First week of school, 2010

Well, it looks like we all survived the first week. I fell asleep at 10:30 last night and didn't wake up for 9 hours, but the kids have had boundless energy and not needed any more sleep than usual. Greyson's report on his first day of 5th grade was, "Awesome! My teacher gives out Jolly Ranchers!" So now I know where our supply fee goes. He did have some homework on Thursday, but mostly the teachers have been easing them into the year.

 Ready to head to the bus stop on the first day of kindergarten.

His choice of pose.

Reece has been raring to go to kindergarten for the past 6 months, so it was no surprise that he didn't even blink this week with all the changes. On Wednesday, he and I went to a meet the teacher/see your classroom visit and while the parents filled out paperwork, his teacher read the kids "The Kissing Hand", about a raccoon who doesn't want to go back to school so his mom kisses his palm so anytime during the day he can put it against his cheek and remember she loves him. That evening, I told Reece we should remember for me to kiss his hand before he left for school, and he said, "I don't need that. I'm not nervous about going to school." And he was right. He nearly forgot to get a kiss and hug before boarding the bus, and his response after he got home the first day was, "School is AWESOME (it's a common word around here) and I love my teacher!" That's the second child for you - ready to move on way before his parents are ready for it.

Walking up to board the bus.

 

Getting back off the bus after the first day.

My first week as an assistant professor was hectic but not too crazy. I still have to sign up for benefits and get some things set up in my office and my name on my door. Oh yeah, and create a syllabus by Tuesday and figure out how to run an online course. Plus my research, of course. But I'm surprisingly calm and definitely feel I made the right choice in accepting this job. Ask me again in two months when my grant is due and I'm behind in grading and I might be singing a different tune, at least on the calmness level. I have compiled a number of things that I like better about this job and that I miss from my old job, and I'll be interested to see how long they stay true:

What I like about my new job
1) Excitement surrounding the new program
2) My large office that has walls that go all the way to the ceiling
3) Parking lot is next to my building and costs 1/10th of the parking at Case
4) More responsibility and respect and perks with being a faculty member (about time - I'm 40 for crying out loud!)
5) Being in charge of my own career and workload
6) Summers off!!!
7) Better benefits and a faculty union
8) Being the authority in my research area

What I miss about my old job
1) Being able to bike to work
2) Having a cancer center and major medical center right next door
3) Taking a month to go through a tank of gas
4) Having people around who understand my field more than I do

The last day of summer (for Greyson, anyway)

School starts tomorrow for Greyson, and Reece starts on Thursday with half days that day and Friday. We're still trying to get into a good sleeping and waking pattern, so hopefully Greyson will be able to wake up at 7:15 tomorrow morning. He'll be at the upper elementary school, and his bus picks him up at 8:15 rather than the 8:55 for the lower elementary, so it will definitely be an adjustment. This, combined with signs I'm seeing of Greyson trying to break free from Reece a bit, tells me we might be moving toward separate bedrooms for the boys sooner than we thought.

Greyson will be playing the French horn this year, as all 5th graders are required to either pick an instrument or join the chorus. We were able to borrow one from a neighbor who also spent some time giving Greyson a mini lesson, which really gave him some confidence. He also had an intro session at his school this evening, and the music teacher even got me excited about playing it! Really, I just want to get a used piano, but we'd probably have to build yet another room for it and THAT'S not happening.

So, about our garden. We came home from Michigan to this:

We don't even need to exaggerate that the sunflowers are as big as the house! (Or, more accurately, the garage.) Since then, a few of them were taken out by a storm, but we salvaged the blooms and are hoping to get some seeds out of them. Oh, and that mess in front of the sunflowers is two cucumber plants trying to take over the world. Or at least our backyard. They've even been trying to climb up the sunflowers and I have to speak sternly to them about boundaries. We are also picking whole bowlfuls of cherry tomatoes about every other day and giving them away to unsuspecting neighbors and relatives. Because we're also getting cherry and grape and Roma tomatoes from our CSA. And I've discovered that 1) I don't have any desire to peel and seed tomatoes, and 2) there aren't that many uses for cherry tomatoes beyond salads and picking and eating them right from the vine (yummy, yes, but best not to eat your weight in them I imagine). So I'm taking notes for next year that involve fewer cherry tomato plants, only one cucumber plant, adding dill and more basil, and probably not even trying peppers again. They were our only dud. The eggplants were surprisingly successful but not too overwhelming, so I might keep those. Just have to get Nick to come back and make homemade baba ganouj with them, though.

Summer, week 9, day 62

Hello, is this thing on??? OK, so it's been over two weeks since my last post, but in my defense, I've spent a considerable amount of time recently with probably half my readership, so there haven't been as many people to keep up to date anyway.

For the rest of you, I do apologize for keeping you hanging with Greyson's baseball saga. I posted the results on Facebook, but that's really all I had time for that last week in July. So, without further ado...

They won!!! Seadogs are champions of the Shaker Youth Baseball League minors division, 2010. The championship game didn't end up being played until that Friday night thanks to weather issues, but his team won that game and so didn't have to play a second one. When Greyson's coach handed out the trophies (one of his is for winning the American League division, the other is for the championship), he said Greyson was his "little man with the big arm". Overall it was such a good experience for him that we might actually consider letting him play next summer if he wants. Although we might need to request the exact same coaches and fellow players...

Now for a recap of the days after we left the baseball world. My mom, the boys and I left for Michigan on Saturday morning. Stopped at A&W in Standish for lunch (that's become an annual event) where they boys fought over who would call in the order and I almost had to take Reece out to calm him down. Luckily, that was not indicative of how our overall trip went.  Sunday we had a picnic at the beach, went mini-golfing, had dessert at Dairy Queen, and toured the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center, which I encourage everyone to see if they get to Alpena ever. After spending time exploring the entire museum, Reece stated that he wanted to look for shipwrecks when he grows up. I did mention that that career might actually involve swimming, so it'd be in his best interest to not freak out for his Miss Katie lessons anymore.

Reece's improper (and downright dangerous if you're near him) form at the "dog house" hole. I must say, as much as I like this particular putt-putt course, the reason  I love it is that they have TWO shades of green balls to choose from, so there was no need for any haggling right off the bat. I think both boys had geared themselves up for an "I called the green ball first" shouting match and didn't quite know what to do with themselves so walked meekly to the first hole. Of course, they found other things to argue about along the course.

 In the maritime center, there's a set of tunnels suspended from the ceiling that lead to a slide, which is all supposed to make the kids feel like they're on an underwater dig. Last year, Reece wouldn't have anything to do with it. This year, we almost couldn't tear him away.

I have no idea what we did on Monday. Tuesday we visited my aunt's cabin on Lake Huron, then we headed to Black Lake to spend three days at my uncle's cabin. Had to go out fishing that evening, of course. Greyson and Reece managed to each catch a fish at the same time AND get their lines intertwined, all while my uncle Dave was catching his own. Drama on the calm seas!

 You want me to do WHAT with it?

 Reece was OK with holding the fish (these are rock bass, for anyone who cares) using a special contraption so he didn't have to actually touch it. Although by the end of the evening, he was holding them with his fingers.

Wednesday we spent the day at Mackinac Island accompanied by my cousin, Jackie, biking and sweating. It was probably the hottest day during our entire trip and maybe hit 85. One unusual thing that happened was the ferry going to the island from Mackinaw City took a detour and went UNDER the Mackinac Bridge! Jackie's taken those particular ferries probably 30 times in her life and said that has never happened to her before. We joked that we were being hijacked (because THAT would be a strong message to the US - take out a bunch of midwestern tourists on their way to an island with no cars, lots of horse poop, who plan to eat their weight in fudge), but I'm now thinking someone slipped the captain a 50. Bonus for us!

 Wait, where are we going??

 

Proof that we went UNDER. Greyson took the picture after he got up enough courage to go to the front of the boat where lots of other people were trying to do the same thing.

After visiting this cemetery, Reece stated that he wanted to be a person who digs up bones when he grows up and wondered if he could start here, at this cemetery. Which took us into a whole discussion on what happens when people die. Gah.

 

 

 Thursday was back to Grandma's, Friday we saw The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee performed at the Thunder Bay Theatre, and Saturday we spend time with my friend, Lynnette and her son Nathan before heading back to Black Lake for more swimming and fishing. Drove back home without Grandma on Sunday, making it in less than 7 hours. Greyson and I have been enjoying our week so far, going out to lunch with Dan and running errands and getting stuff done around the house (me) and reading, watching TV, and playing on the computer (him). Tomorrow (hopefully), I'll post and update on our garden with photos. Suffice it to say, I'm running out of recipes that involve tomatoes and cucumbers that are not salad!

 

 

Summer, week 7

The whole blog-once-a-day thing worked very well for the first month and then has clearly tapered off (see previous posts on baseball (and more baseball) and illnesses for the reasons). But I'm happy to say that, at week 7 out of roughly 10, I'm feeling like I've been fully enjoying the summer. And the arguably best part of my summer, anyway, is still to come. Now I just have to find time to finish my current job this week (last day in is Thursday!), pack for the upcoming trip, and figure out how to not think about the stuff I have to do when we get back (which includes stocking up on school supplies, but I refuse to even think about that yet).

This past weekend my younger brother came through town and three of my cousins came to visit from the Detroit area. We, as we always do when we're all together, had a blast. It was searingly hot outside, so much of the activity revolved around the Wii and board games. I'm told a massive water fight was held at Nat & Tara's, but since I wasn't there (spent Saturday doing baseball duty and transporting kids to and from birthday/going-away parties), I only have second-hand reports of the fun.

 What the boys did while not playing board games or the Wii. This was a fortress that required taking a test to determine the password for admittance. I'm sure there were also weapons involved, because when are there not??

Jackie brought "Just Dance", and boy-howdy did everyone do just that. You get points for doing the moves correctly, and in general the girls were more accurate than the boys. However, one of my nephews started out not wanting to play it and then not quite getting it at first, but after not very long playing, he was routinely winning! We might have to get this game for the winter months, because you definitely can't play it sitting down.

In baseball update news, Greyson's team is playing in the championship game. And for the sake of my vacation and sanity, could everyone who is reading this send good juju his team's way so that they win on Thursday?? Because if they don't, they have to play yet another game (it's double elimination). And the games are already delayed one day because of rain we got Sunday, so that means we'd still be here Friday evening and not 400 miles north where it's cooler and I can justify not checking email or doing much of anything but sitting on my mom's deck with a good book and a cold drink. I don't mean to belittle the amazing achievement of the team's prowess and all, because we are incredibly proud of them and excited for them, but I think we are all, parents and players alike, about done for the season. 

Summer, days 40 and 41

Two playoff games down for Greyson's baseball team, and the next one is on Saturday. If they make it to the championship game, we'll be sticking around here through the 31st rather than heading to Michigan on the 28th as originally planned. His team has really been playing well together, and they have terrific coaches who encourage and teach rather than yell and put down, so I'd especially like to see them at least get to play in the championship game. However, I'm DEFINITELY going to be ready for a vacation whenever we do leave. I might have to misplace my iPhone for the duration of our trip so that I can't respond to emails from either of my jobs. Ironically, I am technically unemployed August 1st through the 22nd, and I expect to be busier then than I have been the past two weeks.

We had a lovely potluck dinner at Greyson's game tonight and even managed to save enough food for the boys to eat after the game. Then, when we got home, Reece was in charge of checking the garden for bounty:

We have had a few ripe cherry tomatoes every day for the past week, and just today Reece and Grandma discovered some cucumbers that were ready to pick. I planted most of the plants closer together than they should be, so it's always an adventure to find the vegetables under and between all the growth. We also have a small eggplant! Reece is dying to eat it, but I fear he's not actually going to like it and will be very disappointed. He also noticed a teeny tiny green pepper starting on one of those plants, and the sunflower plant are now taller than I am but don't have flowers yet.

In other news, we started Reece in private swim lessons, since he thinks he can swim but he can't. His instructor, Miss Katie, came highly recommended by multiple friends, and after two lessons I want her to come home with us and whip the boy into shape in every facet of his life! She is no-nonsense but also very kind, and he can already float on his back and puts his face in the water. He spent 1 1/2 lessons alternating between screaming and trying to talk Katie into doing what he wanted, but they finally came to an understanding (she's in charge, he needs to stop talking) and he was so excited about the floating that he wanted to go back again the next day. He'll have two more lessons before we head to the Michigan lakes, and I'll be surprised if he's NOT swimming on his own by then.

Summer - a slight detour from our regularly scheduled events

You might have noticed I've missed some days posting. There's been a little excitement around here, and between dealing with that and not wanting to broadcast what was going on at the time, it might have seemed a little quiet from our end. Let me assure you, that is the opposite of how it has been here.

Last Saturday (meaning the 10th), both Dan and my mom were not feeling completely up to par, and they both felt worse on Sunday. On Monday, however, my mom felt much improved while Dan kept feeling worse and worse. By Monday evening, he was having trouble not writhing around in pain and said that if he kept feeling so poorly, he would go to the ER (which is about 1 mile down the road from us, where Reece got his stiches and at the same hospital where Greyson had his extra tooth removed). At 2:30 Tuesday morning, he woke me up to tell me he was driving himself to the hospital. I asked if he wanted me to take him, but he said he'd be fine. I promptly fell back asleep. The next morning, I called the hospital, reached him, and found out he was being admitted!

After a day in the hospital but before his knee acted up, so he's pretty chipper here (and he had just shaved). I should have taken one of him with two days worth of beard growth and in pain for contrast.

 

We thought they'd just do a procedure, give him some drugs, and then release him. We had tickets to fly to Florida the following day and every intention of going. Long story short, he had what was most likely infectious colitis and also had a complication with one of his knees swelling up, so he remained there until today (the 17th). I actually considered going to Florida alone, but it's a good thing I didn't, because I spent most of each day in his room helping out and getting and relaying information among family and physicians. Thank god my mom was here and is comfortable enough with our life to just fit right in (and do all the laundry and dishes), because the boys still had camp and baseball and needed to be fed and even possibly supervised (we do try to do that every now and then around here). In fact, while I was watching Reece on the playground at the school where Greyson's game was being played Wednesday night and also trying to get a phone number off my iPhone for Dan while simultaneously talking to him, Reece fell off the monkey bars and knocked the wind out of himself (and ate some dirt, I think). I'm thinking that since I didn't have a complete breakdown at that point, I could probably handle UN negotiations at the very least.

Waiting to be released. MAN that takes forever.

So now we're just trying to get back to some semblence of normal and are looking forward to Nick's visit and Greyson's last week of camp and first week of baseball playoffs. And getting back to taking pictures and regular posts, but I'm not holding my breath on those anymore. Who knows what crazy lurks around the corner here.

Summer, days 30-32

Is it Monday again? The weeks have been moving by at regular speed, but the weekends are on warp drive around here. This past weekend, Nat & Tara and the kids came over Saturday afternoon to have ribs (shock - it's Dan's signature dish and he has perfected it, so it's becoming a staple around here) and then a rousing game of Wise and Otherwise. Now that two 10 year old boys routinely play, the game moves to bathroom humor with alarming rapidity. Having Nat and Dan there doesn't help, either.

The Phillips boys spent the night, and we had a very laid-back Sunday that included a community-wide picnic at a local park.

Today was more baseball, and I actually enjoyed it. Greyson made a great play in right field and earned a game ball after the game, and Reece spent the entire 2 1/2 hours playing with the other siblings while I watched the game and chatted with the other parents. I even knew what inning it was whenever anyone asked, although I never knew the score (they won by three - really, that's all that matters). Playoffs start a week from today.

Summer - somewhere in the heat

It has been crazy hot here the past couple of days, and while I don't function the best in high heat and humidity (given the choice of being too hot or too cold, I always pick too cold), I love that it really feels like summer this summer. We all smell of sunscreen and salty sweat (the good kind, not the stinky kind) and chlorine, and the vegetables and flowers are growing like crazy. Add in beach time, and that spells the perfect summer to me.

I'm at an overnight retreat near Sandusky for work, at a place that is older (in both physical age and clientele) designed to look like a Native American/hunting lodge. The chandeliers are made out of deer antlers, people. I don't know whether to embrace the camp or be offended. And when I got into my room, I saw this:

The usual, right? Lotion, shampoo, and a shower cap or similar item. However, when I looked closer at the middle item, here is what I saw:

 What the heck is a shoe mitten? If it's supposed to go over my shoes to keep them clean (or warm?), why aren't there two? My best guess is that you're supposed to shine your shoes with it. I did open it up just to get a better look:

And then I decided its best use would be to wipe off my phone screen, a duty it performed admirably. I might have to write to the company to suggest this 21st century use, because I'm guessing anyone under 50 will be similarly flummoxed by its current name.

Summer, days 24-26

4th of July - We all slept in, Dan and I decided to organize the office closet about noon, and Nat & Tara and kids came over around 3. We had bison and beef burgers and beer can chicken plus lots of sides (including the aforementioned raspberry cobbler) and played games. The kids had a squirt gun fight, which I think we can say is now a requirement every time they get together this summer. I took NO pictures. The entire day. I think I was too busy talking and eating and drinking wine and helping Tara to beat the men at Euchre.

Monday: Wildwater Kingdom (at what used to be Geauga Lake amusement park, but only the waterpark remains)

Clearly happy to be here.

One of the best uses of a big brother - riding on him in 1.5 ft of water. We went with two of Reece's classmates and their mom, and we bumped into another of his classmates and his family in the kiddie area!

Greyson going down the little kids slide, slowly.

Now THIS is more his speed.

Reece on an even smaller, slower slide in the kiddie area. He's on the cusp of trying the bigger ones but still has some fear.

Hanging out in the deeper cove area. He actually enjoyed swimming in the life vest.

In the wave pool. Greyson decided these waves were "lame" compared to those at Cedar Point's waterpark.

Tuesday: My mom arrived. Greyson stayed home from camp with pinkeye, so I worked from home. Dan went back to work and Reece went back to school/camp.

Summer, day 23 - 100th post!

Whoo hoo! 100 posts. I think I need a big cake, like the TV shows always seem to have for their 100th episodes. Instead, I'll eat the yummy leftover raspberry cobbler that Tara made and very kindly left with us (it wasn't leftover the first time we had it, of course).

I know I missed day 22, but except for the fact that Reece and his class rode on the Goodtime III day excursion ship to look at bridges that go over the Cuyahoga River (they've been studying bridges in school) and didn't get back until nearly 6:30pm, it was quite uneventful. They actually rode the rapid transit train to downtown, then rode the trolley to the dock, so I guess it was quite eventful for him (and especially his teachers). But the rest of us had a normal day and no pictures were taken.

Saturday, we had a cook-out with neighbors, and then Greyson and I went to the Indians' game. And this, here, is why I love where we live. We got in the car when the game was in the bottom of the 4th inning and arrived in our seats at the 7th inning stretch (Greyson had just sat down and I had to tell him to get right back up!). No more than 30 minutes door-to-seat, including stopping to buy a hot dog for Greyson. It was the perfect scenario for the two of us for a baseball game, since neither of us has the patience for 9 innings. The game was tied when we arrived, they went into the 10th inning and won it in an exciting play (which Dan can describe better than I can even though he just saw it on the news replay - I just know someone was on 2nd, someone else hit the ball between two infielders, and the runner took off and kept going to make it to home in time). Then we got to watch fireworks.