junior guard: finn oliver

finn completed his first year of junior guards last week
and it ended better than anyone of us had imagined.
after 4 weeks of swimming, surfing, kayaking and running,
it was time for graduation ceremonies.

c was in san francisco on business, so i worked from home to make
it easier to shuttle the kids to and from camps and so that i could
attend finn's junior guards graduation ceremony. 

i gathered at the lifeguard headquarters in mission bay with dozens of
other parents to learn about what our kids had been up to the last several weeks,
and to watch some kids receive a 'special achievement' award. I should note kids
are divided into three groups, 9-12, 13-15 and 16-17 year olds.

i was only half listening as they went through several group of kids, but when finn's instructor,
mr. gaudet, came to the microphone, i perked up. his first award went to a young girl who
was terrified of the ocean but overcame it.  after she walked off stage, mr. gaudet continued
with "this young man...{that got my attention because it eliminated half the kids in his group
because they were girls}.

scout and i, who were sitting under a palm tree pretty far away, made our way closer to the
stage so we could see and hear better.  mr. guadet went on to say that the young man showed up
and worked hard every day and was determined to improve.  he always asked questions -
very specific ones, about how to do something and after he would do it,
he'd come back out of the water and want a thorough critique". 

mothers know their children well....that's our job...and this description sounded exactly my son.
i said to scout "i think he's talking about finn" and he shrugged his shoulders unsure but watched
more intently.

sure enough. he called finn gerber up on stage.  i watched a huge grin form across his
little face and he was easy to follow as he was wearing his huge JG issued straw hat.
{kids get a choice of a trucker hat or a large brimmed straw hat}. he was presented a medal
for 'Most Improved Junior Guard' in his group.  scout and i cheered for him...
extra loud since dad  wasn't there to join in.

for finn to get this award is a HUGE deal, not because his dream is to be a lifeguard,
but because the odds were against him.  he is small for his age and he isn't a natural athlete.
he'd much rather use his brain over his brawn any day, so pushing his body every day to this
level of workouts was intense for him.  he came home every night sore for 4 weeks, but excited
that he could do a few more push-ups than he had a week earlier. he pushed himself hard and it
was wonderful to see him recognized for it.  i have a feeling he will never forget this day.  



























~ as we were walking to the car after the ceremony,
finn announced he was going to do jr. guards every summer until he turns 16.
he said "as much as i like it, it's not my passion and i don't want to be an intern
with the san diego lifeguards". {it's a paid position}. he told us he's going to work at
the science museum and help with the kids' camps. i smiled and told him that sounds
like the perfect job for him as a teen.

the pianist of willesden lane

c celebrated a birthday last week.

also celebrating was my mum and my oldest sister.

july 10th is a very special day.

 

with all the craziness of summer - visitors,

getaways,  the endless shuttling of the boys and work,

i knew that c could use some r and r.    

 

my sweet friend, also c's chiropractor, came over with her

3 kiddos to watch the boys so we could get an evening together. 

my friend says its a little vacation for them, and it's free babysitting for us,

so it's a win-win. 

 

while they swam, ate pizza and watched one of the

harry potter movies, c and i headed downtown for a quiet dinner.

since there are literally hundreds of restaurants and bars downtown,

i didn't bother with a reservation.  we just walked until we found a place that

caught our eye. i don't even recall the name of the restaurant, but i could lead
you there if you asked me. *wink*

 

we enjoyed a lite dinner and a drink together before walking over to the lyceum theater 

to see the pianist of willesden lane. we hadn't been to a play together in over a
year and after having read a description of the story and the all the glowing reviews,
i knew it would be a great experience.

 

the play was unlike anything we'd ever seen. it was unique in that it

there were just two thing on stage - one actress and a piano. through her music

and her words, mona golabek, a concert pianist, told the story of her mother.

 

her mother was an aspiring pianist, and at age 14, was one of the thousands

of jewish children throughout europe, who was sent by train to england during wwII.
this mass migration was called the kinder transport. the woman's mother was one of
the lucky children who had an opportunity to leave. a more thorough description can
be found here.

 

the play was phenomenal - in both the story told and the music. somehow we had

front row seats in an already small theater so i found myself glued to mona's

hands on the piano. in all my years of taking piano lessons and having some

wonderfully talented teachers, and in seeing musicians perform, i've never seen
anyone so accomplished as this woman at the piano. it sat there in awe...of her talent
and her tragic and beautiful story.   

 

c and i left the theater with tears in our eyes, understanding one piece of history and

it's people we knew nothing about, and a deeper appreciation for music and it's

transformative power.

if this one woman masterpiece comes to your city, don't miss out.
it will be worth every penny you paid and every minute of your time.
simply amazing.

 

 

it's great to be eight





scout benjamin gerber,

today is your 8^th birthday, and i want you to know how much i enjoy being your mom and how much we love having you as our youngest family member. every day is a blessing because i get to watch you grow, learn and explore.  when i look at you today, here are 8 things i see: 

1.   You've matured so much over the last year. 
the changes came so fast – you lost your front baby teeth and the permanent teeth that took their place give you a whole new look….a big kid look. you grew physically a few inches – you are leaner and taller and you grew in other ways too.  you've become more confidant and can now look an adult in the eyes when they speak to you and you to them. {we'd been working on that for some time}. you communicate your feelings more appropriately now when you are upset and this is a BIG change from your younger years.  finn shared with me that he noticed too.  you also help around the house more which is a big help to our family.
 

2.      You still devour books. 
since the tender age of 4, reading is something you have enjoyed. you get to experience adventure, danger, new places and people and so much more through the books you read. keeping new material on hand is a bit challenging for your dad and me, but we do our best.  we visit the library often and if they don't have what you need, we have books sent over from surrounding libraries to our neighborhood library. you always have a series you are reading, as well as a list of what you want to read next.  this is you scout….an avid reader who prefers books over video games. your favorite series is still harry potter, and it was no surprise you chose it as this year’s birthday theme.  other book series you’ve enjoyed this year are the city of sparks, fablehaven, and the secret series.  though it’s been years since you needed me to read to you, we still read out loud together almost every night.  i’m not sure who enjoys it more…you or me.  regardless, i hope it lasts for many more years.  tonight, we will continue reading king arthur and the knights of the round table. you are enjoying this classic so much!

 

3.     Your favorite food is pizza with pepperoni and bacon.
you love bacon and asked your dad to order a pizza with this combination months ago and now it's your favorite takeout pizza. some of your other favorite foods are crispy chicken, mangos, blueberries, edamame, boiled eggs, ice cream with lots of sprinkles and breakfast burritos from taco surf.  you eat one at least once a week with your dad and brother and sit on a grassy knoll overlooking the pacific ocean.  it’s become a weekly tradition. 

4.      Your friends are important to you. 
since 1^st grade, you’ve had a ‘bestie’ and his name is spencer.  you two share so much in common, and more importantly, you two complement each other.  developing deep friendships takes effort, time and dedication and seeing you practicing it so early in life is a beautiful thing.  you have 2 other great friends and this year you chose to have this small group over for a birthday sleepover. it seems age 8 is the year the parents of your buddies are ok with letting their children have sleepovers. you've been anxiously awaiting as you watch your older brother having lots of sleepovers.

 

5.     You are a competitor. 
whether it’s swimming laps in the pool, scoring goals, beating your brother in a footrace or trying out for jr. guards (JG), you want to do well and you push yourself hard.  when you tried out for grommet guards, your swim test wasn’t timed. even so, you made sure your dad timed you during all your practice swims and on tryout day, you asked the instructor to time you while he was timing your brother. you ended up with a personal record that day and was so proud of yourself.  whether it’s academics, playing the piano, or doing any sport, {soccer, tennis, hiking, rollerskating, biking, tennis, or surfing}, you give it your ALL. 

 

6.      You are sensitive.
when you’ve had your feelings hurt, there’s no hiding how you feel.  you wear your emotions on your sleeve…whether it’s fear, happiness, sadness, anger or excitement.  your dad says you are a lot like you mom in this way. it's true.  when you were younger, you struggled finding appropriate ways to express some of your feelings. you've made such strides this past year.  we celebrate that you are sensitive scoutie, because it means you care deeply. it also reminds the family to be more aware so we can understand and love you better. that's what life is all about anyway...loving people well.

7.    Soccer has become a passion of yours.
you've always enjoyed the game...even at age 4 when mom was 'attempting' to coach your team. it wasn't until last year that something clicked. your motor skills improved, you developed a better understanding of the game, and completely fell in love with it. it was a beautiful thing to watch. you wanted and needed more than recreational soccer and asked if you could tryout for competitive soccer. after lots of thought, your dad and i agreed. you made the riptide U9 team and since joining, you've improved so much from last year.
 

       on the days you don't have practice, you ask your dad or me to take you to a local field so you can practice. we usually take turns.  i love it because it gives me alone time with you...something i don't get much of during the week. i should mention you wear soccer jerseys almost daily, and your germany jersey is your favorite! for whatever reason, germany is your favorite team in the world.  you follow their national team on the sports channel and cheer against the usa whenever they are playing us. it makes game time really fun at the gerber casa. 

 

8.      You love to learn.
early on, your interests seemed to be mostly what finn was interested in. i worried about your being in your brother's shadow or feeling like you were in his shadow. with finn being so vocal and having found his passions young, i badly wanted to see you find your interests and get sense of who you are away from him.  this year, you have found your way and you are soaking up every opportunity to learn about the world.  since i can't take you on trips around the world, we use reading as a way of expanding your world scout.  

those that don't know you well, are sometimes surprised to learn that you are our most studious son. you enjoy every subject at school and want to be challenged in all of them.  when you learn something and feel like you have it down, you are ready for the next challenge...you beg for the next challenge.  before you started kindergarten, you announced to c and me that you were going to complete your kindergarten curriculum on-line as well the 1st grade because ou always want to be full year ahead. you did it, and have done this every summer.  you enjoy online learning so much that you have gotten upset when we ask you to get off the computer. you don't understand why when you are doing something "educational".  {educational or not, you don't need to be on electronics for hours a day}

scout, these are all qualities that i see in you and celebrate every day. you live and love in a BIG way and that big heart of yours inspires others to do the same. happy number 8 sweet blue-eyed boy.

love, mom

~ i almost forgot to share your stats. you are 49" tall and you weigh 49 lbs.

It's gr8 2 b 8! {that was scoutmaster}

it's summertime

summertime is in full swing which means our cars are full of sand,
bottles of sunscreen are strewn everywhere, and cherries fill our fridge.
it's pretty typical and now that finn and scout are too old for a summer sitter,
the boys have been spending their days reading, with friends or at camps.

finn started jr. lifeguards last week!  he spent 4 hours at the beach or bay
every day learning about water safety, exercising {think bootcamp for kids},
and doing lots of water sports: swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, paddle boarding
and surfing. the most anticipated event is the jump off the pier! he's very excited
about this.  

he comes home almost daily with sore abs, arms and legs.
he even has some friends from school in his group, well some friends who are 'girls',
but god forbid they be called 'girlfriends'. *wink*

he's having a blast, learning a lot, and being active so his dad and i are happy.
so happy, we've decided jr. guards is something we plan on having the boys do
every summer until they are 16 and ready for their first job. since it's 6 weeks long
for older kids, it keeps them busy for half of their summer.

here are two photos c took with his phone last week.
the group photo shows finn with all the kids. they all come together on the grass every
morning for their daily workout, then they split off with their instructors for the rest of
the day's activities.  finn surfed a few afternoons and c snapped this as he was coming in to shore.

because scout is a jr. grommet, his camp is just 2 weeks long. at age 9, he goes for 6 weeks.
we signed him up for a later camp which will be in august, so he has been staying busy
with play dates and soccer practices, and he has a soccer camp lined up in 2 weeks.
if he had his way, he'd be in a soccer camp every day all day.
{it's his true passion...this and reading}

in the meantime, c 's been setting up play dates left and right, hosting kids at the house and
dropping scout off at friends' homes.  he's got the phone numbers to every parent of
every friend the boys play with in his cell, and doesn't hesitate to call them. he doesn't expect
me to d all the scheduling, he does it right along side...more so actually since he works it all
around this work and meetings schedule. he's a total renaissance dad and for this we all grateful.

this week, our little gerber is spending full days in balboa park attending Extreme Forts
camp organized though campfire san diego. he spends his days building cool forts, hiking,
swinging from ropes, doing archery and on his last day, he will roast marshmallows. 
he comes home filthy every afternoon, but happy as a lark and ready for bed by 8:00pm.

so that's what's our gerblets have been up to. i remind them that they are pretty lucky to live
in san diego where the weather is near perfect and they get to be jr. lifeguard. it's pretty cool.

here's to a wonderful summer!

~ scout came home from camp thrilled that he knew his camp counselor, aka as twig. 
apparently, all the counselors get to make up a nature name for themselves.  *love this*
 'twig' is the big brother of one of his buddies. he is a high tech high student
and would walk his little brother to class every day which is how scout met him. 
scout was pretty pleased he was remembered by this big kid. oh it's such a small world it is,
and yes, a beautiful one too.