Digging Out

I have to say that to date... 15 years and 5 months into this parenting gig... I have NEVER seen my sons voluntarily pick up a snow shovel and get to work.  Thus, on this day, the 1st of December, year of our Lord Two Thousand and Nineteen, the venerable Quinn and Colby Aho did verily and actually dig out their future car, without prodding.    They really, really, REALLY want to learn to drive.

Proof

My teenaged sons are under the mistaken assumption that their mother was a "nerd" in high school.  Take, for example, this conversation that we recently had in the car... which is exemplary of many recent conversations in the car.

Colby: "Admit it.  You were a loser in high school."
Mom: "I was NOT a loser in high school.  I had lots of friends."
Quinn: "You were voted 'most likely to be teacher's pet' weren't you?"
Mom: "Completely untrue".
Colby: "Sure mom.  I'm sure you were totally cool."
Mom: "I WAS!  And AM!  I'm a totally cool mom.  And I was totally hot."
Quinn: "You were voted 'hottest mom' in highschool, weren't you?"
Mom: "Well, not the mom part...."
Colby: "MMMhmmm.  Sure."
Mom: "You know what you're driving me to, don't you?  And it's totally your own dang fault.  You're going to make me dig out my high school year book and show you just how cool I was.  And maybe even call up some of my high school friends to PROVE to you how cool I was.  It will serve you right, to be subjected to that.  Rotten children."

Just because I was a straight A student and in band does NOT mean I was a nerd.  I find this funny, given that my boys are currently straight A students in band. They take after me more than that care to admit.

I'll say it again.

Rotten children.

Manipulating the Mama

They were supposed to be cleaning their room.  When I got home, instead I found them playing video games on the couch with their friend Angus.
Mom: "Boys!  I told you to clean your room today, and here it is, 6:00, and your room is still a mess!"
Quinn: "Well, Mom, it's like this.  Life is short. And I stopped to ask myself...'in fifty years, what am I going to remember more?  Cleaning my room?  Or spending time with good friends?"

Dang kid.

Spirit Day At School

There was some "discussion" about them wearing the same thing to school, which is an identical twin ultra-verboeten no-no.  But when you each only have one Gremlin sweatshirt, and it's Orange and Black day, you just have to roll with the fact that you're gonna look alike.  Even though they didn't like it.

His First Paycheck

Unexpectedly, this check came in the mail.  Quinn had played the organ for mass twice this past month, while the regular organist was out of town.  Whammo bammo, here comes $60.  Quinn had no idea this would be a paid gig, and he was SUPER PUMPED about this turn of events.  "I just thought I was volunteering to do it!"  Even better, I think.  But now that he knows there's moola involved, I have a feeling he'll be volunteering as a sub more and more ;).

Ahos at the Piano

How this makes my mama heart full.

Behind the wheel

They have been begging and begging and begging to take driver's ed.  The problem is, they're just too dang busy to fit it in to any kind of reasonable schedule.  Something's gotta give!  I did cave, however, and let them drive the last block or so home on our back-country road.  I've opened that can of worms.  Pity me.  Now they want to drive themselves home every day, and it's a big fight as to whose turn it is.  Most of the time we end up driving past the house, dropping one boy off, and then letting the other drive a ways in the opposite direction down the road.  Because we don't spend enough time in the car shuttling people around as it is, apparently.

I don't think I'm ready for this.

Official 15 Year Old Stats.

Trial #2 of a well-child visit, a full three months after their ACTUAL birthday, because this is when the doctor could find the time to see us.  UGH.  Here are the official stats:

Quinn, at age 15 years, 3 months:
Weight: 121.6 pounds (42nd%, up nearly 2 pounds since August)
Height: 5'10- 3/4" (that's up an inch and a quarter since August!) (87th%)
BMI 9.27%

Colby, at age 15 years, 3 months:
Weight: 116 pounds (32nd%, and down 4 pounds since August.  All that running in cross country, without upping the food intake, is making him go in the WRONG DIRECTION)
Height: 5'9-1/2" (up an inch since August). (77th%)

When I expressed my concern that my son is losing weight, while gaining significant height, because he refuses to eat at a time when he is running 5 miles every day and growing like a weed... the doctor suggested Ensure.  I can't get Colby to eat the good stuff.  He's not going to drink Ensure.  I was always told that teenaged boys will eat me out of house and home, but to be honest... neither one of them eats much at all, except junk (which is typical).  The other day at the cross country meet, Colby started blacking out, because he had not eaten breakfast, didn't eat lunch, and then decided to run in a cross country meet in 89 degree heat.  I had to literally carry him from the finish line, and force-feed him a scotcheroo… which he didn't want.  UGH.

Size 13 feet, so I am sure these boys aren't done growing yet!  Doctor said their growth spurt is about a year behind their peers, which seems about right.

Onward and upward, young men!!

Colby AP English Paper on Music

Colby had to write a college application essay.  He's hoping to pursue sound design in the future.   Here's a little glimpse inside his skull....

The Art of Sound

When I was younger, I was obsessed with a game called "Geometry Dash".  Geometry Dash was a rhythm-based game where you would time your jumps to the beats of electronic music songs.  Each level was a different song, with a harder difficulty.  This game was insanely difficult.  Most of this stems from the fact that if you die, you start back to the beginning of the level.  Every time I went on car trips with my parents, I would play that game.  They would hear the same songs and the same death sound effect over and over again.  They got tired of these songs quickly.  However, I loved these songs.  Up to this point, I had no idea what electronic music was, and hearing it for the first time was amazing.  I wanted to learn as much as I could about it.

The concept of synthesizing sounds with just a simple computer has always baffled me, when I was younger and to this day.  Anything you can imagine can come to fruition with just a bit of sound design and creativity.  It's like painting with sound.  You start with a basic design, then grow from there.  With a synthesizer, instead of a shape, there is a soundwave.  With that regular soundwave, you evolve into something pristine and unique.  An ordinary square wave can be molded into a sweeping and luscious pad with shifting timbres that change from a deep muffled moan to a symphony of harsh and raw frequencies.  No conventional instrument can recreate this.  This is the beauty of electronic music.  You have unlimited possibilities on what you can or cannot do.  With synths, you invent the instrument that is unique to you and your sound.  Sometimes I will spend hours on just one individual synth patch, and I never get dull of it.  Very few people in my area understand much about the production of electronic music.  I had to learn it by myself using the internet.

It took me years of hard work and dedication to get me where I am today.  When I first started, I had no idea what I was doing.  I uploaded my first song to SoundCloud in the 6th grade.  I was so excited.  I thought I was going to become famous instantly, a superstar in a matter of hours.  As you might guess, that didn't happen.  This song was terrible, and it barely got over 3 views.  This made me upset.  I was ready to quit, right then and there; my career as a musician was over.  But then I heard a notification.  "New Follower!" it read.  That was all the motivation I needed.  I sprang to my feet, sprinted to my "studio", and got to work.  If I han'dt done that back then, I wouldn't be writing this essay today.  From that point, I kept on improving slow.  I got better.

Currently, my most viewed song has over a thousand views, I have gotten to the top 50 on Spinn' Records Talentpool, and I still make music to this day.  THe past 4 years have been a long and egregious journey, but I am glad for pursuing this route.  This is only the beginning, however.  I have only scratched the surface on what I could learn.  Sometimes this seems intimidating for people, including myself at times.  Nevertheless, I still strive to explore everything that music production has to offer.  Music production is what I am most passionate about; both the creative and technical sides.  THis is what I want to do for the rest of my life, and you are key to jump-starting my career.  THank you for your time.  I hope it wasn't too long!

Sniff Sniff

ONE lonely space left on their school picture frame.  How can that be????  Putting in their sophomore pictures this year, it occurred to me just how little time we have left, how big and old they've gotten, how NOT like little boys they are now.  It all just makes me want to cry.  My babies!!!

Their Own Dang Fault

If they forget to bring home the parent form for me to sign, what gets returned to the teacher is their own dang fault.

15 Year Old Stats

I scheduled the boys' well-child visits back in June, but the earliest the doctor could get us in was August.  Fine.  We'll come in August, even though the date was after the start of Cross Country, and the boys needed physicals to participate.  We'd make it work.  We waited two months, and then, the night before the appointment, my husband erased it off my Google calendar because it also showed up on HIS calendar, but did not pertain to him.  I got a notification that he erased the appointment, but thought it was no big deal because I had gotten a reminder phone call, and had saved the message. When I checked the voicemail, it said that the appointment was at 3:30, and because of construction on the highway, we arrived at 3:35.  Our bad for being five minutes late.  In reality, though, the appointment was at 3:00, and we had missed the dang thing!!!  WHAT????  The doctor took pity on us, due to the incorrect info we had received during the reminder phone call, and said that if we waited for about 30 minutes, he'd try to squeeze us in.  Fine.  We were here, and they really needed sports physicals, so we would wait.  Within 5 minutes of the appointment starting, though, the doctor was called away for an emergency C-section.  NO!  I cried.  How would the boys get their physicals if you leave now?!?  Quinn was embarrassed by this comment by his mama, because... priorities.  The entrance of a baby into the world was obviously more important than a sports physical, but STILL.  This put us in a very precarious position, after waiting two stinking months for an appointment.  We tried to reschedule with the front desk.  He couldn't get us in again til nearly October.  That would not do.  As he left, the doctor said "just go to the walk in clinic."  OK.  We'll do that.  So that's what we did today, but instead of being free, as it would've been during a well-child visit... it cost me $75 a piece.  GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.  Super irritating.  Super duper irritating. All the way around.

ANYWAY.   At 15 years, 1 month, and 9 days old, both boys weigh 120.6 pounds.  Precisely.  Quinn is 5'9.5" tall, and Colby is 5'8.5" tall.  Colby has a small scoliosis, and HORRIBLE posture, which I feel probably contributes a bit to the height difference.  We went to the shoe store to buy running shoes last week, and had the boys measured.  They both are now size 13.  GOOD GRIEF.

Onward and upward, men.  Literally.

You're No Saint

Colby's name feast day:  Saint Maximillian Kolbe.  We were discussing him at dinner, when Quinn asked Colby to pour him a glass of milk.  Colby said "pour your own milk".  You know, as kind and loving brothers do.

Quinn: "St. Kolbe sacrificed his life for another human being, and this Colby can't even pour me a glass of milk.  You've got some work to do."

Don't we all.

Thanks

The scene:  Driving in the car on the way home from cross country.

Mom: "Boys, how was it?  How far did you run?"
Quinn: "About 5k.  It was long."
Mom: "You know, Brycen's cross country team runs 8 miles in practice."
Colby: "That's not true.  He's totally exaggerating."
Mom: "No he's not.  Some cross country teams run 8 to 10 miles a day."
Colby: "Not all at once.  No human being runs 8 miles all at one time, without resting or walking."
Mom: "Yes, Colby, they do.  In fact, when I was younger, I could run 8 miles without stopping.  I've done it several times."
Colby: "UGH, Mom.  You don't understand what I'm saying.  They don't do it all at once.  Brycen is totally exaggerating."
Mom: "Yes, Colby, they DO.  ALL AT ONCE.  I'm going to call Brycen right now, so he can tell you himself."
Colby: "UGH!  Don't do that!  Don't call him!  UGH!"

Calls nephew, who is in the car with his mother.

Mom: "Hi Brycen!  This is Aunt Monica!  Your cousin Colby has a question for you.  Colby?  What's your question for Brycen?"

Colby: "Hi Brycen.  Why is my mom so annoying????"

Ta Dum DUM.

The Chef

So, I made chicken soft tacos for dinner last night.  Quinn is not a fan of Mexican food, even if he likes all the individual ingredients.... if the word "taco" is used, he adamantly refuses to consume it.  When Quinn got home from organ lessons, he decided to transform dinner to something he deemed palatable.  He took the tortillas and cut them into triangles, and baked them into chips.  Then he took the avacados, mashed them and added spices to make a guacamole.  He added the chicken with tomatoes, and topped it with his guac and chips.  It looked dang good, and I was seriously impressed.  All those times he watched the Food channel with his mama have paid off!  He's a great cook!

Not Quite Awake

The mama was dropping the children off at school this morning, and Colby was telling me about what they did yesterday.

Colby: "We watched Forest Gump in English".
Mom: "Of course you did.  It's only in English.  Why would you watch it in another language?  That makes no sense!"

Quinn and Colby: "UHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.....Mom...………….. in English CLASS."

Oh.  Yeah.  Right.

I obviously am not yet fully awake.

The Poor Children

All three of my children are neglected and deprived.  It's true.  They've told me.  The boys say that ALL their friends make fun of them because they only own an iPad mini, an iPhone 4 (without data), an HP laptop, and a WiiU, which is reportedly "the worst gaming system there is".  Because of this, according to my children "all their friends" think that we are POOR.  "When we go to robotics for the weekend, you only give us $40 a piece for food!  Yes, that's enough to eat, but what if we got stuck there?  There's no extra in case of emergency!"  Reagan concurred about the Aho kid status as economically deprived.  "Evelyn thinks we're poor because we don't have candy or Kleenex here."  It's true.  They only get candy at Easter, and Halloween, and Christmas, and for their birthdays, and during parties. But not every day!!  AND we use toilet paper to blow our noses.  Even worse, we treat our boys as "one person", because they have to share a bedroom and share a computer.  When I pointed out that Colby had his own keyboard, and his own launchpad, he told me "YES!  That wouldn't work if I didn't have a computer that is shared with Quinn!  And shared with his music program!"  That does sound like they're one person, having to share like that.   Poor children.

I offered them all kinds of household chores in an effort to help them earn their very own new computers.  I was told that this was unfair because "I never pay them enough.  Not even minimum wage!"  I assured them that if they DID minimum wage-quality work, I would certainly entertain the thought of paying them minimum wage.   When I reminded them that they did earn money for good grades on their report cards, I was told that that also wasn't a "good deal" because it only happens every three months.   Poor children.

Electronics are not a human right, children. They really aren't.  I was in college before I got my first computer... bought with my own money from my own job.   I was 43 before I got my first smart phone.  I must've been even poorer than we are now.  That's pretty sad.  I didn't even KNOW I was poor!  How horrible is that???

A Colby In His Natural Habitat....

…. the music store.   

  (Colby borrowed my camera to take these last two pictures)

Schooling

This week, the first week of Spring, March 18-22 will be the FIRST FULL WEEK OF SCHOOL for my children in 2019.  Yes.  Between diving meets, robotics competitions, band festivals,  snow days, teacher in-services, and influenza, the Aho children have not gone to school for a full five days in a row since Christmas break.  My shambled house, and their struggling grade point average, are a testimony to this fact.

Third quarter ends on Friday.  I don't feel a lot of learning happened in this third quarter.  Here's hoping for a more consistent, productive, and less stressful fourth quarter!

Silly Cat

Quinn's been practicing his trumpet a whole lot lately, getting ready for Solo and Ensemble this weekend.  A certain trumpet case makes the perfect bed for our resident feline!

Overheard, In the Kitchen

The scene:  Mom, Dad and Quinn in the kitchen, because it's a snow day, and 2 out of 3 of these characters don't have enough to do.  Quinn is making himself some oatmeal.  The real stuff, on the stove, not the instant, microwave kind.

Dad:  "Quinn, if you're going to make oatmeal, you have to do it right, or it's a waste.  Your mom makes the best oatmeal of anyone I've ever seen, so ask her how to do it."

Quinn: "Dad, it's not hard.  Boil water.  Put in oatmeal.  Done."

Dad: "NO!  That's all wrong!  Ask Mom!  You have to know how much water to put in.  You have to boil the water first, then you have to cook it the precise amount of time to get it perfect.  SHE makes it perfect!  DO IT HER WAY!"

Quinn: "Dad, I'm not stupid.  I've made oatmeal before."

Dad: "YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG!!  ASK YOUR MOM!!"

Notice that Mom was silent during this whole exchange, quietly emptying the dishwasher, and thinking that both of these guys really needed to get out of the kitchen.  Finally, I spoke up.

Mom: "Rob, why don't you go in the living room, and I'll help Quinn make the oatmeal."

Dad: "Fine.  Because I'm giving you big props here.  You make the best oatmeal in the world, and you need to teach him how to do it right."

Mom: "Yup.  Thanks. Will do.  Buh-bye."

(after Dad's gone)

Quinn: "So?  How do you do it?"

Mom: "Put some water and oatmeal in the pot, and bring it to a boil.  Go away for awhile until you smell something burning and think   'OH!  I left the oatmeal on the stove!', and then go scrape out the portion that's not burned and stuck onto the pot. THAT'S how I make oatmeal."

Rob: "I HEARD THAT!"

A Sonnet, written by my son

Colby is a quiet dude, as far as what is going on inside his head.  Not quiet in GENERAL... just doesn't open up too much, and I KNOW there's a lot going on under all that hair.  Last night, he shared with me a poem he wrote.  A sonnet, he said.  I think it's lovely, and a little glimpse of his soul.

Questions.

Questions.

We all have the avidity

Obsessions,

In a state of morbidity

Who is The Mighty Architect, creator of mind and soul?

What was his catalyst, His impulse to create life?

Where did He come from, His ultimate goal?

How come to be, the earth and afterlife?

Why.

Why?

Answers.

We believe we know the resolution.

Advancers

When we condider the solution.

He is God, He is love, that is what is accepted.

To create you in His image, that is what is confirmed.

He came from Himself that what is expected.

It came as it came that is what is affirmed.

But Why.

Why?

Doubt.

Its perceived as denial

Drought.

Conflictions similar to a trial

By bearing ambiguity only a smidgen

Even if you've been faithful, truly.

Others it's mutinied thy religion.

For the lack of doubts, renew them coolly

O’ Why?

O’ Why?

Truth

I ponder as I gaze into the glittering, starry sky

Youth

You won't experience it, till’ you die

From seeds of doubt comes sprouts of trust

To shine of faith not doubts of rust.

He's going to be OK.

A mama worries.  She just does.  There's all kinds of temptations and influences out there for young men in this day and age - far more than we ever had to deal with growing up.  I pray daily for all my children, that God may help them develop into the people He created them to be, and lead them undeniably home to His presence.  But still... a mama worries.

The other day, I went into the boys' bedroom and lay down on Quinn's bed next to Colby to chit chat.  As we were on the bottom bunk, I noticed some items stuck in the slats of the bed above us.

"What are those?" I asked Colby.

"I don't know.  It's Quinn's bed," he replied.  HMMMM.  What could he possibly be hiding up there, under Colby's top bunk???

You know what I found, hidden in his bed?  Not what you might THINK is hidden under the bed of a teenage boy.  I found a prayer book, and the letters Rob and I had written him, telling him how much we loved and admired him.  THAT'S what I found hidden in his bed.

He's going to be alright.  The seed is taking root.

Thank you, Lord!!

A Spanish Weather Report... with dog

The Density of a Colby

The things they learn in highschool….