Oh...the RedSox game!

The plan was for R.C. and Shane to go to a Boston RedSox game on Thursday as a graduation gift to R.C.. Well...when I caught word of this I was really excited for them to go, but I TOTALLY wanted to go also, which is just what happened. They allowed me to tag along and boy was I every HAPPY that they let me!!

We left Thursday morning with plenty of time to find parking, which we assumed would take forever. We could have easily parked in a parking lot close to Fenway, but I'm a cheap-o and refused to pay $40, let alone $50 to park my beat up little car. Luckily, we were all willing and able to walk, so we parked about 1 mile away and it cost us $0!

We ended up arriving 2 hours early for the game, but decided to go find our seats anyway. As we entered the stadium we noticed that people were down on the field. We thought that since we were there we too would take a walk on the Fenway field. Little did we know that it was "meet the players day"!! This might not have been a big deal to most, but for us it was AWESOME!!!! We were rushing around the field (I was rushing/running more than Shane and R.C.. They were a bit slower than I would have liked.....:) ) trying to find all our favorite guys. I felt like a little kid in a candy store! I was even shaking when I put my arm around Jeremy Hermida. What!?

The game was GREAT! Boston lost (by 1), but it was a great game! I was yelling so loud and much that it's possible that I embarrassed those other 2 guys...I even noticed that the girl who was sitting next to me moved shortly after the game started. Could I have annoyed her? Hahaha! If so, I love it! I had a great time and left with a sore throat and sunburn (I forgot my hat.). This will definitely be something that I will always remember!

This will be of interest to some of you. 

(It's about graduation)

The Sayler family got here safe and sound on Wednesday afternoon! We had a great time during their visit! Here's some of the highlights:

• Thursday Grandpa and Grandma took the boys to Plimoth Plantations and The Mayflower. They had a fantastic day from the sounds of it! Here are a few pictures to prove it:

•  Thursday R.C., Shane and I went to Boston to see a RedSox game. This will need it's own posting, but here's a picture to tempt you to come back later to read about the game:

• Friday we went to the convention center to see the Thesis Show and also to the RISD museum to see the piece that R.C. had in a show there also. 

• Friday night we went out to a Mexican restaurant and then headed downtown to Water Fire. It was a beautiful night and we got there early enough to get perfect seats right by the water. We watched the boats go up and down the canal as we sipped our free samples of iced coffee.

• Saturday morning we all woke early so we could get ready for graduation!! When we woke up it was storming but cleared up just before we left the house. The graduation ceremony was actually very good. Usually graduations are not too fun and the speakers are boring (sorry, but it's true.). RISD was the best graduation I have been too. It's not everyday you hear a president of an ivy league school (Brown's president) give a speech and think..."hmmm...I think she would rather teach at RISD" and "Boy, she sure wishes Brown would spice up their graduation ceremony...." These were just my thoughts. The other speakers were all entertaining to listen to and I have never left a graduation ceremony with a Katy Perry song stuck in my head because one of the speakers broke into song during her speech. I could not have been more proud. I know I've said it a million times before, but it's so true. I'll probably say it a million more times too...

These are the 7 sculpture grads who spent much of the last 2 years together.

 R.C.  after he was hooded and greeted by the president.

We are all so very proud of him!

• After graduation on Saturday we spent time relaxing at home and then grilled and had smores before getting to see Shane's pictures from Israel and watching the end of the ball game.

We had a great few days with the Saylers celebrating R.C.'s accomplishment! Mom and Dad Sayler left today, while Shane gets to stick around until tomorrow evening. Just enough time for us to sneak a beach trip in with him. 

1st GRADE IS COMPLETE!!

Today we finished up the last of our tests and I am proud to say that Russell passed 1st grade with flying colors! Now all that is left is to organize everything and get it sent in so Rhode Island can decide if he passes or not. Although I am confident that we completed the necessary work, covered the appropriate topics and logged enough hours/days, it is still nerve wracking to think that after all our hard work we could be denied and I could be told that we did something wrong and Russell will not be going on to second grade. Until I have the final OK from the state, I will be nervous. It's just how I am. 

While I am excited to be finished with the school year, it seems weird to think that this is the last time I will home school the boys. I understand (and am willing) that in the coming months both R.C. and I will be working and the boys will be off doing their own thing either in public school or daycare. The thing that makes me the most sad is thinking about Russell, who has worked so hard learning these last 2 years, sitting in a classroom with kids who don't care about school, and have horrible attitudes about learning, and teachers who have given up. I hate to think about this, but this is how RI public schools are. I have talked to many mothers at parks who voice their opinion about the school systems here (and who are almost in tears themselves when they tell me about it.) and how they are good for nothing. I have heard the new reports on how bad the schools are (academically and violence related), and heard as my neighbor told us that 50 kids in her daughters 8th grade class will not be promoted. 50 KIDS!! SIGH! More on that later...maybe. 

Anyways...

Today, after Russell's final test in which he received an A+, we had popcicles and talked about the previous year. Russell became teary eyes and said how much he loved school. Yes, we had our days (more than I would like to have had...) when it was a struggle, but we had a fantastic year. I'm happy that Russell has a love for learning that he is passing on to Max and that they will both hopefully keep for many years to come.

Today Mom and Dad Sayler and Uncle Shane are coming! We will get to spend time with them until Sunday! Tomorrow R.C., Shane and I are going to Boston for a RedSox game!!

EVERYTHING IS DONE BUT THE WALKING!

Yes, that's right. R.C. has finished up his final project/paper/defending of paper!! He is completely done! 

Done. Done. DONE!!

I am very confident that he is able to walk across the stage with very little trouble, and he will receive a diploma, so I am 100% confident in saying R.C. is a MASTER of Fine Art!! 

I'm really excited. All morning as R.C. was gone to school for his final day, I was on pins and needles. I knew his paper was awesome (since I read it probably 500 times and proof read it and tried to convince him to change a few minor things), but for some reason, as he was away defending all he had written and all the work he has done, I was nervous. Sure enough, this afternoon I got a call from R.C. saying he was done! He had received all the signatures he needed in order to graduate. I squealed with delight as the boys gave fist pumps and ran around the house saying, "he's a master!"

Russell immediately thought that since dad was done, he was done. I had to break the news that he is not in fact done with school. The boys have 3 days (really all those days will be half days because all we have left is testing. Fun!) left before summer break. They are very excited to be done because they know that the day they are done with lessons, that is the day Grandpa and Grandma Sayler and Uncle Shane come to town! A perfect way to kick off the summer!

Last weekend we made a trip to Lincoln Woods State Park, which is just up the road, for a bit of hiking. We had a great time, Russell fell in the water and then had to walk around all morning/afternoon with wet pants, and we did some bird watching and hiking.

There is plenty I could tell about our trip, but this was the best part. They really like each other. It's nice.

Tonight Russell went outside to play some baseball with some friends after supper. They play out front. One is the pitcher and throws the ball across the street to the batter and several other kids are standing around ready to catch the ball before it rolls down the hill. It's a pretty scrappy game, but they all have fun. When Russell went out tonight, Max was finishing his supper. There is no one on the face of the earth who eats slower than Max. I was cleaning up some things when I walked past the front room and glanced outside and saw a police car parked outside. A police officer had stopped to ask the kids if they could throw a knuckle ball and other baseball talk. No big deal, he was just being friendly to the kids. Well...this was no big deal to everyone but Max. He ran to the window and yelled, "HEY WUSSAL, I HEAWD YOU GOT BUSTED BY THE COPS!" (that's how he talks...R's are still difficult for him.) He said it just as the officer was pulling away, so I don't know if he heard or not. Russell thought it was hilarious though...as did R.C. and I.

*One week left of classes for the boys!!*

When I said in the previous post that, "I fully plan to go back next week to see everything again and it should be less busy so pictures can, and will, be taken", I guess by "next week" I meant yesterday. I received a call yesterday afternoon from R.C. saying that something had happened to his piece and I should meet him at the convention center.

Giant R.C. had fallen!

When I was first told that he had fallen I was very concerned that all our hard work had been shattered on the floor and no one would see the giant again. Although, R.C. was very calm when I got there and he had decided to leave him laying on the floor. He had recieved good feedback already on how great the giant looked sprawled on the floor, and after seeing it, I could not agree more! After all, in my opinion (and my opinion only) this is an accurate portrayal of how R.C. (who the giant is made to look like) is going to be once school is finished. He will collape into a heap on the floor starring blankly off into space. I fully expect to see my husband in this position in one week. (I will not take pictures of him like that though...you'll have to use your imagination.)

While we were there to help, we also took advantage of being there during a less busy time, and took another look around.

A blurry R.C. fixing the feet of "Giant R.C.".

The boys really liked this grassy area that someone created.

This was a room built and had bright pink lights inside that turned the entire room pink. The night before, it was also filled with fog from a fog machine, and when we walked inside we disappeared into a pink fog. The boys didn't like the fog part of it, so when we went back yesterday they loved going in.

When Russell first walked in he was preparing himself for the fog, but quickly realized there was no need to cover his face for the fog machine was turned off.

One of the boys favorites. (Made by a friend from the sculpture department.) Russell was inside the tent and Max was dancing with these cloaked figures.

One of my favorites (aside from R.C.'s! But it is done by a friend so that makes it OK for me to like so much, right?)! It's beautiful and huge. If I had a home (and probably lots of money) that had walls that could hold this (it's SUPER heavy I was told) I would snatch it up in a second!

Just more stuff.

These were done by other sculpture students/friends.

It's a really great show! My pictures don't do it justice and I am a bit bias because it seems I took pictures of only people's work who I am familiar with.

After the show/graduation we will have to find a home for this guy.

We barely have room in this apartment for ourselves, let alone a giant, 7 foot tall (although he has never been measured...this is just a guess.), man.

Once again I am feeling so proud of R.C.!

First of all I need to apologize for not taking hundreds of pictures as I had anticipated. Last night was the thesis show and it was PACKED, and so exciting, that I held my camera in my hand but rarely snapped a photo. It seemed each time that I thought of all of you out there, who couldn't be here to see the great show, and was ready to take a picture, we would run into someone we knew and would begin chatting and I would forget all about the camera in my hand. I fully plan to go back next week to see everything again and it should be less busy so pictures can, and will, be taken. But, until then, know it was a great time and these are all I got...

Earlier yesterday the boys and I went to the store to get milk, cucumbers, a chicken, and cereal. Sounds simple and you would think we could have gone in and out of the store with very little to blog about (and maybe this isn't blog worth, but for some reason I feel the need to share.). As the boys and I made our way down the baking aisle, in which we didn't need anything, but we went down in order to get to the cereal aisle, we were stopped by a man. A man staring at the flour. The man pointed to the cake flour, bread flour and all purpose flour, and asked me which flour he needed. I asked him what he was making. He would not tell me. He asked me again which flour he needed. I told him it depended on what he was making. He asked me what the difference in the flours was. I tried to explain the difference between the 3 flours, and again he asked me which flour would be best for him. Before I could tell him to just go with the all purpose flour (because I had no clue what he was making and it would be the flour that could do just about anything), he looked at me, very angrily, and almost shouted, "It's a theoretical question!" To which I immediately knew I would be of no further assistance to him so I quickly walked to the cereal aisle. As soon as we turned the corner with our cart, Russell looked at me while shaking his head and said, "That guy was nuts!", to which Max agreed and I, once again, began asking myself, "where am I!?"

And, some pictures from previous weeks, just because...

This 4 year old has his own style.

 Final weeks of school.

He's really fast.

He likes bugs and lemons.