The Earth Museum

The kids have once again filled up our good deed jar. For their reward I decided to take them to the planetarium. We have never been there before, although I have thought about going many times. It may not take us another five years to go there, especially after finding out that almost everything is FREE! The only thing that costs money are the shows. I would have taken them there a long time ago to walk around and explore had I known that. We have only walked past it a million times. Oh well, I guess you live and learn. The kids kept talking about the planetarium, and Tinkerbell kept calling it the "earth museum." We had a lot of fun and watched a 3-D movie about life under the sea. The kids were hilarious because they kept wanting to reach out and touch the animals that were swimming so close to their face. The movie showed some very nonchalant fish, that would creep along and then instantly strike and devour their prey. McQueen wanted to hold the big bag of popcorn. Every time the fish would strike the kids would jump. Each time McQueen would jump, he would toss popcorn all over himself. Some was even sitting on his shoulders at the end of the movie. I helped him out by holding the popcorn after the first few times. When a sea lion kept getting closer and closer to us, only to eventually give us a kiss, Tinkerbell was laughing so hard she was crying as she kept saying "whoa, whoa, whoa" through her laughter.

At times I find it difficult to explain to my kids that the earth doesn't revolve around them

Just doing some moon exploringTheir faces in this picture make me laugh. It is if they are asking, "you aren't going to leave us here on Mars, are you Dad?"After going to the planetarium, running a ton of errands, and then playing outside, you might imagine this is what they wanted to do for a few minutes. I was watching a show with the kids and I had to get up to do something. Tinkerbell instantly scooted closer to McQueen and basically caused him to tip over as well. McQueen said, "Tinkerbell, I am not your Daddy, you can't just go cuddling up and lay on whoever you want!" This caused Tinkerbell to sit up. McQueen then replied, "Why did you move? I like it when you lay on me."

• There is a whole row of planets hanging from the ceiling at the planetarium (see the first picture). I said, "look at all the planets." McQueen then named them all in perfect order. I was thoroughly amazed, and asked him where he learned them. I thought for sure he had learned it at preschool, or someone had taught them to him. He sincerely responded, "Dad haven't you ever watched WALL-E? They talk about the planets all the time." I said, "is that really where you learned them?" He said, "yes, do we need to watch it when we get home so that you can learn them too?"

The Price of Admission

In this world it seems that so much emphasis is placed on worldly wealth. Even as I compare my generation with my parent's generation, it sickens me. When did we arrive at a place where so many judge the quality of a person based on their worldly assets? That is about the farthest thing from what I have been taught. In the last six months I have had three friends who have lost their jobs, and one couple has just lost their house. My heart and prayers continually go out to each of them in this trying time. I think it is important to remember that circumstances only show WHERE someone is, and not WHO someone is. Circumstances do not account for the soul of a person, the depth of a person, or certainly the potential of a person. Yes, there are some cases where bad circumstances have been self-inflicted. Even in those cases, I believe that people can change and rise up. A person is only a failure if they stay down when they have fallen. One could say that I am only speaking as a person who doesn't have an amazing amount of stuff going for them. To that I would say that I know plenty of people who are a success, on every level, who feel the same way. Fortunately, I know those who are reading this probably feel the same way I do. Circumstances do not define a person, but rather, thoughts, feelings, and actions define each of us. Regardless of your circumstances, I am grateful for all of you my friends and for all that you have given, and continually give me. I wrote the following poem from some of the thoughts that have been on my mind.

I want you to know
what you do for work
doesn’t matter to me
it doesn’t matter if things are tough
or if you have lots of money

You aren’t required to live
in a huge house upon the hill
or go on an exotic vacation
through the mountains of Brazil

It doesn’t matter to me
if you have high levels of education
or if you feel your train has not
quite rolled into the station

The last thing that matters to me
is if you drive a beater
or if you have the means to afford
something a little sweeter

I am not concerned with your debt
or your credit score
or what designer labels I’d find
if I peeked in your clothing drawer

In the price of admission
of my friendship
these things are all for naught
when I look towards the important things
they don’t even deserve a thought

All that I require from those,
who may want to call me “friend”
is an honest try to be your best
to work at this until the end

Just say what you mean
and then mean what you say
help to lift the burdens
of people around you each day

Try not to criticize or judge
those you may happen by
realize that on this earth
“imperfect” is in abundant supply

I do not require perfection
I have flaws without a doubt
while I may slip from time to time
I try to walk the route

If this list does not seem like
a daunting task for you to do
I hope that you would call me “friend”
for I call you one too

Why We Build Temples

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I sincerely hope that is not a shock to anyone. While I am very imperfect, I believe, and try to live, its teachings. I recently came across this short video posted on the Church's website. The video explains why we build temples. I hope it will serve in helping those who are not of my faith to better understand our beliefs, while stregthening those who believe as I do.

St. Patrick's Day Parade

Saturday morning, we went to the St. Patrick's Day parade. The kids and I had a great time. They caught more candy then we could even carry. As I got the kids dressed in green, I did not think twice about wearing my BYU sweatshirt. I figured it was not a huge deal if I wasn't wearing green. I should have thought twice, because most of the people directly around us were clearly members of the Catholic faith. They were very nice people, and I enjoyed laughing and talking with all of them. I just felt out of place as they would talk about the great Catholic schools that would walk by in the parade. It might have seemed insulting to them since St. Patrick is a revered person in the Catholic faith. That is what I get for not thinking.
When this truck rolled on through, it by far got the loudest cheers, making me laugh even more about my choice of clothing. I was doing much more then wearing my religion on my sleeve. I was proudly displaying it right across my chest.

Here the kids are having their VERY FIRST Sausage McMuffin. Poor deprived kids. They loved it and I think they thought it was cool to go to McDonald's for breakfast. I think they thought McDonald's only served Happy Meals. They were pretty surprised by this new turn of events, complete with hot chocolate to drink. It also was a little weird to them since we rarely go out to eat, especially to breakfast.

This motorcycle Cop actually was this close to us. If I wouldn't have had the size 15 feet tucked in, they would have definitely made a sweet speed bump for him. I stayed out of his way, because as you can see, he is DEFINITELY packing the heat.

This was a coffin car. It was from a local mortuary. I guess this puts a whole new spin on the "you can't take it with you when you die" myth, huh?

This guy may seem impressive to many. Indeed the kids were very impressed. I, however, was not. If you consider one wheel a unicycle, then I would have to say that three wheels is a tri-cycle. The kids were riding their tricycles before they even turned two!

Joining the Inactive?

Today marks the third day that Tinkerbell has been sick with the croup, but the ninth day McQueen has been sick. I feel so bad for them. It is awful to only be able to keep wishing you could do more to help your kids feel better. Needless to say, we have not really even left the house this weekend. We have also missed church the last two weeks, so it leaves me wondering if we are now considered one of the inactive families in the ward. We have watched a movie here and there, played lots of games, and done some fun activities. A few pictures below will show some of what we have been doing.

Today I mixed up some pudding and let the kids finger paint. I don't think they have ever done it before and they really seemed to have a great time.Here is Tinkerbell's finished project. She told me it was a picture of her and Dadd-o (that's me)

Here is McQueen's finished project. It is also a picture of him and me.

The kids have of course (sadly) been doing A LOT of this.

McQueen has been hitting his bong pretty heavily lately to ease his troubles. He has to have the towel there because he gets so doped up that he forgets to swallow sometimes. He will then drool like a teething baby.

Unfortunately this is McQueen's second addiction to the bong. He was addicted to it for about two years (from ages 1 1/2 - 3 1/2). He seemed to outgrow a bad case of asthma and has been clean ever since. I am hoping his rehab won't take as long this time.

• Tinkerbell said some really sweet prayers the other night. My Dad had helped me in giving each of the kids a blessing on Saturday. I took them to bed shortly there after. When she said prayers, she said "thank you that we are going to get better now that we have had a blessing." It was so cool to hear her have so much faith. I love that when it comes to things like the Gospel, there is no doubt in their little minds. They were blessed to feel better, and so they will be. If only everyone had as much faith as a little child.......

Passing it Down the Line

Today Tinkerbell wanted to help me with everything. She was such an amazing helper. The kids are required to clean their rooms, keep their toys picked up, put their clothes in the correct dirty hamper, etc. Basically anything else is extra. Early this morning I washed all the bedding for our three beds. Tinkerbell helped me do the dishes, make the beds, vacuum, and put a TON of stuff away for me. As we made the beds, I taught her how to do hospital corners, and she was so excited to tell everyone. She loved how it makes a triangle before you tuck in the bottom part. After, we vacuumed. They both have vacuumed plenty, but I figured it was time to show them the best way to vacuum. I call it no trace vacuuming. I start at the inner most part of the room and vacuum in a way that makes the carpet have a nice pattern to it. I slowly back my way out of the room, vacuuming all the way. Then, when I am done, I can see I have gotten everywhere and there are no footprints (that lasts anywhere from 10-29 seconds). She did a great job. It was so much fun to do all of that stuff with my little princess. Nothing like a little Daddy/Daughter time. We cleaned and had a lot of fun together, all the while passing these "hidden secrets" on to the next generation.

McQueen is still feeling awful. He has been sick with the croup since last weekend, and now he has to have nebulizer treatments. Poor little guy, it makes me so sad to see them sick. He has mostly just rested today. He is feeling awful and does not have anywhere near his normal energy level. I am sure he will feel better soon though. While Tinkerbell and I made quite a Dynamic Duo, we both know that is not who we are. We can't wait until McQueen is feeling better so that we can be the Three Amigos again.

Here is Tinkerbell's very first hospital corner. She did this one all by herself.........well, I did lift up the mattress for her. She didn't have a Powerbar this morning, so she was feeling a little weak, but otherwise.......

Tinkerbell is sitting on her freshly made bed with a few friends, proud of the work she has accomplished

From last week:

• The kids were jumping on McQueen's bed. They wouldn't seem to listen, so I took the mattress and box spring off the bed frame and stacked them against the wall. He asked if I would put them back. I said, "no, because you guys have shown me that you can't stop jumping on them." He said, "we won't, we just really like to look at our beds a lot."
• Last week we played "Go Fish" with my parents and sister. I can't ever remember playing with the kids and now I wonder why. To start, we played with them in teams so they could learn the game. There were numerous things said by the kids during this game. 1. Both of them kept saying "gold fish!" instead of "Go Fish!" for a while. 2. When they would draw a card, they would whisper to their teammate a little too loudly what card they had just drawn. 3. I thought I taught McQueen how to say, "read them and weep!" whenever we laid down a completed set. When the time came for him to repeat the phrase I whispered, it was, "read them and WINK!"
• Later that same evening, my sister asked McQueen for a hug. His response was "GO FISH!"
• It was McQueen's turn to choose a movie to watch. Tinkerbell kept trying to persuade him to choose the one she wanted. He said, "sorry to burst your bubble, but we are not going to watch that." I really have no idea where he learned that from.

From Today:

• When the kids came back from their Mom's, it was cold. Instead of wearing her coat, Tinkerbell was just holding it. I said, "wow, it is cold out here, how come you are not wearing your coat?" She responded that it wasn't cold until I came out there. I laughed and said, "What? You think I can make it cold just by walking outside? Do you think I control the weather?" She said, "you are so silly Daddy, you do not control the weather..........the weatherman does!"
• The kids were playing Mariokart on the Wii tonight with their cousins. One cousin kept telling the other cousin that he knew a shortcut. The other cousin then asked, "what is a shortcut?" but really meaning "where is a shortcut?" Tinkerbell responded in textbook form. She said, "a shortcut is a better or quicker way to get to a place." Did I mention she said this to her older cousin?"
• I was doing something, and could not respond to Tinkerbell immediately as she asked me a question. She shouted, "HEY BIG GUY, I AM TALKING TO YOU!"

Too Bad Pee Wee Didn't Think of This!

I am sure anyone can remember that old movie, "Pee Wee's Big Adventure." For those who are pretending I am crazy and they never saw it, just stop. It was a dark time for all of us, which we wish we could erase from our lives, but it is there none the less. Although........there was that sweet scene with LARGE MARGE........but, I digress. My whole point of bringing that awful past to light is to point something out. I submit that if Pee Wee would have employed the same security measures as shown below, we could have all been spared the "big adventure" in our lives.

Today I was walking around an apartment complex trying to find a patient's apartment. Down the corridor to another apartment, I see this. There are probably at least eight bikes all chained together with the chain going around them 4 times. As you can see this is like 'tow a car' kind of chain too, not the wimpy stuff. Then there is the note. If you are unable to tell, this is what it says: "Stop Stealing our bikes & our bike tires!!!!! Next time We'll call the cops!" What an ingenious anti-theft device! This note says a couple of things to me. Since it says "stop stealing," that would tell me that they have had their stuff ripped off more than once. Which in my mind raises other questions. First, how many times did they get ripped off exactly, before they thought, "hmmm, I bet a scary threatening note ought to do the trick!" Second, why are they only NOW threatening to call the cops? Why have the cops not been called the 12 other times their stuff was stolen? Finally, do they really think that the perpetrators of these crimes did not think there was a possibility of law enforcement being called the first time they stole the stuff? I am no criminal mastermind, I am only a thinker, but at some point don't you think illegal equals cops? Okay, so maybe no one else finds this whole thing funny. I, on the other hand have an overdeveloped sense of humor, therefore, I think it is freakin hilarious!

Simply Strepilicious

Today I played hooky from work and school. This was not because I had some fun activities or anything, but rather so I could crouch up in a little ball (who am I kidding, I will never be a LITTLE ball) with a blanket and shiver. I guess some would consider that a fun activity. Me, not so much. It is good though, because I am overly confident when I go to the Instacare now. They check me in. They say, "what are we seeing you for today?" I proudly tell them, "I have strep throat!" They say, "well what are your symptoms?" I find this somewhat annoying in my own head, but list them to the people anyway. This process is repeated with the three people I saw today. After the nurse did the swab of my throat, she said, "the test usually takes about 10-15 minutes." I said, "I will bet you $5 that it is positive in three." She would not take my bet. Good thing for her, because she would have lost! The doctor came in and talked to me. She really wants me to go to an ear, nose, and throat specialist. I countered by asking for a stronger antibiotic. If it comes back again after this time, I might just go to the specialist. I just don't see the panic, it has been 47 days since the last time I had it. I have gained 5 days, and this time it did not spread into my eye! The last window of health only lasted 42 days. I figure as long as we are making progress, what is the point?

I wrote the following song about strep throat. It is to the tune of the freecreditreport.com commercial about him buying a new car. I hope you enjoy it.

Well, I woke up this morning
decided to play hooky
another bad case of strep found me

Just when I think how bad it sucks
medicine and doctors take my $50 bucks

S-T-R-E-P

that spells strep, if you can’t see


I think about learning or making money
as sit here sucking cough drops with honey.

A butterfly in China must have flapped its wings
out of nowhere my throat gave me the stings

S-T-R-E-P

PLEASE will you stop, attacking me!

Offer applies with enrollment in the I get strep too much club.

My Singing Kids

This is McQueen's favorite song. The kids were sick yesterday, so we had to miss church. He wanted me to record him singing today (I guess to make up for not being able to in Primary). When I put him in time out in his room, I can hear him sing this to himself sometimes. When he does, he always comes out of his room so happy and nice. It is really sweet.

Tinkerbell will often sing this if it comes on the radio, and will often have me play it from my MP3 player. She also knows many other songs from the radio. She has taught herself all of these songs. The cute thing is that all the songs she memorizes seem to be about love.

Oodalolly, Ooodalolly, Golly What A Day

It all started with swimming lessons this morning. After swimming, we came home. We showered, got ready, and then grabbed some lunch. We then went to the Safe Kids Fair at the expo center. We were there for 4 hours! We came home, had dinner, and then went grocery shopping. I think I can say that I am actually pretty tired now, but the kids and I had a great day. There is nothing better than watching your kids have fun.

The kids loved their new goggles for swimming lessons today. I apparently had them too tight because it literally took about ten minutes for their little raccoon marks to disappear after we took them off. Today they learned how to dive for a ring at the bottom of the pool. They also did very well floating on their backs. Today was their last class, until they start again in April.



The kids were both so excited to see "The Real Spider-Man!" He mostly talked to all the kids about how to respond to bullies. My favorite part came at the beginning of his presentation. Spider-Man wanted to hear from different members of the crowd. He asked a kid, no more than three or four years old, a mean thing bullies do. The little boy responded, "my big brother is a bully and he gives me wedgies." Kids are so funny. At the end of the presentation, all the kids were able to take the Super-Hero oath in which they commit to stay in school, stay off of drugs, etc. McQueen made sure to take his Spider-Man toy so that he could show Spider-Man. There was also a princess at the fair as well.

The Sheriff was kind enough to let the kids borrow the four-wheeler for a quick ride. Just about every police and fire agency in the county was at the fair. The kids got so many junior firefighter, trooper, deputy, policeman, etc badges that I am thinking they should definitely be somewhere on the government payroll.
Nothing like teaching kids to be safe, stay away from gangs, etc. like putting up a big wall for kids to color all over. Can anyone say "graffiti?" It all starts with a crayon, then before you know it...... it is a can of spray paint!!!!! No wonder it is becoming harder and harder to keep children away from the dangers of the world. They are subtly being promoted at a safe kids fair!

The kids got to change the tire on an actual race car. They were actually able to use the impact gun to take the lug nuts off and on. This is not the first time that they have used one, but we have never worked on a race car before. The kids love to do stuff like this. Sometimes when I have worked on our old truck, I have set them inside the engine compartment. They have helped me, or handed me tools. Because our truck is so old, there is a ton of extra room in the engine compartment. Some junky clothes, tools, and a repair that needs to be done, and we will have a great time.

That's right, my little girl will gladly get her hands dirty.......if you give her gloves to wear first.

• Last week the kids were talking with Grandma. Grandpa has a whole bunch of coins on his dresser. They are nothing special, there just is a ton of them, so to a five year old it appears to be a ton of money. Out of nowhere they found a Chucky Cheese token. I was surprised that they knew what it was, especially after they told me that they have never been there. McQueen asked how Grandpa got so much money. I responded that it was from him working so hard for so many years. Tinkerbell then asked, "he worked so hard for so long that he finally earned a Chucky Cheese coin?" She was dead serious!
• When we found out that not only Spider-Man, but also a Princess was going to be there today, the kids were pretty excited. Tinkerbell said, "oh my goodness, it must just be our lucky day or something."
• McQueen was telling me that Spider-Man drives a big monster truck. I kept asking, "are you sure, buddy?" He said, "Dad, have I ever steered you wrong before?" After laughing, I then said, "I guess not buddy." He then said, "there you go, now you are getting the hang of it!" Both of these phrases have been used by me on separate occasions. I have used the "steered you wrong" phrase when having fun with the kids. McQueen will often ask, "for real?" when he does not believe something. I will then use it to respond. The other one, is just a normal phrase I use for encouragement. It is amazing the hilarious stuff they pick up on. I was laughing so hard at both of those comments coming back at me today.
• Before swimming I got the kids goggles adjusted just right. I asked the kids not to play with them while I went to get their pool towels. I came back and they were both playing with the straps. I pleadingly asked, "didn't I ask you not to play with those?" Their response was a simple, "yes." Like any parent who feels like their kids aren't listening, I then pleadingly asked, "how many times did I say not to play with them?" Their honest, matter of fact reply: "once." I had to turn away to laugh at this point because they were indeed very correct. I quickly composed myself as I said, "okay, well let's be sure to listen next time, okay?" They said, "okay," at which point I had to turn away to laugh some more.