3 months isn’t so bad

So just how many things have happened since Harry turned 8?   

This may take a while… in a nutshell, we’re back at the pool, and he won’t leave the diving board.  Okay, he leaves the diving board during adult swim, but it’s only to hang on the diving board ladder until 15 minutes have ticked by, or if he needs something to eat (and that’s even an effort).  Okay, so there was one other time that he left the diving board, but that was only to get someone to hold onto the tooth that had fallen out, so he could go back to the diving board…

Second grade is over… finally.  I don’t’ mean it to sound so bad, but it’s like most of the stuff he was doing for the last year, he had already learned the year before.  Did we peak too early with teacher quality?  Was Dr. Vick just that good? Was Ms. Lansing really just... not?  Either way, time to move on.  Harry’s since been identified and accepted into the Talented and Gifted program (TAG) for math, and he’s very excited about it.  He’s all for challenges lately, and this seems like a good one.

So Summer’s begun, well really it’s now in full swing… which means camps, camps, camps, and rugby, rugby, rugby!  So far he’s been to soccer camp, REC camp, a few random day trips to go fishing with PopPop, and to hit the beach a few times.

We had our fun with the Derecho, and “got to” experience life without electricity for 83 hours straight.  Quite the experience, from start to finish.  Glad we made it through it without any significant losses, to include our sanity.  Harry and Ainsley were troopers throughout, and are now great fans of Little House on the Prairie. 

This past weekend included some old favorites. Harry passed his test for his Green Belt in Karate at Potomac Kempo, and did a little rock-wall climbing at SportRock.

The Green Belt was impressive in its own right.  Harry continues to progress, and handles himself very well.  As one of the younger students, he has quickly become one of the most senior-ranked.  Not bad.

Then there was the rock-climbing.  Kim got him set up for Kids Night at SportRock, the local indoor climbing gym, with one of his buddies from soccer, Max.  

Now, Kim has seen Harry climb before… she’s seen him boulder, scramble, harness up, all that stuff.  I, however, had not.  Watching him roll right up to the wall, take a quick look at the holds, and just hop up on the wall, well that was kinda cool.  Little did I know.

After the rest of the kids arrived, and the guides gathered everyone up to suit up properly, and get their routes ready.  As we turned to leave, to take Ainsley for some Ice cream, Kim nonchalantly said, “Oh, you haven’t seen him do this… did you want to watch for a few minutes?”  Sounded like a good idea.

I went back to the corner where they had obviously already gotten underway, because Harry was literally halfway up a 20-or-so foot wall.  I’ve been impressed in the past with his ability at karate, and enjoyed watching him play sports like soccer and lacrosse, that I have and can appreciate, but this was entirely different.  

This was awesome. 

Like smoove.  He just went.  And then he stopped, tried a few things, tried a few different things, then kept going…. Wow.

We went off to satiate Ms. A, and returned in time to find him now 2/3 of the way up what seemed like a 30 or 40 foot wall, on the other side of the gym.  I’ve never seen him up so high, I’ve never been up that high.  It was incredible to watch.

I love my boy, and am always impressed by him and his accomplishments, but this was easily the coolest thing I’ve ever seen him do.  I’m incredibly excited for him, that he gets to spend an entire day there tomorrow, for day camp.