It's Wild Here

July

Fourth of July at Uncle Doug and Aunt Barb's house has been a tradition for several years. Before that, we had decades of Fourths at my grandma's.  Marshmallow topped brownies, balloon toss, cooking out. 

 

All summer, we've been attending the summer reading programs at the library. This one was really wonderful, engaging all the children completely.

Hanging out downtown at the first (annual?) Cirque Carnival

Ryan is finishing up a clay class - they are creating an under-the-sea scene.

 Ryan attended Bulldog Basketball Camp and had the best time.  They were long, hot days and he wanted to be there every minute. He says it's more fun than swimming or soccer.  I'm thinking, wait until he can get the ball into the net - how fun will it be then?

 

 

4-H Camp Clifton - Jeremiah's first week away from home. He did the high ropes course, a zip line at night, and a few activities that he described as "do it yourself..."  They weren't terribly prepared. Think ice cream eating contest with no bowls, spoons or cones.  Just kids and a tub of ice cream. 

Ryan was better just in time for soccer camp, although he was definitely not fully recovered until the second day. During the first day of camp, he came walking over looking incredibly pale and flopped down into the grass.  It took some peanut butter and rest in the shade, but he was back at it before long.

Next week, he wants to try out swim team. 

He seems to be making some strides in reading and writing - practicing a little each day through summer.  He has one lost tooth and another couple of loose teeth.

He wants to play violin.  We're looking into it.

 

Jeremiah is teaching himself ukulele. Thank you, youtube.  I imagine we'll get some real lessons after fall soccer.  Right now, he's busy with Brasilian Jiu-jitsu and summer. 

 

Uncle Doug, Uncle Gavin, Dad.  Memorial Day/Dad's birthday.

  

 

 

library fun

We went to the library, just to get some books and movies, and stumbled into an improvisational dance performance, accompanied by Matt Minde and his cello.  It was unique and captivating. Matt shared the cello with the boys afterward.

 

 

kindergarten!

Here is the picture taken by Mrs.  B as Ryan got on the bus.  Isn't it nice that the teacher rides the bus with the children on the first day? 

Heading into school...

and in case you didn't notice them in the picture above.... 

new kindergarten shoes.

puppet camp

In July, Ryan participated in an art camp at Antioch School.  They made puppets and put on a show at the end of the week.  See Ryan peeking out from behind the curtain before the show.

 

A professional puppeteer was invited for after the show, and Ryan was clearly captivated.

summer swimming

Over the summer, Ryan had so much fun swimming.  He took several weeks of daily lessons with Jan Gooodwin, and made steady and enthusiastic progress. He often continued kicking along with his kickboard back and forth, long after class was over.  Kellen was able to touch the bottom in the shallow end of the regular pool, so we didn't have much back-and-forth with the baby pool.  It was relaxing to be at the pool with the boys this summer, which was a fabulous and shocking development.  We went almost daily, sometimes twice a day, because this was the one place in the world where Ryan had some caution and serious focus.  It was really wonderful.

The week the cousins came, Porter joined into the swim lesson fun!

Teeball in the village

Yelow Springs tee-ball is a treasure.  Our friend Bob got this picture of the boys with their friend (and Bob's son), Max.  Each year there are new P (for Perry League) caps, with a new color, and each year there is a mob of kids on the field, throwing dirt, yelling, running, hitting, catching and smiling.  It's definitely the least organized sport you've ever seen, and yet somehow it all comes together week after week, year after year, in pretty much the same way.  No one ever strikes out in teeball, there is no keeping score, and when the ball does finally get hit, there are parents behind the batter to throw out additional grounders to the 27 kids in the field.

As if this fine Friday evening ritual were not enough, coach Jimmy Cheshire also writes up an article about the kids several times during the season.  He's a fine writer and his love for the children is so clear.  I'll paste in an example from a few years ago (I'd link to it, but there's some scrolling involved, and this is easier. )
---------------------------------------

Batter up for t-ball opener

By Jimmy Chesire

Perry League, Yellow Springs’ happy, happy t-ball program, opens its 2006 season Friday night, June 2, at 6:30, in Gaunt Park.

It’s the village’s noncompetitive beginners’ baseball program for girls and boys ages 2–9. Two- and 3-year-olds are welcome if accompanied on the diamond by an adult. There are no fees, no sign-ups, no registrations, and no requirement to play every week. Come when you can, come when you like. We will play on 10 consecutive Friday nights, June 2 through Aug. 4, and you can begin on any of those 10 nights, up to and including our final potluck trophy night on Aug. 4.

If you’ve got one of those remarkable creatures in your life, one of those Hi-Energy Love Beings — aka toddlers, preschoolers, kindergartners and kids in their middle childhood — and if that creature is frequently flinging him or herself about; or if you have a little person often found roaring about in mysterious raptures we adults can only dimly remember; or if you have a kid who is occasionally going off like a rocket on the 4th of July, that kidder-roo seemingly exploding with an overabundance of something — zeal? passion? an early on-set dementia? — then we may have just the program for you: Yellow Springs’ exuberant, joyous, unpredictable and what some might call mildly demented Perry League.

We’ve got the bats, balls and gloves — gloves: which many of our darling young charges find clunky, obstreperous and as often as not, totally useless. We’ve also got both the beautiful Gaunt Park baseball diamonds every Friday night for the rest of the summer. All you need is the time and inclination — and, of course, one of those passionate pint-sized whirling dervishes, one of those Hi-Energy Love Bugs. Just bring her out, just bring him out, cuz we’ll be out there, ready and willing, looking to have ourselves a good time. You’ll find us lining up on the third base line and then running out to right field (it will not be a race this summer, Steffi Cooper, no, it will not) where we’ll do our peculiar Perry League brand of calisthenics — doing one thousand seven hundred eleventeen twelve push ups, four million twelve thousand two-hundred-teen jumping jacks and four hundred million zillion quadrillion trunk twisters. Right? Right.

We try to keep it simple and we’re serious about keeping it noncompetitive. There are no outs in t-ball, no runs, no scores and no one ever strikes out in the Perry League: you get a thousand strikes in t-ball. Every child gets a chance to field and bat a couple of times each evening. The first 100 or so kids showing up will get a free cap and a chance to buy the 2006 edition of the often beautiful, frequently glamourous, but always glorious Perry League t-shirt.

We’re a Yellow Springs Recreation Board program. United Way funds — which come through the good work of the Yellow Springs Community Council — get us started each summer. Then the sale of t-shirts, donations from generous parents, loving grandparents, awesome aunts, ugly uncles, silly stepsisters, bodacious brothers and the many supercalifragilistic friends of the program — with the Lions Club being uniquely and most sensationally supportive of us these past six or seven years (they’ve been paying for our trophies) — and gifts from the kids themselves, allow us to pay back the Rec. Board and pay for the program ourselves.

We welcome all the community’s children regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, ability or disability. And we work assiduously at being tender, patient, kind and loving to them all.

So, you-all ready to play a little t-ball? Ready for another fantabulous, mugglelicious summer of fun? Yes? Yes? Yes! Of course! Then come on out to Gaunt Park, Friday, June 2, 6:30–8 p.m. We’d just love to have you, to see you again, to play with you-all again. We really and truly and honestly would.

jamie's 8th grade promotion

Jamie with his best friend, Soccer Ball, and sporting his new Class of 2013 button.

summer approaches

(photo by Kelly)

We're all looking forward to the new pace of summer, which begins next Wednesday, the first day school is out.  Of course, the older boys' school work has waned considerably already. 

(photo by Kelly)

The three older boys will attend british soccer camp, and Ryan will go to one week of Antioch school art and water play camp. 

(photo by Kelly)

Yesterday, Ryan started digging a hole in the back yard. We'll see how large he can make it.  If anyone can think of more "real" jobs for a strong and curious boy who doesn't seem to care about toys anymore, please comment.

He's dying to mow.  Followed Daddy all over the yard.

Our strawberries are ready now - we all go out and raid the garden periodically. I think these strawberries are kind of weird and lame - they are mostly small and oddly shaped. Our patch at the old house must have had better/different plants. They taste fine though.

Planted dahlias from Bruce also - time will tell if I actually drag myself out there in the fall to dig up the tubers. 

I got maximum enjoyment from the peonies - we went out to cut many of them before the big peony-crushing rain storm, and delivered some flowers to friends. 

Jamie seems to have found a job  - we'll see how it works out. He's very excited.  Chen's is our local chinese place and he has a friend with a family tie to the owner, so this connection seems to be working for him.  We need to have the talk about the money he earns and how much is saved/spent.

Jeremiah's about to play his final game - his team could come in 2nd if they tie or win - we'll see!  

Kelly is the toileting rock star, dry night and day.  He's also bicycle master, balancing well on his balance bike (and even riding a true two-wheeler alone, although his legs are too short to get on and off without help).  He's been going to Laurie's with Ryan for about 3 weeks, and seems to have no real trouble with the separation. yay!

My camera cord is missing.  I don't seem to be able to blog without photos. I've ordered a new one from ebay, so in a few days, get ready for a flood of updates.  Briefly, though...

Evan - writing christmas story, watching a lot of football (winning his work pool, no money at stake), enjoying Risk and "that's what she said" jokes with older boys

Jamie - still sculpting, beginning to offer lessons in Photoshop, reading, schooling, PC gaming, playing piano

Jeremiah - suddenly turned on to music, his taste is a unique combination of 80s (eye of the tiger, seriously) and 60s, Beatles, Rolling Stones, etc.  Just completed several large school projects related to their study of Egypt, played in his first school band concert, the object of no small amount of female attention, but don't even think about bringing that up.

Ryan - excited to be almost 5, excited about the holidays, coming out of a very long respiratory illness and seeming to respond well to daily allergy meds, which bums me out, but we had to do something.  Protective of Kellen, affectionate with all smaller children, enjoying 2x/week play time at Laurie's, can count to a million... not really, but can count high - somewhere between 40 and 80 I think.  Still very interested in writing and letters, hasn't expressed an interest in reading.  Still extremely, seemingly-uncontrollably curious and "grabby" - so many broken objects. So. many.

We also went to a local holiday shindig - pancakes and santa and crafts - ryan loved that.

Kelly - in a "pretending to be a  baby" stage, having little meltdowns daily - loud but not long - when I run out of milk (fairly quickly these days :-(  he says "this one's not working." lol.   

Amy - still busy with Threshold Choir, NVC group, trying to hang on to my connection with the dharma center but it's just not happening.  knitting - I finished that red sweater and the finishing and resulting object was so dreadful I can't even post it, can't even try to correct it.  I am knitting hats and toys all winter.  And also socks, definitely.  Enjoying old seasons of Six Feet Under.