For the Boys
Mia and I were watching Hannah Montana this morning and a commercial came on for a show on Disney's new network (XD) which is primarily aimed at boys.
Before the commercial was over Mia turned to me and said with disdain in her voice, "Dad, would you watch that movie?"
I said, "Sure."
"Well, I wouldn't."
"Why not?"
"Because its for boys." And she emphasized the word boys like the evil disgusting creatures we are.
Kudos to the Disney marketing group.
Valentines Day 2009
I love Valentines day and I really dislike Valentines day.
First, why do I dislike it? I really can't stand the fact that we (guys - and to some extent girls) are pressured into expressing some sort of mega-love and affection on one particular day. I always feel that if we don't do something spectacular or if I don't come up with the world's most creative date then somehow I have failed. I guess I also feel a little guilty because I know I should be expressing the mega kind of love on a regular basis.Read more
Date Night
A couple weeks ago me and one of my good friends were hanging out early in the morning during our weekly accountability session and we wanted an easy way to be able to date our wives. Its so important that you continue to date your wife after you're married but with kids and responsibilities it becomes almost impossible. So we committed to work it out. We got together with one more friend and formed a co-op of sorts to help each other out.
The way it works is that we schedule date nights for every other Friday and each couple rotates to watch the others kids. Since we have 3 couples in our rotation we get 2 dates in a row and then watch kids for one week. We each have 2 kids so the number of kids isn't a huge burden for one couple. In the future I could see adding more couples to the rotation but we would have to double up on the babysitters which could be fun as well.
Last night was the first one and was a lot of fun. We dropped the kids off around 6 and headed to Okoboji Grill in Ankeny. We had a $25 gift certificate from Restaurant.com that we had bought for $2. The only stipulations were that you had to spend at least $35 and %18 gratuity was included.
The gift certificate was a bit of a fiasco because they were very slow with the service so they offered to pay for part of our meal - unfortunately we couldn't have them do that because then we wouldn't meet the $35 requirement. They ended up giving us a coupon for a free appetizer for next time. Our total bill we paid was around $18 which included 2 entrees 2 drinks and 2 desserts. The food was worth a little over $40 so we got a pretty good deal.
After that we just walked around Wal-Mart. Doesn't sound too exciting but it was fun just being together by ourselves. We tried to play the guitar hero demo they had set up but it didn't work right.
I'm really looking forward to these nights and hopefully it will work out. Get together with a couple friends and do it yourself!
Thanksgiving Wrap Up
We left on Tuesday and decided to drive all day to maximize our time out there. There were a few things that we were a little apprehensive about:
- This was Jace's first long car trip - he would be tested on his sleeping ability
- Our portable dvd player quit working
- We would be making stops every few hours so Jace could eat
- Last time we took a winter trip to Colorado we got stuck in Nebraska for three days. That is a punishment no one should have to endure.
Internets, say Hello to Jace Aaron
We have a boy!
Jace Aaron decided to crash this party a little early last night at 7:51pm.
The little champ weighed in at 5 pounds 10 ounces.
Mom and baby are doing well.
We are at Lutheran hospital room 517 for those who want to visit.
The End is Drawing Near...
Mickie's water broke last night, we came into the hospital this morning and are a few hours into the process.
It's been quite a surprise again since Mickie was not due for another 4 weeks.
I'm doing more frequent updates through Twitter, so if you want the latest information check there.
I'll post here with major news.
She Huffed and Puffed
Every night we put Mia to bed she has a list of items she needs to do to prolong the staying up and to put off the laying down. These things include: getting a drink, taking her vitamins, turning on the light, changing the hall light bulb, tucking her in, laying down with her, and telling her stories.
Its that last one that was quite funny tonight. She asked me to tell her the story of the 3 little pigs. So I did my best to recreate that timeless masterpiece and I think I could have won a voice over Academy Award (if there is such a thing) for my portrayal of the Big Bad Wolf. I might have gone a little over the top on the I'll huff and puff bit but she didn't care.
So after I'm done she wants to tell me a story. Here is Mia's story.
"Once upon a time, upon a long time ago there was Scooby, Daphne, Fred....(big pause as she remembers the other sleuthing members) Velma, and Shaggy. And they were at the beach. And they saw a pirate ship. And Daphne was gone! She was stuck on the pirate ship! Help me! They flew to the ship and then they saw pirates! And Daphne kicked down the door and she huffed and puffed and blew the pirate ship away. The end."
I love the thought of Daphne playing the part first of Chuck Norris and demolishing a door and then sucking in a huge breath to blow that ship away.
Photo Day at the Park
We had some family pictures taken on Saturday by my good friend Jacob Heisterkamp. Here are a few previews.
A Road Not Often Traversed
There are a lot of hobbies I wish I had more time for: guitar, cooking (no, really), and photography. And since I have one of the world's most beautiful daughters photography is something I would really like to be good at. As life goes however everybody gets lucky. And in my case if I take 1000 pictures one should end up being pretty good.
So I would like to share with you this summer's favorite shot. It was taken in Winter Park, Colorado just behind the condo we were staying in. I don't know a lot about composition, but I'm told this photo has it good...or something like that.
Enjoy the stylized versions and check back in a few months after my next 1000 or so to find another good one.