Yale Sports Camp aka Camp of Doom

The boys went to Yale sports camp for the first time last week. It sounded so promising - variety of choices, exposure to lots of sports, including things like squash and golf and ping pong and things they might actually enjoy.

Day 1
The nurse called an hour into camp on the first day. Evan had gotten hit in the face with a ping pong ball. Not while he was playing, while he was waiting his turn. Some kid had come along and whacked the ball into the line of waiting kids. The nurse said Evan was fine and was heading back to camp.  The day, the report from the kids was pretty good. They both had friends there, and they had a reasonable amount of fun in the fancy, air-conditioned gym.

Day 2
Another call from the nurse. The kids were at the fields. Evan refused to take part in any of the activities. Said his legs hurt, which I think meant that they were sore from the day before. He just wanted to sit in the shade, which the nurse felt was too far from the rest of the kids and was dangerously close to cars.  I tried to be patient, but what I really wanted to know was - why was I hearing about this? Apparently the counselors had warned him that they would call me if he didn't listen, and he basically told them to go for it. I spoke to Evan.  I told him about the cars. He said, "I'm not going to run in front of cars!" I told him to sit near the kids. He said, "No." The nurse took the phone back and I told her to try again. Evan said they broke for lunch after the call, and then he hid behind the tree, in the shade, until it was time to go back. Noah had good day, because he had fun beating kids at tennis, which was the one activity I was hoping he wouldn't do.

Day 3
Kids were bused to a lake. They played in the water. Didn't fish. No boating. Ran out of pickles and corn. Evan fell off a bench. The nurse said he wasn't having a good week.

Day 4
Back to the fields. Evan was happy because he beat kids at tennis. Noah was unhappy because he was hit in the face with a soccer ball by a counselor in training.

Day 5
In the air conditioned gym. Good last day - pizza truck, ice cream, no injuries

So this camp was a bust. Next week is chess, which I suspect will be more their speed.

Baby love

This is from sometime in 2007, when Evan was still an infant, in case I can't figure out how to get it in the right place.

I haven't written enough about Evan here. There is so much pleasure in caring for him. The feeling of his head nestling against my chest and his tiny fingers curling around my left thumb as he drinks. When I lift him, the way he settles against my chest, left hand curling into my hair, head turned to his right. When he's naked on his tummy, his huge head and his tiny bottom and his firm, fatty thighs. The lovely shape of his eyes and his extravagant, curling lashes. His ready, hopeful smile. His wailing "Mummummummum!" when he needs something. His breathy "Deh, deh, deh," when he's content. The way his eyes lock onto me when I come into his sight. His eager attempts to move his barely mobile body to me. I don't want him to grow up.

Life is boring

Evan is in a phase in which he thinks anything that's not on a computer is boring. At least I hope it's a phase. As has become their habit, he and Noah woke us up this morning, expecting computer time. (The one drawback to our new house is the location of the office - through our bedroom. Once, this seemed like a good idea - before we realized that the main function of the office would be Minecraft/Battle Beach/BTD5/etc.) Maybe I was especially tired this morning. I banished them, then tried to go back to sleep, but instead worried about Evan's stunted imagination and Noah's getting fat. Eventually, I let them in, and told them they had to go outside and play before any computer time happened. Evan disappeared, and Noah cuddled in bed for a while and told us that Evan thinks everything is boring. Scooting - boring. Basketball - boring. The outdoors in general - boring. Even Magic is boring now because Evan's tired of their cards. Evan came back, having watered his Plants vs. Zombies seeds and done his watering chores. He confirmed that everything is boring, then asked for the Kindle. I found myself saying the words, "When I was your age..." which was about as effective as one would expect. I banished them outdoors again and said they'd get a reward for making up a new game. The reward being, of course, computer time.

Noah, Evan and friends

Evan has had a series of friends/ alter egos- first squirrels (around Halloween), then dogs (grateful for that change), then dinosaurs (friends only - Longneck the brontosaurus and Noah's tiny Plantina), and now bunnies.  He named himself Carrot.  At Aunt Karyl 's house (for Jake's bar mitzvah), he found Janine's old stuffed bunny, which he seemed to look on as his lapin avatar. Aunt Karyl gave him a fresh carrot for Carrot.  He refused to leave it behind, and Janine and Aunt Karyl kindly let him have it.  He has since renamed it Nibble.  Here are the boys wearing  their Camp Laurelwood T-shirts with Longneck and Nibble.

At kid city

Maybe our last visit, because even Evan is getting little old.

Evie snap circuits

Noah loves school

From sometime in 2006 - On the way to school today, Noah said, "I'm so happy to go back to school." (He had been out earlier this week with a nasty case of pink eye - are there any cases that aren't nasty?) The day before, he asked me to sing "Jolly Holiday" from Mary Poppins "with teachers" - i.e., "It's a jolly holiday with teachers. Teachers make your heart so light."