One of the great, long standing traditions in our family is a group singing of the carol The Twelve Days of Christmas. In the past, the performance included the guests at a big Christmas party and each of us. Now, we've raised another generation so they can take care of it for us.
Presented below, this year's version (directed by Papa himself off camera).
My favorites videos right now are the ones I'm taking with my point and shoot camera... Because I don't care about it much, I'm willing to take it right into the action. In this case, I shot a few more sledding videos.
Nothing special about this video, other than the fact that it records the morning arrival on Christmas. You know, posterity requires that I post videos like this so I can watch them later...
Oh yes, this is fine work from my girls. If you're seeking something meaningful or deep, GO SOMEWHERE ELSE. If you're looking for something silly, you're in the right place. The first piece is about 1 minute long and includes the "introductions". My favorite parts of section one are Jesus' leg (brief appearance) and Lindy's whole introduction.
In section two, the highlight is Mary's mishap en route to Bethlehem. Don't worry, Mary and the baby are doing fine. (I also love how Handel's Messiah comes on just after the baby is born. I'm sure everyone present danced like this.) Oh, and as Aspen says, "Don't laugh" at her talent.
Clearly my daughters are an amalgam of their mother (a foodie) and father (a hockey fan). Tonight's indication came on the car ride home from our first basketball practice of the year.
Aspen: Did the Predators win their last game? Tim: Yes, I think it was 1 - 0. Aspen: Who was the goalie? Tim: Pekka Rinne. Aspen: [after a pause] How old is pecorino?
Nana and Papa visited a few weeks ago (before Thanksgiving) and we had a great visit with them. Among the highlights, this highly intellectual game they taught my girls...
First we had a picture of Aspen experimenting at the piano. Now, at the end of a week in Kingsport, we have a "concert". Yes, it's one fingered, and no, she's not really reading the music, but she did learn this quite well, I think.
We were having a nice breakfast here in Kingsport. Grammie and Lindy had put together the traditional items, toast, grits, bacon, and of course, eggs. I mentioned that when we have eggs at home, we often have a dozen among us.
Grandpa decided to test the girls.
Grandpa: Aspen, do you know how many there are in a dozen? Aspen (and Oakley): Twelve. Grandpa: And how many in a baker's dozen. Aspen (and Oakley): Thirteen!
a few moments passed, clearly long enough for a subject change...
Grandpa: Do you all know what the Santa Train is? Oakley: 14!?
We took an awesome hike through Edwin Warner Park this weekend, and the halfway point become a knock down (literally) drag out (not literally) battle amongst the girls and their leaves...
Be careful, everybody. I am typically averse to the collision of my work and personal lives. I like both, I just don't let encourage them to mix very often. But my work, related to learning and the like, is colliding with my personal/family life as I read some blog posts. So, I thought I'd post a few thoughts here and see if anyone feels like I do, or feels like talking about them... (Mom? I'm talking to you...)
I started here, a post from Fred Wilson. Fred Wilson writes on Venture Capital and emerging technologies, and I read him for fun and to pay attention to emerging tools. Today, he stepped into my world by talking about learning.
That led me to this fascinating post... from someone I've never once read. This is, to me, a courageous message to send to your kids. I ask myself... am I ready to send them this kind of message?
And from there, I ended up in this particular comment, which brings me back to questions I ask myself all them time.
I have real complaints about school. It takes up such an obscene amount of time. How much of that time is well spent? Just last night, Jenn was talking to our neighbor Janet about their weekend. Janet's kids are brilliant. They went on a trip Saturday, and that meant that they spent the entirety of Sunday doing homework. Literally, the whole day. Is that useful? Is that something I want for my kids?
Before I had kids, I would have spoken out aggressively against home schooling. The home schooled kids that I encountered as a camp counselor were not well adjusted. Their social skills were lacking (it is, I think, part of why they were sent to camp).
But now? I am uncertain. My kids go to school in one of the top districts in the nation (Brentwood High ranks 192nd according to Newsweek). The report card on Lipscomb Elementary is very high. And yet, I still come many days wondering if their time was well spent.
So, my only conclusion right now is that I have doubt. I'm thinking about it. I'm not going to do anything rash (have no fear). But, I'm thinking about it a lot. I'm thinking about it when Oakley tells me that she already knows everything they're doing in class. I'm thinking about it when Aspen has to do homework, even though she's getting 100's on spelling pretests and she spent 7 hours at school that day.
I managed to capture a video of Aspen & Oakley on a ride as well. Note that Big Thunder Mountain is a much longer ride (3+ minutes) and the first portion is the uphill part (all in the dark). I don't any editing equipment here at this conference, so this is the best I can do.
I'm sure Aspen will love this video in 5 years... she'll be so proud (sarcasm). But, at least, she is proud right here. It captures her spirit so well, though.
I think this is really cool. Aspen gets to do something very special tomorrow. Basically, all the kids in second and third grades (and others?) were asked to write their feelings about peace. They did so, and turned them in. The school principal, Mrs. Contich, then selected 5 to be read.
You guessed it, Aspen's was selected, and she'll be reading it with the school chorus tomorrow as they place their pinwheels for peace near the flagpole. Her text follows:
I think that peace would come to the world if all people were allowed to voice their opinion and are free to work and play and live where they want because peace is good for the world.
Well, we're off to a good start on the new school year. It is admittedly a bit of a challenge, as we were rezoned over the summer. We were never really in love with Edmondson, frankly, so that part was no big deal. But, Aspen had a bunch of friends, so that part of the move was sad. (We miss you, Cassie!)
As for Lipscomb, we're off to a great start. Oakley went to school for a little while yesterday, and she had a great time. The "games" she got to play with her teacher (Mrs. Gilliland) and the other Kindergarten teachers were a good start.
Aspen is enjoying herself as well. Tonight she was telling me a bit about school today. She said (and I paraphrase):
"We were playing with Mrs. Dodd today, and she has a magic wand. She swept the wand over us, and it made sounds, and then it pointed a blue light at somebody. She asked a boy what 2 + 2 was, and he said 6 on purpose. She had to fix her wand."
There were two things that I thought were really cool about that. One, Aspen, without thinking about it, said playing. She was learning, yes, but it didn't feel like it. She felt like she was playing. (Sure, school still feels long to her. But seriously, work feels long to me and I have the best job going. She leaves home at 8am and gets home at like 4:40. But the bus problems are a totally different story.)
The second cool thing is that she had a memorable learning moment on the fourth day. I kid you not, I'm not sure she had a single memorable learning moment in her entire year last year.
So, thank you, Lipscomb. We are off to a good start and we appreciate it.
So, I was chatting with my sister Jenni tonight when she mentioned that Kiana's favorite city from our Italian voyage had been Venice. So, I thought I'd ask the girls about it tonight. We started with Lindy, and we were trying to help her remember the name of the city with the canals.
Tim: It sounds like Veh. Lindy: I don't know. Aspen: [for some reason thinking that spelling it would help Lindy] V - I - N - C - E.
I just laughed. Then I spelled back to Aspen what she had spelled. We established that was Papa's name, and we moved on. But I still think it's pretty funny.
OK, so I managed to go through the whole of Jenn's birthday yesterday without taking a picture... Oh well, I'm sure she'll be crushed.
As the girls wrote on countless banners around the house, "Happy Brithday, Mammoo!"
Aspen (with Oakley's help) gave Jenn a really sweet gift. She took one of the sunflowers that had grown in the garden and harvested the seeds from it herself. No, they weren't in great shape. But Aspen collected them and packaged them up and wrapped them herself. It was really sweet. (This was on top of the vegetables that she snuck out of the house to get yesterday morning.)
Aspen packed the sunflower seeds by placing them in a ziploc bag full of water (so they wouldn't dry out), and then putting them in a gift bag, all several days before Jenn's birthday. Somehow, and boy am I thankful, the two ziplocs both managed to stay closed.
Do you all know that seeds are best kept dry? Can I tell you now, that never, not once, has such a sweet gift smelled so incredibly bad?!?! The smell literally knocked us all back as Jenn removed the ziplocs from the gift bag... and they were sealed! The odor was so bad we had to take them out of the house immediately!
So, happy birthday, Jenn. We do love you... enough to give you stinky gifts. (And thanks Aspen, for having such grace throughout the opening. Aspen laughed with us... she is so incredibly sweet.)
Lest they feel left out, Oakley and Lindy both brought sweet gifts for Jenn as well. Oakley's cards are everywhere and very cute, and Lindy drew pictures of both Jenn and me, Jenn's with far more hair than mine.
So, I was saying good night to the two older girls just now. It started with Oakley...
Oakley: Daddy, I was just going to ask... Aspen: [preempting Oakley] This headboard is getting annoying. Tim: Just move your pillow down, it won't bump it. Aspen: OK. Oakley: I said to Aspen, "I wish you could sleep in my bed." And she said, "I wish I could, too." Aspen: No, I didn't. Oakley: Yes, you did. Tim: You wish you could snuggle with Oakley, Aspen? Aspen: Yes. Tim: Well, that's sweet. It wouldn't be good for sleeping though, OK? Aspen: OK. Tim: In Italy, though, I'm sure there will be nights where you guys share a bed, so you can snuggle then. Aspen: OK. Oakley: Are we going to have bunk beds? Tim: Yes. Aspen: I wish we could have them for more than one night. Tim: Why, so both of you can sleep on top? Aspen: Yes. Tim: We will. Oakley: Yes! Aspen: How many nights will we have them? Tim: Three. Oakley: Who will get to sleep there the third night? Tim: I don't know, we'll see. Oakley: Mommy & Daddy can!
At the beach. And it's excellent. We left early this morning, and were paid off in spades for the effort. Basically, we got here by about 3:30 and had a fantastic short day at the beach. The swimming conditions are literally the best I can remember in my 12 or so years at Duck. Waves are there, but not too big or crazy. The bottom is almost entirely sand.
Aspen, Oakley, and I spent a good hour in the water rolling around and playing. Each year, the ocean decides for me what my "game" will be in the water. This has been the case since I was 10 years old or something. Some years it's body surfing, some years flipping over waves, there was even that year I decided to try that thing where you slide on the thin layer of water on the shore. For me, that was called "falling on your *ss".
Well, this year's game is bowling. I go out to the point where I can body surf, and point myself in the direction of my daughters, and see if I can run into them. Good clean fun was had by all.
Aspen wrote this for Oakley. Everything is exactly as written (except I can't get the slanting text to work here on the website).
Oakley's Learning Book.
How To Write. To Write a story you need a beging sentence to intorduce your story. After you write your beging sentence intorduce the characters in your story. Then begin your story. For example,
This is a story about caring. The characters in the story are Oakley and Lindy. Well this is how the story began. They loved each other very much. One day they went... Tell the rest of your story.
Following up on a popular post from a couple days ago, this conversation was had in my presence at dinner tonight (I was out with the three girls).
Oakley: Mommy ate a seed. Aspen: No, Daddy gave Mommy a seed. Oakley: Daddy laid a seed on Mommy's tummy. Aspen: How do I come from a seed anyway...
[after a moment's thought]
Aspen: Well, I guess I don't have to pretend, since I'm a seed. I don't have to pretend to be a plant or an animal anymore.
[moments later, seemingly out of nowhere]
Aspen: People have lots of different ideas about how the world started. Some people believe it started with Adam and Eve. Then there's what I believe, that it all started with dinosaurs and stuff.
On this occasion, I was left to my own devices (as Jenn was at home). And so I get comments related to evolution and reproduction. What's next?
Jenn... See, I haven't gotten Jenn to blog herself yet, so you get stories that I hear.
Jenn was making dinner with Aspen tonight, and Aspen's getting old enough where she can actually put stuff in a hot pot. Jenn reminded her not to touch the pot, because it was very hot and she could be burned. Aspen's response:
I won't, Mommy. I'm not like you.
Later, Jenn was playing with Lindy. Lindy decided to scan her.
Jenn: Lindy, how much do I cost? Lindy: Two dollars.
Lindy then scanned herself.
Jenn: Lindy, how much do you cost? Lindy: Too much.
Aspen's performance of "Go Fish!" went wonderfully last night. She nailed every line, and she did so with feeling. While I'm considering posting the full 35 minutes, I think we'll start with just this. It's the third scene, and the one that features most of Aspen's lines. If you can't find her, look for the Needlefish (with the tall silver hat).
So I took Aspen and Oakley to the Predators' playoff game tonight. Rather than share stories about hockey (the Preds are far more resilient than I give them credit for), I will share a funny moment from early in the game.
Aspen: Daddy? Why are the cheerleaders' shirts so short? [They wear crop tops, where the the entire midruff is bared.] Tim: Well, they think they look cute. Aspen: Well, do they? Look cute? Tim: Well, Aspen, what do you think? Aspen: I don't know.
Well, we're in the spring soccer season, which means we're missing games pretty regularly. Rain seems to be killing us, especially the U7's, Aspen's team. We finally got our first games in on Saturday, and both were a lot of fun.
Aspen was her typical responsible self, and the final score of her game was 1-1. She was a big part of that. Frankly, her team has come a long way over the winter (absence makes them better, apparently). There was some passing, and the team was quite effective as a whole.
Oakley had a solid game as well. For her, that meant poking home three goals during the game and colliding with Zoe and a bunch of other girls. If we renamed the team now, we'd be called the Wrecking Balls.
Today's practice was pretty funny. Among our spectators for practice were a couple of Tennessee Titans (one former, one current). One of them has a daughter on the team. The other you have probably heard of... he's super freaky. Well, we were having a good time, and then the rains came. We've made a point with the girls that we'll play through anything. That meant that we just kept on playing. Well, let's say that certain members of our crowd made it to the car pretty quickly. Twenty minutes later, the girls were still playing duck duck goose, wet bottoms and all.
So, we're continuing to read many of the Magic Tree House books that we started prior to Christmas. They were the inspiration for our tree house and often lead to questions. Tonight, we read a chapter from Midnight On The Moon.
Aspen: Daddy, how big is the moon. Tim: It's big honey... smaller than the earth, but still huge. Oakley: Is it bigger than me. Tim: Yeah. Aspen: It's bigger than our house. Tim: It's bigger than Tennessee at least. Oakley: Is it bigger than Pennsylvania? Tim: Yes. Aspen: Is it bigger than China? Tim: Well, that's a country, not a state, but yes. It's probably about that size. Oakley: So Kiana's an astronaut?
Seriously, that was the leap of logic. Pretty impressive, I say. I mean, I can sort of see how she got there, but it is a pretty funny leap. And no, Kiana (our niece/cousin who was born in China) is not an astronaut, at least not yet. Although a little bird told me that she has started reading the Magic Tree House books with her mom, so we'll see what happens when she reaches book 8.
For those of you wondering (I just did the "research"), the moon's size, in comparison to the earth is as follows:
7.4% of the Earth's surface area 2.0% of the Earth's volume 1.23% of the Earth's mass
Aspen: Daddy, what's "lorice" mean? Tim: Huh? Aspen: What does "lorice" mean, like on the CD? Tim: Lorice isn't a word, honey. Aspen: Like in the song, "....and a thousand churches, 'lorice'"
I'll leave it at that until someone accurately names the song (or words) in the comments...
After tonight's bath, Aspen said, in describing the pajamas she'd selected, "Daddy... I chose these pajamas on purpose. Pants, so that we could keep having bad weather and miss more school, short sleeves, so that we could get some flowers going."
OK, so yesterday, when I went to work, it wasn't snowing or anything. And two hours earlier, we'd received a call indicating school was canceled. Well, there were never slippery roads, but at least the snow came, sort of.
I was unavailable, but Jenn managed to catch the girls with a few snowflakes.
So, we're moving some stuff around on the office network and I found this little video. I figured, why not share it with you today. It's Aspen, more than 5 years ago...
At last, after a few days of messing with formats and video companies, I have Aspen's Basketball Debut ready for you.
Quite frankly, I was worried about this game. Our practices have been quite chaotic, and I thought things could be remarkably ugly. Well, the game was a pleasant surprise, as was Aspen's play. She plays on a team with 5 2nd graders and one other 1st grader. But I think she looked like she belonged.
To help you, on this occasion, Aspen's team is wearing blue. She's number 7 (short, dark hair). The video consists of almost all of Aspen's relevant, visible plays. It is fully 9 minutes long, so don't feel you need to watch any/all of it. Things to watch for include Aspen's great defensive hustle (and aptitude) and the fact that she scored once, had a couple of assists, and even took a ball off the nose.
As for the video, I'm trusting that I've got the embedding figured out. You should see the video itself right beneath this post. It will look pretty good here, certainly better than YouTube. But, if you really want a high definition experience, you have to click through to Vimeo's hosting of the video. They have an HD option that make it look beautiful, even if you click the full screen option in lower right. So, if you want the full experience, click on this link ( Aspen's Basketball Debut) and enjoy it over there. On a video as long as this one, I would say it's worth it.
Also, special thanks to Jenn, who spent the whole game holding a video camera and watching two kids in the bleachers. No one would be able to watch any of this without Jenn's cramping biceps.
That's right, we have more video tonight. These are basically things I throw together because I know that I'll love them in 2 years. Right now, they're a little funny, but time will improve them.
Santa brought us many neat things... The stockings included slinkies, fun balls, toiletries... a typical haul. Strangely enough, one of the favorite items for the whole family was the whoopie cushion found in Jenn's stocking. Perhaps someday you'll see video of Lindy trying to place her bottom on it accurately.
As whoopie cushions are wont to do, this one ended its own life quickly. The tear in the seam has rendered it useless already. When Aspen discovered it this morning, she brought it Jenn and told her it wasn't working anymore.
Jenn: There's nothing we can do, honey. It's broken. Aspen: I'll take it Daddy. Daddy can make it work.
My question to you... Do I take pride in the fact that my daughter thinks I can fix things? Or do I read into the fact that my daughter believes that I have a particular talent in the sounds of a whoopie cushion?
I was being goofy this morning. That's nothing new, I suppose. Today, I was claiming that I knew every song ever. I challenged the girls to come up with one I didn't know, and every time, I just sang whatever song they created... with feeling.
Aspen said, "Daddy... I'm getting serious, do you really know every song."
Much like a 1st grader, I mocked Aspen by repeating her. Oakley's response?
And here's the back. It is difficult to read, so I'll quote it here for you...
"You are the best daddy ever! I had a lot of fun this year with scooer[sic]! You were the best coach I ever had!
"I really like the bed you made for me and our play set! I love you very much! From Aspen! To daddy! 11-9-07"
Really, I think my daughter is amazing. While she might be prone to overstatement, I think her heart is so awesome to write something like this on her own. I'm awfully proud of my little girl.
As many of you know, I was in an a cappella group in college... The Dodecaphonics. Well, one of our CDs has made it into the rotation in the car. Last night, on the way home from a party, this transpired when the song "Just a Gigolo" came on...
Aspen: What's a gigolo? Tim: Um... Jenn: Stares at Tim Tim: A, uh, dancer who's a man Oakley: Oh, then Jeremiah (the boy in her dance class) is a gigolo. Tim: Yeah, well, not really. It's a man dancer. Not a boy dancer. Oakley: Well, then, if you dance, then you're a gigolo.
Yes, that's right. We've had our first major question that was referred to me.
Victoria's Secret sends stuff to our house. On this occasion, it's a gift card, sent to me, celebrating my birthday. To answer your obvious questions, "No, I don't wear anything from VS." And, "No, it's not my birthday."
The card said something to the effect of, "Get something sexy, Angel."
Note for parents of young children: When your children learn to read, you have to pay attention to the things you leave on the counter.
So, Aspen looked at the counter, picked up the card, and said to Jenn, "Mommy, what does sexy mean?"
Jenn deftly slid the card under a pile of other mail and said, "Ask your father."
Well, to this point, Aspen hasn't remembered to ask. Do any of you have thoughts about the right answer to the question?
So, I had some calm time with Aspen and Lindy today (Oakley and Jenn were at a birthday party). Aspen said she wanted to do something with me, and she wanted to be helpful. I said, "OK, I need to make your lunch pretty soon. Do you want to make your lunch?"
Aspen said she did, and so we were off. We made Lindy's lunch, and then we started on Aspen's.
I was trying to get Aspen to get a plate...
Tim: Aspen, what do you need for any meal? Aspen: Um.... butter?
She was, well, pretty much right. Papa would be so proud.
