Graduation

They put on a GREAT graduation!! So proud of Wm!! First, the kids walked in this morning to an entry-way lined with posters all the parents made is super secret. Here was the one we made for Wm:

And here is what one side of the entry-way looked like:

They had a surprise commencement speaker (Wm's favorite teacher - who he had for 3rd grade and has since retired) and she did a really nice job. The kids each got to walk up and get their fancy diplomas.





Steve was in charge of getting the stills. And a photographer he is not. They are blurry AF. So he's currently in the doghouse. But, here they are, nonetheless:

Annoyed they said his name wrong

After all the diplomas were handed out, the kids filed out and did one of their dances from Momentum for us!



Then, we went up and visited his empty classroom to say good-bye. I can't believe he's done at this school!! It has been a great 6 years!

Biggest kid ever.

The school had a special lunch for the graduates. And, it was Wm's most favorite pizza! So he was thrilled. After the graduation ceremony, they had a really nice dessert reception for graduates and families that included a slideshow of their time there.

Wm at the reception

Dessert...of course

Wm was in such a good mood, he even let me take pictures of him with his favorite teachers! Here he is with his 3rd grade teacher, also the commencement speaker!

And here he is with his current G&T teacher:

Tonight, we are taking him out to dinner at his favorite place to celebrate his Big Time Awesomeness!! After his event at the middle school yesterday, he's feeling like a super big deal! He goes, "I am now officially a 6th grader!" [pause] "I want a later bedtime." So we have just negotiated that out. I think everyone wins.
Today was a BIG DAY for Wm!!! He is turing into such an awesome young man!

Animals!

This week is a big deal for Wm. Nearly every day has some major event. Today is the welcome social at his new middle school. Tomorrow is his graduation. (Which is a much bigger deal than I thought - we got an email about how it's OK for them to bring their fancy clothes and change right before the ceremony. I was just going to send him in regular clothes. So, I guess, he needs to be dressed up! Good to know. I guess they take elementary graduation seriously around here!) Thursday is his very last Lunch on the Lawn - and last day of school, which ends after lunch, so it's a half day. And Friday is his first day of summer break!! Since there will be daily exciting Wm goings on, I am going to take this opportunity to get all the animal business out of the way.

This is what happens when Flip goes outside

Cutely napping, but I annoyed him.

The cats each have their own relationship with Flip. Schroeder hates Flip and is convinced Flip's goal in life is to eat him. Flip loves Schroeder more than anyone or anything and it is his goal to lick him everywhere. Sadly, Flip's whine sounds almost exactly like Schroeder's "back off or I will bite you" growl. He sits at the gate and whines at Schroeder, mere inches from him - but inaccessible. I'm sure Schroeder believes this is confirmation of Flip's nefarious intentions. Turn your volume all the way up and enjoy whiny Flip (and, you can hear him cry softly from the kitchen later):


Luna, on the other hand, loves Flip. She enjoys sashaying all around him to get his attention. Which is happily provided every single time (by way of ear and butt licking, and, perhaps, some light nibbling). Except when he's tired. Luna is very put out that he's ignoring her. This video is pretty dark, but check out Luna rubbing all over Flip trying to get his attention:


And now, we can all concentrate of Wm's very exciting times!

Memorial Day Weekend

It's been a great Memorial Day weekend so far - and we're only halfway through it! Yesterday morning, I went and took a glass beading class with a friend. I was actually pretty nervous because I had to melt the glass to make beads and working with hot, molten glass and SUPER hot flames was scary. But it was super fun and I made 5 beads!! Then, we went through a bunch of houses. I was very disappointed. They all blew. Wm is fun to go through houses with, though - actually more so than Steve. Steve is hard to please and mostly silent. Wm is very enthusiastic and has a lot to say. For instance, in one house, Wm goes, "I love these counters! What is that? Granite? Niiiiice." The Columbus housing market is CRAY. I was even quoted in the Dispatch! I'm famous!! LINK

Today, I went to lunch with another friend while Steve took Wm to see Guardians of the Galaxy. And, tomorrow, we have a cook out planned. It should be fun!!

Flip, meanwhile, is having a grand day. He spent his morning trying to destroy every single one of Wm's stuffed animals:


This was the aftermath:

It's like stuffy Saving Private Ryan

And, let me tell you, it's no fun cleaning up wet, slobbery stuffing. Luckily, even though he wasn't done chewing, he moved on to nicer things (and Steve kept ruining my show with his stubby finger!):


Expect a bunch of nostalgic posts coming up this week! It is Wm graduation week!! Wm is VERY upset. He came home from school on Friday and goes, "Well, it HAPPENED. People are DATING." I go, "like actually going on dates?" and he was like, "No - they're not going anywhere." HA! Poor Wm...growing up is hard to do!

Movin'

After much back and forth and indecision, we have finally decided to pull up stakes and move on up! We have a realtor and I got us pre-approved for a loan today. The mortgage broker said Clintonville is actually the #1 market in all of Columbus and most of the houses he sees have at least 5 offers on the first day (one had 16!) Since he didn't want us to be homeless - since he expects our house to sell immediately - he approved us to buy without selling based on our location. Then, once we are in contract on a new place, we'll stick this place on the market and sell it fast. Our realtor is great and she has already shown us a couple places - and signed us up for daily email alerts. Because, already, multiples houses we liked have been in contract before we can even get in! We are looking in a couple areas, including The Ville. But for what we could get here, we could get a lot more house elsewhere. So...we'll see what we find!

Lots of changes coming for Wm!! He had Field Day today. Then, next week, he only has school Tues/Wed/Thurs. On Wednesday, he has his official elementary graduation. Then, Thursday is a half day after Lunch on the Lawn. So, Wm only has 4 days of school left!! And, really, only 2 "real" school days. He has lots of exciting things happening this summer. Some cool campus, a visit to grandma and grandpa, and a move!! Wm is a tough customer. The first house we saw he declared "disgusting" and, despite just being totally renovated, Wm said, "this needs to be completely redone." Then, the second one, he loved, but he did not like the neighborhood and said it was "off the list." It was much easier to move before he could talk!

Last Concert

I just snapped this pic because man and dog were super cutely snoozing while I was getting ready for work this morning:

Snuggle Friends

But, last night, Wm had his last elementary school concert. Yesterday was also his last Monday of elementary school!  I can't believe it!! Wm did GREAT. They sounded amazing. Here he is, chilling pre-show:

Getting his fiddle on

They played a bunch of songs, but I will just include my favorite. First, we all loved the 5th grade strings' rendition of We Will Rock You. Orchestra isn't just for nerds! (And also, it kinda is.)


Then, the finale was Fiddles on Fire. They sounded so good!!


Next week, there is a social at Wm's new middle school so the kids can kind of meet each other and wander around. The PTSO sponsors, so the parents get to mingle, too. We are all looking forward to it!

Daycare

Lounging like a badass at daycare next to a froofy dog

Also, Flip was viciously attacked by a creepy Chihuahua dog on his walk yesterday. Flip cowered and was like, "I SURRENDER!" I don't think he realizes that he could eat that Chihuahua in one bite. Flip is definitely a submissive!

Cirque du Soliel

We had a blast at Cirque du Soliel! Wm and his friend LOVED it. It was pretty amazing. It was at The Schott and they have that action DOWN. We got there waaaay early because they waved us in and parked us in a snap - for FREE - and ushered us to our seats. So we wandered around for a bit before the show. Wm's friend is a Michigan fan (his 'rents went there). So he wasn't as pleased about The Schott and Buckeyemania as we were:

It was actually just as easy to get out, too! And the show was GREAT! There were no pictures allowed during, so I got a snap at intermission - AKA, snack time:

It POURED rain today...all day. It was kind of a bummer. But, we actually got a bunch of indoor stuff done. And, everyone (except Wm) managed to sneak in an afternoon nap:

We also were able to dodge some of the rain and take Flip for a long walk. So we did get out! Wm, however, managed to spend the entire day saying he would sweep him room "later." Guess when later came? NEVER. He did, however, make me this, which makes up for it:

Tomorrow is Wm's last Strings concert of elementary school. I am taking Flip to doggie daycare so he's not in his crate all day and then all evening. Tomorrow is also Wm's last Monday of elementary school! Big time!

Burj Khalifa

On Friday, Steve, Mimi, and I went to Wm's Wonders Fair. Wm's Wonder was the Burj Khalifa in the UAE. Here is he is with his model and Power Point:

He also had a little written report on it as well, but that wasn't as fun as the model and presentation. Wm's "voice" in his writing is my favorite thing. He's the best! I love this picture of him and his friend having a blast:

Then, today, we got a letter in the mail from the school Wm would have gone to, if not for Metro.[Prepare yourself for bragging.] They did that testing a while ago to see what Math class he should take next year (if he went there). Students who scored a 60% or higher on the test can take accelerated Grade 7/8 Math next year. Wm scored a 91%!! So, that would mean, he'd be in high school Math in 7th grade after completing both 7th and 8th grade Math in 6th grade. I don't know where he gets this action. I mean, Steve is obviously really good at Math...but he wasn't skipping grades and in high school Math in 7th grade. So, Wm has taken it to a whole new level. Maybe I had some recessive Math ability that skipped me and went to Wm, mixed with Steve's awesome skeelz and created Super Genius William. Whatever the case, I'm definitely counting on him to support me in the style in which I'd like to become accustomed in my old age.

And now, we are off to take Wm and his friend to see Cirque Du Soliel! EXCIIIIITED!

Embarassment

I told Wm at least 3 times that a dog trainer was going to be at the house when he arrived home from school yesterday. Did that stop him from walking into the door and loudly announcing, "I REALLY HAVE TO POOP!"??? No. No, it did not.

On the bright side, the trainer seemed really good. He was giving us a rundown of how he works and what we can expect. Basically, he has a lifetime guarantee of near perfect behavior after just 3 (long, private, in-home) lessons. He gave me a 5 minute demo that kind of knocked my socks off! He had Flip sit next him and taught him "place." He was not supposed to move unless he had been "released." Flip ignored me calling him and offering treats until the guy released him. Wow! Of course, it costs and arm and a leg! But, the guy did say we wouldn't need a fence. The final test after the 3 lessons is that Flip will ignore any other dog, human, squirrel, etc and stay in his designated zone until released even if I am far away. I think we are going to do it! Lifetime guarantee against: unwanted barking, chewing, digging, jumping, nipping; and he will know all his commands. I especially love "place." The guy said if we order a pizza, once we hear the doorbell ring, we will be able to say, "PLACE!" and Flip will quietly and immediately go and sit in his zone until he has been released. We can leave the door wide open and talk with the pizza guy and Flip won't move a muscle. Pret-ty fancy.

That is, if the guy will return with The Mad Pooper around.

Narcissist

Wm: I think Anonymous is a narcissist.
Me: Really? Do you know what that means?
Wm: YEAH. Of course. It means you love yourself most and care about yourself more than other people. Narcissus was a Greek god. He fell in love with his own reflection and just stared at himself until he died.
Me: Hm. OK. Kinda nailed that one. And you think Anonymous is a narcissist?
Wm: Big time.
Me: Then why is he your friend?
Wm: He's not a narcissist ALL the time. He just has some narcissistic personality traits.

Also, Flip totally escaped yesterday. I put him out at lunch, ate my food - periodically checking on him. He spent most of the time laying in the sun, panting happily. But, after a while, I looked out and he was just gone. Like vanished. His runner and everything was attached and unharmed. I ran outside screaming his name - NADA. So I ran in circles around the house, screaming like a psycho. When I made a full loop, I found him sitting at the back door like, "What?" A fence is going in ASAP. We already have calls out for estimates.

Buddies

Flip and Luna are turning into serious buddies. That doesn't stop Luna from attacking Flip's tail and gnawing on it like it's corn on the cob. And it doesn't stop Flip for attempting to chew on Luna's body like she is a dog he's playing with. But - they still seem to get along!

Luna rubbing her face on Flip's face

Kissing

I also got a video of them snuggling on the bed. I woke up and they were doing this:



I also forgot to give Wm mad props. He assisted me with Flip's first at home bath yesterday. Flip HATES the bath. So, Wm's job was to sit next to the tub and hand feed Flip one piece of kibble at a time while I bathed him as fast as humanly possible. Worked like a charm! Flip is now clean, smelling lovely, and sparkling.

Mother's Day

I had a great Mother's Day! Right after I woke up, Wm brought in a card. He is the sweetest!! Wm gets an A+ from card writing. (The "DINGDINGDING" is from a game he plays that I hate.)

It was an absolutely perfect day - upper 70's and nothing but blue skies! Wm agreed to take Flip on a Mega Walk and it was gorgeous (Wm usually refuses my Mega Walks - but he was nice today!) I really wore both child and dog out!! Meanwhile, Steve did the grocery shopping for me while we were gone! Woot!!

After the walk

Look at the smiles on those faces!

Later, we went over to Mimi's and Wm and Mimi played a duet:


While we were gone, Steve did the laundry and made the beds, swept the house, and went to Target for various needed items.
Then, Steve made me a feast!! Stuffed pork chops, mashed potatoes and gravy, roasted brussel sprouts, and fresh bread. I also got a fancy Whole Foods cupcake. Now I plan to lay on the couch like a slug! I would feel a little guilty, but Father's Day is coming up next month and I get to return the favor! I told Steve that, next year, he needs to just make reservations somewhere!! Grocery shopping and cooking nearly did him in. Ha!

Momentum

Wm had his Momentum performance today - and he did AWESOME!! Mimi and I went to see it  downtown and Steve live streamed it online from work. (I had to leave a meeting to go to Momentum and a couple of my friends sat and live streamed it - silently - at the meeting after I left. Haha!)

Wm had so much fun (despite hating Momentum for the entire year and whining about it incessently!) And I was stupidly proud of the little wiener!!

Here is his school's first number (Wm is in a green shirt in the middle of the back left quadrant):


And, here is the grand finale with all the kids!


I picked Wm up early from school (not super early - it ended up only being about a half hour). And then he got celebratory pizza. He was all jazzed!!

We are really flying toward the end of the year now! Next week, Wm has his Wonders exhibit, the week after that is his final strings concert, and then it's the last week of school - which includes his graduation ceremony and final lunch on the lawn! WOW!

This just cracked me up: Flip is literally sitting on top of Steve so he can look out the window at all the murders/children walking by intensely:

Now that Flip has mastered sit and shake, and is progressing very nicely with stay, we are really focusing on "quiet." I took a video of his reaction when a 5 year old girl in a pink helmet (definitely a murderer) rode her bike in front of our house. Flip wanted to bark SO BAD, but managed to contain himself with a small "arf" and melancholy whine. I especially like how his ears bounce with the force of his arf. Turn up the volume to enjoy!! (And notice how quiet he is after his arf and whine! We're getting there!)

Nailed it.

Well, I nailed it! Wm was home sick from school yesterday. I assumed he'd have a cold, but his tummy was all jacked. He is feeling nearly all better today and is off to school. It seems to come and go, so I hope he's OK during the day! I left at lunch yesterday and hung out with him. He actually took a nap, which NEVER happens. He slept like a rock last night, so that's good!

We put Flip in his crate, even thought Wm was home (so his routine is the same) - so it was interesting to hear what he did, since Wm was there to observe. He said Flip single-mindedly licked his kong for a while, then just laid down and went to sleep. Wm said the only time he was agitated was when the cats came out and pranced in front of his cage to torment him. Apparently, Flip whined sadly and bopped the door with his paw. But then just settled down and went back to sleep.

Moving the crate to the living room and making into a "welcoming den" has super helped!! Flip really likes his crate now and it is his "safe place." He will go in there and hang out if he just wants to be alone or is really tired. Luna is also enjoying it.

Thanks for this awesome bed, folks.

Flip just hanging out in there, door open

Wm and I also taught Flip how to shake!! He has it DOWN. He had to go to the vet to get a booster shot yesterday and they gave him a treat. He was trying to shake with everyone to get more! Now Flip has nailed "sit" and "shake." We are working on "stay" and "quiet." He is doing OK with both, but not perfect quite yet! He cannot figure out "lay down" at all, so that one has a lot more work! Wm took a video of Flip showing off his mad skeelz:


And, guess who popped another tire? You guessed it. Steve. He came home all grumpy and went and just silently laid down in bed, pouting. I have never popped a tire, but I don't drive like Luke Duke, either. So hopefully Steve has learned a lesson! He is very sad, so it appears to have made an impact! Since he's the one who has to deal with the fallout, I can happily ignore his tire issues.

Returned!

Wm is home! He got home about 3pm yesterday. He was cold, wet, tired and pretty grumpy. But, he had a blast! And is in much better spirits today after a good night's rest. He said it was super duper fun and he had a grand time. Sadly, it was in the 50's and raining pretty much the entire time. So everything he brought back was soaked. I have done a mountain of laundry! I am pretty sure he's going to get pneumonia soon. Here are some camp highlights:

• Wm climbed to the top of a 30 feet climbing wall - twice!
• He went on a night hike and wasn't (too) scared
• One day, he was a "hopper" at dinner and served and cleared. He thought this was a fun job.
• A favorite story went - "Anonymous was triggered because he didn't like to eat family style. He kept having anger fits because he didn't like when people served themselves before him." His use of the word "triggered" cracked me up.
• Wm had to deal with a very lengthy Mom anger fit when he told me the story about a male teacher who said to 2 girls arguing "calm down, you're both pretty." WHAT. Oh, hells to the no!! Wm goes, "I'm glad you weren't there. You would have been intense about it." Damn straight. As if all girls care about is being pretty - and would only argue with another girl about who is prettier. NO. NO. NO.
• The longest story Wm told was about a dream he had. About a blue onion.
• Favorite class = Team Building Initiatives. Least favorite class = Stream Ecology
• He was mad because, due to my diligent harassment, his teachers had everyone sing him Happy Birthday after dinner the first night. 
• Wm started singing a song they sang before every meal and my atheist sensibilities were initially stirred when he started singing, but it turned out to be fine. I should have known!! Props to The Ville. They sang, "Oh, the earth is good to me, and so I thank the earth for giving me the things I need, the sun and the rain and the apple trees. Oh, the earth is good to me." The similar version I have heard replaces "earth" with "Lord." Separation of church and state win! When I told Wm about the version I knew, he goes, "That's crazy. I guess that's like how your school taught you B.C. and A.D. instead of B.C.E. and C.E." 

Wm and Steve have finally started his Wonders of the World project!! Wm has already, under my (admittedly somewhat compulsive) supervision, completed both his Wonders paper and Power Point presentation. Steve is in charge of supervising the model building. It's due in just about week, so I was getting panicky (the other stuff has been done for WEEKS). We went to Michael's today to gather supplies. The planning began to today and building begins tomorrow. Wm made me laugh loudly in the store with this...

Me: They sure have a lot of baskets here. It would be Flip heaven. He really loves eating baskets. We should get him a basket to eat for his birthday.

Wm: What would you do if I ate a basket?

Me: I would worry about your dental health.

Wm: You should worry more about my mental health!

Camping

Wm is gone. And officially 11. He is a real piece of work, though. He whined the whole way up to the school about having to carry one of his bags (even though I was carrying 2!) Then, he was a grump about getting his picture taken, he was mad that I told his teachers it is his birthday, and then refused to give me a hug in front of his friends!! Tween-dom...here we are. I told him that I would chase him around screaming, "KISSIES!" if he didn't give me a hug, so I could make things way worse for him. He relented and gave me a pathetic one arm hug. Then, didn't even bother to look over at me as I madly waved good-bye. He was too busy hanging with his friends. I guess that's a good sign. But I am bummed. At least Flip was very sad to see me go when I dropped him off at doggie day care! I'm telling you, dogs are way more emotionally fulfilling than children. AND, Flip will never leave me for some bitch. (Get it? Bitch? DOG ZING!)

Heading out

At the school!

Annoyed with taking pictures

Telling me to stop taking his picture

Wm returns on Friday. Hopefully not covered in bed bugs and dirt.

Meanwhile, the carpets are now cleaned. Flip was weirded out by the break in our normal routine. So he ate another basket and gnawed on our bed frame. But he felt really bad about it. To show Steve how guilty he was, I took a video of said guilt. Enjoy:

Empy Nest

Wm leaves for camp tomorrow and I am not pleased. Wm isn't quite as pleased as he was before since it's going to be cold and rainy. But, I went to Target yesterday and got him a cool raincoat thing he can wear over coats of varying thickness. So he can wear a heavy, warm coat, and put this bigger rain coat over it and still be totally dry. It's basically a kid poncho - but shaped like a coat so he will actually wear it. The one good thing is that I am using this Wm-free opportunity to have our carpets cleaned!! Flip gets to go to Doggie Daycare while that's happening.

Wm and I took Flip for a walk in the ravine yesterday after school and Flip wanted to frolic in the creek. He had the greatest dog time of his life! But he was soaking wet. Apparently,  I was so focused on drying him off before he got into the house that I left my key in the front door. Steve found it this morning. So I am in trouble. Oooops.

I love this series of pictures of Wm and Flip snuggling on the couch post-walk.

Flip playing coy

Wm playing coy

Just being cute

Wm loves Flip!

I made the terrible mistake of getting Flip a toy while I was at Target getting Wm's raincoat. I thought it was a silent toy. It is NOT a silent toy. It it a nightmare. And he LOVES it. He is obsessed with it. He pouts when we take it away (because we want to eat dinner without the accompanying squeak festival!) Here he is playing with his toy - and being distracted when he think he hears Steve come home from work:


It was a big night for Flip because Wm also got out and played with the helicopter he got for his birthday. And Flip was NOT sure about that thing. He barked at it like a maniac. It was pretty funny. I got a clip of him right as the battery died. But this had gone on for quite some time:


Luna is just acting like her regular (EVIL) self now, but Schroeder is finally starting to have mini-adventures out of the basement. He will come out now and act normal when Flip is asleep. And he will come and sit in the kitchen (right by the basement) when Flip is awake and watch him warily. Flip loves him some Luna, but he seems to mostly ignore Schroeder. I think that's because Luna taunts him and Schroeder does not. Steve is very pleased Schroeder is emerging!

Flip's favorite place to nap is under Wm's bed. So I outsmarted him. I put his fancy bed UNDER Wm's bed so he can get used to sleeping in there. Then, I will hopefully move it to our bedroom so he will sleep there instead of in my bed!! This may all be for nothing...but it's worth a shot. And Steve is very crabby about Flip's giant, twitchy dog body in our bed! So far, it's working:

Baby steps

Wm had quite the set up last night - all in an attempt to curtail any future nosebleeds (especially before camp!) I stuffed Vaseline up his nostrils to keep them moist (which was as gross as it sounds - and I had to twirl my pinky all around his weirdly tiny nostrils). Then, I set up both an air purifier to remove allergens and a humidifier to put some more moisture in the air. He had all the devices going in there! Fingers crossed it works!!

11! (Almost.)

We had a whirlwind weekend! But, Wm said it was AWESOME, so that is all that matters! First, Steve had another tournament this weekend. These two weeks are the worst of his entire year. So he's seriously beat. But, I may have invited some friends over for dinner on Saturday anyway. I spent Saturday cooking and cleaning and getting ready. 10 minutes after Steve got home, company arrived. I might have also snuck in a quick nap with My Animal Peeps:

Luna and Flip are besties!

Cutest friends

On Sunday, we had Wm's family birthday celebration since he is going to be gone on his birthday. The grandparents all came over and Andrew came, as well. Steve left work about 12:30 so he was able to be there for all the partying (but, of course, not there to help clean up from the night before and get ready...conveniently.) Wm was in very high spirits. He said it was his best birthday celebration ever!

Math birthday tshirt!

Wm was exhausted at bedtime, but he couldn't sleep. I was sitting on the couch, watching The Office with Steve, when my phone dinged. This arrived from upstairs:

Sadly, Wm woke up this morning with a mega nosebleed! And nothing we did could get it stopped. It was a pretty intense one, so he started to freak out. We had to cancel carpool, I was late to work, Flip did not get his morning walk, and Wm barely got any breakfast. But, we did manage to get it stopped!! It was a traumatic start to the week!! Wm leaves for his camp on Wednesday, so I'm really hoping that he doesn't have another one while he's at camp!!

Speaking of camp, they came home from school on Friday with 2 special mesh bags for packing. It is going to be cooler and rainy the whole time Wm is there. Bummer. We will have to spend some time today and tomorrow making sure we are packing him warm, waterproof, clothes - and lots of extra socks and shoes!! Hopefully they can still have the bonfire with hot dogs and s'mores. Wm has talked of little else!! I am still freaking out a little bit about this whole camp thing. Sigh....