- Jack doesn't always sleep well. He goes through stretches where on many nights he comes in due to a bad dream...or sleepwalking and not completely aware he's there...or having something akin to night terrors where he's really afraid of something and talking nonsense. Kind of scary at times. We're working on changing routines into more of a calming before-bed time. No going straight from TV or phone activities to bed. We go up, read for 10 minutes, talk in bed for a little while after that, then say good night. It seems to help.
- It's been a pretty good Majors (11 and 12 year olds) baseball season for Jack. In the first game of the season, he happened to be in centerfield for an inning. A flare was hit to shallow center with two men on base in a close game. He sprinted in, dove, and made a rolling catch to save 1 or 2 runs. Caught another ball that game, too. After the game Coach said, "Well, we've found our new centerfielder." He's played there ever since, every inning. Maybe I wrote about this before.
Anyway, now at the start of each inning he lopes out to center, jogging peacefully, confident and calm. Nice to see; it's like he's been there all his life. His travel coach said to me last night, I saw him last week when a high fly was hit to him out there. He came in and camped under it like it was nothing at all.
- I think he likes a girl in his grade. She plays baseball too. He doesn't want to talk about it so we give him space. And smile about it behind his back.
- Kate's Minors team had lost several games in a row. It's a young team, we're not as good as we seemed to be earlier in the year. Lost Saturday on a walk-off two-out, two-run single. Brutal. Kids were getting down, maybe pressing a bit.
Last night we played a game, and things weren't going well early. Down 4-0 after three. Two runs scored on a two-out error. We missed a chance at some runs on a missed call. Just not going our way.
In the fourth inning this kid named Johnny, Kate's grade, was at 2nd base. I try to give everyone one inning in the infield, because everyone wants to play there, even though outfielders are kind of important too, even at Kate's level (8-10-year-olds). But whatever, he was at 2nd, and at one point, right after I told him to move a few steps to his left, a line drive was hit to him. He caught it, a little surprised himself I think, then made a heady play to throw to first and turn a double play. It was great; several teammates in the immediate area, including Kate, mobbed him and celebrated happily. Guys, I said, there are only two outs.
We finished the inning, scored 2 runs to make it 4-2, then added 5 in the last inning and won 7-4. Couple of big two-out hits (including a Kate hit), couple more nice defensive plays. Kids celebrated like they'd won the World Series, and I didn't mind, because it was nice seeing them happy. Just a nice night, for Kate, for her teammates. For Jack too, who was there helping out and used the term "We" at the postgame huddle. Hey, it was his team last year.
It's not always great, but it is when it is.
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
Monday, May 09, 2016
Mother's Day
Mother's Day traditionally or at least in theory begins with breakfast in bed, but there are often problems with that. For one thing Emily gets up earlier than everyone else. But the kids encouraged her to get back into bed and gathered up the cards they'd be bringing them. Jack had wanted to make coffee, which I of course had made about an hour earlier, but instead made an English muffin. Unfortunately it fell through the toaster rack and started a small fire at the bottom of it, so breakfast in bed was scrapped.
Emily did get coffee, though, and thoughtful handmade cards and gifts from the kids. It's heartening how they approach the day, really trying to make it special for her. There are hiccups along the way, usually involving kids complaining about something or other, but their hearts are usually in the right places.
I got donuts and they were enjoyed by all. We then went out car shopping, test driving what will possibly be our next car, the Honda Pilot. (Kate: "Can it fly?" No, but that would be pretty cool.) The kids at auto dealers are kind of amusing, sitting in every car and discovering all the various whistles and bells. Kate found a secret compartment from the back seat to the trunk in one and I had a brief moment of worry that she'd get stuck in a car and we'd end up having to take it apart to get her out. Nope!
After car-shopping we came back home and played some baseball in the backyard. It was a sunny day unlike we've had in weeks, it seems, so we played some catch and practiced hitting. There are usually ups and downs, say if Kate is struggling, and Jack and I both give her advice, and she starts to get frustrated. We started playing running bases, a baseball-related game that both Jack and Kate really enjoy, but Kate only likes the running part of it, and gets pouty if she's doing the other part. It being Mother's Day, Emily obviously didn't care for that, and we wrapped up the game abruptly, telling Kate exactly why.
Kate, realizing her error, apologized. More; she drew a picture for Jack with little sad faces saying she was sorry. Sweet.
They played catch with each other, at one time catching an impressive 19 in a row. They developed a game on the largely forgotten playground swingset, using chalk to write notes, game titles, and descriptions. They climbed up on the roof together and planned and talked. An hour later, they were still out there, talking and playing together. The best Mother's Day present of all.
Emily did get coffee, though, and thoughtful handmade cards and gifts from the kids. It's heartening how they approach the day, really trying to make it special for her. There are hiccups along the way, usually involving kids complaining about something or other, but their hearts are usually in the right places.
I got donuts and they were enjoyed by all. We then went out car shopping, test driving what will possibly be our next car, the Honda Pilot. (Kate: "Can it fly?" No, but that would be pretty cool.) The kids at auto dealers are kind of amusing, sitting in every car and discovering all the various whistles and bells. Kate found a secret compartment from the back seat to the trunk in one and I had a brief moment of worry that she'd get stuck in a car and we'd end up having to take it apart to get her out. Nope!
After car-shopping we came back home and played some baseball in the backyard. It was a sunny day unlike we've had in weeks, it seems, so we played some catch and practiced hitting. There are usually ups and downs, say if Kate is struggling, and Jack and I both give her advice, and she starts to get frustrated. We started playing running bases, a baseball-related game that both Jack and Kate really enjoy, but Kate only likes the running part of it, and gets pouty if she's doing the other part. It being Mother's Day, Emily obviously didn't care for that, and we wrapped up the game abruptly, telling Kate exactly why.
Kate, realizing her error, apologized. More; she drew a picture for Jack with little sad faces saying she was sorry. Sweet.
They played catch with each other, at one time catching an impressive 19 in a row. They developed a game on the largely forgotten playground swingset, using chalk to write notes, game titles, and descriptions. They climbed up on the roof together and planned and talked. An hour later, they were still out there, talking and playing together. The best Mother's Day present of all.
Saturday, April 16, 2016
Opening Day
Opening Day of the Little League season. Kind of been a lot of snow and rain and cold for the last month, so it was a little unfamiliar to wake up this morning to perfectly blue skies and sunshine. We had slightly later schedules for our games -- Jack with his Majors team, Kate with her Minors team -- so we had breakfast, guzzled coffee, and headed over to the fields at a leisurely pace.
Lot of hurry up and waiting for a while. We had to be there 90 minutes before game time for team pictures, just in case they took a while, but they actually didn't take long, so there was plenty of waiting. And since there were games on the fields, we couldn't practice or anything. Bought Jack a hot dog, had one myself. Kate showed up, bought her a soda. Went back and forth between being one place or another for pictures and trying to keep kids from falling out of trees.
Jack's team won, 5-1. He struck out in his only at-bat, but made a diving catch on a shallow fly ball to center with runners at 2nd and 3rd and one out that saved two runs. Next batter struck out and Jack, amped up, charged off the field, and I saw one of his coaches, also fired up, meet up with him to give him a big clap on the back.
Emily, unfortunately, had gone home to get a jacket and missed the play. She came back and I told her about it, standing with another Mom, and she said, You're messing with me, right? Took a few more tries before she believed us. So the rest of the day when people came up to her and said, great catch! She had to say, yeah, I missed it...
One of his other coaches walked near me later and said, helluva catch. I saw Jack later and he said, "At the meeting afterward, Coach said, I learned a lot about the team today. And I also think we've found our new centerfielder."
Right after his game ended, Kate's began. It was her first Minors game and my first as her head coach. I knew the team has some good players from last season, but I wasn't sure what I'd get from the younger kids. And I didn't know how Kate would do in the field or at the place. I pitch to her in the backyard and the batting cages, but it's not nearly as fast as the pitching machine, just soft toss really, and I was afraid she'd have a hard time making contact.
First half of the first inning, we threw the ball around and the infield and gave up 2 runs. Bottom half, we scored 5, and pretty much kept on hitting the rest of the game in a blowout win. But that wasn't the best part.
First time up, Kate swung and missed twice, and then got a base hit on a hard ground ball up the middle. Stood at first base beaming, proud of herself. Second time up, another ground ball single. Not sure where it was hit. Third time up, another ground single. Maybe this was a well-placed infield single, I don't even know, I was sort of giddy for her by this point. A three-hit game for Kate.
After the win, out in the outfield, I couldn't think of anything bad to say. Told the kids I was proud of the way they hit the ball, ran the bases, and made plays in the field. Snuck a couple of glances at Kate, who had a big smile on her face. Then we pulled up the bases, raked up the field, gathered up happy kids, and headed home.
We burned off the rest of the day with TV baseball and ordering takeout. I sent the kids up for showers, Jack first and Kate second. I heard Jack, upstairs, doing play by play for Kate's.
"Now showering.....Number five....Kate.....Richardsonnnnnnn!!!"
Lot of hurry up and waiting for a while. We had to be there 90 minutes before game time for team pictures, just in case they took a while, but they actually didn't take long, so there was plenty of waiting. And since there were games on the fields, we couldn't practice or anything. Bought Jack a hot dog, had one myself. Kate showed up, bought her a soda. Went back and forth between being one place or another for pictures and trying to keep kids from falling out of trees.
Jack's team won, 5-1. He struck out in his only at-bat, but made a diving catch on a shallow fly ball to center with runners at 2nd and 3rd and one out that saved two runs. Next batter struck out and Jack, amped up, charged off the field, and I saw one of his coaches, also fired up, meet up with him to give him a big clap on the back.
Emily, unfortunately, had gone home to get a jacket and missed the play. She came back and I told her about it, standing with another Mom, and she said, You're messing with me, right? Took a few more tries before she believed us. So the rest of the day when people came up to her and said, great catch! She had to say, yeah, I missed it...
One of his other coaches walked near me later and said, helluva catch. I saw Jack later and he said, "At the meeting afterward, Coach said, I learned a lot about the team today. And I also think we've found our new centerfielder."
Right after his game ended, Kate's began. It was her first Minors game and my first as her head coach. I knew the team has some good players from last season, but I wasn't sure what I'd get from the younger kids. And I didn't know how Kate would do in the field or at the place. I pitch to her in the backyard and the batting cages, but it's not nearly as fast as the pitching machine, just soft toss really, and I was afraid she'd have a hard time making contact.
First half of the first inning, we threw the ball around and the infield and gave up 2 runs. Bottom half, we scored 5, and pretty much kept on hitting the rest of the game in a blowout win. But that wasn't the best part.
First time up, Kate swung and missed twice, and then got a base hit on a hard ground ball up the middle. Stood at first base beaming, proud of herself. Second time up, another ground ball single. Not sure where it was hit. Third time up, another ground single. Maybe this was a well-placed infield single, I don't even know, I was sort of giddy for her by this point. A three-hit game for Kate.
After the win, out in the outfield, I couldn't think of anything bad to say. Told the kids I was proud of the way they hit the ball, ran the bases, and made plays in the field. Snuck a couple of glances at Kate, who had a big smile on her face. Then we pulled up the bases, raked up the field, gathered up happy kids, and headed home.
We burned off the rest of the day with TV baseball and ordering takeout. I sent the kids up for showers, Jack first and Kate second. I heard Jack, upstairs, doing play by play for Kate's.
"Now showering.....Number five....Kate.....Richardsonnnnnnn!!!"
Thursday, March 17, 2016
Baseball with Jack and Kate
Baseball practices have started. I'm the head coach of Kate's team this year, and Jack is essentially an assistant coach, since he's come to both practices so far and helped out. This is a little weird because several kids on the team are in Jack's grade and were his teammates last year. But because he's a little older and better at baseball, he's moved up a level and they've stayed to be joined by his younger sister moving up a level.
Yesterday was our first outdoors practice. It's going to be a challenging year for Kate, and me as her head coach, since a lot of the kids on the team are close to Jack in age and ability. But so far, so good. One of her friends is on the team, which helps (it's the age and level when a lot of girls start to drop out and it becomes a snowball effect -- girls drop out because their friends drop out, and so on and so forth), and there's mostly pretty good kids on it, some of whom know Kate a little, and were on the team a year ago.
Kate, from us playing in the back yard, is better at throwing, catching and hitting than she was a year ago. Plenty of room for improvement, which is true of everyone. Mostly I want two things: for her to try all the time, and for her to enjoy herself.
And she is. She'll do the right things in the fielding drills. Every once in a while she'll squawk about something or act like it's a big deal (or gripe about some minor ache or pain). But she generally does it with a smile; she's been having fun.
Jack, as an assistant coach, gets a little full of himself sometimes. He offers instruction which is way above the level most of the kids are ready for. And of course, he wants to show by doing: "Let me hit one?" That kind of thing. But he's been gamely playing first base while the kids are throwing the ball all over the place, loping to get this one, diving for that, without complaint.
Yesterday, at the end of practice, Jack pitched to some of the kids when my other assistant coach had to leave early. Kate, who'd got a hit off the other coach, came up and I could see her putting a pout on her face: "Jack's going to throw too hard. Jack's going to hit me." For a few pitches she stood as a statue, saying they were too high or too hard, while Jack threw both good and bad pitches and gaped at me in protest when Kate didn't swing. (Jack, that was too high. Jack, just keep pitching.) I went up to Kate and said, Kate, you can hit these. Just get in your good stance and put a good swing on it. And he threw one and she swung and hit it, and it was a slow roller that thank heavens stayed fair. And she got to first, and smiled, and Jack pitched to the next kid.
Practice ended with smiles all around. They played a little on the playground while we waited for other parents to collect their kids, and we got in the car just before rain and lightning started that would have cancelled practice immediately; lucky. Picked up a pizza, ate it at home, and the kids danced around the kitchen to their favorite song these days. Jack's always happy after baseball practice. Kate, I don't always see that, so it was really nice that she was. Made me proud.
There will be tough days coaching Kate and this team, I'm realistic about it. But for one night it was pretty awesome. Looking forward to playing ball.
Yesterday was our first outdoors practice. It's going to be a challenging year for Kate, and me as her head coach, since a lot of the kids on the team are close to Jack in age and ability. But so far, so good. One of her friends is on the team, which helps (it's the age and level when a lot of girls start to drop out and it becomes a snowball effect -- girls drop out because their friends drop out, and so on and so forth), and there's mostly pretty good kids on it, some of whom know Kate a little, and were on the team a year ago.
Kate, from us playing in the back yard, is better at throwing, catching and hitting than she was a year ago. Plenty of room for improvement, which is true of everyone. Mostly I want two things: for her to try all the time, and for her to enjoy herself.
And she is. She'll do the right things in the fielding drills. Every once in a while she'll squawk about something or act like it's a big deal (or gripe about some minor ache or pain). But she generally does it with a smile; she's been having fun.
Jack, as an assistant coach, gets a little full of himself sometimes. He offers instruction which is way above the level most of the kids are ready for. And of course, he wants to show by doing: "Let me hit one?" That kind of thing. But he's been gamely playing first base while the kids are throwing the ball all over the place, loping to get this one, diving for that, without complaint.
Yesterday, at the end of practice, Jack pitched to some of the kids when my other assistant coach had to leave early. Kate, who'd got a hit off the other coach, came up and I could see her putting a pout on her face: "Jack's going to throw too hard. Jack's going to hit me." For a few pitches she stood as a statue, saying they were too high or too hard, while Jack threw both good and bad pitches and gaped at me in protest when Kate didn't swing. (Jack, that was too high. Jack, just keep pitching.) I went up to Kate and said, Kate, you can hit these. Just get in your good stance and put a good swing on it. And he threw one and she swung and hit it, and it was a slow roller that thank heavens stayed fair. And she got to first, and smiled, and Jack pitched to the next kid.
Practice ended with smiles all around. They played a little on the playground while we waited for other parents to collect their kids, and we got in the car just before rain and lightning started that would have cancelled practice immediately; lucky. Picked up a pizza, ate it at home, and the kids danced around the kitchen to their favorite song these days. Jack's always happy after baseball practice. Kate, I don't always see that, so it was really nice that she was. Made me proud.
There will be tough days coaching Kate and this team, I'm realistic about it. But for one night it was pretty awesome. Looking forward to playing ball.
Wednesday, March 02, 2016
Disney
Went to Disney last week. We'd gone a couple of years ago and had so much fun; just had to go another time before the kids got older, Jack was in middle school, and such a trip away would be less feasible. So we went ahead and did it.
A couple of days were better the first trip. The newness of it all. The fact that our weather at Universal wasn't quite as good this time. On the other hand, we didn't make some of the mistakes we made the first time, and no doubt Universal was way less crowded with the lesser weather. We got to do all the rides we wanted to do, AND got to do them more often because the lines weren't as long. And when we went back to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner, Kate asked at the counter if our waiter from that trip, a colorful, charismatic guy named Vegas, was working. And he was. We were seated in his section, he charmed the kids again, and I seriously thought about getting a picture with him before we left. But that one we'll just have to keep in our minds.
Our best Disney day was Thursday, our second one in Magic Kingdom. Started at Chef Mickey's, where the food was just ordinary but the character meetings were fantastic. Goofy got the whole room swinging their napkins and clapping, us included. Minnie was as beautiful and charming as a giant mouse could possibly be. Mickey and Donald and Pluto gave and received big hugs all around. It was awesome.
After breakfast it was off to the park, where we began by standing in an hour-long ride for the Mine Train. Too long, but a great ride and so worth it. Then it was off to another roller coaster, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and a ride the kids were more into than us, Buzz Lightyear, where basically you're just trying to shoot things with lasers. Strangely addictive though, and while Kate got frustrated at times, when she had a good game, she was very excited. Those rides pretty much consumed the morning, and after lunch, we did them all again.
This was the night we were going to stay at Disney to watch a nighttime electric musical parade and maybe fireworks. They had them every night, but it made for a long day if we'd been there early, as we were. But our plan was to go back to our hotel to relax for a little, then return for the night show.
Trying to leave the park, we were delayed -- by another parade! In front of us, were dancers, and a huge dragon (the one from Sleeping Beauty) and other dancing, singing Disney characters. We rode a boat home, relaxed for an hour, watched a hilarious episode of Gravity Falls, then went back to the park for hotdogs (the baseball-themed Casey's, Jack "helped" by getting way more ketchup than any hotdog needed) and the parade.
It ended, and it was 8 p.m. Two years ago, we'd have just gone home -- did just go home. But this time we said, hmm, let's see how long the lines are at our favorite rides. And they weren't too bad. So as darkness fell (staved off by all the lighting) we ran about the park doing rides. Buzz, the Barnstormer, and more, after which Kate would say "Again! Again!" And then we rode the People Mover around the park, which was basically a train that went across the top of all the different rides. And then, as we ran from ride to ride, the fireworks started. And the Speedway was zooming off to the edge of the noise.
We ran from ride to ride as fireworks crashed overhead and park music played and Kate said "Again." Did this until around 9, but it seemed like forever. And then it was time to go.
Walking home, after catching the monorail to our hotel, I said to Kate -- neither she nor Jack will ever admit to being tired -- "You look like you'll admit to being tired." A little glassy-eyed, she said, slowly "I am tired." And that was the end of the day.
A couple of days were better the first trip. The newness of it all. The fact that our weather at Universal wasn't quite as good this time. On the other hand, we didn't make some of the mistakes we made the first time, and no doubt Universal was way less crowded with the lesser weather. We got to do all the rides we wanted to do, AND got to do them more often because the lines weren't as long. And when we went back to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner, Kate asked at the counter if our waiter from that trip, a colorful, charismatic guy named Vegas, was working. And he was. We were seated in his section, he charmed the kids again, and I seriously thought about getting a picture with him before we left. But that one we'll just have to keep in our minds.
Our best Disney day was Thursday, our second one in Magic Kingdom. Started at Chef Mickey's, where the food was just ordinary but the character meetings were fantastic. Goofy got the whole room swinging their napkins and clapping, us included. Minnie was as beautiful and charming as a giant mouse could possibly be. Mickey and Donald and Pluto gave and received big hugs all around. It was awesome.
After breakfast it was off to the park, where we began by standing in an hour-long ride for the Mine Train. Too long, but a great ride and so worth it. Then it was off to another roller coaster, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and a ride the kids were more into than us, Buzz Lightyear, where basically you're just trying to shoot things with lasers. Strangely addictive though, and while Kate got frustrated at times, when she had a good game, she was very excited. Those rides pretty much consumed the morning, and after lunch, we did them all again.
This was the night we were going to stay at Disney to watch a nighttime electric musical parade and maybe fireworks. They had them every night, but it made for a long day if we'd been there early, as we were. But our plan was to go back to our hotel to relax for a little, then return for the night show.
Trying to leave the park, we were delayed -- by another parade! In front of us, were dancers, and a huge dragon (the one from Sleeping Beauty) and other dancing, singing Disney characters. We rode a boat home, relaxed for an hour, watched a hilarious episode of Gravity Falls, then went back to the park for hotdogs (the baseball-themed Casey's, Jack "helped" by getting way more ketchup than any hotdog needed) and the parade.
It ended, and it was 8 p.m. Two years ago, we'd have just gone home -- did just go home. But this time we said, hmm, let's see how long the lines are at our favorite rides. And they weren't too bad. So as darkness fell (staved off by all the lighting) we ran about the park doing rides. Buzz, the Barnstormer, and more, after which Kate would say "Again! Again!" And then we rode the People Mover around the park, which was basically a train that went across the top of all the different rides. And then, as we ran from ride to ride, the fireworks started. And the Speedway was zooming off to the edge of the noise.
We ran from ride to ride as fireworks crashed overhead and park music played and Kate said "Again." Did this until around 9, but it seemed like forever. And then it was time to go.
Walking home, after catching the monorail to our hotel, I said to Kate -- neither she nor Jack will ever admit to being tired -- "You look like you'll admit to being tired." A little glassy-eyed, she said, slowly "I am tired." And that was the end of the day.
Saturday, January 30, 2016
sports day
It was a Saturday morning like many others. Woke up, wrote a column, had breakfast.
But Jack had an away basketball game, so I headed out to Taco Bell to get him a quick lunch before he left. And Kate had a home basketball game, so I made her a quesadilla before we left. And then they both had indoor tryouts for the upcoming baseball season in the afternoon, so it would be a two-sport day for them.
Kate isn't fully getting basketball just yet. She likes to try to shoot the ball in practice and in our driveway, so that's good. But she might not fully grasp the game concept. Like that she needs to fight for the ball, and try to get between the other team's player and the ball, and try to stop the other player from shooting. The games go fairly quickly -- this one took maybe 45 minutes -- which is good, since a lot of it is spent quietly or encouragingly trying to get Kate to go for the ball, or get open, or have more of a sense of what to do. It's her first year playing and we're cutting her plenty of slack as long as she's merely hustling and running and trying. But the highlights are a fairly low bar. In this game she went for a rebound that bounced near her, caught a pass from a player standing near her, and then passed it to another player a few seconds later without incident. So, good! She's working on it. I try to impress upon her the need to be more aggressive, and hope it takes eventually.
Jack's team won its first game. There have been about eight or nine, with one close loss and a whole lot of blowouts. I missed it, but enjoyed it vicariously through texts from Emily. He made his first basket! Had a steal, an assist, and a rebound. Later he said to me, "I had a quadruple single!" Funny. Pictures afterward showed a smiling, happy team, which is always good to see (and unprecedented in the basketball arena).
I took Kate to her baseball tryouts. It's possible she's reaching a little high in trying out for Minors, but the alternative is a year in Rookie where she'd be one of the oldest players (and kids as much as two years younger than her, some nearly three). Plenty of her friends will be in Minors, and I'd likely be one of her coaches, so that would be good. We practiced some the past few weeks in the yard (as weather permitted) and the basement. She didn't always do great, but she tried, and that's what I told her about tryouts: Hustle. Try hard. Do your best.
And she did. I saw her hit pretty well (one of the observing coaches said to me, She stands like Jack!), field a few ground balls, run hard. She struggled with popups, and I knew she would, but she tried. And most of the kids struggled with those, in part because they just don't see many of them in games (and it's even harder doing it an indoor facility). But she didn't look lost out there, and maybe she makes it. Afterward she was tired and not sure how she did, but I told her I was proud of her.
Then came Jack's tryouts. Jack back in his baseball uniform with all of his friends struck me as taller somehow than I remembered. He looked older, more confident, happy. I was just a little taken aback. He hit well. Fielded most of the ground balls hit to him cleanly. Dropped a popup, which was unlike him, and I could tell he was bummed about it. Said he got a late start on the running. Overall he did fine and I wasn't sure why he was bummed afterward. Turned out he wanted to have the best tryout, as he thought it would get him onto the team he most wanted to be on. I explained that it wouldn't necessarily work that way, and we talked it out in the car on the way home. And he said, "Oh." Brightened. "Then, never mind." He's like that, can put stuff behind him quickly.
I told them both I was proud of them, we ordered a pizza which was fantastic, and everyone went to bed. It had been a day.
But Jack had an away basketball game, so I headed out to Taco Bell to get him a quick lunch before he left. And Kate had a home basketball game, so I made her a quesadilla before we left. And then they both had indoor tryouts for the upcoming baseball season in the afternoon, so it would be a two-sport day for them.
Kate isn't fully getting basketball just yet. She likes to try to shoot the ball in practice and in our driveway, so that's good. But she might not fully grasp the game concept. Like that she needs to fight for the ball, and try to get between the other team's player and the ball, and try to stop the other player from shooting. The games go fairly quickly -- this one took maybe 45 minutes -- which is good, since a lot of it is spent quietly or encouragingly trying to get Kate to go for the ball, or get open, or have more of a sense of what to do. It's her first year playing and we're cutting her plenty of slack as long as she's merely hustling and running and trying. But the highlights are a fairly low bar. In this game she went for a rebound that bounced near her, caught a pass from a player standing near her, and then passed it to another player a few seconds later without incident. So, good! She's working on it. I try to impress upon her the need to be more aggressive, and hope it takes eventually.
Jack's team won its first game. There have been about eight or nine, with one close loss and a whole lot of blowouts. I missed it, but enjoyed it vicariously through texts from Emily. He made his first basket! Had a steal, an assist, and a rebound. Later he said to me, "I had a quadruple single!" Funny. Pictures afterward showed a smiling, happy team, which is always good to see (and unprecedented in the basketball arena).
I took Kate to her baseball tryouts. It's possible she's reaching a little high in trying out for Minors, but the alternative is a year in Rookie where she'd be one of the oldest players (and kids as much as two years younger than her, some nearly three). Plenty of her friends will be in Minors, and I'd likely be one of her coaches, so that would be good. We practiced some the past few weeks in the yard (as weather permitted) and the basement. She didn't always do great, but she tried, and that's what I told her about tryouts: Hustle. Try hard. Do your best.
And she did. I saw her hit pretty well (one of the observing coaches said to me, She stands like Jack!), field a few ground balls, run hard. She struggled with popups, and I knew she would, but she tried. And most of the kids struggled with those, in part because they just don't see many of them in games (and it's even harder doing it an indoor facility). But she didn't look lost out there, and maybe she makes it. Afterward she was tired and not sure how she did, but I told her I was proud of her.
Then came Jack's tryouts. Jack back in his baseball uniform with all of his friends struck me as taller somehow than I remembered. He looked older, more confident, happy. I was just a little taken aback. He hit well. Fielded most of the ground balls hit to him cleanly. Dropped a popup, which was unlike him, and I could tell he was bummed about it. Said he got a late start on the running. Overall he did fine and I wasn't sure why he was bummed afterward. Turned out he wanted to have the best tryout, as he thought it would get him onto the team he most wanted to be on. I explained that it wouldn't necessarily work that way, and we talked it out in the car on the way home. And he said, "Oh." Brightened. "Then, never mind." He's like that, can put stuff behind him quickly.
I told them both I was proud of them, we ordered a pizza which was fantastic, and everyone went to bed. It had been a day.
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
Pizza place
Kate and Jack both had basketball games tonight, and afterward I was gong to pick up pizza and calzones at a nearby Italian place. The plan was for both kids to go home with Emily, but Kate wanted to come with me to get the food. Ok, I said.
We parked and went in to this little, just-opened place that didn't even have menus on the wall yet. I said I wanted two slices of pizza and two calzones. I thought the order was done, but Kate used her elbows to lift herself up on the counter and piped up, "Do you have garlic balls?" The guy said, Yes, we do. So we got an order of those, too.
We stood waiting for a few minutes, Kate pointing out different things. "Those garlic balls look REALLY GOOD," she said. And: "Is that a stack of dough? Daddy, look, it's a stack of dough!"
I noticed a penny on the floor and pointe it out to her. She said, "Ooh" and picked it up. Amused, the guy behind the counter said, was it Heads or Tails? She paused. "Uh. I think it was heads?" That's good luck, he said. She sand the lucky penny song, then made up another one.
"Penny, penny, went to the store, to buy a jacket to keep her warm." She was pleased with this one and sang it a few times.
Sitting at a table waiting for food, she said, "Do you want to play rock, paper, scissors?" I said, no...lets do Math Facts. So I quizzed her on multiplication tables, and she did pretty well. Then she invented a game with the salt and pepper shaker and ketchup bottle on the table. Salt and pepper were kids and the ketchup was the Daddy. She talked for them with little voices, the kids playing outside and talking about what to do, the Dad supervising. We did this for a few minutes, and then our food was ready.
We drove home, and a Taylor Swift song was on the radio and Kate knew all the words. And when it ended, she sang her made-up song about the penny, going to the store.
We parked and went in to this little, just-opened place that didn't even have menus on the wall yet. I said I wanted two slices of pizza and two calzones. I thought the order was done, but Kate used her elbows to lift herself up on the counter and piped up, "Do you have garlic balls?" The guy said, Yes, we do. So we got an order of those, too.
We stood waiting for a few minutes, Kate pointing out different things. "Those garlic balls look REALLY GOOD," she said. And: "Is that a stack of dough? Daddy, look, it's a stack of dough!"
I noticed a penny on the floor and pointe it out to her. She said, "Ooh" and picked it up. Amused, the guy behind the counter said, was it Heads or Tails? She paused. "Uh. I think it was heads?" That's good luck, he said. She sand the lucky penny song, then made up another one.
"Penny, penny, went to the store, to buy a jacket to keep her warm." She was pleased with this one and sang it a few times.
Sitting at a table waiting for food, she said, "Do you want to play rock, paper, scissors?" I said, no...lets do Math Facts. So I quizzed her on multiplication tables, and she did pretty well. Then she invented a game with the salt and pepper shaker and ketchup bottle on the table. Salt and pepper were kids and the ketchup was the Daddy. She talked for them with little voices, the kids playing outside and talking about what to do, the Dad supervising. We did this for a few minutes, and then our food was ready.
We drove home, and a Taylor Swift song was on the radio and Kate knew all the words. And when it ended, she sang her made-up song about the penny, going to the store.
Wednesday, January 06, 2016
Vermont
We went to Vermont to see Nana and Baba after Christmas. Drove up on New Years Eve and brought a lasagna, champagne, and Sprite for the kids. Once in Vermont, there was snow, our first of the winter. (Leaving for home, Jack wanted to pack some in the car. Sorry, Jack, it's not going to make it back. But we tried.)
Got there and opened presents, and there was plenty of great stuff but mostly I want to talk about this awesome L.L. Bean hooded sweatshirt that I shall never take off.
We got ready for dinner, with Kate eager to help out setting the table and doing things for Nana. Fascinated by little things I was used to but had taken for granted. "You have a drawer for napkins?!" That kind of thing.
We all watched a little of the Nickelodeon New Years Countdown special, and the Dick Clark Rockin New Years Eve special, and the Walking Dead marathon. OK, we all didn't watch that.
Tucked the kids into bed later than normal, it was New Year's Eve after all. I think they slept well that night, I slept not quite enough; up too late, up too early. But it was a low-key New Year's Day planned, even more so because Emily was sick.
One thing the kids love to do is, at it occurs to me now, what I used to love to do. Walk around in the woods behind the house, climbing on the giant rocks, climbing over fallen trees, creating and inventing forts and hideouts and secret bases. We found tracks of deer, and rabbits, and other creatures presumably. I found old pieces of the swing set from the flat place, and remembered playing games up there. It always seemed so much higher and further from the house, and maybe it was, and maybe it seemed that way to them. But I could always look down and see the house, from afar looking exactly the same as it ever did.
We found walking sticks and trudged around in the snow. Kate shouted that she was killing guards ("I killed 600!") and Jack staked out different territories as the base and the medical center and other facilities. We did this for about an hour, and then it was cold and time to go in.
Went out to eat dinner at Black Rock, as we always do. Had steak and pasta with butter, and both kids ordered Shirley Temples to drink. I don't know when this started or who ordered it first. I think they like the idea more than the actual drink.
At home, Kate and Nana read Ant and Bee books for about half an hour. Listening to them, I realized that Ant and Bee were kind of similar to Frog and Toad. Probably not as funny -- how could they be? -- but similar. Kate read, then Nana read, then Kate read again. Jack messed around with a Solitaire Chess game he got for Christmas; Baba sat on the rug beside and watched and offered advice.
I dug into old games and played them with the kids. Jack Straws, even though the device to pick the straws up was broken. This card game I used to play all the time with Robin and Scott ("Because she wanted... To Steal the Diamonds!"). Fortunately, they took right to it, and we all read the cards and finished the whole game. Kate didn't quite get it right; when she got the "Steal the Diamonds" card she didn't want to give it up, thinking you win by being the one who stole the diamonds. She's the same way in Hearts, now that I think about it.
We went to bed, got up for pancakes as always, packed up the car. Jack and Kate coaxed Emily up into the woods for round 2 of exploring, walking sticks at the ready. I knocked snow off the roof over the front steps. And then we piled into car and came back home.
Got there and opened presents, and there was plenty of great stuff but mostly I want to talk about this awesome L.L. Bean hooded sweatshirt that I shall never take off.
We got ready for dinner, with Kate eager to help out setting the table and doing things for Nana. Fascinated by little things I was used to but had taken for granted. "You have a drawer for napkins?!" That kind of thing.
We all watched a little of the Nickelodeon New Years Countdown special, and the Dick Clark Rockin New Years Eve special, and the Walking Dead marathon. OK, we all didn't watch that.
Tucked the kids into bed later than normal, it was New Year's Eve after all. I think they slept well that night, I slept not quite enough; up too late, up too early. But it was a low-key New Year's Day planned, even more so because Emily was sick.
One thing the kids love to do is, at it occurs to me now, what I used to love to do. Walk around in the woods behind the house, climbing on the giant rocks, climbing over fallen trees, creating and inventing forts and hideouts and secret bases. We found tracks of deer, and rabbits, and other creatures presumably. I found old pieces of the swing set from the flat place, and remembered playing games up there. It always seemed so much higher and further from the house, and maybe it was, and maybe it seemed that way to them. But I could always look down and see the house, from afar looking exactly the same as it ever did.
We found walking sticks and trudged around in the snow. Kate shouted that she was killing guards ("I killed 600!") and Jack staked out different territories as the base and the medical center and other facilities. We did this for about an hour, and then it was cold and time to go in.
Went out to eat dinner at Black Rock, as we always do. Had steak and pasta with butter, and both kids ordered Shirley Temples to drink. I don't know when this started or who ordered it first. I think they like the idea more than the actual drink.
At home, Kate and Nana read Ant and Bee books for about half an hour. Listening to them, I realized that Ant and Bee were kind of similar to Frog and Toad. Probably not as funny -- how could they be? -- but similar. Kate read, then Nana read, then Kate read again. Jack messed around with a Solitaire Chess game he got for Christmas; Baba sat on the rug beside and watched and offered advice.
I dug into old games and played them with the kids. Jack Straws, even though the device to pick the straws up was broken. This card game I used to play all the time with Robin and Scott ("Because she wanted... To Steal the Diamonds!"). Fortunately, they took right to it, and we all read the cards and finished the whole game. Kate didn't quite get it right; when she got the "Steal the Diamonds" card she didn't want to give it up, thinking you win by being the one who stole the diamonds. She's the same way in Hearts, now that I think about it.
We went to bed, got up for pancakes as always, packed up the car. Jack and Kate coaxed Emily up into the woods for round 2 of exploring, walking sticks at the ready. I knocked snow off the roof over the front steps. And then we piled into car and came back home.
Thursday, December 17, 2015
The week before Christmas
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.
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 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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
