Asher has had two weeks of baseball, and he is pretty much in love with it. Truth be told, he goes pretty full-tilt into whatever "thing" he is doing. Soccer during soccer, football during the superbowl. Right now it is baseball. I really don't know where this obsessive behavior characteristics comes from. It must be a passive Bonderud trait.
He is on a coach-pitch team called the A's. I am helping with the coaching. He is still a bit afraid of getting hit with the ball, but he is a strong hitter. In his first game, he hit the ball to the fence.
I never thought I would be so excited for a Papa Murphy's pizza. After 6 months of living in a fake kitchen, we have finally graduated. We have an oven. True, the oven is on cinder blocks. Nevertheless we are rejoicing in our convection capacities.
It is amazing how we have adapted to our rustic conditions. Stefanie often forgets that she now has options. She was cooking fish the other night that didn't come out too well. It was only after dinner that she mused, "This would have been better if I didn't cook it in the toaster oven." Then the lightning struck and she realized she didn't have to use the toaster if she didn't want to.
Ella turned 6 last week. For this occasion she invited 12 of her friends to come for a dance party. We cleared back the couches in the living room, hung some stars, painted a big star on the floor, and made a playlist worthy of the boogie. When Ella came down, I made her favorite breakfast--chocolate chip pancakes. In the middle of breakfast, she asks, "Dad, can you wear your red suit today?" There are two things to consider. First, how can you turn your daughter down anything that is reasonable and easily within my power on her birthday? Second, I am always looking for an excuse to wear my three piece red suit. So in addition to everything else, I got to wear that beauty. We had some fun with the chicken dance, YMCA, freeze dance. From there we moved to cupcakes and presents. Let the girls play a little. Organized some more dances. And at the end of the three hours, I learned one great truth. Three hours is too long for a 6 year-old birthday party. I think I was done at 2 hours.
Ella wanted to bring Kate to school right after she was born. Obviously a newborn and a kindergarten class don't go together for a variety of reasons. So, Ella made this podcast instead to bring to class and share.
I think everyone in the family was excited for Asher's first Pinewood Derby. Asher and I worked on his car, Ella and Marley kept up the encouragement about how fast it would be, and Stefanie tempered his expectations so he wouldn't ride the emotional roller coaster that ends with the crash of not coming in first. That last may not sound "excited," but it was the kindest thing any of us did for him. Stefanie held cautious excitement. In case you are unfamiliar, the Pinewood Derby is a longstanding Cub Scouts tradition. Boys and their parents spend anywhere from a day to months building a car from a simple block of wood. However, the regulations are extensive. It can't weight too much, must fit within specified dimensions, use stock wheels and axles, stock lubricant, no liquid weights, etc, etc, etc. As the rules imply, this "friendly competition" can get sticky. It is said the competition is often about the dads as much as the kids. The rules stated, "This is a boy event, the scout should do most of the work on their car." So Asher designed his car, and I cut out the shape for him. Then I gave him the sandpaper and taught him how to do it. But Asher painted his car a gold color, and we were ready to go. When we got there, we saw what this was really about. Most of the cars had polished lacquer finishes with weights embedded inside the car. I was hoping we wouldn't get sideways looks for helping with the cutting, but I quit worrying once we saw the other cars. I can only say that if the boys did most of the work, Sonoma is chock full of pre-adolescent Bob Villa's. You could see your reflection on the lacquered finishes. The winning cars had weights embedded inside the body and covered over with bondo. Amazing work especially if they were done by 8, 9, and 10 year olds. So we were there for hours, but the kids made the most of it. Marley was very supportive of Asher, cheering him on and staying close. We were disappointed the kids never got to load their cars on the track or get them at the finish. Adults ran the whole thing and had police tape up to keep the kids back. It was dreadful boring. The bright spot is the 2 minutes when Asher's car actually raced. One mother in bounced up and down when her son's car won. I heard her say to her friend, "My car won! I was up until 4 am finishing that thing!" I think I was just amazed at how quickly people lose perspective. It was supposed to be about the kids. But Asher's car didn't do so well, because he did most of the work on his own. If he decides to do it again next year, he will be at a disadvantage if he does it on his own. Hopefully next year, we will decide that win or lose, it is better to accomplish it on your own.
I knew it would come, but that doesn't make it any easier. Kate is getting older. She won't be driving anytime soon, I know, but she will be 3 months on the 20th. She has started smiling, grabbing, cooing, and recognizing family. Apparently Stefanie can hold an entire conversation with her. Actually, I don't mind the growing up a little if we could keep it just to the point of getting a good night's sleep.
Ella took part in her first play recently. In "The Big Hug," she played a grandmother pig. Now, Ella is quite dramatic, so she took to the acting thing like a fish to water. As we left for the evening performance, I asked her if she was nervous. She said, "I have already done the play twice Dad, and I wasn't even scared. So I am not nervous at all." Fortunately, her confidence was well founded as she delivered her one important line with boldness and confidence! "That is the best mail I ever received. I have a kiss to send back to those little piglets of mine!"
Asher has had two weeks of baseball, and he is pretty much in love with it. Truth be told, he goes pretty full-tilt into whatever "thing" he is doing. Soccer during soccer, football during the superbowl. Right now it is baseball. I really don't know where this obsessive behavior characteristics comes from. It must be a passive Bonderud trait.
