Halloween

Considering it is 7:45 on Halloween night and I've already been asked by multiple people where the Halloween pictures are, I figured I'd better throw some on here quickly...

Brrrrrr

Just so I know proper Trick or Treat etiquette....is it okay to wear a jacket over top of your Snow White costume if it is freezing cold outside on Halloween?  Also, on a related etiquette note, is it totally cool to tell your daughter "Oh, I'm sorry, baby, that is only for grown-ups" any time she gets candy you want to eat? I'm not saying either of these is definitely going to happen. I just like knowing my options.

Ahhh, Back to Reality

Well, mountain vacations without the kids can't last forever. The funny thing is when you finally get away from the kids, you can't help but think about them all the time. You miss their little smiles. You miss their little laughs. You miss all the good things you can imagine. Somehow, you block out all the stresses and frustrations you are trying to get a break from and you only remember how awesome they are....and then you come back home and your wife has to work all night so you have to put both kids to bed, doctor your son's twig and berries, and borderline wrestle your daughter to sleep...and now I need a vacation.

See Ya!

Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa, Meggan and I are heading to the mountains without the kids....yes, I said WITHOUT the kids. What are we going to do while we're there? I don't care. I just know there won't be any 9 month-olds waking me up at 1a.m. or any 3 year-olds crawling into my bed at 4a.m. That's enough for me.

Pumpkin Patch

We took a little trip to the pumpkin patch this weekend. Fun was had by all....even if Everett doesn't always look like it...

Santa List

Speaking of being in Santa's good graces, we gave Amelia a Toys R Us ad tonight and told her to circle the things she wants to put on her list for Santa Claus. Well, her list isn't going to be short this year. I just added up everything she circled. The grand total.....$2,200. She's a pretty good little girl....but, she's not that damn good.

Big Sister

I post enough on here about the times where Amelia acts wild. So, I figure I should give equal attention to the times like tonight where she is unbelievably sweet.  She said all of her prayers and thanked Jesus for several things. Shorty after saying "Amen", she said the following....

"Oh, I forgot something. Dear Jesus, it's me again. Please look after my baby and help him to be brave and make him feel better. And help him be good so Santa brings him stuff. In Jesus pray. Amen."

On a related note, I find it hilarious that she felt the need to see if the big guy upstairs would throw Everett a bone in the behavior category so he can get toys. I suppose this means she feels like she is already well in Santa's good graces....lolololololololololololololololololololololololololololololololololol

Rough Day

If you think you had a rough day, consider Everett's ....

-He woke up with a runny nose
-Went to the doctor for his 9-month checkup
-Had blood drawn from his heel
-Received vaccine shots
-Received a flu shot
-Had his "special area" treated in a very unspecial way to correct some irregular healing from his circumcision
-Found out his measurables (18lbs, 27 1/4") only put him in the 12th percentile for both height and weight

A Good View

Amelia's ballet class is normally a closed door affair, but this week we got to go inside. Since the room is big and the people are small, we weren't able to get great video, but we captured as much of the scintillating experience as we could...

(Yes, Amelia is virtually the only kid in class without a skirt...that's because her booty isn't big enough to hold up even the extra small skirt.)



(You can blame Meggan for turning her IPhone the wrong direction forcing you to go full screen to see this one)

Easy Living

While we don't normally have dinner this way, having the kids by myself for the second night in a row means a relaxed set of rules. Amelia decided to take full advantage of this and eat in the living room while relaxing and watching cartoons on the IPad...and really, what helps fish sticks go down better than a little Tom and Jerry?

Ear Doctor

As you can see, Everett was very stressed about his ear doctor appointment today...or not....

Good Morning

If you need to know how best to spend your mornings, Everett has an idea... you stand at the edge of your cage and shout obscenities at the television stopping only to pose for a picture...

Laugh It Up

There are very few things in life that bring me as much pure joy as sitting at the dinner table and watching Everett laugh because he thinks Amelia is hilarious and Amelia laugh because she thinks it is hysterically funny that Everett is laughing. Amelia's laughter, or course, then cracks up Everett again and his laughter sets her off right back at him. This can go on for minutes and minutes at a time and there is nothing like it on the planet.

Chatter

Do you remember all the videos I've posted of Amelia talking it up at the dinner table? Well, now Ev has decided to put his two cents in....

Lunch

Now that Everett joins us at the table, going out to lunch after church has become a much more enjoyable experience. Now, if we could just get to the day where he can chime in on the conversation with anything other than "ma ma ma ma ma ma ma", it would be great. 

Church

One of the best parts about going to church is getting to dress up Everett like he is a grown man. I think he likes the attention it brings from the ladies...

Compliment

On the way to dance class this morning, Amelia piped up from the back seat and said "Daddy, I love you. You are the silliest dad in the world."  Now, this may not sound like much, but it made me very, very happy. You see, to Amelia, being the silliest dad in the world is basically the best compliment she can even imagine. This was the equivalent of her saying "Dad, screw Abraham Lincoln, Gandhi,  and Martin Luther King Jr., you are the greatest human to have ever walked the planet"

Party Time

There aren't a lot of better ways to finish out the week than going to a party at a friend's house, eating pizza, making s'mores, and dressing up like a princess/fairy...

Dr. Jekyll

Sure, he may be smiling here....

..... but, he's been anything but smiles the last two nights when he's been awake screaming in the middle of the night. 

Fall Festival

For any of you who think Everett is the kind of kid who is too cool to have a blast at the Fall Festival.....


...you're right....

Work

Night's like tonight where I have both kids by myself really remind me that having kids is definitely the hardest work you'll ever do at the greatest job you'll ever have.

CHart with a CH

To all the adults, and I witnessed at least two of you (one being a teacher who found it very funny), who Amelia repeatedly told "she had a shart"...don't worry, she's not in need of new underwear, she is just very, very proud of her new CHART she got last night. It helps her keep track of all the things she's supposed to do each day in order to get a big surprise at the end of the week...and so far,  her shart, I mean chart, is working great.

Right on Schedule

Schedules are great. If you are a new parent, I would recommend getting your kids on the most strict schedule you can. It will keep everyone from going nuts. That said, having a schedule and having kids who follow that schedule are two different things. Here is Everett during "nap time" yesterday...

Church

Taking the kids to church isn't a perfect experience just yet. Despite our best efforts, when you have two small kids, all you can hope for is to pick up half the sermon and not distract anyone to the point of making them use the Lord's name in vain.  So, by those measures, today was a success. Also, you can't discount the fact that Ev looked handsome in his new button-down. 

Wild Animals

There's nothing like a little Fall Festival petting zoo action to start a Saturday off on the right foot...

Scary

I think I can officially say Amelia scares me some nights. I'm not scared she's one of those creepy little girls from horror films or anything. It's more that I'm worried she is so strong minded that we won't be able to control her later in life. Last night, to continue our bedtime woes, she decided to pee into her bathwater. Then, later in the evening, she somehow found enough pee to wet her bed...while she was wide awake and yelling for us to come upstairs. Somehow, we let her live another day so we had to deal with her again tonight. Now tonight, she didn't wet the bed, which was nice. However, she did put up a pretty severe battle. That said, the belligerence and fighting isn't why I'm scared. I'm scared because of her ability to switch from the fighter to her sweet, innocent side...and I honestly can't tell which one is more truthful. Last night, when saying her prayers, she asked Jesus if he could "please, please, please help her not tee tee on the floor again". And tonight, after I took some of her money away as punishment, she screamed and cried out "don't take my money, I'm saving that for Ev's birthday". Do you have any idea how confused you feel as a parent when your emotions switch from wanting to choke your daughter to wanting to hug her...all while wondering if she is being bad to manipulate you for attention or if she is being extra sweet to manipulate you out of punishment? I do.

Look Out, World

It's not the prettiest thing, but the man can get from one place to another...and then he waits for you to pull him in like a tug boat....

A Whole New Level

Sooooo, Amelia is having one of her usual fight to death bedtime sessions. I have to admit, tonight, she really stepped up her game. As we were sitting downstairs working on some things and trying to let her sort out life in her bed, she started calling for us from the top of the stairs. Naturally, we weren't going to give in to her cries for attention. I suppose just as naturally, she wasn't going to be ignored...which would explain the sentence we heard next.... "Mommy, Daddy, I tee tee'd on the carpet". Yes, she stood at the top of the stairs and peed on the floor. Now, before any of you defend her and say it was an accident or she couldn't make it to the bathroom, keep in mind the bathroom is literally 3 feet from where she was standing. I'm not entirely sure how we are going to handle this situation, but as of right now, her residency in this house is on very thin ice. Of course, I'm just kidding. We'd never throw our daughter out of the house...we're just leaving her here when Meggan and I run away.

Great Job

Everett is now skilled enough to try to grab a drink from his cup on his own all while looking at me like I'm the idiot he can't believe he got stuck with as a father. So, congrats to him on that. I'm proud.

Good Night

How many of you went to work at 8 yesterday morning, didn't return home until 10pm last night for the second day in a row, had your son start barfing in his sleep and refuse to sleep in any safe, upright position, just to have your daughter creep into your room later to let you know she had wet the bed? None? Oh, so it must have just been Meggan. Yeah, she probably deserves a vacation.

The Artist

Ev's first ever foray into the world of painting...

Grump

If you come across Everett and he seems unusually grumpy, don't blame him. The little guy has two teeth coming in on top and two teeth breaking through on the bottom....yes, four teeth....all at once.  At this rate, he'll have a full mouth by Thursday.