spolay 2.0

Happy Holidays from the Rockin' Polays

2010-12-17T22:18:00.000-05:00

We're a little later than usual getting our Christmas cards out. While we put the finishing touches on them, here's a little music video we threw together after we put up the tree.

(Those picking this up in feed readers and other platforms will want to click through to view.)

Tree-decorating slideshow:

Music video:

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Cheers! And Happy Holidays!

Summer and First Day of School - 2010

2010-09-26T09:00:00.001-04:00

This has been a crazy, hectic month, kicked off by the first time we've had all three boys heading off to full-time school and punctuated by all of them playing soccer every Saturday, too.

Add to that some weekly baseball for Mason, and some crushing work deadlines for both Brandy and I, and its any wonder how we're pulling it all off. So if we've been a little quiet over here, please forgive us. Things will settle back to a dull roar after Halloween.

Meanwhile, here's a couple of slideshows to recap the summer and the beginning of the school year:

Summer - 2010

First Day of School - 2010

Sliding practice

2010-08-28T08:00:00.002-04:00

Mason and I got to share in a little baseball sliding practice yesterday. More on my experience is over at Commuter Daddy, but here's a couple of videos of Mason in action:

Happy Birthday, Mason

2010-05-31T19:12:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite photos of Mason is one I took in 2003, when he was 2 years old. He was watching TV and eating a chocolate chip muffin that was so large it practically hid his face before he started eating it.

On the occasion of his 9th birthday a couple of weeks ago, Mason was again eating a chocolate chip muffin, and I was again able to sneak in a photo.

While Mason has clearly changed quite a bit in seven years, it's nice to know that the chocolate chip muffin is his constant.

Here are some more photos from the birthday morning festivities, plus a video of Mason showing off some new skateboard moves he learned via his new Yo Baby Kick Flipper.

Happy Birthday, Benjamin

2010-04-18T17:05:00.002-04:00

This past week has been a festive one at the homestead, with a family celebration of Benjamin's birthday on Wednesday and a party with his friends (Benjamin's first such party) yesterday.

Here's a slideshow that captured some of the moments, plus a video in which Benjamin shares his thoughts on turning 5 years old (can be summed up in one word: "Good."):

How we spent our February vacation

2010-02-21T14:16:00.000-05:00

First half of the week:

The cherry on the vacation sundae, courtesy of LEGO:

There will be more to come over on Commuter Daddy....

January 2010 is the Month of Sam

2010-01-27T21:38:00.002-05:00

January still has a few days to go, but already Sam has accomplished quite a lot. In this video clip, he's on his way to a second place finish in the Wing School Geography Bee, answering what dammed river forms Lake Havasu on the California-Arizona border.

He followed that up with two separate performances with the concert and jazz bands, the latter culminating in a solo during one of the numbers.

By day, for a class project he was building a house from balsa wood and tissue paper that could withstand a massive earthquake, but still had time to defeat me in Risk for the first time. Look out, everyone. I can testify directly that he is ready to take over the world.

If only he'd remember to bring his lunch box home from school.... It's tough being a super genius!

See no evil

2010-01-16T14:09:00.001-05:00

Couple of interesting things to note about one of the rare group photos taken of our clan at Sam's winter band concert the other night:

Sam is wearing my tie. He is growing up so fast, which of course means so am I.
Mason still hates having his photo taken, which is funny because he really enjoys being the center of attention, too. Such a dichotomy!
You almost can't tell from the photo that Benjamin is in a complete meltdown. Brandy and I don't even look stressed by it. I assure you the situation was completely opposite.

Best of 2009, Animoto-style

2010-01-02T20:50:00.002-05:00

Here is the second annual slideshow showcasing much of the fun and laughter we had in 2009.

(Those using feed readers or reading this on Facebook may need to click through to watch the video.)

While you're in the mood for memories, here was the video we put together last year for 2008.

More holiday fun

2009-12-28T07:00:00.001-05:00

Spied a version of this JibJab piece of fun on a former neighbor's Facebook news feed. Thanks, Wendy!

The boys were quite amused by the finished product. I think I had as much fun making it as I did watching it.

Make sure to hit the green play button, and keep an eye on Mason:

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Christmas Card - 2009

2009-12-26T17:45:00.001-05:00

DSCN1289
Originally uploaded by spolay

How many pictures does it take to get one Christmas-card-worthy photo of three rambunctious boys? Dozens, and sometimes it requires more than one shoot.

This year, though, we got lucky on the first try. Brandy captured this photo during the only purposeful Christmas card shoot we attempted. It was similar in motif to one we used a few years ago, so we decided an every-other-year, brothers-walking-near-the-shore tradition should be born.

I was on vacation the week this was taken, so I rode my bike to Cataumet while Brandy drove the boys by car to meet up for a letterboxing adventure at the Red Brook Harbor Road conservation area. The intent was to meet at Twin Acres for ice cream (photos at the end of this set, along with some other pretty funny outtakes) on the way back, but I got there just as they had finished. It's just as well. I really didn't need the ice cream.

More current, Christmas-like photos have also been snapped. Happy Holidays to all!

Ruby is amused by the start of the Christmas season

2009-12-04T23:37:00.001-05:00

Brandy's caption: "They got a table-top tree... like that's going to stop me...."

My best shot of 2009

2009-12-03T00:51:00.001-05:00

DSCN1589
Originally uploaded by spolay

Flickr has posted details on its third annual "Your Best Shot..." photo group. This will be my first year as a contributor.

This shot was taken at Sally's Adventure Playground in Campbell Hall, NY, when the family accompanied me this past summer on one of my biweekly trips to the New York office. During our few days there, the kids spent much of the time in the hotel pool, but on our way out of town, we stopped at the playground for an hour. Brandy and I took turns on the camera, and we even let Mason turn the lens back on us.

For this shot, there were a number of outtakes with Mason half in the frame and others with only half a shadow, but this one was timed just right. It's now my desktop wallpaper, and is always a conversation starter whenever anyone is looking over my shoulder.

Some folks are now convinced I'm a Star Trek fan, though that was not my intent. I guess I'm simply developing a flare for shadow shots.

Sporty Summer

2009-09-06T12:29:00.001-04:00

Yesterday was the first day of the fall soccer for Sam and Mason, culminating the Summer of Sports for Mason. The season included two soccer camps, a tennis camp and countless Whiffle ball games in the back yard.

Though Mason's team lost its game, the soccer camp dividends were evident. Mason played some great defense and when playing forward ripped off some length-of-the-field dribbles and some crossing passes to attempt to set up his teammates for scores.

You might also have called this the Summer of Face Paint. The finale of each of the two soccer camps was a World Cup tournament, with the instructors at Paul Turner encouraging the kids to show their international spirit.

Benjamin joined in the face-paint festivities, too, simultaneously honoring the Tour de France, which was happening around the same time.

For those keeping score at home, Sam's team won its first game. Sam had a hand in the victory, too, tossing the throw-in that led to the pass that set up the game-winning kick.

Benjamin still has one more year before he can join in the fall soccer fun and mayhem. He was pretty disappointed at the start of the day. "Dad, I don't want to sit around for two hours!" Like me, he'd much rather be playing than watching.

Provided that Sam and Mason stick with soccer -- and there's no reason to presume they won't, as they both seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves yesterday -- next year will be the first time all three boys will be playing the same sport in the same season. We'll likely dispense with the pretense of carting chairs around town and simply pitch a tent at the Wing School fields, calling them our second home. Feel free to stop by. No appointment necessary!

Benjamin and the Lobster Hat

2009-09-04T22:03:00.004-04:00

Benjamin and the Lobster Hat
Originally uploaded by spolay
At this very moment, Benjamin is talking
in a pirate voice, wearing his new lobster hat,
and yelling to the thunderstorm, "I'm going
to pinch you!"

Holy dying embers of summer, Batman! I've really not been keeping up with the family blog this summer. The Flickr photos and YouTube videos are plentiful... the words, not so much. So as we head into the kids' first week of school, allow me to play a little catch up, one blog post at a time.

Not only does this photo showcase Benjamin's crafting skills, but you can also see the remnants of the home addition/renovation project that had begin in February and finished up in July. Note the entertainment center still residing next to the refrigerator, and pay no attention to the BJs-powered restock of toilet paper and paper towels on the stairs.

At the point this photo was taken, we were days away from moving into the addition. Was so nice to get a large chunk of our house back! There's still a lot of work remaining: Painting and re-arranging upstairs bedrooms, re-installing a portion of the fence that had to come down during construction and removal of some trees to protect our investment (not to mention restock the wood pile). The downstairs, though, is completely reclaimed. More to come on that!

The Unknown Rock Star

2009-07-25T11:52:00.001-04:00

The rock star gene has been successfully passed.

Garden mittens

2009-07-18T12:05:00.001-04:00

DSCN1076
Originally uploaded by spolay

Benjamin was helping Brandy in the garden, and when he saw that she was wearing garden gloves he decided he needed to follow suit. Introducing garden mittens!

Brandy did shortly thereafter buy Ben his own set of kids-sized garden gloves, so that he could have use of all of his fingers. They are sure to make it into a future picture, though I doubt the Vogue-like pose in this picture can ever be exactly replicated.

Sam solos at the Sandwich Grade 5 Jazz Band Spring Concert

2009-05-06T21:00:00.001-04:00

Tequila! And a surprise "Sammy" Joy solo!

We had no idea the solo was coming. So glad I had the camera rolling! We asked Sam about it later, and he said he had simply wanted to keep it a surprise.

The conductor announced him as Sammy Joy, and ordinarily Sam does not like to be called Sammy. He later confessed, though, that he didn't mind, likely because he was so excited that he had successfully completed the solo. I told him it would simply have to become his new jazzy stage name, which he seemed to think was a good idea.

Apologies for the jerkiness of the camera. Benjamin was crawling on me a couple of times during the performance. Next time I'll bring the tripod.

We all love a parade!

2009-05-03T21:00:00.000-04:00

DSCN0738
Originally uploaded by spolay

The 2009 edition of the Sandwich Little League Parade inched closer to being an all-family affair. Sam marched with the band, and I joined Mason's team as the assistant coach. Another couple of years remain, though, before Benjamin can join in. Meanwhile, he is taking batting practice almost daily in the backyard to get ready.

April Fools Day 2009 recap

2009-04-02T13:50:00.005-04:00

We had a little April Fools Day mirth on the homefront, starting with a prank Mason had plotted a couple of days in advance to get the jump on his older brother. Inspired by something he had seen on television, Mason asked me if I'd help him switch the innards of two of our cereal boxes so when Sam thought he was pouring Honey Bunches of Oats, he instead would be surprised by the Cinnamon Toast Crunch that landed in his bowl.

Of course I was all too happy to be the accomplice, making sure to make the switcheroo after the kids had gone to bed the night before. I took it a step further in the morning by doing some suggestive selling, strategically placing the breakfast options out on the butcher block table that acts as our kitchen island so that Sam would be sure to choose cereal over his other favorite, bagels.

Worked like a charm. Sam, still sleepy and a bit bleary eyed, grabbed the cereal, poured it into his bowl, paused, and realized that he had been fooled. Mason and I let out a couple of belly laughs, and Sam gave himself the I-should-have-had-a-V8 forehead slap.

Later, after reading Velma's post about her family's April Fools Day exploits, I was inspired to try a version of kitchen magnet chicanery. While Brandy and Benjamin were at the library, I cleaned off of the refrigerator, and placed all of the magnets on the back of my car so that they would be the first thing Brandy saw when she pulled into the driveway.

Brandy is not a big fan of stickers on cars. Even the dump and beach stickers are an aesthetic struggle for her. Sure, she likes getting rid of the household trash and taking the kids to the beach, but if it could be done using some sort of E-Z Pass-like system or by flashing an ID, she'd be so much happier.

So I knew there would be some shock value in seeing all of those magnets on the back of the newest car in the family, but the ruse was more successful than I could have anticipated. Brandy couldn't stop laughing, and was doubled over so much she couldn't get out of her car for a few minutes. Benjamin, not quite sure what was going on, laughed along with her for a bit, but after a few minutes asked Brandy why she was crying. She explained she wasn't crying, just laughing too hard.

Success!

Later, during dinner, we were asking Sam and Mason about their days at school. Mason said he and his classmates had tried to play a trick on their teacher, by hiding under their desks after she had left the room. As we understand it, one of the classmates wasn't so sure about playing along, so the trick was not a complete success, but the students had fun. Brandy and I surmised that April Fools Day must be the worst day of the year for teachers far and wide.

The wheels were turning in Sam's head throughout dinner. How was he going to get his revenge on Mason? He confessed he had been making a mental list all day of tricks that he was going to play on Mason the following year. I reminded him in a whisper that he still had a few hours left. That sealed it: He decided to tie knots in the pant legs of Mason's pajamas. While Mason excused himself to go to the bathroom, Sam excused himself to head upstairs to prepare his ruse.

At the end of the night, as I was helping Benjamin into his pajamas, Sam came in to show me what he had done. He had only tied off one leg, so I recommended he do the same to the other leg.

I'm such a troublemaker. Any wonder from whom they got that gene?

Later, Mason entered the room to change his clothes. I almost ruined it for Sam, as I could barely keep a straight face. I had to look away from Mason, so he wouldn't think anything was amiss. Sure enough, Mason started to pull on his pajama pants, and for a few moments kept jamming his foot into the pant leg when the foot wouldn't go all the way through, oblivious to what was causing the impediment. I finally could bust out some laughter, and revenge was sweet for Sam.

May the rest of the April Fools Days that lay ahead be as fun -- and as harmless -- as this year's! I am sure they are all plotting their revenge on me for next year.

Benjamin Riding at the Cape Cod Canal

2009-03-28T21:36:00.001-04:00

Benjamin, on his second bicycle ride ever, heads for home along the Cape Cod Canal bike path.

Pay close attention to his countdown, which is a little out of sequence, but the intent is clear. He then takes a slight spill, bounces right back up, and then rides away from me. I had to run after him after I stopped filming.

He wanted to know why I didn't bring my bike. I told him I thought he needed more practice, and I wanted to be able to help him. Now, however, I think I must bring my bike next time just to keep up with him!

Da Buff Macho Cheese Hamsters

2009-03-28T21:32:00.002-04:00

Sam's Destination Imagination team, Da Buff Macho Cheese Hamsters, perform their original "Astronauts vs. Aliens" skit as part of their 2009 entry in the regional competition at Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School.

Not only does Sam play the part of a rocket ship and a shooting star, but he was the time keeper and stage manager too. He tells us he had a whole signal system worked out with his teammates to let them know whether they should speed up or slow down. You'll catch glimpse of him a couple of times flashing signals and checking his watch while behind the curtain.

Rock to the Max, Mr. Sax - Part II

2009-03-28T21:26:00.001-04:00

I had to split the performance into two videos, because I realized halfway through that I ought not to hold the camera vertically. So this is the second half, with the camera held correctly.

I'll get the hang of this video thing yet....

Part I is here.

Rock to the Max, Mr. Sax - Part I

2009-03-28T21:23:00.002-04:00

This post is a bit tardy. I accompanied Sam a few weeks ago to the Pasta and Jazz Supper at Sandwich High School, where the Fifth Grade Jazz Band helped out with raising money for the high school band to attend a national competition.

Not only did Sam have a great time playing in the concert, but I traded him my cookie for his salad, so he got a double bonus that night!

Update: Part II is here.

Night with the Polays

2009-03-06T22:31:00.001-05:00

Just another sedate evening in Sandwich with the Polays...