The more things stay the same

Twenty years ago I can remember being at a Grateful Dead concert. I was young, had no responsibilities, was adequately altered and enjoying myself considerably. I remember watching the spinners while listening to Jerry and the boys work their musical magic. I thought, it doesn't get much better than this.

This past weekend I was at home with my kids. We had the tape (yes I still have tapes) of the concert playing. K and J and I were dancing in the living room together. K said " I am your princess daddy". I said " You sure are". She said " you can be my prince" as she grabbed my hands to dance.

Although I have considerably more responsibilities and worries now, I stood there watching them spin to the music for a moment. J loves spinning to music. I thought, Man, it doesn't get any better than this.

Busy Life

K went to grandma's house for the weekend. I always call to say goodnight when she is there. This particular time I happened to be at my friends house and their boy wanted to say hello to K on the phone. I told her that he wanted to talk and here is the response I got.
"Ok daddy, I can talk for just a few minutes. Then I have to finish my painting for the talent show. I can't talk ALL night."
she frequently puts on talent shows for the grandparents when she visits.

Anything Better?

Is there anything better than your kid saying....." Daddy.....I love you so much"

Two of my favorite J sayings.

"it's too Haavy Daddy" 'heavy'

" Not too Moch" 'much'

Mini Vacation

N and I took the kids to Holiday World this week while I was home on vacation. We had a really good time. Very family oriented placed. Clean too.

The first day we spent at the water park. K was so brave. She went with me on the big water slide. The second day we spent on the rides. J went on his very first ride. He is such a big boy. K didn't ride any rides until she was 2 but J didn't bat an eye at his first ride. Of course, he had his big sis there for comfort and safety.

It is so great to see them together. They love each other so much. Very sweet.

Good Mini Family Vacation together. I love you all very much.

All The World's A Stage

My wife was out of town last week. I had to take K and J to pick out eyeglasses for K. I knew it would be challenging since all the glasses are on racks from floor to ceiling. I had to be on my toes to make sure J wasn't destroying the place while paying close attention to my instructions regarding what was an OK style for K. Well, at our third stop all our nerves were getting frazzled. Especially mine. The Technician was very understanding and helpful. She put K at a small table with several pairs of glasses to try. there was a round mirror at the table. K put on the first pair. She took one look at herself in the mirror and immediately broke out in song. she treated the half dozen patrons and staff to a complete rendition of Animal Crackers In My Soup. Everyone just sort of stopped for a minute and listened and watched. The accolades she received for her performance spurred her into a sweet version of He's Got the Whole World in His Hands. I had to interrupt so we could look at more glasses. If she doesn't become an actress when she grows up then I will be completely shocked. Jack was quite good despite all the temptations and was content doing laps around the office. It was a fun experience despite my anxiety about having to do this task with both kids in tow. I was very happy when N returned. Single parenting is hard.

J's words are coming along nicely. We opened a book tonight to read and he immediately pointed to an animal on the page and said moooose. It was, amazingly, a moose. How did he know that? N and I have caught him on a couple of occasions counting. I guess that will make two kids who are smarter than me pretty soon. We have been working on manners. Trying to teach him to say please and thank you. Stuff like that. He says please in the sweetest way. You can't deny him after hearing it. I am such a sucker. Unfortunately, he gets the most practice saying sorry to his sister. He is definitely all boy. Fearless and very Physical.

I sometimes say "Hello Bayba" in a deep voice to him and K. He has started saying "Hi Bay Bee" back to me. Very cute.

We had a nice, wet, party on the fourth with lots of good friends over. I think everyone had fun in spite of the rain. I know I did. K calls it the July birthday. Happy Independence day everyone.

K asked me today if I would do her a favorite. Just thought that was funny. One, that she would ask me for a favor, and two, that she would call it a favorite.

Three or Thirteen

Is my daughter really only three?
We went to the optometrist for an eye check up. While we were waiting for the doctor to come back in she informed us that we needed a check up and that she was the doctor. My wife went first. She received a thorough exam complete with pictures of her insides. K has never even gotten an X-ray before!?
After completing our exams we were looking at pictures on the wall and found some dolphins. K said "Dolphins aren't fish Dad, they're mammals". That's right, my Three year old said that. I looked at N and she looked back at me as stunned as I was.
I guess I better go study now, so I can stay ahead.
Proud father.

Sweet Voices

Sometimes, I close my eyes and just listen to your sweet laughter and voices as you play in another room. I know it won't last forever, so I try to savor it as I listen in. I know you will grow and the sounds will change. I wish I could have a recording to play when you are grown. I suppose I do in the video that we have taken along the way. I love you two so much! Sometimes I can't even believe how much.

Sweet Moments

A stranger's smile when he sees you walking next to your son, who's little legs are flying to keep up with his body as he leans into his walk. Makes you step out of your reality and realize he won't always be this little and curious, walking aimlessly checking out every irregularity in the sidewalk while you wait for your daughter to finish dance class.

A very sweet girl slipping into your room and up to your bed saying "Daddy........the clouds are awake" at the first sign of the morning light.

Lying in your daughters bed reading goodnight books and she says " Are you Kidding Me?"

Telling your little one "We'll see" at their request for treats right after breakfast only to have them say "What do we have to see daddy?"

A Childs View

Daddy got a new camera, so K just had to create with the old one. I gave her free rein for an afternoon with just a few pointers to get her started. At one point she said "I got you right in the knee, daddy". I love the finger over the lens too.

Snow Day

We got just under 13 inches of snow last night. That pretty much shut down our town for the day. Even the University closed today for the first time in 30 years. We couldn't get out of the neighborhood most of the day due to a pretty steep hill that was covered in snow. They didn't come to plow until the afternoon because they were focusing on the main roads. Needless to say I was forced to take the day off work. It was the nicest day. Yeah, I shoveled snow for about three hours but it was still great to hang out with my family all day with nothing to do. We built a nice fire in the fireplace and just enjoyed being at home with no agenda.
K and J and I got all our gear on to go out and play in the snow. Turns out J doesn't really like being bundled up to the point where he looks like the kid in Christmas Story who can't put his arms down due to the amount of clothing he has on. So he didn't last too long. just a quick ride on the sled. Then he went back in to hang with Mom. K and I played for a long time. We cruised on the sled, ate snow, made snow angels, had a snowball fight, made tracks in the snow and generally had a nice time. At one point I was lying in the snow looking up at the sky with K. She was eating some snow and shared with me. Then she got a mischievous look in her eye, picked up some snow and rubbed it on my nose. We both laughed for a moment. When I got it wiped off we made up by rubbing noses together. We played some more, knocking each other down and generally having fun. She is a remarkable person. We even helped a neighbor round up their dog who was loose. When we got in Mom had some hot chocolate and had lunch ready for us.
I learned today that the thing in the kitchen that keeps our food cold is called a fridgeelator. I also learned that K--- spells Me. :)
We started to learn how to count in French. She has a tremendous capacity for learning and picked it up pretty quick.
At dinner J made me laugh so hard I nearly fell out of the chair. He was trying to say milk and kind of got stuck on mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. All the while looking at N with the cutest look. He was trying so hard and it tickled me. Then as we were all laughing he was looking at N with the cutest little smile. All of sudden he shifted his eyes to me without turning his head and we all cracked up even more. It was just one of those moments you don't want to forget but that is very hard to describe. It was more theatrical than anything and that made it so funny. It was almost as if he was performing for us.
Just a good day overall.

2 Things 2 Remember

The funniest thing happened this weekend. N has been trying to get all the requirements necessary to the state so that she can take her license exam. This has been a very difficult and frustrating thing that has taken over six months to accomplish and who knows how many hours. She got the letter in the mail on Saturday saying that she finally had gotten them all they need to approve her for taking the test.
We were standing in the kitchen while she read the letter and announced that she was finally approved to take her test with much relief and excitement in her voice. K and J were in the living room playing. I was telling her how great that was. Then I said " Good Job Babe!" as I patted/smacked her on the rear. I didn't realize that K was entering the kitchen to see just what all the excitement was about. She then proceeded to walk up to N and said "Good Job Babe!" as she smacked my wife on the rear.
I was laughing so hard that I had to leave the room. All N could do was laugh too, as did K. What a little sponge. She is too quick for her dad, that's for sure.

I love it when we read books before bed. It is such a wonderful time to cuddle and connect and read together. Sometimes if I turn the page to quickly K will say "no, no, no, I want to think about it for a minute" as she reaches up to turn back the page.
I think that is so incredibly cute. I am amazed at how articulate she is sometimes.