Camping

Is there anything more fun than camping out in your own backyard? I can't wait to take these two snuggle buggles camping.

Busy Day

Dan and I rolled out of bed today at around 8:00 a.m., well, come to think of it I don't think Dan got out of bed until 8:30 or 9. Surprised? Shocked? A little jealous (for those who have young children)?

Yes, Dan and I got to spend an evening, a night and a whole morning sans kids. And the boys got to have a sleepover at Nana's. I think both party's were thrilled.

It is always strange to not wake up to either my alarm or my children, and even more strange to still be in bed past 7:30 or so. I can count on one hand the number of times I have gone to sleep without my children under the same roof.

So Dan and I got to go out to dinner, see a movie (can you believe admission was $10.50!), sleep in and have a leisurely morning. Dan actually did some house work, repaired the toilet. And I hiked up a mountain. Yes, you heard me right, although Dan says it was only a hill. Who knew that only 15 minutes from my house there is a nice, climbable mountain. In a few weeks I will be going on a backpacking trip, so I am in training. I haven't donned a backpack since college, way to long ago, so I have some serious preparation to do.

So all and all it was a pretty busy day. Dan fixed the toilet, I climbed a mountain and the boys are home.

Lost and Found

I don't want to brag or anything...but, I have to say that I am very good at finding things. Well, not just good. I am the master when it comes to finding things. Dan might say I am the only one who puts things away so of course I know where everything is, but I would beg to differ.

From a very young age I was good at finding things. Just ask my Mom. She loved taking me shopping with her because I could always find what she was looking for. She used to call me her 'shopping buddy'.

This skill of being able to find things has been extremely useful in my life and since having children even more so. Children, or at least my children, love to hide things. I will often find toys, craft items or kitchen utensils in the most unusual places. Sometimes it is amusing, like finding a Lego creation under the covers, and sometimes annoying, like trying to find where in the world my circle punch went.

I pride myself on a very high recovery rate of lost items and the fact that I can find them quite quickly. So this morning I was feeling at quite a loss because Blipie, Daniel's favorite blanket, had been missing since last night. I had searched everywhere. Upstairs, downstairs, every drawer and cabinet and under every lid or cover. Nope, nada, nothing... I had come up empty handed. It was hard going to sleep knowing that I had failed at this task, but at least Daniel had taken the news okay (sad, but no tears) and was willing to spend the night with replacement Blipie. I was determined to find Blipie the next day with fresh eyes.

After I sent the boys off to preschool I again scoured the house for Blipie. Still no luck. I was at a loss. I knew Blipie had to be in the house, but I, the master of finding things, could not find him. And it's not like a blanket is a very small thing that could be anywhere. So, I took a break and headed off to Costco.

I came home desperate to find Blipie. I told Daniel I would find Blipie while he was gone, and that was what I was going to do. I decided to start with Daniel's room, the place Blipie spends most of his time. I scanned the room thinking of any possible place Blipie could be. Hidden under the covers...Nope. Stuck in a clothes drawer...Nope. Yesterday I had built a huge fort in Daniel's room with sheets and both Dan and I had already checked inside for Blipie, but I decided to open the fort up to let some light in. As I started to crawl in the entrance of the fort I looked up and there squished between two book bins was a light yellow, soft looking blanket. Relief flooded over me. Blipie was lost, but now was found. I am still the master.

Birthday Celebration

Over the weekend we celebrated Dan's birthday. I won't mention how old he turned, although I think you can probable figure it out. We started the morning out giving presents in bed: books, books and more books and Daniel made Dan a special Lego creation. Then the boy's and I took Dan out for a yummy breakfast. After breakfast Sammy and I baked Dan's birthday cake. Then probably the best part of Dan's day was dropping the boys off at Nana's house and having the rest of the day to himself. When you are a parent having time to yourself is the biggest gift of all. Don't get me wrong, I love my boys and love being with them, but having time to yourself is precious indeed.

Dan and I lounged around, went for a walk (when was the last time we did that?), watched a movie at full volume and had a nice dinner. We went back to Nana's house for cake and to bring the boys home.

I think Dan had a pretty good day, I know I did. Next year will be a big birthday for Dan because he will be just as close to the big 4-0 as he is to thirty. Now that is a scary thought. And even scarier because I am only 16 months younger than Dan! I guess you have to just enjoy each year because they sure go by fast.

"Yesterday is for remembering, tomorrow is for dreaming, but today is for enjoying, every minute that it's here!"

It's raining, it's pouring...

It is gray, cloudy, cold and rainy outside. I love it when it rains during the day. When you are holed up at home, just listening to the rain at it falls and watching it stream down the windows. And sometimes when it really starts to come down hard I like to stand out on the porch and watch. There's just something about a rainy spring day...perfect for snuggling up in bed with a good book and a hot cup of tea. I think I'll get to it. April showers...

Inspired

While browsing my local Michael's today some beautiful scrapbooking paper caught my eye and I just couldn't resist.

When I first started scrapbooking, maybe 10 years ago, the whole scrapbooking craze had yet to set in. The scrapbooking section in most craft stores was pretty small and held your basic tools and supplies: paper, pens, stickers, scissors, adhesives, albums and pre-made die cuts. Today the scrapbook section of my Michael's probably takes up a sixth or more of the store. The sheer amount of papers, stickers, rub-ons, punches, eyelets, ribbon, inks, die cuts and embellishments is overwhelming.

So while I was out shopping for someone's birthday present, whose birthday is this Saturday and who is going to be really old, I decided to stop by Michael's to use my 40% off coupon (you gotta love those). I usually skip the patterned paper aisle because I already have way too much paper, but the beautiful patterns jumped out at me and inspired me. Yes, these lovely papers I have picked out have inspired me, not to scrapbook, but rather to paint my bedroom. I have been longing to paint our bedroom, it is basically the only room I have yet to throw color on the walls. I want to paint it a light grayish blue. They say that blue is a good color for the bedroom because it is calming and serene.

So I have been inspired, but the logistics of actually painting our bedroom less than inspiring because we have so much furniture, shelving and pictures on the walls. And I still have to finish painting the boy's bathroom that I started a half a year ago. Well, at least I have my pretty papers to look at and maybe I'll buy Dan a big can of blueish-grey paint for his birthday.

Brothers Forever

A while ago my mom taught the boys the phrase"Brothers Forever". I remember her explaining to Daniel and Sammy that they have a very special relationship that will last forever. No matter what, they will always be brothers. I think that is every parent's hope. That their children will love each other and get along with each other. We want our children to be buddies, friends and have a special relationship with each other.

Although that is our hope, that is not always reality. I have talked to many people who didn't get along with their siblings as children and some sadly that still don't as adults. But I have also heard many stories of cherished memories with a brother or sister and relationships that grow stronger each year. I don't know why some sibling get along well and why some don't. I don't think anyone really knows. But I do know that parents, of more than one child, want their children to like each other, play with one other and develop a special relationship that will last forever.

Before Sammy was born I thought a lot about what kind of big brother Daniel would be. Would he like Sammy? Would he resent Sammy? Would they play with each other? Would they drive each other crazy? I know I wanted them to have the kind of relationship I had with my sister. We loved playing together and I have so many special memories of our childhood together. Sure we fought and I was a little pest, but overall we got along really well. I so wanted that for my children.

When Sammy was born Daniel showed no jealousy or resentment whatsoever. But he wasn't all that interested in his brother either. Sammy was just this little blob that slept a lot and occasionally cried. Daniel really didn't interact all that much with Sammy until Sammy was about 8 months old and started to crawl. And when Sammy started to walk a short while later, the interaction was ratcheted up a big notch. Daniel bore Sammy's toodlerhood with much patience. Probably more patience than either Dan or I had for Sammy.

As Sammy began to get older, less destructive and more willing to share, Daniel and Sammy began to play with each other. Well, at least for short periods of time. I would often have to mediate or break up an altercation, but I could sense a beginning of good things to come.

Fast forward to the present. Although there are moments and sometimes days that Sammy and Daniel fight, bother, argue and drive each other nuts, they get along and play really well. I think I can say that they really love being brothers. I love to see them playing together, not just because it means I can have time to myself, but because I love that they enjoy each others company and can have such fun together. Often in the middle of playing with Daniel I hear Sammy say, 'I love you, Daniel.' That is more than I could have hope for. Brothers forever.

A Nuanced Scream

When friends were over the other night for dinner the soon-to-be mom for the first time asked for interpretation on something one of the boys said to her. It reminded me of when the boys were little we had to determine their needs from what cry they were crying. Is that the hungry cry, the gotta poop cry, the tired cry or the something hurts cry? It sounds somewhat ridiculous, but you do, with time, start to figure out what cry means what.

Now that the boys are older the audible interpretations include screams. Was that the 'Daniel hit me' scream or the 'Sammy broke my lego creation' scream? The other night Suzy and I heard a new one. We were downstairs finishing dinner while the boys played in Sammy's room, which is right above the kitchen, dining area. We heard numerous thumps and thuds, but no crying, so everything seemed like it was fine up there. Suzy and I really enjoy these brief respites from the chaos of a five and three year old. Well, after talking about our days for a bit I heard a scream.

We headed up, slowly because typically the screams don't last long, and I wanted the boys to resolve their problem on their own. The scream didn't stop, but it did change. The volume actually got lower, but the pitch went through the roof. This was a new one. Our pace quickened to a jog all the while listening to the high pitched wail. We made it to Sammy's room and in particular headed for his closet, the boys new favorite play spot. Sammy was halfway up the closet shelves, perched there in a Spiderman position. But the wail was not coming from him. Where is Daniel? I look up, up, up. Is that a leg sticking out from the top shelf? Yep, and there is the head from which the wail continues to emanate. Daniel had managed to climb all of the way to the top of Sammy's closet, and was wedged in among the plastic bins Suzy had stored up there. He was stuck. He was stuck and screaming. Suzy grabbed Sammy and safed him up somewhere. I reached up and made sure Daniel didn't fall while a step stool was found. Stool procured, I proceeded to pry him one limb at a time off of the top shelf and bring him back to solid ground. So that's what that scream means. High pitched, not full volume, blood curdling scream means I am stuck at the top of Sammy's closet and I think that I will die up here. Please someone come save me.

Daniel is not normally one to get himself in these predicaments, so in the after-action report I was asking him what he was thinking. His response was: 'Sammy was up there and he fell and he didn't even cry.' Suzy and I took a closer look at Sammy and sure enough he had numerous scratches on him from falling from the top shelf. When we found him he was on his way back up for seconds (thirds?). I don't think Daniel is going to be climbing up there again, but my other child, yes you are correct, just two days ago I caught him at it again. Sammy, what are we going to do with you?

Butterflies and Friends

Today my old neighbor and I loaded our kids into her minivan and headed out to the San Pasqual valley to see the butterflies at the San Diego Wild Animal Park. We arrived less than an hour after the gates opened and were surprised to see lines of people streaming out of the park. It still being Spring Break for many folks, I guess lots of people decided to make the trek to the park also.

Despite the many people, we had a blast. The butterflies were very cool and even took a rest on a few of the kids. Of course they were delighted. Daniel and Sammy loved running around with 'the girls', my friend's two daughters. The four of them are so cute together. They are like cousins. The girls have known Daniel since he was 10 months old and Sammy since he was born and they all get along so well.

Because of the cool, breezy weather the animals were out and active. The kids had fun watching the gibbons and gorillas, running around the cool new playground, jumping on the lily pads (Daniel almost fell into the water a couple of times) and torturing, I mean, petting the animals in the petting zoo.

What a fun way to spend a spring day!

An Apple a Day...

...might keep the doctor away, but what about that darn dentist? And why does it seem that no matter how often and well you brush and floss your teeth, dentist appointments are still so unpleasant. I brush twice a day for a full two minutes and floss every night, yet at my last cleaning I had to endure a 45 minute teeth scraping marathon. I kid you not, 45 minutes, and the dental hygienist said my teeth and gums looked good! She took so long I actually started to fall asleep at the end.

Well, having to go to the dentist every six months is bad enough, but now that I've got two kids, I get to drag them into the dentist two times a year too. The good part is that Daniel and Sammy are the only two people I know who actually like going to the dentist. They are great patients. The hygienists always rave about how well they behave while getting x-rayed and their teeth cleaned. They never cry, complain or squirm. And of course they love getting to pick out a toy at the end. Although the boys enjoy a trip to the dentist, Dan and I dread it. Daniel's first visit to the dentist over a year ago is still too fresh in our minds.

Last year we had to take Daniel to see the dentist because of a tooth that was bothering him. Dan and I did not think it was a big deal, but it turned out that Daniel had cracked a tooth and it had abscessed. The tooth had to be pulled and Daniel also had some small cavities that the dentist wanted to fill. Well, the whole experience was very traumatic for Dan and I, thankfully not for Daniel, and we still have not recovered. Even though we have become overly obsessive about brushing and flossing the boy's teeth, we still worry that the dentist will have some bad news every time we go.

Today both Daniel and Sammy went to the dentist. Once again they were perfect, but I am pretty sure Dan and my blood pressure was up a notch until the dentist poked around in each of the boy's mouth and declared all looked well.

Maybe after we've got a dozen or so dental appointments under our belt those old wounds will heal. But I doubt that going to the dentist will ever be an event I will look forward to. If only there were something we could eat that would keep the dentist away.

Funny Things

Recently I have been having a bit of a hard time at home. I have been working pretty hard on some difficult stuff, and when I get home the boys have been... difficult. Suzy would back me up on this. The last few days they have been pains in the rear. Mainly Sammy, but with a steady dose of Daniel thrown in for good measure. Sammy has just been grumpy, we can't figure out a reason, and Daniel can't hear for beans, a wonderful left over remnant of a recent cold. Tonight on my way home from work I decided to make a change. At least a temporary one. I wasn't going to get off on the wrong foot, if they were making me mad, I would just turn it around and try to have fun with it. It worked. At least for a little while. The benefits of this plan, not including the lower blood pressure, are that I am now able to remember some of the funny stuff that the boys said tonight, whereas I normally forget. I will now pass those memories on for your enjoyment.

Sammy wanted to know what wine tasted like (now you know the real secret of my better mood). I put a drop on my finger and let him taste it.

'It tastes spicy!' - that is a fairly common response for the boys to strange tastes...

Daniel wanted to join the fun so I re-dipped the finger and let him have a taste.

'It tastes like a box.' - I don't think that the winery is going to use that one in their advertisements.

Over the past few days Sammy has been 'washing' his hair. That consists of him sneaking off to the bathroom and quietly wetting a hand towel and using that to get his hair wet. He then proceeds to rub in soap or lotion, it doesn't matter to him. The first time he did it I thought it was pretty funny. The second time he got in trouble because he made a big mess. Tonight he got in trouble because he was told that he couldn't do it anymore after try number two. I had Daniel check the bathroom and report back, and no mess this time so we let it slide.

'So, Sammy, why did you wash your hair.' we asked.

'So mushrooms won't grow in it.' - well, I guess that is a pretty good reason.

The moral of this story, we need more wine, because it sure seems to help my parenting.

That's No Rat

I asked Tutu last night what the name of the beach is where we saw what we saw a week ago. It might be called 'Rat' beach, but without better information we settled on the descriptive name of, 'The beach down the hill from P.V.' Without further ado, the story of our beach trip.
To get the full story you have to go on a journey with me up the western coast of North America, to a charming little area known as the Pacific Northwest. Every time I visit there, specifically Portland, Oregon, I am struck by the sheer green-ness everywhere. Monstrous trees, lush carpets of grass (with no visible irrigation systems!). A beautiful and world renown rose garden. Quite a feast for the eyes. Well, all of that vegetation comes at a price, a price I am not willing to pay. The average annual rainfall in Portland is 36.3 inches. For 2006 San Diego got 5.12 inches. For comparisons sake, if all the rain in Portland happened at one time, poor Kulia would need a snorkel to survive. For Sammy in San Diego, his shorts wouldn't get wet, at least until he jumped into the little puddle.

Fast forward to a visit to the city of Angels by Portland resident Auntie Chrissie. 'Let's go to the beach' Auntie Chrissie would say. Uh, its cloudy and yuck outside, are you crazy? Come on, it's not raining, it is at least 50 degrees outside, this is beach weather. Uh, okay. She established the precedent for us wimpy southern California folks to go to the beach in less than ideal conditions. And it was fun. Even in less than ideal conditions all of the kids had fun in the sand, and running to the waters edge.

So, last weekend while up at Tutu and Papa's house someone had the idea of going to the beach. None of the adults (Dan, Suzy, Tutu, Papa) were very enthusiastic about this idea, but the boys (Daniel, Sammy) were quite excited. We threw stuff in the van, and ventured down the hill. Boys happy, adults leery. Well, thank you Auntie Chrissie, because it was fun. Sammy and Daniel had a great time playing in the sand. But most of their fun was had in the water. The horribly cold water. They both loved it. Getting soaked by waves they weren't fast enough to run from. Wading out holding onto someone's hand. I had a blast with them, it sure looked like Papa did too. There is nothing like having kids open your eyes to fun.

There we were, Daniel and I, standing in the area where the waves wash up, but it is mostly dry. At least for me. Daniel was wet through and through. That was when I saw it. The last time we were up there we saw some dolphins swimming around out by the surf line. That was pretty cool, and naturally when I saw something out there among the few surfers braving the chilly conditions I assumed it was more dolphins. With one eye and a strong grip on Daniel, I continued to look for the 'dolphin'. Oh, there it was, but that was no dolphin. That was dark with some white on it. What the heck, I think that was a whale. I kept watching. Oh, my, there it was again. By this time I was convinced. I told Daniel, and started looking around for Tutu, Papa, Suzy or Sammy to share my discovery. Tutu was up on the beach warming up Sammy. Papa was close, so I told him. I found Suzy. By this time I had seen the whale a few more times, and was amazed at how close it was. It was in the surf line. With the surfers. I watched one of the surfers paddle a little closer to it, and then quickly back away. As the waves would form I would see the whale's flippers, head or tail pop out of the water. Man, it was huge. Twenty feet long at least. Probably closer to twenty five or thirty. And it was only thirty yards off shore. Impossibly close. Thank goodness by this time Suzy had grabbed her camera. I hope these shots do justice to how amazing the experience was. This was a huge whale just off the beach (to the point we were wondering if there was some problem), and we were watching it just play in the waves. The boys could see it, but I don't think they quite understood the rarity of the moment. They have both seen whales plenty of times at Sea World, and thought this must be the same. All of the adults on the beach just stopped and stared.

We watched for a while more, until it swam away. Then packed up to head for home. Thank you again, Auntie Chrissie, without your lousy Portland weather we would have missed out on the chance to see one of God's amazing creatures up close and personal. A whale. I still shake my head when I think about it.

Time Marches On

At the start of February I was sad. For the past two years I have been spending one morning a week at home with Sammy, while Suzy goes and helps out with Daniel's class. My Monday morning's with Sammy finished in January because Sammy started going to school with Daniel. I didn't really think about how that would make me feel. I thought about how excited Sammy would be (he has wanted to go to school with Daniel for a long time), but I never contemplated what my reaction would be. I have to admit I was a bit surprised. I am not normally someone who gets sad. Overall a pretty even keel kind of person. For most of the month of February when I started to think about it I would start feeling sad. I am very happy for Sammy, don't get me wrong. He has been doing great in school, and is fitting right in with all of the kids. But for me, not so much. Part of it is regret, that I didn't enjoy the time we had just the two us together, as much as I should have. Part of it is just the fact that I probably will never have that regular time just the two of us again. That's junk.

This week (Thursday to be precise) I went down to the K through 8th grade school associated with our church and wrote what was the first of many checks. Daniel is now enrolled in kindergarten to start on September 4th. Suzy and I settled on this school mainly because we know and respect so many of the teachers and the staff. That has probably been my greatest reward for being on the School Board there for the last two years. I have gotten a first hand look at the people involved and decided I could trust my boy with them. It is very hard to believe that Daniel is mere months away from starting school for real. We shall see what my reaction to that will be. Suzy, I know, is going to be a mess, but having Sammy will distract her to a certain extent. She probably won't let Sammy start school until he is about 15. My beautiful wife sometimes likes to delay in the inevitable.
On a different note, I have been commanded to write a blog entry about what we saw while at the beach up in LA visiting Tutu and Papa last weekend. That post will be coming soon, but the teaser is... It was nothing any of us ever had seen from a beach before in our lives, quite amazing.

Hot! Hot! Hot!

Well, last week I was saying it feels like Spring, but the last few days have felt like summer. It has been HOT! We have been hitting the 80's and even crept up to 90 over the weekend. I have been romping around in shorts, skirts and tank tops and enjoying this weather. Actually this weather is better than summer because although it hits the high 80's during the day it only stays that hot for and hour or two and then cools back down to the 50's at night. So the house stays at a comfortable temperature all day.

Since it has been so hot I decide to take the boys to the pool today. They water was pretty cold still, but Daniel and Sammy didn't seem to mind. I enjoyed basking by the pool while the boys played in the water. We even pulled out our blow-up crocodile, who Daniel has named 'Snap trusty', and the boys pretended he was a ride a Disneyland.


I am still not used to the time change and have to drag myself out of bed in the morning to go workout. And it is so dark out at 6 in the morning. But I do like the extra hours of sunlight and the pitter-patter of little feet running down the hallway to the bathroom doesn't start till much later in the morning, which is nice for Dan.

The boys have mostly recovered from the coughing bug that has been passed around their preschool, but last Friday someone was sent home sick and it turns out she had strep throat. Just great! I am praying that the boys stay healthy for awhile because Dan and I are just plain tired of one or the other being sick. Hopefully this warm weather will chase away the cold and flu season. Bring on the warm weather!

Feels like Spring

My favorite season is Spring. Not too hot, not too cold, but just perfect. These last three days have felt like Spring and I am loving it.

One of the things I love about living in San Diego is the weather. It has just the perfect balance of weather for me. Just when the summer heat seems like it will never end and I am beginning to wish for some cooler weather, fall comes. And just when I am starting to get tired of the cold, although some people don't think that 60 degrees is very cold, and am looking longingly at my shorts and sundresses in the closet, spring warms everything up. So I know that spring is just around the corner because I am getting tired of wearing pants everyday and climbing into a cold bed at night. Spring training has started and daylight savings is early this year, next Sunday, so a Springtime feeling is definitely in the air.

But I am trying not to get too excited about warmer weather because it is only early March and this warm weather is just whetting my appetite, but it sure is nice. Today it hit 80 and yesterday during the boy's nap I got to read outside in our air chair. But in San Diego it can be beautiful and clear and hot one day and cloudy, raining and cold the next. Hopefully this beautiful weather will hold for a couple more days. Do I dare pull out a pair of sandals or would that jinx it? Maybe I'll be able to sneak in a sundress or two. You gotta love Spring!

Happy Valentine's Day

Wishing everyone a Happy Valentine's Day! This year I decided to be a little creative and make the boy's valentine cards. I let each of them decide what they wanted to put on their cards and I created them.

Daniel picked out a very cute connect the dots heart design for his card. When I asked Sammy what he wanted to put on his valentine's day card he said egg-in-the-hole. Egg-in-the-hole? Yep, he wanted to wish everyone a happy Egg-in-the-hole day. Sammy is going through a egg-in-the-hole phase right now. If he could he would be having eggs for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack. When I asked Sammy why he wanted to put egg-in-the-holes on his card he replied, 'Because I love egg-in-the-hole'. So I came up with an egg Valentine's card that I think turned out pretty cute. (The images I used were created by Claudia Rose, who designs adorable stamps.)

Have a Happy Valentine's Day!

First Day of School

Well, not actually the FIRST day of school, but the first day of preschool for Sammy by himself. Yes, Sammy is finally in preschool. I know some people thought I would never let my youngest go off to preschool, but I finally made the decision. I think it was the begging and pleading of Sammy that finally convinced me that he was ready for preschool.

So the spring semester began on Monday and boy was Sammy excited. Since Monday is my work day, I was at class with Sammy on the first day. Wednesday I went to class but stayed in the background. Both days Sammy did great and had fun. Today was the real test. Today Sammy was on his own, he didn't even have Daniel with him because Daniel is sick, again. So this morning I headed off to school with just Sammy. After we got to school I stayed a little while and then told Sammy I was going to go. Sammy wanted me to stay with him, but after a little encouragement and convincing Sammy went off to play while I headed home.

It was a strange feeling leaving Sammy at preschool all by himself. Usually Daniel is with him, and Sammy still seems so little to me. It is exciting and kinda sad at the same time.

I guess everything was fine because I didn't get a call from Teacher Laurie, and my friend who we carpool with and brought Sammy home, said he was playing happily when she picked him up. I guess my little boy is growing up, whether I want to admit it or not.

A Bigger Bed?

"I think Sammy needs a bigger bed."
While I disagreed with these sentiments expressed by my lovely wife I have learned in my nine and a half years of marriage to think before responding.
"I don't think that the size of the bed is the problem."
This discussion was taking place yesterday. Last night the issue came to a head when we heard Sammy crying at about 11 o'clock. We assumed at the time that he wasn't feeling well, since Daniel is definitely under the weather. Suzy comforted him, got him asleep again, but before midnight we were awoken again by his crying. Again Suzy comforted him, and my memory is fuzzy, but she might have mentioned the possibility that he fell out of bed. Verification came this morning when he told us that he had fallen out.
"I think Sammy needs a bigger bed."
I had heard this somewhere before. Again a thoughtful pause. I decided to offer up an alternative theory.
"I don't think that the size of the bed is the problem, I think it is all of the stuff in there."
Suzy considered this, and we tabled the discussion for later. As the morning progressed I happened to be in Sammy's room with him, and proceeded to inspect the scene of the crime. I started taking stuff off his bed. First went the items that really have no business being in a bed...

Eight books.
Three swords (his definition).
One laser blaster.
A bag (for presents?).
Two lightsabers.
A block.
My collapsible boy scout camping cup, with assorted mini-cards inside.
Three diapers, thankfully unused.
A toy mirror.
Pillow fluff.

Next I decided to inventory the more traditional bed type items.

Four bippies (his security blankets of choice).
Three pillows (there was a fourth that I had taken out of the bed the previous day).
Fourteen stuffed animals of assorted shapes and sizes.

No, fourteen is not a misspelling, or an exaggeration. All of these figures and item listings are accurate to the best of my ability. This count was verified by an independent accounting firm.

I feel that my observation about the size of the bed not being a problem is an accurate one. The surprising thing at the end of this exercise was not that he had fallen out of bed last night, but rather I was amazed that he ever fit in there in the first place.

A Second Coke

There are not a lot of 'crazy' decisions in my life. Do I want to ride the long way to work in the morning? Should I read that extra book at night to the boys before bed? Should I have the dreaded second coke in the afternoon at work? So when Suzy suggested that her dad and I go on the Knight's Tournament ride at Legoland the other day I quickly said yes. What did the ride look like? Papa's analogy, which to me seemed very accurate as we walked up, was it looked like the robotic arms they use to build cars. With a place for two people to sit where the fingers would be. This is a ride that Daniel can go on, so it can't be that bad, right? Well, much like Dante's version of Hell, there are different levels. Feeling our oats Papa and I decided rather quickly on LEVEL 5 (out of 5). In that small decision our relaxing and fun day at Legoland celebrating Daniel's birthday got a bit more interesting. One of the big warning signs was that they had a box for you to empty your pockets. Strange, it would be pretty hard to believe that anything would fall out of my jeans pockets, but who was I to argue? They loaded us in, and I do think I saw a bit of a twinkle in the eye of the young guy who set us up for LEVEL 5. After the bar lowered and locked us in, the platform below us retracted. We were lifted sedately into the air and rotated so the people in the viewing area (Suzy, Daniel, Sammy, Nana and Tutu) could get a good look at us. Then we flipped. Quickly. And the spinning. That started then too. Some tossing. More flipping, much time upside down. I never feared for my life, but I certainly was considering how much more could possibly happen. We are looking south, nope that's north, I see the family fly past. Papa and I are carrying on an abrupt conversation, I am pretty sure I heard, "I don't want to do this anymore!". I don't think that it came from me, but it wouldn't be too far fetched. I know that I had the thought that it was good that below you is water, so they could easily rinse out the vomit that was coming. And finally it was over. Back to the platform, which extends towards you. I was thinking that this could be a tease. They could pull that away and start again with the spinning, flipping, etc. Thankfully it was not a tease. We were unloaded, collected our keys and wallets, and proceeded with the rest of the day. A bit nauseated, but alive. Suzy, Daniel, Sammy, and Nana all had very different opinions of the show. Daniel and Sammy thought we were crazy, and both vowed to never go on that ride. My mom had averted her eyes, she said it was as bad as watching me wrestle in high school. Suzy thought it was hilarious. She must have some good pent up frustrations with me, to so thoroughly enjoy seeing me getting tossed around like a leaf in a hurricane.
For me it was fun. A good experience. Something I can use to remind myself to have more excitement in my life. I think i'll go have that second coke...

An Apple a Day...

We took the boys to their yearly check-up today and the doctor has declared them to be in perfect health. I am always a little nervous when taking one of the boys to a doctor or dentist appointment because at this point in the boy's life I am mainly responsible for keeping Daniel and Sammy in good health. In many ways the boy's health is a reflection of me as a parent, or at least that is how I feel. So having the doctor say the boys are growing and healthy made me feel great.

The doctors visit was perfect. Amazingly we didn't have to wait long to get in, see the doctor or get the shots. Daniel and Sammy were perfect patients, answering questions, giggling while being poked and prodded, taking deep breathes and being happy and well behaved children. There is nothing better than having your child behave perfectly while out in public.

Only Sammy had to have a shot and he took it without crying or complaining. While the nurse thrust the needle into his little arm Sammy merely commented, "Ow, that hurt." The doctor did a double take as Sammy practically skipped out of the office with a big smile on his face just moments after getting his Hepatitis inoculation. Little did she know that we had promised the boys Krispy Kreme doughnuts if they behaved well at the appointment. A little bribery, or shall we say reward for good behavior, never hurt.

So Daniel came in at 41 and a quarter inches and weighing 42 pounds. Sammy weighed in at 34 pounds and stood 36 and a half inches tall. Two happy and healthy boys!

I have a 5 year old!

I still can't believe that Daniel turned 5 today! Five years old seems so old to me... probably because it is. This morning we were looking at pictures from Daniel's first year of life. He was so small and so chubby. These five years have gone by just too fast. Five years! Wow.

Although it doesn't seem possible that five years have passed since Daniel came into this world, Daniel definitely seems five years old. He is such a big boy in so many ways. He can do almost everything or at least thinks he can. He is very excited about going to kindergarten next year and is becoming very independent. My little boy is growing up and I am proud of the person he is becoming. Although there are moments and times that he drives me crazy and I get frustrated with him, he is a very sweet, loving and kind boy at heart. And he still lets me kiss, hug and snuggle with him.

This year we had a Lego/Star Wars theme party. I made little Lego cakes and we had the 'Girls' (our old neighbors and the boy's good friend) over for pizza. Daniel got lots of good presents and had a good time.

So now I have a 5 year old and a 3 year old. Next year I'll have a... I don't want to even think about it. I'll just enjoy this moment. Happy 5th Birthday, my big boy!

A Christmas Catastophe…

almost. My heart is still pounding a bit faster than normal. I didn’t realize that this mattered to me so much. I estimate that I avoided a Christmas catastrophe by less than ten seconds. I have been replaying the final scene in my mind over and over again. It was so close to going so wrong.

The last two years I have been given the task of taking Santa toys to the office and wrapping them there. Today was the day for this transportation to occur. I packed them up this morning before the boys woke up. I drove to work (a rare occurance but I would look a bit strange pedaling down the street with a big bag of toys on my back). The only problem was I forgot to take all of the stuff out of the van when I got to work. Oops. That problem was compounded by the fact that I was supposed to go home a little early for lunch to take Daniel to the store to get a present for Sammy. You can all see where this is going. I pull up to the house, the boys are out front playing with Suzy. Daniel sees me, and starts heading for the van. I shut the car off and look behind me to see which side Daniel’s car seat is on. OH NO! PRESENTS EVERYWHERE! ABORT! ABORT! ABORT! I quickly jump out of the car to head Daniel off and say I changed my mind. Suzy, naturally being very confused, starts asking why. I mumble and mumble and finally get her aside to say the problem. Yikes. That was a close one. The boys, sensed something was wrong, but were distracted with playing. I asked Daniel if I could take him to the store before dinner tonight. I bet you all can guess the first thing I did after getting to the office.

On the tenth day of Christmas...

...Daniel gave to me one blaaaack eye.

Yep, Daniel gave me my first shiner and let me tell you it hurt real bad, still does.

No, Daniel didn't punch me or hit me, well actually he did hit me, just it was with his big head.

Daniel and I have a nighttime routine. After Dan has finished reading bedtime stories I go into Daniel's room to read him some poems and tuck him in bed. Daniel likes to hide under the covers before I come into his room so he can surprise me. Do you see where this is heading? So, Sunday night I head into Daniel's room as scheduled and do my 'Where could Daniel be?' routine. Only this time when I bend over to peel back the covers Daniel decides to jump up from the bed. Big head smashes into right cheekbone. I knew it was bad when I finally opened my eyes and realized the bump was interfering with my line of vision.

I was hoping against hope that I wouldn't get a black eye, it being the holidays and having parties and lots of pictures taken, but sure enough Monday morning I was sporting a holiday shiner. This year I wanted to do a family shot for our Christmas card. So if I look a little strange in the picture, and you finding yourself wondering if maybe my makeup smeared or something, just remember it is just the black eye Daniel gave me on the tenth day of Christmas.

Instant Action Dad

Knock, knock, knock. You spring out of bed. Actually, I lie there for a few seconds to see if Suzy moves around. No such luck. I roll out of bed and manage to make my way to Daniel's room.
'Hey, buddy, what do you need?'
'I had a bad dream.'
'Okay, let me tuck you in.'
I tuck him in, and calm him down and he is asleep before I leave the room. You never know what kind of situation you are in for as a parent. You could be sleeping blissfully and the next moment you are called upon to perform some heroic deed. A few nights ago Daniel was having a coughing attack that he couldn't calm down from. I sat there, rubbed his back, told him it would be okay and he fell back asleep.
A few months ago, early in the morning I heard Sammy having a problem. At the time I was worried about him not being quick enough getting to the bathroom, so I hustled out there to see what was wrong. Mind you it was probably 6 AM, and I was fully asleep. You go from REM to Instant Action mode. With Sammy the circumstances are usually... interesting. This particular morning Sammy was saying something about a lego, and his nose. A combination that led to an immediate soberness on my part. I plopped him up on the bathroom counter, told him to sit there and not move (good luck with that one). I went to find the tweezers (a tool that as a parent I use fairly regularly). I came back to find that Sammy had listened well and was sitting just where I told him too. I peered up the nose and sure enough I saw the culprit. A tiny little lego, red if I recall correctly. I am pretty sure it is one the smallest lego pieces they make. Well, all you can do is try. Up the nostril the tweezers went and after a few misses I snagged that sucker and saved the day. Another crisis averted for Instant Action Dad.
What will my super powers be called on for tonight? Stay tuned kids, and don't forget to drink your Ovaltine!

Shaggy?

Daniel has always been a 'phase' oriented type of kid. When he gets into something he really gets into it. We had a Thomas phase that was unbelievable, and that lasted a pretty good amount of time. Spiderman, Thomas, Batman, Legos. Those are some of the things that he has immersed himself in during his brief, but entertaining life so far. Recently Suzy has been recording some Scooby Doo videos for the boys to watch. Nothing too strange there, yet. The boys like them, not too surprising, Suzy and I liked watching them when we were growing up. This is where it gets a little askew, Daniel's favorite character in Scooby Doo is... Shaggy. Shaggy? Yup, that's right, it is Shaggy. To the point that he has asked Suzy to make a Scooby Snack box that he totes around with him. Last night he changed into a Shaggy outfit, green shirt, khaki pants. After bath he wanted his hair combed like Shaggy. His hero right now is Shaggy. Hopefully this phase won't last too long, because, no, I would not like another Scooby Snack, thanks for asking.

Pound Pound Pound

Two days ago my wife gave me wonderful news. She took the door lock off of Sammy's door. I completely understand why you are wondering why that is wonderful news. Who cares? The progression is this: Sammy wears a diaper all of the time -> Sammy wears a diaper only while sleeping -> Sammy doesn't wear a diaper at all, but has a door lock on his door so he has to knock if he needs to go to the bathroom -> No door lock, he can go when he wants to. We implemented stage three with Daniel (putting on the door lock) because after he stopped wearing the diaper we were afraid he would come out of his room for no reason at all and wander the house at all hours. The door lock is a pain, though, because whenever they need to use the facilities (no matter the hour) you hear POUND, POUND, POUND! Since your child has just recently started the art of not peeing on himself, you want to rush to the scene since he probably hasn't quite mastered the art yet. So that leads to 5:30 AM pounding sounds waking you up. When Suzy told me she removed the door lock that meant that no more pounding. It makes you a little nervous for awhile, this is Sammy we are talking about, but overall I am very happy that my little guy is on his own now for taking care of his business.
Now if I could only get him to wipe his own rear...

Big Boy Bed: Part Two

About a month ago we decided to move Sammy into a big boy bed since he was climbing out of his crib. The whole transition went very smoothly and having Sammy out of a crib has not been as terrifying as I thought it would be. But it definitely has been interesting and quite loud.

Sammy is very good about staying in his room during naptime and at night, but the problem is he tends to get in trouble while in his room. He has probably done every possible thing you can do in his room. He jumps around on his bed, chair and any item/toy possible and his room is right above the pot rack in the kitchen so when he jumps around he rattles the pots and pans. He used to like to lie in front of his door and pound the door with his feet, but I quickly put a stop to that. He yells, sings and talks. I often hear him by the door yelling 'Is anyone there?'. He especially likes to sit in his closet doing something I probably do not want to know and slams the closet door repeatedly . He likes to pull the stuffing out of his pillow and put little balls of fuzz in different places. One day I left a foam sword in his room (bad, bad idea) and when I went to wake him bite sized pieces of foam were scattered all over his room and all that was left of his sword was a handle.

The funniest thing that has happened was the time I went in his room and found him asleep under his bed, and the most maddening moment was when I discovered he had ripped a couple of his books. There was even an event that involved a Lego up the nose, but I will leave that up to Dan to write about.

So Sammy's room is slowly becoming quite empty as things are being removed for safety's sake. We now have a rocking horse, two toy storage bins, a trash can and some toys in our hallway. At this rate all Sammy will have left in his room is a mattress by his birthday.

Hopefully Sammy will adjust to his new found freedom and I won't have to wonder what surprise awaits me each time I open Sammy's door. Although this is Sammy we are talking about. Trouble I tell you, just plain trouble.

The End of Innocence

You would think that going to the zoo with family would be one of the pure things left in life. Fun, laughter, just a happy day. Well, that is what I thought, but no more. It all has ended, it will never be the same.

I was standing watching my niece Leina. She is a joy to watch, enthralled by the animals, just enjoying the moment. Little did I know that at that very moment she was being stalked. Down she bent to get a closer look at one of God's amazing creatures, when she was grabbed. Grabbed from behind by this, this, ANIMAL. There was a pause from her. Her panic was not instant, but when it started it did not stop. There was no pause in me. I leaped to her defense instantaneously. I knew that seconds counted.

My counter attack was two pronged, first protect Leina at all costs. I grabbed her and was in an immediate battle for possession. I had a hold of her with my arms, and then decided that the best defense was a good offense. Kick? Punch? What would be most damaging to this assailant, this BEAST. I decided that I could pry little innocent Leina from the clutches of this attacker, secure her safety and then deal with the animal once she was safe. I pulled, I strained, I tugged. Finally she was free. Relief, joy, and exhaustion was balanced by Leina's panic, still manifesting itself in blood curdling screams. I knew the screams would pass, because she was safe now.

The attacker, the ANIMAL, what became of him? Well, that goat continued to just sit there in the dust. The keeper came by and said to keep your eye on him, he likes to grab clothes and chew. Lesson learned for little Leina, innocence lost, she will never trust a goat again. And to you vile attacker. I will have my eye on you when we go back to the petting zoo. Never again will I allow you to so wantonly attack the children. I will defend the kids till my last breath.