Bath Time at Auntie Anna's

Haydee & Ronnie spent the night at Auntie Anna & Uncle Marty's house. Here's a picture after her bath.

James' first digits

I was looking through James' school bag and discovered that James has scored his first digits from a girl in his class. Here we go... :oS

Pack-men

James & Jesse enjoying a day of football together...

What I Learned from my 1st Grade Teacher

James (7): "Extinct is a nice way of saying someone's 'dead' when you are in first grade."

The Exterminator

James (7): "Remember how I caught that mosquito in a ziploc bag? You know how mosquitoes make me feel when they bite?"
Mom: "Yes, they make you itch."
James: "Yeah, well next time I catch a mosquito, I'm gonna make him see how it feels. I'm going to trap him in a ziploc bag and put him in the garbage. We'll see how he likes it."
Mom: "Um ok..."

Huh?! :oS

Haydee's new do

 The poor girl always had her hair covering her eyes, so we decided to try to fix it. Haydee (18 mos) looks like such a big girl now!

If Haydee had her way...

This is what she would do all day...

M Cubed

It was getting close to bedtime so I told the boys they needed to quiet down and relax or I would send them to bed early.  They continued to shout and wrestle.

Mommy: "Ok, go brush your teeth. Time for bed."

James (with a sad face): "You used to be nice to me."

Mean Mommy Moment :o(

Kids

Daddy & Ronnie are in the bathroom getting ready for bed, because Ronnie didn't eat his dinner. 

Daddy: "No, you get to go to bed. You didn't eat your dinner."
James (overhearing them from the living room): "I bet this is one of those times Daddy wishes he never had kids."

Thanks Dear

Ronnie was eating cereal this morning as I was leaving for work.

Mom: "Ok Ronnie. I'm leaving. Have a good day."
Ronnie (2.5): "Bye Mommy. Don't forget your debit card."

The Crooner

We've known for a long time that Ronnie loves Frank Sinatra.  What we didn't know is that he knew all the words to "Come Fly With Me".  Watch & see!

Classic Cartoons

Jesse was gone at football camp for a few days, so the kids & I were having a lazy day watching cartoons. While watching Tom & Jerry...

James (very casual, yet matter-of-fact): "He's gonna feel like a jackass."

Mommy (thinking "Daddy's in BIG trouble"): "Um, what did you say?!"

At that moment, I look up and discover that Spike (the bulldog) did something without thinking, and he turns into a donkey... and a sign appears on his side that says "Jackass." 

Apparently James had seen this cartoon before... and Daddy is off the hook.  Wow! I can't believe I used to watch this as a kid!

Daddy's Do'ing

When Mommy's away... Haydee & Daddy play...

Moose Poop & River Rocks

Tonight, we had a bedtime snack of Colorado Moose Poop (choc. covered peanuts) and chocolate rocks. Here are the boys pretending their teeth got broken:

Self Discipline

Ronnie throws a toy across the room and I give him a stern look. He picks up the toy, runs out of the room, then comes back 30 seconds later without the toy...

Ronnie (2.5): "I put it away and I know better."

Ronnie's Song, Part II

Ronnie has his own words to songs like the last one I blogged about. His latest song...

Ronnie (2.5): "The itsy bitchy spider climbed up all the way...."

So Sensitive

Ronnie (2.5): "Mommy, my feeling's hurt. Kiss it p'ease?"

Being Grateful...

James (6.5): "Mommy, how come you are always telling me to be grateful for the things I have, when you aren't letting me be grateful for my movies by not letting me watch them right now?"

Guest Starring...Trace

Our friends were over for a few hours today, and their son Trace is absolutely hilarious. He is a great idea-person & says some of the most brilliant things coming from a 4th grader. He is also very persuasive and great at justifying his position...

Trace (8): "When I turn 16 and get a car, I'm going to drive myself to Chuck E. Cheese everyday!"
Me: "Chuck E. Cheese... why?"
Trace: "What... I see people in there ALL THE TIME with beards and hairy backs."

Melanie... you REALLY need to blog this kid! Everything that comes out of his mouth is hilarious.

Kindergarten Graduate

James graduated Kindergarten last Friday and we are so proud of him!

Christmas Sheep

Ronnie & James were in the Christmas Pageant at our church this year. James was a shepherd, and Ronnie was a lamb. So as not to disappoint their father, at one point during the program they had a wrestling match on stage. :oS

Ronnie filled his role nicely as a sheep wandering astray. Here's a picture of him in the foyer - he was a little wiped out after running around too much.

Hay'Do

Haydee let me fix her hair finally... she screamed the whole time until I let her hold the spray bottle.

The Evolution of the Pencil Sharpener

James found an old pencil sharpener...

James (6.5): "Hey Mom. What's this?"
Mom: "A pencil sharpener."
James: "But it doesn't go bbbzzzzzzz..."
Mom: "Nope. Just watch... You turn the pencil in it like this..." (showing him with a color pencil)
James (eyebrows scrunched...): "What?? I have to turn it with my hand?"

Night Owls

Mom: "Ok, time for bed."
James (6.5): "What?! It's not even dark. Why do we have to go to bed so freakin' early?"
Mom: "Um, where did you hear that?"
James: "Dad."

The Car Saga

So, way back in January, an old man backed into my car causing over $2ooo in damage. I had the body work fixed in March, but the insurance people "forgot" to check out why my headlights were not working right.

After I got the car back, and realized the lights still weren't working, I called my insurance contact and asked him about it. He basically told me: "Oh, yeah. We forgot. Well, now you need to take it to a dealership and have it hooked up to a computer to see if it is, in fact, accident-related before I'll pay for it. Yes, we should have done this during the 3 weeks we had the car, but too late now, so it's on your dime."

With this response, I said to him: "Do you find this to be acceptable? Would you be happy with this service?" After a long pause, he responded: "No." and proceeded to try to find a way to get it fixed. The resolution was to bring the car to his location/repair shop and have his guys look at it, but his guys never called me back (this was at the end of April).

Finally, after the headlights stopped working completely, I called him earlier this week. He remembered me (it's been a month since we last spoke) and said he would get on it. I got a rental car, his repair shop looked at it, and his mechanic said it was a multi-function switch needing replaced and it probably was not accident-related... so far $398 in repair costs.

Great. We really need that $400+ for moving expenses - not repairs.

I got a call a little bit ago... the insurance guy is planning to pay for it!

I'm not sure why they plan to cover these repairs, but hopefully it's because I didn't resort to being mean and rude. I'd like to think there are people out there who will repay kindness with kindness, and not just reward the bad behavior.

Imagination for the Next Generation

James (6.5): "Hey Mommy. Guess what Ronnie & I downloaded on our magnadoodles?!"

Smoker Friendly

So, I've been meaning to blog about this for a week and kept forgetting...

I brought James to a Starbucks during Happy Frappe Hour last Thursday - it was one of the freestanding Starbucks with a drive-thru and walk-up window. There was a group of ladies waiting for their drinks, and as we walked up, one of the ladies moved down to the end table.

One of the other ladies, somewhat confused at her friend's decision to change tables asked her why she moved. She replied: "I didn't want to smoke by that little boy" and they continued their conversation. (This is the point I noticed a cigarette settled between her fingers.)

Now, before all the smokers come track me down and give me cigarette burns for hating on them, I'd like to say that I don't really have a problem with smokers... as long as they aren't invading my space. For me, it's no different than someone with halitosis or a spitting problem talking 2" from my face. Or someone with B.O. using the overhead handrail on the train right next to me and allowing their oh-so-pleasant armpit aroma to make their way through my cilia and make me nauseous.

It's just a courtesy: Think if you stink. Mend before you offend.

So, to the unknown friendly smoker at Starbucks during Frappe Happy Hour last Thursday: THANK YOU for being so courteous!

P.S. And for those concerned I brought my kid to a coffee joint... he got the double chocolate chip blended creme. So quit your worrying. :o)

Filipino in the City

James & I were leaving the house so I could drop him off at school. As we were walking to the car...

James (6.5): "It's so quiet in our village this morning."

So Polite

Ronnie dropped his cup over the baby gate, so I picked it up and gave it back to him.

Ronnie (2): "Thank you, Honey!"

The Wednesday Crew

Anna (Jesse's sister) watches our two littler ones on Wednesdays while Jesse is in class. She has quite the group of diaper-wearers...

Jack, Haydee & Ronnie

I'm not sure how she got them all to sit still for photos, but she is pretty awesome...

Jackson(1.5yr), Haydee (13mos), Brecken(13mos), & Ronnie (2.2yrs)

And the two boys, Jack (1.5) & Ronnie (2.2), are definitely buddies for life!

Excuses Excuses...

We had put the kids to bed for the night, but we could hear Ronnie walking around upstairs. Jesse went up... Caught in the act, and trying to think of a quick excuse for being out of his bed he accidentally combined two...

Ronnie (2): "...I scared my head hurts."

The Sweetest Note

James (6) has to be one of the sweetest kids on the planet... here is the note he left me on his Cars Magnadoodle...

Ronnie's Song...

Ronnie (2): "Row row row your boat, gently down the drain..."

Whatever Ronnie wants...

I was going from the kitchen to the bedroom, trying to get dressed to get the day started. When I came through the living room, Ronnie was looking at me with two books in his hand, but I decided to get dressed before reading to him.

As soon as I crossed the baby gate to my bedroom, as clear as a bell, I hear...

Ronnie (2): "Hey! Come back here!"

Alice In Wonderland according to James...

James (6): "Hey Dad, do you remember that Irish cat?"
Jesse: "What? ... You mean the Cheshire Cat?"

Happy Birthday, Haydee!

Yes, our sweet little girl turned one last Tuesday. We are so thankful for such a laid-back little girl. I remember when she was only a few days old, I went to take a shower. When I came out, Jesse had the music blasting, and was wrestling around on the floor with James and Ronnie. With all this commotion, Haydee just sat and watched. Although she has always been very calm and mellow, her assertiveness has started to appear...
Haydee is very protective of James, and when we tickle or wrestle with him she gets mad and "yells" at us. And one of her favorite things to do is give Ronnie big wet kisses when he is laying on the floor getting his diaper changed. He doesn't like it much and he squeals when he sees her coming, but she lays it on him anyway.

Happy birthday, sweet little Haydee. Daddy & Mommy love you so so much!

Lessons from Papa...

James (6): "Hey, do you know what 'dry heaving' is? ... It's when you throw up, but you don't throw up because nothing comes out." :o)

Wheel of Fortune - tonight on ABC

For those who have asked, the episode of Wheel of Fortune I taped back in December is scheduled to air tonight. Here's to hoping there isn't any breaking news...

Check it out from the beginning to when I found out about my taping date... or you can check out the Multnomah blog. For those of you who are local, we are having a little viewing party on campus in the Commuter Lounge.

Jury Duty

...by Supertones... That was the song of the day... and my day started out the same, had the same general everything-that-can-go-wrong-will-go-wrong-ness... so, here's the lyrics, with my notes on how MY day went... ENJOY!


5 am (yep) on tuesday (yep)
Why am I up so early (because Ronnie got up and wanted juice)
Drive out to santa ana (Clackamas) ’cause I’ve got jury duty (Haydee's Pictures)
No breakfast (yep) short tempered (yep)
And I cut my head shaving (had to take Ronnie to the doctor again for his ear infection)
Ten miles out I hit traffic (the kids fell asleep in the car for 15 minutes, so wouldn't take naps)
Some days just aren’t worth saving (but, it wasn't pathetic enough for us, so we kept going)

You know I haven’t had the best of days (Haydee's milk bottle exploded all over Jesse & I & our kitchen which was already neck-high in dirty cake pans)
But I want to stop and thank you anyway

At the courthouse (kitchen) I waited (for the cake to turn out)
And waited then I waited (3 times, until we used a boxed cake)
At lunchtime my car stalled out (I frosted the wrong cake so...)
I couldn’t get it started (...we didn't have frosting for the boxed cake)
Had a book by c.s. lewis
I finished the last page and (when both kids had filled theirs, we discovered we were out of diapers)
Slept on my desk for three hours
Just like my high school days

Cuz every single moment whether sleeping or awake
Is your creation
And what you’ve made is good (at least the ice cream and spaghetti turned out)
I don’t always thank you for the rough days and
The hard times in my life
Even though I should (I am so thankful our friends & family came to celebrate so it wasn't such a bad day after all)

Got home and decided I’d be in a bad mood
My shy and quiet wife said she didn’t like my attitude
Got a call from my mother
Forgot my sister’s birthday(Happy Birthday, Jesse & Haydee)
I’m a lousy older brother (wife & mother)
safe to say I’ve had a bad day (only got 2 hours of work in for the day)

Here's the music video...

Haydee's New Trick

Yep, here she is, taking her first string of steps. *sigh*


(This video was recorded last Thursday, February 25th, 2010.)

Very Sweet

On Thursday, James forgot to bring his library book back and was unable to check out a new one. Mrs. Dalzell, the librarian, told him she would hold onto his new book so he could check it out once he brought the other one back.

This morning I was bringing James into the school, when Mrs. Dalzell was outside. James rushed to her and said he had brought his book today.

Mrs. Dalzell: "Good. Now I can give you your new book."
James (6): "That was very sweet of you to hold it for me."

It put a nice smile on his librarian's face.

World Population

James (6): "I heard a song today about all of God's children... and it sounds to me like God has a lot of children."

The Investigator - Part II

James looked under his pillow this morning when he got up, and by magic...

James (6): "Mommy, it's money! Awesome!!!"

...it turned into four quarters and one dollar coin. :o)

The Investigator

James (6): "You know how my tooth fell out a while ago? Do you know where it is?"
Daddy: "I think so. Why?"
James: "I've been hearing things about putting it under my pillow and it changes. I gotta check this out."
Mommy: "Hmm... what does it turn into?"
James: "Well... I heard it can turn into a lollipop, candy, a dollar bill, or a toy."

So, the tooth went under the pillow tonight. We'll see what happens in the morning... :o)

Growing Up

I was looking at James and realized just how tall he has gotten and how grown up he is.

Mommy: "James, you are getting so big. Stop growing!"
James (6): "I can't help it. It's just part of nature."

Haydee's 1st haircut

...more of a trim actually.

We normally wait until about a year to cut their hair, but Haydee's is always hanging down in her eyes, so we decided to trim it up a little. We cut her bangs, and took a little off the sides and back. Here's the result.

Wheel of Fortune - air date changed to March 11th

Hey all! I got a call from one of the Wheel contestant crew letting me know my air date has been changed to Thursday, March 11th. So, Yay!... one day less of anxiety for all of you. ;op

Praying for Auntie Anna

Daddy went upstairs to pray with the boys and tuck them in.

Daddy: "Ok, Ronnie. It's time to pray."
Ronnie: "...and for Auntie Anna."
Daddy: "No, I'm praying for you right now."
Ronnie: "I p'ay for Auntie Anna."
Daddy prays for Ronnie.

Ronnie (getting agitated): "I p'ay for Auntie Anna!"
Daddy (realizing Ronnie won't go to sleep until he gets what he wants): "Ok, go ahead."
Ronnie: "...(mumbles)...Auntie Anna...(sounds)...(mumbles)...Auntie Anna...(more sounds)... Amen."

The real reason to become a doctor...

I took Haydee to the doctor today because she has had a little wheeze. James came with me so he could help keep her entertained and happy. On the way home, James had a thoughtful expression, so I asked him what he was thinking about.

James (6 yrs): "I think maybe someday I could be a doctor."
Mommy (kinda excited at the prospect): "That would be nice. You could help people be healthy."
James: "...and I could have a magnet thing so I can open the drawers."

So, there you have it... the real reason people become doctors. :o)