Yesterday we decided to pretend it was summer... you see, if it weren't for all the blasted snow days that we had, I think we would be on summer break...right...now. As it is, Mike has all of this week left, and the boys and I have 4 days NEXT week as well! While we realize that life is not over, and that many are suffering in much more tragic ways, we still are chomping at the bit for summer. So, yesterday we decided to pretend, just for the day, that it is indeed summer. Pretending is a lost art, I believe, and possibly highly underrated. WE (the family of pretenders) spent a wonderful, perfect day on our own tiny slice of the beach... i think it even made facing reality today a bit less painful :)
Showing posts with label Grant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Grant. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Monday, May 2, 2011
He Can Ride!!!
There have been numerous occasions in the last 6 years when Mike and I are clearly reminded that while we have two sons, they are very different little people. This seems like a very easy concept to grasp..."elementary, my dear Watson," but as many parents would agree, comparing your children and expecting them to be somewhat the same is an easy trap to fall into. I remember moments after Grant was born being rather surprised as I commented to Mike, "Look at him! His nose is different than Isaac's! They look different!" Apparantly I had expected my babies to be little carbon copies of each other...considering I was completely aware that this baby was coming along 2 1/2 years after his big brother, and were clearly not identical twins, I have no idea why the possibility that they may look a bit different was so tough to grasp.
Among the differences between my boys is when they have learned to ride their bikes...sans training wheels. A few days prior to his 5th birthday Isaac took all of 15 minutes to learn this skill...while I was on a quick errand to the drugstore ( His daddy promised it would take longer than that and that I wouldn't miss it...plenty of opportunities for pictures and videos, no worries! Note that I have NO pictures or videos of this milestone as he caught on so quickly, and was off and riding forevermore!)
Contrastly, I was beginning to give up hope that Grant was ever going to learn to ride. Before you laugh and say, " Jen, EVERYONE eventually learns to ride a bike!", let me just say that this is not so, and that I have a very dear friend who could never ride a bike until after her 30th birthday! Learning as an adult was not such a fun process for her, especially as her sweet husband dubbed her "stubborn, unteachable, and a bad listener!!" This is not a fate I desired for my Grant-Boy. And yet, the struggle continued...last summer we bought a bike for him that seemed to fit him better and would be easier to learn on...Nope. I bribed him and withheld treats all at the same time..."No more neopolitan ice cream until you can ride your bike. Then we can go right to the store and get some!" (Neopolitan ice cream is his fav, and we had recently run out.) Nope. Mike patiently coaxed and coached. Nope. Mike impatiently coaxed and coached. Nope. We tried peer pressure..."Isaiah and Cambel can ride! And Cambel isn't even in kindergarten yet!!! Don't you want to ride with them and Emily at Camp this year???" Nope.
But people, I present you now with proof that miracles DO exist!!! As Isaac has been enjoying riding his new road bike this past weekend, Mike's disorganization has thoroughly paid off. (Before that sounds like a dig, let me be quick to say I am just as disorganized, and I am absolutely NOT insulting my husband!) Grant asked Mike to find his training wheels so he could ride his bike too...but, Mike couldn't find those training wheels anywhere! So, as I happily blogged and made picture slideshows Saturday, a miracle was occurring right outside... and...on Isaac's 9th birthday...Grant learned to ride his bike! My only complaint...I missed the maiden voyage. I didn't even know it was going on! Somehow though, after all the time and struggle, the triumph lessened the pain of missing the very first ride, and I happily took a few seconds of video of the following rides to be preserved for all time. Way to go, Grant Evan Michael! You can Ride!!!!
Among the differences between my boys is when they have learned to ride their bikes...sans training wheels. A few days prior to his 5th birthday Isaac took all of 15 minutes to learn this skill...while I was on a quick errand to the drugstore ( His daddy promised it would take longer than that and that I wouldn't miss it...plenty of opportunities for pictures and videos, no worries! Note that I have NO pictures or videos of this milestone as he caught on so quickly, and was off and riding forevermore!)
Contrastly, I was beginning to give up hope that Grant was ever going to learn to ride. Before you laugh and say, " Jen, EVERYONE eventually learns to ride a bike!", let me just say that this is not so, and that I have a very dear friend who could never ride a bike until after her 30th birthday! Learning as an adult was not such a fun process for her, especially as her sweet husband dubbed her "stubborn, unteachable, and a bad listener!!" This is not a fate I desired for my Grant-Boy. And yet, the struggle continued...last summer we bought a bike for him that seemed to fit him better and would be easier to learn on...Nope. I bribed him and withheld treats all at the same time..."No more neopolitan ice cream until you can ride your bike. Then we can go right to the store and get some!" (Neopolitan ice cream is his fav, and we had recently run out.) Nope. Mike patiently coaxed and coached. Nope. Mike impatiently coaxed and coached. Nope. We tried peer pressure..."Isaiah and Cambel can ride! And Cambel isn't even in kindergarten yet!!! Don't you want to ride with them and Emily at Camp this year???" Nope.
But people, I present you now with proof that miracles DO exist!!! As Isaac has been enjoying riding his new road bike this past weekend, Mike's disorganization has thoroughly paid off. (Before that sounds like a dig, let me be quick to say I am just as disorganized, and I am absolutely NOT insulting my husband!) Grant asked Mike to find his training wheels so he could ride his bike too...but, Mike couldn't find those training wheels anywhere! So, as I happily blogged and made picture slideshows Saturday, a miracle was occurring right outside... and...on Isaac's 9th birthday...Grant learned to ride his bike! My only complaint...I missed the maiden voyage. I didn't even know it was going on! Somehow though, after all the time and struggle, the triumph lessened the pain of missing the very first ride, and I happily took a few seconds of video of the following rides to be preserved for all time. Way to go, Grant Evan Michael! You can Ride!!!!
Friday, April 29, 2011
Meet my Little Basketball Enthusiast...
I told you that posts will be random and not chronological...at least for a bit. Case in point... I just wrote about the Royal Wedding that took place only today, and I now revert back to another Spring Break moment.
I case you aren't aware, Grant loves basketball. Loves. it. period. His daily routine when he gets home from school is to go down to the basement to play at least one game in which he chooses two NCAA teams to pin against each other, and then play out the game, in which he is the only player on each team, keeping track of the score, and then report the outcome to Mike & I when he's finished. He revelled in the NCAA tournament, and was really disappointed when his beloved Purdue Boilermakers were taken out by VCU. Even his teacher at school commented that "Grant bleeds pretty bad for those Boilers!" He is looking forward to the beginning of next year's season and Robbie Hummel's triumphant return. He's adopted another team to love, however, in the Butler bulldogs. This worked out well for him as they made it to the final dance in the tournament.
The final games of the tournament took place over Spring Break. Here's a glimpse of Grant's dedication to the game.
I case you aren't aware, Grant loves basketball. Loves. it. period. His daily routine when he gets home from school is to go down to the basement to play at least one game in which he chooses two NCAA teams to pin against each other, and then play out the game, in which he is the only player on each team, keeping track of the score, and then report the outcome to Mike & I when he's finished. He revelled in the NCAA tournament, and was really disappointed when his beloved Purdue Boilermakers were taken out by VCU. Even his teacher at school commented that "Grant bleeds pretty bad for those Boilers!" He is looking forward to the beginning of next year's season and Robbie Hummel's triumphant return. He's adopted another team to love, however, in the Butler bulldogs. This worked out well for him as they made it to the final dance in the tournament.
The final games of the tournament took place over Spring Break. Here's a glimpse of Grant's dedication to the game.
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| We had dinner with Angie's cousin and her husband this night. They were very accommodating to Grant's need to post his sign:) |
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| Kye really could have cared less about this Butler/VCU game, but he worked hard to be a supportive friend to Grant! |
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| Grant was happy to call Mike and PopEd with the game results! |
Monday, March 21, 2011
How His Mind Works...
In our family, we enjoy reading The Jesus Storybook Bible together before bed almost every night. If you are looking for a new Bible/devotional to use with your kids, I highly recommend this one... it was suggested to me by a friend, and my boys love it. It does great things for a mom's heart when her boys want to read "just one more, pleeease?"
We've gone through it a couple of times, and when we finish it, we just start back at the very beginning. My hope and prayer is that as we read through this bible, the history and themes of God's Word will be carved into my boys' hearts and minds, and that they'll always know the depth of God's love for His children.
Woven into each of these stories the theme of a wonderful rescuer (Jesus) that will come, and then come again, to save the world. Last night we read about the tower of Babel (taken from Genesis 11), and how the people tried to build the tower to reach up to Heaven, all with their own strength and power...without God.
The story goes on, as I'm sure you know, to talk about how God confused their languages and stopped their plans so that they would see their need for Him. The last part of the story goes like this:
"Because the way back to heaven wasn't a staircase; it was a Person.
People could never reach up to Heaven, so heaven would have to come down to them.
And one day, it would."
So, following the reading, I say to the boys,
"How did Heaven come down to us? What day do you think that was?"
Grant's reply:
"Saturday."
As you can see, the meaning and theme of these passages is seeping deep into his soul ;) Still...I think I love how his mind works.
Happy Monday!
We've gone through it a couple of times, and when we finish it, we just start back at the very beginning. My hope and prayer is that as we read through this bible, the history and themes of God's Word will be carved into my boys' hearts and minds, and that they'll always know the depth of God's love for His children.
Woven into each of these stories the theme of a wonderful rescuer (Jesus) that will come, and then come again, to save the world. Last night we read about the tower of Babel (taken from Genesis 11), and how the people tried to build the tower to reach up to Heaven, all with their own strength and power...without God.
The story goes on, as I'm sure you know, to talk about how God confused their languages and stopped their plans so that they would see their need for Him. The last part of the story goes like this:
"Because the way back to heaven wasn't a staircase; it was a Person.
People could never reach up to Heaven, so heaven would have to come down to them.
And one day, it would."
So, following the reading, I say to the boys,
"How did Heaven come down to us? What day do you think that was?"
Grant's reply:
"Saturday."
As you can see, the meaning and theme of these passages is seeping deep into his soul ;) Still...I think I love how his mind works.
Happy Monday!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
A Sick Day = Unexpected Opportunity
Yesterday I posted on this blog for the first time since its launch date in 2008...I spent much of the day experimenting with fonts, colors, backgrounds...you know, things that are much more important than laundry, mopping, dinner....
Today, however, he looks like this:
Throughout the day I realized, as I later posted, that I am finding this to be rather enjoyable and may need to give myself a time/frequency limit for this new activity. I really think this is indeed going to be required, as I find myself sitting at the computer even now. Tuesday is a teaching day for me...so I should really be at school actively playing dodgeball and hula hoop freeze tag with my students. And that was the plan, really! You see, last night, Grant looked like this:
Happily playing a game of SORRY! before bed with the rest of us...
Today, however, he looks like this:
The poor little guy has an ear infection and a temperature of 102...thus resulting in a trip to the doctor's, a stop at the pharmacy for antibiotics, and a pitiful little boy on the couch not feeling well at all. Going to the doctor's office entails a 35-40 minute 1-way trip, plus wait time and appointment time. Therefore, having any kind of chunk of time to be truly productive today is pretty much shot. At least that's the excuse I'm using for why I'm spending my time on this blog rather than doing the housework I ignored yesterday. Grant may not agree, but I'm labelling his sick day an "Unexpected Opportunity!" Do you think he'll be proud of me for finding the silver lining in his cloud? I suppose he may have appreciated me bringing him juice and toast a little more... Doc says he'll be home
tomorrow as well ~ maybe I can redeem myself as a mother then! Then again, maybe I'll go see if my boy needs that juice now.
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