Friday, April 28, 2006
Gifts
I recently won 3 electric train engines on eBay. They were slightly damaged, so they weren’t appealing to collectors, but they are perfect for Pierce. His existing train set has modern diesel engines, the ones I bought are steam.
Yesterday I wrapped one up in a box and put it on the doorstep (Pierce has been complaining that he never gets packages). He was very excited and the gift was a hit. He played with his new steam engine all evening.
I also made a DVD of a couple of episodes of the Muppet Show that I packaged up for Anna. While she was delighted to get a package, the shows were not much of a hit. Both Pierce and Anna were completely uninterested.
A little before dinner last night Anna started to get out of hand. Nora gave her a timeout and sent her to go sit on the steps. It then got very quiet. When we checked on Anna a few minutes later she was asleep. We laid her on her bed, fully clothed, thinking she wake up and be ready for dinner. Nope, she was done for the night –we changed her into her pajamas when we put Pierce to bed.
-Eric (Dad)
Yesterday I wrapped one up in a box and put it on the doorstep (Pierce has been complaining that he never gets packages). He was very excited and the gift was a hit. He played with his new steam engine all evening.
I also made a DVD of a couple of episodes of the Muppet Show that I packaged up for Anna. While she was delighted to get a package, the shows were not much of a hit. Both Pierce and Anna were completely uninterested.
A little before dinner last night Anna started to get out of hand. Nora gave her a timeout and sent her to go sit on the steps. It then got very quiet. When we checked on Anna a few minutes later she was asleep. We laid her on her bed, fully clothed, thinking she wake up and be ready for dinner. Nope, she was done for the night –we changed her into her pajamas when we put Pierce to bed.
-Eric (Dad)
Monday, April 24, 2006
Catching up
Wow, time has gotten away from me again. Here’s all the latest:
Visit with Dad and Mary
For Easter weekend we took a short trip out to Omaha to visit my Dad and Mary. Leaving after Pierce and Anna’s Saturday morning swim lessons, we got into Omaha about 3:30 pm. We went straight to the hotel and got Pierce and Anna into the pool. Dad and Mary came out to visit and watch the kids swim. We brought some pool toys and Pierce made instant friends with a kid who wanted to have a squirt gun fight.
After getting cleaned up we went to Dad and Mary’s apartment for a delicious dinner. They served Omaha Steaks (if you’ve never had them, you’ve never had good steak), asparagus, salad, fresh vegetables, and tara misu for dessert. Mary grilled some hot dogs for Pierce and Anna, but the two of them were so full of crackers and cheese (the appetizer) that they didn’t touch a bite.
Dad arranged for us to have an Easter brunch on a riverboat. Unlike Saturday, which was sunny and warm, Sunday morning was cold and drizzly. To make matters worse, Nora and I had not packed any cool weather clothes or jackets –and the boat was open to the elements except for one level. We all went to breakfast wearing Dad and Mary’s extra jackets.
Fortunately, everyone was able to be seated inside. The food was excellent, they had a guitarist (who was quite good) providing music, and excellent company. Pierce and Anna were on their best behavior and everyone had a great time.
We finished the weekend with dinner a Nora’s parent’s house with a combined Easter Egg hunt, dinner and birthday celebration for Bill (Nora’s Dad).
Swim Lessons
Pierce and Anna started swim lessons 3 weeks ago. Pierce is really coming along. He’s learning to do the crawl and the backstroke. He shows absolutely no fear of the water and is able float well on both his back and front.
Anna’s a lot more accustomed to being in a “classroom” setting than she has been. She’s enjoying being in the water (again, no fear –just like Pierce) and is starting to get comfortable putting her face in. With a pair of goggles on she’ll happily put her whole face in the water.
Car Washing
This weekend was beautiful. On Saturday afternoon I brought our little wading pool out and set it up next to the driveway. Nora and I pulled our cars out into the driveway and we spent several hours washing cars as a family. This activity mostly consisted of Nora and me washing cars, Pierce and Anna rubbing dirty rags on the already-washed sections of the cars, and Pierce and Anna jumping in and out of the pool. Due to our robust car-washing activity it has been raining for the last two days.
Date Night
Nora’s friend Carrie watched Pierce and Anna Friday night so Nora and I could catch dinner and a movie. Nora’s had her eye on a little bar and grill down the road that she’d heard good things about. The placed lived up to expectations and I expect we’ll go there again. Afterwards we took a walk and got some ice cream -then finished up the evening with the movie “V for Vendetta”. We liked it –its pretty intense.
While we were out Anna fell asleep at the dinner table and was put to be early. Carrie and Pierce tried to watch some TV, but Carrie wasn’t able to figure out my convoluted home entertainment setup, so they ended up watching most of an episode of Star Trek – The Next Generation. It was an episode where the crew found a long dead space traveler, and Carrie ended up spending a good part of the evening trying to explain to Pierce how the traveler had died. Each successive explanation kept getting worse (“Oh, don’t worry Pierce, he died in his sleep - ah no, I’m sure you won’t die in your sleep.”, “He was old, so he died –ah no Grandma’s old, but she’s not going to die.”, and so on…). I think Pierce enjoyed watching Carrie dig herself deeper and deeper.
Ice Age 2 – The Melting
Sunday morning we went to see the new Ice Age movie. Everyone really liked it and I think the general consensus is that it’s better than the first one. There were a couple of intense moments in the film that had Pierce a little concerned, but he breezed through them.
Toy Shopping
For Easter Pierce and Anna both got gift cards to Toys "R" Us. Pierce has been pretty enthusiastic about wanting to go, so we squeezed it in this weekend. In the car, on the way to the store, Pierce declares, "I'm going to get a car!". Anna chimes in, "I'm going to get a Princess". Now, keep in mind, Pierce is swimming in cars and Anna is drowning in Princesses. I told them they could get whatever they wanted (within the limits of the gift card) but that they had to look at all the toys that were available before then went with their "first pick". Both kids were incredible patient, looked at everything, and ultimately picked exactly what they said they were going to.
-Eric (Dad)
Visit with Dad and Mary
For Easter weekend we took a short trip out to Omaha to visit my Dad and Mary. Leaving after Pierce and Anna’s Saturday morning swim lessons, we got into Omaha about 3:30 pm. We went straight to the hotel and got Pierce and Anna into the pool. Dad and Mary came out to visit and watch the kids swim. We brought some pool toys and Pierce made instant friends with a kid who wanted to have a squirt gun fight.
After getting cleaned up we went to Dad and Mary’s apartment for a delicious dinner. They served Omaha Steaks (if you’ve never had them, you’ve never had good steak), asparagus, salad, fresh vegetables, and tara misu for dessert. Mary grilled some hot dogs for Pierce and Anna, but the two of them were so full of crackers and cheese (the appetizer) that they didn’t touch a bite.
Dad arranged for us to have an Easter brunch on a riverboat. Unlike Saturday, which was sunny and warm, Sunday morning was cold and drizzly. To make matters worse, Nora and I had not packed any cool weather clothes or jackets –and the boat was open to the elements except for one level. We all went to breakfast wearing Dad and Mary’s extra jackets.
Fortunately, everyone was able to be seated inside. The food was excellent, they had a guitarist (who was quite good) providing music, and excellent company. Pierce and Anna were on their best behavior and everyone had a great time.
We finished the weekend with dinner a Nora’s parent’s house with a combined Easter Egg hunt, dinner and birthday celebration for Bill (Nora’s Dad).
Swim Lessons
Pierce and Anna started swim lessons 3 weeks ago. Pierce is really coming along. He’s learning to do the crawl and the backstroke. He shows absolutely no fear of the water and is able float well on both his back and front.
Anna’s a lot more accustomed to being in a “classroom” setting than she has been. She’s enjoying being in the water (again, no fear –just like Pierce) and is starting to get comfortable putting her face in. With a pair of goggles on she’ll happily put her whole face in the water.
Car Washing
This weekend was beautiful. On Saturday afternoon I brought our little wading pool out and set it up next to the driveway. Nora and I pulled our cars out into the driveway and we spent several hours washing cars as a family. This activity mostly consisted of Nora and me washing cars, Pierce and Anna rubbing dirty rags on the already-washed sections of the cars, and Pierce and Anna jumping in and out of the pool. Due to our robust car-washing activity it has been raining for the last two days.
Date Night
Nora’s friend Carrie watched Pierce and Anna Friday night so Nora and I could catch dinner and a movie. Nora’s had her eye on a little bar and grill down the road that she’d heard good things about. The placed lived up to expectations and I expect we’ll go there again. Afterwards we took a walk and got some ice cream -then finished up the evening with the movie “V for Vendetta”. We liked it –its pretty intense.
While we were out Anna fell asleep at the dinner table and was put to be early. Carrie and Pierce tried to watch some TV, but Carrie wasn’t able to figure out my convoluted home entertainment setup, so they ended up watching most of an episode of Star Trek – The Next Generation. It was an episode where the crew found a long dead space traveler, and Carrie ended up spending a good part of the evening trying to explain to Pierce how the traveler had died. Each successive explanation kept getting worse (“Oh, don’t worry Pierce, he died in his sleep - ah no, I’m sure you won’t die in your sleep.”, “He was old, so he died –ah no Grandma’s old, but she’s not going to die.”, and so on…). I think Pierce enjoyed watching Carrie dig herself deeper and deeper.
Ice Age 2 – The Melting
Sunday morning we went to see the new Ice Age movie. Everyone really liked it and I think the general consensus is that it’s better than the first one. There were a couple of intense moments in the film that had Pierce a little concerned, but he breezed through them.
Toy Shopping
For Easter Pierce and Anna both got gift cards to Toys "R" Us. Pierce has been pretty enthusiastic about wanting to go, so we squeezed it in this weekend. In the car, on the way to the store, Pierce declares, "I'm going to get a car!". Anna chimes in, "I'm going to get a Princess". Now, keep in mind, Pierce is swimming in cars and Anna is drowning in Princesses. I told them they could get whatever they wanted (within the limits of the gift card) but that they had to look at all the toys that were available before then went with their "first pick". Both kids were incredible patient, looked at everything, and ultimately picked exactly what they said they were going to.
-Eric (Dad)
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Kite flying
After dinner last night (Subways half-price Tuesday) we went to the local elementary school with a couple of kites. For those not from the area, Kansas is known for strong winds. Last night was a perfect kite-flying evening.
Pierce's kite went up in a matter of seconds and it didn't touch the ground again until it was time to leave. Pierce has no concept of how kites work, so he runs in all directions, regardless of what the wind is doing.
After about 30 seconds, Anna lost interest in "flying the kite". She wanted it to crash so she could run over and relaunch it. She usually picked it up upside-down then held onto the tail. And yet the winds were so good the kite went up anyway. Probably the classic moment was when Anna, somehow, managed to get the kite tangled around her head. It took a couple of minutes to extricate her from the thing, but she was none the worse for wear.
-Eric (Dad)
Pierce's kite went up in a matter of seconds and it didn't touch the ground again until it was time to leave. Pierce has no concept of how kites work, so he runs in all directions, regardless of what the wind is doing.
After about 30 seconds, Anna lost interest in "flying the kite". She wanted it to crash so she could run over and relaunch it. She usually picked it up upside-down then held onto the tail. And yet the winds were so good the kite went up anyway. Probably the classic moment was when Anna, somehow, managed to get the kite tangled around her head. It took a couple of minutes to extricate her from the thing, but she was none the worse for wear.
-Eric (Dad)
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Busy Weekend
We had all kinds of interesting happenings this weekend.
Pierce and Anna started swim lessons on Saturday morning. They’re taking them at the same place where they were getting their gymnastics lessons (which both kids have indicated they don’t want to do anymore). While not in the same class, they’re both in the pool at the same time. Pierce is picking up right where he left off last summer –he’s quite the fish but his stroke mechanics need some improvement. He has absolutely no fear of the water.
Anna is still adjusting to being a “classroom” situation. She’s ok for a while but then wants Mom or needs individual attention. When the class was finished she didn’t want to leave the pool area. The instructor invited her back into the pool and Anna got a few minutes of a “private” lesson. She did great: lots of floating and bubble blowing.
Also this weekend, Nora and I bought a swing set. Its nothing elaborate, a simple metal swing set from Wal-Mart. I set it up Saturday afternoon and Pierce and Anna were able to “break it in” for a little while. Unfortunately, we ran out of daylight before I got the glider and slide finished, so I picked that up on Sunday morning. So far I don’t think we’ve missed a day where Pierce and Anna haven’t played on the equipment. Very cool.
Saturday afternoon I helped Billy (my brother-in-law) with finishing his basement. The framing has really come pretty far and Billy was so motivated from our work on Saturday he got the framing finished over the balance of the weekend. We’re both tied up for the Easter weekend, so we’ll start pulling wire (electrical) in a couple of weeks.
We finished the weekend with Pierce’s soccer practice. This week was team pictures and a truncated practice session. Pierce really seems to be enjoying it and his skills have visibly improved. He’s very concerned that someone is going to take “his” ball and keeps a careful eye it through the course of the practice. I think we’ll have him decorate the ball this week so he won’t be so worried about his soccer ball becoming confused with someone else’s.
-Eric (Dad)
Pierce and Anna started swim lessons on Saturday morning. They’re taking them at the same place where they were getting their gymnastics lessons (which both kids have indicated they don’t want to do anymore). While not in the same class, they’re both in the pool at the same time. Pierce is picking up right where he left off last summer –he’s quite the fish but his stroke mechanics need some improvement. He has absolutely no fear of the water.
Anna is still adjusting to being a “classroom” situation. She’s ok for a while but then wants Mom or needs individual attention. When the class was finished she didn’t want to leave the pool area. The instructor invited her back into the pool and Anna got a few minutes of a “private” lesson. She did great: lots of floating and bubble blowing.
Also this weekend, Nora and I bought a swing set. Its nothing elaborate, a simple metal swing set from Wal-Mart. I set it up Saturday afternoon and Pierce and Anna were able to “break it in” for a little while. Unfortunately, we ran out of daylight before I got the glider and slide finished, so I picked that up on Sunday morning. So far I don’t think we’ve missed a day where Pierce and Anna haven’t played on the equipment. Very cool.
Saturday afternoon I helped Billy (my brother-in-law) with finishing his basement. The framing has really come pretty far and Billy was so motivated from our work on Saturday he got the framing finished over the balance of the weekend. We’re both tied up for the Easter weekend, so we’ll start pulling wire (electrical) in a couple of weeks.
We finished the weekend with Pierce’s soccer practice. This week was team pictures and a truncated practice session. Pierce really seems to be enjoying it and his skills have visibly improved. He’s very concerned that someone is going to take “his” ball and keeps a careful eye it through the course of the practice. I think we’ll have him decorate the ball this week so he won’t be so worried about his soccer ball becoming confused with someone else’s.
-Eric (Dad)
Friday, April 07, 2006
Flawed thinking
I clipped Anna’s fingernails this morning (man, they were really long). When we were done Anna asked if she could clip my fingernails. Turnabout being fair play, I figured no harm could come of it (we use a set of children’s clippers). I let her try and clip my ring finger nail. Ouch! Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch.
-Eric (Dad)
-Eric (Dad)
Last Night
Nora and I got new cell phones a couple of days ago when we renewed our phone service. The phones needed to be activated and programmed, and of course programmed phone numbers needed to be re-entered, so the phones have just been sitting for the last few days. Last night we made the attempt; what a mess. Nora’s phone wouldn’t activate; mine would, but wouldn’t download its programming. Then, after Nora got her phone activated, I called tech support who, in getting my phone to program, deactivated Nora’s. Sigh.
After we got up and running I gave my old cell phone to Pierce to play with. He’s so excited. He loves to turn it on and off and watch the “turn on” animation (“Dad, it’s surfing!”, dial numbers that do nothing, and make up conversations. Last night he called the “night bus” to make arrangements for a late night pickup. This morning he tucked the phone in his front pocket the same way I do and tried to take the phone to school (oops).
After the kids went to bed Nora and I watched a little TV. Josie, the dog, was napping near me by the side of the loveseat. In the midst of this I hear Nora say “Uh oh! Josie!” I look up to see our new floor lap, the one we got to replace the one broken by Anna, slowly tipping over. Crash! Glass is everywhere. Somehow Josie knocked it over and the glass top has shattered. I don’t think we’ve even owned the thing for 3 months. After the mess has been cleaned up and the robot vacuum cleaner has patrolled the floor (I love our Roomba) Nora says, “See, that’s why we need an end table and a lamp with a non-glass shade”.
-Eric (Dad)
After we got up and running I gave my old cell phone to Pierce to play with. He’s so excited. He loves to turn it on and off and watch the “turn on” animation (“Dad, it’s surfing!”, dial numbers that do nothing, and make up conversations. Last night he called the “night bus” to make arrangements for a late night pickup. This morning he tucked the phone in his front pocket the same way I do and tried to take the phone to school (oops).
After the kids went to bed Nora and I watched a little TV. Josie, the dog, was napping near me by the side of the loveseat. In the midst of this I hear Nora say “Uh oh! Josie!” I look up to see our new floor lap, the one we got to replace the one broken by Anna, slowly tipping over. Crash! Glass is everywhere. Somehow Josie knocked it over and the glass top has shattered. I don’t think we’ve even owned the thing for 3 months. After the mess has been cleaned up and the robot vacuum cleaner has patrolled the floor (I love our Roomba) Nora says, “See, that’s why we need an end table and a lamp with a non-glass shade”.
-Eric (Dad)
Monday, April 03, 2006
Go Mason!
On the spur of the moment, with Nora’s blessing, I flew out to Northern Virginia to watch George Mason play in the NCAA Final Four with my fraternity brothers and their families (I graduated from Mason). What a blast.
I got in Friday night and spent the evening catching up with a former roommate (I was his best man about 10 years ago). The next day was morning tennis with the same guy, then a hop down the road to visit some more wonderful people through the afternoon –I was christened Uncle Eric by their children.
Mason lost Saturday night to Florida. They fought with heart, but they were clearly outmatched. I don’t think any of us watching were all that surprised, but the Cinderella story has finally ended. The house was stuffed with some of the greatest people I know. The house was awash in everyone’s children (all between the ages of about 2 and 6 years old). At any given time I think at least 2 kids were crying.
All of my friends looked great, and quite a few of them had lost a significant amount of weight. Some were thinner than they were in school. I’m glad for all of them –everyone seems happy, healthy and successful.
After playing video games until 4:00 am with my evening’s host, I got a couple of hours sleep until it was time to head off for my return flight. Note to self –never stay up extremely late on the night of daylights savings time. Ouch.
-Eric (Dad)
I got in Friday night and spent the evening catching up with a former roommate (I was his best man about 10 years ago). The next day was morning tennis with the same guy, then a hop down the road to visit some more wonderful people through the afternoon –I was christened Uncle Eric by their children.
Mason lost Saturday night to Florida. They fought with heart, but they were clearly outmatched. I don’t think any of us watching were all that surprised, but the Cinderella story has finally ended. The house was stuffed with some of the greatest people I know. The house was awash in everyone’s children (all between the ages of about 2 and 6 years old). At any given time I think at least 2 kids were crying.
All of my friends looked great, and quite a few of them had lost a significant amount of weight. Some were thinner than they were in school. I’m glad for all of them –everyone seems happy, healthy and successful.
After playing video games until 4:00 am with my evening’s host, I got a couple of hours sleep until it was time to head off for my return flight. Note to self –never stay up extremely late on the night of daylights savings time. Ouch.
-Eric (Dad)
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