tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49267284764813436122024-03-05T02:47:46.605-08:00Our Dumb BlogMarried October 14, 2006. He's an audio engineer, she's a "writer".
We like a lot of things: staring into space, shameless arena rock of the 1980s, bits of string, MST3K, documentaries, making fun of turtlenecks (which is a type of person, not an article of clothing), making dumb movies, losing keys... abusing elipses... making lists, and much much more!
The life of the party, Alexander, showed up on August 14, 2008. He ROCKS. Ava arrived on April 3, 2010. She's the coolest chick we know.Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435931185991764091noreply@blogger.comBlogger386125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728476481343612.post-58780537371757371182012-07-30T09:08:00.000-07:002012-07-30T09:10:58.809-07:00Buh-Bye<br />
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While Our Dumb Lives will continue until God gives us pink slips, Our Dumb Blog will be shutting its virtual
doors.</div>
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We've decided that our kids may not appreciate having their
childhood broadcast to the world. I know that I personally would be horrified (and super creeped out) to know that some random dude in Russia was reading about my potty training successes and failures at age two. But we didn't have the Internets back when I was two... we had scrapbooks with fairly low readership rates, and my mom's couponing/refunding club where neighborhood moms would swap stories (and <i>$avings</i>!) The information was controlled and contained. So I never had to worry about it. But now we have the Internets, there are (in fact) random dudes in Russia (and around the world) that read this blog. </div>
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I know, right? </div>
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I appreciate their interest, but I am also creeped out by their interest. </div>
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So in an effort to protect our kid's privacy and shield them from (blog-related) future embarrassment, creeped-out feelings, and random Russian dudes - Our Dumb Blog is no more.</div>
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Thank you to everyone who read along these many years. Yeah, even you Russian dudes. It's been fun.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Now it's time to fade to black...<o:p></o:p></div>
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The End. </div>
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And stop reading....</div>
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NOW. </div>Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435931185991764091noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728476481343612.post-45024035372245858812012-06-20T09:42:00.002-07:002012-06-20T09:42:53.505-07:00ne·glect<span class="pron"></span><br />
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<i>tr.v.</i> <b>ne·glect·ed</b>, <b>ne·glect·ing</b>, <b>ne·glects</b> <br />
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<b>1. </b> To pay little or no attention to; fail to heed; disregard: <span class="illustration">neglected their warnings.</span></div>
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<b>2. </b> To fail to care for or attend to properly: <span class="illustration">neglects her appearance.</span></div>
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<b>3. </b> To fail to do or carry out, as through carelessness or oversight: <span class="illustration">neglected to return the call.</span></div>
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<i>n.</i><br />
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<b>1. </b> The act or an instance of neglecting something.</div>
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<b>2. </b> The state of being neglected.</div>
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<b>3. </b> Habitual lack of care.</div>
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I know, I know, I know. You are probably getting cobwebs in your hair just looking at this blog. For the past two months we have completely abandoned ODB. This started with some technical difficulties, but then that became more of a scapegoat for good old fashioned laziness. The laziness generated some apathetic inertia which rolled into a gigantic ball of tumbleweed, which you will see blowing by here any moment now. </div>
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As the kids get older, I am seriously beginning to think they may not want their lives (as adorable as they are) broadcast to the universe. Yes, that is how far reaching our readership goes... the entire UNIVERSE. However this too may just be a scapegoat for good old fashioned laziness. And you know what that leads to...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKS5luAlZdXh2f7rt0NlxMOleaTqs5w_7q-EkdZQg_Sfga-6_3Rj9dOl1agjPL942I-EtkN2Y-6ZzxK7pt1b1HMbWI6KIIM28ooDD_CL5s9CGsH6dQfkh0B8BPxvWRfxXAmXoKjHJ05VA/s1600/tumbleweed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKS5luAlZdXh2f7rt0NlxMOleaTqs5w_7q-EkdZQg_Sfga-6_3Rj9dOl1agjPL942I-EtkN2Y-6ZzxK7pt1b1HMbWI6KIIM28ooDD_CL5s9CGsH6dQfkh0B8BPxvWRfxXAmXoKjHJ05VA/s1600/tumbleweed.jpg" /></a></div>
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Enjoy two extreme close ups of the kids eating ice cream while we consult the magic 8 ball on the future of ODB.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWxc7kVFjV8BT_boQn4Xl-Xn5ZFI79bdTNQBrYZD1q6uxJ99tGBdmlHRuepZpxQkID_yJHVnaYDDulWSPXsNuiPitxXJCoCCP2TwaKXI_0o7RlntICiKTHmauEjb_QDt1rjNr6AtQrwBA/s1600/Ava+Ice+Cream.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWxc7kVFjV8BT_boQn4Xl-Xn5ZFI79bdTNQBrYZD1q6uxJ99tGBdmlHRuepZpxQkID_yJHVnaYDDulWSPXsNuiPitxXJCoCCP2TwaKXI_0o7RlntICiKTHmauEjb_QDt1rjNr6AtQrwBA/s320/Ava+Ice+Cream.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8fbuMJBiVNfW1yliDtzhRkbTUVtm7seG-6lqP-iy2lN4hQg2CXx030p7gnLtfPgXqqK2JzZT6Dozq5pW5sYsYWmYt3nl5hPv91smgPbzZeX8YQRTFMMx6_0iS5FmH-yfkXdMu9P79wWI/s1600/Alexander+Ice+Cream.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8fbuMJBiVNfW1yliDtzhRkbTUVtm7seG-6lqP-iy2lN4hQg2CXx030p7gnLtfPgXqqK2JzZT6Dozq5pW5sYsYWmYt3nl5hPv91smgPbzZeX8YQRTFMMx6_0iS5FmH-yfkXdMu9P79wWI/s320/Alexander+Ice+Cream.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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OK, here is what our consultant told us:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi96rg7PQrjx_lVTZsjYS-6BW8y9Ew7mdj0fVMyCGh65cEwD2u6STtZWs-BTP3IBOIsqP6XHzTyC8_qjqOPFGE77qEBSqF26DOBGgZ3zda5hwOlOiN2yrZmYAoYSmYwUATBrgN4UMvPkIc/s1600/magic+8+ball.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi96rg7PQrjx_lVTZsjYS-6BW8y9Ew7mdj0fVMyCGh65cEwD2u6STtZWs-BTP3IBOIsqP6XHzTyC8_qjqOPFGE77qEBSqF26DOBGgZ3zda5hwOlOiN2yrZmYAoYSmYwUATBrgN4UMvPkIc/s1600/magic+8+ball.jpg" /></a></div>
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*sigh*... consultants....</div>Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435931185991764091noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728476481343612.post-29781485992685984952012-04-29T08:47:00.002-07:002012-04-29T08:49:52.006-07:00Where's the penny?Ava's latest joke goes a little something like this...<br />
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She holds out both of her hands, balled up into little fists.<br />
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<b>Ava: </b>Where's the penny?<br />
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<b>Unsuspecting Adult (aka "the mark"):</b> Your right hand?<br />
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<b>Ava: </b>No (she opens her right hand to show there is nothing there)<br />
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<b>Unsuspecting Adult:</b> OK, how about your left hand?<br />
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<b>Ava:</b> Ta-da! (she opens her left hand to reveal... nothing) I don't have a penny!!<br />
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(end scene)<br />
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She thinks this is pretty funny.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYJDvmKv7W6zN09Qv_osr_4alD_ze8EpN4mN65cRyJJTZQmZ2kRyyDmwzJsvMs_NsWNEsrcBs38OgRz2JcEiMaR9W-S-e_4sLCIuIpinnDWLXsC_dz1VH7Jm1qRJ8uMDy_2y46TSrAfys/s1600/Ava+wink.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYJDvmKv7W6zN09Qv_osr_4alD_ze8EpN4mN65cRyJJTZQmZ2kRyyDmwzJsvMs_NsWNEsrcBs38OgRz2JcEiMaR9W-S-e_4sLCIuIpinnDWLXsC_dz1VH7Jm1qRJ8uMDy_2y46TSrAfys/s400/Ava+wink.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
Here she is workshopping new routines with her comedy mentor:
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOyjd_al4wtJH_m6dzUbbx-3xFgEztflWjOacGnmmyG_i_jFL5RhxakOEeZptmU5C-50B9CRwFStPTCzcigBCZX-TikrTWUuApisFjhL-tBJD1Ef7MDHGM2C4acr_mUwlflg7_7TX9gQU/s1600/Alexander+and+Ava+Wrestling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOyjd_al4wtJH_m6dzUbbx-3xFgEztflWjOacGnmmyG_i_jFL5RhxakOEeZptmU5C-50B9CRwFStPTCzcigBCZX-TikrTWUuApisFjhL-tBJD1Ef7MDHGM2C4acr_mUwlflg7_7TX9gQU/s400/Alexander+and+Ava+Wrestling.jpg" width="312" /></a></div>
(PS-Yes, we are still having techno-malogical issues. These pictures were taken and sent to us by someone with fine photo skills. Thank you, Kim!)Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435931185991764091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728476481343612.post-7956197536367133062012-04-19T18:27:00.003-07:002012-04-19T18:30:00.560-07:00At Least He Know's He's ThreeAlexander likes the song "Proud to be an American"... except when he belts it out, he has his own take on things:<br /><br />"And I’m proud to be an American,<br />where at least I know I’m <span style="font-weight:bold;">three</span>."<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Technical issues continue. Pictures/videos someday soon. I swear it.Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435931185991764091noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728476481343612.post-78248710206565654732012-04-10T12:43:00.003-07:002012-04-10T12:51:11.450-07:00D'oh!!!I'm beginning to think this is divine intervention... although, I didn't think God even read Our Dumb Blog. I mean, I followed Him on twitter for a while but His tweets were always so high and mighty. Also, He had an annoying habit of ending every tweet with "LOL", which got annoying. <br /><br />But, anyway... here is the deal. Our camera is broken. Yeah, so <span style="font-style:italic;">never mind </span>about those promised adorable pictures and video. <br /><br />*sigh* <br /><br />This dumb blog is officially on a dumb hiatus.Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435931185991764091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728476481343612.post-7339550497183462902012-04-07T08:22:00.003-07:002012-04-07T08:30:20.495-07:00Thingie Located!So I have finally located a thing for the deal so that I can download pictures on this here computer. Get ready to pop some popcorn and season to taste because next week we'll have lots of pictures and videos to share. <br /><br />Here's a helpful tip and timesaver from ODB. If you don't have time to read the news online (or if you are are a member of the elderly or fan-of-antiquities demographic, something called a "newspaper"), you might find that reading t-shirts will keep you reasonably up-to-date on world events. Works for me! <br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOLdQAxxXNpnIBOH5Yi9HfAynvvlFOWMccCUd-Q5iqXGr-5hF8gFEHiw-uTYMrQIg7dNTlEJkBKsX0ErcsXxDbz41zyvuJv9eTAG4le3qGcxlfN8Egdro1DAZKO91EtvVRtQWJ6oOqd9k/s1600/I+Am+Two.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOLdQAxxXNpnIBOH5Yi9HfAynvvlFOWMccCUd-Q5iqXGr-5hF8gFEHiw-uTYMrQIg7dNTlEJkBKsX0ErcsXxDbz41zyvuJv9eTAG4le3qGcxlfN8Egdro1DAZKO91EtvVRtQWJ6oOqd9k/s400/I+Am+Two.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5728680226316684882" /></a>Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435931185991764091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728476481343612.post-20376530653935920612012-04-01T09:43:00.003-07:002012-04-01T09:50:16.008-07:00Party PooperAva and Alexander like to turn on the radio and yell "Dance Party!" while swaying/hopping/rolling around to the music. <br /><br />Yesterday, Ava turned on the radio. She said "Dance party!" and started dancing. Tim started dancing too. "Nooo!" Ava said, "Daddy's too big to dance!" Tim, refusing to let the words of a not-yet-two-year-old put an end to his groove, kept dancing. <br /><br />Ava was <span style="font-weight:bold;">not</span> pleased. She stopped dancing, curled her lower lip into a pout, and plopped down on the floor with her arms folded. She looked at her Daddy and said very slowly, and with great emotion, "The party is OVER." <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />PS- pictures coming soon. Fer real. Still haven't unpacked the cable that connects that one thing to that other deal.Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435931185991764091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728476481343612.post-14253135466457369862012-03-16T12:48:00.002-07:002012-03-16T12:54:30.039-07:00Well, that's one strategy...Alexander still has to be reminded to use the bathroom. For reasons only compelling to a 3-year-old, he sometimes REALLY doesn't want to go. Today, when reminded and guided to the bathroom he said "No! That's not a toilet. I can't use that. It's just a pretend toilet for decoration." <br /><br />Why did we buy a house with toilets that are purely decorative? I'm surprised that wasn't caught during the inspection.Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435931185991764091noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728476481343612.post-91645159974203637532012-03-03T14:56:00.005-08:002012-03-03T15:23:42.354-08:00Fine Dining with AlexanderTim took Alexander out to eat in a restaurant that had a lot of counter-height seating. Alexander looked around and loudly declared <span style="font-style:italic;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">"All of these people are sitting in high chairs!"</span></span><br /><br />So, he was initially a little put-off that all these adults were sitting in high chairs, but the situation was more than rectified when he was served his dinner and said (i.e. screamed) <span style="font-style:italic;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">"This is the biggest chicken nugget EVER!"</span><br /></span><br />(file photo of Alexander doing fish impression with unnamed fish)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbmIcCKPzUQ9JMceRJfZAKCeoo5Qza-yJDjvfhlQsWnktOn362yGYHxSWB2EEfg8HIwYrHhZPQ07LfpC1w2mxaJqA8-7sWuA5AWkKbBI864VtBovI_5PwXeW831KJoQT1sGH28pMx6Hwg/s1600/Alexander+and+fisj.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbmIcCKPzUQ9JMceRJfZAKCeoo5Qza-yJDjvfhlQsWnktOn362yGYHxSWB2EEfg8HIwYrHhZPQ07LfpC1w2mxaJqA8-7sWuA5AWkKbBI864VtBovI_5PwXeW831KJoQT1sGH28pMx6Hwg/s400/Alexander+and+fisj.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715814106209545634" /></a>Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435931185991764091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728476481343612.post-55059957018272486132012-03-03T13:29:00.011-08:002012-03-03T14:28:12.222-08:00The Highly Distracted SingerAva had an ear infection that had gone bad...er, badder. Yesterday was a hurlfest. Today Ava and I celebrated her surviving Barfageddon. We stayed in our PJs all day and enjoyed Ava's newly rediscovered puke-free lifestyle. It smells much better than her previous lifestyle choice. <br /><br />It's been a while since I had Ava sing for the camera. Since I am now able to get videos on the computer again, today seemed like a good day to do it. At first she was reluctant:<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxBHHPNr0VLBFTiiph8ApkDwL7FXuQIA186a_aHo2HZQpc1l3msCQg3ye8XYdcSJbW7UJE42KcZw4UuNTmWTA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /><br />She agreed to my second request, but it almost cost us our puke-free winning streak. <br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzl_TvSDUElrYDQrng3wNM3YPFhTC7nZ4egIxLqbV7C2hjFOCXh9VgmHRfOvxa5h4XHUTj8a1qxm0Nv775L' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /><br />She was happy to sing the ABCs, but this ended abruptly when she realized "colors fall down! See?"<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzBFiWWzp81g1I1So8FG3jO2HbP_RIcek9OIotNd84u6wm3o0tziFUafzc_0WM1IMUnbUeSwYq08Hu5BwcpUA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />Yeah, I should just come out and acknowledge at this point that our house is a total mess. We are in the process of moving. Here is a shot of our moving crew in action:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdL4pE94W8GxU5zRPOntkMZ3VrGZQct4rG9zIOGaQFhKLMxlJNAjZZ578siyBrzJ_M08fDWaSHfE6R322p63D9gxYWcc8OR3-YKxqohGk3y5gClFs5RO86ZAkWqS9MfSEnpbkpx2v9mJA/s1600/movingcrew.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdL4pE94W8GxU5zRPOntkMZ3VrGZQct4rG9zIOGaQFhKLMxlJNAjZZ578siyBrzJ_M08fDWaSHfE6R322p63D9gxYWcc8OR3-YKxqohGk3y5gClFs5RO86ZAkWqS9MfSEnpbkpx2v9mJA/s400/movingcrew.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715797789489279346" /></a><br /><br />We pack a box, they unpack it to use it for a spaceship/race car/house/anything that isn't a nicely packed box. Anyway... back to the singing.<br /><br />Finally, I had Ava trapped inside the art easel. Here she sang "Twinkle Twinkle." She was *this close* to putting it on "continuous play." <br /> <iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dynEqTvQpEyBaC31oYV9b3hM4C2FPud4OGLimN6LtYpUthLox23yWlKcMuwGAjvHZeZUxHluGorPyEs0r2ihQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />I'm not a doctor, but I'm thinking she'll be just fine. She's a tough cookie, even when she's losing her cookies.Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435931185991764091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728476481343612.post-90915782815902957832012-02-28T09:17:00.005-08:002012-02-28T09:43:48.680-08:00Irony in ActionWe have a new property management company we have to deal with for our association. I just went to their website and see this:<br /><blockquote><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Excellence isn't just a goal... its our standard</span></blockquote><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Its<span style="font-style:italic;"></span></span> your standard. Really? Wow. That is excellent. <br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJP8nzlQN-USS90sVgUavg5nMg8sZAtgkYhUIFBxiVf4mH5CQUTp_fbshzc2IhHt5Qu4yWHalgXUXTC_sUq7-cH_RBj_h0OrcemjzZ6t3DuYlFSb625eU3l98n_CdzP_wIocy1d4LljaI/s1600/missing+apostrophe.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 173px; height: 292px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJP8nzlQN-USS90sVgUavg5nMg8sZAtgkYhUIFBxiVf4mH5CQUTp_fbshzc2IhHt5Qu4yWHalgXUXTC_sUq7-cH_RBj_h0OrcemjzZ6t3DuYlFSb625eU3l98n_CdzP_wIocy1d4LljaI/s400/missing+apostrophe.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5714239201677053586" /></a><br /><br /><br />I am seriously not one of "those people" - a self-righteous proper grammar enforcer. I overuse acronyms, abuse ellipses, and misconjugate verbs until their own mother wouldn't recognize them. But, this struck me as extra <span style="font-style:italic;">hilarious</span> that a mistake like this was made in a slogan for a company promoting itself as generally superior in every way. Of course, guess who will be laughing when I have to write a check to them every month? Me. Again. Because who write checks? What is this, 1982?? Oh, so funny. <br /><br />The moral of this blog entry: Everything is funny if you deprive yourself of enough sleep. <br /><br /><br /><br />Oh, I should also mention that the reason we have a new property management company to deal with is because we are moving. But that news seems really unimportant in light of this hilarious grammatical error. I don't know why I'm even mentioning it.Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435931185991764091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728476481343612.post-79786913286028307542012-02-21T18:07:00.000-08:002012-02-21T18:09:48.676-08:00*insert sound of crickets here*This blog has been temporarily suspended due to lack of enthusiasm. <br /><br /><br />Actually, we've just been really busy AND my computer is still in repairs.<br /><br /><br />But updates and adorable pictures soon.<br /><br /><br />Really.<br /><br /><br />For reals.Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435931185991764091noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728476481343612.post-191977148430641642012-02-03T10:27:00.001-08:002012-02-03T10:48:26.728-08:00darndestOK, so it seems all my posts lately could be filed under "Kids Say the Darndest Things." First of all, both Ava and Alexander have a lot to say, so the odds of saying something "darndest" is high. Second of all, I can't post a lot of pictures right now because our computer died and is getting repaired. You may wonder, then, how I'm typing this. Well, that's for me to worry about. <br /><br />Last night, Alexander was afraid to go upstairs. I asked him why and he whispered "it's too quiet. There are monsters up there." So I had to launch into the whole 'there are no such thing as monsters, monsters are just pretend' speech which ended with me reassuring him there were absolutely no monsters in our house. Here is the conversation that followed:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Alexander:</span> Really? There are no monster in our house?<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Me: </span> Right. <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Alexander: </span> (thinks for a moment) Are there monsters outside?<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Me:</span> No, there aren't any monsters outside.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Alexander:</span> What about up in the clouds? Are there monsters in the clouds?<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Me: </span> Uh... no.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Alexander: </span>What about on the moon?<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Me:</span> Um...<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Alexander: </span>Or the sun? Are there monsters on the sun? Or on Mars?<br /><br />I don't know where he got the idea of monsters to begin with. I blame this guy:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYEtMfBO8b9NoeQnh-UemHBPZIyQxwU-D_fBHGz-jhWT4GKQ99dU83-51vnwIHGlhMguA0Sj-t9yKCFnEmNJyrGE2g6_Xl329JIygQ36AMj8AujDhLaJs4GVN1vPppwiaFPXv6y-gmCiM/s1600/Elmo"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 298px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYEtMfBO8b9NoeQnh-UemHBPZIyQxwU-D_fBHGz-jhWT4GKQ99dU83-51vnwIHGlhMguA0Sj-t9yKCFnEmNJyrGE2g6_Xl329JIygQ36AMj8AujDhLaJs4GVN1vPppwiaFPXv6y-gmCiM/s400/Elmo" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704981774980437890" /></a><br /><br />And, yeah, I would be scared if he were upstairs too... or on Mars.Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435931185991764091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728476481343612.post-62143422396059458832012-02-03T07:15:00.000-08:002012-02-03T07:50:58.345-08:00New Local ComicThe other day, Ava and I were taking a car ride and Ava began requesting songs. (Fun fact: there is surprising overlap in the Venn Diagram of mothers and jukeboxes.) Ava's little voice was calling out from the backseat "Sing, Mommy! Baa Baa Blacksheep AND Row Row Row Your Boat! Sing, peeeeeeeeze!"<br /><br />So I told her we'd do a mash-up and sing both songs at the same time. It went a little something like this "Row, row, row your <span style="font-style:italic;">sheep</span>..."<br /><br />This was comedy <span style="font-weight:bold;">GOLD</span>. Ava couldn't believe it. She was laughing so hard, she could barely squeak out "Again! Again!" <br /><br />Well, we got to our destination and went on with our day. Later that night, as I was putting her to bed, I started to sing a lullaby. "Hush little baby, don't say a word..." <br /><br />Ava's eyes suddenly popped open and she interrupted "mama gonna buy you a SHEEP!" <br /><br />She then started to laugh like crazy at her own comic genius and effective use of the "call back" technique. In case it was over my head, she stopped laughing just long enough to say "that was a joke!"<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5XyWqhh57JP11WoBd8qWQ-h5Zxz4OcxywiW3xcXOo_lvznt9KGOY2dCXskisgu12NqnUPOkf4v5Tj6q77rovPwrBJq4cyKMB5aLjOXF3BN-s_AUThWts2X3e8PXKe1eWRQn2C6rhb4kI/s1600/Snow%2521.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5XyWqhh57JP11WoBd8qWQ-h5Zxz4OcxywiW3xcXOo_lvznt9KGOY2dCXskisgu12NqnUPOkf4v5Tj6q77rovPwrBJq4cyKMB5aLjOXF3BN-s_AUThWts2X3e8PXKe1eWRQn2C6rhb4kI/s400/Snow%2521.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704937278063179394" /></a><br /><br />(file photo of Ava longing for a career in comedy... or perhaps just longing to play in the snow.)Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435931185991764091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728476481343612.post-51700710556622556152012-01-23T14:50:00.000-08:002012-01-23T15:08:17.403-08:00Odd Beverage RequestTonight Alexander said he wanted "Chinese Milk"... yes, he clarified, he wanted milk from China.<br /><br />Maybe this is some kind of youthful rebellion against his parent's generation's obsession with buying local and organic. I mean, he <span style="font-style:italic;">nailed</span> the opposite of that.<br /><br />Kids these days.Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435931185991764091noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728476481343612.post-64534327456367870622012-01-22T08:34:00.000-08:002012-01-22T09:08:47.787-08:00Bub the BuilderWe recently unearthed a DVD that I got many years ago for my nephew to watch when he visited - it's called Bob the Builder. Since both Ava and Alexander seem to have an interest in construction equipment, we decided to give it a whirl.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqyN1-8fi6yxIGUkJQhsXn2aFtyDhoxKAN3XAkL5MOSYMycfcsAlh1qqqbiP8UKmiOYOujw34PGreCWKQFJWBNe-N4nMyDgMPidSdqt0NnMvKi_zYxzqEsrJcvDFIngZkCP8y9LSJL6Q0/s1600/bob-the-builder.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 308px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqyN1-8fi6yxIGUkJQhsXn2aFtyDhoxKAN3XAkL5MOSYMycfcsAlh1qqqbiP8UKmiOYOujw34PGreCWKQFJWBNe-N4nMyDgMPidSdqt0NnMvKi_zYxzqEsrJcvDFIngZkCP8y9LSJL6Q0/s400/bob-the-builder.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5700499950782416850" /></a><br /><br /><br />For those of you who don't watch toddler TV, Bob the Builder is a stop-motion animation series. It's kind of craptacular. I haven't bothered to google it or even watch to credits to confirm, but the voice of Bob sounds a lot like Greg Proops... which means he's a pretty effeminate sounding construction worker. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBmL8Z8Fu5vac8puvZYtNOXiWyr8TGI3qGvEyIUq1fRLHDhJWRfRDaQEMIB_TmfESEdndkmaFtgYfSdA-uttRSD_meC5YY0vMDjI2CB65YJu_5bDiKkkRz4pZFsqVnHHlrWR5SxlsdxOk/s1600/greg+proops.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 224px; height: 322px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBmL8Z8Fu5vac8puvZYtNOXiWyr8TGI3qGvEyIUq1fRLHDhJWRfRDaQEMIB_TmfESEdndkmaFtgYfSdA-uttRSD_meC5YY0vMDjI2CB65YJu_5bDiKkkRz4pZFsqVnHHlrWR5SxlsdxOk/s400/greg+proops.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5700500784881191890" /></a><br /><br /><br />Greg Proops is hilarious, and I assume very successful. So, it probably isn't actually him but just someone that sounds like him. Not since The Village People have possibly light-in-the-loafers construction workers been so celebrated. <br /><br />Anyway, Bob has a battle cry of sorts. He shouts "Can we fix it?" and all his trucks shout back "Yes we can!" He shouts "Can we build it?" and the response is "Yes we can!" (While this may sound like a political message, BTB came up with this slogan long before Obama used it in his 2008 presidential campaign. If only Bob had trademarked it! Obama would have to shell out millions and he'd be rich - maybe BTB could even afford more than 3 facial expression for their characters.)<br /><br />So Alexander picked up on this battle cry. The other night he yelled "Can we fix it?" then "Can we built it?" and then, to our surprise, he added <span style="font-style:italic;">"Can we pay for it?"</span><br /><br />We literally LOLed. Or is that LedOL? Stupid acronyms making grammar so complicated... <br /><br />We're trademarking the phrase "Can we pay for it?" right now. It's just a matter of time before that becomes a campaign slogan. Cha-ching!Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435931185991764091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728476481343612.post-32472404800238494242012-01-14T10:47:00.000-08:002012-01-14T13:03:18.322-08:00Holiday HighlightsAlexander showed major improvements in his sprinkle control. (As far as cookies go, anyway.)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV2S4MhHZteEOoZUSuExQZ2FSGJUWrCP7mIjJosr8A8edQgW-BItEu3OfpRTikoMH-AItEQsZC7YsRMwd2Zl-mSFMISoiuHwqRDvdMDjL2f4kzKgZ9Novrezr6zEajC0ifztObVlU_na8/s1600/Sprinkle+Control.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV2S4MhHZteEOoZUSuExQZ2FSGJUWrCP7mIjJosr8A8edQgW-BItEu3OfpRTikoMH-AItEQsZC7YsRMwd2Zl-mSFMISoiuHwqRDvdMDjL2f4kzKgZ9Novrezr6zEajC0ifztObVlU_na8/s320/Sprinkle+Control.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697584513465748514" /></a><br /><br />He also decorated a fine gingerbread house, pretty much up to code by local standards.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyM6GvPdv3PF9QNU2_JNGgNDOMDi9EFxP_nTUDT71vA5jLfB24pCoeXhFSjlew1MdSzBnisKPgJdKe95INBJyYLiSF6W3xAZEtSStisWrlM3GsyI46Jd84ca-Ner128qsOjlcWsHCLcHI/s1600/Gingerbreadhouse.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyM6GvPdv3PF9QNU2_JNGgNDOMDi9EFxP_nTUDT71vA5jLfB24pCoeXhFSjlew1MdSzBnisKPgJdKe95INBJyYLiSF6W3xAZEtSStisWrlM3GsyI46Jd84ca-Ner128qsOjlcWsHCLcHI/s320/Gingerbreadhouse.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697584735634240642" /></a><br /><br />Christmas morning, the kids were excited to see some big guy had broken into our house. Santa put a cell phone in Ava’s stocking. She immediately called to thank him.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpbCmh0FdIn7tnFfdkMDEDDhATeNq6PxziTXAnntLBAmB755jPvWq0RW2fyCV9edUZNl4ySdh2vdD-wGa4xcrZpH9cFutxz0azZIC8vR3BZ4UtIpsmW2qoFAmYXglZPCRr6fanvNVGcZo/s1600/Santa.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpbCmh0FdIn7tnFfdkMDEDDhATeNq6PxziTXAnntLBAmB755jPvWq0RW2fyCV9edUZNl4ySdh2vdD-wGa4xcrZpH9cFutxz0azZIC8vR3BZ4UtIpsmW2qoFAmYXglZPCRr6fanvNVGcZo/s320/Santa.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697584996193338434" /></a><br /><br />Santa also gave Ava a hat…<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFFlbXNSkDMgBrJyzmD7JkAnt0MbZdJEZ8hjjT36HmJSwC7jcOK9ZgvXVdhzA1X9TdhtOUcmL1kIvHrzU9vvZZpI1z3j7l0SLiK9XUIqf-ApSjnyJz5jvLQ_LXDHuCWeXxsVcPFLjBY9g/s1600/Ava+hat.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFFlbXNSkDMgBrJyzmD7JkAnt0MbZdJEZ8hjjT36HmJSwC7jcOK9ZgvXVdhzA1X9TdhtOUcmL1kIvHrzU9vvZZpI1z3j7l0SLiK9XUIqf-ApSjnyJz5jvLQ_LXDHuCWeXxsVcPFLjBY9g/s320/Ava+hat.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697585226096844658" /></a><br /><br />Which had the strange (brew) ability to turn Ava into Bob McKenzie.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoKsYT42Nvv-JlYktDAvqUi2tqIdTVJRrTbEzdXYnqIcTRbgfJf7vRDrbIq-7o00x6GhBjcYx7RiXRH0uZ8lV_rsVLb3uT_qRElOdkTwiqEvRc7jZXjzPwlggQxPWYajUd-I1JbZBXb54/s1600/Ava+eh.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoKsYT42Nvv-JlYktDAvqUi2tqIdTVJRrTbEzdXYnqIcTRbgfJf7vRDrbIq-7o00x6GhBjcYx7RiXRH0uZ8lV_rsVLb3uT_qRElOdkTwiqEvRc7jZXjzPwlggQxPWYajUd-I1JbZBXb54/s320/Ava+eh.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697585407375236146" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">"Take off, eh!"</span><br /><br />In case you are in serious need of remedial work in the classics, here is Bob McKenzie:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvLHstRFtseUqsenofh76ORnwge3YV2oIzh2Gq-vQ_qhzhbFcGM72dcB_eT_h6xfuSnJUNZalLgefSR1q8FEZ0X48nWLiAhii91OWPD5SDyTG0b8VqVn0mMlhru3bAP8KoUe5Nmhkuios/s1600/StrangeBrew.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 146px; height: 164px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvLHstRFtseUqsenofh76ORnwge3YV2oIzh2Gq-vQ_qhzhbFcGM72dcB_eT_h6xfuSnJUNZalLgefSR1q8FEZ0X48nWLiAhii91OWPD5SDyTG0b8VqVn0mMlhru3bAP8KoUe5Nmhkuios/s320/StrangeBrew.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697585549324864322" /></a><br /><br />Alexander received an unexpected promotion to Fire Chief.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvbQekR0YxBm_6-fm7xDlnpyzYGcGVoMpWl71Jtuc2GIupbtSr3xs2frkOgMCVHrB8lxAnAmvVK3UbGih1knxDETs7FunxGOZaH_9_lwKuXSDPncmVZtPRlzSqF3CR-NXHEPfJn1UWJaI/s1600/FiremanBub.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvbQekR0YxBm_6-fm7xDlnpyzYGcGVoMpWl71Jtuc2GIupbtSr3xs2frkOgMCVHrB8lxAnAmvVK3UbGih1knxDETs7FunxGOZaH_9_lwKuXSDPncmVZtPRlzSqF3CR-NXHEPfJn1UWJaI/s320/FiremanBub.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697585712959894242" /></a><br /><br /><br />Being a nice brother, he worked out some sort of a job-share arrangement with his sister.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg68-SWUYuw2jU7VSQmFLuA2QftBuj9IqAcV8AEHOhdcmjix8HNeaoRe7T2aLwEwOop8CiEoJ4msv_-VwKW_xkx-0n2S20P0G16eoxa5ch0pVs_rnfxqm4_6bqe31BqNDCoh70-fQIBKvE/s1600/FiremanAVA.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg68-SWUYuw2jU7VSQmFLuA2QftBuj9IqAcV8AEHOhdcmjix8HNeaoRe7T2aLwEwOop8CiEoJ4msv_-VwKW_xkx-0n2S20P0G16eoxa5ch0pVs_rnfxqm4_6bqe31BqNDCoh70-fQIBKvE/s320/FiremanAVA.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697585887370055026" /></a><br /><br />It was a good time to have firefighters in the house, because suddenly it seemed that <span style="font-style:italic;">everything</span> was on fire. These were strange fires that only Alexander and Ava could see with their super-trained firefighter eyes.<br /><br />I don’t know what’s going on here, but this picture captures the spirit of our Christmas morning nicely.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGjPKtBO-JepanR_i11bWavSp5MwCbkNwKnAR9grP3W0xvKr0nSuMc_lgUQdFqVW6TWHtRoltar_nuxcjJpbaBNhq-darJlctdCp-cfCSXTIOvCsOi8AqOWGNQNIl2k0sz_9XvmBrnNZw/s1600/What%253F.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGjPKtBO-JepanR_i11bWavSp5MwCbkNwKnAR9grP3W0xvKr0nSuMc_lgUQdFqVW6TWHtRoltar_nuxcjJpbaBNhq-darJlctdCp-cfCSXTIOvCsOi8AqOWGNQNIl2k0sz_9XvmBrnNZw/s320/What%253F.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697586325293073922" /></a><br /><br /><br />Then we put a frilly dress on Ava and went to spend the afternoon at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. When the kids saw Grandma and Grandpa’s tree, they were like “whoa”.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrWs3vrBU5puvbMtoQBD_pixW5uBNspgTSamY4FRMswoB5pE_DzunfmUpFCTzp2lKXwnU9awWckraojcXRcV8pKdgIxTm65OuOrXAeXxrzy53l7ZTKNEQV0Wj_DGk4gSCrbgOG-e3bA_4/s1600/Ava+Tree.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrWs3vrBU5puvbMtoQBD_pixW5uBNspgTSamY4FRMswoB5pE_DzunfmUpFCTzp2lKXwnU9awWckraojcXRcV8pKdgIxTm65OuOrXAeXxrzy53l7ZTKNEQV0Wj_DGk4gSCrbgOG-e3bA_4/s320/Ava+Tree.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697586689268019058" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL3X9EvUH2Q9Qeg3Cs6mDmJJY06Szu_NGygm-rWHSaUce0K5gtRb5Nu_47bLu5D8xn2tsyPtQfT3NZzB5nVJ_-UcBGgmKJiNDZ3cRVtcLtnPxYy8YqhYONh4qoy3q9uU8wHL5c9dYEmXc/s1600/AlexanderWhoa.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL3X9EvUH2Q9Qeg3Cs6mDmJJY06Szu_NGygm-rWHSaUce0K5gtRb5Nu_47bLu5D8xn2tsyPtQfT3NZzB5nVJ_-UcBGgmKJiNDZ3cRVtcLtnPxYy8YqhYONh4qoy3q9uU8wHL5c9dYEmXc/s320/AlexanderWhoa.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697586842371931122" /></a><br /><br />...And it slowly dawned on them that their mother is an extremely lazy house decorator. Well, they’d learn that sooner or later. Sorry, kids. <br /><br />Over many extended days of holiday funtoonery, presents were opened, big meals were eaten, and the kids got to spend time with their cousin and aunts and uncles and even their great grandma. Ava enjoyed the opportunity to nap on one of her favorite comfy spots.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqd3dgqPCMagB9MvQERrSIdvvmoNvDITe1WqvTq6j3q9c2BGYuVSgwIxrSV3pq71hcU1lUCK5oJ24REuFQnSY4rAFKuanWz0_ts2n2JuHhotmG_MaVWqwAdyHMZOoNJJQXGF-58t75iFY/s1600/Human+Napping+Support+System.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqd3dgqPCMagB9MvQERrSIdvvmoNvDITe1WqvTq6j3q9c2BGYuVSgwIxrSV3pq71hcU1lUCK5oJ24REuFQnSY4rAFKuanWz0_ts2n2JuHhotmG_MaVWqwAdyHMZOoNJJQXGF-58t75iFY/s320/Human+Napping+Support+System.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697587362758861250" /></a><br /><br />Overall, the level of happiness experienced by the children this holiday season is show here:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3avJl86nNZKuMk0MIiJyGOh0wsmwlrHIBtI7NRNpBUb5Kh6eRYenlaZBzJ5Znj9mQDgjlYwXfA4H6N3JqCHBDIaoesVHKuoC6tAp2BbVohp_Bd4YpKI44G-xFANPmn9QETxGpzujFXhs/s1600/insane+happy.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3avJl86nNZKuMk0MIiJyGOh0wsmwlrHIBtI7NRNpBUb5Kh6eRYenlaZBzJ5Znj9mQDgjlYwXfA4H6N3JqCHBDIaoesVHKuoC6tAp2BbVohp_Bd4YpKI44G-xFANPmn9QETxGpzujFXhs/s400/insane+happy.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697589902442169826" /></a><br /><br />(And, yes, they did receive new toys for Christmas, but apparently none are as fun as our old and curiously scented cat scratcher.)<br /><br /><br />Here's a fun fact*: according to the Chinese calendar, 2012 is the Year of the Yar. So strap on your yarbelts and get ready for a yarry ride of your life. Yar! <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Happy New Year!</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">*for maximum accuracy, replace the word "fun" with "fictitious"</span>Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435931185991764091noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728476481343612.post-77002578669323054632011-12-21T17:42:00.000-08:002011-12-22T00:02:20.980-08:00A Rambling and Distracted Christmas Ditty for You<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwsSqtynEUearUtuKQQdhCCZMKoQVbaODj_c6e1SrtULHRyyKg8n_CZ1NbJJ1rPpkxqKrZvloxFFK4hFvYfzA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />Wishing you (yes, YOU) a wonderful holiday season. May your Christmas be merry and bright, and may all your snozzberries taste like snozzberries. <br /><br />Merry Christmas from Our Dumb Blog.Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435931185991764091noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728476481343612.post-30230414129826714012011-12-19T13:28:00.000-08:002011-12-19T13:33:34.835-08:00Fort Ham<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzVI0d0pjGo4vAog2RIjnUqfEc29CyVnSh94OmOrGh0Y-lpTxYG-ndJNwrZRaa3WelQYvxMVl7Tg4QqBPVssw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435931185991764091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728476481343612.post-50152256220450868032011-12-13T16:51:00.000-08:002011-12-13T18:26:56.870-08:00What to NOT get the kids for Christmas.People (ok, mostly relatives) often ask us to recommend some good Christmas gifts for Ava and Alexander. Trust, us, everyone. They are <span style="font-weight:bold;">not</span> difficult to please. They spent an hour yesterday flying around an empty toilet paper roll like it was a spaceship. They thought it was awesome. <br /><br />While they would have fun with an empty toilet paper roll, that doesn't mean that you can give them absolutely <span style="font-style:italic;">anything</span>. In fact, there are some specific gifts that are on our "DO NOT GIVE" list. We will smile politely if our kids receive one of these gifts. Then the offending toy will be quickly escorted off the premises and burned in a private ceremony, before its wrongness can be mistaken for awesomeness by our children. <br /><br />Please do NOT give our children…<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">(1) A Playmobil Security Checkpoint</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtZYZ0Fz5XE0t0HFSd6iNZc1MTetEgnAnrBg15B-kCEptaZchRw3BcEBeseNDEU1Fsveos0Egt7ySCbhdPZwLWIXoNqOII153JyEyfaloFodPRjsqJwn68yATarLv7-7U31u_0H2weNGs/s1600/Bad+Toy+-+security+checkpoint"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 233px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtZYZ0Fz5XE0t0HFSd6iNZc1MTetEgnAnrBg15B-kCEptaZchRw3BcEBeseNDEU1Fsveos0Egt7ySCbhdPZwLWIXoNqOII153JyEyfaloFodPRjsqJwn68yATarLv7-7U31u_0H2weNGs/s320/Bad+Toy+-+security+checkpoint" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5685781953574673874" /></a><br /><br /><br />It’s the Playmobil Security Checkpoint!! Let your child’s imagination run wild with terrorist paranoia and government conspiracy theories. Add to that the delightful experience of pretending to wait in long lines, taking off their shoes, having their mouthwash confiscated, being asked to step aside by a man slipping on latex gloves, and (several humiliating hours later) missing their flight. Weeeee!!!!<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">(2) A Thumb Wrestling Arena</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj300bzUYJYjv1E84MdIpT_P2xWBtWG4hIi21J3QjZS5Ig82mPEybcskUW7SNIx9XCe2dROYM-DkLaKTg236qDZyu7O9DgzIRsc3oMN_8T2xHWP0J3s8lDQVKqVJZIsy0Oj2YjNyl844fc/s1600/bad+toys+-+thumb+wrestling+ring+unnecssary"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 233px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj300bzUYJYjv1E84MdIpT_P2xWBtWG4hIi21J3QjZS5Ig82mPEybcskUW7SNIx9XCe2dROYM-DkLaKTg236qDZyu7O9DgzIRsc3oMN_8T2xHWP0J3s8lDQVKqVJZIsy0Oj2YjNyl844fc/s320/bad+toys+-+thumb+wrestling+ring+unnecssary" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5685782421642067074" /></a><br /><br />This is the definition of unnecessary. Thumb wresting is such a simple game - no chafing singlets required! Just two kids with at least one thumb each. That is all you need to thumb wrestle. That is until someone thought “hey, let’s throw a piece of plastic over their hands!” <br /><br />First of all, it gets in the way. Second of all, 99.8% of thumb wrestling games are spontaneous. By the time the kid runs off and finds this thing in his toy box, the moment will be gone and his thumbs will never even have a chance to taste the sweet phalangesical* victory. <br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">*mostly, a made up word.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">(3) Pole Dancing Doll</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7VTe1IL-ueXCfqnR-mgqBJ-Hnht3L8v6Plho0L2Dz-pn4uLsjJ9aFfeTYX5Lkor-QqAIyaHsBykFHshsCyP_X1ohyphenhyphen4CwKqCwQl76EkFVkVXGtSu3cC_TfQWBAmNbZKpc8H4qbB4RQ16E/s1600/Bad+Toys+-+Pole+Dancer"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 233px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7VTe1IL-ueXCfqnR-mgqBJ-Hnht3L8v6Plho0L2Dz-pn4uLsjJ9aFfeTYX5Lkor-QqAIyaHsBykFHshsCyP_X1ohyphenhyphen4CwKqCwQl76EkFVkVXGtSu3cC_TfQWBAmNbZKpc8H4qbB4RQ16E/s320/Bad+Toys+-+Pole+Dancer" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5685782952631427874" /></a><br /><br /><br />What the WHAT? <br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />(4) Barbie’s Pooping Dog</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYCO1Yv4IhudUMOsM_hv9Fjtv90HbKlkmigW4DydzRzb6vRiquJgNuDa4-m9zvDRng79-wrFX5v_P0f4SNTT1zHixxI1nYfCMnRuPYg-yLKxO5WwKqnmejP-XW8R9EyDdcE3qluzJ-qRQ/s1600/Bad+Toys+-+pooping+barbie+dog"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 233px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYCO1Yv4IhudUMOsM_hv9Fjtv90HbKlkmigW4DydzRzb6vRiquJgNuDa4-m9zvDRng79-wrFX5v_P0f4SNTT1zHixxI1nYfCMnRuPYg-yLKxO5WwKqnmejP-XW8R9EyDdcE3qluzJ-qRQ/s320/Bad+Toys+-+pooping+barbie+dog" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5685783443934680898" /></a><br /><br />OK, I’m just going to state the obvious: WTF. When I was a kid, we’d use our imagination if we wanted to pretend that our toy animals were pooping. And, frankly, the desire to do so was an extremely rare event. EXTREMELY rare. Having a dog poop out little choking hazards for Barbie to clean up might be the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen. And, I know dumb.* <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><br />*See title of blog. </span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />(5) Toy Tattoo Gun</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh9OkXA-QPmLUor69nmLHVo8YmMPLW4SNp3rGhWnTykQhr7jCsLDj_R-6QvgRU72YKomRO79n6tMw1tiQHuxxB4JPT2pXLe8iY9Jd0vrhOcE7w4Eroxlebh248OmGpjFjNrkUQVaDTOGU/s1600/Toy+Tattoo+Gun"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 233px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh9OkXA-QPmLUor69nmLHVo8YmMPLW4SNp3rGhWnTykQhr7jCsLDj_R-6QvgRU72YKomRO79n6tMw1tiQHuxxB4JPT2pXLe8iY9Jd0vrhOcE7w4Eroxlebh248OmGpjFjNrkUQVaDTOGU/s320/Toy+Tattoo+Gun" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5685783846990451554" /></a><br /><br />I know tattoos are very popular and mainstream now, but so is Dog the Bounty Hunter. Doesn't make it a good idea for children. <br /><br />I can just hear these two kids talking...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Billy:</span> Hmmmmm…..What would be an awesome tat? A Skull? <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Shemp:</span> No. <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Billy:</span> “Mother”? <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Shemp:</span> No. Hey, what was the name of that pole dancing doll your little sister has? Sassafras or something?<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Billy:</span> Perfect! Put that across my forehead! <br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">(6) A "You Can Shave The Baby" Baby</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPZkpBiGT7q3rra4w72y5FsNLjBtgoa6jvU-rmSpalhcB9RQMFTMVpC9AezvjG6deaiG8ckH6CEBlUhKHZ2COc1XfPyqPxNEgRUDNCX9gTLZPaYhJU3d9HsPvTA1XOXScF-RseMmRO1ss/s1600/Bad+Toy+Shave+a+baby"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 233px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPZkpBiGT7q3rra4w72y5FsNLjBtgoa6jvU-rmSpalhcB9RQMFTMVpC9AezvjG6deaiG8ckH6CEBlUhKHZ2COc1XfPyqPxNEgRUDNCX9gTLZPaYhJU3d9HsPvTA1XOXScF-RseMmRO1ss/s320/Bad+Toy+Shave+a+baby" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5685785263729204338" /></a><br /><br />OK, I guess theoretically, YES you can shave a baby. But why? <span style="font-style:italic;">WHY? </span> <br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Hope that helps with your Christmas shopping. Thank you for your cooperation.Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435931185991764091noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728476481343612.post-64565362963792566022011-11-28T11:49:00.001-08:002011-11-28T12:27:13.453-08:00A Conversation With AlexanderHere is a brief transcript from an actual conversation I had with Alexander this morning. This talk happened in the car. Yes, strapping my 3-year-old into a chair is <span style="font-style:italic;">the <span style="font-weight:bold;">best</span></span> way to have a real conversation with him. If we are in a car, this method of conversation looks less like questionable parenting and more like a normal car ride. <br /><br />See? You get helpful parenting tips here at ODB! <br /><br />(Calling it "ODB" makes it sound like this blog is popular enough to warrant the causal use of an acronym. Instant cyber street cred. Yep, another great tip. You're welcome.)<br /><br />Anyway, on with the transcript: <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Me:</span> Did you have a good Thanksgiving?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Alexander:</span> Yes! I was very busy and I got to play with cousin Harrison.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Me:</span> That sounds fun.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Alexander: </span>Cousin Harrison shared his trains and toys with me. Do you think I'll get to play with cousin Harrison again next Thanksgiving?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Me:</span> Yes, and hopefully many times before next Thanksgiving too. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Alexander:</span> Why is there Thanksgiving?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Me: </span>Well, it's a chance to give thanks for what we have. It all started...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Alexander (interrupting): </span> Why did Uncle Brad make a turkey?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Me:</span> It's a Thanksgiving tradition.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Alexander: </span> Cousin Harrison and I were too busy to eat turkey. Do you think cousin Harrison will play Star Trek with me?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Me:</span> How do you play that?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Alexander:</span> We go vrrrrom, and we play Star Trek.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Me: </span>Do you want to pretend to be Captain Kirk?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Alexander:</span> No.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Me:</span> Do you want to pretend to be Spock?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Alexander: </span>No.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Me: </span> Well, who are you going to be then?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Alexander:</span> A farmer, and cousin Harrison can be a sheep.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Me:</span> A farmer? I didn't remember there being a farmer on Star Trek.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Alexander:</span> Ok, <span style="font-style:italic;">not</span> Star Trek. We'll play Farm Trek. <br /><br />***insert rimshot here*** <br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoW4ryjhW9PvKbl60HlGUPNrQyF6MG7fVkRLDxlUirYriDV1ldTIoZ2MBqG2RBLLjP2ByFJkYlEPR-EmZNrJzR-DxJenE7FgrZgktUS8xf2M6RwgdCbfuoKR-J2_axtEdTCDHDBxwoXxE/s1600/Bub+and+Ava.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoW4ryjhW9PvKbl60HlGUPNrQyF6MG7fVkRLDxlUirYriDV1ldTIoZ2MBqG2RBLLjP2ByFJkYlEPR-EmZNrJzR-DxJenE7FgrZgktUS8xf2M6RwgdCbfuoKR-J2_axtEdTCDHDBxwoXxE/s320/Bub+and+Ava.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5680141104199326306" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><br />THANK YOU! Good night! </span>Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435931185991764091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728476481343612.post-56691380417200353312011-11-28T11:28:00.000-08:002011-11-28T12:35:47.213-08:00Child Psychology<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dydDDpiNokViz0NsNRIIx9v13ruKttUDXN8b-q2pBZVjU6rwp-wGIGyLZSJOffMq__EA8rtj0YvB28y3hGSTw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435931185991764091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728476481343612.post-78878687323324063702011-11-11T06:41:00.000-08:002011-11-11T07:10:26.190-08:00Important QuestionsAlexander asks questions... a LOT of questions. Some recent questions he asked:<br /><br />"What is the sky for - what does it do?"<br />"Can a bear climb a tree like a squirrel?" <br />"Do ducks eat flowers?"<br />"Why is there red?"<br />"What is hair for?"<br /><br />Every question is another piece of the 3-year-old universe puzzle.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHUBkRr-QCvj-Zw6ms3KtvsMYdor-Iwy3CjbJzI11hpvDk7hyphenhyphenUwtm3HQarC77Gi8PmbDsx4DROgLQDIkaml2h_XERx7cnPjHdoLZ2KFl0CWihG8wGgU1i2ZpEeNU0Zu0Mduqi9Xh-Klms/s1600/universe.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHUBkRr-QCvj-Zw6ms3KtvsMYdor-Iwy3CjbJzI11hpvDk7hyphenhyphenUwtm3HQarC77Gi8PmbDsx4DROgLQDIkaml2h_XERx7cnPjHdoLZ2KFl0CWihG8wGgU1i2ZpEeNU0Zu0Mduqi9Xh-Klms/s320/universe.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5673752866057060130" /></a><br /><br />(I <span style="font-style:italic;">know</span>!! I found the perfect picture in the archives. You can thank me later for such a feat of blogging excellence.) <br /><br /><br />I estimate I have about 11 more months before he realizes that I am an unreliable source of information. Then he'll start referring all questions to the internets - aka "3rd parent." For now, he thinks I'm a double bacon genius burger.Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435931185991764091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728476481343612.post-53396001069011837002011-11-03T15:49:00.000-07:002011-11-03T16:07:34.495-07:00Da Bears<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTzjqIeJxJ0rsNsYZ3XQRyUhovbmJ_VQfMZti1ZO7fktmrD_7FH4Kq8oqnKboplUZYAMg6J4VhRMd62oCBk8fxwPHmzIgsgZMsvDKJpyYOYHT2O5FSKL93k3ZsvdNEvlyXENFNHe50uJo/s1600/da+bears.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTzjqIeJxJ0rsNsYZ3XQRyUhovbmJ_VQfMZti1ZO7fktmrD_7FH4Kq8oqnKboplUZYAMg6J4VhRMd62oCBk8fxwPHmzIgsgZMsvDKJpyYOYHT2O5FSKL93k3ZsvdNEvlyXENFNHe50uJo/s400/da+bears.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670905787555549250" /></a><br /><br />Trick or treating was a success (in our case, it was 100% treating). The children were dressed up as bears, which was Alexander's idea. They ended up looking like bears closely related to ewoks. <br /><br />Alexander had his first chocolate bar. He was not impressed.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGwez_FBVTFoSn7Lr8sk0cKBIzcLLZjwjNKx871gzS3qZChN4slyrCD3X-n-8HYVkeCIUoVc5fN02JSqdT88UQjEkllCfDjVvnZYV7h155npQvZfon2zq2SYX5h1kopY4BIVrv78Of_Go/s1600/chocolate..JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGwez_FBVTFoSn7Lr8sk0cKBIzcLLZjwjNKx871gzS3qZChN4slyrCD3X-n-8HYVkeCIUoVc5fN02JSqdT88UQjEkllCfDjVvnZYV7h155npQvZfon2zq2SYX5h1kopY4BIVrv78Of_Go/s400/chocolate..JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670907968697661522" /></a><br /><br /><br />"I dressed up as a ewokish bear for THIS?" <br /><br />We're glad Alexander doesn't like the candy. George Lucas will probably be suing us for copyright infringement, so we'll need to fork over our ewok proceeds anyway.Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435931185991764091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926728476481343612.post-29385015939621105382011-10-25T20:41:00.001-07:002011-10-25T21:12:45.144-07:00Baby MulletThis is not cultivated hockey hair, people. It is a <span style="font-style:italic;">naturally occurring mullet</span>. <br /><br />Business up front:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPoYd6iohewQPrUV5NYF63bF9APWC9x9Y_PX1L0hxIkIMbxBgtd9PjrHSd6C-0RjieM4dNisFtNmrejye-z7eJWEcAkQ5jcC5EVtCeBC8nDZnHv_fzjP8b5bZyE1ARwLv4sIBuK6rLLt4/s1600/business+up+front.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPoYd6iohewQPrUV5NYF63bF9APWC9x9Y_PX1L0hxIkIMbxBgtd9PjrHSd6C-0RjieM4dNisFtNmrejye-z7eJWEcAkQ5jcC5EVtCeBC8nDZnHv_fzjP8b5bZyE1ARwLv4sIBuK6rLLt4/s320/business+up+front.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5667641294559411394" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Party in the back:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihBMRaaoVhub6Mq2_BVK2X-th1vIuk53WyRmsAh4uTTJ9TfRLp9l_XQo-omyGNGdtcg_mDhoghTVJ0go1BUnBBCHVmpufXLTbXRDBVywuozg9B_tYDIaAmEvpn9sy6iwurulQxb0w7ylc/s1600/party+in+the+back.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihBMRaaoVhub6Mq2_BVK2X-th1vIuk53WyRmsAh4uTTJ9TfRLp9l_XQo-omyGNGdtcg_mDhoghTVJ0go1BUnBBCHVmpufXLTbXRDBVywuozg9B_tYDIaAmEvpn9sy6iwurulQxb0w7ylc/s320/party+in+the+back.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5667641435398068226" /></a><br /><br /><br />Sorry about the gauzy-looking picture. The camera lens is pretty scratched up. Now all of our pictures look they are from a soap opera trying desperately to make their octogenarian hearthrob look like a septuagenarian. <br /><br />Speaking of inane television programing, look at how <span style="font-style:italic;">insanely</span> adorable the kids are when they are staring the the T.V. together. Yar.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibP2x3xitxK7PGgt1z6q29WdLksZI0V6Z9glceF7cD_xk0WQ1TVJpyJL-9isXVQ-sLAE0szpp7oOjSA7nQHQ_dtAwt-POovsl33XxxE0Y5A1jzLUvPPRT66_5Po-srthgO1OP_IKtjESE/s1600/TV.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibP2x3xitxK7PGgt1z6q29WdLksZI0V6Z9glceF7cD_xk0WQ1TVJpyJL-9isXVQ-sLAE0szpp7oOjSA7nQHQ_dtAwt-POovsl33XxxE0Y5A1jzLUvPPRT66_5Po-srthgO1OP_IKtjESE/s320/TV.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5667646995118385410" /></a><br /><br />(And with that gauzy-looking picture, Alexander looks not a day over two...and Ava looks like a fetus. The gauze works!!)Ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435931185991764091noreply@blogger.com1