A Visit with GG

We went to visit GG this last weekend so she could see how big Emma is getting. GG looks pretty good for 95, eh?!

Smiley

Here is a great pic of my little sweetie with her smile. This was early this morning when she is at her happiest.

I Want to Win an iPad2 (and make people jealous!)

I’m posting this to enter a contest offered by Buy More Contacts at Uppercase Woman! I want to win the iPad2! Enter to win here! My wife Kate told me about this contest so I thought I would enter after one of her friends won an iPad a few weeks ago and now I am inspired to win one! So here goes.

Sponsor of the contest: Buy More Contacts
Thanks to UpperCase Woman

Birthday Cake

Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday Dear Jack!
Happy Birthday to you!


...and mannnyy mooooooorrreeee!

Jack's Birthday Party at Burke Lake

We had a "little friends" party at Burke Lake the weekend of Jack's birthday. This is the party for all his little friends from school. Kate decided upon Burke Lake because we did a Park party a few years ago and it was fun. That was up the street and didn't have much going on. Burke Lake has a train ride, a carousel and an Ice Cream shop, so there is plenty to do.

Jack and Caden (the first to arrive)


I got there first and set-up at the pavilion, but then clouds started to roll in, heavy looking, ominous clouds. At 4:00 it started to rain, heavy. No lightning, a couple of thunders but no lightning. One of the guys who works there told me they have to shut down the rides, so that was a bust, but there wasn't a big deal since the boys all decided to occupy themselves by running around and just being boys. Give a boy a puddle and that is like, thirty minutes right there.

We broke open the toy bags (gift bags) and let the boys play with those and then did the pinata. I let them each have a whack at it, everyone got a chance. Then the next round they got two whacks. Nothing was happening, so we punted on that and decided to let them all just pull the streamers from the bottom all at once and it opened right up. Wish I had thought of that before! No bat, just happy kids scooping up candy.

Eating Pizza and ice cream


I ordered pizza too and they came - the boys loved pizza, so you can't go wrong there. Then the Ice Cream shop brought over ice cream and then we sang Happy Birthday and had cake.

Presents!


More Presents!


Jack opened all his presents and then it was just winding down, getting them to play with their toys (gift bags) an clean up.

It all went well and in the end, we got it gratis since the weather was bad. Burke Lake gave us a full refund, so that was really cool of them.

All the boys together

I See The Future

So we go to Party City the weekend before his party to get some party favors, the pinata and he candy. We are standing in line and the little Jokester decides to put on some glasses they have at a display. Which ones does he choose?

Becketts Pinata - the Aftermath

Becketts Birthday

The week before Jack's birthday was Beckett (a cousin). So we brought Emma and Jack to the party, which was a bunch of kids from their neighborhood, a blow-up swimming pool, squirt guns and burgers. My kind of party!

Beckett wanted a pinata so he had one in the shape of a big "4". Jack liked it so much, he asked for one for his own birthday. So we ended up getting one and I would recommend them, but only if a bat isn't involved. I found out from the one we bought, that they have streamers and if you pull those streamers, the bottom opens up and all the candy comes out. No bat, no broken bones or temporary blindness!

Anyway, I digress. Beckett's party was fun and he had a great time. Cake was the big highlight, of course.

Beckett and his cake! Yummmm!


Jack got a piece, too! Double yummm!

Thanks for the AT-AT

Thank you for the presents, Jack loooved getting mail and packages! He got a lot of Star Wars stuff this year, seems like he is like me when it comes to obsessing over certain toys. Of course, Lego Star Wars were tops on his list and he was not disappointed! The biggest thing he got was the Lego AT-AT - which was really tough to put together! I spent an entire morning putting that thing together on the living room floor and my neck and back were sore when I was finished. But he loved it.

Emma Smiling

Knuck-Knuck

We call that thing that Emma sucks on a "binky", but I have also heard it called a "Knuck" since that is the sound they make when using it [nyuck-nyuck].



I will see if I can get one when she "smiles". We aren't sure if a smile or not but she does it at convenient times so we attribute it as a smile, even if it may not be one.

The Grateful DeadSkins

The NFL might not play this year because of the Labor dispute and negotiations are not going well. That may be just great for the Redskins since they perennially lose each year since I can recall (what is it, 13 years and one playoff appearance?)

So as my mind wandered on things football-related, I just got inspired to create an idea I had in my head rolling around. I did a mash-up of the Grateful Dead and the Redskins. I took it one step further and made a shirt and sticker or two.

Here is how the shirt design looks;

And here is the sticker I created.

Refinished the Old Chest of Drawers

I refinished the old chest that I had as a kid. My Mom bought it from some Colonels wife before we were born so its got to be 40+ years old. I think if I remember correctly, the Colonels wife had twins as well.

So now I refinished it for Emma and we use it as a changing table as well. I put new hardware on it (sparkly pink handles) and had to drill new holes for those because of course, the old holes didn't line up. Put a primer coat on and then two coats of glossy white and it looks much better and nearly new.

The thing about furniture today is that its either really expensive and last forever or is cheap and is nearly disposable. I went with re-purposing an older piece that has stood the test of time and is solid.

Thanks, Mom, for getting that so many years ago!