Santa!

I went to the mall after work for some dinner and do some early Christmas shopping with Jack when I noticed that Santa was there and it might be a good idea to get a picture, since he is going to get real popular very soon.

There wasn't much of a line yet because it was still relatively early. There were three kids ahead of us so we waited a total of 5 minutes. Jack was great and seemed interested in Santa, right up until I put him on his lap - he whaled and cried like I had abandoned him and handed him over to some weird old guy with questionable fashion sense. The fact was that I had, but only long enough to snap this picture.

Jacks Best Buddy Caden

Sara, one of the girls at the Child Care Center said that Jack and Caden are Best Buds and showed me a picture of them that she took a few weeks ago when Caden put his arm on Jacks shoulder as they played at the media table.

Isn't that cute?

After Thanksgiving: South Carolina, Part 2

After going to the Festival of Lights, we spent time doing other stuff, like eating at a great Mexican restaurant, watching football and playing the piano.



Jack goofed off and decided to try on a Tupperware bowl as a hat.


Jack and the dog, best pals.


It was good to see Tino and Grandma. Thanks for the hospitality!

After Thanksgiving: South Carolina

We traveled to South Carolina after turkey day to see Kate's mom and Tino. Instead of driving back home, we thought it would be nice to stop by and give some equal time with his other Gramma.

We arrived in the evening and that night we went to see the Festival of Lights on James Island. If you have never heard of this or never been, then you should go and see it. It costs a few bucks per carload of people, but its a treat. There are about 100 light sculptures set up so you can drive through the park and see all of them. New ones are added each year. There is a special area set up that has hot chocolate and large wood bonfires so you can roast your marsh mellows. There are a few shops that have a lot of home made Christmas chotchki and ornaments, too.

There is a horse carousel and a stage with singers and Santa for the kids to get their picture. All of these things have lines that are about 60 people deep each, so they were not on our list of things we did.









An example of the homemade stuff that was in the gift shop, notice the mispelling of "scraps".

Thanksgiving: Georgia, Part 3

It was great to see my brother and sister.

The family together.

The family (Goofy photo).

Thanksgiving:Georgia, Part 2

Thanksgiving day was spent just playing around with the kids and watching football. We also played in th back yard with the kids. They threw the ball with the dog (who LOVED that). The boys had a little soccer net and practiced kicking goals. The girls would throw the football and play in the sandbox with Jack. It got colder later in the day and we had to put on coats later in the evening.

That night it rained a lot, which was very much needed in Georgia, which has suffered through a horrible drought the last few months. We must have brought the weather with us when we came down to visit.

The Dinner was ready about 5 and it was GOOOOOOOOD. That was some of the best turkey I have ever had, so juicy and tender. Mmmmmm, mmmmm. Karen really outdid herself on that meal.

We all relaxed after dinner and played various games such as Chutes and Ladders, Cherry Pick and Rock Sock Em Robots. Kenny and I played a few games of Rock Em Sock Em. The kids watched a few DVDs, doted on Jack and played with the dog, who was beat from all the excercise she had been getting earlier.

It was a great Thanksgiving just to have the family together and be around eachother. The food was great and Karen really did a great job as a host - bravo!

Thanksgiving: Georgia, Part 1

Kate, Jack and I arrived at Karen's Tuesday night after a 12 hour drive. I was pretty tired, but it was great to see the rest of my family, Mom, Dad, Kenny, Karen and all the kids. The kids, oh my gosh, the kids have all grown a little and are developing their own individual little personalities.

Erik was asleep, as were karens kids, but Kenny's kids were up and awake, VERY awake. Those kids are wild and full of energy. Kenny must have fed them sugar and caffeine (later I found out they did - coca-cola).

They loved the dog almost as much as jack, who got tons of attention and smooches. Paige and Madison would pick him up and hug him and try to give him a kiss on the cheek, but he would usually try to dodge them. He isn't much of a kisser.

Kate, Jack and I slept in Joshua's room along with the dog, Boo.

We were awakened by the sound of Joshua walking into his room, spotting the dog and then screaming from the terror. It was like that scene from E.T. where Trudy found E.T., except not very funny, especially for Joshua. So, thats how we found out Joshua is scared of dogs. It took a few days, but when we left, Joshua gave Boo a very quick hug.

The next day we started the day by going over to the hotel/motel that Kenny's family and Mom/Dad were staying and watched over the kids as they swam in the pool. We then dried off and played games in the hotel room for another hour or two. It was so nice to see Mom and Dad.

After that, we went back to Karen's to put down Jack for his nap and Kenny, Christy, Mom and Dad took the kids to the Mall of Georgia. We all met back up for dinner that night at Karen's. Karen and Dad took care of dinner and got deli meats and chips.

Rudeness and Personal Space

So we went to Wegmans last night to grab some dinner, pick up Jacks prescription and grab a few things we needed.

We stopped off to get the prescription first, since they usually close about 6 and then we would have had to come back the next day. I get to the counter and am completing the transaction when a woman comes up and stands next to me at the counter. I kind of do a double-take, thinking she is going to ask a question or just needed to interrupt for a second for something minor. Nope, she is waiting in line, but wanted to wait next to me instead of in back of me.

I ask her if she wouldn't mind waiting in back of me and I explained that it's like being at an ATM, the last thing you want is someone imposing upon your personal space. She is incredulous about this, that I have the nerve to ask her to back off. Mind you, I'm at a Pharmacy, talking to a pharmacist, completing a transaction.

She still is incredulous and says that this isn't an ATM. She doesn't get it. So I step away and point out that she is obviously in a hurry, why doesn't she go ahead of me, I can wait. She won't back up, but she won't go ahead of me. The pharmacist finally steps in and we complete the transaction after the lady finally steps back.

What the heck? What is wrong with people? The world is so crowded you have to stand next to me instead of behind someone, now? If you think I am being a little anal about this, go stand next to someone at a counter the next time you are in a store or pharmacy or ATM and see what the reaction is of the other person.

Aroooo (Jack Howls and Pants)

This is hilarious!!! He howls like a dog and when we ask him what a dog does, he pants.

The Hopper Exhibit

We went into DC Saturday evening to see the Hopper Exhibit at the National Gallery of Art, but they closed just as we got there. So we went back the next day earlier so I could see the exhibit and also catch the Redskins game that started at 1pm.

The exhibit was great, I just wanted to see two of his works, "Night Hawks" and "Lighthouse Hill". The colors were unbelievable when you see these in person. No pictures or reasonable facsimile can do it justice. Must be that great lighting that they use in jewelry stores to make diamonds look extra bright and brilliant.

Great exhibit, go see it if you get a chance.

I missed the first half of the game and they ended up losing anyway, to the Eagles, no less. What a disaster -the exhibit was definitely the highlight of the day.

The Dinner

After the funeral, there was a dinner at the Embassy Suites where family and friends were invited to say things and talk about Charlie and their memories.

I didn't get very many pictures that night, most of my time I was chasing Jack around with Ellie in the foyer of the Hotel. The kids got a little rambunctious, so we took them out of the room as family and friends spoke of Charlie and their memories.

It was a very nice affair and dinner. It was also good to see a large part of the family together, even if the circumstances weren't the best.

Charlie's Funeral

The funeral was on Friday the 9th at Arlington Cemetery. There was a special room for families to wait in that had a wide-screen live feed of the soldier that guards the tomb of the unknown soldier. I was very impressed at the accommodations.

The weather was cloudy and turned rainy as we went to the grave site. The service was short and precise. There was a 21 gun salute, a flag folding and presentation to the widow, which was very touching.

Charlie touched a lot of people in his lifetime and made many impressions upon those lives.

Arlington Cemetery is an unbelievably solemn place, it is overwhelming to think about all those graves/people and the price they paid for our freedoms we enjoy. It is fitting that the burial was so close to Veterans Day since he served his country for so long and with distinction.

Charlie's Funeral (the Dinner the Night Before)

We went up to Karen and Tims friday night for dinner, since everyone was coming in from out of town (St Louis, Hawaii, Alabama and North Carolina). Tim and Karen were great hosts, there was shrimp, croissant sandwiches, Karens famous meatballs and other assorted food. The house looked great.

Abbie and Jason arrived late after an incident with a flat tire, but made it and brought little Ellie. Christopher came all the way from Hawaii. Skip, Rikki and the girls (Taren and Chelle) and their spouses came from Alabama and St. Louis. Rikkis sister made it, too, along with her partner, I forgot their names, but they were great fun to hang around and loooved Jack. Rikki took a special liking to him , too. He knows how to turn on that charm with the ladies.

He was saying "Hi, Baby" to Ellie all night.