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It seems like all we did was run to Nick's activities during May, and the summer stuff has not yet begun. In the past two weeks, Nick had Field Day at school, a field trip to the Kensington Farm (who runs a school and organizes a trip to a zoo but won't let them have peanuts in the classroom?! Allergy discrimination, hello?), Hazel Park Raceway, another Home Depot kids activity, a lousy small-scale train ride, the movies, numerous playgrounds and playdates. And he managed to grow almost three inches since the last time we measured him, so the lack of sleep isn't stunting his growth (lots of pancakes and ice cream [SpongeBobs], and about a jar of peanut butter per week, keep the calorie count up.)
He's making up his own words with definitions now, and exercising his learnings about the social aspects of the English language, such as stating at the dinner table, "I farted, but I'm pretending nothing happened." One evening I find his mother in her swimsuit, which apparently was his idea - he wanted her to look like a Kardashian (need to limit his late night TV, particularly those with commercials). And he suggested she dye her hair blonde as an experiment, which is where I drew the line - if he wants a blonde, he can go find his own (I feel like I need to start proofreading the letters he sends to the girl next door). We're sticking to experiments like the 'Mentos and Diet Coke' explosion in our back yard, which went over better than the experiment where he and his mother clogged the bathroom plumbing with some goo-like substance that expanded faster than our universe.
In the pictures you'll see the end of a game where he beat me at chess, growing his own strawberry plant, and time on the playground. He also built a dam in our driveway from sticks and branches; I'm clearing the property, and instead of the debris going into the trash or the woods, he's stacking it in the driveway with the hose running.
We got "man time" one Saturday night when mama went out with friends, so I took him to the racetrack for some harness racing. He lost his first wager on a horse named 'Jeremy Sharky' then hit a streak of four wins, before blowing it all on the last horse by a single length. I'd rather be the one to teach him how to gamble so he's doing it right. By the end of the night, he could place his own bets. We also did family day out and saw an animated movie, The Croods.
He's also expanding his video game experience with an old Game Boy from a friend at work, whose son had outgrown it. Good to see him playing baseball and the sports games as he's learning more; makes a Dad proud when his son is bragging about a strikeout, even if it's electronic.
Along with photos, I got all the videos working again, and added a few more.
- Jason
I had a business trip to Miami for a few days this month; Brandi and Nick came down for a long weekend after our presentation was finished at iStrategy. They flew down on an 'awesome' American Airlines jet, and we spent four days mixing up activities for all of us. It was good to get time with the family, as I had just finished two weeks travelling as a focus group moderator.
At each hotel Nick is in search of a pool, but loses interest quckly with the cold ones. He says, "I have an idea. We need a machine that can heat the water and put it back in the pool. We'll call it a 'hot-i-nator." Now, he's sharp, or he's heard that somewhere. But he had no fear of the Atlantic ocean, which wasn't much warmer. During our days on the beach he was in the water more than on the sand. We had a private area of beach which was quiet during the week.
We ate well. I tried Squid Ink for the first time. but most of our dining wasn't overly adventurous. One afternoon our splurge meal was at the Grillfish in South Beach, just to take in the atmosphere. We had Italian at Ludos in Coconut Grove on the last day, taking in the small town with a table along the sidewalk. All I wanted was a quiet meal, which was a challenge given at every turn my peace was disrupted by every possible man-made distrubance, from annoying children to Hare Krishna parades. (Still beats being screwed for two subs for $25 at the Miami Beach Subway where they don't speak English and the receipt is illegible.) We stayed at the Cadillac Hotel along the ocean; the balcony view and ocean breeze were wonderful (once we got past the construction and 24-hour power generators outside of our window.)
We visited the Miami SeaQuarium on Saturday, where Nick experienced sharks, dolphins, sea lions, and a killer whale. The shows were nicely done, but the park itself was rather run-down.
His first baseball game was the Cubs vs. Marlins, at Miami Marlins Park. He most enjoyed Billy the Marlin, and a couple bags of cotton candy, a hot dog, and a pretzel. But he followed quite a bit of the game, cheering and seeing a couple good innings. Like most of the trip, he had a portable TV to pass the time when the action slowed down.
Finally we visited Viscaya, an architechtrual home from 1912, built with the International Harvester fortune. Nick was a bundle of questions during the tour, abd good ones, actually ("If that's the organ, where are the pipes? Want to make it better, add a train around it.") The surrounding gardens were beautiful, where Nick honed in on a wedding party and got a picture with a tall brunette named Christina. You'll recognize the property from the end of the Movie, "The Money Pit" (a film close to my heart.)
The pictures share the stories much better than the words.
- Jason
When I look back at the photos, we covered a lot of ground in March!
We attended Jack's birthday party, a combination of inflatable playground and the local bowling alley. We went to a shark exhibit at the Novi Boat Show, where a truck full of nurse sharks were live for the kids. Then we were at Mason's house playing on the trampoline (and the boys played well together for a good 4+ hours). Plus Easter. No wonder I'm exhausted.
It's hard to explain in words all the dancing around the house of the last month. Nick has been blaring "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor (from a Shark Video on YouTube), and of course, the title theme to "Jaws" while he throws himself around like a puppet. For a kid that's bothered by loud noises, cranking the volume to Jaws doesn't bother him so much. We went to the local Jumbo Jaws Burgers, too, to see iridescent shark fish in the tank while we ate. He had the shark suit from Halloween on this month, and is comfortable wearing it any time ("I don't mind sitting on my dorsal fin.")
His vocabulary, and even more so the application, continues to expand. One evening I asked how he liked his dinner: "Let's call it plausible". Then we told him he was acting foolish, and he says, "I'm attractive foolish." He flops around bumping into people with his arms out, referred to as 'pit punching'.
We measured Nick on the wall at Grandpa's house, and he's over an inch taller than me at the same age.
For Easter, he received more Lego blocks, of course to build more jet planes. And lots of books including 'The Shark in Charlie's Window' which was referred from a friend... out of print for 40 years, and an expensive used copy, but excellent... his first book with no pictures that he insisted we finish in a single day. He's reading some pretty big words now, many books on his own.
- Jason
Lots of weekend activities this month, from the Tree House indoor playground in Chelsea, to the Toy Train Show here in Commerce (what a mold-fest.) We also got to check out the new playground at the McDonald's in Milford. And Brandi took Nick to the monthly Home Depot Kids Workshop, where he built a race car and later another bird house.
The ages of over confidence and freedom-from-embarrassment continue to collide. One moment he's dancing in the Olive Garden, the next he's hugging every little girl on the playground; they're hugging back so I guess it's working (better than school where physical contact is forbidden; and we wonder kids end up anti-social or afraid of affection when we don't let them touch anything or anyone?)
He looks at me and asks what the mark is on my face... it was a pimple or an ingrown hair or something. Nick says, "Could be from a sea lamprey?" Not entirely impossible, but highly unlikely, and certainly an unexpected response. With the television constantly running River Monsters, Gator Boys, and Mythbusters, that's what's on his mind. He made a birthday card for Mason, and when his mama asked him to add details, he drew a limp human body in its jaws and blood everywhere. Nice card from a 6-year-old to a 4-year-old. "It was an attack," he says. Even the assignment from school turned into a book about sharks.
Brandi went to his school and did a presentation on dental hygiene for all the kindergarten classes. The kids loved it, and her hand-drawn artwork for the story was impressive.
- Jason
One morning I'm standing at the sink shaving, and Nick comes looking for dental floss, then walks away. A few minutes later he returns with a potato chip bag clip on the end of the floss, with a paper shark clipped to it; he had built a rather expensive fishing pole. I just continued shaving. He looks in the mirror and says, "I look great!" So I asked him, what about me? "You're almost handsome, Dad."
We are eating salmon, and his mama and I try to teach him about avoiding fish bones. Netiher of us encounter a single bone... he tongues two in the following minute. Seems like a grown-up lesson he picked up quick. He also helps his mama around the house, scrubbing floors for her.
The inflow of books is getting out of hand. The school, which probably is worried that the average parent doesn't read to their kid, overwhelms us with book sales and library trips. We've got so many shark and sea life books in the house that we're drowning in them (my best pun today). We buy him plenty of books and still read every day, although now he's reading to us. I pulled out the Children's Bible one evening and read him Noah and the Ark. He asks, "Where are the sharks?" Now, in forty years of reading this story, I never questioned the absence of mention of the ocean creatures. He humbles me with insight sometimes.
Mama still helps at school each Friday for a couple hours, and takes her famous muffins. She took bran muffins one day, though, and several kids had poo-emergencies. I would think the Taco Del Mar he loves lately would clean someone out. Nasty stuff.
His drawing and painting is amazing, and we're now hanging them up on the walls. Not like refrigerator fodder, but actual paintings on the canvas Jessica got him for Christmas. Pictured here is of one of his good ones, which hangs in his room. I was in an art gallery in Houston (The Galleria) where people were buying $20K art off the walls around me, and Gina corners me to sell me something. I had time to kill and enjoyed hearing about the life of the rich (she's saving for a Maserati), but didn't hesitate to brag about my artist and show her my pictures. Really, I told her I'd be more interested in the art of kids than the flashy stuff... if her daughter had any paintings, I'd be interested in buying. Or I'd sell her one of Nick's.
Nick's breath was really bad, and I asked him what was going on. He says, "My breath is just got slimy, stinky, tonsil balls." Lately everything is "I feel I need a..." or "I feel there should be..." He's full of feelings all of a sudden.
Few pictures this month (click here), including the dress-up parade at school (Nick is a snowman, costume made by mama) and Nick playing with the real flight simulator his Uncle Jason got him for Christmas.
- Jason
