Nick's Life: March 2017

As we prepare for his First Communion next month, his first Confession was this month. He felt 'overwhelmed' on the Saturday we wandered in to meet our obligation. The church required an in-person session because, of course, a ten year-old has to get all the mortal sins out face-to-face.  But we play by the rules, some of which have benefits, like the Friday Fish Frys. Blessed Sacrament Church has a great fish fry, his first one, which was very tasty, and included some playground time after. We also attended several mandatory 'classes', one Saturday was a three-hour mashup of sessions. They toured the church which was fun, and the lessons were good for kids. We did a coloring exercise of the Last Supper where we cut-out the characters and taped them to an egg carton (like a long table). Nick and I had Matthew 'dabbing', and James Major with a tattoo, and then there was the food fight. We got some looks from other families, but honestly, I couldn't care less. None of them were there the first time around, and if Nick finds some fun in religious education, that's a nice change. Heaven forbid anything associated with religion be enjoyable. 
Nick's favorite joke this month:
Jesus says, 'Sir, I'd like a table for 26.' 
Host: 'But there's only 13 of you here for dinner.' 
Jesus: 'Yes, but we're only going to sit on one side of the table'.

We are reading a DNA book in the evenings, which is educating us both. He can rattle off the facts afterwards, I can't absorb it all.
He's playing the Forza Motorsport 3 video game this month from Christmas, and we can now race each other on the track. He knows things about cars that I do not, from watching 'Counting Cars', and 'Road Hauks'.
Some of the pictures this month are from chess tournaments, including the medal he was awarded above.

School continues to perplex us. We're still on the fence if we change again for next year (fifth grade). He got tossed out of Gym/PE for too much physical contact (during games like 'football'... yeah, I don't get it), so we had to coach him.  We went over the rules carefully before a game of kickball, of which, the rules were so bastardized I struggled to understand them (and the coaches' awful grammar and spelling didn't help... I wouldn't hire someone with gramar this bad.) So he comes home after the first game, says it went well.. except he had to 'nudge' a kid blocking third base. I asked if it was intentional or innocent, and he believes it was the latter. So I told him to go easy.  But if it's intentional, "Knock him on his ass."  This is 'no apology month' for me... I understand all the rules less every day.

Nick and I spent an afternoon at the park, where his tossing of a football is greatly improved this year; he can throw a good spiral. After thirty minutes, he says (hand on my shoulder), "Dad, I really should divide my time across activities, so I'm going to go hang out with the kids now." He organized a game of hide-and-seek with several other kids. A young girl named Millie latched onto him, and messed with him for an hour... he'd count and she'd be standing right behind him. This cute little brunette would smack him in the head and out-run him, every time. Not surprisingly, he couldn't stop going back for more. This, I can understand.

And there was a Pet Day at work, where Nick's hermit crabs starred as the only aquatic life on display (I didn't carry them in, just pictures.)

Photos here from March.

Jason