Monkey Shirts and Mozart

Alex had his 1st day of baseball practice this week. He's playing in a YMCA league, but with kids from his school on his team.
Aaron was entertained by a kitty some girls brought named Mozart. I think he was more pleased about the encounter than the cat, but he was very gentle.

Soccer Season Wrap Up - Spring 2007

Strawberry Pie

Today my family celebrated my 36th anniversary of my arrival on the planet with breakfast, presents, a song composed by Alex and performed by all three of them, and of course....
...strawberry pie! Becky has been making one of these for my birthday for years. This one is decorated with candles in the shape of my age. Here's to the next 36. Pass the Cool Whip.

Tiger Cub Acheivement 3G - Go See A Sport

Alex needed to learn the rules of a sport and then attend a game. Baseball was an easy choice with the Mudhens here in town. We talked about the rules a few weeks ago and Alex watched this game with a renewed interest.
The game ran long because the Norfolk Tides tied up the game with a home run in the 9th inning. Aaron had had enough, but Alex and I had a plan.
We flipped our hats upside down and backwards and used our rally caps and boom whackers (pictured) to cheer the team on to scoring the winning run in the 11th inning to take us ahead 3-2.

The night was topped off with fireworks and I realized that this was the first time I had the chance to use the fireworks setting on my camera which does long exposures. This shot was the neatest. In a few weeks we get to come back and camp on the field for Cub Scouts.

Restarting Swim Lessons

Aaron started formal swim lessons for the first time today. This was his first time in the water like this without one of us in there with him. He finally overcame his resistance to putting his face in the water and blowing bubbles. He still doesn't like the back float practice, but he at least tried it.
Alex continues to bloom in the water. He's got the backstroke down, but he'll be working on his forward crawl stroke this time. He's got no fear of the deep end and he's looking forward to joining the swim team for his age here at the gym.

Best Soccer Game Yet

Alex's soccer team won again today 4-2, but that's not why this was the best game. For the first time, they really played like a team. They passed the ball to one another, including a pass near the goal that resulted in a score. One of the kids did a backwards kick that the coach uses on them whenever he scrimmages against them. The coach's daughter scored the last goal on a one of those passing plays and there was much rejoicing.

Building Biplanes

This First Saturday of June, we went to Home Depot's Kids' Workshop and built biplanes. The last couple of months we've built relatively easy projects, but this made up for it.
Again we divided and conquered. Aaron built his with Becky while I tried to keep my recently sliced finger out of Alex's way.


Pretty impressive. Now we just have to decide how to paint them. :)

Primary Picnic 2007

Today Alex's class celebrated their last day of school at a local park where they picnicked and played games. Alex (front row, left of center, white shirt - red numbers) is thrilled to be a second grader now - the "elder statesmen" of the Primary class. Way to go Alex!

Center for Lessons Learned

Almost 7 years ago, I tried to remove the metal ring at the top of a glass olive oil bottle to prepare it for recycling. To do this I held the bottle in my left and and a paring knife in my right hand. I stuck the tip of the knife under the edge of the ring and pushed, attempting to break the aluminum ring free from the bottle. I accomplished this much easier than I expected, and the momentum of the knife plunged it into the side of my thumb on my left hand, causing a 1 inch wound that required 6 stitches to close.

The Army has a special department called the Center for Army Lessons Learned where they literally compile valuable lessons from the field and apply them to future missions. If I were following their example, you'd think that I would have resolved not to cut something with a sharp knife that is otherwise aimed at my other hand. You'd think that, but you'd be wrong.



Today I wanted to water the strip of grass between our driveway and the neighbors' yard, so I tried to cut a nozzle from a cardboard package in exactly the same way - and exactly the same thing happened. Almost. This time it was my index finger lacerated by the sharpest blade on my Leatherman multi-tool. Becky was picking Alex up from school, Aaron was upstairs napping, and I couldn't drive. The sides of the fingers are where the blood vessels run and this bled vigorously. I was in the garage and I made it to the kitchen sink in about 10 seconds. I got lightheaded from the pain and the sight of the rate of bleeding. After rinsing the wound, I wrapped a wad of paper towels around it and squeezed it tight. After about 8 minutes, I lifted the compress and the blood started pouring out again. I knew where this had to end up so I called my doctor's office and they could get me in. I called Becky and she hustled home and took me to get these 3 stitches.

When I did this seven years ago, I felt stupid for stabbing myself. I wasn't thinking. I'm extremely careful with sharp items at work, to avoid cutting a coworker, or sticking myself with a contaminated tool. My dad taught me how to use a knife. I'll be teaching the same thing to my children someday. I feel about 10 times worse today. I should have filed this under Lessons Learned. Hopefully I won't have to learn it again in 7 years.

Fourteen Years Building a Happy Life

Fourteen years ago today I tricked convinced my wife to spend the rest of her life with me. I don't have tremendous ambitions. I want a happy life with a family that loves each other and I married a wonderful woman who wants the same thing. We put our kids in storage Kidz Watch and celebrated our life so far at Biaggi's. She looked gorgeous (as always). Happy Anniversary, Becky!!!

Cupcakes for Cancer

As a fundraiser to benefit the American Cancer Society, the MVPA is sponsoring Cupcakes for Cancer. Becky and the boys made and decorated 39 cupcakes to be sold at school for $1 apiece.
In case you're curious, the purple icing was made from white icing, food coloring, and grape Kool-Aid powder. They were a big hit and they had a lot of fun making them for a good cause.

Master Archer Alex

New Polar Bear Cubs

Three polar bear cubs were born at the Toledo Zoo this winter and this was the first weekend we got a chance to see them. The two moms gave birth without the zoo staff knowing they were pregnant, though they suspected something was up. Ever tried to give a polar bear a pelvic exam? Me neither.

Maumee Valley Campus Rally

Today Alex's school hosted an event that has been a year in the making. Traditionally, the MV Parent's Association has hosted an end of year event. The last couple of years it has been a Carnival on the campus gounds. It was difficult to coordinate and manage so they decided to try something different this year. Becky has been volunteering heavily with the MVPA since Day 1 and wanted to do more. She was convinced that it would be a breeze to chair a new MVPA event that no one had ever done before. She stepped up and showed them what she could do. She may someday write about the trials and tribulations she endured to make this go smoothly, but I've been focusing on the results, because the Maumee Valley Campus Rally was a resounding success.

The event centered around the presentation of Jim "Basketball" Jones, a local performer who intersperses backetball tricks with inspirational messages. He was dyslexic and was put in "special" education classes. His mother read him his textbooks and he ended up as one of the top business students in the country. Along the way, he learned to fit in by spinning basketballs and did basketball halftime shows before realizing that he had a message to share with kids. He taught them "I am important", "I can...I will", and "Never give up!". He got all of the kids involved with ball spins and brought several up for group tricks (Alex is in the white shirt in the middle). He taught kids listening skills with a game of "Simon Says" and ended up the show by spinning eight basketballs at once.

Everyone told Becky what a great job she did coordinating the space, getting Jim to come, providing refreshments, and coordinating several helpful volunteers for this event. She's earned a great weekend off to comtemplate next year's MVPA events.:) She showed her kids what Jim was talking about - that even when things didn't go the way she expected, she never gave up. I'm so proud of her.

Mother's Day 2007

We woke Becky up this AM with breakfast in bed that the boys helped me make. It was garnished by a rose we cut from her Mother's Day bouquet that she got yesterday. We had a lazy morning and just played with the kids. For lunch, I sauteed salmon filets with spices, steamed some asparagus and baked a foccacia beer bread that Becky had bought from a mix. We called and wished Nana Evans and Grammy Hardage a Happy Mother's Day each.
As we've been doing for several Sunday afternoons, we went to Alex's soccer game. Alex had a good game, blocking several shots and passing the ball to his teammates. Whenever the opposing players gets the ball near our half of the field, Alex has been running to a position just in front of the goal to block shots.
We went from there straight to El Camino Real for a Mexican Dia de las Madres celebration.

We had a great time at dinner, especially since that had a strolling mariachi band that played in our section and serenaded our table. We were dancing in our seats (or in the case of a certain 3 year old, on the seat). What a great time to end a wonderful day. Happy Mother's Day!!!

STOMP!

After scooting out of Sauder Village a little sooner than we wanted, we drove back in time to change clothes. At the Stranahan Theater, we took the kids to see Stomp! This is a muscial/dance experience where the music is performed onstage by dancers/performers using household items to tap our percussive musical rhythms. Heavily used are push brooms, trash cans, plastic brooms and Zippo lighters. The latter were used on a dark stage so we could only see the flames from the lighters and hear them opening and closing. The kids had a great time and I think we may be back their next time around.

Tiger Cub Acheivement 1G - Discovering the Past

For Alex's Tiger Cub badge, he needed to visit a historic farm and see how life was different and the same a hundred years ago. We had the perfect spot for this an hour west of us - Sauder Village and today Scouts got in for free. Sauder Village was founded by Erie Sauder, of Sauder Furniture fame. It transports you back over 100 years ago to life in the swamps of Northwestern Ohio. There are a few original buildings and several replicas on the site of old family farmhouses, barns, shopkeepers, doctors, and schools among others. They have animals on the farm and Alex got to crank a device that pulled dried corn off the cob for animal feed. Aaron grabbed the nearly spent cobs and tossed them into a nearby pig sty.
In one of the historic farmhouse, a volunteer showed us how they prepared food in their log cabins. This one had a firepit with a hole in the roof for the smoke and she was using the set up to prepare the fixings for a dandelion green salad with bacon dressing. It was good to know that in desperate times we can turn to dandelion greens for nutrition, though I think we were all happy to wait for desperate times.
They had a little kids area with a replica farmhouse (and butter churn) and a fake cow to milk. They enjoyed the play break, but quickly wanted to get back to seeing more of the village.
We found a replica of a schoolhouse, where a volunteer told us about how school was different back then, but they learned some of the same things that Alex is learning in school now. The "water fountain" was a bucket and ladle by the door and light came in through paper covered windows and little oil lamps.

Alex's favorite part was a relatively new addition to the property that dealt with the original inhabitants of this area. Alex got to help put together a wigwam that the Native Americans would have used for traveling. He also told us about the more durable longhouses that they framed in wood and covered in bark that they had there.

We finished the day with sweet treats from an ice cream parlor and vowed to return to see the parts we missed today.

The School's New Duck Family

This mama duck landed in the little courtyard at Alex's school and hatched her brood. The kids are getting to watch them grow up and loving it.

Tiger Cub Acheivement 2G - Visit With a Police Officer

Today Alex got the opportunity with his class to visit with 2 members of the Toledo Mounted Police and ask them how they help the community. The horses were named Renegade and Rookie. The officers talked about how they select and train the horses, how they care for the horses and the kinds of patrols they do. One of their main jobs is to provide the security of a police presence at Toledo Mud Hens home games. They talked about haw they use the size of the horses, along with special moves like walking sideways, to help with crowd control. The horses manes are kept cut short to prevent someone from grabbing them. After a question and answer period, everyone got to meet and pet the horses.

Happy Birthday Becky!!!

Today we celebrated Becky's anniversary of her entry into the world. As I've mentioned before, our children have renewed the fun of our birthdays, and today was no exception. The boys were so excited. They made her cards and didn't fuss (much) about getting dressed up for a night out on the town - OK dinner at a mall restaurant. We went to the Elephant Bar and they were on their best behavior, not perfect, but their best. They knew that if they were good, then they could share in the dessert. It was our privilege to celebrate her life. Happy Birthday Becky!