Veteran's Day Program at Myatt Elementary

Wendy told me last week that Gage was going to be singing The Star Spangled Banner solo at the program the 1st grade presented for Veteran's Day. The first grade choir performed several numbers, including a rousing "Grand Old Flag" in their salute to veterans.

I might have mentioned in an earlier post that he had been selected to the choir...largely because he knew the two or three songs that they were going to sing in the program. Upon realizing that he also knew the words to national anthem, the music teacher, Mrs. Chappell, asked Gage if he would be willing to sing it at the program and he said he would.

So, we were thrilled to see him make it all the way through the song without any problems. Could you? I don't think I could. I've tried to sing it a few times today and about halfway through it I start wondering if I'm repeating phrases that I sang earlier. He did a great job!

As a finale, all the classes paraded around the room (cafeteria) we were in, waving little flags...marching to a reprise of "Grand Old Flag."

More soccer with Zane

I still don't know what the positions in soccer are called...except for goalie. Zane was in front of the goalie in this video. He seems to march to the tune of a different drummer...not a natural, maybe, but fun to watch.

Soccer videos of Zane and Gage

I was able to shoot some videos of the boys playing soccer this morning. (I should explain that these videos are not shot using a real video camera...I'm just using my digital camera.) This is Zane's first year. He's on the green team, Galaxy. In this first video he starts out looking to the side while he runs down the field. He was probably looking for his dad or Gage. Then the play is over, but it starts up again very quickly, so he doesn't lose any momentum. There's a congregation of most of the players in the middle of the field, and Zane gets a foot on the ball briefly before the blue team gets control and they all run down the field. Zane keeps up with them, then loses his balance and falls down as the play ends.

I missed the first quarter, but Wendy said he played goalie and did a really good job keeping the other team from scoring.



In this clip, he keeps trying to find a way in, but just can't quite get to the ball. It looks like he gets tossed out the back of the group, but he pops right back up and keeps on trying!



I shot a few videos of Gage, but those kids are so much faster that it's hard to keep up with them; so most of the clips look a little jerky. This short one shows Gage, in green, kicking the ball and attempting to kick it again when a much bigger kid stops him short (looks like she uses a hand to the face in addition to a body block) and he bites the dust. But, you can see his excitement at the very end when his team scores.

Rock Star

Kate's aunt and uncle gave her a real mike for her birthday. A perfect gift for a girl who likes to be "onstage" all the time. They had just set it up and Kate had been singing nonsense songs...making it up as she went along.

Zane was clearly eager to get to the mike, but waited until Kate finished her "song" and backed away before he stepped in, grabbed the mike and started on the song you will hear. His selection surprised all of us at first, then we all laughed at the same time. I think he finished the song, but I didn't want the clip to be too long, so I didn't video the whole thing. We were all wondering where he had even heard the song, then yesterday at his house he showed me a musical card that played that song.

Officially 4 years old!

Zane is officially 4 years old today. I had errands to do in town, so I did them and then stopped by their house to deliver the official birthday card. They were eating lunch and managed to continue eating, remaining in their places except for the occasional quick dash to the kitchen cabinet where past birthday cards are stored.

I had to apologize to Zane for giving him a Transformer card instead of a Star Wars card. I just couldn't find one when I was looking yesterday. So, their forays to the cabinet were to find other Star Wars cards that had been given to one of the family previously. I think I saw two of the Star Wars sound cards that had been given to Kelly. Zane likes Transformers, too, but I think the current favorite is Star Wars.

I stayed just for a little while since I had ice cream in the car...it was in an insulated bag and I left the car running...but, still it was noon and the temperature was in the mid-90's.


I had to show this photo of Zane at his party at the Aquatic Center. Everyone else had finished their cake and drink and gone back to pool activities. He was enjoying himself!


Zane always gets cold after swimming for awhile, so here he is, warming himself up on the hot concrete.

Zane's 4th Birthday Party

Zane isn't officially 4 years old until next Thursday, but his party was held today at the Aquatic Center. It's a great place for a birthday party...as long as you have have parents there and enough people in the water to keep eyes on everyone.

Zane loved going down the big slide and did it over and over again. Wendy was at the top of the slide, making sure that Kelly, at the bottom, was ready to assist the sliders when they hit the water.

I was going to put a video of Zane on the slide here. But I decided not to use that one. In that video, Zane comes off the slide and then Kelly brings him to the side of the pool. You can see Zane practicing blowing out while they make their way to the side. You can also see his feet under water, paddling like a baby duck. It was cute, but it's not the one posted here.



I decided to use the video of Zane blowing out his candles. Wendy did a great job making him the kind of cake he wanted...a Star Wars cake. She went to the Betty Crocker website to look for ideas and found the Space Shuttle Cake. Zane requested a white cake with chocolate frosting. She downloaded the template for carving the rectangular cake into the necessary shapes and then followed the instructions for putting it together and frosting, making changes to it as needed. I thought it was cute, especially with the candles inserted in a most unusual way in order to look like rocket engines. Also to make it look more like a Star Wars vessel, they inserted chocolate-covered peppermint sticks which looked like guns. Wendy says the website is a great go-to spot for cake ideas.


I had taken my list from Gage and Zane (mentioned in an earlier post) to the store and purchased a couple of the requested Star Wars action figures for him...so he (and Gage) were excited about them. I think you can tell from the expression on Gage's face that he was really thrilled with the gift.


I also made a photo book for him on Shutterfly. It arrived today, so I'm going to take it down there in a little while. I can't tell you how many times I went through that photo book, checking for spelling errors, making sure the captions were correct and fit into the space allowed. Two or three times, when I tried to order it, a message would come up cautioning that there were: 1) photos that might not print well; 2) captions that might be too long; 3) words that might be mispelled...I think there were a couple of other warnings, but I can't remember what they were. Each time, I would go back through the book, checking photos, captions, spellings, etc. So, satisfied that everything was correct, I ordered it. Robin stopped by a few minutes ago and I showed the book to her. On the title page at the top it says, "Zane Aaron Garner." Then there's a photo of Zane. Under the photo, it should have said, "This is a book about me and my family!" However, instead of "book", it said "big". Robin noticed it immediately. If you know me, you know what I said! I used some DryLine liquid paper and covered the "ig" and then used a red ball point and wrote in "ook". If I don't mention it, maybe they won't notice.

But, of course you know I'll mention it.

We all decided to go to Casa Hernandez for lunch after the party. These last two photos show Zane with the fried ice cream dessert that they brought the birthday boy. In the second picture, you can see Gage at the end of the table, giving Zane a little brotherly encouragement.

Birthday anticipation

When I got to Wendy's this afternoon, the boys were really playing quietly together. Even when they saw me, they just grinned from across the living room and said hi...but didn't rush me the way the girls do.

So, Wendy and I had a chance to talk for awhile. She was just finishing preparing their supper of baked chicken and fresh green beans with potatoes. It smelled, and looked, really good.

Eventually, Zane came running into the kitchen and, with a big grin, gave me a piece of note paper. Apparently, what had kept them quiet was their collaboration in compiling a list of what Zane wants for his birthday. It was all Star Wars action figures. Since I'm not as conversant in Star Wars as they are, I had to ask who a couple of them were. Zane ran off again and came back in a jiffy with two of the cards from the deck of Star Wars cards that I got for Gage recently. The pictures on the cards he brought back were of two of the action figures that he would like to have. I have the note tucked away in my purse to help me when I'm in the store.

I mentioned to Zane that he was going to have a birthday soon. He said "Yes! I'm going to be 4 and then I'll be taller!" I hope he won't be too disappointed if it doesn't happen overnight. I asked him where his party was going to be and he told me, "It's going to be at the Aquatic Center. And I'm not going to have one of those things that you hit and it's full of candy!" He said the last while making bat-swinging motions...grinning all the time. Sounded like he was glad he wasn't going to have a pinata. Maybe all those amateurs wearing blindfolds and swinging bats make him nervous. I completely understand.

Zane and "the dog"

On Sunday, July 5, we started cleaning up the bayhouse in preparation for leaving after lunch. We washed loads of sheets and towels, vacuumed and emptied the refrigerators. We drained our pool and put up hoses, tables & chairs and the gazebo I had purchased (which was a great addition to our outdoor area.)

Wendy wanted to give the boys lunch before they left for home. She had just settled them at the table with sandwiches when Robin and Chad showed up with her dachshund, Rowdy. They came by to say goodbye before heading back to El Campo.

Zane is really crazy about dogs and wanted to play with Rowdy, but Wendy wanted him to eat his lunch first. He was very good about it and sat there eating. Meanwhile, Rowdy did something for which he got put into the truck, (not to worry, it was running,) so was unavailable for play when Zane got through with his lunch. Robin and Chad left and Zane was very sad when he realized that "the dog", as he calls Rowdy, was gone, too.

Zane left the room and Wendy found him lying on one of the beds. She asked him what he was doing there and he replied that he just wanted to think about "the dog." He further informed her that next time she shouldn't put "supper" out first. He stayed on the bed for a while and then joined Gage in the living room. The television was on and cartoons were being shown, but Zane was still too sad to watch them...highly unusual. He faced away from the television and thought about "the dog" and how unfair it had all been.

I think Wendy and Kelly might actually be entertaining the idea of getting them a dog! But, of course, Zane and Gage don't need to know about that yet.

The photo here is Zane with Gracie, Rowdy's "sister." Isn't that a wonderful picture of a happy little boy?

4th of July at Port Alto

It was our turn to use the bay house at Port Alto on July 4th. Wendy and Kelly and the boys came down on Friday and left Sunday, the same as me. Wayne came on Saturday and left on Sunday. Carolyn and Brent and their children came just for the day on Saturday. It was great having everyone there.

The kids had fun in the inflatable pool. It's remarkable how confident Zane is in the water now. On Memorial Day weekend he still didn't want to get his eyes wet. Now he's jumping in and holding his breath as he swims the length of the pool (all 8 feet or so of it!) But the point is, he really enjoys it and isn't fearful of being underwater. He and Gage and Kate had all sorts of floats in the small pool and took turns pulling each other around on them. Carlee got in every once in a while, but it was pretty crowded in there with the 3 older kids, 2 or 3 floats, noodles and diving rings.




Virgie and Bo offered to take the families on a boat ride. Jax had just been fed, so I was happy to stay at the house with him. He went right to sleep and didn't wake up for 3 hours. The kids and parents all enjoyed the boat ride. Many thanks, Virgie and Bo!

Another activity was Mexican Train dominoes. We explained it to Gage and he and Wendy played one round together. The next round he played on his own with a little help. The third time we played, he understood the moves and rules better than I did and knew exactly what to do. In one of the videos posted here, Zane was humming music from "Star Wars" while we were playing Mexican Train.

The big fireworks show was supposed to start at 9:30, so we were keeping Gage and Zane up to see it. We played Mexican Train until 9:30 and then got our chairs situated outside and waited for the show to start...and waited...and waited...and waited. Other fireworks were going off all around us and Zane didn't want to stay outside. So he and Kelly went in to lie on the beds and watch through the windows. Zane made it till about 11:00, but finally just couldn't stay awake any longer. Neither could Wayne...he went in to bed about the same time.

After waiting outside more than an hour, we came in and were playing another game of Mexican Train when we suddenly heard the deep booms of the fireworks. So, we rushed out to our chairs. This was at 11:30 PM! The show was awesome! The fireworks were set to go off at 8 second intervals in order to finish quicker (since it was so late.) Usually, as I understand it, they go off at 15 second intervals. This is all electronically controlled (I think.) Previous shows have lasted more than 2 hours!

It was worth the wait. Gage kept exclaiming, "Gorgeous! Awesome! Beautiful!" I used the "fireworks mode" on my camera, but should have had it on a tripod. These pictures don't do any of the fireworks justice...but, they're posted here anyway. They might look better if you click on them...I don't know.

Surfin'

I tried to get this video uploaded a few days ago, but it just wouldn't complete. Things are working much better right now, so even though it's almost 3 AM, I think I'll give it a shot.

It's another video of Gage and Zane swimming. I think I mentioned in another post that they were pretending to surf by pushing the boogie board to the bottom of the pool and then standing on it, holding arms out to balance as a surfer would. At the beginning of this video, Zane wants to step on the boogie board, when Gage starts to leave, saying he has to go to the bathroom. Because Zane isn't big enough to be able to push it down by himself and then step on it, he asks, "Then who'll push it down?" So Gage comes back and says he'll push it down for him and tells Zane where to put his feet and helps him stand on the boogie board. Zane is clearly so happy to be "surfing". He ought to really enjoy Schlitterbahn this year!

Seals and penguins, among other things

I went to Wendy & Kelly's house for a short visit this morning. Of course, the boys saw me coming and were quick to hide before I got in the house. If I don't go look for them right away...within 15 seconds, they can easily be found by following the talking and giggling. If I don't start looking for them within a minute, I hear little voices calling, "Cookie...". The favored hiding place is under the dining room table, although sometimes Zane is hiding under a blanket or sometimes inside the basket filled under a pile of stuffed animals. Today they were under the dining room table.

Kelly was outside watering trees, so after watching the boys show off karate kicks, etc., we persuaded Gage to read to Zane so that Wendy and I could visit for a while. They gathered a few books and had read for quite a while before I went in to take this video. I think Gage has inherited the family trait of falling asleep while reading aloud, because he was barely moving his mouth by the time I got in there. Luckily, both of them enjoy books...so this is a good way to settle them down when they start getting a little wild.

Their inflatable pool was filled to the brim, letting the sun warm the water before they go swimming this afternoon. Wendy said they both had a good time at the tee-ball swimming party at the Elks Lodge yesterday afternoon. Gage would go off the slide into water that was over his head and swim to the side, kicking and using his arms properly. Zane is starting to be more comfortable putting his face in the water and getting his eyes wet. They have been taking swimming lessons since last week in preparation for our annual Schlitterbahn trip.

Wendy just called for me to go down and watch the boys "swim" at their house. I'll take some pictures...I know you're all excited about that...and save this post until then.

Im back from the swimming exhibition. Gage needs a larger venue to really show off his stuff, but he did show me that he could float on his back and do the American crawl (maybe they don't call it that anymore). He also has several kicks in his repertoire: dolphin, seal, flutter.

Zane has really come a long way this year. After just one lesson he will dive forward and swim a little way with his face completely in the water. He also does the different kicks that Gage does. He likes to swim like a seal. They pretended to be surfing by pushing the boogie board to the bottom of the pool and then standing on it, mimicking a surfer's stance.

Out of the pool Zane was pretending to be a penguin. He held his arms down, slightly extended from the sides, fingers together like a fin and walked with the side to side sway characteristic of a penguin. At one point he was facing away from us just standing very still with his arms like that. Wendy asked him what he was doing. I had to tell her he was being a penguin (just standing there looking at nothing in particular, like penguins seem to do) and that might be a good thing to suggest to him when he's being wild.

Hula hoopers

Zane found a sunny, windless spot to warm up. One minute he was sitting on the step, but then as we watched he sort of slid off, rolling himself up in the towel; he looked like he was making a cocoon.

After the slipping and sliding, the kids got started with the hula hoop. Unfortunately, my camera somehow transformed itself into the macro mode (surely not due to any wrong button pushing on my part!) and the video is out of focus. It's getting posted anyway, but this is my disclaimer...the fault is not with your computer. It looks like I've run it on fast speed, but Gage is just quick like a bunny. Zane has his own technique for spinning the hula hoop, unfortunately, however, it must be considered flawed...as you can see.

Card shark

Gage asked me to play "War" with him. He told me he wouldn't cheat. According to his dad, Gage will cheat on occasion, pulling a card from the bottom if he knows there's an ace coming up next in his hand to win a battle. But, if he says he won't cheat, apparently he doesn't. After we had played for a little while, Zane wanted to join in. Without missing a beat, Gage gave him over half of his own cards and helped him play. If Zane ran out of cards, Gage just gave him more. He was a good teacher and explained what was happening as the game went on, praising him when he was having good luck. I was really proud of him for being such a good big brother.

When Pop arrived, he and Gage played War and then they started playing Crazy 8's. I think they both enjoyed it. I always accused Wayne of making up rules as he went along when we played Crazy 8's years ago. I don't think I ever won many games.

Later, Gage was teaching Zane how to play Crazy 8's. I heard him say, "Zane, you played an 8 and you can call it diamonds, or clubs, or spades, or hearts. What do you want to call it?" Zane responded with, "I want to call it teddy bears!" Then they both cracked up. It was cute.

We spent Memorial Day weekend at the bay...big surprise. Actually, it wasn't our weekend, but Tracy had let us know that none of their families would be using it, so we were happy to head to Port Alto for the weekend.

Wendy, Kelly, Gage and Zane arrived after school on Friday. They set up the slip & slide right away and got the boys all sunscreened up and out they went. It was breezy and quite a nice temperature if you were just sitting there, but the boys both had blue lips after half an hour or so of sliding.



Zane doesn't quite have the technique down. He rarely ends up sliding on his tummy; usually, he lands on his knees and hands, which we try to discourage. We tell him to put his arms out like Superman, but he just can't bring himself to do it.

Lightsaber app

I might have mentioned previously that I have an iphone, which I really, really like. I have downloaded lots of games, some of which the kids can play...such as, Scribble, a drawing game; Whack 'em all, a version of Whack a Mole; bowling; and a few other kid friendly games. These are all free downloads; offered free to get one to try it and then buy the bigger version. Many of the paid apps are only 99 cents, although some are higher.

The negative part of handing them the phone and letting them play with it is that they will press anything that appears on the screen, including pop-ups that are links to purchase the paid application. Fortunately, you have to enter a password for the transaction to take place and the download to start, so they haven't actually managed to cost me money yet.

One of the downloads is called "Lightsaber." It plays some Star Wars action music and features a lightsaber that appears on the screen. When you press the button, it "shoots out," (not out of the phone, you ninny) making the proper sounds...humming, etc. Okay, I'm dorky enought to show you in this video clip. Not a great clip as I was holding the camera in my left hand while operating the lightsaber in my right...all one-handed and in the dark! But, you might get the idea.

So, a couple of days ago I went to Wendy & Kelly's. When I got there, Gage came running in and put his arms around me. I thought I was getting a really loving hug until I realized he was patting me down for my phone.

I was about to leave, but wanted to secretly show Wendy and Kelly the lightsaber. I told them I had downloaded it because I thought the boys would really like it, but then decided I couldn't show it to them because they would want to do it and the chances were high that they would lose their grip and the phone would fly across the room. We were in the kitchen and the boys were in the living room sitting in a chair watching television. I turned the volume down and opened the app...music and lightsaber. All of a sudden we could see two little heads slowly appear over the back of the chair. They heard the music and sounds and wanted to know what it was. We told them it was nothing and they should go back to watching television, which they did.

Before I could leave, Wendy insisted that I do it again, but loud. Reluctantly, I complied, and within seconds the boys appeared, looking like zombies being pulled forward. We let Gage play with it for a little while, then Zane, and then I wanted to take the phone and go. Well, Gage came undone at that, crying and complaining that he hadn't had enough time, etc. Wendy actually said that it was worth the fussing just to see their first reaction.

Gage got a couple more minutes to play with it and the phone did hit the floor once. Now I need to decide whether to delete the app from the phone. I would be very sad if my phone got broken.

A few words about antiques

Wendy and her friend/former supervisor, Jan, spent many long hours purchasing a number of lovely antiques for Wendy & Kelly's home. Much time was spent examining each piece, making sure it was exactly right...the wood grain, the joints, drawers that worked, doors that opened and shut properly.

One piece, in particular, worked out very well. Let the photo in this post remind you that when two small boys live in the home, it's very important to make sure that the piece of furniture offers many diverse storage options.

Click on the photo to get a better view of the lovely piece in Wendy & Kelly's dining room.

Bears vs. Vipers

I saw the first 2 or 3 of Gage's ballgames, then missed the next 2 or 3. Finally got back there this evening and have included some video clips featuring No. 1, Gage Garner.

I'm never sure where the clips will be located in the post once they are uploaded, so let me just tell you what you are looking at in each clip. In one of them, Gage gets a hit and runs to first base. In another one, he runs from first to second and then on to third. Halfway between second & third he loses a shoe and almost goes back for it before better sense kicks in. A third clip shows him running from third to home. A fourth clip shows Zane, basically doing nothing...but, hey...he needed to be shown.

The Sudoku Caper

An update on the Sudoku post:

Wendy printed off some "kids" sudoku puzzles, thinking Gage would enjoy them. It didn't take long before he complained that they were "too hard" and he didn't want to do it anymore. Turns out he did get some help from the back of the book when he was working the puzzle a few days ago. The ones she printed off didn't include the answers and proved to be too difficult for him.

Luckily, I hadn't nominated him for membership in Mensa yet!

The tooth business

Gage lost some bottom teeth last year, but hasn't lost any of the upper teeth yet. They're loose and he really wants to get them out so he wiggles them around. Wendy reports that at times one tooth is parallel to the floor. Eeuw!

He was working on the loose tooth a couple of nights ago and was quite upset because it wasn't coming out. His motivation is the $3 per tooth that his magnanimous tooth fairy leaves. He's a lucky boy to have such a generous tooth fairy...his mom's tooth fairy never left more than 25 cents!

Wendy really didn't want him to keep working on it at bedtime, but he said he wanted the money for it. So she offered him 50 cents if he would leave it alone. He said, "Can I have it now?"

Clever little guy...he sounds like quite a canny businessman!

Sudoku

Wendy told me that Gage had been working in a little activity book and she noticed he was working a sudoku puzzle. This particular one was very elementary...only 4 rows and 4 columns. In other words, a total of 16 squares. She noticed that he was looking in the back of the book and using the provided answers to fill in the squares. She informed him that the object was to figure out where the numbers go without referring to the back of the book. So, she erased what he had filled in and helped him do one of the 16 square puzzles. She hadn't ever worked a sudoku puzzle herself, but she evidently gave him enough guidance that he was able to complete the second 16 square puzzle without assistance.

The next page of the activity book featured a full-blown 81 square sudoku. So she helped him with a couple of the lines and then left him to it while she started getting supper ready. He worked on it awhile and then I guess he ate supper. While Wendy and Kelly were eating he started working on it again and finished it. Wendy checked it and he had done it correctly.

When she was telling me about it last night, she remembered that he had referred to the back of the book when he did the earlier puzzles so she asked him if he had done that while working the large puzzle. He said no, that he had worked it out himself. And you could see in some of the squares that he had put a tiny mark in it. I asked him what the mark was for, but I still didn't quite understand what the purpose was. I guess I'll have to watch him work one to see how he uses the mark.

We've known he has pretty good grasp on numbers. And I'm sure that the difficulty level of that puzzle was low. Nevertheless, I have to say, I'm pretty impressed that a (barely) six year old would grasp the concept and stay focused enough to complete it.

I took over a stack of mild difficulty sudoku puzzles. He was eager to get started on them, but it was past his bedtime, so he had to put them away till tomorrow. It'll be interesting to see how he does with them.

A glimpse of things to come

Gage's teacher has an "Elegant Party" every year. The students dress up and use their company manners. The boys escort the girls into the room. If you look closely, you can see the table is set for elegant dining, with a tablecloth, fancy folded napkins, candles in candlesticks, fresh flowers and stemware.

Don't they look grown up? Mrs. English says that the mannerly behavior carries forward for several days after this party.

Since Cullen's party was later than Gage's, Tracy was able to take these photos. It was so nice of her to think to do that. Many thanks, Tracy!

The dancers are not sure where hands go, but it doesn't seem to be bothering them!

Not much to talk about

Sunday afternoon Gage and Zane practiced their "roping" skills while Kate and Carlee pursued other interests.

I saw Gage's teacher on Saturday. She was very complimentary about Gage, remarking how sweet he is and what a good student he is.

Today the tee ball teams were picked. Cory is the team manager. Among the members on the team are Cullen, Gage, and Andrew Kresta, who all live within shouting distance.

Tomorrow, Wendy and Gage will go to Ash Wednesday mass. Kelly has a CPR class, so it looks like Zane and I will get to spend some time together.

Valentine's Day

When the boys see us coming, they usually run and hide so that either they can jump out at us or so we will have to find them. The seeking is usually not that difficult as Zane provides clues from his hiding place. Gage used to do that, too, but has gotten wiser as he's grown older.

This day Zane was hiding under a pile of stuffed animals. Gage had him all covered up and I really wouldn't have known where he was if he hadn't spoken.

I tried to pose them like E.T. in the closet, looking like one of the stuffed animals, but didn't manage to get the same effect. They are much better at posing than Kate and Carlee. They will usually hold the pose long enough to get a decent photo. Of course, there's usually a lot of horsing around, too.

Happy Faces All Around

Wendy and Kelly (after getting the okay from me) had told Gage that if he got a six-weeks report card with all happy faces, he could spend the night with Cookie & Pop. I won't question why he thinks that's a good reward; for the time being I'll just be grateful that he does.

He achieved his goal recently and this weekend was reward time. It was going to be on Saturday night, but after a marathon day with Robin, Wendy & Carolyn shopping for a wedding dress, we thought it would be better to make it the next night. Reluctant at first, Gage agreed and Sunday it was.

I picked him up at 3:00 and let him make the decision about what we would have for supper. With a choice between tacos and spaghetti, he chose the latter which I started as soon as we got home. While I cooked, he opened the "Operation" game and got it set up and then practiced operating for a while. Once the spaghetti sauce was simmering, he decided that he was done with his surgery rotation and was ready to move on to the Wii.

He selected the training mode and we played golf and baseball and then we bowled. He was pretty good at all of them and could instruct me in the finer points. We were still playing when Brent, Carolyn and the girls drove their new Mule over. Carolyn and Carlee stayed here while Gage joined Brent and Kate taking trash over to the dumpster. When they finished the trash run, the Bubela family headed home and Gage and I continued on the Wii. We hadn't played too long when Pop got home and stuck his head in to see if Gage wanted to help him feed Dusty. Once Dusty was taken care of, Pop took my spot in the lineup and they played Wii baseball. Pop was giving it his all and I won't be surprised if he's a little sore today.

After dinner, Gage and Pop played several games of Operation and Sorry while I cleaned the kitchen...only looking in on them when I was needed to settle rules disputes and clarifications. Pop seemed to think that the Sorry game had changed. He thought he remembered it being played with dice and marbles. I don't know what universe might have included dice and marbles in their Sorry game. Not this one.

After his bath, Gage and Pop watched some of the Ravens-Steelers game. Then it was my turn again...this time to read a book before bedtime. I wanted to find a better book, but he was happy with Dr. Seuss. Then off to bed he went without any delaying tactics.

We played Wii Sports again this morning and then I took him home at about 9:30. Since Zane is at day care today, Gage will be able to construct one of his Star Wars Lego kits. This one has 232 pieces.

We're all looking forward to another six-weeks of happy faces!

Gage's birthday

It's Gage's 6th birthday! At once it seems like it's been forever and such a short while since he was born. Wayne and I went over to take his birthday presents and wish him Happy Birthday this afternoon.

He was wearing a green crown...presented by his teacher to the birthday boy. He was also given a green stuffed animal which he promptly stuffed down the back of my shirt. He took the photo of Zane and I that I've posted here. A very nice photo, indeed!

Wendy said that Robin called to wish him Happy Birthday to which he replied, "Why, thank you!" Gage's mom and dad gave him a new bicycle, but they are having trouble getting the right size for him, so it's still in the process of getting to the house. We gave him a couple of Erector sets to build a number of models. He seemed to be excited about that. I also took him a mini-birthday cake just for today. Wendy is making him a cake for his birthday party on Saturday. He's having it at the Aquatic Center and will only have guests his age there. Zane won't even be there.

Football

Gage has really been "into" football for a couple of years now. I might have mentioned it...or not. He is not, however, an Aggie fan. The little rat likes the Longhorns! And it's almost always been that way. I wonder what makes a child that young pick a team that his parents don't support? I'm pretty sure, for one thing, that they haven't criticized his choice. But, he's fairly knowledgeable for a guy who will reach six years in two days. Wendy told me that during the pro draft last year he sat in the living room with the sports section and a pencil keeping track of who was picked. Who does that when you're barely five years old?

Kelly says that if he needs to leave the room during a game he can count on Gage to tell him what happened while he was gone.

Gage had to go to bed before a game was over recently. The next morning he wanted to know who won. Kelly told him that one of the teams won by 11 points. Gage immediately wondered aloud how they did that. He eventually worked it out at least one scenario.

I don't know...maybe all little boys are that into football. Just seemed pretty smart to me.