Tuesday

Tuesday night already. Jeez.

I'm feeling a little better tonight so let's do a wee bit of kiddie catch-up.

Max:

Max is loving school. His teacher was his teacher's aide last year and is back as the official fifth grade teacher. The class is 13 kids big and is heavy on the boys. The teacher is a young, enthusiastic man and the kids adore him. He very gently pushes Max and Max seems to be responding. Max is eager to go to school and doing just fine.

Then there is football. As disappointing as last year was (different football league)--that's how terrific this year is. I wrote the coach an honest-to-goodness FAN letter for crying out loud. The coach looks and sounds like a football coach and he has assistant coaches that look and sound like football coaches. I watch practices from a distance because all that free-floating testosterone makes my hair fall out.

Where last year Max seemed completely invisible to the entire coaching staff, this year I regularly see him get personalized attention from all of the coaches. Where last year Max was required to suit up and warm up for all of the games, but sometimes never played at all (or if he did play, played for only a few minutes of a game), this year he is guarenteed ten plays in a game. This past weekend he played in every quarter--and for most of the entire second half. Where last year if Max was allowed in the game, he was allowed in only one position--under this coach every kid rotates into new positions to learn the game better.

Max's team is winning and I'm convinced it's because he lucked out and has superior coaching. Max's team works together and I sense none of that cliquishness (sp?) that poisoned the experience for us last year. Max is getting the full State College boy experience--complete with head thwacking, shoulder smacking, atta boys, and a litany of football cheers.

Ben and Milo are greatly enjoying preschool. Ever since Chris read them the riot act about following rules in school, the first thing they report to us when we pick them up is whether or not they followed the rules. "I followed the rules today!" or "I didn't follow the rules. I hit the boy in the head." UM. Kay. At least he's honest (It wasn't a bragging tone. It was a very matter-of-fact report.) Milo in particular is enjoying learning piano. Ben does better than he thinks he does. Both are impatient to be as good as Max (guys, this takes time). We didn't practice enough this past week while I battled the blues. Today things were a little better and we had a long practice session followed by a reading lesson.