Best Card

Wm made a card for Suzanne's birthday today and it was the best card he's ever done!!  It was the cutest!!

Front.

Inside right

"If there's someone that deserves to have a birthday - it's you!"

Inside left.

Dear Suzanne,

I hope you have a great birthday!

It only comes once a year, but you own the day!

Sincerely, William

Third Grader!

Here is our Big Third Grade Kid!

Lunch on the Lawn

Today was Wm's last day of school.  He is now officially a third grader!  They had the annual Lunch on the Lawn and Mimi and I went and hung out with Wm - and it wasn't sweltering hot for the first time!  Wm got a great report card and a cool letter from his new third grade teachers was included.  They start "switching classes" in third grade, so Wm will have a "homeroom" teacher and a different teacher for half the day. Both seem really nice - and one is a man, which Wm is pretty excited about. Wm had PERFECT attendance for all of second grade!  I never even got close when I was a kid. But, unbelievably, they don't give awards for perfect attendance at Wm's school.  Not even a sad little certificate.  Rude. So I will celebrate Wm's awesomeness on here instead.  Yay for Wm's flawless attendance record!!

Wm starts Summer Clubhouse on Monday.  He is very excited! This year they are taking TWO field trips every week!  In addition to the weekly trips to the library and swimming pool. Wm is going to be quite the man about town. 

I love summer. 

An Afternoon...

Here is an afternoon in the life Schroeder and fam.  This is how Wm and the cat killed time between the end of school and when Steve arrived home for dinner...

3-3:30PM

After greeting Wm when he came home from school, Schroeder was exhausted.

3:35-4:00

A small snack later, and it was snooze time again.

4:10-4:45

He nearly slid off the ottoman while twitching in his sleep, so a move to more solid ground was in order.

4:46-5:30

When Steve got home, Schroeder actually moved to a whole new location and permitted Wm a couple minutes of petting before dinner.

And here is Wm's afternoon.

3:30:01-5:30

When I told him that was enough playing on the computer for the day, he goes, "OK. Can I play on the iPad?" I know the kid has 2 more days of school and no homework…but c'mon. He was actually annoyed that I made him tell me about his day for 5 minutes. But, in those 5 minutes, I did get to hear the story about he dunked a teacher in the dunking booth today during Field Day!

Fisherman

Grandpa got Wm a fishing rod and all necessary fishing supplies for his birthday.  Today was the perfect day to break them in!  Steve and Wm went to the pond at the Park of Roses and fished and fished.  Wm caught 3 little fish that he was super proud of!  His only sadness was not being able to bring them home and eat them. He had to make do with a hotdog.

Fish accomplished!

Fish murder in progress

Before they left, Steve goes, "Wm, come help me find some worms!" and Wm goes, "YOU are in charge of worms." Steve was thus promoted to Chief Worm Hunter and Toucher.

And while all these manly pursuits were going on, I was shoe shopping with Suzanne.  That is way more my speed.

Good Behavior

We had to run to Costco today to return some ill-fitting shirts that Steve got, and Wm hates going to Costco because it's always an expedition.  Walking in, he goes, "If I'm good while we are in Costco and don't whine at all, can I have extra computer time?" Before I could answer he goes, "And DON'T say that 'good behavior is its own reward,' because that WILL NOT WORK this time."

Now that Steve has taken over as Master Overlord and Supreme Commander of Soccer First, he will likely have to go in every Sunday morning at 7:30am.  He'll be home for lunch (he just has to show up and boss his underlings around a bit, make sure they are on task and things are happening, then he can come home), but it will be a drag for him to haul his butt out of bed every Sunday. I have a suspicion he is doing this solely to get out of going to church. (Also, after being forced to work under General Steve doing yard work last weekend, I now have a new sympathy for his minions - that guy is a mean boss.)

And I somehow have a cold I am very crabby about. Amazingly, Wm didn't infect me - I am the only one who has it.  Maybe it's mumps and I will have to stay home from work for 3 weeks!  Here's hoping….

Big Boss

I have no idea what Wm was talking about with that whole story about the hand picture at the art show.  Because here is the actual picture he had on display:

Definitely not a hand.  A "robot destroyer."

It is the PERFECT holiday weekend.  Warm and sunny, but not super hot. The boys went out to play some catch with the new football Wm got for his birthday!

My favorite thing that happened today was when Wm and I were driving to Target. Steve went over to a friend's house to watch some big soccer match and while he was gone, Wm and I decided to hit up Target.  When we walked outside, we discovered that Steve had taken the 'Bu and left us his old heap.  As we were driving along, Wm goes, "I have no idea why Daddy drives such a crappy car when he is the Big Boss at work. I mean, shouldn't have a really nice and fancy car?" I asked him how much Steve paid him to say that (since I have heard that, almost verbatim, out of Steve's mouth many a time.) When Steve got home from the soccer game, I told him what Wm said and he yelled, "EXACTLY! That's what I say!" I told him that he definitely needs a new car before next winter because that thing is not safe to drive on the best of days.  Steve has spent, literally, the rest of the day glued to the web searching for cars. I want him to get something really fuel efficient (Nissan Leaf, FTW!), but, sadly, Steve wants something that has "muscle" and that he can "feel humming." Because he hates the environment. Here is what he is plotting (DEFINITELY not the 105mpg that the Leaf gets, I'll tell ya that!):

Home Stretch

Wm is almost done with school!  Tomorrow is his last Friday of 2nd grade since the school year ends on Thursday.  They have their annual Lunch on the Lawn and then the kiddos are let loose!  Mimi and I will be attending Lunch on the Lawn this year, in what has become an annual tradition near heat stroke and fun times. Wm is beside himself with glee about the prospect of Summer Clubhouse coming up.  He loooooves Summer Clubhouse. He brought home a really cool piece of art (not even the one from the Art Show) that I forgot to take a picture of.  I will have to remember to do that!

I have to go get a cavity taken care of in an hour and I am trying to take my mind off it by writing a post even though nothing really interesting is happening since we are all just killing time until summer break.

I guess Steve did text me a funny picture. Every night after I go to bed, Steve stays up and plays video games for an hour or so. He always tells me Schroeder uses that time to sleep on top of his feet the entire time he plays.  So I woke up to this:

Nightly ritual

And, Schroeder literally growled at the mailman.  The front door was open with the screen door closed while we waited for Wm to get home from school and all of a sudden, I saw Schroeder's fur stand all up and he puffed himself up and growled creepily.  So I looked at the door and the poor mailman was just putting mail in our mailbox, oblivious to the feline rage directed his way.  Then the cat went, "RRRROOOOOAAAAAWWWWWW!" and ran/hopped down to the basement and refused to come up until Wm came home. Of course, Wm found the story of the cat growling at the mailman to be the funniest thing he's heard all week.

Toothless

Wm has lost yet another tooth - without growing any others in.  Pretty soon he will have no teeth left!  He looks like a deranged hobo...

Tonight is Wm's art show at school.  He said his picture this year is of his hand.  It will soon be hanging in a place of honor on Wm's "art wall" at home! And Steve's tournament was canceled this weekend!  It's the first time ever that Soccer First has canceled a tournament due to rain, but I guess the fields are unplayable. So that means Wm and I get an unexpected weekend with Daddy!  Yay!

Schroeder & Smidge: A Love Story

Schroeder stole a small, soft, fluffy stuffed bird thing from our Christmas tree and made it his pet/best friend/arch nemesis.  Steve named the bird Smidge. I have collected pictures of Schroeder and Smidge doing what they do...

Besties snuggling

Schroeder protecting Smidge from some threat

Sometimes Schroeder also likes to attack the crap out of Smidge

But then he's always sorry

He also enjoys carrying Smidge around like a baby

Steve and I got Wm's little outfits for the coming rehearsal dinner and wedding in CO. Wm is not super pleased with these outfits as they are "itchy and uncomfortable." He kept asking, "why do I have to wear this?" I kept reminding him we are going to a wedding and he has to look fancy.  He goes, "I have never been to a wedding!" So he seemed marginally appeased. But as you can see from these pictures…not completely happy about this turn of events.

CAN'T STAND THE CUTENESS! And…grumps.

Wm not feeling it...

Steve works this weekend, so we took today off and partied.  It was gorgeous out so we went for a hike at Highbanks.  Meanwhile, Wm's class took a field trip to Blendon Woods.  So we were all very outdoorsy today! And Wm is almost done with his blizzard bag and only has 2 more weeks of school!!! Summer is nearly upon us!!!!!

Worst News Bears

Today was Wm's first baseball practice of the season - and Steve is coaching again. When they got home, I bundled Wm into the shower and went in to chat with Steve.  He said that they needed a lot of practice and I go, "oh, are they the Bad News Bears?" Steve said, "Worst News Bears, more like.  We have some real annoying kids, too." I asked who was annoying and why - after rattling off MANY names and offenses, I interrupted and asked, "Was anyone NOT annoying?" Steve thought about it and goes, "William." I laughed and asked if it was possible that Steve just did not like children instead of the probability of having a team with a bunch of annoying kids, his own being the lone exception.  Steve goes, "I like William." I asked if he liked any OTHER children who are not Wm, after thinking about it for a while, he goes, "Gotta shower…" and scampered off.  Classic avoidance tactic.  I recognize it well.

Meanwhile, I had a REAL awkward conversation about racism with Wm, wherein I tried to explain why some people hate other people because of their color, religion, sexual orientation, or other such ridiculousness.  Wm was like, "BUT THAT IS CRAZY! WHY?!?!" I fumbled around, not even making sense to myself and then just ended with, "Just love everyone! Ahhhh! I'm botching this!" Wm goes, "Can I not like someone if they bully me?" I was like, "Oh, sure.  You can not like lots of people for other reasons. Wait. Ummm…GAH! Want some popcorn?" And thus ended my sad attempt at explaining the depths of human stupidity to an 8 year old. 

Mother's Day Cont...

Today has been pretty spiffy!  Wm and Steve (mostly Steve) brought my breakfast in bed (waffles, berries, bacon, and green tea), so things got off to a good start!  We did a bit of bird watching to complete Wm's "blizzard bag" because school was canceled so much this winter that they have to make up time with homework. Then, Steve and I planted flowers and mulched the front yard - which was hard work, but the weather was really nice and it looks super pretty now! Then, Steve made me an AMAZING dinner.  The pork loin turned out perfectly and Steve made the best guacamole I have ever had (take THAT, Chipotle!) Steve cooked the rice on heat that was too low, so it didn't turn out and he was heartbroken.  I couldn't have fit it in anyway after the 3 carnitas tacos topped with Steve's Killer Guac! I am now laying around like a giant, stinky slug.

Wm, meanwhile, was actually really sweet (despite ignoring me for 99% of the day).  He got me a pretty picture frame from World Market - but, the cutest part is what he did next. I sold his old bike on Craig's List today and gave him the money.  He handed Steve some of his bike earnings because he "still owed him for some of the frame" since he didn't have enough to pay for it all at the time. And when Steve goes, "oh, that's OK, buddy, this is your money" Wm goes, "NO. The frame is FROM ME, I am paying for ALL of it."

Steve's Killer Guac

The little bit of pork I didn't eat

Steve will kill me for this, but it's Mother's Day, so he can't be too crabby. One of his cronies gave him some book about a soccer guy (Steve was displeased when I called the guy "some rando" - as in "why will you read a book about some rando, but never anything I recommend!") who is pretty famous. Watching Steve read is hilarious.  Especially when he reads like this:

100% Pure Masculinity. Hands off, Ladies.  This one is TAKEN.

Mother's Day

Me: So you're not going to cook the pork loin in the crock pot?

Steve: I didn't plan on it. Should I?

Me: Well, I-. Nope. You do what you think is best. 

Steve: I want it how you like it! It's your Mother's Day dinner.

Me: I want to see how you're going to do it. 

Steve: You're setting me up to fail!

Me: No! I just want to see what you do without my interference. Maybe I'm not "helping." What if I'm just unnecessarily bossy?

Wm: IF?!!!?

Steve: hheeeheeehheeee

Me: On Mother's Day, no less, the two of you!

Steve: [giggles] IF, he said!

Weird Cat

I found a couple other random Wm birthday pics on my phone.  Wm likes to find his birthday presents, so we hide them around the house and he hunts them up.

Excited about finding a Minecraft sword

Football and card found! Schroeder supervising.

I also had to take a picture of this because I think it's pretty awesome - one of the perks of working in Biomedical Engineering (besides the emails about cryogenic mice).  In one of our labs they have a 3-D printer that they print weird body parts on (like arteries and stuff).  When I was amazed/horrified/dumbfounded by how you can "print" actual things, let alone body parts, a student found my reaction amusing. So he printed me an OSU keychain for funsies. I am halfway afraid to touch it because it may give me radiation poisoning or something.

PRINTED! How!??

Schroeder's favorite thing to play fetch with is some weird bone thing from a Lego set Wm has. He will play for hours. And, he likes to drop the bone on your head while you are sleeping and go, "MEOW!" Which is a no-win situation because if you ignore him, he continues to intensify his yowling. But if you throw the bone, then the game is on. He is a weird cat.

Evil Son

Suzanne sent Wm a birthday card with a crisp $10 bill inside…
Me: Look at that! Money you can use to buy me a Mother's Day present!
Wm: Nah.

He did make me an awesome card out of construction paper yesterday that included a very sweet message.  Also, he said he planned to make me breakfast in bed.  So, I guess he can be forgiven.

Lastly…
Me: Now that you're 8, are you still calling us "Mommy" and "Daddy" or have we graduated to "Mom" and "Dad?"
Wm: Mom and Dad.
Steve: NO! I'm not ready! I still want to be Daddy! I let "Daya" go too soon and I regret it!!
Wm: Nope, you're Dad.
Steve: Well, I don't like it.
Me: I'm fine being Mom.  I'm fine with whatever you want to call me, buddy.
Wm: Mom.
Me: OK.
[30 seconds later]
Wm: Well, how about we say I'll call you Mom and Dad when I'm in 3rd grade?
Me: That's fine! Like in a few weeks when 2nd grade is over?
Wm: No, like when 3rd grade starts in August.
Steve: YES. That one.
Wm: [to me] But why do you call Daddy "Daddy" when he's not your dad?
Me: I don't know. I do it when I'm talking to you because he's your dad.
Wm: You don't need to.
[2 hours later]
Me: Wm, go ask Steve to come inside for dinner.
Wm: OK. That's weird. Never do that again.

Birthday Boy

Waiting for the cake!

FIRE!

2 candles short - that'll teach me to count BEFORE the big day

Happy boy!

Minecraft lantern. Wm's in love with it!

Birthday joy

Matchin' cousins

Fridge Catastrophe

They tried to deliver the new awesome fridge this afternoon…but it did not fit.  So now we are stuck with the old gross fridge. This is bittersweet. We are stuck with our icky fridge - but it saves us money (and, for now, it mostly keeps things cold…er, partially frozen, actually). I guess we will just see this fridge to the end.  When it eventually dies we will figure out how to get a new one into our 100 year old house with very tiny doorways.

Funtimes at dinner…
Wm: What is a bimbo?
Me: It's a mean word for a woman who is pretty, but dumb.
Wm: Just a woman?
Me: Yeah. If it's a man who is pretty and dumb, people sometimes call him a "mimbo" or "himbo."
Wm: Oh.
Me: Luckily, Daddy is both pretty and smart.
Steve: I'm what you call "the whole package," Wm.

Tomorrow is The Big Eight!  Wm is very excited!!!  I think I'm going to make his cake tonight so I can cool it overnight and then make the frosting and finish it off tomorrow.  Wm has requested pancakes for breakfast, pizza for lunch, and crispy sardines (weirdly, one of his absolute favorite things to eat) for dinner.  He is suuuuuper pumped about the presents that will rain down upon him as well. And now I'm being told I have to get off the computer because Wm is allowed unlimited Minecraft today.

Sad Thing

Every night at dinner, our family each goes around and we take a turn telling one happy thing and one sad thing that happened to us that day. It's a great way to catch up on everyone's daily main events, to think back and reflect on the day, and to practice listening, turn-taking, and sharing. Wm's sad thing last night was hilarious.  He said:

"My sad thing today was that I was just about to tell Henry something awesome at recess and the bell rang and we had to go in. I never got to tell him and then I forgot what I was even going to say."

As you can see, Wm has a tough life.