Pumpkins

We enjoyed a trip to the Dallas Arboretum with Liz, Madeleine, and Thomas.

Sweet Annalise

Annalise loves to be outside! We had fun taking pictures while we enjoyed the nice fall weather.

Little Chris

Matthew looks even more like Chris with his new hair cut. They both look so handsome!

Silliness

Matthew is in a phase where he makes silly faces. At everyone. All the time.

And he won't ever keep his pacifier in his mouth the way its meant to be. Leave it to one of my offspring to take a simple tool and be obstinate about its real use.

But he has so much fun doing it, that I can't help but laugh. Annalise keeps a pretty stoic face about it though when he's acting silly in front of her. I think she thinks he's being childish. I mean, come on, she is the bigger sister...by 6 minutes.

8 Months Old

They grow too fast!

Back from Vacation

Back from vacation - here's the whole fam in the airport skylink before we flew out to SLC. Just so no one complains that I don't contribute to the blog lately. :)

I'm guarding the perimeter. Just forgot to put the Rambo knife between my teeth. TSA frowns on that.

Pictures

Our babies will be six months old in two weeks!

Daddy and Daughter

Chris and Annalise have had some sweet bonding moments.

That's My Baby

So my little angel Annalise is the sweetest girl when she wakes up in the morning. Smiles. Plays. Generally does happy stuff.

But somewhere during the day, usually around 6 pm, a switch gets flipped and she becomes angry baby. Sometimes the switch gets flipped earlier, sometimes later, but it gets flipped at least once daily.

So, I was thinking about songs that remind me of the kids and the first one that came to mind is Sting's "All Four Seasons". He wrote this song about his experience with his daughter Coco, marvelling at how she could change her temperment so rapidly.

Here's the lyrics and the link for those of you who aren't familiar with the full Sting anthology.

Pause the other good music at the bottom of the blog, click on the youtube player, and follow along with the lyrics. You couldn't paint a better picture of my baby girl. I get this exact look on my face at some point every evening. Hoping this stage in our relationship passes soon!



"All Four Seasons"

With her smile as sweet as a warm wind in summer
She's got me flying like a bird in a bright June sky
And then just when she thinks that I've got her number
Brings me down to the ground with her wintry eye
That's my baby
She can be all four seasons in one day

And when the nighttime comes with no interference
To our warm summer love with all its charms
Just like a thoroughbred horse she can turn on a sixpence
And I find that I'm back in Mistress Winter's arms

That's my baby
She can be all four seasons in one day

How will I know?
How can I tell?
Which side of the bed she takes when the day begins
She can be kind
She can be cruel
She's got me guessing like a game show fool

She can change her mind like she changes her sweaters
From one minute to the next it's hard to tell
She blows hot and cold just like stormy weather
She's my gift from the Lord or a fiend from hell

That's my baby
She can be all four seasons in one day

Watching the weatherman's been no good at all
Winter, spring, summer, I'm bound for a fall
No long term predictions for my baby
She can be all four seasons in one day

How will I know?
How can I tell?
Which side of the bed she takes when the day begins
She can be kind
She can be cruel
She's got me guessing like a game show fool

If it's a sunny day I take my umbrella
Just in case the raindrops start to fall
You could say that I'm just a cautious fellow
I don't want to be caught in a sudden squall

That's my baby
She can be all four seasons in one day
That's my baby
She can be all four seasons in one day

Grandpa's Day

The kids wanted to dress up for Grandpa for the birthday celebration last Sunday. They forgot that dressing up means mandatory "enhanced interrogation" time with the camera.

Patient Kids

Patient with Dad's newfound photography addiction, that is.

Stuff I've Done

Stole this from someone else's blog. The idea is to bold each of the things you've done.

1. Touched an iceberg
2. Slept under the stars
3. Been a part of a hockey fight - I wish!
4. Changed a baby's diaper
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Swam with wild dolphins
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a tarantula
10. Said "I love you" and meant it
11. Bungee jumped - no way, not in this scared of heights body that I currently inhabit
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea - Lake Texoma, pretty close
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty - see #11
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment - too many to count
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb - lamb? I've held a coyote
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Taken an ice cold shower
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Ridden a roller coaster - currently retired from this activity. See #11
31. Hit a home run - ahh...Wii sports
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking - DDR Universe, baby!
33. Adopted an accent for fun
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment
36. Loved your job 90% of the time - only when I lifeguarded, coached swimming, and worked on the morning show at the EDGE...but they didn't pay well
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock climbing - contemplating retirement. See #11.
40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach
41. Gone sky diving - #11 again!
42. Visited Ireland
43. Survived a Hurricane
44. Visited India - maybe in the next year or two
45. Bench-pressed your own weight - metabolism of a racehorse certainly helps
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabetized your personal files - way too disorganized for that
48. Ever worn a superhero costume - no comment
49. Sung karaoke
50. Lounged around in bed all day
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but don't
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business - Grassbusters. I was 12. It was before its time, unfortunately.
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Been in a movie Extra in "An American Story"
60. Gone without food for 3 days - close...E. Coli will do that to you
61. Made cookies from scratch
62. Won first prize in a costume contest
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Been in a combat zone - Every time I log onto Call of Duty
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
67. Bounced a check
68. Read - and understood - your credit report
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy - bought the die-cast scale replica of the Spaceship Yamato from StarBlazers
70. Found out something significant about your ancestors - handcart company, German WW2 military officers, few other "blacksheep" discoveries
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
74. Helped an animal give birth
75. Been fired or laid off from a job
76. Won money
77. Broken a bone - no idea how this isn't really bolded
78. Ridden a motorcycle
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph - ahh...the good old days when you didn't worry about felony wreckless driving
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days - 63 miles in 3.5 days
83. Eaten sushi
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read The Bible cover to cover - not in one sitting
86. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about - Liesl's changing her mind about Battlestar Galactica :)
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school
89. Changed your name
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
92. Read The Iliad
93. Taught yourself an art from scratch
94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
97. Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair
103. Been a DJ - I was "Intern Buff Chris" on the New Morning EDGE before my mission and had my own night/weekend shift a few times. I did NOT choose that ridiculous name.
104. Rocked a baby to sleep - every night lately
105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all four - more like throw than drop, but that brings in #55 (no animals were harmed)
106. Raked your carpet
107. Brought out the best in people - no idea
108. Brought out the worst in people - more inclined to believe this one
110. Ridden a horse
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe
113. Buried a child
114. Gone to a Broadway play
115. Been inside the pyramids
116. Shot a basketball into a basket - probably only 2-3 times...quit laughing, David
117. Danced at a disco
118. Played in a band
119. Shot a bird
120. Gone to an arboretum
121. Tutored someone - does your stepmother count?
122. Ridden a train
123. Brought an old fad back into style - I claim the scarf thing
124. Eaten caviar
125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need
126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant
127. Published a book - someday
128. Pieced a quilt
129. Lived in a historic place
130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage - Macbeth, 5th grade
131. Asked for a raise - via instant messenger...and it worked!
132. Made a hole-in-one
133. Gone deep sea fishing
134. Gone roller skating
135. Ran a marathon - I only run if I'm being chased
136. Learned to surf
137. Invented something - The idea for Redbox was my senior thesis in college. Unfortunately, I didn't market it and I get ticked every time I walk into Tom Thumb and see one.
138. Flown first class
139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite
140. Flown in a helicopter
141. Visited Africa
142. Sang a solo - the shower makes everyone sound good
143. Gone spelunking
144. Learned how to take a compliment
145. Written a love-story
146. Seen Michelangelo’s David
147. Had your portrait painted
148. Written a fan letter - I wrote a fan letter to Chris Heimerdinger on p-day on my mission...was sort of a dare
149. Spent the night in something haunted
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane
151. Ran away
152. Learned to juggle
153. Been a boss
154. Sat on a jury
155. Lied about your weight
156. Gone on a diet - www.skinnyguy.net
157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
158. Written a poem
159. Carried your lunch in a lunch box
160. Gotten food poisoning - worst experience of my adult life
161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
162. Hiked the Grand Canyon
163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks - looking forward to that with our kids
164. Gone to the opera
165. Gotten a letter from someone famous - Chuck Norris asked me to vote for Senator Cornyn last year
166. Worn knickers
167. Ridden in a limousine
168. Attended the Olympics - olympic time trials only
169. Can hula or waltz
170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books - read them all
171. Been stuck in an elevator - Polish elevators don't respond well when you jump in them
172. Had a revelatory dream - of course, it didn't come true
173. Thought you might crash in an airplane - every time I fly
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert - "There she goes"...sort of a joke from one of the other DJ's as I was leaving a shift
175. Saved someone’s life
176. Eaten raw whale
177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint
178. Laughed till your side hurt
179. Straddled the equator
180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
182. Sent a message in a bottle - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6n6zO_FnnIw
183. Spent the night in a hotel
184. Been a cashier
185. Seen Old Faithful geyser
186. Joined a union
187. Donated blood or plasma
188. Built a camp fire
189. Kept a blog
190. Had hives
191. Worn custom made shoes
192. Made a PowerPoint presentation
193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
194. Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
196. Know CPR
197. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
198. Built your own PC from parts
199. Written your own role playing game - uhh...no
200. Been arrested

#180:

Bittersweet Day

Its finally here, the final season of "Battlestar Galactica". I can't wait. I'm crushed. My wife laughs. Smartest show on TV, they say. I agree. It won the Peabody award for best drama. Next to "My Own Worst Enemy", this was the best thing going on the tube in a long time (And that got cancelled!) Come on America! There is more to primetime TV than "American Idol" and "So, I Married A {choose ending...Bachelor, Big Loser, Dog Whisperer, Ax Murderer}"!

Just to make my sisters roll their eyes, I'll post the very well though theory that I'm hitching my wagon to regarding who the final Cylon model is. If you don't get the picture, rent the series. I have it. You can borrow it. Just not for the next 4 months while I verify my theory. Yes, Matthew, Daddy is a geek tonight!



Comment away - I can take it.

Photoshop Babies

Daddy took these and is learning photoshop :)

Ladies first...



Matthew...

Under the Tree

It was a good Christmas this year. We got the two presents we'd been hoping for!

Pictures didn't turn out quite how we wanted...the second is funny, though. Matthew is looking at Annalise crying and thinking "What the heck are you doing?!"

8 Diapers in 4 Hours

Our kids played a prank on us last night. First it was Annalise with me at 4 am. Then it was Matthew with Debbie at 8:30.

Their M.O. was identical!!

1. Grunt several times like you're powerlifting a '73 Ford Galaxy while eating.
2. Lull parent into complanceny, thereby fooling them into thinking said grunting is complete, by falling asleep during feeding.
3. Wait until the first diaper is off and the new one is under and then re-commence grunting.
4. Wait until 3rd diaper is only halfway on and then pee all over yourself.
5. Smile while dad/mom straps on diaper number 4.

Everyone seems to say after an episode like this: "Ahh, the joys of parenthood." That's like saying: "Ahh, the joys of home ownership," after a major appliance goes out unexpectadly. Excuse me...ain't much joy in 8 diapers in 4 hours, people.

But........the joy was in the photos I got of our worn out kids this morning. Take a peek below:

Annalise is passed out after her ordeal.



Matthew just seems to think its funny that he did the same thing to Mom that Annalise did to Dad.



Another from a day or two ago of Annalise starting to grin.



Just back from another spacewalk to the Doctor's office. These bear outfits are a little large, but they sleep so well in them!



Annalise likes brown.



Sharkboy (I'll blog about how he eats later)



Annalise likes the sun



Tired boys



The kiddos are helping me hone my photography skills!