1 pair of Lily's pajama pants.
1 Dad, distracted by sports on the TV, but still trying to be helpful.
The best part about it was that Alec had just been chastising Eric for putting his pajamas on too slowly. You see, Eric was also distracted by the TV. I wonder how long it would have taken either of them to notice if I hadn't said something...Those of you who hail from Arizona won't find this very interesting, since you saw it first hand. Hopefully it will be mildly interesting for the rest of you. This is a short clip of a monsoon storm last Thursday. It did quite a bit of damage in some parts of the valley, but the amazing thing about the storm was the amount of lightning it generated. During a one hour time span there were a total of nearly 5,000 lightning strikes. It looked like strobe lights going off for about two hours. My lame little video won't do it justice, but nevertheless, here you go . . .
You can bowl with the pads,
We can't believe that Eric is old enough to be going to Kindergarten every day, but here he is. As you can see, he is facing this new chapter in his life with his usual humor. He loves his class and his teacher, Mrs. Harnish. And of course, he has already told every kid in the school his favorite joke--Mushroom and Jelly sandwich! I have to admit, I teared up a little after we dropped him off for the first time. I didn't think I would, I just assumed this would be like sending him to preschool, but every mother out there who has been in my place understands that it is different altogether. I think this is because it signals a true end to the Toddler years and the beginning of a time when you are not involved in a large portion of what they do everyday. We both wish we could be a fly on the wall in his classroom. It is sad, but we are grateful that we have such a great school, and such a great boy!
Some people might say that fantasy can be a healthy part of a relationship between two mature, committed individuals. They might say it helps keep things interesting.
Now before you vomit a little in your mouth, and report our blog for indecency, hear me out.
I've been trying to convince Jen of this fact for four years now. She just doesn't believe me. She insists that those "authors" were not referring to fantasy football.
But even Jen admits that Fantasy Football makes our relationship "interesting." Like the time last year when she tried to stuff the remote control down the disposal. Or the time two years ago when I celebrated a last minute touchdown by ripping off my shirt and running around the block shouting "Who's your fantasy football king now?!"
Jen feels like fantasy football takes away from "us" time. But I told her she is always free to rub my back while I watch football. Which earned me a slap--also interesting.
Jen's interest in "us" time waned a bit after that, so I told her that this could be a great opportunity for a little girl time. She seemed to like that idea a little bit better, especially after she found the website http://womenagainstfantasysports.com. I'm not sure exactly what they talk about at her weekly meetings; Something about anthrax and ESPN headquarters--I wasn't really listening, it was during my leagues' live draft. I hear they're always looking for new members though, so if you're interested give Jen a ring on the old telly--especially if you have experience disarming alarm systems or uploading computer viruses to networks.
Eric the InquisitorFear paralyzes some of us. Fear takes you hostage and drives you down dark roads best left untraveled (because, you see, it is really, stinkin' scary to go down these figurative roads). But fear can be mastered, if you eat the breakfast of courage and face your fear, yes even embrace it . . .
Or, as an alternative you can scream like a teenage girl and beat fear to death with a broom . . .
A word of explanation. This is a clip of our brother Steve trapping a bat in the cabin in Idaho. Alec is the one who dealt the final blow with the broom. Jen is hiding in another room with the door locked--so much for facing your fears, eh?
"Don't Touch the Ground Tag" at Park Discovery
Preparing for a float trip.
Floating down the Snake River
Slip n' Sliding at Grandma's house.
Lily and Jake having some fun with the sprinkler.
Lily at Henry's Lake in Idaho.
Eric just celebrated his birthday by driving for 19 hours to Island Park, Idaho. Actually, he loved his birthday. Grandma LuAnne found out about his obsession with the local infomercial for pancake puffs ("Mom, if you love pancakes, you'll certainly love pancake puffs!) and bought him an Aebleskiver pan as a gift then made some for him the morning we stayed with them. Then we spent two wonderful days in Idaho with my family--Thanks for letting us use your cabin Aunt Jane! On a more serious note, I can't believe our baby is five! He starts kindergarten this week and I am in complete denial. He has been such a wonderful child. He loves to joke around--our family all heard more than their fair share of "You're a mustard and mushroom sandwich" jokes this week. He really tries hard to be obedient and he loves to be helpful ("Whew, mom, I'm just getting too useful!"). He is a great big brother and a very loving boy. We love you, Eric.
