Evie Update

I almost forgot about Valentine’s Day!

/ Shane / Leave a comment

Valentine’s day was more than two weeks ago, and I never got around to posting about it. On a normal year, there probably wouldn’t really be anything to post about, since Valentine’s day isn’t much of a holiday around these parts. However, this time around there was a party!

Valentine’s day fell on a Thursday this year, and Evie wasn’t going to be at school that day. She was a little disappointed about that, since they had been decorating hearts and planning for a big celebration at school, so Sara got the idea to invite a few friends over for a big party.

The morning began with a special proposal. Sara got down on one knee and proposed to her two special Valentines with some homemade, felted Valentine rings:

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The kids didn’t know that we had been furiously decorating the night before after they were in bed, so they were quite surprised to see all the decorations the next day (even though they had helped make some of the decorations).

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I think all of the other attendees were also a bit surprised at the amount of decorations, but I think it made it more fun that we took it seriously (perhaps a little *too* seriously?)

In any case, there were cookies to decorate, and Valentines to pass out, and everybody had a good time. At least so I heard, since I was actually at work during the festivities. To be honest, I think Sara actually had more fun than the kids, putting it all together. Perhaps we’ll do it again next year?

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A Love Letter from Evie to her Daddy

/ Shane / 3 Comments

February 008Dad. Sorry, I love you last. Mom first, Nala, Ollie, then you Daddy.

I should point out that Nala is the cat.

One of the dangers of having a socially advanced kid is that she came out of the womb adept at using her love as a weapon. I don’t know where she learned this from, since it’s obviously not something she’s learned from example. Sometimes she’s actively trying to see if she can press your buttons, or punishing you for some perceived transgression. I wouldn’t say it’s exactly an attractive trait.

Unfortunately for her, I am completely immune to this, and I have hung the above declaration over my desk at work (oh yeah, and then posted it on the Internet).

My hope has always been that by ignoring these attempts and not making a big deal about them, she will realize that they don’t work and knock it off. The bad news is that she’s already practicing these skills, and will have honed them to a razor’s edge by the time she’s a teenager. But in the meantime, we can all have a good laugh over it.

What’s that? Oh, I guess I just have something in my eye…

This is a different childhood

/ Shane / Leave a comment

Evie has been doing a lot of writing lately. They say a writer writes what they know…

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I’m Poor. Please Help. 2 Dollars Every Day.

I think a lot about the kids growing up in Chicago, and what a different life they’re going to have. We see a lot of “picnickers” (as we like to call them) in our neighborhood. Homeless people and panhandlers are just part of Evie’s surroundings. Normal.

On the way to Evie’s school, we go under a highway overpass. Beyond the fence is what can only be described as a homeless shanty town. There are mattresses and semi-permanent structures, even a grill. In the limited time that we spend at that intersection a few times a week, we’ve seen a lot of activity. Homeless people climbing in and out through gaps in the fence. The one homeless guy who sits on the corner every morning and takes in tons of cash, food, and cigarettes. Seriously, we sit at that light for a few minutes, max, and in that time he probably takes in at least $20, every day. When he gets food he puts it in a community pile for other homeless guys to pick through. One time we even saw the members of the community furiously shoving mattresses out under the fence on one side as the police were coming in on a raid from the other side.

Evie hasn’t asked me many questions about all this, considering. However, I know it weighs heavily on her mind. Obviously, given the picture. I don’t really know what I’d say to her. “Be compassionate about your fellow man, but ignore these ones and don’t make eye contact.” How do you explain that? I’m not even sure how I feel about it myself.

So, long story short, if you see Evie panhandling on the street, please help her out. No reason we can’t put her learned skills to good use.

Checkers Redux

/ Shane / Leave a comment

About a month ago, I reported on Evie’s progress playing checkers. I am now willing to say that she is as good as any adult (and probably better than some). Last weekend she played 6 games of checkers against adults, and she won 3 of them. I don’t think I would have done any better myself. I think it’s a pretty impressive feat for a 5 year old.

Basically the difference is that she’s shored up her last few weaknesses. I alluded to them last time, but it doesn’t hurt to tell you about it now, since she’s already past all that. She used to really focus in on one objective, such as getting a king with a particular checker, and therefore miss other moves she should be making. In fact, she used to focus almost exclusively on getting kings, but not really on using the kings she had. This sort of tied in to having trouble being aggressive with her kings at the endgame, running from your inferior numbers and allowing herself to get trapped in corners. Finally, you used to be able to make mistakes and she wouldn’t capitalize on them.

All of that is over now. Mastering those things has allowed her to improve at the more advanced skills. Now she’s looking ahead several moves into the future, and setting up traps. She is really, *really* good at setting up traps. In fact, she has a trap that she springs so often, Sara and I have named it “Evie’s Choice”. Somehow (and I seriously can’t understand how she manages it at least once per game), she maneuvers a king in between two of your kings, meaning that you can save one, but not both.

The fact that she sets up different traps than I do is fascinating to me. First off, she learned that one on her own, because nobody else runs it. Second off, is it something about her personality, or age, or brain structure that allows her to see these traps developing instead of other patterns which are obvious to me? Because I totally cannot see “Evie’s Choice” coming.

In any case, if you’re coming to play some checkers, you better plan on bringing your A-game.

The Evie Restaurant Experience

/ Shane / 1 Comment

The other day, Evie decided to make a “restaurant” for Sara and I to attend. We don’t go out to eat all that often, so I was surprised at the attention to detail she included. Most importantly, she made a menu (translations below the pictures if you can’t decipher her phonetic spelling).

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Appetizers
Bread
or
Chips
or
Sandwiches

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By Evie
Drinks
Milk! and
Water!
Food
Pancakes and
Maple Syrup

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Dessert
Chocolate
Cake
or
Chocolate
Chip Cookies

Of course, the whole thing was finished off with a bill for $2.55. Not too bad for some excellent service!

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(And the best part? A 5 year old doesn’t know about leaving a tip. Score!)