Shane's Graduation!

Shane's official graduation ceremony was today! There was going to be a celebration at school and then a parent-sponsored pool party afterward. Thankfully, I heard about the celebration from Sid at the pool over the weekend. "You all coming?" he'd asked. Shane was supposed to mention it, but he hadn't. I hadn't thought to check his backpack with a week of school to go, either!

I was able to find coverage to leave midday and take Shane to the pool party (Carrie still won't do pools). I ended up leaving even earlier when Carrie said she couldn't/wouldn't leave the farm while Kitsune was sick.

I raced out and made it in time to catch the end of the celebration. I stood in the back while a slideshow of the year played out. Carrie had sent in photos and I heard Shane say, "That's my baby horse!" when he and Kitsune appeared on screen.

Shane sounded off every time he showed up!

After the slideshow, Dr. England gave a small speech. I saw Shane twisting his head all over the place searching the crowd. He didn't see me at first, so I moved to set up a better sight lane for him. He had the biggest smile! I was so happy I was able to make it!

The festivities wrapped up quickly after the slideshow and speech. Shane has officially graduated from 5th grade at Scottsville Elementary!

Shane and I took a celebration selfie under the balloons.

Mrs. Armstrong was helping families take pictures next to the school mascot. Shane gave him such a hug I had to help him stand up for our picture!

From there we checked out and went to the pool! We were maybe the 2nd or 3rd family to arrive.

The pool party was a local tradition. It had been put on hold for COVID, but everyone was ready to rekindle the fun this year! (Frankly, it's a brilliant advertisement for the pool. We're already members, but if we weren't I would've signed up right afterward!).

Shane was excited when there was one other kid. He was ecstatic when the rest of the class started to arrive.

The kids started off with an old game, but they used a name for it I hadn't heard. Basically, someone on the diving board had their back turned and called out answers to a question. When the answer that was true for you was called, you had to reach the other side of the pool without being tagged!

The only time Shane came to visit me was for some help with a pair of googles he found.

The rest of the time he was where the other kids were!

The lifeguards nixed chicken fights to the dismay of some.

There was lots of splashing among the boys and Shane offered to upend anyone and anywhere (I hope he's still not calling it a "gopher hole!")

During break, the was cake!

And ice cream, too!

A volleyball game broke out (Uh...boys vs girls isn't a smart idea here, boys).

Inevitably, the ball went over the fence (which I call a great opportunity for problem solving!). There was much talk about climbing, before someone just went around to the other side (Shane was trying to use sticks to work it up the fence from the other side!).

One of the parents called all the kids over for a group picture.

It took a while to get everyone in it, but it worked out well!

Aaaaand everyone went right back into the water afterward. The big dude (Gentry?) offered for Shane to tabletop/gopher hole him. Shane did it!

Unfortunately, we couldn't stay for the full two hours. I had to get back to work. Shane was sad when I collected him, but he was also in the beginning stages of an argument with some of the girls (Perfect timing!).

To assuage his feelings (from the girls and from leaving), I bought Shane a drumstick on the way out!

It was a great way to end the year! I dropped Shane off at home and then rushed back for my final class (..and some cold Chinese food. The math department bought some to send off our department chair and I missed the luncheon in favor of Shane's stuff).

The day was far from over, though. I went back to work and then picked up some meds for Kitsune while I was in town.

Then I dragged Shane to the library.

In his typical fashion, he insisted he didn't want to go, etc, etc. I told him I was surprised he'd turn down an opportunity to catch Pokemon in town when he's always requesting it, and that reframed the narrative enough for him to get in the car.  Free pizza for dinner kept his mouth to stuffed to complain after I took the phone away. 

Today was a perfect storm of events. There was graduation, the summer reading kickoff, and a PTO picnic! We were at the library, because I wanted Shane to sign up for the summer reading list. He started to socialize and decided to be happy.

Shane marched up to a pair of library staff members playing badminton and joined right in. I hopped in as well to even up the teams. We saw a rabbit with 1.5 ears and the family from International Table Top day while we played!

When the library shindig ended, we headed over to Scottsville Elementary. Shane was hesistant until I uttered the words "bounce house."

We bumped into some friends once we got there! Sarah was volunteering and had brought Lilly and Wyatt with her (Random - I taught the teenager, Michael, volunteering at the bouncy slide!).

Shane was a roaring and yelling in all his hyperactive, "look-at-me!" glory.

The line and wait at the slide was shorter than the obstacle course, so Shane and Wyatt spent most of their time there.

I told Shane he *had* to eat a 2nd slice of pizza for the night if he wanted any of the treats (I'm sooo terrible like that). Shane was like, "Ew! It's Dominio's!" ("Knock it off, kid") and when Sarah pulled out TWO slices (because they were small) I quickly took the 2nd slice for myself before he argued.

Shane spurned cookies (seriously!), hopped on a bike, and rode off.

I sat in the shade while Shane ran off who knew where. Eventually he ran back all full of smiles. "I've been scaring these older kids!"

Uh oh. 

The rest played out exactly as I've seen before. Shane was happy at first when he startled kids and he probably viewed it as "winning." Later, the kids were teasing him with "you can't scare us," "you can't catch us," and all the natural jeers that follow being chased and roared at for a while. Shane doesn't like this and as he gets more annoyed/upset the kids see the teasing works. Which leads to more of it and Shane roaring in someone's face.

I called Shane over at that point to break the rhythm and head home. He didn't want to go, but I told him I was exhausted after being on the go all day (and it was true!). I think we got home around 7 or 7:30 PM.

After all those events, it's hard to believe Shane still has one day of school left! The activities were a great way to provide closure and make the end of the year epic. There were rough spots, but I hope Shane looks back fondly overall on his time at SES as he moves on to middle school next year!

Kitsune's Under the Weather

Carrie spends an awful lot of her time thinking about this guy.

He can be shy. It could be his personality, but Carrie suspects it's from all the poking, prodding, and medicine he got so soon after birth. Sometimes she has to catch him lying down if she wants to touch him. 

And Carrie won't stop until she manages to give Kit a scratching. She's determined to end every one of her visits on a friendly note. She's learned that if she crouches down or sits long enough, Kit treats her differently. Instead of running away, he'll get curious and investigate.

Once Carrie finds a spot or two, he'll stay!

She knows all the spots!

"Foals are itchy by nature," Carrie says.

But look out for kisses! Even more, look out for nips! Kit's teeth are in (Poor Mama!). 

Kit's had some scrapes on his back legs, but Carrie says those are common for foals. 

He had to go on antibiotics shortly after being born, but otherwise there were no big health concerns.

Until Wednesday night. Carrie almost didn't go out with me for night chores, but it was a good thing she did. Kit was sweating and hot to the touch. Carrie took his temperature and it was ~103.8 F.

Fever for foals starts at 102. Anything between 100 and 102 is considered normal. Carrie could tell right away that Kit was off and when he almost fell trying to avoid us, she guided him down to the ground to rest safely.

The vet was called. Carrie stayed with Kit while I opened the gate and checked on Shane.

Kit got meds and expert care.

The vet pulled blood, but nothing came back out of the ordinary.

For now, the medicine was in, the fever was down, and Kit was hungry. The vet said "Wait and we'll see in the morning."

In a stroke of perfect timing, Carrie had installed a wifi camera the day everything happened.

The feed goes straight to her phone and there's a night vision mode. I'm with her in this shot.

I went in to put Shane to bed while Carrie hung out a little longer to keep an eye on Kit.

She came inside to try and sleep, but the timestamp here proves she was up on and off all night.

We checked in early the next morning. Carrie needed my help before school to hold Kit.

He had a lot of medicine to take: There were a couple shots, some things to choke down, and even something that had to go up from the other end!

Kit's about 2.5 weeks old, but he's over 180 lbs. It's a two person job to administer everything. 

The vet came back for a follow-up appointment after I went to work. The plan for now is to continue with the meds and see if things get better. It'll be my job to supply the muscle while Carrie supplies the skills. The new routine includes morning and night medications with night-time being the big show. The wrestling and poking won't help Kitsune trust us more, but hopefully he blames me more than Carrie. We just hope he feels better soon.

Field Day for Shane

There was nothing fun planned at the high school level this year, but Shane's still in Elementary. They know how to end a school year right.

"Field day is tomorrow!" I said. "You'll need a change of clothes and swimsuit."

"Why does it have to be field day tomorrow! Ugh!" was Shane's reply.

Are you surprised? I was surprised! Field day seemed exactly like something Shane would like!

"You get to play around at school and get wet? That seems like something you'd love!"

"I don't wanna go to field day!"

"Why not?"

"Because I just don't wanna!"

"That's not a reason."

"It's going to be hot and it's going to be wet. I don't mind getting wet in my spare time, but if it's something I have to do I'm going to usually hate it."

The teenage years are not far away. 

In retrospect, Shane can be insecure and anti-competition. He was probably dreading relay races or anything where he could lose or be criticized for his performance (though he is far from the bottom of his class in athletic ability...unless you're measuring thickness of skin!).

I was a little worried about Field Day, but Carrie reported he was upbeat when he got off the bus. I got home and immediately asked, "How was it?"

"You can ask mom. I told her."

Shane can and will talk incessantly (and seemingly without pauses to breathe), but then at other times...

"Shane.....how was it?" I asked again. It was a great opportunity for Shane to go on and on about. I was really interested!

"It was ok."

Yeeeeeup. The teenage years are not far away.

At least it wasn't, "terrible."

Graduation Night 21-22

Monday was a 12+ hour day. That's because it included graduation! I never went home after work. Instead, I drove out to drop some work off for a kid in quarantine before rushing back to John Paul Jones Arena.

Mental note: The suggested arrival time packed a ton of cushion. I could have easily shown up half an hour later and had time to stand around.

I repped Arizona State University. I couldn't find my cap and gown, so I had to borrow from a friend. Thankfully, the first person I asked, Mary, had a spare!

There's not much else to report. Graduation is for the families, not the teachers. I sat around for two hours, Despite having brought headphones, I was a good example and didn't pull my phone out. 

I did recognize a fair number of names this time. Next year will mark 4 years at MHS for me, so I should recognize even more.

Summer Preview

 It was a warm weekend. Warm-enough for Shane to lay anywhere to "sun bathe."

I took Shane to that International Tabletop Day meetup listed at the library. We were the first ones to show up! There was a 4 year old who Shane played with for a chunk of the time we were there.

I ended up teaching two people how to play The Crew. Shane joined us for the last hand or two. Shane's words: "It looks like you all need another pro!" 

Shane and I dropped by the library on the way home. We hung out for a little bit before continuing on to find Carrie making an onsen inspired house in The Sims. 

She and Shane started playing The Sims a little together. They both like making things and the computer is positioned, so that Carrie can stare out in the field at Mama and Baby.

Saturday evening, I took Shane to the pool for the first time this year.

A girl called him over and he jumped into a soccer game in progress. I'm pretty sure they were on the same soccer team last fall, but I forgot to ask Shane (and who knows if he knows!?).

Shane didn't hop in the pool for at least the first 20 minutes we were there! During the next break, he tried to join some older kids playing volleyball. The ball went over the fence and I saw all the kids debating if someone should climb over to get it or walk around.

I kept my head turned the other. I would've gone over the fence in a heartbeat as a kid. As an adult I felt a need to reinforce pool rules if anyone saw me looking, so I figured I'd keep my head turned and see how the kids handled it. I hoped Shane would be brave and maybe even the hero of the moment!

Apparently, the top of the fence was sharp and no one made it over. One kid made the decision to run around, but even everyone debating the climb and talking about how sharp the top of the fence is makes for a good story! I didn't want to take that away from the kids.

Shane did say the older kids weren't the nicest. I heard him do a dinosaur roar at one point ("You know, words are more effective than noises with kids your age and up."), but Shane said it was no big deal and ran off to swim.

Shane loves Sharks and Minnows and any sort of splashing game.

The diving board is fun, too, but Shane prefers to land near people so they can gawk at him in midair and be hit by the tidal wave of his splash!

We went again on Sunday. Shane was doing some sort of game where he'd crawl out of the pool and pretend to sleep. Someone would splash him 'awake' and he'd jump back in to act crazy and splash them.

I only heard the lifeguards call out his name a couple of times (Is it a good or a bad sign that they remembered Shane's name?).

Shane acted like he didn't want to rejoin the pool this year, but I felt like he fit back in well. Kids remembered who he was and he got right into the thick of playing!

There was one small bump when Shane bumped his head on the pool.

He said he was swimming with his eyes closed because of the chlorine and smacked into the wall. There was a small red mark.

Aside from walking the length of the pool with his head in his hands, he took it well. He didn't whine or cry and when I asked if he hurt the pool he laughed. I got to be the encourager and tell him he was a tough kid rather than harp on dramatics. I was proud.

Other than some chores, it was a chill weekend. Shane and I had quarantined enough, so we drove into church. We went to Wegmans on the way home and Shane bought some Oreo drumstrick cones with his money while I grocery shopped. Carrie put on Wandavision and the family made it through some episodes of those. Shane called some friends and played some Roblox while I booted up Xcom2 for a little bit.

It was a wonderful weekend. It felt like a preview of what summer could be like. It made me sad that I had to go back to school on Monday, but at least there's only a week left!

Summer Goals 2022

Not going to do a big write up this year. I'm just going to lay out the goals. Maybe I'll even update a few as I think of things.

My goals:

1. Catch up on blog. (Thanks, Quarantine!)

2. Lots of Spanish practice

3. Start exercising again

4. Travel, camps, do memorable things!

5. Finish Fire Emblem Three Houses. I played it last summer whenever Shane was at the pool). I can't be that far off.

6. Read more

7. Try writing again

8. Recover from teaching burn-out. 

Shane goals:

1. Start exercising again (See Goal #3 for me)

2. Keyboarding?

3. Extra Japanese?

4. Learn something!

5. Go to the pool. Stay active!

6. Make memories.

Carrie goals.

1. Baby horse, baby horse, baby horse, baby horse, baby horse, baby horse, baby horse, baby horse, baby horse, baby horse, baby horse, baby horse, baby horse, baby horse, baby horse, baby horse, baby horse, baby horse, baby horse, baby horse, baby horse, baby horse, baby horse...

2. Baby. Horse.

Bonus: Take care of the wascally wabbits, too.

Mowing along

There's never a dull moment around here. Carrie mowed some Wednesday and said she ran over something that cut her session short. "Not a bunny I hope?"

We take the mower to get serviced and it's blades sharpened every year, so Carrie and I loaded it onto the trailer Thursday morning.

She was all over the place and lost her keys. I ran down to the barn to get the spares while she was panicking and then found her set on the trailer.

Everything was fixed by the time I got home. Carrie went by one of her favorite coffee places (Joe Beans) while the mower was being worked on and that was that.

The technicians said they found some sort of cloth entangled in the blades. I'm pretty sure I found the culprit by the barn. Looked like a saddle pad.

It's funny to note that I have not mowed the lawn one since we moved in three years ago. Nor have I driven the truck while the trailer is attached. It's always Carrie. I have driven the truck and mower, but that's not my role in the family. Mainly, I've used the mower to cart and spread poop. I changed the oil a couple of times until we discovered it was more effective (and a good price) to just have it done when the blades were being sharpened.

Old Man Mike

I turned 40.

My present was I got to go back to work. It was not the mid-life crisis thrill I was looking for (Boy, am I ready for Summer!)

After work, I found myself in Southern States picking up stuff for the barn.

I did get a meal of my picking when I got home. I cooked it! 

Mostly. There were different types of dumplings and I wasn't sure if they could be cooked at the same rate. Carrie needed to advise and supervise (I didn't meant to drop a dumpling in a way that caused a drop of oil to land on her arm....).

It was close to a normal day. It felt good, though. I survived school, got things done, and ate well.

I did have a moment later in the week when Carrie brought out the bunny rabbit.

"Why did I get two new animals for my birthday?" I asked. "Why not two new board games?"

UPDATE:

Shane, also, returned to school. He went back Wednesday. We had to wait 10 days from the time of his first symptom. I had to help with Kit and morning chores, so I couldn't get him out to the bus. I dropped him off on the way to work. The nurse looked at him, said "Welcome back!" and that was it. I did give Shane a mask to wear since he likes to cough loudly.

Life's back to our normal. We just have to survive this week and the following to make it to summer!