Kids and water, not really a bad combination. On the other hand, not exactly the best combination. So we have bird baths for birds to bath in, but mainly to ad to the curb appeal of our house's. We have swimming pools to swim in, but mainly to use to cool off in on a hot summer day. We have bath tubs to bath in or for some to soak in with cucumber slices over your eyes. We have sinks to wash dishes and to occasionally give our little ones a quick bath. We have toilets to..... well I doubt I need to elaborate on the purpose of a toilet. Wait, no, actually I do. As I am sure most of you know and are aware of our situation, we just got to Ft. Irwin. Which pretty much meant traveling up to 3/4 of the way around the world before we actually got here. Not to bad of an experience. My oldest son Aiden is now to the point where he needs to begin every parents dreaded nightmare of potty training. Well we decided that it would be best to wait until we get to Ft. Irwin to tackle this fight.
After arriving and getting settled in. We decided to start turning up the heat on Aiden and his potty training. I mean the kid is going to be 3yrs old in a couple of weeks. So I figured since he likes to get in the way when you try to do something....uh, I mean help! I thought it would be safe to go ahead and invite him to watch how daddy goes potty. Hopefully it would work. All it really did was spark more of an interest in how things really work, and no not his little pee pee. At first it started with him raising the toilet lid and toilet seat and then putting them back down. He would get nervous while flushing the toilet, but due to dad's ingenuity and creative thinking, I quickly conquered any fear he might have of the toilet and how it flushes. From there we actually went.......wait, don't let me get you all excited about how I got him potty trained in like two weeks, for that is still an up hill battle. However, I will tell you how he has turned the toilet in to his own little stadium. Yeah the other night I was on the couch watching t.v. (which translates into playing a video game) and I can keep on hearing Aiden yelling and then shortly after Jack would be giggling up a storm. So at the time I figured mom had them with her in the dining room playing a silly mommy and baby game, and Aiden was getting jealous so he had to participate by yelling as loud as he possibly could. So this goes on for about 10-15 minutes before I decide to get up and see what everyone else is having so much fun about. As I got up I had this slight vision in my head that the kids where in the bathroom playing in the toilet, and I was like no way in hell are they doing that. My kids are pretty well behaved and Aiden knows that the toilet is for our potty and not playing in. Well as I walk by the bathroom door to get tot he dining room, I notice that the bathroom door is open a little. Then that I had that flash back of the little vision, but once a gain I said no, not my boys. Just as I get about five steps past the bathroom door I see my wife bent over sweeping and no boys, when I hear Aiden yell really loud again. Without looking over the counter to see if they were in the kitchen I knew instantly that they weren't. So I turn around and slowly walk to the bathroom where I peak my head into the bathroom to find my kids. I stood there, not in awe or shock, but as in curiosity of how I was going to break the news to their mother. So I take a couple of steps back towards Jennifer and say, Honey (in a very calm voice) you need to stop what your doing and come and see what your boys are doing. Of course, I get that look. So as she walks over there Aiden yells again as I open the bathroom door to show my lovely wife that while Jack is splashing and playing in the water that is sitting in the toilet Aiden is flushing the toilet and yelling and Jack is laughing hysterically. Now if that isn't a mouthful, then what is.
As a parent what do you say to that. I actually struggled not to laugh. Didn't want the kids or the wife, to think that I am encouraging them. Actually I was thinking. And Jennifer wants to have more kids, and she hopes that all of them are boys. LOL. Well I guess I will be getting snipped with in the next couple of weeks.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Friday, September 5, 2008
Willy, Great Grandpa Willy
When I was a lot younger than I am now (oh I would say 23 yrs ago or so) I would get to take off on a vacation from my mom, brothers, and sister's for a week or so to my great grandparent's house. Well my Great Grandparent's lived about three hours away by car. Just a little bit to far for a morning bike ride (if you recall the story called Chasing Rainbow's). Well not only did I love and still do love my great grandparents, it really meant a lot to me being able to go to my great grandparents house for a week or so. Every summer and throughout the year he would visit his kids or my grandparents. He drove an old Mercury (not completely sure what year or model it was) which was twice the size of a school bus. He wouldn't let me stay there much longer than that for he thought I would get bored which would equal me getting into trouble. Anyways, so we would leave my grandma's house in Folsom, CA and drive to Linda, CA, but this was no ordinary road trip. It was one that was always full of fascination. First the back seat never ended, I mean you could play football in it. The distance between the left door and the right door is wide enough to park a Suburban in it. Another things was my great grandpa always had a Styrofoam cup filled with candy in the cup holder on the door. I think it is still there to this day. He always had an endless supply of Brach's candy at his house, and if he ran out he would go to the store and buy some more. Another thing that came in endless supplies was soda pop (I know, Californians don't refer to soda as soda pop) the bottom shelf in the refrigerator was always filled with soda. You name the flavor he had it. From orange to strawberry to my favorite root beer. Regardless of how much soda I thought I could drink it never was good enough to drink it all. Something else about the refrigerator that most of my cousins didn't know about was all of the chocolate candies that were always hidden in the bottom two drawers of the fridge. Now those were just a few of the perks I had when I visited there house. Another one was he had everything from the old medal push car's to ride to bicycle's that belonged to his kids. Were talking some pretty antique stuff here. There was always some form of history to be learned when you visited his house. Like the pair of track running shoes that hang freely from the rafters of the garage he built. Sounds silly but those track shoes belonged to my grandfather Bill. They are also the same pair of track shoes that helped him set a few records in some track meets. Oh, by the way those records he set at his high school have yet to be beaten. I think one of those records was for the 200 meter hurdles which was removed from the events for track and field. But, the record still stands to this day. Another one is a bicycle that my grandpa one from a radio talk show call in ordeal, which is another story in it's own. He also had walnut tree's all around his house. So there was always an endless supply of walnuts to eat and throw at each other. As long as we didn't get caught it was all good. He also had cat's galore. He probably had at least 50 cats running around his house. On the backside of his property he had this damn fence that kept us kids off of the train tracks. Well since this was our L.O.A. (limit of advance) we would always run to the fence whenever we heard the train barreling down the tracks. As we stood there watching the train fly by the conductor would always give us a nice long tug on the whistle. It also was the place we decided would serve as a trash can for all of our soda bottle's. Whenever I got to go to his house it always gave me this feeling that I was in that movie stand by me. I mean I could really imagine what it was like to grow up back in the 50's and 60's living in this neighborhood. Now, if my memory is correct my great grandfather passed away back in 96'. The last time I went out to the house was probably around 8 yrs ago. My aunt Beverly lives there now and the place still looked the same, well at least from my memories it did. I got to take a walk around the place for the first time without someone in my ear about what I can and can not do. So one of the places I decided to go and see was the train tracks. As a kid it was always off limit's. Well there wasn't really anything interesting to see, it was just some plain old train track's. But the walk to the track's brought back quiet a few memories. I probably stepped on about a thousand soda bottles still intact. Now when was the last time you had a long neck glass bottle of soda. You know with the old pepsi cola label.
I am sure by now you have all figured out that my great grandfather really meant a lot to me. I still wish he was around to this day. I was very fortunate that I got to share 16 wonderful years of my life with him. He always tried to teach me something. From changing a bike tire to how not to take a radiator cap off when it is hot to taking an air filter off of your car and changing it. I always learned something from him. I will always regret not being able to spend that last summer with him. That one last week trip to his house. He has passed but the memories will live with me for a lifetime. Memories that I hope I will be able to share with my kids.
I am sure by now you have all figured out that my great grandfather really meant a lot to me. I still wish he was around to this day. I was very fortunate that I got to share 16 wonderful years of my life with him. He always tried to teach me something. From changing a bike tire to how not to take a radiator cap off when it is hot to taking an air filter off of your car and changing it. I always learned something from him. I will always regret not being able to spend that last summer with him. That one last week trip to his house. He has passed but the memories will live with me for a lifetime. Memories that I hope I will be able to share with my kids.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Bath Time
Now one dad's favorite parts of the day is bath time. You see I have this theory that the more kids are in water and are enjoying themselves the less they will be scared of drowning. Now as most of my friends now be fore I joined the Army I was a lifeguard. During my time as a lifeguard I got to soak up the rewards of teaching hundreds of small children how to swim, by far one of the best experiences of my life. For I got a lot out of it. Being the one to teach a kid to swim freestyle or the side stroke, or even teaching a young child how to float on his back. I always thought it was pretty cool. So it started when Aiden was really little. I would go in there and watch him take his baths and splash water on him. At first he was kind of like uh what are you doing? But as he got older he really started to like it. By the time he was walking if you asked him if he wanted to take a bath, he would take off running for the tub and scream until you came in there and turned the water on for him. I was pretty excited to see him excited to take a bath. Well then one day I was drinking water and I decided to spit water on him. Well he laughed so hard that he could barely sit up. You know when they do there belly laugh. It was absolutely hilarious. Well that was the starting point. I would do this to him several times when he was taking his baths and it always got him to laugh. In fact when I was home on leave I did it to him again and he just rolled all over in the tub laughing. It was like it was the funniest thing in the world. Well Jennifer decided the other day that she wanted to save a little time and give both of the kids a bath together. No big deal, Jack is getting to the point to where he can sit up right for a few minutes on his own before falling over. Plus we have this baby chair that attaches to the side of the tub for babies who are to big to be in the baby bath tubs. So aiden and Jack were in the tub, Jennifer was sitting there holding on to Jack. Well Aiden gets this idea to put water in his mouth and to spit it out. Except instead of him spitting it at Jack he spits it all over the floor. Now at first Jennifer wasn't aware of what he was going to do. She just thought he was going to take a drink of water. Well as he spit the water all over the floor little Jack just laughed hysterically. Part of me is glad he didn't spit it all over Jack, for we all now Jennifer would of gotten the bulk of the water. But I sure am glad that Aiden is doing his best to be the man of the house. He really tries to fulfill his daddy's shoe's and this is just a small example of him working hard. I love you AIDEN!
Career's
So every parent has high hopes that their kids will grow up to be a doctor, a lawyer, or even the next President. As a father of two very beautiful boys I to have high hopes for my children. I would love for my kids to pursue a lifetime award fulfilling career that will help them to climb the highest steps of the ladder to success. Sure I would love for one of my boys to be an astronaut and one to be a the lead executive in a fortune 500 company. I think it would be great. Now as we all now my children are still very young. Aiden my oldest is just 2 yrs old and Jack is almost 5 months old. So maybe it is a little early to get them started in the right path of life to reach the goals I would like them to achieve. But then again those are my goals, and it's not about me. It's about me encouraging my children to always to their best in life and to continue to reach there goals regardless of how outrageous or far fetched they may be. As a father it is my job to teach them what they need to know, show them what they need to know, and to give them all of the tools they may need to reach their goals.
So it might be a little to early in there lifes to start planning for what I would like them to do in life. I mean Jack still can't walk so how can he possible be an astronaut at such an early time in his life. Then there is Aiden, who is quite the character. This kid is not even three yrs old and he is already proving that not even the sky is his limit. He has also recently shown to his mother that he has already sparked an interest in what kind of career path he would like to start. I mean this kid is 2 yrs old and he is already training himself in some of the stuff he may endure later on in life in his career. Now, I know your probably thinking: What is Chris talking about? Firefighting. Well, about three weeks ago or so Jennifer was putting Jack to sleep and Aiden was left in the living room unattended to watch his favorite movie CARS. Well I guess Aiden felt that his movie wasn't really entertaining him as much as it should. So like any young boy with an extremely creative imagination decided that he will take it into his own hands to fill the huge gap of entertainment that he oh so deserved. I mean it is hard being a cute little 2 yr old boy. Specially when he has to compete with a 4 month old baby. Now I don't want you to get the impression that my wife neglects my kids, for it is so not true. In fact a really look up to my wife. Raising two very little children while your husband is deployed to Iraq. So I give her all of the props in the world. Now back to the story. Now both of my children are very cute and adorable. So as Aiden was sitting their pondering on what could he possibly do to fulfill his boredom. So as he sat there, this great idea came to his head. Where he got this idea, I have no clue.
For those of you who have been to my house you all now that we have this fairly nice floor lamp right behind our humongous couch. Figured it out yet? So, Aiden decides that he is going to climb onto the top of the back of the couch and hold on to the floor lamp and slide down the lamp post kind of like how the firefighter do it. As he descended the two foot slide tot he ground guess who walks around the corner. Mom! that's right Mom! Of course the first thing mom asks is, What are you doing?
Now I really doubt Aiden has a full grasp on what could of happened to him, or he wouldn't of done it. Yeah, right, Chris. That never stopped me from doing the things I did in life ( i.e. BB gun wars) Of course Aiden just gave his mother that cute adorable smile he gives to get him out of trouble. Now we don't know exactly for sure what he was doing. For all we know he was just playing with the post. Yeah, right. You see Jennifer didn't really catch him in the act of sliding down the pole, but we can only assume what his little mind was upto. I will admit to this day I still think it's funny. On the other hand maybe he wasn't trying to slide down the pole like a firefighter, maybe he was seeing what it was like to be a stunt man (oh, for Jennifer's sanity I hope that was not his intent), or maybe he was trying to climb up the pole like a mountain climber. There are a lot of possibilities on what he really was doing and we may never know the whole truth. I hope you guys like my version of the story a little better than Jenn's.
So it might be a little to early in there lifes to start planning for what I would like them to do in life. I mean Jack still can't walk so how can he possible be an astronaut at such an early time in his life. Then there is Aiden, who is quite the character. This kid is not even three yrs old and he is already proving that not even the sky is his limit. He has also recently shown to his mother that he has already sparked an interest in what kind of career path he would like to start. I mean this kid is 2 yrs old and he is already training himself in some of the stuff he may endure later on in life in his career. Now, I know your probably thinking: What is Chris talking about? Firefighting. Well, about three weeks ago or so Jennifer was putting Jack to sleep and Aiden was left in the living room unattended to watch his favorite movie CARS. Well I guess Aiden felt that his movie wasn't really entertaining him as much as it should. So like any young boy with an extremely creative imagination decided that he will take it into his own hands to fill the huge gap of entertainment that he oh so deserved. I mean it is hard being a cute little 2 yr old boy. Specially when he has to compete with a 4 month old baby. Now I don't want you to get the impression that my wife neglects my kids, for it is so not true. In fact a really look up to my wife. Raising two very little children while your husband is deployed to Iraq. So I give her all of the props in the world. Now back to the story. Now both of my children are very cute and adorable. So as Aiden was sitting their pondering on what could he possibly do to fulfill his boredom. So as he sat there, this great idea came to his head. Where he got this idea, I have no clue.
For those of you who have been to my house you all now that we have this fairly nice floor lamp right behind our humongous couch. Figured it out yet? So, Aiden decides that he is going to climb onto the top of the back of the couch and hold on to the floor lamp and slide down the lamp post kind of like how the firefighter do it. As he descended the two foot slide tot he ground guess who walks around the corner. Mom! that's right Mom! Of course the first thing mom asks is, What are you doing?
Now I really doubt Aiden has a full grasp on what could of happened to him, or he wouldn't of done it. Yeah, right, Chris. That never stopped me from doing the things I did in life ( i.e. BB gun wars) Of course Aiden just gave his mother that cute adorable smile he gives to get him out of trouble. Now we don't know exactly for sure what he was doing. For all we know he was just playing with the post. Yeah, right. You see Jennifer didn't really catch him in the act of sliding down the pole, but we can only assume what his little mind was upto. I will admit to this day I still think it's funny. On the other hand maybe he wasn't trying to slide down the pole like a firefighter, maybe he was seeing what it was like to be a stunt man (oh, for Jennifer's sanity I hope that was not his intent), or maybe he was trying to climb up the pole like a mountain climber. There are a lot of possibilities on what he really was doing and we may never know the whole truth. I hope you guys like my version of the story a little better than Jenn's.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Why!
Why! Now it's a great word, but can also be one of the most annoying thing you can hear from someone. Specially when your giving a block of instruction or talking to big crowd. Now this post is not about either of those. It is more about WHY, I haven't posted in such a long time. So here it is. As you may know I am currently serving in Iraq. Now AAFES in all of it's great wisdom has come up with this wonderful plan to install wireless internet throughout the base so you can check your email and chat with loved ones in the comfort of your room. Well when we first got here the wireless service worked maybe 40% of the time. So the guys I work with and I decided to go out and buy a satellite internet system. Trust me it was well worth it. Now I have internet service pretty much whenever I need it. The only problem is we bought the system through a company in Poland. We get our satellite signal from somewhere in Greece. Pretty easy, right. Not really. Now 99% of the web pages I go to everything is broad casted in english. Well for some reason google recognizes my info as coming from Greece, so it has decided on its own accord to view my blog in Greek. Which is kind of neat, but by all means I am not bilingual at all. So for in order for me to sign in and add posts to my account is equivalent to an archaeologist trying to read some hieroglyphics. So after wasting about an hour of time I will finally get my blog to be shown in english. Now I know a lot of you are thinking of saying just save it in your favorites or just bookmark it when you get to it in english. Well I have done that, and it doesn't work. Oh, well.
So since I am on the WHY thing. Why is it when I am in the desert, where it hits a scorching 140 degree's in the hottest part of the day in summertime can snow for 3 hours in the winter. Now I wish I had snow right now since it's about 130 degrees today. But, no kidding I think it was Jan 16th of this year I woke up around 0600 hrs to go outside and see this white substance coming down from the sky. At first I was like What is that. Then it dawned on me that it is snow. So I guess I can say that I have officially thrown a snowball in the middle of Baghdad, Iraq. Pretty cool. Well I hope you guys enjoyed. Until next time.
So since I am on the WHY thing. Why is it when I am in the desert, where it hits a scorching 140 degree's in the hottest part of the day in summertime can snow for 3 hours in the winter. Now I wish I had snow right now since it's about 130 degrees today. But, no kidding I think it was Jan 16th of this year I woke up around 0600 hrs to go outside and see this white substance coming down from the sky. At first I was like What is that. Then it dawned on me that it is snow. So I guess I can say that I have officially thrown a snowball in the middle of Baghdad, Iraq. Pretty cool. Well I hope you guys enjoyed. Until next time.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Boys and our Toys!
Well, while I was on R&R from Iraq the Frey's and I decided to take the kids to the water slide park in Auburn, AL. For 18 dollars it was worth the few hours in the sun to rekindle my relationship with Aiden. Now for those of you who may not know Aiden is probably one of the few 2 yr olds that don't understand that he should have at least a little bit of fear for the water. Well he doesn't. If you've read me previous post about lightning McQueen from his favorite Disney movie Cars.
So there we are at the water park. me, him, and Lightning. The three of us were actually having a great time running around the little kids pool that was maybe 24 inches deep in the deepest part. 0Well dad just wasn't enjoying himself as much as he could of, so I get this great idea to take Aiden to the wave pool. Mainly because it was deeper and the waves were turned off. So I thought it was relatively safe. Aiden was having fun and so was I. It was really cool to watch him play in the water. Plus it gave me a chance to hold him in my arms for a little while. Which was one of the things I miss being able to do while I am over here in Iraq.
So as we started to play Aiden made it perfectly clear on several occassions that he didn't want me to hold him regardless of how deep the water is. So I would let him push off of me (don't worry ladies he never went out of arms reach of me and his head stayed above water the whole time) then I would put my hands in his arm pits while he thought he was floating on top of the water. It was really cool to see the look on his face and the way he would react in the water. Well then it started, that's right the waves. So I decided to start making my way back to the shallow end so that way I wouldn't lose my balance. Well as soon as I got more than ten feet away he would scream no Maddie. So I had to take him back over by Maddie mainly to keep him happy. The thing is he never really played with her, I think he was more jealous that Maddie was in the waves and he wasn't. No biggie, I was more there for him than I was for me. So after awhile we started to make our way back over to the shallow end when it happened (I think I was in a little more than waste deep water on me) he dropped Lightning McQueen. Now before I left that morning Jennifer made it perfectly clear that the world would stop turning if anything happened to Lightning McQueen. So what does Aiden do? He let's go of me to dive under water and get his car. Sure enough he did retrieve it (I already for see the gripes that's going to bring). I was proud of my son's accomplishment of being able to scuba dive in 4 feet of water with no fear, but I was more concerned than anything.
Now I always try to tie the stories of my son in with an experience of my own. Now I to know what it is like when you have a love for a certain toy. Aiden favorite toy as we all know is Lightning McQueen. Mine, well it was the deep sea diving G.I. Joe, well now from what I was told the story goes something like this. I was about 3 yrs old and I was at my grand parents house sitting out back next to the pool. Well of course my G.I. Joe was suppose to be able to go deep sea diving so I was playing with him in the spa that connected to the pool. Now my mom told me that I couldn't go swimming on this particular day. So I was sitting there playing with deep sea diving G.I. Joe when he fell out of my hand. Well he was able to go to the bottom with no problems. So I took it upon myself to go and get him. Well getting to the bottom of the spa to retrieve me favorite toy was the easy part. Getting back, well that I didn't really think to far ahead. So I get my G.I. Joe, then it dawns on me that I can't get back to the top of the pool. So I just sat there until my mom grabbed me. I might of been under water for about 15 seconds. My mom was well you guessed rather mad that I did what I did. You would of thought I would of been crying and trying to cuddle with my mom after such a traumatizing event in my life, oh no instead I just sat there with a pissed off look on my face for getting my hair wet, yes I actually had hair when I was younger. In fact I had hair until after my third year in the Army, but that is another story that I will save for a different time in my life.
So there we are at the water park. me, him, and Lightning. The three of us were actually having a great time running around the little kids pool that was maybe 24 inches deep in the deepest part. 0Well dad just wasn't enjoying himself as much as he could of, so I get this great idea to take Aiden to the wave pool. Mainly because it was deeper and the waves were turned off. So I thought it was relatively safe. Aiden was having fun and so was I. It was really cool to watch him play in the water. Plus it gave me a chance to hold him in my arms for a little while. Which was one of the things I miss being able to do while I am over here in Iraq.
So as we started to play Aiden made it perfectly clear on several occassions that he didn't want me to hold him regardless of how deep the water is. So I would let him push off of me (don't worry ladies he never went out of arms reach of me and his head stayed above water the whole time) then I would put my hands in his arm pits while he thought he was floating on top of the water. It was really cool to see the look on his face and the way he would react in the water. Well then it started, that's right the waves. So I decided to start making my way back to the shallow end so that way I wouldn't lose my balance. Well as soon as I got more than ten feet away he would scream no Maddie. So I had to take him back over by Maddie mainly to keep him happy. The thing is he never really played with her, I think he was more jealous that Maddie was in the waves and he wasn't. No biggie, I was more there for him than I was for me. So after awhile we started to make our way back over to the shallow end when it happened (I think I was in a little more than waste deep water on me) he dropped Lightning McQueen. Now before I left that morning Jennifer made it perfectly clear that the world would stop turning if anything happened to Lightning McQueen. So what does Aiden do? He let's go of me to dive under water and get his car. Sure enough he did retrieve it (I already for see the gripes that's going to bring). I was proud of my son's accomplishment of being able to scuba dive in 4 feet of water with no fear, but I was more concerned than anything.
Now I always try to tie the stories of my son in with an experience of my own. Now I to know what it is like when you have a love for a certain toy. Aiden favorite toy as we all know is Lightning McQueen. Mine, well it was the deep sea diving G.I. Joe, well now from what I was told the story goes something like this. I was about 3 yrs old and I was at my grand parents house sitting out back next to the pool. Well of course my G.I. Joe was suppose to be able to go deep sea diving so I was playing with him in the spa that connected to the pool. Now my mom told me that I couldn't go swimming on this particular day. So I was sitting there playing with deep sea diving G.I. Joe when he fell out of my hand. Well he was able to go to the bottom with no problems. So I took it upon myself to go and get him. Well getting to the bottom of the spa to retrieve me favorite toy was the easy part. Getting back, well that I didn't really think to far ahead. So I get my G.I. Joe, then it dawns on me that I can't get back to the top of the pool. So I just sat there until my mom grabbed me. I might of been under water for about 15 seconds. My mom was well you guessed rather mad that I did what I did. You would of thought I would of been crying and trying to cuddle with my mom after such a traumatizing event in my life, oh no instead I just sat there with a pissed off look on my face for getting my hair wet, yes I actually had hair when I was younger. In fact I had hair until after my third year in the Army, but that is another story that I will save for a different time in my life.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
CARS
Thank God Aiden doesn't know how to read just yet. For I am sure this post will really make him upset with me. All of us at one time or another had a favorite movie to watch, heck mine is still a Christmas Story. But honestly (ssssshhhhhhhh! don't tell Jennifer about this) that movie is getting rather old and boring. I really think someone in Hollywood needs to make a newer version of it. I won't go into detail on what I would do to make it more modern. Anyways, my son Aiden loves Cars, and everything Cars related. And I mean everything. He wakes up in the morning to watch Cars. His day will not go the right way if it doesn't start out with Cars. He has like 10 Lightning McQueen Cars. When he goes to bed at night he has to have his ightning car, or the bed bugs will definitely bite. He sleeps peacefully all night long with a death grip on his lightning McQueen car. He wakes up with his lightning McQueen car still in his hand. He takes baths with his Lightning McQueen. Eats, shops, and well you name it Lightning McQueen is locked in to his kung fu grip. This kid will stop the earth from turning if his lightning came up missing. It is rather cute and funny, but on the other hand if I have to watch Cars one more time I am going to go crazy. We went to Kmart today to buy some pool care products and a Lightning McQueen power wheel. Now I am not going to go into a great deal of the fiasco we went through to get it off of lay away but...... I will say this. I know why Kmart is going out of business! So we walk by the power wheels and unbeknown to us on an end cap there is the Lightning Mcqueen power wheel we wanted to get him. I didn't even see it, but Aiden sure did. This kid saw this from 50 feet away and started to scream lightning! Lightning! I was like oh great here it starts. So we go to lay away to pick up his surprise gift. The whole time he is screaming Lightning McQueen. So I decided to take Aiden for a walk to the front of Kmart to get another cart. Big mistake. I purposely detoured away from the toy section just to avoid his obsession (mainly because dad will give in and get it for him). So I take the safe route. You know the one that takes you right through the bedding and bathing stuff. Well what do you know there it is the Lightning McQueen shower curtain with the Lightning shower curtain hooks of lightning Mcqueen. I will admit they were pretty cute. Believe it or not I was able to presuade myself into telling my son No!
So we get the cart and make it back to mommy. Where she was anxiously waiting our arrival. So I manage to get the power wheel in the cart with out Aiden getting to mad at me. So as we tried to walk out of the store with his toy, Aiden is walking sideways down the isle with his arms rasied saying my ightning my ightning. I managed to make it to the car where I miraculously got him in the car with out having a complete fit. So I tried to put his power wheel in the back of the explorer, but it was way to big to fit in there. So I had to tie this thing down to the top off the car. Amazingly it made it home in one piece. Even better by the time we got home Aiden had forgotten all about the thing. So we put him down for a nap so mommy and daddy could put his car together. Now he hasn't seen it yet. In fact the plan is to give it to him first thing tomorrow morning. If I remember I will try to post some pics of him on it in the next day or two. Well hopefully he will be surprised to see it. That's all folks. Ka chow!
So we get the cart and make it back to mommy. Where she was anxiously waiting our arrival. So I manage to get the power wheel in the cart with out Aiden getting to mad at me. So as we tried to walk out of the store with his toy, Aiden is walking sideways down the isle with his arms rasied saying my ightning my ightning. I managed to make it to the car where I miraculously got him in the car with out having a complete fit. So I tried to put his power wheel in the back of the explorer, but it was way to big to fit in there. So I had to tie this thing down to the top off the car. Amazingly it made it home in one piece. Even better by the time we got home Aiden had forgotten all about the thing. So we put him down for a nap so mommy and daddy could put his car together. Now he hasn't seen it yet. In fact the plan is to give it to him first thing tomorrow morning. If I remember I will try to post some pics of him on it in the next day or two. Well hopefully he will be surprised to see it. That's all folks. Ka chow!
Monday, June 2, 2008
Chasing Rainbows
In my younger years of life. My brothers and I would do these random things to get in trouble. Anywhere from fighting, throwing rocks at each other, to going for bike rides to places that were off limits to us boys. Well this one spring day it had rained for a little while in the morning and at the same time it was nice and sunny. So of course if you looked good enough in the sky you could make out a rainbow in the short distance. Why we did this to this day no one really knows. What mythical myth do rainbows come with. That's right a leprechaun with a pot of GOLD. The rumor or should I say tale is that if you were to catch the leprechaun he would take you to his pot of gold. Where you would live the life of riches forever. Well, we say this rainbow and like I had said it looked relatively close by. So we hopped on our huffy bikes and set off on a mission. To reach the end of the rainbow would mean our mother would rich, which meant she would be able to afford to buy us whatever toy we asked for.
So as we pedeled off on our bikes to the foot of this rainbow. We were all excited about what we may find. Collaborating a way to catch the leprechaun, so we can get his pot of gold. So we pedeled and we pedeled not really caring about the dangers we may run into or worse the blistering beating we will receive from those damn plastic spoons (you know the ones that replaced the wooden ones). So as we argued over who was going to get to actually catch the leprechaun, it had dawn on us that no matter how fast we are going the rainbow seems to be getting further and further away. Which also mean that the time in the day was ending faster than we had expected. Not being aware of how long we had been gone, I guess my mom staarted to get worried about us. I guess we should of otld her we were leaving. So just as we think we are at the base of the rainbow guess who show's up. Grandpa. I rememer him yelling at us when he saw us. He was like what in the hell you damn kids doing. He laughed at us and then told us we better beat him home. So, off we went. Of course we all had to argue which was the fastest way home. Whcih took more time.
So we get to our house to see that or mom's car wasn't there. So we immediately raced down the street to our grandma and grandpa's house, Just to see that our grandpa had beaten us home. The worst part was our mom was out front waiting for us with a wooden spoon in her hand. In fact as we got to the crest of the hill we could here our mom yelling for us down the street. Boy were we screwed. So as we pulled into the driveway, we all new the routine for we have been down this road several times before. So as we dismounted the bikes she was right on top of us like a vulture. Get you little ass's in the house now. So the first beating was dished out on Rob. As he was getting his well deserved beating me and Randall were talking to our grandma trying not to laugh at him. The whole time Rob was looking at us just smiling trying not to submit to the blistering pain the spoon was inflicting on his little butt. Then it was my turn. Oh please no mommy not me it was Rob's fault. Yeah I was squeeling like a pig before she could get her eagle like claws on my arms. Big mistake Christopher, she just whipped harder. With one hand covering my little butt, with my mom's death grip on the other arm. I was trying my hardest to run away from her. The whole time she was swinging that damn spoon at my ass like a samurai swinging his sword at his enemy. Connecting with some thunderous blows that could make a parapelegic get out of his wheel chair and run away. No mommy I am sorry, stop, stop it hurts.
While I am getting my well deserved whipping, my brothers are laughing rather loudly at my expense. Then it was Randall's turn. I won't go into detail, but it was obvious that my mother had already spent all of her anger and frustration out on me and Rob's little behinds. For his beating consisted of a few a decent swats and that was that. Lucky little turd. Really I am not sure which was worse the beating or the dragging or butt's on the floor trying to get rid of the pain. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.
So as we pedeled off on our bikes to the foot of this rainbow. We were all excited about what we may find. Collaborating a way to catch the leprechaun, so we can get his pot of gold. So we pedeled and we pedeled not really caring about the dangers we may run into or worse the blistering beating we will receive from those damn plastic spoons (you know the ones that replaced the wooden ones). So as we argued over who was going to get to actually catch the leprechaun, it had dawn on us that no matter how fast we are going the rainbow seems to be getting further and further away. Which also mean that the time in the day was ending faster than we had expected. Not being aware of how long we had been gone, I guess my mom staarted to get worried about us. I guess we should of otld her we were leaving. So just as we think we are at the base of the rainbow guess who show's up. Grandpa. I rememer him yelling at us when he saw us. He was like what in the hell you damn kids doing. He laughed at us and then told us we better beat him home. So, off we went. Of course we all had to argue which was the fastest way home. Whcih took more time.
So we get to our house to see that or mom's car wasn't there. So we immediately raced down the street to our grandma and grandpa's house, Just to see that our grandpa had beaten us home. The worst part was our mom was out front waiting for us with a wooden spoon in her hand. In fact as we got to the crest of the hill we could here our mom yelling for us down the street. Boy were we screwed. So as we pulled into the driveway, we all new the routine for we have been down this road several times before. So as we dismounted the bikes she was right on top of us like a vulture. Get you little ass's in the house now. So the first beating was dished out on Rob. As he was getting his well deserved beating me and Randall were talking to our grandma trying not to laugh at him. The whole time Rob was looking at us just smiling trying not to submit to the blistering pain the spoon was inflicting on his little butt. Then it was my turn. Oh please no mommy not me it was Rob's fault. Yeah I was squeeling like a pig before she could get her eagle like claws on my arms. Big mistake Christopher, she just whipped harder. With one hand covering my little butt, with my mom's death grip on the other arm. I was trying my hardest to run away from her. The whole time she was swinging that damn spoon at my ass like a samurai swinging his sword at his enemy. Connecting with some thunderous blows that could make a parapelegic get out of his wheel chair and run away. No mommy I am sorry, stop, stop it hurts.
While I am getting my well deserved whipping, my brothers are laughing rather loudly at my expense. Then it was Randall's turn. I won't go into detail, but it was obvious that my mother had already spent all of her anger and frustration out on me and Rob's little behinds. For his beating consisted of a few a decent swats and that was that. Lucky little turd. Really I am not sure which was worse the beating or the dragging or butt's on the floor trying to get rid of the pain. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Johnny Jumper's
Well it is time for another wonderful landmark in Chris' life. Nothing to fancy, but those of you who have kids or even know others who have kids know what I am talking about by this title. You see this story is more of a pivotal moment in my life. It really defined me as a person in today's modern society. It help me build character and creativity that no parent could ever show there young ones. But I also want to take this chance to give my older brother, Robert, the proper respect he deserves. For I am sure it was him that originally came up with this idea. Although it was me that probably carried out the deed. Honestly I am not completely sure who instigated this or for that fact even orchestrated this event. So I am really telling a story about how two isn't always better than one.
Okay Johnny Jumper. here it is. You see I have two brothers. Rob who is about 18 months older than me and Randall who is about 3 yrs younger than me. Poor kid. Well as you can already tell this is going down hill for Randall. It really started when I was younger. I was still drinking from the bottle and so was our big boy Rob. Well when Rob finished his bottle he would kindly refill his by taking mine from me. Me not knowing better would just let him do it. Yeah I could of cried and fussed, but apparently I was like my Jack, a happy little baby. Thus building my unbreakable bond with my older brother. I share my bottles with him, and he wouldn't beat me up. Well then a few years later came our little brother Randall. Poor little fellow. Well Randall was older, but not old enough to walk around the house. He pretty much had to sit around and watch me and Rob destroy everything in sight. To include his innocent little mind. Well I honestly don't recall who started this, but one rainy day our cute innocent fragile minded little brother Randall was playing in his Johnny Jumper. I vaguely remember the smile on his face that would belt out his cute little baby laugh every time he jumped up and down in his Johnny Jumper. Then my mom left the room, where Rob and I were left unsupervised. Silly little mother goose, just what were you thinking. Upon seizing the moment of joy that came across little Randall's face, Rob and I approached him with the harm and intent of hurting this new little intruder in our life. So as we both noticed how well he like to bounce around in his stupid little Johnny Jumper toy. Simultaneously, we both grabbed a leg and took off running around the corner, pulling until there was no more give in his little Johnny Jumper. To let go and watch him take off like a rocket. Flying from around the corner where we had taken, flying straight into the wall and hitting it head first with G force's only he could describe. Rob and I looked at each other in laughter, well more of a devilish little laugh than anything. With hopes that would send this little kid packing back to where he came from. But no, this guy just laughed harder than he did when he was on his own. Reverse pychiology, this little guy is beating us. So I decided to try it again. Grabbing his legs and running faster and pulling that much more just to let go and watch him fly again. Fly baby FLY! Now this surely had to be the finishing move on this guy. As I ran out of cover guess who was there to see what kind of mischief us boys were in too. Mom! As she asked, just what are you two thinking. Leave him alone. Uh-oh, we did it this time. After a quick swat on the ass we had realized that Randall loved being launched into things. For this guy was laughing the whole time.
Why this story. Well now that I have Jack to keep Aiden entertained. I worry, and for Jack's sake I should. Aiden has already proven to us that he isn't the cute sweet little angel everyone thinks he is. Well actually he is. I just worry that when Jack gets older and we put him in the big kid swing Aiden is going to want to push him, and push him is exactly what he is going to do! I love you guys and take it easy.
Remember I don't recall exactly how this story goes. Hell it could of been Rob doing the whole thing. I just hope you all got a good little chuckle out of it. Sorry if I took someone else's fame.
Okay Johnny Jumper. here it is. You see I have two brothers. Rob who is about 18 months older than me and Randall who is about 3 yrs younger than me. Poor kid. Well as you can already tell this is going down hill for Randall. It really started when I was younger. I was still drinking from the bottle and so was our big boy Rob. Well when Rob finished his bottle he would kindly refill his by taking mine from me. Me not knowing better would just let him do it. Yeah I could of cried and fussed, but apparently I was like my Jack, a happy little baby. Thus building my unbreakable bond with my older brother. I share my bottles with him, and he wouldn't beat me up. Well then a few years later came our little brother Randall. Poor little fellow. Well Randall was older, but not old enough to walk around the house. He pretty much had to sit around and watch me and Rob destroy everything in sight. To include his innocent little mind. Well I honestly don't recall who started this, but one rainy day our cute innocent fragile minded little brother Randall was playing in his Johnny Jumper. I vaguely remember the smile on his face that would belt out his cute little baby laugh every time he jumped up and down in his Johnny Jumper. Then my mom left the room, where Rob and I were left unsupervised. Silly little mother goose, just what were you thinking. Upon seizing the moment of joy that came across little Randall's face, Rob and I approached him with the harm and intent of hurting this new little intruder in our life. So as we both noticed how well he like to bounce around in his stupid little Johnny Jumper toy. Simultaneously, we both grabbed a leg and took off running around the corner, pulling until there was no more give in his little Johnny Jumper. To let go and watch him take off like a rocket. Flying from around the corner where we had taken, flying straight into the wall and hitting it head first with G force's only he could describe. Rob and I looked at each other in laughter, well more of a devilish little laugh than anything. With hopes that would send this little kid packing back to where he came from. But no, this guy just laughed harder than he did when he was on his own. Reverse pychiology, this little guy is beating us. So I decided to try it again. Grabbing his legs and running faster and pulling that much more just to let go and watch him fly again. Fly baby FLY! Now this surely had to be the finishing move on this guy. As I ran out of cover guess who was there to see what kind of mischief us boys were in too. Mom! As she asked, just what are you two thinking. Leave him alone. Uh-oh, we did it this time. After a quick swat on the ass we had realized that Randall loved being launched into things. For this guy was laughing the whole time.
Why this story. Well now that I have Jack to keep Aiden entertained. I worry, and for Jack's sake I should. Aiden has already proven to us that he isn't the cute sweet little angel everyone thinks he is. Well actually he is. I just worry that when Jack gets older and we put him in the big kid swing Aiden is going to want to push him, and push him is exactly what he is going to do! I love you guys and take it easy.
Remember I don't recall exactly how this story goes. Hell it could of been Rob doing the whole thing. I just hope you all got a good little chuckle out of it. Sorry if I took someone else's fame.
Friday, May 9, 2008
War! What is it good for?
Now, I am not talking about WWI, WWII, the Korean War, the Vietnam conflict, or the current Global War on terrorism. I'm not talking about the song either. What I am talking about is a parents most feared war to find their children participating in. BB Gun wars. Now I already now what you guys are thinking. Oh god, you'll shoot your eye out.
The desire to own a BB gun started from my favorite movie. A Christmas Story. Yeah I know. If you remember it was pretty much about Ralphy fantasizing about getting a double pump single action Red Ryder BB gun from Santa Claus. At one point in the movie he dreamt about is family was going to get over ran by a bunch of henchmen (my favorite scene) and he comes out of nowhere dressed as a cowboy to save his family with his Red Ryder BB gun. Well I have to blame this movie for building my desire to get a BB gun. But as you all know or can imagine, I was quit the trouble maker growing up. So the thought of me getting a BB gun was definitely out of the question. Since I was the second child what I got was pretty much matched up with what my older brother got two years before me. So I just couldn't wait to turn 13, I knew I was going to get a BB gun. Well I turned 13 and against my parents will, they gave in and got me a BB gun. I was so excited, that now I get to pretend to be like Ralphy. So I strategically placed empty soda cans throughout the backyard. I had a pre-designated firing platform approved by my parents to shoot from. I mean what parent in their right mind would give a BB gun to a 13 and let them run around with it. So I had somewhat of an adult supervision. My mom was able to watch what I was doing from the kitchen.
So as I lived out my fantasy of playing Ralphy over the years. I decided it was time to move on to much harder targets. Well what other challenges can I come up with. Hahahaha. So after I turned 15 or so, my parents decided to leave me and my older brother home alone while the rest of the family went on a road trip. Well no sooner did they leave did my neighbor Tim show up. Well about the same time I had taken my BB gun out against my parents knowing, right after my mom told me that I had to wait until they came back to shoot it. So I figured that if they are gone how will they know if I am shooting my BB gun. Well as I was doing some target practice Tim and I came up with this great idea to have a BB gun war. So we got on opposite sides of the yard and started taking shots at each other. So Tim hit me a couple of times in my arms, no big deal it didn't hurt. Besides they were some really weak BB gun that weren't suppose to penetrate a tin can. Yeah right. So as Tim was shooting at me, I was waiting for the perfect shot. One shot. One kill. So Tim pops up from behind the trailer to see where I had moved to, but I didn't move. In fact I had sighted him in and pulled the trigger. Hitting him right below the eye breaking the skin. Tim dropped his gun and I started to shoot him multiple times until he would yell I quit. Well in the time it took me to hit him 5 or 6 times guess who shows up. Yeah my mom. I guess she forgot her purse in her room.
We probably wouldn't of gotten caught if Tim wasn't Yelling obscenities at me. For it drew my mother's attention to the backyard. It didn't take a rocket scientist to put two and two together to figure out what we were doing. Yeah well after getting my butt whipped by my mom my dad and to get his. But this was one of the few times where I knew he wanted to beat me and he didn't. Instead he hurt me way worse than my mom did. He actually took my BB gun and smashed into a thousand little pieces. Man was I pissed. Deep down inside I knew I deserved it. So now that my wife knows about this story I highly doubt she will allow me to get my son a BB gun. It is okay I understand. So when my boys get older I will buy them each the much safer and probably a lot more fun paint ball guns. As long as they don't ain't my car a new color I think everything will be all right. I hope you all enjoyed another moment in Chris' childhood.
The desire to own a BB gun started from my favorite movie. A Christmas Story. Yeah I know. If you remember it was pretty much about Ralphy fantasizing about getting a double pump single action Red Ryder BB gun from Santa Claus. At one point in the movie he dreamt about is family was going to get over ran by a bunch of henchmen (my favorite scene) and he comes out of nowhere dressed as a cowboy to save his family with his Red Ryder BB gun. Well I have to blame this movie for building my desire to get a BB gun. But as you all know or can imagine, I was quit the trouble maker growing up. So the thought of me getting a BB gun was definitely out of the question. Since I was the second child what I got was pretty much matched up with what my older brother got two years before me. So I just couldn't wait to turn 13, I knew I was going to get a BB gun. Well I turned 13 and against my parents will, they gave in and got me a BB gun. I was so excited, that now I get to pretend to be like Ralphy. So I strategically placed empty soda cans throughout the backyard. I had a pre-designated firing platform approved by my parents to shoot from. I mean what parent in their right mind would give a BB gun to a 13 and let them run around with it. So I had somewhat of an adult supervision. My mom was able to watch what I was doing from the kitchen.
So as I lived out my fantasy of playing Ralphy over the years. I decided it was time to move on to much harder targets. Well what other challenges can I come up with. Hahahaha. So after I turned 15 or so, my parents decided to leave me and my older brother home alone while the rest of the family went on a road trip. Well no sooner did they leave did my neighbor Tim show up. Well about the same time I had taken my BB gun out against my parents knowing, right after my mom told me that I had to wait until they came back to shoot it. So I figured that if they are gone how will they know if I am shooting my BB gun. Well as I was doing some target practice Tim and I came up with this great idea to have a BB gun war. So we got on opposite sides of the yard and started taking shots at each other. So Tim hit me a couple of times in my arms, no big deal it didn't hurt. Besides they were some really weak BB gun that weren't suppose to penetrate a tin can. Yeah right. So as Tim was shooting at me, I was waiting for the perfect shot. One shot. One kill. So Tim pops up from behind the trailer to see where I had moved to, but I didn't move. In fact I had sighted him in and pulled the trigger. Hitting him right below the eye breaking the skin. Tim dropped his gun and I started to shoot him multiple times until he would yell I quit. Well in the time it took me to hit him 5 or 6 times guess who shows up. Yeah my mom. I guess she forgot her purse in her room.
We probably wouldn't of gotten caught if Tim wasn't Yelling obscenities at me. For it drew my mother's attention to the backyard. It didn't take a rocket scientist to put two and two together to figure out what we were doing. Yeah well after getting my butt whipped by my mom my dad and to get his. But this was one of the few times where I knew he wanted to beat me and he didn't. Instead he hurt me way worse than my mom did. He actually took my BB gun and smashed into a thousand little pieces. Man was I pissed. Deep down inside I knew I deserved it. So now that my wife knows about this story I highly doubt she will allow me to get my son a BB gun. It is okay I understand. So when my boys get older I will buy them each the much safer and probably a lot more fun paint ball guns. As long as they don't ain't my car a new color I think everything will be all right. I hope you all enjoyed another moment in Chris' childhood.
I Scream You Scream!
Okay you guest it. We All Scream for Ice Cream. So the other day while chatting with Jennifer she was telling me about a little trip they took to see some plantation homes in southern Alabama. I thought it was a good idea. Well sometime during the trip my son Aiden started to act up. So they took him to a nearby park to let him blow off some energy. Well when it was time to go, Aiden decided that he wasn't exactly ready to get into the car for an hour or so. So of course he threw a fit. Well with all of my wifes wisdom she decided to try and bribe a two year old (what was she thinking). So she made a deal with Aiden. If he were to behave, then she would take him out for ice cream. Well of course kids only hear what they want to hear. He heard Aiden you want to go get some Ice Cream! So of course for the remainder of the trip Aiden repeatedly cried out Mommy, I WANT ICE CREAM! over and over and over.......you get the picture or do I need to go on. Over and Over. So eventually they made it home and he got his well overdue hard earned bowl of Ice Cream.
Now hearing about my son's desire for Ice Cream reminded me of another moment in my childhood. As we all now kids will do anything for a trip to the ice cream parlor on a hot summer day. Well my trips came, but not exactly at the right moment. Now I understand it was designed to benefit me, but I really think my mom got the best out of the whole or deal. You see when I was younger I lived in Folsom, CA (the Sacramento area) and my dentist office was in Rancho Cardova. Well right around the corner from the dentist office was a 31 Flavors Baskin Robbins (aka a kids dream come true). So when I was even younger I had a different dentist, but after biting him every time he tried to probe around in my mouth, he decline his service to the family (I think that is how the story goes). So we or should I say "I" got a new dentist. I believe his name was Dr. Bueller (or very close to it) Now, my mom to would bribe me with the ice cream, and of course my sweet tooth always got the best of me. She always would tell me before going to the dentist chair of hell, that if I behaved and didn't bite the dentist, she would take me out for ice cream afterwards. So of course I would always be on my best behavior. For me this is was that quality time I would get to spend with my mom without the interference of my 4 other siblings. I guess it is true I was a mommas boy (hey I love my mom). So as I sat there in the chair allowing the dentist to poke my gums with a dull needle and shoot litacain (I think that is what it is called) into my mouth, then drill aimlessly on my teeth. Well for those of you who have avoided the dentist for a while (Jennifer) or are cavity free, litacain numbs the mouth so you won't feel the pain the dentist is inflicting. Well as most of us know it is only temporarily, it will last about an hour or so. Well after an eternity of being strapped into this contraption of a chair the dentist would release back to my mother. Which I was always glad to see. Although I was mad at her for making me go through this pain, I was always happy to see her. Well on the way home she would take me to the ice cream parlor. As I said earlier every kid will do anything for ice cream on a hot summer day. Well not only would my mother take me to the ice cream parlor she would also allow me to get two scoops of whatever I wanted. So of course the first scoop was always bubble gum, and the second chocolate. Well not realizing that my face was still numb and using my eyes to build my hunger for ice cream I would get to eat about four bites of chocolate and wear the other ten bites on my cheeks. The whole time my mother is laughing at me. After the first scoop is gone she helps me clean up my face, before I continue on to the next scoop. Now the bubble gum. Well four gumballs in my mouth and ten on the floor. For my mother it was equivalent to a kid feeding a dog a spoonful of peanut butter. Know that is funny.
After awhile I caught on to my mom's scheme with the ice cream after the visit to the dentist. But as I said before kids will do anything for a scoop of ice cream. I hope you enjoyed another true short story about me. You know when your kids do something odd, funny, or just straight dreadful. Don't just get caught up in the moment. Look back at some of the stuff you did as a child and try to compare it to what he or she has done. As we all know I never was a poster child for the definition of perfect, but however I believe I was a strong influence to the creator's of Dennis the Menace (okay, I know is like 30 years older but.......). I really hope for Jennifer's sake Aiden mellow's out before he turns more into his father. Although that wouldn't be a bad thing. You know there is this relatively steep hill in front of the house. Maybe I should build him a soap box car when I come home? I think Aiden says it best UH-OH!
Now hearing about my son's desire for Ice Cream reminded me of another moment in my childhood. As we all now kids will do anything for a trip to the ice cream parlor on a hot summer day. Well my trips came, but not exactly at the right moment. Now I understand it was designed to benefit me, but I really think my mom got the best out of the whole or deal. You see when I was younger I lived in Folsom, CA (the Sacramento area) and my dentist office was in Rancho Cardova. Well right around the corner from the dentist office was a 31 Flavors Baskin Robbins (aka a kids dream come true). So when I was even younger I had a different dentist, but after biting him every time he tried to probe around in my mouth, he decline his service to the family (I think that is how the story goes). So we or should I say "I" got a new dentist. I believe his name was Dr. Bueller (or very close to it) Now, my mom to would bribe me with the ice cream, and of course my sweet tooth always got the best of me. She always would tell me before going to the dentist chair of hell, that if I behaved and didn't bite the dentist, she would take me out for ice cream afterwards. So of course I would always be on my best behavior. For me this is was that quality time I would get to spend with my mom without the interference of my 4 other siblings. I guess it is true I was a mommas boy (hey I love my mom). So as I sat there in the chair allowing the dentist to poke my gums with a dull needle and shoot litacain (I think that is what it is called) into my mouth, then drill aimlessly on my teeth. Well for those of you who have avoided the dentist for a while (Jennifer) or are cavity free, litacain numbs the mouth so you won't feel the pain the dentist is inflicting. Well as most of us know it is only temporarily, it will last about an hour or so. Well after an eternity of being strapped into this contraption of a chair the dentist would release back to my mother. Which I was always glad to see. Although I was mad at her for making me go through this pain, I was always happy to see her. Well on the way home she would take me to the ice cream parlor. As I said earlier every kid will do anything for ice cream on a hot summer day. Well not only would my mother take me to the ice cream parlor she would also allow me to get two scoops of whatever I wanted. So of course the first scoop was always bubble gum, and the second chocolate. Well not realizing that my face was still numb and using my eyes to build my hunger for ice cream I would get to eat about four bites of chocolate and wear the other ten bites on my cheeks. The whole time my mother is laughing at me. After the first scoop is gone she helps me clean up my face, before I continue on to the next scoop. Now the bubble gum. Well four gumballs in my mouth and ten on the floor. For my mother it was equivalent to a kid feeding a dog a spoonful of peanut butter. Know that is funny.
After awhile I caught on to my mom's scheme with the ice cream after the visit to the dentist. But as I said before kids will do anything for a scoop of ice cream. I hope you enjoyed another true short story about me. You know when your kids do something odd, funny, or just straight dreadful. Don't just get caught up in the moment. Look back at some of the stuff you did as a child and try to compare it to what he or she has done. As we all know I never was a poster child for the definition of perfect, but however I believe I was a strong influence to the creator's of Dennis the Menace (okay, I know is like 30 years older but.......). I really hope for Jennifer's sake Aiden mellow's out before he turns more into his father. Although that wouldn't be a bad thing. You know there is this relatively steep hill in front of the house. Maybe I should build him a soap box car when I come home? I think Aiden says it best UH-OH!
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Trips to the E.R.
. A parents most dreaded thing is to have to take their 2yr old child to the E.R. for stitches. This is another wonderful story about Chris and his carelessness. Which I guess you can say started at a very young age. Now I was really young at the time and I don't recall exactly how old I was for this first incident. Now as most of you know Jennifer had quite a scare a few weeks. Aiden insisted on playing on a chair at his grandma's house, being quit careless. After several attempts of Jennifer and everyone else telling him Aiden don't do that your going to fall and get hurt. Well of course he is man, and man does as we please. He fell and hit his face causing him to bit a hole in his upper lip. Man, the smartest creature on planet! Oh by the way I think this is really where he gets his determination, the stubbornness comes from Jennifer. I love you honey. So I am sure you all remember the rest of the story. My son is lucky he didn't have to endure the pain of the stitches.
Now I was saying I think I was like 2yrs old. We went to my aunt Patti's house for the day. In fact she has a daughter that is my age. Well it was ab out the same time I was getting really good at walking. Well I was wondering through her house trying to find something to entertain me. Well appearantly there was this vase on top of a hutch that I insisted on playing with, well after several warnings from my mom and the other grown ups to not play with it I might get hurt. Well the inevitable happens. I end up knocking the vase over which then fell and cracked open on top of my head. Yes that is right I was determined to play with this vase after several warnings that I was going to get hurt and then it happens. Well appearantly my head wasn't as nearly as strong as I had thought. This vase actually gave my a nice little cut across my forehead, which I still have to this day. So of course my mom had to rush me to the emergency room after several failed attempts to stop the bleeding. So a few hours later and a bunch of stitches I was good as new.
So as most of you know I grew up in Sacramento, CA where they have have countless things for families to do. Well somewhere in the vicinity of they have this Mother Goose Fairytale Land. Well every now and then my parents would take us there. Now I know we are all grown ups, but come on . We all grew up in a time where fairytales were always being told to us children. In fact I am sure a lot of us fantasized about being able to be part of a fairytale. Well at this park all of your fantasies come true. I was actually in a fairytale (well at least that is what I thought). Well as we or should I say as I ran carelessly through the park. I would always manage to get hurt and not just any old hurt. Yes, you guessed it emergency room hurt. In fact everytime we would go there, we would leave shortly after to take me to the emergency room to get stitches. Of course everyone else was mad at me for ruining their day. So that is how I managed to split my chin open the first time. It was so bad that I got to a point to where I feared going to Fairytale Land.
Swimming. It is by far one of my favorite past times. In fact I think Aiden enjoys it more than I ever did. I mean this kid wasn't even walking the first time we took him to the pool in Ft. Benning and he was trying to take off on his own. I think he is part fish. So anyways, the best thing to do on a hot sunny summer day is to jump into a nice cool pool. So I vagely remember this. But, my mom took me to my friend Danny's house where we went swimming. Well kids will be kids. We were having so much fun. Well we finally gained enough courage to jump off of the diving bored in the deep end. Now we weren't scared of the height of the diving bored, heck it was only 2 feet off of the ground. We were scared of the deep end. It was like a bottomless pit. You in the shallow end if we got tired of swimming we could always stand up on our tippy toes and stretch our necks out and be far enough out of water that we could easily catch our breath, and then continue on across to the other side of the pool. But, the deep end. We heard stories of kids trying to go to the bottom and never coming back. I mean we were in total fear of this side of the pool. So after a few I triple dog dare you chicken to jump off of the diving bored, and I will if you will. Or the infamous your first. The two of us finally mustard up the courage to jump off of the diving bored, but of course good old mom was right there to make sure we were being safe. As both of our mothers chimmed at the sametime make sure you jump straight off of the diving bored and not to the side. So we did as instructed and jumped straight off into the bottomless pit of the unknown. I remember the first time thinking I would make it to the bottom and push off to come flying out of the water like a rocket launching into the atmosphere. Well let's just say that I never made it to the bottom. In fact I was so terrified that I jumped to the side thinking I could grab the side before getting sucked into the black hole at the bottom of the deep end. Well I did and not only did my hands get to the side of the pool so did my chin. At first it didn't hurt, my chin just felt numb. Then my mom said come here and let me see if you split your chin open. Well no sooner did I get out of the pool blood poored down my neck and all over my body. I was terrified for I knew where we were heading next, that's right to the E.R. More stitches. So here are some of the few wonderful milestone's in my life. I just hope my kids have Jennifer's stubbornness more than they have my determination. Hopefully at our next duty station we will have an E.R. right around the corner. Take care.
Now I was saying I think I was like 2yrs old. We went to my aunt Patti's house for the day. In fact she has a daughter that is my age. Well it was ab out the same time I was getting really good at walking. Well I was wondering through her house trying to find something to entertain me. Well appearantly there was this vase on top of a hutch that I insisted on playing with, well after several warnings from my mom and the other grown ups to not play with it I might get hurt. Well the inevitable happens. I end up knocking the vase over which then fell and cracked open on top of my head. Yes that is right I was determined to play with this vase after several warnings that I was going to get hurt and then it happens. Well appearantly my head wasn't as nearly as strong as I had thought. This vase actually gave my a nice little cut across my forehead, which I still have to this day. So of course my mom had to rush me to the emergency room after several failed attempts to stop the bleeding. So a few hours later and a bunch of stitches I was good as new.
So as most of you know I grew up in Sacramento, CA where they have have countless things for families to do. Well somewhere in the vicinity of they have this Mother Goose Fairytale Land. Well every now and then my parents would take us there. Now I know we are all grown ups, but come on . We all grew up in a time where fairytales were always being told to us children. In fact I am sure a lot of us fantasized about being able to be part of a fairytale. Well at this park all of your fantasies come true. I was actually in a fairytale (well at least that is what I thought). Well as we or should I say as I ran carelessly through the park. I would always manage to get hurt and not just any old hurt. Yes, you guessed it emergency room hurt. In fact everytime we would go there, we would leave shortly after to take me to the emergency room to get stitches. Of course everyone else was mad at me for ruining their day. So that is how I managed to split my chin open the first time. It was so bad that I got to a point to where I feared going to Fairytale Land.
Swimming. It is by far one of my favorite past times. In fact I think Aiden enjoys it more than I ever did. I mean this kid wasn't even walking the first time we took him to the pool in Ft. Benning and he was trying to take off on his own. I think he is part fish. So anyways, the best thing to do on a hot sunny summer day is to jump into a nice cool pool. So I vagely remember this. But, my mom took me to my friend Danny's house where we went swimming. Well kids will be kids. We were having so much fun. Well we finally gained enough courage to jump off of the diving bored in the deep end. Now we weren't scared of the height of the diving bored, heck it was only 2 feet off of the ground. We were scared of the deep end. It was like a bottomless pit. You in the shallow end if we got tired of swimming we could always stand up on our tippy toes and stretch our necks out and be far enough out of water that we could easily catch our breath, and then continue on across to the other side of the pool. But, the deep end. We heard stories of kids trying to go to the bottom and never coming back. I mean we were in total fear of this side of the pool. So after a few I triple dog dare you chicken to jump off of the diving bored, and I will if you will. Or the infamous your first. The two of us finally mustard up the courage to jump off of the diving bored, but of course good old mom was right there to make sure we were being safe. As both of our mothers chimmed at the sametime make sure you jump straight off of the diving bored and not to the side. So we did as instructed and jumped straight off into the bottomless pit of the unknown. I remember the first time thinking I would make it to the bottom and push off to come flying out of the water like a rocket launching into the atmosphere. Well let's just say that I never made it to the bottom. In fact I was so terrified that I jumped to the side thinking I could grab the side before getting sucked into the black hole at the bottom of the deep end. Well I did and not only did my hands get to the side of the pool so did my chin. At first it didn't hurt, my chin just felt numb. Then my mom said come here and let me see if you split your chin open. Well no sooner did I get out of the pool blood poored down my neck and all over my body. I was terrified for I knew where we were heading next, that's right to the E.R. More stitches. So here are some of the few wonderful milestone's in my life. I just hope my kids have Jennifer's stubbornness more than they have my determination. Hopefully at our next duty station we will have an E.R. right around the corner. Take care.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Stay on your TOES Christopher!!!
Okay, so as I sit here in Iraq waiting for the coin toss to decide what mission we go on next and to where it will be. I have an opportunity to remember some golden moments in my life. The list is really long, so I am not going to bother with it. But there is one thing in particular I am going to talk about. The old saying "Stay On Your Toes!" now growing up, regardless how poor my family was my mom always saw to it that her kids played in organized sports of some sort. It began when I was probably 4yrs old. For those of you who don't know, my older brother Robert is 19 months older than me (which means he hit 30 first), and for as long as I can remember I was always jealous when my mom or dad took my older brother to baseball practice or soccer practice. In fact I think I had fits about the whole thing. To this day I remember my mom telling me when you get older you can go and play baseball and soccer too. Man those 19 months sure did seem like an eternity. Sooner than later I got my shot, and boy was it great. I finally started to feel like a big boy. I was maybe 4 and a half years old and I finally got my chance to play big boy sports like soccer. To me at the time it made me feel twice as good as Michael Jordan did when he got drafted to the NBA. So the season starts out with soccer practice twice a week. We would do our warm ups and then watch our couch kick the ball while all 15 of us kids would race to retrieve it for him. But after awhile it payed off. After about the first two weeks of soccer practice we finally had our first game. Now watching a bunch of 4 yr old's who really don't understand the game play soccer, well it is quit hilarious. Picture 10 midgets all going for the soccer ball at the same time. It didn't really help as you could here in the back ground every screaming soccer mom yelling at the top of there lungs kick the ball or go get the ball. So as us kids are trained at a very young age do what mommy says. I am sure you can just imagine the chaos that ensued.
Back to what I was getting at. So I was always graced with the opportunity to play sports. In fact, I looked so forward to playing sports that I broke the year into three season's. You had baseball season. Which was fun. You got to run around the base's while other kids tried to catch you. Slide into the plates. I think it got to the point that regardless of how well you did or didn't hit the ball or how far you made it to the next base before getting out, if you didn't slide into base you just weren't that good at baseball. So of course I had many scraped up knees and elbows through this season.
Then there was soccer season. By far my favorite. For soccer season meant that for the first half of the season it would still be hot. The down fall to the first half of the season was the grass was really hard and dry. But then there was the second half, which every kid loved and every mother dread. That is right RAIN. and when it came down it would come down. Which meant that hard dry soccer field turned into the worlds biggest mud puddle. Where all of the rules of the sport went right out of the window. Another one of those things that the muddier you were the better the player you were. Needless to say I was always ranked in the top 2 of my team.
Then there was everyone's favorite season. Christmas, which really meant no school for two weeks and Santa Claus. Where we would drive to the mountains in the back of my grandpa's truck and go cut down our own christmas tree. Yes, that is right we would cut our own tree down to enhance that Christmas feel and the smell of the pine needle's. Now let me get back to the sport thing
So as I played sports through out my child hood. My mom was always there on the sidelines. She was more of my own DR. than anything else. From the countless bloody nose's I would get to the broken arm I received to the sprainded ankles I had to endure. She was always there. Always encouraging me to do my best. She also taught me to never quit. I honestly don't remember a whole lot of what kind of encouraging things she would say to me, but there is this one thing that she always said. Stay on your Toes, Christopher! all's I could think was what are you talking about I am on my toes. So I would try to stand up taller on my toes, make it as obvious as I could to her that hey mom I am on my toes, quit yelling at me! But, for some weird reason it never worked. She would just yell it again and again. It got to the point that I was afraid my toes had been moved to another part of my body and noone every told me about this. For crying out loud someone help me get on my toes. Stay on your toes, Christopher. Not until years later (like at the age of 16 or so) did I ever realize what she was trying to say was Christopher be ready the ball can come to you at any minute, not get on your toes. As I write this I am cracking up. By far this is gotta be the funniest proof of how I have a tendacy to take people a little to serious.
So Aiden and Jack, as you grow up in life take a second to stop and think what people are trying to tell you. Jack it is ok, I of all people know how you feel. The second child syndrome. Regardless of what parents realize, it is there. I to went through it. Aiden just try to remember that one day Jack is going to want to play to, so always try to teach him and include him in everythin you do. Jennifer, relaxe they are boys. The worst part is they are specimens of me, which means they are going to get hurt, bloody nose's, broken arms, and a case of invinsibility like no other. Don't panic. They will recover. Although I will admit that I am probablly worse at that then you honey. I love you guys. I hope you guys got as much of a kick out of this as I did while writing it. See everyone soon.
Back to what I was getting at. So I was always graced with the opportunity to play sports. In fact, I looked so forward to playing sports that I broke the year into three season's. You had baseball season. Which was fun. You got to run around the base's while other kids tried to catch you. Slide into the plates. I think it got to the point that regardless of how well you did or didn't hit the ball or how far you made it to the next base before getting out, if you didn't slide into base you just weren't that good at baseball. So of course I had many scraped up knees and elbows through this season.
Then there was soccer season. By far my favorite. For soccer season meant that for the first half of the season it would still be hot. The down fall to the first half of the season was the grass was really hard and dry. But then there was the second half, which every kid loved and every mother dread. That is right RAIN. and when it came down it would come down. Which meant that hard dry soccer field turned into the worlds biggest mud puddle. Where all of the rules of the sport went right out of the window. Another one of those things that the muddier you were the better the player you were. Needless to say I was always ranked in the top 2 of my team.
Then there was everyone's favorite season. Christmas, which really meant no school for two weeks and Santa Claus. Where we would drive to the mountains in the back of my grandpa's truck and go cut down our own christmas tree. Yes, that is right we would cut our own tree down to enhance that Christmas feel and the smell of the pine needle's. Now let me get back to the sport thing
So as I played sports through out my child hood. My mom was always there on the sidelines. She was more of my own DR. than anything else. From the countless bloody nose's I would get to the broken arm I received to the sprainded ankles I had to endure. She was always there. Always encouraging me to do my best. She also taught me to never quit. I honestly don't remember a whole lot of what kind of encouraging things she would say to me, but there is this one thing that she always said. Stay on your Toes, Christopher! all's I could think was what are you talking about I am on my toes. So I would try to stand up taller on my toes, make it as obvious as I could to her that hey mom I am on my toes, quit yelling at me! But, for some weird reason it never worked. She would just yell it again and again. It got to the point that I was afraid my toes had been moved to another part of my body and noone every told me about this. For crying out loud someone help me get on my toes. Stay on your toes, Christopher. Not until years later (like at the age of 16 or so) did I ever realize what she was trying to say was Christopher be ready the ball can come to you at any minute, not get on your toes. As I write this I am cracking up. By far this is gotta be the funniest proof of how I have a tendacy to take people a little to serious.
So Aiden and Jack, as you grow up in life take a second to stop and think what people are trying to tell you. Jack it is ok, I of all people know how you feel. The second child syndrome. Regardless of what parents realize, it is there. I to went through it. Aiden just try to remember that one day Jack is going to want to play to, so always try to teach him and include him in everythin you do. Jennifer, relaxe they are boys. The worst part is they are specimens of me, which means they are going to get hurt, bloody nose's, broken arms, and a case of invinsibility like no other. Don't panic. They will recover. Although I will admit that I am probablly worse at that then you honey. I love you guys. I hope you guys got as much of a kick out of this as I did while writing it. See everyone soon.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
As Lived
Okay, here it is. I have actually been meaning to start this for quit sometime. So as most of you know I am here in Iraq, but not at the Army's demand. I actually volunteered for this assignment. Like I have for just about every assignment I have been on (except Korea). Volunteering obviously meant that I knew exactly what I was getting myself into, and no I am not talking just about being in Iraq where who knows what dangers you will face when you ride outside of the wire. I am actually talking about the other sacrifices. Such as leaving my wife for a year, again. Or leaving Aiden to grow up for the next 365 days without his father. Or missing the opportunity to watch my wife's stomach swell bigger and bigger by the week as she was pregnant with our second child. Now don't get me wrong, it isn't easy. In fact it is rather hard to do. But, the part that really hurts. Well I am sure you all have guessed it. Missing the birth of my second child. Now that is something that I will never be able to forget or make up. Sorry Jack, but I still love you and I can wait for the day to come to hold you in my hands.
Now a lot of people have asked me why I didn't come home. Some say it is because of this or that, but the reality of it is I have a lot of things to get done on the house. Which means once again the pressure is going to be on my wife to see that this all gets done. Since she has the list of stuff to do, not only that she is the site foreman. Which means I am going to have to manage working on the house while at the same time giving my boys the much deserved and needed attention from there father. Which trust me is long over due. Plus Jennifer needs some much needed time to herself, after all she does deserve it. Plus I think Aiden is way over due on a father son talk. I just hope it goes better than the ones I had with my father, although I will admit they usually ended up with the two of us drinking a beer and 90% of the problems resolved. I know Aiden is to young for a beer, but hopefully he will settle for a glass of milk and cookies. I know Jennifer will.
Aiden, from what I have been told, but mostly from what I have read from my wife's blog.
Pretty much to some it all up, has and is following in his father's foot steps. At 2 yrs old, he is already a joker, troublemaker, and a finger's me gee (my grandma gave me that nickname at a very young age). Apparently he has his little fingers in everything you could put them in. from Jack's nose to the CD drive on the computer. I am not sure if it more of curiosity of how things work, which could mean we have an undiscovered baby genius on our hands. Or if it is he wants to know how much man power things can take before they break. Which means we have a demolitions expert on our hands. Well if I ever need to move a mountain I know who I can rely on. Quick hide the tools before he figures out how to take the door knobs off.
Now a lot of people have asked me why I didn't come home. Some say it is because of this or that, but the reality of it is I have a lot of things to get done on the house. Which means once again the pressure is going to be on my wife to see that this all gets done. Since she has the list of stuff to do, not only that she is the site foreman. Which means I am going to have to manage working on the house while at the same time giving my boys the much deserved and needed attention from there father. Which trust me is long over due. Plus Jennifer needs some much needed time to herself, after all she does deserve it. Plus I think Aiden is way over due on a father son talk. I just hope it goes better than the ones I had with my father, although I will admit they usually ended up with the two of us drinking a beer and 90% of the problems resolved. I know Aiden is to young for a beer, but hopefully he will settle for a glass of milk and cookies. I know Jennifer will.
Aiden, from what I have been told, but mostly from what I have read from my wife's blog.
Pretty much to some it all up, has and is following in his father's foot steps. At 2 yrs old, he is already a joker, troublemaker, and a finger's me gee (my grandma gave me that nickname at a very young age). Apparently he has his little fingers in everything you could put them in. from Jack's nose to the CD drive on the computer. I am not sure if it more of curiosity of how things work, which could mean we have an undiscovered baby genius on our hands. Or if it is he wants to know how much man power things can take before they break. Which means we have a demolitions expert on our hands. Well if I ever need to move a mountain I know who I can rely on. Quick hide the tools before he figures out how to take the door knobs off.
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