Nick's Life: August 2012

Nick started calling us Dad and Mom this month, on our mini-vacation, so Daddy and Mama are no longer.  The word of the month is 'sure'. I rarely get a "yes" anymore, usually getting a, "sure thing," or, "sure, sure," or "sure do!"  And the word, "what."  If we ask him a question and he doesn't know the answer, he replies with 'what?'  (Reminds us of Dave Chappelle and the Lil John impressions, but most of you will shake your head at those if you don't know Lil John.)

He started kindergarten as we posted this entry, which was an adventure of adults messing up the simple things: lunches not ready, putting him on the bus when he was not supposed to be, wrong paper forms, directing us to people whose name the administrators didn't know ("go see the girl at such-and-such a building, I can't remember her name.")  He seems to be adjusting better than the clueless adults running the operation.

We took a short trip to St.Louis with stops along the way.  The end desination was Carrie and Brian's home, where we went to the Science Museum for a day, and saw an awesome IMAX movie about the Canadian Pacific steam trains of years ago.  Nick got to play with Brian's remote control planes and cars, and we spent a lot of time in the basement playing ping pong and fooseball.  Along the way we say the world's largest windchime, stopped in Toledo, IL, picked up wine from random wineries in small towns, and saw the Mid America Corvette Museum.  We were bummed the steam train museum we went to see was closed.

We saw quite a few car shows this month, including the Midwest Mustang show at Ford World Headquarters, and cruised at the Woodward Dream Cruise. We drove the Shelby down to the latter, for a couple of hours in the morning and evening -- it was my first time, and we thoroughly enjoyed it.  I estimated fuel economy of about 4 MPG on the trip up and down the strip, and it was worth every drop.

This month, we built a single-passenger fighter jet from a cardboard box (pictured here), and more planes and trains from cardboard tubes and such.

Plenty of pictures here.

- Jason

Nick's Life: July 2012

We made a summer trip to Pennsylvania to visit Brandi's family.  Along the Ohio Turnpike, having passed three rest areas that looked very similar, from the backseat comes, "Wait a minute!  We're driving in circles!"  We stopped along the way at the Cuyahoga Train Station and rode a real Diesel Train (which Nick "liked a little" but it wasn't a Steam Train.) Not the scenic route they claim it is, given most of the view is dense wilderness and the Akron sewage tile.  The days in Huntingdon were filled with time at Paesano's and relaxing by the pool... and lots of eating.  Uncle Andy took us for an evening ride on his pontoon, and Nick caught his first fish (bass); he also swam in Lake Raystown.

With the extreme heat, we've been in the pool nearly every weekend, and even sneaking down during the week.  The days of floating devices are behind Nick, as he swims without them, going underwater, somersaults and even diving from the poolside into the deep end.  One evening his grandpa jumped in with him and taught him how to dive - one of those moments I bet he will remember. The independence revolution continues, from showering on his own, to saving money for the things he wants by doing his chores: making his bed, clearing the dinner table, and emptying the trash.

This month's obsession, and artistic focus, has been under the ocean, paricularly with sharks, or anything that's a 'predator' (wolves, praying mantis).  Perfect timing for the Discovery network to play Shark Week.  There's a picture of Nick in the car with a whale and shark heads on poles, which he notes, "This shark is a paper predator."  It's those HD sharks that swim out of the TV that make him nervous.  Also happy he's expanding his TV interests to shows we can all enjoy.  Surprisingly, a version of the Jungle Book from 1942 had him glued to the tube.

Brandi found some huge rolls of drawing paper at the Ikea and we're going through it quickly.   'Experiments' have been big this month, messing with baking soda or taping pieces of whatever together to see what he can create.  We're saving everything from cardboard rolls to tissue boxes and egg boxes now for him to assemble into something new.

Lots of pictures this month from our adventures.

- Jason

Nick's Life: June 2012

We finished soccer this month, and would like to enroll him again since he enjoyed it so much.  Although, he was in goal during one of the last games, and it didn't go so smooth.  He was tangled in the net, upside down, with his shoes coming off as the ball went past him. Then on the second time down the field for the opposition, he was doing summersaults in net as the ball rolled past.  It appears he has my athleticism.

Nick connected this month with one of the movies we found, "Dolphin Tale".  He was so enthralled with the movie, laughing and crying at various scenes, it's the first time he's connected emotion on such a deep level with a show or movie like that.  He even slept a few nights with a statue of a dolphin.

We got to Waterford Oaks Water Park again this summer, most of the time spent in the wave pool, knocking him over.  In the evening, we watched fireworks and played on the trampalene at Bo and Robin's home.

He bowled his first real game (not counting one time when we was like two, and too young to really strategize.) His three games: 69, 83, 102, continuous improvement.

His independence continues to expand.  One morning he awoke and assembled a Lego truck from the directions, with no help. We did a plane together the night before, and he figured it out.  He also makes his own sandwiches now when he's hungry.  We came downstairs a couple weeks ago to find that he had raided the candy jar sometime during the night... a chair had been pushed up to the counter, and there was a trail of wrappers throughout the kitchen. He figured he was busted when I asked him about what I had found...I simply asked that he pick up after himself.  I have to figure out where to draw the line, though. He's been pronouncing our last name differently lately, which ultimately is up to him, but we need a little consistency during his childhood to avoid awkwardness.

He advised me recently that he's now a vegetarian, only eating lemons and Oreos. And he's been taking Fish Biscuits to school (they're actually cookies.)

Pictures here from this month.

- Jason

Nick's Life: May 2012

We played alot of Uno, since it's somewhat educational and I couldn't handle any more Zingo or Candyland without going insane. Like his mother, though, he'll sneak in his own rules on ocassion, like hiding cards behind his back in a "garbage pile." 
More time outside practicing his tee-ball swing, and soccer techniques. He likes soccer, but it's a sport about which I understand very little. He stays with the pack of kids and gets his kicks in, but likes being in the goal. He's too patient waiting for the ball, then when patience runs out and he gets angry, then he gets aggressive and gets his kicks in. All part of learning sports. He's easy to find in the videos, since he's got the darkest green shirt (they ran out of shirts when they got to Nick last.) With tee-ball, we practice a ton, but he wants no part of the tee, and wants to hit from the live pitch. At one point, he hit five in a row... switching from the right to the left side of the plate each time. 

On the new-foods front, he acutally ate a carrot and liked it, along with voluntarily consuming some evil lettuce, and fresh kiwi fruit. We discovered the Ice Cream Truck, with a keen ear out for the music coming down the street. I don't know how those guys make money anymore with kids all cooped inside playing video games. We walked past an ice cream store at the mall that was giving free cones that day if your name was Nick, which was a big hit (picture of him by the sign.) 


He's drawing constantly, from planes, to sea monsters and whales, to outdoor scenery (no blank sheet of paper is safe). I think it's funny that his tongue is always hanging out when he's focused. He says that, "improves his quality." And tons of pictures from what would appear that we live outside on sand or in water...pools, beaches. Also here are pictures of him outside with homemade bubble wands made from wire hangers, building a train out of our couch, outside playing hockey with Jack, passing time messing with his mother's makeup, and running the hydraulic lift on a towtruck. 


This month was mini-graduation from his Pre-K class, and I went to the picnic with him to meet some of his friends. Good group of kids, all hugging and saying good-bye like they were moving away when it was over. Kindergarten is up next in the Fall. 


Pictures from May, click here.


- Jason

2010 Ford Shelby GT500

These pictures are here for me so I can access pictures of the car when I come onto the site.  Summer is over, and she's back under a cover in storage.  Finally got some pictures on a good morning when the light was just right.

I moved this entry to May 1, 2012, the day I bought the car.  The photos were taken June 29, 2014.  But I can find them.