Sunday’s Birthday Party
the boy
Birthday Party Snippet
Band Competition
The Boy’s school band went to a local amusement park (outside Charlotte — I guess “local” is relative) for a band competition. All three bands (sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade bands) got superior ratings.
Twelve
The Boy is twelve today. He’s nearing K’s height, and he’s losing the last vestiges of little-boy-ness that we’ve all grown so accustomed to. He’s not a little boy; he’s a little man. Almost.
We celebrated his birthday in a modest way today: the party is Sunday, and the Girl wasn’t even able to participate because she was at volleyball practice. But we made him a good dinner, bought him a small Key Lime birthday pie, and the K took him shopping.
What he bought is telling: no more toys, not even anything guitar-related. He wanted new shoes and new clothes. He’s changed his hairstyle (his choice), and he thinks about his appearance these days. No longer a little boy.
Sunday Here and There
Spring Concert
Spring 2024 Tournament Day 2
Today was the final day of our short spring tournament. They boys played their hearts out, and they had a good time — the results (0-1-2) weren’t as important.
It was a bittersweet afternoon, though: it will be the last season this team is together. There are always some new members each season, but this team has had a little core for the last three seasons, and now it’s all over. Several of the boys (E included) will be too old to play on the fall team, and the coach won’t be working with U12s anymore: he’s moving up to the 18s travel team.
Coach M was a great coach, the only coach the Boy really wanted to play for, and we’re going to miss him.
In the evening, we went on our first ride of the season.
Except for L: she doesn’t like cycling, which is a shame.
Tournament 2024 Day 1
Soccer Hearts
Low Brass, High Scores
E had the chance tonight to have his newly-acquired trombone skills evaluated. We drove to Dorman High School, saw hundreds of other kids who were being evaluated as well,
and made our way to room 9 (actually B117–not sure why they re-numbered the rooms).
The Boy walked in, performed his solo piece perfectly, and walked out with the scoresheet to prove it.
His band director took a picture and told us that students who earn a “Superior” rating must, simply must, go out for ice cream.
“We were ready for the rating,” I told Mr. K. “We bought some earlier today!”
Changes Waiting
Though it’s hard to comprehend how we’ve reached this moment so quickly, the Girl is just shy of six feet tall and wrapping up her junior year of high school, and the Boy has crossed the five-foot barrier and will soon be twelve. The changes coming are enormous: L will be making final decisions about college over the summer, and the Boy will soon have a full-blown, empty-leg, teenage boy appetite.
We got a hint of that this evening.
After eating a full meal, he came back downstairs hunting for food no more than five minutes later.
“I’m still hungry,” he declared. So he got a piece of yesterday’s leftover pizza out and warmed it up.
Clover smelled it, sensed a treat, and followed him into Papa’s room (it will always be “Papa’s room”), and sat down like the best behaved pup in the world.
Return for Pickleball
Dinner Out
Lessons and Blooms
“I need to work on my Polish,” the Boy recently declared, so he and K have been working on Polish lessons again. He doesn’t look enthusiastic all the time, but he is (still) willing.
Almost as lovely as his effort were the azaleas blooming this morning.
Playful Monday
It used to be something we did fairly frequently in the spring: all four of us would go outside and do something together: swings, trampoline, badminton, or just a walk. I guess we all took it for granted, but soon enough, schedules shifted, kids grew up, calendars filled up, and these evening family times disappeared.
But we still have the net up from Easter; and we still have two kids who enjoy badminton. So all four of us were out playing, though never at the same time — that schedule thing again.
First I took on the Boy. He’s getting so much better, but he flubs some that should have been fairly easy. No pictures of that one.
Then K came out and played with the Boy. I snapped a couple of pictures, but not many — not even one of K playing.
Then the Boy went inside while K and I played a bit. We’re down to two working rackets, so options were limited.
Finally, the Girl returned home from getting crickets for her Australian Tree Frog — I don’t know that we have a single picture of her, but L has had her since eighth grade.
She plays with the Boy for a while, but then I suggest I take the Boy’s part and the Boy take the camera.
And so I promptly have fun while making a bit of a fool of myself. L wins at everything — it’s time we face it.
K, for her part, was inside, studying.
When will the stars align again for such a day?
Conestee Sunday Afternoon
Saturday Naps
Down at the Swing
Remember when we used to cuddle in the hammock?
Can we try again , the Boy asks.
We fit. Barely.
Friday
Tournament and family game night.
Around the House
