Friday night, Ella made her debut as a cheerleader. Their group of gals cheered at a basketball game. At the beginning of the game, they dimmed the lights and introduced the cheerleaders and the teams. The girls made a “tunnel” that the players ran through as they shook their pom poms in the air.
Before the game, I waiting with her as the team gathered. After taking a selfie with her, she said she had an idea for a pose. She gave me “hair” and that is funny enough, but her face in this pic is priceless.
In total, I think the girls have learned four cheers. One of them is a variation of one our high school cheerleaders used to do. It is a call and response cheer. “When we say fire, you say up” “Fire!” “Up!” I was not about to let the lame crowd ruin their cheer…so I made sure to yell, “up” as loud as I could. Now we weren’t that far from them, so after they finish the cheer, I can hear Ella say to her teammate, “That’s my dad. He’s loud!”
She did such an amazing job. I took a few videos, but the crowd noise drowned them out.
Andrew caught Sam and I both off guard. At the beginning of the game, they played the national anthem. I took off my hat and placed my hand over my heart, as did everyone. In the middle of the song, Andrew asks why we are standing. Sam says “This is how we honor America” or something to that effect. As the anthem is about to end, he asks in all seriousness, “What if someone doesn’t like America?” That kid is always thinking!
He can make some great faces, too. His teachers posted a few pictures from their classroom recently. Andrew is working on spelling his name. He was spelling it out with what looked like those magnetic letters. This cracked me up.
There is never a shortage of material to blog about as long as these two keep it up.
One of my blogger friends, Britta, is so good at finding joy in the little things in life. She often blogs about them and I love how she writes about their impact on her life. I tell you about that because all in all, this week has been uneventful for me. However, there were some little things that stood out for me.
At Least I Made The Top Ten
My wife Sam always goes through the kid’s backpacks after school. This week we had to chuckle at one of the things Ella brought home. “Ten Things That Make Me Happy.
In case you have trouble reading them,
Dolls
Barbies
TV Time
To Color
Tacos
Hats
My Nana
My Pa
My Mom
My Dad
Mom should be higher than me, I get that. What I don’t get is Hats and Tacos! They outranked every family member! In 6 months I will ask her to do this again and hope to rank just a bit higher.
Winter Walk
Andrew and I had a bit of time before we had to get Ella from school Monday. He really wanted to go for a walk with the dog, so that is what we did.
He led the way as we walked the neighborhood. He was talking nonstop for the whole walk. I hope he continues to want to do this. I miss my daily walks. I’ll just have to make sure I bring along those “poop bags” just in case.
Gimme and E! Gimme an L, L, A! Go Ella!
After watching my niece cheer at one of the football games last fall, Ella has decided that she wants to cheer. They have already had two practices and she’s loving it. This week, she hot her uniform and her pom poms.
Her coach sent us some video of the girls doing their cheers. I truly cannot wait to watch her cheer. I think this may be what she sticks with for a long time.
An Accident Waiting to Happen
Sometimes, when Andrew gets frustrated or angry, I ask if playing my video game will help. It almost always does. So while Sam was getting ready for work, he was playing my car/racing game (Forza Horizon).
I am watching him play this game, which he is really just driving around, and he’s taking out everything. He is crashing into trees, mailboxes, phone booths, trash cans, and smashing into other cars. I said to him, “Buddy, mommy is going to have to do Driver’s Ed with you, because dad cannot imagine being in the car with you.”
From the other room, Sam says, “Oh no. We have talked about this. Driver’s Ed is all you!” I began to object to this, but before I can, she says, “You’re closer to death than me!” At this point, I cannot even answer because I am doubled over in laughter. My wife sure can come up with a zinger when she needs to.
The Whole World In My Hand
On the nights when Sam and I are both home, I get to put Ella to bed. This usually consists of me reading from her chapter book, which is followed by a made up story. I will ask her what she wants the story to be about. Favorite topics are princesses and unicorns. I usually make them so silly and ridiculous and it makes her really laugh!
The other night she wanted to hear a story about a unicorn who ate healthy and a horse that ate unhealthy. Naturally, I had to put them in a grocery store and awkward situations there. We argued about whether a tomato was a fruit or vegetable, too. I love to give the characters silly names and give them wacky voices.
After the story, sometimes she will ask me to sing her songs. I will do my best and sing her Dean Martin songs, hymns, and kid songs until she falls asleep. Tucking her in is something I really miss when I have to work nights.
Anyway, this week, we were laying in bed and I was singing. She reached up and grabbed my hand and held it. She held it tight. She took her stuffed animal and held it with her other hand and smiled. It was such a special moment, I snuck my phone out of my pocket and took a picture. It was in “night mode” so it is a bit dark.
As I laid there with her hand in mine, I was reminded of something I read on social media a while back. It was basically about how fast kids grow up and how things they used to do kind of just stop. I’ll never know when I’ll be singing our song to her for the last time, so I always sing it as best I can. I’ll never know when she’ll be “too big” to want to hold my hand, so I won’t let go until she does.
I can’t believe she will be 6 in less than a month.
I’ve been meaning to write a little recap of post-Christmas happenings, and I just haven’t had a second to do it. So here are just a few highlights.
The boys and me. That Three Stooges poster behind us was a complete coincidence.
My boys and I got together the weekend after Christmas. The Christmas holiday was spent with their mom, so we got together for lunch.
They are now both living together in an apartment and sharing the responsibilities. I hadn’t seen their new place yet, so I met them there. It’s really a nice place. Two bedrooms and two bathrooms as well as plenty of room to entertain guests. After the tour of their place and some time in conversation, we decided to go to lunch.
There is a place right down the road from them. Nice place with a nice atmosphere and good food. They both grabbed boneless wings and an order of garlic parmesan French fries (delicious), while I grabbed a good burger. It was fun to just sit and laugh with them. They aren’t little boys anymore and it was surreal to be having adult conversation with them. We’re hoping to make it a point to get together more.
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New Year’s Eve was pretty quiet. Ella stayed at Sam’s mom’s house, so it was Sam, Andrew and me at home. How did we celebrate the new year? Andrew decided to have a date night with us and chose to get some Mexican food.
What was left of my chimichangas!
Then we made a trip to Meijer! Yeah, we really hooped it up! We stopped to pick up a prescription and then walked up and down the toy aisle with Andrew. Now, instead of having us take pictures of toys to add to his Christmas list, we add them to his birthday list!
Selfie in the toy aisle at Meijer
We were in bed and asleep long before the new year arrived.
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My dad made the drive up to give the kids their Christmas gifts this past Saturday. I had taken the kids to Home Depot that morning to do the kids workshop. They built a tow truck. My dad was already in the driveway when we got back home.
Due to schedules and such, we don’t get to see him as often as we’d like. The kids really were happy to see him. They both got remote control cars and watches that have games on them. Both of the kids had to show him what Santa brought and they talked his ear off. At one point, Ella just crawled up on the couch and started snuggling with him. It was so cute.
Ella and Papa discussing the Glinda doll he brought her.
I was so glad to get time with him.
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On Sunday, Ella had a play date with a friend. So Andrew and I spent the day together while Sam slept before work. We went to the Barnes and Noble because he wanted to look at books. We spent a good chunk of time there and had a about an hour to kill before going to pick up Ella. Knowing how much he loves tools, we made a stop at Harbor Freight.
I don’t think there was one thing that didn’t fascinate him. He thought vices were cool. He marveled at the many types of drills on display. His eyes were wide when he saw the amount of flashlights on the wall. Cement mixers, generators, hammers, crowbars, and even a bicycle pump all had his attention.
At one point, his love for the Three Stooges came out as he showed me what “Moe hit Larry with”…
That’s a big wrench! I was waiting for him to say, “Spread out!”
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Sunday night was a challenge. They had to be back in bed at their normal time because they had to be back to school. They were not too happy (or awake) when I woke them up. Honestly, I wasn’t happy or awake either!
As I mentioned in a past blog, the family didn’t get family holiday photos this year. Our schedules and budget did not allow for that. So when my coworker said her husband was playing Santa and that her friend was a photographer, I had to take advantage of this.
As the kids and I parked outside the photo studio, they both asked where the sleigh and reindeer were! I think I said they were on a coffee break. Lol
We were greeted by a large elf. He showed around and then we got photos done. Ella had drawn a picture for him. He was thrilled to get it. My coworker said he brought it home
I loved watching this. Andrew seemed a little unsure at first, but wound up having quite a conversation with him.
Ella never has a problem chatting with people. She talked about her Barbies, the new puppy, and whatever else came into head.
They both really had fun. The photographer got a couple solo shots, too
Santa was a giant compared to those two.
It wasn’t so noticable when he was sitting.
Of course, my kids told Santa that dad probably needed to be on the Naughty List .
Because they told on me, I had to plead my case.
I guess I will find out if my begging worked on Christmas Day!
When my wife decided that we were going to do the Elf on the Shelf thing, I wondered just how difficult it would be. When you see those funny videos of a mom or dad shooting up in bed at 5am saying “The Elf!” and then running to move it, that is not a joke.
There have been plenty of times this year where our Elf, Twinkles, is in the same spot as the day before. The puppy is a good excuse, “She must have been afraid to move because she thought the puppy would get her.” That only works a couple times. I knew I had to do something that would make up for those days of no movement.
So, last week, I told the kids I couldn’t find my phone. I had them looking around for it too. I finally “found” it by my work bag. Before I left for work, I texted the following to my wife’s phone:
“Hey guys. It’s Twinkles. I have your dad’s phone. I didn’t want you to worry about where I was, so I wanted to let you know. It’s our little secret.”
That text came with this:
When they called me before bed, I told them that something weird was happening. My phone kept moving all over the office. Throughout the night I planned on sending pictures one by one. However, it was a busy night, so I sent them all at one time in the morning.
Twinkles sure did have some fun …
Hanging out on the IV pole with my equipment Napping in one of the empty patient roomsMaking a mess in the shredderTrying to steal my co-worker Amy’s popMaking one of the front desk staff’s stocking her ownChilling in the employee freezerProbably my favorite of the night. Copying her butt on the copier!
These pictures were popping up in text messages as my wife and I were talking on the phone. Ella was in the car waiting to go into school. With each picture she would crack up . She was loving every minute of it. When my wife picked up Andrew from school, she showed him. He came in to wake me up for work and said, “Dad! Did you know Twinkles was at your work!?’
What was really funny was that two of my co-workers said, “Why didn’t you tell me? I would have brought mine in from home too! They could have had a real party. Maybe next year…
The entire family was home Friday night. We took advantage of a mild Halloween night and went trick or treating.
Andrew was a SWAT team member, while Ella was a unicorn fairy. She wore a hat, so the unicorn horn stayed home.
We walked the entire neighborhood (a little over a mile) and had a nice night. It’s always great running into other neighbors and their kids out and about.
One thing I noticed was that neighbors were giving kids a choice this year. “You can take two pieces from each bowl,” or “We have potato chips, popsicles, or candy. Pick one.” Well, wait just one cotton picking minute….
We never got a choice as a kid! We took what they handed to us. Then we’d go home and create a “keep” pile, a “garbage” pile and a “mom or dad” pile. None of my kids like Almond Joy. I always had a ton of them after Halloween. This year, they picked their favorites, so zero for me this year.
By the end of the night, they were pooped. But both were in awe of our neighbor’s huge pumpkin, so they had to get a picture in front of it.
Yesterday was a lazy day. We stayed home and I took down the Halloween stuff. I probably should have taken advantage of the mild weather and put up the outdoor Christmas stuff, but I didn’t.
Instead, I began to rake the leaves. I wound up with a big pile, but no leaf bags. I apparently used them earlier in the year. The kids didn’t mind at all.
We had Parent-Teacher conferences last week. We are thrilled that both kids are doing well. We found out things that Andrew was doing in school that we didn’t know he could do. We both felt kind of bad when we were done. “Gee, how dumb did we look when she said he could spell his name?” (Up to this point all we’ve seen him write is an “A.”
We’ve got some pretty color on the trees this year. Slowly but surely, the leaves are tumbling to the ground. It is still too early to start raking, however, I knew the kids would enjoy jumping in the big pile.
Ella’s hair in that one picture cracks me up. She had a blast!
She got to go on a playdate with a friend this weekend. It was about 25 minutes from us in Holly. They do a Dickens Festival every year where everyone dresses up in period costumes and they sing Christmas carols. I’ve never been to it, but really hope to go this year.
Since Andrew was with me, we decided to find something to do while Ella played. First we found an old railway station. It still stands, but most of the windows are boarded up. He thought it was cool. He walked around it and looked in to see the inside when he could. Then we walked the railroad tracks for a bit hoping to find a railroad spike or two (no luck).
After we got back in the car, I found that there was a cider mill not too far away. So we drove over there to get cider and donuts.
He loved checking out the old trucks that were there and running in the hay maze. There was a wooden train that he played on, too. There was a guy under a tent playing gospel songs on his guitar and we sat and ate donuts while we listened.
We thought about getting pumpkins, but decided it was best to wait and go when all of us could be there. We certainly enjoyed our “guy time” together. We got a little bit more yesterday when Ella went to the doctor. Andrew and I sat in my bedroom and I watched him play my Forza Horizon game. He loves busting up fences and, as seen in the next photo, loves chasing animals.
We’re closing in on Halloween and I know the kids are excited. How about you?
This past Friday I was up early and off to the state capitol. One of the bigger sleep conferences was being held at the Kellogg Center on the campus of Michigan State University. I had no idea how bad traffic was going to be so I was on the road by 5:30am. I arrived about 6:45am and had plenty of time to check in.
The conference was one of the best I have been to. There were some great sessions that talked about dreams and their connection with trauma, another one about “sleepwalking’ crimes, and a discussion about later school start times. The speakers were good, so it was easy to stay engaged.
The highlight for me was running into one of the gals who was in the sleep program with me. She has moved up in the world and is now working for one of the companies that does home sleep studies. She noticed me first and called my name. When I turned to see who it was, there were hugs all around.
We had to do presentations in class on a certain sleep disorder. She totally went out and bought one of the “old man” hats I always wore, got some felt and made herself a mustache and goatee and presented as me. It was hilarious! There was so much to catch up on. We’re hoping to get the families together to catch up more soon.
On Saturday, the kids had a birthday party that they were invited to. It was held at a bowling alley. Ella has only been bowling once and this was Andrew’s first time. They started out using the ramps to roll the ball…
It didn’t take long for them to just start throwing them without the ramp. Andrew somehow managed to throw the ball and get it stuck between the gutter and the bumpers. Ella was just happy to get the ball to knock down pins. Andrew decided to relax as the ball rolled down the alley.
My brother came up from Ohio this weekend. He had asked me if we were going to be around and that was before I knew about the birthday party. So after the birthday party we went to Frankenmuth where the Scarecrow Festival was going on.
They had pumpkin bowling, bounce houses, pumpkin launching and more. Many of the little shops had their own pumpkin scarecrows outside. Guests could vote for the best one on their phones. The kids liked seeing many of them.
The weather was mild, so it was nice enough to walk around without jackets. We walked around the Riverplace shops and also went to the Castle Shops and visited the bakery. Cookies all around!
Whether we were just too busy catching up or chasing the kids, my brother and I only got to grab one picture while we were there.
Around 6 all the fun stuff outdoors shut down. We were all hungry, so we decided to go to this little Italian place just outside of town. Neither of us had ever been there. It was delicious. I had lasagna which reminded me of a place my folks use to eat at all the time. Ella opted for spaghetti (which is noodles with butter and no sauce for her.) I usually cut it up for her, but she decided to eat it right from the bowl. I love this picture of her …
Andrew, who loves spaghetti, threw me for a loop when he asked for a grilled cheese and French fries. How do you make that Italian? If you look closely at his plate, you will see that he has put parmesan cheese all over his food.
When we left to go home, it poured rain. It was monsoon rain. There was thunder and lightening, which Andrew thought was really cool to see at night.
My brother and Stacey stopped over Sunday and hung out most of the day. They brought the kids Happy Meals and some gifts. Ella got a Barbie and Ken doll – both were decked out for soccer. Andrew got some monster trucks and this cool thing that you toss up in the air and it floats around. You control it with your hands. It was pretty cool.
Our visit was cut short because I had to give the kids baths and get them in bed for school the next day. They are always glad to see them. One day I hope to be able to make the drive down to Ohio with the kids to see them.
I’ll wrap up with something I just thought was cool. I love high school football. One thing I’ve noticed as years have gone by is the increase of the presence of law enforcement at games. At one high school the policemen really got into things. They were cheering for the home team and telling folks they had better, too.
Check out these two law officers being held up by the cheerleaders. I love the sign: Cheer or go to jail!
I love seeing stuff like this! Kudos to these officers – and the cheer team!
Happy 4th birthday, Andrew! I will never forget holding you for the first time.
Since day one, you have kept us VERY busy!! Through all of the various health concerns, your smile was always there!
I don’t think you’ve ever slowed down. From the minute you started walking, you have never stopped running and adventuring. You are always looking to discover something new.
You have an abundance of love and kindness to share with others. That love extends to God’s little creatures, too. Whether it is a dog, a caterpillar, a bird, or a kitty, your love shines through.
You have no fear. Maybe that is because of all the various medical stuff you’ve been through in the past four years. Maybe it’s because of your relationship with your sister. Whatever the reason, stay strong and keep exploring.
Fun follows you wherever you go. You seem to be the center of it. Whether you are at the park, at school, or jumping in a big pile of leaves – always find the fun in life!
Not that you need extra energy, but drinking your “own coffee” when you crave it certainly adds to it. I want you to know how cool it is for me to have coffee (well, a lot of cream with a shot of coffee) with you.
Your fine motor skills have come a long way and it will not be long before you’ll be beating me at the games you and I love to share. Take it easy on your old man in the coming years, ok?
Thanks to “Pa,” I know that as days go by, I will be able to count on you to help with the projects around the house. I could be wrong, but you probably know how to use the power tools better than me! I also know better than to look for my tools in my tool box. I know they are in YOUR tool box.
What a joy it was for me to be out on the soccer field with you. I cannot wait to cheer you on in whatever sport you choose to play. I may have to get you some clubs so we can hit the links this summer!
The day you started pre-school was emotional for me. My baby is no longer a baby. You look forward to going every day and are prepared to learn. You are making friends and gaining knowledge. To hear from your teachers how empathetic you are to others makes me proud of you.
In the years ahead you’ll go from practicing your letters to writing your name. From there, well, the world is yours!
You’ve come a long way in four years, Bubby Drew. You are a source of happiness, laughter, and curiosity. You are truly an amazing boy!
Happy birthday, Bubs. I love you to Pluto and beyond!!
After an almost 5 hour rain delay, my Tigers dropped game 3 of the ALDS. The Mariners beat them 8-4 yesterday. If they lose this afternoon, they are done. If they win, they still have to take game 5. I am still hopeful for them to advance to the ALCS. I doesn’t look good, though.
The stats are in Seattle’s favor. In all best-of-five postseason series tied 1-1, the Game 3 winner has advanced 47 out of 66 times (71.2%). Moreover, in Division Series with the current 2-2-1 format, teams playing Game 4 on the road with a 2-1 lead have advanced 23 out of 34 times (67.7%), closing the series in Game 4 on 19 of those occasions.
On Saturday, my daughter was out on the soccer field again. I had a talk with her beforehand. I told her that if the coach wanted her out on the field, she couldn’t say “I need a break” and not play. That being said, she played a lot this week.
She was so proud of herself. She scored two goals this week. Of course, she was very generous in that one of those goals was for the other team.
I felt so bad for her. They had her in goalie during one period. When they scored on her, she dropped to her knees and cried. She felt so bad that she let the ball get by her. The coach had to kneel down next to her and tell her it was ok. After holding up the game for about 5 minutes, she was up again and playing.
I love that Andrew’s school posts pictures on their app. I will often ask what he did at school and he’ll say, “I don’t remember.” Having the occasional picture helps to see what they are working on.
They are working on the letter A this week. He came home and had to practice on the white board.
The A on the top right is what we drew as a guide. He’s getting it.
Last week was my first week back on midnights. I did better than I thought. I didn’t feel tired until the last couple hours of my last night. This is week 2 and I hope it goes as well as last week.
Various Ramblings of a Nostalgic Italian 