Picture of This Day

Kiernan and Pap-Pap play freeze tag while I work on the roof. I got the Christmas lights down before March, so I've got that going for me.

February 28, 2009

Unconditional

Lunch outside again. It is Saturday, and Sandi has called to chat for a bit. You can see the phone sitting up on the table in front of Kiernan; it's on speakerphone so we can all talk to Sandi.

At one point Kiernan brought up chocolate and peanut butter. Sandi sent her famous peanut butter chocolate squares along with Pap-Pap. When Kiernan mentions the bars, and mentions that they are going to have one after lunch, Sandi says something about them not liking them or something. Maybe, "Oh you don't like peanut butter!" I don't really remember exactly what she said. But Kiernan's reply was,

"Somebody doesn't even like chocolate!"

The rest of the conversation I shall recount as best I can. This account is pretty close, but only the last line is verbatim, which is fine as that's the line that counts.

Sandi: There's nobody that doesn't like chocolate!

Kiernan: Yes there is! [looking to me] Is there?

Me: Daniel.

Kiernan: Oh! Daniel doesn't like chocolate!

Sandi: What?!? What planet is he from?

Kiernan: Earth.

Pap-Pap: It's true. Daniel doesn't like chocolate.

Kiernan: He's in my family.

That's it. A sweet little exchange that hit me at the last line. Daniel, in the above conversation, of course refers to one of Kiernan's godparents. "He's in my family." Just a lovely little moment on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.

Today in Pictures

Some images from this day that I really love. Presented unencumbered by too much narrative.


Eating lunch outside on a beautiful California day. It's February.


After lunch moment. They are evaluating my sad tomato plant. Kiernan identifies a bug, which immediately reminds me of a Nana moment from last year. Nana instituted "Bug Patrol" with Kiernan. I'll post a picture or two of that tomorrow.


At halftime during tonight's basketball game. Pap-Pap has smuggled Linnie, the Wonder Pets guinea pig, into the gym to cheer for Kiernan. Kiernan's coach, Coach Jennifer, grows in stature for both of us as she professes her love for the Wonder Pets and offers to sing the theme song. Kiernan sings the song for her, instead, and we all applaud. Halftime at the basketball game.


Finally, bath time. Kiernan and Pap-Pap doing some kind of complicated volumetric activity. I have no idea, but they were into it.

Picture of This Day

I'm usually a little shy about posting pictures like this...potty moments. But this was a great little moment, and the picture reminded me of a shot my brother-in-law Mitch took last year. I'll dig that out and post it tomorrow, hopefully. I'm sure I'll be required to remove and shred these images well before teenager time rolls around.

I like this picture for a couple reasons. There's the obvious. It just looks sweet. A moment before afternoon nap time. But I also love it because of what Pap-Pap is actually talking about. He's telling a story. Kiernan and Pap-Pap have created a new story construct during this visit. The story involves three cats and their adventures. Our cat Cali and her new fictional cousins, Smelly Cat and Belly Cat.

I love stuff like this.

February 27, 2009

Picture of This Day

After school on Thursday. I, for one, welcome the arrival of our Preschool Overlords.

February 26, 2009

The Visitor

Today, Thursday, Pap-Pap stayed with Kiernan as a volunteer/visitor at the CSUN Lab School. Teacher Stephanie asked him to read during story time today, as yesterday a CSUN student was slated to lead circle time. Pap-Pap read a story about a lady eating a trout.

After school we hung out and played for a bit, as we usually do. The difference today was that there was an able stand-in for the usual guy who gets chased and mobbed by the children. I think a lot of light bulbs went on for the mothers of Kiernan's friends.

We played for a good long while. There was an interesting ebb and flow in the playing, not depicted in the pictures here. The kids did their usual running about, their usual hiding from each other. But also there developed this interesting exclusionary element. The girls all made for the benches in front of the kindergarten building. The boys ran and ran and ran, and then made their way over to the benches. The girls then announced, "No boys allowed!" Then the boys ran away and did their thing. No big deal, really. Until later at lunch when Kiernan started asking questions about that. "Why did Lucy and Lailah say 'No boys allowed'? That's not nice." No mention of the fact that he and his friend Nicholas constantly exclude other kids from their play, or that they spend a serious amount of their outdoor play time scaring the girls and running away from them.

After school we headed to Pap-Pap's favorite lunch place during his visits, Brent's Deli. He really has to twist my arm to get me take him to this place when he comes, let me tell you. The Black Pastrami Reuben is one of the best sandwiches this world has to offer. And for Kiernan, the silver dollar buttermilk pancakes can't be beat.

I think Kiernan would pretty much be fine if we fed him pancakes at every meal.


[Picture Note: Pap-Pap and Kiernan wait for a table at Brent's Deli. Kiernan reads and Pap-Pap holds forth. Note the required name tag from his visit to CSUN Lab School earlier.]

Picture of This Day

Discussing issues of galactic importance with the Planet Heroes. On the top bunk. After nap.

February 25, 2009

Keeping the World Safe

You have to sign in on a little time sheet when you drop off your child and when you pick him up at CSUN Lab School. Other things are posted on the board where this time sheet resides. Various announcements. The theme of the week. Snack menus. Occasionally the teachers will post a class project. The above photo shows the class project that greeted the parents as they came to pick up their children today.

I don't yet know the details. All I know from Kiernan is that they did not do this today. I can't wait to talk to Teacher Stephanie (Kiernan's excellent lead teacher) about it.

Not that I really need to. The list is fairly self-explanatory.

Today was an interesting day. As you know, if you check the daily picture, Pap-Pap is visiting. So our routine is a bit different.

We all rose a little early this morning so that we could take Wendy/Mommy to the airport as she has a couple of days of work in Texas. We drove directly from the airport to school, getting there just in time to be on time. And by 'directly' in the sentence above I mean, "With a stop for a donut and coffee at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf." Of course.

Pap-Pap wanted to spend time with Kiernan in his class, so at his behest I cleared this with Kiernan's teacher and the principal of Kiernan's school, the wonderful Teacher/Principal Christa. They were both cool with this, so Dad slapped on a nametag and settled in for a day of preschool with Kiernan. The two of them enjoyed themselves immensely. Pap-Pap even made a couple of new friends: as we prepared to leave I witnessed Kiernan's friend Kyle pointing out Pap-Pap to his mother. I didn't hear what he said, but I heard her ask, "Oh...that's your new friend?"

[Picture Note: This is an awkward shot through the observation glass at the school. Keep in mind it's a lab school, so observation is key. Parents can observe, as well as students. Here I am observing circle/story time, the last part of the school day when a teacher sits before the class and reads a book and leads the class in the final songs and rituals of the day. In this picture you see Kiernan on Pap-Pap's lap, watching a student teacher complete a lesson.]

After school we headed to Trader Joe's (the best store on the planet) for supplies. Our Trader Joe's is in a strip mall with a bunch of stores. One of those stores is Baskin Robbins. Kiernan, for some reason, recognizes Baskin Robbins whenever he sees it. As we pulled into the parking lot, he convinced Pap-Pap that it would be a good idea for the two of them to stop there while I did the shopping. The word "convinced" in that sentence is a bit misleading. Saying Kiernan "convinced" Pap-Pap that getting ice cream was a good idea is a bit like saying I convinced you breathing would be a good idea today.

The two of them got their ice cream, and I had some lovely precious moments at Trader Joe's. And I say that without sarcasm. I love that place and enjoy shopping there with Kiernan, but getting to venture in and do my shopping on my own was nice. Trying to compare products and do Planet Heroes voices simultaneously does tend to take something from the experience.

After that we headed home. Kiernan and Pap-Pap had lunch together and played with the Planet Heroes. All in all, a lovely day.


[Picture Note: They both chose the same flavor, Mississippi Mud. This lead to many hilarious discussions later in the day. No...they saved nary a taste for me. But then I did get free samples at Trader Joe's (coffee and fish sticks), so I suppose it balances out.]

Picture of This Day

At LAX. Pap-Pap arrived for a visit today. It's possible Kiernan was looking forward to it.

February 24, 2009

The Planety Professor

Kiernan's babysitter, Melissa, asked us to bring Kiernan in for a demonstration panel for one of her classes. We figured this would be fine as it was a quick little demo, and not so much a dog and pony show.

Kiernan went into the class and wowed them for a few minutes. He showed them a couple of his Planet Heroes and answered a few questions about the Solar System. When pressed about Pluto by the professor of the class he held forth a bit on the Dwarf Planets. He closed by going to the front, standing on a chair and writing his name on the white board at the front of the room.

My favorite moment directly followed that, when he turned around and made as if he was about to pounce from his chair into my arms, over the table at which the panel was seated. Melissa was standing next to him, and she encouraged him not to do this. I just loved his instincts, and the classroom gasp as he readied for the jump.

We didn't know if he would play coy or gregarious in the room. He went with the latter. What a charmer.


[Pic Notes: In the top picture you see him writing his name on the board next to a picture of himself which Melissa has projected over head. The second picture shows him answering a question posed by the professor leading the class. Most likely he's expounding upon the status of Pluto.]

Picture For This Day

At the dentist, for his check up. He was great, as per. His dentist is cool (her t-shirt tells that story). The only hard part was the x-rays.

Note who is watching over him, besides me. That would be Tune, of the Planet Neptune.


Afterward, waiting for x-rays to be developed. Watching Cars overhead. I find it funny that that's the film he picked of all the dvd options proferred. He had his friend William over to the house to watch the film one day a few months ago and the two of them barely paid attention to it.

Oh, and his teeth look great.

February 26, 2009

Picture For This Day

Earth ball.

July, 2008

Picture For This Day

Balls as planets.

July, 2008

Picture For This Day

At the Virginia Living Museum. In honor of Sandi's birthday, which is today.

Happy Birthday Sandi!

November 2008

[UPDATE: I forgot to mention that today is also reader Jeni Huber's birthday. Happy Birthday, Jeni!]

Picture of This Day

Some lap time reading at the bookstore. I'm not really feeling as stern as I look in the picture; I'm just trying to figure out how to best angle the camera. As I take this we are about to read a Star Wars book that Kiernan has selected from the shelves.

Borders. Woodland Hills, CA

February 18, 2009

One More Thing from Today...

A little bonus post.

This morning as I got Kiernan ready for school while he was finishing his breakfast I had a real Doofus Dad Moment. I can laugh about it now.

He's been on a real toast kick of late. Perhaps this is related to the A.T.B. (Awesome Toast Breakfast) we had during our visit with Mitch, JoAnne and Dorian in Oakland recently. Maybe it's just because bread is his favorite food group (after candy). Whatever it is, this morning he had two pieces of toast with cream cheese on them, and asked for another. I steered him to yogurt. Variety. Please.

So he selected the lemon flavored yogurt we'd bought at Trader Joe's. He selected this without me even reminding him what flavors were available. He just knew.

I fed him the yogurt as I got him dressed. He can, of course, feed himself, but I was working against the clock and trying to speed things along. This was, please remember, his third helping of breakfast. Sometimes he nibbles at food in the morning. Today he was on the Hobbit Breakfast Plan. Sheesh.

As I spooned the yogurt in I started playing. I started leaving the spoon stuck in his mouth and pretending I was confused by this. Hey! Where's the spoon? Oh, there it is! That was weird!

That kind of thing.

Now...okay...in my defense I have to say there was a tiny nagging voice telling me this was idiotic. Telling me, "Hey! No! Don't do that! You're being a moron!" Sadly, this tiny nagging voice was really tiny.

Kiernan grew increasingly amused. I was happy because he was eating his yogurt and I was getting him dressed and everything was coming together beautifully.

Spoonful of yogurt. Into the mouth. Leave the spoon in. Where's the spoon? Hilarious.

You can probably see where this is going.

Kiernan finally burst into laughter. With a mouthful of lemon yogurt. He was standing there as I dressed and fed him, seated cross-legged on the floor before him.

My jeans are in the washing machine right now, and I realize I have only myself to blame.

Doofus.

Fundamental

I have to be pretty careful about how I plot my errands if I'm running them with Kiernan. If I need to hit a store that is in any way close to a bookstore, I need to be aware of that and pad the outing with an extra thirty minutes. An hour to be safe. Because if we are venturing near a bookstore, Kiernan will know it. And he will want to go inside.

I'm not complaining about this, it just is. How could I complain about such a thing? My son loves to read. He loves bookstores. I am proud and pleased. It's just that running errands is so radically different once you have a child, and that is one of those things I never could have anticipated going in. B.C. (Before Child) I could conceive of going out to run all of my errands in one fell swoop over a couple of hours. Five or six stops easy. Now? I'm lucky to get half that. Because of things like the bookstore.

Again, I'm not complaining. These interludes, between the errands, give up some of the sweetest moments.

Today I needed to run to the pet store after picking up Kiernan from school. I had to get fish food and cat food, and I also needed to give Wendy some alone time at the house as she is in crunch time for her book. There's an easy pet store near to Kiernan's school, located right close to the CostCo I frequent, but I hate that pet store. It is dark and dirty and dingy and the people who work there really couldn't care any less if you paid them to. I hate that place.

There's two pet stores I will go to. One is right next to Trader Joe's and it's called Kahoots. Great place. Whenever Kiernan and I make a trip to Trader Joe's--my favorite store in the world--he asks if we can stop by Kahoots and check out the animals. They often have guinea pigs. Sometimes they have chicks and ducklings. There's a good chance we'll see a tarantula. It's a good, clean smelling place and it feels good to stop by. Plus they have given us discounts on straw bales for the harvest festival at Kiernan's school the last two years.

The other pet store I like is called Pet Smart. It's one of the big stores, but the newish one in Woodland Hills is a real gem. Clean and open and bright. Nice vibe. And a lot of animals for Kiernan to check out. Our M.O. is to start with the wall of fish, work our way over to the cat adoption area and read about the cats that are up for adoption and try to figure out which cat is which. Then we grab some cat food and make our way to the dog areas: big glass walled observation rooms where the dogs at doggie day camp play. From there we amble over to the guinea pig and hamster area. Next to the reptiles and amphibians. Finally we move to check out. I like Pet Smart because the animals look well cared for and I have yet to go into the store without being asked if I need help.

Nobody at the dingy pet store near Costco even makes eye contact with you. I don't want to name any names, but let's just say the name of the store rhymes with "Get-go". Oof. Even just typing that makes me shudder.

Anyway, Pet Smart is located in a corner mini-mall with a couple other favorite stores, the best being BevMo (great wine warehouse store) and Borders. If we're going to Pet Smart, Kiernan's going to request a stop at Borders.

So today I built a stop at Borders in and we went in and spent about forty minutes. He started by plucking a book off the shelf and "previewing" it. "Previewing" has changed. It originated as a way for me to sneak a little more sleep in in the morning. Kiernan would call me in to his room when he woke up at the crack of dawn when Wendy was away on a trip. He'd want to read a book. I'd tell him to preview the book--that is, page through it and look at the pictures--and then I would read it to him. While he previewed it I'd doze for a few minutes. Let's just say I'm not a morning person in most respects. Nowadays, however, previewing entails Kiernan essentially reading the book to himself before we read it to him.

The book he decided to preview was called Paco and the Giant Chile Plant. Kiernan spent about ten minutes "previewing" it while I snapped a bunch of pictures. Then he looked up and announced that he didn't really like the book and didn't want to read it. He sensed that I would have a limit on the amount of books I would read this day, and he wasn't about to waste valuable Daddy Reading Time on this silly book. He moved on to a goofy superheroes book instead.

At any rate, as I said I amused myself with taking pictures of him while he previewed the Paco book. Behind him, on the Mo Willems shelf, I found a little stuffed Pigeon. I love that pigeon. So I grabbed that guy and got him talking to Digger, the Planet Hero from Mars, who had accompanied us into the store.

That's all. I just want to close by saying that I meant for this to be a short post. Sometimes writing these things is like going into a bookstore. You mean to go in for just one thing, and suddenly an hour is gone.

And you couldn't care less.

Extra-Snackular

It has been pretty rainy here the last few days, so Kiernan's usual routine of running around and playing with his friends after school has been curtailed somewhat. Today, however, it was bright an sunny. A brisk day, but not cold. The air was beautiful and clear, as if the rain had cleaned the sky of its usual haze.

So the kids ran amok after school. At one point they all disappeared, and the waiting parents went to find them. We found them amassed near the kindergarten building, around a bench. From afar it looked like they were having some kind of impromptu toddler meeting. As we got closer it became apparent that they were actually sharing snacks. One of the boys, Jacob, had a bag of rice cakes and was distributing them to his friends. Food Note for Today: turns out Kiernan likes rice cakes.

I love seeing them all interact like this. I'm always fascinated by that. But today something else occurred to me as I looked at the little group from across the schoolyard...

Goodness gracious Kiernan, when did you get so tall?

I don't think I quite captured it in the picture, but I was just struck, watching him there with his friends, at how tall he looked. At how much he's grown in the last months.

Amazing. Exciting. Scary. Humbling. All at once.

The Schnozberries Taste Like Schnozberries

Chocolate was the main topic during Kiernan's Valentine's Day telephone conversation with Sandi and Pap-Pap (will I ever settle on a spelling for that?). It seems that no household chocolate is ever safe when my father is around, and Sandi was warning Kiernan about that. Kiernan had mentioned that he'd received a little heart-shaped box of chocolate, and she was warning him that if he didn't eat it himself, Pap-Pap would help himself. He's slated for a visit to us in California in the next couple of weeks.

Kiernan took her warning in all seriousness, agreeing that he would be careful. Sandi proceeded to ask what kind of chocolate was Kiernan's favorite. She usually sends one of her homemade delicacies when my father comes out for a visit.

"I like light chocolate," Kiernan replied. He meant milk chocolate. I am an ardent lover of dark chocolate, and he wanted to make clear that his preference is NOT THAT.

Sandi took note of that fact and put Pap-Pap on the phone. My dad immediately started talking about Kiernan's Valentine's Day chocolate, asking if Kiernan would save some for him.

"Yes," Kiernan replied.

All of this is to set up what happened the next day, after Kiernan's nap.

I went into his room to get him when he woke up from his nap. He was in good spirits and I asked him what he dreamed about.

"I dreamed about sharing chocolate with Pap-Pap."

Well okay then. Mission accomplished I guess, huh Dad?


[Picture Note: Both pictures are from our November 2008 visit to Virginia. Kiernan and Pap-Pap look out over the York River.]

Picture For This Day

With his cousin Mason, at my sister Hope's wedding in May. Right after the ceremony.


Later, during the reception.

From the "Pictures I Meant to Post Last Year" collection.

May 31, 2008

Picture of This Day

After school, reading with one of his teachers. Usually he can't wait to get to me, jump into my arms and ask which of his Planet Heroes is waiting for him on top of the car. The last few days it's been none of them as it's been raining.

On this day, Teacher Stephanie announced, "Kiernan, your daddy is here." I waited. And waited. Finally I peeked my head in the classroom and saw him, absorbed in the book, one of two people in the room.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Picture of This Day

At the baby shower for my friend Elizabeth. Dancing with a new friend.

February 15, 2009

Picture of This Day

A Valentine's Day gift, courtesy of his godfathers, Daniel and Darren. On this day Kiernan received, at last, an antagonist for his Planet Heroes. Black Hole Professor Darkness. Yep, that's what the good folks at Fisher Price named him. Like they had two teams competing to come up with a name for the main villain, and then just decided to keep both choices and do a mashup.

The goal of Black Hole Professor Darkness is to destroy the Solar System. He'd also like to turn the Sun into a black hole. I think he's just lonely.

In the picture above Kiernan is talking to his godfathers via speakerphone. "We thought his heroes needed some villains to battle!"

He squealed with delight upon seeing the gift.

February 14, 2009

Picture of This Day

A new planet hero, Star "Shooter", makes his debut. The others gather round to welcome him.

February 13, 2009

Picture For This Day

When leaving the supermarket, I play a little game with Kiernan where I load him in the back of the car first, saying, "Well, first I have to put in my groceries!" He finds this hilarious and loves to be in the very back of the car before diving headfirst into his car seat.

In the picture above he has returned to the back part of the car, with the bags of food. I was a little tired and ready to go home, and I wearily said, "Kiernan, please get in your seat."

He replied, "I can't, I'm a grocery."

February 11, 2009

Old Is New Again

This is cool. A mixture of the old and new. The arrival of the new and enormous bunk bed was the perfect excuse for us to go through Kiernan's toys and get rid of a bunch of things he has lost interest in or outgrown. For the most part we kept him in the loop on this, letting him make some decisions about things that he might like to keep, and things he could let go. We did not do this with everything, of course, as the task would have taken until he was a teenager. But rather than sneak everything out under cover of darkness it seemed a good opportunity for him to learn that there is a time to get rid of stuff. There's plenty of ways I would like him to follow in my footsteps...being a pack rat is not one of them.

One of his choices was about his first set of blocks. This set of blocks was a gift from Nee-Nee, and it is a really cool set. We used to play with them a lot a couple of years ago, but they have been neglected for awhile. In point of fact, just about everything has been neglected since the Planet Heroes came on the scene. Guinea Pig and his books are about the only things still in regular rotation.

Given a choice between getting rid of the blocks, however, and letting a similar toy go, Kiernan chose to keep the blocks. I thought this was a pretty cool choice, made cooler by the fact that we have been playing with the blocks a lot the last couple of days. Even greater is how this represents a new stage in his development: a greater interest in building something than knocking it down. Playing with the blocks used to be like building sand castles at the beach. I would stack up some kind of structure and he would barrel through and knock it down. Over and over again. But now he says, "Let's build a castle, Dad!" Then we set to work building something together.

As we built one of the first castles he suddenly realized that this would be the perfect place for his Planet Heroes to hang out. So he got them one by one and made room for them. I like this a lot, because it brings together one of his oldest toys with his newest. I'm happy such coexistence is possible.


[Picture Note: In the pictures you basically see the homemade version of a Planet Hero accessory toy called the Solar Headquarters. The Solar Headquarters is a giant space station where the Planet Heroes amass to learn of upcoming missions and have their book club meetings. I'm glad he is going for this homemade wooden version right now, as it means I can put off having another garish plastic monstrosity in my home.]

Picture of This Day

Opting for his mom's bathrobe instead of his own pajamas.

February 11, 2009

Picture of This Day

On the road, Day Two of "Mission Shiver", in which we hit all the toy stores in town, trying to find the Planet Hero of Pluto, Shiver. After ten stores in two days he is nowhere to be found. On our way home after not finding a toy Kiernan really, really wants--wants to the point of tears--Kiernan says, "I want to read a book. I want the green one."

In the little net/holding flap on the back of the passenger seat I have a few of Kiernan's books. I grab the green one, which turns out to be a lovely little book called Duck and Goose, about a duck and a goose who mistake a ball they find for an egg they must hatch.

As we make our way home, Kiernan reads this book to himself out loud.

Picture of This Day

At school, first thing this morning. Wearing overalls. Awhile ago Kiernan told his mom he was done with overalls. He didn't like them. So...no more overalls.

As regular readers know, we recently visited his cousin Dorian in Oakland. Dorian is a two-year-old, and he still wears overalls. Kiernan took note of this, asking why he didn't have any overalls.

"Because you said you didn't like them. So we didn't buy any for you when we got you new pants."

"I'm sad because you're never going to let me wear overalls again in my life." (This sort of dramatic proclamation is becoming a staple.)

Surprisingly enough, Kiernan stuck with his newfound interest in overalls, and when he went shopping with his mom one day, got a pair. He wears them now with pride.

I have to say I'm a little jealous. I wish I could carry off that look.


[With his friend Nicholas at school.]

February 9, 2009

The Energy of the Real

I realize this doesn't belong here, but I was touched by it and so I'm sharing it. Also I'm hoping a few of you might be able to give me some advice. It doesn't have anything to do with Kiernan, other than passing on the love of reading and books is a huge goal, so if you don't feel like looking at this post, I won't be offended.

The other day I was listening to one of my favorite radio shows (I was actually listening to the podcast, so I should say I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts), an interview show on NPR called Fresh Air. The show on this day was basically a tribute to John Updike, who died recently. I've never read any Updike, but I listened anyway. I always listen to that show, no matter who the subject is, because it is almost always illuminating. The host of the show, the woman who does the bulk of the interviews unless someone else is filling in for her, is Terry Gross, and she is easily the best interviewer in the business of interviewing.

Two things were said on the show that really made me curious about John Updike. One was said by Terry Gross in coming back from a break or introducing the next segment, and one was said by Updike in response to a question.

Terry Gross: "We're remembering one of the greatest writers of our time..."

John Updike: "The literary art is a parasitic one in that its energy comes from the energy of the real."

Those two things, in addition to the sense that I got from listening that Updike was a far more interesting person than I had ever realized, made me feel like I should read him. Terry Gross is a well-read person (with, I imagine, an exceedingly well-read staff supporting her), and she has solid and wonderfully eclectic tastes, so her statement has a certain amount of weight with me. And I just love his quote.

If any of you have read him, and have a suggestion for what I should read first, please do let me know. In addition to needing to finally crack into Huckleberry Finn, Updike is on my agenda for this year.

Thanks. Now back to our regularly scheduled blog about Kiernan.

The Opposite of Disney

"Daddy, do we have to go into the Post Office?"

"Yes. I have to get them to weigh one of these letters."

"I don't want to go in the Post Office. It's the boringest place on Earth."

There, Out in the Darkness

I'm not sure you'll be able to make out these pictures, but I wanted to share them because I get so tickled by the things that interest Kiernan, and by how he keeps those things in his mind.

Recently one of the books he was reading about the Solar System and the Universe talked about the different stars in our own galaxy. It talked about those stars by name, and for whatever reason this became interesting to Kiernan and he latched onto it. Sometimes he disregards the parts of astronomy books that don't directly relate to the planets and their satellites. Other times he will show some interest in heavenly objects other than planets, like comets and asteroids. Usually when we venture outside the Solar System he loses interest and returns to a Solar System page, excited to tell you what the planets are. He never seems to tire of telling you what the planets are, or of drawing them.

But this time he got interested in the stars. Cool enough. Cooler still? Days later he was still into drawing those far off stars, and he still remembered their names.

He wanted me to draw with him, so I grabbed a crayon and started drawing. He had already done a standard picture of the planets--disappointed that he could not locate a teal crayon for Uranus...teal? Really? I didn't know teal at his age. Come to think of it, if it hadn't been for Miami Vice I probably wouldn't know what teal is today--and I started on a picture of my own, asking him about the stars he had learned about. "Are you drawing them?" he asked me. "Sure," I replied.

As I drew them, he told me which was which and encouraged me along the way. He is really good at that, saying things like, "That looks great, Dad!" I particularly love the way he encourages me when I'm drawing with him because I'm so clearly inferior to him when it comes to this. Just look at the two drawings above. Look at his picture of Earth, alone, as compared to the goofy stars I drew. Seriously. But still, he encourages me, both because we do that for him and because he wants me to stick around on the floor with him and keep drawing.

So I drew the stars and he named them. I scrawled those names down, inventing spelling as best I could.

Here they are spelled correctly, in case it's too tough to decipher the crayon above.

• Sirius
• Pollux
• Arcturus
• Rigil
• Aldebaran
• Betelgeuse
• Antares

He gets particularly excited when he sees the star Betelgeuse in a book. I get excited too, because my son can read the word 'Betegeuse'.

Basketdancing

Here he sits on the bench with his teammates as they prepare to play basketball. I love his little legs, dangling.

Rec basketball for little kids, in this case kids who are four, five and six, is pretty much how you might imagine it would be if you have any experience with kids that age. A lot of running back and forth. A lot of the running seems aimless, although a pack mentality does kick in, so the kids generally run in the same direction. Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth. There is a fair amount of the word "EEK!" and running away when the ball or a player gets too close to the youngest kids.

There is no such thing as traveling.

There is no such thing as double-dribbling.

Heck, there is barely regular old dribbling.

Two or three kids on the court can shoot the ball. Tops. Same number have a clue about defense.

None of this matters. It's all in the service of being social and physical and having fun, and for the most part it is a success. From the very first game it's been a blast watching Kiernan run up and down the court, blissfully unaware that he needed to do anything to help his team. His team actually does pretty well, scoring higher than the other team more often than not (this is a sense I have, rather than an actuality, as at this level, the "Rookie" level, they don't keep score...fine with me). This is a decent feat, considering that when Kiernan is on the court it's basically a game of three on four.

This is not to say Kiernan is not athletic. Oh, he is. He's an energetic and excited force of nature, but none of this power is directed at the basket. From the first game he could run pell-mell from one end of the court to the other. The only thing is that while the other kids glom on the ball or ball carrier, Kiernan stakes out a position well off to the side and dances.

In the last couple of games, however, he has established a role on his team, that of designated Thrower-Inner. He's the youngest little dude on his team, so he can't do much (bless his heart), but his coach keyed in early on that he could throw the ball two feet. Therefore...he could throw the ball in. And throw the ball in he does. With a vengeance now. Kiernan sprints to the ref the moment it is time to throw the ball in, most of the time without being told now. He gets that this is his role, and he goes about throwing that ball in with gusto. He still avoids all other contact with the ball, but he can throw that thing in.

In the last game he showed a different improvement: First Line of Defense. His coach has gotten him to stop dancing off to the side on most defensive plays. Now he will stand up at the top of the key with his arms up in a defensive stance. He's great at this. He will stand at the top of the key with his arms up, defending. no matter what else is going on. All seven other kids (it's a game of four-on-four) might be clustered under the basket, scrapping for the ball, and Kiernan will be up near half court with his arms up, defending phantoms. Great stuff. I love it.

The best moment of the season happened at the last game. Sydney, the star of Kiernan's team, lost his shoe during one play. It was hilarious watching these little boys laugh their heads off about a lost shoe. I should stress that they were not laughing at Sydney. Not at all. They just thought a lost shoe was funny, in the same way that they think "poop" is funny. It just is. The joy on their faces...I can't even describe it, but it puts the world in perspective.