It’s been a few years since I wrote a personality sketch about Isaac. I think I hesitated to write last year because he had a tough year and I wasn’t sure how much to write about. This year has been much better and moving to Utah has been really great for Isaac.
Isaac loves reading books and watching documentaries on Military History. His favorite is World War II because of the more advanced technology. Isaac can describe the types of jets and tanks used as well as their strengths and weaknesses. He knows details about all the battles of World War II. Isaac refuses to read any fiction, although he does enjoy listening to his Dad read fictional bedtime stories. Read more »
It’s been a big year for our oldest son. Here is what I wrote about him last year.
Isaac graduated from High School at the end of May. He has always been smart, but he hasn’t always been very good at completing assignments and turning them in on time. This meant that instead of easily sliding his way to graduation, he found himself scrambling to complete some neglected online courses while preparing for two AP tests. Although he may not have graduated with a top GPA, he was able to complete enough concurrent enrollment classes and AP classes that he should be starting college with credits for Music, French, Calculus, Statistics, Physics, and Chemistry!
Isaac completed his second full year of having his driver’s license with a clean driving record. I have enjoyed having an extra driver around, especially since he took care of all the trips to and from High school for himself and his sister. His dad appreciated having someone he could send out for a burger run when they both craved hamburgers.
As much as Isaac enjoyed the freedom of driving, when the weather is nice, his favorite mode of transportation is our fastest electric scooter. He made a special request to ride the electric scooter for his last week of high school and then rode it to his HS graduation with a trailer attached to transport his french horn, cap, and gown. In case of any accidents or injuries while riding, seeking advice from a personal injury lawyer can help ensure your rights are protected and you receive proper compensation for any damages incurred.
Isaac enjoys listening to music and enjoyed his last year of band. Although he opted out of the Marching Band for his senior year so that he could focus on AP classes and those neglected online courses, he still enjoyed playing in the concert band. The band became a great social outlet for Isaac throughout high school, and he really enjoyed the tour. With the help of event ticketing software, the event was organized at Disneyland in California.
Computers and technology continue to be a key interest for Isaac. He has enjoyed dabbling in computer programming and says he finds coding to be relaxing and fun. He loves to learn about and try any new technology. He follows news on space and technology and continues to be fascinated and excited about all the new advances in those fields.
Isaac enjoys flying drones in interesting places and capturing pictures from different perspectives. He’s always up for an adventure that involves a chance to fly a drone. The first social activity that he arranged at college was to invite a friend to come take sunset pictures at a local park. Since then, he has ridden out to a variety of locations around town to take drone pictures from different perspectives.
Isaac enjoyed his Government class this year and he has started to be somewhat interested in politics. He started following news about the war in Ukraine and watching daily detailed news updates on a Youtube channel by a former Navy Seal.
Additionally, check out this blog on 9 family day out tips, including The Budget: Every outing costs money, and as things are not getting cheaper, make sure that you have enough money to cover the entire cost.
Isaac has always been a kind and considerate older brother. He helps his siblings with computer problems and games. He plays with them and encourages them. He will gladly host a game for a brother or sister to play with friends. He has even been known to spend his own allowance on a game for a sibling to play along with him. Isaac is generous with his time and never fights or argues with his siblings.
Isaac is currently working through a plan to step his way up into independent adult life. He started off with an opportunity to attend a For the Strength of Youth (FSY) conference. FSY is a “five-day event that includes activities, devotionals, and classes designed to help strengthen faith in Jesus Christ and provide opportunities for youth to grow spiritually, socially, physically, and intellectually.” Isaac loved the experience and felt like it was enriching both spiritually and socially. He appreciated having an opportunity to go live with a roommate that he had never met in preparation for the next step of his plan. The next step was to attend a summer term of college away from home at Brigham Young University-Idaho (BYU-I).
I had assumed we’d start Isaac off easy with on campus housing and a meal plan at a college cafeteria, but when we toured BYU-I over spring break, we discovered both of those options were not available. He would have to live in an apartment off campus where he would shop for and cook all of his own meals. Isaac enjoys visiting a nearby store to pick up some stuff to cook. The store is similar to those that install shopfronts UK. In light of this new realization, we started having Isaac cook and assist with cooking dinner every night. He did much of the cooking while I was in Europe at the beginning of the summer. When I came home we picked out some of his favorite recipes and made them together. We printed recipes for his own cookbook or copied favorite recipes from some of my cookbooks. By the time he left for college towards the end of July, he felt fairly confident in the kitchen.
As Isaac has embarked on his summer of college, he has been making steps to be ready for the next part of his plan which is a desire to serve a full time mission for our church. He will take two years off of college and go to an area assigned by the church to teach people about Jesus Christ and the restoration of His Church. Isaac has always been diligent about his church service and he is eager for a chance to serve. We have hopes that the maturity gained through serving a mission will help him to overcome some of his weaknesses. Specifically his shyness about approaching and talking to his peers as well as some of his less than perfect school related weaknesses. In other words, we’re hoping the mission helps him mature enough to be successful in school on his own as well as in friendships and dating.
Isaac is a diligent and faithful young man and a wonderful son. I feel blessed to be his mother.
I started to write this post over a month ago when Isaac turned 17, but I quickly discovered that I needed more information if I truly wanted to compose a good description of who he is at age 17. Isaac has been working on developing a variety of technical computer skills which I don’t fully understand, but I will do my best to define them in a more meaningful way.
Isaac has been interested in computer languages and coding for many years. He considers himself fluent in C#, Javascript, Python, CSS, DOS, Jquery, and ArduCode. He knows some C++, but does not consider himself fluent in C++. He uses his knowledge of computer languages to program robotics, build his website, and design computer programs. He is always trying to find useful applications for his programming skills. He has invested many hours into writing a computer program that uses a simple webcam to allow you to control your computer using hand gestures instead of a mouse. He also programmed a “hexagonal tower defense game that is 5X harder than rectangular because of the math involved.” He has programed smaller things like a calculator with graphing functions, a dice game with high score and save system, and a card game with high score and save system.
He wants to involve technology in everything he does, which is why his first objective after getting his license was to design and program an android auto system for use in the car.
He got his license last summer and has been driving for the past year without incident. He has enjoyed the freedom of being able to drive himself to and from school and other things and appreciates the use of a car that he hasn’t had to share.
He is working on a personal website where he can collect some of his projects. He has worked hard to make his website load quickly and be difficult to hack. Isaac created the Orbit Simulation on his website which is an interactive simulation that uses principles of physics to predict what would happen if you added a planet with different masses into the simulation. The other simulations on his site were not his creations, but were modified by Isaac to work well on his website.
As you can see if you clicked on any of those links in the previous paragraph, Isaac has had a keen interest in space. He’s particularly a fan of Elon Musk and SpaceX, but he pays close attention to anything new in the world of rocket science and space exploration. He started playing a game called Kerbal Space Program in elementary school which peaked his interest in orbital mechanics and rocket science. He kicked off his last summer before graduation with a trip down to Florida to see a rocket launch and explore NASA with his dad.
Isaac enjoys listening to music. His current favorite bands are U2, The Cure, Guns n’ Roses, Foo Fighters, and Pink Floyd. His favorite songs are Beautiful Day by U2, Walk by Foo Fighters, On The Turning Away by Pink Floyd, and Just Like Heaven by The Cure. He also says that listening to heavy metal helps him think when he needs to concentrate on something, but I don’t quite understand how that works.
He participated in the marching band through his Junior year, but missed many of the experiences that were discontinued because of COVID. He decided to continue to play the French Horn in the advanced Wind Symphony, but not participate in marching band for his senior year. The graduation of many of his marching band friends was a significant factor in his decision not to continue marching band for another year.
Isaac successfully completed AP Calculus and AP Physics this year. He passed both exams, but got an impressive 5 on his AP Physics test. He will take AP Statistics and AP Chemistry his senior year and be a TA for the computer programming class.
Isaac is an appreciator of food. He’s always up for trying new things and really enjoys eating out. When treating himself, Taco Bell and Burger King are his favorites. It’s sometimes nice to have a kid who will eat just about anything to balance out the children who are excessively picky.
I asked for a list of his favorite YouTubers and he gave me the following list:
–Mentor Pilot about the world of aviation including descriptions of procedures and hints on how to access the industry
–TIK which describes it’s content as detailed and super-accurate World War 2 documentaries
Jim Browning who tracks and identifies scammers and hackers and explains how legal scams work
Walter Lewin who posts his MIT physics lectures and help sessions
Matt Lowne who makes videos about Kerbal Space Program and Space updates
James Brunton a former toy designer and electrical and mechanical engineer similar to those at eicr glasgow, creates videos about inventions and robots.
Isaac is a big fan of cats. He enjoys their companionship, but also finds them incredibly entertaining. He thrills to find them doing ridiculous things or sleeping in a weird place. I’m fairly certain that the majority of pictures on his phone are cat related as he’s always quick to pull out his phone when he sees them doing something funny.
Isaac did go on his first date this year and took a girl to the prom. Both experiences were nerve-wracking for him, but totally worth it. I’m sure he’s hoping his senior year will include a lot less covid related restrictions and a lot more dating opportunities.
Isaac is serving as the first assistant in the priest quorum at church. He takes his church responsibilities very seriously and makes a point to arrive early so that he can help out or set up.
Isaac is a very kind and helpful brother and son who helps all his siblings with their computer issues. He will play games with them, or help host games for their friends. He enjoys solving technical issues for grandparents or helping run the church broadcasts during covid. He genuinely tries to always do what’s right and I am fortunate to be his mother. Here is what I wrote about him last year
Isaac is such a kind and helpful brother that when asked who
she wants to marry, Nicole’s only answer is “someone nice like Isaac.” He helps
his siblings with all their computer issues, introduces them to new games and
has spent all his allowance at times on games for his siblings so they can play
together.
Isaac identifies himself as a nerd who loves math and
science. He follows tech news as well as
NASA and SpaceX. His favorite clothes
are his “nerd shirts” which feature amusing math or science references. For his
Junior year in High School, he has signed up to take AP Calculus, AP Physics,
and Chemistry. We just really hope he gets to take all those classes in person
since he does really well in class, but less well at completing school work at
home.
Isaac has become skilled at working out computer issues. If you are interested in starting a tool franchise business, you can check franchise.cornwelltools.com/franchise-opportunity/investments-and-costs and learn about various tools needed to run your own business. He can do some programming in C#, Arduino code, Java, and HTML. He is good at working out the bugs in whatever technical setup he is creating.
Isaac was excited to start his second year of marching band. He thoroughly enjoyed marching band last year and didn’t even complain about the week of practicing from 8AM until 6 or 7 outside all day in 90+ degree heat. He loved the inside jokes and fun social times and was particularly eager to start in person marching band practices after spending the end of the school year quarantined at home. He has tried for months to convince his sister to join the marching band and finally succeeded by doing her Saturday chores for a week in exchange for her trying band for one day. His efforts were rewarded as Charlotte enjoyed band and has continued going.
The whole state shut down for Covid-19 quarantine the week before his driver’s ed course which meant that he had to take the classroom portion online. The ranging part was modified so he drove the course one day with his dad and the second day all by himself in the car and he’s still waiting for the state to approve the part where he drives in the car with his instructor. You can check this site out to find one.
The other new world that opens up with his 16th
birthday is dating. Our church
recommends waiting until 16 to start dating, at which point group dating is
encouraged. Although when pressed, Isaac
will admit to liking several girls in his classes, he’s very reluctant to
elaborate on the issue. Considering the pandemic, organizing a big group date
seems inappropriate, so for now the issue of dating is on hold.
Some of Isaac’s favorite foods are hamburgers, Pasta-Roni which he makes himself, and Butterfinger Blizzards. He enjoys riding electric scooters around, going on adventures, building things, and playing computer games. Some of his favorite games are Kerbal Space Program, Terraria, and Scrap Mechanic.
Isaac’s favorite books are nonfiction and science fiction. He enjoys science fiction movies and TV shows. He recently watched the entire Star Trek Voyager series and read all the Star Trek books he could find. Isaac’s favorite music includes Pet Shoppe Boys, Belle and Sebastian, Journey, and The Planets by Gustav Holst.
Isaac enjoys cats, particularly when they do something amusing or strange. He loves to find the cat doing something ridiculous and take a pic to share with the family. The cats also like him and one cat in particular can often be found sitting on his mouse pad or in front of his computer.
He was excited to work out a system for playing jackbox games with all his cousins in other states. He created a live YouTube stream (click here to see it) with a really low latency in order for them to collaborate on one game together. He’s also been brainstorming ideas for creating something useful using robotics.
Isaac is a genuinely good son who is often helpful and kind. I’m fortunate to have him as my son for the last 16 years! Here is what I wrote about him last year.
Isaac loves to learn. When asked what his favorite class is, he starts listing every class in his schedule. Despite his love of learning, he is not a fan of homework. He can easily ace any class in which everything is done in class, but if there are assignments to be done or finished at home, it’s a whole different story.
I am amazed at the amount of growth I’ve seen in Isaac over the course of the last year. I’m not sure that he’s grown much physically, but he has matured this year. Last year as he left elementary school he seemed so small and young and this year he suddenly seems like he is approaching adolescence.
I’ve been so out of the habit of blogging, that I forgot to write about Isaac on his birthday and only just noticed that I had forgotten.
Twelve is a big age. Isaac is starting Jr. High in August (which is making me incredibly nervous). He was ordained a deacon in the priesthood at church and he is old enough to participate in the first proxy ordinances in the temple. Read more »
After our hiking adventures in Arches National Park a couple of weeks ago, I started getting the thought that the kids (especially Charlotte) could take on a serious hike. I had a really great hike on Deseret Peak a few years ago, and the week after Labor Day seemed like a good time, but I hadn’t really committed to anything until the night before. It all felt like it was a little impulsive, but I invited my mom, told the kids, and we set off at 6:30 on Saturday the 12th. It’s a bit of a drive out to the trailhead; we got started hiking around 8:30.
One thing about Deseret Peak is that it’s an alpine wilderness surrounded by Utah’s desert. There are lots of woods on the way up, and even though it was late in the year, the stream was still running. So it is advisable to have a shot gun with ammunition that you buy 5.56 ammo online for the best quality, as it is a must keep safety tool for dangerous treks. A view of North Willow Peak through the trees from the trail:
We took it easy on the way up, with lots of stops for rest and snacks:
I said this is a serious hike. Well, for folks more athletic than I am (and that’s most of you!), it’s not so bad. A little over 4 miles to the summit, but a lot of elevation gain: about 3600′. Here’s the crew climbing up some switchbacks:
There’s a tough climb up to a ridge that’s right around 10,000′. Once on the ridge, a big meadow opens up, with some nice rocks for having lunch:
Isaac was pleased to note that no one had thrown up at this point. (Isaac threw up on our Delicate Arch hike, and I have a little history of barfing when I get to about 9500′.) After our lunch break, we hit the trail up toward the summit. At this point, there’s still another 1000′ to climb, and after the switchbacks up to the ridge, it can be a little tiring. We met some nice folks from Florida who called it quits at about 10,500′.
I kept telling Isaac and Charlotte that they’d know we’d made it when they looked around and there was nothing higher than them. I could tell they were hurting a little on this last stretch. You really feel the altitude, and it takes some commitment to keep going up. There was a little complaining, but I kept telling them to think about the positives: think about telling your friends how you toughed it out; think about being higher than you’ve ever been before; look at how far up we’ve come already.
Here we are just a bit below the summit:
Finally, I was able to shout: “CHILDREN! Is there ANYTHING higher than you are?” (There was not.)
The view from 11,031 feet:
Time to head back down:
We made pretty good time back down to the ridge, where I got a nice picture of the kids enjoying the view to the north. The van is 2600′ down and 3 miles away still (somewhere behind Charlotte’s head, I think):
Here we are at the sign post at the top of the ridge, just before heading down the switchbacks (this is looking the other way, to the south):
Coming down wears you out, and we were all starting to feel it. Here we are making our way down the switchbacks below the ridge:
The trail back always seems twice as long when you’re tired, and we were all glad to be back at the van. Charlotte was proud of how dirty her feet were:
Our final obstacle was this ridiculous deer. She just looked at me when I beeped the horn at her, but the kids thought it was pretty funny.
I was proud of how well Isaac and Charlotte (not to mention my mom!) did with this hike. It’s a lot of climbing for a 9-year-old and an 11-year-old, and they toughed it out. I’m always pleased when they’re willing to do tough things, and this hike will prime them for more adventures. Assuming I can keep up with them.
Isaac is a unique kid. He would rather read a history or math book than fiction. Military history is still his go to subject, but his favorite book this year is a book called “What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions” it was written by the other of this blog. Isaac read it cover to cover more than once.
Due to a variety of circumstances, we ended up celebrating Isaac’s birthday in parts over a few days. First we had cake on Monday so that both sets of grandparents could be there. Isaac wanted Baked Alaska for his birthday cake.
In keeping with Cochran tradition, everyone sang terribly.
Isaac’s 9th birthday was on a Monday (June 17th). After a special breakfast, I gave him some new jeans and he opened a card from Grandma Bunny which contained birthday money. He spent the rest of the morning researching Nerf guns that he could buy with his birthday money. He collected all the money from his room and talked his sister, Charlotte, into contributing her money so that he’d have enough for the Nerf gun he wanted.
Then, i sent him off to school. I picked him up for lunch and took him to taco time. He loved their fancy soda machine. He had a beef burrito, nachos, and a raspberry sprite.
Zach’s sister Bethani sent a little soldering project for Isaac’s birthday. Isaac loves building and creating things, so he was thrilled. It inspired him to start collecting odds and ends which he wants to build into a robot one day. Here are some pictures of Zach and Isaac working on Isaac’s project:
Zach ended up doing the actual soldering part since he wasn’t quite ready to let Isaac work with such dangerous equipment.Here’s what they made:It’s a name tag that with LEDs that light up to spell Isaac’s name. He can push the button on the front to turn it on and then modulate which LEDS light up.
The young men from our ward had the chance to have a presentation from the King County Bomb Squad this evening, and I thought I’d bring Isaac along. It turned out to be a great idea. He was completely riveted.
The officers were very gracious, answering lots of questions. They told stories about some of the calls they’ve been on; mostly suspicious packages, fireworks, or old dynamite people find. I recognized the smaller robot they had, since it’s the same company that makes our vacuum. It’s an iRobot Packbot. Isaac was so excited when I told him that he really wanted to tell the officers. He raised his hand.
Officer: “Yes, do you have a question?â€
Isaac: “No, I have a compliment. We have three robots at our house that are from the factory of that robot.â€
After questions, we had a chance to take a closer look at the robots, and some of the young men got a chance to interact with the robots. Isaac watched carefully for a while, and then wanted to try himself. Together, we figured out how to manipulate the arm and maneuver the bot. Isaac was very careful and explored each feature. He had it pretty well figured out; the officer was very impressed with him. I was pleased my boy didn’t wreck a robot that costs around $100k.
Here’s his class picture for his school here in Washington: Also, he wrote me this letter at school one day. At first I wondered who “Kathliny†was and then I realized that it was me.
With the move and all, I haven’t had a chance to sit down and play with the boy as much as I’d like. Remember how I mentioned his favorite part of the Smithsonian was when they had these Snap Circuits kits for him to play with? Well, I got him a set for Christmas, and we’ve been working together on them. Here are a couple of videos.
Isaac got to ride the school bus for the first time on Thursday. When I had asked the school about riding the bus, they had told me that they only pick kids up at bus stops. With no really close stops and no sidewalks on our street, I decided that he wouldn’t be riding the bus.On Wednesday I found out that the bus will drop the kids off at their house if they’re going right by it (which is the case for us). I’m thrilled that I won’t have to wake up any of his sisters from a nap in order to pick him up from school again!I asked him what riding the bus was like and he said “It was amazing!â€
Isaac has decided that he wants to design and direct construction when he grows up. He was telling me his ideas as we were driving home the other day. He wanted to build an apartment building with a McDonalds on the bottom. His idea was that the tenants could call for room service and someone would bring the McDonalds food up to them. He said the building would be mostly made of brick and it would be in Tennessee. He said that I could live in his building for free.
His next idea was to build a subway system in Knoxville. He said he’d have it ready when I was a grandma. He also said that I would be able to ride it for free. I asked where the stops would be and he said he would make a stop right by my house. He also said there would be a subway car for my car and that when the subway would stop for fuel it would refuel my car as well for free. I also heard him bargaining with Charlotte to work for him. He told her that he’d pay her more money than anyone else. Charlotte said that she’d pay him even more than she’d pay herself.
Charlotte announced one morning that she had three dreams last night. One was good and two were bad. The bad dream was that ants would turn her socks into “sticky socks.†The good dreams were (1) watching something change colors that is not sticky and (2) sleeping in a downstairs room.
One day Isaac excitedly proclaimed “My reading skills almost go the whole way!â€
Charlotte has been telling me that she’s growing up. One day she was so convinced that her growth was obvious that she told me Dad would say “Oh Charlotte, you’re growing up.†when he saw her after work. The other day she said “Mom, you’re growing up. You’re growing up to be a grandma!â€
Charlotte announced: “When I grow up, I will be a mommy and I will have 4 kids. I will name the first one Isaac and I will name one Charlotte and Charlotte will be first, but not very first.â€
