That Excited

Carrie made Shane a peanut-butter honey sandwich cut in the shape of a dinosaur.

Shane ran into the kitchen and yelled, "SCORE!"

He's so my son.

Rocket Powered

I laugh every time Shane farts mid-run. It's like a little rocket boost to spur him along.

He's so my son.

Let There Be Cake

Did I mention my wife made a Shirley Temple cake for Genevieve's birthday? Well, she did. It was great.

The cake was my wife's first attempt at a two layered cake that I know of. She wanted to push herself and she succeeded. Carrie made a ginger lemon buttercream filling for the inside and some sort of mascarpone cherry buttercream frosting for the outside.

Very nice!

A Quick Scare

Carrie woke up on Tuesday with a twinge in her chest. It came and left quickly. We discussed it briefly and went about starting our day. Carrie made sure she had all the newest health insurance cards before I left for work just in case.

My phone buzzed a couple of hours later.

My parents dropped everything and met with Carrie at the hospital. I am very thankful. I knew they'd support my wife and I wouldn't have to worry about her being stressed and alone. I kept everything to myself and worked to pay the co-pays and drop-in day-care fee. I figured I'd only bring it up if I somehow ended up in a situation to teach a student the lesson "You never know what challenges someone else may be facing" or if an opportunity came up to demonstrate I could empathize with someone in a similar situation. Neither of those things happened. My brain is wired for teaching, I guess.

Back to the story at hand: Nothing came of the ER visit. The doctors didn't see anything on the x-ray or the other tests that caused them to rubber gloves and surgical masks. Carrie was discharged with a bunch of 3M electrodes still attached.

There was a follow up appointment with a cardiologist today. He suspected Carrie may have developed an arrhythmia and set up an another appointment for an Echo Cardiogram next week. 

I'm praying for God's will to be done, but hoping that there is no problem all the same. I like to tell Carrie she's stuck with my antics for many decades to come! She likes to think that, so we're a good match!

I figured I'd write a post in case this did turn out to be a turning point of some sort. At the very least, Shane may look back and wonder at the 'archaic' technology we used to communicate. "You held your phone back then?"

Speaking of Shane, he loved his day at day-care. He didn't want to go when I picked him up. "Look Dad at the toys! Want to play with me?" He went accident free, too! I'm a proud Papa. 

Purrposeful Stairwell Defender 5000

Max has gotten bolder. She now patrols the bottom of the stairs. If Roxy puts her nose through she gives it a bat.

That might be a deterrent if she had claws. Roxy takes the hit as an opportunity to smell Max's paw. She probably likes the attention, too. Max acts tough and meows and hisses and nothing really changes one way or the other. 

Shane enjoys the show. He likes to break through the barricade which causes Max to hop up a few steps. My son will then try to grab the cat and either throw or drag her down the stairs. He's only managed a throw once, because I've been savvy to it since. Go figure that a little boy has plenty of ideas and little in the way of impulse control! Luckily, Max didn't go more than a couple of steps and Shane didn't get punctured by her back claws.

Overall, the batting and guarding the stairs is a good sign. Max used to hide upstairs and out of sight as long as Roxy was home. She's at least discovered she can move about more freely. She will foray onto the main floor some now, as well. If Roxy goes outside, she will run around freely, but with one eye on the door. If Roxy's in the house, the journey are shortened and much more cautious. She usually moves until she and the dog can lock eyes for a bit and then scoots back to her Maginot Line. 

Roxy, for the most part, goes into high alert when Max sallies forth, but doesn't charge or chase. She displays more curiosity than desire for carnage. She does exude a tense energy, however. If Max bolts Roxy springs to follow and that doesn't help ease the species tension. 

There's some progress towards co-habitation, but it probably won't come about as long as Roxy is bursting with puppy excitability. Maybe it would be funny to install a cat shelf above the couch for Max to walk around on high on...

Nah. That's a lot of work and Shane would find a way to swan dive off of it. He'd probably hit the couch and bounce but why risk it? Maybe when's he a little older and has better aim.

Daniel Day

Today was a Daniel day.

Hopefully, the first of many. The boys enjoyed themselves!

Jessica, Daniel's mom, needed to recover from a doctor's visit. She asked Carrie if she would be willing to watch Daniel after the boys woke from naps. Carrie said, "Yes!" and a play date was formed.

I got home from work shortly after Daniel was dropped off. 

Energy abounded. The boys ran up and down the main floor. I had them kicking and chasing balls up and down the basement stairs. Then we went upstairs and they jumped around Shane's room until I wore out!

I did my best to stall and keep the boys as active as possible until dinner. Carrie was cooking a "Not-a-Jambalaya." The goal was to wear out the boys enough beforehand that they'd sit still and eat. Daniel and Shane were breathing hard from vaulting and soaring through the air, so I managed to get them to sit and read a book with me.

Once they recovered, we went to the basement to play with trains.

I was ready to turn on the TV and eat when dinner came. I felt like I earned the respite! It's tough watching two extremely high energy boys. I had to constantly monitor for tugging wars and sharing crises.  

When Mike, Daniel's dad, arrived he was shocked to see Daniel eating rice. We didn't get much in him, but it was a welcomed step towards being a less picky eater. Carrie beamed.

It wasn't a flawless babysitting performance, though. Daniel's recently potty-trained, but Carrie and I aren't Daniel trained. We were slow to recognize the warning signs and he started to poo before we got him on the toilet early on. The rest of the payload was dropped successfully. It's weird being responsible for a child not your own. You don't realize how accustomed you are to how you do things and how adjusted your child is to the shared routine. Shane was all sorts of curious about Daniel's bathroom endeavors, too.

It was a fun night. Shane is sleeping super-soundly. He was exhausted. I know how he feels! I almost fell asleep after Carrie tucked Shane in. I rallied to write, but now that's done. It's time for a rest!

Is it Spring Yet?

Saturday was a "Spring-tease." It was almost sixty degrees, the sun was shining, and yet there were still piles 

of snow!

Shane had a lot of fun throwing snowballs over the fence to Roxy. She'd jump, catch, and eat the while he chortled.

Spring weather also allows for spring walks. Shane and I went around the corner to visit his favorite mailbox.

I'm so glad that the people who own the mailbox don't mind and/or don't notice us milling about.

Roxy enjoyed the walk, too. She was extra excited when Shane started carting around tree branches.

Numerous offshoots were pruned when Shane got careless. He'd get mad, but what can you do? If you wave a branch in front of a dog you're asking to lose some bark. It was the highlight of her day (after the snowballs, of course).

We went home a tired trio. I put on an episode of Clifford to let Shane rest.

Then, when Shane thought things couldn't get any better, I pointed out the window. "Who's that driving by, Shane?"

"IT'S DANIEL!" Shane shouted! A second wind filled my son. I could barely keep up. Shane's shoes were barely on before I opened the front door and he bolted out. "DANIEL! DANIEL! IT'S YOUR FRIEND SHANE!"

Ha! I had to race out after sans shoes. That level of excitement and enthusiasm was meant to be set free.

Mike ran inside and grabbed a second power wheels for Shane. Then Mike and I stood in the street and let the boys enjoy life on a cul-de-sac.

Shane and Daniel rode up and down the street until the batteries started to die. When Daniel's ride began to lurch, Mike had to secretly push him with a stick back home. Daniel kept looking behind to check that his dad wasn't helping! Sure enough, he'd turn back around to steer and Mike would poke the toy car along! I laughed the whole return trip!

I'm looking forward to the return of warm weather. I think we'll all have a blast this summer.

Yeah, I Did That

I decided to cause trouble. Who could have known?

Carrie went to Genevieve's birthday party and I was on Shane duty. My friend, John, came over to visit and we went out to Chick-Fil-A.

There was a Hooters in the same lot. I had John take a picture and I texted Carrie "Shane wanted to scare the owls!"

Hoot!

Missed Stories

I was scanning to find the link for when we had our sun-room weatherized, but it turns out I never wrote anything about it.

Bummer.

Maybe there's a draft somewhere, but it happens. I have missed out on some great stories before due to timing and/or being busy.

The weatherizing is linked to my last post on how much money we've saved by doing it and getting a new HVAC system.

It also has a classic "Oops" moment by yours truly. The installers asked me if they could cut a pipe to make it easier to install the insulation. They showed me where the pipe came out. It was a spigot up on the porch.

I gave the okay. We never used the faucet and I figured it was a dumb place for one. What I didn't know was that the pipe in question also branched to our backyard hose nozzle.

No more backyard hose.

Oops.

That'll have to get fixed one day and it won't be cheap.

What's the Difference?

A little over a year ago, our heating went kaput and Dan helped install our new system.

My question: was it worth it?

From a "we had negative wind chills and lots of snow this year and were able to keep the house heated" perspective, the answer is "yes."

Last year, when the system went we couldn't keep the house up above 60. The system sounded like a dying thing and our January electric bill was over $300.

This year, we kept the system at about 64 through most of January. When 'polar vortex' and negative wind chills hit, we kept the house set at 62. At that level, the system didn't need to kick on the electric auxiliary to keep up the house's heat loss. February has still been cold, but the temperature has risen to wear we keep our thermostat at a balmy 66.

With increased demand, the new system held up whereas the old one kicked the bucket.

Family not freezing? Check.

The second hope for the new system was that it would be more efficient and translate to lower energy bills.

Bill for January 2013: $319
Bill for January 2014: $298
                Difference: $21

It wasn't as big of a difference as I'd hoped. I decided to dig a little deeper and compare numbers month for month for the past seven months.

Average saved per month: $38.14

The biggest savings were in the fall. It makes sense, because we weren't running the system as much and we have spent some money weatherizing the house, as well. The rate of return ($38 per month) won't match everything we spent for over a decade, but if we hadn't replaced it when we did I can't imagine spending all of our recent snow days without effective heating. Both the new HVAC and weather-proofing of our sun-room can add value to the house if we ever sell it, too.

If the rest of the winter turns milder, the average rate saved could increase. I don't have a year's worth of data yet.

It was a fun mental exercise. I enjoyed looking up the numbers, making the spread sheet, and doing a quick analysis. If money wasn't involved, more people might think I was weird for having fun with it. It was a convenient excuse to use my brain.

Exp Beats Yapping

Ironically, one of the things I know from teaching is that "A sage on the stage doesn't beat experience." I could have written the most profound anything and until you live it it may not mean a thing.

At the minimum, all of the writing forces me to sit, think, and reflect which will hopefully impact my parenting for the better. 

Parenting Thoughts

There are several realizations I think are key to parenting.

1. Your child is not an angel.
2. You can not make your child an angel.
3. Your child will be who they will be.

...and 4. Give it your all.

Your child is not an angel.

It always amazes me when I meet parents of my students who seem incapable of understanding their son or daughter can do naughty things. I immediately think back to my own childhood.

The evidence abounds.

It's what children do. They find the line, they toe it, jump over it, run back and (if not corrected) use that to gain speed the next time they vault across. Children make mistakes and learn. It's part of the process of growing up. I've yet to find anyone who doesn't have childhood stories. The bigger the mistake; the more epic the story (and hopefully the lesson).

Yes, your kid will lie about homework. Yes, your kid will try to spin things so they are in a more favorable light. Your child may even truly believe their spin: people are normally self-centered by nature. Most of us want to believe ourselves better than we are even when we know we're not.

That brings me to Shane.

Shane already suffers from "I want to be the boss" syndrome. He gets very angry when he doesn't get what he wants and he actively looks for ways to achieve his own ends. After you tell him "no," he may tell you he loves you, hug you, and then ask again. He may also throw a fit.

If I were to take this personally or look at it as an indictment of my parenting skills it would be depressing.

I don't, though. I love my son. What he's doing is something that children do. My son is not Jesus reborn, free of sin, and perfect.

My job is to love him, provide for him, and to guide him. That means discipline (which really sucks by the way...).

You can not make your child an angel.

To keep calm in front of a wailing three year old who tries to punch you and knock over chairs is an act of patience and love. There have been numerous times Shane has pushed all of my buttons to the point I was tempted to spank him. I didn't, because I don't think it would help him grow. If anything, Shane would probably see it as either an attack and "I can't trust Daddy" or "See? Daddy hits, so it must be okay."

I see the temptation to give your child everything now. Discipline is tough, and I rarely feel like I know what I'm doing 100% of the way. To give in to random demands would avoid the fight and allow me to watch my son's eyes light up with every new delight. But that leads to a different kind of death of character through spoiling. Then going forward you have to face the man your child grows into.

That's the other catch: you cannot force your child to become an angel, but you can sure as there is hell set them way back on their trip.

Your child will be who they will be.

I don't believe in trying to make Shane a mini-me. I wouldn't even if it was possible. I would love it if he shared some of my passions, though. I would love to bond with him over highly nerdy things or sports.

I cannot make him like something that is not in his nature. It is not a mistake to expose him to things I like or give Shane opportunities. It is a mistake to try and force him into them as much as it is to hammer a large square peg through a small round hole.

I said it earlier in different words: it's easier to screw up a kid than to guide them correctly.

Give it your all.

But parents do have a large effect on children. Parents provide the opportunities and support for children to grow into the best person they can be. You cannot make them perfect. You cannot pick who that person will be ahead of time.

The most important goals of a parent as I see it are to love, to instill the seeds of faith, discipline, and empathy at a young age, to be role models in everything they do (good and bad), to provide a framework of safety and structure to learn and grow in, and to be thankful for whatever time we have with our children.

Parenting is tough. I've only done it for three years. I am constantly praying for God to mold me into the father than my family needs me to be. There are days where all my buttons are mashed until they're stuck down. Most of the time it's not like that, but the work is unending. Your child will see the real you. You can put your best face on for only so long, but when they live with you they're going to see what happens when it slips. How will you react? How will you handle disappointment? Stress? Sickness? Fear? Happiness? Joy? When will you laugh and at what will you laugh the loudest?

Sometimes your mistakes can be the greatest lessons that you never intended. Alcohol was a poison in my family history before I was born. Alcoholism wasn't something that happened "to somebody else." It made my parents very wary of it and that was passed on to me. It kept me out of trouble in high school when one of my friends was in the hospital for alcohol poisoning. I had asked for a soda and designated myself the driver instead. I may enjoy a beer as an adult, but I know full well how the path runs when alcohol runs the show. May God never allow me to succumb or forget it.

In the end, there's no guarantee of any results. There are horrible parents that spawn wonderful children; the saints of tomorrow. There are great parents who raise future convicts. And before I depress anyone there are average parents with average kids, good parents who raise great kids, bad kids, small kids, tall kids, goofy kids and everything in between.

There are no guarantees of anything save God's will, but if you can't look back and feel like you gave it a good effort you will always have to know you didn't give it your all. I get worn out, but at least I know I'm trying. I will make mistakes, but I trust God will use those as part of the crucible to make a man out of my son. As iron sharpens iron, so a parent's mistakes may sharpen a child into an adult, perhaps?

Honestly, I could write so much more. I cut out a lot. That's more editing and time on writing this than all but a handful of other things I've written on here. I could keep going, but I don't think I'd ever finish fully to my satisfaction.

Life is a big, complicated thing. You can't describe every moment, every sensation, every component of a life with words, pictures, or anything else. Life is everywhere, but you can only live your own and share it with so many (of which Carrie and I have chosen each other, Shane was given to us, and my parents and siblings were chosen for me long ago -- I'm very blessed and thankful).

But that's another thing about parenting: it's about life. A child's life. They come in to the world helpless and totally trusting and dependent on you, their parent, to take care of them. Whatever you do has the chance of affecting them for the rest of their lives and you won't know what it was and how it panned out until years and years and years have gone by.

I love my son. I do my best to highlight the best memories on here, and tell the funniest (in retrospect) challenges. I also want to be honest and realistic about what being a father entails in the hopes these words may help Shane or someone else who reads them. I want my son to grow up a man with a faithful heart whatever his personal challenges may be. I suspect his temper will be one of them. I don't want knowing Jesus or the ability to love or forgive to be any of them.

I won't know what sort of parent I will have been until it's all over. A victory now could lead to a defeat later, or perhaps constant defeats will pave the way for what is needed when it is needed most.

Only God knows and I pray my son walks with him in love. Amen.

Disgal

Over the long snow days in January, Carrie decided to mix up our normal night routine. In lieu of watching something together, she pulled out one of my old PlayStation 2 games and asked me to play.

Something funny happened along the way, though...

Our use of Netflix when Shane sleeps has plummeted ever since!

At That Age...

At the age of three, a hole-punch is a tool of ineffable fun. The piece of paper never stood a chance.

Voice Acting Attempts

One of Shane's favorite, low-Daddy energy games involves me speaking for his toys.

Shane loves it. Once he starts 'bonding' with a toy, he wants to drag it (and me) everywhere. His interest is indefatigable.

My interest wanes while Shane's waxes. I have to start coming up with my own little games to keep myself zoned in.

Naming, for instance. I like to name and give a recurring personality to the toys Shane has me animate.

Meet Francis T Garbage Truck, "HUA!" He's an ex-ranger trash truck who's hauled trash in the most dangerous parts of the world.

You can call him, "Frank" for short.

The red garbage truck missus is Bertha. She was partially inspired by Frank Oz's description of Mrs. Piggy.

They seem to have become related in some way to every other garbage truck in the house. Who knew they were so close?

Shane's really the one who keeps driving the game. He remembers the names. He'll introduce new toys and he'll try to come up with his own names, too. One truck was named something pronounced in some alien baby tongue. I could never reproduce the name to Shane's satisfaction. We compromised. "Mr. Green Garbage Truck" stuck.

Carrie laughs, because I'm horrible with voices. My wife studied some drama and has talent. She says I have three voices: Me, me trying to sound like a girl, and me trying to sound like a man.

I don't know what that rates my normal voice as!

Ok, my wife never said that. Her jaw probably dropped as she read that, but I can't remember any of her actual jests and that line fit the self-deprecating humor bill I was looking for. It helped me to end on a joke, too.

Now look at my son wrestling with a puppet. Isn't he cute?

Driving With Children

It has become illegal where I live to drive and talk on a cell-phone.

That may be great for teens, but driving with a toddler is far worse.

Hopefully, that doesn't become illegal any time soon or I'm screwed!

The Little Things

I love how my wife equates nerdy with cute.

Me: "Tea, Earl Grey, hot...like my wife!"

Getting That Energy Out

Shane + Dog = Running

Running = Dad on couch resting + increased naptime = Success

It's another media day. I ended up shoveling snow whenever I wasn't watching Shane and then we spent the evening across the street with Daniel's family. Shane got to stay up till 9:00 PM! I'm hoping he'll sleep in the extra 30 minutes, but I'm probably dreaming.

Snow Strikes Again

White gripped my yard again. I looked out the window this morning and it appeared my home had sunk a foot into the ground as the snow swallowed it. Far more precipitation than I expected. Everyone seemed so prepared for a blizzard I had wondered if the storm would be a "God laughs at the plans of men" moment.

First priority was to let the dog out. Shane slept in until after 7 AM, so Roxy had to be crossing her legs and hoping for relief by the time we stopped looking out his bedroom windows in awe. My son, ever helpful, let her out of her crate before I had put shoes on or figured out exactly what the plan of action was. Roxy banged and jumped around. The racket could have woken up Carrie, so I opened up the front door. I didn't even have time to put on shoes.

Roxy was thrilled. Normally, I'd worry that Roxy (smart as a box of rocks) would have run into the street or off into the sunrise/sunset (depending on the time of day). Today, I figured the snow was too deep for her to sprint off too quickly.

I'm glad I thought to film Roxy's plunge. Dogs in the snow are hilarious. She wanted to run out every 5 minutes for the rest of the day.

It was a great day. Snow days always have the feel of a gift around them. Weekends are a planned respite with laundry, dishes, and other chores that didn't fit into the workweek on the docket. As long as the power's on, snow days are a clean white landscape and a suddenly clear calendar. I hope that anyone in need found their way to a hypothermia shelter or a friend's house before the storm hit.

Carrie, Shane, and I stayed in for most of the day. I was on Shane-duty while Carrie cooked. Shane normally helps me feed Roxy, but he decided to help feed Max today, too.

After nap, Shane and I went outside to play in the snow. 

He "helped" me shovel some, but alas, there was too much snow to tackle with one shovel. Shane's little shovel was somewhere in the yard. Unfortunately, that same yard was covered with a foot of snow. With (or in spite of) Shane's assistance I cleared a path from the house to the street and we met up with Daniel and his parents. The boys marveled as Daniel's mom made a snowman, they wiggled their butts to make snow angel butt-marks, and slid down a snow-covered slide.

Round 2 is tonight. There's only another couple of inches predicted, but I already know there won't be school tomorrow. I am getting a little tired of missing school and racking up days to make up. I even heard a few students complaining on Wednesday, "ANOTHER snow day?" (You know it's serious when some of the kids whine about snow!)

Carrie cooked sukiyaki for dinner and we all watched some Winter Olympics before Shane went to bed.

Like I said: it's been a good day. Thank you, God. I'll remember feeling blessed now when I'm tempted complain about making the day up later and hopefully I'll keep it in perspective.

Crimson Footsteps

I looked at the deck to do a "mud check."

It's a simple procedure. If there are lots of muddy paw prints, it's a safe bet Roxy needs her feet wiped before she redecorates the house.

Imagine my surprise to see blood.

Roxy was happily oblivious. She wasn't limping, whimpering, or acting anything other than thrilled to see me. She threw up a paw when I let her inside and left a bloody streak down my arm.

A quick inspection showed a cut paw-pad. Carrie figured out that Roxy had been digging somewhere in the yard some old tile must have been covered over.

This all happened right before Carrie was supposed to go to work by the way. That's about the normal timing for these sort of things (as any parent can attest). Carrie called in to tell them she'd be a little late, and then called the veterinarian while I loaded Shane and Roxy into the car.

We caravaned to the vet's. Carrie said goodbye after we checked in and then it was me and the troublemakers. 

First, Roxy's weight is up. She's 50 lbs now. Second, the vet only needed to see us for a few minutes. He glued the cut shut, said "it'll open up later! Watch the carpet!" and then we were done. Since Roxy was a rescue, they didn't charge us for the office visit! Very nice!

Hopefully, Roxy won't aggravate her paw chasing Indy around tomorrow. She's scheduled to go to my parents with Shane and I don't want her bleeding all over my parents' house. Shane played with her non-stop tonight and she didn't spill (much) blood, so there's a chance it's healing up quickly. I was tired watching them! He's really bonded to her.

I hope the glue bonded equally well!

Soccer Shane

WARNING!!! Shaky camera.

After church, Carrie took Shane to the soccer field. When I got there, I was amazed at how well he could kick and chase after the ball. I never taught him that! Instinctual little boy genes perhaps? Pee-wee soccer may not be too far in the future.

Another easy media post.

Parenthood Summed Up

It was bedtime. I brought Shane upstairs to say goodnight to Mommy.

I threw him on our bed (literally) and he crawled over and under the covers next to Carrie. She likes a good night snuggle and Shane forever hopes that he can delay his turning in. I plopped down on the bed next to them and waited.

After a little bit, Shane turned to me and shoved a hand in my face. Reflexively, I gave it a quick kiss. I usually don't, but sometimes Shane wants a kiss to make a 'boo-boo' feel better.

And then Shane spoke. The words seared into my brain.

"I have stinky hand!" Shane said.

The smell hit me.

Shane had shoved his hand down his pants to scratch his butt under the covers....and then he decided to share.

Nana Pictures!

"Uncle" Patrick taught Nana how to use the camera on her phone and she took some pictures of Shane at the rec center.

We're very proud of Nana! We like all the pictures too!

"Is your pass still active?" I asked. Last month, Nana bought a $30 for 30 days pass to use the rec center for her and Jama. 

"It expired at the end of January. It costs $8 a pop to take him now!" Nana said. "He asks to go every time he sees us! I've created a monster!" We all laughed.

Nana tried to take a video for us, but that didn't quite pan out. Maybe the next time they visit Patrick he'll teach her Step 2!

This is little bit of a back post, but I don't like it when all the posts show up in the same day. It's not that I want to pretend I remembered to post yesterday, so much as I like have the color break between post days. I figured I'd 'fess up here. I'm sure there's a way to put an automatic break in the website code, but watch me not do it. It'd require more effort than I want to expend.

Forgotten Media

I haven't been able to do much writing lately. I've been managing more short media posts instead.

In that vein, I found this old video I put up on YouTube and then never shared. FLASHBACK TIME!

#HumorAttemptToAvoidAnnoyance

I opened the garage door and saw this.

Weed sheet floating in the wind got stuck on the fence.

Possible hashtags if I didn't think hashtags were lame?

#TheDogDidIt

#SoMuchForThatLandscapingIdea

#IsItDigestible?

#Isn'tThatSupposedToBeUnderTheMulch?

#ItIsWhatItIs

#DumbDog

#FailedWrappingAttemptForAFencePresent

It occurs to me I don't know what the 'rules' for hashtags even are. Can you use punctuation? I never cared before I tried to make a joke off of them and now I'm curious.

Strutting My Stuff

Fashion faux paus be damned. I'm wearing bright white running shoes to work from now on. 

These things are revolutionizing my world.

More School Videos!!?!

Carrie had to cover for her boss at work tonight. I work with many great teachers.

It all worked out.

Shane and I went down and visited the reading teacher, Lucy. She's already "famous" for Shane sitting quietly in her lap at an end of year get together. I don't know if he remembered her, but she worked her magic again on the white boards!

Another Tuesday, Another School Visit

Shane loves visiting me at school. I love him visiting, too. I want to live up my 'teachers are rock stars' status as long as I can (2nd grade if I'm lucky?).

Today, we visited a friend who works with students who need the most intensive special education support.

She has the best toys. One of them has to be at least four decades old, but is awesome. It grabbed Shane's attention, and then it grabbed my attention when I saw what he had.

They don't make toys like they used to.

Of course, my attention wandered away much faster than his. That's when I pull out the camera. Shelley, my friend pulled out a few more toys to get Shane's attention, but he was rapt with the tower. He could be distracted for mere minutes before he went back to it.

Easy parenting. I wish I had one at home (though that would cause the toy to lose it's "special-ness" by being around so often....Shane would tire of it and never go back!).

Shane and I made the rounds up and down the halls afterwards. He had a very impressive conversation with the speech teacher. We got fruit snacks and a rice crispy treats from my friend, Ellie, who teaches math. We hit up a science classroom, an English one, and the teacher work room. Shane said hi to one of my students in the office who missed his bus.

What can I say? I love showing my son off. I love the sense of wonder he shows at the school. I love doing something different than the normal work at the work place or home stuff at the house place. We both enjoy our time together before I stuff him into his car seat to avoid traffic.

Good times!

Kids and Dogs

Roxy's a cute one! She's not all wagging tails and puppy love, though. 

Whenever Shane (or myself) breaks something, I look at my wife and say "...and this is why we can't have nice things!"

If you can't have nice things with kids, the rule must be you can't have a nice yard with a dog! She LOVES to be outside. She LOVES to dig through mulch to find weed sheet treats underneath.

The dog is lucky that I find the irony of the situation amusing. 

I worked on the yard out of love for my wife.

My wife got the dog out of love for Shane and I.

Our dog loves to excavate.

You can't deny that is one happy dog causing mayhem. 

The weather hasn't helped. There has been more precipitation this winter than any I can remember. It rains and turns the backyard to soup. Then it freezes in the soup position when the temperature plummets. Snow comes and the temperatures rise only long enough for the snow to melt and return everything to the previous muddy state. Roxy tears great furrows sprinting around and then an arctic vortex moves in and freezes her ruts as a permanent part of the terrain.

Then there's me. I don't particularly like to go out and supervise when it's really cold or really wet. When I throw the dog out (and she loves to go out), I know that she's going to run outside of my view and whatever happens in the yard is partly my fault for not correcting her.

There are times when she has too much energy, though. Roxy's a puppy. It will happen. She'll need to run. It's what the yard is for!

I'm hoping that she'll grow out of the digging on her own. If not, I'll have to address it when the weather turns warmer. I wouldn't be surprised if Shane wanted to help her dig to China this summer. I can see it now! My dog and my son covered in dirt in a giant hole.

It'd be hilarious. A cute picture, too. You can bet that I'd record it and post it online. Oh, I'd grunt and grumble about the filling the hole back in and "Those rapscallions! Those rascals!" and all that. I'd tell Shane not to do it again, but I'd be laughing somewhere inside.

Spring and summer are still a ways off, so I'll have to leave the story at "Roxy's the reason why I can't have a pretty backyard!"

Do you think that excuse would get me out of mowing every now and then?

SMILE! IT'S SHANE!

If you didn't see Shane and Daddy surprise Mommy...oops. It won't be surprise anymore!  

I liked Shane's smile in this shot as we prepped for causing trouble, so I wanted to post it.

More Snow?

The forecast says 4-6 inches of snow tomorrow starting in the afternoon. We're ready!

Horsing Around

I have a lot of horse story posts on here. Why not one more?

Mornings with Daddy

Saturday morning, Shane was mostly playing independently and I was lazily "supervising." 

Then I got an idea for trouble! 

There's nothing like a little trouble to get you going.

Box Forts

"Honey, we're going to need more duct tape," Carrie said.

You can never have enough duct tape or amazon boxes.

NEW and IMPROVED!

I'm over thirty and I discovered a different way to fold pants.

I don't know if that's sad or exciting.

I'm excited.