My Kids – Posers?

One of the things I love about Facebook is the ability to meet others who share the same interests as me. I belong to many different “fan” groups and have connected with some very cool people through those groups.

Some time ago, I saw a painting of Moe Howard that I thought was very well done. I’m not sure exactly where I had seen it, though it may have been in Moe’s book. At any rate, through one of the Three Stooges groups, I found that the artist was a member. Her name is Belita William and she painted the amazing portrait when she was in her teens!

She and Moe became friends and they were in contact with each other until he passed away. Moe liked her work so much, he had her paint him a portrait of President Kennedy.

I was surprised to find out that she had also painted a portrait for Larry Fine, as well. This is another picture I had seen somewhere prior to learning she painted it.

Belita is very talented and I am in awe of her talent. She has painted portraits of her children, church members, and many others. Here are just a few examples of her fantastic work.

To make a long story short, Belita and I became Facebook friends shortly after connecting through the Stooges group. She has often commented on photos of Ella, Andrew, and my kids. I was truly surprised when she reached out to me privately recently.

“Hi Keith. Your kids are gorgeous. Maybe you might consider portraits.”

I won’t lie, it is certainly something I would love to do. She talked about pricing and such and it is something that I definitely want to save up to do. It may take a while (thank you highest inflation rate since 1981!), but I really think this would be an amazing and one of a kind way to capture the kids. I am sure that she would do a wonderful job.

When Ella was first born, one of my co-workers said we should enter her in a “Cutest Baby Contest.” Others have said the same about Andrew. As a parent, you are biased. I mean, you KNOW how cute your kids are, right!? Sure they are “model” material! Sure they would be perfect for a portrait! Absolutely they could be in a magazine ad! You always think that, but when someone reaches out to you and actually asks to paint them (as Belita has done) or asks to use them in promotional material (like Andrew was by the place where he got his helmet), it makes you feel pretty darn good!

Thank heavens they got their good looks from their mommy! LOL

Toddler Words

Many years ago, Art Linkletter hosted a show called “Kids Say The Darndest Things.” The show was later revamped and was hosted by Bill Cosby. Why was the show a hit? Because it is so true – kids say some of the funniest things!!

I remember a few things my older boys used to say that still crack me up. They used to call the vacuum cleaner a “Latchoom” and Ice Cream was “High Creem.” To this day, whenever we get pizza, I will say “Pee-cah.” Whenever the Little Caesar’s commercial would come on and say “Pizza! Pizza!” my sons would say “Pee-Cah! Pee-Cah!”

When Ella got up one day this week, Sam asked her what she wanted for breakfast. “Bah-Mam-Mah!” was her response. She has been calling bananas “Bah-Mam-Mahs” for a few weeks now. We began to chuckle and Sam made the comment, “Baby, I hope you always call them “Bah-Mam-Mahs!”

She then commented to me that she also hopes that she will continue to call shakes “Ice Cream Pop!”

That phrase started when she snagged my Boston Cooler a week ago. She has fallen in love with shakes and “Ice Cream Pop” has become a standard answer to the question, “What would you like to drink your breakfast (or lunch or dinner)?”

Those along with “Kee Kat” (for kitty cat), “Bahguppie” (for Bubble Guppies), “Cah-chee” (for Cottage Cheese. This was actually worse at one time.), and “Tab-Oh-Let” (for tablet) are words I hope she always says!! They make me smile!!

What are some mispronounced words you remember your kids saying??

Nice Day For A Birthday and a Half

Monday is usually my day for getting stuff done. I do laundry. I fold laundry. I load the dishwasher and run it. I pick up the living room and vacuum. I clean up the kitchen and clear the counters. None of that got done today.

My day started with getting Andrew out of bed, fixing him a bottle, and putting his helmet on. Ella was up shortly after and mom brought her home pancakes from McDonald’s for breakfast.

It is Andrew’s 1/2 birthday (he is six months old today). We measured him, weighed him, and put him in his special onesie and took our Milestone pictures. We decided to take his pictures in his helmet so we’d remember it.

Today, my oldest son turns 20. He spent the day with his friends bowling and then playing games at his house. He is usually a late sleeper, so I waited until about 11 to call him. I used video chat and when he answered he had his mask on and was obviously in class at college! I felt bad that I interrupted and told him I would call him later!

The temperature outside was about 60, so I decided to take the kids on our first walk through the neighborhood. It’s a bit different with the double stroller, but it was just perfect. We got to see neighbors outside with their kids, raking up leftover fall leaves, and just relaxing on their porches.

It felt good to walk. I know that walking really helped me drop some weight last year, and I hope it will again this year. I just hope Ella will allow me to push her in the stroller. She loves being able to just walk.

Andrew seemed to really enjoy being outside. I bundled him up in a sweatshirt and covered him in a blanket and he cooed through most of the walk. He started to doze at one point, but he made it through the walk taking in all the sites.

When we were walking up the driveway, my oldest called me back on the video chat. He was excited to be out of class and was going to check out the video game store. He got to see his brother and sister and couldn’t believe when Ella said, “Happy birthday, brother.”

After lunch, the kiddos napped – Ella in her crib and Andrew in my arms. Tonight is the first night he has to sleep with his helmet, so I’m anticipating a rough night. He has been doing well with it, so I hope I am wrong.

My favorite moment of the day was captured by the camera. Ella wanted to get her picture taken, too, when we were getting Andrew’s taken. So we put her in the crib next to him and I caught this magical moment….

Precious!

Should I Be Proud or Just Chuckle?

This is one of those quickie blogs I wanted to share so I would always remember it. While at work one night last week, I received the following text message from Sam:

It’s silly little things like this that I will forever look back on and laugh out loud!

Oh well, I picked up a new coloring book for her ….

Another Weekend Wrap Up

On Friday, my son told me that he wasn’t coming over for the weekend. Sam and I decided that we’d take Ella somewhere to burn off some energy (Andrew came along for the ride). When I got home from work Saturday morning, I stayed up and we all went to the Mid-Michigan Children’s Museum in Saginaw.

I’d never been there before, but I was impressed with it. There was plenty of stuff for Ella to do. We thought she would spend more time at the “water area,” but she was only there for a short time. She was running from station to station and I probably lost a few pounds chasing her around.

We got there right when it opened, so there wasn’t a lot of people there. The longer we were there, the more crowded it got. Both Sam and I felt our anxiety levels rising, so we wrapped things up with a trip to the gift shop. Ella found a stuffed kitty cat that she hasn’t really let go of since our trip.

On our way home, we stopped at Halo Burger. Halo Burger is a Flint area restaurant that is known for their Olive Burgers. They are SO good!! They are also known for serving Boston Coolers (It’s like a shake with Vernor’s ginger ale and vanilla ice cream). We don’t go there often, but when I do, I always get a Boston Cooler. I brought it home and Sam had Ella try it. She called it “Ice Cream Pop.” Needless to say, she finished it off for me.

Later than night, we took the kids to see Sam’s grandma. She loves her great grandbabies. She is in her 90’s and sharp as a tack! I am so glad that the kids have had the opportunity to know her and love her.

Andrew has been scooting all over the floor now. I’m sure he is trying to keep up with his sister. I know that it won’t be long before his is crawling and walking all over the place. This week, he actually got himself sitting up. It’s not consistent yet, but he seems pretty dang happy when he is sitting up and able to look around.

He was recently evaluated by the doctor and he will need a helmet. We’re hoping that he will only have to wear it for a couple months. The helmet will basically help to make sure his head is shaped properly. We’re hoping that the helmet won’t slow down his progress by weighing him down. He should be getting it this week.

He is such a happy baby. He always seems to be wearing a smile. Sam has been playing a game with the kids where she makes Andrew “get” Ella. They both laugh out loud and I love watching them!

I just love the outfit Andrew has on …

All of my kids are pretty awesome, there is no doubt about that.

A friend of mine posted something on Facebook that was 100% true and really struck a chord with me this week. It said:

Your first kid teaches you how long the days are. Your last kid teaches you how short the years are.

Powerful stuff! That’s why I try to take advantage of all the time I can with them.

Weekend Wrap Up

What a crazy weekend! As much as I hate not getting a lot of sleep, I have to admit that some of the funniest stories I write about are due to lack of sleep. Take Saturday for example:

We needed groceries and a few things, so Sam went to the store. On her way home, she texted me, “On my way. I have Easter things. Like bubbles and chocolate, so watch it unloading.” So when she got home, I go out to start unloading the van. She sent Ella outside because she has been cooped up inside. The first thing she sees is two books that Sam bought. She looks up and me as says, “Go inside and read books?”

So she walks in with the books. Sam looks at me like, “what the hell?” I told her she spotted them and wanted to come inside and read them. Sam told me that she was going to put them in her Easter basket. I had no idea.

A few days ago, Sam mentioned getting some rain boots for Ella so she could splash around outside. There was a pair in the back of the van and when I walked in I said, “Looks like mommy bought some rain boots” as I held them up. Sam shoots me another look and says, “Those were for Easter, too!” “Easter things” to me are chocolate, candies, etc… I had no idea the boots or books were Easter things.

Needless to say, she has worn her rain boots almost every day since!

The day became even more uncomfortable when I had to have a talk with my middle son. It was one of those “Dad/Teen” talks that made us both squirm as we talked. I remember my dad and I having a similar talk when I was about his age. It had to happen, I just wish I had been a little more prepared for it.

Andrew had his first taste of real food this weekend. Carrots to start. I was really surprised at how well he did. With each day, he gets better and better at eating. I loved seeing the “this stuff is so much better than the stuff in the bottle you keep giving me” smile!

Even though it hasn’t been that long since Ella was in the high chair, I had already forgotten just how messy feeding the baby can be!

At one point this weekend, Sam just happened to have both kids on her lap. I snapped this one and I just love it.

Monday morning, Ella walks over to me as I am sitting in the living room. “Daddy needs socks,” she says. Then she proceeds to put one of AJ’s socks on my foot and walks away. “You did it, Daddy!” I couldn’t help but laugh out loud at how it looked!

Andrew has been getting up earlier than Ella the past week or so. Him and I were already out in the living room playing on the floor when I saw that she was awake in the monitor. So I went to go get her. As I brought her out to the living room and she says, “Play with Bubby (that’s what she calls him)?” So I put her down and she went over to his toy box and dumped it out. She sat down and started playing with him. It was truly a heartwarming moment!

Looking ahead

You may recall a while back that my buddy, Max, wrote a couple “guest” blogs for me. His topic was the Beatles. I have said to him numerous times that I want to write a Beatles-themed blog, but just haven’t had the chance to really think about what to write. There are so many things I could do.

Well, Max and I are taking part in some musically themed blogs with our friend Dave. He will offer a topic and we (and a few other bloggers) will be writing on those things. For the first topic – he chose the Beatles. He has a specific angle he is shooting for, but he is also giving us a bit of freedom within that theme. So I am sitting her scratching my head on just how to tackle it. That should be posting within the next week, so hopefully I have something ready by then….

Thanks for reading!

The Shenanigans Are Over

For the first time in 2 years, the Chicago River was dyed green yesterday.

The St. Patrick’s Day tradition had been put on hiatus because of the Covid-19 Pandemic. The dye will stay in the water for about 48 hours and then it will change back to normal.

I posted my usual stupid St. Patrick’s Day Puns on social Media:

I also posted my yearly reminder that while “every one is Irish” on March 17th, St. Patrick wasn’t!

As I scrolled Facebook yesterday, it was full of plenty of people decked out in their best green outfits. Many people indulged on green beer, corned beef and cabbage, potatoes, and Irish stews in bars and restaurants beginning early in the morning.

I scrolled upon a post by a pastor friend of mine, and I felt that it was certainly worth sharing:

“Saint Patrick was a passionate evangelist who believed in the potential of young people to change the world. Instead of drinking green beer in his honor why not share the gospel with a young person today? He’d be way happier with that “

I think he would! I found a great quote from St. Patrick:

I didn’t partake in any green spirits yesterday. I didn’t even wear any green!

They always talk about the “Luck of the Irish.” Well, I am not Irish, but I consider myself one lucky man. I am married to the most beautiful woman on the planet and we will celebrate our 4th wedding anniversary on Saturday.

I have been blessed with four amazing kids. My two oldest boys from my previous marriage and my daughter and baby boy with my wife. Who says you have to be Irish to be lucky?

Yes, I am one lucky Italian!

Oh, yeah, I guess I did partake in some St. Patrick’s Day shenanigans at work …

We do sleep studies on a lot of pediatric patients. This week, one kid drew pictures for us and we put them up on the board in the tech room. Another kid made a thank you card for us. I grabbed a piece of paper and some crayons and I drew a picture of one of my coworkers and said, “You had a kid in the room I was in last night, right?” I told her I “found” a picture that her patient must have drawn of her and that it looked just like her!

I’m sorry, every time I look at this, the lips make me think of the Joker from Batman!

I understand this is probably only funny to me … so I apologize. I hope you had a nice St. Patrick’s Day ….

It’s Just Around The Corner

I enjoy stupid puns. Every time someone says that spring is just around the corner, I think of the above picture!

Despite having a big snow a few days ago, the temperatures are rising and the snow has pretty much melted away. We actually got over 60 degrees today! When I left to go to work, I was pleasantly surprised at the temperature:

What a wonderful day to get out and enjoy! Of course, I had to sleep through most of it. It was nice to walk out of the bedroom to fresh air. Sam had the windows open in the house and there was a nice breeze in the living room.

On my way into work, it was very obvious to me that people were loving being outside! Just some of the things I witnessed as I drove in:

The park was crowded with parents and children.
Many people were walking their dogs.
Pairs of mom’s pushing kids in strollers and chatting with each other.
Two people playing catch at the park.
Extra long lines at the ice cream stand down the road.
Countless people walking without jackets.
Plenty of cars driving with Windows down.
People reading books while sitting on their front porch.

Earlier today, while I slept, Sam actually was able to get out the double stroller and she took her first run of the season. Ella already loves talking walks, but this was Andrew’s first jog through the neighborhood. Ella told me when I got up that she got to see her “puppy friend” (an old bassett hound we see on our walks).

I know I am excited for warmer weather! I love my walks with Ella and I’m sure Andrew will enjoy them, too!

I also know that I may be rushing things a bit. If I “uncrop” the temperature picture a little, and you take a good look at it, you will see that Old Man Winter isn’t quite done with us …

I guess I just need to keep thinking positive and thinking spring!

A Princess and a Little Prince

Princess

I will often talk about things that come up on my Facebook Memories page. Today, the following photo came up of Ella from one year ago:

The caption on Facebook reads: Ella wearing my new favorite outfit – Daddy’s Little Princess

This reminded me of a story from this week. Ella has a crown that reads “Big Sister” she got before AJ was born. She put it on and was walking around the house saying she was “Princess Ella.” She gave the crown to Sam. I said “It’s queen mommy,” and she said she was “Queen Ella.” It is amazing to see how her imagination is blossoming.

When she wears her tutu, she’s a pretty ballerina. When she wears her nurse PJ’s (or her stethoscope) she’s Doctor Ella. She gets more and more creative as she sits and plays. I can’t get enough of watching her.

Little Prince

Yesterday, we celebrated AJ’s 5 month birthday. It’s crazy that so much time has already gone by. He is already in 6-9 month clothes! He is a big boy! Sam got him an outfit for Easter, but the way he is growing, he may outgrow it before then! Tonight, Sam sent a picture of his toe popping through the foot of his pajamas! He may just be my football player!

He is such a mellow little guy. He smiles a lot. He only really fusses when he is hungry or when he doesn’t want to go to sleep. Nothing warms my heart more that to see him light up when I walk into the room. Whether I am walking in from work or walking into the living room after waking up, I can count on a big smile from him and Ella yelling, “Daddy” and giving me a hug.

With each Ella story I tell, I know there will be AJ stories that are similar. I can’t wait for those. I am looking forward to seeing them grow and bond together. I have a feeling they are going to be pretty good friends. I love them both so much!

“Old McDonald’s”

Our baby girl can really make us laugh. For dinner tonight, the plan was to make chicken nuggets and French fries in the oven. I was in the front room and I hear the following conversation between Ella and Sam:

Sam: We’re going to have chicken nuggets for dinner, tonight.

Ella: Old MacDonald’s?

(Ella will often sing Old MacDonald Had a Farm for no reason at all. So we weren’t exactly sure what she meant … until …..)

Sam: Chicken nuggets, baby.

Ella: Chicken nuggets.. Old MacDonalds!

Sam: You want chicken nuggets from Old MacDonald’s?

Ella: Yes! Old MacDonald’s nuggets ana (and a) French fries ana apple juice ana happy meal ana toy. Old MacDonald’s!

Sam: (Laughing) You want a Happy Meal, baby?

Ella: (Repeats everything that she just said)

I start to walk into the kitchen and Sam says, “Did you hear that?!”

I told her, “There is no doubt about what she wants for dinner tonight!”

Ella: (Repeats everything again)

Sam: I guess we’re going to McDonald’s.

Me: I guess so!