Tricks and Treats....

Tonight was trick-or-treating night in our town, so we joined the rest of humanity in flocking to the Parktown subdivision. The kids were dressed like this:



Our neighbor's dog went dressed like this:



We had a great time (it was light for the first 70 minutes or so....and the take was vast!

We stopped by our old neighbors' house afterwards, and then on the way home we stopped for gas, and boy, let me tell you--this was certainly a TREAT not a TRICK!

Scary Photo!

As Halloween proper is only 19 minutes away, I thought I would post this scary photo. I hope the intensity of it doesn't make your children break into tears, run and hide in the corner, wet themselves, etc.



Background: Erin asked Cindy to make a 'mad face' for posterity, and this was the result.
Though it is somewhat lacking in the real intensity of her authentic mad face (the eyes are not flaming), it is a reasonable facsimile of the face that made her 2nd-graders cry in the 1990s and still makes her children flee for safety (heck, sometimes I flee too)!

All Thumbs!

On Monday Cindy's Dad tried to teach Allyson how to do 'thumbs up,' but at the time she never quite got it.

However, the next morning when Cindy came into the bedroom to wake up Makenna, Allyson called out from her crib, 'I DIT it, Mom, I DID IT!'

Because it was dark, Cindy couldn't see what she could do right away, but going over to her crib she could see Allyson lying there with both of her thumbs up!

It seems that when she woke up that morning she had just lain there and worked on this skill until she did it!

Now she really has the hang of it!

Trunk or Treat Photos

Last night was our first foray of the short Halloween season.

It was a rousing success for the Pirate, whose booty was vast....



And for the Little Girl, who found lots of sugar and spice and everything nice....



And for a Mommo, a Princess who could clearly enunciate 'Trick or Treat,' and a Witch who conjured up a very full and lumpy bag of goodies....



And a sushi-loving pumpkin-carving Daddo....

So eternally grateful for that knowledge....

Makenna disappeared for awhile tonight before bedtime, and when I called out to her I heard her reply that she was 'pooping.'

'Nuf said!

I was in reading a bedtime story to Allyson on a bed in their room when she finally reappeared.

She came in and said excitedly, 'Dad! Dad! I pooped out one that was about THIS long!!' and spread her hands about 12 inches apart.

First, that is really much more information than I would ever need, much less want.
Second, I am concerned about the hint of pride I noticed in her pronouncement.
Third, I sincerely hope that she is merely a budding fisherman, and thus multiplying the length of her 'catch' by a factor of 2 or more.
Fourth, I am glad that she flushed the toilet rather than saving it for my later perusal.
Fifth, she's surely a Floyd!

Deep Thoughts....Yea Verily, Even Deep Stinky Thoughts

At bedtime tonight Cameron asked Cindy to lay in bed with him because he was really cold.

After about 5 minutes of quiet chatting, Cindy gently asked, 'Are you warm yet?'

'Noooo......,' said Cameron, 'Maybe it would help if I let my fart out!'

He continued, 'Because that's how you make a bathtub a hot-tub! You're butt's the jet!'

I can only hope that Cindy quickly exited, stage right.

CONTEST TIME!!!!!

Erin has been saying this hip phrase for a good 2 weeks now at 'particle accelerator' speed, and I finally got her to say it slow enough to consciously register what she was saying.

I then asked her to explain the slang involved, and that finally led to comprehension (not that there's a lot to comprehend, but it is clean!)

Your challenge, if you choose to accept it, is to transcribe what she is saying and submit it as a comment. The winner will win a major prize (at the exciting Cracker-Jack prize level!

Listen and win (or get real frustrated trying to make sense of it)!

Beauty and the Geek

Last night the New Beginnings[?--I get all these programs mixed up....] had a Daddy-Daughter dinner and activity entitled 'Beauty and the Geek.'

Erin didn't see my get-up beforehand, and let's just say that she wasn't disappointed. (Thanks again Wes and Barb for that Grenada shirt--a gift that keeps on giving 15 years after the fact!)



One of the activities was to teach the girls how to tie a tie around their dad's neck, and Erin, being an unusually quick study (as it wasn't work-related?!), was able to tie mine in 11 seconds flat.

The next part activity was to have the dad style their daughter's hair. I let my creative impulses flow freely, and came up with the following:



For some reason, she didn't like it so much, but she was a really good sport about it too....(and I must add that Br. Vilches braids hair like a pro!)

A fun night!

Dancin' Fools

Another quickie from our Smoky Mountains trip. This is Oompa Loompa TV....



No one ever said we weren't goofy.


UPDATE: I see that I posted all the latest under Cindy's name....hope it's not too confusing!

The Smoky Mountains Part II: Other Adventures

This was the best part of the cabin.....



The girls loved this at the cabin too....



Curse you, Sponge-Bob Squarepants! (or a loincloth, as in this episode)



On the rocks....



Cameron on the bed of nails (we all did it....)

Smoky Mountain Photos Part I: The Natural Beauty

On a nature trail by an old homestead....



Grotto Falls--a 3-mile roundtrip hike--the kids barely made it. Except for Ally--I (Daddo) carried her the whole way ....



The kids hiking....



Erin took this great picture!



Erin begged us to take a picture of her in front of this big rock, so we did--after she took a picture of the rest of us in front of it!

My 20 Minutes of Fame....

The Comedy Barn was one of the highlights, and the kids especially liked it when I was called up on stage with 2 other unfortunate gents.

First the emcee grilled each of us--I don't think that he had ever met up with a Japanese translator before....

He then trained us to open and close our mouths when hit on the head with his clubs.

And though the video ends at mid-song (we have a cheap software that hit its limit at 40 seconds), you'll get the idea.....



We can rent you the DVD of the entire show for a mere pittance....

Palin Country

We found out 2 days ago that Sarah Palin was going to be in Troy (a town in our county) today, so we got tickets and Cindy and me, her mom and dad, and our neighbor and her friend went for the show. The line was a quarter-mile long when we joined, and by the time we got in, it was still that long (and we were over 2 hours early)! That gave Cindy and her mom time to buy some buttons--Cindy was attracted to a Joe the Plumber button.



By the time it started, it was standing room only, and as expected, she gave a great speech.



More Pics....




Yes, it was a lot of fun!

Funny, it's the other 'seasoned' VP nominee who is basically walking about with his mouth taped shut.

Smoky Mountains Trip

We arrived safely back home Monday night from a 4-day family vacation to the Smoky Mountains/Pigeon Forge.
I expect there will be a number of posts and/or photos about this in the coming days, but here are a couple of lessons learned interspersed with some observations, in no particular order:
1. SpongeBob Marathons are just another reason to not get cable/satellite at home.
2. Boys don’t like to sleep in rooms with a vase on the nightstand.
3. Hot-tubs are great for keeping kids entertained both morning and night!
4. The Comedy Barn show is still the best show in town (especially for the kids, and especially when Daddo spends 20 minutes up on the stage during one of the routines).
5. Makenna had a new catch-phrase when she would jump out of the van: “Show me the gift shop!”
6. During peak season, you have to ‘go against the traffic flow’ to get anywhere.
7. Tourist-trap towns are a great way to redistribute the wealth--in a non-coercive way.
8. 12-oz. boxes of Russell Stover caramels or chocolates at the Outlet Store for $1.15 each. Too bad we didn’t have a rooftop carrier with us!
9. Things forgotten: A water thermos, kids’ toothbrushes, and standard-issue manacles, muzzles, and straitjackets (or the equivalent amounts of duct tape to serve these 3 purposes).
10. I never knew our family could pack away a ½ gallon container of ice cream at one sitting.

Oh the trauma!

This morning I decided to give Allyson's hair a little trim. I just wanted to keep in more of a bob rather than let it grow long. So after giving it a little spray with the spray bottle I commenced to comb and then trim. As she saw the little bits of hair I had cut off and then placed in the discard pile she gasped and exclaimed,
"MOMMY!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING???? YOU ARE CUTTING OFF MY HAIR!!!"
Then I would explain that it was okay and just a trim and I was the only one allowed to ever ever ever cut hair.
Snip. Snip.
"MOMMY!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING???? YOU ARE CUTTING OFF MY HAIR!!!"
About 2 seconds after finishing this 20 second job she had run out and completely forgotten the whole thing.

Amaizing Grace, how sweet the ear.....

This evening we went with our neighbors to a nearby Corn Maze (a.k.a. "Maize Maze"). Thanks to hurricane Ike a month ago, the admission was lowered to $5 per adult and $3 per kid.

It was a first for us, and the kids enjoyed running around and finding the dead-ends beforehand. It took about 40 minutes to go through, and then the kids were able to use an air-powered 'Corn Cannon' to shoot ears of corn 100+ yards.

Note to self--mosquitoes obviously love cornfields at dusk.

By the end we were scurrying back to the van to avoid the little critters!

We then went back home and our 2 families had a little firepit cookout with a number of other neighbors.

Yes, we love our neighborhood!

It must be a female thing.....

We were at Micky-D's in the Playland area last night with our neighbor and kids (actually, she took her kids and all of our kids, and Cindy and I showed up a bit later...), and after being there awhile our neighbor's daughter came over to report that she couldn't find her sandals.

At this point Erin--who had been sitting with us adults--piped up to say that she had seen 2 teenagers come in a bit earlier, and had seen them take a pair of shoes from the shoe rack, leave quickly, go across the street to a car in the Arby's parking lot, then leave.

I had to leave with Erin soon thereafter, as Cindy and the neighbor waited to talk to the manager.

So anyway, on the way home I get a call from Cindy's cell phone and I let Erin answer. Cindy was obviously asking Erin for a description of these teenage hooligans.

Erin replied, 'Well, the girl had long black hair, and was wearing a black jacket with "Abercrombie" and something else on it, and underneath that she had a white shirt on. And she was also wearing blue jeans. And he had really blonde hair, and was wearing...' and continued with the same detailed description.

I was shocked and awed.

This amount of detail from the girl who can't hear a parent from 5 feet away, and is totally oblivious to anything that goes on in front of her unless it has frosting or Zac Efron or Hannah Montana on it!

Maybe she'll be recruited by the CIA?

A blast from the past....

In my family emails of yesteryear (I am merely a blogger now), I would sometimes take on the identity of an advice columnist as I attempted to explain the craziness that was (and still is) our home.
Anyhoo, we were looking up info from our old emails and I found two of my favorites from 2002 and 2005 (and these are more than just loosely based on actual events)....
* * *
Dear Mr. Manners,
In an attempt to civilize/teach morals to our two eldest children (ages 2 and 5), we purchased and began reading illustrated scripture stories to our kids every night. However, a year later, when it is time for them to pick a story to read before bedtime, if there isn't a sword or spear in ACTION, or someone getting their arm or head cut off, or someone getting a small stone implanted into their forehead, or someone getting tar-and-feathered, or SATAN playing a prominent part, they won't pick it! My 2-year old son always asks us if the people in the pictures are fighting or killing someone--and if not, he wants a different story! And whenever we do read these gory stories, they both excitedly pore over the pictures and point, saying, "Is THIS the blood from when he got his head cut off?" and are disappointed if the scene described in words is not shown in gory detail in the picture!
Also, my son told his dad last week, "I will shoot your eye out....with a GUN!"
Is this normal?
Am I just overreacting?
Sincerely,
We Now Lock Our Bedroom Door at Night
________________________________


Dear Doorlocks,
What wonderfully mischievous little imps!
Most pop psychologists would, naturally, attribute such a fascination with violence, blood, and the occult to the usual worn-out whipping boy--the ever-entertaining (and totally harmless) Bugs Bunny & Roadrunner Show.
But in actuality the source of this fascination is merely a healthy and normal child's desire to play games with their parents' minds. I would bet money that your children sleep soundly through the night, and conversely, that your sleep is restless.
Anyway, enjoy the moment! All too soon they will be wanting you to read the stories about children getting advances on their inheritances!
Sincerely,
Mr. Manners
PS: Have you considered locking up your larger cutlery at night as a short-term countermeasure?

* * *

Dear Mr. Manners,
Our children have very good hearing, and they picked up this terrible phrase from the Simpsons that their Dad was quietly telling me. And now they are imaginatively expanding on it. How can I get them to stop saying such things?
Sincerely,
Aghast in Dayton

Dear Aghast in Dayton (may I call you Agh?)
Sadly, this is a more common occurrence than you might think. Being somewhat clairvoyant and judging from your mental state, I would guess that it is not the relatively innocuous, 'I'm Bart Simpson, who the he-- are you?' but rather Homer's mellifluous, even rhapsodic, "They're the suckiest suck of sucks that ever sucked a suck.' It comes trippingly off the tongue, don't you think? But I digress....
And let me guess. The sweet children have expanded this to such things as 'That the poopiest poop of poop that ever pooped a poop' or 'That's the pukiest puke of puke that ever puked a puke.'
I commiserate with you. As for countermeasures to this verbal onslaught, I am sure that your husband is still recovering from the laser-eye glare you gave him after your child overheard and then uttered the phrase, so that is already taken care of (though I'm sure you were chuckling up to that point...!).
As for the children, much like a song that you can't get out of your head, until something else takes its place it will not be relegated to conscious oblivion. May I suggest the harmless phrase, 'I'm Yosemite Sam and you're a sassafrassin' frigglevrassin' varmint!'
Sincerely,
Mr. Manners

Rebel without a Pause

Tomorrow is picture day at school, so Cindy gave Cameron a quick trim around the ears and neck at bedtime.

Afterwards, he complained that his hair was still wet, so Cindy gave it a quick blow-dry.

For some reason, he even acquiesced to a snapshot (after Cindy grabbed him at the onset of his 'bolt and run' instinct....)

I think this is called the 'James Dean look'?

Makenna? Our Makenna?

Makenna got a 'card pulled' at school today, and her teacher wrote a note for us to read.
It read, "Makenna was on a yellow card today. She was reminded several times that she was not supposed to be talking loudly in the hallway and continued to do so."

Imagine our shock!

Our Makenna talking loudly!? And not listening to what an adult tells her!?? I can't imagine why the teacher didn't realize that Makenna was merely whispering as softly as she could. It's not Kenner's fault that her whispers usually don't fall much below 70 decibels! That probably also explains her poor listening skills--the poor dear is probably deaf, bless her heart!

Cindy had Kenner write an apology letter, dictated by Cindy and modified slightly at the end by Kenner.



It looks like Kenner needs more spelling lessons too!

As for suck-up lessons, she has obviously had plenty!

Magic 101

From what I understand, yesterday Cindy was asking Allyson the following question (it goes without saying that it was rhetorical in nature):

"Ally, is Mommy pretty?"

Ally never really deigned to respond verbally. Or via gestures. Or via a nod. Or via a big thumbs up. Nothing--Nada--Nil--Nashi.

Shortly thereafter Ally came up to her holding a princess wand (with a star on the end), and touched Cindy with it, and said, 'Make Mommy pretty! Make Mommy pretty!'

As Cindy later asked me, 'So, does she think it takes magic to make me pretty?'

Obviously another rhetorical question. (As I know so well, Cindy has yet to be hit with--or even suffer a glancing blow--from an ugly stick.

[I am working from memory here, so I am sure that Cindy will revise it later....)

***Cindy here to revise***
We were on the phone with Grandma and I was with Allyson, prompting her what to say to Grandma. She was repeating everything I said wonderfully. I thought I would try this one,
"Allyson, tell Grandma that your mommy is very pretty."

Thoughtful silence. Then, "I need my wand."

"What?" I asked.

"I need my wand," she replied

Then she hopped down and grabbed her fairy wand from off the floor and started waving it in my face saying, "I make Mommy pretty."

Ummmmmmm thanks.

****Note****
Louis watched me type up the revised edition of his post and told me to just go ahead and delete what he wrote.

"No thanks," was my reply.

I like everybody seeing how I tell him a story and he only half listens.

Curse you, Craig's List!

So yesterday Cindy called me at work, and said, "I see a listing on Craig's List for free walnuts."

That perked me up immediately. (Perhaps more the word 'free' than the word 'walnuts'? And there's nothing I can do about that. It's hard-wired into me.)

Anyway, I knew I had some late meetings, so I suggested she come by and pick me up and we could make a long lunch of it.

And let me digress and say that Superman didn't really exist. I changed into 'playclothes' in the middle seat of the van as Cindy drove, and really, there is NO WAY that he could've made the wardrobe change in a phone booth!

So, 7-odd boxes later, Cindy drove me back to work and she took care of unloading them and the millions of maggots that were beginning to emerge from the boxes due to the vibrating van. (Some insect lays eggs in the green covering over walnuts, and their young (maggots, one and all) live happily in that warm, moist environment).

Cindy was sufficiently grossed out. (But the van got a good vacuuming as a result!)

Anyway, last night I started removing the maggot-ridden crust of some of the walnuts. I was doing it manually with a knife, and an hour later I had a bucket full.

Tonight I continued the work, but I drilled a walnut-sized hole in my old worktable and then smacked the walnuts through the hole with a mallet, thereby removing the husk in a couple seconds. Things went quicker by a factor of 10 or more.

Anyway, I told you the above gory details in order to show you the results of my mostly gloveless labors.



And even searching on Google I have yet to find anyone with a method of removing these stains.

When I showed Cindy the stains that were a badge of honor reflecting (though black doesn't reflect, so I am speaking metaphorically) all the work I did tonight, she, being the kind--even genteel--soul that she is, exclaimed, "It looks like you've had your hands up a cow's butt!"

Later on she cackled again and said, "It looks like you gave a cow an enema!"

All I can say is, I hope these walnuts aren't rotten!

Ahh, feel the breeze!

As of 11 AM this morning, we now have a storm door on our front door. (Our good neighbors had one installed at the same time, and thus the contractor doing it gave us an even better deal!)

The contractor was the building manager/contractor when our new house was built and he treated us good and fairly, but with the housing downturn he was laid off along with half of the company (after 16 years!) and we found out that he was looking for odd jobs until something comes along, so it was a win-win for us both.

Don't be surprised if I am writing next week about having had the basement framed!

Aching Calves

Cameron is the naturally gifted sports dude of the family (it obviously skipped a generation on the Floyd side), but this year soccer has been more than a match for him.

His coach has managed to achieve something I thought was impossible—run Cameron into the ground during practice. (By the way, we do like the coach and his coaching style.)

In previous years Cameron would be full of vigor and vim, eagerly awaiting the fun of practice, and still be full of it at the end of practice.

However, this year he has come to dread practices and he comes home sore, tottering like a grandpa. He even demands a heating pad for his calves at bedtime.

And there is a 3rd grade teammate (Cameron is in 4th) who is just an amazing natural athlete—he can run faster and longer than anyone else, kick harder and more accurately, and is a gentleman team player to boot! (When other teammates miss a good kick or let a goal through, he is the first to call out, ‘That’s OK [So-and-so]! Good try!’)

Anyway, this (one-way) competition has also served to spur Cameron to greater heights.

But it has paid off—he scored 2 goals the last game (the final score was 12-2, and that was after half of Cameron’s team switched sides to help the other team), for a total of 3 this year.

As Cameron proudly told me, ‘I even stole the ball away from [the amazing kid] 2 times when he was playing for the other team!’

Making the Day of Others on a Daily Basis

Today Makenna woke up crying with a very sore side, and she explained that she fell off of the merry-go-round at school yesterday. Cindy decided to keep her home, as the inevitable crying and whining fits that Makenna is so proficient in were more than she could stomach.

So all day she kept telling Cindy she had a fever and kept begging and begging and begging and begging and begging and begging (Makenna is very good at this...) to have Cindy take her temperature.

In exasperation and to show her that she was imagining things, Cindy finally took her temperature in the afternoon, and just as she expected, it was 99.6 (i.e., as Makenna expected!) An hour later, it was 100, and soon thereafter it was 102.

And tonight as Cindy discussed this with the neighbor, the possibility that Makenna's side hurting might be the result of a kidney infection was posed, and then the following conversation ensued:

Cindy: 'What causes a kidney infection?'
Friend: 'I don't know.'
Cindy: 'Is it whining? Because if it is, she DEFINITELY has one!

And on a totally unrelated note, we have found that lots of people--mostly mothers, it seems--seem to find great solace, peace of mind, and soothing relief through reading our blog entries and how we ably[?] deal with our beloved spawns of ......I mean, children. (We are proud to be the virtual Prozac?)

I can't imagine why....

As you might expect....and now exposed to the world!

Our old (as in previous) neighbor mentioned that if I checked out the Street View feature on Google Maps at our old address that Cindy and I were shown in all our glory.

So I looked, and I found this:



Hmmm....as near as I can tell, I am edging the yard (with one of those manual tortures--I mean EDGERS), and Cindy is either fascinated with my skill, spurring me on to greater action, standing idly by, or glaring at me.

I report, you decide!

Ruminations in the Dark

During the two evenings without power we had minimal—yet sufficient—lighting, and one soon learned to cope with it.

Interestingly, my first thought when I walked inside Tuesday evening after the electricity had been restored was that the lighting seemed so awfully BRIGHT—almost TOO bright!

When I mentioned this observation to Cindy, she added that we should turn off the main breakers at 8:30 PM so the kids will get in bed earlier!

Since as US citizens we are told every day by the media that we are over-eating, over-spending, over-polluting, over-consuming (you pick the flavor-of-the-day consumption crisis—oil, gas, ice cream, butter, prescriptions.....), over-reacting, over-invading, and of course over-warming, maybe OVER-LIGHTING should be added to the list of reasons for shuddering with guilt when thinking about this great nation (at least for those so inclined).

Knock yourselves out, ye self-flagellators!

Blowin’ in the Wind

We had a major windstorm Sunday afternoon—Hurricane Ike’s final hurrah, as it were--and lost power at home (and at my work) until Tuesday afternoon.

We consider ourselves to be the lucky ones, as many of our friends and coworkers and are still without power.

The Ohio tree population and house shingle population suffered tremendous losses, but there were few human injuries. Driving around, you could see an endless array of trees with tops broken off, split trees, uprooted trees, and of course tree branches all over the place. Fortunately, the small trees in our yard (and in the neighborhood) all survived, as did the shingles. The only real temporary loss in the neighborhood was a snap-together shed (that we put back together on Monday).

The kids enjoyed eating pancakes and eggs cooked on the campstove and grill,

and we parents enjoyed putting the kids to bed when it got dark at 8:30. We are certainly glad we had 3 crank-type LED lanterns, 2 crank-type LED flashlights, and 2 LED headlamps. The kids used the LED lanterns as night-lights, and by morning they were still glowing dimly.

Our neighborhood became even closer tight-knit and everyone helped everyone else as much as possible. For example, a friend called to tell us that WalMart had just gotten a shipment of ice, so Cindy and Darlene, (our neighbor),went and picked up 10 bags or so and distributed it to neighbors. We even had a ‘block dinner party’ Monday, with everyone bringing stuff from their slowly warming fridges and freezers to cook on the grill, etc.




We fared better than most (our main freezer stayed frozen), but some things we learned include:
1) Always keep that extra propane tank full.
2) Always have an extra gas container (so that you always have some if you need to run chainsaws, etc.—assuming, of course, that you have the right oil to mix with the gas....)
3) In a long-term emergency you will be sharing your food storage with neighbors in need—so what really constitutes a ‘year’s supply?’
4) An old-style phone that doesn’t rely on electricity is a lifesaver. (Our neighbor in our previous neighborhood had given us one of his extra ones a couple years ago, and it has come in handy many a time!) Cell phones are also very handy.
5) When everyone is in the same boat, you see the inherent goodness in people come out, and people are more likely to initiate conversations with total strangers.

More later, I’m sure.....

Another rite of passage....

Here it is 10:55 and I am sitting at the computer waiting for Erin to come home from her first real babysitting gig--with real kids (5!) and everything!

On her own accord she even packed a 'Fun Bag' of books, treats, and toys to entertain the kids. (The things they teach in her at Activity Days! She can be taught!!)

3+ hours and just a couple calls home for minor advice--sounds like she did a good job!

I've heard of Fantasy Football, but.....

Last night found Erin and myself driving madly (yet safely) at 5:50 PM to a soccer field in nearby Tipp City.
Through a calendar malfunction (isn’t that what you call it when you don’t read what’s on it?) we didn’t remember that Erin had a soccer game at 6 PM, so when Erin came home from playing in the neighborhood at 5:45 to tell us that the asst. coach’s husband (who lives in the same neighborhood) had told her about the game, there was a mad dash to get her ready.

Anyway, I told you that to tell you this.....

So, there I was driving as Erin was busy putting on her shin guards and other accoutrements of the trade. Then she suddenly began daydreaming out loud about what would happen when she arrived right before the game was to start.

[Loosely paraphrased, of course....my memory isn’t THAT good!]

‘Yes, the other team is probably saying, “Look at that team--they’re all pretty small and not very fast--they don’t look that tough.” And then when I get out of the car and start walking over, and the girls will then start saying, “Wha.....what is that THING?!! She’s so TALL! And so FAST! She’s......she’s like a MONSTER!!!”’

And when I looked over, Erin had this big contented grin of anticipation on her face.

Erin’s team went on to score the first goal and then to not score the next 5.

Obviously her daydreaming was more akin to Fantasy Soccer.

UPDATE: I did forget to mention that she got some good kicks in, stole the ball a couple times, and body-blocked a kicked ball a number of times!

Through the eyes of a child!

Makenna came home from school on Wednesday exclaiming, "Mrs. Novellino saw the clean desk fairy going into the 3rd grade classrooms last night after all the kids were gone!!"

"Who is the clean desk fairy?" I asked.

"She is the cousin of the tooth fairy. She was jealous that her cousin was the tooth fairy so when she saw the Clean Desk Fairy job was open she tried for it and got it! Her name is Deskalina! I wonder if she is going to come to the 2nd grade tonight?"

"What does she do when she comes?"

"She looks for kids whose desks are clean and leaves them a little treat."

"Do you have a clean desk?

"Oh yes. My desk is really clean."

Apparently it is clean because Deskalina did visit and she did leave a note and a little treat for Makenna. WaHOO!! I like Mrs. Novellino.

I just realized I have never told Makenna about the Clean Bedroom Fairy. He name is Roomalina. She leaves a treat if you leave your room clean when you go to school.....

Shut your Trapper!

Erin, Kenner and Cindy made a run to Target, and while there Erin began begging for a Trapper Keeper multi-function binder/planner/junk collector for her school stuff. She used the usual 'cock-and-bull' arguments about there not being enough room in her current folder, etc., etc.
Finally, in minor exasperation Cindy relented, but still wasn't too pleased.

As they continued through the store on the real reason for going (exchanging and buying curtains), Erin kept asking Cindy, "Mom, are you mad?"

"No Erin," she would reply with a sigh, "I'm not mad."

Even as they were driving home the same conversation continued, but then it took a slight detour off the beaten track:

Makenna said, "No, Mommy's not mad. If she was mad she would be yelling and screaming!"

"No," Erin countered, "When she's really mad she either sighs, shakes her head, tightens her lips up, or walk away."

As Erin was reeling off the above, Cindy relates that her lips actually WERE pressed tight and she actually WAS sighing.

UPDATE: As I was typing this in, Erin came in to show off her new planner. She sat down next to me and began to point out all the nifty stuff. In the middle of reeling off all of the nifty features--and without skipping a beat--she pointed to a pocket and said, 'and this is where I will put my cell phone when I get one, and this...."

Let me just go on the record and say that the day she gets a cell phone will be the day that my heart has decided to skip all its beats permanently.....

Ummmmm...maybe another time.

I thought I would start potty trainging Allyson yesterday. I have changed my mind!

This photo is deceptive. She is happy only because she got chocolate for sitting on the potty. It does not show her yelling and crying later on for 20 minutes or so because I wouldn't give her more chocolate. The deal is you get chocolate if you sit on the potty. She didn't like the deal and I am not ready to deal with IT!

Warning: Not for the faint of heart! Proceed with caution!

I took this photo before leaving for church Sunday. Apparently Erin could not find her skirt.

Two Princesses

This is Allyson and Kylie. Allyson LOVES Kylie. She is our neighbor and if possible Allyson would spend every waking moment playing with her. Here they are dressed up as Rapunzel and Cinderella having a little refreshment while on the lookout for a Prince Charming.

Makenna's 7th Birthday

On Saturday August 31 we celebrated Makenna's 7th birthday. It started out a bit rocky when she came home from school Friday. She ran off the bus to the house crying when she found out the garage door was locked. You see...she had a horrible headache and felt like throwing up. Poor Kid. I was sure she had a migraine so after throwing up I sent her to the basement. It was darker down there, cooler, and she could lay on the couch and be left alone. She had taken cookies to school Friday to share with her class and I figured the sugar from that added to the 90 degree heat and horrible humidity on top of having her classroom on the third floor of their school with no air-conditioning would all make sense for having a migraine.
By the time Saturday morning rolled around it was evident that it was more than a migraine. It was a full-fledged virus... fever, throwing up and all.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Makenna would not let it get her down though. She insisted on having her presents at 6am. I insisted on letting everybody else wake up first! I won!

She was thrilled with her gifts. 2 Webkinz, polly pockets, pj's, books, markers, sparkly body wash and lotion and of course candy.

Here she is with her cake. After she blew out the candles on the top layer Cameron said, "Nobody wants to eat that now that it has your germs all over it." He was only partially right. We removed the top layer and served from the bottom.

We Love you Makenna!

Follicular Follies

Picture this:

I have gotten Allyson out of bed and carried her downstairs. She is still a bit sleepy and is leaning her head against me.

I give her a big hug and then tell her, “Ally—you’ve got to get down now, because Daddy has to go wash his hair.”

Ally pops her head up and then cocks her head to the side, intently looking upward at my hair with a delightful, impish grin on her face.

Cindy sees this and makes the dry comment, “She’s looking for ‘it’!”

Did you ever get that nagging feeling?

As I was posting the previous post, I kept looking at that first picture of Ally, thinking, 'Where have I seen that look before?'



And then it hit me!

And then I did a Google search!

And then I found the exact photo I was looking for, and I saw....





....that......







.....I.......







....had......






....been.....




....spot.....





....on!




Here's Johnny!!!!--------------And here's Ally!!!!


Whaddya think? A 'Shining' example, or what?!

Hairbangs can be fun!

Ally loves to play 'My little horsie' and always does a backward flip to land on her feet.

And of course, this results in her bangs getting in the way of her eyes.

Like this:

When her hair gets in such a condition, she has found an easy fix--she shouts out, 'Blow it daddy!'

One big poof later, she looks like this:

Ain't she sweet!

And resourceful!

And completely impervious (or oblivious?) to halitosis!

A cure for Insomnia....

So, if it is late at night and you are suffering a bad case of insomnia, I have the perfect cure.

You can check out the servo press standard I translated in early August.

It will probably become the English version of the official Japanese Industrial Standard (this is a new type of press, so there isn't an official standard in any country or region--this will probably be the first).

This is a product my company has led the world in, and, shedding all my normal humility for a moment, there are only about 2 or 3 other people in the world with both specialized servo press knowledge and the requisite Japanese/English ability who could possibly translate such a standard.

I've yet to come across the other one or two so far....

I've been tagged!

I have been recently tagged by Jill and so here we go:

Favorite person outside of family: Santa Claus

Quirks about me: Dirty kids' rooms drive me nuts. Although this is probably not a quirk...doesn't everybody hate it?

How would the person who loves you the most describe you in 10 words: [I, Louis, under duress (or at least extreme pressure) have been tasked to write this. May I succeed as well as Sarah Palin did last night.] Warmhearted, funny, strikingly gorgeous, and a gift to the world.


Any regrets in life: Not sticking with piano lessons

Favorite charity/cause: Currently the Bethel Soccer League is draining us dry!

Favorite blog recently: The Pioneer Woman

Worst job I ever had: McDonalds. Nearly 2 years in high school

Favorite Bible Verse: Ether 12:4

"Guilty Pleasure": Chocolate. I love the chocolate bars from Aldi's with almonds in them but I try to avoid them. Once opened there is no holding back!

Got any confessions: I hate exercising!

If you HAD to spend $1000 on yourself, how would you spend it? Louis and I would go on a nice vacation...possibly a cruise....of course I would have to loose weight before that could happen....you know.....being seen in a bathing suit and all.....eeewwww!

Favorite thing about your house: I love it all but if I had to pick 1 think it should be my kitchen, laundry on the second floor, basement, two car garage, location....(oh yeah...one thing)

Least favorite thing about your house: It gets dirty

One thing you are good at: Cake decorating [Louis again--how about cooking, making friends, serving others, making knock-out desserts??]

One thing you could change about your circumstances: I don't like this question...

Who would you like to meet someday? Jane Austen [Louis again--Heck, she's already walked on her grave (at the cathedral in Bath)....isn't this a wee bit greedy?]

Who is your real life hero: Depends on the day...sometimes it is the doctor who gives me a prescription for whatever is ailing my kids....or Louis when he walks through the door after a long day (his and mine), the speedy grocery clerk, the neighbors who don't mind when my kids go to their house to play, my kids when they do what they are asked, etc. etc. etc.(get the picture?)

What is the hardest part about your job? Listening to fighting kids [Louis here--at least she can take solace in the fact that the kids don't listen to her (or me)]

When are you most relaxed? When the kids are all in bed and I am reading a good book!

When are you most stressed? When the kids come home from school and there is homework, soccer practice, dinner etc. CHAOS!

What can you not live without? Chocolate....Okay that is not really true. I CAN live without it but I just don't want to!

Why do you blog? I don't blog a lot. Louis is our main blogger. I enjoy reading them though and when I have something I think is worth remembering then I blog.

Who are you tagging?: Erin, Kelsey, Jessica, Kim, Bubs, Jill G., Shara, Alise
(Unless, of course, you don't want to do this....no offense)



Rules:
1. Answer the questions
2. Link back to whoever tagged you
3. Tag eight bloggers to do the same

I regularly enjoy an LDS blog called Ongofu. Yesterday's post was a beautiful video that represents what the church and people suffered to get where it is today. It was very inspiring. Take a few minutes and see for yourself.

New levels of sarcasm....

Erin crashed her bike this evening and hurt her foot (again!)

As she was limping by to go to her room, I made suitable sympathetic and soothing noises and began to give her a reassuring goodnight hug.

She shrugged it away, and when I asked why, she retorted, 'Even your hug is sarcastic!'

What's a dad to do?

Conversely, on Sunday when I got home from church, I heard the following on the baby monitor.

Cindy: 'Ally--are you ready to get out of bed?'

Ally: 'I want daddy to get me out!'

Cindy: 'But Ally, you'll have to wait until Daddy gets home.'

Ally: 'I WANT DADDY TO GET ME OUT!'

Cindy was about ready to leave the room when I called upstairs to Ally, letting her know that her knight in shining armor had arrived to save the day.

I can't wait to see who she marries, for she has impeccable taste when it comes to the menfolk in her life.

Attention digital scrapbookers!

For all of you who are digital scrapbookers or want to scrapbook digitally I am going to brag about my sister in-law, Kim.
She is an awesome scrapbooker and during the past year decided to go digitally. Check out what she has done here.
When you are done browsing her digital blog then go over to Simply Sweet Designs, her digital scrapbooking website.
Then you can check out what Smart Computing Magazinge said about her in this months issue. (Scroll down to the green box that says "That's News to You".)

Hello! She is in a magazine! Way to go Kim! Awesome! We are very proud of you!

Speaking of meds....

....Daddo is also taking some meds, and one of the side effects is having to 'see a man about a horse' more often (not to be confused with 'seeing a man about a dog' (i.e., #2)).

Cindy seems to get a kick out this, mostly because she revels in the fact that I am 'suffering' in much the same way she did during each of her pregnancies.

Who knows, maybe I'll start swelling at the ankles next! That would keep her laughing for weeks!

Like father, like son.....

Cindy bought a 6-pack of Coke tonight because Kenner had a migraine and the meds weren't doing their job (the caffeine supposedly helps relieve the pain).

Cameron saw these on the counter and asked who they were for.

Cindy told him, and then asked if he wanted any.

Just as I might have answered, though certainly more creatively, he replied, "It tastes worse than fried diarrhea on a stick!"

I heartily agree!

Homework party? I don't think so!

So what were you doing last night at 10:53 pm? Wanna know what was going on at my house?

Can you see how much fun they are having? What?

You can't?

That's because it was a nightmare!

Take 1 kid who doesn't like to put much effort into things that require thinking.

Add to that a test on the order of operations the next day and a F on the homework assigment to teach order of operations.

What does that add up to?

1 grumpy and tired 11 year old. 1 diligent, trick finding Daddy and 1 Mommy who gave up about 1 hour before and now can find the humor in it to take a photo!

Grandma's talents

To Kids: "Hey Kids, Grandma won a prize at a festival."

Cameron: "What for?"

Louis: "For a recipe."

Cameron: "Not for being clean???"





Our kids have learned what it means when Grandma comes to stay.

Louis Here: And much like in the video, she has been known to sing while she works!

When we were kids and we were bored, we would always here the same poem from Mom:

The hump, the hump, the camellious hump!
The hump that is black and blue,
From having to little to do!'

Mom won 3rd prize out of a field of 125 for her 'Mexican Platter' recipe at the Pullman, WA Lentil Festival. She also won $250, which should just about replenish her lentil supply!
This is the same recipe she used to delight starving Institute college students for a couple decades. You take a thick layer of hot rice (sticky rice, I think), then cover it with mashed lentils with taco seasoning, lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese, then cut it like a cake. Really, it was pretty good. However, I can't truthfully say the same about the lentil lasagna.....

Mothering lesson #1,997,364

When your child needs to be ready to catch the bus by 8:20 am and you know they are a "slow mover" don't continually get them up at 7:15 am thinking, "They will have plenty of time to get ready for school." You will have many mornings that end in fighting, crying and sad kids and moms as they barely make it to the bus.

Instead realize that if they are a "slow mover" then they should be allowed to move slowly. Try getting her up at 7:00 am instead and then you don't need to worry when she is just finishing her breakfast (cold cereal) at 7:47 am, after all she will have time to spare.

You will all have a much better day. Why didn't I learn this before today? Where was I when they passed out the manual?

Atta girl!

It has been a long time coming, but we are so pleased to announce that today Erin scored her first soccer goal in 5 (6?) seasons of playing (she took a sabbatical last year).

Although she prefers playing fullback or halfback, the coach (and asst. coaches) felt they needed her big kicking foot (bigger than mine, by the way) downfield, so the last 2 quarters she played on the front line (she played all 4 quarters).

In the 4th quarter another girl was taking it downfield on the side and Erin was going down the middle. The other girl passed it to her, she dribbled it down to about 4 feet from the goal (I think the goalie was somewhat intimidated (much like a rifle-carrying infantryman vs. a tank?)) and Erin then gave it a good boot.....at least, that is what she intended, but the ball was rolling a bit faster than she anticipated and instead she just barely grazed it, and the goalie--though getting a hand on it--let it get by her. In retrospect, it was a good thing, as the goalie was right in front of her and if it had gone in the air at all it would've likely ricocheted off the goalie and back out again.

Anyway, this means ice cream for everyone in the family tonight.

Oh, and Erin has been dog-tired the rest of the day! Cindy and I were tired just sitting there in the high-humidity high-80s weather.

Oh yes, the final score was 1-0, so she won the game for them too!

Oh, and the rec league basketball coaches are already salivating.....

Atta boy!

Tonight we had 3 soccer games to attend at 2 different venues, so I took Erin and Ally, and Cindy took Cam and Kenner.
Cindy called during Erin's game to tell me that Cameron had scored a goal. I later heard that what had happened went something like this: when the other goalie grabbed and then threw the ball it took a big bounce and Cameron was able to then kick the ball in midair, neatly putting it between the goalposts.
He was darn proud of his accomplishment!
To celebrate, I got Frostys for Erin and Ally on the way home (with only a short stop at Menards).

Something else I forgot to blog about regarding Cameron and soccer.....During the second week of practice, his coach ran them pretty hard, and by the time we got home and he had cooled down he was limping around like an old man, and he even used a heating pad on his calves all night! Cameron has always been in pretty good shape, but I think this humbled even him (at least a little bit!) There is also a kid on his team who is younger and can pretty much run forever at full-speed, and this has also kept him humble!

School Report

Well, I wasn't able to be home when the kids got home, but Cindy reported that they all seemed to have had a good time. They all have at least some kids from their respective soccer teams in their classes, and they liked riding the bus.

Erin said that everyone asked her the same 2 questions:
1. How tall are you?
2. How old are you?

And they're off!

Well 35 minutes ago my three oldest kids boarded a school bus to start their first day at a new school. The bus picks them up right in front of our house. They will be the last ones picked up and the first ones dropped off. I consider them to be very lucky.


We went to the open house last night to meet their teachers and find their classrooms. As far as first impressions go, they all seem to have good teachers. Cameron had to switch classes already. He is in the gifted program and they group all the advanced kids together. Well...there are 2 Cameron's in the 4th grade and the principal got them mixed up and put them in the wrong classes...Luckily we discovered the mix-up and got it straightened out during the open house. He is excited to be in the only portable unit (it even has air-conditioning.) His teacher is Mrs. Koenig. (Kay-nig)
Erin is extremely nervous. She came home last night really upset that she is going to a "really old school". She thinks she is not going to make any friends and that kids won't talk to her. She was doing better this morning. I don't blame her for being nervous though. I am nervous for her. Her teacher is Mrs. Reittinger (Write-in-jer)
Makenna on the other hand....I just hope she doesn't talk all day! She was bouncing off the walls last night. She is so excited. Her teacher is Mrs. Novellino. (Na-va-lean-o) She is young and seems great for a second grade.


They looked good this morning and I can't wait to hear about their day.
Erin, Makenna, Cameron, Seth (neighbor), Kyleigh (Seth's sister), Allyson.

Daddo Update: Regarding the "really old school," as Erin was griping about it during the open house, our neighbor (Seth's dad) told Erin that the school was over 100 years old. Trying to make her feel better and commiserate with her, I also chimed in, 'Yeah, Erin. That means that all of the kids that first went to this school are probably all dead now!' I'm not sure that made her feel any better, but at least I tried!

If this is due to global warming, BRING IT ON!

Augusts in Ohio are usually pretty unbearable--85~90 degree weather, high humidity, and warm muggy nights (i.e., the AC is left on 24/7).

Well, for the first time in the 10 years we have lived here, we are now in DAY 9 of some of the most delightful weather imaginable. It hasn't reached 85 on any of these days, the humidity has been negligible, the windows have been kept open 24/7, and the nights are cool and sometimes downright chilly!

For example, 2 nights ago we had a little s'more party at the neighbor's house, and we were hovering around the fire not to roast our marshmallows but to keep warm! I even put on some heavy jeans before going over, and never regretted it once! Yes, eating s'mores around a fire pit with a full moon filling the darkened sky is not to be missed!

Anyway, now that school will be starting (on Tuesday), this next week looks to be warmer and more humid, but Cindy just can't get this small smile off of her face, and it seems to be growing as the days pass. Her smile should be wrapped around the back of her head at approximately 8:45 on Tuesday morning!

Amish Ohio

Yesterday afternoon 3 of us manly men in our little neighborhood helped a 4th neighbor erect an 8x12 shed in their backyard.

As we were working away, I made the comment that we should have the womenfolk (who, along with a bevy of kids, were sitting in lawn chairs watching our masculine labors--actually, the ladies were just gabbing and sometimes gazing lazily in our direction between breaths) get us some dark wide-brimmed hats so that we could look like Amish at a barn-raising.

The shed owner then commented that while it was an idea with some merit, it would also mean we would have to forego our battery-powered drills.

We all chuckled, because we all knew that that dog wouldn't hunt, and returned to our labors. (I later found out that Cindy had said basically the same thing to the ladies.)

We finished with just enough light left to find the pizza and dessert (that the onlookers had gorged on long ago--especially Kenner, per the reports) and just enough light left for the mosquitoes to also begin feasting.

Did I ever mention that we love our neighborhood? There are so many good neighbors and a real sense of friendship and community in our little 11-home world.

Whispering sweet nothings.....

Holding Allyson as I cheered Kenner on during her first soccer game on Saturday (it ended up tied at 1-1), I felt a small pocket of air in my esophagus working its way up--a proto-burp, as it were.

Snuggling Allyson close to me, I nuzzled her ear and let loose.

For whatever reason (though I can't think of any offhand as of this writing), she was completely unphased.

I was quite deflated--either she had blithely ignored it or, even worse, it had lacked the punch to even register.

Then, in a moving gesture that almost brought tears of joy to my eye, she cocked her head to look at me, then turned her head around so that her other ear was near me, and exclaimed, 'Daddy! In my other ear! In other ear!'

Sadly, I had only had that one burp, so in this one case I couldn't fulfill her deepest wishes.

As a sidenote, in the past month or so Erin has mastered the skill of burping at will (a skill I was never able to develop, though not through lack of trying)--and this despite not having been around any of my brothers since last summer. (Of course, Uncle Wezzo has been relatively close (in DC) for a couple weeks, so perhaps there is some telepathy going on?)

Role Reversal

Yesterday after work I was in the kitchen with a hugely smiling and twitterpated Ally (she usually becomes that way when I walk in the door....), and as she twirled around she came to the fridge, where she stopped long enough to push the water dispenser, causing a little bit of water to run down the fridge/hit the floor.
It wasn’t a real big deal, so I just said in a rather gentle tone, ‘Ally, don’t do that.’

Her smiling visage instantly transmogrified into a eclectic mix of a self-condemning scowl, a tearful look, and a Mt. Vesuvius glower. (If she would have had a travel-size cat-o-nine-tails handy, she probably would’ve engaged in some self-flagellation!)

“I go to time out!’ she sobbingly declared.

‘Ally,’ I kindly imparted, ‘You’re not in trouble. You don’t have to go to time out.’

“YES I DO!” she retorted, and half-sobbing and half-glaring all the while, she ran into the den to her standard time-out corner.

....after slamming the den door shut a couple times....

As Cindy commented, Ally was acting like she was PMS-ing.

Speaking of speaking doggies....

As posted a time or two below, Allyson likes to bark like a dog (especially at zoo animals, etc.), and now she likes to act like one too!

FOR BEST RESULTS WHEN LISTENING TO THIS VIDEO:

1. SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS BLOG PAGE AND HIT THE STOP (PAUSE?) BUTTON ON THE MUSIC PLAYLIST.

2. TURN YOUR COMPUTER SPEAKER VOLUME UP.

Kudos to Erin's new camera and its (albeit primitive) video software!

Turnabout is fair play

Allyson dug deep into the diaper bag during sacrament meeting today and came up with a baggie of animal cracker cookies.

Eagle-eye Makenna, sitting on the other side of me, zeroed in on them and began begging Ally for a cookie.

Ever the gentle-hearted, Ally genially handed her one.

Makenna downed it head-first, and immediately waved at Ally and began pointing at her own widely-opened mouth in an animated fashion.

Obviously remembering some friendly sibling play last week, Allyson pulled out another cookie with her cute little fingers, eyed Kenner speculatively, then sang out, 'FETCH!' and threw it under the pew in front of us.

It is good that dogs are usually not present at church, as any Labrador Retriever would have suffered an acute case of inferiority if it had been able to see Kenner flawlessly execute a plunging lunge for the floor and come up with the cookie.

(Let me add that this was just about the same time the speaker (Pres. Heap) was talking about how good it was to have lots of kids.)

How sweet it is!

Vindication was never so scrumptious!

Chocolate pecan pie?
Pasty white in comparison.

A good ribeye?
Tasteless filth.

Kroger’s Private Selection Peanut Butter Swirl ice cream?
Unadulterated crapulence!

Yes, vindication is sweet.

Especially when it comes in the form of an unsolicited 3rd-party comment from a medical doctor.

You see, Cindy was trying out a new primary physician yesterday, and as she tells it, at one point during the interview the lady doctor paused, then asked,
“Is that your natural hair color?”
“Why, yes it is!”
“That’s just amazing! Your hair and eyes are....almost the exact same color!”
At which point........ (let me savor it!) ......Cindy ruefully replied, “Yes, well that is what my husband has always said!”

In my ecstatic reveling, I have decided to forgive Cindy for forgetting to mention that she has never agreed with my color diagnosis. For that matter, neither have the kids.

Yes, they ARE orange! Orange orange orange orange ORANGE!

I wish I knew how to dance a victory jig!


*(Cindy here:
My hair is red....Are my eyes red? I wouldn't call them so. Louis calls my eyes ORANGE...is my hair orange? I would plead NOT! What does that leave? Heck if I know.....whatever you call it, the doctor called them beautiful! I will go with her expert diagnosis.)

(Louis here: For the record, I fully agree with the doctor's diagnosis as to the beauty of her orange (OK, orange-ish) eyes!)

Check out his moves!

Check out my nephew, Ben, and a group of his friends. While at EFY they took place in a talent show. Ben....the center one....taught them all the dance. The girl taking the video apparently has a thing for him....as if you couldn't tell from all of her giggling. :)

Parental Mental Note #5028

Cindy called to tell me that she was getting ready to take the kids to a free showing of Shrek the Third at the full-price theater today (a summer reading program incentive).

In the background I could hear the dog throatily barking at her feet. (As we don’t have a real dog, this would be Allyson.)

As we were talking, Cindy made the comment that she would have to ‘Kick Kenner’s butt in gear’ to get her to get ready for the movie.

Cindy called back less than a minute later, saying, “I see that I’ve gotta be careful even around 2-year-old ears. Allyson has been repeatedly saying, ‘Kick Kenner’s butt!’ and ‘Gonna kick Kenner’s butt!’”

Speaking of cute kids....

I couldn't resist not posting this picture!



DISCLAIMER: Any resemblance between the sibling love and happiness displayed in this picture and what is usually on display between siblings in our home is purely coincidental--depending on the day, anyway.

The Most Holy Lord Obama the Most Merciful Messiah....Oops, I mean Erin!

As you can see, Obama isn’t the only one sporting a self-fashioned halo nowadays. (Of course she hasn’t talked about how her mere presence will make the ocean levels fall, heal the planet, and lead to all sorts of other yet-to-be-specified ‘changes’ that all our 57 states have been waiting for, but I’m sure it’s only a matter of time!)

Yes, Erin the Most Merciful does enjoy using and using and using and using her camera. She loves to take pictures of herself, nature, TV shows, more TV shows, and most anything else that may or may not catch her eye.

May her blessed name be praised for 100GB hard drives!

She goes through batteries like crazy, but since she isn’t paying for them with her own money she doesn’t seem to mind the expense. (Hmmm, that reminds me of our beloved Congress for some reason....)

The Curse is Alive and Well

Cameron blew like the wind during the exciting Cub Scout Regatta, but just as in the case of the Pinewood Derby, top honors were not to be.



He was actually astoundingly prophetic. Before the races he informed me (with no regrets, wistfulness, nor any trace of sorrow—it was actually more of a kind of perverse pride), “I won’t come in first--I always come in second!”

And he proceeded to do just that!



Atta boy!