Good to be back!

It's been a busy week. I haven't had time to post. It feels as if I'm on a stationary bike. I'm pedaling harder and harder, but there has been no movement. I'm in the same spot that I've been in for the past week. I have found little time to blog and found that don't like the feeling of not being able to express myself. Since I've started, I have felt as if this has been like mental and spiritual exercise. Without it, I've become become flabby between the ears. I have to make myself sit down and find the time to do this.

We celebrated her birthday on Monday. J decided to do something different than doing a kiddie party. She took the Bun out to get her hair done and then they went shopping. She deemed it a "girls day out" and she wants to continue this annually. She thinks I should do with with Goobs too. In a few years the girls will go out to a spa and the boys will either go fishing or go to some kind of sporting event. We'll see how it comes out. This October, we'll be in Michigan for Goobs' B-day. We'll have a typical big Filipino suar'e (hope the spelling's right because I'm too lazy to check it tonight).

We did want to go out to one of our favorite places on Monday evening for dinner. There's this Korean place in Eagan that is somewhat close to our 'burb that has some pretty decent food. The problem was that it was Monday...Hoban is closed on Mondays. We drove over to Eagan and saw a closed sign and and empty parking lot. We ended up at the Chili's a quarter mile from our house. Oh well...we had some family togetherness on a short drive. Of course, the bun was screaming bloody murder in the back seat. She was entitled...it was her birthday after all.

I hate toddler beds

It's been two weeks since we took the Bun out of the crib and put up her toddler bed. It's been a rough two weeks. Since that time, the hallway from her bedroom to the livingroom has become a well traveled kiddie highway. Up and down, back and forth. She just won't stay down! Last night the fun lasted until 11:30. We put her down at 8:30 and she just wouldn't go to sleep. She came out, with her nookie in her mouth and dragging her blankie at least 20 times. J and I took turns bringing her back to bed. That girl was like the energizer bunny. One of the last times, J just let her run around for a little bit. She climbed on the sofa and bounced and then ran around in circles in the livingroom. We hoped that might just tire her out. I think it worked, but she still came out two or three times after that.

I am home today because of Northwest Airlines. Our daycare provider, who was supposed to on vacation until today, called us at 8:30 last night. She and her family were stuck in Detroit last night, so it was daddy's turn to stay home. The Bun finally crashed for a nap at 1:30 this afternoon. Maybe I'm making a mistake by letting her sleep. It could start all over again tonight, but as soon as I finish this post, I've got to clean up the mess in the livingroom and in the kitchen. If I don't get a break from the little tazmainian devil and his sister beelzebub and I don't give the house a thorough once over, J will kick my backside. It looks like a bomb went off in there!!!

I had better get my butt in gear. See ya!!

Sharing Song

This has to be one of the best message songs that my kids could possibly listen to...

The Sharing song-Jack Johnson from the Curious George Soundtrack

It's always more funTo share with everyone

It's always more funTo share with everyone

If you have twoGive one to your friend

If you have threeGive one to your friend and me

It's always more funTo share with everyone

It's always more funTo share with everyone

If you've got one

Here is something you can learn

You can still shareJust by taking turns

If you've got a ballBounce it to the gang

If there is a new kid

Invite him out to hang

If you've got one sandwich

Cut that thing in half

If you know a secret joke

Tell it and share a laugh

If you've got one drumstick

Give one to your friend

Make one beautiful rhythm

Share a beat that never ends

And if you're feeling lonely

Share time with your mom

Share some milk and cookies

And sing the sharing song

It's always more funTo share with everyone

It's always more funTo share with everyone

Cool, huh?

Hero

So what's going on with athletes? Dog fighting, sexual assault, drugs, weapons charges, domestic abuse... Is this kind of behavior a reflection of society as a whole? I don't know. Is it the fame or money, or would this kind of thing happen regardless of the notariety? Man, I just don't know.

I grew up with heroes on the playing field. I was the kid in the back yard with the nerf football with my friends replaying two minute drills by our favorite players who we'd see on TV on Sundays. Yeah, I was out practicing pitching with my dad, thinking that I could be the next great star for the Minnesota Twins. That's right, it was me at the end of the driveway, throwing up the last second half court shot and winning the game. It was me dreaming about being that guy... The special one who everyone loved and looked up to. The one who's probably wearing handcuffs and meeting with his team of lawyers these days.

Here's the problem... I want my kids to have heroes. I really want them to have fun in the back yard, imagining hitting the walk off home run, sinking the winning shot, or scoring that deciding touchdown. To take it one step farther, I don't know what professional out there is worthy of my the adulation that Goobs or the Bun might give them. I've got no trust anymore. I want to be a believer, but it's just too hard. Even the clean cut guy autographing baseballs is probably going back to his hotel room with somene who isn't his wife. It's official... I'm disillusioned.

I was thinking about Filipino sports heroes for my kids, but that seems kind of a losing battle also. My mother-in-law loves Manny Pacquaio. The whole country shuts down when the Pac Man fights...Heck everybody loves him. He was almost elected... Of course, I'm from Minnesota and we elected a former professional wrestler as governor, so I cannot claim any kind of superiority. Despite the fact that he is loved by filipinos, I have read stories in newspapers regarding his behavior in bars-trashing them. I don't think I want my son or daughter looking up to him as an idol. We can cheer him when he fights, but that's as far as I want it to go. The other guy folks seem to rally around is "Bata" Reyes. I haven't read or heard anything negative at all about him, but I just don't want my son getting ideas and spending all of his hours at a pool hall, sharpening his skills. I have visions of him meeting all sorts of unsavory characters as he practices. Nope, that's not the environment I want Goobs or the Bun spending their formative years.

I want my kids outsides and involved with sports to stay healthy and well balanced. Maybe they'll just enjoy the idea of participating and not get caught up in all the hoopla of sports. Part of the problem is that I do love sports. In the past, I've planted my butt in front of the TV on Sundays and been a sedentary mass on the sofa. J hates the fall because of football. I guess I turn into a butthead on Sundays in the fall (something I need to work on) I'm starting to get more involved with outdoor sports that people participate in- fun runs, next step is a sprint triathlon-It's too late in the summer to do one this year, but I am really excited about the exercise. My step sister, her husband and I were talking yesterday about doing a sprint triathlon together next summer. Those ideas do get me fired up.

We are taking the kids to the gym. They have a day care facility and we'd like them to see that mommy and daddy are exercising on a regular basis. We talked about that and decided that we do want to be good examples to our kids. Maybe the idea isn't to have professional athletes as heroes. I'm beginning to think that a kid seeing his or her mom or dad drag themselves across a finish line for a local event and cheering is as good as it gets. J and I can be the heroes. After all...mom and dad feed them, bathe them, tuck them in, and give them love. There's no more heroic behavior than that.

Cleaning rant...

I don't know what it is, but children can take a completely clean house and turn it into a nuclear dump in less than 15 minutes. J is fantastic at cleaning and returning the house to order quickly. I, on the other hand, clean...but it takes me much longer to do it. I would like the house to look like it does when she is done with it, but for some reason, I just can't get it quite right. She tells me that she loves me for trying, but sometimes she just shoves me out of the way, tells me to go somewhere or do something, and she can knock out the job in a very short time.

She is gone today and I am responsible for the kids and the house. The house was cleaned yesterday, but the minute she walked out the door the kids started dumping toys out and running around. The bun got into the new box of wipes and I found a whole pile of fresh and moist wipes in her bedroom. When Goobs put the straw in his new juice box, somehow half the box was squirted on the kitchen floor. The swirling vortex of messy that suddlenly appeared picked up speed and more crap came flying out into the livingroom. I tried to pick up behind them, but that seemed to be a losing game. Toys were all over, slippers were out, blankets tossed willy-nilly, and fruit loops ended up on the sofa.

Lunch time came and more fun came about. We are trying to get the bun away from sippy cups, and that alone creates problems. Since there is an excess of hot dogs in the freezer, dear old dad decided that the lunch du jour was the dreaded frankfurter. Goobs did very well getting his ketchup on the dog. The bun still isn't at the stage yet to eat a hot dog as if she were at the ball park. I cut up both the buns and dogs for her, gave them both grapes, and this was probably a mistake by dad... a and a pile of doritos for each kid. Getting back to the Bun's milk...she started dipping her cut up bun in the milk like the great eater Kobiyashi at Nathan's hot dog eating contest. Before she ate the milk soaked buns, she rubbed them all over the table. She had a puddle of milk in front of her...and of course, some flowed onto the floor. The spilled milk had turned orange because it had moved into the pile of doritos on her plate. She seemed happy, but she was drenched and orange.

I had to bathe the bun after the meal. Goobs at least was somewhat clean at the dinner table. It was now nap time. I did get the kids to bed and they stayed down, which is a miracle in itself. I then had to get to cleaning. I had to get washrags, the broom, and mop out. The kitchen took about 20 minutes, which actually surprised me. I got all of the toys in our new toybox...ten bucks at a rummage sale...the best buy of the month for the kids so far. I have just finished getting everything else up. I'm tired. I think it looks okay, but I'm waiting for the final judgement from J when she gets home.

The Bun just ran into the room, so nap time is over for one of the kids. She is now dumping out the wastepaper basket next to the desk, so I have to run. I suppose it will all start over again now that they are up. Wish me luck.

Birthday thoughts

I woke up at 3:00 in the morning yesterday and couldn't get back to sleep. I suppose this happens when you have a birthday and you're not ready to cross some sort of invisible line that says you're a year older. It's only one day, just like the one before it...but why does it suddenly mean a person's older by a whole year? What's with that anyway!!!

There I was in bed, staring at the ceiling fan with hundreds of scenes of my life flashing through my brain. Three questions just kept repeating themselves over and over as I replayed wonderful, exciting, sad, and miserable situations that had marked me and made me who I am... What have you done, what will you do, and who are you? Okay, maybe I was being a little overly dramatic, but not being able to sleep and having these things run through my had at that time of the morning was really pissing me off. Sleep would have been much more preferrable to laying there and reviewing your life.

Okay, it wasn't that bad because we have a comfortable bed. J was off in la la land, snoring away. It was just me and my thoughts. I thought about going out and sitting on the deck in a lawn chair, but a. I was too lazy to get up and do that, and b. I knew that someone would show up outside the back yard and ask me why I was sitting out there in my underwear. That left me with one choice...to lay there and hope that I would fall alseep for an hour and a half or so before I was going to get up. I laid there, but sleep and relief didn't come.

I mentioned that I had three questions running through my head. The first one...What have you done? I really haven't followed a traditional track in my life. I didn't get a good job out of college. I searched, bounced around, and didn't do anything substantial. I ended up as an enlisted man in the army-God knows they don't make fortunes. There have been benefits though...The army sent me to language school and gave me opportunities to travel and learn. That opened doors to Korea, which wouldn't have happened otherwise. I've been able to teach and become passionate about assisting students in reaching their goals. Without following that path, I would not have met, fallen in love with, and married J. Now we have Goobs and the Bun and are a family. After that little run of logic, I have come to the conclusion that what I have done is enough. It's been a good run so far!

What will I do? You know with another birthday here, my head automatically starts calculating how much time there is to retirement. The first thing that comes to mind is...you only have so much time to do things. How much earning potential do I have left? Can I provide for my family? What about college for the kids? How can we afford everything? This question basically got my head aching? What about that mini-van I want (that whole mid-life thing about the little red convertible sportscar...I'm not there just yet)? After a good half hour of this spinning around in my noggin, just one sentence came back at me. "Suit up and show up and the rest will come." Hell, I don't know what's going to happen. I am starting a Masters program in Educational Leadership at the end of October. I'm staying at my job. There isn't too much more to it. If I suit up and show up, be present for my wife and kids, things will happen...life will change, but the only thing constant in life is change anyway. I'm not going to run away to Argentina to run a beef cattle ranch next week...although it did crosss my mind briefly.

Who are you? That was the last one that bugged me. I tried to come up with all sorts of sentences that described me, and I didn't know how to put it simply. Finally, I was just tired of the whole exercise of question and answer within my muddled brain. It was a simple answer...My name is Steve and I am a child of a god that I don't understand but believe in. I am a husband and a dad. I am a son and a brother. I have a job, but it's not who I am. I try to be a the best man I can be. I make mistakes...but who doesn't? I love my family and want to do right by them. That's all there is. The rest is just gravy.

So...it was my birthday. J and the kids gave me an ipod, which was very cool. I didn't think she'd give me one considering I've washed a couple of cell phones within a year. The girls (the sea of estrogen) at work got together and bought me a new hawaiian shirt and some funky crocs (they know my fashion tastes-which of course J hates). All in all, it was a wonderful day. I think everything is just right. I don't have to ask myself those questions for at least another year.

Morning surprise...

The alarm went off at 4:30 this morning and I rolled out in the dark to get suited up for the gym. J whispered for me to look out. I looked down at the floor in the middle of the bedroom. There was the Bun, sleeping peacefully. I guess she got out of her toddler bed and dragged her blanket to our room and just laid down. J heard her come in, but thought that as long as she was sleeping peacefully, she wouldn't take her back to her own bed...So there she was, so cute and completely crashed out. I think this will be a memory I will keep as she grows up.

Why she calls me samok

Tonight's happening is just another reminder of why my wife deems me as samok (just to refresh your memories dear readers...the rough definition of samok is "pain in the butt). I'm laughing now, but about an hour ago I was a frantic daddy with fearful visions in my head.

Every Tuesday evening I meet with friends for a couple of hours. It's one of those fun, nurturing things that I take part in that with friends that I truly enjoy. I am home promptly at 9:30 every Tuesday afterward because it is daddy's job to get the garbage ready to take out before we leave on Wednesday. Garbage day is on Wednesday and it's been my chore for the past three years we've been in this home. It's gotten to be a routine that has become automatic. Get home...collect the trash from various recepticles around the house, talk to J and settle in for bed.

Our get together starts at about 7:00 and it usually takes me about a half an hour to get from the park and ride to where we meet. I don't usually check my cell phone before the guys and I settle down to our weekly chat, but for some reason I did this evening. I saw a missed call on my phone from home with a time of 6:39 on it. I thought that was strange because I didn't hear the phone during my drive. So, I did what every dutiful husband does when he has a missed call from home...he calls back. No answer..., and so I tried J's cell ph0ne...no answer there too. I decided to call back fifteen minutes later after the guys and I had talked a little longer. Again...no answer on both phones. Now, my heart started beating a little faster. Okay, I thought...I'll call again in a little while. Maybe J and the kids are outside with all of our neighbors-we've got a whole crew of parents and kids the same age. I called again with the same results. It was now a little after 8:00 and my brain was filled with images of J trucking one of the kids off to the ER with an awful injury from an accident in the home. I tried once more...and again no answer. I then shared my fears with my friends. Okay folks, at this point I was scared shitless. These are really supportive guys who told me to get my backside home. I hopped in the car and came close to running a couple of red lights as I was getting on the freeway.

Yes my friends, Samok Daddy was in full panic mode. I'm probably doing between 70 and 80 on the way home. I decided to try one more time on the cell phone as I was careening toward home-luckily coffee is the drink of choice amongst my friends, so I think caffiene heightened my senses on the way back. J answered the call on the second ring. I blurted out that I was worried and asked her where she and the kids were. She replied in an exasperated tone that they were fine and then asked me why I had left so many messages on the answering machine. I told her quickly, she gave me a minor chewing out and told me to just get home.

I had forgotten that it was Tuesday night and there are community concerts especially for kids in our suburb. While I was frantic about dialing home, she and the kids were dancing and doing the hokey pokey down at the community bandstand. That's why they weren't home. Yup, daddy's the dork again.

Okay...so here's the deal. I told her that I had a missed call at 6:39 from home. Well, I had made that call in the morning to find my phone in the house. I'm one of those morons who can't find his cell phone and has to use his home phone to call the cell phone to hear the ring tone to find it. The missed call read 6:39 am. So I got laughed at and called samok again by my wife. I know that she appreciates that I am worried, but I kind of think she wants me to pull my head out of my rear end and not get samok like I did tonight.

So, you see that I have earned the mantle of Samok Daddy. I wear it proudly and far too often than I should.

I want a good nap

The kids went to a different place today while J and I were at work. Our daycare provider is on vacation this week, so we have to be flexible...at least for today. On this fine Monday, the kids stayed with one of J's friends. J is taking some vacation time for the remainder of the week and staying home with Goobs and the Bun. It's the busiest week in the quarter for me (registration). I've got to be there early and leave late. I usually come back from the Monday of registration feeling wrung out and not too social. Today, I felt okay...but the kids, they didn't fare so well today. They had a great time with Mari, her kids and Austin the dog. I don't know what it is about dogs, but my kids turn into crazy people when dogs are involved. There's hugging, squealing, slobbering, and petting. It's "Hi Puppy" and "Sit puppy." Their energy level spikes to three times it's normal level when four legged beasts named Fido enter the picture. The day was so fun, they didn't get their afternoon naps. Bad news for the Samok kids.

I walked in the house and the first thing I heard was crying. Goobs was lying on the sofa in tears. The Bun was in her toddler bed, already asleep. J told me to go give him a hug. Bad move for daddy. Goobs cried harder when I hugged him, so I had to take my leave of the area. I went back to the kitchen to hunker down over the sweet and sour meatballs that J took the time to prepare. About that time I heard a wail come from the girl's room. It's tornado season in the midwest and I almost mistook the howling coming from her room as a tornado siren. It was loud, it was persistent, and it was enough to put our neighbors into their basements with their radios on, waiting for the all clear sign. All kidding aside, she was mad and she let us know it. I picked her up and brought her into the kitchen so she could stay with us while we ate. That didn't work. I gave in and provided her with her nookie (the evil pacifier). I held her for a little while and tried to rub her back. Still no dice... J told me to lay her down again, and wouldn't you know it...she quieted right down.

Things quieted down just a bit. We just decided that we wouldn't wake the Bun. If she stayed down, we wouldn't get her up...Gosh I hope the diaper isn't too soggy in the morning. She's still down at this point...so that's a positive. We've had a stormy night here and the lightning was flalshing and thunder booming for a while. Goobs definitely doesn't like it. We had to stay in with him. The little boy is really fearful during storms and it's going to take more than one or two nights of storms to convince him it's going to be okay. It was loud tonight...It was kind of crazy...and it's all part of the world of family.

J is still in Goobs' room. He's settled down now. We'll have a few more of these nights, so I had better get used to it.

Island Lunch...yeah baby...

I was just thinking back to our vacation this past March and the food we had during that time. It kills me to look at a picture like this. I want to find that mythical time machine, step in, and go back to March with napkins, plates and silverware (okay, not so much of the silverware...eating kamayan is perfectly fine).

The fish here was caught buy the guys driving the banca. We took an island hopping tour for the day, which included picnicing and snorkeling. It was a blast. The highlight was the lunch at a place called "Babu Santa" with freshly caught and grilled fish, fruit, and some leftover lechon. We washed the food down with ice cold cokes in bottles. What a meal!!!

I'll remember that tomorrow at lunch, when we have our traditional Saturday "clean out the fridge" leftover meal.

Changes

This weekend our church sponsors a very large rummage sale. Members have been going through basements, garages, and spare bedrooms to find items that are useful for others and can help the church with its annual funding. Our baby items were sitting and just gathering dust. We had a height chair, a baby swing, a boingie chair (for lack of a better term), two strollers, and a crib to give. The crib was that final domino that fell that let us know that we were a house without a baby. Our children had crossed this invisible line from tiny, totally needy ones, clinging closely to us to small, bold little independent soldiers, marching with their shoulders back and eyes forward. Goobs and the Bun shun our attempts to grab their hands when we walk to get ice cream, the girl pulling away and screaming, "No want to..."

I put the stuff in the back of a truck we had rented from Home Depot this evening and went to the church. As I dropped the goods off, I got that feeling in my stomach...it was something I wasn't expecting. It was a longing for the sense of being daddy to a true little one. It was like there was a hole in my chest and that feeling of longing was a low grade ache that just seemed to grow by small measures as I put the crib in the church storage room and with the walk back to the empty truck. The solitary drive back to home depot was a time for the feeling to sink in. It was just me and my thoughts in the truck. I was left with my memories of both kids as babies. I realized at that point it was okay to have that ache. It's part of what being a parent is all about. That emotion is what makes me human and part of a family... It's not something to be ducked or shunned.

I took the truck back, got in my car and drove back home. I walked in the house and Goobs ran up to me to say hello. He was naked...he had escaped from J while she was getting him ready for his evening bath. He was excited to see me and shouted "Daddy, where were you?" He had some things to report to me about his day, which he shared with fervor. The Bun was in the tub and I could hear her splash around and she also shouted, "Daddy!" I was home and in the middle of it with my family. Yes, it's different now. Yes, they're bigger. But, we are growing as a family, and it's cooler than I can describe.

Deck in the Tundra

Ya know...I posted about my deck before and I just happened to be going through some photos that I have saved and I found this one. You can probably guess that we don't spend extended periods of time lounging on the deck November-March or April...(depending on the severity of the winter). If you were to pan left a little bit more, you'd see the elementary school and beautiful little ridge that I mentioned in that earlier post. And...if you jerked your head and neck around to a hard left, yes...you'd spy the butt end of Wal-Mart.

So what's the point of this post anyway? Although it's around 85 outside right now, I know that living in Minnesota, the truth of the situation is that winter WILL COME. Winter, with its shoveling, getting stuck, salt on the roads, snowbanks, plugging in cars, long underwear, short days, dark mornings and short days, will be here before we know it. I know that I'm future trippin' a bit here folks, but I think I've become a bit of a weather weenie since we moved back here a little over five years ago. I've come to recognize that I don't like the cold like I once did.

I can remember romanticizing winter as a young man. I loved the cold nights when snowflakes drifted lazily down to earth. I lived for days when I could go outside, play in the snow, crawling in and out of the serpentine wormholes that we created in our massive snow forts. Snowball fights were legendary battles, pitting the boys of 4th Ave. with their evil foes, the kids from 5th Ave. I also have fond thoughts of leaving early on a Saturday to play hockey outside all day until after dark at the public rinks. We would go in the warming houses only to visit the bathroom and eat a quick lunch.

But...switch to the present day...Ever since I moved away from Minnesota, my blood has thinned and I am no longer the hearty winter lover that I once was. Don't get me wrong...I still love hockey. My blood bleeds maroon and gold and I cheer for the Golden Gopher hockey team with all of my heart. I also love cheering for the Wild. But, this being outside in the cold...and loving it...it's gone, vanished, vamoosed, high-tailed out of the building, bye bye, outa here!!!

I lived on the west coast for a few years, Korea for seven, and bounced back and forth in the Philippines for extended periods. The west coast was nice... I really liked it, but occasionally forgot what month it was, since it all seemed the same to me. Korea could be cold...sometimes the wind was outright bone chilling, but on the whole winters were comfortable. Sometime during that span of time, my blood thinned. I became a wimp.

J and I have talked on and off for a long time about what we want to do in retirement. We do want to go back to the Philippines. I love the Davao area and am very comfortable there. Maybe it's the romantic thought of sitting on the beach...swimming... diving...doing nothing in the blessed warmth there. It's a long time away... A long, long, long time away. Until that time, we will plan our vacations back to see Lola and the rest of the family every two or three years. I will be in my livingroom, looking out, surveying the snow and the frozen pond, and counting the days until we hop on the plane and plop ourselves back on the beach.

Yeah...Yeah...I know it's summer and I'm already bitching.

Weird Haircut talk

I had a weird conversation yesterday. I have mentioned in a previous post that we go to Supercuts near our home for haircuts. Goobs and I went there yesterday because he had been bugging me to get his haircut for the last few days. I don't get it...do most kids just turning four worry about their hair?

Well...anyway, we have a woman, designated in this blog as M, who always cuts both my and the Goober man's hair. M is from the Manila area and always fawns all over Goobs and the Bun. As she cuts his hair, she speaks to him in a version of Taglish baby talk. She keeps forgetting that other than English, he hears bits and pieces of Bisaya from his mom. He doesn't have any exposure to Tagalog, other than M's haircutting sessions. Goobs just talks to her in English and bobs his head up and down in agreement with whatever she says. He's pretty good at this because he knows that if M is happy, he gets more suckers. He's a clever boy when it comes to getting what he wants.

Here's the weird part...M starts talking to me about Tagalog lessons. She asks me when the kids are going to start Tagalog lessons. She goes on to say that it's really important that they not sound weird when they speak Tagalog. I'm still shaking my head up and down, going Okah...uh huh... okay... Then she starts telling me that all the hot actors and actresses back home are all hapa. Since our kids are hapa, they could become actors. Okay...don't get me wrong...I do get a good feeling when someone says that our kids are good looking. What dad or mom doesn't like it when someone says your kid is handsome or pretty...but this just weirded me out. I mean...the Bun has just become accomplished at telling us she's pooped, and Goobs would sooner ramble on about firetrucks. I had this feeling like by sending my kids to Tagalog lessons Goobs might be on his way to becoming the Filipino Danny Bonnaduce. Yeah, that's what I want...to see my kid cracking up on cable...all because I sent him to Tagalog class... I'm not even going to entertain the thought now. I guess I am not a stage parent...thank God.
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While walking with the kids a couple of weeks ago, J came up with the brilliant idea to keep the kids out of the water flowing in gutters coming from water sprinklers from the yards in the neighborhood. She told Goobs that the water was "Dog pee" and not to play with it. Okay...he doesn't play in that water anymore, but if he sees any sprinkler runoff, he announces to everyone in earshot that there's dog pee in the gutter. Sometimes quick solutions backfire on us.

Put the camera down...

We did have a great time at the ball game yesterday. We went with my mom, stepdad, brother and family, and sister and her family. Goobs and the Bun had a babysitter and stayed home (this was our first official teenaged babysitter-note: Brittany was fantastic with the kids and they had a wonderful time). It's great to go to a game with family and just get loud and a little rowdy. It was hot dogs, kettle corn, peanuts, and soda for all of us. Let's just say that I had a bit of a gut ache when it was all said and done, but it was truly a blast.

My mom has a bit of a problem though... She's a wonderful woman, who is a whole lot of fun. She lets her hair down and knows how to have a good time. She's got one thing that is just a hair bothersome...Her husband, kids, and their spouses have all been exposed to this little thing repeatedly. We are at the point now where we accept the problem for what it is and move one...but it is still there like the 600 lb Gorilla in the livingroom. It's mom and her camera. This fantastic woman morphs into something completely different and uncontrollable when you put a digital camera in her paws.

My mom suddenly wants to snap pictures of everyone. In itself, there's no problem with that at all. She just wants to arrange each family member in the right position and tries to get them in perfect poses. She's been known to tug on babies so they'll sit up straight for her photos. This is very serious for her...she feels that it is her duty to chronicle the development of the family. There is no room in her photos for silliness or brevity. She tolerates no finger bunny ears, tongues out, or goofy expressions. And...she takes a lot of pictures! My siblings and I feel we have to spice up those pictures, so right before she snaps shots we try to do those silly things that make family photography fun. We break into spontaneous stupidity. We get hollered at and told to stop it. It is our hope to make at least one of the pictures a goofy one. We didn't succeed yesterday. We had to be serious and smile big in the Metrodome yesterday. Oh well, there's always the big end of summer family reunion coming up in two weeks. We'll get her then.

Mom's coming tonight...

So, my mom is coming to babysit tomorrow morning because I have to work and J is taking the TOEFL for grad school. She's actually coming tonight about 9:00. Here's the rub...J wants to make sure the house is thoroughly cleaned before my mom gets here. I get it...I know that she wants to make sure our place is always presentable...it's my mom...it's a girl thing and a pride thing. I think the best thing for me to do is suck it up, say a lot of "Yes, dears," grab a broom, vacuum, or rag and get to it. J will crack the whip and stuff will definitely get done before mom gets to our place...

The cool thing is that after the work and test in the morning, will get our other babysitter for the afternoon, kiss the kids, and take mom and meet the rest of the ballpark and watch the Twins play ball. So...a little sweat before the fun and it's all good baby...

It's a pain in the but and a logistical nightmare, but when it's all said and done, we'll say that we will have had a good time.

The Deck and Wal-Mart

I spend a great deal of time looking out from my back deck. The deck is modest if compared to most other decks. It's only 10' by 10', but it overlooks a grassy field and a pond to the right. If you look out further, you can see a new elementary school with play fields sitting below a picturesque ridge. It's peaceful when the family sits out there. J and I sip pop and the kids have ice candy (freezie pops) in the evenings as we relax and gaze out. We love to set there and watch the folks that walk, run, and play beyond the grassy field. Sometimes J and I set in the dark and just enjoy the light of the moon together as we slap a few mosquitoes. I love it out there. The crappy part of the equation is that if we turn our heads hard to the left, we see the back end of the local Wal-Mart. At night sometimes we can hear the beep, beep, beep of the trucks backing into their loading docks at the Wal-Mart. We've learned to deal with it, and honestly it's not that bad-even if Wal-mart is the Satan of modern day retailers.

It's all about perspective. Where do I place my attention? Where am I focused? If I look at the pond, the grassy field, and the ridge, I'm at peace. Now, if I stare at the butt end of Wal-mart, the idea that my life is less than nice consumes me. Yeah...Walmart is there and it's not going to magically lift from its foundation and fly away. It's pretty much locked in place...Here's the beauty of that...just beyond the Wal-mart is a Dairy Queen. We are able to walk with the kids, get some ice cream and sit outside of the DQ and kick back. Without the Wal-Mart, I am sure they wouldn't have put up the DQ. So, it's all in how I think about it. I think that we'll go get some ice cream after dinner this evening.

I'm feeling grateful today. I'm a lucky man. I have everything that I need. I truly believe that. Nothing's every perfect. Things are the way they are...but that sounds perfect to me.

Backseat fun...not the kind you're thinkin of...

My kids are not quiet when we are traveling and they are in their car seats. Goobs asks questions and repeats the question over and over until he gets a response that suits him. "Did you see the blue truck, Dad? It's big, huh? Dad, it's big, right? Dad, it's big. The blue truck, Dad." If you try to ignore him, he becomes louder and more persistent. You have to answer him to his satisfaction to return to some sort of quiet and sanity. Of course, it all starts again when he sees something else. The Bun, on the other hand, is our singer of gibberish-at extremely high decibel levels. The tunes sound kind of like this... "Plah, Plah, Plah, da da da la da dum. Plah, plah plah..."

It's funny because, despite his own irritating questions and commentary, Goobs can't stand the Bun's singing. If she starts singing, he tells her to be quiet. She usually amps up the volume after a couple of "Sami, be quiet" shouts. Goobs then has to crank up his complaints to her. Within a couple minutes of singing, we've got a battle of the bands going on between car seats...The Bun, banging out her "Plah, Plah, Plah's," and Goobs howling for her to be quiet. J and I turn up the radio and just laugh in the front seat. It's entertaining, but we're so happy when we get home and get the kids into bed.

Tragedy here at home...

I got off of the bus at the park and ride by my house and flipped on the radio immediately after starting my car and heard about the bridge collapse. My heart sagged into my gut and Icouldn't believe something like this could happen here. My prayers go out for those who were on the bridge and also for the families waiting feverishly for their loved ones to come home. Please join me in that prayer.

Too cool...

Sorry, I can't talk to my adoring public now. I'm busy enjoying some "ice candy." A celebrity cannot keep up her image all the time...

I took Goobs to swimming lessons the other night and I watched as he walked with his teachers and other classmates around the side of the sand bottomed pool to where they conduct class. I wanted to just watch and not have him notice me. So many times I've got things buzzing around in my jumbled brain that I don't take time to just watch my kids and really see what they are doing. He hopped on one foot and seemed to really enjoy himself as he bounced along with the rest of the crew. He just appeared to really to be caught up in the moment with his jumping and hopping.

I really need to take the time to just be with my wife and kids and open my eyes and see what's really happening. I have to strip away my thinking...like an adult. Screw the daily concerns for a while...drink in what it's like to be turning four...or two for that matter. Just to be with them...that's the goal. Forget the job, forget dinner, lose the idea of washing hands, chuck manners, and just be a kid with the kids. Free myself up and dive in. This might also kick my own personal stress to the curb.