I See The Moon

On Saturday, we drove 12 hours to visit with our good friends Aughie and Colleen in Richmond, VA. Jack took to them, and their dog, very well - helping Collen make pancakes and holding Aughie's hand to cross the road. As for the dog...she got plenty of kisses from Jack.

All was going well until 2:15am on Monday, when Jack woke from his sleep and wanted to "hang out". Here's how the rest of the night played out:

2:30am - Jack moves into daddy's bed, seeking to see how hard he can jump on daddy.
3:30am - We move to the sun room couch, where Jack can't decide at which end to sleep.
4:30am - Jack wants daddy to sleep on the floor.
4:31am - Jack wants to sleep on the floor, while daddy is asked to "mmmmmmoooooooovvve".
5:30am - Colleen takes the dog for a quick walk - Jack kisses the dog goodbye.
5:35am - Jack crawls in bed with Colleen and together they watch Elmo - with big brothers and sisters and all sorts of babies (including animal babies) - until Jack wanders off. Colleen goes back to sleep.
6am - Daddy puts Jack in the car and drives the "Richmond Loop" (Staples Mill Road to I-64, to Parham Road, to Staples Mill) approximately 5 times, with a stop at the Hardees' drive through for a diet coke at 7am. Jack sleeps for 1 hour.
8:15am - Daddy returns home and Jack tucks in to freshly-cooked breakfast, seemingly unaware of the events of the past 6 hours. It's a good life.

World Traveler

Jack received his British passport today, making him 2-for-2 in obtaining passports. He can now use his U.S one when departing from Detroit, and his British one upon arriving at Manchester. As such, he is officially a citizen of both countries.

Cleaning Up

Within the last few months, Jack has become very interested in cleaning things. He is a huge helper around the house (and I'm not being sarcastic) as he enjoys using the Swiffer to pick up dog hair, dusting the things low enough to reach, helping me collect garbage for trash day, etc. He also loves to pick up his toys and put them away in a relatively organized fashion. I suspect this behavior won't last forever, so we catch these little moments (on film) when we can.

The video below was taken at the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum, where we have a family membership (well worth it, even for a kid this age). Mick's mum took Jack to play a few times during her visit and she was amused watching him diligently work a spray bottle and sponge to clean not only a rock (I think the purpose was to polish a Petoskey stone to see all of the fossilization) but also to clean everything around it, including the carpet. Of course, she didn't have her camera the day Jack was really into it (and was the only kid there) but she did have her camera yesterday, meaning she was able to capture it. Unfortunately, there were more kids yesterday so Jack didn't get into it as much as he did the first time, but you still get the picture. Note that when he's bending down out of camera view he is washing the carpet.

It's Official!

As of last Thursday, Mick officially became an American citizen (well, technically he shares dual citizenship between America & Great Britain).

We attended the ceremony at the federal courthouse in Detroit and were fortunate enough to have Mick's mum, Julie, attend with us along with my parents (who drove 4.5 hours from Boyne Highlands on Wednesday afternoon to Ann Arbor, then drove an hour to Detroit on Thursday morning (early!), and then turned around and drove four hours back up north to Mesick to meet Andy & Sarah and kids at a campground).

93 people were sworn in along with Mick, which apparently was one of the largest groups they'd had. We listened to the presiding judge's personal story about her family's immigration to the U.S. She is a Lebanese-American and the first one in her family to read and write English. She drove home how important it is for all new citizens to learn to speak English as she noted that was the one thing that would help people assimilate quickly. However, she also reinforced how special everyone's different backgrounds and cultures are and encouraged everyone to share their culture, their food, their customs with neighbors, friends, and children. I was pleased to hear her drive this point home as I think all of our "differentness" (not a word, I know) is what makes America so special. She acknowledged that this was probably a hard ceremony for some to go through, as it meant renouncing allegiance to other countries. I noticed some tears, particularly from the older candidates in the group.

Once the judge was done speaking, she had the candidates stand and take the oath of naturalization (provided in its entirety below). Then we all applauded (one of Jack's favorite parts) and then we all sat quietly while the new citizens were called up one by one to receive their certificate of citizenship. I was impressed by the judge's clerk, who managed to read about 92 muti-syllabic names, many with seeminly no vowels. I didn't envy her job. She did this very gracefully though. We all had to laugh a bit when she finally got to read out "Michael John Collins" which, frankly, couldn't have sounded more American.

Mick then signed the certificate and we went to celebrate with some pretzels and diet coke (seriously - we bought them in the courthouse cafe).

He had to turn in his greencard (which, frankly, pained me a bit as we worked so long and hard to get that darn thing) and has already applied for an expedited American passport, as that will now be the only way he can easily get in and out of the country.

It was a really special experience... but one I'm glad we won't have to do again any time soon! Pictures from our big day are below:

Pre-ceremony excitement

The all-American family

Oath of Allegiance:
"I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen;

that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic;

that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same;

that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law;

that I will perform noncombatant service in the armed forces of the United States when required by the law;

that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law;

and that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion;

so help me God."

2 Old

I should have put this in Jack's birthday post, but I forgot (and since have remembered numerous times, hence this slightly random posting):

Prior to Jack's birthday, whenever we asked how old he was - or now, when we ask how old he is - he leaves out the "years" and simply replies "two old."

It kills me. It's funny, but it's also sweet... I just want to scoop him up and hug him and say "yes, my love, you are TOO old!"

Happy Birthday, Dear Jack

Jack rang in his second birthday today with some of his favorite meals and loved family members. He had blueberry pancakes & scrambled eggs for breakfast, peanut butter & jelly sandwich and chickpeas for lunch, and spaghetti & meatballs for dinner. Late this afternoon, we drove up to Big Rapids to have a celebratory birthday evening with my parents and Trevor & Stephanie, and with Mick's mum who has been visiting for the past week.

We attempted to open presents but Jack was a bit overwhelmed and only got about half-way through, so we'll finish tomorrow. He's very diligent about throwing every scrap of paper and tape right into the trash can before he proceeds unwrapping. It's quite amusing.

I made him a soccer ball cake which, thankfully, he was able to identify.

Trevor: Jack, what is that (pointing to cake)?
Jack: CAKE!
Trevor: But what does it look like?
Jack: A ball!
Trevor: What kind of ball?
Jack: FOOTBALL! (Proper English response)

He loved looking at the cake, especially when lit. In fact, we had to light it again after he (I) blew out the candles the first time.

However, when he tried the cake, he decided it was disgusting (bad choice on my part I guess for selfishly making the dark chocolate cake, rather than the more mild-flavored milk chocolate version) and immediately spit it out. This isn't the greatest picture, but it captures a bit of what happened. He did enjoy three (small) servings of vanilla ice cream though.


Mick and I had an enjoyable bedtime with Jack, each reading him a story and cuddling with him as he drank his milk. How it has been two years since he came into our lives is beyond me.

Last year, I couldn't sing Happy Birthday without crying every time I got to the "dear Jack" line. This year, I was SO proud of myself for singing multiple times to him today without once getting teary-eyed. However, as soon as I finished reading his bedtime story, his lullaby mix on the iPod began playing "You Are My Sunshine" and that's when the waterworks started. That was the very first song I sang to Jack when we got home from the hospital when he was three-days-old. How time flies.

Favorite Picture - Jack Wearing His Toy Monkey as a Scarf

Saved!

It’s been a few months since I last posted about Jack, so I thought I’d get back into the habit of sharing my perspectives on how the little lad is growing up. As he approaches his 2nd birthday, he's developed into a very spirited child, full of energy and laughter, all mixed in with the occasional tantrum. Accomplishments that stick in my mid the most include:

Feeding Shergar (commanding her to “sit” and “stay” while he loads food into her bowl, then shouting “go” to commence eating)

Playing “Saved” – in which he kicks the soccer ball towards me, while I attempt to catch or deflect it away from breakables. He’s now at a point at which he can kick the ball over the sofa and into the kitchen.

Following along with bedtime stories, correctly filling in the missing words without pausing.

Running around the grocery store to “find” Daddy among the aisles.

Trying to hug and kiss Shergar, much to her puzzlement.

Counting out loud, especially as he walks down the stairs.

Shouting "hooooommmme" when our car pulls into the garage.

"Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor, Your Huddled Masses"

Two out of three probably describe me. Well, after a rather long interview (in which we debated the term "lawful nonimmigrant" and reviewed my tax returns, overseas travel, and work history), I passed the test.

I correctly answered all 6 questions I was given:

1. How many justices are on the Supreme Court?
2. What did the Declaration of Independence do?
3. For how many years are senators elected?
4. If both the President and Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes President?
5. What does the President's cabinet do?
6. Name one branch of the federal government

At that juncture, I had the requisite 6 questions completed and there was no need for the officer to ask the remaining 4. However, I almost had the nerve to say "Ask them anyway...let's see if I can get 10 out of 10".

So what does this all mean?:

1. While continuing to assert a level of innate superiority (based on frequent rolling of the eyes), it will no longer be solely justified by the fact I am English. Instead, it will also take into account my new country's capitalist economic model that works extremely well (unless government bailouts are required).
2. I am now the official Anglo-American translator for Her Majesty the Queen. I will advise her on the meaning of such confusing phrases as “would you like your eggs sunny-side up?” or “how’s it going?”
3. I get to vote in this year’s elections. I expect every Michigan candidate to call on me personally, sharing their elevator pitch, points of differentiation, and how they can buy my vote.

The oath of allegience is next Thursday, at which point I will receive my naturalization (a word spelled incorrectly on the official INS swearing-in ceremony documents, FYI) papers.

Big Day

This morning, Mick and I are headed to downtown Detroit for Mick's 8:30 appointment to take his U.S. Citizenship exam. He will be asked 10 questions out of a pool of a possible 100 and must answer 6 of those 10 correctly. He will also have to demonstrate that he is capable of speaking & writing English.

I have quizzed Mick on these questions about a half dozen times over the past few days and I have no doubt he'll pass with flying colors. The fact that Mick focused his undergrad studies on American Politics and his graduate studies on the American Presidency certainly doesn't hurt things. I can say (a bit sheepishly) that Mick knew the answers to questions that stumped me, despite me having about eight or nine years of formal civics/history education.

I can't sufficiently express what this day means to us, though I can tell you it feels as if it has taken forever to get here. We have been through years of paperwork, sent in a hefty amount of fees, and Mick has provided countless samples of his fingerprints and biometric scans. He has been incredibly patient and thorough.

Once he is granted citizenship, Mick will finally be able to exercise his right to vote; I'll simply be relieved when Mick is able to share the same citizenship status as Jack and I.

It's unlikely we'll find out the actual results of the exam today, but I feel pretty confident that we'll know by the time Mick is done whether he passed the test with at least 60% proficiency.

We'll post again later today.

36 Hours with Daddy

After having spent much of the last three weeks visiting my parents while Mick has been doing a TON of travel, we are all home together this weekend for some much-needed family time. The time is limited though: Mick returned home from a week in San Francisco at 2:00 am Saturday morning and he leaves this afternoon around 3:00 for the airport for another business trip.

Prior to Mick's arrival home here Saturday morning, I calculated that Mick had seen Jack a total of three days since July 12 and has only had five full days at home since then. He's been piling up those frequent flier miles though with trips to Boston, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, upstate NJ, and San Francisco. Tonight he heads to New Jersey for an early-morning meeting tomorrow and then he's off to Manhattan for a Tuesday meeting. He returns home Tuesday night (hooray!) and doesn't have any more air travel until then end of August.

With Mick away for so much of the last few weeks, it gave me and Jack the perfect opportunity to go spend some time with Grammy & Papa without missing out on Daddy time. It was SO nice to have my parents' help with Jack in the mornings and the evenings. He's a handful - definitely giving me a run for my money as he makes his way into the "two's." It's hard to believe his second birthday is coming up in less than two weeks!

We've got a fun August planned with a visit from Mick's mum for a few weeks as well as five days away up north with my family. The one mandate for Mick is some much-needed R&R. I'll be ensuring that the golf clubs make the trip up to our vacation destination - he deserves a break!