Maui

Not much to write right now. I'm entertaining thoughts of posting more often, but it's not happening yet. It's been a hell of a year, but now we're starting a new one, so who knows?

For now, I put some new pictures in our slideshow here. We just returned from a relaxing, monotonous, wonderful family trip to Maui. I want to stay there and sit by the pool for 38 more days.

My Fit Family

Nora's 3rd Birthday

Pictures in the gallery to the right-------->

It was Mega-Princesserific.

Not to toot my own horn, but people get us confused all the time.

Nora (to Pete, after pretending that he was a baby, and she was his mom): Okay, now I'll be the baby, and you be the superman...uh...I mean...the daddy.

Passport Picture

I need to renew my passport, and I couldn't decide which passport photo to use. What do you all think?

Mud Pies

A couple of weeks ago, the kids tried their entrepreneurial skills with a mud pie stand.

Superheroes

Pete: Are you rooting for Batman or Superman?
Me: I like Batman.
Pete: I like Superman, why do you like Batman?
Me: I've always liked Batman. He's always been my favorite superhero because he doesn't have any special super powers. He just uses his brain and works really hard to get really tough so that he can beat the bad guys. I like him because he works so hard.
Pete: Well, I like Superman because he can punch through buildings!!!

Disney

That's a picture that Pete took of me. I love it. Notice that more pictures have been posted in our album on the right. We had a blast at Disneyworld. So fun to be swept up into such a hyper-designed world for a few days. A little like an innocent Vegas.

My kids dressed themselves.

 

Playmobil Hospital

So Pete got a playmobil hospital set for Christmas. He loves it, but I decided to merge it with some of the other playmobil animals that he has and make it into an animal hospital. See treatment options below:

First Snow

 

Body by Pete

What are you going to be when you grow up?

Heather thinks that nobody will ever read this because they don't know this website still exists, given my patchy posting behavior in the past year. We'll show her, right?.... Anybody?.... Hello...?

For the longest time, Pete, when asked the above question, would only answer, "A Daddy." There will never come a time when I don't melt on hearing such an answer. If you tried to compromise and say, for example, "Okay, and what else do you want to do?" he would not budge, answering, "I just want to be a Daddy."

He has since learned that many daddies do something else for a job too, and has opened up his speculation a little bit, but he will not accept any occupation that isn't compatible with daddyness. Last week, he told me, in a state near tears, that he had wanted to be a firefighter, but then he learned at school that firefighters have beds at the fire station.

Me: So why does that make you not want to be a firefighter anymore?
Pete (crying): Because they sleep at the firestation and can't be daddies!

I tried to explain how it works and that many firefighters are daddies too, but he didn't really trust my explanation. I think that the idea of a daddy that doesn't sleep in the home was logically dissonant for him. It didn't make any sense.

Tonight, I was reading a Dora the Explorer book entitled "When I Grow Up" to Nora, and Pete came in uninvited to share what he wants to be when he grows up. First, he sat down and asked, "Can doctors be daddies?" I told him yes, and he said that he wants to be a doctor because he wants to help people feel better.

Conversation in the car:

Picture the scene. The kids are eating their fishstick dinner in the car because they are running late.

Pete: I'm gonna tell you where fishsticks come from, okay Nora?
Nora: OK, Peebee.
Pete: Well, OK. God makes the fishsticks, only not the whole thing. He only makes the outside. FISHermen make the inside. They cut fish, and then they roll it up in the outside. OK Nora?
Nora: Yeayy!!! Thanks, God!!!

Fine line between an expert and a know-it-all

Kids have "things." You know, that phrase, or interest (obsession), or joke, or facial expression that they do all the time. Like it's in the front of their mind all the time.

Right now, Pete's "thing" is that he's an expert. As in, "the mountains are really far away, but I can see them because I'm an expert!"

Elephant

Today, as part of some kind of GOP event, there was an elephant in downtown Co Springs. Heather says that the adults were as ga-ga about nand-feeding it as the kids, with one grandmother rightly telling her 3 year old granddaughter that "this is the only time in your whole life that you'll get this chance!"

Happy Birthday Nora

Scombridae

This anchorwoman should get a bonus check:

Scene: backyard

Pete: Now what are you doing?
Aaron: Well, this is fertilizer, it'll help our lawn grow better.
Pete: But then we'd have to mow it again!
Aaron: ...

Kissy Face

When we were visiting Oregon earlier this month (I can't believe June is almost over already), we had lunch at the Rogue Brewery. That's some seriously tasty beer.

While we were waiting for our food, Pete and Nora went over to the side of the room to play with a Lego table that was set up there. As soon as they arrived at the table, a little boy who was already there grabbed Nora and sat her down next to him. They sat down beside each other for a little bit, and when Nora tried to stand up, he'd grab her arm and keep her from leaving. Then he started hugging her. And then, he started kissing her.

He was definitely not creating a scene for the sake of his parents or so people would laugh or notice him. He just wanted to sit down and do some kissing. And Nora was completely into it. Then she was leaning over and giving him kisses and not letting him leave.

I was a little bit dumbstruck as a Dad. I thought it was completely harmless and cute, but I did feel a little bit protective, in a way that made no rational sense to my mind. There was no danger. They were just two toddlers showing affection in the manner that they're accustomed to. I guess I thought I'd get to ease into the experience of other humans showing affection for my humans.

There are more pictures in the web album.