Dad is back from the trip. Had fun in Orlando but it got very cold unexpectedly Tuesday night after a huge storm came through. I ended up having to buy a sweatshirt at the Harley Davidson store across the street from the hotel.
On my way back yesterday through the Orlando airport I had a lot of time to kill. I saw the Disney shop and wandered in looking for something to get Ty. And there it was... the small toy that had eluded us all throughout the xmas shopping season... a Dinoco Chick Hicks! Now let me explain for a second for those who may not understand that one:
Ty is obsessed with the Pixar movie Cars. We have all sorts of toys, posters and collectibles scattered about his room. During the film there is a brief daydream from the star, Lightning, who imagines his nemesis Chick Hicks winning the big race and getting the sponsorship that he wants. Chick is normally a green car, but when he gets the sponsorship from Dinoco, he gets a blue paint job. So Disney makes a ton of these collectible die cast cars (think Hot Wheels) and there was a super hard to find one of this car I just described. I immediately snagged it.
Now when you find a super special present like this it is hard to just give it to your child without any special occasion, and especially since I already had a few things I was bringing home already. So I thought it would be the perfect reward for something he would accomplish. And that will be for when he dunks his head completely underwater during our swimming lessons. He has been afraid to cross that barrier and I have signed him up for lessons leading up to spring break so that we can have more fun in the pool. So is this a bribe? Perhaps. But don't all of us parents do things like this? It is positive reinforcement I figure and in the end we are both happy.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
Lost in Translation
Dad is in Orlando this week for work. The cheap hotel his company put
him up at (name withheld to protect further flames) has shotty
internet access. No wireless in the rooms and ethernet through the
phones. Called the front desk and they said they were out of the
cables you need to connect. So this post is being sent via my
blackberry. We will return you to more regular updates when Dad
returns at the end of the week.
him up at (name withheld to protect further flames) has shotty
internet access. No wireless in the rooms and ethernet through the
phones. Called the front desk and they said they were out of the
cables you need to connect. So this post is being sent via my
blackberry. We will return you to more regular updates when Dad
returns at the end of the week.
--
Sent from Gmail for mobile | mobile.google.com
Saturday, February 23, 2008
It's T-Ball Time Again!
Snowstorms in the North East you say? Ha! It's baseball time in Texas again. This morning almost half the city it seemed gathered for the opening day celebrations for the Round Rock Youth Baseball. It was a gorgeous sunny morning with just a slight chill in the air.
This will be Ty's 2nd season playing for 4U T-ball (a veteran?) and he has been selected to play on the White Sox. Look for a lot of posts and pictures during our Spring sports adventures.
It All Ads Up to Our Future
Some of our regular viewers may have noticed some ads appearing in our sidebars. We have been an "ad free" blog now since the beginning, but Dad decided to put these on the blog as an experiment. Please note that 100% of any click through revenue that might get generated will go into Ty's college account. Thanks.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Feeling Better and Stronger
While I wouldn't compare taking Tamiflu to the 6 million dollar enhancement Steve Austin got, our little guy has turned the corner. He is playing and laughing and ready to take on the world again.
Thanks again to all the well wishers out there. Now just hope Dad can keep loading up on the over the counter homeopathic remedies to avoid a similar fate.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Pancakes and Eggs Redux
Warning: for those easily grossed out do not read the rest of this post.
I picked up Ty this morning and took him to the doctor because he had been running a low grade fever during the weekend and was very bloated and had no appetite. Turns out he has the flu. But we all had flu shots I mentioned to the doctor. Well apparently this pesky strain got around and the shots have no effect. (I have heard already from friends that this flu is spreading all over the place and causing major problems).
So we headed to the pharmacy to fill the prescription and put some food in his tummy since he had not eaten anything today. Went to Denny's and got him some pancakes and eggs. He managed to put down one pancake and still complained about the bloating. I told him once we got some of the medicines in him he would feel better, but he needed the food in there first. On our way home, not 100 yards from my driveway, he coughed and then proceeded to launch (that's the best way to describe it) the breakfast he just had all over the back seat.
I calmly pulled into the driveway, got him out of the car, stripped him down and cleaned him off. He put on pajamas and laid down in his bed while I went back outside to clean up the mess. I returned 10 minutes later to his room where he was sound asleep.
I am sure all my fellow parent readers have other graphic stories as well, or even ones that are grosser. But we all have one thing in common: these are our kids and this is part of the job of taking care of them. We take the good with the bad and the gross and deal with it. And we wouldn't trade it for the world.
I picked up Ty this morning and took him to the doctor because he had been running a low grade fever during the weekend and was very bloated and had no appetite. Turns out he has the flu. But we all had flu shots I mentioned to the doctor. Well apparently this pesky strain got around and the shots have no effect. (I have heard already from friends that this flu is spreading all over the place and causing major problems).
So we headed to the pharmacy to fill the prescription and put some food in his tummy since he had not eaten anything today. Went to Denny's and got him some pancakes and eggs. He managed to put down one pancake and still complained about the bloating. I told him once we got some of the medicines in him he would feel better, but he needed the food in there first. On our way home, not 100 yards from my driveway, he coughed and then proceeded to launch (that's the best way to describe it) the breakfast he just had all over the back seat.
I calmly pulled into the driveway, got him out of the car, stripped him down and cleaned him off. He put on pajamas and laid down in his bed while I went back outside to clean up the mess. I returned 10 minutes later to his room where he was sound asleep.
I am sure all my fellow parent readers have other graphic stories as well, or even ones that are grosser. But we all have one thing in common: these are our kids and this is part of the job of taking care of them. We take the good with the bad and the gross and deal with it. And we wouldn't trade it for the world.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Between Bars
Have we mentioned how much we enjoy living in Texas for the sole reason that while most of the country is bundled up shoveling snow, we get to play outside without jackets and sometimes even in shorts. If anyone wants to come down for a play date, let us know.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Children are not Decor
Great story in the NY Times today I wanted to share:
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We happen to have had some ultra modern furniture in the house when Ty was little (2 Barcelona chairs) which had some sharp edges. He loved climbing on the cushions, but I was always a bit nervous about him crawling beneath them and cutting his head. Well those chairs have now been sold and the sitting room became his playroom. He designs his own modern creations now from Tinkertoys and that makes me much happier.
When a couple has invested in a pristine, high-style home for grown-ups, the transition to making that home child-friendly can be hard.
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We happen to have had some ultra modern furniture in the house when Ty was little (2 Barcelona chairs) which had some sharp edges. He loved climbing on the cushions, but I was always a bit nervous about him crawling beneath them and cutting his head. Well those chairs have now been sold and the sitting room became his playroom. He designs his own modern creations now from Tinkertoys and that makes me much happier.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Valentine
Ty cheered this morning when he woke up. He knew it was Valentine's Day because they are having a big to-do in his class. All the kids will get to exchange cards. Ty pretty much summed it up this way: "Boys give the girls cards and girls give the boys cards".
He got a few in the mail as well from his loving grandparents (Shout out to Gram and GG). When he saw that they also sent cards to me, he turned all frowny. Seems he felt that all the cards should be for him. I reminded him that his grandma is my Mom. Seems he hasn't quite grasped the concept that parents can also have birthdays, get presents at Xmas and cards on Valentine's day.
Happy Valentine's to all the wonderful Moms out there in blog land.
----------------
Now playing: Van Morrison - Moondance
via FoxyTunes
He got a few in the mail as well from his loving grandparents (Shout out to Gram and GG). When he saw that they also sent cards to me, he turned all frowny. Seems he felt that all the cards should be for him. I reminded him that his grandma is my Mom. Seems he hasn't quite grasped the concept that parents can also have birthdays, get presents at Xmas and cards on Valentine's day.
Happy Valentine's to all the wonderful Moms out there in blog land.
----------------
Now playing: Van Morrison - Moondance
via FoxyTunes
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Flashback Moment #7
I thought I would take a moment to highlight an old photo sequence of Ty that I really love. Since we have so many new fans of this blog I hope you enjoy our trip down memory lane. For all the parents out there, you know how fast these early years fly by. Enjoy every moment while you can.
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Now playing: Elvis Presley - (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear
via FoxyTunes
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Candlelight Dinner
It was a warm sunny day here in Texas. I decided to cook hot dogs on the grill for dinner. Ty watched eagerly from his couch full of stuffed animals as I shuttled back and forth from the kitchen to the outside patio. When dinner was finally ready, we sat down at the table. All of a sudden, poof! The lights went out without warning. No storm, no wacky appliance shorting out, just complete darkness and silence.
I told Ty to stay calm as I went to a drawer to retrieve a flashlight. I put the flashlight facing up in the middle of our dinner table and then lit about 8 tea lights across the counter. Once we had enough light, we enjoyed our hot dogs by candlelight. A perfect Saturday night date for me.
(The lights came back on about 90 minutes later)
I told Ty to stay calm as I went to a drawer to retrieve a flashlight. I put the flashlight facing up in the middle of our dinner table and then lit about 8 tea lights across the counter. Once we had enough light, we enjoyed our hot dogs by candlelight. A perfect Saturday night date for me.
(The lights came back on about 90 minutes later)
Friday, February 08, 2008
Fat...Albert...Einstein?
After dinner tonight I asked Ty if he wanted to watch a video. We have one of those DVD carousels with over 150 animated movies or cartoon shows in there (I know, tough life for that kid). Anyhow, he has gotten into some of the vintage stuff that I grew up on as a kid like School House Rock, Sesame Street, and The Superfriends.
So tonight I asked if he wanted to see something "new" (new to him that is). I started up the cartoon and explained it was a show called Fat Albert. He repeated back the name "Albert" to make sure he understood how to say it. Then he paused, looked back at me and said, "Albert. I saw an Albert... Albert Einstein."
I was speechless for a moment. "Where did you see that?" I asked.
"On a book that our teacher read in school," he responded
Sign this kid up for gifted and talented now please.
So tonight I asked if he wanted to see something "new" (new to him that is). I started up the cartoon and explained it was a show called Fat Albert. He repeated back the name "Albert" to make sure he understood how to say it. Then he paused, looked back at me and said, "Albert. I saw an Albert... Albert Einstein."
I was speechless for a moment. "Where did you see that?" I asked.
"On a book that our teacher read in school," he responded
Sign this kid up for gifted and talented now please.
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Post #200 - The Magnificent Mile
Wow! I can't believe we hit another milestone tonight with post #200. Dad just returned from a minor blizzard in Chicago. Luckily my flight got out today, because yesterday O'Hare was just about shut down.
Before I left for the trip I told Ty that I might see some snow. Ummm, yeah that was a bold prediction. 4 inches only downtown and over a foot North of the city. Ty claims he doesn't remember ever seeing snow (he did in NYC, but he was too little to remember) so Dad said he would bring back a photo. So here are 3 souvenirs from the trip: A cute video of me standing on Michigan Avenue in the snow, the street sign at night, and a cute little sponge ball the hotel gave out because there was construction going on (which Ty loved).
Before I left for the trip I told Ty that I might see some snow. Ummm, yeah that was a bold prediction. 4 inches only downtown and over a foot North of the city. Ty claims he doesn't remember ever seeing snow (he did in NYC, but he was too little to remember) so Dad said he would bring back a photo. So here are 3 souvenirs from the trip: A cute video of me standing on Michigan Avenue in the snow, the street sign at night, and a cute little sponge ball the hotel gave out because there was construction going on (which Ty loved).
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Perfectville
OK. Last post on the Superbowl. Dad is in a hotel room in Chicago tonight. It is snowing outside. Surfed the web and watched some of the commercials from the Big Game. This one was just added to the mix on Yahoo video...
Monday, February 04, 2008
Yup, We are Still World Champs
Continuing our story from last night... when Ty awoke this morning I informed him of the fantastic outcome of the game. "Giants are the winners!" he exclaimed proudly. We snapped this photo before we went off to school.
So for any doubters out there, Dad has had the NY guts to drive around Central Texas with this logo on his trailer hitch for the past 2 years. You got a problem wit dat?
Sunday, February 03, 2008
All Hail the NY Giants!
At this moment in sports history (while little Ty slept through the 4th quarter) I will let one of his favorite movies, Madagascar, sum up the feeling we have:
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Cre8buzz
Discovered a new online community/social networking site today courtesy of one of our friends (Kendal's Wife) called cre8buzz. It is truly amazing how Mom's and Dad's can bond across the ether here online. I often wonder if my parents would have been cooler if the Internet was around when I was an infant?
But there is still some novelty in the concept that in order to interact with other people we actually had to go outside our homes. I think I will prefer that my son plays hide and seek around the neighborhood then logging on to play World of Warcraft.
But there is still some novelty in the concept that in order to interact with other people we actually had to go outside our homes. I think I will prefer that my son plays hide and seek around the neighborhood then logging on to play World of Warcraft.
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