Tackle Dummies

As usual this time of yesr, turn down the volume unless you LOVE cicadas.

Conor had his first practice with full pads the other night. He came home and told me "I really want to play tackle, but I don't do it." Meaning he doesn't tackle people in his everyday life (which we encourage, actually) so he doesn't really know how to do it. (Neither do most of the boys on his team, but that goes unnoticed by him). So today Jon borrowed a tackle dummy, and they worked on it a bit. Now if he can just transfer those tackles to another kid, he'll be set. (It does help to get him a bit ticked off. Should you need to do so in the future, I recommend asking "Are you wearing your glasses?")

The little guy is pretty good too, if enthusiasm counts for anything.

GSRP

The members of the Ground Squirrel Relocation Program.

Their team leader. He told me (after the first relocation) that they took him to "a new home he will love. With lots of shade trees, and water to drink, and he can dig his own home. And he will never be able to find his way back here again."

Grips

Apparently they hurt more than just ripping your bare hands, so we'll see if they make another appearance.

An Interview With Almost 4 Rowan

As recorded by Ellie. And I heard it. The ninja/handstand answers were immediate and completely unprompted.

Measurements

The boys got measured for their tuxes for the wedding. There was, as anticipated, some grumbling from the big one. (The little one was happy to be going to the mall, and really would have liked to have picked out some clothes while we were there.) Even after all that grumbling, there was still a huge grin when he tried on the jacket. I didn't quite catch it, but trust me, it was there.

Helmet pt 2

We've learned a little about buyer's remorse around here. Conor bought a Captain Rex helmet with his allowance. I made him wait 24 hours, and he still wanted it. I asked him before he "opened" (read: destroyed) the box, and he still wanted it. About 5 minutes into playing it, he realized it was ridiculous. That was a fun day. There are therefore no pictures of Conor wearing the helmet. Rowan balances it quite nicely.

It begins

Football practice started last night. Football is different from basketball around here, in that the "draft" assigns you to a team, instead of your Dad talking to a guy who has a spot. So unless your Dad is the head coach or assistant coach (and he's not - woo hoo!) then you get the team you get. This year Conor ended up on a team with 3 other boys from his class. I'm not sure how that happened. Normally there's not another kid from his school, much less his class. So he's even more excited than usual.

I'm telling you - style

Please note the shirtless look. And you can't quite tell, but the boots are on the wrong feet. This is how he and Jon pick up the kids.

First Day of School

Today was the first day of 4th grade. It's not really raining. I used my old camera, which apparently really is not working. So pretend it's not so gray, okay?



The guy who was most excited about school to start again for the big kids.