This past Sunday was interesting. My wife had to work that night so she was asleep. The kids were playing in the living room, so I decided it was a good time to shower. I told the kids I would be jumping in the shower and I’d be out as quick as I can.
Now, when I’m the only adult awake, my showers are super fast. I’m in and out in 5 minutes because you never know what toddlers can accomplish in a short amount of time. Well, I found out the hard way.
I got out of the shower and was drying off when my daughter came in and said, “Daddy, Andrew is trying to give chocolate milk to my baby doll and she doesn’t want it.” So I wrap myself in a towel and go to the front room. There I see Andrew with a huge grin on his face. I look down to see an empty gallon of chocolate milk next to a HUGE puddle of chocolate milk.
His spill was much bigger than the spill above. I freak out and grab the towel from around me and throw it down on the milk. It wasn’t enough, so I had to run and get another one. I am now on all fours wiping up this chocolate milk. I asked him why he poured it on the floor, which led to him crying.
His crying is not really crying as much as screaming. I told him he needed to stop crying before he woke up his mom. This led to more screaming and crying. So I’m wiping up this milk and my wife finally comes out. “What is the world is going on?!” I turn to her and say, “Andrew dumped an entire gallon of chocolate milk everywhere.”
She then says, “How in the world did the milk get on the ceiling?!” I looked up and couldn’t even believe that it was all over it! I asked how that happened. Ella said that they were using a toy syringe from their doctor kit to suck the milk up into it. Once it was in the syringe, Andrew was shooting it onto the ceiling.
I’m sure it was a sight watching me in nothing but underwear on a step ladder wiping milk of the ceiling. I guess I need to take shorter showers!
I feel like it’s been forever since I posted a personal update. My wife’s surgery, her recovery, the daily features, and this week’s Share Your Nostalgia, I’ve been a bit busy. So let me bring you up to date.
My wife is recovering nicely. She will be heading in for another post op check up next week. Her hope is that they clear her to go back to work. She had made it no secret that she is bored and hates laying around. She’s already been her stubborn self and doing things that the doctor told her not to do. That’s how I know she is ready to go back!
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Our photographer, Beth, at Enjoy The View hosted a Spring Mini session recently. We love taking our kids here. The session is 15 minutes long, which is about how long they will behave. Beth had a dog that the kids loved named Roxie. They asked her where Roxie was when they walked in. Beth whispered to us that Roxie had passed away a few days before. Ella heard her and after the session, she told us she had to get a card for “Miss Beth” because “she has to be really sad.”
When the session started, they were ok. However 5 minutes in, they started to get crazy. They were moving SO much. I cannot even believe the great shots she got of them. Sam and I looked at each other when we saw the photos and asked, “Were we at the same session? I could swear they never stood still!”
Here is one of my favorites:
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My brother came up for a visit over the weekend. The kids have been cooped up and wanted to get out of the house. We decided to take them to the Sloan Museum, which has a lot of fun for kids. They have this huge water area for them to play.
They also have a cool treehouse that they can climb in.
When we pulled in, we could see just how busy they were, but we ventured in anyway. It was packed. We had the two kids and four adults and it was a challenge for us to keep them in our sight. They love playing with the other kids, but for us, it was wall to wall people and I was afraid we’d lose sight of them. In the end, they had fun and I was glad to be out of there!
We all went to dinner afterward at our favorite steakhouse – Lucky’s. My brother had never been there before, and we have never taken the kids there. Andrew was a hoot.
They brought out a salad and he was eating it when he found a leaf of spinach. “What?! A leaf?!? Who puts leaves in a salad?!”
There was a bottle of wine on the table and they asked if they could have some. We said that it was not for kids and it was alcohol. Andrew says, “Alcohol?!? People die from that on Dr. G!”
(Dr. G Medical Examiner is a show that follows this doctor doing Autopsies!)
Despite the 30 minute wait, the food was excellent. My brother and his partner decided they would go back to the hotel because it was close to bedtime. Sam and I walked in the door and we were ready for bed.
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My brother has read just about everything on Anne Frank. Sam knows that I read a lot of World War II books. She had asked if we’d ever been to the Holocaust museum here in Michigan. I had no idea that there was one. We looked and they were open on Sunday, so we met there about 1pm. We took the kids to Nana’s.
When we walked in, the first thing I saw was a train car. As many know, German soldiers loaded many Jewish people on these cars and took them to the gas chambers. I had read about these cars, which many books describe in detail. I felt it was smaller than I pictured.
This museum not only looks at the events of WWII and the Holocaust, but it takes it a step further and features the stories of survivors who moved to the US and to Michigan. I was disappointed when we found out that one of those survivors was there doing a talk an hour before we arrived. Her name was Irene Miller.
She has written a book about her experience and they had copies in the museum shop. My brother and I both bought copies. When I got home, I noticed she had autographed them. I cannot wait to read this.
It took us about 90 minutes to go through, but I can see where it might take longer. There are many of those codes you can scan with your phone and it takes you to videos with more information. As you get to the end of your trip, there is a hallway with Michigan survivors.
It truly was a very moving experience. I am so glad that we all decided to go. I hope to go back again soon and revisit some of the things we didn’t do.
One of the most sobering facts was that there were over 6 million Jews died during the Holocaust. A quote on the museum website from a Midland High School student makes a good point:
“The Zekelman Holocaust Center shows how much of an impact the Holocaust had on the world. Looking at the number six million in history class doesn’t show much, but seeing the impact here does.”
On the outside of the building are six peaks. They represent those 6 million lives.
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My brother’s visits are never long enough, but I am always glad to see him. We’re hoping to make the trip down to see him over the summer, if possible.
I want to take a moment and say thank you to those who have emailed or commented asking about my wife. She is recovering nicely and has her two week follow up this week.
I returned to work on Thursday. I was supposed to be off Thursday and Friday, but my wife decided I was driving her crazy being home and sent me back early. While I really wasn’t ready to go back, it did allow me to put back some hours in my PTO bank.
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Saturday, my wife said she was going crazy being in the house. She asked to go to Target to walk and shop. We packed every one in the car and spent a good hour walking through the store. As we walked, my kids were literally tossing item after item into the shopping cart! We told them that they could each get one thing. Apparently, they heard one “PILE” of things.
When we got home, my wife went into our room and laid back in bed. It was a lot for her to be out and on her feet that long. I suppose that is why I was surprised when Sunday she asked to go to the Barnes and Noble. I asked if she was sure she wanted to do that. Her answer was a resounding YES.
Again, we packed up the kids and headed to the book store. The kids each got to pick a book and Sam found the one she was looking for as well as another that was recommended to her. There has been a book that I have been waiting to hit the Libby/Hoopla apps, but it hasn’t. So I decided to treat myself to it. I just hope it is as good as all the reviews I read about it.
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We had some nice weather this week, which was great for the kids. They couldn’t wait to get out on their scooters and ride them up and down the sidewalk. They are already asking for their bikes, which are all the way at the back of the garage. At some point, I need to start bringing out the spring/summer stuff so I can get them out.
It will be the annual “Seasonal Shuffle.” The Christmas stuff, which is currently in the front of the garage, along with the snow blower, will have to come out. Then the Barbecue, and other spring lawn furniture will come out. Then the riding lawnmower and lawn tools will come out. That will get me to the bikes and motorized car the kids have.
Once it is all out, I shuffle the winter stuff to the back of the garage. I’ll put the Christmas stuff up in the loft. Finally, I will bring the spring/summer lawn stuff back to the garage so that it is in the front and I can access all of it. It will stay that way until it’s time to shuffle again in the fall. Fun stuff!!
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Ella has been working on her reading. Her teacher says she is really excelling. Other kids in her class are working on sounding out words, too, but Ella is reading.
Tuesday, the teacher sent a book home for her to practice. Yesterday she got to read it to the class. She did it without help! The teacher said her classmates watched her and listened in awe.
We are so proud of her!!
The worry now is that she will be so far ahead in kindergarten that she’ll get bored. I hope that isn’t the case.
Wednesday night into Thursday, we got hit with some decent snow. Travel was treacherous and they were telling folks to stay home. Naturally, people with a sleep study scheduled, still showed up! Urgh!
I loved playing in the snow as a kid. We made snow forts and such and would be frostbitten when it was time to come inside.
I have yet to make a good snow fort with my kids. That’s not to say that we didn’t have some fun in the snow, because we did. We did a lot of sledding and just snow silliness.
This was one of my favorite pictures. My two older boys and I sledding down the street from our first house. The hill wasn’t too big, but it was fun for them.
They really loved just playing in the snow. Just like my two younger kids.
I have always loved the look on Ella’s face in this one. All I was doing was pulling her around the yard. She loved it.
Andrew is all about going outside no matter what the weather! He’s a snowballer. He loves to throw snow balls.
I’m sure I have plenty of other snowy shots, but for now, these warm my heart on a cold Michigan day.
Welcome back to The Music of My Life, where I feature ten songs from each year of my life. In most cases, the ten songs I choose will be ones I like personally (unless I explain otherwise). The songs will be selected from Billboard’s Year-end Hot 100 Chart, Acclaimed Music, and will all be released in the featured year
In 2008, I turned 38. I was now a father of two boys, one with special needs. I was working in country radio at the time. Still grieving my mom’s passing, my emotions were heightened. Happiness was extra happy, sadness was extra sad, if that makes sense. So let’s get into 2008 and feel all the emotions…..
The first tune was released in January of 2008 and it struck me like a brick to the head. It was a song that really made me stop to realize how I had to take in all the little moments that were going on with my boys, even when I was too upset to do so.
I’ve written about this song before on here. It meant a lot then, and even more now. You’re Gonna Miss This by Trace Adkins blew me away the first time I heard it. It is all about how the things that aggravate you now, are the same things that you will miss in the years to come.
The song written by Ashley Gorley and Lee Thomas Miller. When they first worked on the song, they were so busy writing it and getting it recorded that they didn’t get into the emotion of it. It was only when Adkins recorded it that the duo realized its depth. If you have children, young or old, it hits home.
You’re Gonna Miss This
Natasha Bedingfield’s Pocketful of Sunshine is a song that kind of jumped out of the radio at me. It was one of seven songs that were recorded for her Unwritten album that were included to be “radio friendly” to American audiences. It was a good choice, as it was a Top 5 record for her.
Outside of the rhythm of the song, and the cadence of the vocal, the only other reason I can think of for liking the song is the chorus. The idea of having a bit of sunshine in your pocket, that struck me. On crappy days, you always carry sunshine with you to help you get through. I guess I needed to think about life that way. I had a lot of good going on in my life, and I needed to start focusing on that.
Pocketful of Sunshine
Brad Paisley is not only a fantastic guitar player, he is an amazing songwriter! He can write some of the most beautiful love songs and at the same time a “raise your beer at the bar and get drunk” song. The ones I really like are those where he finds those male vs female angles. That’s the next song, I’m Still A Guy.
The lyrics of this one are just great. Male perspective vs female perspective come verse after verse. “When you see a deer, you see Bambi, and I see antlers up on the wall” is just one example of the fantastic writing of Paisley.
From songfacts.com:
Brad Paisley explained to Great American Country: “I just wanted to capture this struggle a little bit between men and women in a playful way, which is ‘Why don’t you get a little cosmopolitan here and feminize up for me just a bit?’ [laughs] We’re fighting that every step of the way, some of us guys, and ironically in talking to the radio guys, they say the majority of the calls for it come from women, and I think the same thing happened with ‘I’m Gonna Miss Her.’ These women want their men to hear it, and by golly, that is the best way to get a man to hear something is to play it for their significant other. They’re gonna be forced to listen to it. It’s got that nudge-your-partner-with-your-elbow factor to it.”
I’m Still a Guy
“Kid Rock on a country station?!”
Those were the words of more than one country program director when All Summer Long came out. It was one of those songs that hit the Top 40 Chart for both Modern Rock and Country! Because Kid is from Michigan, it made sense for us to play it, but the rest of the country?
Kid Rock explained to MTV News why the song was so big:
“I knew the track was solid – it’s got two of the best songs of all time mashed up together [‘Sweet Home Alabama’ and ‘Werewolves of London’], it’s got great melodies, so really, my work was done. I knew people would hear it and know I wrote it. They’d know it was real, and there’d be that connection. And that’s what’s missing in music today. I think people don’t believe half the s–t they hear some rapper or some pop girl singing about… but with me, they do. And that’s why people have reacted the way they have to the song.”
All Summer Long
The next song is on my list for a weird reason. I can nail the drum line!
Pink told the story of this song: “‘So What’ was a joke. I heard this beat from Max Martin. It’s such a fun beat, so fun. And I was actually kidding when I said, ‘I guess I just lost my husband, I don’t know where he went.’ Ha ha, that’s really funny. Let’s keep it and it just kind of went from there. And it just got more and more wrong. The more lines we wrote, the wronger it was. And we kept it because I don’t really care. I don’t think about the consequences when I write songs and now I am regretting every second of it. No, I’m not.”
At one of our family Christmas parties, one of the brothers-in-law had brought over their Playstation or X-Box with Rock Band on it. He had the guitars, the drum kit and whatever else they needed for the game. So What was a cut on there. I had never even heard the song at the time. I couldn’t do squat on those guitars, but the drums … we’ll I did ok!
Whenever I hear the song, I always remember jamming on the drums to it.
So What
I remember thinking, “Now that’s a great band name!” when I hear of the All-American Rejects. Gives You Hell didn’t mean much to me back in 2008, however, during my divorce it applied to a lot of people.
The group’s front man, Tyson Ritter, told MTV News:
“It’s kind of this tongue-in-cheek way of looking at someone you hate, whether it’s your mom, for some reason, or it’s your teacher at school, or it’s your boss at work. It’s just someone who makes you struggle, and it’s giving them the finger.”
Now, “hate” is a strong word. I certainly don’t hate some of the folks I think of when I hear this song, but I certainly would give them the finger….
Gives You Hell
“Oh, great, Keith has another Nickelback song on his list!”
I have always tried to live by the mantra, “Live every day as if it were your last, someday, you’ll be right.” That’s what this next song kind of meant to me. If Today Was Your Last Day, what would you do with it? It is a song that makes me wonder every time I hear it.
According to songfacts, the song had been around for awhile without ever being completed. Bass guitarist Mike Kroeger noted on the record label’s website, “Chad (Kroeger) brought it out of the vault and the creative juices started to flow.”
If Today Was Your Last Day
Not Meant to Be by Theory of a Deadman was another song that meant little or nothing to me when it was released. But when I was in therapy prior to my divorce, it started to hit me. Let’s face it, not all relationships are meant to be.
The group’s Tyler Connolly wrote the song with Kara DioGuardi at the American Idol judge’s house. He commented in a press release: “Amazing. I went over to her place, drank some wine and we wrote ‘Not Meant To Be’ in 5 minutes. Our writing styles fit together so perfectly it was almost like it was ‘meant to be.'”
“I remember giving Kara the song title and she said, ‘I like that! I don’t I’ve heard of a song with that title.’ So then I just wrote the chords right there on the spot. From there, she started humming the vocal melody and wrote the lyrics off of that. I took it home and finished the rest. The next day I show up with the finished song and she says, ‘That’s a hit.’ Once I sent Roadrunner Records the demo, they loved it.”
It only went to #55 on the charts, so I’m not sure I’d call it a “hit,” but I liked it.
Not Meant To Be
I believe when I blogged about the Trace Adkins song above, I also included this next one from Darius Rucker. Basically, it is the same song, or at least the same theme.
When Darius put out his Learn to Live album, a lot of folks (myself included) wondered how “Hootie” was going to make it singing country. Well, he showed us! He fit the format like a glove! His country stuff was better than some of the established artists at the time (in my opinion). He took It Won’t Be Like This For Long all the way to #1.
He said, “This is about my two daughters. I’ve got a 13 year old and 7 year old. I wrote it with Ashley Gorley and Chris DuBois, who also have daughters. This song may be my favorite song on the record. I love playing it acoustically. We play it when we visit radio stations, and there wasn’t a day where at least two people didn’t cry. We’d just look and count. It’s absolutely bittersweet. When we were writing it, we were talking about how fast our families were growing up. That first week after the baby is born is awful: you’re up all the time. Then when it’s not like that, you miss those times.”
Last night, my daughter asked me to tuck her in. She asked me to sing our song to her, which I haven’t done in a while. It had me almost in tears. The time goes so fast….
It Won’t Be Like This For Long
After Hey There Delilah, I made sure to listen to more of these Plain White T’s fellas. They packed my interest with their sound. 1,2,3,4 is one of my favorites from the decade.
Plain White T’s Lead singer Tom Higgenson wrote it for his girlfriend at the time, Angie Chavez. In the song, he tells her over and over that he loves her, which she makes as easy as counting. This is something I could easily sing to my wife.
The video is well done, too. It shows Higgenson busking in Chicago on a December day in 2008. As he plays, crowds gather and some people recognize him – nobody in the clip is an actor. Throughout the video, we see couples and groups of families and friends with graphics explaining who they are and how they got together. In the end, Higgenson meets up with Angie, and we learn that they met in Chicago.
What a wonderful little love song!
1, 2, 3, 4
Wow, that’s ten songs already. Ok, which hit from 2008 did I miss that is on your list? Tell me in the comments.
Next week, we move into 2009. My list includes a former sister-in-law’s wedding song, a surprisingly powerful song from a Disney kid, a song that tells how every expecting parent feels, a song from a group I knew would be a success the first time I heard them, and one that just makes you feel good and want to dance.
Thanks for listening and reading. See you next week.
I truly hope that you and your family had a wonderful holiday! I’m a bit late getting my update written, so please forgive me. It has been a busy, yet relaxing few days.
On Monday, we got quite a wintery mix of weather. The day started with rain and freezing rain. It eventually changed to snow. As the temperatures dropped, the accidents were piling up. All throughout the day, there were messages on social media and on the news about the roads being icy.
Sam had to work Monday, so I was worried about her driving. She promised that if the roads were too bad, that she would turn around and call in. The weather wasn’t a surprise, and the main roads were salted pretty good, so her drive was not too bad. The drive home was a bit trickier, but she made it home ok.
Christmas Eve morning I knew I had to get out and clear the driveway. My sons were planning on coming over and I wanted to be sure it was clean. Ella and Andrew, who have been in the house TOO long, wanted to go outside with me. They ran around the yard, made some snow angels, played tag, and enjoyed the snow. Despite me telling them that it was not “scooter weather,” they played with them anyway!
The boys arrived about noon. They brought pizza and we all had lunch together. When they walked in, each of the two little ones ran to one of the older ones and hugged them. My second oldest was caught off guard by this. All I could say was, “They miss you, obviously.”
It was a nice time catching up. Phone calls between us are often cut short, possibly because of “listening ears.” Texting is hit or miss, so to have them with me and in conversation was very nice. My oldest and I talked about his job and his girlfriend. He also told me of his plans to move in with a friend from work. My second oldest told me that he had a girlfriend, too. He showed me a picture of them from when they went to the homecoming dance. My ex’s family had their holiday get together the previous weekend. Both boys were allowed to invite their girlfriends to the party. They both seem genuinely happy. This makes me happy.
They were able to stay for a couple hours, but my second oldest had to work that night. He works at a movie theater, and the holidays are always a busy time for them. I was glad that they were able to come over and spend time with me and their siblings. Of course, I am THAT dad who has to get a picture of all four of them together. You’re guess is as good as mine as to how many photos were snapped before getting one with all of them looking at me.
The little ones and I hung out for a bit as we waited for Sam to get up. We watched some Christmas cartoons and snuggled on the couch. Sam joined us in the living room and told us that her folks were coming by. They were going to drop off the kid’s Christmas gifts on their way to church.
I had to laugh because when they arrived, I went out to help bring stuff in. There were three boxes. I brought the first one in and set it on the floor. Ella was like, “Is this mine? Can I open it now? I wanna see what it is?” Sam’s folks weren’t even in the house yet and she was ready to rip off the paper!
Once every thing and everyone was inside, Ella was allowed to open her gift. It was a table top vanity. It came with fake cosmetics, but we didn’t know that. Sam bought some cheap – real – make up to go with it. This led to her giving everyone a makeover!
It was not exactly my shade of lipstick ….
She really loves it. I hope it is just a phase. She’s too young for makeup.
Andrew got something called Squigs. I guess they are toys that he uses at Physical/Occupational Therapy. He loves them. They have suction cups on them, and he can so all sorts of things with them
Nana and Pa couldn’t stay too long, because they had to get to church. Thankfully, they both made it out with out a makeover.
About 5:30, we grabbed out coats and hopped in the car. It was time for our yearly Christmas Eve tradition. We drove over to the county park where it was totally lit up for Christmas. For $10 a car, they have it set up so that you can drive through and see the lights. (During the holidays, they have a Christmas Train ride that we like to go on, but didn’t get the chance this year.) As you drive through the town, Christmas music plays and it is really beautiful.
They really do a nice job here. The old houses are even decorated in period decorations.
This tree always amazes me. The detail is brought out so well with these lights.
They have things like this at the Detroit Zoo, too. I wish we had been able to come up for the train ride and village walk. That way we could have gotten a picture in that ornament bulb.
By the time we got home, it was time to get ready for bed. The kids knew that their Elf on the Shelf was leaving with Santa that night. They loved seeing the craziness that she’d do every morning. They wanted a picture of her with them before bed. After hugs and kisses, they thanked Twinkles and told her they’d see her next year.
Andrew fell asleep pretty quickly. Ella, on the other hand, was talkative. Typical “night before Christmas” stuff. She is so sweet, though. As she turned over to close her eyes, she stopped and looked at me. She said, “Daddy, I really hope that Bubby (Andrew) doesn’t get coal from Santa. He doesn’t mean to be bad all the time.” I told her that he would probably be just fine. I made sure she was aware that Santa knew that he was good “most of the time.”
When the kids were asleep, Santa got to work. There were a few toys to put together, but nothing too complicated. I think the house was asleep by 11:00pm. That is always good, because you know how early so Christmas mornings can be!
Lucky for us, it was just after 8am when Ella burst into the bedroom and said, “It’s Christmas!!! Time to get up!!” If we hadn’t stopped her, she probably would have been out the door, into the living room and had all the presents unwrapped before we could put on our slippers! Andrew was still asleep, but once we told him that it was Christmas, he shot up and was ready to go.
They each got a Santa gift. Ella got a balance beam that she can practice on. Andrew got a Paw Patrol Big Wheel!
Andrew got new books, an explorer kit, Bluey toys, and a set of construction vehicles that you can put together and take apart.
Ella got some things for he Gabby’s Dollhouse, a Barbie changing room, Pocahontas pajamas, and a Tiana cookbook.
They had just the right amount of things to open. It wasn’t overly elaborate. There were not hundreds of gifts stuffed under the tree. It was simple and they were happy with everything!
Someone posted this on a Facebook page and I completely agree:
“I understand now. The Christmas magic I experienced as a child wasn’t about the decorations, the food or the gifts. It came from my parents and the effort they put in throughout the year to make the holiday special for me. I’ll always be grateful for that. Now, I have the privilege of sharing that same joy and magic with my own children.”
When everything was opened and the playing commenced, Sam was off to make her homemade cinnamon rolls. I made a pot of coffee, and called my brother. As we sat and enjoyed breakfast, I chuckled as Bitsy, our kitten, looked at the piles of wrapping paper and boxes. She would eventually make the boxes her new toys.
There were plenty of wonderful memories made this year. I will look back on them fondly. I’m already looking forward to next Christmas!
It was back to work this week for me, but what a weekend to look back on! I find myself full of gratitude with each day.
Turkey Day Miracle?
We stayed home on Thanksgiving. I put the turkey in the oven about noon, knowing it would be done around 4:00pm. I made a pot of coffee and sat down to watch the Lions game. They dominated the first half. The Bears sure showed up in the second half. It looked like we were heading for another Thanksgiving loss.
If you didn’t see the final two minutes of the game – you need to. I was floored. I truly do not know how we won that game!
When the clock wound down to :00, I couldn’t believe it. They cut to players on the field who were stumped as well. I was speechless. Honestly, though, that kind of loss was commonplace for the Lions a few years ago. It seemed like we always found a way to lose. It was almost odd to see it happen to someone else.
It was an ugly win, but it was a win. It makes this Lions fan proud to celebrate the many milestones this year!
Watching Jameson Williams hurdle the Bears players on the field was simply amazing!
Gingerbread
Nana invited the kids over on Friday to make Gingerbread houses. I’ve never done this in my life. It was fun to watch them decorate them. I think most of the candy went in their mouth instead of on the houses!
Works of art!!
Their cousins joined in when they got there. They all had so much fun.
Wild Lights!
We took the kids to the Detroit Zoo for the Wild Lights event later that night. I’m always impressed at the displays each year.
The kids loved every minute of it!
I won’t lie, it was cold! We try to do this early to miss the cold, but this year was probably the coldest year yet.
These animals are spectacular. I wish my camera took better pictures. Some of the shots I tried to take blurred. I can’t seem to figure out the “night vision” feature.
The kids were loving the “glow” stuff.
And they had this wall of lights with flowers on it. As the kids moved their hands across it, it played music, like bells.
We don’t have many traditions, but I truly love this one.
Catching Up … With Santa?
Saturday night, an old friend surprised his family by traveling to Michigan from Wyoming. It had been over 10 years since I have seen him. The last time he was in town, we were unable to hook up. This time, he reached out to me and asked to message some of our friends to arrange a visit.
We found a burger place and planned on being there around 5. Not every one was able to make it, which was sad. But we really had a great time catching up. Since I saw him last, he has grown out his beard and looks like Santa! I kidded him and told him I forgot my list.
The visit was a couple hours filled with laughter and stories. I had the kids at my mother in law’s and he had to head out to to his dad’s birthday party, so the party broke up all too quickly. Hopefully, it won’t be so long between visits and we can get the rest of the crew next time.
Every once in a while my kids will do something that just amazes me. That happened last night on Halloween.
I took the day off so I could be with the kids yesterday. However, I wound up going to work for a few hours. I need to bank a few extra hours for upcoming stuff. My daughter decided that she wanted to come to work with me. She was welcomed by a big box of donuts in the break room!
After I sorted through things to get my coworkers ready for the night, we drove home. We had about an hour before it was time to trick or treat, so we all enjoyed dinner together.
The temperatures were not too cold, unlike the last couple years. It was windy, which made it feel chillier than it was. As you know, the kids have been on the mend, so we made sure to dress them warm.
My wife is all about matching. This year, we “coupled” based on their costumes. Andrew was a fireman. Naturally, the fireman had to have a Dalmatian dog. Mommy was happy to help.
Ella was Wonder Woman, and needed someone to help her fight off the candy stealing criminals. I was happy to step in as “Bat-Dad!”
This year we opted not to take the wagon with us, so that meant we were all walking. We got one half of our street done and made our way to the next one over. About halfway down, Ella decided that she wanted to go home. We completely understood, and it was decided that Andrew and I would keep going.
A few minutes later, my phone rang. I had told the folks at work to call if they had any questions about the night. It wasn’t work. It was Sam.
“You locked the door.”
“Yeah, I did.”
“You have the key!”
“Uh, yeah, I do.”
So Andrew and I walked back home to let them in the house. When we got back home, he said he wanted to stay home. I was surprised. I thought for sure he’d want to go back out, but he didn’t.
We had a big bowl of candy from past trunk or treats. Sam thought it would be a good idea to pass it out to the kids walking. So we went on the porch and passed out candy. They kids LOVED being able to give candy to the kids. Now here is the unexpected twist…
As we were getting to the bottom of the candy bowl, we said we’d have to go inside. The kids both grabbed their candy buckets and dumped them into the bowl. We asked if they were sure they wanted to do that, and they said they were.
Every time someone walked up to our house, they’d run over to them and hand them sweets. The joy and excitement on their faces and those who were receiving the candy was worth it. When we finally ran out of candy and went inside, we asked they why they gave away their candy. Ella said, “I like sharing.”
You may remember a week or so ago that my wife bought a bunch of costumes for the kids to dress up in. Can I tell you that this has been so much fun for them, especially on rainy days.
A few more costumes have been added since the original post, but what I love is that they have found ways to mix and match as they play. The results have been …. humerous.
Edna from the Incredibles was quick to say, “No Capes!” However, the kids seem to be using them as accessories to various costumes. The hospital exam glove on Andrew’s hand is there for no reason in particular. Believe it or not the yellow had Ella is wear is a cowboy hat. How it got mangled into that shape is beyond me. Daisy had a hat on, but it fell as I snapped this photo.
My favorite outfit of the week is the ensemble that Andrew put together to go “scooter riding.”
First, Ninja Turtle pajamas. Next, we have Ella’s T-ball cleat on one hand and his baseball glove on the other. Top top it all off, he has a regular baseball cap on his head and on top of that, the hat from the Paw Patrol Chase costume. I do not have to wonder why people driving down our street slow and stare at him as he happily rides his scooter up and down the driveway.
Bitsy
The thing about our new kitty is that she is so tiny. She hides everywhere. She snuck out when the kids had the side door open this week and didn’t go far. As a matter of fact, she sat in front of the door meowing.
She can get into tight spaces and since she got out once, when we can’t find her, I freak a bit. I could not find her the other day and thought, “Ok, maybe she is sleeping under a chair or in the basement.” So I sat down with a cup of coffee and out of the corner of my eye, I looked at the shoe rack. Sure enough …..
She’s a sneaky one.
“The smallest feline is a masterpiece.” – Leonardo da Vinci.
Because of the Microsoft issues yesterday, I got a text from my boss saying I could stay home if I didn’t want to come in. Well, almost everything I do needs a computer, so I stayed home. It was nice to have lunch with the family and, honestly, even nice to be able to grab a nap when the kids napped.
After nap time, we decided to take a quick trip to the bookstore. I found a couple books that they just love and promised to get the third in the series. The “Creepy” series features Jasper Rabbit and some creepy objects.
We found the Creepy Crayon book and began walking through the kids books. It didn’t take long for the kids to find some of the toys and stuffed animals. It took them even less time to find something there that they “had to have.”
I suppose it is wrong for an adult to think that they will get just 5 minutes to look at books for themselves. When I walk into a book store, I want to browse. I want to be able to take pictures of books I want to add to my “To Read” list. Yeah, that didn’t happen.
There was a book that Sam really wanted to read that is unavailable in the Library audio apps. The two of us walked the store looking for it as the kids continued to run around like crazies. When we finally met up she stated that she had found it and that we should probably go after she found a couple more kid books.
That, of course, meant going back to the children’s section. Ella found a Jasper Rabbit stuffy, but when she saw a fox, she wanted that instead.
This fox was like 10 bucks. Andrew, who loves all things construction, found an excavator stuffy. I had no idea that this stuffy is a character from a book, which means they can charge more or something.
I think, and I haven’t compared the two but this may be a bit smaller than the fox. As we walked up to the cashier with 4 kid books, Sam’s book, my $5 magazine, and the two stuffies, I was surprised when they told me the total was like $130!!!!
I looked at Sam when they told me that and she showed me the price of that excavator. Neither of us was smart enough to look at the tag, which read, $29.99! What makes me even more angry was a search for the picture above on the internet showed me a few places where it was $15!
At bedtime, when we read our new books, Ella grabbed her fox and I asked Andrew to get his excavator. “I don’t want it,” he said to me. Urgh ….
Various Ramblings of a Nostalgic Italian 