Massive Onslaught of Pics

Okay, okay, June has obviously been a Very Bad Month for Blog Posts, at least as authored by me.  Time to get caught up.  I'll start with the trip we took almost a month ago to Toronto.  Here we go!

We stopped by the Canadian Falls on our way up.

Ben in Franklin's Children's Garden, on the Toronto Islands

Drinking chocolate milk at Fran's Diner

Ben puts his hand in a tornado at the Ontario Science Centre.

Going to town on the steel drums at the OSC

Ben's fave exhibit at the OSC -- google "George Rhoads" to find out more.

At the Allen Gardens

Back home again, a family outing to Big Dipper

The next batch are from our more recent trip to Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, where we celebrated my parents' 50th Anniversary in true high-octane Wilson style by watching the June Sprints at Road America.  We stayed at a really nice house (Crystal Lake Lodge -- we highly recommend it!) just a few miles from the track, and we could hear the engines roar even as we made s'mores in the firepit and cooled down in the pool.

Tired after our 10+ hour drive, and more than ready for some s'mores!

My parents and sister preparing the ingredients

Near the start-finish line on a hot but thrilling day

What my father did the entire time

What my mother did the entire time [sketch]

Cousins in the pool

Triple celebration -- and crazy cake!

What we went there to watch!

Ben's Life

[This blog post is being dictated by Ben.]

I am Ben.  Ben I am.  I have blog pictures to show you.  One is me and Jannis.  Two is me, and three I'm coming up with back in Hunter a picture of New York City that I made with Grandma.  Now, four I say is me on Uncle Fred's rock.  But it was a strange rock because it was moss-covered and magic.  The end.

Now, let's find some sort of way to get it with those pictures on my blog.

Here are some new pictures from Toronto.

This is Daddy and me at Niagara Falls.

Power Toronto Turtle

Guild Audition!!!

This morning Ben had his first guild audition, an annual event where he plays for a member of the Piano Teacher's Guild (not his own teacher) and gets feedback.  He did wonderfully!!!!!  As of a few weeks ago, he was very worried about the fact that Jannis, his teacher, and I wouldn't be in the room with him -- just him and the guild member.  But once he found out that the guild auditions take place in Mason Hall, the music building on campus, so that he would be playing in a piano studio on campus just like a college student, he was sold.  Last week we had his lesson in the studio so that he could get used to it.  And this morning he marched in without even looking back.  Jannis and I listened from out in the hall.  He played four pieces, and he nailed 'em!!!

Here he is with Jannis before the audition.

Sporting the ribbon and pin he received afterward!  Note the Beethoven action figure in his hands.
 

In other news, we had an audiology appointment this afternoon at which we got to look at and handle the new waterproof Neptune CI processor from Advanced Bionics.  It was pretty sweet!  It's a body worn processor, just like his current one, so there's nothing behind the ear, but it's much smaller and lighter than the one he has now -- no need for the bulky harness and a hot undershirt.  And it's ... totally waterproof!!!  As in you can swim in it!  When we were talking about it a few weeks ago, Ben was rather hostile to the idea -- I think he was worried that it would sound different.  (And in fact another big plus is that it can use the ClearVoice processing strategy that's been getting rave reviews for improved hearing in noise.)  But when he saw it today, he was pretty interested.  By the time we got home, he said that he would really like to be able to hear in the water.  The upgrade offer that AB is making isn't attractive to us -- we would have to trade in his (currently unused) Harmony BTE processor for the Neptune, whereas we'd rather keep that as a back-up and unload the neolithic PSP processor that he's been using.  Our insurance company probably isn't going to be very enthusiastic, either, but we're going to see what we can arrange.

Great comparison video

Jodi posted this great video comparing the experiences of listening to a G&R song with no hearing equipment, with a hearing aid, and with a CI.  Enjoy!

Small town life

Beautiful spring day.  Ben and I slept in, worked our way through a stack of pancakes, and eventually ambled downtown to check out the Farmer's Market.  Ben decided to recreate his own market in chalk on the sidewalk around the fountain.  Here he is drawing some bread:

We hung out for awhile, chatted with friends, and then walked home at noon listening to a cascade of church bells.

Roasted rat, anyone?

I think someone swapped out March and April.  We're back to bundling up in coats.  Last Thursday Ben and I braved the chilly temperatures and enjoyed the bright sun at a local playground.  Ben has traditionally used the space below one of the jungle gyms as his "restaurant," and this time he arranged the menu as follows:

He then asked, "Do you want any died roasted rat?"

His understanding of death and its related vocabulary is (thankfully) somewhat stunted by lack of direct experience, although the passing of our cat last fall did provide an initial exposure.  We've gradually allowed a little more violence into his viewing repertoire.  He now prances around the play yard at school singing "Kill de wabbit, kill de wabbit, kill de wabbit!" a la Elmer Fudd.  He loves watching a DVD of the opera Hansel and Gretel, and in that production a rather gruesome burnt witch corpse is brought out at the end for all of the remaining cast to feast upon.  It saddens me a bit to have to give way to reality like this.  Death happens.  The kinds of death that people seem to take the most interest in are usually pretty violent.  I can't protect Ben from this reality forever, and I guess the honeymoon is over.

But back to sunshine:  Having enjoyed our rat, here's Ben and me cuddling on the jungle gym.

Here he is looking very sweet and contemplative.

And here he is tucking into his chocolate Easter rabbit -- ears first, of course.

Bennyisms and Holiday Pics

This evening Ben announced, "Let's chop down Batman's lasagna tree!"

We have absolutely no clue what this means.

Yesterday at breakfast Ben was chewing loudly and obviously enjoying the sound.  He said, "Listen!" and proceeded to chew for awhile.  "That was Smoke on the Water!"  [Yes, my son chews Deep Purple songs.  Heaven help us once he learns to belch on command.]

And here is a massive onslaught of recent holiday pictures.  Enjoy!

Ben and the hip hop gang

Engrossed in the etch-a-sketch before the Seder

Ben's Seder plate, suitably bedecked

Neil reading to the boys about Passover

Ben took this one.

Easter morning -- found the basket!!!

Playing with some basket contents -- the life stages of the butterfly and frog!  (Yes, even our Easter Bunny is uber-nerdy.)

Why do my bunny biscuits always look more like pigs? 

Ben seems to enjoy them, despite their porcine tendencies.

Easter egg hunt -- in the sanctuary of the local Presbyterian church, of all places.  (Called inside on account of rain.)