Ollie Update

A chivalrous birthday

/ Shane / 1 Comment

Ollie is very clear: when he grows up, he wants to be a knight.

Now, what a knight does exactly is a little less clear. He’s aware that it involves, 1) having a shield, and 2) fighting bad guys and/or dragons. And that’s enough; sign him up.

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Grandpa Ron made him a wooden sword and shield set for his birthday. “You better make a set for Evelyn,” we said, “she’s going to need to defend herself.” So he ended up making two sets. So far, no smashed fingers. (We should also have made sets for ourselves, as well as laptops, coffee cups, walls, doors, the piano…) (The cat, on the other hand, can fend for herself.)

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A brave knight defends his lady

Given his fascination with knights, there was really only once choice for his birthday: Medieval Times.

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My best friend’s mom took me to Medieval Times when I was a kid and it left an indelible mark on my soul. For the next 20 years of my life I literally bounced in my car seat every time we drove by the castle. I think it’s safe to say that it’s going to have a similar impact on the kids. They had a BLAST (the grownups too). It was so much fun to go with them and experience it through their eyes.

The day began with a “summons” from the king, requesting Ollie’s presence. Sara rolled it up like a scroll and tied it with some yarn. She put it outside the front door, knocked, and ran away.

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I never in a million years imagined that Ollie would fall for this so spectacularly. He was absolutely convinced that a messenger from the king had left it for him. He carried it around all day and even brought it with us to the castle, “in case the king wanted to see it”. I think Ollie thought they wouldn’t let us in without the invitation.

Ollie seemed a little bit overwhelmed by everything, and spent most of the show just staring, slack-jawed. I was so glad I ended up sitting next to Evie. She had the time. of. her. life. The two of us cheered and cheered until our voices were hoarse. She was 100% invested in the show. I kept looking over to Sara, like, “are you watching this?”

I don’t think either of them knew what to expect, and it just kept getting better and better. Each new aspect was like Christmas and Easter and a birthday party wrapped in one, tied in a bow with a puppy on top. Just standing in the extended-gift-shop-turned-waiting-area was worth the trip as far as they were concerned. Ollie talked to a real knight with a real sword in his belt. Then we were doing “cheers” with soup bowls. Then there were dancing horses, and a princess, and a falcon flying over our heads, and cheering our lungs out and nobody telling us we were being too loud. And just when it couldn’t get any better, there was fighting, real fighting, with lances breaking, and people diving off of horses, and sparks coming off swords…

Evie said repeatedly it was the greatest night of her life. I believe her, too. If her eyes were shining any more, she could have seen in the dark.

Needless to say, it was a very, very successful birthday.

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Scavenger

/ Shane / Leave a comment

Due to general business, I’m very late in posting this. However, we recently took a (very) quick drive to Rochester, NY to visit Sara’s brother Ben (and his fiancée Jen!).

The kids also happened to have a role in Uncle Ben’s new short, “Scavenger“.

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The kids were so excited to do this. They both did a really good job. When the camera came on, Evie went ramrod straight, and delivered her line exactly consistently, take after take. She is just a very *precise* girl, and I knew she would do an excellent job.

I wasn’t so sure about Ollie, but he did a great job too. On the very first take, Ollie was feeling a little silly with all the crew standing around watching him. He’s such a class clown. He walked over to the camera and said, “HI UNCLE BEN!” Everybody cracked up, which made him feel a little embarrassed. After that, though, he got down to business.

Even when I thought he wasn’t paying attention, he would hit his line exactly on cue every time. Both kids practiced so hard, and I think it showed. I know some of the crew had not worked with children before; I think they were spoiled by this first experience! Don’t expect to have such good actors next time!

10835471_458222037669172_6026533827250990056_oIt takes a lot of people to shoot a movie, even a small one. It’s sort of funny how specific the jobs are, like “the guy who pushes the camera dolly” and “the girl who listens for ambient noise”. It was fun to be in the room and watch. Can I just say again how great the kids did?

The hardest part of the weekend was the drive. We had originally planned this because the kids had off on Friday, but Evie had practice for an opera she was going to be in, so we couldn’t leave until late. Like, 5 p.m. late, and it’s a 9 1/2 hour drive. We got there very, very early in the morning, and it was very, very difficult to stay awake. Then we had to get up early the next morning to shoot! Which is all the more reason it was impressive the kids did so well. It did make for a rather quick trip: drive, shoot all day, eat breakfast, and then drive home. (We did sneak in a trip to Dogtown!)

We are all really looking forward to seeing the movie when it’s finished, especially the kids!

He’s dangerous with a wand

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Ollie’s most delicious day

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We used to go to Chinatown now and again to catch some delicious food, but we haven’t done it for years. Both kids were intrigued by the idea, so we decided to pop in for lunch last weekend.

Ollie is pretty much the perfect consumer of dim sum. Even in the worst of circumstances, he wants to try EVERYTHING. When we have cereal in the morning, he insists on a mix of all 4 kinds. When we have dinner, it’s not enough just to have some of everything. “Can I mix these two together? Can I dip it in my milk?” A parade of tiny dishes full of new things to try is his version of heaven. I’m pretty sure he sees this when he closes his eyes to sleep:

So we showed Ollie the dim sum menu with all the little pictures and told him he could pick anything he wanted. Without hesitation, he pointed to one in the middle of the page.

“Ugh, not that one, buddy. That’s chicken feet.”
“Okay, I want chicken feet.”
“No, you have to pick something else.”
“I want the chicken feet.”

Honestly, I’m sure he would have eaten the chicken feet, but my appetite wouldn’t have survived it. I hoped it would forget by the time we sat down (he didn’t), and then I hoped the chicken feet wouldn’t be on the new menu they handed us (they were).

“Ollie, you have to pick something else. I can’t watch you eat chicken feet.”
::Ollie, grumpy::
“Okay, that one instead.”
“That one is ALSO chicken feet.”

At least he’s consistent. And he really wanted those chicken feet.

He couldn’t complain, though; he was in seventh heaven. He ate some of everything, and two of most things, until I was sure he was going to burst. Finally, when the food was gone and the table was cleared, he resorted to eating sriracha with a spoon.

Ah, Ollie. I love our little adventurous eater.

After that was done, we waddled a couple of doors down to a bakery and got little coconut cookies. Ollie said, “This was my most delicious day ever. I want to do it all over again!”

May every day be your most delicious day ever.

Ollie’s Midnight Adventures

/ Shane / 1 Comment

At about 3 a.m. I heard Ollie’s door open and close. I went to see what was going on, and I found him standing in his room with a flashlight.

I told him it was too early and tucked him back into bed. I didn’t think much of it. On the way to school the next morning, Ollie was whispering to Evie. Sara couldn’t hear what he was saying, but she overheard, “last night” and “mischievous”. 

An ominous thing to overhear, if there ever was one.

Sara told me about this and we puzzled over what he could have been up to. Ollie is a pretty solid sleeper, who has to be physically separated from his bed in the morning; wandering around at night is more Evie’s style. But he clearly was up to SOME kind of devious plan.

Throughout the day there were references to a “secret”, and then tonight after dinner we heard the two of them once again whispering to each other. Sara and I paused and strained to hear what they were talking about.

We heard only one phrase: “…put pillows over their faces…”

I guess it’s my turn to be spooked out.

Needless to say, I will be sleeping with one eye open tonight.