Nick's Life: October 2011

Halloween was short this year, as Nick puttered out early after just one block of hiking with Brandi and the neighbors. He has more fun handing out candy from our stoop, anyway. He recruits kids by yelling out to the street, "Come get some chewies from the CandyMaster! (that would be me.)" Then he likes putting candy in their sacks, by the handful. He still didn't hand out as much as one little girl who started shoveling candy from my caldroun to her bag by the fistfuls, until I grabbed her hand and told her, "That's enough honey... three handfuls is more than a couple." Nick and I ate popcorn as we passed out candy, and he even tried to give away my popcorn; I told him the kids don't want it, then a group of teenage girls ate half my popcorn. No pictures of his costume - he was Super Why again for the second year in a row (by choice.)

School has been up-and-down, with him and the teachers at odds more and more. When I asked him one day how many times he got a 'timeout' at school, he raised his hand and started extending fingers like he might run out of digits if he didn't keep track on his hand. Good grief. When I ask what happened at school, he runs me in a do-loop anyway with no real explanation. The kids seem to love him, but the teachers aren't sure what to do with him. Although, he and I started doing 'homework' each night after dinner, and some nights he'll do letters and words for an hour. And he's learning a ton, both socially and academically. From our observing, it seems like he's following the actions of some other kids, but not sharp enough to not be the one getting caught. If he can just steer clear of trouble. We shall see. And, finally got some school pictures.

Still attracted to gadgets. He's moved on from taking tons of pictures to shooting tons of videos. He calls out, "Action" and "Cut", and it's kinda funny. They're mostly stories about trains, but what else would we expect? And we got iPhones this month, which he loves playing games... and not kid games. He plays 'Plants vs Zombies right along with his mother.

As we measure him on the wall at Grandpa's, he's barely 1/8 inch shy of my height at 5 years old, so he's growing at the same pace as me. (Then again, Joanae is measured on that same wall, and she was nearly the same height, too, and she just stopped growing somewhere along the way, so you can never tell.)

- Jason

Nicks' Life: September 2011

Much of this month surounded Nick's first month of school. We're still adjusting to a routine, usually I drop him off and Brandi picks him up. Each morning we pack a lunch, which he usually doesn't eat because the teacher says he's too busy talking to his buddy Maddex during lunch. He's making new friends which he refers to as 'his people'. "I need to go see my people," he'll say. He has a Spanish class one day a week, and we heard him in the tub singing something in Spanish Tuesday nite - no idea what it was. He won't tell us what goes on at school, but he must be learning something. He also got into his first tussel at school, which the teacher said he held his own against a troublemaker. I want his grandpa to be proud, but it's a little early to start battling.

He and mama went on a school field trip to the apple orchard. They picked apples, a couple pumpkins, and stood outside in the unusually hot October sun waiting for a hay ride.

Picture here is of Nick while playing hockey in our kitchen. His form isn't that far from Gordie Howe, eh? He knows how to yell, "Score!" and he can play the boards pretty well (no checking mama, though.)

The 'rally squirrel' has been all the rage this month, if you're a baseball fan. Nick apparently has one of his own, but in the context he mentioned it (a particular body part was doing something unusual), I'm too embarassed to mention it in detail. Ask him about the squirrel when you see him.

Pics here from 2011.

- Jason

Nick's Life: August 2011

Lots of traveling in August, from Atlanta, to all over Pennsylvania, and home, all the while I was travelling for work to D.C. with a stop in North Carolina. He continues to be a master traveler, watching 'semini' trucks go by, and passing time with movies. He was was ready to go when we left, packing his own suitcase, with one pair of shoes and a space shuttle. When it was time to come home, he sat in the car for hours waiting for the departure.

Nick's also getting more helpful with chores and other tasks, and loves to remind you when he's busy (he picked that up somewhere). He helps wash the car even better, and was a big help at Paesanos in Huntingdon, Brandi's family's restaurant. He vaccumed and cleared tables after hours. After work, he played paper airplanes with his Pappy in the dining room. They call some activities at school 'work' so he's constantly reminding my how much work he has to do.

Still many life lessons to be learned, like you can't lick your friends... and you certainly can't lick the cigarette lighter in the car. Dancing on the dance floor can be hours of fun, but rolling on the dance floor will get you stepped on. If it looks like alot of photos this month are on a dance floor, that's because it's true.

His observations are increasingly insightful now as he approaches five years old. He tells me when we're two turns from the next gas station, for example. Conversations go like this:
Jason: "I have this song in my head and I can't shake it."
Nick: "Sounds like you need a checkup. You should see a doctor about that. Have him check your ears."
Jason: "Looks like more rain. Rain, rain go away..."
Nick: "Send it to Texas."
Does he really know there's a drout in Texas? His mama and I aren't discussing it, and the TV isn't running with news or weather.

- Jason

Summer 2011

As Summer 2011 heads for the homestretch, we'll remember it as wet... every weekend in a pool, lake, or waterpark. And in between, the most rain and hottest month on record.

Nick's confidence continues. Again tonite, he interrupted his gorditas (and that's a big deal) to introduce himself to the little blonde girl walking past. They giggle and say hi, and he goes back to his business. At the Waterford Oaks water park, we spent the day with Robin and Miranda and the family, and he was absolutely obsessed with Kiersten, Miranda's little girl - wherever she was, he was determined to be also. He puts his hand on their shoulder or knee, and calmly sweet talks them... about trains or jets. Hey, the approach is smooth, but his pickup line needs a little more polish.

We've moved on from Taylor Swift to Katy Perry, and he has the words to her songs memorized, not afraid to sing aloud.

His vocabulary has expanded rapidly, and should continue when he starts school at the local Montessori in a few weeks. He tells me, "A good host never frets, and is always kind to his guests," and "Now, Daddy... moderation." Not sure he knows what these mean, but he reminds me just the same.

Working to expand his social circle, we've had more play dates, more time with the neighbor kids, and with friend's kids. Sometimes it works out, sometimes not, but he's learning to share a little better, and actually better than many of the other kids. Although, it was a chuckle when Samantha (Brad and Colleen's little girl, who is only 18 months old) had a single toy in her hand, and he accused her of hogging all the toys.

Pics in this post are from July 4 fireworks, the water park with Kiersten, and by the lake near our home. Nick and Samantha playing together is in the side bar at right.

- Jason

Nick's Life: July 2011

Unpredictability is increasing at a blistering pace. Walk away from him in the tubby, and Nick pees in a cup. Go downstairs in the morning, and he's left a trail of chairs at the counter (for climbing), un-flushed thrones, open cookie packages on the table, and sometimes a half-naked kid in front of the computer (who used the potty and forgot to re-assemble afterward.) My favorite was him at the top of the stairs covering his knee with an entire pack of band-aids. His first words were, "We're out of band-aids."

We enjoyed fireworks for the 4th near home. Shortly before 10 PM, we drove to Lake Sherwood across from our neighborhood, pulled up across the street, dropped a blanket in some rich dude's front yard, and had a front row seat - the firworks went off on our side of the lake. Perfect.

Lots of time in Grandpa's pool this month, as we're looking at the hotest July on record in Michigan. Nick can finally touch the bottom of the shallow end with his toes and still keep his head above the surface. Overall it was a good month to be in the water. We also went to East Fork Lake in Cincinnati with the family, for a cookout and a day in the sun. Other than my sunburnt ankles, and Nick's nose (he kept wiping his eyes and removing his sunscreen) we had a great day. He used fresh cherries on his chin to cool some sunburn. He also took his first canoe ride with Brandi, Miranda and Noah.

Nick has been obsessed this month with inflatable things. Every trip to the Dollar Store he has returned with a raft, a boat, some safety flotation device, balloons... He's continually inflating and deflating these things all day long, some with a pump, some with his lungs.

I pushed his buttons once this month, and swear it's the first time I've seen him make a face that he was genuinely mad at me. The battle for dominance has begun.

- Jason