Magic Ms. Holly

For the second summer in a row, the kids have spent a week taking swim lessons at Ms. Holly's house. (Once again- pretend like we just did this last week, aight?) You might remember Ms. Holly- she's the magic lady in Midtown who ninja teaches your kids to swim in a scant five hours. Totally worth the money- I recommend her highly. Her website can be found here.

This year, Chloe was ready for level two- aka The Hardest Level- in which she learned to do some back swimming thing that used legs and no arms, a sophisticated dog paddle, and became comfortable grabbing stuff off the bottom of the pool. (Yawn- she had that one down already.) She also jumped in the pool in the deep end and swam almost the whole way across. Good job!

Connor got a big promotion to level four. He learned to dive off the side and freestyle to the other end. He also swam the length of the pool doing the back stroke, and learned the beginnings of the breast stroke. Fancy stuff! His favorite part of the week was playing a game in which someone takes a golf tee to the bottom of the pool and lets it go. Then when it pops up on the surface, you jump in from the side and try to grab it. If you can't grab it on your initial jump, you have to get out and keep trying- you can't just keep grabbing while you swim. It was pretty fun, but only works in backyard, private pools- we can't recreate it at Rhodes.

Just this weekend, the mother of one of Chloe's friends was commenting on how well Chloe swam. Connor insisted his birthday party include time at the pool. We have two water babies, and a good bit of their confidence in the water is due to Ms. Holly's magic hand. We'll be back next year, and I recommend you get a spot too.

Pretend Like This JUST Happened

It's so weird that we took pictures of all these events in our kids' lives and then didn't immediately share them with you, right? You must all be on the edge of your seats, waiting to hear about the minutiae of our daily lives! Well, consider your prayers answered.

Remember back in May, when all we did was watch basketball? Well, Chip had a birthday. He spent it at a basketball game, so there are no pictures of that event.

Then Connor had his last day in second grade. Even though he claims to have had a horrible year (didn't love his teacher), he was nonetheless very nostalgic that last week of school. That boy still struggles with transitions! On the last day of school there was a nice program, where he was recognized as an honor roll student and as one of the top readers in his class. There are also no pictures of that event.

BUT! There are pictures of Chloe's last day as a Penguin! I couldn't let this day pass without notice. We've been at Idlewild Children's Center for seven years, and this was our last day on the preschool hall. Pretty bittersweet, I must say.

They had a picnic/field day at Peabody Park on the last day of class. Chip attended and took this awesome class photo. Too cute! (I did not attend. I have to save those vacation days for mama alone time, nahmean?)

Here's Chloe and her bestie, contemplating the gravitas of pre-school graduation.

From all accounts, they had a very fun day, which ended with a playdate at the aforementioned BFF's house. And now Chloe is officially a rising Kindergartener. And no, I still don't know where she's going to go to school. We've officially been wait-listed at Snowden, and I've officially cried about it, and Chip has officially told me to go beg at the feet of the principal and see if we can't get her in there.

Eight

Eight things about my eight-year-old son:

Math and reading are his favorite subjects.

Plays the DSi and the PSP like it's his job.

Is so very modest. No one has seen him naked in quite some time, and he prefers it if the rest of us are covered up too.

Still eats nuggets, pizza, bacon, and little else.

Is very sweet and patient with his one-year-old cousin, and very much the opposite with his five-year-old sister.

Watched this absolutely HILARIOUS video of a cat getting caught barking like a dog, and said, "I felt sad for that cat. It was nervous when it saw the camera."

Needs a lot of sleep in order to function properly. Will ask to go to bed if we dare keep him up too late.

Acts pretty cool when he's around his peers, but still wants a lot of lovin' from his mama when no one else is around to see it.

Chockley Boys

Happy Father's Day!

Baseball Blues

Baseball season has been a disappointment this year.

This is Connor's second season playing "coach pitch," after a season of t-ball. He has shown his usual aptitude for anything sports-related, and I've enjoyed watching him progress. Unfortunately, his teammates have not all come along for the ride. There are a few boys who have played for several years, and they know what they're doing. But for some reason, there are kids one and two years younger than Connor on the team as well. And they are clueless.

It might have helped for the team to actually practice once in a while, but apparently that would be too much to ask. We have a volunteer coach, and while I appreciate that he volunteered and I didn't, I still wish he would have committed to a certain number of practices. Instead, we had almost every pre-season practice called off for rain, and not rescheduled, and then we've had one or two practices since the season started. As a result, most kids can't field the ball, throw the ball, or catch the ball.

But can they hit the ball? No they can't do that either. One of the key components of "coach pitch" is having a coach who can actually pitch, and ours can't. I see the coaches on other teams- they're kneeling down to deliver the ball, throwing it straight into the zone so it's easy for kids to hit. Ours stands to his full height and kind of lobs it in, so most pitches are either too high or too low, and they all have too much movement on them. My brother's favorite joke at these games is to cheer and say, "Hey, our pitcher just struck out the side!"

We came home from his last debacle game and Connor asked, "Is it too hot to play outside a while?" I said no, and he ran to grab his bat and ball. "Pitch to me," he begged, so I did. He just wanted to remember that he could actually hit the ball sometimes, since he hadn't come close to it in the game. And that night, he was literally in tears as he recounted a bad play he had made during the game. He's just so frustrated at how bad they are, and wants to win each game by himself if he has to. (I know not everyone out there appreciates this level of competitiveness, but I think it's cute.)

A few days later, he decided to practice throwing the ball against the brick wall of our house. But instead of picking the side of the house that's all brick, he picked the three-foot long section of brick between the door and the window. And then he found out the hard way that his aim isn't as good as he thought! I didn't have to fuss at him- he was devastated. Cried for at least an hour. It was so bad that Chloe was offering to loan him money in order to help him pay for it! Meanwhile, Chip and I tried to keep from laughing- it was such a classic little boy event, and he was taking it so hard, that we couldn't help but get a kick out of it. I told Connor he would have to work off the expense. Then I tried to get his first chore to be posing with the ball in front of the window. This just made him cry harder, so we let the ball pose without him. While Connor went inside and unloaded the dishwasher.

Gorgeous

Connor hasn't had a great week. I don't see how not, with him looking like that. Just gorgeous. Almost eight years later, and I still can't believe I made that.

Some Days End Like This

Growing Up

May 2009

Monday, Chloe began her first day of summer camp as a rising Kindergartener. Today, Connor had his last day of Second Grade. I no longer have any kids on the preschool hall at Idlewild Children's Center. I no longer have preschoolers! I do still have two sweet babies, though.

May 2011

Quotes

Ugh! More of your old-fashioned music!
-Chloe, upon being forced to listen to Temple of the Dog, Hunger Strike

While listening to The Morning Rush with Will and Peter on Sports 56:
Will: The Grizzlies just don't have anyone who can create his own shot off the dribble!
Connor: Uh, OJ Mayo?
Peter: Well, except maybe OJ Mayo.
Connor: THANK YOU

First Birthday Party

See more pictures here.

Grit, Grinding Out Some Housework

On the Pot

Yes, I know how much you folks love Chockley tales of poop. Like Connor pontificating at 2 1/2 about the subject, the 2006 gas station debacle, or the Christmas Poop Story.

So here are new words of scatalogical wisdom, heard from across the house as Chloe performed her daily duty (heh) the other day:

"Maaaaaaan, I'm doin' some HARD business in here!"

...followed several minutes later by:

"POOP, there it is! POOP there it is!"

Thirty-Nine!

Happy birthday to the best husband and dad in the world!

Mama

The thing about becoming a mother is that you suddenly understand what "love" really means. I mean yes, I loved my husband and my family and friends before I had kids, but once Connor showed up it all changed. I now loved at this deep level that I hadn't even known existed. Not just Connor, either- everyone.

It was Connor's presence that suddenly made me cry every time I hear Beyonce's "Crazy In Love." (Totally not weird that that's our song, right?) It was Connor's presence that reminded me that I couldn't live without Chip. And most surprisingly, it was Connor's presence that made me fall in love with my own mother all over again.

Because, holy shit y'all, the way I love this baby right here? My mom loves ME that much! ME! That realization floored me. I knew that she loved me, of course, but as I've stated above, I didn't actually know what love meant. And now that I did, I was amazed. I'd call her up and say, "How did you ever let me ride my bike around the block? Didn't you die a small death when I went out of your sight?" and she'd assure me that by the time we get there, it will be difficult, but manageable. I'd call another day, in tears, demanding to know how she ever let me move out of the house and go to college. Because I never ever wanted Connor to do that. I wanted him to live with me until I got old and died! And Mom would assure me that, by the time he's 18, I'll be begging him to go to college in a different city.

She was right, of course. It does get easier to be away from your children as they get older and don't need quite as much protecting. But I still hope that when my babies grow up, they move into a house a mile away from mine and call me on the phone every day and remember, always, how much I love them. Just like I did when I grew up.

Memphis Ball Boy

It's been sort of quiet here lately, and that's because I didn't want to bore you with the sole topic that is dominating our everyday life: Basketball. See, the NBA Playoffs have started. Usually, that's something that only effects me and Chip. This year, with the Grizzlies' exciting run, the playoffs have become more important- not only to the city of Memphis, but also to our own Connor.

In the past several months, Connor has really started to care about watching basketball. This trend started during the C-USA and NCAA tournaments, when he fell in love with the Tigers. It's like a light switch went off, and he realized that a) this team has my city name on their jersey, and b) there are real people wearing those jerseys! Seemingly overnight, he knew all the players' names and jersey numbers. He followed that tournament religiously, even cheering for a UConn victory just to bug me since I was pulling for Butler. When it was over, he said, "Now what?"

Much earlier in the season, he had attended his first NBA game, Memphis vs. Detroit. He had also started playing NBA games on his handheld gaming devices. He was learning who all the players were, what their numbers are, etc. Once March Madness was over and his civic pride had kicked in, his interest went from "general NBA" to "GRIZZLIES." He begged to stay up and watch their games, he studied the programs Chip and I brought home from games we attended, and he really started listening to sports radio when in the car with me. Following the playoff race was exciting for him. Who would be seeded where? Would the Grizzlies slip in? Who and when will we play!

Towards the end of the season, I managed to secure a couple of FANTASTIC tickets for me and Connor for a game against the Spurs (pictured above). Connor watched the warm-ups like it was his job, and by the time the game started, he told me who was and was not going to have a good game. And he was dead on. Since the playoffs have started, he has watched with the same intensity. He's stayed up late watching games on TV, he has talked to us about all the series with a surprising knowledge of them all, and he has not let his growl towel leave his side. He sleeps with it, he carries it to school in his backpack, and he waves it during every game we watch.

It was only fitting that I splurged on a ticket for him to attend Game 6 against the Spurs last Friday night. (By "splurged" I mean "bought a $25 nosebleed seat.") I checked him out of school early so that we could get Downtown ahead of the massive crowds gathering to watch the Grizzlies, the Redbirds, and the Beale Street Music Festival. We went to the team store and bought him a t-shirt and a Grizzlies bracelet (the thick rubber kind) and then cheered the Grizzlies on to a first round victory. He had an amazing time, and proceeded to wear that Grizzlies shirt to sleep in, all the next day, and then to sleep in again. We finally peeled it off of him Sunday morning and soaked him in a nice long shower. The shower, incidentally, is the only time he has taken off his Grizzlies bracelet in the past week.

His blossoming love affair with basketball, and with the Grizzlies in particular, has been fun to watch. It's just another way he seems more and more grown up to me on a daily basis. It's been a joy to have this common interest to share with him, after years of just tolerating his interest in the movie Cars or playing endless games of Memory. I'm almost worried about the void that will appear in his life when the NBA Champion is finally crowned! But not too worried- we've got a whole team of Redbirds whose jersey numbers Connor doesn't know yet.

All pictures appear courtesy of my iPhone. In no way do they reflect the talents of Chip Chockley Photography!

Seaside Sunset

A couple of years ago, I was inspired by a really incredible photog from Flickr-- Lisa Lucky-- to take some wide-angle photos of the kids in front of a beach sunset.  I loved what she got here and here.  I asked Lisa how she got some of her shots, and she gave me some pointers.  The biggest tip?  You're at Mother Nature's mercy.  You just can't create a beautiful sunset-- it has to be there for you to work with.  So, I bought the wide-angle lens I'd been lusting after, and waited for beach vacation time to come around.

Lisa was right.  In the whole week we were there, there was *one* day with a sunset that was close to what I wanted.  I mean, all sunsets in Seaside are beautiful, but this masterpiece was the one that would really sing in a photo.  After checking every day, I saw it, and ordered the kids out to the beach immediately.  They took direction well-- just hold hands and walk away from me!  Of course, I've learned a lot since then, and see things that I'd change now.

For the past several months, the folks at Cottage Rental Agency-- the company that handles all the real estate and rentals in Seaside-- have been running a contest:  "Picture Yourself in Seaside."  I sent in this picture and didn't think much of it for several months.  And now, I find out that I won the Grand Prize!  Four days and three nights in Seaside!  Thanks CRA!  Let me unfold my remarks here.  I'd... uh... like to thank the Academy, Lisa for the inspiration, Mother Nature for the awesome view, and my kids for being cooperative and cute.

Grizzness Time

Grizz win!  Grizz win!

In our first playoff appearance since 2006, the Grizz are making the rest of the league pay attention to the gritty, grinding style we play here.  We made a respectable showing in the first two games in San Antonio, stealing homecourt advantage with a 1-1 split.

Cullen, Steph and I showed up downtown at 4:00 p.m. yesterday to drink up the Grizz fever (among other things).  It's amazing how much sports can bring a city together.  It's the same feeling of community spirit that we have when the Tigers make NCAA runs, except, you know, grittier and grindier.

Pre-game drinks and bites came at our favorite South Main gastropub, South of Beale.

Even more than an hour before tipoff, the plaza out in front of the Forum was hoppin'.

The white Growl towels were draped on every seat when we walked in.

I don't have much from the actual game, as I was too busy wringing my hands and cussing.  But this is the final result:

Grizz up 2-1!  Game 4 is Monday.  I'll be there.

Seen Memphis

Recently, I was approached by the lovely and talented Sophorn McRae of Norococo to be a part of a cool new Memphis street photography blog, Seen Memphis.  I'm humbled by the talent of the six other photogs who are participating, and I think it could be something really cool.  I haven't actually done a ton of this kind of photography (at least not in my hometown), but I look forward to doing more of it for this project.  Check out Seen Memphis here.

Chloe at the Doctor

A month or so ago, Chip and I had this conversation:

"Chip, you know it's time for Chloe to have her five-year check-up and she has to get SHOTS so you need to make that appointment and take her."
"I know."

I took Connor to one doctor's appointment once that involved shots. It was about seven and a half years ago, and I swore I would never do it again. They're so heartbroken when the nurse sticks those needles in! I don't want to be associated with that in my kids' minds! Plus it makes me cry, and that doesn't really help anyone calm down in a tense situation.

A few days before the appointment, I warned Chloe what was going to happen. She's too old for us to just spring that on her at the last minute- she would feel too betrayed by that. Besides, she's our logical child and I trusted her to make sense of it in her mind ahead of time. And it seemed like she did! Sure she cried when I first told her, but then she worked on coming to terms with it. She talked to us and to her teachers and to anyone who would listen about how, on Thursday, she was going to have CLUE and then have her shots and then have an Easter egg hunt in our back yard. That was her treat for dealing with the indignity of shots- her own egg hunt that Connor didn't get to take part in. (He helped me hide the eggs instead.)

Chip and Chloe had a grand time with Dr. Davis Thursday afternoon. After talking to her a bit, he determined that, "She's definitely ready for kindergarten!" Her weight, 52 pounds, is in the 95th percentile for her age. Her height, 4 feet exactly, is off the chart. Way above the 99th percentile. (Although really, it seems like there's not very much room above 99th. But I won't argue.) Chip texted me that things were going fine.

And then the needles arrived.

Apparently, and I don't really have all the details, there was hysterical wailing and thrashing about, and then Chip tried to distract her with candy and she choked on it, and eventually they had to call in several people to help hold her down while the shots went in. GOOD TIMES.

By the time she and her dad stopped at Baskin-Robbins and made it home for the Easter egg hunt, she was all smiles. She even laughed about what a fit she'd thrown! And that, my friends, is why Chip is in charge of taking the kids for their vaccinations.

Weekend Happenings

Friday night we delighted the children by giving in to months of pressure and letting them watch the Karate Kid remake with Jackie Chan and Will Smith's son. Chloe ran around hugging us and telling us we were the best parents ever. I'm really not sure why this was so important to them, but whatever. And let me say- it wasn't as bad as I expected it to be! Connor and I both cried during part of it, and we all felt good at the end. But all in all, I think the kids were a bit young to see the ass-kicking that Little Smith took during the movie. I know, I'm a prude. They aren't scarred for life or anything, but maybe I'm not as good a parent as Chloe thinks I am.

Saturday dawned cold and dreary and I totally skipped out on the opening weekend of the Farmer's Market. I went to Jazzercise instead! I made the kids help me do some cleaning with the promise we'd go see Rio at the movie theater if they were helpful. The truth was, Chip was off taking pictures somewhere and I was tired of trying to entertain them on a cold and dreary day!

The movie, Rio, was cute. I really appreciated that it was a kids' movie that told a story for kids. It didn't spend a lot of time winking at the parents or telling a story that was over the kids' heads in order to interest the adults. (I'm looking at YOU, Rango.) It's okay if parents are a little bored at kids' movies. It's rated G- I know I'm not the target audience. I just want my kids to be happy. And they really were- they talked about their favorite characters and lines the whole way home.

When we came out of the movies, it was sunny and warm! Crazy! I took the kids to Mom's to spend the night, and Chip and I made our first ever visit to the Shelby Farms Greenline. Scandalous, I know! We borrowed friends' bikes and rode to Shelby Farms and back. It's as awesome as everyone tells you it is. I can see why real estate values along the Greenline are going up- I totally want to buy four bikes and a house near a Greenline entrance after that experience.

Sunday morning we were at Woodland Discovery Playground by 9:30- perfect! Not too many people at all, and we didn't even have to stand in line to ride the cool swings. We thought maybe the novelty had worn off, but when we left about an hour later the place was really starting to fill up. So for now, the key is to get there early. And my blog readership is small enough that I can spill that secret without worrying that future early trips will be ruined by the influx of people who saw my tip.

We spent as much of the beautiful day outside as we could- before noon, of course, when we hunkered down on the couch to watch the Grizzlies win their very first playoff game ever! It was SO AWESOME!!!!! I'm still riding that high. Then Connor's good friend, Kelton, came over to play the afternoon away. Kelton recently moved far, far away and Connor has missed him terribly. He counted down the days until Kelton got here, and was not disappointed. They had a great time! Chloe just sat and watched them play, which seems to be her thing when Connor has a friend over. And she doesn't even have crushes on his friends yet! He doesn't know what he's in for.

Chip and I tried to get our little garden plot ready for planting, which I guess we'll do next weekend. While the kids are out of town! And yes, now it's MY turn to count down the days. . .