Teacher Conferences

New Jackets
Originally uploaded by Jagrap

Both boys had excellent teacher reviews. Alex's teacher is in love with him; she likes how smart he is and she enjoys his mischievous side, although they are going to curb it.

Michael's two teachers could not stop gushing about how smart he is. Most kids problem is that they write too little in their assignments; Michael's trouble is that he has multiple ideas to choose from to start with, and then writes huge run on sentences. It is nice to have teachers that appreciate him this year.

RAP (11.7.2006)

An Enchanting Time

Rocking And Rolling
Originally uploaded by Jagrap

Autumn is truly an enchanting time; the air is crisp, the scents are stirring and the trees are an explosion of color. Many of our days this fall have been cooler than normal, and more of them have been filled with rain than typical, but still, it has been lovely. Michael and Alex love to rake the leaves in the front yard. They even thought of making it into a business, but mostly they just want to play in them.
RAP (11.2.2006)

Michigan Month

The Horse Shoe
Originally uploaded by Jagrap

It feels like Michigan week has begun in October this year, as if it had been upgraded to Michigan month. At work, people are watching the "Bomb Ann Arbor Now" video, you walk down the hallways and you hear people sing Ohio State songs like Christmas carols.

When I was taking Alex to his final soccer game we listened to the classic "Tedd Ginn did Everything" (Alex's favorites) and then changed the station; on this new frequency we heard a bizarre rap song based on "I don't give a damn about the whole state of Michigan." This phenomena is not localized to Ohio either. CBS Sportsline has a countdown clock to the game. ESPN's Gameday does too and they even spent an entire segment breaking down the game this weekend!
RAP (10.31.2006)

Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls
Originally uploaded by Jagrap

Last weekend we stayed at Niagara Falls; in the background of the photo you can see two of the three falls, the American and bridal falls. The Canadian side of the falls is very nice, reminiscent of the Chicago along Lake Michigan.

Another way it was like the home was how people would say "Go, Bucks" when they saw the Ohio State logo on my shirt. A few blocks from the falls it turns into a weird tourist trap where you can see 4-D dinosaurs, Lego villages, Guinness Book of World Records, Ripley's Believe It or Not, wax museums and a whole lot more. The best of the bunch was a "Hershey" store; after a few moments in the store Alex proclaimed "I'm in heaven!"
RAP (10.26.2006)

Jenny's Wish was Finally Granted; She Became a (fairy) Godmother

Three Smiles
Originally uploaded by Jagrap

Jenny's wish was finally granted; she became a (fairy) godmother last weekend in Buffalo. Jacob played his part perfectly as the god son, handling the long day, attention and the water without complaint. In addition, our guys behaved admirably, which was important as they were in the second row for an hour long ceremony. Being out of town all weekend provided me with 48 straight hours were I did not work, which was kind of odd; for the last two months I have been working at least 5 hours each Saturday and Sunday. Instead, I ended up driving 6 hours on Friday and Sunday!
RAP (10.26.2006)

Favorite Present

Favorite Present
Originally uploaded by Jagrap

Michael's party was the Sunday before the 17th, but we, as a family, always celebrate his birthday on the morning of the day. Before sunrise on Tuesday the 17th, Michael was ripping through paper, tearing open envelopes and diving into bags. It was a happy morning for him, and for his brother; Alex understands that Michael's birthday is his and vice versa with respect to new toys.

Both boys took two of the cubes from cube world that Michael received to school that day and having the hot new item made them "cool"; Michael came home telling Jenny how popular he was, and a mother in his class called to find out where to get them.
RAP (10.25.2006)

Michael's Party

The Watcher
Originally uploaded by Jagrap

You did not receive an invitation to Michael's party this year, because there were no fancy invitations; just the ones that Magic Mountain gave us. It is not what I would have chosen, but it was not my choice; it was Michael's. He was very happy with his party. They rode go carts, played video games and (drum roll, please) engaged in laser tag. The really good thing about the party is that hopefully it will help him bond with some of the guys in his new class. There were a lot of new faces at his party and perhaps they will transmute into new friends.
RAP (10.20.2006)