Category Archives: Griffin

Griffin, Maggie, Oliver, Photo

A Doozy of a Valentine’s Day

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Tuesday, February 14, began like many other Valentine’s days at the Stocco-Roy household. The table was set with a surprise for the kids. Andrew got up early to make strawberry shortcake.

Griffin awoke and was frustrated that a lingering cold seemed to be getting significantly worse. He was tired and stuffy. We had him do a COVID test just out of habit. Meanwhile, we were all enjoying ourselves.

Valentine’s Day surprises (and Griffin taking a COVID test)

Laughter turned to shock when Griffin’s test came up positive. Panic! Everyone else takes tests. Maggie is positive too. What? How can this be?

First COVID in our house since waaaay back in November of 2020 when Oliver tested positive. That time was far scarier, of course, because it was pre-vaccine and we thought we would all catch it from him and it wasn’t clear how bad it might be. Now, even though COVID is rather hum-drum in the world around us, it was still surprisingly upsetting. No school for the two of them. Testing every day for the rest of us. Worries about sub plans and school.

Most importantly, we had a wild weekend planned for Presidents Day: three nights at a cabin in northern Minnesota, skiing, a sauna with potential icy dip in the lake, and a dog-sledding adventure (Sandy and Stape’s awesome Christmas gift to the family).

At first we duped ourselves into thinking that we could still go as long as the rest of us avoided the COVID. Griffin and Maggie would have to stay masked, but we could avoid others until Sunday when they would be in the clear. The dog sledding was on Monday, so everything would be fine. We had the kids packing on Thursday and were getting ready to load the car on Friday when Sarah realized that she wasn’t feeling well. COVID test was negative, but she was worried.

We sat down to think it through. Instead of focusing on how to preserve our plans, we considered how we would feel if someone else showed up at Du Nord (the place with the cabins) with active COVID cases in their family. We would think they were jerks for putting the rest of the community at risk. Sigh. So, we did the right thing and cancelled the trip. (Darn golden rule…)

This turned out to be a good thing. No further COVID cases that we’ve yet detected, but Sarah definitely had a stomach bug (not fun) and Griffin’s recovery has been slow. We managed to make it feel like a staycation, complete with the kids cooking a surprise feast for us on Friday night. The menu: fresh French fries appetizer (from scratch, hot oil and everything!), pasta with fancy sauce, fresh squeezed orange/mango juice, and butterscotch blondies for dessert. There was an intention to make a salad too, but somehow they forgot that bit.

This set a great tone for the weekend, where we chilled out, played lots of games, watched some movies, and managed to do some epic cleaning of the house.

Table set for the kids’ fancy feast.
The aftermath. Yikes.
Griffin, Photo, Video

Volleyball 2022

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Griffin has had a great season with his volleyball team this fall. The team has been unfailingly positive even in the face of defeat. (Though they’ve done better this season than last year, with a few decisive victories and many close matches.) It’s been a joy to watch them duke it out on the court every week.

Here’s a short video at the tail end of one of their closest games. Alas, after getting 1 point from victory, they were ultimately defeated, 25-27.

Griffin, Photo

Broken Wrist

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Griffin canoed in the boundary waters with Camp Widjiwagan from June 20 to July 1. He had a fantastic trip, but he had an accident in his final days. On June 29, he was leaping from rock to rock (as one does) in “Disappointment Lake,” about six miles from the Canadian border, when he landed on an unstable stone and pitched forward face-first into another one. Cracked two teeth and injured his wrist. At first it seemed like the wrist was merely sprained, but after a few days with little improvement, x-rays confirmed that he had a buckle fracture on the growth plate. At least he doesn’t need crutches for this one. (He broke his foot in April!) Cast should come off at the beginning of August.

Our happy camper.

Griffin, Photo

Trampoline

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With the much larger yard at our new house, the kids have been lobbying for a trampoline. At first, Sarah and I were completely opposed to the idea. Cost and safety were concerns, of course, but we also didn’t want a gigantic ugly thing dominating the yard. The kids, however, were persistent, going as far as creating a slide presentation about the many benefits of a trampoline.

As we scouted around the yard for a location, we realized that at the far end of the yard, there was an overgrown area that was actually reasonably flat if we mowed it down. In the summer it is completely out of sight from the house, shielded by trees and bushes. Our resistance crumbled. And now we have a trampoline in its own hidden glade.

Griffin enjoying the trampoline after returning from Camp Widjiwagan.
If you look carefully, you can see a slack line between the pines, left of center. The trampoline is just beyond that, but the yard drops down several terraces there, so it can’t be seen.
Griffin, Photo, Video

Griffin’s First Band Concert

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Griffin has been taking a piano for a few years. This year he started learning the trombone as part of the music program at St. Paul Academy. He played in his first concert this evening. He sounded good and, more importantly, had a great time.

Griffin in his spiffy band outfit.
Oliver is proud of his big brother.

The beginners joined the full band for two pieces. Griffin is on the rightmost bottom seat in the two videos below.

The Final Countdown
Born to Be Wild
Griffin, Maggie, Oliver, Photo

Birthday Slumber Party Water Park Extravaganza

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If that title makes you think we’ve gone entirely insane, you may be right. After two years of low-key COVID birthdays, we decided to pull out all the stops this year. Maggie and Griffin agreed to have a joint birthday party at the water park at Great Wolf Lodge. Yep. Sarah and I agreed to take our kids plus six of their friends to a hotel water park for an overnight birthday bash. (This is so out-of-character for us that I can’t even believe I’m typing it.)

Needless to say, it was tons of fun. Even for the grownups. And we were all worn out by the end of it. (Oliver and Griffin both fell asleep in the car on the way home.) Here’s a photographic sampling of their escapades.

Andrew, Griffin, Photo

Widji 2022

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This year marked Andrew’s third trip as a chaperone with the 7th grade at Camp Widjiwagan along the boundary waters in northern Minnesota. This trip was different for a number of reasons. First, Griffin was a seventh grader, so he was on the trip too! It was pretty great to be able to share this experience. This year we also went up in March rather than January. As the normal January date approached, COVID rates were spiking, so the school and camp made the wise choice of postponing. It was a bit soggier than usual, but we had no issues with the pesky virus, so it was well-worth the wait.

My gifted colleague, Bobak— social studies teacher, photographer, and videographer—documented the trip for posterity. I’ve pulled a set of photos from the larger collection to share here. Most of these include Griffin, but some just help set the scene.

Here is Bobak’s “Widjimasters 2022” video compilation:

Andrew, Griffin, Maggie, Oliver, Photo

Pumpkin Juice

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Our first face-to-face role-playing game of 2022 took place at Hogwarts. The kids took on the roles of second-year students and pursued the mysterious disappearance of a popular prefect. Besides drinking a great deal of pumpkin juice, the protagonists had to sneak into the restricted section of the library, avoid getting detention, complete a long herbology assignment, and discover the secret entrance to the warlock’s tunnel. The game culminated in a magical battle with an evil wizard.

Can they save Hogwarts?