little rough. It was also about 90 degrees out, but whatever.
We start by him hitting off the tee into the net to get his swing down. Then I soft toss him balls from the side and he drills them into the net. Finally I pitch to him, not baseballs but soft, stress-type balls and a couple of dryer balls, much to Emily's dismay. Anyway, the pitching part started out poorly. Lot of swing and misses, lot of fouls behind him. Some of my pitches were bad, some his timing was off, whatever. He started to get frustrated. I said, Hey, this is why we practice. We're out of the routine and need to get back into it. No worries. (Because, you know, Fall Ball!)
Anyway, he was obviously getting tired, and hot, and frustrated. I asked him if he wanted to stop, he shook his head. Gradually it got better, and he started rocketing them onto the deck and off the side of the house. Ok, he said, we can stop now.
We each guzzled a Gatorade and drove to the comic store in Stamford. Hadn't been in a long while. They also had Baseball cards, which was his main interest. He ended up getting a Jacob DeGromm (Met star) and Max Scherzer with a piece of his game-worn jersey. Yeah, they're doing some crazy things with limited edition cards these days. Anyway, he was happy.
On the way home we saw these dinosaur sculptures scattered through the town. Something Stamford does, themed artwork that changes each year or so. "Cool!" Said Jack, as we saw each new one. Me too.
We went home and grilled hotdogs for lunch, Jack read a comic I bought for Kate. Then we scooped up a friend of Kate's on our way to get Kate and go to the pool. Tried to get one of Jack's, too, but almost everyone goes on vacation this week. I guess I will have to play with you at the pool, Jack, I said. "Yay!"
You probably aren't aware just how many pool games there are that involve throwing a soft fabric ball around the water. I certainly wasn't. We played The Skipping Game, Catch, Pepper, Diving, One Hand, and several others. When we weren't doing that, I threw the ball for him to dive in off the side of the pool to catch it, the more spectacular the better. Occasionally we took breaks, hanging out by the side of the pool and talking about NFL players / fantasy football and baseball. And did you know his card had a piece of Max Scherzer's jersey in it?
You will be glad to know we kept an eye on the girls, which wasn't hard since they went down the slide about a billion times. And hung out in the shallow end playing on kick boards. And traded goggles, and hair ties, and made each other laugh. And swam some too. At one point I sent Jack over to play with them or toss the ball to them. He came back shortly. "They just splashed me and sent me away," he said. Ok then.
End of the day, we came home and had dinner. While Kate showed Emily something upstairs, Jack and I threw the football around the back yard. On the 5th try we nailed our most difficult route, called Shed, with a perfect throw and catch. Ok, we agreed, we're done here.
Putting him to bed, I said, Hey Jack, I had a really fun day with you. I realized that really, we hadn't done that in a while, spent a day together doing stuff. He said, "Yeah, we played baseball...went to the comic store...the pool...had hotdogs...we even played football!" Pretty sure he went to bed smiling. Me too.
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Rainy Day
Our first full day at the Cape was a little cool. We settled in by making a trip to the bookstore, getting a rental bike, having a huge lunch. Our second day was hot and we spent the entire day at the beach, with the kids making friends and finding hermit crabs and swimming out on their boogie boards and playing whiffle ball. Swim, rinse, repeat.
Day 3 was set to be rainy. What would we do? Well...
- I came downstairs to find the kids playing pyramid solitaire. I had taught them the game the previous day and they took to it. I thought about bringing out clock solitaire, but even as a kid I knew that game was kind of unfair...you could only win if the King happened to be in one exact spot.
- We went on a long bike ride. The rain hadn't started, so we clambered on and hit the bike trail. Sometimes Emilyand Jack went ahead, sometimes Jack and I did. Kate was quicker to tire or get frustrated, and there were a few moments I thought we would have to turn back. (We were headed to a pond, Sheep Pond -- perhaps it was shaped like a sheep? -- that was a few miles away.) Kate would protest, then get a second wind and peddle fast, then tire. But she made it, thanks largely to an interlude when a guy on horseback showed up and let us meet his very friendly horse. It snuffled at Kate and made us laugh. And it was named Jack! We ultimately reached the pond and took off our shoes and socks and waded in. Then it started raining, eventually quite hard, and we booked it back to the rental. And made it. Soaked but happy.
- We had lunch at home, peanut butter for the kids and chowder that a restaurant from the previous night had given us as it closed up. We find ourselves eating later meals this year, a sign our kids are getting older than many other Cape vacationers. Restaurants aren't as crowded and are closing up. It was great. The rain picked up in intensity outside.
- I taught Jack combat solitaire, which is classic solitaire where you play on each other's Aces and race to beat the others to cards. It was the major family staple of my childhood, an all the time thing, and Jack took to it. We came out at the end of our second game, and I explained to Jack he had to beat me to cards. He got happily flustered as we raced to play Jacks and Queens and Kings. "I didn't know it was this intense!" He said, laughing, frantically playing cards. It was just like I remembered it being and totally awesome. Kate asked me to teach her today.
- We went swimming at the indoor pool. It was crowded, of course, and some kids including ours went outside. And swam in the pouring rain. Crazy! Kind of cold, so Emily stood in the jacuzzi as she supervised. That was warmer. I watched them play and Emily laugh at the insanity of it.
- We ate dinner in, our classic Cape meal of pasta with cream and peas and scallops. Fantastic as it is every year.
- I put Kate to bed and read her book, The Princess in Black. Quite good, even though she wouldn't let me do funny voices. Whenever I tried she protested gaily: "Daddy!" So I stopped. Until the next time.
It was still raining when everyone went to bed.
Day 3 was set to be rainy. What would we do? Well...
- I came downstairs to find the kids playing pyramid solitaire. I had taught them the game the previous day and they took to it. I thought about bringing out clock solitaire, but even as a kid I knew that game was kind of unfair...you could only win if the King happened to be in one exact spot.
- We went on a long bike ride. The rain hadn't started, so we clambered on and hit the bike trail. Sometimes Emilyand Jack went ahead, sometimes Jack and I did. Kate was quicker to tire or get frustrated, and there were a few moments I thought we would have to turn back. (We were headed to a pond, Sheep Pond -- perhaps it was shaped like a sheep? -- that was a few miles away.) Kate would protest, then get a second wind and peddle fast, then tire. But she made it, thanks largely to an interlude when a guy on horseback showed up and let us meet his very friendly horse. It snuffled at Kate and made us laugh. And it was named Jack! We ultimately reached the pond and took off our shoes and socks and waded in. Then it started raining, eventually quite hard, and we booked it back to the rental. And made it. Soaked but happy.
- We had lunch at home, peanut butter for the kids and chowder that a restaurant from the previous night had given us as it closed up. We find ourselves eating later meals this year, a sign our kids are getting older than many other Cape vacationers. Restaurants aren't as crowded and are closing up. It was great. The rain picked up in intensity outside.
- I taught Jack combat solitaire, which is classic solitaire where you play on each other's Aces and race to beat the others to cards. It was the major family staple of my childhood, an all the time thing, and Jack took to it. We came out at the end of our second game, and I explained to Jack he had to beat me to cards. He got happily flustered as we raced to play Jacks and Queens and Kings. "I didn't know it was this intense!" He said, laughing, frantically playing cards. It was just like I remembered it being and totally awesome. Kate asked me to teach her today.
- We went swimming at the indoor pool. It was crowded, of course, and some kids including ours went outside. And swam in the pouring rain. Crazy! Kind of cold, so Emily stood in the jacuzzi as she supervised. That was warmer. I watched them play and Emily laugh at the insanity of it.
- We ate dinner in, our classic Cape meal of pasta with cream and peas and scallops. Fantastic as it is every year.
- I put Kate to bed and read her book, The Princess in Black. Quite good, even though she wouldn't let me do funny voices. Whenever I tried she protested gaily: "Daddy!" So I stopped. Until the next time.
It was still raining when everyone went to bed.
Thursday, August 06, 2015
Season's over
Baseball season ended last night. There were times this year when I was looking forward to it. We had a lot of road games, and running around trying to eat, pack up, get dressed, and drive there on time. Jack had an up and down season at the plate, and the second half of the year it was more down than up -- a few really good hits, which actually made the struggles even more difficult, trying to figure out and correct what was wrong in one at-bat that was so right in the previous one. Some fun games, and some that were just difficult.
But something felt right all day yesterday. We had a nice batting practice in the yard. We had a steak meal before the game, and I timed it well enough (finally!) that we were casually walking to the park in plenty of time, Kate zipping alongside on her scooter. The game started like a nightmare, with the other team scoring 6 in the first and 5 in the second; we were down 11-2 before Jack even got to the plate. Can the season just end already?
And then with 2 strikes in his first at-bat Jack lined a hard double to right field, part of a stretch of 7 hits in eight at-bats that made it 11-8. He stood on second base with a huge grin, pumping his fists, all the work in practices paying off in that moment. At which point I was feeling OK, thinking, what a comeback, what heart, I can be happy with a loss like this one. And then we made it 11-10 two innings later, and I started thinking about a walk-off win. Jack grounded out his two other times up, but he made contact and was oh so close to beating one of them out, so I was thinking, cool, we can end this way.
Except we tied it up, fell behind 13-11 in the final inning, then won it with a 2-run homer and solo walk-off shot in the final inning. I hope I never forget kids circling the bases smiling and laughing; for two of them, it was their first career homers (and just our 3rd and 4th all season). After the walk-off, players and coaches mobbed the kid at home plate, one of Jack's best friends since kindergarten. He (and his Dad, and everyone else) said "Happy Birthday!" to me, cause it was my birthday. (The pregame cheer, instead of "Go Pirates!" was "Coach Andy!" Brings a tear to your eye.)
Giddily they spilled out into the outfield for the postgame meeting, happy as they'd been all year (the coaches, happier). Then There were cupcakes for my birthday and a trip to Wild Wings for a celebration with the kids, while parents and coaches just stood around beaming. The likely song of summer "Cheerleader" came on and the kids sang along, and Jack asked for another dollar to play another one. Happy kids, happy time.
And then everyone went home to enjoy and Like pictures, and talk about what we'd just witnessed/experienced. And then the season was over, and it truly was bittersweet. Because the highs are high and the lows are low, but it's something you don't forget either way, and for the most part you don't want to. You hope the great moments, when they come, will be there tomorrow and next year and forever.
But something felt right all day yesterday. We had a nice batting practice in the yard. We had a steak meal before the game, and I timed it well enough (finally!) that we were casually walking to the park in plenty of time, Kate zipping alongside on her scooter. The game started like a nightmare, with the other team scoring 6 in the first and 5 in the second; we were down 11-2 before Jack even got to the plate. Can the season just end already?
And then with 2 strikes in his first at-bat Jack lined a hard double to right field, part of a stretch of 7 hits in eight at-bats that made it 11-8. He stood on second base with a huge grin, pumping his fists, all the work in practices paying off in that moment. At which point I was feeling OK, thinking, what a comeback, what heart, I can be happy with a loss like this one. And then we made it 11-10 two innings later, and I started thinking about a walk-off win. Jack grounded out his two other times up, but he made contact and was oh so close to beating one of them out, so I was thinking, cool, we can end this way.
Except we tied it up, fell behind 13-11 in the final inning, then won it with a 2-run homer and solo walk-off shot in the final inning. I hope I never forget kids circling the bases smiling and laughing; for two of them, it was their first career homers (and just our 3rd and 4th all season). After the walk-off, players and coaches mobbed the kid at home plate, one of Jack's best friends since kindergarten. He (and his Dad, and everyone else) said "Happy Birthday!" to me, cause it was my birthday. (The pregame cheer, instead of "Go Pirates!" was "Coach Andy!" Brings a tear to your eye.)
Giddily they spilled out into the outfield for the postgame meeting, happy as they'd been all year (the coaches, happier). Then There were cupcakes for my birthday and a trip to Wild Wings for a celebration with the kids, while parents and coaches just stood around beaming. The likely song of summer "Cheerleader" came on and the kids sang along, and Jack asked for another dollar to play another one. Happy kids, happy time.
And then everyone went home to enjoy and Like pictures, and talk about what we'd just witnessed/experienced. And then the season was over, and it truly was bittersweet. Because the highs are high and the lows are low, but it's something you don't forget either way, and for the most part you don't want to. You hope the great moments, when they come, will be there tomorrow and next year and forever.
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Irish cousins, etc.
Robin and the Irish cousins visited last week. As always, it was too hot and too short. But we had a lovely outdoor meal at a new train station restaurant, with beer and burgers and giant pretzel appetizers, then home for ice cream. The kids played ball in the yard and video games in air conditioned comfort. We tried to have them sleep in the yard in a tent. Worked for the jet lagged Mikey and Abbey, Jack and Kate soon moved inside.
The next morning I got them Dunkin' Donuts (check), and we went to our pool. Kate was glued to Abbey and they went down the slide, Jack was glued to Mikey and they went off the diving board. Then Jack's friends/teammates showed up and they all tossed a ball around. Just another boy for the gang.
We tried to go to Playland, only to find it closed. So we went home and got some much needed sleep, with the four kids in Jacks room sleeping all crisscross on sleeping bags, under air conditioning. Abbey read stories to Kate, and Kate to her.
We went to Playland the next day. (Well, Emily took Laura and Niamh into New York City, kind of their Playland.) we all did all the rides, including The log Flume where you got splashed and cooled off three times. It was pretty hot. Kids had a blast and so did Robin and I. Mikey did rides with Jack, and with Kate; great big cousin. Abbey did a ton of rides with Kate, including I suspect carrying her around at some point. Another great big cousin.
We went to Jack's baseball game at night. I think he struck out swinging and grounded out,,but he caught a fly ball in left field that looked almost professional the way he tracked it while ranging to the foul line and hauled it in. All smiles afterward.
Last day of their visit, we ate lunch at MaryAnn's. Because we always eat at MaryAnn's when the Irish cousins visit.
------------/////
Jack had one of the best baseball games of his career the other night. Made a diving catch in right field that I didn't think he had a chance to get to. Caught another screaming line drive. Laced a double to left and hit the ball hard to third two other times. Team won in extra innings, no small part played by Jack. We were happy about that game for days afterward. I figure, if we are going to feel bad when he doesn't have a good game, we had sure better enjoy the great ones.
--------/////
For the Talent Show next year, Kate needs to sit on the stage with The Day the Crayons Quit book and read it aloud. Because her reading, her delivery, her voices....high comedy. It is awesome. Tonight we sat down to read it, with me starting. But by page 3 she was saying, "I want to read this one!" And so she read most of it.
She is way better at it than I am.
--------------////
The next morning I got them Dunkin' Donuts (check), and we went to our pool. Kate was glued to Abbey and they went down the slide, Jack was glued to Mikey and they went off the diving board. Then Jack's friends/teammates showed up and they all tossed a ball around. Just another boy for the gang.
We tried to go to Playland, only to find it closed. So we went home and got some much needed sleep, with the four kids in Jacks room sleeping all crisscross on sleeping bags, under air conditioning. Abbey read stories to Kate, and Kate to her.
We went to Playland the next day. (Well, Emily took Laura and Niamh into New York City, kind of their Playland.) we all did all the rides, including The log Flume where you got splashed and cooled off three times. It was pretty hot. Kids had a blast and so did Robin and I. Mikey did rides with Jack, and with Kate; great big cousin. Abbey did a ton of rides with Kate, including I suspect carrying her around at some point. Another great big cousin.
We went to Jack's baseball game at night. I think he struck out swinging and grounded out,,but he caught a fly ball in left field that looked almost professional the way he tracked it while ranging to the foul line and hauled it in. All smiles afterward.
Last day of their visit, we ate lunch at MaryAnn's. Because we always eat at MaryAnn's when the Irish cousins visit.
------------/////
Jack had one of the best baseball games of his career the other night. Made a diving catch in right field that I didn't think he had a chance to get to. Caught another screaming line drive. Laced a double to left and hit the ball hard to third two other times. Team won in extra innings, no small part played by Jack. We were happy about that game for days afterward. I figure, if we are going to feel bad when he doesn't have a good game, we had sure better enjoy the great ones.
--------/////
For the Talent Show next year, Kate needs to sit on the stage with The Day the Crayons Quit book and read it aloud. Because her reading, her delivery, her voices....high comedy. It is awesome. Tonight we sat down to read it, with me starting. But by page 3 she was saying, "I want to read this one!" And so she read most of it.
She is way better at it than I am.
--------------////
Saturday, July 18, 2015
Summer day
On Thursday both kids slept in. Kate came down at 7:30 for breakfast. Jack surfaced closer to 8:15. I gave them scrambled eggs and cantaloupe and got them to arts camp on time, still wiping sleepy seeds out of their eyes.
I picked them up 3 hours later. Kate anyway; Jack was invited over to a friend's pool for the afternoon. A year ago I might have thought "You have a baseball game tonight! Take it easy!" But that was dumb, he's a 10-year-old and it's summer. Off he went.
Kate and I had lunch at home, and then I brought her and a friend to our pool. They played a game where one of them threw a toy in the water, the other jumped in and retrieved it, then she gave the goggles to the first one and threw it in for her to jump in and get the toy. They did this over and over and over again. Then got ice cream. And went down the slide. And lay on their towels and talked about the candy vending machine. And jumped in the pool again. Three hours later, it was time to go.
Dropped Kate's friend off, picked up Jack. We went around to their backyard and he and a bunch of his friends were still jumping in and out of the pool, tossing a ball around. For all I knew they had been doing it for the last four hours; probably. Got him out and toweled off, thanked parents and friends, headed home.
Kids showered while I fired up the grill and made hotdogs. We've been having kind of a lot of them lately. But they're, uh, a somewhat healthy kind. Maybe? I don't know. Sometimes there's time to make burgers or chicken breasts. More often than not between a pool day and a travel baseball game, it's hotdogs.
Dressed in our coach and player uniforms and drove to the game, stopping along the way to pick up a couple of his teammates. They talked about music and the All-Star Game and baseball bats and the pool. At one point they were all talking in English accents for some reason, cracking each other up.
Really good game for Jack. A line-drive base hit to center in his first at-bat, his best hit in a couple of weeks. Even the balls he'd hit hard of late at found gloves. I looked over to first to give him a little thumbs up and he had a big grin. Still had it after the inning ended and he came into the dugout for his glove. Had a nice inning at second base where he fielded a low throw for the third out and backed up every throw back to the pitcher, jogging back to his spot at second after each one. How I know when he's really into the game; when he's doing everything right. In the last inning, in right center field, he ranged to his right and made a great, impressive shoestring catch of a sinking fly ball with the bases loaded. If he doesn't make that catch, at least 2 runs score. Emily's Dad in a text later: "saved game." It did. He got lots of high fives and congratulations after the catch and after the game, from coaches who are normally reserved. We won 6-5, I snapped a picture of him and one of his buddies, big smiles.
Players messed around on the playground near the field after the game. Jack asked if a friend could sleep over, and we were in a good mood and said sure. Picked up a pizza on the way home, Jack still happy in the back seat the whole way. At home the kids stayed up watching some Nickelodeon Kids Choice Sports Awards show, then Kate went to bed and Jack and his friend stayed up even later playing XBox. Sent them to bed around 11:30. Washing up myself, I could hear them talking in the dark quietly for a little while longer.
A nice Summer day that started early, ended late, and had the best of Summer in between.
I picked them up 3 hours later. Kate anyway; Jack was invited over to a friend's pool for the afternoon. A year ago I might have thought "You have a baseball game tonight! Take it easy!" But that was dumb, he's a 10-year-old and it's summer. Off he went.
Kate and I had lunch at home, and then I brought her and a friend to our pool. They played a game where one of them threw a toy in the water, the other jumped in and retrieved it, then she gave the goggles to the first one and threw it in for her to jump in and get the toy. They did this over and over and over again. Then got ice cream. And went down the slide. And lay on their towels and talked about the candy vending machine. And jumped in the pool again. Three hours later, it was time to go.
Dropped Kate's friend off, picked up Jack. We went around to their backyard and he and a bunch of his friends were still jumping in and out of the pool, tossing a ball around. For all I knew they had been doing it for the last four hours; probably. Got him out and toweled off, thanked parents and friends, headed home.
Kids showered while I fired up the grill and made hotdogs. We've been having kind of a lot of them lately. But they're, uh, a somewhat healthy kind. Maybe? I don't know. Sometimes there's time to make burgers or chicken breasts. More often than not between a pool day and a travel baseball game, it's hotdogs.
Dressed in our coach and player uniforms and drove to the game, stopping along the way to pick up a couple of his teammates. They talked about music and the All-Star Game and baseball bats and the pool. At one point they were all talking in English accents for some reason, cracking each other up.
Really good game for Jack. A line-drive base hit to center in his first at-bat, his best hit in a couple of weeks. Even the balls he'd hit hard of late at found gloves. I looked over to first to give him a little thumbs up and he had a big grin. Still had it after the inning ended and he came into the dugout for his glove. Had a nice inning at second base where he fielded a low throw for the third out and backed up every throw back to the pitcher, jogging back to his spot at second after each one. How I know when he's really into the game; when he's doing everything right. In the last inning, in right center field, he ranged to his right and made a great, impressive shoestring catch of a sinking fly ball with the bases loaded. If he doesn't make that catch, at least 2 runs score. Emily's Dad in a text later: "saved game." It did. He got lots of high fives and congratulations after the catch and after the game, from coaches who are normally reserved. We won 6-5, I snapped a picture of him and one of his buddies, big smiles.
Players messed around on the playground near the field after the game. Jack asked if a friend could sleep over, and we were in a good mood and said sure. Picked up a pizza on the way home, Jack still happy in the back seat the whole way. At home the kids stayed up watching some Nickelodeon Kids Choice Sports Awards show, then Kate went to bed and Jack and his friend stayed up even later playing XBox. Sent them to bed around 11:30. Washing up myself, I could hear them talking in the dark quietly for a little while longer.
A nice Summer day that started early, ended late, and had the best of Summer in between.
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Camping
We went camping on Saturday. Tough to squeeze a getaway in between Summer baseball games, but we found 48 hours and made it happen. Jack's team had lost a tough, extra-inning game right before we left and I thought Jack might be down, but in fact the kids were cheerful, singing a funny "Black socks, they never get dirty..." song they'd learned in camp that week.
Given the late start and several stops to try and find hot dog rolls (trickier than you might think), it was a little late when we checked in and started setting up the tent. And having not done it in two years and impeded by our confused dog (yes we brought Riley) walking across things and pulling her tie around our legs, it took a while. But the kids gamely helped, with Jack in particular taking it as a challenge and puzzle to be solved, and we got the tent up. I went out to get firewood (during which Riley escaped for the first time on the trip, but not the last). Coming back to the site I saw a black dog loping around. That looks like Riley, I mused. Suddenly Kate, out of nowhere, caught up to her and tackled her. Hold on, I said. She did, getting slightly dragged down an embankment but not letting go. We snapped her leash on and stared in something akin to awe at Cowgirl Kate.
Before long we were eating hotdogs (Kate: "These are the best hotdogs ever!") and drinking beer/juice boxes. Then we made s'mores, stumbled around in the dark some, and sort of fell asleep listening to the neighboring religious commune/campsite sing timeless classics like Puff the Magic Dragon and I don't know what else. I was trying to sleep.
Jack, flat on his back with his arms over his head like a traffic cop, slept the best. Kate would sleep, wake up complaining of being cold or having a nosebleed or somesuch, and go back to sleep. Emily and I, uh, didn't sleep so well. It took Riley a long time to settle down, but finally she slept. At one point, not sleeping, I went outside the tent for bathroom/ opening/closing one of the zippered windows on the tent flap. There were so many bright stars in the dark night sky.
In the morning, us tired, kids rested, we made breakfast -- pancakes (blueberry!) and bacon. Our breakfasts at home are seldom as complicated. Coffee! While we prepared things, the kids hiked around the back of the campsite, where there were lots of big rocks to climb and jump on. And, as it turned out, name. As they later explained, one of the rocks had the name "Mike" written on it. So they called that rock Mike, and another one Mary, and so on and so forth. Kate would introduce me to all of them later. The morning we left, the two of them went around taking pictures of all of them, producing some funny shots by Kate of rocks with Jack and by Jack of rocks with Kate. This is the stuff they came up with out there.
Jack helped me fix the tent, which was missing a key component from the structure. He figured it out before I did.
We went for a hike, which to those of us walking an excited, energetic Riley was more like a drag. It was a short one, but the kids made it longer by climbing up a sheer rock face near a cool waterfall. Emily and I might have looked away for a moment, and then they were at the top of a rock. We fretted quietly while they climbed around, acted like kids, came down. Kate had a little notebook with her and she took notes of things she saw: Rock, Mud, Stiks, Frog. We didn't actually see a frog, but she said, "I wrote it down because I want to see one."
After the hike we had a light lunch (hot dogs, peanut butter sandwiches) and I took the kids to the beach. It wasn't much of a beach and we couldn't go as a family because dogs weren't welcome, but it felt like something we should do. Kate dove into the water and swam and turned somersaults over and over again. Jack was more like me: "Uh, this is kind of cold. Brr." We threw a ball around a little bit, cooled off, and then went back to the campsite.
I went out for more ice and bought a cheesy little dartboard with magnetic darts. Because we always had a dartboard camping. It was a ridiculously chintzy thing and the darts didn't stick if you threw them more than 10 feet, but naturally the kids loved it and it occupied them for the next hour or so. When they didn't take breaks to visit the rocks behind the campsite.
Determined to get an earlier start on dinner and the like, we made a fire. Eventually. Didn't start quite as easily as the previous night and I was thisclose to going out for lighter fluid, but it finally caught. Emily made a hamburger and potato hash and corn on the cob over the fire which was to be totally honest absolutely fantastic. Beer not bad either. Kids even ate everything, particularly Jack, while Kate didn't eat as much of the hash because she was saving her room for her favorite summer meal, corn on the cob.
I taught Jack how to play pyramid solitaire. We played Uno, since we always played cards on camping trips, too. We played darts. We played categories, a game the kids taught us where you froze yourself in a pose of something from a category one person named, and tried not to get spotted changing position. Pretty funny. We played charades, which the kids took to splendidly. Riley, who normally naps most of the day and was thus exhausted, flopped on her side like she was half-dead and merely groaned every 15 minutes or so. (Are we going home soon? I miss my couch.)
Stating the obvious here. But there was no XBox, Facebook, TV, or iPad. No phones, no Internet, no electricity. Candles, lanterns, fire, cards, imagination games, darts, books. Nary a complaint, a gripe, a lament. Kate didn't mention being cold or warm. Jack didn't mention the bugs. We just ate and talk and played and laughed.
That night we went to bed earlier, slept better. I still woke up first, it was light, but everyone was sleeping. At some point Riley woke up and peed in the corner of the tent and on my sleeping bag, thanks dog.
On an elbow, I could see all three of my family's faces, sleeping. Just watched them for a little bit. Then lay back down and went to sleep for a little more. Until Riley got up and stepped on my head and I stumbled out of the tent with her.
We thought about just hustling out of Dodge, but instead stuck around for coffee, eggs, and toast, and also so Riley could get free one more time, slipping her collar and disappearing into the campground. She came back; I did the tackling this time.
Kids took pictures of rocks. And we said our goodbyes, and drove back to civilization, electricity, and all of its comforts (Dunkin' Donuts).
The experience wasn't perfect. We didn't sleep great, I don't need to eat another hotdog for a while, and I seriously doubt we'll take Riley again. But it was just us and the activities and events we planned, made up, and spontaneously engaged in on our own, rather than something we saw on online or heard about somebody else doing or had to do because of a commitment we'd made a month earlier. Just the family and how we are with each other, together.
Pretty soon we'll try to find another 48 hours to do it all again.
Given the late start and several stops to try and find hot dog rolls (trickier than you might think), it was a little late when we checked in and started setting up the tent. And having not done it in two years and impeded by our confused dog (yes we brought Riley) walking across things and pulling her tie around our legs, it took a while. But the kids gamely helped, with Jack in particular taking it as a challenge and puzzle to be solved, and we got the tent up. I went out to get firewood (during which Riley escaped for the first time on the trip, but not the last). Coming back to the site I saw a black dog loping around. That looks like Riley, I mused. Suddenly Kate, out of nowhere, caught up to her and tackled her. Hold on, I said. She did, getting slightly dragged down an embankment but not letting go. We snapped her leash on and stared in something akin to awe at Cowgirl Kate.
Before long we were eating hotdogs (Kate: "These are the best hotdogs ever!") and drinking beer/juice boxes. Then we made s'mores, stumbled around in the dark some, and sort of fell asleep listening to the neighboring religious commune/campsite sing timeless classics like Puff the Magic Dragon and I don't know what else. I was trying to sleep.
Jack, flat on his back with his arms over his head like a traffic cop, slept the best. Kate would sleep, wake up complaining of being cold or having a nosebleed or somesuch, and go back to sleep. Emily and I, uh, didn't sleep so well. It took Riley a long time to settle down, but finally she slept. At one point, not sleeping, I went outside the tent for bathroom/ opening/closing one of the zippered windows on the tent flap. There were so many bright stars in the dark night sky.
In the morning, us tired, kids rested, we made breakfast -- pancakes (blueberry!) and bacon. Our breakfasts at home are seldom as complicated. Coffee! While we prepared things, the kids hiked around the back of the campsite, where there were lots of big rocks to climb and jump on. And, as it turned out, name. As they later explained, one of the rocks had the name "Mike" written on it. So they called that rock Mike, and another one Mary, and so on and so forth. Kate would introduce me to all of them later. The morning we left, the two of them went around taking pictures of all of them, producing some funny shots by Kate of rocks with Jack and by Jack of rocks with Kate. This is the stuff they came up with out there.
Jack helped me fix the tent, which was missing a key component from the structure. He figured it out before I did.
We went for a hike, which to those of us walking an excited, energetic Riley was more like a drag. It was a short one, but the kids made it longer by climbing up a sheer rock face near a cool waterfall. Emily and I might have looked away for a moment, and then they were at the top of a rock. We fretted quietly while they climbed around, acted like kids, came down. Kate had a little notebook with her and she took notes of things she saw: Rock, Mud, Stiks, Frog. We didn't actually see a frog, but she said, "I wrote it down because I want to see one."
After the hike we had a light lunch (hot dogs, peanut butter sandwiches) and I took the kids to the beach. It wasn't much of a beach and we couldn't go as a family because dogs weren't welcome, but it felt like something we should do. Kate dove into the water and swam and turned somersaults over and over again. Jack was more like me: "Uh, this is kind of cold. Brr." We threw a ball around a little bit, cooled off, and then went back to the campsite.
I went out for more ice and bought a cheesy little dartboard with magnetic darts. Because we always had a dartboard camping. It was a ridiculously chintzy thing and the darts didn't stick if you threw them more than 10 feet, but naturally the kids loved it and it occupied them for the next hour or so. When they didn't take breaks to visit the rocks behind the campsite.
Determined to get an earlier start on dinner and the like, we made a fire. Eventually. Didn't start quite as easily as the previous night and I was thisclose to going out for lighter fluid, but it finally caught. Emily made a hamburger and potato hash and corn on the cob over the fire which was to be totally honest absolutely fantastic. Beer not bad either. Kids even ate everything, particularly Jack, while Kate didn't eat as much of the hash because she was saving her room for her favorite summer meal, corn on the cob.
I taught Jack how to play pyramid solitaire. We played Uno, since we always played cards on camping trips, too. We played darts. We played categories, a game the kids taught us where you froze yourself in a pose of something from a category one person named, and tried not to get spotted changing position. Pretty funny. We played charades, which the kids took to splendidly. Riley, who normally naps most of the day and was thus exhausted, flopped on her side like she was half-dead and merely groaned every 15 minutes or so. (Are we going home soon? I miss my couch.)
Stating the obvious here. But there was no XBox, Facebook, TV, or iPad. No phones, no Internet, no electricity. Candles, lanterns, fire, cards, imagination games, darts, books. Nary a complaint, a gripe, a lament. Kate didn't mention being cold or warm. Jack didn't mention the bugs. We just ate and talk and played and laughed.
That night we went to bed earlier, slept better. I still woke up first, it was light, but everyone was sleeping. At some point Riley woke up and peed in the corner of the tent and on my sleeping bag, thanks dog.
On an elbow, I could see all three of my family's faces, sleeping. Just watched them for a little bit. Then lay back down and went to sleep for a little more. Until Riley got up and stepped on my head and I stumbled out of the tent with her.
We thought about just hustling out of Dodge, but instead stuck around for coffee, eggs, and toast, and also so Riley could get free one more time, slipping her collar and disappearing into the campground. She came back; I did the tackling this time.
Kids took pictures of rocks. And we said our goodbyes, and drove back to civilization, electricity, and all of its comforts (Dunkin' Donuts).
The experience wasn't perfect. We didn't sleep great, I don't need to eat another hotdog for a while, and I seriously doubt we'll take Riley again. But it was just us and the activities and events we planned, made up, and spontaneously engaged in on our own, rather than something we saw on online or heard about somebody else doing or had to do because of a commitment we'd made a month earlier. Just the family and how we are with each other, together.
Pretty soon we'll try to find another 48 hours to do it all again.
Tuesday, July 07, 2015
We were in the pool
Kate loves the pool. Oh, Jack loves it too, but for him it's more the whole deal: throwing the ball around, playing table tennis, getting ice cream, seeing his friends if they happen to be there (or making new ones, he does that too).
With Kate, she likes that stuff too, but she also goes in the water and doesn't want to come out. She goes back and forth from the diving board (let's call it a jumping board, that's what she does), to the water slide, to the shallow end where she does flips and somersaults in the water, over and over again. When her head is above water, there's a running commentary: "Watch, Daddy!" And "Say Encore!" I said that once, explained it to her, and now she can't get enough of it.
She likes to "teleport," i.e. swim underwater to make it seem like she changed positions rapidly, she added a move where at the end of it she bounds out of the water with her hands on my shoulders. "Stay there! Stay right there!" And then teleports from 10 feet away onto my shoulders. And then she is off again, doing one-handed cartwheels in the water, flips, somersaults.
Sometimes I will get out before her, hit the bathroom, pack up some stuff, get a water. I come back 5 minutes later and she is still doing her flips, completely happy and entertained. I am not sure if she knew I had stepped away for a minute. She's just happy being in the water.
We did it all today, we will do it all again another day soon. If she could, I think she might do it forever.
With Kate, she likes that stuff too, but she also goes in the water and doesn't want to come out. She goes back and forth from the diving board (let's call it a jumping board, that's what she does), to the water slide, to the shallow end where she does flips and somersaults in the water, over and over again. When her head is above water, there's a running commentary: "Watch, Daddy!" And "Say Encore!" I said that once, explained it to her, and now she can't get enough of it.
She likes to "teleport," i.e. swim underwater to make it seem like she changed positions rapidly, she added a move where at the end of it she bounds out of the water with her hands on my shoulders. "Stay there! Stay right there!" And then teleports from 10 feet away onto my shoulders. And then she is off again, doing one-handed cartwheels in the water, flips, somersaults.
Sometimes I will get out before her, hit the bathroom, pack up some stuff, get a water. I come back 5 minutes later and she is still doing her flips, completely happy and entertained. I am not sure if she knew I had stepped away for a minute. She's just happy being in the water.
We did it all today, we will do it all again another day soon. If she could, I think she might do it forever.
Saturday, June 27, 2015
Little League World Series
Jack's travel baseball team is playing Little League World Series games. At his age level (10) they won't actually advance to the World Series, but by winning enough games they could win the District we represent, in Eastern New York. For us it means he gets to wear an official Little League World Series patch on one sleeve, there are a number of rules and restrictions (most notably for me, a limited number of coaches in the dugout, so I'm in the stands like the common folk!), and there's a lot more intensity at the field and from the coaches, who really want to win these games.
(After the game Jack told me at one point he sat down next to another coach, bending over the scorebook I normally keep, and kind of leaned against him, thinking it was me. The coach looked at him, Jack looked over, said, "Uh, Oh." And straightened up in embarrassment. I mentioned it to the coach afterward, and he laughed and said, tell him not to worry. We all need to adjust to these Little League World Series differences.)
Our first game was at 5:45 last night, at home, and the coach said to be there by 5 p.m. Which he later amended to 4:45 p.m.! After telling kids to get plenty of rest and not eat a lot of sugar or spend the day outside in the sun and whatnot. Jack and I went outside for about a half hour to practice hitting, and I told him to always be alert, hustle, and try to make a play on any ball near him -- work hard, trust your backups, hustle. Do your best out there, and I'll be proud of you no matter what.
Watching from the stands, it was clear things were a little different. Kids were hustling a little more during warmups. I saw Jack backing up throws to first from right field in pre-game drills, jogging back to his spot. Making a catch, throwing it in, jogging off. Maybe it was the same as always, maybe just I thought it was different.
Game started, and Jack was the starting right fielder. Right off the bat a hard ground single went to him. He fielded it cleanly and threw a strike to first; almost got the out. If he'd charged it, probably would have; personally I was just glad he fielded it quickly, cleanly, and made a strong, accurate throw (sometimes you won't even see kids try to get that out, or they'll throw wildly). Guy didn't score, no one did the first two innings. Best part was after that play, we heard the opposing coach tell his players, "Make sure you hustle to first, 'cause their right fielder can throw you out!" Yeah, that's right!
Jack led off the third, drew a walk, went to third on a hit to right center. Nice slide, ended up scoring on a hit to center. Rally starter! Next at bat, he hit a line drive to first; out. But the ball was well hit and I know he was pleased (and told me so afterward). We won, 12-2.
After the game, it was all smiles, from a tired but happy looking Jack and the various coaches, parents, and players. That's what you play for; winning games like that. It was a beautiful, perfect night for baseball, the field was great, team played well, and we won.
I told Jack I was proud of him. Said it was great to see his hustle, his backup, his readiness to play. He nodded; think he knew he'd done well. We piled into the car, went to get some food. Tired and happy.
We play again Sunday. More pressure, more intensity. You know eventually things won't go your way, so you have to savor the moments when they do.
(After the game Jack told me at one point he sat down next to another coach, bending over the scorebook I normally keep, and kind of leaned against him, thinking it was me. The coach looked at him, Jack looked over, said, "Uh, Oh." And straightened up in embarrassment. I mentioned it to the coach afterward, and he laughed and said, tell him not to worry. We all need to adjust to these Little League World Series differences.)
Our first game was at 5:45 last night, at home, and the coach said to be there by 5 p.m. Which he later amended to 4:45 p.m.! After telling kids to get plenty of rest and not eat a lot of sugar or spend the day outside in the sun and whatnot. Jack and I went outside for about a half hour to practice hitting, and I told him to always be alert, hustle, and try to make a play on any ball near him -- work hard, trust your backups, hustle. Do your best out there, and I'll be proud of you no matter what.
Watching from the stands, it was clear things were a little different. Kids were hustling a little more during warmups. I saw Jack backing up throws to first from right field in pre-game drills, jogging back to his spot. Making a catch, throwing it in, jogging off. Maybe it was the same as always, maybe just I thought it was different.
Game started, and Jack was the starting right fielder. Right off the bat a hard ground single went to him. He fielded it cleanly and threw a strike to first; almost got the out. If he'd charged it, probably would have; personally I was just glad he fielded it quickly, cleanly, and made a strong, accurate throw (sometimes you won't even see kids try to get that out, or they'll throw wildly). Guy didn't score, no one did the first two innings. Best part was after that play, we heard the opposing coach tell his players, "Make sure you hustle to first, 'cause their right fielder can throw you out!" Yeah, that's right!
Jack led off the third, drew a walk, went to third on a hit to right center. Nice slide, ended up scoring on a hit to center. Rally starter! Next at bat, he hit a line drive to first; out. But the ball was well hit and I know he was pleased (and told me so afterward). We won, 12-2.
After the game, it was all smiles, from a tired but happy looking Jack and the various coaches, parents, and players. That's what you play for; winning games like that. It was a beautiful, perfect night for baseball, the field was great, team played well, and we won.
I told Jack I was proud of him. Said it was great to see his hustle, his backup, his readiness to play. He nodded; think he knew he'd done well. We piled into the car, went to get some food. Tired and happy.
We play again Sunday. More pressure, more intensity. You know eventually things won't go your way, so you have to savor the moments when they do.
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Champions
Jack's baseball team won a championship last night. This is different from the highly competitive travel team he plays on; this is the local recreation league baseball team for his age group. He's been playing in it since he was 6 years old (Tee Ball), then 7-8 (Rookie League, which Kate is in now), and now 9-10 (Minors). The travel kids play in it, but so too do all the kids who will stop playing baseball at 12, or 10, or younger.
At Tee Ball and Rookie, they don't even keep score (well, not officially; apparently some of the kids keep score in their heads and fill everyone else in after each half inning ("We're up 7-5!"), which is kind of amusing. And Jack's first Minors team last year was one of the league's worst teams, routinely losing (I think we finished up at 3-9 or something) and sometimes failing to even score.
But these things go around as the better (often older) kids move up a level and the younger kids get better, and it was clear that this year Jack's team was going to be one of the best. And it was, and we started out winning all the time, endured a late-season slump where we weren't hitting and lost 3 of 4, occasionally in excruciating fashion, and then turned it back on late. We had a rare, in-season practice right before the playoffs started, and that's what I'll point to as the main reason. There were some fun in-team competitions and a chance to bat and field without consequence or pressure (unlike a game), and I think it really loosened the kids and maybe the coaches up.
I spent much of last week being nervous about our first playoff game, but that practice helped. And we won our first game 9-1, won our second game just 15 hours later 8-2 (over the No. 1 seed), and then really walloped last night's opponent for the championship. Each of the three teams had beaten us in our previous encounter, so call it a Revenge Tour; it fits.
Jack had been in a bit of hitting slump; getting hits and getting on base, but not hitting it with as much authority as he had earlier in the season and even through the last travel tournament. Might have slipped into a bad habit, I don't know. We practiced some in the backyard before yesterday's game and seemed to get it sorted out, but he's not quite there yet. One good hit and a couple of soft ones, one of which a play should have been made on. But he caught a couple of popups and threw a runner out at the plate in the final inning from first base, and capped off an overall strong season and Minors career as a champion. And I'm proud to say our efforts to get him and all the kids to show class in victory (a worry when you're winning big) resonated, or seemed to; kids lined up, smiling, to say good game, then ran to the outfield throwing their caps in the air in happiness.
I stood there in front of the team looking at their happy faces, glanced out to clapping parents, shook hands and hugged the other coaches. It's not the World Series, but it's the top of this level of baseball (kids on our team were saying "worst to first!") and for many if not most of these kids it might be the only sports championship they'll win. We posed for a picture for the local paper and then danced off into history. Well, 2015 Port Chester Minors Division history!
I'd like to remember a lot of things about it. This little kid Nick catching the last out. This girl Dulcinea who missed two weeks with a sore knee, coinciding with our skid, then returning for our playoff march. The kids who were thrilled when they got to catch, or play first base, or get 2-out hits to start or finish rallies. The Mom that made cupcakes before our biggest regular-season win and the championship game -- "victory cupcakes," she called them. Her saving a last cupcake for me, which I was about to get when Kate appeared at my side. "Can I have that cupcake?" Sigh. Yes, Kate, OK.
After the game there was a lot of handshakes and congratulations and pictures and Jack and the team being happy. That's mostly what I want to remember. Next year Jack will be off to Majors and there might not be much winning (or maybe; you just never know).
Got a text from the head coach, a jovial, very experienced coach who's been leading baseball and football teams for 20 years or whatever, whose kids were on Jack's and Kate's teams as well. He thanked me for being a great assistant and helping all year long. Nice note.
I thanked him back, but how do you really thank someone who helps your kids become better athletes, better players, better teammates, better kids? I guess you just say thank you, and try not to forget. Try not to forget the practices, not the games, not the coaching, and not the smiles.
At Tee Ball and Rookie, they don't even keep score (well, not officially; apparently some of the kids keep score in their heads and fill everyone else in after each half inning ("We're up 7-5!"), which is kind of amusing. And Jack's first Minors team last year was one of the league's worst teams, routinely losing (I think we finished up at 3-9 or something) and sometimes failing to even score.
But these things go around as the better (often older) kids move up a level and the younger kids get better, and it was clear that this year Jack's team was going to be one of the best. And it was, and we started out winning all the time, endured a late-season slump where we weren't hitting and lost 3 of 4, occasionally in excruciating fashion, and then turned it back on late. We had a rare, in-season practice right before the playoffs started, and that's what I'll point to as the main reason. There were some fun in-team competitions and a chance to bat and field without consequence or pressure (unlike a game), and I think it really loosened the kids and maybe the coaches up.
I spent much of last week being nervous about our first playoff game, but that practice helped. And we won our first game 9-1, won our second game just 15 hours later 8-2 (over the No. 1 seed), and then really walloped last night's opponent for the championship. Each of the three teams had beaten us in our previous encounter, so call it a Revenge Tour; it fits.
Jack had been in a bit of hitting slump; getting hits and getting on base, but not hitting it with as much authority as he had earlier in the season and even through the last travel tournament. Might have slipped into a bad habit, I don't know. We practiced some in the backyard before yesterday's game and seemed to get it sorted out, but he's not quite there yet. One good hit and a couple of soft ones, one of which a play should have been made on. But he caught a couple of popups and threw a runner out at the plate in the final inning from first base, and capped off an overall strong season and Minors career as a champion. And I'm proud to say our efforts to get him and all the kids to show class in victory (a worry when you're winning big) resonated, or seemed to; kids lined up, smiling, to say good game, then ran to the outfield throwing their caps in the air in happiness.
I stood there in front of the team looking at their happy faces, glanced out to clapping parents, shook hands and hugged the other coaches. It's not the World Series, but it's the top of this level of baseball (kids on our team were saying "worst to first!") and for many if not most of these kids it might be the only sports championship they'll win. We posed for a picture for the local paper and then danced off into history. Well, 2015 Port Chester Minors Division history!
I'd like to remember a lot of things about it. This little kid Nick catching the last out. This girl Dulcinea who missed two weeks with a sore knee, coinciding with our skid, then returning for our playoff march. The kids who were thrilled when they got to catch, or play first base, or get 2-out hits to start or finish rallies. The Mom that made cupcakes before our biggest regular-season win and the championship game -- "victory cupcakes," she called them. Her saving a last cupcake for me, which I was about to get when Kate appeared at my side. "Can I have that cupcake?" Sigh. Yes, Kate, OK.
After the game there was a lot of handshakes and congratulations and pictures and Jack and the team being happy. That's mostly what I want to remember. Next year Jack will be off to Majors and there might not be much winning (or maybe; you just never know).
Got a text from the head coach, a jovial, very experienced coach who's been leading baseball and football teams for 20 years or whatever, whose kids were on Jack's and Kate's teams as well. He thanked me for being a great assistant and helping all year long. Nice note.
I thanked him back, but how do you really thank someone who helps your kids become better athletes, better players, better teammates, better kids? I guess you just say thank you, and try not to forget. Try not to forget the practices, not the games, not the coaching, and not the smiles.
Monday, June 08, 2015
Not a baseball weekend
Over Memorial Day we had a baseball weekend. Jack's baseball team went to a tournament in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, one that we won 2 years ago, and went 5-0 and won a championship again. Jack had a 3-for-3 game and 5 hits in a row at one point, my score keeping proved critical in the title game (ok no just kidding about that part), and we had a great time talking and relaxing with friends while Jack ran around with teammates, Kate ran around with their siblings, and we brought home a cool trophy.
From March, when practices begin for the baseball league, through early August, when the summer season ends, we are kind of all baseball, all the time. Both kids have spring teams, with a combined 4-5 games per week, and Jack starts his travel team practices in May, so it's kind of all-consuming.
But one weekend in June, this weekend, the league hosts a high school baseball tournament. No games or practices for Jack or Kate's age groups. We were going to go camping, but it was a deadline weekend for me, so we couldn't get away.
So we went smaller. Planned a nice Sunday morning hike, figured we would take in a high school game on Saturday.
We did some yard work Saturday morning. Then Jack and I went to see a game. Mostly, though, he ran around playing whiffle ball with his friends, and I supported the league at the concessions stand. I am not sure he watched any of the games. After a couple hours, we went home.
Then he and Kate got in an argument about something, and we separated them. I pitched to Kate in the backyard (wait, I thought this was not a baseball weekend?), Emily went for a walk with Jack and Riley. When they came back, Jack had been collected by a group of friends, an evening that would involve chicken wings, ice cream, and a sleepover.
Kate never minds when she has our full attention. She set up the cushions on chairs on the back deck and we ate out there. We had corn on the cob, her favorite; she had 3 ears. Three! Followed by dessert, and then reading an old, childhood classic together, the three of us. Harold and the Purple Crayon. She read it to us, sitting between us; I think she let me read a couple of pages. Then bedtime.
The next morning I collected Jack from his sleepover, which apparently involved about 4 hours of actual sleep. He was a little out of it, and somewhat chagrined to find out we were going on a hike. But to his credit he didn't squawk too much, and we headed off to Bear Mountain, about a 45-minute drive.
Even as we were driving there, I thought, this is the kind of thing we don't do enough, and our main reason/excuse is baseball. So many weekend games and practices, we don't take the time for a family morning out.
We arrived, and Riley promptly slipped her collar and got away. Happily, after 5 minutes of chasing/calling, we re-captured her.
Beautiful day. Kate in high spirits, singing songs and leading the way. Riley sniffing and pulling excitedly. Jack fairly quiet, but interested in the cool views and rocks to climb. (Not as much as Kate: "LOOK, Jack, another big rock!") He was a little bit alseep, but kept his footing and his cool.
We climbed up a tower, scaled some rocks, followed the path. Stopped every few minutes for water, crackers, Skittles.
Jack slept in the car on the way home, and for a couple of hours that afternoon. Kate continued in her cheerful mood, having enjoyed the hike, the company, the television afterward as Emily and I exhaustedly let her relax while we unwound.
Dinner was chicken fingers, macaroni and cheese, talking about stuff we had seen and done. Not hits, wins, and losses.
Baseball will dominate our summer again. It's fun for Jack, fun and entertaining for us, mostly enjoyable for Kate. But I like to think there will be other parts to the summer. Hikes, day trips, occasional days where the bat and glove stay in the bags and we entertain ourselves with the rest the world has to offer. Because there is so much of it.
From March, when practices begin for the baseball league, through early August, when the summer season ends, we are kind of all baseball, all the time. Both kids have spring teams, with a combined 4-5 games per week, and Jack starts his travel team practices in May, so it's kind of all-consuming.
But one weekend in June, this weekend, the league hosts a high school baseball tournament. No games or practices for Jack or Kate's age groups. We were going to go camping, but it was a deadline weekend for me, so we couldn't get away.
So we went smaller. Planned a nice Sunday morning hike, figured we would take in a high school game on Saturday.
We did some yard work Saturday morning. Then Jack and I went to see a game. Mostly, though, he ran around playing whiffle ball with his friends, and I supported the league at the concessions stand. I am not sure he watched any of the games. After a couple hours, we went home.
Then he and Kate got in an argument about something, and we separated them. I pitched to Kate in the backyard (wait, I thought this was not a baseball weekend?), Emily went for a walk with Jack and Riley. When they came back, Jack had been collected by a group of friends, an evening that would involve chicken wings, ice cream, and a sleepover.
Kate never minds when she has our full attention. She set up the cushions on chairs on the back deck and we ate out there. We had corn on the cob, her favorite; she had 3 ears. Three! Followed by dessert, and then reading an old, childhood classic together, the three of us. Harold and the Purple Crayon. She read it to us, sitting between us; I think she let me read a couple of pages. Then bedtime.
The next morning I collected Jack from his sleepover, which apparently involved about 4 hours of actual sleep. He was a little out of it, and somewhat chagrined to find out we were going on a hike. But to his credit he didn't squawk too much, and we headed off to Bear Mountain, about a 45-minute drive.
Even as we were driving there, I thought, this is the kind of thing we don't do enough, and our main reason/excuse is baseball. So many weekend games and practices, we don't take the time for a family morning out.
We arrived, and Riley promptly slipped her collar and got away. Happily, after 5 minutes of chasing/calling, we re-captured her.
Beautiful day. Kate in high spirits, singing songs and leading the way. Riley sniffing and pulling excitedly. Jack fairly quiet, but interested in the cool views and rocks to climb. (Not as much as Kate: "LOOK, Jack, another big rock!") He was a little bit alseep, but kept his footing and his cool.
We climbed up a tower, scaled some rocks, followed the path. Stopped every few minutes for water, crackers, Skittles.
Jack slept in the car on the way home, and for a couple of hours that afternoon. Kate continued in her cheerful mood, having enjoyed the hike, the company, the television afterward as Emily and I exhaustedly let her relax while we unwound.
Dinner was chicken fingers, macaroni and cheese, talking about stuff we had seen and done. Not hits, wins, and losses.
Baseball will dominate our summer again. It's fun for Jack, fun and entertaining for us, mostly enjoyable for Kate. But I like to think there will be other parts to the summer. Hikes, day trips, occasional days where the bat and glove stay in the bags and we entertain ourselves with the rest the world has to offer. Because there is so much of it.
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Baseball with Kate
Baseball is a great sport, and we live in a town that's baseball-mad. It's grabbed hold of Jack, for various reasons (including the fact that all of his best friends are equally absorbed by it), and it's reeled us in, too. Great as it is watching Jack play baseball, there is a degree of stress in it. I want him to do well, for his team to win, for him to have fun, for us to be there on time, etc. Big game tonight and I'm sitting here feeling stressed about it, for all those reasons. Happily, it's only like that for some of the games; for many others, most this year, I'm relaxed and can just enjoy myself.
Kate has sort of incidentally been reeled in, as one of the various little sisters to baseball players who run around the park having fun before, during, and after the games, and as a Tee Ball player last year, and this year as a Rookie level player with me as her head coach. For the most part, these games aren't stressful. We don't keep score, everyone bats, almost no one makes any plays of note in the field, good or bad, and it's a low-intensity evening with lots of smiles and fun. Not always (I've seen coaches and parents get into it), but mostly.
By and large the games have been a little closer to Tee Ball than the Minors level that Jack's age plays in. No matter how much you encourage/warn/plead with some, they don't always have the proper focus. Building sandcastles in the infield or batters box, that kind of thing. But some kids are definitely improving their skills, and judging by the attendance and smiles, most are having fun.
Kate doesn't always have her heart fully in it, but she's done pretty well. She hits OK (coach pitch, but there are strikeouts), she throws well. Hasn't quite got the catching down, but she makes game efforts at it almost all of the time. If she reacts a little quicker to balls hit in her vicinity, we'll have something!
She likes to play pitcher and first base, in part because those positions tend to get the most action. Lots of ground balls hit up the middle, lots of throws, seldom accurate of course, to first base.
So last night I put her at first base in the first inning. And a couple of batters in, there was a ground ball hit right to her. She bent over, picked it up, and stepped on the base. OUT! A broad grin broke over her face. She raised both hands in the air and pumped her fists, and that huge smiles wouldn't go away. Her first career putout. I thought she might keep the ball, but instead she threw it back to the pitcher.
I don't know what Kate's ballfield future holds (baseball? softball? neither?), but one night she made a play and was the happiest person on the field. One of the top two, anyway.
Kate has sort of incidentally been reeled in, as one of the various little sisters to baseball players who run around the park having fun before, during, and after the games, and as a Tee Ball player last year, and this year as a Rookie level player with me as her head coach. For the most part, these games aren't stressful. We don't keep score, everyone bats, almost no one makes any plays of note in the field, good or bad, and it's a low-intensity evening with lots of smiles and fun. Not always (I've seen coaches and parents get into it), but mostly.
By and large the games have been a little closer to Tee Ball than the Minors level that Jack's age plays in. No matter how much you encourage/warn/plead with some, they don't always have the proper focus. Building sandcastles in the infield or batters box, that kind of thing. But some kids are definitely improving their skills, and judging by the attendance and smiles, most are having fun.
Kate doesn't always have her heart fully in it, but she's done pretty well. She hits OK (coach pitch, but there are strikeouts), she throws well. Hasn't quite got the catching down, but she makes game efforts at it almost all of the time. If she reacts a little quicker to balls hit in her vicinity, we'll have something!
She likes to play pitcher and first base, in part because those positions tend to get the most action. Lots of ground balls hit up the middle, lots of throws, seldom accurate of course, to first base.
So last night I put her at first base in the first inning. And a couple of batters in, there was a ground ball hit right to her. She bent over, picked it up, and stepped on the base. OUT! A broad grin broke over her face. She raised both hands in the air and pumped her fists, and that huge smiles wouldn't go away. Her first career putout. I thought she might keep the ball, but instead she threw it back to the pitcher.
I don't know what Kate's ballfield future holds (baseball? softball? neither?), but one night she made a play and was the happiest person on the field. One of the top two, anyway.
Monday, April 13, 2015
Antigua Vacation, Part 2
On Saturday morning, we had a leisurely breakfast. The big event of the day was a trip to Sting Ray City, where you could swim with sting rays. But we had some time to kill first, so Kate visited with the kittens (there was a cat roaming the resort which had recently had kittens, Kate's highlight of the vacation). Jack and I checked out the table tennis game, which was kind of funny. It was very windy, so we played, but everything I hit would blow back to me, or at least not across the net. He won.
We had a short pool trip. "Count, Daddy, count!" Kate said, as she did handstands and I counted.
We went to the beach. Jack was determined to tackle me in the ocean. I stood there like a tree trunk while he futilely tried to wrestle me underwater. We laughed. Finally I let him drag me over. More laughter.
Took a cab to Sting Ray City. About 20 of us boarded a medium-sized boat that sped out to a large reef with a constructed dock. I got the sense during the introductory video that Kate might be a little iffy about the whole thing. Maybe it's the name: sting ray. She'd touched one before, at the Maritime Aquarium, but not with great relish, and then she wasn't actually in the water with them.
Here, you had to stand in waist-deep water (for adults; more like neck-deep for kids), and a dozen or so giant rays swum about you, looking for food. The employees gave us squid to hold under water, and the rays would swim up and suck them out of our hands like a piece of spaghetti. This was pretty cool and weird, and Kate wanted absolutely no part of it.
Jack was fine with it. He fed a ray, and held one happily in his arms for a picture. We all did, uh, except Kate, who threw her arms around my or Emily's neck and held on tight. And asked to go back onto the boat/dock/dry land.
But finally, at the end, the guy brought a ray up to the edge of the dock, and Kate reached out and petted it. A little, shy smile as she did it. And when we saw the picture of the whole family with the ray, much to my surprise, she had a big smile on her face.
We went back to the resort, spent the rest of the day at the beach and pool, and had a really nice dinner. Exhausted and sunburned, we slept.
Kate slept with her new stuffed sting ray toy, which she named Sally.
We had a short pool trip. "Count, Daddy, count!" Kate said, as she did handstands and I counted.
We went to the beach. Jack was determined to tackle me in the ocean. I stood there like a tree trunk while he futilely tried to wrestle me underwater. We laughed. Finally I let him drag me over. More laughter.
Took a cab to Sting Ray City. About 20 of us boarded a medium-sized boat that sped out to a large reef with a constructed dock. I got the sense during the introductory video that Kate might be a little iffy about the whole thing. Maybe it's the name: sting ray. She'd touched one before, at the Maritime Aquarium, but not with great relish, and then she wasn't actually in the water with them.
Here, you had to stand in waist-deep water (for adults; more like neck-deep for kids), and a dozen or so giant rays swum about you, looking for food. The employees gave us squid to hold under water, and the rays would swim up and suck them out of our hands like a piece of spaghetti. This was pretty cool and weird, and Kate wanted absolutely no part of it.
Jack was fine with it. He fed a ray, and held one happily in his arms for a picture. We all did, uh, except Kate, who threw her arms around my or Emily's neck and held on tight. And asked to go back onto the boat/dock/dry land.
But finally, at the end, the guy brought a ray up to the edge of the dock, and Kate reached out and petted it. A little, shy smile as she did it. And when we saw the picture of the whole family with the ray, much to my surprise, she had a big smile on her face.
We went back to the resort, spent the rest of the day at the beach and pool, and had a really nice dinner. Exhausted and sunburned, we slept.
Kate slept with her new stuffed sting ray toy, which she named Sally.
Friday, April 03, 2015
Antigua Vacation, Part I
Last week, we went on a tropical vacation, basically the first one we had gone on as a family. The nuances probably don't seem as different from The Cape to them, but they were properly enthused. Even though we woke them up at 4:30 in the morning so we could catch a very early plane. In fact, they were giddy, chatterboxes babbling about everything. Playing with Baby and Puppy, their respective sleeping toys for the trip. Pointing out different things in the sky, buildings, whatever. And a 4-hour plane ride didn't alter that, maybe because they had the luxury of personal TVs on the back of each seat.
In the Taxi from the airport, Kate excitedly noticed everything. "Animals! Palm trees! We're driving on the wrong side of the road!"
We couldn't check in yet, so we changed into bathing suits off the lobby and hit the pool. And as she proves every vacation and would continue to over the remainder of the vacation, Kate is a fish. She jumped off the edge, did a somersault in the water, and climbed out, over and over again. Jack basically did the same, albeit less determinedly, more just messing around. Kate almost seemed to want each jump, each somersault, to be better than the last.
After maybe an hour of this, Emily and I wanted to check out the beach (we've been swimming in pools in New York!), but the kids wanted to stay, and we finally had to drag them away. And when we finally talked them into the beach, and threw down towels and ran and splashed in the ocean, they didn't want to leave there! There were large, circular rafts anchored a little way off shore. They commandeered one and crafted a whole little world where it was a base and there were sharks in the water and they were trying to catch fish while at the same time avoiding the sharks. I think that's it; I didn't have all the rules. But it was pretty cool.
Finally we were able to check in, went to our room, showered and changed. And... then we walked to ANOTHER beach, so they could get their clean clothes wet by jumping in and over the waves that rolled in. Sigh. We stayed there for a while, finding and skipping the flattest, smoothest rocks I've ever seen. And then it was dinner, and stumbling in exhaustion back to the room, and TV, and sleep.
Friday
We sometimes have to work to get the kids -- especially Kate -- to eat good meals, but the all you can eat breakfast buffet was right up their alley. Cereal and eggs and toast and cereal and bacon and orange juice.
After breakfast, Jack and I strolled to the smooth rock beach. It was totally covered with seaweed from the tide; one day we actually saw workers scooping it all up and carting it away. I had figured the tide cleared the beach; nope. Jack spotted a big, black shiny crab, at least he said it was. I figured big was an exaggeration, but then I saw it. Pretty big! We sat for a while hoping it would crawl back out from under the rock it had scuttled under so we could get a picture. I told Jack this story I'd read somewhere about a nature photographer waiting in a tree for three days hoping to get a picture of a rare bird. Jack wasn't overly impressed ("for just a bird?") but we did give the crab a good 10 minutes. (We went back the next day and saw a couple of them.)
We all went to a different pool, the Children's Pool (only 3-4 feet deep throughout), getting there by riding in a golf cart driven by a resort porter. Kate's reaction to the ride: "Wheeeeee!" They played and jumped in the pool for a long time. Kate could turn somersaults in the pool forever. They did handstands on the bottom of the pool, asking us over and over to "Time me!"
After the pool, we hit the beach. (This would be a recurring theme of the vacation, typically followed by another trip to the pool before dinner.) At the resort's beaches, all drinks were free, so Kate and Jack got punch and Emily and I got rum punches. (Jack told a joke: "What's Muhammad Ali's favorite drink? Hawaiian PUNCH!" I didn't even know he knew who Ali was.) At one point we rescued one of those rafts and floated around in it with our drinks. Kate wanted to get hers and swim out to the raft with it. I didn't think she could possibly do it without spilling, and told her so. I was wrong. Five minutes later she was swimming out to the raft, carefully holding her punch out of the water with one hand. Impressive, Kate.
We borrowed snorkeling equipment, which Kate amusingly mispronounced as "Snargling." Heh. We took out a couple of pedal boats, where you would sit in them and let your legs do the work of moving you around the bay. Some cross of having a flawed boat, not having strong enough legs, and maybe the rum punches resulted in a pretty sorry pedalling effort on the part of the two adults. We did better in a second go-around a couple of days later.
After a day of sun and punch and sunburns, we showered, got dressed, had dinner. Both kids looked beautiful.
Next: Sting Ray City!
In the Taxi from the airport, Kate excitedly noticed everything. "Animals! Palm trees! We're driving on the wrong side of the road!"
We couldn't check in yet, so we changed into bathing suits off the lobby and hit the pool. And as she proves every vacation and would continue to over the remainder of the vacation, Kate is a fish. She jumped off the edge, did a somersault in the water, and climbed out, over and over again. Jack basically did the same, albeit less determinedly, more just messing around. Kate almost seemed to want each jump, each somersault, to be better than the last.
After maybe an hour of this, Emily and I wanted to check out the beach (we've been swimming in pools in New York!), but the kids wanted to stay, and we finally had to drag them away. And when we finally talked them into the beach, and threw down towels and ran and splashed in the ocean, they didn't want to leave there! There were large, circular rafts anchored a little way off shore. They commandeered one and crafted a whole little world where it was a base and there were sharks in the water and they were trying to catch fish while at the same time avoiding the sharks. I think that's it; I didn't have all the rules. But it was pretty cool.
Finally we were able to check in, went to our room, showered and changed. And... then we walked to ANOTHER beach, so they could get their clean clothes wet by jumping in and over the waves that rolled in. Sigh. We stayed there for a while, finding and skipping the flattest, smoothest rocks I've ever seen. And then it was dinner, and stumbling in exhaustion back to the room, and TV, and sleep.
Friday
We sometimes have to work to get the kids -- especially Kate -- to eat good meals, but the all you can eat breakfast buffet was right up their alley. Cereal and eggs and toast and cereal and bacon and orange juice.
After breakfast, Jack and I strolled to the smooth rock beach. It was totally covered with seaweed from the tide; one day we actually saw workers scooping it all up and carting it away. I had figured the tide cleared the beach; nope. Jack spotted a big, black shiny crab, at least he said it was. I figured big was an exaggeration, but then I saw it. Pretty big! We sat for a while hoping it would crawl back out from under the rock it had scuttled under so we could get a picture. I told Jack this story I'd read somewhere about a nature photographer waiting in a tree for three days hoping to get a picture of a rare bird. Jack wasn't overly impressed ("for just a bird?") but we did give the crab a good 10 minutes. (We went back the next day and saw a couple of them.)
We all went to a different pool, the Children's Pool (only 3-4 feet deep throughout), getting there by riding in a golf cart driven by a resort porter. Kate's reaction to the ride: "Wheeeeee!" They played and jumped in the pool for a long time. Kate could turn somersaults in the pool forever. They did handstands on the bottom of the pool, asking us over and over to "Time me!"
After the pool, we hit the beach. (This would be a recurring theme of the vacation, typically followed by another trip to the pool before dinner.) At the resort's beaches, all drinks were free, so Kate and Jack got punch and Emily and I got rum punches. (Jack told a joke: "What's Muhammad Ali's favorite drink? Hawaiian PUNCH!" I didn't even know he knew who Ali was.) At one point we rescued one of those rafts and floated around in it with our drinks. Kate wanted to get hers and swim out to the raft with it. I didn't think she could possibly do it without spilling, and told her so. I was wrong. Five minutes later she was swimming out to the raft, carefully holding her punch out of the water with one hand. Impressive, Kate.
We borrowed snorkeling equipment, which Kate amusingly mispronounced as "Snargling." Heh. We took out a couple of pedal boats, where you would sit in them and let your legs do the work of moving you around the bay. Some cross of having a flawed boat, not having strong enough legs, and maybe the rum punches resulted in a pretty sorry pedalling effort on the part of the two adults. We did better in a second go-around a couple of days later.
After a day of sun and punch and sunburns, we showered, got dressed, had dinner. Both kids looked beautiful.
Next: Sting Ray City!
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Kateball
Kate's first baseball practice was Monday. She has played tee ball the past two years, but it's not the same. This was an indoor practice with another team, at the School gym. But indoor or no, it was baseball.
She did great. Practice began with some runs and stretches and warmups,,and she did it all with a smile. Laughed during some of the warmups, like "buttkickers". When it came to playing catch, she was paired up with this huge boy wearing a "Beast Mode" t-shirt (I am not kidding), and although she didn't catch all of them ...or many of them... She didn't get hit too hard by the misses. Whew.
During ground ball drills, she fielded a few, carefully, meticulously, but gamely.
At the end of practice, she was still smiling.
I know there are going to be tough moments this season. She asks for help too often ("daddy, will you get my water bottle?" No, Kate, it's right there, you can get it.). She is going to have a hard time learning some things, or maybe wanting to learn some things. Hitting, catching, that kind of stuff.
But so far she is out there with a smile. I'll take that.
She did great. Practice began with some runs and stretches and warmups,,and she did it all with a smile. Laughed during some of the warmups, like "buttkickers". When it came to playing catch, she was paired up with this huge boy wearing a "Beast Mode" t-shirt (I am not kidding), and although she didn't catch all of them ...or many of them... She didn't get hit too hard by the misses. Whew.
During ground ball drills, she fielded a few, carefully, meticulously, but gamely.
At the end of practice, she was still smiling.
I know there are going to be tough moments this season. She asks for help too often ("daddy, will you get my water bottle?" No, Kate, it's right there, you can get it.). She is going to have a hard time learning some things, or maybe wanting to learn some things. Hitting, catching, that kind of stuff.
But so far she is out there with a smile. I'll take that.
Saturday, March 14, 2015
little bear
Read the kids Good Night, Little Bear tonight. It was an old favorite that we pulled out because our movie had some scary parts. We laughed and smiled at all the same scenes, squeezed into Kate's bed. Jack remarked how he used to not know that Papa Bear knew Little Bear was on his shoulders all along. And we laughed.
Then I tucked them both in and turned out the lights, came downstairs and read old blogs, and thought about them being little.
Then I tucked them both in and turned out the lights, came downstairs and read old blogs, and thought about them being little.
Monday, March 09, 2015
Games
Growing up we played a lot of board games and card games. It's a different world with everyne staring at their devices and having video games easily at their fingertips and whatnot, so we don't play games quite as often. But now and then, we do.
- when Jack has swim practice, Kate and I used to play Go Fish. Now we've moved onward and upward to Uno. It's a pretty good game and easy enough. When bored with that, we play whichever games are available in the rec room (at the Rye Y). Table tennis, although Kate really can't play. Foosball, which she can play a little, although she has tendency to pick up the ball with her hand and try to throw it through the goal. On occasion. And air hockey, which she simply cheats at, covering the goal with her arm as we play. But it's still fun.
- Jack and I play these same games, when Kate has swimming lessons. We've become really good at table tennis and have rallied up to 50, granted while trying to rally rather than actually win a point. And allowing more than one bounce. But, we are pretty good. I am better at foosball, though it is close. And he is better than me at air hockey. Quicker reactions. I would say I let him win, but it's not true, he just does.
- Kate and I played a board game she got for Christmas called Shark Mania. It's a silly but fun game where you move along a board before the Sharks eat you. I have fun with her bY playing very deliberately and slowly, letting the shark nearly get me every turn. She implores me to hurry, exasperated at how I nearly get eaten. "Daddy!!!" She yells, angst-ridden. Mmm? I say. Oh, right, sorry. It's fun.
- Jack and I play Chess. He wants to be good but isn't there yet. It's so different than every other board game, I think. You need to be always thinking about attacking the other person, and I'm not sure if that has registered with him yet. So many board games are essentially races.
- we all play this game I got foR Christmas called Zoom Cubes. You are using dice with letters on them to make words. A good, fun strategy game. They can both beat me at it, because they are young and can think fast, faster than me. I can win by requiring longer words or tougher challenges. Typically I lose.
- we play Hearts sometimes. Emily and I love this game. It is tough to see the kids getting older, but on the bright side, it will be great when they're better at Hearts.
- The never ending winter might finally be winding down, and yesterday Kate and I bundled up in jackets and boots, put on sunglasses to handle the blinding glare off the backyard snow, and spent some time playing the outdoor game we will play a ton this spring and summer, all of us. Catch.
- when Jack has swim practice, Kate and I used to play Go Fish. Now we've moved onward and upward to Uno. It's a pretty good game and easy enough. When bored with that, we play whichever games are available in the rec room (at the Rye Y). Table tennis, although Kate really can't play. Foosball, which she can play a little, although she has tendency to pick up the ball with her hand and try to throw it through the goal. On occasion. And air hockey, which she simply cheats at, covering the goal with her arm as we play. But it's still fun.
- Jack and I play these same games, when Kate has swimming lessons. We've become really good at table tennis and have rallied up to 50, granted while trying to rally rather than actually win a point. And allowing more than one bounce. But, we are pretty good. I am better at foosball, though it is close. And he is better than me at air hockey. Quicker reactions. I would say I let him win, but it's not true, he just does.
- Kate and I played a board game she got for Christmas called Shark Mania. It's a silly but fun game where you move along a board before the Sharks eat you. I have fun with her bY playing very deliberately and slowly, letting the shark nearly get me every turn. She implores me to hurry, exasperated at how I nearly get eaten. "Daddy!!!" She yells, angst-ridden. Mmm? I say. Oh, right, sorry. It's fun.
- Jack and I play Chess. He wants to be good but isn't there yet. It's so different than every other board game, I think. You need to be always thinking about attacking the other person, and I'm not sure if that has registered with him yet. So many board games are essentially races.
- we all play this game I got foR Christmas called Zoom Cubes. You are using dice with letters on them to make words. A good, fun strategy game. They can both beat me at it, because they are young and can think fast, faster than me. I can win by requiring longer words or tougher challenges. Typically I lose.
- we play Hearts sometimes. Emily and I love this game. It is tough to see the kids getting older, but on the bright side, it will be great when they're better at Hearts.
- The never ending winter might finally be winding down, and yesterday Kate and I bundled up in jackets and boots, put on sunglasses to handle the blinding glare off the backyard snow, and spent some time playing the outdoor game we will play a ton this spring and summer, all of us. Catch.
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Vermont
Went to Vermont for a few days, to see my parents, do some skiing, and do the other regular things we do. Here's how it went.
Sunday. Drove up, and it went about how 4-hour drives usually go. Stopped at McDonald's, whoo hoo. As we pulled into the driveway, there was an insane flurry of...turkeys! Huge, more than a dozen, milling about the top of the driveway and in the garage. As we drove up, slowly, stunned, they flew/ran/gobbled off into the woods behind the house. Crazy! Later we saw a couple of deer, also in our yard and driveway, also seeking birdseed and suet and the like. The kids watched in fascination. Emily too. It's like a petting zoo without the cages and, uh, the petting.
Reading the forecast, we pretty much made the decision that we would go skiing on Tuesday rather than Monday, as it would be a little warmer and a little less windy. That meant Black Rock Steakhouse for dinner with my parents on Sunday. Food is great at this restaurant, so we always go. Three of us visitors get steaks and Kate gets a burger. Next time, Kate!
Back at home, it was dark and very cold. But the sky was brilliantly lit up with stars. We stood and gazed and pointed for a little bit, then went inside. But then in stages, we went out again. Emily and Kate at one point, Jack and I at another. We bundled up, walked to the end of the driveway, and gaped. Jack said, "I'm not even cold!" We agreed, yep, not even cold. Looked some more, pointing and smiling. Five minutes passed. Then Jack said, "OK, now, I'm really cold." We agreed, yep, it's really cold. In fact it was like 7 below zero or something. We ran inside and huddled against the radiators for warmth.
The kids love to play with the toys they find in Vermont. For Jack that has graduated from merely toys to Daddy's old stuff in his room. My baseball card collection, and the contents of a desk drawer, were the big ones for him. Including this 35-year-old label maker, which he used to make a label. For his new baseball card collection. Kate discovered my sister's old dollhouse. These fascinated them for hours that first day, and some of the second. Suddenly watching TV and playing video games were afterthoughts.
Monday. Since this was supposed to be the ski day, we were a little uncertain what to do with the day. We decided to begin with sledding, since although it was frigid, it was sunny, and we had hills and snow. So we all bundled up -- I mean really bundled up -- and went sledding on the back hill. No phones, no pictures, just us and the old toboggan and a couple of plastic sleds. The kids laughed and fell in the snow and climbed back up the hill and slid and laughed. A silly 20 minutes or so with no complaining (It's cold! I've got snow in my boots! Jack pushed me! Kate hit me!) -- none.
We were all cold, but not too cold to spend another half hour walking around the back hill. The kids found snow-covered rocks and trees and deemed them Fort and Hideout and other such things. Ignored the temperatures and just made up games. Debated whether certain marks in the snow were bear tracks (they weren't) deer tracks (probably), or some other animal. Drew smiley faces. And finally, suitably frozen, we all went back in for a late-morning snack.
After some hemming and hawing about what to do with the afternoon, we decided on a late lunch/early dinner at Lui Lui at the Powerhouse Mall. It had been a couple of years and Kate didn't remember it, but Jack did. "The pizza is great and you get to make shapes out of dough!" Bread arrived early, so the kids were happy. Mom made friends with the Irish waitress, so she was happy. I picked out a beer for Dad that he liked (Dogfish, 9% alcohol, oops!) so he was happy. And Emily and I enjoyed it all.
Afterward, we went shopping at the adjacent Mall, L.L. Bean and candy store. Mostly I just sat on a bench with my Mom and we chatted. Nice, peaceful.
Stopped at a local farmer's for syrup. Kate got out of the car and climbed a snowbank, and when the farmer saw her he said, Does she want to see some lambs? Now you're talking! That was the real reason we stopped here you know. We all got to see 3-day old lambs. Awesome.
At home we dug out old board games and puzzles. Jack and I played Sorry, which was way more fun than I expected. We all played "Security," a 40-year-old card game with Peanuts characters that Jack says is basically Uno. I haven't played Uno in a while but will take his word for it. Uh, but this had Peanuts characters! I also did a couple of wooden puzzles with Kate, and a nail game my grandfather built way back when, with Jack. It was a strangely full day and we went to bed early.
Tuesday. It was still bitterly cold but it was our last day in Vermont and time to go skiing. I'm going to be brief though: Kate did amazing, having a lesson and happily chattering away all during it when she saw us ("Daddy! We're doing turns now!") and after. Jack still seems like a natural skier, unfazed by steep slopes and other skiers, zipping down, turning and stopping with ease, regularly leaving me in the dust. Uh, not counting the time I mistimed our boarding the ski lift and wiped out, enough said. We stopped mid run for a waffle and hot chocolate that was about the best food ever. Jack and I got stuck on the lift once, some problem at the end (probably some idiot from out of town just up visiting family or something). Kate and I skied down the bunny slope making turns and stops in tandem, with her at one point saying, "Can we do a bigger hill?" Next time, Picabo.
Midday, we had lunch at the lodge, sandwiches and fries and beer and hot chocolate, kids were happy, bubbly, sun kissed, tired. Smiling. A few runs after lunch kept turning into one more run, and we ended up skiing late, driving home in the dark, and the kids snacking for two hours, laughing while drinking frozen Gatorades we had left in the car, having an actual meal at Burger King, then sleeping the final leg of the journey. And sleeping hard when we finally got home.
I don't know that I think of us as a skiing family, or a traipsing around Vermont hills family, or a communing with wildlife family. But for a few days, we were.
Sunday. Drove up, and it went about how 4-hour drives usually go. Stopped at McDonald's, whoo hoo. As we pulled into the driveway, there was an insane flurry of...turkeys! Huge, more than a dozen, milling about the top of the driveway and in the garage. As we drove up, slowly, stunned, they flew/ran/gobbled off into the woods behind the house. Crazy! Later we saw a couple of deer, also in our yard and driveway, also seeking birdseed and suet and the like. The kids watched in fascination. Emily too. It's like a petting zoo without the cages and, uh, the petting.
Reading the forecast, we pretty much made the decision that we would go skiing on Tuesday rather than Monday, as it would be a little warmer and a little less windy. That meant Black Rock Steakhouse for dinner with my parents on Sunday. Food is great at this restaurant, so we always go. Three of us visitors get steaks and Kate gets a burger. Next time, Kate!
Back at home, it was dark and very cold. But the sky was brilliantly lit up with stars. We stood and gazed and pointed for a little bit, then went inside. But then in stages, we went out again. Emily and Kate at one point, Jack and I at another. We bundled up, walked to the end of the driveway, and gaped. Jack said, "I'm not even cold!" We agreed, yep, not even cold. Looked some more, pointing and smiling. Five minutes passed. Then Jack said, "OK, now, I'm really cold." We agreed, yep, it's really cold. In fact it was like 7 below zero or something. We ran inside and huddled against the radiators for warmth.
The kids love to play with the toys they find in Vermont. For Jack that has graduated from merely toys to Daddy's old stuff in his room. My baseball card collection, and the contents of a desk drawer, were the big ones for him. Including this 35-year-old label maker, which he used to make a label. For his new baseball card collection. Kate discovered my sister's old dollhouse. These fascinated them for hours that first day, and some of the second. Suddenly watching TV and playing video games were afterthoughts.
Monday. Since this was supposed to be the ski day, we were a little uncertain what to do with the day. We decided to begin with sledding, since although it was frigid, it was sunny, and we had hills and snow. So we all bundled up -- I mean really bundled up -- and went sledding on the back hill. No phones, no pictures, just us and the old toboggan and a couple of plastic sleds. The kids laughed and fell in the snow and climbed back up the hill and slid and laughed. A silly 20 minutes or so with no complaining (It's cold! I've got snow in my boots! Jack pushed me! Kate hit me!) -- none.
We were all cold, but not too cold to spend another half hour walking around the back hill. The kids found snow-covered rocks and trees and deemed them Fort and Hideout and other such things. Ignored the temperatures and just made up games. Debated whether certain marks in the snow were bear tracks (they weren't) deer tracks (probably), or some other animal. Drew smiley faces. And finally, suitably frozen, we all went back in for a late-morning snack.
After some hemming and hawing about what to do with the afternoon, we decided on a late lunch/early dinner at Lui Lui at the Powerhouse Mall. It had been a couple of years and Kate didn't remember it, but Jack did. "The pizza is great and you get to make shapes out of dough!" Bread arrived early, so the kids were happy. Mom made friends with the Irish waitress, so she was happy. I picked out a beer for Dad that he liked (Dogfish, 9% alcohol, oops!) so he was happy. And Emily and I enjoyed it all.
Afterward, we went shopping at the adjacent Mall, L.L. Bean and candy store. Mostly I just sat on a bench with my Mom and we chatted. Nice, peaceful.
Stopped at a local farmer's for syrup. Kate got out of the car and climbed a snowbank, and when the farmer saw her he said, Does she want to see some lambs? Now you're talking! That was the real reason we stopped here you know. We all got to see 3-day old lambs. Awesome.
At home we dug out old board games and puzzles. Jack and I played Sorry, which was way more fun than I expected. We all played "Security," a 40-year-old card game with Peanuts characters that Jack says is basically Uno. I haven't played Uno in a while but will take his word for it. Uh, but this had Peanuts characters! I also did a couple of wooden puzzles with Kate, and a nail game my grandfather built way back when, with Jack. It was a strangely full day and we went to bed early.
Tuesday. It was still bitterly cold but it was our last day in Vermont and time to go skiing. I'm going to be brief though: Kate did amazing, having a lesson and happily chattering away all during it when she saw us ("Daddy! We're doing turns now!") and after. Jack still seems like a natural skier, unfazed by steep slopes and other skiers, zipping down, turning and stopping with ease, regularly leaving me in the dust. Uh, not counting the time I mistimed our boarding the ski lift and wiped out, enough said. We stopped mid run for a waffle and hot chocolate that was about the best food ever. Jack and I got stuck on the lift once, some problem at the end (probably some idiot from out of town just up visiting family or something). Kate and I skied down the bunny slope making turns and stops in tandem, with her at one point saying, "Can we do a bigger hill?" Next time, Picabo.
Midday, we had lunch at the lodge, sandwiches and fries and beer and hot chocolate, kids were happy, bubbly, sun kissed, tired. Smiling. A few runs after lunch kept turning into one more run, and we ended up skiing late, driving home in the dark, and the kids snacking for two hours, laughing while drinking frozen Gatorades we had left in the car, having an actual meal at Burger King, then sleeping the final leg of the journey. And sleeping hard when we finally got home.
I don't know that I think of us as a skiing family, or a traipsing around Vermont hills family, or a communing with wildlife family. But for a few days, we were.
Saturday, February 14, 2015
Snow days
It's been a relatively snowy winter, especially at the wrong time (or right time, if you're a kid hoping to miss a day of school). Three straight Mondays, in fact, school has been snowed or iced out.
Like anything, snow days are great in small doses -- a fun treat! -- but aren't quite as much fun if they happen too often. Looking back on them with the space of a week or two, I can remember both positives and negatives.
- On the first snowy day, we made little snowmen on the back deck, then went out front, together, to make a big one. Jack said our snowman should have a snow dog, so we made both. I think in the past I've sometimes taken the lead/taken control of the snowman building, so I didn't do that this year. I rolled the biggest snowball and helped them lift their middle and head onto the snowman, but I let them pick and place the rocks, sticks, carrot and wardrobe. Uh, but I made the dog all by myself. And it was totally awesome. So was their snowman.
- On another snowy day (same one? I don't remember) we went sledding at a nearby park with friends. Best part about this trip was that the friends were one of Jack's best friends for years and a younger girl who we're not always sure Kate is great friends with. But in fact, she and Kate played and slid together the whole time, often waiting for each other so they could go together on the same two-person sled, wiping out and laughing, getting up, chattering away about it, and doing it all over again. Really nice to see. Jack spent the whole time with his other friend and picked up various minor injuries including a bloody chin, but was not only no worse for the wear but went back for a second sledding trip after lunch. The kind of day that makes you glad you live near friends and can walk to a snowy park.
- One day wasn't snow but rather pelting, freezing rain. We stayed inside and watched an old family movie on Netflix, Honey I Shrunk the Kids. It was a little slow starting and I was afraid I'd have to switch to a more recent era movie that I'd hate like The Smurfs 2 or something, but once they got shrunk down the film picked up and the kids got into it. We made popcorn and hot chocolate and enjoyed the day.
- We painted, and the kids made wild Aquarium scenes with weird hybird animals, I think prompted by Jack. Why make fish and sharks when you can make some genetic mutant that has a shark fin and tentacles? They wore my old T-shirts and got paint on themselves and the kitchen floor, but the art was colorful and original and beautiful.
- Other times during the day they play together, sometimes board games (though those often turn into fights because Kate never wins), more often with their toys, having school and other activities for Kate's dolls and their stuffed animals. I sometimes sit in on these games but they're speaking a whole other language of playing.
- Sometimes I try to work, or read, or clean up the house, or just relax. The tough part is sometimes feeling like I should be doing more, or less, or more involved with them, taking advantage of a 7- and 10-year-old with a day off because every so often it strikes me that they're 7 and 10. Jack is basically too old for some things we used to love doing with him. Kate is getting there. I love and fear them getting older.
These gloomier thoughts are a little silly. Yesterday I bought Kate a stuffed animal for Valentine's Day and not Jack. And I think I still feel uncertain about it. I know he's too old, know that really neither of them need these things. And yet I am already missing it.
Now they're off on vacation for the next week, with a Vermont trip included. I'm hoping to write about all of it, every other day if not more. (Let's set modest goals, here.) Now I'll go see what they're doing. And if anyone wants to play a game. Or maybe with stuffed animals.
Like anything, snow days are great in small doses -- a fun treat! -- but aren't quite as much fun if they happen too often. Looking back on them with the space of a week or two, I can remember both positives and negatives.
- On the first snowy day, we made little snowmen on the back deck, then went out front, together, to make a big one. Jack said our snowman should have a snow dog, so we made both. I think in the past I've sometimes taken the lead/taken control of the snowman building, so I didn't do that this year. I rolled the biggest snowball and helped them lift their middle and head onto the snowman, but I let them pick and place the rocks, sticks, carrot and wardrobe. Uh, but I made the dog all by myself. And it was totally awesome. So was their snowman.
- On another snowy day (same one? I don't remember) we went sledding at a nearby park with friends. Best part about this trip was that the friends were one of Jack's best friends for years and a younger girl who we're not always sure Kate is great friends with. But in fact, she and Kate played and slid together the whole time, often waiting for each other so they could go together on the same two-person sled, wiping out and laughing, getting up, chattering away about it, and doing it all over again. Really nice to see. Jack spent the whole time with his other friend and picked up various minor injuries including a bloody chin, but was not only no worse for the wear but went back for a second sledding trip after lunch. The kind of day that makes you glad you live near friends and can walk to a snowy park.
- One day wasn't snow but rather pelting, freezing rain. We stayed inside and watched an old family movie on Netflix, Honey I Shrunk the Kids. It was a little slow starting and I was afraid I'd have to switch to a more recent era movie that I'd hate like The Smurfs 2 or something, but once they got shrunk down the film picked up and the kids got into it. We made popcorn and hot chocolate and enjoyed the day.
- We painted, and the kids made wild Aquarium scenes with weird hybird animals, I think prompted by Jack. Why make fish and sharks when you can make some genetic mutant that has a shark fin and tentacles? They wore my old T-shirts and got paint on themselves and the kitchen floor, but the art was colorful and original and beautiful.
- Other times during the day they play together, sometimes board games (though those often turn into fights because Kate never wins), more often with their toys, having school and other activities for Kate's dolls and their stuffed animals. I sometimes sit in on these games but they're speaking a whole other language of playing.
- Sometimes I try to work, or read, or clean up the house, or just relax. The tough part is sometimes feeling like I should be doing more, or less, or more involved with them, taking advantage of a 7- and 10-year-old with a day off because every so often it strikes me that they're 7 and 10. Jack is basically too old for some things we used to love doing with him. Kate is getting there. I love and fear them getting older.
These gloomier thoughts are a little silly. Yesterday I bought Kate a stuffed animal for Valentine's Day and not Jack. And I think I still feel uncertain about it. I know he's too old, know that really neither of them need these things. And yet I am already missing it.
Now they're off on vacation for the next week, with a Vermont trip included. I'm hoping to write about all of it, every other day if not more. (Let's set modest goals, here.) Now I'll go see what they're doing. And if anyone wants to play a game. Or maybe with stuffed animals.
Friday, January 30, 2015
Date with Katie
New idea for the King Street Elementary school this year, a Father-Daughter dance. Family dances have been regular events (Back to School, Halloween) but this was the first limited to fathers and daughters. Simple and kind of brilliant. When I first told Kate about it (and to be fair, this is what happens the first time we tell her about a lot of new things), she said, "No!!!" But when I said, well, OK, I'll just go alone and dance with a bunch of other daughters, she said "No!!!" even louder, so we made our plans. Got her a lovely new outfit, found a tie for myself, and we were off.
I decided I'd make it as much like a date as possible, holding her door and carefully helping her into the car. We parked and I tried to hold her hand as we walked in. She said her hands were cold and she wanted them in her pockets, "but you can hold my arm." So I did that.
Inside, we got a little wrist corsage for her and a boutonniere for me. She loved the corsage but didn't much care for wearing it, repeatedly giving it to me to hold, then taking it back, then giving it back. Eventually, naturally, it broke, so we had to get another one. "But I want to keep the broken one, too," she said.
After putting our coats down I asked if she wanted to dance, but she was immediately hungry. So we stood in line and got macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets. Kate, after getting a big plate of food, said, "I don't like this macaroni and cheese Daddy." I know, Kate. She basically only likes the macaroni and cheese we make at home, because there's always some small difference with what we get in the outside world.
After eating, we sat for a formal picture, then went out onto the dance floor. It was sort of a jumping, arm-swinging kind of dance style, which is typical for me and her preferred choice as well. She had little interest in doing any sort of waltz, until I convinced her to stand on my feet. Then we did that a little bit while she laughed.
She was lukewarm on a lot of the music, but Gangnam Style came on. For the uninitiated (that's you, Mom and Dad), it was a popular song, video, and dance I guess a couple of years ago now. The basic routine involves moves that suggest riding a galloping horse, sidestepping with hands on hips, and swinging a lariat. It's pretty hilarious seeing a bunch of people do it, equally hilarious seeing a bunch of kids do it, and seeing a bunch of little girls and their Dads doing it? Well you can't put a price on that. Uh, I'm pretty sure a bunch of Dad were out there doing it, too, because otherwise I might have looked pretty foolish. Whew, no WAY was it just me and a bunch of little girls. Kate had a huge grin on her face as she did all the various moves and I tried to keep up. The highlight of the night.
That was followed by another of our favorite songs, so we danced to that too. Then she climbed up on my feet again and we shuffled around to something else. And she took the wrist corsage off.
At some point we checked out the dessert table. I must have looked away for a minute because we ended up with a plate of about a dozen cupcakes and cookies and brownies. For the two of us. Can't let that go to waste. Plus, red velvet cupcakes!
All the Dads were dressed up, and although there was plenty of standing around talking (at times the girls just wanted to line up and dance together, as they did for the Macarana, another choreographed dance routine to a popular song from a few years back), mostly it was Dads dancing with their daughters. Waltzes, twists, and holding and tossing little girls up in the air. Lots of happy faces.
Perhaps there will be a mother-son dance in the future? No doubt it was/will be considered, but as previous dances have proved, it can be a little harder to keep a herd of 6 to 11-year-old boys in the gym at dances. They invariably end up running around the hallways together, searching for a football to throw around or a wall to climb. Happens all the time. As one Dad said to me during the dance, This is a lot quieter than the ones with all the boys here. In a good way.
The dance ended, and we bundled back into our clothes and got back in the car. Remarkably, we heard Rihanna's "love in a Hopeless Place," on the radio, which was the first song I can remember having a Kate memory of. When it was popular a few years back, it would come on the car radio, or the kitchen radio, and she would pump her fists to it, and we'd laugh. In the kitchen, we'd dance.
Back in our driveway, we got out of the car. As I was closing the door, Kate said, a little quietly, "I love you, Daddy." I love you too, Kate. We say it plenty. But the ones that come at random, unexpected times are the best.
I decided I'd make it as much like a date as possible, holding her door and carefully helping her into the car. We parked and I tried to hold her hand as we walked in. She said her hands were cold and she wanted them in her pockets, "but you can hold my arm." So I did that.
Inside, we got a little wrist corsage for her and a boutonniere for me. She loved the corsage but didn't much care for wearing it, repeatedly giving it to me to hold, then taking it back, then giving it back. Eventually, naturally, it broke, so we had to get another one. "But I want to keep the broken one, too," she said.
After putting our coats down I asked if she wanted to dance, but she was immediately hungry. So we stood in line and got macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets. Kate, after getting a big plate of food, said, "I don't like this macaroni and cheese Daddy." I know, Kate. She basically only likes the macaroni and cheese we make at home, because there's always some small difference with what we get in the outside world.
After eating, we sat for a formal picture, then went out onto the dance floor. It was sort of a jumping, arm-swinging kind of dance style, which is typical for me and her preferred choice as well. She had little interest in doing any sort of waltz, until I convinced her to stand on my feet. Then we did that a little bit while she laughed.
She was lukewarm on a lot of the music, but Gangnam Style came on. For the uninitiated (that's you, Mom and Dad), it was a popular song, video, and dance I guess a couple of years ago now. The basic routine involves moves that suggest riding a galloping horse, sidestepping with hands on hips, and swinging a lariat. It's pretty hilarious seeing a bunch of people do it, equally hilarious seeing a bunch of kids do it, and seeing a bunch of little girls and their Dads doing it? Well you can't put a price on that. Uh, I'm pretty sure a bunch of Dad were out there doing it, too, because otherwise I might have looked pretty foolish. Whew, no WAY was it just me and a bunch of little girls. Kate had a huge grin on her face as she did all the various moves and I tried to keep up. The highlight of the night.
That was followed by another of our favorite songs, so we danced to that too. Then she climbed up on my feet again and we shuffled around to something else. And she took the wrist corsage off.
At some point we checked out the dessert table. I must have looked away for a minute because we ended up with a plate of about a dozen cupcakes and cookies and brownies. For the two of us. Can't let that go to waste. Plus, red velvet cupcakes!
All the Dads were dressed up, and although there was plenty of standing around talking (at times the girls just wanted to line up and dance together, as they did for the Macarana, another choreographed dance routine to a popular song from a few years back), mostly it was Dads dancing with their daughters. Waltzes, twists, and holding and tossing little girls up in the air. Lots of happy faces.
Perhaps there will be a mother-son dance in the future? No doubt it was/will be considered, but as previous dances have proved, it can be a little harder to keep a herd of 6 to 11-year-old boys in the gym at dances. They invariably end up running around the hallways together, searching for a football to throw around or a wall to climb. Happens all the time. As one Dad said to me during the dance, This is a lot quieter than the ones with all the boys here. In a good way.
The dance ended, and we bundled back into our clothes and got back in the car. Remarkably, we heard Rihanna's "love in a Hopeless Place," on the radio, which was the first song I can remember having a Kate memory of. When it was popular a few years back, it would come on the car radio, or the kitchen radio, and she would pump her fists to it, and we'd laugh. In the kitchen, we'd dance.
Back in our driveway, we got out of the car. As I was closing the door, Kate said, a little quietly, "I love you, Daddy." I love you too, Kate. We say it plenty. But the ones that come at random, unexpected times are the best.
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Birthday sleepover
Hosted a sleepover for seven of Jack's friends to celebrate his 10th birthday. Now, I don't know a lot of other kids of this age, just his friends really, so maybe we're just lucky. And I realize that some of them will go on to be sullen teens and whatnot. But for now, today, what a happy, nice, generally respectful group of kids. Yeah some call me Andy and some forget things like Thank You -- but most are really good about it. Maybe it's great parents, maybe it's the positive influence of youth sports, maybe it's a combination of that and their teachers and a generally comfortable lifestyle. We're probably just lucky, and I know stuff can and will change. But Jack's pretty lucky to have these friends.
They all showed up in the evening and immediately started playing Madden '15 on the XBox. And they went outside and played football in freezing cold temperatures. In the dark. I said, 5 minutes, I bet. But they were out there for more like 20, which was impressive. Then they came in and played Madden. And talked and argued and laughed and talked and snacked. And didn't eat enough of the pizza and chips and soda we bought. And ran through the house playing some sort of War game, throwing paper Ninja stars at each other (Jack makes them, he's really into Origami), and played a little table tennis, and went back to Madden. Finally, around the time we'd normally go to bed, and long after they'd normally go to bed, they popped in the Guardians of the Galaxy DVD and were up late laughing, and giggling, and talking, and watching that. And a couple of kids were snoring, but the rest were up past 1 a.m.
They tried sleeping in the living room, then moved to Jack's room (the ones that weren't already snoring). As the talking continued, I went in, once or twice, and said, OK, time to sleep. Jack, one of two kids who chattered away endlessly, said, "We're trying." I said, Well, it will be easier if you Stop Talking. And that worked, and they all slept.
In the morning, or 5-6 hours later, there was more giggling, more Madden, more playing football outside in the freezing cold. And then they opened presents and laughed some more, and Jack got a couple of great handmade cards with nice things said. And then parents arrived, kids filtered out, and soon it was Jack and one friend left playing a game trying to bounce a ping pong ball down the stairs into a plastic cup.
And I said to myself, So in some respects, things shouldn't change that much until after they graduate from college.
They all showed up in the evening and immediately started playing Madden '15 on the XBox. And they went outside and played football in freezing cold temperatures. In the dark. I said, 5 minutes, I bet. But they were out there for more like 20, which was impressive. Then they came in and played Madden. And talked and argued and laughed and talked and snacked. And didn't eat enough of the pizza and chips and soda we bought. And ran through the house playing some sort of War game, throwing paper Ninja stars at each other (Jack makes them, he's really into Origami), and played a little table tennis, and went back to Madden. Finally, around the time we'd normally go to bed, and long after they'd normally go to bed, they popped in the Guardians of the Galaxy DVD and were up late laughing, and giggling, and talking, and watching that. And a couple of kids were snoring, but the rest were up past 1 a.m.
They tried sleeping in the living room, then moved to Jack's room (the ones that weren't already snoring). As the talking continued, I went in, once or twice, and said, OK, time to sleep. Jack, one of two kids who chattered away endlessly, said, "We're trying." I said, Well, it will be easier if you Stop Talking. And that worked, and they all slept.
In the morning, or 5-6 hours later, there was more giggling, more Madden, more playing football outside in the freezing cold. And then they opened presents and laughed some more, and Jack got a couple of great handmade cards with nice things said. And then parents arrived, kids filtered out, and soon it was Jack and one friend left playing a game trying to bounce a ping pong ball down the stairs into a plastic cup.
And I said to myself, So in some respects, things shouldn't change that much until after they graduate from college.
Friday, January 09, 2015
Christmas wrap
I wish I could say I remember everything from the Christmas season, but I forget things.
I always remember Christmas Eve. We go to church, and the highlight for the kids is holding the lit candles for Silent Night. We go home, they get into their pajamas, then come back downstairs and leave a plate of cookies and notes for Santa.
Kate made a picture of Donner, our Elf on the Shelf, so that Santa and Donner would have it. She also drew a picture of Santa. In her note, she asked Santa to hug Mrs. Claus for her.
Jack drew a picture of Santa and Rudolph, and wished Santa luck on the rest of his trip.
I sat down with them and read them 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, as we do every year. They were still pretty wound up afterward, excited about Christmas. Jack did push-ups. Kate yelled or sang or something.
Emily and I watched the end of It's a Wonderful Life, I got something in my eye, and we went to bed.
I always remember Christmas Eve. We go to church, and the highlight for the kids is holding the lit candles for Silent Night. We go home, they get into their pajamas, then come back downstairs and leave a plate of cookies and notes for Santa.
Kate made a picture of Donner, our Elf on the Shelf, so that Santa and Donner would have it. She also drew a picture of Santa. In her note, she asked Santa to hug Mrs. Claus for her.
Jack drew a picture of Santa and Rudolph, and wished Santa luck on the rest of his trip.
I sat down with them and read them 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, as we do every year. They were still pretty wound up afterward, excited about Christmas. Jack did push-ups. Kate yelled or sang or something.
Emily and I watched the end of It's a Wonderful Life, I got something in my eye, and we went to bed.
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