All of our reasoning ends in surrender to feeling.  ~Blaise Pascal

Nicole helping Kyle with his newest toys

Sometimes Kyle has a way of justifying a situation for the better, or should I say with his best interest in mind.  I’ll give Kyle credit, he is always thinking and sometimes the justification of his logic is brilliant.  Now don’t get me wrong, sometimes it’s just plain silly or far fetched, but every once in a while he throws good logic at me and my family and we can’t really combat his reasoning.

Ready for the examples?  There are those little comments, such as his desire to go to the store to pick up bananas because he wants to make pudding with bananas.  He’ll say, “Aunt Heather, you said bananas are good for me.”  Or when he really wants to play the Wii and he wants me to play with him, he’ll say, “Aunt Heather, you always want me to get exercise and you said playing the Wii is good exercise.  Don’t you want me to get exercise?”  Or my favorite, “Aunt Heather, you said building Legos is educational and good for my mind.  You want me to learn don’t you?”  I usually hear something along those lines when he wants a new Lego set.  So tell me, how can you argue with him?

We tend to make a lot of deals with Kyle, a.k.a. bribe him.  But as long as it’s for his well-being I don’t have a problem with the ‘deals’.  My sister told Kyle that for every ‘A’ and Outstanding he receives on his report card, she would give him money.  The money is his to spend as he desires.  This past Friday, Kyle received his quarterly report card.  I must say, not to shabby.

Kyle on his 1st quad, running over what used to be his sandbox...

Let me set the stage.  Kyle was excited about his report card, not because of a sense of self accomplishment but for the shopping he gets to do. Either way, I’m proud of him for getting to this point.  When I had the opportunity to review the report card, I noticed he did go down in three grades.  Two were not bad, but his Science took quite a leap from 96 to 87.  That’s an entire letter grade, no matter what scale the school grades on, which the grade on the 100 – 92 is an ‘A’, that’s not good.  Now don’t get me wrong, he went up in three grades too.  So just when I was about to comment on the report card, ready to praise and to address, Kyle stopped me and said, “Ya Aunt Heather, I know a couple grades went down, but a couple went up too.”  I couldn’t help but point out his math grade, which has never been a disappointment, went from a 96 to 92.  Kyle’s response, “Ya but it’s still an ‘A’.” Little stinker, he’s right, but what really blew me away was Kyle’s over logic over the report card.

You see Kyle proceeded to tell me that on an average he only went down by seven points overall,  “Which is really good Aunt Heather.”  So basically Kyle added up all his points from the second quarter and added up the points from the first quarter and compared the two.  He’s right, it didn’t seem so bad, not that his report card was bad at all, but it seemed as if there was no major difference between quarters, as opposed to reviewing each letter individually.  Again I know he did all the calculations to help strengthen his story, but I had to admire his logic and thinking on the subject.

Now the best part of this report card logic: I scanned Kyle’s report card and emailed it to my sister with Kyle’s links to online items he wanted my sister to purchase for him.  Now mind you, the toys he chose added up to exactly how much he was expecting to get for his grades.  Well, when my sister reviewed the email and the cost of the toys, she called him to inform him he went over on his dollar amount.  Kyle was baffled!  He knew he added up the prices correctly, that is until his Aunt Nikki dropped a big bomb on his plans.  She was counting the shipping and handling and the taxes as part of the total.  Kyle was assuming she would pick up that part of the tab.  You see, we are always trying to keep Kyle within reality and taxes and such expenses are a part of life.

Kyle's 3rd birthday

Now comes the reasoning and logic, again.  Kyle got on the phone with his Aunt Nikki and began to argue his case, saying it wasn’t fair that he had to pay the shipping and handling and the taxes.  I’m going to paraphrase, since I only heard Kyle’s side of the phone call, but I can imagine what my sister was saying.  He went on saying it was like he was being punished if she used his money for such expenses.  He was stomping around the house saying it wasn’t fair and what is he supposed to do?  He really stressed the idea of how good he did and how much he is being punished if he is expected to pick-up part of the bill with his earned money.

Well, needless to say, the conversation went on for a good 45 minutes or so.  Eventually the discussion came to a compromise.  He gave in saying he would forfeit Surge the Bionicle and his Aunt Nikki was going to mail him Black Phantom and Rocka.  Sure sounds reasonable.  I’m not sure how much Kyle really gave in, or should I say how much extra my sister was paying out.  But I’ve said it and I will always say it, Kyle owns us, but again we wouldn’t have it any other way.  Especially since he makes us so proud!

Kyle showing off his bowser outfit with Mrs. Castellanni 2010

Today we received a call that Mrs. Castellanni passed away.  She was my cousin’s Chad and Jeremy Piper’s grandma, their mom’s mother.  A close family friend on all sides of the family tree, Mrs. Castellanni was a really sweet and nice lady.  It’s funny if there was one thing I remember about her the most, it would be her cooking.  She was a true artisan with food, solid stick to your ribs food.  She seemed to live a long and full life.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family.  God Speed Mrs. Castellani!!

Mrs. Castellanni & Bowser a.k.a. Kyle - Halloween 2010

Maturity begins to grow when you can sense your concern for others outweighing your concern for yourself.  ~John MacNaughton

Ringing in 2009 with a new smile 12/31/08

You know, Kyle didn’t lose his first tooth until he was in the third grade, he’s in the fifth grade now.  In fact, I plucked that tooth out on New Year’s Eve Day. It took me a better part of the day to convince Kyle to let me pull it out.  It’s amazing how the one little tooth drove me crazy just hanging there.  And it’s amazing how the idea of pulling one little tooth stressed him out.  Kyle’s not the bravest when it comes to pain or blood, let alone the thought of it.  I think that was and always is Kyle’s biggest fear, the unknown.  Well, maybe not the unknown per se, but his perception of what it should be like, his imagination spinning completely out of control.  Anyway, at this point, Kyle was upset because all the kids in his class already lost at least one tooth, not to mention those that have already lost all baby teeth replaced by adult teeth.  None of this was a concern to me, not one bit. In fact, I was very happy that Kyle was a late bloomer.  I want him to be a kid as long as he can and really enjoy his childhood.  Not to mention, we Pipers are generally late bloomers.  So he certainly fits the Piper profile.  My mom, not a Piper by birthright, didn’t lose her last baby tooth until she was in her early twenties.  I don’t think I lost my last one until I was Kyle’s age now, somewhere in fifth grade or so, maybe later.

Kyle ringing in the New Year! Of course with the least amount of clothing on 12/31/09

I remember when my teeth were starting to fall out.  My pappy would get out his red handkerchief and try to attach it to the smooth sides of the tiny tooth to give him some grip and pull.  I remember we had a hard time getting one of my teeth out.  I was never grossed out or feared pulling out my teeth. Sitting on the sink in the bathroom and starring at the hanging tooth and examining  the root was fascinating to me.  However, not all of my baby teeth fell out naturally.  You see, at one point, my adult teeth started to surface along side my baby teeth.  Would you believe my baby teeth never loosened up?  So needless to say, it became very crowded very quickly.  Mom had to take me to the dentist to give an eviction notice to those who would not leave the premises.  On a side note, I guess I shouldn’t be so hard on Kyle because that particular visit didn’t go as bravely as I may have remembered.  I know the dentist wanted to give me a shot of Novocaine before he began yanking out the culprits.  Ambushing my dentist with a slight over reaction started the whole adventure.  I do remember waiting until he approached my mouth with the needle before I forceably moved his hands, needle included, out of their course of action.  That did result in me shooting the dentist in the arm with the needle of Novocaine, which ultimately resulted in me getting yelled at by the dentist, getting a shot anyway, and the removal of a few stubborn baby teeth.  On my defense, I think I was suffering from PTSD when I was attacked by a dog and the side of my face, near my eye, had to be stitched up.

I plucked Kyle's first tooth on New Year's Eve - Ringing in 2009 12/31/08

Regardless, back to Kyle.  He still comments on the lack of teeth he’s lost comparatively to what he has, as well as his friends.  But I have been telling him that they’ll eventually come out.  Of course not mentioning my experience or the fact he may need to get them removed professionally.  I think I’ll deal with that situation when the time comes.

Now, to lighten the tooth pulling mood, this story needs to be shared just for the simple humor and innocence that resides in the mind of Kyle.  Let’s talk about armpit hair! Or I really should say, the invisible armpit hair.  One evening during Kyle’s nightly ritual of showering he summoned me to the bathroom.  I heard him saying, “Aunt Heather, look! I can see it!”  I thought, “What in the world is he seeing in the shower? Keep in mind, he was probably six or seven years old.  I pushed the shower curtain aside and asked, “What’s wrong honey?”  While raising his arm, exposing the armpit, Kyle starts telling me that he saw a hair.  What?  O my!  Did he just say he saw a hair?  That was the funniest thing I think I’ve ever heard.  Now keep in mind, I don’t think Kyle even had any hair on his legs, if very few and they were blonde!  Again, back to being a late bloomer.  In disbelief I asked, “What did you see?” His response as clear as day was, “Ya, Aunt Heather, look! I have a hair.”  I proceeded to tell him there was no hair.  But he wouldn’t believe me.  He said, “Look closer, Aunt Heather! I saw a hair!”  Again, even though he was thoroughly convinced there was a hair in his armpit, I reiterated there was no hair.  In fact, he would not give up on the idea, he said, “O, it must have fallen out when I was scrubbing.”  What a card!  He stood there, holding up his arm to expose the armpit to me for complete examination.  That was too funny!!  A real Kyle classic.

Kyle with Scooby Ringing in 2010! 12/31/09

Dad is to blame for that one.  You see, even to this day, he sometimes likes to tease Kyle poking at his armpits and saying, “I think I see a bush! Is that a bush under there!”  Kyle always did and still does giggle and gets very ticklish.  I must say, it is kinda funny.  Kyle is now ten, and still no armpit hair.

I guess there are all sorts of growing pains and many more to talk about.  Maybe later. After all, it seems to be around the corner. Kyle is growing up so fast.

No man ever reached to excellence in any one art or profession without having passed through the slow and painful process of study and preparation.  ~Horace

Posing the question Are Professions Taught or Born?, I’ve shared some of my theories and examples on the subject.  Now I have more examples that are worth noting.

Before the building of the Legos Star Wars Death Star

Kyle recently had to make his Egg Sandwich Spectacular and he had to do a practice run first.  While he was doing his practice run, I had to take pictures of him, so he could make a storyboard to present to the class while he gave his presentation.  Meanwhile, I’m not overt to taking direction or constructive criticism from anyone, even from a 10-year-old.  But I have done photography for clients.  In college I took black and white and color photography, and I must say my photography is not too shabby, having an artsy eye.  However, through the process, Kyle instructed me on which pictures to take and how to take them.  He did this while making the Egg Sandwich Spectacular.  Once his task was completed and we began to view the pictures, Kyle proceeded to tell me which ones were good and which to delete.  I did manage to say, “Kyle, I appreciate your input, but I’ve had a bit more photography experience than you.”  As he looked at my black and white compositions of him as a two year old, enlarged, matted and framed on my walls, he gave me an ornery smile.

Ryan held by his godparents, Paula & Joe c. 1977

So that was my most recent example of Kyle’s authoritative demeanor.  O but wait there more that I can think of off the top of my head.  A few months ago, Kyle was watching the movie Beethoven.  You know, the movie about the St. Bernard who has a series of adventures?  During the movie, a couple characters were talking about putting this air freshener in the car but they didn’t want to hang it from the rear-view mirror.  In the movie, they concluded by choosing to stick the air freshener under the dashboard.  Kyle leaned over to my mom and said, “Actually they should put it by the air conditioner so it circulates throughout the car.”  That’s Kyle always thinking.

Dad butchered a snapping turtle while Kyle watched 7/10/09

Now this brings me to the recent past, Santa’s Workshop to be exact, one of the Year’s of Santa’s Workshop.  Some parents help the kids shop and others help wrap the gifts.  To move things along, the parents and the children group the gifts going to the same person in one bag to be wrapped.  While Kyle was getting his gifts wrapped, he pulled out of the shopping bag a gift for someone, which had already been wrapped.  So the original bag containing the gift, that was already wrapped, might I add, needed to be reopened.  At that moment, Kyle sorted the piles of gifts, and politely, but directly instructed the parent who was helping him, “Now let’s get everything organized, so they’re all together,”  almost in an accusing tone, like the parent was the one who messed up.  It was too comical!  The parent was taken aback slightly and already knew that’s how it should be done, but was not upset by the accusation.  Being such a great guy, having four boys of his own, the parent simply said, “O Ok, yes sir, you got it, let’s do this again.”  What a trooper. Naturally I did mention to Kyle to watch how he talks to adults.  He smiled, not meaning to be disrespectful, but it was a direct thought that left his head and out his mouth instantly.

I’m not sure if Kyle’s a natural leader or just a bossy kid.  I guess, as I’ve said it before, only time will tell.  But I think Kyle has the makings to be a innovative thinker and a great leader.  If I’m right, he’s on the right track.  God Speed Buddy!

Here is a link to a neat article I read on leadership.  Enjoy!

The best weapon against an enemy is another enemy.  ~Friedrich Nietzsche

Kyle uses tea bags to alleviate his allergies

A couple weeks ago I stopped by parents house in the evening after work.  I was at a client’s and I was in the neighborhood, so I popped in at mom and dad’s (one way to keep tabs on the old folks).  I was chit chatting with mom, hanging with the boys and giving Pudd’in some extra attention, since she’s been having a hard time adjusting to change lately.  Everything seemed to be in order at the Piper household and it was getting late, so I went back to my house.

Just  as I was ready to slip under the covers and retire my mind for the night, I received a text message.  Now, I will admit that when I sleep I truly don’t hear text messages, emails, twitter messages, and facebook alerts on my phone.  I am a pretty heavy sleeper. In fact, I have been known to answer the phone late at night, have an entire conversation, and not remember a word of it. I was basically sleep talking.

Depending on how tired I am, sometimes I will ignore the text until the next morning.  However, recently, since Kyle has been reaching out to me via text message from his ipod Touch, I tend to review all text messages sent my way as soon as I hear them, unless Kyle is with me.  This one was from my dad.  “My dad?” I thought.  First of all, my dad doesn’t know how to text and why at 10:00 at night? I immediately reviewed the text, almost ready to call first.  It was my mom texting me that my dad was in the ER.  What?  Really? I just left their house maybe an hour ago.

Dad's deer 2011

Immediately calling my dad’s phone, I found out one answer to the mystery: Why was mom on dad’s phone?  Mom evidently didn’t charge her phone.  Ok, now mystery number two: Why was dad in the ER?  I guess he had an allergic reaction to something.  He was dizzy, nauseous, covered in hives all over his body including the bottoms of his feet, and was not feeling right.  I guess it was pretty bad, they had him on an EKG machine to check his heart.  Mom was told that when you have an allergic reaction like that, the blood flows to the areas of the body which need addressed, dad’s skin.  So dad’s blood pressure dropped severely and they had a hard time getting it back up.  He was hooked up to an IV machine and was given medicine.  Mom brought him home sometime in the am hours after his blood pressure became stable and he was feeling better.

He was fine, but now the more pressing mystery: What was he allergic too?  The doctors were speculating it was the kiwis he ate, even though he just had kiwis this past summer.  My bigger question was, why are you buying kiwis that are completely out of season?  The doctor was guessing it was whatever was sprayed on kiwis and maybe not the fruit itself.

The next morning I was at work telling Kelly about it.  Her first reaction was, “Did Pudd’in poison dad?”  That’s great!  I never thought of that!  Then we started making up our own story on how Pudd’in licked the kiwi and then licked dad on the cheek while he slept.  Or Pudd’in was cooking something up and slipped it in dad’s food.  Our imaginations were in overdrive!  Now that would be funny as a cartoon or comic.

Dad, Kyle, me & Nicole at Gutchess Open House

As we went off on our little tangent, I started to really think of the situation.  What cracks me up are the details within this war.  Dad and Pudd’in share a bathroom.  It’s a real life turf war!  Pudd’in’s litter box is still in the bathroom around the corner from dad’s toilet.  You see Pudd’in is still holding her ground in the bathroom, while dad invades her space every once in a while.  I wonder if they’ve ever run into one another in there?

Mom thinks she’s just getting old and senile.  On the contrary, I think Pudd’in is one very smart little kitty who is taking a stand.  Actually I think she’s had enough.  About a year ago we brought home Seven from the animal shelter, which she did not welcome with warm paws – and now, this!  I really wish dad would allow me to conduct a test.  You see, my hypothesis is that if dad stops using that bathroom, this war will discontinue.  Every once in a while, Pudd’in’s still leaving a little pile of discontent in front of dad’s toilet, merely feet from her litter box.  Ahh, alas, dad is extremely stubborn and he is not about to alter his life for one distorted cat.  I guess I can never prove or disprove my hypothesis so the war will continue.

A snowflake is one of God’s most fragile creations, but look what they can do when they stick together!  ~ Anonymous

Waiting for another run. Snowshoe, West Virginia c. 2010

You know, I am definitely more of a cool weather girl.  I tend to favor fall and winter over the heat and humidity.  You know what?  I think Kyle is the same. He hates being overheated and sweaty, he tends to be a salt water covered kid, all year round.  Sometimes perspiration  just pours from his head.  Even when he was a tiny little baby, I used to walk around with him in a papoose type of baby carrier.  I would place him in this backwards type of book bag, hanging off of my chest.  I loved it, he was safe and my hands were free.  Man, did Kyle make me hot!  It wasn’t too bad in the winter, he was like my space heater, but in the summer it was rough.  I’m not really a sweaty person, which doesn’t do me any good when I run, but having Kyle lay on me and radiate heat, makes my body start to sweat.

Stacey, me, Kyle and Casey (cousins) Snowshoe, WV 2011

Off of that tangent and onto another… Lately we’ve had unseasonable weather.  It’s been in the 50’s and rainy, except this week, which is just cold with a hint of snow.  I will admit, during the dog days of summer, I do wish for winter.  I enjoy all seasons, but I love snow!  I don’t know if it’s from me or not, but Kyle always wishes for the snow to fall too.  He loves to sled ride and be my little snowboarder buddy.  I started Kyle out on a board when he was three years old.  Taking him on my snowboard in front of my parents house, which is on a slight down hill that opens up into my uncle’s field, that was the easiest way to start him out.  I had Kyle stand in the middle of the board while I was strapped in, holding his hands.  We would go down the hill and eventually fall over into the fluffy snow.  We had a blast!!  Sometimes, during our trek across the driveway, before getting any momentum, we would get stuck and dad would stand there to give my shoulder a push and get us going again.

Going down hill wasn’t so bad, not that that’s a surprise.  But it was tough unstrapping my bindings and carrying my board up the hill while holding Kyle’s hand.  He had a hard time walking in the deep snow.  Those little legs where just long enough to get up over the snow, let along make them move up a hill covered in snow.  It was all totally worth it!  We must have made at least 20 runs before calling it day.  In fact, we kept it up in the dark.  Dad turned on the spotlights along side the house so we could see.  We rode until I realized Kyle’s gloves were pretty wet and his hands were getting cold.  He didn’t want to go in, but I told him I would make us hot chocolate and we would warm up.  Reluctantly he agreed.  Even though my body felt like I ran a marathon, not that I know what that feels like, but I can only imagine.

Taking a break from snowboarding at Hidden Valley. c. 2010

Now back to the present day, last Wednesday to be exact.  As Kyle and I watched the news, showing a brief clip about the town in Alaska that was dumped with 18 feet of  snow, (Yep, not inches, we’re talking feet)  it was funny, I could see Kyle’s brain trying to comprehend what he heard, making sure he understood what the news anchor reported.  I said, “Did you hear that?  They have 18 to 20 feet of snow.  Not inches, FEET!”  Putting a real emphasis on FEET.  His eyes were in shock and then he turned his head toward the front door, threw up his hands and gave a ‘Where’s our snow?’ gesture.  Meanwhile, it was raining pretty hard outside.  I said, “I guess it’s all in Alaska.”  I knew what his response was all about.  You see, Kyle looks forward to hanging with me on the mountain, as do I.  It’s hard enough to maintain patience for myself when I’m waiting on the snow, but trying to be patient with Kyle is an almost unrealistic task.

Recently we did start receiving snow, which I knew would eventually come and currently go.  But I must say, those 18 feet seem like more fun than our couple of inches and light dusting.  I’m really blessed and happy that Kyle and I have our hobby together.  Maybe that’s why I look forward to winter.  I get to hang with my Narrow in God’s country.

Check out the Cordova Alaska snow situation.

http://auntheather.com/2011/lighting-up-the-holiday/

A good conscience is a continual Christmas.  ~Benjamin Franklin

Kyle listing out the gifts he wanted

As Kyle and I were taking down my Christmas decorations last week, I couldn’t help but feel a bit of deja vu.

As I was removing my house of all signs of Christmas, and Kyle was removing ornaments from the tree,  I heard him make a comment, not really directed toward me, but out loud, as if talking to the tree, “Poor tree, doesn’t look happy now.”  And you know he was right, not only was the tree bare, but the needles were falling off.  Initially when I set up the tree in the tree stand, it had a slight lean that I never fixed.  Now, as I look at it, the lean has grown considerably.  Almost to the point where it will eventually meet the floor if I kept it in its current position.

Ryan & Nicole waiting to open gifts on Christmas

We have come full circle in a months time from The Piper Christmas Tree.  Then I noticed that I still had my Christmas lights up.  Yep, I started out being the only person on the street without the glow of lights, and now I am the only one all lit up.  As I was taking down the multicolored light strands I started to laugh.  It did seem fitting that I put the lights up in the rain, and that’s how they’re coming down.  Lighting Up the Holiday.

You see, I never like to take down my Christmas decorations right away.  After all, the three wise men didn’t even get to present their gifts to baby Jesus the night he was born, even though we don’t have an exact date.  Plus we celebrate the Epiphany a week or so after Christmas Day.  Not to mention the Russian Orthodox Church doesn’t even celebrate Christmas until January 7th, well, after most of the population has taken down their decorations. I am never in a hurry to take them down.  Now don’t get me wrong, it’s nice to clean up and get ready for a new year, but it’s also nice to not rush through the blessed season.

I can’t wait to do it all over again next year!

But to be part of helping create a character and be a part of something from the beginning – the excitement of it – it doesn’t get any better.  ~Sarah Chalke

Pouring in the eggs 1/8/12

When Kyle was little he would eat all sorts of fruits and vegetables.  He loved salads, they made him happy.  He ate peas, carrots, cauliflower, spinach and broccoli.  I was so happy about Kyle’s food choices, especially since he was so young and starting good eating habits early.   Then, at about the age of five or six, something drastically changed.  He decided he didn’t like vegetables anymore.  What?  You see, my whole family loves vegetables.  There was never a time I could remember not eating vegetables.  My mom said, when we were little, referring to me and my brother and sister, she used to feed us everything they ate for dinner.  That meant it usually was hunted locally and grown from the garden.  Mom had a hand food grinder to break the food down small enough for a child to consume.  So you see, when I say I’ve always eaten venison and fresh vegetables, I really mean it.  Mom almost never fed us processed, store bought food.

Adding the cheese... 1/8/12

So what happened to Kyle’s food choice?  I have no idea!  What seemed like overnight, he drastically changed his eating habits.  Kyle awoke from this change and decided to be stubborn, only eating macaroni and cheese, hot dogs, and pizza and such.  Now I will have to admit, he didn’t give up the fruit, which I was pleased with.  In fact, his love for blueberries grew more so.  Ok, so fruit problem averted!  But what about the vegetables?  I tried forcing him to eat the fresh vitamin filled necessities of life.  That was a no-go.  I tried bribing him and sneaking it in his food, which sometimes worked. You name it, it was attempted.

Can't forget to make it a sandwich.. 1/8/12

I really was beside myself!  I take that back, we were all beside ourselves.  It was completely unheard of to be a picky eater in the Piper household, until we had a small breakthrough.  I’ll give my mom credit, she’s pretty clever.  One day, mom made Kyle a veggie and cheese omelet.  But Gigi didn’t stop at that, she put her dormant marketing skills to work and called it… The Egg Sandwich Spectacular!  You see, Kyle did love his egg sandwiches, so mom jazzed it up with vegetables including broccoli, mushrooms, green peppers etc. whatever was in the refrigerator.  He loved it!  Kyle proceeded to rave about this special sandwich.  He told Nicole and I about it and how good it was, and how healthy.  He told my sister, when he visits her for the ‘Kyle and Aunt Nikki Week of Fun’, (a week Kyle stays with Nicole in the summer) she had to get the ingredients to make this for him.

Yummm! 1/8/12

That was a few years ago now.  We still make the Egg Sandwich Spectacular.  I didn’t realize how special that breakfast sandwich was until two weeks ago.  Kyle had to write a “How To” paper on anything he wanted.  Not only did he have to write the paper, he had to demonstrate the chosen subject in class.  So Kyle and I sat there and tried to brainstorm ideas.  He wanted to do something no body could do.  I don’t blame Kyle’s thinking ’cause that’s where my mind was too.  Something Kyle can do that no one else can… I was throwing out ideas, silly, but they were ideas including skinning a dear, shooting a rifle, building Lego’s, which I was told was not unheard of.  My bad, he’s right, he was in a classroom full of Legomaniacs.  Just then, Kyle said, “I know Aunt Heather! I can make an Egg Sandwich Spectacular!  That’s something me and Gigi made up and no one ever heard of it.  Plus it’s healthy and good for me.”  I was taken aback, not realizing how much that sandwich means to him.  Then, me being me, I started to outline the logistics in my head.  I said, “You sure you’d be allowed to cook in school?”  What was I saying?  I want Kyle to think big and not worry about such minor details.

Final and most important step 1/8/12

So I agreed to help him.  He started to write his paper only asking me a few clarification questions as they arose.  Once he was done, I checked the paper for accuracy of spelling and proper order to the cooking method.  He did a great job!  He even wrote it like he was selling the sandwich, promoting the health benefit and the additional varieties that can be made.  He is too much!

I slipped a post-it note into the box of ingredients

Just then, Kyle sprung into the day of the demonstration on me.  He said, “Ok Aunt Heather, we need to get all the ingredients together and you have to take me to school and pick me up.”  Now I have no trouble hanging with Kyle and changing my schedule around for him, but this time was less than a week’s notice and I didn’t know if I had meetings that day.  I told him I’d figure something out, but he would have to ride the bus.  I’d make sure he’d have the proper instruments, including a portable burner to cook the eggs on.  When I asked him if his class was in the morning or afternoon, he said, “Ya it’s either in the morning or the afternoon, I’m not sure but it’s definitely on Wednesday.”  Thanks, that was a big help! sarcasm He texted me later that week to tell me it was in the afternoon.

I thought I could take a half day off of work, bring in the material and then I could videotape Kyle.  I was so excited to record him and watch him make the Egg Sandwich Spectacular!  Then my dreams were crushed by a 10-year-old who said he really didn’t want me to watch him, let alone videotape him in his class.  I felt like a little kid that wasn’t allowed to go out and play.  Kyle informed me that I was able to drop all the ‘stuff’ off during lunch and have it picked up by 4:00 pm.  I wasn’t happy about missing this, but he is getting older.

The Sunday before, Kyle broke some more news to me that he needed to do a practice run.  Very logical thinking of Kyle, to practice before the actual presentation, but very typical to wait till the last minute on a Sunday night.  Good thinking!  That is until Kyle said he needed pictures of him making the sandwich for his poster board.  What?  You also have to make a storyboard?  This was actually a good thing, but I like getting things done early.  While he was practicing we were able to prep the ingredients for his big cooking day, trying to be prepared.

The day of the presentation I was thinking of him and a little nervous.  I wanted everything to go smoothly.  Taking my lunch break to run the material out to his school, I was able to show the teacher how to use the portable gas stove, courtesy of DeNunzio’s restaurant.  When I picked Kyle up for swimming the same day, I couldn’t wait to hear how it went and what the teacher thought.  He was very blasé about the presentation.  He just said, “Ya, it went ok, I couldn’t make enough for the class because the teacher set the skillet on the cutting board and it melted.  She said if I put the skillet on the fire it would burn the bottom.”  He was disappointed that he couldn’t make enough for the entire class, meanwhile I thought the teacher ruined my Pampered chef cutting board and my skillet?  It was a great experience for Kyle and I enjoyed being part of it!

How to make one Egg Sandwich Spectacular by Kyle Piper

What is healthy and can come in a variety of different combinations?  None other than an egg sandwich spectacular!  The reason I said a variety of combinations is because the ingredients are optional except for the basic eggs and bread.  The ingredients I use are, 2 slices of bread, 1 button mushroom, 1 head of broccoli, 1 egg of course, a tablespoon of milk, 2 tablespoons of shredded cheese.  You need 1 cutting board, 1 pearing knife, 1 fork, 1 small bowl, small skillet, a rubber spatula, a tablespoon of olive oil, and a stove to cook the eggs on.  Last you will need a plate to serve the sandwich on.

First, you will need to dice the broccoli and mushrooms, heat the oil in the skillet on medium to high heat and cook the broccoli and mushrooms till tender.  While the broccoli and mushrooms are cooing, crack the egg in the bowl, add the milk and the beat the egg with a fork until completely mixed.  Once the broccoli and mushrooms are cooked, pour in the egg and milk mixture.  Use the fork to evenly spread the broccoli and mushrooms throughout the egg and milk mixture.  After about a minute use your spatula to check under the egg mixture to see if it is lightly golden.  If the egg mixture is ready to flip, cook it on the other side and add the cheese on top of the egg.  Once the bottom of the egg mixture is lightly golden and the cheese is melted, place the egg between the bread slices.

That is how to make my healthy sandwich spectacular.  Or you can make your own variety by adding ham, green or red peppers, onions, and much more.  Hope you love it. Bye.

Few women admit their age.  Few men act theirs.  ~Anonymous

Today is dad’s birthday!!!  Please take a moment to review the many years of dad.  The upper left picture was taken in Holland.  The picture to the upper right is at the house with Nicole.  The picture in the lower left with the pistol was taken in Germany as well as the bottom picture when dad was in the army.  The black and white picture was sometime when dad was a kid.  And the center picture was taken at Sea World in Ohio.  Dad was asked to join the magician on stage.  We got such a kick out of it as kids.

Happy 61st Birthday Pappy!!!

You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.  ~Abraham Lincoln

You know, it never ceases to amaze me when someone is guilty, and I mean completely in the wrong, guilty, and they won’t take responsibility for their actions.  Come on, there are witnesses and proof without a doubt, yet admitting their guilt is not even a consideration.  What makes this even worse, due to their failure to publicly acknowledge their wrong doing, let alone to themselves, ultimately results in a lack of action taken on their part to rectify the situation.  Now I’m not standing on my soap box saying I’m a perfect person, not by a long shot.  I have clearly messed up throughout my life, more than I can count. However, I have always taken responsibility for my actions.  Now it may have been a delayed reaction, probably due to immaturity or a lack of instant guidance, but I’ve always tried to do what’s right.  Whether it’s rectifying the situation financially, or through a helping hand, and sometimes just acknowledging the wrong doing.  But, then again, that’s how I was raised.  I always forget others weren’t raised same.

What brought this little rant on was my recent game of Playing Chicken with a Drunk Driver.  After staring down the face of death, the only important thing to me is having Kyle safe and sound, anything else can be replaced and dealt with when the time arises.  But when none of this situation was not my fault, not in the slightest, and I managed to save you from going to jail for vehicular homicide, throw me a bone.  Admit to what you did and take the steps to amend the problem so everyone can put it behind them, get on with their lives and are not inconvenienced any longer.

Unfortunately, this does not seem to be the path I was placed on.  After averting the drunk driver to the best of my ability and taking my time to go through the appropriate legal steps of calling both insurances and giving my statement, I come to find out this was not the case for my drunken nemesis.  Finding out from the insurance company of the vehicle, the one used to run me up an embankment and nearly killing me and Kyle, that the customer was verbally abusive, in essence, for no reason other to be a complete idiot, is mind blowing!  Yep, the Progressive customer from that Ford F150 yelled at Progressive Insurance saying they were not responsible for my car.  Then they would not put the driver, their friend, on the phone to make a statement.  Come on, driver!  You were found by police and fire rescue sleeping in your truck after you wrecked it into a guardrail down the road where you almost took out me and two other cars.  They arrested you for a DUI!

Making this long rant a little bit longer, the Progressive representative that took my statement was very nice.  I asked him what was going to happen if the driver never gives a statement.  He said they will need to wait two weeks for the complete police report then proceed with getting everything underway.  So I found out that I had to have my insurance pay for everything up front and I get to pay the deductible.  It gets better, I was told from my insurance that Progressive is admitting that that their party was in the fault and they are taking complete responsibility.  I guess this never happens.  So why am I still responsible for my deductible?

What makes this situation even worse, Kyle is clearly still upset by the accident.  Rightfully so.  Last week when I went to pick Kyle up in the rental this was our conversation…

Kyle:  Does this car turn good?

Aunt Heather:  Yes, why do you ask?

Kyle:  You know why!

My poor Kyle is thinking we might need to use our evasive driving again.

As I’m getting this off of my chest, I realize, I still am very blessed.  Me and Kyle were chosen to live and for that I am completely grateful.  You know, now that I think about it: Kyle and I took an hour long hike on Saturday through the woods.  I mean up and down hills, through jagger bushes, over logs, across streams, into the woods (On a side note I love that musical)  and it is now that I realize, if I was closer to the telephone pole or too close to my head on collision, the outcome of Saturday would have been very different.  I am aware that no ambulance was needed, no hospital stay, and no headstone was assigned to me yet.  I was able to go on my merry way with my nephew as if the drunken driver encounter never happened.  Sometimes, just observing helps to put things into perspective, watching Kyle walk through the woods, sitting and building his Lego Star Wars Death Star, and serve at mass that night.  It’s these little things that hold the most weight with what’s truly important to a person.

I guess my guardian angel was working overtime, or Ryan was working for God to keep us safe.  Of course, Ryan wouldn’t want anything to happen to his son, and neither would I.  We all have Choices & Consequences it just depends on how we handle them that shows the type of person we are, how we were raised, and where we’re headed in life.  I truly hope things work out for that driver and I hope he has learned his lesson.  I am not mad or bitter with him, maybe just upset the situation is not resolved.  Who knows, maybe he’s so embarrassed or so upset with himself that he is fighting an internal battle before addressing anything else.  I do wish him well and I still think about my Good Samaritans and how lucky I am.  God Speed!

Of all God’s creatures, there is only one that cannot be made slave of the lash. That one is the cat. If man could be crossed with the cat it would improve the man, but it would deteriorate the cat.  ~Mark Twain

There are all sorts of ways to battle.  Battles can happen physically in multiple forms using an infinite number of weapons.  Then there’s the mental battle, using wit and a persons internal psyche, and the list goes on and on.  Sometimes battles take the form of actions based on symbolism, especially when one of the warriors cannot speak, only to say ‘meow’.  I am referring to Pudd’in, my cat of roughly 17 years, who is about 19 years old now.  Her opponent: My dad, who’ve I’ve known for 25 years now, being 61 years old.

Pudd'in playing with her toy mouse

My dad likes all animals, but not particularly cats.  He tolerates Pudd’in but I’ve never seen my dad actually hold a cat let alone cuddle up with one.  I, on the other hand, have always been infatuated with cats.  I’ve always had at least one cat my entire life.  When I was Kyle’s age, I used to stay on the ridge with my grandparents.  They seemed to always have feral cats running around on the edge of the woods.  I would sit in the yard behind the house and tame those cats.  Looking back on it now, it was kind of a sight. The cats would walk up to me and I would hold them until they were purring.  Then we were instant friends.  Sure they would scream a little and try to run once I was holding them, but I was never afraid and rather enjoyed playing with the kitties.  Then I would walk around the yard and they would follow behind like I was the Piped Piper, no pun intended.  Well, maybe a small pun, but it was totally appropriate!  My pappy used to call me old Cat Woman.  Aside from household cats, I love big cats, but I can get into that another day.   Back to the battle royale.

Ryan holding Jill -early 1980's

Well, we have this one bathroom in the house, which is right beside my dad’s office.  Dad used to use it all the time, but within the last, I want to say 15 years or longer, the toilet wasn’t working right and it just resided as a room.  A room that, since that time, housed Pudd’in’s litter box because, well it’s a bathroom for one and it’s on the other end of the house.  Within the last few months, my parents finally got around to replacing the toilet to make it a working bathroom again.  Now, the problem arises.  Pudd’in doesn’t really like change, not at all.  I’m guessing, from what I’m about to tell you, she is not taking this change very well.

Pudd'in is ready to swat at my phone

Dad has re-adopted that bathroom as his own.  In fact, he is pretty much the only person who really uses it and Pudd’in is taking a stand.  In stead of using her litter box, she is now, daily, from what I understand, showing her disdain by leaving her opinion on the floor in front of the toilet.  She has also increased her war efforts by peeing on dad’s pants in his room.  And, not to mention, mom was folding clothes on the futon in dad’s office while watching TV. Mom left the folded cloths there to return to find a once clean pile of dad’s underwear wore soiled with Pudd’in liquid.

It does appear that only dad’s items have been targeted.  My guess is because dad has never been really partial to Pudd’in.  He would shoo her off the furniture and chase her back down the hallway when they encountered one another.  This has gone on for years, I guess it’s dad’s way.  From what mom tells me, within the last couple of years, Pudd’in started to become radical, actually suicidal.  At night she would climb into bed with mom and dad and walk across my dad.  That is completely unheard of and a complete kamikaze mission.  Maybe this is her last straw with taking over what she felt was her bathroom.

Elizabeth, Joel, Casey, Ryan, Nicole with Jill and Baby. 1983

Now, I know how gross this war has become. Trust me, if there’s anyone who has a serious aversion to feces, it’s me.  I did pretty good with Kyle until the age when he could manage for himself in the bathroom.  Then I was glad I was done.  Even during the movie, American Wedding, when the one character eats a dog turd and has it stuck in his teeth, I about vomited.  I can’t watch that. Not funny, one bit.

Ahh, what to do with this battle between Pudd’in and dad.  Mom is beside herself and I don’t know how to fit this.  Dad is mad and expressed it to me the other day by saying, “Damn cat! I’m going to fix her. She can sleep outside from now on.”  Then I clearly stated that he should be a little nicer to her. Not that he’s mean at all, just not loving.  I said, “I’d be careful, it’s war between you two, and she’s winning.”  Dad just grunted, probably knowing it was the truth.  So what do I do?  I definitely need some professional guidance on this one.  Yikes!  It’s kind of funny, but I’ll admit, totally gross.

Help me! Any thoughts?  Suggestions?

At the end of the day, the most overwhelming key to a child’s success is the positive involvement of parents.  ~ Jane D. Hull

You know, more than not, Kyle manages to pleasantly surprise me.  The other day I was watching TV and I received a couple text messages from Kyle from his new iPod Touch I got him for Christmas.  First I’d like to say, when Kyle is not with my family he is missed terribly and we are always wondering what he’s up to.  So, needless to say, receiving an unprompted text message from Kyle made my night.  On a side note, like most 10 year old kids, Kyle doesn’t like to talk to family members more than needed, especially when a game awaits his attention.  But what really threw me off guard, earlier that day, was when dad and I Facetimed Kyle right after school (not his choice).  I wanted to make sure he was still alright from when we were Playing Chicken With a Drunk Driver.  Anyway, he was texting to see if he could take his new iPod Touch to school and daycare.  Can you believe it?  How sweet and responsible!  I naturally replied, “Surely, it’s yours.”  Then I texted him, “Did you practice your piano and guitar?”  The response I got was, “I took a shower and I’m ready for bed”, followed by “I got an A on my spelling test.”  After congratulating him, I asked him to go practice his instruments before bed.  He then texted me back asking to Facetime.

What a pleasant surprise!  He wanted me to hear him practice his piano, guitar, and trumpet.  Not to mention, if I know Kyle, he doesn’t like doing anything by himself and he lives for attention and compliments.  So this was an easy win-win for him.  We made a little chit chat before he laid down the iPod Touch while he went through the notes on his guitar.  Sometimes the signal would break up a bit but, for the most part, it was pretty clear.  While I was listening, I had to watch the his ceiling fan spin.  It kind of made me a little motion sick, so I couldn’t look the entire time.  Then, every once in a while, Kyle would peek the top of his head into view.  He looked like a groundhog popping its head up and down.  Usually, all I saw was the top of his head down to his nose.  It was actually kind of funny.

Next, Kyle had to move to another room where his keyboard was set up.  Instead of a ceiling fan, I got to watch the ceiling and the corner of the wall.  I kept waiting for the head popping into view and I got my wish several times.  He also kept checking to make sure I was paying attention, which I certainly was trying to be the best audience via Facetime.  Then came the trumpet.  He played a song two or three times before he wanted to move onto a more important item… his Lego Star Wars Death Star!

When he said he was done and I finished complimenting him and letting him know how happy I was that he finished his work before bed, Kyle decided he wanted a new picture for his wallpaper of his iPod Touch.  He asked me if I would go to the kitchen and take a picture of the Lego Star Wars Death Star. I did and then he wanted me to instruct him on how to add the picture.  It was getting late, so I told him I would help him out the next day.

Kyle taking a pic of himself on iBooth

Well the next day came, and Kyle didn’t forget.  He texted me right after school while I was at work.  I was busy with email and told him to hold the thought.  In the meantime, he figured out how to add the picture.  Apple products are so easy a kid can pick it up and understand how to use it. (That was actually in the Steve Jobs book.)  We continued to text back and forth until I received an invite to Facetime.  What?  He didn’t know how to Facetime the day prior, but now he’s all over it.  You see, it was last Wednesday and I leave work a little early to pick him up for swimming lessons.  I was texting him, asking that he practice his instruments before I get there.  Well, evidently he wanted an audience again.  So I leaned my phone beside me so he could see me when the phone wasn’t facing the ceiling and I explained that I was going to address emails while he played.  He seemed fine with that and continued through his lessons.  It was kind of neat, communicating with Kyle, even though it was via phones.

Kyle made my days more enjoyable!  He even graced the office with his music, which bellowed from the tiny phone speakers.  Yep, unconventional gifts rock!  Giving Kyle the gift of music, games, communication, and handheld fun, in turn, gave me the gift of family communication and involvement!  Win-Win!

My tongue is saying yes but my tummy is not wanting anything.  ~Kyle Piper 12/2011

Since this is the New Year’s, it seems as though most of us make the New Year’s resolution of weight loss, eating healthy or a combination.  I do believe that for most of us, the following story will really hit home.

As we were leaving swimming lessons, Kyle and I discussed what we were going to have for dinner.  We decided to make his Egg Spectacular (omelet).  Usually we make the Egg Sandwich Spectacular but we decided against sandwiches.  We discussed the ingredients we were going to use.  There are a couple of common items that make it Spectacular, but sticking with the Piper method, we simply use what’s in the refrigerator.  This time I had eggs of course, cauliflower, cheese, and ham.  Kyle really wanted broccoli but alas, I was all broccoli out.  Kyle mentioned we needed milk but, “Let’s not put as much as Gigi did the last time.”  You see one time, not long ago, my mom put too much milk in the egg mixture before adding it to the skillet.  Kyle was not happy with the results of that Egg Spectacular.  I said, “O Kyle, that was one time. Gigi does a pretty good job with cooking, especially eggs.”  “Ya Aunt Heather I know, well except for that other time too, when she burnt the food.”  O my Kyle, he cracks me up!

Kyle making cookies 2011

Once we settled in the house, I went straight to work since time always seems to be so limited in the evening.  Kyle went over to the TV and put the local news on.  I really wanted him to get started on his homework while I made dinner to avoid keeping him up late and rushing to get everything done.  But on the other hand, I love it when Kyle helps me cook.  It makes it so much more fun.

Kyle insisted on helping me with dinner, as he usually does.  Not that it’s a bad thing, but I’m looking at the bigger picture of time management.  He said he wanted to practice breaking eggs and separating the yolks.  He said he’ll put the whites and yolks back together in a bowl and beat the eggs.  He also wanted to practice his egg flipping skills.  Now how can I deny a child of trying to perfect his skills?  Also how can I deny myself an opportunity of cooking with Kyle?  Yikes!  I guess homework would have to have a few extra minutes until we made dinner and ate.  Not only do we cook, but while we’re waiting on the food to finish cooking we stand in the kitchen and shoot the breeze.  This is my opportunity to see what’s going on with him in school, with friends etc.  It’s amazing the conversations we’ve had, when they are not forced and very impromptu.  Great bonding time.  It you haven’t done it with your kiddies, I highly recommend it!

Once we finished cooking and eating, Kyle had a second helping.  He knows protein and vegetables are good for him and I had no objections.  About halfway through his second helping Kyle said, “My tongue is saying yes but my tummy is not wanting anything.”  Can you believe the inner turmoil he was facing?  I took that as a compliment, that the food was so good he wanted to eat more, but he was full to the brim.  Once I got past the funny comment, I said, “Then don’t push it.  Never make yourself stuffed full.  It’s not healthy.”  Kyle always knows that I always wrap up the leftovers as to not waste, but I never expect him to finish his plate.  What I do try to practice is taking small portions and going back for seconds.  I couldn’t believe it, he was having an internal debate about eating.  I guess it’s more common than not.  Although, I worry.  I never want Kyle to have to deal with this fight throughout his lifetime.  I guess I just have to keep reinforcing good eating habits and teaching him about proper nutrient.

See Cooking with Kyle- Introduction

Every day may not be good, but there’s something good in every day.  ~Author Unknown

Kyle took a pic of himself on photobooth. Missing tooth shot.

Children definitely see the world differently.  Sometimes I find Kyle seeing it as I once had, but have forgotten.  The other day Kyle and I were eating popcorn and watching TV.  He turned to me very casually and said, “Aunt Heather, I love popcorn, but I don’t like getting it stuck in my teeth.  Well, actually I sort of like getting it stuck in my teeth cause I like the feeling when I get it out.  It feels good.”  What a profound statement!  He was taking a negative and looked for the good in the situation.

Laughing at this statement, I said, “Really?”  He went on to describe how parts of the popcorn get stuck between his teeth and down into his gums.  He said, “It kind of hurts my teeth when I have popcorn stuck between them.”  He then began to make a reference between popcorn and corn-on-the-cob.

I took this as my opportunity to review proper dental hygiene.  I told him how it’s not good to get food caught between your teeth, especially your gums.  The food will start to rot and can cause not only decay between the teeth but also infection when the food is stuck in the gums.

Kyle knows how I am a bit of a radical with brushing and flossing my teeth.  Yes, I will admit I have toothpaste and a toothbrush in my desk at work.  I have been busted walking to the bathroom brushing my teeth after lunch.  In fact, I love going to the dentist twice a year to get my teeth cleaned.  To me, it’s like a spa day.  I never miss my appointments and I look forward to them.  I’ve even been known to take a half day off of work so I can sit and relax.  Once my dentist says the words he has reiterated over the years, ‘As always, good job Heather, teeth and gums are perfect’ I walk out of there with a smile on my face.  To me, having my teeth scrapped, buffed and polished makes me feel so clean and fresh and I just want to show off my pearly whites.  It’s like spring cleaning, you can’t explain it but it puts you in a good mood, gives you energy and makes the day more enjoyable.  Also, like spring cleaning, once the job is done you sit back and smile, not wanting to dirty anything.

Me & Kyle at Idlewild

Ever since Kyle’s teeth started to come in, I have reinforced the habits of good dental hygiene.  I have yet to get him to floss his own teeth, at least not regularly, not yet.  I think I’ve mentioned it before that Kyle likes to lay his head in my lap and have me floss his teeth.  We’ve been doing this since he only had baby teeth.  I always wanted to instill a good sense of habit, even at a young age.  Anyway, I kind of enjoy poking around in there.  This also gives me the opportunity to examine his teeth, after all you are only given one set of adult teeth.  From the looks of it, Kyle’s upper and lower anterior teeth are coming in perfectly straight, which I’m so happy about.  However, he still has a couple anterior teeth to loose, not to mention his posterior teeth, which could change the entire layout.  Plus there’s the question of his wisdom teeth.  I heard that most people are not even developing them anymore.  I myself had all four wisdom teeth, two being impacted, which was not a fun experience, removed.  It seems as though Kyle is set on a course for a perfect smile, not unlike his smile currently.

Now you may be asking why I am such a nut over teeth.  I actually started my career out in dental hygiene.  I worked as a dental assistant for a little over a year.  My goal was to go to school for dental hygiene and marketing.  I wanted to be able to go to elementary schools to teach children about proper dental care.  Well, things took a turn and eventually I completed my marketing degree, receiving a bachelors of arts and then shortly after completed my bachelors of fine arts in graphic design.

I still exemplify my love of teeth through my daily habits.  I’m glad this is something I have instilled in Kyle.  A good habit to practice!  A smile is always the easiest way to turn a negative into a positive.

Part of the issue of achievement is to be able to set realistic goals, but that’s one of the hardest things to do because you don’t always know exactly where you’re going, and you shouldn’t.  ~George Lucas

Kyle just started building the Lego’s Death Star – Christmas 2011

This past year, my sister arrived for Christmas break with the biggest box of Legos this house has ever seen, The Death Star.  Containing 3,803 pieces for ages 14+, this was Kyle’s dream Lego set.  Not only does Kyle love Legos, and I use that as an understatement, but he is infatuated with Legos.  Kyle has been building The Death Star off and on for a week now and enjoying every minute of it.  Kyle finally found himself a challenge, never being intimidated by the size, the piece count, or the minimum suggested age.  I must say, he welcomed the challenge and went straight to work.  He did manage to stop periodically to play with the partially built structure.  Not discriminating,  Kyle brought in other toys to join the Star Wars battles, including his new Skylanders.  By the New Year he had it about halfway completed and set himself a goal of wrapping up the project before the following weekend.

Kyle is about half way on the Lego Death Star. 2011

You know, it’s kinda neat to see Kyle so engrossed in Star Wars, not  just the new episodes or the Star Wars: The Clone Wars cartoon, which he is completely into, but he likes the classics and the story as a whole.  I will admit, when I was younger I was a Star Wars fan.  As a typical female Star Wars follower, I would take my long braided pigtails and roll them up on the sides of my head like a cinnamon bun.  I not only wanted to emulate Princess Leia, but I also liked the fashion of the hairstyle.  I sported the T-shirts and ran around with an empty wrapping paper roll as a lightsaber.  I watched the Ewoks cartoon on Saturday mornings and I still have my metal Return of the Jedi lunch box.  Yep, what kid didn’t want to be a part of the adventure?

I was lucky enough to see all the original Star Wars movies in the movie theater.  You see, back then, by the time a movie made it’s way around my hometown it was out for quite some time.  So, even though Star Wars was released in 1977, and I was born in 1975, I did get to see it in the movie theater, and I remember it!  My dad took me and my sister to see The Empire Strikes Back in Ligonier, leaving my mom home with a really sick kid.  We went as a family to see Return of the Jedi in the drive-in, which was recently torn down this past year to make room for an Eckard.  I’m not happy about that, but I digress.  Seeing Return of the Jedi in the drive-in was cool enough, but then they had an actor walking around the cars wearing a Darth Vader custom!  He peeked in windows of cars and was really a prominent dark figure in the shadows of the evening.  Even though I was completely terrified, I couldn’t help but watch him and then to see Darth Vader on the big screen made it too real.  It was AWESOME!

I told Kyle all these stories and you would swear I was an army war survivor telling great stories from a previous life.  You can see the excitement in his eyes when we talk about our Star Wars experience and our mutual love for the franchise.  It seems like all superheroes have come full circle and re-made their modern appearance.  I guess it’s not only fun for children but adults alike.  One day, I’ll touch on my obsession with Wonder Woman.  What were you into as a child?

Check back to see how the Death Star turns out.

I know at last what distinguishes man from animals: financial worries.  ~Romain Roland

Our cousin, Heather, got Kyle a Home Depot car for his 1st Birthday.

Every year for Christmas the family pets always receive a gift or two, which I’m sure this is true in most homes.  This year, Pudd’in got the usual plush toy mouse with a bell attached to its tail; even though I am strongly opposed to the likes of that toy.  It looks surprisingly real in the dark or if spotted at a quick glance.  Seven and Scooby got their usual ropes to further their games of tug and war and a rawhide bone for each.  However, dad stepped it up a notch and got them both matching doggie beds.  Yep, both beds are laying in front of the fireplace in the living-room, usually holding two sleeping dogs.  Watching the animals get new toys is like watching a child with their new toy.  I mean, they really truly get so excited, after all Dogs Acting Like Children is something I’ve discussed before.

Recently, I busted Kyle playing with the dogs toys, and I don’t mean playing with the dogs along with the toys.  I mean using the toys as part of his Lego battles.  He wasn’t even paying attention that the dogs were in the room.  I simply mentioned, “You know those are the dogs’ toys.”  Kyle just gave me an ‘I know, but I’m playing’ look.

Me, Nicole & Ryan - Christmas 1981

Kyle cracks me up, he can turn anything into a toy and use any toy as his own, even if it was meant for a four-legged pet. From the time Kyle was little, I would find Pudd’in’s toys as well as Jake’s (my brother’s dog who passed away a couple of years ago at the ripe old age of 18 years) together in the toy pile.  At a year old, Kyle would take Pudd’in’s rubber jingling play balls and prefer to play with them over his own building blocks and singing books.  Now that I look back at it now, that might have been just an ingenious move on Kyle’s behalf.  He always did love playing with the pets but Jake and Pudd’in, who were a little older when Kyle was just a tyke, wouldn’t give him the time of day.  So that might have been Kyle’s brilliant plan to lure the animals towards him, by using their toys against them.  Or, looking at it from another point of view, some of Kyle’s toys attracted Pudd’in, especially the toys that sat there and had things dangling from them.  Either way, Kyle has a long history of me busting him playing with the dogs’ and cat’s toys.

Kyle protecting the Lego Death Star from Seven - Christmas 2011

Maybe I am taking a glimpse into Kyle’s future.  This past summer, after we mowed the lawn, Kyle and I went to the store to pick up pies for Devin’s birthday.  While we were in the shopping center, Kyle spotted the sign for Petco.  Naturally, marketing took over and Kyle recited, “It’s where the pets go.”  Then he went on and on about buying toys for pets, almost like he had it figured out down to a science.  He said, “People should bring their pets in and let them pick out their toys, ’cause there’s no sense in buying a toy if they aren’t going to use it.”  What a profound and reasonable statement!  But if I know Kyle, he was thinking of the toy suiting his fancy.  At least he’s enjoying being a kid.

If you must drink and drive, drink Pepsi.  ~Anonymous

Last night around 8:30 pm, Kyle and I were involved with a near drunk driver run in.  First, I’d like to say we are both fine, at least as far as physical evidence is concerned.

Now the story of the incident or, as it should correctly be called: The avoidance of a death resulted accident.  As I am thinking back on it now, it seems almost fake, like I couldn’t have possibly managed to squeak past death like that, but sure enough I did, with witnesses.  Kyle and I were driving up a two lane highway, not far from my parents house.  Actually, not far from my house either.  When I say two lanes, there was one lane going either direction and we were on a straight stretch of road where you can pass.  As you can imagine, seeing a little way up the road for oncoming traffic was possible.  Thank goodness!  It was dark and we weren’t in a hurry at all, just motoring along.  Kyle wasn’t playing his DS or iTouch. In fact, now that I think about it, we both had our eyes on the road with little chit chat.  It was one of those relaxed car rides.  The calm before the storm if you will.

As I drove along I noticed two very large headlights starring down the road like bright white eyes.  Now at first I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me.  I mean, how often do headlights stare you down in your lane of highway?  That’s the moment when I noticed the bright white eyes crossed over into my lane and hit the side of the bank, on my side of the road.  Then the truck straightened out and drove straight for a head on collision with me and Kyle.  All I saw were the bright white eyes itching to play a game of chicken with me.

It’s weird, the thoughts that pop into your head at a moment like that one.  I thought, “O crap we are going to hit head on!”  Then I started to review my options.  My first thinking was to turn my steering wheel before the impact toward the side of the road so the truck would hit my side of the car and not Kyle’s. You see, all I thought about was that little boy sitting in the passenger seat!  That would have surely resulted in my death.  I was ok with that decision except I didn’t want Kyle to see me dead in a car and I wasn’t certain he would be unharmed.  I thought, “It’s better than having us both die.”  Then I thought I could swerve into what was supposed to be his lane, but I couldn’t see for the blinding bright white eyes were on me.  Plus, if my opponent managed to move back into his lane on a delayed reaction, he will surely hit Kyle’s side of the car.  Ok, so not an option.

What I did was definitely blessed by God.  You see, there really wasn’t much of a side of the road, maybe three feet before the bank.  Now that didn’t matter anyway since he was halfway in the lane and halfway on the brim of the road on my side of the highway, again staring me down, forcing me to play a game I didn’t agree to with little options. In my last ditch effort to get us out of this alive, I made a bold move.  I kicked the car up on the side of the bank like we were Dukes of Hazard driving on two wheels.  Running into another obstacle, literally, we were in a direct path for a telephone poll.  Again, my only mission was to keep Kyle’s side of the car safe.  So I made a conscience decision to take the hit from his truck on my side of the car to avoid the telephone pole, which I just barely grazed.  Just at that moment the drunk driver, driving a Ford F150 swerved just enough as to just clip my mirror.  In essence, I managed to squeeze myself between a drunk driver in a large vehicle and a telephone pole with two wheels on the road and the rest of the car on the side of grassy ground.

Surprisingly, before the accident even happened, at the moment I knew we were going to be in an accident, I evaluated my options and was able to make a choice.  I know that sounds crazy, but it’s true, I was able to decrease the speed of the situation and see it in slow motion.  You know, it was weird, my old training took over.  You see, I used to train in Tang Soo Do (karate) and Haidong Gumdo (sword) years ago.  We always trained for Pyong, which means Safe, Comfortable, Confident, Peaceful, Well-balanced.  That’s a lot wrapped up in just one word, but there’s no other way to explain what’s going on.

Once I stopped the car on the side of the road and got it of the embankment, it was time to evaluate the damage, physical and emotional.  At first I couldn’t see out to the sides of the car.  The side air bags were released.  Now that I think about it, they may have stopped Kyle from hitting his head on the side window when I swerved.  The impact of hitting the embankment blew out my front passenger tire and practically ripped the wheel off.  It seemed as though the front passenger quarter panel was slightly dimpled just above the wheel.  Aside from that no real evidence the car was almost hit head on.

As far the emotional damage goes, well time will tell with Kyle.  Initially, once I got the car to a stop, Kyle turned to me with such a look of fear in his eyes. I mean real life threatening fear!  I wanted to be upset too but, once I saw his face and felt his fright, I stopped and turned off all emotions and became extremely calm.  You see, Kyle was waiting for my reaction to join in, but I gave him nothing.  I simply turned my entire body toward him and said in a very neutral voice, “Are you ok?”  He wanted to cry or scream, but he was in shock.  He gave me a look like, ‘Aunt Heather are you ok?’.  Without him asking the question, I instantly reassured him that I was fine and I asked him again, “Are you alright buddy?” in a tone as if he just had a bad case of the hiccups, all the while examining his head and torso to get the answer before it was given.  He looked down in his lap and said, “My stomach.”  You see we were still in our seat belts and they constricted us as if holding us in a roller coaster ride.  To almost make light of the situation and reinforce the importance of seat belts,  I said, “Ya, they did their job!”  Just then, I unfastened mine and Kyle followed suit. Then I heard a knocking at my door.

It was my good Samaritans, as I have been referring to them since.  I went to duck the airbag and get out of the car to get a good snapshot of what just happened, not thinking Kyle wanted out.  He said in a very stressed and claustrophobic voice before I got out, “Aunt Heather, I want out of here!”  I said nonchalantly, “Ok honey, stand on the bank away from the road.”  Since the car was right up against ground, the door wouldn’t open fully and Kyle had to wedge himself out.  Just then the people in the car behind me checked to make sure we were both fine before telling me the story from their point of view.  Evidently another driver stopped and said that the drunk driver almost hit them up the road.  The car behind me witnessed the entire situation.  I bet that was a crazy sight!

You know as I stood their waiting for the cops and my tow truck with my good Samaritans, the guy, which I will not name names since I don’t have permission, said, “While it’s a good thing you have that car, if it was me, my car would not have been able to make the bank and the truck would have crushed us.”  You know he’s right!  I am in a way glad it was me and no one got hurt.  The car is replaceable, no doubt.  I also noted that the lady in the car took Kyle and put him in their car so he wouldn’t get cold and to get him off the side of the highway.  She was so good to him.  Both of them were very calm too.  As if on cue they didn’t act in any sort of hysterics as to not upset Kyle.  For that alone I am forever grateful.  Not to mention everything else they did for me in our hour long first meeting.

Next the outcome.  The drunk driver made his way down the highway a little and wrecked into a guardrail and passed out.  He was so intoxicated he fell asleep!!  At this moment I didn’t know this happened and while I was on the phone calling my mom to pick us up, I realized I was sending my mom in a direct path for death!  He was headed toward where my mom would be coming!  I couldn’t believe what just happened and possibly what might happen.  When mom came to our rescue she said she saw an accident and thought it was me.  She pulled over and asked either the fire rescue or the ambulance where I was.  They knew nothing about our run in with this drunk.  They had no idea we were up the road stranded.  You see, they didn’t realize there were two accidents on the same stretch of highway.  That would explain why it took the cops close to an hour to get there.  And you know what, my good Samaritans stood with me the entire time!  They wanted to make sure Kyle and I were fine and they wanted to give their statements.

Once mom got there, I had her take Kyle home who, later on I found out, had a few bruises on his belly.  Then the cops arrived with the drunk driver in his back seat.  I asked, “Could I have a word with him?” instantly declined.  As the officer took down my information I mentioned that my nephew was originally in the car with me.  He asked, “How old is your nephew?”  He then went off spouting, “That’s great!  That’s just great!”  He informed me that he lost his brother to a drunk driver in the past.  I felt so bad for this man.  The officer went on to explain that he had to get the driver to the hospital before too long so they could get an accurate blood alcohol reading.

Mom came back to get me just as the tow truck got there.  My good Samaritans had me call them when the tow truck got there and a little bit later that night to see if we were still alright.  What great people!  I mean really fantastic people who went above and beyond!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

We are all fine and I think managing to avoid complete tragedy like that was a miracle.  I think I received the best possible result out of that situation.  So please don’t drink and drive!  And if you have an opportunity to be a good Samaritan, react on it.  It may mean the world to the receiver!  God Speed in 2012!

One day at a time – this is enough. Do not look back and grieve over the past for it is gone; and do not be troubled about the future, for it has not yet come.  Live in the present, and make it so beautiful it will be worth remembering.  ~Unknown

You know, here we are again at a new year.  Happy 2012!!  This is officially my blogs’ one year anniversary!

Nicole, Kyle and me ready to ring in 2012!!

Something my priest said in church that really stuck with me, “‘The New Year is God’s gift to us and our gift to Him is how we use this year.”  Yes!  I’ve heard some people say it’s just another year, no big deal.  Well, I say it is a yearly milestone.  It’s a time to reflect on the past and envision the future.  A time to learn and move past the mistakes of the past and set new goals to be a better person in the upcoming year.  It always amazes me how much is the same and how much has changed over the course of one year. I’m going to play both sides of the house on this one, change is good, but there’s nothing wrong with consistency and traditions.  I think you need a little bit of both to balance out life.

Me & Kyle New Year's Eve 2010

To most people it’s a time to make resolutions.  Everyone has their own standard resolutions: getting in shape, tackle a house project, finding a new hobby, etc.  Over the years mine have included work less and spend more time with family, run a marathon, volunteer more, keep a journal (which ironically has become my blog) and the list goes on and on.

This year, my resolutions include exercising five days a week, every other book read is a classic (this was also last year’s resolution which never happened), volunteer with Kyle monthly and do more traveling.

I believe making resolutions is a good habit to get children into.  It’s good to be involved with your children in their goal setting and outlining what they should expect from themselves.  I have a few suggestions that Kyle and I discussed.

• Volunteering
• Eating healthy
• Exercising daily
• Befriending someone new
• Discover a new activity
• Traveling to destinations

Of course the list is unlimited.  Do you have specific New Year’s resolutions you’ve discussed with your kids?  I’d like to hear them.  Email me at [email protected] or submit your comments below.  God Speed!

Nicole, Kyle & me New Year's Eve 2011... next year is going to be the best!