Pinewood Derby 2011

We almost missed the whole thing due to some communication issues, but luckily made it just in time. In his second year, Mr. T placed first in his age group, and second overall - again! I think it was the awesome paint job that clinched it. ;-)

The Great Green Blur!

Glomming on Grandma

Recorder Karate

At Campbell, during the recorder unit, they do Recorder Karate, where they earn different "belts" for learning songs - they start out simply and progress with increasing difficulty. I had been encouraging Tristen to practice at home, and he did for awhile, but we of course forgot for a time. Thus, I was shocked to find out that he earned his Black Belt! Out of the maybe 125 3/4th graders who took part, only around 25 made it to that level by mastering "Ode to Joy". Great job Mr. T!

They had a special assembly where the kids got to perform for everyone. It happened to be St. Patrick's Day, which I only discovered as the kids filed in and I thought (did they ask them all to wear green? Oh -Duh!) I tried to upload the video, but I guess at almost 17 minutes, it's just a bit much for the website to handle. You'll have to trust me - he did great!

Tristen is 7!

To commemorate my little Valentine turning 7, here are a few of the things that make Tristen, well, Tristen:

• The PJ Clone: I don't know how PJ managed to clone himself so completely, but T is so much like his father, it's scary. From the beginning, he's looked just like him, has the same interests, the same food preferences, the same FEET for goodness' sake. Aside from his eyes and dimple, you'd think I had nothing to do with the kid.


• Video Games: ever since he was old enough to watch Dad play and hold a controller of his own, he's been hooked, and he's amazingly good at them.
• Basketball: again, following Dad's lead, has had a natural love and ability for the sport, and loves playing on a team for the first time.
• Always the lover: even though he's getting older and less "demonstrative", he's always been very lovey with Mom and Dad. He'll just come running out and give us a big hug, then run off again.
• His notes: he loves to make notes for us and bring them out, complete with Batman stickers. My faves: "Mom and Dad. You have bin meen." This after being grounded from video games for some offense. And another: "I am rilee soree for beeing rilee bad." After a particularly difficult night.
• His laugh: he's less joyful than Mace, but when something tickles Tristen, he just laughs and laughs, and it's a delight to see.
• Puzzle Man: that kid can solve a puzzle like you wouldn't believe. Whether it's a jigsaw, a video game, or just a problem he's interested in, he's quite the puzzle solver.
• Big Brother: now with Mace it's different, because they're closer in age and share a room and all - but with MaraJade, he's always been super loving and willing to help, even when she's being a brat.

Tristen was my first baby, and he made parenting seem so easy I thought "I can do this 6 more times, no problem!" He's still my most even-keeled kid overall, and it's exciting to watch him mature.

I know he will grow into a thoughtful, caring young man - and if there's a way to play video games for a living, he'll find it!

Citizenship

At Tristen's school, they had an Awards Assembly, where each teacher nominated 1-4 kids from their class for each of about 15 categories, and Tristen got one! I remember the Awards Assemblies from grade school, where you'd keep waiting to see if your parents showed up, because if they did, you knew you were getting an award. Well, these days they let the kids know ahead of time, probably to remind the parents in case they didn't get the announcement in the mail, or forgot or whatever. So no surprising the recipient, but that's OK.

Anyway, it was also "Fancy Dress Day" for School Spirit Day, and Tristen was totally excited to wear his suit to school. He was a big hit in his class, with everyone saying he looked just like the principal. The new principal, Mr. Long, is great. He's really turned morale around this year, and does great at the assemblies. There was a "red carpet", he was decked out in a tux, and had found specific music for each of the awards presented.

Tristen got the Citizenship award, which means: "These students are consistently good sports, take turns, and willfully share. These studednt show responsibility by following school and room rules, and help others when needed. These students help make Campbell a better place." His teacher is always saying what a help he is in class, how responsible he is. And while this shocks me to a certain extent, I'm super proud of him and think maybe I haven't completely messed him up. Way to go, Tristen!