DreamTheaterForums.org Dream Theater Fan Site
General => General Discussion => Topic started by: jingle.boy on June 22, 2011, 08:22:40 PM
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On the weekend, I posted in the Father's Day thread pictures of the cakes that my daughter had baked and decorated. She's taken quite a liking the art ... she watches all of those shows on TLC, and has been enroled in a city-run cake decorating class for the past couple of months (once a week). She's also enroled for a two week program over the summer. Anyway, here are a couple more pics of what she created for her teacher, who's birthday it was today. The teacher is quite athletic, coaching a couple of the school teams (hence the design).
My daughter came up with the design on her own, and made the butter cream icing all by herself as well. The one cupcke that isn't iced is for one of her class mates that is lactose intolerant (how considerate is that!?!?). Sorry to the old fogey's reading this that have the munchies. These pics won't help any. ;)
Anyway, I'm incredibly proud of her talent, interest, and finished product(s).
There's lots of parents in the community, so let's proudly brag of our children's accomplishments.
(https://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/267811_10150650197630545_765530544_18925271_2973109_n.jpg)
(https://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/265073_10150650199295545_765530544_18925308_341010_n.jpg)
(https://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/262362_10150650199060545_765530544_18925302_2004267_n.jpg)
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That is some talent at her age for the decorations. Bang your chest proud jingle.boy .
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Thats really cool :tup
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Your daughter is adorable <3 you've got a good kid there!
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My God, they all look delicious. That's really awesome, mad props on your daughter. :tup
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You're free to mail me some! Looks good.
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That is some talent at her age for the decorations. Bang your chest proud jingle.boy .
alpha as f*ck
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cool and congrats on all the blessings.. :tup
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Kids are the best. My son is two and can sing all of the ABCs in the correct tune. Not sure if that's really all that special or not for a kid that age, but I think it's pretty awesome and cute as hell.
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Thanks so much for all the kind comments folks. Kids are awesome - and frustrating too.
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Excellent work, as clean as the pastry chefs at my hotel(and probably better tasting).
I have always had a lot of pride in my kid. She is heavily into musical theater, and in her three years in high school, has played Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, Belle in Beauty and the Beast, and was the Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. She has a phenomonal voice and is a wonderful actress.
:proudpapa:
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impressive!
be proud
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That's awesome
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Excellent work, as clean as the pastry chefs at my hotel(and probably better tasting).
I have always had a lot of pride in my kid. She is heavily into musical theater, and in her three years in high school, has played Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, Belle in Beauty and the Beast, and was the Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. She has a phenomonal voice and is a wonderful actress.
:proudpapa:
Very cool. Clips and pictures must be provided.
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Since I am a low tech loser, I don't have anything immediatly downloadable, plus I get enough shit from the undersexed teenaged pervs on DTF concerning my lovely 17 year old, don't need to be giving them further fap material.
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:rollin
That's no way to talk about icy
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(https://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i238/hefdaddy42/personal/meandmaddie.jpg)
My oldest daughter just finished her freshman year of high school. She is ranked # 1 in her class and was a co-captain in the marching band (an extreme rarity for freshmen). Very proud.
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Very nice Hef!!! :tup
:rollin
That's no way to talk about icy
Actually, Icy is innocent in this, unlike numbers, Space Invader, Global Laziness, and Sigz(she's 17. for gods sake, sigz, you dirty old man)
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Co-captain in what if you don't mind me asking Hef? I marched in High School 5 years (I was pulled up to march in 8th grade) and was Drum Captain for 2 of those, definitely some of the best years of my life and they had a huge impact on how I am today.
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Very nice Hef!!! :tup
:rollin
That's no way to talk about icy
Actually, Icy is innocent in this, unlike numbers, Space Invader, Global Laziness, and Sigz(she's 17. for gods sake, sigz, you dirty old man)
WAIT WHEN DID I EVER SAY ANYTHING ABOUT HER
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Really?!?!?!
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Seriously, the only thing I ever remember saying about her was that she had a really pretty name.
I take no responsibility for posts I may have made while drunk however.
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My daughter can clap and roll all over the floor everywhere.
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Seriously, the only thing I ever remember saying about her was that she had a really pretty name.
I take no responsibility for posts I may have made while drunk however.
Must of been one of "those" nights then. You kept it clean, BTW, but you were talking marriage. :lol
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My daughter can clap and roll all over the floor everywhere.
and she's got the cutest 'Michelin Man' legs.
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My daughter can clap and roll all over the floor everywhere.
and she's got the cutest 'Michelin Man' legs.
Seconded.
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You're raising your kid wrong. This is how you raise a kid:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ctv8ckwg1-8
rumborak
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You're raising your kid wrong. This is how you raise a kid:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ctv8ckwg1-8
rumborak
Eh.
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You're raising your kid wrong. This is how you raise a kid:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ctv8ckwg1-8
rumborak
I was expecting this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydHMU05BknE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydHMU05BknE)
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Co-captain in what if you don't mind me asking Hef? I marched in High School 5 years (I was pulled up to march in 8th grade) and was Drum Captain for 2 of those, definitely some of the best years of my life and they had a huge impact on how I am today.
She is in the pit. Front percussion ensemble. You know, the xylophones, marimbas, other percussion stuff.
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Co-captain in what if you don't mind me asking Hef? I marched in High School 5 years (I was pulled up to march in 8th grade) and was Drum Captain for 2 of those, definitely some of the best years of my life and they had a huge impact on how I am today.
She is in the pit. Front percussion ensemble. You know, the xylophones, marimbas, other percussion stuff.
Pit for the win. :metal I switch between marimba and electric guitar... lol.
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Big bump here. Mrs Jingle's birthday yesterday, and as you may recall, Jingle.daughter is becoming quite the pastry chef. The best was that my wife posted it to Carlos' Bakery FB page, and she got a response.
(https://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/418291_10150750481797067_599152066_12173365_203829485_n.jpg)
(https://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/419299_10151251949650545_765530544_22454294_2046128655_n.jpg)
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Your daughter's awesome j.b :metal
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Nice!
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Those are really cool. Are those decorative studs edible?
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Those are really cool. Are those decorative studs edible?
Yup... a little crunch, but they are edible.
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I wanna wear a jogging suit made of fondant.
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I'm very impressed Chad... you're right to be proud of her... bless....
and happy belated b'day to your lovely wife....
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Wow she has some talent there!
Side note - Adam says hi!
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That's awesome Chad, and the cupcakes look absolutely amazing!! :D
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Didn't know j.b's first name until now. Is every Canadian named Chad? (https://blogs.sfweekly.com/shookdown/kroeger.jpg)
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Didn't know j.b's first name until now. Is every Canadian named Chad? (https://blogs.sfweekly.com/shookdown/kroeger.jpg)
Yes, Canada's male population is 2.
Don't associate me to the tool that is Kroeger. :P ;)
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:lol
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I put in my two cents and it wasn't appreciated. I demand a nickel back.
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The one you posted on FB of the close up of the blue bag on the cake really shows off excellent texture. Her work is awesome, better by far than the "professional" pastry chefs at my hotel.
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Yep, his lil gal takes the cake :metal
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The awesomeness continues!
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I put in my two cents and it wasn't appreciated. I demand a nickel back.
:lol
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I put in my two cents and it wasn't appreciated. I demand a nickel back.
:lol
I'll show you no quarter.
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Look at the dime stopping in with a quip :lol
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Sorry for the mega bump (and the dead links on jingle.dauthers baking). However, time to talk up jingle.son now. First, a shameless plug.
Did you know you can submit a Lego creation of your own to this website, and if they get 10,000 "supporters", they'll consider making it. That's (I believe) how the Back To The Future sets got created. Anyway, he submitted this for The Big Bang Theory set:
(https://cuusoo.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/df761/aa927/b404f/022e1/ab7a0/fdd37/e5c5c/f766f/thumb640x360.png)
If you care to help out, go to https://lego.cuusoo.com/ideas/view/56700, and click "Support". Thanks for your consideration.
Now... on to the really good stuff. jingle.son is going into High School next year, and has applied to a Regional Arts Program. Huge portfolio required, and he spent the last 8 weeks working on it. Here's some of the output.
He did this one at DisneyWorld last summer.
(https://i726.photobucket.com/albums/ww265/jingle-boy/jingle-son%20art/cccab391-d8ae-45d2-8d12-b0fa5d452c1b_zps915ceac2.jpg)
Mandatory work - view from a (car) window:
(https://i726.photobucket.com/albums/ww265/jingle-boy/jingle-son%20art/Windowviewing_zpsa3fe7424.jpg)
Water color painting
(https://i726.photobucket.com/albums/ww265/jingle-boy/jingle-son%20art/Waterpainting_zps1c06924a.jpg)
Self portrait
(https://i726.photobucket.com/albums/ww265/jingle-boy/jingle-son%20art/Selfportrait_zpsacf0d026.jpg)
Some other random drawing
(https://i726.photobucket.com/albums/ww265/jingle-boy/jingle-son%20art/Otherwork_zps746e375f.jpg)
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Very cool drawings!!! Hope he gets in!!!
As to the Lego set, I have never seen the show, so :dunno:
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Another young'un with more drawing talent in his little fingernail than I've ever had. Good stuff and wish him the best.
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Do you think self portraits are easier because he is a twin? :xbones
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We've done the Disney drawing plenty of times. Your son could easily do the presentation.
Great stuff JB.
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Co-captain in what if you don't mind me asking Hef? I marched in High School 5 years (I was pulled up to march in 8th grade) and was Drum Captain for 2 of those, definitely some of the best years of my life and they had a huge impact on how I am today.
She is in the pit. Front percussion ensemble. You know, the xylophones, marimbas, other percussion stuff.
A bit late but that's awesome! Have your daughter continued with percussion? I'm a big fan of DCI and have been for a long time. It's a well oiled machine that nurture tremendous amount of talent. Ya'll should be grateful for the High School Marching band tradition you have in the US. It's a great education tool. My father started a marching band in the 70s so I have been playing quite alot but marching band in the style that you have is basically non existence in Sweden, there are a handful marching band that's doing DCI type of stuff but they are easily counted unfortunately and they are also not connected to the public school in anyway or not like you have atleast. We have the professional military marching bands but even those are fading away because of gov. savings and stuff. Side topic but I just wanted to say that. :)
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Cool stuff Chad :tup you have raised a couple talented individuals. I hope jingle.son lands at a school he likes and can continue to grow as an artist.
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Bumping.... so the jingle.kids are graduating elementary school next week. jingle.daughter baked and decorated a cake to commemorate it, as well as got an order from one of her teachers to do cupcakes for his gf's birthday. Like I said in the pic thread, too bad I can't post tastes!
(https://scontent-b-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/t1.0-9/10341634_10154246882145545_2235341973317335031_n.jpg)
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfa1/t1.0-9/10246855_10154246882210545_3348665817281343046_n.jpg)
(https://scontent-b-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/t1.0-9/10456051_10154227532040545_327386980647707474_n.jpg)
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/t1.0-9/10380267_10154227524250545_8601785895664557280_n.jpg)
And this she did for her Ortho for the day she got her braces off last month. Last picture of her with braces.
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/t1.0-9/10177535_10154170861820545_7713684487940687460_n.jpg)
(https://scontent-b-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1.0-9/10336695_10154170862065545_748544489614303406_n.jpg)
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:hefdaddy
All hail jingle.daughter
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Like I said in the pic thread, too bad I can't post tastes!
She could make me a congrats on the new job cake and you could send it to me, that way I could back you up. Also, you may want to invest in a shotgun, or get a face tattoo to care off poor suitors.
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jingle.daughter is one talented young lady, that's for sure. I do hope that she can make a living at it (if that's what she wants to do) and that it never becomes "a job" for her.
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jingle.daughter is one talented young lady, that's for sure. I do hope that she can make a living at it (if that's what she wants to do) and that it never becomes "a job" for her.
She actually wants to be a teacher, despite Mrs Jingle and my (slight) encouragement to pursue this. Oh well.
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And she'll probably change her mind a few more times before she hits 21.
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jingle.daughter is one talented young lady, that's for sure. I do hope that she can make a living at it (if that's what she wants to do) and that it never becomes "a job" for her.
She actually wants to be a teacher, despite Mrs Jingle and my (slight) encouragement to pursue this. Oh well.
I tell you what it's a common misconception that teachers don't make a lot of money and what not. But, my wife is a teacher and I can tell you that your salary is directly related to how much effort you put in to continuing to add hours past your Masters. She by no means is 'scraping by' but at the same time she isn't pulling down six figures either. She makes a very respectable salary and her benifits are incredible. The retirement plan is great and in fact in general....at some point in her early to mid 50's it will actually make more sense for her to retire than to continue full time. I don't know the details as to why....but it'll be worth her retiring than continue on. Although, that's when they work part time and get paid a great hourly wage also.
Teaching ain't all bad.....but it does take a special person to be able to handle a lot of the BS they have to go through.
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Mega bump. jingle.daughter got her first job today, and promptly announced that she is now the only person in this jingle.household that is gainfully employed!
Another one of life's 'big' moments coming and going. And in the next few months, they'll both have their G2 driver's license (Ontario has a graduated licensing program, so this is step 2 where they can drive - for the most part - on their own).
#proudparents
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Awesome!!
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Congratulations on continuing to pass the torch to the next generation!
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It happens so fast doesn't it?!
My nephew was over last week working on my furnace and his daughter was over. The circle of life. Me on the floor coloring with her like I did with him.
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Chad.
You're old.
*runs away*
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Jay.
You're right.
What's your point? :P
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Me to my 9 year old son: do you want me to roast that marshmallow for you, the stick is pretty short and the fire is really hot
Him: Dad, I can do it myself....I'm not a pussy
I tried to be mad and correct/discipline him but it basically ended with me just telling him not to use that word in front of his mother.
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That works, too. Part of father/son bonding is male bonding, and this kinda serves both purposes. There are things you can say when it's just the guys, and things that you don't in mixed company. Mom is mixed company, a female, an "other".
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Jingle.son got his license this morning. Hopefully another post coming this afternoon after jingle.daughter's road test. :crossesfingers:
Edit: 2 for 2... both kids are now licensed. Which means I now have to insure them. :-[
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Lol you're so screwed.
jk good for them, enjoy the freedom of not having to chaffuer them around anymore.
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That works, too. Part of father/son bonding is male bonding, and this kinda serves both purposes. There are things you can say when it's just the guys, and things that you don't in mixed company. Mom is mixed company, a female, an "other".
Grabby? Joking aside, I agree.
Jingle.son got his license this morning. Hopefully another post coming this afternoon after jingle.daughter's road test. :crossesfingers:
Edit: 2 for 2... both kids are now licensed. Which means I now have to insure them. :-[
Nice. I can't imagine how that must feel once your children have gotten their own "wings" to fly in a sense. I know my parents were extremely worrisome at that time for our safety, but also just the fact they are growing up and can do things out of your control (well moreso than without a license).
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Lol you're so screwed.
jk good for them, enjoy the freedom of not having to chaffuer them around anymore.
It's still gonna be some time before they get their total 'freedom'. The city I live in is (no word of a lie) the highest insurance in the province - and I suspect in the country. It's going to cost more for jingle.son to be insured as a secondary driver than it costs me AND mrs.jingle as primary drivers COMBINED!!! There's just a lot of shitty drivers in this city - on a variety of different fronts and reasons. It's completely For a couple of kids that have only really been driving for 3 months (they got their 'learners' license back in October, but didn't do much practice driving over the winter), they are very good drivers. But, as we all know, it's the other idiots on the road that we all have to be concerned with.
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Grats to both the little jingles.
And RIP your wallet.
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The first rule of raising boys:
I tried to be mad and correct/discipline him but it basically ended with me just telling him not to use that word in front of his mother.
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The first rule of raising boys:
I tried to be mad and correct/discipline him but it basically ended with me just telling him not to use that word in front of his mother.
Yeah....I find myself using some variation of 'not in front of your mother' more and more as they get older. There are things that women just don't understand
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What the fuck...
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Twice recently I have encountered someone who was apparently confused by something, so I explained it to them. I thought it was the right thing to do. I was accused both times of "mansplaining" as the apparently confused person was female. It seems that this is a bad thing. I have no idea what the fuck "mansplaining" is, but if the new rule is that if females don't understand, and a guy explains it to them, and both the males and females involved get pissed at him, then the best response is none at all. Which is the complete opposite of this response.
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What the fuck...
To be fair.... you are cooler than the average bear.
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What the fuck...
To be fair.... you are cooler than the average bear.
To even fairer I wasn't saying that women are idiots. Not even close. My point was that there are aspects of a father/son relationship that a woman/mother are not going to be able to understand. Especially if that woman never had a brother...and even then if she did it still isn't the same paradigm as boys/brothers.
I'm the father of (3) boys and the oldest brother of three boys. I am going to have a different insight into my sons relationships with one another and my sons relationships with me than what my wife has. And some of those insights are going to be things that she simply can't understand for the simple fact that she's not a male and she's not a 'brother' of all males.
Just as I wouldn't have the same insight pertaining to daughters/females being that my only close female relationships have been my mother and now wife. Had we three daughters the shoe would be on the other foot but it's not.
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This was 17 years ago:
(https://scontent.fyto1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/20727979_10159096048470545_4577966739055041905_n.jpg?oh=dde7452d12f613ae74c990a029b90d11&oe=59F44D8C)
This was yesterday
(https://scontent.fyto1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/20799890_10159096078965545_1707989479841265514_n.jpg?oh=1d5767cc2912c3c3623ed4ee639cdea7&oe=5A31F76A)
Every year in between is on FB for my FB peeps.
One more year, and they'll be adults. :omg: Hell, I'm barely an adult sometimes!
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Just so crazy man.
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That's so cool Chad. They're good looking 'kiddos'
I always thought the people who told me to "enjoy it, it goes by fast" after our first son was born we're just saying it to say it. Well, I totally get it now. Our oldest is 11 and I'm just here like "WTF" "Where did that time go?"
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I always thought the people who told me to "enjoy it, it goes by fast" after our first son was born we're just saying it to say it. Well, I totally get it now. Our oldest is 11 and I'm just here like "WTF" "Where did that time go?"
Yup... 13 more months, and both of ours will be off to post-secondary, and most likely living away from home.
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This was 17 years ago:
(https://scontent.fyto1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/20727979_10159096048470545_4577966739055041905_n.jpg?oh=dde7452d12f613ae74c990a029b90d11&oe=59F44D8C)
This was yesterday
(https://scontent.fyto1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/20799890_10159096078965545_1707989479841265514_n.jpg?oh=1d5767cc2912c3c3623ed4ee639cdea7&oe=5A31F76A)
Every year in between is on FB for my FB peeps.
One more year, and they'll be adults. :omg: Hell, I'm barely an adult sometimes!
Wow, the bear hasn't aged a bit. :D
Awesome pics!
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Not sure where to put this but it had to do with my youngest son so
We were sitting on the front porch tonight talking and i happened to look down at his leg and spotted a small tick. He and his buddy had just spent a bit up in the woods so no big deal.
Until I notice another small one, and another. I said " hey bud, stand up" then lifted his shorts a bit and BOOM there they are. I mean literally hundreds upon hundreds of seed ticks
It sure if anyone has ever had to deal with them but basically they are ticks that are as small or smaller than the head of a needle. Very tiny. Typically they'll hang out on a branch in droves and whatever brushes against them gets coated in them.
I got him up to the tub and was able to wash 80% of them off but I'm not exaggerating when I say a good two hundred or so were dug in. I spent from 7:30 to 9:30 with tweezers and a flashlight just picking tiny ticks off him. Felt so bad for him as there were a few occasions of me grabbing a bit too much skin....these things are SO small. And, he had a dozen or so on his privates....everywhere on them! Poor fella.
Anyway.....not exactly a 'proud parent' moment but didn't know where to throw that story.
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Yikes!!
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Damn!
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Damn!
DAYUM!!!
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This was 17 years ago:
*picture*
This was yesterday
*picture*
[/quote]
Nice, you got a new couch! :neverusethis:
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This was 17 years ago:
*picture*
This was yesterday
*picture*
Nice, you got a new couch! :neverusethis:
New house too!
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The bear looks better than ever. :tup
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Both jingle.kids received post-secondary acceptances recently. jingle.son got two out of his three programs - both were his 'safety net' choices, so it wasn't all that surprising. The third - and his #1 goal for the last 5+ years - is a Bachelor of Animation program, which requires an extensive portfolio submission (due next week). He's been busting his ass on it since December 1st. The acceptance rate for this program is only about 10% of applications, so SUPER competitive. Fingers crossed for him there.
jingle.daughter just got her acceptance offer for her #1 choice (with a small scholarship) yesterday - Child and Youth Studies... she wants to be a primary school teacher. It was a pretty competitive program as well, only about 1/3 of applicants are accepted.
So awesome... but an empty house come September since both will be living away from home. :-\ :'(
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Proud and also an anxious moment for parents.
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That’s exciting news Chad! Having seen some of the work that jingle.son is capable of I would think that he has a good shot at getting in. And, being a husband of a school teacher (special school teacher grades K-2) I can tell you from seeing/hearing about the job the past 15 years the reward isn’t as much in the salary but the difference jingle.daughter could make in a kids life. Good luck to them both
Last week we took our oldest up to the middle school to register. He will be in 6th grade :omg: Just doesn’t seem real. It really does go by quick
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So, we just got these in the mail over the past couple of weeks. Godddamn.
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/817/39160792010_221c3a81ab.jpg) (https://farm1.staticflickr.com/814/27098982038_c786b59127.jpg)
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Can't see the image, Chad. What is it?
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Both jingle.kids received post-secondary acceptances recently. jingle.son got two out of his three programs - both were his 'safety net' choices, so it wasn't all that surprising. The third - and his #1 goal for the last 5+ years - is a Bachelor of Animation program, which requires an extensive portfolio submission (due next week). He's been busting his ass on it since December 1st. The acceptance rate for this program is only about 10% of applications, so SUPER competitive. Fingers crossed for him there.
jingle.daughter just got her acceptance offer for her #1 choice (with a small scholarship) yesterday - Child and Youth Studies... she wants to be a primary school teacher. It was a pretty competitive program as well, only about 1/3 of applicants are accepted.
So awesome... but an empty house come September since both will be living away from home. :-\ :'(
That's awesome, jingle. I pretty much lost control of my life after I realized there was no way to pay for school after getting accepted, so I'm happy to hear of anyone who gets accepted and actually gets to go. Especially when the acceptance rate is that low. You have smart kids. Congratulations. :)
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Can't see the image, Chad. What is it?
I was worried about that. I tried to link from my google drive, but feared it wouldn't work. I'll re-upload to a proper photo-sharing site.
Stand by.
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Better?
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Man, they're all grown up.
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:clap: Nice Chad :tup
Man, they're all grown up.
No kidding! Wasn't it like yesterday Chad shared some pics of a jingle vacation where the jingle.kids were all little?
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Much better. Good looking kids and jingle.son looks quite a bit like my youngest (sans 20lbs of hair).
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No kidding! Wasn't it like yesterday Chad shared some pics of a jingle vacation where the jingle.kids were all little?
It'll creep up on you too Gary. In no time, you'll be in this boat too.
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No kidding! Wasn't it like yesterday Chad shared some pics of a jingle vacation where the jingle.kids were all little?
It'll creep up on you too Gary. In no time, you'll be in this boat too.
I think I told you last time we talked I'm feeling it already. Our oldest is going into middle school (6th grade) next year and me and the Mrs. are like :omg:
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The day after my son Nolan was born, we were informed that he seemed a bit too lethargic for the hospital's liking. He was immedeately being sent to Tufts Floating Hospital for Children in Boston. We spent three days and nights there in the NICU unit. The infant next to him had a hole in his heart. Our son was stable, thank God.
Six weeks later he would be back in the hospital as he could not keep any food down. Our local hospital could not treat him to our satisfaction, so remembering the care he received at Tufts, we drove him up there at 4 in the morning. He was diagnosed with Pyloric Stenosis, which is a fairly common thing. It involves a muscle squeezing the base of the stomach. He was diagnosed and in surgery in a few hours. We handed him over to the surgeon and we were fucking balling our eyes out. The doctor told us it was literally the biggest one he's ever seen. Special. He still has a scar.
His delays in speech would become apparent. Early intervention, pre school. We had to come to grips that we would have a special needs child. "on the spectrum" as they say.
Nolan's greatest asset would be his personality. Many were hesitant to label him autistic because he was so social. He had the support of his classmates, as evident today as they were in elementary school. We could stop at any service area on our trips to Disney, and he would walk by a bunch of bikers and totally disarm and melt them.
Through the years, our IEP meetings would be like sticking a needle in our eyes. He's at "this" reading level, his speech is at "that" level. We could basically count on 3-4 gut punch meetings per year. The worst was when we were told that for 7th grade, we would have to switch school systems. We toured a number of programs in area towns, until we met an extraordinary young teacher in the next town over. We live in West B., and my son would attend school in East B. New school, no friends. Holy fuck! I stepped down in jobs to accommodate greater flexibility in our schedules.
With the help of a group of amazing teachers, my son excelled, earning Honor Roll accolades, as well as ultimately passing his MCAS, which meant he would not graduate with a mere certificate, but with an actual fucking diploma!
We were gutted when we heard we would be having a "drive thru" Graduation. WTF?? Everything we've been through. The tears, the frustrations, hell, we even got our lawyer involved one year... We were livid.
That is until...my wife and son went to the graduation rehersal on Thursday. He was so fired up.The quirkiness of the whole thing really appealed to him, and we began to view it differently. It was about him, and he was totally happy.
We had to be in our assigned parking space this morning at 10 for an 11:00 ceremony. That meant for an hour, it was like a giant tailgate. All of the kids were socializing, hugging, taking pictures together....no masks. It was beautiful. Many of these kids hadn't seen each other in many weeks. Months even.
Not one kid walked by our space without saying "HI Nolan!". He rubs off on everyone, across class. Jock, nerd, black, white. We are so proud of that.
That hour of tailgating socializing may not have been possible with a normal ceremony. Honestly, this might have been one of the most impactful hours in each of these students' lives.
The ceremony would be followed with a car parade through the town. Again, this is not our hometown, yet in over a dozen spots, the people knew my son. We were so proud.
I would be remiss to mention that he has an amazing and supportive younger brother. He has been gifted with many things. While he is growing a quarantine beard and hair, but during the quarantine, he has taken three college AP exams and is only a junior in high school.
tl:dr
My son graduated high school today!
(https://i.imgur.com/aiulT6F.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/rV5V1bF.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/ZVQxjaX.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/3CnSnF8.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/IodpLgg.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/k6zG1sN.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/ppNEBe1.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/V3d7Cbt.jpg)
https://youtu.be/wIa2gOVSmjg?t=3664
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:heart :heart :heart
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That is awesome Tim! :metal Nolan seems like an incredible young man and surely a testament to you and your wife’s sacrifices and parenting. So happy to hear that what was thought to be a ‘bummer’ in the non traditional graduation was actually an awesome experience!
Congrats!
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Seems I got a little something in my eye. Damn allergies.
Best thing I’ve read in a while. Fills me with joy and happiness for the TAC family.
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Thank you Chad.
What was amazing is the joy the kids had in seeing each other. The world has asked a lot of them over the last few months. The whole tailgating experience was an unforeseen yet unforgettable experience.
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Good stuff man!!!
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Thank you, brother!
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That's awesome. :)
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Cant find the right emoticon. That made me cry ugly happy tears. Congrats to Nolan and the family. Mom and dad are troopers, amazing human beings. Being a dad is very tough, each word was hard to read, you guys did it. So happy for you all.
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That's so awesome, Tim. So proud of you and your son, buddy. Nice to read such a feel good story. :2metal:
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Cant find the right emoticon. That made me cry ugly happy tears. Congrats to Nolan and the family. Mom and dad are troopers, amazing human beings. Being a dad is very tough, each word was hard to read, you guys did it. So happy for you all.
Thank you Faizoff and Lethean. You are right Faizoff. My wife is amazing.
I told this story when I toasted her at her 50th birthday party.
She had a 5 y/o son when I met her. I remember she made him an ice cream bowl, and the had a baggie full of oreos that she was planning on sprinkling on it. I remember thinking, how is she going to do that?
Well she grabbed a hammer and started pounding the cookies in the baggie. I remember then, that this is the woman I want raising my kids. :lol
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That's so awesome, Tim. So proud of you and your son, buddy. Nice to read such a feel good story. :2metal:
Thanks Michael. I have a stepson, who is not only basically your age, but also has the same first name. He was there along the parade route with my sister in law and mother in law, but unfortunately he headed back home before we got a chance to meet up. I was hoping to get him in a picture, but we'll get together soon enough. He and his partner have taken this quarantine pretty seriously. My wife has not really even seen him at all in the last couple of months.
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Great stuff, Tim. That was a really nice read. :hat :hat
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It's getting dusty in here.
So happy for you, my friend.
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Thank you guys. So appreciated. DTF is my facebook. :)
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That's so awesome, Tim. So proud of you and your son, buddy. Nice to read such a feel good story. :2metal:
Thanks Michael. I have a stepson, who is not only basically your age, but also has the same first name. He was there along the parade route with my sister in law and mother in law, but unfortunately he headed back home before we got a chance to meet up. I was hoping to get him in a picture, but we'll get together soon enough. He and his partner have taken this quarantine pretty seriously. My wife has not really even seen him at all in the last couple of months.
That really sucks. Hopefully she gets to see him soon. :(
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Well she grabbed a hammer and started pounding the cookies in the baggie. I remember then, that this is the woman I want raising my kids. :lol
:metal :rollin
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That's so awesome, Tim. So proud of you and your son, buddy. Nice to read such a feel good story. :2metal:
Thanks Michael. I have a stepson, who is not only basically your age, but also has the same first name. He was there along the parade route with my sister in law and mother in law, but unfortunately he headed back home before we got a chance to meet up. I was hoping to get him in a picture, but we'll get together soon enough. He and his partner have taken this quarantine pretty seriously. My wife has not really even seen him at all in the last couple of months.
That really sucks. Hopefully she gets to see him soon. :(
So the thing is, next month our hometown holds its graduation. My son has been invited to march with the West B. kids. He's likely wearing my stepson's gown. The kids in our town have been so nice to him over the years. The kids he hasn't been to school with since 6th grade all remember him.
Also, while my youngest son, Sean, was playing basketball for a number of years, Nolan actually ran the scoreboard for the games, so they all know him pretty well.
Our town has a tradition of a car parade on the last day of school for seniors, and my wife and son took part in it. His picture even made the local paper.
So the kid will actually get two high school graduations. He's pretty fired up about that.
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TAC I think it's really cool that your son enjoyed the alternate ceremony so much. I thought my high school graduation was more something to just get through. Hope I don't trip on the way up to get my diploma and stuff. It was ok, but your son's sounded like it was actually fun. :)
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TAC I think it's really cool that your son enjoyed the alternate ceremony so much. I thought my high school graduation was more something to just get through. Hope I don't trip on the way up to get my diploma and stuff. It was ok, but your son's sounded like it was actually fun. :)
I remember my high school, and college graduations being a couple of the greatest days. But yes, they are long and boring. In a way, this worked in his favor. Actually it seemed to work in everyone's favor.
But he has a way of seeing the good in anything. I'll tell you, whenever I'm upset about something, all I need to do is have a conversation with my son, and I instantly feel better.
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When I got handed my high school diploma I got nervous and switched up the hands we were supposed to use for grabbing the diploma and shaking the principal's hand and tossed the diploma on the ground :lol :lol
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:lol :lol
I believe that! :lol
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Through the years, our IEP meetings would be like sticking a needle in our eyes. He's at "this" reading level, his speech is at "that" level. We could basically count on 3-4 gut punch meetings per year.
Any time my wife has one coming up, there is definitely an different air around her; the days leading up to them are more stressful, the night before she doesn't sleep well, the morning of she is up earlier, and I know exactly how it went after seeing her for 5 seconds at the end of the day. Sometimes they are positive, other times they are not. They are always significant though, and leave her drained physically and emotionally.
A neighbor friend graduated this week, which got me thinking about mine. At the time it was one of the happiest days of my life, and with some significance, as my life went downhill not long after that. Looking back, I probably forgot about that day 6 months later, but it to this day my parents will tell me it is one of the happiest, proudest days of their lives. I know you and the Mrs. will remember with joy this day for the rest of your lives.
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Congratulations to Nolan and his parents!
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When I got handed my high school diploma I got nervous and switched up the hands we were supposed to use for grabbing the diploma and shaking the principal's hand and tossed the diploma on the ground :lol :lol
But at least you didn't toss yourself on the ground! :)
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TAC I think it's really cool that your son enjoyed the alternate ceremony so much. I thought my high school graduation was more something to just get through. Hope I don't trip on the way up to get my diploma and stuff. It was ok, but your son's sounded like it was actually fun. :)
I remember my high school, and college graduations being a couple of the greatest days. But yes, they are long and boring. In a way, this worked in his favor. Actually it seemed to work in everyone's favor.
But he has a way of seeing the good in anything. I'll tell you, whenever I'm upset about something, all I need to do is have a conversation with my son, and I instantly feel better.
Can I ask your son to chat with you before you score my songs in your next roulette? :)
Seriously though, he sounds like he has a great disposition. What's next for him?
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That whole post made my heart melt, Tim. :heart
Congrats to Nolan on his graduation! :metal
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Congratulations :)
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Not going to lie Tim, that post brought a tear to my eye. Happy and proud of you and Nolan. Congratulations.
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Thank you my friends.
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Such an uplifting story of sacrifice and determination. Wishing Nolan the best for whatever the future holds.
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Awesome! Congratulations Nolan! Well done.
I'm glad you were able to enjoy the graduation, Tim. I know this year was weird. Nolan is wise to find unique joy in the situation.
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Kudos to your son TAC!
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That was a very nice read TAC, congrats to your son and also to your family and community to be there to support him :yarr
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Congratulations to you and your son, TAC. You have a great looking family. The story of the first year of your son's life definitely rang some bells with me. Thank god kids are so resilient. :heart
Graduation was really weird for us this year too. We are hoping to do the party thing later this summer. All of these kids have worked so very hard. They deserve the recognition and kudos.
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Good work, Tim. :tup
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Thank you everyone one. It is so appreciated.
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Give ‘im 1 :hifive: from each of these posts.
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I sure as hell will!! :)
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That’s an absolutely fantastic story Tim. I remember seeing photos of Nolan over the years (I think it’s been over a decade). Congratulations to your son and kudos to you for an amazing job of parenting!
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That’s an absolutely fantastic story Tim. I remember seeing photos of Nolan over the years (I think it’s been over a decade). Congratulations to your son and kudos to you for an amazing job of parenting!
Thank you Gord. Yeah it's been well over a decade my friend. Time flies! ;D
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Congrats to the proud parents and your son! He seems like a lovely boy. Am I even allowed to say "boy" when my graduation was just nine years ago? :lol A nice young man, that's who he is.
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Congratulations to Nolan. Incredible story. And I am fortunate to say that I met Nolan, and while we didn't talk much, he was a nice guy and respectful young man. A credit to his parents. :)
So happy for him (and all of the TAC fam).
:heart
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Congratulations to Nolan. Incredible story. And I am fortunate to say that I met Nolan, and while we didn't talk much, he was a nice guy and respectful young man. A credit to his parents. :)
So happy for him (and all of the TAC fam).
:heart
Thank you Brian. I appreciate it. He was happy to meat my "Dream Theater friends" (that's what he called you guys lol) when we met you and Bosk.
And thank you everyone.
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On the general topic of Proud Parent, I have repeatedly told my 9 year old how proud I am of her these past couple months. I had no idea how she would react to the school closure, being cut off from her extended family and friends, and the general unknowns and fear surrounding Covid19. But she has met the challenges far beyond anything I could have imagined. She has always maintained a positive attitude, has worked hard on her schoolwork, often doing more than what has been asked of her, never complained or felt sorry for herself (except for when we told her we couldn't have a big party for her birthday), and overall shown significant growth from where she was before the virus took over our lives.
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That’s awesome to hear, Chris. :tup
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Yeah that's great to hear Chris. It's important to communicate with our kids through this time, and not let them feel...isolated. A proud word form her Dad will really go a long way for her.
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That was a great read Tim, you have a beautiful family. From everything you went through to see him graduate would have been so special for you and your wife. Thanks for sharing with all your friends here mate. We appreciate it. :heart :metal
I do hope to meet Nolan one day.
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A proud word form her Dad will really go a long way for her.
I have been thinking about being on the receiving end of this, as a 44 year old. I know as a kid and as an adult there were times I disappointed my parents, mainly my dad. And while I never doubted their love for me, I rarely thought I made them proud, especially as an adult. So the times when they have said they were proud of me were all the more special.
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Good stuff there Chris :tup When you stop and really realize what our kids are growing up in right now it really demonstrates how resilient they are. Glad to hear your daughter is handling things well.
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That was a great read Tim, you have a beautiful family. From everything you went through to see him graduate would have been so special for you and your wife. Thanks for sharing with all your friends here mate. We appreciate it. :heart :metal
I do hope to meet Nolan one day.
Thanks Kade, I appreciate it. Yeah, you will. He wants to see the Pitch Drop!
A proud word form her Dad will really go a long way for her.
I have been thinking about being on the receiving end of this, as a 44 year old. I know as a kid and as an adult there were times I disappointed my parents, mainly my dad. And while I never doubted their love for me, I rarely thought I made them proud, especially as an adult. So the times when they have said they were proud of me were all the more special.
My son has had many ticks growing up, both physical and emotional, and one of them was when he was a lot younger, if we talked to him about acting up, he would always respond "Are you still proud of me?". It was really kind of heartbreaking.
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Didn't know where else to put this so I found the 'kid' thread.
My middle son wiped out on his bike on Saturday. Just a 'normal' wipe out on a street. You'd think nothing of it any day. BUT....he torked his elbow pretty good and it was pretty swollen and he really couldn't straighten his arm out. We iced it up for a while and I decided to wait until yesterday to take a look and see if the icing helped. He woke up and it was still swollen....even more actually and his range of motion was gone. So, my wife took him in to get some xrays at the Urgent Care who immediately saw that his elbow had a severe fracture but they wanted us to go to the main Children's hospital to get a better xray and CT.
What we found out was that not only was his elbow chipped his humerus had a pretty severe fracture that they are saying is in a tricky location. The final determination by the orthopedic specialist is that he needs pins in that fracture to guarantee it heals properly so that his range of motion isn't affected the rest of his life and they are going to remove a chip of bone that is floating in his elbow. :(
I feel so bad for him. This is one of those deals as a parent that you wish you could take that injury away and put in on yourself. He's handling the news good....although I'm not all that thrilled about him needing to 'go under' for the surgery. I know that Dr's have anesthesia down to a science but there's still a level of unpredictability out there concerning how it affects different people and there's always a horror story.....but I'll do my best not to think about that.
Right now obviously we want his arm fixed no matter what it takes.
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Hot damn Gary, that honks. I've no doubts at all that it'll all work out ok.
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I've no doubts at all that it'll all work out ok.
Yeah. It'll be fine. Again, I just feel bad for him because it was such a silly wipeout. He was riding his bike at my Mom's house.....he rode past my mom and wife and they waved to him.....he waved back and two seconds later wiped out. :facepalm: just hit his elbow/arm in the wrong way.....and now we're scheduling a surgery
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oof that's rough. The whole screws in your bones think make me irk because it just seems so weird. My brother had a screw put into his wrist and he always tries to get me to touch it and I just can't. I feel bad for your son, but it sounds like this something he can recover from which is good. It's always something so small or stupid that causes these things too. Best wishes on getting well soon.
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Didn't know where else to put this so I found the 'kid' thread.
My middle son wiped out on his bike on Saturday. Just a 'normal' wipe out on a street. You'd think nothing of it any day. BUT....he torked his elbow pretty good and it was pretty swollen and he really couldn't straighten his arm out. We iced it up for a while and I decided to wait until yesterday to take a look and see if the icing helped. He woke up and it was still swollen....even more actually and his range of motion was gone. So, my wife took him in to get some xrays at the Urgent Care who immediately saw that his elbow had a severe fracture but they wanted us to go to the main Children's hospital to get a better xray and CT.
What we found out was that not only was his elbow chipped his humerus had a pretty severe fracture that they are saying is in a tricky location. The final determination by the orthopedic specialist is that he needs pins in that fracture to guarantee it heals properly so that his range of motion isn't affected the rest of his life and they are going to remove a chip of bone that is floating in his elbow. :(
I feel so bad for him. This is one of those deals as a parent that you wish you could take that injury away and put in on yourself. He's handling the news good....although I'm not all that thrilled about him needing to 'go under' for the surgery. I know that Dr's have anesthesia down to a science but there's still a level of unpredictability out there concerning how it affects different people and there's always a horror story.....but I'll do my best not to think about that.
Right now obviously we want his arm fixed no matter what it takes.
That's really rough, positive vibes his way. As a parent I can semi relate, it's tough no doubt. Hope he recovers well.