David's Awesome Spelunking 8th Birthday Party

We had David's birthday party at the Cave of the Mounds.  How often do you get to have your birthday party at a cave?!  David is interested in science and rocks, so it was a great fit.  The cave is in a beautiful setting, and it was a lovely day--perfect for running around before and after the cave tour.  Plus, grandparents were there to lend a hand in the festivities.  It all made for a great celebration.  Of course, though, the best part was friends.  David has such good friends here in Wisconsin.

Good friends!  Trevor, Ethan, Isaac, David, Mary, Jack, Owen, and Whitney

Silly friends!

Good buddies David and Isaac

Good buddies since kindergarten!  They haven't all always been in the same class.  But they've always been friends.

Sweet Mary enjoyed being a part of David's birthday party

Down, down, down into the cave

Subterranean buddies! (David is going through his rabbit ears phase--bleh.)

Yay for Cave of the Mounds!  Yay for friends!
(Whitney, Owen, Isaac, Ethan, Trevor, David, Jack, Mary)

Mining for gemstones.

Gems!

Friends showing off the fruits of their mining efforts.

Happy birthday to David!

Making a wish.

Enjoying cake.  Yummm.

Hiking up to check out a sink hole on the site.

It was a delightful afternoon.  So delightful that we were all a bit tuckered out.

 So here's a funny tidbit.  I thought we had said the party ended at 3:00, so I kept us on a strict schedule for cake and presents to make sure we ended promptly at 3:00.  Then, at 3:00 I remembered that we had put 3:30 on the invitations as the ending time!  Oops!  We had half an hour and no plans.  And it ended up being wonderful.  The weather was perfect and the grounds are beautiful.  The kids had a great time of unstructured play.  They played tag and follow-the-leader and marched around exploring the sink holes.  It was idyllic.  It was truly a wonderful afternoon.  What a great way to celebrate a great kid.

David's awesome last day of school

Friday, June 7 was David's last day of school.  Because his birthday is on the 9th, he got to bring treats to celebrate his birthday on the last day.  Greg and I came to share in the joy, and we brought Sara--which is also exciting for David.  He is always immensely proud to show off his baby sister.  It was a special day!

(David is so cute.  He insisted on bringing something healthy, so we settled on fruit kebabs.  They were a big hit!  The school nurse even came and thanked me for bringing in fruit instead of cupcakes--but I had to give all of the credit to David!)

That morning Grammy and Grandpa arrived, and they were there to pick him up from school.

Congratulations, David, on a great three years at Glacier Edge!

David's last day of school at GE!  Very very nearly age 8.

David's first day of school at GE!  Age 5.  

Weekend of Awesomeness

The weekend of David's 8th birthday was four days jam packed full of awesomeness, the highlight definitely being David's baptism and confirmation.  But there was also an awesome birthday party and other birthday awesomeness, David's last day of school at his awesome school, an awesome outing, Mary's awesome class's super awesome performance, and Sara's usual awesome cuteness.  And we were joined in all of the awesomeness by four awesome grandparents!  It was a pretty awesome weekend.

Q&A

Time's up.  We moved here to Madison nearly three years ago so Greg could get his PhD in Systems and Industrial Engineering at the University of Wisconsin.  The Air Force gave Greg three years to do it, and then we would have to move on, whether or not he was finished.  So here we are ...

Did Greg finish?!

Yes!  Well, except for a few little loose ends that will be neatly tied up in the next few weeks.  Greg had his dissertation defense yesterday, and it went really well.  His committee was so excited about his research that they want him to broaden its applications.  This means rewriting a few pages in the introduction and conclusion.  So there's that and some paperwork to be turned in and then he will be Doctor!  Or Doctor Major?  Or Major Doctor? 

What was his dissertation about?

Nuclear power plant accident evacuations.  It's about a better way of deciding who should evacuate in the case of a radioactive release, particularly in a large-scale disaster like Fukushima.  It was a huge undertaking.  But worthwhile, and timely.  (He has already been out to the NRC a couple of times.)

Isn't three years pretty fast to get a PhD?

Yes. Five to seven years is probably more typical.  The Air Force only gives you three years though.  The advantage is that the Air Force is giving you your normal salary and benefits besides paying tuition.  This means you don't have to dedicate any time working as a research assistant or teaching or competing for grants and fellowships.  But three years is still fast.  It was especially fast for Greg.  Since his Master's is in Engineering Management, it didn't apply to his PhD program.  He essentially had to start over and squeeze a master's degree in there too.  There was a HUGE learning curve at the beginning.  Also, his dissertation required an enormous amount of work and didn't build off research he'd done previously.  

So how did he do it?

Greg is a smart guy.  And a very hard worker. Perhaps more importantly, he's efficient, organized, and he never procrastinates.  He created a plan, set deadlines, and then followed his plan, meeting each deadline.  

Greg was also extremely lucky to have an amazing adviser.  (A few years ago, back when Leah's husband Chris was finishing his PhD and Greg was thinking about getting his, they impressed on us the importance of Greg having a good adviser.  They were right!)  Greg's adviser is super smart and super experienced and super well-respected.  She knows how to crank students through the system.  Greg was in such good hands.  I cannot adequately express my gratitude for her.  

Most of all, though, this has simply been a miracle.  A real, true, undeniable miracle.  When I look at what Greg has accomplished on top of everything else we have had going on in our lives, there is only one possible explanation:  God.

What is Greg going to do in the Air Force next?

Greg is going to teach at the Air Force Institute of Technology, which is the Air Force's graduate school.

So you're moving to Colorado Springs?!

No.  The Air Force Academy is in Colorado Springs, and that's only for undergrads.  AFIT is only for graduate students, and it's in Dayton, Ohio at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.  Greg will teach at AFIT for about three years, and then he'll receive a different assignment ... and we'll pick up and move again. (He will be well-positioned to teach at the Academy, but he is much more interested in doing other things.)

So you're moving back to Dayton?

Not quite.  Greg will be working in Dayton.  But we decided to live in the north-eastern suburbs of Cincinnati instead.  I will write more about how we came to this decision another time.  Long story short is that we are going to live close to Greg's brother and family.  Greg will have an hour-long commute.  But he won't work long hours, and he doesn't have to go up to campus if he doesn't have class or office hours.

When are you moving?

We close on our house here on July 26, and we close on the house in Ohio on July 29.  More about the houses another time.  Suffice it to say that the PhD isn't the only miracle in our lives.

Wait.  Wasn't Mary registered at a Montessori school in Dayton?

Yes.  Despite a long wait list, they had even created an opening just for her because of the quality of program she was coming from.  But that was when we still assumed we would be living in the Dayton area.  (It took a while to realize where we really should live.)  So we withdrew her registration.  (Which is okay because I had mixed feeling about the school.)  Fortunately, we found a wonderful, marvelous Montessori school near the house in Cincinnati.  But after many many tears, I decided Mary is going to go to school with David next year.  

Are you excited to move?

Madison is a wonderful place to live.  We have a good life here.  So of course we are very sad to leave.  But it doesn't really matter.  Fortunately, there are things I look forward to in Ohio, like being near family, seeing old friends, and living in a great community.  

What will you miss the most?

Don't get me started!  The long autumns, the gourmet chocolates behind our house, the history (and diversity) of European immigrants, fresh cheese curds, the University, Door County, our house, great health care, fun beautiful places to visit, ice fishing (well, the idea of it--not that I ever went), downtown, caring about football, the farmers' markets and CSAs, the small dairy farms, Larry Meiller, Sprecher soda.  People.   I will miss people.  That is always the hardest part, isn't is?

But my very very favorite thing from Wisconsin is Sara.

And she gets to come with us!

Blogging blitz

I'm obviously on a blogging blitz right now.

I did not think about my blog one bit for two months.  Usually even when I'm not blogging regularly, I'm thinking about my blog occasionally and hoping for a moment or two to write some posts.  But this time it was completely out of my mind.  And I really liked it.

I genuinely enjoy blogging--it's not something I feel obligated to do.  It's never felt like a burden or an item on my to-do list that made me grumble.  Which is why I was surprised by how much I did not miss blogging.  So that--and some other things--have me reevaluating this whole blogging thing and how I might want to approach it differently.

But now I do not have time for deep introspection.  It's just time for a plain old-fashioned blogging blitz of "Let's catch up on the last three months!!"  Which brings me to my point.  This blitz will resume on Friday.  In the meantime I have a house and children and friends that I would like to give some attention to.  And laundry.  When I return I hope to have an official update.  (Will Greg really finish his PhD in less than 3 years? When are we moving? Where are we moving?)  Until then, I leave you with this picture of sweet little Sara, age 5 months.

Gold belt!

David started taking karate in April.  Although he dabbled in it last summer, this spring he was ready to really make a commitment to it.  (And we as parents were ready too.)

We are so very very proud of David.  He has been taking it so seriously and working very hard.  He attends classes two or three times a week and practices at home.  He has shown a great deal of maturity and demonstrated real responsibility.  We are lucky to have found such a great karate school.  (Locals, I cannot recommend Karate America Verona enough!)

David's goal was to earn his gold belt before we moved, and he knew he would have to work hard to accomplish that goal.

Here he is about halfway to his goal.  As he and the other white belts worked towards their gold belts, they earned stripes to mark their progress.

Then, after much hard work and dedication, David was awarded his gold belt on Friday, June 14.  Hooray!!

The students displayed their skills at the belt graduation ceremony ...

David receives his gold belt from Mr. C ...

... along with the requisite pat on the head ...

Congratulations to David!!

(After putting our kids in this that and the other activity and camp and whatnot, I think they are each settling into interests they want to pursue, at least for the time being, and, importantly, we found wonderful programs for them.....and now we are moving.  Boo hoo.  We will definitely miss Ballet U and Karate America Verona.  Sigh.)

Good looking

Nearly all school year David was squinting.  Everyone mentioned it to me:  his dad, his teacher, his grandparents.  Did I take him in for an eye exam?

Of course not.  That's what a responsible parent would do.  Instead, I told everyone it was just a weird habit he'd picked up.  I insisted it was just a weird habit.  I thought maybe he was doing it for attention or something.

(Why was I in denial??!  I absolutely refused to accept the possibility David might possibly need glasses.  Why??  I'll save that psychoanalysis for another day, because I seriously do not know what my problem was.  But I suspect it was simply that I just could not deal with one more ounce of stress these past months.)

Anyway, long story short:  Finally, David's DAD takes David to the eye doctor and whaddaya know the kid needs glasses.  No one was surprised by this news.  (Not even me.)

Isn't he good looking in his new frames?

P.S.  I read this on Deanna's blog the day David went to the eye doctor.  Very timely.  I love Deanna.

P.P.S.  Last summer when the Thompsons were here, Gina mentioned Zenni Optical in case anyone in our family should ever need glasses.  Whaddaya know, that nugget of information became very useful exactly a year later.  They are good quality lenses and frames straight from China--which means they are very very affordable.  For David's first pair, we went ahead and bought them from a brick and mortar store.  We wanted them that very day, and it was good for David to have the whole experience of trying on frames and getting good measurements.  But you pay (A LOT) for that.  So his backup glasses (and soon his backup backup glasses) are in the mail from Zenni Optical.  (Seriously, check out how inexpensive it is!!  And, thank you, Gina, for the tip!)

Mrs. B

David had a wonderful teacher this past school year.  Liz B. went way above and beyond for David.  As parents, we appreciated her experience and wisdom, as she guided us through different approaches to help David reach his potential.  She was always quick to respond to notes, phone calls, and emails, and we often talked to her at home on weekends and in the evenings.  She made a concerted effort to find and apply individualized approaches for David.  And here's the amazing part--she did this for all of her students!

Best of all, she truly appreciated David.  She saw him for the enthusiastic, sensitive, bright, caring boy that he is.  In fact, she often referred to him as her sweet David.  And she would relate stories to me of his sweetness and enthusiasm.  (Often these involved his sharing with the class about Sara.  Indeed, when I brought Sara to the class picnic, all the girls in his class swarmed her, telling me David talks about her ALL THE TIME.)  Mrs. B did not have the easiest group of students this past year.  I'm sure it was an exhausting year.  But I am deeply grateful for her love and care.  And I am so happy she restored his love of learning and school.

Here are a few comments Mrs. B. wrote about David ...

"David's enthusiasm for learning and life in general is wonderful!"

"David has a background filled with rich experiences and shares his knowledge and experiences with us all!"

"David is a wonderful, thoughtful, enthusiastic, and intelligent boy who is eager to learn!"

Yes, she definitely understood David and saw him for who he really is.  She was a gift in our lives.

Music in the spring

Last March the second-graders at David's school put on a delightful musical performance.  They have a wonderful music program with an amazing music teacher.  The program was filled with singing, dancing, and the playing of many different instruments.  David was especially excited about playing the xylophone.  Most of all, he was excited for Sara to come hear the performance!  (Which she did ... asleep.)

The following month, in April, David and Mary each had a small, low-key piano recital at the conclusion of their respective classes.  Here are two pictures from their respective recitals.

I'm sure I have video footage somewhere, but, let's be honest, this post is purely to provide proof that it happened--and not to relive the event.  But I will say that Mary and David both did great.  It's wonderful to see your children learn and grow.  And I am pleased they are getting excited to take piano lessons (someday).

(I loved David's beginning piano class last year!  It was taught by a music therapist, and she was wonderful.  I highly recommend having a wonderful musical therapist teach your child piano.  This spring David took the follow-on piano class, and Mary took the one he'd taken last year.  But they both had different teachers, and I'd give the classes mixed reviews ... at best.  BUT one of David's buddies ended up being in his class which was a lot of fun for him.  AND Mary now loves loves loves to play the piano.  So it all turned out just fine in the end.)

My girls, again

Another picture of my girls.  Just because.

Mary age 5 1/2 and Sara age 5 months