father's day: 2017

father's day was extra special this year as we had grandpa gerber and grandma sheila
visiting from minnesota. it had been a while since they had been and they were kind
enough to fly to the west coast to visit for a long weekend. 


some highlights: dinner at casa guadalajara in old town, lots of pool time, two backyard barbecues
and one that included uncle tommy, a day at the uss midway {just grandparents and grandsons},
and breakfast at tidal restaurant at paradise point hotel right on the bay. it was so wonderful spending time with them and for the boys to get some genuine quality time.  there's nothing more enjoyable
i think for grandparents than getting one-on-one time with their grandchildren.
finn and scout thoroughly enjoyed it.

3 generations of gerbers

in keeping with tradition, the boys responded to questions about their dad.
this year, they preferred to type them instead of writing them, so i've copied and paste and am inserting
{of course i saved a printed copy as well}.
i think i enjoy seeing their responses as much as c does.


scout gerber, age 9:

1.     What is something dad always says to you?  he snuggles and jokes around

2.     What makes dad happy?  chocolate and hanging out with family
3.     What makes dad sad?  when he watches very sad movies – typically ones that have to do with children or being a father

4.     How does your dad make you laugh?  He tickles me and tells jokes

5.     What was your dad like as a child? he was a big reader (he even won an award), he played sports like ice hockey and he was a great student in school

6.     How old is your dad? 46

7.     How tall is your dad?  5-6” – I don’t really know

8.     What is his favorite thing to do? Surf or play tennis

9.     What does your dad do when you’re not around? work

10.   If your dad becomes famous, what will it be for?  for building crazy things like the giant slide he just built

11.  What is your dad really good at?  tennis, surfing and building

12.   What is your dad not very good at? singing (?)

13.   What does your dad do for a job?  he currently works for HP (Hewlett Packard). He is an Architect/Project Manager

14.   What is your dad’s favorite food? Taco Surf – breakfast burrito

15.  What makes your dad proud? when us boys accomplish something or when we are responsible

16.   If your dad were a character who would he be? Mike Brady from The Brady Bunch
17.   What do you and your dad do together?  Swim and build things together

18.    How are you and your dad the same?  we both care about education and fitness

19.   How are you and your dad different?  Dad likes building and designing things and I don’t really

20.  How do you know your dad loves you? he tickles me, snuggles and jokes with me, and comes to all my soccer games.

21.  What does your mom love most about your dad?  When he spends time with her, gives her romantic cards and cuddles with her

22.  What is your dad’s favorite place to go? The beach and Mexico

23.  How old was your Dad when you were born?  37

finn gerber, age 13:

1.     What is something dad always says to you?  i love you
2.   What makes dad happy?  spending time with us,  getting time to do some things he likes to do
3.     What makes dad sad? a stressful day at work (?)

4.     How does your dad make you laugh? comedic shows or something scout and i do that is funny

5.     What was your dad like as a child? he was one of 5 boys and it was probably crazy
6.     How old is your dad? 46

7.     How tall is your dad?  5'7 - i don't know

8.     What is his favorite thing to do? spend time with family

9.     What does your dad do when you’re not around? he plays tennis

10.   If your dad becomes famous, what will it be for?  best do it yourself Architect

11.  What is your dad really good at? building things

12.   What is your dad not very good at? singing

13.   What does your dad do for a job? he manages people and projects

14.   What is your dad’s favorite food? chicken mole

15.  What makes your dad proud? achieving his goals and watching us succeed in ours

16.   If your dad were a character who would he be? i don't know. he is a unique person.
17.   What do you and your dad do together?  build things, we surf and go to lunch together

18.   How are you and your dad the same?  we both like to make crazy contraptions

19.   How are you and your dad different?  dad takes a more deep approach when we design of things.

20.  How do you know your dad loves you? he is affectionate and we spend time together

21.  What does your mom love most about your dad? that he loves us and takes care of us and our home

22.  What is your dad’s favorite place to go? Mexico

23.  How old was your Dad when you were born? 33

spring piano recital: 2017

the school year just ended and there is so much to capture.  
the boys had amazing end of the school year exhibitions,
one in particular that BLEW my mind and reminded me why we 
opted out of traditional public education and chose a project-based
charter school for the boys. the discussions and projects these kids do
is truly amazing. {more to come on the this}


today's post will focus on the boys' recent spring piano recital.
this year was extra special as we had grandma {my mom} in town from florida.
she hadn't been to san diego for a few years due to both construction projects
at our home that made it difficult to host guests, and she has been experiencing
some health problems. fortunately, she felt great leading up and during entire visit with
us which was wonderful for all of us.


this was the third year we hosted the recital at our home. we enjoy hosting as it's easy
and it helps their instructor, as the music studio where they receive lessons is too small.
we rented 25 white foldable chairs and set them up in the living room facing the piano.
the boys' teacher, mr. patrick, arrived 45 minutes earlier to help set up the food and to warm
up some of his vocal students.


finn and scout worked hard memorizing their piece the weeks leading up to the
recital as their teacher prefers they don't rely on their sheet music {although he has it}.
he believe it shows commitment and without sheet music, pianists typically play with
more feeling as they aren't bogged down looking at their sheet music.


so without further adieu, here are the boys performing their pieces.  scout played
thinking of you by june montgomery, and finn's piece was titled stephanie's waltz
by randall hartsell. and as grandma gerber noticed, both boys forgot to wear their shoes - AGAIN!
this was the second year. since we don't wear shoes inside the home, they just forget to put them on.
oh well, they are so cal kids - usually barefoot or in flip flops so maybe it's fitting. *wink*  

mr. patrick and the boys

a special guest was in the audience - grandma