Baby "big kid" Info v.2

California Dreaming

2009-11-06T21:06:00.002-06:00

So, I'm on extended loan to the California branch of Lockheed.

I talked to Jason yesterday. He apparently was very sad I wasn’t at church Wednesday. I’m at work a lot and some times I even go back after church, but I always come to church. He figured I’d be there.

Justin - "Hi Jason."
Jason - "Dad?"
Justin - "Yes."
Jason - "Dad, I want you to come."
Justin - "Well, I can't yet. I'm still working."
Jason - "The plane's not fixed yet?"
Justin - "No, the plane's not fixed yet."

Bonny let me know that Zoë missed me too. She's rather tactile and was apparently rubbing her face on and sniffing the phone, because it was as close as she could get to me.

As a dad, that's very sweet. As a person with Aspberger’s it was a little weird.

-J

Zoë's crazy.

2009-10-28T09:20:00.002-05:00

I woke up at 4am because I had to be in super early to work. Zoë was already up for the day. I really wonder, some times, what she does all night.

-J

Such a...

2009-10-28T09:07:00.004-05:00

We had Jason's mini birthday party last night. (We have their big, merged, birthday party in September.) We let him pick supper, rented a movie that he wanted for us to all sit down and watch, we had birthday cake and gave him a present. I didn't have any tissue paper for the gift bag. So, I left the gift in the plastic bag and then put one of the t-shirts I gave Jason (one I had when I was a kid) over the top of it.

We brought down the present (because I had put it on a high shelf to avoid it being gotten into early). He took out the shirt and I removed the bag, as though we were done with it. He'd seen the shirt before, because I gave it to him about three months ago. But, we made a big deal of it, like that was his present. (playing with him) He went over and showed it to Bonny. Then he says, "There's another bag in that bag." I'm say, "There is?" We take it down. He pulls out the plastic bag, but it was upside down, so the gift stays in the bag. I put the bag away, again, as though we are done with it. We proceed to make a big deal that he got a plastic bag. Bonny says, "A shirt and a bag. That's cool. Isn't it." He said, "Yeah." He did look a little disappointed, but was so gracious. He was fully ready to accept that this was all the presents he was going to get. He wasn't going to complain. He was just happy to get something from mom and dad.

Such a tender heart.

Zoë realized it was a joke. She let Jason know there was another present behind dad. (That wasn't actually true. It was still in the bag, but still. He got his real present and loved it.

I got to thinking about his purity, and really how good of a kid he is. I cried myself to sleep last night thinking about how my four year old son is a better person than I am and that I am daily seeing my bad habits rub off on him. It had been a while since I cried. Really cried. I must take that energy and better myself.

-J

PJs

2009-10-26T22:33:00.001-05:00

Jason - "Dad, my pajamas have socks!"

He looks on wide eyed excited, waiting for a reaction...finally the waiting is too much.

Jason - "Is it not crazy!?!"

Ladybugs

2009-09-23T23:16:00.001-05:00

Jason: I had a bad dream.
Mom: Do you want to tell me about it?
Jason: There was a ghost and a monster and ladybugs and they came in my room.
Mom: Ladybugs?
Jason: Yeah. And a ghost.

Correcting my pronounceation

2009-09-15T12:12:00.000-05:00

Bonny and I have been watching though the A-Team. The other day in the van I asked.

Justin - "Zoë, do you pity the fool?"
Zoë - "Noooooooho ho ho, I don't pity da foo."

In the playground.

2009-09-04T14:04:00.002-05:00

The kids and I were playing one of our favorite games, where I chase them around. I climb up to the top and they escape down the slide. I slide after them and they escape up the steps.

I hit the ground, just as Jason and Zoë hit the base of the steps. Jason says, "Aaaahhhhh, he's coming." Zoë says, "Eeeeeeee, run." They get to the top and there's a little boy there (2 or 3 years old).

Zoë - "We've gotta run. Daddy's coming. He's a monster."
Jason - "Here he comes! Ahhhhhhh!!!"
Zoë - "Eeeeeee!!!"
Little Boy - "Eeeeeee!!!"

Zoë stops dead in her tracks and turns around towards the boy. "Ah ha ha ha, you scream like a girl."

Daddy shakes his head thinking, "Time to have another talk."

-J

In case you aren't my friend on facebook

2009-09-04T14:01:00.002-05:00

Justin said, "See? So, a plugin could shock you and kill you, just like the lightening. So, you don't touch them."

Zoë said, "Well, I have a pink bunny and he can kill you. He can kill everyone."

She did laugh afterwards...like it was a joke...but I still think I'll lock my door tonight.

:p

-J

Happy 4th Birthday Zoë

2009-08-17T22:43:00.001-05:00

"For my birthday, I don't want sharks. That would make me confused. They would bite me. I don’t want them by the cake. If the cake was all gone; I couldn’t find it." -Zoë

There's something not right with that girl...

2009-08-14T07:40:00.004-05:00

I walk out of the bathroom with my face screwed up, into a sour puss, from the "pain" of being awake at 7:30 am, and I almost slam into Zoë as she goes bounding down the hall. She looks over at me with a huge smile carrying three pairs of shoes, spraying her own flavor of sunshine all over the room.

[see title]

-Justin

Identity Crisis Adverted

2009-08-08T12:14:00.003-05:00

Justin - "Okay, Zoë, here's your shirt."
Zoë - "My shirt!!!"
Jason - "Hey, that's my shirt."
Justin - "No it's not."
Jaosn - "Yes it is."
Justin - "This is your mermaid shirt?"
Jason - (with a smile) "Yeeeeeesssss."
Justin - "Oh, is that cause you're a little girl?"
Jason - (still smiling) "Yes."
Justin - "Oh, is that why you have such long beautiful hair?"
Jason - "Yes."
Justin - "Oh, is that why you wear makup?"
Jason - "Yes."
Justin - "Oh, is that why you kiss little boys?"

Jason lost his smile and his eyes got huge and he blushed a little. He stopped defending his cause.

No, I'm NOT!!!

2009-08-05T10:44:00.004-05:00

Justin - "And then God said, "Let us make human being in our image and likeness." So, he made human beings, like you. You're a human being."
Zoë - "No, I'm not."
Justin - "Yes, you are. It just means people. Mommy's a woman human being. Daddy's a man human being. Jason's a little boy human being. And you're a little girl human being."
Zoë - "No, I'm NOT." (tears welling up)
Justin - "Baby, it's not a bad thing. We're all human beings."
Zoë - "I'm NOT A BEAN"

and football and baseball and skateboard

2009-07-20T13:23:00.003-05:00

Jason - "and I throw the ball and get him and I roll on skateboard and hit the baseball..."

Jason - "Mommy, do you like to play football."
Bonny - "Naw, I don't like to play football."
Jason (with a puzzled look) - "You're not to old. You can play football."

Daddy, I want a bedtime story...

2009-07-19T13:24:00.002-05:00

Justin - "Okay. Once upon a time there were three bears."
Jason - "No, I want a transformers story."
Justin - "And they transformed into three little pigs."
Jason - "NO!"
Justin - "And the wolf transformed into ..."
Jason - "NO! NO! NO! NO!"

Jason and Zoë skating

2009-07-16T20:33:00.001-05:00

Daphene sent me these pictures of the kids skating... I can't help but notice that Zoë isn't skating and that Jason HAS NO ARMS!!!

Caulk not-so-good

2009-07-13T20:56:00.002-05:00

My caulk is pretty well ruined. I wish I had known that before I tried to use it and it made a huge mess. I should have known. It got way too hot in my house.

Anyhow, Jason was opening the garage door for me and I went it to clean up. He was looking in the garage and we were talking. I don't know how many times he's been in or looked in the garage, but here was the conversation.

Jason - "It's stinky."
Justin - "Yup, it's stinky."
Jason - "Why's it stinky?"
Justin - "Because we put our stinky garbage in the garage."
Jason - "We put our stinky gar; HEY!!! ANOTHER CAR!!!"

Apparently, he just discovered Bonny's MustangII.

Justin - "Yup, we have another car."
Jason - "It's my car."
Justin - "Ah."

I'm thinking I may need to clean the garage if he's been in there dozens of times and just discovered that there's a car in there.

-J

Finally made it home...

2009-07-13T20:51:00.001-05:00

Zoë - "Can I eat ice?"
Shannon - "Not if it's been in your booty."

Well...back to work.

-J

Who's birthday is this???

2009-07-13T09:34:00.002-05:00

Jason and Zoë were invited to a 1st birthday party at a friend of ours'. They have two older children, a boy and a girl, and there were several children ranging from nine months to (I'd guess) nine.

The one year old, obviously, didn't completely grasp what was giong on. But neither did Jason and Zoë. They, along with other kids, were asked to bring the gifts over. However, they were all told they weren't allowed to open them. It took a bit to get Aiden, the birthday boy, to figure out that he was supposed to. So, as far as the kids were concerned, it appears we were sitting in a circle around unopened presents and doing nothing. So, every little bit, they tried to open presents again. They knew it was supposed to be happening, but no body was doing it. Once Aiden started opening them, they were of course completely caught up in seeing what he got.

They were equally confused by us standing in a circle and watching Aiden eat his personal cake, knowing full well that another cake sat in the wings...but they weren't getting any, yet.

Don't get me wrong. The kids behaved well. They were just confussed at a few points. They spent most of the time playing with the older kids, and with some of the more advanced toys Aiden got.

As far as Aiden was concerned he seemed to like best a hard plastic book (with lights and sounds and everything) and the three balls. One of which, had it been openable, he could have easily fit inside.

As we were walking to the car, Jason said, "Daddy, I had a good time."

"You did?"

"Yeah."

"Do you think we need to play with them again?"

"Yeah."

"Should they come visit us at our house?"

"No. We should go to McDonalds."

So, there you go.

-J

Why haven't you posted Justin?

2009-07-07T20:28:00.002-05:00

Well, I'll tell you.

Floods, droughts, monsoons, scorching heat, hard labor, insects, poison...

There's probably more...

Maybe I can post tomorrow.

-Justin

Coming out of the Closet

2009-06-27T18:46:00.002-05:00

Zoë's doing it every day. She's not really had a closet up to now. The one in her room housed all the "old" stuff from her room (i.e. the Pleeble and mouse stuff (plus a bunch of other random things)). Well, it all had to be pulled out when the flood happened. She had been sleeping in the front room, but the last two days we found her nested in her closet. I figure it's fine. I actually liked my closet as my sleeping space for a few years. It's darker, quieter...although warmer.

Carpet folks come out Monday. After that we find out if we're moving all the furniture back where it goes or everything into the front room...

That'll be fun. :/

-J

To post, or not to post.

2009-06-27T18:17:00.002-05:00

Well, I've been meaning to get around to it. Actually, I'm supposed to have been doing Jason's game updates. However, the person who told me to post was actually at the games. How boring for them.

Alas, here we go. Last game, the 20th, Jason had two infield hits. The first was directly to the first baseman. The first baseman actually did a pretty good job fielding the grounder. It popped up off his glove just a bit, but he juggled it and got it under control. Luckily, for Jason, the first baseman had no idea what to do next. He was just under two feet from first base and the coaches are telling him "touch the base! touch the base!!!" But he wasn't getting the idea, and Jason traversed those thirty feet before the first baseman made it two. SAFE!!! :)

This last game; he had an outfield hit to right and an infield hit to the second baseman. Both, he got to first easily. On the first hit, he actually made it to second (because the right fielder didn't know where to throw it), but they sent him back to first.

It's kind of a shame. The next to last game was the only one were we had an umpire who let the kids run their hits out. Christian hit two long balls that game. The first was a homerun and the second probably could have been, but was ruled a double. But, Jason wasn't hitting the long ball that day. So, at the end of the season, every hit he did was ruled a single.

So, seven games, fourteen at bats, fourteen singles, (I'm not positive on this, but) four outs.

Several, of the other teams' parents, said we had the best hitting team. I tend to agree. One team we played had better defense. I think we would have been in the championship game with them (if the YMCA had such competative things). It would have been a close game.

Jason got a little trophey, that's now proudly on display on one of his corner shelves.

They have another season in the fall. He'll probably be tall enough that we'll need new pants. He can keep the belt though. It's very adjustable. It was labeled "one size fits most". Well; it can fit him or me. So, I'd say that's most.

-Justin

Perspective

2009-06-12T12:59:00.001-05:00

I'm a touch behind.

2009-06-10T22:51:00.002-05:00

I'm the "dugout coach", so I miss a lot of the action, but I saw his hits this last game. He had two power hits. First one went to left center field. The second one was right down the third base line and went past the foul pole. In other words, out of the park...a grounder, but still...out of the park.

        Inning:   1    2   F
Mets    (away): 11   11 22
Pirates (home): 11   11 22

       AB AVG SLG S D T HR Games
Jason   8 1000 1000 8 0 0 0   4

I know. I said outfield hits were homeruns. That's what I was told. Apparently not. Ah well. He may actually get into a more "real" league next year. Like...it may even have outs.

Domino Champ

2009-06-10T22:50:00.003-05:00

Zoë will hearby be known as the domino champ.

The kids got some cardboard dominos to cut out of their latest highlight magazines. We played three games. Zoë won all three games, even the one she was down five dominos to two against Jason. She came back to win it.

Another Pic

2009-06-07T22:16:00.002-05:00

That's Charla's (the mom's) hands.

Another stat

2009-06-05T21:53:00.000-05:00

13.5"

crazy

Not my baby, but...

2009-06-05T10:07:00.002-05:00

Thadd and Charla had their baby yesterday. 1 lb 11 oz That wasn't a typo one pound eleven ounces. Her name is Wren and she's mind bogglingly tiny.

See? Know what?

2009-06-04T09:27:00.002-05:00

Zoë - "See?"
Zoë holds up one of her purple flip flops.
Zoë - "I got it out of there."
Justin - "Oh, good."
Zoë - "It doesn't have pee on it any more.
Justin - "That's good. I don't like pee in my shoes."
Zoë - "Know what? I don't like pee in my shoes, either."
...
Zoë - "There was a spider on me."
Zoë - "He was right there."
Zoë points near her elbow on her right arm.
Zoë - "He was gonna bite me, but I smacked him. He said, 'Ow.' I said, 'You get off.' He said, 'Don't smack me.' I said, 'Know what? You don't smack me either' But, he wasn't talking yet."

Wardrobe Function

2009-05-31T16:45:00.002-05:00

Justin - "Why's Zoë not wearing the dress she wore this morning?"
Bonny - "It got wet."
Justin - "Oh."

Justin - "Zoë, you get to wear this dress. Oh, it's not a dress, is it? It's some dress pants thing."
Bonny - "It's the same thing that all of her outfits should be."
Justin - "A straightjacket?"
Bonny - "Exactly."

Pike to Eel

2009-05-30T22:56:00.003-05:00

Zoë had her last swim lesson of the season. She's graduated Pike and next time will be an Eel. She's at the "she can probably get herself out of the water, if she falls in and doesn't get distracted" level of swimming. Knowing how Zoë gets distracted, that basically means she's a goner. That's okay. She should be able to actually swim after Eel.

Color

2009-05-30T22:48:00.002-05:00

I was more distracted this game. We had more horseplay and general unhappiness. Mainly, this was because we had to show up 75 minutes early for pictures. The kids played afterward and were beat come game time.

Jason's first inning hit was a grounder about half way between short stop and second base. Jason ran to second by mistake. Second inning he hit a short pop that landed just inside the infield, pretty well straight to the second baseman. He ran to first, this time. Jason had one fielding attempt. He was shortstop, but was a little slow to react. So, he and the "short" shortstop (remember there are three kids between each base) collided pretty hard both getting to the ball at the same time. Jason came up with some grass stains and christened his uniform. (I actually just paused, in the middle of this, to pre-treat them. Have to look pristine for next game. Like he cares.) So, he's a "real" ball player now.

Stats

2009-05-30T22:43:00.003-05:00

        Inning:   1    2   F
Mets    (away): 11   11 22
Pirates (home): 11   11 22

       AB AVG SLG S D T HR Games
Jason   4 1000 1000 4 0 0 0   2

T-ball Cuteness

2009-05-26T12:21:00.006-05:00

The Little Swimmer

2009-05-22T19:31:00.002-05:00

Zoë has a quite modest swimsuit. It's a wetsuit, I suppose. It's orange and pink. At the least, Zoë believes wearing it gives her the ability to swim. At the most, she thinks it makes her into an orange and pink mermaid. She's had six swimming lessons so far. She loves them, but isn't crazy about jumping such that her head goes underwater.

This is what she has to say on the subject:

"I think I want to stay in the swimming. They tell me to get down at the swimming and to get out at the swimming. They tell me to get out and I'm the first one out. Then I get back in. You have to see it."

So, there you go.

-Justin

The Rules

2009-05-22T19:14:00.003-05:00

Now, to begin with, the umpire didn't know the rules. We'd been practicing throwing to first. The umpire said they kids had to run to first. Now, Stan says, at that age, it's a more sound strategy, but I don't want to teach them the wrong way. Anyhow, for each subsequent game, they will be allowed to throw. Also, for this first game, parents could be in the infield with the defensive team. Each subsequent game, after putting the kids in the right spot, the parents will have to go to the outfield.

Best I can tell, the rules are these. There are two innings. Every kid bats once an inning. There are two kinds of hits. If it's hit in the infield, it's a single. If it's hit to the outfield, it's a home run. Every kid scores, and the last batter of each half inning is an automatic home run. So, eleven kids on each team, each kid scores twice, the game ends 22 to 22. There are no outs. For the offensive team, you can have one parent at each base. The second base "coach" will be allowed in the infield to retrieve wayward kids. (My job is, apparently, to get the batters ready and in order; dugout work.)

That said; the Pirates (Jason's team) did really well. They were definitely the more experienced team and had better discipline. All of our kids actually ran the bases. (Well, one didn't, but in his defense, he probably had a stomach bug. He threw up several times.)

Jason had two strikes and two nice hits. The first one was a pop up in between the shortstop and the second baseman, just past second base. (I know what you're thinking. "Justin, you said that was a home run, but you have Jason marked as two singles." True, but one of the parents on the other team knocked it back into the infield. That's something else that won't be allowed in subsequent games.) The second hit was a grounder over the mound and stopped just short of second base. A quite solid single. Defensively, no balls came near Jason in the first. In the bottom of the second, Jason was getting tired. He was playing first, and completely didn't see the ball. The second second baseman got it. I helped him refocus and the last hit of the game came up the first base line. (It was actually foul, but if it's within a few feet they don't call it.) Jason got it and tagged the bag before the runner got there. So, one "out" for him.

Third to last hit of the game, our team had a pileup. Two kids fell over both trying to get the ball. They looked to be wrestling a bit. Gavin thought that looked like good fun and did a clothesline take down of the two kneeling fielders.

I'm probably not suppose to count, but all in all our team got 11 outs and theirs got 8.

I'll try and get Bonny to post some pics of him in his uniform. It's crazy cute, I'm told. I think she got an action pick, too.

-Justin

Jason's First T-Ball Game

2009-05-21T22:54:00.003-05:00

        Inning:   1 |   2 | F |
Rangers (home): 11 | 11 | 22 |
Pirates (away): 11 | 11 | 22 |

      AB AVG SLG S D T HR Games
Jason 2 1000 1000 2 0 0 0   1

Details tomorrow.

-Justin

Athletic Achievement

2009-05-11T16:15:00.001-05:00

Jason hit his first hole in one on hole six of the minigolf course, at The Villages resort, in Flint, TX.

-J

Yes! All on his own!

He was at the tee, hit it, bounced off the back wall and in. I'm not claiming he's a prodigy. He hit about eight over par on average.

Magic Monsters and Aliens

2009-05-07T18:58:00.001-05:00

We just put the Mosters vs Aliens movie, Jason bought, into the PS2 and it's playing in English. It still has Spanish subtitles and I think the title was in Russian, but the point is, we're not stuck with an only Spanish speaking movie.

...

Although, I think I was learning el Espanyol.

-J

Baseball Postponed

2009-05-05T15:47:00.002-05:00

Jason's Tee-Ball season got postponed a week because of Fort Worth ISD closing because of swine flu. Well, Jason knew that he was starting baseball when Zoë started swimming and she had her first lesson yesterday. Bonny and Jason were spectating this week, but Zoë goes solo after that. Here's a conversation at the sideline.

Jason - "Zoë's swimming and I play baseball."
Bonny - "Well, you don't get to start baseball yet. They are going to wait a bit because some people are sick."
Jason - "Are they sick of the pigs?"

-J

A father son evening...

2009-04-20T22:57:00.005-05:00

Zoë has a bit of a fever and as a result missed Sunday evening services. Jason and I went and afterwards he wanted to practice church. So, I sat in the front pew and he got up on stage and led a song (mansions over the hilltop). It went something like this:

I have a mansion
I want to go there
I hope we make it

Next he asked me to get out my chapters. (My Bible?) Yes, everybody get out your chapters. (What chapter?) Uhhh, uhm... uh... uh... Batman chapter 2.

After a quick sermon (which I believe involved ninjas and a sword fight), he led a prayer, which went something like this:

Dear God,
Thank you for our blessings.
Thank you for [~~~unintelligible~~~]
Amen

So, the cycle continued like that for quite a while. Song, sermon, prayer, song, sermon, prayer. The songs eventually devolved. I believe the songs were:

Mansion Over The Hilltop
I'm Happy Today
Spiderman
The Theme From Superman (by John Williams)
Batman Ninja Fight

I suspect he was just making that last one up. The prayers however, actually got better. I told him he was doing good and that I bet he could do prayers for the food at our meals. So, then his prayer was:

Dear God,
Thank you for our blessings.
Thank you for [~~~unintelligible~~~]
Amen
Thank you for the food.
Amen

I then suggested that he should pray for Zoë to get better from being sick:

Dear God,
Thank you for Zoë...for her getting better...
Help Zoë getting better
Help my sister getting better
Thank you for the food
Amen

Then we went to McDonalds and had a vicious game of airhockey.

-J

Stopped in West, TX

2009-04-18T22:47:00.004-05:00

It's a Czechoslovakian city. They have really good baked goods. Anyhow. Jason was being a crazy man. He made a bathroom stop take about twice as long as it should. I finally ended up needing to take the kids out of the store. I asked Jason why he was being so bad. He said he was being good.

Justin - "No you're not. You're jumping up and down. You're pulling things off the shelf. You're not coming when you're called."
...
Justin - "You know; mom is buying a cinimon roll for you and Zoë. I bet Zoë would like the whole thing. Zoë, would you eat the whole thing?"
(vigorous nodding)
Justin - "Mom and dad are getting something else. We don't want the cinnimon roll. But, I'm not going to give it to a boy who's going to keep being bad."
...
Justin - "Now, are you going to be good?"
Jason - "Yes, I'm going to be good."
Justin - "What are you going to do to be good?"
Jason - "I'm going to p*ay to be good."
Justin - "You're going to play to be good?"
Jason - "I'm going to pray to be good."
I doubt I was able to conceal the look of surprise on my face.
Justin - "That's a good answer. You be good, okay?"
Jason - "Okay."

-J

This old house.

2009-04-17T22:13:00.003-05:00

Apparently, any time we go somewhere for an extended period of time, and it isn't someone else's house, it becomes our new house. Jason asked where the van was. I said we left it at our house. "Our old house?", he questioned.

I tried to explain it to him in more detail, but he was distracted buying bootleg DVDs and knockoff Power Rangers in Mexico.

Babie, Girlie, Baby, Girly

2009-04-12T00:53:00.003-05:00

You see what I mean. Adding "ie" or "y" to a word just isn't manly. Cutie. Booty. And Jason figured this out. That's when he made a life decision. He didn't decide to try something out. He decided how the world was, and if he was a man, then this was a change he had to make. So, he now says, "I need to go pot." Men go to the pot. Girls and babies go to the potty. Men go to the pot.

-J

Ding (cue the lightbulb)

2009-04-12T00:46:00.002-05:00

Jason had a lightbulb go off today. I'm not sure what caused it, but he sat down on a swing today and figured out how to swing himself. At first he was just doing his body, but within a few minutes he had the legs figured out too. We'd worked on the legs a lot...so when he had the body down, finally the legs thing made sense. Now, he nearly flipped over backwards a few times, but he's got it figured out. We got Zoë in a swing, so he could teach her. She gets the concept, but isn't as adept. It's only fair he teach her. After all, she just taught him how to jump on one foot. Perhaps not as cool, but you can only swing on swings...you can jump on one foot anywhere.

-J

P.S.

2009-04-10T17:44:00.001-05:00

P.S. They are real Bibles. They aren't picture books. They have the text of the bible and the only "pictures" are the maps in the back.

I just hope they survive long enough for them to learn to read.

Bibles

2009-04-10T17:31:00.002-05:00

I bought the kids their first Bibles. I'm hopeful that they are old enough that they won't destroy them. I got a case for Zoë's. Jason's is hardback. I told them both that they are not to draw in them.

We'll see.

They are ridiculously cute.

This is Zoë's

This is Jason's

Click those for more info.

I really liked the translation. It's not quite as precise as I like...but then again, when I'm talking with the kids, I'm not as precise as I would like. I found it to be rather true for how simple it was attempting to make the language. One passage in particular read something like

"Respect God and obey his commandments. This is the most important thing."

As opposed to

"Fear God and keep his commandments. For, this is man's all."

Anyhow. Their first Bibles. It's a cool thing.

-Justin

Baseball game was pretty sweet...

2009-04-10T16:29:00.002-05:00

The Rangers and the Indians both have some pretty lousy pitching. That spells "High Scoring Game". In fact, they pulled the Indian's pitcher in the third inning after he'd already given up nine runs.

Jason doesn't like the fireworks, and he got his wish. It was too windy and dry for fireworks. In fact the stadium got a wave of smoke around the 8th inning, from grass fires.

Ranger's won 12 to 8. There were a ton of homeruns. Seven, if memory serves. The Indians got four, two of which were multiscoring and they still lost.

Jason got to play some of the outfield games. He hit off of a tee. He pitched. He hit off of a different tee. He pitched with a slingshot.

He liked everything...well everything except an overly friendly horse. The mascott rubbed his head as we were walking to get cotton candy. I think he thought it was me, but then turned and saw a ginormous horse man. He then became a wailing semi-permanent attachment to my leg.

He didn't even eat his cotton candy or watch the last two innings of the game. He just kept looking over his shoulder for horses.

We had two close calls with foul balls. The first one I would have had to jump for, and after last season's bruise, I was less vigorous. (I was still vigorous enough to get ketchup and mustard on my clothes. Stupid hotdog.) The second one; the guy sitting right behind Jason caught it. We had four others come into our section, but none of them were close.

I'm glad my only other day game is in May...it's already getting hot.

-Justin

2009-04-05T23:18:00.002-05:00

Jason - Look! There's a junebug in that seat. I squished it.
(Justin picked it up.)
Justin - This is a rasin.
Jason - Oh.
Justin - Did you squish it?
Jason - Yes.
Justin - Why?
Jason - Because it was a junebug.
Justin - When you squish a junebug, it becomes a rasin?
(Jason looks at the rasin and then back at Justin.)
Jason - I guess.

Hey little man.

2009-04-05T17:31:00.003-05:00

Bonny - Are you a big man?
Jason - Yes.
Bonny - Are you a big strong handsome man?
Jason - Yes, that's why I have to eat so much.

A Testament to Her Health

2009-04-01T13:29:00.001-05:00

Jason and Bonny are talking. Bonny is sitting on the couch and Jason is sitting on her left leg. Bonny readjusts herself and shifts Jason to her right leg. A little while later a realization comes to Jason's face.

Jason - Is that your hurt leg? (Pointing to the left leg)
Bonny - No, that's not my hurt leg?
Jason - Is that your hurt leg? (Pointing to the right leg; the one he's on.)
Bonny - Yes, that's my hurt leg?
Jason's eyes widden. He's agast. He's worried. He looks betrayed. He's not allowed to touch mommy's hurt leg. He gets in trouble for touching it.
Jason - You put me here!!!

Gasp...mommy's trying to get him in trouble. :)

That's good news though. She must be doing better. Now if she can just keep Zoë from kicking her knee, she may heal completely.

Latest news is she made it to five degrees. The goal is at least zero degrees, maybe a bit less. Last time my knees were measured they were at negative three and negative one degrees. I was told negative five is considered ideal. So, she's getting there.

-J

Thirty on Thirty

2009-03-30T20:00:00.002-05:00

So, I was talking with a friend of mine about some scheme by which we might lose weight. (Because obviously you have to trick yourself into this kind of thing.) So, he's going to Texas De Brazil soon, and doesn't want to start the weigh ins until then. Fair enough. But we went ahead and weighed just for the fun of it. (You know how fun that is.) I found out I weigh 257.8. EEEEEKKKKK!!!! That's more than I've ever weighed, and 12 pounds more than four weeks ago.

My mind was racing trying to think, what in the world have I been doing in the past month that would have made that much of a difference. Four weeks ago...what happened four weeks ago...

Oh yeah, I turned thirty. Man, that hit me like a ton of bricks. :)

I think I've actually traced it down to a prescription I've been put on.

Nevertheless, when you think you weigh 245ish and it's actually 12-13 higher, it's not fun to learn. I'm not going to Texas De Brazil...so I can start now. In fact, I'll have my first weigh in on Wednesday...

Yes...Wednesday...

-J

Directions...

2009-03-27T15:37:00.003-05:00

Well, a picture's worth 1000 words. The red line is the route I took Jason to the park. He wanted to lead the way back home. The blue line is the route that he chose.

Click to zoom.

He already has a better sense of direction than half the people I know. You'll also note that he didn't bother with those pesky roads.

-J

Sleep Walking...

2009-03-25T12:20:00.004-05:00

Justin stumbles into the shower and turns on the water. The cold water feels like a thousand junkies pelting him with used needles. (Because I would know what that felt like.) "DADDY, I'M AWAKE!!!" The curtain swings violently outward. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH_Justin_points_commandingly_towards_the_door_HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH_Zoë_finally_leaves_HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

Well, at least I'm awake now.

-J

Musical Toilets

2009-03-24T12:32:00.002-05:00

I'm not sure what was happening last night. I know Jason said he had to pee. So, I said, "Ok, you don't have to ask to go pee at night, just go." About half an hour later, I was ready for bed and I hear Jason calling. He has to poop. "Ok, you don't have to ask, just go." I go check twitter. Jason's in bed calling for me. "What?" "I have to go poop." "You just went." "I didn't poop." Clank! I look in the bathroom. Zoë's standing in the middle of the bathroom with her pants down. "Are you all done?" "Nope." "Jason, Zoë's on the potty. You have to wait." "When is she done?" "I don't know. Look you've both been to the potty twice already. Ya'll figure it out."

So, I go to bed and go to sleep. Who knows how long they do this musical chairs game? I do know they still managed to be awake before me.

-J

These sickos are driving me crazy...

2009-03-23T12:53:00.002-05:00

I mean kiddos...yeah, that's it.

Feel like being sick? Have a few kids. Their great. They'll get diseases and give them right to you. If you get a disease, they'll make sure you get no sleep, so the disease can do its worse.

I started feeling bad Saturday. I went home early from work and ended up sleeping for most all of Sunday...I guess most of Monday too.

It's very Pavlovian. The train never used to wake me up. The dogs never woke me up, unless they were right outside my window. Now, the train wakes me up. I wait a minute, and then the dogs start in. A couple more minutes and, "Whaaaaaa, daaaaaaaddddd."

What's weird is; Zoë wakes up just enough to realize she has to pee, but not enough to realize how to solve the problem. I go in there and say, "Zoë, go to the bathroom." She gets up and goes and goes back to bed. I don't even have to stay up for it. I just have to get the ball rolling. But, if I don't, then she'll pee the bed.

Then about five in the morning I feel cold Jason feet on me. They wake me up enough to realize I have to pee, but not enough to realize how to solve the problem. Then I wake up wet... So, far that's just because Jason wet my bed. (Annoying no doubt, but far better than the other possibility.)

Bonny's at the doctor now. It's her first time driving since surgery. Hopefully, it will go well.

-J

Slam - Click - Knock, Knock

2009-03-23T12:43:00.003-05:00

Justin - I was alone for a second!
Justin - You need to see me?
Jason - Yeah.
Justin - What do you need?
Jason - I need to see you?
Justin - Do you miss me?
Jason - Yeah.
Jason - Where are you going?
Justin - I'm going to work, but right now I have to stay home until mom gets back from the doctor.
Jason - Oh.
Justin - Because, we can't leave you here alone, can we?
Jason - No.
Justin - Because, what would you do if we left you alone?
Jason - I'd be gone.
Justin - What would you eat if we left you alone?
Jason - Cereal.
Justin - How would you get to it?
Jason - I'd get it.
Justin - How would you get it?
Jason - I'd knock all the stuff down.
Justin - Yeah, I believe that.

I miss having this much time on my hands.

2009-03-21T13:57:00.001-05:00

I won't have to worry 'bout my mortgage, or putting gas in my car...

2009-03-20T21:14:00.002-05:00

After picking up toys where Zoë got a few quarters for picking up a few toys and Jason got several quarters for picking up several toys. Zoë put her quarters in her pink piggy bank.

Zoë - I have a pink piggy bank. Now I need a green one and a orange one and a purple one. Then I don't have to pick up any more toys.

She wants to win the lottery.

Well, maybe she'll help me with laundry and get some more.

-J

Just a day at the office...

2009-03-20T20:18:00.003-05:00

Justin - Where's mommy?
Bonny - Rawr!!!
Jason - There he is!
Bonny - He!!! I'm a she.
Jason - Nooo, you're a he.
Bonny - She!
Jason - No, he.
Bonny - She!
No, he. She! Ho, ne. She! He, no.
Bonny - She!
Jason - He ho.
Justin - He ho!?!
Jason - Mommy's a he ho.
Zoë - I'm a she ho.
Bonny - No, Zoë no...
He ho! She ho!
Bonny - No guys. No, lets stop.

Welcome To My World

2009-03-19T22:13:00.002-05:00

So, hungry.

Sleep is for the weak...

2009-03-19T20:22:00.002-05:00

Jason and I have gotten similar things. Some combination of allergies, a virus and now a bacterial infection. Took Jason to the doctor on Monday and they loaded the kid up. He has a steroid, an antibiotic and some respitory meds he's taking with a nebulizer.

Don't worry. He's okay, but they just want to make sure it doesn't become pneumonia.

Well, the nebulizer isn't treating Bonny and I well. Bonny's trying to grow a new knee and I'm trying to get well. He originally had to have it every three hours, even when he was asleep. He's down to every four hours now. Bonny's administering it. So, she's up each time. I'm up almost everytime, just because Jason will wake up and cry (and he's in our bed).

"Justin, why are you complaining?"

I'm not complaining. I'm just trying to explain that between that and work catchup, I'm having problems remembering things to post...

Not that things aren't happening. Zoë said something just yesterday that was quite funny about the swarm of june bugs surrounding our front door...but I just don't recall.

I recall getting my obese self handed back to myself on the racquetball court today.

I recall that Bonny was in the mood for milkshakes and microscopic burgers yesterday. So, we went to Steak-n-Shake and the kids got these cardboard cars (place tab A in slot B). Zoë's is in shambles. Last I saw, Jason's was fine and being driven by a ninja turtle.

If I actually get to leave work today I'll try to note something post worthy tonight.

-J

I'm back...

2009-03-17T21:16:00.002-05:00

And if I ever get caught up on emails I'll be able to post again.

Suffice it to say. Jason and I are fighting allergies (Jason 4 drugs. Daddy 2 drugs (well three if you count Mucinex D as two)). Bonny can walk briefly without crutches. Zoë got the same thing as Jason and feels fine now...strong as an ox.

I'm behind on everything...seems like there should be a way to make that not true after a vacation.

-Justin

Civic Duty

2009-03-01T20:56:00.003-06:00

Jason - "Dad, dad, come look!"
Jason leads Justin over to the sidewalk.
Jason - "Look a bug."
It was a june bug.
Justin - "Oh, is it dead?"
Jason - "Yeah."
It was on its back. Justin pokes at it and it's legs move a little.
Justin - "Nope, it's alive."
Jason looks at it. A slight breeze blows and it moves one of its legs.
Jason - "Hey! Daddy step on it."
Justin - "No, I'm not gonna step on it. It's not bothering me."
Jason - "It's not bothering you."
Jason - "It's not bothering me."
Jason - "It must be bothering somebody."
Jason - "We better step on him."

-J

Joke Teaching Fail

2009-02-28T11:49:00.000-06:00

Zoë - "Knock, knock."
Justin - "Who's there."
Zoë - "Blue, Blue."
Justin - "Blue, blue who?"
Zoë - "Ba da da, it's a banana!!!"

-J

My Injuries Just Aren’t Pitiable Enough.

2009-02-26T19:59:00.002-06:00

Justin:
September – left ankle sprain – Bad, three month recovery time
November – right ankle sprain – Moderate, four week recovery time
November – right shoulder dislocation – Moderate, four week recovery time
February – left ankle sprain – Moderate, six week recovery time

Bonny:
November – right knee ACL+ – Horrible, nine month recovery time + two months to figure out all of what was wrong.

Randall:
February – left ankle double break – Destroyed, six month recovery time
February – left shoulder break – Bad, three month recovery time

See. SEE!!! Maybe you felt a little bad for me at the beginning, but by the end, I’m not even an afterthought. Seems there was something about this in our recent lesson on Cain… Hmm… Don’t be self-centered? Naw, that can’t be right. :p

-J

I think, I have stink on my fingers.

2009-02-26T19:55:00.002-06:00

Now, normally, that would be my cue to say, "Alright honey, I'm heading out the door. Be back around ten." Sadly, under the circumstances, I must become detective. I must first identify the stink, then find the source, clean the fingers, clean the source, redress the child, set her at the new table to eat only to say. "Zoë...did you...why...I...COME HERE!"

"How did you even get poop on your nose?"

"I was smelling my fingers."

...having problems focusing at work today. :)

-J

Finally got the kid's picnic table...

2009-02-26T01:48:00.002-06:00

We were aiming to get one quite a while ago, but (even though it was summer) the stores were already switching to winter gear. So, now they're selling spring and summer stuff. It normally sells for $89. But the store had it $20 off and I had a $20 coupon. So, $49. Not bad.

Finished assembling it after the kids were in bed (though Jason tried it out after a bathroom visit). I think they'll like it. I think it will fit them better too. Probably be easier to clean. And who knows...maybe they won't break it. :)

-J

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ... Oh ... I mean, yes sir.

2009-02-25T17:10:00.002-06:00

I've been ordered onto mandatory overtime.

-J

Double post if you check my twitter.

Why does she do it?

2009-02-25T16:21:00.002-06:00

I wish I knew why Zoë defiled her food. I nuked some frozen chicken biscuits for breakfast today. (We're doing quick to prepare food these days, as free time is short.) Well, a while later Jason informed me that he didn't like how they tasted. I tasted one, and they certainly weren't good, but they weren't awful either. I told him to give it a try. So, a while later, they still informed me they were not good. So, we tried some yogurt. I proceeded to eat Jason's castoff sandwich. I then took a bite from Zoë's at which point she informed me that she was going to eat it.

Okay, you said you didn't like it and wanted yogurt when I was getting Jason some, but if you're going to eat it, then by all means... So, I gave it back. I called the insurance company (a task that I was quite lucky only took about 20 minutes) and then went back to the kitchen. Zoë had eaten no more of her sandwich, but she had coated it in raspberry yogurt. Needless to say, I was more than upset. I set her at the table and told her that she was to sit there until she had eaten it. "Maybe I don't want to eat it." "Well, you know what. I would have eaten it, but you messed it up. You made it, you're going to eat it." I then went to make yet another phone call. This one about FMLA. (I hate how many phone calls you have to make when you have an emergency or surgery. Kinda busy right now. Can I make the 400 phone calls after things have settled down a bit?) So, back in the kitchen, I discover that she did not stay in her seat, and she did not eat the sandwich. She threw it away... Oh...I thought about still making her eat it...

I stood her in a corner while I took my shower. I had a talking with her... Afterwards, she was pretty sure she needed cookies.

/sigh

Ah well, off to work. Going to try and get two or three hours in...at least read emails.

-J

Post 400!!!

2009-02-24T12:15:00.002-06:00

Zoë - "I'm coming with you."
Justin - "I'm just getting tape. Stay out."
Zoë - "I'm gonna climb down."
Justin - "No, stay out."
Zoë - "What is stay out?"
Justin - "Stay out means if you come in you get spankings."
Zoë - "Stay out makes me angry."
Justin - "Stay out makes you angry?"
Zoë - "Yes, angry at my balloons."

-J

The end of the day...

2009-02-24T00:21:00.002-06:00

Or the beginning, I suppose...

Bonny's surgery went well. She had one replacement part and a trimmed original part. Expected to be on crutches for a few weeks. Slept most of today. I expect will sleep most of tomorrow.

I'm gonna go pretend I can sleep now...even though I know I just set an alarm for 2am...to wake Bonny for more pain meds...

Kids are confused as to why they can't see mommy unescorted. I have to take them one at a time, just in case I can to catch one before a hop on mop moment.

Bonny will hopefully be crutching around the house Wednesday. I may even get back to work that day.

Sweet dreams?

-J

hyperitis

2009-02-21T15:13:00.001-06:00

I was talking with my doctor and asked if she gets a lot of people self diagnosing off the web. “Oh, yes.”, with a grim knowing look. “Sometimes I have to do tests just to prove that they are wrong.”

I on the other hand like to go to the doctor and let them make me paranoid, rather than making it up on my own.

IBS
Bursitis
Hypertension

I suppose as long as I don’t get bonitis, I’ll be okay. I’ve seen someone die from that. It wasn’t pretty.

-Justin

It's probably our fault...

2009-02-18T15:59:00.002-06:00

For starters, we don't have a baby monitor in the bathroom.

Apparently, Zoë tried to make it to the bathroom in the morning, but didn't quite make it. (I'm beginning to think she's allergic to red dye number 40. It seems to clean her out.) So, she made a mess in her pants, but she made it worse, by trying to take the pants off. That made a mess of the bathroom rug, but she mad it worse, trying to clean it up herself. She then got on the toilet. I don't know how long she sat there, but it must have been a while. I don't know if she called for us, but we were in bed and the baby monitors are in their room. We might not have heard her.

I had a brief discussion with her, reminding her that she should get mom and dad to help.

It's probably our fault. Just yesterday we saw a book, "The Moose with Loose Poops". Perhaps we should have ordered it.

-J

I'm in denial...

2009-02-18T15:58:00.001-06:00

Out of order

2009-02-17T21:25:00.002-06:00

I wrote a post on the 15th and saved it as a draft, but I just got around to adding the picture and publishing it on the blog today. Little did I know it would still post as if I had posted it on the 15th. So, be sure to scroll down to Octo-dogs & shells, so you don't miss it.

I'm just... I think...

2009-02-17T14:33:00.002-06:00

For some reason Zoë started prefixing her statements with things like "I'm just" or "I think". Jason is picking up the habit. Two micro-conversations:

Zoë - "I think there's poop on my foot."
Justin - "Really? You think? You don't know...you just think."

Justin - "Jason, can you please stop."
Jason - "I'm just jumping on your head."

-J

Video Games

2009-02-16T17:04:00.002-06:00

Am I corrupting my children early?

Perhaps, but I really like these games. Especially, I can play Jason's game with him, and by tweaking difficulties, we are actually pretty evenly matched (as long as I don't use sliders).

I played with Zoë on her game. They have an adult helper feature, but she's advanced too far beyond me. She's made it all the way to level 4. She's actually not as into the video games as is Jason, but she's so much better at them. It's funny. The PS2 controllers are not that big, but Zoë palms the left joystick, to walk around.

Jason's game.
Zoë's game.

Octo-dogs and Shells

2009-02-15T21:22:00.004-06:00

Weird. Fun, but weird. The kids were excited by them anyway. Justin was much less exuberant when I brought him his.

Hot dogs, goldfish crackers, and shell pasta= octo-party!!

So it begins. . .

2009-02-15T21:11:00.004-06:00

So, during church this evening Jason looks across the way and notices someone he hasn't seen before.

Jason: Daddy, who's that? (pointing to the littlest girl of a visiting family)

Daddy: I don't know.

Jason: She's lookin' pretty.

I hear this story this evening right before supper, so I had to inquire about it.

Mommy: Jason, did you see a pretty girl at church?

Jason: (sheepishly) yeah..

Mommy: Did you say hi to her?

Jason: No, I hide from her.

Jason “Money Magnet” Carrell

2009-02-14T20:02:00.003-06:00

So, we went to Wal-Mart today. Jason and Zoë each used their monies to buy one toy each and one valentine’s day give for Bonny each. I found matching games and (since Cootie is fun but 1000 games of Cootie is burdensome) I bought two. I got a Spiderman and Friends one and a Disney Princess one. So, we played a 144 card (mixed deck) game of memory. Jason did extremely well. Zoë did well, but tuckered out and went down for a nap part way through. Afterwards, Jason was still raring to go. So, he asked to go for a walk. He with nunchucks (the toy he bought earlier) and I with a katana; we roamed the streets at twilight.

Well, we didn’t really roam. He was heading back to Wal-Mart. (A decent walk for a three year old.) So, we roam around in Wal-Mart. I decide to get some new exercise shorts. I get up to self checkout, and am annoyed that at the sign “No Cash / No Cash Return”. We’ve been trying to limit our bank access by getting cash out every two weeks and using that for regular purchases. Well, they were only five bucks; so, I decide to just use my debit card and I’ll sort it out later. I pull out my twenties and pull the debit card out of the middle of them. I’m checking out and Jason hands me a twenty. “Oh, dude! Did I drop that?” “Yeah, daddy. You dropped it in there.” Well, he pointed to the cash return. “Uhm…” So, I count my bills and I still have all mine. He has just pulled a twenty out of the machine that has no cash, nor can it return cash. So, I tell the cashier, “I think my son just pulled a twenty out of that machine. Did someone just check out there?” “Sir, that machine doesn’t have cash in it.” “Uhm, okay. Still, he got the twenty while standing right there. So, even if it was on the ground, it might be the last person that checked out there.” I’ll spare you the agonizing details of trying to rationalize with this person. The long and the short of it is she said, “If you don’t want it; I’ll take it.” I then thought something unfit for the blog…funny…but unfit for the blog.

Point is; this kid has found more money in his life than I have.

-J

Cupcakes for EVERYONE!!! . . . to look at . . .

2009-02-14T19:01:00.002-06:00

Here are the cupcakes I made for Justin to take to work for Valentine's Day. Of course, you already know that story. . .

If its of interest to anyone, I recently updated the photo gallery of my cake website.

http://www.freewebs.com/clevercakes

You know what???

2009-02-14T13:10:00.001-06:00

I didn't get a cupcake either.

Oooooooooohhhhhhh...

2009-02-14T12:34:00.002-06:00

I gave Jason my old leather pouch to put his quarters in, for a trip to the store. (Take that; every English teacher I've ever had.) I then put my red plastic coin pouch up on the entertainment center.

Jason - "Daddy, do you have my ... Uh... Do you have ... Uhm ... Do you have that?"
Justin - "Yeah."
Jason - "I want to hold it."
Justin - "Oh, it won't work, dude. It's very small. You have so many quarters, they won't fit."
[Jason looked a little sad, but then his face brightened.]
Jason - "Ooooooohhhhh..."

Too many quarters...that was a problem he could deal with.

Butterfly Cup Cakes

2009-02-13T21:06:00.002-06:00

Bonny made some cool butterfly cupcakes. The first batch was 15, and I took them to work. When Zoë informed Jason, they woke up Bonny and told her all about the butterfly cupcakes and how daddy took them to work and they didn't get any.

Well, she worked on a second batch and they got some cupcakes.

Later, Jason was pretty sure he needed more cupcakes.

Jason - "I want cake."
Bonny - "I bet you do."
Jason - "I'm gonna go get it."
Bonny - "Hey."
[Jason still slowly walking away.]
Bonny - "Heeeeeeyyyy, get back here."

Comments...

2009-02-13T11:26:00.002-06:00

Bonny was working on the couch, drawing patterns. Zoë was confusing the couch for a trampoline. She told Zoë, with a raised tone, to get down. Zoë got down, but gave her a slanted look. Then she turned to Jason and said (for Bonny's benefit), "She yells at us a lot. She must not like us very much."

Cutting...

She didn't mean it, but rather was...I suppose doing the female version of bristling.

I seem to recall Jeremy and I having similar harshnesses which we thought were jokes...

It's interesting watching them grow up. I think Zoë and I are going to have a discussion this weekend.

Jason's challenges are easier to see. We just growl at each other. :p

-J

Jason, what do you want for breakfast...

2009-02-12T11:42:00.003-06:00

"Oaks, appes, eggs, cereal, gravy, bisticks."

Ah, you just want a snack then...

Yeah, I'm a thief...

2009-02-12T11:32:00.004-06:00

I saw that Stan had a twitter feed on his website. I tried to steal it, but it didn't work. I don't get to check Ken's website often, because it's blocked at work. Well, he has a twitter feed, and I was able to steal that. It's over there to the right. So, now if you're too lazy to go to blogspot and twitter, you can see the latest tweets to the right. I also put up a permalink to watchman digest above that.

I may tweak the font later, it's a bit big.

-J

Sympathy

2009-02-12T11:21:00.002-06:00

I don't know if it's for Bonny or dad, but Jason informed us today that he fell off of his bike and hurt his leg really bad.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Dumpster Divers

2009-02-11T11:22:00.002-06:00

Well, not really dumpsters.

I remember growing up in the country. When something was no longer of use, and it was too big to burn on the trash fire, you put it out in the yard. You were not offering it to the world, because, by the time you were willing to throw it out, it was of no use to anyone. Rather, you decorated your yard with furniture of yore.

In the city, however, they throw away perfectly good stuff all the time. When do they do it? The day after trash day. This allows a full week for everyone to peruse your oversized garbage and pick it clean. Unless it’s just rotted fence boards; normally, by next trash day, it’s all gone. People throw out TVs because a button’s missing. People throw out computer monitors just because they bought a new one. People throw out three perfectly good chairs because the fourth one is broken.

So, I went on a walk yesterday, with the kids. We were looking for lightening. There was plenty to see and they informed me that thunder was scary (but I think it was just a game). They actually seemed more scared of the wind. Looking for lightening…but we came back with a perfectly undamaged hamper and a barely scratched Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles katana. The batteries were dead, but I didn’t really care to have it making noise anyhow.

Jason, naturally, loves it.

-J

CRACK...it's a homerun...

2009-02-10T12:19:00.002-06:00

Oh, no wait...it's Zoë's head.

Jason had one of my old whittling sticks. He knows full well he's not allowed to hit anyone, much less anything, with it. Nevertheless, into the office comes Zoë, forehead bleeding. (Don't worry, it's not as bad as you're picturing.)

Bonny - "Zoë, what's wrong? Did you fall and hit your head?"
Zoë - "WHAAAAAA!!!"
Bonny - "Did you hit your head? Show me what you hit your head on?"
Zoë - "WHAAAAAA!!!"
[They head to the front room. Jason is there also crying (probably because he knew he was fixing to be in trouble).]
[Zoë goes over and points to the whittling stick. (just to give you and idea; about twenty inches long and one inch in diameter)]
Bonny - "JASON! Did you hit Zoë with that?"
Jason - "Whaaaaahuhu nooooohohoho."
Bonny - "Zoë, did he hit you with that?"
Zoë - "Whaaaaahaha yeeeeeeeshesheshes."
Bonny - "Jason, did you hit her?"
Jason - "Whaaaaahuhu yeeeeshesheshes."
Bonny - "Was it an accident?"
Jason - "Whaaaaahuhu yeeeeshesheshes."
Zoë - "Whaaaahaha purpuhuhuhuse."
Bonny - "Jason, did you do it on purpose?"
Jason - "Whaaaaahuhu yeeeeshesheshes. Zohohee hit me with a boohoohoohook."
Bonny - "Zoë, did you hit Jason with a book?"
Zoë - "Whaaaahaha, Jahason hihit my head."
Bonny - "Did you hit Jason with a book?"
Zoë - "Whaaaahaha, yeeeeeshesheshes."

So, the Donatello stick is in the garage, and they've both been talked to and otherwise punished. The story above may have sufferred in translation, but it is close. I think we may have to draft a helper or two to give Bonny some relaxation time, especially when the surgery comes around, but probably before hand too. I speak from experience; surgery when well rested is far happier than surgery when exhausted.

-J

A brief post about dad...

2009-02-09T16:22:00.002-06:00

For those that havn't heard; my dad was in a motorcycle accident. He has some broken bones. He's been through surgery and will now have more excitement at the airport metal detectors. He's doing as well as can be expected.

-J

Why aren't you posting?

2009-02-09T16:17:00.004-06:00

I'm tired and stressed and busy...I'm not writing letters either. I need to write the birthmothers letters. I need to write Grandma a letter. I need to do my taxes...pay my medical bills...sleep...

But more than all this!!!

I need to take some pictures. Jason's almost six feet tall now.

All though I did measure him when he was standing on the dining room table...

Hmm...

Well, anyhow. Maybe I'll get some pictures tonight. We're supposed to take the Christmas tree down...

Yes, I know it's February...I can't help it if you have no Christmas spirit...

I'm not even sure the camera has batteries. Perhaps I should give the birthmother's the url to the blog. Hmm...

Coffee break's over...

-J

Kids and mom gone...what to do now?

2009-01-25T22:34:00.001-06:00

Guess I have to catch up on my internet video...

Her whats?

2009-01-23T16:52:00.002-06:00

Bonny's Knee

2009-01-23T16:00:00.001-06:00

Torn anterior curciate ligament (ACL).
Torn medial menisucus.
Swelling in the bone marrow.

/shudder

68% of his life

2009-01-20T10:51:00.000-06:00

Think about that. Jason's been on prescription drugs for 68% of his life. But, as of this morning, he is completely off prescription medication.

WOO HOO ! ! !

Shortcircuit

2009-01-17T12:18:00.002-06:00

A small accident lead to an impromptu bath for Jason and I.

Jason - Ah, my hands are all pickly.
Justin - Your hands are pickly?
Jason - Noooooooooo.
Justin - Your hands are wrinkly?
Jason - Yes, wrenkaly.

Homeschooling dad style...

2009-01-09T14:51:00.001-06:00

I actually have been giving an inordinant amount of thought to the kids entering school. Nevermind they don't start until August of 2011.

-J

Innocence

2008-12-21T15:45:00.005-06:00

Zoë saw this picture, which was the shirt at woot, and said, "Pirates!!!"

"No baby, they're skeletons."

"Skealens."

"Yeah, skeletons."

"Oh, yes, skelkakens. Look! They're building a tree."

I didn't bother explaining that one.

-J

Is that a banger?

2008-12-21T15:45:00.003-06:00

Zoë - Is that a banger?
Justin - Yeah, it's a hammer. I bang nails with it.
Zoë - Oh, I don't want you to bang my nails.
Zoë begins carefully examining the area just past her cuticles.