Thursday, February 28, 2008

Kid quote


Last night, we called Aunt Emily to say thank you for the cool spiderman bags we got from her in the mail. When Emily asked Ryan if he was going to use it to take toys to Kindergarten next year, Ryan made a face of surprise and responded "Wow, you're pretty smart! I AM going to Kindergarten next year!"

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

From here to here

My sister-in-law once said I looked like Carey Grant "from here to here" showing my eyes.... Ok... So, I know its not true but I'll take a compliment when it comes my way. Here you go Louise; you can print this up and tell people I'm you're brother-in-law. :)

The last two nights, Connor has thrashed in bed, and kept me up. This morning and Monday I was up between 3-4am for the day. It makes coming up with a new picture for the day a real challenge. How does one come up with a great picture idea every day when you feel about as sharp as a bag of wet mice? (not that I came up with one yet... but that's the challenge ,no?) Anyway... I thought that a self portrait would make some sense to my mushy mind.
On a side note, I found a Cannon 40D for $519.... It's sooooo tempting. I just can't afford it right now. But ohhh so tempting...

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Kindergarten

Tonight was Kindergarten orientation night at the school. Ryan matriculates into full day kindergarten in the fall and they went over the first orientation in an hour and it was good. Our town has 160 kids starting in the fall and Ryan is one of them. It was somewhat interesting to see that not much has changed since I started 31 years ago.
The boys enjoyed being with their favorite babysitter tonight and went right to sleep. Connor had a long day that didn't include a nap and he was just about melting at the dinner table. The poor monkey went right to sleep after we left. I just hope he sleep through the night. From the sound of it right now, I'd say no.

Monday, February 25, 2008

Silent Night

It's been a good day, and a good night so far. The last week we tried putting the boys down late to no avail, but tonight, they went down early. They were both in bed by around 6:30. Connor and Ryan went right to sleep with no repeat calls to come up and re-tuck in bears, monkeys or blah blah puppets. Lise and I to a chance to veg out in front of the TV and just enjoy each others company.

We watched a stupid movie and just had a night without being wiped out and tired. It was nice to enjoy a cup of tea and I thumbed through a cookbook to look up a recipe that i wanted to try. Still in the back of my mind, there is a room that needs it's floor, and a bunch of things that need to be done at work, but with the little break, I get a chance to look at things from a different angle.

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Almost Done...

I worked on the hardwood floors in the office today, and the kids and Lise had a great time on the slopes. Ryan loved zooming down the back yard hill. Connor, wasn't so sure. It's funny; Ryan must have the Canadian blood in him. He loves the winter and everything to do with it. Connor hates to be cold, have his nose run, and getting wet at all, and so... he lays in the snow and whines.
I spent the day getting the office/ guest room floor in. This was once again delayed, but I got more done than yesterday. By noon I had a good start, and by the end of the day, I got most of the room done (about 60%) and can probably complete the rest by noon next Saturday. Of course, if there are naps, kids stuff to attend to and the occasional surprise, well.. then it's only one full days worth of work. If you want to see the progression, click on my face and it will run you through the change... I'll repost the link when it's done so you can get the full experience. Until then, I'll just pretend I completed it and feel fulfilled with the knowledge that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and it's gleaming on shiny hardwood floors.

Saturday, February 23, 2008

No time

We regularly tell Ryan he is a "delay fish" which is a reference to the movie Nemo. This delay rippled into my pond today. It was a beautiful day out, but Connor once again kept us from sleeping, and we were tired as we started the day at the Flamingo place. When we got back, I got started on the office. It wasn't cleaned up from the day before, and so the delays began. I got the room clear, pulled the rug,staples and tack strips, and it was noon! WOW! I am usually at this point by 10am. I took the stuff to the dump, and when I got back, Ryan and Connor napped.... Till 3:30. :(

After naps, we built a snow fort I had promised Ryan earlier. This was a self inflicted delay, and it allowed for some fun photos. I pretty much gave up on the room at that point... I loaded it up with wood and tools and prepped for the next day. I was going to go pick up this cool "L" shaped adapter for my sawzall, but we went to dinner, and the kids went SLOW, and guess what we didn't have time for. I'm crabby... all this lack of closure makes me mental. Tomorrow will be a new day and hopefully, I'll be adding to the slide show.

Cool Stuff

A good friend of mine and workmate has taken some pictures of the boys and made a comic strip from them. She's so awesome and very talented. Thank you Carla... you Rock...

Click on the picture to see it full sized!

Friday, February 22, 2008

Snow Day

Today was the first real snow storm for us this year. We easily got 7 inches of snow and then a little sleet and misty rain moved in to ice the top. The boys got excited and went right out with Lise this morning. I was a bit jealous being stuck in my little home office, but it was a much better fate than being stuck in my New London office. It has a view as well, but I would just as soon be home.
I did take a few pictures of the snow as it fell, but I loved the way this light fell into my office and how this little bird chime looked in the window. The cardinal on it made it seem to be in the right place today, with the snow falling behind it.

I did miss blogging last night, as we had a visitor. A friend of mine stopped by and we all had a nice dinner together. She has just moved into the area and Lise and I had a great time just getting to know someone new. She had one fatal flaw... she brought yummy treats that I could not resist. Another feeder, like Lise and I ... I guess the saying is right... lay your bread upon the water and you'll receive tenfold. I was just wondering when I sat in that damn water...

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Eclipse

For Carla
Click to see the rest

Patience

I regularly ask Ryan what he wants to be when he grows up. The first answer is a truck driver or fireman, the second answer is “What do you do, Daddy?” and the third answer is typically, a Ninja Turtle.

What makes this most impressive is the speed at which Ryan moves at bedtime typically resembles that of a turtle (unless a sleepover is involved… then just envision a cup of coffee fell in someone’s lap, and that’s pretty close). Everything not involving sugar or fun must be done slowly and as painfully as possibly, to see if we have the resolve to finish it. So far so good.

I am thinking of actually spending the $2500 to take a TM class to survive parenting, and understand the true nature of the Ninja Turtle. Until then, I'll fake it until I make it.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Consider yourself Mooned

Tonight was awesome... the clouds were racing by and the moon is full. I didn't want to take night shots every week, but I'm finding them irresistible. When I got home, I changed my clothes, but couldn’t find my sweat pants, and I was too warm for jeans… so I froze my ass off in shorts. It was worth it.
I liked a few of these, and couldn’t decide so I linked in a few.

starry night

Monday, February 18, 2008

Ideas?

Our toy room overflowth to the point that perfectly good toys are waging war on other perfectly good toys in an effort to be noticed by the children. This evening, I found a crocodile snacking on a passing superhero. This must be a result of a lack of attention, or some twisted toy-pecking-order. Either way, Lise took it as a cue and retired some toys.

I am thinking of doing a thematic blog. A few months ago, I saw someone had done a theme of the seven deadly sins. This would be fine until I get to adultery. Pretty much everything I could think of was too dirty or twisted for a blog with my name on it, so that’s out. Ideas? Thoughts from the crowd? I’d like to do choose something more universal than what underwear Ryan is wearing, like the seven deadlies… but then again, my Mom does read this, so keep it clean. If left to my own devices, this may lack pizzazz… so any seeds you may plant are appreciated.


Sunday, February 17, 2008

The Crusted Crusaider

Last night was a long night. Maybe epic. Connor spent the most of the evening making noises as he slept. Apparently Ryan kept taking toys from him in his sleep, and kept saying stuff like "Ryyyaaannnn.... NO NO NO!" UGH. After a fitful night Connor, thinking of having a full blown pre-K inspired cold, looked like death warmed over. This morning, as he donned his Robin outfit, I thought he looked like a 42nd street bum. He looked like he’d been drinking all morning, and after getting Rachael off to the highway, we came home and napped. Well… Lise, Ryan and Connor napped… I got Connor to sleep (took 50 min), and then laid down myself. Lise had fallen asleep with Ryan and came in after an hour… I cuddled up to Lise and about 5 minutes later, Ryan, aka: “the Gestapo”, kicked the door down to see if we were asleep. I tried for 10 minutes to go back to sleep, but my adrenal glands had me on high alert, so I came back downstairs. There is this not-so-good parent in me that wants to kick in Ryan’s door at 3 am and ask him for a glass of water. The thought of it is enough to satiate the need…. But my vindictive nature has definitely been tested.

Connor came down after a long nap, looking ghostly, but better than before, and after a banana and a movie looked about ready for bed. He and Ryan played nicely except for the usual brotherly pounding, and then ate a pretty good dinner. Lise and Ryan shared some time reading magazines while Connor and I watch another movie (yes, this was a down day, so we numbed out) and then we got the boys showered up.

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Grand Day Out

This morning we had an early morning banana and headed out to the flamingo place. Connor got his usual "bunny pancake" and we all unwound from a crazy week. Connor didn't sleep well last night and I was up a few times checking on him. While he did sleep... he was noisy and kept me and Lise up on a hourly call. After our customary Rabbit breakfast, Ryan and I headed out to visit Karate places. I think I found one I like, but I should look at least three places first (I've only visited the two closest).

After naps Rachael and Greivin came up and after a cup of tea and a full physical examination by Dr. Greivin and Ryan, we decided to head out to the park. As we walked outside, we were met by some of the horses from down the street, and the kids were able to give them a pet before we packed in the car and went on our merry way. We had a great time and made a new friend there. I love how this town is so friendly.

We got back and had dinner... the kids were exhausted... it's still early and it will be interesting to see how tonight goes. Rachael tells me that Greivin has been sleeping with her alot, so we'll see if popping him in Ryan's room will be a cure, or a problem. :) Always an adventure to be had here.




OK... Time for Bed. These superheros are superbeat!


Valentines Day & More

I missed blogging these last two days. It's been a busy week for us and I'll do my best to cove the big stuff... On Thursday, we celebrated Valentines day by getting the kids to bed and (sadly I admit) watching Lost. Lise is intrigued by the plot and where it's headed. We kept things light and enjoyed time together without kids.

Friday was another story. I worked from home this Friday to collect Connor from the bus. Ryan is done with school about 15 minutes before Connor arrives home via the bus, so it's basically impossible for Lise to pick up Ryan and get home. I waited at the end of the driveway for about 10 minutes and Lise came from one direction as the bus pulled around the corner from the other direction. I guess I'll be collecting Connor on Fridays for the rest of the year. :) So Lise got to be there and get Connor off the bus. Connor seemed more tired than anything and all was well. During a failed attempt to nap, our lawyer arrived and we refinanced the house. It was a comedy of errors with misspelled names, and wrong rates, that required faxing, remote computer access, coffee and banana bread. Our paperwork completed, we sent our law-man back to the office to fix the rest of the papers and I headed out for an astrology reading. (yes, me... Lise set it up) It was an interesting experience, and reminded me of a therapy session. Regardless of your opinion on that kind of stuff, it was a fun experience and I'm glad I did it.

After I returned from that, Lise and I fed the kids and headed out for dinner ourselves. We ALMOST saw a movie last night, but the combination of being exhausted and getting out of dinner at about 7:30, and every movie starting at 7:20 or 9:40, we went home to watch a movie at home... and pretty much fell asleep. :) Oh well... the death of romance? I don’t think it's dead yet, just in need of some sleep and less preschool. :)

I'll post again tonight... This evening, my cousin Rachael and her son Greivin (pronounced Grey-bean) will be stopping by and spending the night before continuing South to New Jersey to visit my Parent's and Sister's houses. I haven't seen her in several months, and it should be interesting to see how much Greivin has grown.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

More Birds

Today I got home from work and we took the boys out for dinner... they had been cooped up all day in the house and needed some freedom. We took them for dinner and ice cream at friendly’s, and we all had a great time.
Afterwards, Lise needed to run a few errands and sent me home with the men to check out a noise in the van, and to get the bosses ready for bed. We arrived home without incident, yet as I opened the door, two birds (finches) few into the house and took refuge in Ryan's room. As I captured each bird and sent him on his merry way, it reminded me of only 24 hours earlier, when outside my window at work.... a bunch of idiots set up bird blind by the helocopter pad and began blasting Canadian Geese. I honestly don’t have anything against hunting per se, but this was about 100 yards from my office building, they were bad shots, and I was pretty sure they were illegally using the little island as a hunting blind.

After reviewing my experiances with Lise, she suggested I had the bird connection I accused her of. (referring to my earlier entry when I suggested she might have an addiction to little birds) I can't as yet say if I do or don't, but I can say that if birds are good omens like I read on the internet, I have no clue what my encounters allude to... Only that it must be a sign that change is on the way, someone may throw a bag over me to put me outside, or a hunting acccident is eminant. None of this sounds too appealing this very second.(Don't worry Mom, I'll stay away from windows for a week or so)

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Supider Man!

From his fortress of solitude, Super Ryan man begins to execute his plan for world domination. First things first... He'll capture the world's reserve of fruit roll-up snacks...
But wait....

Who is that in the distance? From the shadows, Super Concon attacks the dark prince before his attack on the world's fruit roll-up supplies unfurls. It's a devastating blow against the super villain...


Super Concon reflects on his role in the universe... being a superhero is a heavy burden to bear, and our hero takes a well deserved rest.

Monday, February 11, 2008

Cold Day Warm Fruit Snack?

Today's word of the day is "cold". When we bought this house, I noted it had this cool fireplace insert that will be nice to have in the winter. I was right... it's nice to have it. Lise and I have been using less oil this year than last, and we pre-bought, so we're happy. The fireplace is so toasty that I don’t want to go up to bed.

Today was Connor's first day of school. We started him in a special pre-school for kids with learning issues. Since he's a "late talker", he qualifies. (I'll remind you now the Einstein was a late talker too, so expect to hear about the ConCon-Baby-effect in your old age) He did great, and didn't cry or fuss when Mom left. From the reports I received, this was one sided, and Lise was very close to having a total meltdown and needing to inject large quantities of ice cream Sunday to overcome her tears. Ryan seeing the need to resolve this dilemma held things together for her by being extremely high maintenance. Aggravated, Lise regained her composure. :) It was actually a relief to hear that all went well and all kidding aside, I'm glad he did so well. Friday it's the bus ride and if all goes well, we'll breathe a sigh of relief.

Upon their reunion, Ryan went back to his art work. We have moved on from just our work with paper and crayon to sculpture. This week's exhibit is a mixed media done in block from cardboard and wooden origins. The artist is expressing his angst over his inability to get in touch with his passion (Fruit roll-ups).The bright colored wooden blocks that represent the snacks seem close enough to reach, while in the background, the red, green and blue cardboard blocks represent indoor larger, seemingly "adult" forces that present and yet retain the fruit snacks simultaneously. The Horror.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Portraits

I took these today too... I guess they make up for the days I lack inspiration.
Ryan contemplates the snow
Self Portrait

I couldn't eat another bite.

It was a fantastic morning. The sun came up and burned off the fog that has lingered for the last week, and when it finally got cleared up, it left a beautiful blue sky. The Wind began blowing as soon as we got ourselves bundled up and we all headed out to get Gigi for brunch. She was sleeping when we arrived, and was a little groggy, but she soon rallied and we all went out to La Luna in Branford. Nice place and the brunch was crazy big. It had your usual eggs, omelets, fruit and pancakes; however, it also had ribs, potatoes, Chicken piccata, and all sorts of desserts.

Ryan and Connor settled down for a long meal of trying new things, and actually enjoyed stuffing their faces with the adults. Ryan ate a huge plate of shrimp and Connor ate everything in sight. He really enjoyed the whole experiance. After eating about 6 jumbo shrimp, Ryan ate a bunch of Auntie Nee Nee's and scavenged the rest of the table. :) I can’t wait to come back when they are teens, this will be my saving grace for two hungry boys.
After our orgy of eggs, pancakes, meat, cheese and fruit came the desserts. OK, sooo, I'm not supposed to break my diet, but they had peanut butter mousse pie. OMG. Let's just say, I helped Lise by splitting what I got for her. :) I am now stuffed to the gills and actually feel a little sick from my gluttonous rampage, but now and then, you have to splurge so your pancreas can find out how nice you've been to it all these months.
Happy Birthday Connor... and thanks for the excuse to stuff ourselves.