Fall 2012

How did the time go by so fast since I last posted something here? Here's a quick update and a promise to keep posting.

Well, first, Mom & Dad should be on their way from California today to visit us. They won't be here long, just the weekend, and even though it'll be the first day of the balloon fiesta this Saturday, we probably won't see many balloons, except as we may be out and about. They expect to arrive Friday afternoon, and they are mostly planning to spend time with the boys, perhaps seeing some of their games and going to the skateboard park early Sunday morning, from where we may have a view of a mass ascension of balloons.

The boys have been in school, of course. Ry has a male teacher and appears to be doing very well. He reads a lot and is ahead of the game when it comes to mathematics. I think Jack got off to a rocky start; maybe it was a new teacher, maybe it was some re-alignment of friendships in the fifth grade. Jackson acknowledges that he is a bit different from many of his classmates, with different interests. He continues to spend lots of time on his computer; some of it is related to his interest in making movies and leaning how to program games, but a lot is also time spent watching shows. The boys don't watch much television as the computer, tablets, iPods, their Wii, and even the smart phone provide lots of entertainment. I think Jackson is turning around now. He visited with his teacher from last year, who has since retired and who is encouraging him to apply to the Academy for midschool next year.

Ry has been playing Fall Ball on a Minor League team (the Rangers) with boys who are 9, 10 and 11. Ry is by far the youngest, at 7, but it's been a great experience for him. The team is 10-0 right now. The practices (Wednesdays) are the best I've ever seen, as the coaches are very good, and Ry is learning lots of fundamentals about playing the game. I love watching Ry during warm-ups before the games, as the coaches put the boys through drills. Ry is very impressive in his fielding and throwing skills, and many of the team parents just get the biggest kick out of seeing him play. He's inexperienced at batting, and he hasn't adjusted yet to player pitching, as opposed to machine pitching. The coaches recognize his skills (and speed) and play him before others, but at this level the older boys, many of whom have been on all star teams already, get the key positions more often so Ry has to sit on the bench one or two innings. He's so excited, he doesn't complain about that, and I imagine he understands he's paying some dues now and will become a star player later. When Spring Ball comes around, I wouldn't hesitate to playing him at the Minor League level, but he's going to have to stay at the level for at least two years. He's just too young to move up.

Jackson has been playing soccer this fall in lieu of baseball. He's on the Germany team. (The teams are named after World Futball teams.) He has practices on Fridays and games on Saturdays, and next week he may start some optional Wednesday practices. The season is very short, and the first game was lackluster. But this last Saturday, it was like Jack was on fire. First, he played defense and was very aggressive tackling. Then he played forward and really took charge of bringing the ball down the field and opening up passing lanes. But the biggest surprise was playing goalie the second half. He was incredible! Smothering the ball, deflecting the ball, catching line drives to the goal, punting and kicking. The coaches were delighted, as he saved many, many goals. It was a day worth celebrating.

That weekend started with Jack's practice on Friday at 5. Ry had a night game under the lights at 7:45 and then an early morning game on Saturday morning before sunrise. Then Jack's game in the afternoon, and then even a Monday evening game for Ry. When Mom & Dad are here this weekend, Ry has another Saturday morning game starting before sunrise, even before the balloons begin to launch, and Jackson has another Saturday afternoon game. We have talked about going to the Skateboard Park on Sunday morning so Ry and Jack can skate, scooter or bicycle, and we can view the balloons from there.

I've talked here and there with Ariel as things are settling in with the new apartment, her new job, Chris's school. She joined a morning swimming workout. There was some talk of another trip, maybe Argentina and Patagonia. They went to a wedding in Pennsylvania last weekend, and it sounds like they still go often to the Gunks to climb.

The weather has been very wonderful, even in the 80s. We did not get much rainfall this year and so whenever it does rain, it is very welcomed. Sometimes a cold front blows in so that the temperatures drop for a few hours but so far nothing very cold...just cool nights. Cyndi and I have been fixing and cleaning some in anticipation of the Mom & Dad's visit, but I'm afraid there's still much on the to-do list to do.