Nothing But Words

Maria emailed another set of pictures to me. She keeps taking pictures of the boys – I don’t know why She’s having a hard time getting them out of the apartment – their favorite activity these days seems to wrestling at home with each other – but once she gets them out they have a good time.

View at Picasa Kai near the “Pissing Men” statues by David Cerny28-Jun-2009 22:45, SONY DSC-W55, 3.2, 8.2mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 100	View at Picasa Eidan on Reznicka Street29-Jun-2009 22:22, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.005 sec, ISO 100	View at Picasa Stained glass window inside the St. Vitus Cathedral27-Jun-2009 22:36, SONY DSC-W55, 4.0, 12.4mm, 0.01 sec, ISO 200
View at Picasa Statue at the front gate of Prague Castle27-Jun-2009 22:20, SONY DSC-W55, 5.2, 18.9mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 100	View at Picasa Michiko and Kai at the silver mine tour05-Jul-2009 00:35, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.04 sec, ISO 320	View at Picasa Monument to the victims of communism who survived28-Jun-2009 19:48, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 200
View at Picasa Kai and Eidan in Prague28-Jun-2009 20:58, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.1 sec, ISO 320	View at Picasa A giant metronome sculpture at the site of an old Stalin statue in Letna Park09-Jul-2009 18:39, SONY DSC-W55, 7.1, 6.3mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 100	View at Picasa The Charles Bridge04-Aug-2009 18:56, SONY DSC-W55, 11.0, 14.3mm, 0.01 sec, ISO 100
View at Picasa A marionette production of Don Giovanni (it wasn’t very good)10-Jul-2009 03:30, SONY DSC-W55, 4.0, 12.4mm, 0.02 sec, ISO 1000	View at Picasa The ice cream in Prague is fabulous11-Jul-2009 18:03, SONY DSC-W55, 3.2, 7.2mm, 0.006 sec, ISO 100	View at Picasa “Giant Babies” is a David Cerny sculpture mounted on the TV Tower in Zizkov. Cerny had some controversy over an installation piece he was commissioned to do when Czechia ascended to the EU presidency. Seems he offended a few countries…12-Jul-2009 00:23, SONY DSC-W55, 5.2, 18.9mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 100
View at Picasa Kai waiting for a tram on Vodivocka Street12-Jul-2009 17:45, SONY DSC-W55, 7.1, 6.3mm, 0.008 sec, ISO 100	View at Picasa Gardens in Vysehrad Fortress12-Jul-2009 18:31, SONY DSC-W55, 8.0, 8.2mm, 0.008 sec, ISO 100

Eidan in Lesser Town (Mala Strana), Prague View at Picasa Eidan in Lesser Town (Mala Strana), Prague28-Jun-2009 21:27, SONY DSC-W55, 5.2, 18.9mm, 0.006 sec, ISO 100	Eidan with a pretzel at a pub in Prague View at Picasa Eidan with a pretzel at a pub in Prague28-Jun-2009 21:57, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 100
Kai at the statue of St John Nepomuk on the Charles Bridge View at Picasa Kai at the statue of St John Nepomuk on the Charles Bridge28-Jun-2009 23:06, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.008 sec, ISO 100	Chandelier made of bones and skulls at the Sedlec Ossuary View at Picasa Chandelier made of bones and skulls at the Sedlec Ossuary04-Jul-2009 19:53, SONY DSC-W55, 3.2, 7.2mm, 0.04 sec, ISO 1000

Maria just emailed these pictures to me. They’re staying in an apartment that’s right around the corner from Charles Square. She says the apartment is spacious but rundown, and several major appliances don’t work, like the washing machine and the satellite dish for the TV. Fortunately, she brought lots of DVDs for the boys, and there’s a laundromat nearby. Her mother is there with them too – she’s there for 2 weeks and she’s helping out with the boys while Maria is with the students. Maria found a babysitter to help out for the time between when her mother leaves and I arrive at the end of July.

The boys are having a good time. Maria sounds like she’s exhausted but still enjoying it. She’s not just teaching – she created this program for Villanova and she’s managing the whole thing on her own. It’s a research seminar on entrepreneurship in the Czech Republic, so she’s been arranging various field trips for the students to businesses in the area, helping the students plan interviews, etc. She took the students to a silver mine yesterday and next week she’s taking them to a Taiwanese factory. She brings the boys on the field trips, and they love hanging out with the students, and the students seem to enjoy their antics.

I’ll post more pictures as I receive them!

View at Picasa Kai’s classmates signed the board congratulating him for his winning entry in the Young Authors’ Project15-Jun-2009 23:05, SONY DSC-W55, 5.2, 18.9mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 320

View at Picasa Kai with his 2nd grade teacher and the school principal, holding his certificate for the Young Authors’ Project15-Jun-2009 23:07, SONY DSC-W55, 3.2, 8.2mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 320

View at Picasa Kai and his classmates looking at the Young Authors’ Project book15-Jun-2009 23:10, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 320

Yesterday, on Kai’s second-to-last day of 2nd grade, he was awarded a certificate for his winning entry in this year’s Young Authors’ Project. He wrote a story that was one of 97 selected from over 1,000 stories submitted by 1st-8th graders in Delaware County. The winning stories were collected into a book, and Kai was given a copy. His story was one he wrote for a class assignment about manatees:

Manny the Manatee

Have you ever seen me in the shallow rivers of Florida? If not, I’d like to tell you about me.

I’m gray or brown in color, cute and chubby with a paddle shaped tail. If you guessed a manatee, you’re right. I like to sleep and eat almost all day. Uh oh, I hear a motor boat! Let’s hope they see my Manatee Crossing sign!

Now back to my story. If someone is in my river, I like going up to inspect them. Don’t worry, I won’t harm you. I’m very gentle. I have to live in water that is sixty-eight degrees Fahrenheit or warmer. I love to eat a lot of different types of grass. They are so tasty! You really need to try them. Speaking of food, it is lunchtime. We’ll see you later.

But, next time you come to Florida, make sure you visit a river. You might get to say “hi” to one of my manatee friends.

View at Picasa Kai flying his kite at Brenton Point in Newport22-May-2009 23:44, SONY DSC-W55, 5.2, 18.9mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 100

View at Picasa Mike and Kai at Brenton Point in Newport23-May-2009 00:25, SONY DSC-W55, 5.2, 18.9mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 100

We spent Memorial Day weekend in Newport. Kai was excited to fly his kite, so we went to Brenton Point. It’s the most popular kite flying location on the island – it’s right where the Narragansett Bay meets the ocean, so it’s always windy. All you have to do to get a kite airborne is lift it off the ground. We also went down to the shore to climb on the rocks.

View at Picasa Eidan, Kai, and Mike flying a kite at Brenton Point in Newport22-May-2009 23:43, SONY DSC-W55, 5.2, 18.9mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 100

View at Picasa Kai flying his kite at Brenton Point in Newport22-May-2009 23:44, SONY DSC-W55, 5.2, 18.9mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 100

View at Picasa Kai flying his kite at Brenton Point in Newport22-May-2009 23:44, SONY DSC-W55, 5.2, 18.9mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 100

View at Picasa Kai flying his kite at Brenton Point in Newport – that’s Eidan running nearby22-May-2009 23:50, SONY DSC-W55, 7.1, 6.3mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 100

View at Picasa Eidan and Kai flying a kite at Brenton Point in Newport23-May-2009 00:09, SONY DSC-W55, 7.1, 6.3mm, 0.005 sec, ISO 100

The boys also had a good time with their cousins. They especially enjoyed blasting each other with the amazing, fully automatic Nerf Vulcan gun – check out the video below.

View at Picasa Kai getting riddled with nerf bullets by his cousin Matthew25-May-2009 05:20, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 100

View at Picasa Kai blasting his cousin Matthew with the amazing Nerf Vulcan gun25-May-2009 09:23

View at Picasa Kai with his uncle Jim25-May-2009 05:28, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.006 sec, ISO 100

View at Picasa Kai and Eidan riding on the neighbor’s battery powered mini Jeep	View at Picasa Kai and Eidan riding on the neigbor’s battery powered mini Jeep
View at Picasa Kai and Eidan riding on the neighbor’s battery powered mini Jeep	View at Picasa Kai and Eidan riding on the neighbor’s battery powered mini Jeep

Yesterday was our second or third really nice day so far this Spring, and the boys were thrilled to be outdoors in short sleeves. Our neighbor’s son has a battery powered mini Jeep, and he was kind enough to let them drive it for a while. I was perfectly comfortable with Kai driving it, and I was terrified when Eidan drove it. I realized afterwards my different reactions were not due to their age. I think I’ll be just as calm when Kai gets his driver’s license when he’s 16, and even more terrified when Eidan does.

Mayhem at Kai’s karate party for his 8th birthday View at Picasa Mayhem at Kai’s karate party for his 8th birthday08-Mar-2009 06:21, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 320

The big lesson Maria and I learned from Kai’s birthday last year was to never, ever have his birthday parties in our house again. Once there’s a critical mass of small boys in one place, utter chaos ensues. So this year we held the party for his 8th birthday at his karate studio: a big padded room, with lots of padded weapons for the kids to pummel each other with. What more could a gang of 8 year old boys want? The instructor – who goes by “Mr. A” – did a good job of providing structure to the mayhem, so things didn’t get out of control. Eidan was there too, and he was right in the thick of the battles (he’s the little guy in the Flash costume). He wasn’t the least bit intimidated by all the much bigger boys, and he definitely gave as good as he got.

Video – cutting Kai’s birthday cake with a sword View at Picasa Video – cutting Kai’s birthday cake with a sword08-Mar-2009 10:45

Kai shows off the frosting on the sword after cutting his cake with it View at Picasa Kai shows off the frosting on the sword after cutting his cake with it08-Mar-2009 06:46, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 100

The Shamrock Maria made for Kai to wear to school on St Patrick’s Day View at Picasa The Shamrock Maria made for Kai to wear to school on St Patrick’s Day17-Mar-2004 17:53, Canon Canon PowerShot S230, 2.8, 5.40625mm, 0.125 sec

I’m not sure what the required waiting period is on recycling blog content, but I’m going to guess it’s about 5 years. That means I can re-post this picture from 5 years ago. Maria made this paper shamrock for Kai to wear to pre-school in 2004, right after he turned 3. It’s hard to believe he’s 8 now.

Kai and I spent last weekend in Newport, for my father’s 70th birthday. While driving around on Saturday I had to dig deep into my memories of Newport’s back streets, to avoid the all-day drunken revelry that spills out onto the main streets, both preceding and following the St. Patrick’s Day parade. Kai and I barely escaped from the Dunkin’ Donuts on Broadway at 9AM, as it was already crowded with sailors looking for girls, and girls advertising themselves in outfits such as “Erin Go Braless” green t-shirts. I have to say I don’t remember girls acting like that when I was younger (and there’s no surer sign of my age than my making that statement: “Kids today! When I was a boy…”).

Anyway, we had a fun get together with the extended family for brunch to celebrate my Dad’s birthday. I’m glad we made the trip.

View at Picasa Family brunch for my dad’s 70th birthday (Terry Toppa)16-Mar-2009 01:55, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 160

View at Picasa Terry and Pat16-Mar-2009 02:12, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 100

Batman in a top hat View at Picasa Batman in a top hat28-Jan-2009 06:13, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 100	Eidan with his wizard hat and cape View at Picasa Eidan with his wizard hat and cape04-Oct-2008 07:18, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.01 sec, ISO 250
Kai in his home made Iron Man costume, battling Eidan in his Spider Man / Darth Vader / Wizard costume View at Picasa Kai in his home made Iron Man costume, battling Eidan in his Spider Man / Darth Vader / Wizard costume02-Nov-2008 04:22, SONY DSC-W55, 3.2, 7.2mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 100	Eidan and Kai goofing around at home View at Picasa Eidan and Kai goofing around at home10-Nov-2008 01:49, SONY DSC-W55, 2.8, 6.3mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 100

Eidan got a new Batman costume last week, and he’s been living it since he opened the package. So far we’ve succeeded in removing it only once, just long enough to wash it. The first day he wore it, he started stomping around the house scowling and flinging foam rubber batarangs, but then broke out of character for a minute to explain the look on his face, “I not mad mommy, I Batman.” After dinner we had ice cream, and after eagerly picking up his spoon, Eidan then hesitated and looked at us with great concern, “Batman eat ice cream?” We assured him that Batman loves ice cream, so he ate up.

Maria and I have picked up a phrase from Eidan: instead of saying “it’s getting dark,” he says “it’s darking.” Once it’s completely dark, then it’s “big darking.” Since English is a living language, it’s rules change as common usage changes over time. If we can get enough people to adopt “darking” as a verb, maybe we can get the OED (Oxford English Dictionary) to recognize it .

Eidan has also developed a knack for asserting his own reality. Often when he gets in trouble, he’ll say, “you not mad Daddy, you happy!” Then to demonstrate, he’ll plaster a big grin on his face. If he asks me for something, and I say no, he’ll usually come back instantly with “Mommy say yes.” It hasn’t worked yet, but he keeps trying. If I ask him “why?” about anything – why are you doing that, why do you like it, etc – all I ever get back is “’cause yes” or sometimes “’cause no.” And one time, after I carried him and his big wheel most of the way around the block after he decided he didn’t feel like riding it (or walking), I told him I was tired and he’d have to walk the rest of the way home. “You carry me Daddy. You not tired. You shirt not wet.” Since I wasn’t sweating profusely, I wasn’t working all that hard, right?

And Kai is turning into the next Yogi Berra. Here are some of his latest linguistic gems:

• On his way to a friend’s house, Maria asked him if he remembered our home phone number, in case he needed to call us. “Yes, mommy, of course I remember, I know it like the back of my head!”
• While playing with action figures with a friend, he said, “let’s pretend it’s the day after yesterday.”
• Right after he did something he just said he wasn’t going to do, he explained, “my brain has a mind of its own.”
• “I’m starving, my stomach is fully empty!”