mars madness

on my drive into the office today, i switched on public radio.
i felt like I'd been living under a rock the last few months.
i usually tune in at least once a week to get international news,
but i hadn't listened to anything...nada.

i've been spending my commutes listening to back to back audiobooks
for the past 2 months. listening because I'm spending evenings reading
my own books.  the book group is serious, so it's not acceptable for me to
show up to our dinners/meetings without having reading our book.

since we just met last week and i haven't started our next book,
it was time to find out what was going on in the world.
i tuned in and the first thing i heard was the discovery of water
on mars! i thought of finn immediately and was looking forward
to discussing with him over dinner tonight.

then i remembered finn checks NASA's website, along with spaceX
and another space exploration site every morning before school. 
i'm sure he already knew about water on mars, and that thought made
me smile. i don't think there's anything new c or i can tell him on the subject.
he's always a step ahead.

he's a kid with a passion for all things space and space exploration,
he's also a kid who is counting down the days to see the martian.
it comes to theaters this friday!!

it's rare all 4 of us go to the movies together
{i think the last one was the secret life of walter mitty},
but this is one movie we are making an effort to see as a family,
and one we've all been looking forward to for a long time.
i'm hoping it's even half as good as the book.

finn read the book in 2 days after he received it for christmas last year.
i read it a few months later with my book group, then c read it, finn recently re-read it,
and we've challenged scout to read our 'edited' version {bad words removed} before
we see the movie. he's got 1/4 of it left.

scout tells me he is enjoying it and can explain the overall concepts
from each chapter, but admits that alot of the technical stuff goes over
his head.  {i can relate as half of it went over my head too}.
the mechanical engineer in my book group was the only one
i think actually understood all of it. {smarty pants} *grin*

so saturday is the big day...the boys and i are off to the
movies after soccer and are all pretty excited!

today's google doodle made me smile.
it pays homage to the evidence of water on Mars.

i hope you had a wonderful day!

~ i fear i'll never catch up on my blog. there's so much i want to capture.
this past week/weekend, finn joined his school's surf team, i served as a
juror {my first time} on a criminal case, and the family participated in surfrider's
annual paddle for clean water event. scout didn't participate in it {he refused to
miss his soccer game}. soccer and his riptide team are his obsessions right now.

6th grade stress

during the boys' second week of school,
they missed 3 days because we they were camping at yosemite.

the trip had been planned with 2 other families for months,
and the particular days were chosen as we wanted to wait until after
the crowds of summer were gone. i should note the families we went
with don't have kids in school yet.

the camping trip deserves it's very own post, and will get one eventually.
in the meantime, i wanted to document how finn felt 'after' the trip.

i found a form  on the table a few nights ago that his science/math teacher,
had given this to her students while he was away camping.
he completed it after he returned to school.



i felt bad for him, but not bad enough to keep me from pulling him out again. 
when we have an opportunity to have an enriching experiences, it's worth it.
we just need to remember to get all the homework before we leave
{he forgot this time...and his parents forgot to remind him}. 

beyond learning that this trip caused him 'stress', c and i had fun reading his responses.
they represent him so well....show his confidence, his loves {reading, space, math, and science},
where he wants to improve (spelling} and what his hopes are {to learn new kinds of math}
i'm sure his teacher, mrs. joy is thrilled to be teaching a kid who loves the subjects she teachers.
{i can hardly wait to meet her}

-  the camping families are all meeting tomorrow night after work to watch a slideshow
that will contain all the photos that were taken during the trip. the schmid family was kind
to take on the project and host.

summer 2015

it's hard to believe summer has come and gone already.
i know two boys who are thrilled to be back in school even though
they said they had an 'awesome' summer.

summer 2015 will be remembered for beach days, taco surf trips with their dad,
pool parties, play dates, lots of soccer, junior lifeguards, a harry potter birthday,
roadtrips, new books {finn discovered issac asimov}, concerts on the green at
kate sessions park and lots of visitors.  here's some photo highlights:



grommet guards: scout

i'm 2 months behind on this blog, but i am determined to get come
back and document some summer highlights. i just come across this a few
days ago when c shared photos and videos he had of the boys on his phone.

i found this one of scout doing some drills with his fellow guards.
here's one of the video clips c got.  scout looks so into it!
{he's in red lifeguard shorts, no hat}

~ i must mention scout was very disappointed with the grommet guards
workouts. he wanted them to be more difficult than they were.  after his big
brother showed him what his group {9-12 yr olds} were doing, he had been
practicing push-ups, planks, swimming laps in our pool and running more.

c encouraged his desire and would have the boys run the loop around our very hilly
neighborhood every morning in preparation.  he was ready to be pushed.  he would
come home every evening and over dinner tell us the jr. grom program was just too
'babyish' for him. c and i reminded him it was probably challenging for many or most
of the other 7 and 8 year olds and that next year, he will get to be with the big kids and
do all those things that finn did {including the pier jump}.

finn's first pier jump: 2015

one of the rituals of finishing junior guards is jumping off the pier.
kids either look forward to it from day one or they fear it.
finn could hardly wait and the day finally arrived.

i wasn't able to be there but c was and he said he didn't hesitate.
as instructed, he held his fins out to his sides, raised them above his head and jumped.
he said was a 'little' bit scary but more exciting!

here he is, the one and only finn oliver:



i was so grateful there was a photographer who was in the water snapping photos of the kids

jumping. these are scans of printed copies but they do the job.  i only wish there was one from

the top of the pier looking down into the water...that would show the distance down these kiddos

jumped {which is quite impressive} 

 

i learned the photographer is there every summer, so next year we'll get scout doing his very first

jump too. he was so quite disappointed the 'grommet' guards {7 and 8 year olds}, weren't allowed
to do the jump.  i tell him to be patience...he'll be up there next year.

mr. gerber just shared this video clip of finn.  he was there!  

oh to be a kid again!

scout's harry potter birthday

a whole month after his actual birthday,
scout's bestie returned home to san diego and
the harry potter party finally took place. 

we kept it casual and inexpensive, adding just a few things to 'theme' it.
i'm a HUGE fan of themes for two reasons:

first, it makes it easy to decorate, it drives the activity(s) for the party,
and gives c direction for his cool cake designs, and second, and most important,
it imprints into my memory, what my boys were into at specific ages.
anything that will help me remember these beautiful childhood days is
a wonderful thing.

so here are some highlights of scout's 8th birthday party.
he invited his bestie spencer and his other close buddies and of course big brother.
the kids came in white shirts and I provided them with cute ties I found an on amazon
and some wands purchased from etsy. 

they were in heaven and looked oh so cute as they had 'wand wars' and ran all
over the backyard throwing out curses and spells.

 

 

 



summer = good things

summer is in full swing and though i have been working most of it,
the boys are having a blast. oh to be a kid again. summer is full of good things!

while finn and scout stay busy with camps, play dates, road trips and
soccer during the week, i'm trying to soak in the summer days on the weekends
with beach days, bike rides, books, birthday parties, outdoor concerts, eating lots
of cherries and watermelon and enjoying visitors.

the boys were both home last week as we didn't have a camp scheduled
and they took a quick trip to phoenix to see grandparents and their cousin anoka
who celebrated her 1st birthday!  i can't believe my niece is a year already.  

anoka gerber

the boys had a wonderful time in the arizona,
and even got to spend a day with auntie heidi, greg and cousin anoka,
while c played golf with his pops and cousin tim.

they arrived home just in time to see auntie jen who flew in to san diego
for a long weekend.  we had a fun filled weekend and i may have a few
photos to commemorate it but i haven't had a chance to see them yet.
auntie leslie and her kiddos were visiting the weekend before
so i need to document our time together as well.

first things first, scout's 'harry potter' themed birthday party is finally
happening {saturday night}.  it seems like a lifetime for our 8 year old
who has been anxiously awaiting the return of his bestie so he could attend.
he's been in europe for 6 weeks!  he's back and the boys are ready to party.

mr. gerber is having conversations with scout-a-rama about what kind of
cake he will make, and i'm on the hunt for a birdcage.  no, i won't have a real bird,
but because owls are a big part of the harry potter stories, i did purchase hedwig
to put on the party table. it would be super cute if i can find a cage for him.
stay tuned!

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}