First Days of Fall

I cannot wait until my birthday!!!!! Anyway, on Saturday, we went to the Harvest 25th Anniversary Celebration. It was unusually long and we saw lots of friends. There were big bounce houses and the lines were extremely long. Piano lessons are going well and I have one tomorrow. Ryan hasn't played his saxophone in a while, but his guitar is going well. Even worse, he wants a pull-up bar for Christmas. "It's all he can think about!!" Mom says. I would rather get a big LEGO set or a Nerf gun. But, my birthday is coming first. I am also doing good in school. Ryan keeps calling me Gram the Grammar kid. I don't get it. Mom announced during lunch today that she is going to be drinking health smoothies made out of veggies and other things for the next two days! Ryan and I are afraid of the taste, so only Megan and Mom have tasted it so far. We had our second week of co-op on Friday. (I forgot my crayons.)

I have had Papa Baker ask me about my next surgery. Earlier this month, we went to Shriners for my yearly check-up. The doctors said it was up to me to decide whether I wanted it to happen or not.

I also want to thank Papa Baker for giving me a reminder (or hint, as he called it) in an email to blog again. 

August again?

It is almost September, and summer break is about over. Anyway, I am getting sick of the month called August. It happens to be my least favorite month and it always seems to keep going on forever. I am glad it will be over soon. However, when 2013 ends, Brady turns five in January (five-year-olds always have glasses). Skip back to August. At least swimming will be starting soon, and that always helps for the winter and fall to go by fast. Probably the only good things about August is Family Camp at UPBC and going to Livonia and Fish Lake. Plus, the heat in August this year is helping.

I hope to see all of you in September!

Summer Recap

This summer we had a lot of fun. We went to UPBC twice this year and went to Fish Lake and Livonia a few times. Currently Ryan and I are learning how to play guitar. We went to the Seals' house many times this summer. Even as I type this blog (which I haven't done in a while) I wish I could go back and do it again. I learned a few days ago that Brady got glasses. If you're wondering, I was amazed that he didn't just pull them off Grammy's dresser and tell everyone that he had glasses. We will be going to Fish Lake again soon. As for UPBC, at hobo breakfast at family camp, Dad was quite popular because of his enormous hobo can. Besides, everyone's matches were too wet to lite, so they all came over to him and had him lite their burners with his blowtorch. We did crafts and fun activities both times at camp. I am also looking forward to the swimming season in October through March.

Mom recommended for me to post this blog, so I did.

Our Trip to Michigan

First, I am sorry that I have not blogged in a while. Anyway, on Friday we went to Michigan to see Grammy and Papa Don and the Fishers for a while. We will leave tomorrow morning after breakfast. On Saturday, Maddie and Amelia (our other cousins on our mom's side) came over so we could celebrate Ryan and Riley's birthdays. Currently Ryan is playing hide-and-go-seek with Joy Boy and Grammy. Tomorrow, we will meet our friends at Cracker Barrel for lunch. Right now I don't know what to say so I'm testing out this speaker thing on the iPad. I want to be able to get pancakes or waffles at Cracker Barrel tomorrow. Mom says I should end it now. She says peace out.

Memories of Max

These pictures and many more will help us to remember Max well, but no dog could ever be the same as him.

Max: A Good Dog

The Seals family (my cousins) had a dog named Max. He was a Yorkie Terrier. As small as he was, he thought he could conquer anything, and he thought he was the biggest living thing in the world. He died at the animal hospital. He was out back one night. The Seals had forgot about him. Soon, everybody was out there looking for him. Kelsey went to the backyard with a giant flashlight. When she heard him yelping, she turned the light to the noise. He was bloody (not soaked) near a tree. They took him to the animal hospital. It turned out to be a coyote attack. He died because his heart couldn't take it any more while they were working on him. Of course he was asleep though. He was probably the bravest dog I ever met. 

When I heard about the news about Max's death, I walked right out of the room.

If you want pictures of him, I can send six to you.

The Light Bulb

Think of a light bulb. Imagine it first at its full brightness. Now, imagine it getting dimmer and dimmer over time. Does anyone reading this like dim light bulbs? Probably not. Think of that light bulb again. I like to imagine this light bulb as if it represented my joy, happiness, anger, sadness, and all my feelings and emotions. I call it my light bulb. The brighter my light bulb gets, the bigger my good, happy feelings and emotions get. The dimmer my light bulb gets, the bigger my angry, sad feelings and emotions get. Yesterday, my light bulb was a bit dim. Then, I felt like there was a voice, my own. I was staring at the light bulb. Just as I was thinking we needed a new one, the voice said, "Brighten the bulb, Cavan." I thought a lot about what it meant. 

I figured out the meaning of it this morning, and I knew somebody other than me had to understand it. So I told Mom I wanted to blog. She asked me what I was going to blog about. I did not tell her.

As an end to this post, I encourage anyone who has a dim light bulb to brighten it up. If anyone, however, does not find this interesting, I understand. If it helped you at all, please let me know. 

Here is the picture Dad took.

Donuts with Dad

This morning, I went to Roll 'N Donut with Dad. I got a Boston creme, and Dad got a chocolate long john. I also got orange juice. After we ate, we sat and talked for a while. 

Easter gifts

Sorry I didn't post this earlier. I didn't know how.

Jammed

Two days ago, I jammed up my finger. I was roughhousing with Ryan and I took a swing at the meaty part of his arm. He simply turned his arm to block it. My right index finger smashed right into the bone. Right now, I am typing without it.

Spring Fun

First, I am sorry I have not blogged in a while. Second, I did not post that picture of Mission Impossible. Mom did. Anyway, this spring we are having a lot of fun. Two day ago, we went shopping with Mom. I got new tennis shoes and so did Ryan and Megan. I also got an athletic shirt. We went to the Good Friday service at the Rolling Meadows campus. We play around outside, ride bikes, and I try to conquer the fact that Ryan has an iPhone. Today, I have to wait until 10:00 to play outside.

There is a lot more fun to come.

Mission impossible

I like to watch old episodes of M.I with my family

The Exotic Reptiles

Today, Mom took us to a place called Exotic Reptiles with some friends. It was inside a mall. When we arrived, the place looked kind of small. But there were really cool snakes and lizards at the entrance. Some of the cages even held animals that were not reptiles, like scorpions and spiders. There was even a little gift shop inside of it. When we saw the exhibits, there was lots of constrictor snakes. They had a huge tortoise that was sleeping underwater. There was an alligator that was sleeping too. Almost everything was sleeping. There was cool lizards too. In the next room, right when you turned the corner there was a big yellow snake in a cage. There was a big lizard related to the Komodo Dragon that was busy shedding his skin. There was an orange lizard on a stick that looked like he was saying, "Hey guys! What's up?" They even had the biggest snake in the world there! There was a huge Nile crocodile that seemed to follow us around as we looked at him. (I can send you a picture of him).

At the end, we got pictures with a 20-year-old tortoise and a gentle 6-foot long snake. Its name was Popcorn because it was yellow and white. Megan only did the tortoise, because we had to wrap the snake around our shoulders. I got a small plush Boa constrictor, and Megan got a bigger Fox snake plush.

Reptiles can be creepy, but fun! 

My Adventure In Michigan: Part 2

The bowling place was called Rainbow Lanes. Inside, the building looked kind of old. There were not too many lights on, so it looked kind of dull. As we bowled, the boys' lane was trying to compete as a team against the "girls team" and "parent team". It ended up that the parents won, with the boys coming in second place.

Dad went home, and we went to Livonia to see Aunt Karen, Brady, and Riley. Grammy and Papa were in Florida. They still are. Anyway, we had a great time there. Of course we watched Funniest Home Videos. The second day, Aunt Audrey brought our cousins, Maddie and Amelia over. Mom's Aunt Kathy came too. We played a couple of games of Apples to Apples. Aunt Karen brought some Wii games over to play. 

Meanwhile, Megan and Riley were busy rehearsing for one of their famous plays. Usually, the plays are about two "slave girls". Last time, it was Annie. This time, they continued the legend by naming the play "Adventure of Slavery". It included mild violence because the master usually whipped them. After the play, Amelia Rockstar Show came on. All Amelia did was dance and sing about Cheez-Its. Then Maddie's show came on. Maddie started doing karate moves. Then she started to sing songs.


We had a great time in Michigan.

My Adventure In Michigan: Part 1

Last Saturday, we left to meet up at a restaurant in Michigan with our friends. We had met them at family camp at UPBC. They had nine kids. The restaurant was called Piggin' and Grinnin'. Inside, there were pig statues and pig pictures everywhere. There was even a clay cool-dude pig on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Mom and Dad had to order for us. They ordered Ryan a bigger sandwich than mine. Mine was half as big. It was called a "Piglet".

When we were leaving, we all took turns going to the bathroom. Inside were faces on the wall that were made out of clay. One had a speech bubble drawn next to it that said, "Wash your hands. You never know who might be watching." When you turned around, there was another face that actually had eyes. Right above the sink, there is a picture of a baby playing in a wading pool. When you were walking out, you got a nice view of two huge pairs of underwear displayed on the wall. Weird restaurant.

Of course, we were actually going to a waterpark inside of a hotel. Sadly, when we got there, the whole entire hotel was under renovation. We got our room nice and quick. Even more sad was the fact that our room was not yet cleaned. That basically means that the beds were not made, the trash cans were full, the bathroom was messy, and the floor had some trash on it. Our TV did not work, and we did not have a room phone. Anyways, the waterpark was fun. They had slides that curved outside a bit. One was an awesome tube slide, and the other was a pitch-black slide where you ride on your back. They had a Lazy River and a kids area and a smaller normal pool too.
When we were walking out because dinner was soon, I noticed that my feet hurt kind if bad. My feet have been really dry and cracked and peeling for years, but this time, they hurt unusually bad. By the time we got to the elevator, they were really starting to hurt. Right as we stepped out onto our floor, I could basically barely stand it. I was wincing and almost to our door when Dad asked if I was okay and if my feet hurt. I told him that they were sore and starting to sting. When we got inside our room, I kicked my pool slides off and looked at my feet. They hurt so bad, I had to lean against the bed to keep my balance. When I looked at them, they were streaming blood from the palms and even more blood from all my toes. Mom and Dad had me sit on a chair while Dad wiped the blood off with a towel. Eventually, the towel started to stick a little and Dad had to stop wiping the blood off because when he took the towel off, it hurt really bad. Mom went to the store and bought a bunch of first-aid stuff for my feet. By the time she got back, my feet had stopped bleeding and she put Vaseline on them. Then Mom wrapped gauze around my feet, put first-aid tape on it, and covered them with socks. Thanks Mom! Ryan and a few of our friends went swimming again after we had pizza.

Meanwhile, Dad and I had gone off to the arcade in the hotel to play some games. One game I played was a car-racing game. The otehr game I played was a carnival game where you have to shoot down targets and stuffed animals. But for each round, you had to pay fifty cents. We went back up to our room to watch a basketball slam-dunk contest from 1988.

For breakfast I had two huge blueberry muffins and a slice of bread with butter. I also had orange juice.
Our next plan was the bowling alley.

The Auto Show

Two days ago, the same day I had my swim meet, Dad, Ryan, Connor, David, Nate, and I went to the Chicago Auto Show. It took us a while to get there. When we arrived, all of us boys (A.K.A car people) charged toward the building. We had to slow down, though. We had to walk through this huge parking garage place to get into the building. Somehow, the place where the auto show is held always smells like Disney World. Odd. The auto show is divided into two sides of this giant hallway. Anyway, the first cars we looked at were the Porsches. I am sorry I can't name all the cars we looked at, as there were hundreds of cars. We got to see awesome Lamborghinis, like the Aventador. The Ford section was pretty cool too. I loved to get in the trucks and cars and pretend to drive them. We saw some Mclarens and Aston Martins too. For some reason, Dad was looking at the KIAs to see if he liked a van that we might get for a new car. There was even one van with a Blu-Ray player and party lights inside the car. I really liked the Honda Ev-Star concept. I think Grammy would like it too.

My Fourth Swim Meet

Yesterday, I went to Sycamore for my fourth swim meet. It took us about as long to get there as it did to get to Barrington, so I had alot of time to think about it. When we got there, I changed and had, well, you know what I call those long waiting periods.

When my 100 freestyle came close, I waited in line for the last few heats. For some reason, I don't know why, but I was only racing one other boy. And then my 50 breaststroke, the one I was most happy about, came. This time, I was racing some other boys. I was doing well, I think I was in fourth place. But then, at the end of the 50, I started to hurry, and that's what caused me to fall behind to last place. For my 50 backstroke, I got to race one of the other boys on the Cyclones that I knew pretty well. He was the one I played cards with.

Swim meets are happy times.

Snow Days

Sorry I haven't blogged  a while. Anyway, earlier this week we got a ton of snow. I was a very joyful kid. The first thing we did outside in the snow was, well, play out there. After we played outside, we came in for lunch and some hot chocolate. Then we finally went sledding at Channing hill. The next day, we went outside and started digging a fort out of a giant pile of snow a snowplow had made. The next day we had some friends over to go to Channing with us and play in the snow. A day after that, we got alot more snow. We had an awesome snowball fight which we used our fort in, and then I built a snowman with one of our neighbors. Oh, and I have a swim meet tomorrow.

My Third Swim Meet

Last Saturday, I went all the way to Barrington for my third swim meet. This time, I had a 50 backstroke, an 100 breaststroke, and an 100 freestyle. When we got there, I walked in and had no idea where locker rooms were. When someone told me where, I changed and went back onto the deck for what I call a very boring long wait. Mom bought me cheetos halfway through the very boring long wait. Finally, some satisfaction during the very boring long wait. Then, the very boring long wait was over, and I got to swim my least favorite stroke. 

I waited some more.

And then I swam my favorite stroke. And then I waited some more. Finally, my last event came, and I swam again.

The next day, I learned not to quit.

I'm Sick!

Yes, yes, I know. Being sick is definitely not the best thing that could happen to you. How did it start off? Well, out of us kids, Megan got sick first. 

One day while Megan was sick, we went to the doctor. When we left, I was still not sick. But the next day, we had to go back to the doctor. That day I wasn't feeling so good. After we all got the flu shot (Ryan just punched my shoulder where I got it, while I am trying to type!), we started to leave, but then of course mom decided to talk with the desk lady. 

I suddenly got very thirsty. I told mom. She told me there was a drinking fountain in the hallway, to the right. I checked. No drinking fountain. When I came back in, my head started to spin. My throat was also very dry. Big uh-oh. I started begging mom for water. At first, all she did was tell me,"There's one in the hallway." I begged more. Then mom told me to stop bugging her. All I managed was,"It's hard for me to breathe!" The desk lady suddenly noticed my need for water. When she got me a cup, I immediately started drinking it. I went right back into the room where we see the doctor. It ended up that I had a fever. 

As for today, I am still sick, but without a fever. When you are sick, don't you really want to watch movies?

The Geographry Bee

A couple days ago, our co-op had a geography bee at the library. 

How did it go? How hard was it? It went just fine. It got harder as we continued. 

At first, I didn't want to do it. I realized what I had thought was wrong afterwards. My brain could not think about where certain places were without finding another answer. I immediately thought, Well, it could be this country. Or no, is it this one? 

Somehow, I made it to the final two. The boy trying to beat me was supposedly a very knowledgeable person about geography. I admit it, he was very good at it. Whoever got a total amount of two questions wrong was eliminated, so it was a close one. First I got one right, then he did, and then we tied. Big uh-oh. We had a tiebreaker. We tied once again. I got the next one right. I had won! 

Geography is sort of fun, after all.

  

The Days After Christmas

After Christmas, you have so much fun for at least another week. Now that is over. Now I am back in school. I play with my Christmas presents whenever I can. Somehow, I manage to survive. Being back in school is actually kind of fun, you know. I have to re-learn my math a little, as I forgot. Grammy got us kids an Xbox 360 in the mail for Christmas. Aunt Audrey mailed us some games for it. We also downloaded Minecraft onto it.

School, school, school....too busy.