Walkers

When the weather is a gorgeous as it was today and you see your kids missing it all by being tranced by the TV....

 You have to put on your walking shoes and stroll a mile to get some ice cream...

Surprise

I have unfortunately had to work until midnight that last few nights. So, I haven't seen the kids as much as I normally do. Luckily, when I checked my phone tonight, Amelia had left a surprise picture on it for me. I'm not sure what I like more...that she surprised me or that my 6 year-old took a picture on my phone that I don't know how to replicate....

Dreaming

Sometimes kids ask you questions you just don't know how to answer.  Amelia decided to drop one of these in the car the other day when she said "Daddy, how do you know we aren't just living in someone else's dream?" The only thing I could think to say aside from "Uhhhhhhh" was "because no crazy dreamlike things happen" and "it doesn't matter because we would never know anyways".  She thought about it for a second and then replied "What if they wake up?!?".  So, there you have it. My daughter has decided sickness or death isn't enough to worry about, but that we should be concerned that the imaginary person who is dreaming us is going to wake up any minute.

Hot Spot

After we came in from outside, I found Everett sitting in the floor by himself. Concerned, I asked him if he was okay. He was more than okay. He was smart. He was sitting on the heater vent apparently "warming up his piggies and his booty"...

Girls

Very few things make me feel better about life than seeing these two this snuggly and comfortable...

On a side note, every once in a while I catch a glimpse of Amelia that reminds me she is still my baby.  For some reason, her profile and her little white shirt brought back memories of this sweet 3 year-old...

Little Chefs

Weekend breakfast time is about to get much easier (and much, much, much messier).  This past weekend, I employed the services of two very fine sous chefs...

Ev has graduated to Chief Mixing Officer....

While Amelia has become President of Pancakes (and didn't burn herself while using a griddle for the first time)...

Self Checkout

Even Iron Man has to make a quick run to the grocery store sometimes...

Ice Angels

Well, for all the storm worries, we got a little bit of ice and even less snow. However, that didn't stop the kids from having a good time....including making "snow angels" in the ice...

Outsourced

At 6 years-old, Amelia legitimately knows as much about computers as I did when I left for college. We never had a computer. There were no such thing as IPads.  The Internet was just starting to explode. Now, there is a computer teacher that comes by Everett's daycare.  So, what did I decide to do with this knowledge? I put her to work. Why make all the boxes different colors and get them organized on my flowchart myself when I can outsource that labor for less than minimum wage???

A Dream

While snuggling with Amelia as she went to bed, we had the following three sentence conversation....


Amelia: Daddy, when I grow up, I want to change the world

Me: When God makes someone with a brain as sharp and a heart as big as he gave you, he means for you to.

Amelia: Yeah, I just don't know where I should give my speech.

... and with this thought that changing the world means giving speeches, Amelia summed up the brilliant innocence of the mind of a child.  She also reminded me that my job as a parent isn't to teach her what to dream, it is simply to afford her a life with enough comfort to dream big and enough confidence to achieve bigger.

Happy

Does this look like the face of a guy who is having a great birthday.....?

......it certainly does.

4

It is beyond my comprehension that this little baby...

 has already turned into this big guy....

I couldn't be more thankful for the last four years. My peanut makes me happy every single day and I wish him the best birthday in history.

Beware of Dog

I had a friend over to watch football today. I tried to warn him beforehand that I own a vicious attack dog.  I didn't want him to be surprised and lose a limb trying to pet her. Unfortunately, he didn't listen and he fell victim to her rabid nature and utter hatred for strangers...

Aging

Amelia made me some glasses so I can see better now that I'm another year older...

Full Steam Ahead

Sometimes when your daughter is coughing her head off and needs a steam shower, you just have to improvise ....



I knew those padded mats would be good for something one day...

Messaging

I bought this for Amelia's room because I want her to understand how important it is to believe in yourself. Hopefully, as she walks past it each day, it will remind her that the world is hers, she just has to go take it.

Lunch Date

There's nothing like a little dessert and shopping with your favorite American Girl...

Chess

Amelia didn't want to do her spelling homework today. As a quality father, this made me dig my heels in a little more. So, after a little back and forth, I finally got her to agree to write her spelling words.  That kicked off our second back and forth. She wanted to write them on the back of her spelling list for no apparent reason. I argued with her that she needed to use her regular paper to have more space to write her words and it made no sense to use her small spelling list. She fought back for a bit before finally saying she understood. I walked away victorious as she started writing down her words. She then brought them to me....

It's hard to see, so I'll let you know what that is... that is all her spelling words written in tiny letters at the top of the the paper I gave her. In other words, that's a big 6 year-old "F you" to me and proof that I can make her use the paper I want, but I can't prove her wrong about how much space she needs. As a competitor, I loved and respected everything about it. Ahhh, when they say parenting is chess, not checkers, they're wrong...it's war. 

Rough Day

Despite how he happy looked heading into ear surgery (particularly once the sedative started kicking in and he began purposefully lifting his gown to show everyone his booty), this little man had a rough day.  He was a good sport and a tough character through it all.  We're very thankful all went well and he seems to be deep down the road to recovery...

Craftsman

When you have a fine helper like Everett, putting your new tool chest together takes no time at all...right after you find the 3 bolts he lost down the driveway....

Missing

Amelia has now lost two teeth in the last week or so. It is to the point where all her food has to be cut so she can eat it. I was happy she didn't lose her teeth early like some of her friends. I just didn't think that would mean she would lose them all at the same time....

Home Again

We spent New Year's down on the "farm". It wasn't exactly watching the ball drop at Times Square, but we had plenty of our own kind of fun....

Going for a ride...

Hanging at the park...

Paddling around on the boat...

Getting stranded on the baby swing...