Happy 11th Birthday Ashe Pollard II

We had a lively dinner at Applebee's tonight for Ashe's birthday. He is having more of a "party"-party in a week or so, but tonight was his actual birthday, so he wanted to go to Applebee's. The Ealys joined us and so did Granny. We all had a very fun time actually. Totally entertaining.

The only thing that Ashe asked for was a Carmelo Anthony jersey. When he actually received it, he was astounded and shocked and so incredibly happy. I assume he knew he'd get it, since that's the only thing he really asked for, but his reaction was still one of shock. I loved his reaction.

He also loved the iPod he got from his Granny (Elaine) and Grandpa (Ole). He went to bed listening to it tonight. :) Cute, cute boy!!

Happy 11th Birthday Ashe Pollard

Ashe turns 11 on March 28, 2010 (at 8:21 p.m. to be exact). I love you, Ashe. Happy Birthday.

Finn's Van Gogh Night and Ashe's Science Fair

Finn, Ashe, Cade, Granny (l to r)

The boys had some big things going on in school for the last couple of months. Both have worked on them for quite some time before the actual presentation of each occurred. For Finn it was a cool thing called Van Gogh Night. His teacher, Ms. Martin, has done this for four years now. She teaches the kids an enormous amount about Vincent Van Gogh -- his life and works. She talks about his mental illness. She talks about him cutting off part of his ear and sending it to a woman. She laughs (but is serious) when she says that she's managed to teach it all these years without mentioning that the woman was a prostitute. It culminates in a presentation to kids' families at Science and Art Night at the school.

Finn's knowledge has impressed me. He knows things all the way from recognizing several of his paintings to his art dealer being his brother to his tragic death and the location of his residence during each of those significant events in his life. I'm so thankful for Ms. Martin's furthering Finn's love of art.

Finn in middle, blue shirt

The video is footage of the amazing recreations the 1^st graders did of Van Gogh’s pieces. Finn is at about 15 seconds giving his Van Gogh quote, which was quite difficult as the teacher acknowledges. :)

Ashe has been working for about six weeks on his science project. He was to design an experiment to test a hypothesis of his choosing. His interest is almost entirely in basketball, so he chose a basketball-related hypothesis: I will shoot more baskets when I am rested than when I have exercised for a half an hour. He proved himself right, but was hesitant to say he came to a conclusion. I thought the results were statistically significant – overall rest won three of the five trials. In addition, in total he made 52 baskets after rest and 46 after exercise. I think I computed that as a 13% difference. Ashe insists this is not statistically significant. :) Photos of Ashe's work below.

Ashe's Highlight Reel? (Lions game 2/27/2010)

Last Saturday, February 27, 2010, Ashe had a basketball game...he plays for the Lions (formerly the Chargers). He's been on this team since 2nd grade...there have been a few roster changes but not many. As with most kids, his goal for every game is to score as many points as possible. He's a good hustler, and he tends to get more rebounds than anything else. I love to watch it when he's on top of his defense (he has a near steal in the third play in the video below 0:19 seconds in). No matter how well he does defensively and helping in other ways on his team, he's disappointed with only two points a game. He had the best time scoring *eight* points :) in this game, so I put together some highlights. Ashe has #2 on his jersey - dark blue on white. Please excuse my poor camera skills!!

Finn the Bush Deer in "Anansi the Spider"

Thanks to Run for the Arts (where kids run laps for pledges per lap/or a flat amount), the boys have had some fun, art-related activities in the years at school. Most recently, Finn participated in a puppet show at school. It was on February 12, 2010. It included everything from casting, puppet-making, rehearsal, and, finally, presenting the play to family members during the school day. The video shows a clip of Finn's "part". He was a Bush Deer. There were several of each animal in the play, except for the main character Anansi the Spider (just one Anansi). The artist who helped them in the play is the voice talking throughout the clip. He thanked Run for the Arts for keeping artists like him at work.

It's sort of cute. I had a much longer clip, but truncated it a bit, just to give you a flavor. Finn is in the purple Lakers shirt, 2nd from the left.

Finn's Got a "Basketball Jones".

Finn pointing to the man he's defending. Blue shorts/yellow trim.

Finn's playing at Montavilla Community Center, through the Portland Parks, this year. His first game was Wed, February 17 at the Center. This is the first year he's actually wanted to play basketball. We only made him last year, so he could try it. We weren't going to force him again. It ends up the kid is as addicted to basketball as his brother. His dad took him to see the Lakers play the Blazers earlier this year and he came home completely obsessed. Love it!!

He's still unsure about a lot of the rules (no back court defense, for instance), but he's a hustler. He leaves it all out on the court!! So cute. Hopefully he can work on his skillz over the summer. Dribbling is difficult to for him to master. Like some kids his age: he's so focused on getting to that basket that he forgets to dribble. He gets in the zone. ;) It was fun. (no score to report - they don't keep score)

Finn with his hands up defending in middle of shot.

Harlem Globetrotters 2010

We saw the Globetrotters at the Rose Garden last night. What a fun time. The boys have seen them twice, and they still enjoy them. This time, they were sometimes riveted, with Ashe even fretting when the Washington Generals got too close to the Globetrotters in score. Do the Globetrotters ever lose? We brought Cade & Tucker with us, and that was fun...Pizza Schmizza first, then the game.

THE BOYS ENJOY THEIR VARIOUS TREATS

DENNIS HOLDS UP TUCKER TO SEE THE ACTION

THE GLOBETROTTERS AND GLOBIE CHECK THE COMPUTER FOR SOME INFORMATION

THE Y-M-C-A

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN...THE HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS

GLOBEY

Maybe I'll do another blog or two before too long. We'll see. ; )

November Events: Cade & Tucker's Birthday & Thanksgiving 2009

All the boys at the head table :),
including Cade & Tucker's cousins, Jake & Max.

the ealy family - caver, sean, tucker, cade

My previous statement stands: I have been horrible about updating the blog of late...so here I am playing catch up, again.

Cade & Tucker turned eight and six, respectively, in November. Cade - Nov 21 and Tuck - Nov 26. Caver had a hilarious location for the party: Sayler's Country Kitchen, in SE Portland. I have nothing against Sayler's at all!! It's just a more "traditional" location. The clientele, even when I was a kid (1975-1985, when I frequented there with my parents), is on the mature side. Caver always loved it. She loved salads and steaks (prime rib) as a kid, so she chose it. She told Cade and Tucker of her childhood love for the place...and her childhood birthday parties there...on a recent visit with them. They decided to have their birthday party there..in the banquet room. :)

cade & tucker's uncle randy and cousin claire.

granny, cade, and tucker

Great fun was had by all. It was banquet-like, :) complete with bowls of salad dressing on the tables to spoon over your salad...everyone could also choose an ice cream flavor. There were no 72-ounce steaks attempted in this crew...we aren't that daring. In case you don't know, if you eat the 72 ouncer, and the side dishes that come with it, it is free, and you live in infamy on the walls of Sayler's.

the banquet room at the country kitchen!

Also in November...we spent Thanksgiving at Elaine & Ole's with my sister's family. Caver often goes to Grants Pass to spend that holiday with Sean's family but this year they stayed home.

A Few of My Favorite Things.

We had a mellow, mellow Christmas. Everyone was out of town, so Christmas morning Granny (Elaine) came to our house, to watch the boys open stuff. We had Christmas dinner at Granny & Grandpa's...it was so nice that Grandpa came up for dinner.

I got a Flip video camera for Christmas. I've been wanting one, because I feel like the boys' life is passing me right by. I thought the Flip would be a wonderful way to capture little snatches of it.

I asked Ashe, Granny, and Finn what their favorite gifts were. Here they are (as filmed with my new camera):

1. Ashe's favorite thing:



2. Finn's favorite thing:



3. Granny's favorite thing:

Happy Holidays & Merry Christmas!!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS. Here's our 2009. (click to make bigger)

Sorry this scanned-in version isn't as clear. I had this done in October (except for my birthday photos) and I still haven't gotten it mailed to many of you. Soon. Very Soon.

Ashe and his Blog: A Boy's Life

How can you not love this kid?!?

So, I can't tell you how cute I think it is that Ashe wanted to start a blog. I feel like it can't do anything but help his writing skills and give him an outlet for his thoughts, likes/dislikes, ideas...I don't know if this online world is necessarily the best for kids (or anyone, for that matter), but if I monitor it, I think it'll be a good thing.

I know. It's just a little blog...but it's his. He can do what he would like with it. I told him I wouldn't touch it or tell him to change it (as long as it's appropriate)...even capitalization and spelling are up to him. :) Please take a look. Leave a comment. Tell him what you think. It's so sweet and I hope it's good for him.

http://aboyslife1999.blogspot.com/

Finn's Thoughts: My brother, Ashe.

From Finn:
I love my brother, Ashe. He makes me not feel scared when I'm scared.

The Cutest Blue Metallic (!) Shoes Ever.

Yes. I said blue metallic shoes. I got blue metallic heels. It seems very weird...o.k., they are a bit funky, but I am a bit funky. They are beautiful. Love them.

If you want a better look at the color, click here, but if you are interested in actually buying them - in a more reasonable :) color (it doesn't bother me if you think my color is ugly!! :), they have them on sale at zappos, click here.

Forty. Yes, I'm really 40.

I had a lovely 40th birthday. It's weird that I'm really 40. I don't feel 40. That's a good thing, but I REALLY don't feel 40. I feel about 20. Every year gets better for me. I'm happier every day. I'm luckier every day. I have friends and family who are way too good to me. I have the best kids. I have a good job. Life is really grand (knock on wood, right!).

I had a fabulous party. Dennis organized it all. He set up a dinner in the Wine Room at Jake's Grill. We had two nights at the Heathman Hotel in downtown Portland. A suite. The boys came for one of the nights. He is a thoughtful husband. As I said before, I am lucky. He was very modest about it all.

I only celebrated with a few friends and family. I didn't want a big celebration. I get too overwhelmed. (I can visit with each of my friends in time - it's nicer for me one-on-one.) My family was there: the boys and Dennis, my mom, dad (with me in the fifth picture from the bottom - it was really special he was able to come), and Caver's family. Lisa's family (third from last pic) was there. Sandy (bottom pic, with my mom) and Yvette (second to last picture with Lisa) also came. That was it.


Thank you everyone who sent birthday wishes. It felt so good to be appreciated.