A Christmas Memory

"Peace! Elsa: OUT!" Ah, city schools. Love it! Elsa is wandering around the house banging into walls while reading. Love it! Thank you Mrs. LaRussa! Thank you School 46!

Last night cuddling in bed with Henry:
Jeremy: Henry, what do you love most about Mum?
Henry: Hugging her.
Ruth: What do you love most about Dad?
Henry: Hugging him.
Jeremy: What do you love most about Elsa?
Henry: Tackling her.

Elsa on Hans Christian Anderson's story, The Little Match Girl:
Dad, she's DEAD FROZEN at the end! I would have gone home for a spanking instead of ending up DEAD FROZEN!

Henry stared at Santa's half eaten cookie and the reindeer's half eaten carrot for a good 15 seconds on Christmas morning. I could just feel his little brain trying to figure it out.

Elsa and Henry had Christmas tacos for Christmas dinner. Ruth and I opted for crab cakes and lamb chops.

Henry asked to transform his transformer into a car 30 times. Ruth was a good sport, and spent a total of 45-60 minutes working on it throughout the weekend.

While throwing sticks into Lake Ontario on Christmas Day, Ruth got her new mitten snagged on one and tossed it 15 feet into the icy water. I took off boots and socks and retrieved it.

Henry Shningledorf

This parenting thing just gets better and better.

In the immortal words of Duncan Chase, "He is my joy-mentor."

Happy Birthday Elsa

Elsa is 7 today! We will have cake tonight with the family, and host her party on Saturday. Taking eight kids to see The Muppets!

Thanksgiving Menu

Grilled Turkey with Mushroom Gravy
Mashed Potatoes
Fennel, Cabbage, Apple, and Hazelnut Salad
Brussels Sprouts and Carrots with Honey
Green Beans with Almonds
Cranberry Sorbet
Pumpkin Pie
Cranberry-Blueberry Pie

The Handyman Can

Well, Brian visited for four days and spent four hours on a ladder fixing my motion light.

Hey, it's not my fault my father chose to sunbathe and read The New Yorker on his down time instead of teaching me how to hunt or fish or fix motion lights!

OT

Listen, Emily, I’m going to tell you why I’m not going to Agriculture School. I think that once you’ve found a person that you’re very fond of…I mean a person who’s fond of you, too, and likes you enough to be interested in your character…Well, I think that’s just as important as college is, and even more so. That’s what I think.

The show was a big hit. Great cast, they worked hard while I was out and pulled off a great production. I'll remember it for a long time, or at least until Guys and Dolls auditions next month...

Self Portrait

Henry modeled his pumpkin this year on his very own grimace. GRR!

He drew it, I carved it.

Beast Mode!

"Come see what's Brewin'!"

Oh my god, the Brew Crew are tied with St. Louis, 2-2 in the NLCS! I can't believe this is happening.

Henry can, though. They've been in the playoffs in two out of the four seasons he's been watching baseball.

I am surprising a lot of people here in western New York with my SWEET Brewers gear. Most of them have never met a Brewers fan.

This picture was taken last weekend as we were apple picking, right before Henry needed to use a porta-potty. It was 120 degrees inside the porta potty.

Henry: Dad, why am I so itchy?
Dad: Because we are in a porta-potty, it is 120 degrees, and you are wearing a vintage polyester Brewers uniform.
Henry: Oh.
Dad: I've been holding on to that uniform for 29 years, in hopes that my kids would wear it someday.
Henry: What?
Dad: Go Brewers.
Henry: (simulating Beast Mode as he sits on the potty) Come see what's Brewin!

Yankee Doodle Dandy

Ruth's a citizen!

She's a Yankee Doodle Dandy
A Yankee Doodle, do or die!
A real live nephew of my Uncle Sam
Born on the Fourth of July!

She's got a Yankee Doodle sweetheart
He's her Yankee Doodle joy
Yankee Doodle came to London
Just to ride the ponies
She is that Yankee Doodle Gal!

CORN (and Brat)!

Wisconsin!

W ater parks at the Dells
I ate 3 pieces of fish at the Village, Brad had 13
S aw the Brewers win 8/9 games
C ast Schmantz (team name - Brian and I) crushed Page and Brad at badminton
O nly two more weeks of summer vacation (hard being a teacher)
N ew Jay Cutler jersey from ShopKo!
S layed by Dad's anniversary speech
I got somethin' in my eye!
N eed some sleep

Schweddy Balls

A coupla Schweddy Balls in the kitchen tonight. This is chive and basil oil hovering in cheesecloth, but you could have fooled me.

Ruth's reference. Really.

On Wisconsin

Actually, the W stands for (W)illiam Shakespeare.

Hey, if the shirt fits, wear it. And if the plaid shorts do too, wear them.

This was Henry's idea. Really.

Hockey Drills

Henry's Daily Hockey Routine:

15 minutes: Neutral Zone regroup/dump and chase
15 minutes: Pass/Shoot/Tip from a regroup pass
15 minutes: Fighting technique
2 minutes: Change out of Superhero costume because it is padded and it is 95 degrees out
15 minutes: Review the history of the NHL
2 minutes: Snack Break: Fruit Gushers and Pretzels
10 minutes: Double Chip with Shot
10 minutes: Transition Drills
15 minutes: Czech Flow Drill
2 minutes: Put Band-Aid on blister from wearing Spiderman sandals in 95 degree heat
15 minutes: Dry-land squat thrusts
30 minutes: Stick Handling: Soft Touch, Around Body, Hip, Blinders, Yo-Yo, Figure 8, Hand Slide Wide, Reach-Pull, Stick Flip, Toe-Tap

Hot Dogger

This present from Ben cooks six hot dogs in one minute. Because you NEED six hot dogs to be cooked in a minute. Think of the time I will save.

Fashion Spider Man

Spider Man Spider Man
Does whatever a spider can!
Wears his hair like a punk
Jumps into the car trunk!

Look out! Here comes the Spider Man!

Screen Time

Helping to raise a nation of computer geeks! Here they are checking their Facebook accounts.

Biker Gang

All we need are two Harleys. Actually, the bandanas are to wear under our bicycle helmets. It finally stopped raining yesterday and we were able to go.

Give Uncle Chris a Kiss

The camera barely survived this photo shoot- between Henry whacking it with the plane and then slobbering all over the lens.

Henry-isms

"Go away! You 'Sconsin Boy-head!"

Dad: "Hakuna Matata!"
Henry: "Fo duh rest of YODAZE!"

Spooked by Indians after watching the first Little House on the Prairie, he now first asks: "Dad are there Indians in Little House on the Fairy?"

Ruth: "Henry we have to go up for a nap in two minutes."
Henry: "Five minutes?"
Ruth: "Three minutes."
Henry: "Four minutes?"

When the light isn't on in his room: "I can't see my eyes!"

"Elsa you're not being a good listener! (pause) Daddy, am I being a good listener?"

Whenever the four of us are together: "We're a FAM-UH-LEE!"

Super Hero

Elsa is Tightie-Whitie-Man. That's Henry's underpants serving as the mask.

Boo Boo Dance Party

Boo Boo can really shake his booty. Here, Henry is trying to keep up with him.

Boo Boo might be tired. He visited Elsa's kindergarten class to tell them about Tanzania, he read lots of books to the grandpeeps, he fixed the composter, he swam at midtown, he was awoken by the kids every morning at 6:30AM, he drank Oban with Dad, he made sweet potato fries, he went to a Saturday night college party for Africa Bridge, and he walked in the woods and collected sticks with Henry.

Phew.

Buck Tooth

Well, this tooth held on for a couple of days. Elsa especially liked yanking and twisting it in front of me because I would get the heebie-jeebies so bad. I'm still traumatized from all of my adolescent orthodontia.

Tooth fairy picked it up last night.

Elsie I'm saving this photo. If I don't like your prom date in 2022 he is getting a copy...

Elsa getting Political

Elsa and her friend Liliya gave potential mayor Tom Richards a talking-to about potential school cuts!

Scroll to the last photo in the gallery:

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=A2&Dato=20110329&Kategori=MULTIMEDIA03&Lopenr=103290803&Ref=PH&odyssey=mod|galleriespic|umbrella

Good Luck Brad!

Brad is off to National Championships next week in Hartford, CT. Go Thunderbirds! Go Brad!!!

It's a Wrap!

...and what fun was had by all! I had a really enjoyable time this year. I think I am getting better at delegating responsibility, and parental involvement helped and was really great this year. It's fun watching parents positively interact with kids.

Elsie loved the costumes (look at that robe!) and on Saturday during the show was flanked by her grandmother Gigi and kindergarten teacher Mrs. Seybold. She sat in my lap for Act 2. I will remember that forever.

Aida this Weekend!

March 10-12 at 7PM! Victor High School!

Best Restaurant in the World

Or at least in Western New York.

Ted's in Buffalo! We downed three hot dogs, fries, onion rings, and three loganberry drinks. Four stars. Outta sight!

Winter Park

Elsie was a mountain girl last week. We visited Chris, Linda, and the boys in Denver, and headed up to Winter Park for a couple of days to ski. Uncle B came along, Elsa had her first ski lesson...and a lot of chocolate. If you look close enough, you can see that Dad had not gotten to her with a handkerchief after her choco-banana explosion while Apres-Skiing...

Hey Kids, Let's Put on a Show!

Aida is coming! March 10-12, 2011! Directed by Elsa Hawkinson.

Street Rider

Henry look behind you!

Just kidding dear blog reader. There wasn't a car in sight. I was two feet next to him and prepared to toss him into the nearest snowbank.

I almost did two hours later when he went boneless as I put him into his crib.

Snow Day!

To the library, Bruegger's for dinner, then Ben and Jerry's for dessert.

The Day After

Elsa at 6:25 PM last night:

"Dad, why don't you just become a Packer fan? It would be a lot easier."

I am Iron Man

Oh, SURE Henry, get into comic books NOW for crying out loud. If you had started collecting 75 years ago maybe this would be worth something...

Mr. Ketchup Frog and the Giraffe

Daddy, Mr. Ketchup Frog runned into the giraffe in the tree.

I'm making mudpies on the gwound, Daddy.

In the car the other day:

Elsa: Henry, stop copying me!
Henry: Stop copying me!
Elsa: Henry, do you even know what copying means?
Henry: (long pause) I don't know what copying means.