I know. Everyone loves YouTube. But how do you navigate it? Are you like Oliver and prefer Ken Lee? Or are you more like Kirty and go for Diet Coke and Mentos?
Maybe you like to start with music. Is it The Killers? Or maybe a funny folk, comedy duo? Maybe you like the new song from OneRepublic? Or how about the incredible Regina Spektor? What about the latest Gnarles Barkley?
Maybe you prefer to start with dancing? How about the sickest dancing you have ever seen in your life? (This dancing is so off the hook, I don't even know what to say.)
Or maybe you just like some crazy guitar music? (Thanks to my nephew Andrew for the tip.)
My children like to watch the Swedish Chef.
Where do you start and where does it take you?
Friday, May 23, 2008
Thursday, May 22, 2008
My Happy Baby Boy
I took these videos after dinner last night. Joshua had eaten a late dinner. Everyone else had left the table and he was stuck there. Also, he had been running a fever. Can't you tell he was not feeling well?
(The noise in the background is Mary emptying the dishwasher.)
(The noise in the background is Mary emptying the dishwasher.)
Je Suis Un Artiste
Caleb has been getting into art. You probably know that Grace is the queen of art, but Caleb has begun to stretch his wings in this arena. He painted this a month ago. (This is the appropriate directionality. It used to hang on a nail. If I would rotate it in any direction, he would get mad.)
Here he is holding it.
And here is a picture after Mom helped him hang it on the wall. Do you like the yellow in these pictures? Caleb picked out that color for his room. It is a muted and restrained color, just like Caleb. (HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!)
Speaking of Mom, this is the card that he made Mary for Mother's day.
We painted our room recently and this is the art that Grace and Caleb made for it. Grace's painting is on the left, Caleb's is on the right.
I guess we need one French story for this post. Back in February, Grace got sick and needed medicine. I poured her a little cup of medicine and set it on the counter. She picked it up, raised it, and said to me, "A votre santé."
Here he is holding it.And here is a picture after Mom helped him hang it on the wall. Do you like the yellow in these pictures? Caleb picked out that color for his room. It is a muted and restrained color, just like Caleb. (HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!)Speaking of Mom, this is the card that he made Mary for Mother's day. We painted our room recently and this is the art that Grace and Caleb made for it. Grace's painting is on the left, Caleb's is on the right.I guess we need one French story for this post. Back in February, Grace got sick and needed medicine. I poured her a little cup of medicine and set it on the counter. She picked it up, raised it, and said to me, "A votre santé."
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Finding Your Kids
I love to turn the corner and find my children doing good things. It happens fairly regularly. The other day I was cleaning up dinner and I found Grace showing Caleb an American Girl catalog. This is how they were sitting.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Some Days Are Better Than Others
Two weeks ago, Mary was supposed to make a cake for Teacher Appreciation Day at the elementary school. We were in the middle of painting our room, so she wanted to get it done quickly. She had a new strawberry cake and icing recipe that she wanted to try out from Paula. (No, not that Paula, this Paula.)
The cake turned out delicious but Mary was not happy with the way it looked after she had frosted it. She had made too much frosting anyway, so she decided to bake another cake. She did not have the ingredients to make the same cake so she made a bundt cake.
The bundt cake turned out fine and she let it cool. Right as she was pulling it out of the pan, the cake ripped apart. She was not happy. Two cakes and neither of them turned out how she wanted.
In the end, she used the strawberry frosting (which was heavy) to "glue" the pieces back together and covered the cake in frosting. You could not tell at all that it had ripped.
I still don't think that Mary was totally pleased with it, but it had to have tasted great.
What was I doing while she baked? I fulfilled my manifest destiny as a tall man and painted the ceiling.
Friday, I flew to Philadelphia for work. The rain delayed my flight, but I was not late for my meetings. They went well and I left ahead of my colleagues because I needed to get home. My in-laws are visiting and I wanted to be at home with them. I made it to the airport and found out that the last four or five flights to Boston had been cancelled and then next couple were going to be cancelled as well. I managed to get onto the 11:00 pm flight. My colleagues made it to the airport after I did and left before I did. Fortunately, the 11:00 pm flight was not cancelled. I finally boarded the plane a little after midnight and arrived home just before 2:00 am.
I spent a little less than 8 hours in the Philadelphia airport. Too bad Matt and Honor moved to Florida.
A follow-up to the post below, the two flights that left Philadelphia to end the day were not full! My coworkers called me to tell me that there was still room on their flight and that I should run over. I did but was too late to get on the plane. My flight was about half full. I know they were rebooking people for Saturday and they did not even fill up the other flights on Friday.
The cake turned out delicious but Mary was not happy with the way it looked after she had frosted it. She had made too much frosting anyway, so she decided to bake another cake. She did not have the ingredients to make the same cake so she made a bundt cake.
The bundt cake turned out fine and she let it cool. Right as she was pulling it out of the pan, the cake ripped apart. She was not happy. Two cakes and neither of them turned out how she wanted.
In the end, she used the strawberry frosting (which was heavy) to "glue" the pieces back together and covered the cake in frosting. You could not tell at all that it had ripped.
I still don't think that Mary was totally pleased with it, but it had to have tasted great.
What was I doing while she baked? I fulfilled my manifest destiny as a tall man and painted the ceiling.
Friday, I flew to Philadelphia for work. The rain delayed my flight, but I was not late for my meetings. They went well and I left ahead of my colleagues because I needed to get home. My in-laws are visiting and I wanted to be at home with them. I made it to the airport and found out that the last four or five flights to Boston had been cancelled and then next couple were going to be cancelled as well. I managed to get onto the 11:00 pm flight. My colleagues made it to the airport after I did and left before I did. Fortunately, the 11:00 pm flight was not cancelled. I finally boarded the plane a little after midnight and arrived home just before 2:00 am.
I spent a little less than 8 hours in the Philadelphia airport. Too bad Matt and Honor moved to Florida.
A follow-up to the post below, the two flights that left Philadelphia to end the day were not full! My coworkers called me to tell me that there was still room on their flight and that I should run over. I did but was too late to get on the plane. My flight was about half full. I know they were rebooking people for Saturday and they did not even fill up the other flights on Friday.
Friday, May 09, 2008
Another Customer Service Success Story?
Have you ever flown on US Airways before? They are not exactly known for their customer service. Have you ever wondered why?
On April 10th, I flew to Philadelphia. After my meetings, I met my brother Matthew. It was the last time I was going to see him in Philadelphia since he was moving to Florida within the week. He handed me a cardboard box filled with coats, snow pants and other clothes. After talking with Matt, my coworkers and I left for the airport.
We got there in enough time to bump to the earlier flight. The only complication was that my luggage might not make it on that flight. I decided to take the later flight just to be safe. Who wants to deal with the hassle of lost luggage?
I got to Boston and waited for all the luggage to go by. My cardboard box was missing. I went to the baggage claim service. They took my lost property report and told me that they would deliver it within 24 hours.
It did not come. So I called the phone number they gave me. They did not know where my luggage was. I called the next day and the next day. My luggage had disappeared from off their radar. They did not know where it was and I was resigned to the fact that it was gone. I filled out a report to be reimbursed for all the winter clothes in the box and faxed it off. I was not looking forward to dealing with the reimbursement group.
Then out of the blue I was contacted by US Airways on Monday. They had finally found a box matching my description. Yesterday it came. It took exactly 28 days for my luggage to travel from Philadelphia to Boston.
Most luggage can walk that far in 28 days.
On April 10th, I flew to Philadelphia. After my meetings, I met my brother Matthew. It was the last time I was going to see him in Philadelphia since he was moving to Florida within the week. He handed me a cardboard box filled with coats, snow pants and other clothes. After talking with Matt, my coworkers and I left for the airport.
We got there in enough time to bump to the earlier flight. The only complication was that my luggage might not make it on that flight. I decided to take the later flight just to be safe. Who wants to deal with the hassle of lost luggage?
I got to Boston and waited for all the luggage to go by. My cardboard box was missing. I went to the baggage claim service. They took my lost property report and told me that they would deliver it within 24 hours.
It did not come. So I called the phone number they gave me. They did not know where my luggage was. I called the next day and the next day. My luggage had disappeared from off their radar. They did not know where it was and I was resigned to the fact that it was gone. I filled out a report to be reimbursed for all the winter clothes in the box and faxed it off. I was not looking forward to dealing with the reimbursement group.
Then out of the blue I was contacted by US Airways on Monday. They had finally found a box matching my description. Yesterday it came. It took exactly 28 days for my luggage to travel from Philadelphia to Boston.
Most luggage can walk that far in 28 days.
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Belated Birthday Wishes
Caleb and Quentin are buddies. They have a great time whenever we get together with Dan and Kirty's family. They even unknowingly picked out the same pajamas. 
Caleb wanted me to post this picture so he could be invited to Quentin's birthday party.
Doesn't that look like a fun thing to do at a party?
Caleb wanted me to post this picture so he could be invited to Quentin's birthday party.Doesn't that look like a fun thing to do at a party?
Monday, May 05, 2008
Civic Duty
I was called for jury duty last Thursday. At 7:30 am, I hopped in the car. The temperature outside was a blistering 34 degrees. Not exactly May weather!
I arrived at the courthouse by 8:15 am and sat in the room for a couple of hours. There were eight trials on the docket. By 10:00 am, all but one of them had settled. Jury selection began a little before 10:30 in order to fill an eight-person jury (six on the jury with two alternates.) I was pretty relaxed, since there were about 35 of us and I had a decently high number.
They seated eight of the first twelve jurors. The jury seemed too male and skewing older and they excused two of the older gentlemen. At this point, I started a conversation with the woman next to me. She was in her late 20s and was concerned that she would be spending the rest of her day at the courthouse. She was trying to figure out who the lawyers wanted and if she was going to be on the jury. It is an interesting exercise in mindreading. Meanwhile, they seated two more people and excused two others.
A couple of potential jurors were excused and finally they seated a younger gentleman. The woman next to me breathed a sigh of relief. She thought they were done and really was not looking forward to being at the courthouse for the rest of the day. Then they excuse a woman from the jury. The called for juror number 23 and the woman next to me stood up. I said, "It looks like there is a seat up there with your name on it."
She looked at me and shook her head in resignation. She was the last person seated on the jury. Maybe they were looking for a little younger jury.
As I got up, I looked for a trashcan so I could drop my number 24 juror card into it.
I arrived at the courthouse by 8:15 am and sat in the room for a couple of hours. There were eight trials on the docket. By 10:00 am, all but one of them had settled. Jury selection began a little before 10:30 in order to fill an eight-person jury (six on the jury with two alternates.) I was pretty relaxed, since there were about 35 of us and I had a decently high number.
They seated eight of the first twelve jurors. The jury seemed too male and skewing older and they excused two of the older gentlemen. At this point, I started a conversation with the woman next to me. She was in her late 20s and was concerned that she would be spending the rest of her day at the courthouse. She was trying to figure out who the lawyers wanted and if she was going to be on the jury. It is an interesting exercise in mindreading. Meanwhile, they seated two more people and excused two others.
A couple of potential jurors were excused and finally they seated a younger gentleman. The woman next to me breathed a sigh of relief. She thought they were done and really was not looking forward to being at the courthouse for the rest of the day. Then they excuse a woman from the jury. The called for juror number 23 and the woman next to me stood up. I said, "It looks like there is a seat up there with your name on it."
She looked at me and shook her head in resignation. She was the last person seated on the jury. Maybe they were looking for a little younger jury.
As I got up, I looked for a trashcan so I could drop my number 24 juror card into it.
Stories!
The other night Mary was talking to Caleb before bedtime. He was in bed and they were talking about his day. After a minute, Caleb turned to Mary and said, "Mom, did you know that you can take off freckles with tweezers?"
Joshua has a beautiful baby mohawk. It appears without much coaxing or combing.
I don't like to get my haircut. Over the Christmas holidays, I did not comb my hair much and needed a haircut. This lead to the joke that Joshua and I were the superhero tandem of Afro-man and Mohawk-boy, though I am not sure what superpowers that gives us. Here is a picture of my lovely hair from the night we decorated sugar cookies at Matt and Honor's. 
I did not comb my hair while I was at Matt and Honor's. In fact, I would shower and then make my hair stand on end as much as I could. (It had fallen by the time we decorated sugar cookies.)
The day came for us to travel to Jerry and Bonnie's (my in-laws), so I decided that I had to comb my hair. When I came downstairs after my shower, Delainey took one look at me and said, "What is the matter with your hair?"
(Here is a picture of Lainey and Grace decorating sugar cookies.)
Joshua tried a sugar cookie for the first time at Matt and Honor's. He loved them. Wouldn't you agree?
We left Matt and Honor's house with a Ziploc bag of sugar cookies. Any time Joshua saw a Ziploc bag for the rest of our trip, he would start to grunt and scream. He wants sugar cookies!
Though Joshua loves sugar cookies (and Oreos), he is a good eater. He likes to hang out in the kitchen while Mom is making dinner. Mary shares whatever she is preparing with him. (I don't think Grace and Caleb know.) She often hands him raw vegetables and he eats them. His favorite are cucumber slices. He has eaten 20-30 cucumber slices for dinner before. He is like Chase in that sense.
The other way he is like Chase? He loves to climb. He is not quite the prolific climber that Chase was, but he gets around. He stands on the table, the toilet, the back of the toilet and his toy box.
His latest trick is to climb on his toy box to get onto the futon. Then he walks the length of the futon and climbs onto a cabinet. That way you can see all of him in the window behind the futon. (And he likes to bang on the window as people go by.)
Grace had her first soccer game on Saturday. It was all you could ask for of the first soccer game in May. By noon, the temperature had reached about 45 degrees and the drizzling rain was enough to make you bone-chilling cold.
Grace played really well. The team she played has the two boys on our street who are in first grade with her. Grace dribbled and kept trying to take the ball away from them. I think it helped that she was playing against them.
When she is at school, she enjoys to run and play with the boys. (I think the girls just are not active enough for her at times.) A month ago, she came home from school and told us, "I sat with the boys at lunch." Mary asked her if they got mad. She said, "No because Demetri (our neighbor) said I could."
Demetri and Grace love to run around the neighborhood together.
Three weeks ago, Grace and Caleb told me that we were going to take off their training wheels on the next Saturday. They repeated this refrain every night that week. Saturday came and the weather was beautiful, so we went outside and took off their training wheels. I think I pushed Grace a grand total of 3 times before she could ride up and down our street by herself.
It is a good thing that my decision to wait to take off her training wheels did not hold back her progress.
Caleb did really well, also. It took me about half an hour of running up and down the street with him before he figured it out. He likes to go as fast as he can and I really have to run to keep up with him. The only thing he has left to master is turning. He does a good job steering but he is not perfect when it comes to turning around on our narrow streets.
Joshua has a beautiful baby mohawk. It appears without much coaxing or combing.
I don't like to get my haircut. Over the Christmas holidays, I did not comb my hair much and needed a haircut. This lead to the joke that Joshua and I were the superhero tandem of Afro-man and Mohawk-boy, though I am not sure what superpowers that gives us. Here is a picture of my lovely hair from the night we decorated sugar cookies at Matt and Honor's. I did not comb my hair while I was at Matt and Honor's. In fact, I would shower and then make my hair stand on end as much as I could. (It had fallen by the time we decorated sugar cookies.)The day came for us to travel to Jerry and Bonnie's (my in-laws), so I decided that I had to comb my hair. When I came downstairs after my shower, Delainey took one look at me and said, "What is the matter with your hair?"
(Here is a picture of Lainey and Grace decorating sugar cookies.)
Joshua tried a sugar cookie for the first time at Matt and Honor's. He loved them. Wouldn't you agree?
We left Matt and Honor's house with a Ziploc bag of sugar cookies. Any time Joshua saw a Ziploc bag for the rest of our trip, he would start to grunt and scream. He wants sugar cookies! Though Joshua loves sugar cookies (and Oreos), he is a good eater. He likes to hang out in the kitchen while Mom is making dinner. Mary shares whatever she is preparing with him. (I don't think Grace and Caleb know.) She often hands him raw vegetables and he eats them. His favorite are cucumber slices. He has eaten 20-30 cucumber slices for dinner before. He is like Chase in that sense.
The other way he is like Chase? He loves to climb. He is not quite the prolific climber that Chase was, but he gets around. He stands on the table, the toilet, the back of the toilet and his toy box.
His latest trick is to climb on his toy box to get onto the futon. Then he walks the length of the futon and climbs onto a cabinet. That way you can see all of him in the window behind the futon. (And he likes to bang on the window as people go by.)
Grace had her first soccer game on Saturday. It was all you could ask for of the first soccer game in May. By noon, the temperature had reached about 45 degrees and the drizzling rain was enough to make you bone-chilling cold.
Grace played really well. The team she played has the two boys on our street who are in first grade with her. Grace dribbled and kept trying to take the ball away from them. I think it helped that she was playing against them.
When she is at school, she enjoys to run and play with the boys. (I think the girls just are not active enough for her at times.) A month ago, she came home from school and told us, "I sat with the boys at lunch." Mary asked her if they got mad. She said, "No because Demetri (our neighbor) said I could."
Demetri and Grace love to run around the neighborhood together.
Three weeks ago, Grace and Caleb told me that we were going to take off their training wheels on the next Saturday. They repeated this refrain every night that week. Saturday came and the weather was beautiful, so we went outside and took off their training wheels. I think I pushed Grace a grand total of 3 times before she could ride up and down our street by herself.
It is a good thing that my decision to wait to take off her training wheels did not hold back her progress.
Caleb did really well, also. It took me about half an hour of running up and down the street with him before he figured it out. He likes to go as fast as he can and I really have to run to keep up with him. The only thing he has left to master is turning. He does a good job steering but he is not perfect when it comes to turning around on our narrow streets.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
We're Not Dead Yet
Some photos should prove it to you.
Grace and Caleb celebrating Caleb's Webkinz's birthday.
Caleb after the backyard Easter egg hung with the cousins. 
Joshua at the Patriot's Day parade. 
Grace took this picture of a tank coming down the road. You can see Joshua's head in this picture. He is running into the street to see the tank up close. What you cannot see is Mary immediately jumping up to run after him. (And you also cannot hear the audible gasp of the crowd.) You have to have a little excitement at parades. My mom and grandma can tell you the type of excitement I created at parades when I was small.
Grace and Caleb celebrating Caleb's Webkinz's birthday.
Caleb after the backyard Easter egg hung with the cousins. Joshua at the Patriot's Day parade. Grace took this picture of a tank coming down the road. You can see Joshua's head in this picture. He is running into the street to see the tank up close. What you cannot see is Mary immediately jumping up to run after him. (And you also cannot hear the audible gasp of the crowd.) You have to have a little excitement at parades. My mom and grandma can tell you the type of excitement I created at parades when I was small.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Thanksgiving Day
On Thanksgiving day, we saw Craig, Lois, HC, and LJ one last time before the left for Dallas. The children had fun running around playing one last time. Here they are being silly. Craig and Lois had Thanksgiving dinner up in Maine and so they left before we ate. They have been missed. 
Here is the spread for dinner. We had our friend Bev over for dinner. (Grace and Caleb actually call her "our friend Bev". It is part title, part name.) Mary made a wonderful meal. 
Here are some pictures of the children at dinner. We had Andrew, Katherine, Alyssa, Joseph, and Timothy over for dinner as well. Alyssa and Joseph are in this picture with Grace and Caleb. 
Here is Joshua eating Thanksgiving dinner. 
Here is the spread for dinner. We had our friend Bev over for dinner. (Grace and Caleb actually call her "our friend Bev". It is part title, part name.) Mary made a wonderful meal. Here are some pictures of the children at dinner. We had Andrew, Katherine, Alyssa, Joseph, and Timothy over for dinner as well. Alyssa and Joseph are in this picture with Grace and Caleb. Here is Joshua eating Thanksgiving dinner.
More Musings and Stories
Tonight, Caleb took the Krispy Kreme ornament from the tree. It says "Krispy Kreme Original Glazed — Hot Now" and has a flashing light. Caleb took the ornament upstairs and turned off all the lights. It lit up the room well. Then Caleb said, "Look at my awesomeness."
We all admire Caleb's awesomeness.
The other day Mary took the children to the library. Mary let Grace and Caleb each check out a book on tape. Caleb chose a Maurice Sendak book and Grace checked out a Tomie dePaola book.
My Mom is smiling somewhere.
I saw a great bumper sticker the other day: Geek Girl.
You have to love someone who is secure in their geekiness.
I took a trip to Pennsylvania on Monday and Tuesday. Matt and Honor hosted me. I loved going to work on Tuesday and telling people that I had a home cooked steak and potatoes dinner. After dinner, we decorated gingerbread houses with Andrew, Braden, Chase, and Delainey.
I think most of my traveling coworkers wished they had stayed with Matt and Honor.
It has snowed twice here already. I love snow on the ground before Christmas. It really gets me ready for Christmas. Grace and Anna, our neighbor, made a little snowman this weekend. How does it look?
We all admire Caleb's awesomeness.
The other day Mary took the children to the library. Mary let Grace and Caleb each check out a book on tape. Caleb chose a Maurice Sendak book and Grace checked out a Tomie dePaola book.
My Mom is smiling somewhere.
I saw a great bumper sticker the other day: Geek Girl.
You have to love someone who is secure in their geekiness.
I took a trip to Pennsylvania on Monday and Tuesday. Matt and Honor hosted me. I loved going to work on Tuesday and telling people that I had a home cooked steak and potatoes dinner. After dinner, we decorated gingerbread houses with Andrew, Braden, Chase, and Delainey.
I think most of my traveling coworkers wished they had stayed with Matt and Honor.
It has snowed twice here already. I love snow on the ground before Christmas. It really gets me ready for Christmas. Grace and Anna, our neighbor, made a little snowman this weekend. How does it look?
Thursday, December 06, 2007
Musings and Stories
About three and a half weeks ago, Mary was working on the computer. Caleb was playing with his toys and Joshua was exploring. All of the sudden, Mary hears Joshua laughing. Mary immediately thought of the stairs.
She ran there, but he wasn't playing on the stairs. She circled through the family and living rooms and he could not be found. Was he in the bathroom? No banging on the toilet. Now panic is beginning to set in. Is he under the futon? Then his laugh comes again. Where is he?
Mary runs up the stairs and Joshua is laughing in Grace and Caleb's room pulling down books. I guess Joshua can climb all the way up the stairs.
Grace and Caleb love to run errands. One of the stores they like to go to is Costco. Why do they like to go? Is it the toys? the food court? No, it is the boxes. Mary lets them pick out a box to bring home. Grace has one with handles where she stores art projects. Caleb has one he calls "Zoom, Zoom" and carries around cars in it.
Is it weird when your child has named his cardboard box?
Grace and I were talking in the kitchen a while back. Out of nowhere, Grace looked at me and said, "Dad, I need a laptop."
Flabbergasted, I asked, "Why?"
"I don't know. I just think I need my own computer."
I didn't know what to say, so I said the only thing that came to my mind. "Maybe you should talk to Grandpa Dale about that one."
Tuesday Mary watched The Biggest Loser while I made fudge.
It was a delicious irony.
And speaking of irony, have you heard Britney Spears' new song? If you haven't, you need to read the lyrics to "Piece of Me". It is either one of the most brutally honest self-appraisals or incredibly ironic. I can't decide which, but I cannot believe that song was ever recorded. Amazing.
Caleb got a small frog from a recent trip to Chuck E. Cheese. Grace and Caleb have built "Froggie" a little house complete with computer, tv, and bed. When Caleb first got the frog, he called it his "harmless frog".
Why harmless? And why would a 4-year decide it was important to point that out about a plastic frog?
You were waiting for some bumper stickers, weren't you? Here are some of the recent sightings:
If you haven't purchased Noel by Josh Groban, go buy it and give it as an early Christmas gift. It is worth it.
She ran there, but he wasn't playing on the stairs. She circled through the family and living rooms and he could not be found. Was he in the bathroom? No banging on the toilet. Now panic is beginning to set in. Is he under the futon? Then his laugh comes again. Where is he?
Mary runs up the stairs and Joshua is laughing in Grace and Caleb's room pulling down books. I guess Joshua can climb all the way up the stairs.
Grace and Caleb love to run errands. One of the stores they like to go to is Costco. Why do they like to go? Is it the toys? the food court? No, it is the boxes. Mary lets them pick out a box to bring home. Grace has one with handles where she stores art projects. Caleb has one he calls "Zoom, Zoom" and carries around cars in it.
Is it weird when your child has named his cardboard box?
Grace and I were talking in the kitchen a while back. Out of nowhere, Grace looked at me and said, "Dad, I need a laptop."
Flabbergasted, I asked, "Why?"
"I don't know. I just think I need my own computer."
I didn't know what to say, so I said the only thing that came to my mind. "Maybe you should talk to Grandpa Dale about that one."
Tuesday Mary watched The Biggest Loser while I made fudge.
It was a delicious irony.
And speaking of irony, have you heard Britney Spears' new song? If you haven't, you need to read the lyrics to "Piece of Me". It is either one of the most brutally honest self-appraisals or incredibly ironic. I can't decide which, but I cannot believe that song was ever recorded. Amazing.
Caleb got a small frog from a recent trip to Chuck E. Cheese. Grace and Caleb have built "Froggie" a little house complete with computer, tv, and bed. When Caleb first got the frog, he called it his "harmless frog".
Why harmless? And why would a 4-year decide it was important to point that out about a plastic frog?
You were waiting for some bumper stickers, weren't you? Here are some of the recent sightings:
- Pre lives
- Don't be fooled by my car, my treasure is in heaven
- Stop Continential Drift
- Warning: Dates in the calendar are closer than they appear
If you haven't purchased Noel by Josh Groban, go buy it and give it as an early Christmas gift. It is worth it.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Happy Halloween!
Here are the Halloween pictures. Caleb and Grace decided to dress up as Power Rangers this year. They had a fun time at the Halloween parties and trick-or-treating.
Joshua got the candy corn outfit this year. Since he was candy, he decided to play with the candy. I took this picture right before he dumped out the Halloween candy instead of taking the Halloween candy away from him. 
Here are the jack-o'-lanterns that we carved this year. They are both Joshua jack-o'-lanterns because they are both two-toothed wonders! (Joshua now has more teeth, though.) I thought they came out pretty well this year. 
Here are the children acting like Power Rangers:
Joshua got the candy corn outfit this year. Since he was candy, he decided to play with the candy. I took this picture right before he dumped out the Halloween candy instead of taking the Halloween candy away from him. Here are the jack-o'-lanterns that we carved this year. They are both Joshua jack-o'-lanterns because they are both two-toothed wonders! (Joshua now has more teeth, though.) I thought they came out pretty well this year. Here are the children acting like Power Rangers:A Vanishing Breed
I like bumper stickers. They can be amusing or thought-provoking. (Okay, I have a simple mind and am easily entertained.) Many in Massachussetts are political in nature. (A sticker from two days ago: "If you are not outraged, you are not paying attention.")
A week ago, I pulled up behind a car with two bumper stickers. I was ready to be greeted by a new play on words, political message or complaint. Imagine my surprise when I read:
A week ago, I pulled up behind a car with two bumper stickers. I was ready to be greeted by a new play on words, political message or complaint. Imagine my surprise when I read:
- God bless everyone no exceptions, and
- I'd rather be here now
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
A Sad State of Affairs
Grace came home from school talking about graphs yesterday. For math, they will be learning about graphs soon. Grace told her teacher that her grandmother taught her how to graph. Her teacher asked her if she could bring in her graph. We printed out the pictures from the blog and sent her to school so she could show her teacher her first graph.
I was thinking tonight how incredible it is that we have pictures of Grace's first graph. What parent in their right mind would have pictures of a child's first graph? You have to feel sorry for our poor children. They are being raised by truly weird parents. (Though, I don't think you can put any of this on Mary.)
I was thinking tonight how incredible it is that we have pictures of Grace's first graph. What parent in their right mind would have pictures of a child's first graph? You have to feel sorry for our poor children. They are being raised by truly weird parents. (Though, I don't think you can put any of this on Mary.)
Moving On
I played basketball with Craig last night. That really is not noteworthy. Craig and I have been playing basketball together on and off since the summer of 1999. There have been stretches where we would play every week for months. There have been stretches where we did not play for a few months. But we have managed to play often. There have been a lot of good times, beautiful assists (usually from Craig), ugly shots (usually from me), way too many injuries (usually Craig) and a little bit of trash-talking. Last night marked the end of an era. Craig, Lois, HC, and LJ are moving next week and I don't know when we will play again.
It is never fun to see good friends move but it has been a theme for us this year. Dan and Rebecca left for North Carolina in June. I have known Dan since I was 10. He came over immediately after we found out about Robert's prenatal trouble. Rebecca photographed Robert and our family and has done so much for us. They brought us meals, took care of Grace when Caleb was born, and were always there. Now they are helping people many miles from here.
Curtis, Kelly, Caitlyn, Jackson, Hannah, Logan, and Henry moved in June. I called them the morning Robert was born. I dropped Caleb and Grace off at their home before 6:00 am on the way to the hospital to be with Mary. They took care of all of us. Kelly (and Rebecca) were our only friends to meet little Robert. They visited Mary in the hospital countless times. Curtis and Kelly invited us over for Sunday dinner too many times to count. Now they are in California.
And next week it will be time to say goodbye to Craig, Lois, HC and LJ. Caleb and HC were born at neighboring hospitals a day apart. I visited Lois and HC with Grace after HC was born. Craig visited Mary and Caleb. We have watched too many college football games with them, eaten at each other's homes many times, gone camping together and watched our children play together. They will be missed.
Though it is hard to see so many good friends move this year, we are so grateful that we know them and have been able to associate with them. They have helped us through the most difficult times. At Robert's graveside service there were a number of family members there to support us and a few friends. The invited friends were Dan and Rebecca, Curtis and Kelly, and Craig and Lois and their families. That was it. All of them will have moved within the last five months. It is tough to see them go, but I am glad that they were here last year. If they have to leave now, I will be ever grateful they were here then.
Thanks for all the help and continued friendship. Know you are missed.
It is never fun to see good friends move but it has been a theme for us this year. Dan and Rebecca left for North Carolina in June. I have known Dan since I was 10. He came over immediately after we found out about Robert's prenatal trouble. Rebecca photographed Robert and our family and has done so much for us. They brought us meals, took care of Grace when Caleb was born, and were always there. Now they are helping people many miles from here.
Curtis, Kelly, Caitlyn, Jackson, Hannah, Logan, and Henry moved in June. I called them the morning Robert was born. I dropped Caleb and Grace off at their home before 6:00 am on the way to the hospital to be with Mary. They took care of all of us. Kelly (and Rebecca) were our only friends to meet little Robert. They visited Mary in the hospital countless times. Curtis and Kelly invited us over for Sunday dinner too many times to count. Now they are in California.
And next week it will be time to say goodbye to Craig, Lois, HC and LJ. Caleb and HC were born at neighboring hospitals a day apart. I visited Lois and HC with Grace after HC was born. Craig visited Mary and Caleb. We have watched too many college football games with them, eaten at each other's homes many times, gone camping together and watched our children play together. They will be missed.
Though it is hard to see so many good friends move this year, we are so grateful that we know them and have been able to associate with them. They have helped us through the most difficult times. At Robert's graveside service there were a number of family members there to support us and a few friends. The invited friends were Dan and Rebecca, Curtis and Kelly, and Craig and Lois and their families. That was it. All of them will have moved within the last five months. It is tough to see them go, but I am glad that they were here last year. If they have to leave now, I will be ever grateful they were here then.
Thanks for all the help and continued friendship. Know you are missed.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Life in Our House
Our house currently has four bipeds and one quadruped. Joshua has learned how to crawl on all fours and is becoming faster each day. He loves to pull up on anything he can reach. He has not achieved the homo erectus stage of life, but it is coming soon.
Joshua is no longer a two-toothed wonder. He has five teeth that have broken through and one more nearly there. He is our fastest teether by far.
The lesson topic was Thanksgiving for tonight's family night. Mary read a book with some great details about the pilgrims. Unfortunately, even Grace had a hard time following it. The book ends by referencing Plymouth Rock with this sentence: "It is the rock on which our nation began."
To which, Caleb loudly exclaims, "Red Sox Nation!"
A child armed with the important geopolitical information.
I have a new guilty pleasure. On Monday nights, I like to watch The Big Bang Theory. It is filled with real nerdy characters. I don't know who is getting all the jokes unless the geeks are watching. The jokes are nerdy and I laugh at most of them. I won't say it is the highest quality entertainment, but if you want to watch a funny show about nerds, then this is the show for you. (Although if you want a show with nerdy characters now is a good time for you. Between Numb3rs, Chuck, and The Big Bang Theory, you have options.)
Joshua is no longer a two-toothed wonder. He has five teeth that have broken through and one more nearly there. He is our fastest teether by far.
The lesson topic was Thanksgiving for tonight's family night. Mary read a book with some great details about the pilgrims. Unfortunately, even Grace had a hard time following it. The book ends by referencing Plymouth Rock with this sentence: "It is the rock on which our nation began."
To which, Caleb loudly exclaims, "Red Sox Nation!"
A child armed with the important geopolitical information.
I have a new guilty pleasure. On Monday nights, I like to watch The Big Bang Theory. It is filled with real nerdy characters. I don't know who is getting all the jokes unless the geeks are watching. The jokes are nerdy and I laugh at most of them. I won't say it is the highest quality entertainment, but if you want to watch a funny show about nerds, then this is the show for you. (Although if you want a show with nerdy characters now is a good time for you. Between Numb3rs, Chuck, and The Big Bang Theory, you have options.)
Sunday, November 11, 2007
A Sunday Observation
One of today's lessons was on women in the church. We discussed the different roles for women and men. I was thinking about the language we use to describe our roles. In particular, I was thinking about the differences between the usage of the term "to father" and "to mother". The former implies imparting a genetic inheritance whereas the latter conveys hope for nuture and watchful care.
Does this illustrate the differences in our expectations for parents?
I hope not.
Does this illustrate the differences in our expectations for parents?
I hope not.
It Can Be Just Perfect
Yesterday we got Chinese for lunch to celebrate Mary running a 5K. (Yes, she has been running a bit this year. It is her favorite form of exercise. That will change with the coming cold weather, but she has enjoyed it. Mary on running, "I'm a mom, not a runner.") The food came with the obligatory fortune cookies. The children picked theirs first. Caleb's fortune was: "Work on your diplomatic skills and avoid conflict at all costs."
That is solid advice from a cookie.
That is solid advice from a cookie.
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