Dam Frogs (Frogs be dammed?) (Frogs dammed for all eternity?)

Cindy just called (at 11:20 AM) and told me that the kids were all out front in their pajamas ‘playing with their frogs.’ (They found 2 last night, and built little box homes (prisons?) for them.) The kids are looking for grasshoppers and other delicacies.
As we were talking, I heard Kenner and Erin saying they had found another one. Cameron chimed in to say they found it at the little brick and wood dam he had built in the neighboring lot.

Cindy then commented to me, ‘That frog is probably now saying, ‘I’ve been dammed!’’

(We get a lot of mileage out of the homonym 'dam'!)

Yes, the excitement that goes on at our house is just awe-inspiring.

A Bedtime Story....

At approx. 10:45 last night, as all four kids were finally settled in their beds, I heard a gentle call from Erin’s room.

“Dad? Dad?”

I walked in and sat down on the edge of her bed, and said to her, ‘What’s up? Do you need to have a daddy-daughter talk?”

She smiled embarrassingly before handing me a set of still-warm earrings and pointing to the location on her bookcase where she wanted them placed.

At least she did ask for a goodnight hug afterwards--though she didn’t bother to sit up--so I guess she does know how to show at least some affection to her servants.

Yeah, yeah, as old as dirt.....I know, I know.....

As Kenner and I were driving to WalMart to buy her a new bike (a birthday present that is one month early due to the implosion of her existing bike--which it too small for her anyway...), Elton John's song 'Bennie[sp?] and the Jets' came on the radio.

I said to Kenner, 'Kenner, I was just a little bit older than you when this song came out!'

She said saucily, 'It must be really REALLY old!'

----------------------------------
And guess who we saw at WalMart? Brad Christiansen[sp?] and family (4 kids now)--they have moved back to the area for another 5~7 years while he gets his Ph.D. (They are currently living in base housing.)

A Lawyer perhaps?

This morning I was at Louis' work trading cars with him. His car had been sitting in the hot sun for several hours and when I put Allyson in her car seat this was the conversation

Allyson--- "Daddy's blue car."

Me---"Yes this is Daddy's blue car."

Allyson---"Blue car hot!"

Me---"Yes. Daddy's blue car is hot."

Allyson---"NO IT"S NOT!"

Okay then....I guess it's not. Whatever.....

Summer firsts....

There are new things going on at our house this summer.....

1. Cameron will now take off his shirt in public and when he is swimming.
2. Popsicle rationing is a thing of the past--Cindy has bought a ton of those cheapy long and clear popsicles, and doles them out freely--batting nary an eye (see below about the tic in her eye, though....)--to the kids and the kids in the entire neighborhood.
3. Allyson, thinking a Democrat must be president because of all the popsicles she has been given at no cost to her (as far as she knows), now asks for them as soon as she wakes us. (Right after asking if Daddy is home, of course.) Sadly, the answer to both is usually 'No.' (Clarification: It is always 'No' to the popsicle question.)
4. The kids spend their days outside playing with friends instead of inside watching TV or playing on the computer.

I'll try to think of more later....?

UPDATE: At 10 PM tonight, just a couple minutes after I had already told Allyson it was bedtime, she looked right into my eyes, and said in all seriousness, 'I want pink popsicle!' Her look of expectation was so precious that, well, what could I do?

'No popsicle. No way, no way! It's BEDTIME' I cooed to her.

She was rather depressed!

The week in pictures.....

An impromptu s'mores party with the neighbors


In the vicinity of the missing letterbox (near John Bryan Park)


The kids on the BIG slide


Cameron getting his Tarzan fix:


Walking along the gorge near John Bryan Park.


Five of the Seven Dwarves: Fishy, Monkey, Cheeky, Tonguey, and Silky


At Young's Dairy/Petting Zoo

Yes, we are certifiably nuts....

After a 2-year hiatus, the 3 kids are again all playing soccer again.

Sigh.

Practices started this week.

Sigh. Sigh. [I.e., double-sigh].

Cameron and Erin both needed new cleats, socks, and soccer balls.

Whimper.

Let me see if I can get this straight.
Erin on Tuesday night;
Kenner on Wednesday night;
Cameron and Erin on Thursday night;
Cameron on Friday night;
And Kenner on Saturday morning.

[Insert lung-collapsing sigh here.]

On the flip side, as I have been the parent in attendance every time so far, I have almost finished reading Jonah Goldberg's fine tome 'Liberal Fascism.' (No, it's not an oxymoron like the term 'Conservative Fascism' would be.)

Tic talk

In the last month (or maybe it's been longer--I'm just a guy and I don't keep good track of such things. Case in point: I mentioned to my Mom on the phone yesterday that Cindy hadn't really suffered too badly from allergies this year. Standing nearby, Cindy shot me a look that ricocheted off my watch and poked me in the eye and then wryly and dryly commented (I don't know how she was able to comment 'dryly' as her tone was dripping with mild perturbation) "Two months! Two SOLID months of sinus misery! Why do you think I bought a gross of tissue boxes, sinus medicine, and 3 more bottles of that ACF stuff?" But I digress....)

Let me try again....

In the last month[??], Cindy has suffered from a twitchy right eye. It doesn't happen every single minute[?]. As a matter of [possible] fact, it only occurs occasionally. We have not yet ascertained the root trigger of this malady, but there seems to be some sort of causal relationship between the onset of the symptoms and the close proximity of kids and stress [now I am being redundant!]

Accordingly, maybe it should be labeled a 'nervous tic.'

It seems to be mildly annoying to her, and I just wink back at her.

Hot Buns

Yesterday I took the afternoon off and we all went to John Bryan Park to letterbox (a partial flop because the letterbox wasn't there but there was a nifty covered bridge), to have a hotdog picnic (a flavorful success), to hike along the river (a great success), and to eat Young’s Dairy ice cream and pet their animals (both rousing successes!)

More on the above later, I’m sure.....

Anyway, as we emerged from the trees at the end of our hike, I felt someone’s hand grabbing my right bun. Looking over to see if Cindy was engaged in some rather out-of-character PDA, I instead found myself looking at the top of Kenner’s mop of hair.

‘Umm, Kenner,’ I said, ‘You can stop grabbing my butt now.’

She looked up at me and exclaimed, ‘I’m not grabbing your butt! I’m feeling your wallet!’

Pondering that reply for a second, I then dared asked, ‘Uh-huh....And why are you feeling my wallet?’

“Because I like it!” she sang out gaily.

I plan to tell this to any future suitors....it should scare them away nicely!

The stars have since fallen from the skies....

Just an update to the previous post.

Cindy called me at work the next morning to tell me that the cooperative spirit that permeated the house that day was merely a fluke. She then went into great detail about what each child was doing that day in an attempt to drive their dear mother crazy and thereby make their own day miserable.

Sometimes it's good to be at work!

all the stars lined up!

The kids have been out of school for about 6 1/2 weeks now (but who's counting?) Most of the time I feel like the days fly by in a blur. Nothing really ever get done. The laundry hampers are filled almost before I have them emptied. The house is constantly a mess. We go through 150 Popsicles a day and still (or so it seems) they can't get enough. Friends, sprinklers, free movies, bowling, bike riding, sleep-overs, a trip to the zoo and still "I'm bored" is one of the most common phrases around here!
Today it seems as though we are living in a fantasy world. I decided that instead of complaining about the kids never helping with the mess in the house I should be more pro-active. A year or so ago I had a great chore system that worked great...for a while. Then it lost its power. It has now been resurrected. The kids all had chores to do before watching TV, sitting at the computer, talking on the phone, or playing with friends. This included getting dressed (Erin hated that stipulation!), brushing teeth, and combing hair. I am just amazed at the difference in our home today.
These are some of the things that have gotten done today.

1/2 bath cleaned
full bath cleaned
family room cleaned
walls scrubbed
basement picked up and vacuumed
beds made in all bedrooms,
all bedrooms cleaned
3 loads of laundry washed and dried
trip to the store
dinner made for a friend
babysitting for a friend

Now it may seem the miracle is the "getting done" of all these things, but to me the real miracle is that all these things got done without fighting. Can you believe it? Makenna helped Cameron scrub the toilet because she wanted to. She and Cameron read their scripture together. They helped each other pick up in their rooms and enjoyed playing together.
This makes for a super-happy mom! I even had time to do some reading this afternoon. Ahhhhh...the stars were in alignment today!

Thankless tasks!

Yesterday after swimming at the Y, we took the whole family to the bargain theater to see a flick called 'Nim's Island.'

Aside: We had told the kids we would take them to the 3-D version of "Journey to the Canter of the Earth," but when Cindy went beforehand to buy tickets and found that there was no matinee price and that it would thus cost the family $50 to see it, she snorted in derision and walked back out.

And not to be the movie critic (okay, okay, yes, I admit that I do love to be the movie critic, right Alise and Kira?), though this movie had a lot of potential and also Jodie Foster (did she owe someone a favor?), it was just mildly entertaining. The kids liked it well-enough though.

Anyway, I held Ally on and off at first, and during the off times Kenner kept begging to sit on my lap. I ably fended her off, reminding her that Ally would not be a happy camper if she saw Kenner on her marked territory.

However, Ally later fell asleep on Cindy's lap and, precocious child that she is, Kenner brought that to my attention, so I had to resignedly acquiesce.

Soon thereafter, as she was sitting comfortably on her 'Lazy-Dad' theater seat, Kenner felt the need to comment, 'Dad, you have bad breath!'

No, she didn't get off either--she just kept on watchin'!

Thanks a lot Cameron!

Cameron was playing around on Miniclips.com and found a cool application--and right away he began asking for a picture of Ally's face.

I found this one for him:



A couple minutes later (admittedly with a little help from me...), she looked like this....
...
...
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
.
.



(The scary thing is that we have seen kids who look like this 24/7!)

Thanks a lot Louis!

I must have gullible written across my forehead! Last night I was "tucking" Erin in bed and she asked me to push on her back. This is almost a nightly ordeal. She sprawled out on the floor and as I started to loosen up her back by massaging it etc. After a couple of minutes of this I tried pushing on it. Up her back I went. Nothing. A little more massaging and then I tried again. Up her back I went. Nothing.
"Erin, I am just not getting anything tonight." I said.
"I know," She said (Laughing hysterically). "Dad already did my back!"

What a STINKER!

Sweet Allyson

Allyson has a couple of new phrases. I think they are related to being 2. This was the conversation this morning when I got her out of bed.



Allyson: Is Daddy home?

Me: No. Daddy is at work.

Allyson: NO HE ISN'T!

Me: Yes. Daddy is at work.

Allyson: NO HE ISN'T!!

Me: Yes he is.

Allyson: NO HE ISN'T!

Me: Yes he is.

Allyson: NO HE ISN'T!



And so it goes.



Her other phrases are things such as...



"I don't want it."

"I don't like it."

"NO NIGH-NIGH!"

"I don't like you. You are mean." (This one we can blame on the older kids.)



Of course with a smile like this she can get away with it.

Have I created a monster??

Late last night I helped Erin get started on a free online beginning Japanese course (Mango Languages). In no time at all she was saying “Hello, how are you?” in perfectly pronounced Japanese.

A mere 30 minutes later she had already turned it into performance art (i.e., she was hamming it up big-time!)

She took the phrase ‘O-namae wa?’ (‘What is your name?’) and, reminiscent of a sick mynah bird who has watched too many Chinese B-movies, repeatedly squawked out a throaty ‘O-namae waaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA?’

Ditto with any other phrase with a ‘wa’ at the end.

Konnichi waaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA....
Anata waaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA....

She was having a grand old time.

I then drilled her on the Japanese for 'What is this?' (Nan desu ka?)

She then started pointing at Cindy (who was oblivious to it all as she read her book) and making strange faces and saying 'Nan desu ka? Nan desu ka?' The obvious nuance (?) was 'What is this thing lying on the bed?'

However, it was 11:15 PM, and we finally shooed her out and to bed.

O-yasumi nasai!

More Back-Popping Excitement....

This afternoon Cindy again said that phrase so dear to my heart: "I think I need you to push my back!"

I cracked my knuckles and cackled with glee!

Now, since Cindy tends to tense up when I push (something about it hurting....), I have recently resorted to doing it unexpectedly while I am innocently 'loosening up her back.'

It started off very promising--I got one good crack with just minimal pressure during the loosening process. Then I continued loosening up her back and then PUSHED. One crack. I PUSHED again. A couple small cracks.

'I think that's good enough!' she gasped, but I kept on loosening, and then PUSHED again after she had foolishly relaxed. A BIG pop.

I then asked her to push my back. After she managed to raise herself from the floor, she loosened me up for a couple minutes, then pushed up and down my back a number of times.

"Nothing," she said.

"That makes sense," I replied, "As my back hadn't been hurting in the first place!"

"You are a brat!" she laughed. "A real turd!"

Then she commented that her neck still hurt.

I quickly offered to try once again.

I began loosening her back, and stopped to massage her neck. Then, in a brilliant flash of inspiration, I got a nice hold on her pretty nape and quickly twisted my wrist.

According to Cindy, I got about 14 cracks in that split second.

I really should take up chiropractic!

A 4th of July Fraidy-Cat

We went to Vandalia's fireworks display (on July 3rd), and Ally quickly decided she didn't like the sound or the view, and this is how she spent the first 10 minutes or so.....I took care of her ears, she took care of her peepers:



Later on we got her to look at some of them--she liked looking for ones that looked like 'Spiders! Spiders!' to her.

(The best part of the Vandalia fireworks is that we can park close to the entrance, watch the fireworks, pack up quickly, and be home in 10 minutes.)

The family that cracks backs together....

Tonight after a hard evening of playing in the yard (and me working in the yard), we had a back-cracking party. Kenner, Cameron, and Erin had backs that popped like Jiffy-Pop. Cindy's back didn't crack at all.

But then when every one of the kids eagerly volunteered to push my back (Allyson was jumping up and down in excitement!), the pushing and shoving and name-calling began, and the kids were unceremoniously herded to bed.

Mine really needs pushed (I dug out a ton of dirt from under the trampoline and moved that good dirt to our new raspberry planter).

As a matter of fact, that sounds so good I think I'll go have Cindy give it a try right now!

Ahh, the joy of a back popping--especially when the crack can be felt all the way up at the upper neck!

(Cindy has turned into quite the pro! Just one more reason to love her!)

Napoleon strikes again

Erin has used her new digital camera to do a lot of goofy things--take pictures of pictures in her Hannah Montana magazine, do a photo shoot with Makenna, take a cubic butt-ton (see Jer, you did teach us something!) of pictures of Allyson, but the kicker was when she coaxed Cameron to pose like Uncle Rico did for his glamour shot in Napoleon Dynamite.

Here is Cameron....


Then she had me give it a try....



But after a long search, I found Uncle Rico's pose in all its glory (I had to take a screenshot from a YouTube video....)



We're not worthy! We're not worthy!

Update: Of course, Erin is still a photographer in training, and didn't coach us as Deb ably coached Uncle Rico, with, "Okay, hold still right there. Now, just imagine you're weightless, in the middle of the ocean, surrounded by tiny little seahorses."