Walking with Aaron to a friend’s house, looking at our shadows.
Aaron: Mommy do you like to have something that goes with you, like a stuffy, or a shadow?
Rachel: Sure, I like that. Or a friend.
Aaron: But a friend can sometimes go against you because they have their own opinion. That’s why I say something like a stuffy. Because even if I know I am wrong, I can always have them tell me that I’m right. That’s what I mean when I say they go with me.
Rachel: Oh, I get it.
Aaron: Like sometimes if I am doing my homework, and I thought I had a math problem right but Daddy says I got it wrong, I get really mad and I go in my room. And then Cater or Tov can say to me, “You know what Aaron? You are right.” And then I know that someone is on my side. That helps me feel a lot better.
Rachel: That’s great. Then you know you are not alone.
Aaron: That’s just what I mean.
Rachel: Maybe they also say to you, “Aaron you are an awesome kid. Math problem or no math problem.”
Aaron: And you are an awesome Mommy.
Rachel: Thank you for saying that.
Aaron: We are so lucky to be in a family where everyone is so kind to each other.
Friday, November 27, 2015
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Stuffy friends
Aaron has many stuffies who are his precious companions. They keep him company, they talk to him, he helps them talk to the rest of us, they snuggle with him in bed. Aaron always wants to get new ones, so they are quite a large family by now.
Some of his friends have both English and Hebrew names. For example, Tov, the raccoon on the far left, has the English name Silvercoat. But we usually call him Tov, which means "good." This is funny at bedtime because we say "Laila tov, Tov!" (Night-good, Good!)
In front of Tov is Leopardy, and behind him is Sealy. Tigey and Stripey, the twin tigers, are on opposite sides of their friend Cater, who we think is a bobcat. In front is Tertwine, the sea turtle, and Umo the seal, both of whom joined us on our Hawaiian vacation. The big bear in the very back is Fuzzball, who is one of the oldest. Tucked in next to Tigey is Wolfy, who came to Zion and Bryce National Parks with us and got all red and dusty. Next to Wolfy is the seal named Yam, which means "sea" in Hebrew; he comes from the aquarium. Ari is right behind Yam; his full name is Ari-Yam, which means Lion-Sea (he is a sea lion). Then there is Dog, and Papa Sealy next to Dog. (Papa Sealy is the papa of Sealy; they are cousins with Yam and Umo, who are brothers.) Working our way towards the front we have the very special Shtaim ("Two"), so named because he is #2 after Tov. Shtaim joined us when we visited the Grand Canyon, and he gives the best hugs. The fox in the front row is Rak, meaning "only." The fish next to Rak is just a friend. On the farthest right we have Beary, Sharky, and Orcy. Behind all of them is Bubba, the venerable Bubba, whom Dale used to cherish when he was a little guy.
They all really enjoyed getting together for this photograph! And Aaron loves them all very much.
Some of his friends have both English and Hebrew names. For example, Tov, the raccoon on the far left, has the English name Silvercoat. But we usually call him Tov, which means "good." This is funny at bedtime because we say "Laila tov, Tov!" (Night-good, Good!)
In front of Tov is Leopardy, and behind him is Sealy. Tigey and Stripey, the twin tigers, are on opposite sides of their friend Cater, who we think is a bobcat. In front is Tertwine, the sea turtle, and Umo the seal, both of whom joined us on our Hawaiian vacation. The big bear in the very back is Fuzzball, who is one of the oldest. Tucked in next to Tigey is Wolfy, who came to Zion and Bryce National Parks with us and got all red and dusty. Next to Wolfy is the seal named Yam, which means "sea" in Hebrew; he comes from the aquarium. Ari is right behind Yam; his full name is Ari-Yam, which means Lion-Sea (he is a sea lion). Then there is Dog, and Papa Sealy next to Dog. (Papa Sealy is the papa of Sealy; they are cousins with Yam and Umo, who are brothers.) Working our way towards the front we have the very special Shtaim ("Two"), so named because he is #2 after Tov. Shtaim joined us when we visited the Grand Canyon, and he gives the best hugs. The fox in the front row is Rak, meaning "only." The fish next to Rak is just a friend. On the farthest right we have Beary, Sharky, and Orcy. Behind all of them is Bubba, the venerable Bubba, whom Dale used to cherish when he was a little guy.
They all really enjoyed getting together for this photograph! And Aaron loves them all very much.
Saturday, October 31, 2015
White board
The top half is Jordan's and the bottom half is Aaron's. They immediately made rules (visible on the center left of the board):
1. Have fun
2. Respect sides and colors
3. NO LYING
4. Get creative
5. No mixing colors
There is space to write things they need to do, and designated doodle space. There are many colors of pens. The board is magnetic as well so they can put up papers they need. There is an eraser (okay, a rag) on a magnetic clip, and when they accomplish something written on the board, they experience the joy of white-board-erasing. It's a good thing.
The other boychoir
Another boychoir came through town on tour, the American Boychoir, and selected members of the Northwest Boychoir (including Jordan) opened for them. The American Boychoir has a great reputation; they have been regarded as the United States' premier concert boys' choir. It's a residential program, meaning the boys are in choir-centered boarding school, with about 15 hours of rehearsal a week and 100 performances a year. They have fallen on hard times in recent years (financially) and have been struggling as an organization. Our boys welcomed theirs with a social dinner, and then sang a twenty-minute opener to their ninety-minute concert, with all the proceeds benefiting their choir. I was super curious, because I don't think I've ever heard any boychoir in person other than ours, and this is supposed to be such a good one.
Their opening number was very beautiful and magical, delivered in a surround-sound kind of thing with boys arrayed around the perimeter of the room. And they had an entertainingly diverse repertoire: they did not only classical boychoir music but also Nigerian highlife music, a crazy Amazonian-jungle-noises kind of thing including an a capella passing storm, and other global vocal things. But I thought our boys' vocal quality was in another league from theirs. Ours have this incredibly rich, full sound, as pure as a diamond bell, yet filling the whole space in the church so fully that it vibrates your whole body along with it. I think that kind of sonorous perfection comes partly from getting every tiny little thing exactly right - every vowel shape, every rhythmic detail - and partly from having a kind of vocal training in which your voice becomes a beautiful instrument, so that listening is like being inside a concert violin. I think the other choir does not have either of these things, at least not at the level that we do. Their voices seemed thin and tense and reedy in comparison. They slumped their shoulders and shifted their feet. Their diverse repertoire was more about being fun than about being perfect (e.g., jungle sounds). And also I just think it might be impossible to pull off singing Nigerian highlife music in a tuxedo shirts and bow tie in a church without looking a little ridiculous. Jordan's director stays strictly within genre, and I am all for it. They should sing the music that showcases their extraordinary, specific talents.
I came away feeling extremely impressed with our boychoir, and especially with Jordan's director, who knows how to bring out such amazing musicianship from these middle-school kids. They've got a truly great thing going.
Thursday, September 17, 2015
First week of 6th grade
Jordan is off to a great start in his first week of middle school. I don't know a lot about it, but he says his teachers are energetic and friendly, and the other kids are welcoming and fun. I did find this piece of reflective writing in his folder (posted with his cheerful permission):
Sounds pretty darned good. And also it's just a nice piece of writing, compared to the old days when he had to work so hard to eke out a few sentences.
He has a complex schedule of classes in various buildings that changes every day and every week, because none of the classes meet every day, and they move things around so that specific subjects happen at different times of day. He carries a printed copy of that week's schedule around with him to tell him where to go. He explained to me that if he was to lose that, he could consult the copy posted on the wall in the main building; if that was not available he could ask another student, or if necessary a teacher. He seems very clear on everything. He has a planner, and a study skills class at which they organize their materials and learn how to manage everything.
Their study skills teacher shared with them that he is dyslexic, and explained what that has meant for him as a learner as well as how he used to be treated in school (he was not accommodated). He also explained how people that have special needs in one area often develop special strengths to go with it, such as persistence and creativity. Jordan liked this idea. When Jordan reported all this to me, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to tell him that he himself has some signs of dyslexia, including that it was harder for him to learn to write, and spelling is more difficult for him than for some people. We have never used the term with him before. Jordan was rather pleased with it and said, "That means I have other strengths." I agreed, and said his talents in building and music might be related.
Today was a service learning day, for the whole school: instead of regular classes, they bused the kids out to Lake Sammamish State Park to clear invasive blackberry brambles. He said, "At our school we will not only be learning things for our ongoing lives, but also we will be solving problems. They might be small problems like how to fix your own computer or big problems like some problem in the world. Today we are helping solve the blackberry problem." It rained a lot today and Jordan did not bring either a raincoat or a spoon for his yogurt; parent that I am, I worried that he would be miserable. But no: He had a blast. He used pruning shears and shovels and rakes, he learned that the plant grows back unless you excavate and chop up the root ball, he formed "Operation Kill It Here And Now" with a group of other kids, and he had the satisfaction of seeing a thicket of brambles cleared to nothing by the effort of his own team. It did not rain much and when it did he didn't care. He ate his yogurt with his fingers. He can't wait to do it again.
Sounds pretty darned good. And also it's just a nice piece of writing, compared to the old days when he had to work so hard to eke out a few sentences.
He has a complex schedule of classes in various buildings that changes every day and every week, because none of the classes meet every day, and they move things around so that specific subjects happen at different times of day. He carries a printed copy of that week's schedule around with him to tell him where to go. He explained to me that if he was to lose that, he could consult the copy posted on the wall in the main building; if that was not available he could ask another student, or if necessary a teacher. He seems very clear on everything. He has a planner, and a study skills class at which they organize their materials and learn how to manage everything.
Their study skills teacher shared with them that he is dyslexic, and explained what that has meant for him as a learner as well as how he used to be treated in school (he was not accommodated). He also explained how people that have special needs in one area often develop special strengths to go with it, such as persistence and creativity. Jordan liked this idea. When Jordan reported all this to me, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to tell him that he himself has some signs of dyslexia, including that it was harder for him to learn to write, and spelling is more difficult for him than for some people. We have never used the term with him before. Jordan was rather pleased with it and said, "That means I have other strengths." I agreed, and said his talents in building and music might be related.
Today was a service learning day, for the whole school: instead of regular classes, they bused the kids out to Lake Sammamish State Park to clear invasive blackberry brambles. He said, "At our school we will not only be learning things for our ongoing lives, but also we will be solving problems. They might be small problems like how to fix your own computer or big problems like some problem in the world. Today we are helping solve the blackberry problem." It rained a lot today and Jordan did not bring either a raincoat or a spoon for his yogurt; parent that I am, I worried that he would be miserable. But no: He had a blast. He used pruning shears and shovels and rakes, he learned that the plant grows back unless you excavate and chop up the root ball, he formed "Operation Kill It Here And Now" with a group of other kids, and he had the satisfaction of seeing a thicket of brambles cleared to nothing by the effort of his own team. It did not rain much and when it did he didn't care. He ate his yogurt with his fingers. He can't wait to do it again.
Thursday, September 3, 2015
Dungeness Spit
One of the great places to visit on the Olympic Peninsula is the Dungeness Spit, a National Wildlife Refuge particularly known for seabirds. My aunt and uncle visiting from Maine are notorious birders so we were eager to take them there. Unfortunately I guess we were out of season; there was hardly a bird to be seen. But we still had a good time.
The Dungeness Spit is a strip of sand sticking out into the Strait of Juan de Fuca on the north side of the Olympic Peninsula, 5.5 miles long and so narrow you could throw a rock from one side to the other. Aaron saw a picture of it on a map and declared that it makes perfect sense to call it a Spit because it looks like a long piece of drool. Well, okay.
The weather was gorgeous. Unfortunately that means sunscreen, which Jordan hates with a passion and resists by all possible means.
The kids played in the sand, and all of us hiked along the long long beach.
We looked for birds.
We took a ride on a hilarious seesaw that someone made out of driftwood.
On the leeward side of the spit, we discovered a large pond surrounded by very squishy muck. Then we realized it was crab-filled muck! Little muck-colored crabs scuttling from one muck-hole to another everywhere we looked. Fun stuff!
Almost as much fun as the kelp trumpets. Just cut off the end of the bulb and however much stem, and there you are.
But nothing can be taken off the beach, so at the end of the visit, we returned them to the sea.
Port Townsend
My delightful aunt and uncle, Fred and Linda, came to Port Townsend for reasons of their own, and since Port Townsend is a heck of a lot closer than Pembroke, Maine (where they live), we were very happy to pop over and meet them. It's just a ferry ride away.
Port Townsend is a pretty sweet little spot. They had a big building boom in the railroad era that filled the place with lovely Victorian architecture; then that all dried up, and not much happened after that economically so the buildings are still there.
Here we are enjoying the company of the family.
We stayed in a charming vacation rental home, with a living room and parlor and many bedrooms, all entertainingly furnished. Here are the boys indulging in screen time at the dining room table.
We took walks around town to admire the old buildings; here is the courthouse.
But a lot of the attraction is the water's edge. The kids can dig in the sand for any amount of time.
Aaron loooves sand, loves it all over, cares not what crevices it might enter or how much of it he takes home in his hair; he just loves it. Jordan buried him thoroughly, to both of their delight.
Dale discovered a couple years ago that if you cut off the end of a kelp bulb, it makes a terrific trumpet.
One night we attended a crab feast. Aaron was a complete natural: he cheerfully accepted instructions from me, became a terrific little crab picker in no time at all, and declared the whole operation delicious and fun. Jordan absolutely hated it and had to be taken somewhere else to eat.
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