What I Want To Do In Michigan This Summer

I want to have bonfires, and swim at the Winnie’s, and have water balloon fights, and have relay races, and roast marshmallows, and go on hikes, and roast hotdogs, and ride bikes, and play Ghost in the Graveyard, and play Frisbee Golf, and put Emma’s and my hair in little braids, and make a summer video!

Dorothy Harbaugh

What I Want My Daughter to Do in Michigan This Summer

Wake up early and eat bad cereal, play computer games with her cousins, get poison ivy in the woods, scrape her knee and go crying to her aunt for support, laugh and play and have fun, but also be unreasonable and selfish and a know-it-all city mouse and be put in her place by country mice relatives. I want her to enjoy the space and fresh air and the Michigan sunsets, but also miss her bed and our routines and us - her parents - who love her enough to give her up for a week, knowing full well - she might never want to come back.

Brad

What's up-it's Gabe

I just got done with my first book Moby-Dick, it was good but it took 13 chapters to get good. After that it got better and it was a good book. I liked it because they were fishing for a giant whale. Captain Ahab had his leg bitten off by the whale and he wanted revenge. In the end, Captain Ahab killed the whale but he also died in the fight.

Overall this was a good book but you need to have a lot of patience. It took a long time for the book to get interesting. Once it got interesting it was a very good book.

Now I'm reading Dracula and will finish that today. When I finish that I have to get another book. I will have another report about Dracula in a few days. Until then, bye from Gabe.

Some Poems I Did At School

Baseball

Fun
Running
Hard work
Baseballs
Bats
Glove
Grass
Sand
Bases
Cleats


Lunchtime

BBQ ribs, 1/2 eaten and sloppy with sauce, and stringy, spaghetti are
Everywhere. Squished tomatoes leak from guilty fingers.
Stop it! the lunch ladies scream, while silting lettuce with Ranch smacks the tile floor, and a
Twinkie zips past my ear. Applesauce blinds me. SMACK! A ham sandwich coves the HOL in Holister.

Don't stop now!
Another peanut butter and jelly sandwich sails through the air to somewhere else.
Yum! It is good. Wow! It is fun.

Eggs splatter against the wall along with every
Variety of food served to 5th graders.
Every spot is convered with food: floor, walls, and students.
Runny cake batter ice cream hits a target: the smileyface tie of the Principal. Someone's in trouble, but it was fun!



What I Found in my desk

A cat with a big tall hat,
And I also found found a mat,
A bowl of rotten old mac and cheese,
A lot of old broken golf tees,
A homework assignment that was due yesterday,
A square of hay,
An ice-cream cone that was all melted up,
A new yellow lab pup,
An abc gum too,
And my sisters pink tutu,
And one more thing, I must confess,
A note from teacher: CLEAN THIS MESS!!!!

Fishy Story

First, the true story:

Tristan and I were challenged by Loriann to come up with a poem together. For the most part we alternated lines, and the direction I gave to Tristan was that we would rhyme. That's pretty much it. I can tell he's been inspired by Dr. Seuss!

And now, the fishy story:

Fishy Story

Fishies on a dishy plate
Crunchin' bones, munchin' great
Fishy bones on dishy bones
Don't eat my brother's telephones
Throw my pole and worm in, too
Going to catch a fishy stew
A boat on a dote on a dish, dish, dish
Float on a goat, gotta wish, wish, wish
A boat on a person, under water, daughter
Being brave, catch a wave, the way I taught her
Fish from the beach for the fish within reach
Reach of the deech, of the heech, heech, deech
This fishy tale I came to teach.





By Corey and Tristan Harbaugh (June 23, 2011)

Hello people, I'm Flash. I can go speed. I'm very cool. I like people. I can go very fast.

:)

Tristan

(from Tristan)

They Got Me: Book Report #2 The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay

It took way too many years, but they finally got me.

If I were a superhero, and I had a league of some kind, two of my greatest allies would be friends Caleb and Phip. I'm not sure if any of the three of us would be the "hero", really, as we all fashion ourselves as sidekicks, but if I have to fight evil, I would fight with those guys.

I can't remember when Caleb told me the best book he ever read was Michael Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, but it was a long time ago. Normally, I follow Caleb's advice, and it's usually good (the flea market in Ohio last summer), though not always (the software for making our own hip hop songs). But for whatever reason, I ignored his very strong recommendation for this book. He still forgave me, and still held on to an entire collection of Star Wars Pez Dispensers he bought for me, and a Jim Harbaugh action figure, also years ago, which I had left at his house in Chicago.

Fast forward to two years ago, when Phip, my brother from another mother, handed me the same book and told me to "read it." I didn't. Instead, I lost it. Well, I found it again on the last day of school and decided that the universe had sent me plenty of reasons to read the book.

So I did.

Holy Great Writing Batman: What A Book!

Quickly: it tells of two young cousins in New York City at the dawn of WWII, one who had recently escaped the Nazi invasion of Czechoslovakia. It was also the dawn of the "Golden Age" of comic books, and the two cousins decide to team up to create their own comics. Comic books are about heroes, and the thing about heroes in comic books is that good and evil are so often so recognizable, and heroes, like that great comic-book hero Superman, are most often motivated by the purest motivations. In real life, not so much. The book shows us comic book heroes, flawed human heroes, and the intersection of them both, sprinkled with magic and mysticism.

Great read. I laughed. I cried. I went "KABLAM" and "KABLOOEY". I loved it.

Why did I wait so long?

By the way, the photo at the top of this post is The Escapist, the comic book hero created by the fictional heroes of the book. Of the three of us, he looks the most like Phip.

The Importance of Great Friends

So recently I have visited with my friends (sisters) the Winne girls. I had a fabulous time by the way! Anyway after leaving their house I started thinking about how lucky I am to have friends like them. They have always been there for me, and I know that I can trust them with my deepest darkest secrets. Their home to me is like my second home (or third if you want to get specific) and I have always been welcomed to their house graciously.

McKenzie Winne is the oldest of the bunch and has always been like the older sister I have always wanted, she is the one I usually go to for asking about my next year of school. One of the biggest things I respect about McKenzie is that when you ask for her opinion she answers honestly, but never answers to hurt anyone’s feelings…at least not on purpose. She is the one I go to for boy situations and what I should wear for picture day at school. McKenzie is definitely a friend I consider my sister.

Samantha Winne is a year younger than me, the second oldest in her family. Sam is one that I get to giggle with and be myself the most with. I love that I am able to talk to her openly and she will not laugh at me, but nod like she knows exactly how I feel in tough situations. Sam loves to help out as much as she can with anyone, and does the best she can being patient with people. Sam loves to have fun, but knows the rules and makes sure people follow them. Sam is another friend that I always call my sister when talking about her.

Courtney Winne is the youngest in the family. She is definitely one of the most unique girls I have ever met! She is one that always makes me laugh and, smile when I see her all dressed up for our fashion shows. She is the one that I get to dress up and do makeovers on, and have a great time with. She is the one that I dance around the house with; wildly. She is never afraid of what people think of her and loves to show people the real her. Courtney Winne is definitely one that will always be remembered as my unique sister.

Of course I could never forget about Mr. and Mrs. Winne. They have always treated me like their own daughter and treated me nice with their kind and gentle hearts.

Overall my family outside my family is amazing and I will never ever forget the love that comes from them, too. I am often teased about how it seems like I am over at the Winne’s more than my own home, but I don’t mind that teasing, mostly because it’s true. I would hope that everyone gets to have great friends like this in their lifetime, just as I do.

ROOM

A friend of mine from work and I were discussing good books and she mentioned that she had just finished a "GREAT BOOK!" and I asked her what it was. She said, "ROOM", and I perked up a bit because I had purchased said book the same time I has bought Little Bee. Needless to say, I opened that novel the same day I finished Chris Cleaves' haunting work.

Emma Donoghue's novel Room is captivating, although I wasn't utterly wowed by it. On a scale of 1-5 (1=poor, 5=excellent), I would rate it a 4+. I found it a bit predictable and a little bit annoying in the composition of the dialogue, although I understand Donoghue's thoughts on why she wrote the way she wrote; it makes sense, but still....

Without giving too much away, like Ma and Jack, I was a bit creeped out by Old Nick myself, and found myself wanting "Plan B" to work as badly as they wanted it to.

The New York Times Book Review heralds it as the BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR and Aimee Bender, New York Times Book Review says "Donoghue brings her story to a powerful clost that feels exactly right. This is a truly memorable novel. ...It presents an utterly unique way to talk about love."

The New Yorker says Room is "An astounding, terrifying novel.... It's a testment to Donoghue's imagination and empathy that she is able to fashion radiance from such horror."

Overall, it is a good book and I would certainly recommend it as a summer read, although I would recommend a parent reading it before handing it over to a middle school-aged student and below. It is easy to follow once you figure who the main character is and why the dialogue is not so polished.

Next up: The Forest of Hands and Teeth

Little Bee

My first summer read was Little Bee by Chris Cleave. It is not something that I would normally pick up and read, usually because I engross myself in YA literature for the purposes of making recommendations of great novels to my
middle and high school students in the fall, but I have been eyeing this one for a couple years now and I figured there is no time like the present to read it.

With that said, the reading of Little Bee took me a couple days to finish. I narrowed my descriptive summary down to four words: terrifying, heartbreaking, heroic and promising. Chris Cleaves story is an amazing novel of a young girl's struggle to survive the world we live in. Of course, she does not begin her live in the United Kingdom, but her journey ends up here, due to terrible circumstances in her own country.

Besides Little Bees heroing fight for survival, the aspect of the story that made me reflect the most is the fact that the human race will stop at nothing to get to natural resources for our own benefit and waste. We, as consumers, are selfish and wasteful and this is just one story (fictional, though based on fact)that drives this realization home in such a well-written and poignant way that it has stayed with me since I finished the notes portion of the book.

Little Bee is a #1 New York Times Bestseller, and The New York Times Book Review wrote "IMMENSELY READABLE AND MOVING...AN AFFECTING STORY OF HUMAN TRIUMPH" and I most certainly agree.

The description on the back reads: This is the story of two women. Their lives collide one fateful day, and one of them has to make a terrible choice, the kind of choice we hope you never have to face. Two years later, they meet again-the story starts there...

Father's Day, From Where I Sit

My mom and I had a quick laugh today on the phone remembering my dad who passed away last August. She wished me a Happy Father’s Day, and I said thanks. I then wished her a Happy Mother’s Day. She said thanks. Then she said “your dad always used to say that every day should be Father’s Day, and every day should be Mother’s Day.” I remembered that bit of wisdom from my dad, as well; it was part of his anti-Hallmark-commercialized-farce rant about the nature of most holidays, but it was also his way of saying “honor your father and mother every day, and not just one Sunday per year.” I laughed then when Mom said “it doesn’t mean you completely ignore the actual Mother’s Day until after you’re divorced.” Love my mom! It was nice to remember dad with her a minute on the phone.

From where I sat today on Father’s Day, I was indeed honored. I am still wearing the SpongeBob Squarepants button that Tristan picked out that pronounces me “The Spongiest Dad in the World”, whatever that means. All four kids signed the card, I think. I mean Tucker assures me that the squiggles include a T, K, and R, in the first name, and the H, G, and H of Harbaugh. To me it looks less like a signature than an EKG readout. I got a nap today on my brand new hammock, at least until Tristan came out on the porch to announce to me that my nap was over. Apparently my snoring was scaring the birds and squirrels.

But the best things that happened today on Father’s Day were these little snapshots of my kids interacting; they are my greatest joy and honor. I watched Emma playing with her brand new volleyball, trying to teach her little brother Tristan how to bump it back. She was so kind to him, and so patient, and he was so eager for the chance to play with the ball and his sister, even though it mostly meant him chasing the balls he’s still too young to control. She kept at it with him long past his other siblings would have given up on it. And then she and I hit the volleyball back and forth and the threw the Frisbee around as the grill was doing its work fine without my supervision.

And then there was earlier today when we pulled away from Peyton in the parking lot after his baseball game, first win of the travel season for the Gobles team. Tucker rolled down the window so he could yell out to his brother “I love you, Peyton.” Not once, but probably five times, as Peyton turned a little red and ducked into his dad’s truck, too embarrassed yet at age eleven to yell “I love you, too.” Tucker said he was going to keep saying it until Peyton said it back. When P. got back to the house at about 8:30 p.m., Tucker was waiting for him at the door. “Why didn’t you tell me you love me back,” he asked. Peyton finally giggle-chortled a weak “I love you, too,” but Tucker said he wasn’t accepting it until Peyton could say it with feeling. Peyton snuck up behind him and gave him a half-strangle, half-hug, and that got him off the hook, at least until Tucker stole the top half of his ice cream cone to teach him a hard lesson about love.

Loriann’s dad came over after dinner for a bowl of ice cream, and the day ended well. We all sat in the kitchen eating ice cream and amazingly fresh fruit, listening to Dick’s story about the intelligence of spiders, until Tristan showered, and tuckered out, headed up to bed, smelling fresh again until morning. Tucker also headed up to bed early to be fresh for basketball camp in the morning. Peyton just danced by in his towel on his way up to pajamas and bed, singing along to “Jack and Diane” playing on my computer, and Emma is hanging around somewhere, hoping we’ll watch a little bit of a movie before bed, which sounds like a great idea to me. Loriann, once again queen of the party, is somewhere making everything happen.

I wish I could share the day with dad to tell him “you know, you were right. Every day should be father’s day, when father’s day is about being surrounded by the love of your family.” So Happy Father’s Day, Dad. You would have liked this one, at least from where I sit.

Book number three

Ok just finished my third book! I was really excited to start this book because it is the beginning to a series I have been wanting to read. This book is called Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. This was an AMAZING book and I have already started the second in the series. Uglies is more of a futuristic book, and basically tells what it is going to be like. This book is more of a teenage book. I would recommend this book for older kids, because it is kind of like a puzzle. I really loved how the author described things so vividly and makes a clear picture in your head while telling the story. I cannot wait till I finish the second book so I can move on through the series...so on to the fourth book for the summer! -Emma

Book number two

So I finished my second book of the summer a week ago and now (finally) doing my report on it. The book I have finished is called The Hidden Girl. This book is a story about the Holocaust, A young girl and her story of hiding for almost four years during this time. This book is very moving and will teach you how it truthfully feels not to be wanted, by anyone. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to know peoples stories about the holocaust, and what happened. This was shorter book and would be a good book for young kids to learn about the Holocaust. It isn’t very intense so it would be fine for younger kids. I really enjoyed hearing this story….now on to my third book! - Emma

Book number one

I have finished my first book of the summer! This book is called The Throne of Fire: by Rick Riordan. Personally I loved this book because it had adventure, and ancient gods and goddesses in it. I have always been a fan of Greek mythology, but when I heard about this series I jumped right on them. Instead of writing about Greek gods and goddesses Rick Riordan made this series all about Egyptian gods and goddesses. I would recommend this book to everyone (that has read the first book in the series already). This book is written with amazing detail, great descriptions, and always has you wanting to read the next chapter. I know when I read this book I could not put it down! Looking forward to telling you about my next book, bye! - Emma

Peyton's Lead-Off Blog

Hello! My name is Peyton. My summer is going pretty good except for my sister Emma dropped a couch on my arm IT HURT! We can't have electronics on until 7:30 at night. It stinks.

I play baseball. Our season is not very good because we have only won 2 games. I play on a travel team. It is called Gobles Baseball. We have won 0 games. But we are getting better every game. I play center field and I bat first, the lead off.

Last weekend we went and watched my cousin Seth play baseball for Gobles Varsity. They lost the district game 6-5, but Seth made some good plays in the field, and hit a double late in the game. We were playing Bridgman. It was a good game. So that is my blog for the day. Good bye.

Ages

I remember being in sixth grade on the playground holding a soccer ball in my hands and watching those who were older than me and I remembered thinking about how mature they acted, how grown up they all looked, and I wondered if I was ever going to be that mature, that grown up. They were high schoolers, some were even seniors. I knew what I felt like inside at that time, and I could not see myself ever changing into someone younger students looked up to - you know, so mature and grown up- because I felt and acted like the eleven-year-old that I was, and that is all I knew.

I remember slipping into that senior slot and reflecting back on that thought in my head from six years before while I stood on the playground at recess and thinking to myself, "This is what they acted like?!?! Were those seniors as immature as I feel , and did they act this way and I just didn't see it?" My seventeen-year-old self still felt like a sixth grader. I still giggled with my track teammates when a boy from another school asked me if I had a boyfriend and would I give him my number, and I hung out in the parking lot of Nino's every Friday night because that is what everybody who was anybody did after the varsity football games. And I wondered if anybody was looking at me with those eleven-year-old eyes thinking I was mature.

Of course, I spent time pondering the idea of age when I noticed those who were older than me, and I thought, not negatively, I am going to be that age one day and I wonder if that is what I will look like? is that how I will act? And you know, I was always just fine with whatever age I was pondering on, although it was always hard to fathom being older than the age that I was currently living.

I now find myself somehow growing into my mid-40's with a crazy-busy family and wonder how I made it this far without really realizing it was happening. It isn't that I haven't seen the crow's feet sneaking onto my face these past few years, and it isn't the fact that I have to trek to the beauty salon every five weeks to have my youth restored, and it isn't that I haven't noticed that the slacks I have been wearing for the last seven years have become tighter around my thighs and my middle. I have noticed all of it and every step of the way, too, but I still feel like I am that eleven-year-old standing on the playground. I haven't changed feeling like me. Little did I know back then that people "grow up and mature" in how they respond to life's experiences, but they never stop being who they were when they were young. I am who I am and that is all I know.

This past year in my English 10 class my students and I read Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom. This ended up being one of the most satisfying novels my sophomores read all year. They were moved, some to tears, by so many interesting life topics that Mitch and Morrie discussed before Morrie Schwartz died of Lou Gehrig's disease. One Tuesday the two men were discussing the topic of aging and Mitch wanted to know why Morrie wasn't envious of younger people, and Morrie replied with the idea that he had already been that age. He already knew what it was like to be those ages. What he didn't know about and hadn't experienced yet were the ages that he hadn't reached yet. One of Morrie's last comments on the topic is one of my favorite quotes from the book: "I am every age up to my own." The idea being that he can go back to any of the ages he had already been because he knows how to be that age.

I love this promise that life and memory and Morrie have given me. Yes, I am sliding into 43 by the end of the year, but I get to be any age up to 42 because I have already been there and I know how to be any of those ages. This summer I plan to be four ages, besides my own: 14, 12, 11 and 5.

Tucker is 14 so I get to be 14 again until February. I get to experience my first year of high school in the fall, and I get to practice driving the family van up and down the driveway with the radio cranked, and I get to stay up all night with my buddies being teenagers.

Emma is 12 so I get to be 12 again until December (when Emma and I share the exact same birthday). I get to figure out who my true friends are (or aren't) in my first year of middle school in the fall, and I get to actually beat my brothers every now and then at a battle of wits, and I get to paint my fingernails and toenails with neon green and silver polish to match my happy mood.

Peyton is 11 so I get to be 11 again until January. I get to be a leader in the school because it will be my last year in the elementary; I'm a sixth grader, and I get to shag baseballs in the front yard over and over to perfect my throw to second base, and I get to laugh out loud when someone intentionally makes a fool of himself or herself because it tickles my funny bone.

Tristan is 5 so I get to be 5 until next May. I get to talk about all the new friends I will make this year when I go to my first day of kindergarten, and I get to cry when I fall and scrape my knee, and I get to give lots of kisses to those I love without being called a wimp or being made fun of yet.

So, this summer is going to be a fun one because my kids are all at amazing stages in their lives, and I will be along for the ride remembering what it was like to be that age. And I get to relive it because that is what I remember and that is what I know.

Corey Book Report #1 (The Speed of Light)

I finished book #1 for my summer weekly challenge, The Speed of Light by Elizabeth Rosner.

Love is the answer. Sorry, what was the question?

I happened into this book last week at the bookstore quite by accident. I wanted something to read that would be a break from the Holocaust literature that I have been reading almost non-stop for two years. So I wandered around the book store, a bit haphazardly, looking for some inspiration. This book leaped into my hand, probably because of the appealing cover and color of the book; I had never heard of it, nor the author, when I picked it up. And then when I read the back cover, I saw a reference to "the camps". Could it be another Holocaust book?

Well yes, and no. The Speed of Light is a gorgeous novel about a brother and sister who are second generation, the children of a survivor. All of their lives were touched by the shadow of Auschwitz which never left their father. But the children learned to cope in such different ways: one with silence, the other with her music. Enter into the story a third character, also a survivor, but not of the Holocaust. This third character helps to create a triangle that has the chance to stabilize and perhaps even heal all three of them.

This is not a heavy book. It is written with the soft touch of a poet, though there is power in her metaphor. There is darkness in it, but there is grace, too. It is uplifting and thoughtful, and the characters are beautifully crafted. I feel, and cheer, for all three of them.

I give it a 5 out of 5, though it might not appeal to younger readers. The narrative alternates between three different narrators, and that takes a little getting used to; still, I am very interested in the story of the second generation. The author herself is the daughter of survivors. I am interested in poetic language. The language and storytelling is gorgeous.

But more than anything, I am inspired by stories that remind us that the power of love and the power of sharing your story, even a heartbreaking story, can cast light into any shadow, no matter how dark or deep.

Bye Augie

Hi, people. Are you having fun? Did someone go to Augie's going away birthday party? I went with Augie to play. We played kissy girl; girls try to kiss you. We have to run. AAAAHHHH! We played frisbee. We kicked the pink ball. And we played with the soccer ball. What are you doing?

Well Augie is going to Hong Kong. And he's going to come back, and then go back and stay there. And he'll live by the beach and he'll live in the mall. I think the first door is his school. Hi. Hah, hah.

Because so we can meet him when he goes bye bye, we went to his party. They are nice. I am going to miss him. Bye.

From,

Tristan.

To Augie.

Bye

(Note: today we went to a going-away party for Tristan's friend Augie, a child his age who was in day care & pre-school with Tristan this year. Augie is the son of Ann and Steve Jacus. Ann is a colleague of ours, and her husband is a science teacher in Bloomingdale. For the next two years they will be living and teaching in Hong Kong.)

Smells Funny...

Hello, Hello. I'm Tucker E. Harbaugh. I eat non stop and I like my hair to be tall. Mostly this summer I'd like to focus on, video, and picture blogs, rather than, here's my story, read it, comment, boringgggg. So, for my non-formal introduction into the multimedia world of video blogging, here is ChocNillaPro/Bobisaghost production's: "There's Something on Your Face".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLhXccgLEEk

My other 'old' blogs will be on and I encourage you to check those out too. LOVE Tuck(er)

Here's Emma

Summer! WHOOP, WHOOP! Not really. I love summer and all but this year...not my favorite thing on the list.

Hi! Emma here, and as you can tell summer has just begun. Most of us are very excited and cannot wait to see what this year's summer will bring to us. The year that I have just recently finished was my sixth grade year. I had an amazing time! I met a lot of new friends, had some very good achievements, and this year was very challenging for me as a student. I had a great time, but I am VERY ready for seventh grade!

Seventh grade is going to be a big year for me, because I get to be in a different school. It is my first year as a middle schooler, and my dad and step-mom work there. I am not nervous, and I feel like I am ready to take on that year. As I said before summer isn’t my favorite thing. Mostly because I love being able to say in the morning “yesssss, sleep’s over, time for school!” I have always loved school, for as long as I can remember. I know that I am basically the only kid in the family that actually LIKES to sit in the classroom all day.

So this blog is going to be based on the books that I (and my family) read over the summer. As my dad explained, our goal is a book a week. I am EXTREMELY excited for this goal because I love to read, and I bet my friends that I could read basically the whole summer. Blogging about our books should be really fun because it is kind of like school work…sort of. Anyway I am really happy to start this (long) fabulous summer!

-Emma

Let The Summer In

Summer started today. Well, yesterday for the kids, but Loriann and I had to go in today to finish cleaning up our rooms, filing papers, putting grades on exams for report cards, and signing out on the 2010/11 school year. But when I walked out at quarter-to-four, I walked out into a gorgeous afternoon and the knowledge that I needn't walk back into the school until August, except to feed the fish.

And what a school year it was: in some ways (professionally) the hardest year ever, but in the ways that matter, one of the finest. The kids did great in school, plain and simple. If I took all the grades from all the report cards Tucker, Emma, and Peyton received and used the letters to spell a word, that word would be something like AAABAAAAAAAAAABAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAAAABAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABA

Now that's a word!

But back to the first day of summer: Tristan had a t-ball game tonight, Peyton played Little League in Kzoo, Tucker had summer basketball practice from 6-8 p.m., so we all met for a late dinner at Steak-N-Shake. Really, it was a ploy: give the kids a shake on the first day of summer, and we can get them to agree to anything.

Here's what was decided:

1) we all committed to reading one book per week this summer;
2) we all agreed to taking turns writing a blog entry, one per day, all summer. This is blog entry #1. This should be fun, and interesting. We kicked a few names around for the blog, and the name Bucket of Chicken was my favorite, but then Tucker said "there's something on your face," and as I was wiping my face off with a napkin, the rest of the family was laughing at me, agreeing it was the perfect name for this blog. So, they win. At least there's nothing on my face.
3) we all agreed to have a great summer;

Brad, Dorothy Jean, and the original Jean, Jean Ann, my mum, all came up to Gobles today to cheer me on as I was awarded one of the awards for Gobles teacher of the year (TOY, for short) today. It was pretty cool, but I admitted to the audience that most days I'm not even teacher of the year in my own house. It was quite an honor, nonetheless.

Loriann was given a certificate of recognition for fifteen years of service to our district, so that was cool. She was also given a brooch from the superintendent in the shape of a paw print, bedazzled with bling. The superintendent will be leaving Gobles in a few weeks, and I guess she doesn't anticipate needing a paw print brooch. But Loriann puts both paw prints AND bling bling to good use, so there's that. I was given nothing, not that I'm complaining. I plan to be really hard to live with during my reign as a TOY.

I'm not sure who'll be blogging tomorrow, but it won't be me. I'll be burning the day, hopefully like Tristan managed to do again today, like almost every day.

See, a short while ago I carried Tristan up to bed. He had fallen asleep in the van on the way home from Steak-N-Shake. He was exhausted. The kid lives hard, but well. Anyhow, I dropped him into his bed, untied and removed his shoes, dusted a layer of dirt and pebbles from where his shoes were on the bed, and looked him over. He's so precious when he sleeps. His knees are dirty from the day, his face had a little food on it, his mouth formed into a mischevious half-grin as he drifted into dreamland, his fist clutching an alphabet blankie. That's how I want my summer to look.

Let it begin!

Corey