Big Problems into Small Problems into No Problems

Our Town
Originally uploaded by Jagrap

At 8:21 am Tuesday morning I finished a phone call with my oldest son. He called me that morning to celebrate his completion of the first Harry Potter novel. All 309 pages, and he did it in a little over a week without breaking a sweat.

At first 309 pages might seem intimidating to an 8 year old, but to a degree that was the point. I want to teach the boys that the way to solve big problems is to divide them into small problems. By concentrating on doing 1-2 chapters a day he finished the 17 chapters easily. In addition to the lesson it served, he also enjoyed it. Jenny and I heard him laugh out loud at least once per chapter :) RAP (7.28.2006)

Zoo

Zoo
Originally uploaded by Jagrap

After church, Jenny made us hashbrowns and bacon as a mid-morning snack and suggested that we do something to take advantage of the weather (82, sunny with big white billowy clouds). Alex has been "dying" to see the new Asia Quest exhibit, so we decided to head on over late in the morning. Jens wanted to go, but we would not let her without a wheel chair. She agreed and we had a grand time. We went on an Asia Quest (sun bears, red pandas and tigers), deep into North America (grizzlies and black bears) and on the Indonesian boat ride (gibbons and orangutans).
R.A.Patton (7.26.2006)

Aunt Jenny

Aunt Jenny
Originally uploaded by Jagrap

Jens is very excited about being Jake's godmother; she has wanted to be a godmother for a long time, and her wish has finally been granted. She hopes the ceremony will be here, but if she must go to Buffalo, she will gladly.

She is also excited about our journey to LA; she coerced the Gargaro's into taking us to the Magic Castle yesterday (Saturday - write these cards ahead of their send dates) and has me looking at Dodger tickets each day. I think we may see them play against the Rockies, but I keep hoping that a reasonably priced quartet will be available for the Giants.
RAP (07.25.2006)

Save Me

Save Me
Originally uploaded by Jagrap

The big news out of Jake's trip to Ohio was his first trip to the pool. As you can tell he had a healthy amount of skepticism about it, but he warmed to it by the end. He liked the water, but had issues with how bright the sun was. Like his uncle, he does not seem to care for the bright light. Bill and Wendy would like to come back in the fall for an OSU game which would allow Jake to experience his ancestral home when the late autumn sun is not as harsh.
<< RAP >> (7.20.2006)

Not Quite A Dive

Not Quite ADive
Originally uploaded by Jagrap

Michael was trying to show me how he learned how to do a "real" dive at swimming lessons, but this "not quite a dive" was the result. With that water being so tranquil, it made a cool picture. This last weekend, Michael started to read the first Harry Potter book. In his first two days he has finished the 5 chapters out of 17 (88 pages out of 309). I would say that he is well on his way to finishing it.

The edition he is reading is a special leather bound edition I purchased on sale years ago waiting for this time when he would be ready. Alex likes to point out that Michael is reading it when his 8 and Uncle Billy did not read it until he was 28. For the record Alex plans to read it when he is 9, maybe 8. RAP (7.19.2006)

Reckless Abandon

RecklessAbandon
Originally uploaded by Jagrap

Four weeks ago, it took quite a bit of gentle (and not so gentle) persuasion to get Alejandro to timidly fall off the diving board. As you can see, going through that struggle of wills has paid off handsomely. There is no more coaxing; Alex RUNS off the diving board over and over again. Our problem now is that they seemed to have upped the concentration of chlorine in the pool which is irritating the boys eyes.
RAP (7.18.2006)

Sacrifice The Body

Sacrifice The Body
Originally uploaded by Jagrap

If you are sick of seeing baseball photos, I have some good news for you: the season is over. This picture is from Alex's game on the 6th. He was suppose to have another game on the 8th, but the dastardly Brewers were too scared and never showed up. So on the 8th we played kids vs parents. The first inning looked rough, but the Cubs came through, and topped the evil parents. In many ways it was the most fun they had all year.
R (7.13.2006)

Forbidden Planet

ForbiddenPlanet
Originally uploaded by Jagrap

The 4th was only the beginning of a very busy week; on the 5th I took the boys downtown to see the 50th anniversary showing of "Forbidden Planet" at the Ohio Theater. It killed Jen not be able to see it, because she has always loved that movie, in part because it is based on Shakespeare's "The Tempest." However she was not in condition to go, and wiser heads prevailed.

The boys dug it and afterwards were having interesting discussions about the id and perceived reality. Now they do not understand it all at this time, but it was a good way to introduce some concepts in an entertaining way.
R.A.Patton (7.12.2006)

Night Moves

Night Moves
Originally uploaded by Jagrap

Anytime you have an outdoor party you are at the mercy of mother nature; for a while it looked bad, but in the end there was only a 1 hour rain delay. Despite this blip, the 4th was a big hit again.

After Otis Knight and before Pat Benatar we had to evacuate for an hour, but the whole event finished only a half hour late. Pat cut her set short, but played everything you would want to hear. Alex had a blast running around after dark with tons of glowsticks organizing bizarre games with his friends. Michael was very happy to spend the 4th with his best buddy, John, and was our dancing king.
RAP (7.11.2006)

Super Michael Returns

Super Michael Returns
Originally uploaded by Jagrap

The boys (Michael in particular) were excited to see Superman Returns. As a consequence, I left work early on opening day, and we headed out to see at Easton to see it in Imax 3-D (the boys dig 3-D). I thought it was OK, but they loved it, and Michael has been emulating the Superman theme ever since. He could be reading a book in the corner or cleaning up his room and you start to hear him humming "Da, Da-Da, Da, Da."
RAP (7.06.2006)

Jakes' First Sojourn to the Buckeye state

Jake The Snake
Originally uploaded by Jagrap

Jake is enjoying his first sojourn to the Buckeye state. He is a good natured kid that likes anything with high contrast, such as the back of Michael's Dodger shirt or Superman the Animated series. He also seems to like things the vibrate and falling asleep on top of people.

What he does not like is the snot in his nose. The last 2 minutes before falling asleep is quite a struggle with his sinuses, but he triumphs. As you would expect, Michael has been very loving and attentive to his cousin. In fact he read him several books on the way home for the airport and keeps rubbing his head!
RAP (7.04.2006)