Dylan went to the prom again this year. I have to admit that I don't really "get it". When I went to prom, it was a supremely couples-oriented event, although a bunch of couples would usually hang out together and party. Dylan and a lot of his friends this year seem to be going in small groups without necessarily having a date. I'm not saying that's bad, not by any means. It's just one of those generation gap things as far as I can tell. Still, doesn't he look sharp? Cheers, -Kev … [Read more...]

Now that spring is upon us, all of the bugs and critters are starting to come out. I actually saw a firefly the other day, though it wasn't lighting up. That's still about a month early to see them at all. Emily and the girls have been enjoying the cool weather and all of the animals that are easy to catch now. Here's a pic of Emily with a very pretty frog that Katie and Anna caught. They had to clamp onto it pretty tight because it was a real jumper. It got away several times but we managed to keep ahold of it until it was time to let it go in the creek out back. … [Read more...]

Privately, Katie Jo has always been a crazy cat in the privacy of our home. She has a zany sense of humor. And she has a very kinetic level of energy. At school and in public, she's displayed a very shy and demure demeanor. But as she's progressed through the school year, her true personality has started to show through.She's gotten much bolder lately in terms of how she explores, experiments, and relates to other people. For years, she'd only hide behind me when we met a stranger or even a person that we knew casually. When it came to relating to the material world, she'd be very shy with new … [Read more...]

Dylan did the sound and an interesting pre-play multimedia presentation for the high school's production of The Crucible. Here he is getting ready to do a dry run of the multimedia slide deck. He created it using Microsoft PowerPoint and added in a musical soundtrack and set it to auto-step through all of the slides.Unfortunately, I had a business trip that conflicted with seeing the full, regular play. But I was able to make the dress rehearsal. Now, you may not know this. But I did quite a lot of acting and stage work back in high school. And I have to say that if my plays were half as tight … [Read more...]

My girls love taking baths in my jacuzzi tub. They'll stay in there for hours if I'd let them. Of course, I don't let them if there's soap in the tub (since that can lead to urinary tract infections in little girls). I also don't let them put in soap when they plan on running the jets in the tub since it can lead to this...After they finished up in the tub, it took me about a half-hour to get the whole area cleaned up. There were suds in every corner! How fun! Cheers,-Kev … [Read more...]

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...]