A new generation of hockey players is born

At Big 5 where they were very tolerant as we got some gear. This is a great store. Always good to us.

We started out by watching the 1980 Miracle on Ice game – original footage. Then we went to Big 5 where they were very tolerant as we got some gear. This is a great store. Always good to us.

We had a lot of fun picking out skates, sticks and pads. I think I accidentally got two-left shooting sticks, but that may be a good thing as Ben does shoot left. I am not sure which way Sam will want to shoot, so we may be back at Big 5 tomorrow! I have a right-shooting stick for me, thank goodness! We called Uncle Doug on our way back home to get some pointers. He and Uncle Tim both played ice and roller hockey, so this seems like a family tradition!

At Wilkes - first time on blades!

At Wilkes – first time on blades! We learned a few things at orientation last week – no skates, just sticks and balls – and were hooked! Time to get comfortable on skates so that when the team starts up, we can play. Ben is a year too young but Sam is the right age.

The boys picked it up really quick. I thought I’d be a human crane, holding them up, but I wasn’t at all. Ben insisted on getting these Heely shoes with wheels in the heels. Turns out they were much harder than I think blades would be for him, so we may be back to Big 5 for those, too, tomorrow. Ha!

Ben is showing us how to cradle properly. He's quite good at it - if you click through to the album you'll find a video demo :)

Ben is showing us how to cradle properly. He’s quite good at it – if you click through to the album you’ll find a video demo 🙂

Terrific game!

Thanks to big Nate G. for snagging this awesome picture of Sam in action.

Thanks to big Nate G. for snagging this awesome picture of Sam in action.

Sam did an awesome job "under the boards" (rebounding) and making some key passes to our high scorers. Awesome awesome game, guys! You really did it! 29-31 - so close to winning!

Sam did an awesome job “under the boards” (rebounding) and making some key passes to our high scorers. Awesome awesome game, guys! You really did it! 29-31 – so close to winning!

Valentine’s Day wood shop

Burnishing our carved valentines. Sam is making a rope bracelet.

Burnishing our carved valentines. Sam is making a rope bracelet.

Sam is now burnishing his carved valentines. One set of initials for each person in the class.

Sam is now burnishing his carved valentines. One set of initials for each person in the class.

Cutting each carving with a new coping saw.

Cutting each carving with a new coping saw.

Working with friend Kai to create some interesting Valentines. We went to the hardware store for inspiration. It came down to soldering metal or carving wood. Both seemed interesting to me but the boys chose wood carving. We made one set of carved initials for everyone in the class and one for the teacher. The table was a mess when were done, and you can imagine the dust on the floor! Good thing Daddy was in JAPAN…

Happy Valentine’s Day to all!! We love you!

Quote from Ben

Ben said tonight, over nachos for dinner: “Mom, before two thousand and fourteen, I didn’t know how to make John (child in class) laugh. Now I do.”

Mom: “Oh, that’s interesting. And what does he laugh at?”

Ben: “Funny things.”

Mom: “Like what?”

Ben: (hands up to sides of face and moving slowly around like peering through a window) “Like M-O-T-I-O-N and funny voices.”

A big weekend!

On a tour of the stadium where the Seahawks won their AFC title and advanced to the Super Bowl!

On a tour of the stadium where the Seahawks won their AFC title and advanced to the Super Bowl!

Having a lot of fun in the snow!

Having a lot of fun in the snow!

Watching the dough rise

My dressage instructor has a colleague who created a video for husbands regarding dressage. It describes several analogies for watching someone practice the discipline of dressage – one of them resonated with me because it pertained to dough. Well – here’s the latest installment from Emmy’s owner, Steve, who graciously comes to lessons with me and manages to film the good, the bad and the ugly. This is a shorter one so I’ll post it. You can find other ones at Steve’s channel if you REALLY like watching the dough rise 🙂 Seriously – there is a lot of good learning going on and I can’t wait to work on it some more. It’s fun being “off leash” as my dear husband calls it (not on the longe line) but it is also much more challenging. I’m working on rein aids but I can feel my seat falling apart under me. More saddle time… Thanks to Steve for filming (and the great horse!) and Janet for her excellent instruction.

Dear Sam

Dearest Sam - happy 9th birthday!

Dearest Sam – happy 9th birthday!

This has been a big week. In fact, two weeks. Your birthday this year, Sam, has been two weeks of festivities, starting with a flag football game which grew to double the size we thought it would be, to the Seahawks winning their big Super Bowl game while you watched with your backyard football buddy, Kai. We’ll be wrapping up with a tour of the stadium on Saturday with a bunch of your buddies, too. That will be really fun, especially after the big parade ended up there today.

Which brings me to what I really want to share with you on your 9th birthday. This week has confirmed for me something we have long known about you, but it becomes more apparent as you mature. You think about things carefully, and consider ideas from many angles. You solve problems in ways most of us can’t untangle without your help. You solve cubes that are bigger than your head, and dive into new interests with relish, like cup stacking, basketball, chess, Scratch computer programming, and games of strategy. Two nights ago at dinner you asked me – “Mom, how can you get a sum of 20 using only 9s?” I puzzled on that for a while and then asked for help. You replied – “Use a base 9 system.” He had been thinking about that for about a month he said. I looked it up and sure enough, it would work – using a nonary system. It is so interesting what goes on in the mind of a child. He had puzzled out how a base 9 system would work on his own – didn’t get that from enrichment or other teaching. He may have heard in passing about other base systems but no real direct teaching on it. I was always curious, too, really wanting to understand things deeply…but I wasn’t working on base 9, I was mucking stalls at his age.

This contemplative nature extends to decisions you need to make, too. That is something I noticed this week. You were a true partner in making the decision to go or not to go to the big Seahawks parade in Seattle. We all wanted to go for a variety of reasons, but ultimately you weighed both sides of the equation and made the right call – not to go. You didn’t want to miss robotics club after school, nor Scratch programming during school, nor chicken nuggets, your favorite school lunch. Those were the components of your equation. It was really interesting to see you decide that being able to say “I was there” was not the most important thing to you.

You asked me the other night, what position might be best for you in a football game (I’m working on starting up a flag football league). We’ve often talked about how much you like quarterback, but you’re also a big guy. There are a lot of positions you could play. I’m certainly not qualified as an expert in these matters, but I DO love the game myself. It’s a little like modern day knights–guys who go out onto the field of battle in all their gear in the hopes of an honorable victory. (We’re reading King Arthur right now.) Thus, I have come to conclude that the attributes I see in you would certainly make you a good quarterback, should your spiral skills continue to develop as they likely will. You are smart, strong, courageous, deliberate, an excellent strategist, and above all a great leader.

I am so lucky to be your mom and watch you transition from boyhood to manhood. It is a great privilege to give you my best, every day. When I fall short, you inspire me to try harder the next day. Yesterday I cleared something off my schedule that I really wanted to do so that I could kick a sore throat and give you my best, not my leftovers. You and Ben deserve that, and each day I will strive to engage in my own fields of battle (commitments) with honor.

I love you dearly, Sam. Thank you for your example.

Your mom

12th man on our land

Boys with our neighbor and friend, Kai.

Boys with our neighbor and friend, Kai.

The boys were playing hoops and football before the BIG GAME and look who our "12th man" fan is? RACCOONS! THREE OF THEM!

The boys were playing hoops and football before the BIG GAME and look who our “12th man” fan is? RACCOONS! THREE OF THEM!

Ben out chopping with me. He is SUCH good company. I love that little guy. Such a hard worker.

Ben out chopping with me. He is SUCH good company. I love that little guy. Such a hard worker.

Such a great game for the Seahawks fans! I was the only Broncos fan around as far as I could tell, but you know – I was won over by Russell Wilson’s remarks after the game. He’s a class act as well. Soooo…we may be playing hooky on Wed for the victory parade… 🙂 When in Rome…We missed school for the Eddie Aikau surf competition in Hawai’i, so it is a family tradition to honor certain celebrations and events when in one’s hometown. All the January pictures are up if you care to surf on over to the album…including Sam’s flag football party. Here’s a link to that.

Ben playing ukulele

I was posting pictures of Sam’s party last night and heard the sound of Ben playing ukulele with his Daddy. I quickly spun around and filmed it. He has a nasty cold and is wiping his nose constantly, but is making happy music. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Sam’s 9th Birthday

Dave looks like the intense coach on the sidelines, but he's having to deal with myriad issues at work and managed to sneak out to be there for Sam despite it all. THANK YOU, Dave.

Dave looks like the intense coach on the sidelines, but he’s having to deal with myriad issues at work and managed to sneak out to be there for Sam despite it all. THANK YOU, Dave.

 

Ref Nate!

Ref Nate!

Sam is responding to a call here, he says, and that is Ellie who was the only girl to come and had many key tackles!

Sam is responding to a call here, he says, and that is Ellie who was the only girl to come and had many key tackles!
Blowing out the candles and singing! Look at that cake!

Blowing out the candles and singing! Look at that cake!

Ben and his buddy Eli played soccer the whole time. They are loving the cupcakes!

Ben and his buddy Eli played soccer the whole time. They are loving the cupcakes!

Well, it was a great time but completely nuts! Our volunteer ref and friend, Nate (5th grade) actually taped up a dark shirt with masking tape to look like a referee. That is my hiking whistle he’s using. Love the mustache! Nice touch. He really worked hard out there. Lots of tough calls, and you would not believe all the yelling and screaming on both teams – very vigorously-expressed opinions! I tried to do a “last shall be first and the first shall be last” approach to picking teams so those who usually aren’t first got picked first. That worked with ok with my pre-defined NFL draft pick roster, until about double the number of kids showed up! Word apparently got out that I’d invited the whole school. Maybe next time I will – and get several more coaches and refs! 🙂 All said they had a great time. To wind it all down, I tied an old beat-up base drum around my waist with a bike tire inner tube and one of the other moms beat on it as we marched down the field. It was very funny! Alma has some rhythm! Sam said it was probably the best birthday yet. That is what REALLY matters at the end of the day. The birthday boy felt celebrated by his friends and had fun with them. THANK YOU to Brie for being photojournalist. She snapped 94 shots before her poor hands froze off. And thank you to Vicki for the pom poms for the cheerleaders (the girls), and to all the guys and gals for coming out to play! That was a ton of fun!

Trail time!

I am mentoring in Robotics club on Wednesdays now as Sam wanted to join, and they needed a volunteer. So I am trying to learn, but mostly I help with fetching, pulling parts apart, and trying to impart a bit of systematic thinking (the scientific process) as the children experiment, observe and record (at least, that is what we hope they do!). Mostly I encourage and support, and try to understand gears. I am hopeless in that area.

Sam watching a 3D printer make Lego gears! I did not believe these existed – this is the first time I have seen one! I am mentoring in Robotics club on Wednesdays now as Sam wanted to join, and they needed a volunteer. So I am trying to learn, but mostly I help with fetching, pulling parts apart, and trying to impart a bit of systematic thinking (the scientific process) as the children experiment, observe and record (at least, that is what we hope they do!). Mostly I encourage and support, and try to understand gears. I am hopeless in that area.

I decided to take a jog on a new trail today, called the Whiskey 40 I think, and along the way spotted this nice girl. I love cows! Don't you WANT one?

I decided to take a jog on a new trail today, called the Whiskey 40 I think, and along the way spotted this nice girl. I love cows! Don’t you WANT one?

A ride on Sugar, a Tennessee Walker, was a wonderful way to break up the day. It was sunny and nearly 50 today - totally balmy, like summer. Cool, crisp air that feels warm on you when you stand in the sun. Makes you spellbound in January.

A ride on Sugar, a Tennessee Walker, was a wonderful way to break up the day. It was sunny and nearly 50 today – totally balmy, like summer. Cool, crisp air that feels warm on you when you stand in the sun. Makes you spellbound in January.

Ben started indoor soccer today. He is so thrilled. They both love their sports so much that they make SURE we are always on time for practice and games. A good quality. Ben has a cold, and had already played football for about 90 minutes, but he gave his all to practice.

Ben started indoor soccer today. He is so thrilled. They both love their sports so much that they make SURE we are always on time for practice and games. A good quality. Ben has a cold, and had already played football for about 90 minutes, but he gave his all to practice.

After playing at Wilkes for nearly two hours (it was sunny out!), then indoor soccer, we were starving when we headed to get Sam, who had gone to a neighbor’s house for a couple hours. On our way home (Sam on bike, me in car behind with flashers on after repairing a bike chain that had come off) we were trying to reach Dave…”Honey? Are you bringing home Taco Bell? Please? We are so hungry. Please feed us. Please? When are you getting home?” Pooooor Dave. Seriously. Little did I know that he was being hammered with calls from work, too. I started getting them at home. “Hello? Is Mr. Krug available?” I said “No, I’m looking for him, too. I think he’s in his phone.” HUH? I should just recognize when I am really NOT RIGHT in the head and SHUT UP! Or at least not answer the fone. Phone. I was BONKING.

So tonight I apologized to Dave for being a really lame wife. I was supposed to get his car in for repair today, which was a little unrealistic as you can’t just drop a car off at an auto repair place and get it all done in one day. Not when it is a bearing, an axle, sticky windows, tail light, shocks, etc. A lot to check on. But I did at least go by a new place, talk to a guy, arrange a repair date, and tentatively plan to get a tail light fixed tonight before soccer. That was a fine plan, except that it was sunny out and I didn’t leave the playground in time to get that tail light fixed. It’s like in Hawaii when the surf is up. If the sun is out in January, all bets are off on Mrs. Krug sticking to a plan. Well, I could have, but I thought soccer started at 4:15. Turns out it was 4:30 so I really COULD have after all. Darn. I am just not tracking on some details because I’m processing a lot of other things that probably don’t need bandwidth, but they are consuming it anyway. This weekend’s lineup is basketball game tomorrow for Sam, Sunday church, then hoops for Ben, then Burns Night, and Monday is a big flag football game for Sam’s birthday. It will all be very fun, and everyone is excited, and I hope that Dave stays well and that the boys get over their colds soon, and that I can get a handle on my schedule! Ooops…better reschedule German club from Monday or I will be double booked!

Grammie and Grandpa’s visit to the homestead

Sam got the axe!

Sam got the axe!

Ben doing some splitting. He is getting quite reliable, really. I had four kids out there splitting all at one time. Talk about high-intensity supervision. I was really bonking after that. Each had their own chopping block lined up along the driveway behind Ben. I had the great privilege of helping a neighbor girl chop her first piece of wood by herself.

Ben doing some splitting. He is getting quite reliable, really. I had four kids out there splitting all at one time. Talk about high-intensity supervision. I was really bonking after that. Each had their own chopping block lined up along the driveway behind Ben. I had the great privilege of helping a neighbor girl chop her first piece of wood by herself.

Sam is annoyed that I have laid claim to this Ames axe. It is a good one. Thank you for the present, Doug! (This was a Christmas present - can you picture it arriving via mail?)

Sam is annoyed that I have laid claim to this Ames axe. It is a good one. Thank you for the present, Doug! (This was a Christmas present – can you picture it arriving via mail?)

Ben is listening to "The Boss" while warming his hands. He loves Bruce. Nothing better than listening to The Boss while doing some manual labor.

Ben is listening to “The Boss” while warming his hands. He loves Bruce. Nothing better than listening to The Boss while doing some manual labor.

Dad was busy making "pencils" for us - thank you for the supply, Dad! You really worked hard!

Dad was busy making “pencils” for us – thank you for the supply, Dad! You really worked hard!

This was one GNARLY piece of wood! It took both of us to split it. Thank you, Dad, for being my buddy out there as I finally got my pile split!

This was one GNARLY piece of wood! It took both of us to split it. Thank you, Dad, for being my buddy out there as I finally got my pile split!

Seattle with Grammie and Grandpa

Hi Grammie and Grandpa! What a beautiful day and so much fun visiting with you two. A week was just toooo short :(

Hi Grammie and Grandpa! What a beautiful day and so much fun visiting with you two. A week was just toooo short 🙁

The Chihuly Glass  Museum was just unbelievable. Thank you, Grammie, for suggesting we go!

The Chihuly Glass Museum was just unbelievable. Thank you, Grammie, for suggesting we go!

At the top of the Space Needle with Grammie and Grandpa!!!

At the top of the Space Needle with Grammie and Grandpa!!!

Ben got a conference championship shirt for a little surprise on our way back to the ferry. He loves it!

Ben got a conference championship shirt for a little surprise on our way back to the ferry. He loves it!

Sam in his Seahawks jersey - a surprise we picked up for his birthday on the way back to the ferry. Doesn't he look so handsome?! He looks so mature here, too. I was speechless when I saw this shot.

Sam in his Seahawks jersey – a surprise we picked up for his birthday on the way back to the ferry. Doesn’t he look so handsome?! He looks so mature here, too. I was speechless when I saw this shot.

Grammie and Grandpa arrive from NJ!

Sam and Ben are very excited to see their Grammie and Grandpa! They have been looking forward to the visit and were beside themselves over dinner with excitement. We have a full weekend ahead of fun and relaxation – basketball game today for Sam, then Church, favorite baker, then hoops for Ben then Seahawks playoff game on Sunday, then Monday to Seattle for Chihully Glass, a model train village, Pike Market and Pioneer Square.

Welcome, Grammie and Grandpa! It is so fun having you here!

Emmy and I encountered a very loud and fast-moving street-sweeper which had its lights flashing. Emmy was pretty interested in it! I thought we might be in for some trouble, but knew we needed to soldier on. The operator graciously slowed down and turned off his engine as we got closer. We made it to the lesson just fine! Thanks so much for capturing the interesting stuff, Steve :)

Emmy and I encountered a very loud and fast-moving street-sweeper which had its lights flashing. Emmy was pretty interested in it! I thought we might be in for some trouble, but knew we needed to soldier on. The operator graciously slowed down and turned off his engine as we got closer. We made it to the lesson just fine! Thanks so much for capturing the interesting stuff, Steve 🙂

Mindstorm Monday

Sam got into building a creation using Lego Mindstorms today – he began with a guy called Everstorm who seems to snore when you turn him on. A snoring robot? Really? (Wirklich? Yes, it was German Stammtisch today, too.) He really made great progress, then sweet Dave helped him build more after dinner. Dave was still in his work clothes when he dug in. Sam was darting back and forth from the build instructions fetching parts and lining them up for his dad who was using the iPad 3D modeling feature to check his assembly. They have 4 or 5 more “missions” for building then they can test the design. Pretty cool! Mom and Richard – we couldn’t do this without your hand-me-down amazing Vaio. Sam is just thrilled to have a computer with a bit bigger screen and which responds. He’s able to do his online homework and submit it, he’s tracking cubing times in Excel, and checking email. Unbelievable.

Meanwhile, I got to try out a Tennessee Walking horse today for the first time. Despite some YouTube introductions to the gaits, I remain a bit baffled. The fast walk (running walk?), the pace, the flat walk…I also got an introduction to the patterns used when riding a dressage test and how to interpret my trainer’s commands (crossing out of the circle, crossing through the circle, how to make a proper circle, all of which needs a lot of work for me). There is not a moment’s rest when riding dressage. You are thinking about your cues all the time. I am so lucky to have found a very good trainer who is intent on seeing growth with every lesson.

I’m also working on manuscripts and grants this week and volunteering in class…Here’s a picture of Sam and his Dad:

Sam and Dave working on a robot!

Sam and Dave working on a robot!

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