You Know Your Boy is Growing Up If…

he goes to his first concert with his church group and not his parents. connor is going to see The Newsboys tonight and the concert is about 90 miles away so it’ll be a very late night. but he’s really excited to go and the tickets were a gift from a church member. really generous.

if i did this right, you can see a snippet of one of their concerts in the video below. really fun christian music. i guess if we’re going to send him to a concert, a christian concert is a pretty good way to go!

newsboys LIVE trailer from Inpop Records on Vimeo.

on another note, tori and i are hitting the road and heading back to michigan for a bridal shower. my niece kate is getting married and tori is over the moon that she gets to attend the shower. grown up stuff is so cool! i am looking forward to a girls weekend and hanging out with my middle child. one-on-one time can be tricky with 3 kids. while connor is at the concert, chris will get one-on-one time with zoe. and that is almost unheard of. rumor has it they are going to california pizza kitchen for the mac n’ cheese for dinner tonight.

Wrestling

so last year, i don’t think i even blogged about wrestling. i know i didn’t post any photos, but to be honest, if you think photographing an offensive lineman is tough, you should try a wrestler! no easy task for this amateur photographer let me tell you.

our first meet was last night. and it was kaneland. yeah…the ones we just barely beat for the championship in football 2 weeks ago. and they are always tough but both of our teams lost a lot of our ‘varsity’ wrestlers (the middle school has 2 teams….varsity/jv and you compete each week for a varsity spot unless there’s no one else in your weight class) and we weren’t sure how it would go.

zo and i dropped off tori at a friend’s house for annie rehearsal (she managed a 1/2 day of school yesterday and rehearsal before bottoming out again….so she’s back on the couch today) and then hightailed it out to the middle of nowhere for the meet. only there’s a new middle school for kaneland. in a totally different town (rural school) and so we actually went to TWO schools. but luckily, connor is in the higher weigh classes so we were not late to see him.

on the visitor side…the ref was always in the way.

if you aren’t familiar with wrestling (like me) this is good.

his arms were so sore after this match. it was sloppy (his words) and took way longer than it should have (his words) but i told him that now he had material to work with. he could go back over the match in his head and figure out what he did right/wrong.

ok, this looks painful.

no wait…scratch that…THIS looks painful.

PINNED!

connor was leading 11-5 when he finally pinned this guy in the 3rd period. our varsity team won by 30 points (we lost to them last year by 2) and our jv just barely lost. a pretty good way to start the year.

Undefeated! Sold! Little Orphan Tori!

Whew.

It’s been a very emotionally exhausting (but good) weekend.

I think i need a weekend to recover from the weekend.

So, up first was connor’s championship football game v. kaneland on saturday morning. it was a glorious day for football. crisp fall day with sunshine and a light breeze. oh, and mud. because the sunshine was new and the fields had not had time to dry out. boy howdy was there mud. i took over 180 photos at this game. figured it was my last shot to do so and who knows if they will ever be undefeated again ya know? so here’s a quick run down sans editing…there’s no time to get those all edited right now.

i thought it was a bit chilly for “kick butt” short shorts but they were loud cheerleaders!

the first half was NOT bulldog football. we couldn’t get anything going on the offense and if it weren’t for TWO goal line stands…kaneland would have won this battle. connor’s easy to spot at this game…he wore red socks.

i call this “cleats in mud…a still life”

i think this was a reverse play of some sort. and yes, i messed with camera settings and accidentally bumped camera settings due to the stress of the game so not all of these are clear shots. but it’s a nice block by connor…

at halftime it was 6-0 kaneland. but the bulldogs were back in the 3rd marching down the field and tying the score. i moved into the end zone for a few shots. he really wasn’t the only one on the field, but he’s on the left side (weak) and there wasn’t always someone lined up directly in front of him. typically they were to his left.

a better overall shot as we were driving for yet another score.

we almost didn’t pull this victory out. they were driving with less than 2 minutes to go and had a TD pass called back because the QB was over the line of scrimmage and the last play of the game was a pass that was batted down on the goal line.

bad pieced together team photo because i don’t have a wide angle lens and there were 50 people taking pictures of this crew. connor is right above the word “crew” in 2nd row (and he’s crouching down so the other guys can be seen…he’s not that short)

whew…totally blew out this photo but that is the school plaque.

57 & 58

steve & connor

offensive left guard & offensive left tackle

they are also in scouts & wrestling together (and he’s going on philmont with chris and connor too)

holy cow does he need a haircut!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

ok, at the game, we got a phone call from a prospective buyer of our truck who had been out to see it the day before. he called as soon as i got home (and chris walked out the door to pick up connor from the bus…WITHOUT his phone) and i made the call that we’d make the deal. it was a bit less than what i wanted and a bit more than chris’ bottom line so i guess that’s ok. but then i was filled with anxiety about the cashier’s check. by the time they got here, all banks were closed but we copied everything, took down his driver’s license and they were such a nice family i think it’ll be ok. oh, and we got half the money in cash! crazy. never seen that much cash before.

so we had to say goodbye to our most favorite vehicle ever….

chris is actually in mourning. he’s been bummed since it was driven out of our garage.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

today was a very early morning for tori and i as she had to play handbells at the 8am service at church.  it was her debut in the bell choir and she did a great job. she said she missed notes at the 8 o’clock but by the 9 o’clock she was hitting a lot more notes.

at church we learned that tori’s friend lauren (7th grade) had gotten a part in the play. so tori rushed home to the answering machine to see if she had gotten a call. alas, no.

meanwhile, helen came over and she and tori got ready to attend the CropWalk which is an annual walk around the river to help raise money to feed hungry people. we were just about to walk out the door when the phone rang…..it was the director of annie jr! she asked tori if she would like to be an orphan and tori quickly accepted. so i’m not sure how much walking tori did at the CropWalk. I think she was floating most of the way. we will have a mandatory meeting a week from monday where we should learn more about what is going to happen and then eventually tori will be assigned a particular orphan (at this point she just is “one of them”) and we’ll then know if she will have any speaking lines/solos or if she will be an ensemble orphan. heh. is that an oxymoron? ensemble orphan? a group of onlies? yeah, i’m tired.

like i said….emotionally exhausting weekend….but all good.

Tonight

The bulldogs are officially headed to the championship game on saturday as they beat wredling 29-6. connor had a really good game. it’s hard to stand out when you are on the offensive line but he made some great blocks for a quarterback keeper for a touchdown as well as for a 2 point conversion and a nice running play.

it was nice to be up in bleachers for a change but that put me farther from the field as well. it was freezing at the game. i seemed to have gotten a lot of blurry pics. i’ll have one more chance to get some decent shots on saturday when they play for the championship. although it won’t be any warmer. better figure out my settings by then…..

tori has officially survived her first audition for community theater. there are no photos as parents are not even allowed in the theater (we are stuck waiting outside in the hallway). i think i was more nervous than she was. they started by taking the first 10 kids in to learn a quick dance routine and then they performed it as a group. i’m glad they did that first. i think that helped tori’s nerves. then they took them upstairs where they sang for the director and 3 others. she was supposed to sing the 2nd verse and refrain (you only get 16 measures) but started with the first verse. so she stopped and started again and then made it through.

they plan to cast 50-60 kids for this show. hopefully she gets a part as i think this would be a great experience but the time commitment is huge. she had a really good attitude about it. i don’t think she will be devastated if she doesn’t make it but i also think she feels pretty good about making it.

zo had soccer practice and managed to not freeze. and that we will consider a success as well.

Today

Tori will win the position of student council secretary (she is the only one running)

Tori will attend her first “real” audition at Rising Star Theatre. She hopes to be in this play:

Tori performed annie jr. with her school last spring. she was one of the orphans (july) and loved it. so she thought it would be a good play to audition for in community theater. but she can’t audition a musical piece from it so we had to find another one. she will be singing “colors of the wind” from Pocahontas. wish her luck!!!

Connor will play in his first playoff game this season. as the first seed, they had a bye week last week. we are playing wredling who we beat 44-6 or something like that…..but i get bleachers which means i can take photos from a different angle…in the rain.

Zoe is attending an outdoor field trip to fermilab to learn more about insects….in the rain.

Zoe is supposed to have soccer practice but i’m secretly hoping it gets canceled (due to rain) as it is at the same time as the audition and the football game.

An Essay About my Son

at the beginning of the school year there are those inevitable “tell me about your child” papers from the elementary school teachers. tori’s was called “my child in a million words or less”. and i wrote out a note to her teacher (using just under a million words) and told her what i hoped would happen in 5th grade. apparently with all the paperwork that came home, i missed the 1st grade assignment to do the same for zo but maybe the paper is still around here somewhere……

but it is very unusual for a middle school teacher to ask for any info. at least, it has never happened before. this year is a bit different apparently because connor’s literature and language teacher assigned essay homework to the parents. it was the first homework assignment of the year.

now, anyone who knows me knows that i enjoy talking. well, i can also ramble with the best of them in the written word as well. brevity is not one of my strong suits unless it’s a well timed one liner that makes people laugh. otherwise, i am really glad to have an edit button on my writing.

so i sat down this morning to write about my son. trying to describe him in an honest and realistic way. and although the pride i have for him probably comes through a little more than it should, i hope that this letter gives her a good idea of what kind of kid he is, and what kind of young man he is becoming.

Be careful what you ask for! I could write for a very long time about my son Connor. It would probably be worse if we were talking about him in person though. I do enjoy talking. I think you will find that Connor does as well. Both as a contributor to the class conversations and as an annoying chatter with his buddies in class. Just know that he comes by it honestly and I apologize in advance for passing on that character trait (flaw?).

I was so refreshed to read your course outline and learn a little bit about your teaching philosophy. I have to be honest, I have a very bright kid who works hard and gets great grades and I expect a lot out of him. And he delivers. But I also expect a lot out of the school and I haven’t been as impressed. I know that you have to balance out lesson plans/activities, etc. between all the various learning levels in a class but that always leaves the brighter kids to have a fairly easy time of it. Connor knows I’m going to say this, and of course would be rolling his eyes…but please challenge him. Lit/Lang is his least favorite subject. Part of that is because science and math come so naturally for him (typical “boy” learning style) and although I know he can write well if he wants to, that is not high on his list of things to do. It is harder for him and typically easier to slide through without a really big effort. I would like to see him begin to understand the structure of an essay and how to put words together in coherent paragraphs.

Connor is a strong reader but is not a fast reader. So while it will take him a long time to read a book, he will know it very well. He likes to read and has managed to read more than the required summer reading book while home from school.

As for social studies, Connor really seems to enjoy this subject as well. He had Ms. Buckley last year and she was very pleased with his participation in class and his knowledge of the subjects. I think the cross-over between lit/lang and social studies will be good for him as the topics may prove to hold his interest a bit more.

On a personal note, Connor probably doesn’t fit the “teenager” mold just yet. He tends to be (but not always) more mature than a lot of the other kids his age. That does not help when you want to be part of the in crowd, but I think it will be good for him in the long run. On the flip side, he is insecure and self conscious and I am already harping on him about not rounding his shoulders. That body language of unworthiness makes me crazy. He also wears his heart on his sleeve and can overreact to the typical middle school teasing. I think you will find that he will participate in class, work hard, talk a lot and generally follow the rules. I also think there will be times that he’ll drive you crazy and get in trouble. I am not an idealist about my kids. I have high expectations but I know there are times when they won’t reach them and my husband and I will back any disciplinary actions you feel you need to take if he steps out of line.

In addition to school, Connor is very involved with Football, Wrestling, Track, Swim Team (summer), Band, Hand bells at church, Boy Scouts and Confirmation. He is busy but he manages to do it all and still maintain grades. Although I do not hover over him while he does homework, I will keep him on track to make sure things are done on time at least at the beginning of the year. But eventually I’ll expect him to keep up with his own work. I hope to raise independent responsible kids. So far, it seems to be working pretty well for him.

Thank you for letting me ramble on about my son. I appreciate your interest in getting to know the kids as well as your desire to help them along their educational journey. Please let me know if there is anything that we can do from home that would help.

First Day of School by the Numbers

6:15am – connor’s alarm
6:30am – my alarm
7:00am – my shower
7:15am – wake tori for a shower (wonder how long she’ll keep that up?)
7:20am – embarass 13 year old with first day of school pics in the rain

{for the record i got cool mom points for buying this shirt}
7:23am – connor leaves on the bus
7:45am – wake up the soon-to-be first grader
8:00am – cajole, beg, plead, bribe zoe to eat breakfast (unsuccessful)
8:05am – make zo’s lunch and hope that she eats more than 2 bites of it
8:15am – dry and curl tori’s hair (now i KNOW she won’t keep this up!)

8:25am – take pics of the girls in the rain

8:30am – find 2 non-broken umbrellas and head out to school so we can find a place to park as it’s raining (hasn’t rained on the first day of school in at least 11 years i heard someone say)
8:45am – grab a quick hug from each girl and a few more photos as they head into school.

{notice that she switched to rain boots for the walk…could she be any cuter??}

{tori is quick to tell me she hates photo shoots…..riiiight.}

9:45am – arrive home after the PTO coffee (having been talked into being a head room parent for 5th grade…..oy) and revel in the quiet
12:00pm – get a call from the middle school nurse that the football player’s back tightened up again and he needs aleve
12:30pm – arrive at the school and wait for said player to come to the office so i can “watch him swallow” the aleve (school policy)
12:47pm – get back home and once again revel in the quiet

2:27pm – start work on this blog post and silently thank nana and papa again for the outfits from florida. they were perfect back to school clothes both for pictures and because there’s still no a/c in the school….sigh.

3:07pm – leave to get a parking spot near the school (it is still raining) and remember that i promised to make a “special treat” for the afternoon treat and i um forgot (must have been all that reveling) so i guess we’ll hit panera for cookies after school instead!

3:43pm – pick up 3 girls, drop one off at her house and then get more cool mom points for the trip to panera.

4:30pm – get back from dropping zo off at her best friend’s house and letting tori ride to the park with her friends…revel in more quiet??

My Rats

So last year we had one river rat in the family. connor decided to try swim team. because our town does not have a normal pool (it’s an old stone quarry with a sand bottom) we had to go to the next town over to be on swim team. so we became river rats. he enjoyed it (although getting up at 6am for a 6:30-8:30am practice 5-6 days a week was tough) and after conference last year decided to do it again.

fast forward to last spring when i finally hired a friend of mine to give tori private swim lessons because if she had fallen in a pool, she would’ve panicked and drowned. mary kay was awesome and got tori to swim enough that i could put her into group lessons. then tori decided she wanted to be a rat as well. how could i refuse?

now it’s summertime and we’re in full rat mode. connor swims from 6:30-8:30am (when he’s not at 2 hour football practice) and tori swims after him either at 8 or 8:30 for 60-90 minutes depending on the day. it’s busy but they both enjoy it.

in swim team, they write their events on the hands (or arms or thighs) with sharpie markers. i love that you can see her stuff on her hand in this shot. gotta say that shooting swim team pics are a challenge. most of this sequence had her head underwater and just splashes of water!

practicing breast stroke before the intersquad meet. the kids had to swim all 4 events to get times.

so the pics don’t go with the rest of the story but they help with the visual. the story is about the first COMPLETE meet that we had this season (last tuesday). we are beholden to the thunder gods as coach joe likes to say and we’ve had 2 meets cut short due to weather (one was too cold the other was lightning). in both cases, tori could only swim one event of her scheduled 3.

last tuesday we had a home meet vs. algonquin and we finally had decent weather. it was still cold (63 at the start of the meet) but we were better prepared and made sure the kids had lots of towels, sweatshirts, blankets, etc.

well as most meets go, this one started late and tori’s events were at the back end of the meet. she was 57, 67 and 77. so by the time she had to swim, she was overly nervous, cold and practically in tears. plus her first event was the 100 backstroke which is a very LONG event for her. i got her calmed down by letting her know that i had exhibition ribbons for her if she swam it (she was just swimming for time) and that helped. after that event she didn’t have much time before she had to get ready for her 50 breaststroke (her fave stroke). once again, i am on deck to cheer her on and also to have her towel ready as it’s soooo cold when they get out of the pool (we’re losing daylight by now as well) and she gets out of the pool in 4TH!!! place having cut 11 seconds off her time. it was so awesome. she didn’t think she’d ever place. i was just bursting.   and then she had to talk to the coach and get back into the bullpen for her last event the 200 free relay. tori gets up on the block for the relay and i’m working the ribbon table right next to her. she tells me that she has to swim the lead off AND the anchor as they are missing a girl. although tori whines a lot, she actually loves this kind of drama so i just tell her she can do it and then she’s off. the tough part of this (besides swimming twice) was the cold. she had to get out of the pool and wait for 2 other girls to swim their legs and then get back in and swim again. they were one of the slower relays and by the time tori was in for the last leg, they were behind by almost 50 yds. she got out of the pool crying and cold. but i was still proud of her for doing it and the coaches were equally impressed.

connor was able to swim 2 of his 3 events as his last event was a relay where 3 of the 4 kids didn’t show up. niiice. algonquin had a tough team in his age group so he managed a 5th place in one event but didn’t place in the other one. we learned that swimming backstroke in the dark should not be done with tinted goggles. poor guy couldn’t see the flags and miffed his flip turn. so now he’s got a pair of non tinted goggles for the next time he swims backstroke in the night. there always seems to be a learning curve.

A Tidbit

until i can wrap up my may blog post with all the pics….these pages will have to do….

journaling reads: i'm not going to tell you this was the safest thing to do with your little sister, but it was sweet…she loved it. [and for the record, i didn't see this until he was coming home...i stopped them for a photo and then stopped them from doing it anymore!]

leave it to tori to take glue and socks and end up making $36 from selling crafts in the front lawn of tim's house. the two of them are quite clever!

school's out and the days are filled with swim team practices, vbs preparation, playing with friends and reading for the summer reading program. it's all good.

When Surrounded by the Flu

Go to a Kane County Cougars game!

Connor’s school has been canceled for a full week. so he’s home until may 7th. but youth group headed out to the ball game and a christian concert anyway.

take that H1N1!!!