Taking the Big Plunge

We started off the morning by running errands. We picked up the cakes that the kids ordered for their birthday at Macey's. I let the kids look through the book and decide on whatever cake they wanted. They both wanted something different than they have ever had before. T chose a Star Wars cake, although he has never seen any of the movies. A chose what I can only call a "flower power" cake. She chose it because it had flowers and everything, but it also had a "Ladybug" on it. As we were checking out a lady came up to us with a basket full of kazoos. Apparently today was national kazoo day (DANG! I forgot to mark it on my calendar again?!!). She gave each of the kids a kazoo which made our errand running the rest of the morning a real treat. So, HAPPY NATIONAL KAZOO DAY EVERYONE!!!

After running the final errands we went to the Chili Open. This is a charity golfing event. Grandpa's rotary club has done this event for as long as I can remember and he has always been heavily involved. You can golf in the snow with orange golf balls, participate in activities inside the barn, and eat a ton of good chili. The best part is all the proceeds go to several different charities.

We left the Chili Open just in time to make it to the recreation center to set everything up for T and A's birthday party. This weekend worked out a lot better than the one right after their birthday, so we waited a little bit. I think all of the kids had a great time being together, eating cake, and most of all swimming and playing in the water. My kids LOVED it, and especially loved that everyone was with them. The kids also got VERY spoiled by everyone with way too many nice presents (even though the invitation sort of said not to bring any:) ). Below are some pictures of T & A, their cakes, their friends, and their cousins that all celebrated with us.

"Look at me!" "You want a piece of me?"

Just hanging out

A's birthday cake

T's cake, complete with twisty candles

• A was walking all funny today and I asked her what was wrong. She said, "Daddy you don't know what it is like to be a girl. Sometimes I have to pull my swimsuit right out of my bum."
• T was not paying attention and ran right into the back of his friend's Mom. She apologized (although she'd done nothing wrong), and as he ran off, he said, "whoa, that was weird."

Look Harder

In the hustle of the day
in the middle of downtown
I saw an old woman crossing
who might easily be knocked down

I rushed right over to help
and escort her across the street
I saw in her my Grandma
as I helped keep her on her feet

Later, I came on a little boy
whose chain had come off his bike
I stopped and got my hands greasy
as I happily helped out the tyke

I quickly did this little repair
and sent him back off to play
It made me think of my own son
as I watched him pedal away

I drove on to see a woman
her kids crammed in her SUV
trying to change a tire
but unable to get the lug nuts free

I stopped and changed it for her
and let her attend to her crew
I thought of my own Mother
and knew it was the right thing to do

I came home to an old neighbor
who had just stopped by the store
his elderly body showed signs
that unloading was quite the chore

I sprang right into action
to lift the bags from him
I then saw my own Grandpa
as he thanked me with eyes so dim

I saw a little girl running
tears streaming down her cheek
I stopped to see what I could do
so things wouldn’t seem so bleak

I saw in the distance a puppy
and drove quickly to stop his escape
I thought of my own daughter
as her puppy gave her smile its shape

I saw a businessman in the airport
trying to get home for his child’s birthday
as the man and I traded tickets
signs of gratitude, were on display

I sat back and watched the plane leave
settling back to await the next flight
I thought of my own Father
and memories of each birthday night

As I helped each one of these people

their countenance changed before my eyes

I could see all as my brother

and look past each person's disguise

Through all of these little experiences
I could see people differently
I began to think of my Savior
to glimpse how He is able to see

I am just an imperfect man
trying to be as He wants me to be
each time I do, a whisper says:
“Thou hast done it unto me”

I AM THE KING

Oh yes, I am THE KING of.............funny/wierd experiences. I had a friend that heard there was a place where weird things happen frequently. He purposely went there just to see what would turn up. He left with nothing. Let me first say that if I would have gone, something weird would have happened. Second, lucky for me, I only have to go about my business in life and weird experiences just find me. I really like that they can be so integrated into my life, thus making me able to still get done all that I need to. The other day, I was talking with someone and sort of laughing about something. All of the sudden another person that I know came up to me and says something to the effect of: "It is really annoying how you are just laughing and smiling all the time like you are better than everyone." I thought that comment was a little forward, but I listened to what they were saying. I sincerely and seriously replied that "I do not in any way think that I am better than anyone. I really try to value everyone, and I am very sorry if I came off as rude, arrogant or cocky, that is the LAST kind of person I would want to be." I further explained that I just like to joke around with people, but I would feel awful if I hurt some one's feelings or made them feel like they were less. They replied, "that is not what I said! I never said you were arrogant or cocky I just think it is annoying that you are so happy all the time when everyone knows that your life sucks!" While many might find this person's comments offensive I am working with every muscle in my body to stifle my laughter. They continued, "I am not trying to be rude (too late), I am just saying that all you do is school, work, church, and take care of your kids and your divorced. It is not like you have all of this stuff and get to do all of these cool things, but you are always happy, it is just annoying, I mean do you even have friends, or a girlfriend?" I try to break the ice a little by smiling and laughing (perhaps not the best thing for this particular person) as I respond that "I have a few people I pay to be my friends, but as for a girlfriend, I don't have one because all girls think it is annoying when guys are too happy." They respond, "See, I am serious, and even with me saying all of this, you still just joke with a stupid grin on your face!" They went on to ask, "what is so great in your life for you to be happy about?" I told them that there are lots of things in my life to be happy about. I also told them that happiness in my opinion is more of a mindset than a destination. They sort of huffed and said, "well I am just not seeing what is so great about your life." At this point I stopped and I genuinely asked this person if they were having a bad day, and told them if they were I would be more than happy to help them in any way that I could. They responded "you could be less happy so that people who are not happy do not have to feel worse around you." I was sort of a mess of emotions at this point. I genuinely felt bad for this person and wanted to help them, yet I was dying inside from laughter at their ability to be so bold. It always kills me when someone sort of crosses that line of things you probably should not spout off to someone. We were way beyond crossing that line here. They sort of left it with, "I just don't see what is so great..." I once again decided to break the ice and get them to smile by saying (in my own laughing way), "tell you what, while you are right, I do indeed probably suck, there is no sense in both of us focusing on ways that I 'suck,' so I will just leave that to you, and I will focus on the ways I have been blessed, is it a deal?" Let's just say it didn't have the desired effect.........

Anyway, a day or so later they did apologize and even brought me a treat (although I did check to make sure they weren't just poisoning all the happy people), and stated that they were having a bad day that day. I told them I figured that was the case and that it was no big deal. I told them they could use me as a sounding board any time they were having a bad day, and if there was anything I could do to help, to let me know. In the end, even if they were right and nothing else were good, at least I have my crazy experiences. I should have pointed that out in my defense at the time............dang you hindsight!

The funniest part of this story is that I have been focusing really hard lately on truly seeing everyone around me as my brother. I have tried really hard to be sure that people would know that their name is safe in my presence and that I don't speak ill of them. Everyone faces challenges and who am I to judge some one's heart? It was just really funny and ironic to me, that as I have made this a goal, someone would come up to me and tell me how bad I suck for being happy...........

One Jacked Up Snowman!

If I were two twin 5 year olds I might..............

1. Want to play outside while my Dad does the snow blowing.
2. When my Dad is done with said snow blowing, take him up on his offer to help us build a snowman, but insist it be in the front yard for everyone to see, not the back.
3. I then might spend almost an hour with my Dad building said snowman to be nearly five feet tall.
4. When my Dad goes inside the house to get the buttons, carrot nose, scarf, etc...............we might think it would be fun to knock out the snowman's two midsections, smash his ribs, crush his vital organs and let the moisture within run warmly in the streets!
5. When my Dad comes out to ask what happened to our snowman we might look towards where it was and then become sad.
6. We then might start to cry as we look upon our snowman and decide that while it was fun to break it, we really miss our snowman and wish he was whole again. This crying could last up to 30 minutes.

If I were a Daddy to two twin 5 year olds I might........

1. Help build a snowman for almost an hour
2. Go inside to get the supplies to finish the snowman off
3. Come back outside and look where the snowman used to be and ask my kids what happened to it.
4. I might then spend half an hour consoling my two twins after they killed their snowman.
5. I then might see the head lying next to what is left of the base of our snowman. I might just pick the head up and slap it on top of what is left of the base of the snowman thus making the first blind, armless, button less, mouth less, "angry little elf" of a snowman in the whole world.
6. I then might take a picture of it, post it on my blog and invite all readers to drive by to see our angry little elf snowman like it is the latest tourist attraction.

BUT.............who likes to play the "what if" game?

This is what our angry little elf snowman might look like.

The Mayan/Moonshoes/Blessings

THE MAYAN
So, the kids alternate spending their birthday each year between their Mom and me. This year they spent with her. I am sure they had a fun day with their Mom on Thursday and then I celebrated with them on Friday. While I am sure it can be hard, the most important thing is that they know that both of their parents love them very much. Their birthday party with their friends is going to be this coming Saturday because of scheduling conflicts this weekend. So, on Friday night, I really wanted to take them to a place that they had never been before, but that would also be really fun. I still love a place in Colorado called "Casa Bonita." We ate there every time we visited Colorado when I was a kid. It featured great food and cliff divers and everything. So, as I was thinking of a place Wednesday night, a radio ad came on. It was not only helpful, but hilarious. It said something to the effect of: "hey we all know that the Mayan is a great place to go. It has great atmosphere, is centrally located, yada yada yada....., but let's be honest; THE FOOD STINKS!" They then went on to say that they have changed their menus, and done all of this stuff so that the Mayan is the best place in the whole world, and your family should never go to Disneyland again......yada, yada, yada (maybe a slight exaggeration on my part). While their food WAS terrible before, I figured if they were willing to make an ad like that, I would give them a second chance. So, I took the kids there for their birthday Friday night. The food was not the most amazing food I have ever eaten, but it was good, and a huge improvement. The entertainment was really great too. Because it was their birthday, they sat us in the center, front row table of the whole place. The kids had a great time, and want to know when we can go there again. They really loved it, and I was so excited that they were happy with my choice. To make our experience that much better, it was so foggy outside going to and from the Mayan, that it was like we had to drive through the jungle or rain forest just to get there! Here are some pictures below of the kids eating while enjoying the show.

T was loving the show. It seemed like he really liked the Indiana Jones type theme of it too.
Here he is in a state of awe!

"Don't bother me I'm eating!" Not so much. More like, "don't bother we I'm watching!"

This picture only builds the suspense for the next one.

I LOVE this picture! I took this just as the girl diver took a leap off of the highest point of the cliffs. It is priceless!

MOONSHOES

Maybe most people do not know what Moonshoes are. I certainly didn't until I went shopping for birthday presents for the kids. I found them and thought they would have a blast with them. They are sort of like putting two individual pogo sticks on each foot............just without the stick. Enjoy the video below. This was only a few minutes into their first trial run. You should see those kids fly through the air now! My kids never get in trouble for bouncing off the walls. In fact I actually buy them devices that assist and encourage it! :) Listen to T towards the very end of the video. He is hilarious.

BLESSINGS

I try really hard to recognize and express my appreciation for blessings in my life. I don't know that I necessarily do a great job, but I try. Obviously my biggest blessings revolve around my kids, a good family, friends, the gospel, health, etc. I also try to look for the little blessings each day though as well. I am grateful to make it home safely each night. I am grateful when things unexpectedly work out just right. I even try really hard to be grateful for trials, for what I learn from them, and how they can bless me to grow and be better. As I previously wrote I was having some car problems. As often as possible I do all my own car repairs. My car was leaking anti-freeze all over the place. I could not detect where it was coming from. I feared it was a head-gasket or a manifold gasket. Both of these would require the engine to be torn apart and would be very expensive (even if my mechanic friends did the work). The question would then be to spend the hundreds or even over a thousand dollars on a vehicle with a lot of miles, or re-enter the world of car payments. It was not that either of these things would hurt, kill, or break me, but they just are not in my plans right now. I ended up being so blessed not to have to make either choice. The repair was fairly minor and ended up costing $150 (including labor for my friend to make the repair). Had I run it through a regular shop, it would have been more, but even still it was not huge. Certainly this was a blessing.

When the kids and I went to the car show, somehow I lost my camera. I normally place the camera on the seat next to me when I take the kids somewhere. I think since I was sitting in cars all night, this is what I must have done. I went back to look for it and it was gone. This happened at the beginning of the night. I checked with security at the expo center and they did not have it. We walked all through the show for a couple of hours with me taking pictures with my camera phone. Just before going home, I checked back with security and it still had not been turned in. I assumed the worst. The bigger problem in my mind was not the price of a new camera, but rather that someone has a bunch of pictures of my kids. A few days later I was in the area for work. On a whim I decided to stop by and check with security once more. Someone turned in my camera, and I got it back! Not only was it a great blessing, but events like that renew my faith in everyday people.

Both of these things may seem minor. Some would describe it as chance, luck, coincidence, fortunate, whatever. I figured out a long time ago that all good things come from a loving Heavenly Father. While both of these events may seem minor, I know that they are two more blessings which have been bestowed upon me. Below are a couple of recovered pictures.

Here is T driving his new Corvette. I think he is offering you single ladies (3-6 years old) a ride.

Apparently A not only does not get to drive, but she also does not get to decide what music they listen to either. :)

• Before being seated at the Mayan, we had to wait while they found our reservations and prepared our table. A began to tell me how hungry she was. I told her it would only be a minute or two. She said, "Dad, we never have to wait for our food at McDonald's!" As we were leaving the restaurant after eating, she told me, "that place was WAY better than McDonald's, my favorite part was the girl who jumped in the water all the time!"
• On the same night we were walking to our car. A van drove by and it made a terrible grinding noise. T said, "WHOA! If that Daddy can't fix his van soon, he needs to take his car to the dealership too!"

Happy Birthday Kiddos!

For months I had been told that life as I knew it would soon be over. I would only scoff and look with excitement towards the big day. The day finally arrived five years ago today, at around one o’clock in the morning. In a single instant, I knew that what I had been hearing was true. Life as I knew it was over. I contemplated what that meant. At that single moment, I contemplated a lot. Tears began to stream down my face as I wondered and marveled. Time seemed to slow down just as my thoughts began to race. You see, that day forever changed me. It changed my life; it changed who I am, what I am, and caused me to once again evaluate what is important. I was now a Daddy to two sweet little twins sent straight from a loving Father above. Perhaps, a person who has never had a child brought into their life can never experience how you can, in an instant, love another human being so completely. This event did change life as I knew it. Not in the way many had described, but rather, wholly and completely for the better. I remember the birth of each of them so vividly like it was yesterday. As each child was born, tears of happiness seemed to stream faster and faster down my face. I remember going into the ICU to see a team of people working with each child. I remember watching all that they were doing to make my two healthy. I could feel within the depths of myself the distress that they felt. My heart broke as tubes were placed inside of them, wires were attached to them, and the workings of the medical staff surrounded them. Knowing that this was all for their good was the only thing that held me back from taking them, holding them, and comforting them. It would be a long couple of days before I could finally envelope them in my arms for the first time, to let them know that Daddy was here. Not only did I need them to know that I was here, but that I was there all along, and that I will always be there for them. Until then, I could only cry out within the depths of my soul. To this day, my heart still breaks each time they hurt, and it shines each time they are happy. I have an inseparable bond with each of them that can never be broken. Five amazingly fast years later, I have a beautiful, smart little girl, and a rough and tumble, and yet sweet little boy. Not a moment goes by that I do not think of them. They truly are my life. It is still beyond my comprehension that my Heavenly Father would entrust me with two amazing spirits. I feel so incredibly blessed to have the title “Daddy.” I contemplate just what that title means, and the important role I play. Every time I hear their sweet little voices call out to me, it makes my heart swell within me. So yes, life as I knew it, definitely ended. With this death of the old came such an amazing new life. I have lost nothing of value in the transition to this new life, but have only gained on an enormous scale. I gained a purpose far beyond my own. Life once again was no longer just living for myself, but living to love, support, help, teach, feed, and nurture two little people to grow into something great. So with the celebration of the birthday of my two best friends, I have to give thanks for the great blessing they have always been, and continually are, in my life.

TO MY PRINCESS

I do not have the ability to express in words what you mean to me and how much I love you. I remember you always being a Daddy's little girl as a baby. You would often reach for me to hold you, and your favorite sleeping position would often be on my chest. For much of your life you would not calm down unless I sang a song to you in my imperfect voice. You learned the "Daddy's Homecoming" song shortly after being able to talk. You would not only sing it in your sweet voice to me, but you would require it to be played each time you went to sleep at night. Each night before bed you would take my pillow to your bed as your replaced it with your own. I was happy for the exchange as I thought of you as I laid my head to rest upon the Disney Princesses each night. I cannot express how thankful I am that you have allowed me to be so involved. You truly light up a room with your excitement, your creations, and your sweet little spirit. I love your fire and zest for life. I love that you are still, and forever will be, Daddy's little girl. I love when you just want your Daddy to play with you, cuddle you, watch a movie with you, or anything else. I love to hear your sweet voice on the phone and hear all that has happened while I am away from you. I love to watch you dance your little heart out at each recital. Most of all, I love your caring attitude towards others. I love that you want to involve everyone in everything that you do. No one is uninvited when you are around. Thank you for your sweet little example and your love for the Savior. You are a sweet, beautiful, smart little girl. Most of all you are a special daughter of God. Always remember that. I am so thankful I can be there for you and be called your "Dadd-o." I love you Princess.

TO MY BUBBA

There is not enough words in any language to tell you how I feel about you. You are filled with so much life and energy. I love to play and wrestle with you, and I love your happy little disposition. You are one tough, fierce wrestler, but yet you are the sweetest little boy in the world. Your play time is filled with all the toughness of any NFL player, yet your heart is so tender and sweet. I love your constant search for understanding, your ability to comprehend things and the life you bring to every party. I love that you can see humor and have laughter in so many situations. You have always been a happy little boy. Indeed your laughter, smiles, and humor has always been contagious to all around you. You have always wanted to be by my side and share in everything I am doing. You have a fearless little spirit, which surprisingly, has not caused you a lot of injury......so far. I love your competitive little nature and your desire to try new things. I love that you are constantly looking to help others. I love that you cannot wait to experience life. That is a quality so many people either don't have or something they have lost. Never lose that quality. Continue to appreciate all of life's moments while you are in them, even as you look forward for great things in your future. I love that you and I are interested in similar things (especially cars) and can enjoy so much together. I love having my little buddy by my side as I am working on, or doing something. You are my special little buddy, and I love the way you say "I love you too Dad" everytime I tell you I love you. I am so glad I get to be your Dad and have fun with you as I help you to learn and grow. You are such a good little boy. Finally, I can always feel your close connection to our Savior. You have a great knowledge of who you are and where you came from. Once again, never lose that. You are a great son of an almighty God. Thank you for coming into my outstretched arms and accepting me as your Dad. I love you Bubba.

My New Ride/Finger Snapping

MY NEW RIDE!

So, many of you know that I have wanted a truck for a long time. The Alero is starting to show its age, but it is just so nice to have everything paid off. After going to the Auto Show I just couldn't wait any longer. I know it is a Ford, and many know I am partial to Chevy/GMC, but I got a great deal on it. It is a 2008 F-150 and has about 19,000 miles on it. It is so nice to be back behind the wheel of a nice truck.......................that is, until I take it back to the rental car place in a few days. (Gotcha ya!) :) Well, I would like to have a newer truck, but I just can't force myself to enter into car payments again unless I have to. I had to rent this for a couple of days because after 140,000 trouble free miles, apparently the Alero thinks now is a good time to break. It is leaking coolant somewhere, but I am unable to see where with the resources I have. I left it with one of the mechanics that I used to work with at the dealership and he is going to put it up in the air, then hopefully find and fix it for me. I am really hoping and praying that it is a minor leak so that I am not stepping into a car payment or an expensive repair. :(

This is actually the first time that I have ever rented a car for myself. I have always had back up vehicles of my own, or my parents have always been so generous and willing to let me use theirs (especially since my Mom only drives hers like 5,000 miles a year). However, I got busy and let my truck's registration expire (really stupid since it is like $35 to register and now I just don't have time), and my Mom's car all the sudden decided to have a weird problem with the anti-lock brakes a couple hours after mine went down.

So I called and negotiated some rates with the rental car guy. I asked him the prices of all the vehicles. He kept asking what I wanted and I told him I would decide if he could give me the price of the vehicles. He gave me the prices and instantly started to try to get me to take a sub-compact. Call me stuck-up, but I am not going to shoe-horn myself into a sub-compact economy car (although I did drive a Toyota Tercel through a lot of high school, but that's a different story). I talked him down to $21 for the tin can (normally $32/day), then I went on to talk him down to a mid-size sedan for $28 (normally $48/day). I really wanted a truck, but I was not willing to pay the $65 they wanted for that per day. When I got to the place I noticed there was only one mid-size; a Nissan Altima. That will be pretty nice, I thought. When we went inside to do the paperwork, the guy told me there was a lady without a reservation there that needed the mid-size. He said, that she could not have a tin can and it was too intimidating for her to drive a truck. He asked if I would take a truck for the same price. As I about wet myself, I started thinking (really a rare occurrence for me). I reasoned to him that the truck was going to burn a little bit more gas then the mid-size, so if he would let me have the truck at the sub-compact price, it should balance out. He sort of looked at me as if waiting to call my bluff, and when he couldn't catch it, he said, "Under the circumstances, I guess that would be okay." I almost screamed, "IT IS MORE THAN OKAY!" I just smiled and said, "great." Hey, if you don't ask, how can you receive? :)

FINGER SNAPPING

So, apparently people have caught on to me snapping my fingers towards A & T and have started to give me a hard time about it. I now feel the need to publicly defend myself. When I was a kid, my Mom would always snap her fingers at us. I can never remember a time in my life where she didn't. When we were lost in a store, we listened for snapping and instantly found her. When we were misbehaving, my Mom would snap her fingers. It would instantly get our attention and we would turn just in time to see "the Mother look." Any time I hear fingers snapping, I automatically turn my head to this day. I do not think of it as a control thing or anything else. It is just a learned behavior. It is a great way to non-verbally communicate or to get my attention from a distance without shouting.

Well, obviously some things are nurture as opposed to nature after all. I think this is a great tool as well. When the kids are far away from me in church and about to climb on something, I snap my fingers. They instantly turn, and stop their incorrect behavior. When I really need to find them, they instantly know it is important if I snap my fingers. When they could be hurt, I snap my fingers. When I am on an important phone call and cannot tell them to "shush please," I snap my fingers and then look at them pleadingly. I figure this is way better than yelling to them from across a crowded room, or in church, or whatever. It also prevents me from having to use my mean voice. It is somewhat rare for me to even use the snapping fingers at home, other than the phone calls. It is not at all as some have made it out to be. It is not like me calling a dog by whistling (which I have seen some parents do to their kids anyway) or a patting of my knee. I also do not use the finger snapping to have them "fetch" anything. Lastly, I do not leave them with a dog sitter, or in a kennel when I go on vacation. Completely different things for completely different species. I look at my finger snapping as I would look at the light from a light house. It directs them back to safety when they have drifted off of their course. Judge and mock if you will, but I will forever know that I am a tall, sturdy, lighthouse. :)

• To go along with the finger snapping, this one is great. We were doing something fun and I told the kids they could sort of head off on their own while I watched. Just as they were running off, some random person snapped their fingers. The kids both turned around with annoyed looks, and T said, "what do you need Dad, you told us we could go play!" Through laughter I had to explain that it was not I who had done the snapping.
• I was making the kids ham sandwiches for lunch today. T out of no where said, "when ham gets really cold, it shrinks into turkey."
• When our car broke, I explained what was wrong with it to the kids. A just matter of factly stated, "that's okay Dad, just go buy a new one." I laughed as I said that we don't need a new one, just need to fix what is wrong with ours. T laughed and said, "where do you even learn stuff like that A?!!!!" This is the same girl that told me that "if I watched the news I would have heard about the plane landing in the water in NY (which I incidentally had heard about). Apparently she is skipping over the economic news.
• The kids were talking to Grandpa one day in his bedroom. They suddenly got curious about his CPAP breathing machine. So, he put it on and showed them how it works. T said, "you look like you are going in the ocean Grandpa." A then pointed at the tubing for the mask and said through uncontrolled laughter, "NO.......Grandpa....you look like you have an elephant's trunk." This only caused T to have uncontrollable laughter.
• I was trying to get the kids to at least whisper in the dead quiet of Sacrament meeting last Sunday. Apparently I must not have paid attention to the phrase "say it, don't spray it" this time. T yelled out, HEY DAD..........STOP SPITTING ON ME!!!!" clearly for everyone to hear. Sort of the opposite of a whisper, but at least it made everyone have a good laugh. Funny, that seems to happen a lot at my expense...........hmmmm.

Basketball & Cars

BASKETBALL



Yesterday was T's last day of basketball. This time I at least had my regular camera.

This is the Legacy Lion named Lenny. I am thinking that after this guy got attacked, Kung Fu Panda style, by all the kids, he may not make many more appearances.

T with a certificate of completion and his Utah Jazz team sign.
A is here supporting T, the same way T does when A does dance. She was so supportive in fact that she couldn't even look at the camera apparently. She must not want to miss a moment of the action.
Here is A looking at the camera and everything even though we were at T's basketball.

Check out this action shot. That could easily be cropped and thrown on a professional basketball card.....I am just saying......

Here is a sweet video of T playing some serious defense (to a poor little girl).

Here is some offense by T. Watch for him to give me props as he runs back to play defense.

CARS

This morning the kids and I went to a friend's house. We played and had a lot of fun and then went to lunch with them later. The kids especially loved playing with their little girl and their two dogs. We all had a great time (at least the three of us did!)! I am really lucky I have so many married friends that allow us to play the third wheel.

Tonight the kids and I went with some other friends to the Auto Show. You want to know one of the most charitable people alive? This friend (and now his wife) has been my friend since 9th grade! I haven't even had to pay him to be my friend or anything! They have always been great even though I have been a far less stellar friend. That is what I call charity! So, tonight we all went to the Auto Show. I have only missed two auto shows since moving to Utah when I was five. The kids have yet to miss one in their lifetime. This year was by far the biggest challenge; so far. The first couple of years most of their time was spent in the stroller. This year, the kids were driving everything, running from one car to the next, and having a ton of fun. They were just hard to keep up with, and literally wanted to drive EVERY car. Now I know exactly what my parents went through every year. Well, maybe not exactly, because I am sure my brother and I were probably worse because of how much we have always loved cars. Even after looking at all the cars, the kids preferences are still the same. T still wants a Corvette more than any other car, and A still wants a "Ladybug" (known to you and I as a VW Bug, but still too cute to correct her). We all had a great time and are so lucky to have such good friends. We had such a great time that it was almost okay that my camera is now either lost or stolen (with little hope of recovery) and these pictures were once again taken with my phone. It was so sad because both kids were in tears when we left the expo center without our camera. They were both so sad that we lost our camera and did not like the prospect of maybe getting a new one. Here is T cruising in his new ride. We lost the picture of T in the Corvette with the lost camera.
Here is A's new "LadyBug." It is one of the only times in the night where A did not have to fight him to drive. See, even at this young age, he knows these cars should ONLY be driven by girls. According to A, this is a "pinkish-white" LadyBug.
You've got to adjust the radio to the right tunes for cruising right?

Here is A driving T around in her new ride.

Apparently the police decided they had seen enough of their underage driving. They couldn't arrest or ticket the kids because they were too cute. So, they let them go with a warning this time. It all fell apart when the cops said, "Sign here, it is not an admission of guilt, just a promise to appear," and the kids had no idea what "sign, admission, guilt, and maybe even, appear " meant.

• We were driving home from my niece's birthday party last night. T really had to go to the bathroom. I told him to hold it for just a second, because we would be home soon. He said, "well you had better push your big foot on the pedal unless you like a bunch of pee all over my seat then!" I promised him that driving fast would not be a problem for me. In a matter of fact way, he said, "I know Dad."
• A was drinking a drink with a straw. She said, "Daddy, sometimes when I drink with a straw it feels like a paintbrush and it makes me think I am painting my tongue."
• On the radio they sang a song that mentioned New York. A said, "hey Daddy did they just say New York." I said, "yeah, why A?" She said, "well if you watched the news then you would have seen that a plane just landed in a ton of water there." I don't know what makes me a non news watcher, but okay.
• T and A constantly make up their own knock-knock jokes. Most of them make little to no sense whatsoever. Today T was telling A some, and after she laughed at each one, she would say, "sorry T, not funny."
• When we were at lunch today with our friends, both kids had to go to the bathroom. There was one stand up and one sit down stall in the bathroom. T wanted to go to the sit down one because the other was too tall. I told him that I would lift him up to the urinal so that A could go in the other one since she can't go in the urinal. He said, "yeah because her pee-pee does not go up and down and side to side like my pee-pee does, huh Dad?"

IN MY EYE!

Two days ago, I started to have a little bit of a runny nose. I didn't think much of it, it is just that time of year. The next day my right eye was really bothering me. I thought for sure my trusty new pair of contacts were to blame. This morning, my eye was practically glued shut. I was pretty sure that I had somehow contracted pink eye. Where on earth would I have gotten that from? So, this morning I made a doctor's appointment, and called in to work. I went to the doctor and they told me that I definitely had an eye infection, but it was probably not pink eye (especially since my eye was not at all red or pink). They told me they would give me some antibiotic drops for my eyes, and it should eliminate the problem. They also told me to not wear my contacts for about a week. Anyone who knows how much I now love contacts will know how extremely frustrated it made me to hear that! Since I had already spent all the money on the doctor's visit, I figured I would have them check my sniffles for strep throat while I was there(since that is all I ever get sick with). Well apparently a butterfly must have flapped its wings 25,000 miles away, because I have it again! YEAH!!! It has officially been 47 days since I last had it. Seriously, somebody needs to call up Guinness. I bet between having strep throat the most times in one year, or having the most odd experiences I ought to be in their book somewhere. If by some marginal chance I don't make it in those categories, I could at least be listed as the ugliest man alive. The doctor then concluded that the infection in my eye is very likely strep as well. I thought it was weird when a friend told me he has had strep in his knees. I think it is even more weird that I have it in my EYE! What on earth. Too bad all the spiritual, kind, good-looking, rich, single women are not as attracted to me as much as strep throat is. I would not only be healthier, but could be happily married, a better person, and have a nice truck and Corvette. :) Really I should not complain. With all of the many tough circumstances people have to deal with in life, and the terrible illnesses out there, I feel VERY blessed that all I have ever had to deal with is a little strep throat every month or two.

Baskeball/Bulbs/Big Blankets

BASKETBALL

This morning started out with us rushing out the door to get T to basketball. The community center where we used to live has different sports throughout the year for young kids. This month: my favorite, basketball. It is more of a clinic, with teams that rotate between six stations in a gym. At the end they get to play a game of basketball with one of the other teams. T was actually a member of the Utah Jazz team. He only had a one in six chance, and luckily the Jazz must have drafted him. Luckily these little kids can travel and double dribble to their hearts content in the games. You will have to forgive the blurry pictures and video. They were all taken with my phone; like a dope, I forgot my regular camera. T is the one clear over in the blue. Check out that shot. His shooting percentage really had to be close to 80% from anywhere on the court [up to 5 feet :) ]
It's good!

Check out that arch! Oh, yes, this too went in the net my friends.
T slamming it home right over a defender. Each kid took a turn playing offense and defense at this station. The funniest thing happened right after T had his turn. There was a taller kid guarding a shorter kid. Every time the shorter kid would go up for a shot, the big kid's hand was on the other side of the ball. Finally the little kid got frustrated and slammed the basketball into the big kids stomach. When the big kid doubled over in pain, the short kid shot it right over him. I love four year old boys! Okay, while my kids would have been in huge trouble for something like that, I thought it was completely hilarious when someone else's kid did it. Too bad I wasn't recording then.

A was bored at first, but was soon content with a licorice rope in one hand and a lemonade in the other. She used the logic that every time she is at dance, T gets a drink, so we should probably buy her one too.

Here is a shotty (no pun intended) video of T working his magic.

BULBS

After we came home from basketball, it was lunch time. I fixed the kids lunch, put in some laundry, and then started taking down all the Christmas lights, tree and other decorations. Yes, I know it is twelve days after New Year's, but this is the first chance I have had. Plus, this is the first time the weather has been nice enough when I have had the time to take down the outside lights. So, after the labors of the day, we are officially scrooged out until Thanksgiving.

BIG BLANKETS

So, Monday just happens to be my usual laundry day.

1. Load of colored clothes for kids-check
2. Load of whites for kids-check
3. Load of colored clothes for me-check, check
4. Load of whites for me-check
5. Load of sheets for kids beds-check
6. Load of sheets for my bed-check

That only leaves the huge comforters that don't really fit in our washer and dryer. It is not that we have a smaller than average washer and dryer, but maybe larger than average comforters. This is not helped by the fact that we each sleep on a queen sized bed. If anyone out there has some huge front load washer and dryer and they're about to leave a comment, I would say you probably have about as many friends as someone who talks about their size 15 feet all the time.............I am just saying. It is up to you if you want to be categorized with those kind of people. So, every couple of weeks I take these behemoths (the blankets, not my feet; Okay well my feet take the blankets technically, but I digress) down to the laundry mat and spend ten bucks washing and drying them. Luckily there is a laundromat really close to the gym. After I took the kids back to their Mom's tonight I loaded up my comforters, laundry soap (incidentally I would have loved to have been pulled over with a white powdery substance in a Ziploc bag on my front seat tonight, oh what a story that would make!), and quarters, completing the look in my workout attire and headed on down. I loaded them up, put the soap and quarters in and then went to the gym. 30 minutes later I was back to throw them in the dryer. Then it was back to the gym again. 20 minutes later I was back to check the finished result. One was not quite dry, so more quarters, and back to the gym. Finally a few minutes later, I folded them all, put them in the car, and then I was off to the gym again. The front desk people at the gym kept looking at me like I was the most retarded person in the world. Finally, just for fun, I apologized as I told them I had a huge personal problem (those blankets are huge, and personal, and them being dirty is a problem) I had to take care of, but I did not want to miss my workout, so that is why I was coming in and out so much. Saying I had laundry at the laundromat would be so much more boring, and would not even make them wonder. While I am sure they still thought I was an idiot (definitely not the first ones), I was pretty proud of my multi-tasking, quarter-popping abilities tonight.

Pictures & Videos

1. In the first video, I came down the stairs and found T with a ramp all set up doing this. Normally a parent might think to stop this behavior. T's actions this evening only caused me to beam with pride! I was even more proud when I realized that T could make this thing ascend such a steep incline. What was T's reason for doing this. He is VERY confident that this was how Santa put it on the couch on Christmas (because I am sure Santa couldn't have just lifted it there). He wanted to do the same thing.

2. The second video is the kids making their snow angels. I love to watch their movements.

T got this Tigger puzzle as part of his Christmas presents from Grandpa and Grandma. He put the whole thing together almost completely by himself.

A got this Eeyore puzzle from Grandma and Grandpa as well. She also did really well putting it all together.

We went sledding again this weekend. For some reason I love the pictures of the kids pulling their sleds back up the hill. I don't know what it is, but there is just something about it. T as always, is such a good brother to A. He held her hand the entire way up, every time, so that she would not slip. He loves to be the protective big brother.......even if he is less than a minute older. The kids really love sledding, and maybe even like the hot chocolate after even more.
The prints left by my two little angels. Incidentally, I was required to search every inch of the park for some uncharted snow so that the kids would be able to see their snow angels.

Here is one of A's art creations from her new Christmas art table. She is still learning to line her face up just right to make it fit in these preset molds, but it is still so cute. She really loves it.

OUR NEW FAMILY PICTURE BELOW!

We didn't have one professionally taken, but I still think it turned out okay. I think it is worthy of a frame, let us know what you think.

Building you up for it.....................

No peaking ahead............

More suspense.........................

Not yet.....................................

Are you excited yet?.................

Don't wet your pants.....................

Okay, here it is.........................................

We took a picture with A's art table and it has this cool distortion feature. This is what the kids wanted it to look like when we were done!

• T & A's cousin was over on Friday morning. He was acting like a monkey. T said, "Dad, I think we have a 'chip and z' in our house!"
• A was saying the prayer at lunch time the other day. She said, "we're thankful for......." and seemed to lose track of what she was saying. T whispered quite a few times, "T.......... we're thankful for T............ A, just say T!" It was really funny, and he was serious. At least he always says how thankful he is for A in every one of his prayers.
• I asked A to take something to the garbage. As she passed something else that I saw needed to be thrown away, I asked her to take it as well. She said, "Daddy, how can you expect me to do everything at once?" The two big items? Two pieces of paper. Stop laughing, you all know how hard it is to carry two pieces of paper at once!
• A made me some pretend hot chocolate yesterday as I was putting some clothes in the wash. She repeatedly asked me if I wanted some. Each time I told her that I would love to have some as soon as I finished loading the washer. She said, "well Daddy, you had better hurry, it is not like everyone else doesn't want my hot chocolate. Everyone loves it because it tastes the best."
• I was eating a Fat Boy ice cream bar when T walked up to me. He looked right at it and said, "Daddy you should share some of that with me so that you don't get a big fat belly." Although I am questioning his motives a little, he was serious. See, what considerate children I have.
• The other day we had a ward basketball game. I of course took the kids with me. I got dressed in a Utah Jazz t-shirt that I had lying around. T asked why I was wearing a basketball shirt. I told him because I was going to wear it under my basketball uniform at the game. With a really excited voice he asked, "DAD, YOUR TEAM IS THE UTAH JAZZ?!!!"

A 3-Hour Tour/First Contact

You might think that I am talking about Gilligan's Island or an alien movie. Neither would be correct. Tonight I took the kids back to their Mom's house. It was just barely starting to snow when we left. There were only little flurries and I wasn't terribly worried, but decided it might be a good idea to borrow one of my parent's 4 wheel drives for the journey. Now normally it takes me just over an hour each way to make it the 72 miles to take the kids to their Mom's. Tonight we left at about 4:50PM and we arrived at her house at 8:22PM. I thought I would have the kids there by dinner time, but ended up stopping at Sonic for dinner instead. We almost got stuck IN 4-WHEEL DRIVE during our little detour off the freeway. Our average speed according the computer in the car for the entire trip down was 11.9 MPH. Coming back only took me until about 10:30, and I brought the average speed up to 17.3 MPH. It is a good thing I got to snow blow when I got home, because I really needed to stretch my legs! Apparently driving in 4 wheel drive in an SUV is not that great for gas either. Where normally I would use just a tiny bit over 1/4 of a tank, today I used a whole tank! It was awesome. So what started out as a three hour tour.......

I have been putting off getting contact lenses because a new eye health plan just started at my work this month. I decided to wait and save the $200 or so. I got all fitted for them and did my trial run right there with them. Having never worn contacts before the first eye was a little tricky to get into. The girl told me that I want to do a movement that really makes it feel like I am trying to pop my eye out of my head. I responded, "okay, but I don't think popping my eye out is likely going to be helpful to my vision." Luckily she laughed. The second eye went well and I got pretty good at taking them out too. She told me that most people can't make it past a couple of hours the first day. If I make it past five I would be amazing, if I made it past 8 hours I would be incredible. So you are about to read something you are not going to read often on this blog. I am not only amazing and incredible, but I must be on the verge of Greek God or something. I put them in at 10AM and I just barely took them out!

• As I was helping the kids out of the car at their Mom's, T asked me, "Dad could you please pull my hood on over my head since it is a winter wonderland out here?"

Primary Pajama Party

Yesterday our fairly new Primary Presidency had a great idea. The day before their first day with new class names and new teachers they had a pajama party. The kids all came to the church in the morning and got to see their outgoing teachers as well as get to know their new ones. They ate breakfast, made snowflakes, and got to know their new teachers. They were even given a CD of all of the songs that the Primary will focus on this year. It was such a great idea, the kids loved it and I think it made the transition so much easier.

Today, the kids left Sunbeams behind and went into their first CTR class. They colored CTR pictures and got CTR rings. They learned all about choosing the right. They already miss their old teachers (even though they talked to them quite a bit at church), but are really excited and already talk a lot about their new teachers as well. I can't believe how fast time goes and how big they are getting.

• I was asking the kids some questions. A finally got fed up and said, "Daddy, we don't know everything, we are only almost 5!"
• When the kids came back last week, I asked T what fun things he did at his Mommy's. He named a couple of things that would seem fun. Then he said, "then we had rest time." I said, "oh, is that fun, is that something you like?" He said, "no Daddy, it is the most boring thing in the world, I don't even like it at all, and we have it every day!" I had to laugh because up to that point he was only telling me fun things. I was pretty surprised when he mentioned that.
• I was pretending to be asleep, complete with snoring noises. A and T came over and she said, "Oh Daddy you are the biggest teasing faker in the world, you don't even make that honk shu honk shu noise when you fall asleep during our movies."
• A was telling T he could do something later. T responded "yeah, well later means two."
• A was telling someone that she "does not know how helpful her CTR class was since they have only had one class!"
• A bought a Cabbage Patch doll and T bought a huge Screaming Banshee (from Disney's Cars-Mater and the Ghostlight) with some of their Christmas money. As they were playing with them, A said, that "her Cabbage Patch doll just sent little Mater a text message." My head was twirling as my kids said that, I wanted to scream "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! this can't be happening already!
• T was really cute as he was telling me how much he likes his new toys. He then said, "You know I love you, WAY more than any of my toys, right Dad?"

Tagged Again-MY DEEP DARK SECRETS

I am responding to a recent tag that asks for "THE FIVE THINGS MOST PEOPLE PROBABLY DO NOT KNOW ABOUT YOU." Just when you are thinking you know way more about me then you would ever care to, someone tags me this way. Although it may seem like I write everything on the blog, I actually have a personal journal which I write in quite a bit. What is written in there I keep locked up like Fort Knox, probably until the day I die.

So, here are a few of the great unknowns in my life, just remember that what you read on the blog stays on the blog:

5. In Jr. High a kid picked a fight with me. He was trying to get me to fight him for over a week. Finally he pushed me, swung to hit me (but missed), and in the process said some really awful things. I finally hit him back. He fell to the ground. He came at me again, and the same exact thing happened seven or eight times. I never came at him once, and he never was able to hit me once. After the initial hit, I only continued hitting him so he would not hit me. If he would have stayed back I would not have touched him. To make a long story short, I was charged as a juvenile with assault because the school (and later police) decided I was just too big and it was an unfair advantage. Luckily, I have never been involved in another fight since.

4. A couple of months into my mission, my driver's license was suspended for one month. I received far too many speeding tickets before my mission. Apparently the state did a review of my record and they were jealous, and thought it was unfair that the cops were giving all of the tickets to me. Let me state that I have completely calmed down since those days..............well, mostly.

3. Until I started posting them on this blog, NO ONE ever knew that I wrote any poems. In fact, even as bad as the poems are, I had to convince quite a few people that I actually wrote them. Also, for years, I used to think that blogs were the stupidest thing in the entire world. I bet you all find that pretty hilarious!

2. I am much more tender hearted than most people who really know me (even those who know me well) could ever tell. I do not show it, and most people are completely unable to see it. My physical appearance and my sense of humor help even more to keep it hidden.

1. This one I have never told ANYONE! I am actually in the process of writing a book that I really hope is published one day. Don't worry it is not an autobiography or anything, but a novel. I am about 1/6 of the way through the process, but mostly have the whole book written in my head. It is just about finding time to convey all the thoughts in my head down on to paper. I think I am going to write it under the pen name, "Pen Name."

Since no one ever responds when I tag everyone, I will tag specific people. You can answer as an individual, a family, or a couple. I tag: Armadillo, half truths, Jones, Andersons, Jewkes, Condies, Becks, Eyres, and anybody else who would like to do this.