I had the opportunity to take the kids to the zoo. The winter weather was as good as it gets this time of year and the animals, though some stayed inside due to the cold, were in good spirits.As Dylan shows here, the meercats were a lot of fun. Dylan especially enjoyed them - with ketchup. The highlight of the trip was the Lorakeet Landing. The pretty birds are always a lot of fun and were climbing all over the kids. The zoo charges a buck for the "nectar" to feed the birds. The birds then go crazy for the sugar water and will drink it from your hands.We also got a chance to see the new Red … [Read more...]

What parent can deny their kids a little snuggle time in their bed, right? They just want to love on you is all. Plus, they fuss. They huff. They bat their adorably long eyelashes at you and make puppy eyes. It gets really hard to say no when they do that.However, nature provides more subtle ways to urge you to get them out of your bed and into their own. For starters, they get big. As they get bigger, they get heavier while simultaneously thinking they are neither big nor heavy. And of course, they still think they're so tiny that they can lay any which way on your bed without it … [Read more...]

It wasn't that long ago when Dylan's hand was this size against mine, palm to palm. Now, only little Katie, my youngest, has a truly tiny hand when compared to mine. Looking at this image fills me with a certain sentimentality that's both melancholic and happy. It reminds me of how quickly time goes by.Looking back on 2006, I have mixed emotions of incredible intensity. I'm reminded of how quickly a stable-seeming world can turn completely on its head and how everything important to you can be lost in a moment. On the other hand, I know that you can endure. And through enduring you can rise … [Read more...]

Dylan and Emily are both very good singers. (They get that from their mom. I have a decent voice, but nothing compared to hers.) They're also both in their school choirs. Dylan is not only in the choir, but is also in the top men's vocal group at the high school - MOVE (Men Of Vocal Excellence). Emily's middle school also has an advanced vocal group and she's a member of it. It's called the competition choir.You can just make out Dylan to the left of the leftmost microphone stand on the back row of the first picture. (Sorry about the picture quality...) This picture was taken at the High … [Read more...]

December is when I usually get serious about what's under the Christmas tree for the kids. Finding the time to shop is tough unless you're willing and able to drag the kids along with you. My choice is to make the shopping trips as fun as possible rather than a bummer for both me and the kids.The hat and sunglasses department was a natural place to play and have some fun. Here's Emily doing a little posing for the camera. You may just be able to make out the crumpled wad of coats in the shopping cart behind her. Well, not everyone is energized by shopping. Those coats actually conceal … [Read more...]