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We enjoyed Christmas in Clearwater Beach this year. At the last minute, we booked a week at the Opal Sands, a new resort on the beach that opened earlier this year. You'll see from the pictures, the view of the Gulf was amazing, and an open door to the water was just what we needed.
We ate well, with Nick getting his bairdi crab at least once. We played pool and had Mexican food at Pan Filo's one evening (a 'family restaurant'.) Post Corner Pizza across the street from the hotel came in handy, particularly on Christmas night when most other places were closed.
Nick built several creatures in the sand, from a crocodile to a snake. His komodo dragon was a huge hit with the Asian families on the beach, who took pictures. We got two good days on the beach, with temperatures fifteen degrees above normal and sun every day. The rest of the time was by the pool, which was so awesome there was no reason to leave it: meals served to our lounges, beverages on demand, Nick entertained by the pool, a little cornhole (with a couple other kids), and just enough shade for me not to burn.
We walked the beach each morning, which inspired the adoption of two hermit crabs (Bob Loblaw and Hermie), and each evening along the boardwalk, where there was a playground for Nick.
Our room was decorated with a Christmas tree, lights, and a non-stop supply of cookies.
And I had a great bike ride with Donny, who now lives in Largo, just a few miles down the road. He can pedal all day, I wear out fast. But a couple miles on the bikes along the beaches was very relaxing, and then we played cards one evening with Don and Rick, poolside at the hotel.
The general consensus is that this should become a tradition.
Photos here.
- Jason
We celebrated Christmas Day a little early at home, the weekend before the holiday. Our small tree had plenty around it, and it was a pleasantly uneventful day.
Nick got Mama a cat toy, which was specifically forbidden after this mistake had been made in the past. Didn't go over well, but he recovered from it. She makes sure he has a full Christmas of outstanding gifts, except for those that aren't at the top of his list, which he calls, "consulation prize gifts."
We had planned a trip to Gatlinburg this month, but the fires squashed our plans, as a city choked in smoke and fire retardant wasn't in our best interest. We stayed home, and the snow fell in full-force with the first blast of the year. At least Nick got some sledding time down the drainage ditch next door to our condo. We also stayed back for his school presentation, which the kids do an annual Christmas-themed play. I hear it was very good (I sat in a bad spot and didn't see Nick the entire time.)
Nick's odd one-liners of the month: "That is the holy grail of dressings!" (referring to the discontinued Asian Chicken Salad at Panera, which has caused us to boycott the establishment.) "What would happen if... ", which is his new ice-breaker into conversation. "When I was young..." And "Merry Christmas, Suiciders", which I think is supposed to be sympathetic and funny all at once. He just blurted it out at the dinner table, no idea why. He continues attempts at writing his own jokes, and every once in awhile he hits on one. "Why did the deep sea diver kill himself? He was scuba-cidal."
Pictures here.
- Jason
This was a busy month for family activities. Jessica got married mid-month, so there was a small wedding to be attended. About half way through the evening, we realized the boys were entertaining themselves and the venue was still standing. This is a first for all of them (Noah, Nick, Mason and Myles) together. Usually someone must be contained (usually, it's Nick). Nick sat down at a piano in the bar, and began playing, sat there a good 20 minutes. So Noah grabs his trumpet. Now, I'm pretty sure they weren't playing the same piece, but it was close enough that they sounded good.
Fayling brought his boys up from Atlanta for a week, which was filled with swimming at the YMCA, lots of pizza, lights at the Toledo Zoo, and a day at Kalahari water park. At Kalahari, we had a great setup with an indoor cabana, TV, and a place to relax. We lost Thatcher in the first hour, but otherwise, the day went smooth. On Friday evening, the kids enjoyed the Toledo Zoo Christmas Lights, which was a bit wet out, but overall not too busy. Todd and Aiden joined us for the week. Nick and Aiden get along really well... they are on the same (short) wavelength.
The pictures you don't see (because there aren't any) are from our moving across the complex to a new condo, and back again to the original unit, in a single week. I'm only mentioning this because someday we'll try to remember which month that was! I got two turkey dinners from the month, which soothed the anxiety.
Pics here.
- Jason
Obviously it's Halloween this month, and Nick decided to be a ninja. Have no idea where this came from. His costume had rubber nunchakus, which I showed him how to use properly... for a moment, I impressed him. He made the rounds this year without getting tired early, covering a couple of blocks and filling his bag. We got to focus on running with him while my Aunt Connie came by to hand out candy from the front door. I got my usual Halloween beer from my Aunt Peggy (which Nick quickly swiped from my hand... Amber's kids are of the age they can't get near a beer yet, Nick's still young enough I don't notice), and shared some photos with my niece Haleigh, who we saw earlier in the month as part of the flag corps for the University of Toledo football game. Along with this experience, he's more into the OSU v UM game, which they wore jerseys to school. He can now use the term 'Suckeyes' appropriately in a sentence.
Nick went to his first live football game, BG v UT, where we had front row seats at mid-field. Really, it was too close, at least for this venue. But a Fall Saturday afternoon with the temperature around 70 degrees, and decent food at the alumni tent (for BG, of course), made it a great experience.
Photos are from the pumpkin that his Grandpa grows for him every year. After the holiday, they were placed in our back yard where the young deer found them edible. You can also see Nick was helpful in closing the pool this year, and somewhere in there was a trip to the zoo.
Pics here.
- Jason
Nick and I stopped by the flower shop to get his mama her monthly rose, and he handled the transaction completely on his own... knew what he wanted, and resolved the bill. While we waited, he was shopping the wine section by name. I have no idea how he knows anything about wine. ("Is that a Riesling? I love the aroma.") His taste buds are getting expensive, not only with his consumption of seafood, but now he has a thing for Jamón Ibérico which is $94/lb. Kids all have their way of getting what they want. My younger nephew is still learning about religion as well, and his point-of-view is, "I wish Jesus would get me a Sprite." They figure it out young to ask God for stuff they want, I suppose.
He made buckeyes with his mama this month as a treat. Then proceeded to press them against his face and create chocolate circles around his eyes. But he's got a responsible side of him, it's not all blab. As we finished dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant one evening, I volunteered to be the passenger as I had a margarita. "I think you belong in the back seat, Dad." I was nowhere near intoxicated from one, but he's got the idea.
School is still bumpy, as he continues to fall out of his chair. I can't picture how it happens. He says, "It happened again. Unprovoked." He has good weeks and bad. He asks, "So other than all the bad stuff, I got a good report?" He's making the grade (all 'A's with a 'B' in Religion, I can work with that.)
He's forming his own tastes in entertainment. He favorite band is currently Skillet, a metal band from over a decade ago. And he loves the slapstick film Kung Pow. As Nick tells it, "It's better than bread crumbs and beaver spit." I have no idea what that means.
We went to the local Mustang show, spent an afternoon at Crosby Gardens, he had an afternoon with his buddy Jack, blueberry picking, and did science experiments with dry ice at home. It was a full month.
Pictures here.
- Jason
This was our biggest swimming month with the hottest August on record in Michigan. We were in Grandpa's pool nearly every weekend, including a four-day weekend away from work when I tried to make up for the seven weeks of summer I lost to travel. Kids went back to school in Ohio early, by my calculation, his summer was two weeks shorter than Michigan or Georgia. A little grilling and enjoying the wireless speaker (blasting our classical music louder than the neighbor's kids' screaming) by the pool was very relaxing.
So school has begun, and Nick's ready to 'level justice' on the turkeys. We're struggling with school, while the teacher seems to work well with Nick, and the students are a better bunch, he's been sick a couple of times, and can't get into a rhythm. I come home from work exhausted from nightmare commutes (thanks to Michigan road construction) and Nick says, "I think we should have a beer and relax." I agree.
We bought Mama a new car, as our Fusion had become unreliable - too many repairs for a car only three years old. Nick was more excited to get the Lexus than we were (this was somewhat the result of the Clinic I did for work last month... this vehicle won the clinic, so I decided against the Jaguar. The images in the link look just like ours, inside and out.)
He's beyond just noticing cars on the road, and is now able to talk powertrains. Part of this is the new obsession with Forza Horizon 2, the racing video game on XBox. He's graduated to games for older kids (it's an adult game, really), buying cars, swapping engines, and winning races on the roads of Italy. Certainly something he and I can talk about, better than trains. And I suppose his interest is fueled by being without his iPad and laptop for most of the summer.
We got one summer trip together, meeting Brad in Pittsburgh for a weekend of baseball at PNC Park. It was an easy weekend getaway, with a nice hotel, a train ride away from the ballpark, and Brandi and Nick visited the National Aviary Museum for an afternoon. Nick and Brad spent the evenings playing UNO or rummy or something, and taking selfies. They have way too much in common.
- Jason
Brandi and Nick continued their summer travels, since I was gone for work all month. The July trip was to Atlanta for a couple weeks, for lots of time hanging out with Thatcher. There was a couple of evenings with fireworks (with Todd and Aiden) as the kids tried to sneak fireworks behind the backs of adults, including sneaking them into their bedrooms. But generally lots of time on the iPad, and playing Five Nights at Freddy's (taking turns playing animatronic monsters, and avoiding jump-scares), as usual. Megan's 'pet' cat died before their arrival, so there was a memorial service to attend. Nick bonded with the relatives, playing Halo Reach with Uncle Jason, and trying to trick Aunt Megan into buying him more trains.
We take for granted the things that must be taught to our kids. My brother-in-law stopped using the upstairs bathroom in his home for months because of an unknown 'leak'. Turns out Seth was showering with the curtain outside of the tub, soaking the entire floor, and running through the walls. We shake our heads, then Brandi catches Nick doing the same thing. Ugh.
Nick is in the back seat of the car explaining the inner-workings of a Volcano to me, magma flowing, layers of the earth's crust, and on and on. So I ask him what happens once the volcano erupts? "All hell breaks loose, Dad." Technically, that's accurate. And one of the instances that lead us to believe we probably can't stick him in a more strict religious school (with their 'theories' on science.)
At the end of the month, we attended an engagement party for Jessica and Jeff, where Nick frolicked in the pool for four hours with Mason and Myles, pictures here.
- Jason
With school winding down, you'd expect an assignment requiring huge effort in the last four days of the school year, right? Not impressed with this school. We had 4 months to 'create a business model' at the last school in second grade, this year just four days. So he repeated the clay figurines model... and sold more than anyone else in the school market. The decision facing us is whether to send him back to the same school for fourth grade. Very undecided.
He continues to grow up on schedule, more than just losing his first molar this month. He's into maximizing the number of Mountain Dew flavors her can try... buys a bottle, and leaves a flat spit for me to try at the end when I get home from work. Says things like, "Let's get naked and play UNO," although it's still harmless at the moment. And he thinks he's ready to add mowing the lawn to his chores list. Don't rush it.
We went strawberry picking on a Friday evening at nearby Whitaker's Farm, on a perfect evening.
I traveled almost 6 straight weeks for work, so Brandi and Nick left for Pennsylvania for a few weeks. He went fishing with Daddy Bobby (although he catches more bats than fish with his cast... Pap calls him 'nester' because he tangles more line than he casts), and they made Pizza together at Paisano's. He drove an amphibious vehicle and went target shooting (at explosives) with Uncle Andy (what ten-year old kid wouldn't love firing a Savage 243 Trophy?) It's good for him to see the outdoors and get away from the laptop, moving heavy logs and swinging axes (for the first time, all limbs still intact.) There's also pictures from the Caverns in Huntingdon. They wrapped up with a day trip out to Danville to visit Grandma Little, where they saw a bear-on-the-highway accident, and watched the Penguins win the Stanley Cup.
Enjoy the pictures.
- Jason
Bird watching is a thing now with Nick, with reference books and recognizing birds on-sight that I've never heard of. We plan to take him to an aviary in the near future. Our (tiny) back yard contains some reasonable wildlife, with a couple rabbits, squirrels, and lots of birds, which Brandi feeds. She also raised a jar of tadpoles and released them in the ditch nearby... at the start of a two-month drought. We think they made it.
We made a trip to the Detroit Science Museum, where he learned how steel is made, and memorized the four ingredients.
Grandpa is spending more time working in Nick's pitching, which he can nail the plate at the sanctioned distance. Still doesn't catch well, but we'll work up to it.
We also went to Went to Sterling State Park for an afternoon. It was a little chilly and windy, but made for a nice walk and a little kite time. Lots of photos of Nick on the beach digging in the sand.
School ended with the St. Joseph Festirama, which Brandi took Nick for fair food and rides. I skipped it.
Still enjoying swimming with Jared. He need to practice keeping his legs out on the same plane, and keeping his head down when turning. He can swim the butterfly better than I ever will, but needs work on making the shape of an S on his stroke.
Pictures here.
- Jason
Nick loves shrimp, so much that he'll dig out the tails from whatever's on the table. There's a shrimp wrapped in bacon intended for fajitas at Cinco de Mayo restaurant, and he'd live on them if we let him. Brandi made drumsticks one evening for dinner, and he sits down and says, "I love chicken femurs." Have no idea where that came from. He's also decided he'll eat a salad (lettuce is no longer the enemy.) Really the big story in consumption is volume: we went out for a mixed dinner (we all got fast food from different places) and he ate all his Five Guys burger, and then wanted half of my Chipotle burrito. The one that gets me is eating ice cream cones from the bottom up.
When he was young, we encouraged him to read out loud, not thinking it could permanently damage his ability to read quietly to himself in the future. Singing I can appreciate, like how he sings 'Animals' by Maroon 5, having no idea the song is about a stalker (at least I think he has no idea.)
The boys were up from Georgia for a week, and we got in as many activities as we could. We did a day at Castaway Play in Howell. Brandi took the boys swimming one evening while Jason and I had drinks with the guys from the karate school. We come home and Thatcher says to Brandi, "You are so pretty without your clothes." He meant in her swimsuit, but still! (BTW, I took a business trip to Toronto, and when I told stories about the boys, they think the name Thatcher is the coolest name ever for a boy... it plays well in the Queen's territory.) The kids are all growing up fast now... Seth's voice drops an octave every few months when I see him. There were also a couple trips to the Toledo Zoo. One was with his school as the year winds down, and his friend Owen is in many of the photos. Brandi says the kids got to ask questions of the zookeepers... and Nick was answering all of their questions. His comprehension still well outpaces other kids, and wildlife is his passion. The other visit he went back to touch sharks in the new exhibit.
Nick started private swimming lessons this month. His instructor, Jarett, is excellent, and says Nick is the most teachable student he has. Nick loves to swim, and he's now doing strokes that I could never do. The pictures here are from swimming and diving classes.
Photos this month are behind this link.
And Nick is adding more to his YouTube channel. Here's the video of his Minecraft world under construction.
- Jason
We took Nick with us to vote in the presidential primary this month, so he got to see a voting booth firsthand. A few weeks later we're walking in the mall, and he gets all excited to rush into a Spencer's, and sees a 'Deez Nuts' T-Shirt for ten bucks (not the band). I bought it for him, with the agreement he doesn't wear it to school. How does he know about this?
We passed the time one afternoon with a drive at the Whitmer HS parking lot... Nick drove. He hasn't had practice since last summer, but is progressing well. He's advancing to the mindset of a teenager, more worried about the radio channel than the traffic. This goes along with him spending his free days in bed with 2-3 devices and a bag of beef jerky. He's not a complete loafer, now in swimming and diving on Saturday mornings
Some of the dangerous genetics are creeping in as well. "Can we keep the container?" comes up way to often. And he's thinking ten steps ahead of everything we do, which is good, but it gets annoying at times as well (can we just enjoy the moment sometimes?)
We took Nick to the Henry Ford Museum for a day during the week, when crowds were small. I was excited to see the cars, and Nick nearly exploded having to wait to get to the real steam trains. Fascinating how much stuff they have on display as 'historical' that doesn't seem that long ago... the display dedicated to the 1980's looks very familiar (I could re-create it with the crap I have in storage... most of it still in boxes... which again relates to that 'let's keep it' mentality Nick has inherited.)
Today is Easter Sunday, and we're laying low, surrounded by every flavor of Peep imaginable, and candy wrappers all over. He was up at 4:00 AM to take in his haul, which his mama let me sleep through it. He doesn't sleep well when he stays up late, and last night was my fault, but he's started reading more on his own, and I hate to discourage it.
More photos this month..
- Jason
We measured Nick on the board in the garage at 9 years old. He's three inches taller than me at the same age. And he can lift his mama and walk off with her if he wants to. Growth has not been a problem.
Nick's been working more pop-culture and 'old sayings' into his lexicon, being careful with his word selection. He's still cautious not to curse as much as I do (referring to the 'A-word' when he talks about other kids at school). And the old saying isn't exactly, "Hand of wishes and a hand of shit" (it's "Wish in one hand and shit in another, see which one you get"), but the English language is complicated. Make no mistake, when he had trouble at school and told the kid to, "F*&# off" (he didn't censor it), he made his point, and got the result he wanted. He must be communicating well on some level. He came home from school one day, and announced, "We changed seats in class, and I'm sitting next to cutest girl in class. She laughs at my jokes."
There's more to maturing than cursing properly. I watched him sign his name for the first time as he filled out a form at the YMCA pool. They do still teach cursive in Catholic school apparently.
We went to a Toledo Walleye hockey game on a Friday evening. Coincidentally our neighbor Ted Tucker was doing his debut as color-announcer on the TV broadcast that evening. We enjoyed the Huntington Center immensely, with great seats on the rail in the upper deck, and the two best teams in the league. Tickets and food are a good deal in minor league sports, a reason I love them.
We setup a Youtube channel for Nick to publish his animated creations (access it here). He rushed four of them out to the site, then slowed down, but he's also been without his iPad lately, so more will get posted eventually.
Not many pictures this month, just the couple posted on the page here.
- Jason
So here we are, starting year number ten of Nick's life, and our blog. They are both survivors. Really, it's others who are more in danger around Nick, such as Miranda who nearly got a broken nose from Nick hurling a basketball at her face on Christmas (which we celebrated the following weekend this year.) And he left his impression on young Myles as we heard him yelling, "Holy Crap!" in mimic of my son.
But it wasn't easy on Nick either, as he was sick in January (which later took down his mother for weeks in February.) Still he says, "I'm very tough. I don't want help." He's taken several more steps towards adolescence, such as skipping the children's sermon during Sunday church and sitting with me ("I'm a young man, now. I'm staying right here"), and I found an empty donut bag in his bed, now he's sneaking food into his room when no one is watching.
He came home from school with a note from the teacher (like, there's one every day, but this one was a bit more stern in tone) as he had tackled and strangled a kid during recess. I tried to get him to explain what happened to me, which led to a full re-enactment of the supposed game called "Toilet", and I still didn't understand. Finally he barks out, "Dad, the guy was puppydogging me!" So of course, NOW it all makes sense (?!?) Weeks later Ann Trucsinski was able to get him to explain it, but she's a teacher, so she worked some magic.
In summary of this month's events, you can tell the Catholic School is making a great impression.
I started playing Minecraft with Nick this month, and he has declared me an official 'Gamer' based on my improving skills. We are building a world together from scratch, and I'm getting the hang of it (I can now lay a contiguous row of bricks.)
He's roughly 3.5 inches taller than I was at age nine, so he's still tracking for 6' tall. Although my spurt was around age twelve, so he can't slow down. Relative to other kids, he's tall.
There's a few pictures this month left over from our trip to Atlanta, playing tires with the Fayling boys at the BJ's Wholesale, and some pictures from the afternoon with Jack at Imagination Station in Toledo. And the balloon shark is a talent from one of my coworkers, Marcia. Nick returned the gesture with a shark made of pipe cleaners.
- Jason
