Xmas 2008 (including the hit short "The Curious Case of Jack and the Whoopee Cushion")

Everyone enjoyed finding their gifts under the tree. The frenzied gift opening last night was followed by hours of playing. That was followed by precious few hours of sleeping and followed once more by many more hours of playing today. We had a surprise visitor -- Auntie Karen Reda -- who popped over with gifts for the boys and booze for Mommy and Daddy. The Geotrax airport from Aunt Kim and Uncle Kevin was a big hit as was Daddy's choice of a slot car race track. The boys however truly love and appreciate everything they received.

Now some of you had thoughts of tormenting Mommy & Daddy with certain annoying gifts for our children. Well, the joke is on you Kim Miller! Jack unwittingly demonstrates in the hit short "The Curious Case of Jack and the Whoopee Cushion" how the wisdom of youth will always conquer the devious choices of their elders.

CIndy's video trick

Ok, she really didn't mean to film the video the way it came out but it's still kinda neat. She's still learning how to use our new toy.

We had a nice snowstorm yesterday and we're getting another one tomorrow! Yippee! Two more hours of shoveling for Daddy!

New Camera! Blizzard! Daddy Totally Exhausted!

Mommy and Daddy got their gift early. The new camera is here and we're testing it out in anticipation of tomorrow's snow photos and holiday gift opening madness. The two pics are resized from their super huge originals but they should be better than before. Also, the movie features should improve meaning longer, uncut & uncensored moments a-plenty in the future.

Reflection and Introspection

As this photo of Jack shows, he is in deep thought about the meaning of the holidays ... all of them ... for all religions ... at the same time. Our son is truly wise beyond his years and has given us much to think about.

Oh yeah and Cindy wanted me to put up a pic of the cookies she and Quinn put together from scratch. They're good!

New Members of Local 9 (Bakers, Confectioners and Chocolatiers)

After a grueling week of work, Daddy was conscripted into helping making christmas goodies for home, friends and office staff. Here are rare shots of the sitemaster demonstrating his new skills. The boys love helping Mommy with this and Daddy's office staff loves the treats.

A serious ice storm hit us Thursday night into Friday morning. Daddy left well before dawn Friday so he couldn't take any photos and Mommy didn't think about taking any. He dodged a downed limb or two on the darkened roadways. Everything was encased in ice but the roads were good because it warmed up just enough to turn everything to rain. So, here are some pics of the snapped branches off the pine tree behind us. The tree is easily 75 ft. high and probably closer to 100 ft. We heard our shares of snaps and cracks throughout the night. Quinn got a snow day out of it and about 60,000 people in the area enjoyed time in the dark. One town not far from here had some major damage to their sewer plant. Fun.

Hi

There haven't been any posts in the last 3 weeks or so. Daddy has had many late nights and the camera is just not cutting it anymore. Never fear though! Our present to ourselves is going to be a new camera to give everyone better photos and movies.

In the meantime, we'll be sending you portraits of the boys. Quinn's is on the way and we're getting Jack photographed tomorrow.

Day at the Aquarium

I took the boys to a relatively new aquarium in Connecticut today. It was impressive considering the location. There was a substantial shark tank where we watched a bit of feeding (eek!) and a pool where even toddlers could stick their hands in and touch a species of manta rays. They were slimy and splashed us good!



A large cylinder looking jellyfish display was very captivating. They had new age music to accompany it.



There was also a regular "touch tank" for kids of all ages to handle starfish, crabs and some nasty look welk egg pods. The seals were a hit too. They would just bob there like a cork taking in all of the attention. There was also an assortment of bizarre frogs including some albinos from Mexico. Weird. Overall, it was a truly nice place. Oh yeah, and Cindy got the day off. She stayed home.



Taking photos of the boys in a high stimulation environment like the aquarium is challenging to say the least. Movie clips were all I could get. It was impossible to position them for photos.

Halloween 2008

Boo!!! A bat and a "bad dragon" (or as Jack says, "ba-da-doo") live with us tonight! Cindy did an excellent job creating Quinn's costume. She also did an excellent job using her debit card to buy Jack's.

It was a beautiful night to stroll the neighborhood with some friends and gossip about which houses the cops visited recently. Quinn enjoyed running far ahead of us with his friends. Jack enjoyed saying "trick or treat" and "gimme candy". Dad enjoyed not working as he had a very busy week.

Linguistics Part 1

Jack's speech is taking off now. There are truly spontaneous thoughts in his head now and they're funny! These are the first three clips in a string of bonafide Hollywood cute scenes. I'm not just saying that because he's 1 of 2 of the most handsome sons this side of the Mississippi and coolest little brother on the planet. See if you can pick up everything he says (before Cindy translates for everyone).

Flyboy

The art of "superjumping" is being perfected by our boys, particularly Jack. The audio is unclear because I used my phone to record this but the images say it all.

Jack's 2nd Birthday Party

Jack celebrated his birthday with a truck / construction themed party. It was a small gathering of three 2 year old guests for Jack and 2 older siblings for Quinn. Once again, Cindy's party planning and execution were flawless. The cake was perfect. The decorations and party favors were exquisite. The games were stylin'.

Jack spent a good amount of the party only in a diaper. He wanted to be comfortable.

Off to boarding school with the boys!

It's true. I took the boys to The Millbrook School yesterday. It is an exclusive high falutin' boarding school. It also has the distinction of being the only high school in the country with its own accredited.... drumroll please ... zoo!

They have quite an exotic collection of tamarins (little monkey like things), lemurs and poison dart frogs to name a few. For a very small fee, you can entertain the kids for hours ... okay, maybe an hour and a half.

The video demonstrates both Quinn's independent reading and Jack's memorization of one of his favorite books.

We'd post more but lately, our job has been more referee than parent. Jack whips cars at Quinn which is followed up mostly by Quinn shoving Jack. This happens at least 30 times per day now.

Coming soon --- Jack turns 2!

A pox on our house!

Quinn has been diagnosed with what his very experienced pediatrician called "the smallest case of chicken pox" he has ever seen. What you see in the photos is what he's got ... no blisters or lesions anywhere else on his body. That's a credit to the vaccine that anyone reading this website post never received. The doctor said Quinn will be ready for school Wednesday. Quinn hasn't had any other symptoms other than a low level scratch in his throat and sniffle.

Fall is here (also -- The Terrible Twos are Two-riffic!)

The heat of summer seems to be behind us and the local orchards are harvesting their annual apple crop. The same June thunderstorm that knocked power out at our place for one day was supposed to have seriously hurt this year's crop. It's hard to tell by the look of the "pick your own" place we stopped at today. It's only about 4 miles from our house so it's an easy trip.

Jack enjoyed picking apples. Quinn enjoyed being pulled in the wagon. Mom and Dad enjoyed fresh apple cider donuts.

Now, we're going to deviate from the normal "good feel" nature of this family friendly website to report some developments in Jack's vocabulary. Having a big brother can be useful for language building skills. By far, Jack's most common and articulate phrases are "No fair!" followed by "Mean!" with "What the heck?" a close third. Quinn, too, has picked up a good word or two from school.

Quinn is doing just fine in first grade. I met his teacher last week and saw his class room. Dad's turn as "Coach Bryan" on the soccer team has been rewarding. At last week's practice, while leading the boys in a lap, the team repeated the song below for all other teams to hear:

I don't know what I've been told

Running laps gets really old

Sound off, 1, 2

Sound off 3, 4

All of the parents like Coach Bryan's use of the whistle to get the boys into line and improvement has been noticed during the games. I smell a Coach of the Year award in my future (not that anyone is keeping score during the games --- this year is all about introducing structure).

Neither rain nor snow shall stop us from our appointed rounds

Quinn's first official fall soccer practice took place on a sloppy field in the rain. Naturally, he and the few others that actually showed up loved it. We're teaching them to stay in formation by assigning them to parts of the "plane". The forward is the propeller, the midfielders are wings and the defensemen is the tail. Let's just say they're getting there!

Dad is a pretty good coach who evokes positive responses from his troops. High fives and individual praise go a long way. Plus, no parents have had a meltdown yet. It is hard to snap pics of Quinn but I'll do my best. His team is sponsored by a foundation established in memory of a very young man from our town killed in Iraq about 2-3 years ago.

Summer winding down

Our incredibly humid weather rushed out of here with Hurricane Hanna's remnants last night. Today was very nice permitting another scooter lesson for Jack. Quinn is a great teacher.

I was unable to take photos of Quinn's first soccer game yesterday. Coaching 7 kids made that impossible.

First Day of First Grade

Did you hear that cheer yesterday? Did you know what it was about? Now you do!!!

School started yesterday. A neighborhood friend of Quinn's has now registered in his school so he has yet another friend to pal around with during the day. The group shot shows Quinn with our immediate neighbors. FYI -- we are also surrounded by babies. We intend to make a small tradition of taking photos on the first day.

Quinn was very happy with his new class and said he hopes the teacher assigns harder work. The review of lessons learned last year that took place yesterday was boring, he said.

Upcoming events --- Dad, the Soccer Coach?

When Rocks Attack & Jack Reads

We've always been plagued with rocks in our yard particularly near our wall where we are under constant debris mini-avalanches. Today, a large camouflaged rock got the best of my lawnmower blade. I figured that would happen eventually and it's only a few bucks to get a replacement. But my heart sank when my weedwhacker whipped a rock over my right shoulder -- at an angle -- into my sliding glass door. That sucked. Fortunately, it is double paned (only the exterior glass bit the dust) but it will still cost alot to replace.

Oh and yeah, here's Jack reading and counting (turn up your speakers a bit for these).

Footpower will solve the energy crisis

Quinn's scooter abilities are truly great. He loves his Razor which he got last Xmas time. He immediately took to the original one Kevin and Kim Schneider bought him for his 3rd birthday. He literally rode it into the ground. The back wheel is essentially square and the brake broke but that hasn't stopped Jack from wanting to emulate his big brother.

Wet grass?

Well ..... he's still really cute. The end of the movies says it all.

Pool Boys a/k/a Pool Sharks

Wow! I couldn't believe it when Jack started jumping into our friend's pool this weekend. The expression on his face says it all. This is a priceless one.

Quinn also dazzled us with his underwater abilities. Who knew a snorkel mask would make so much of a difference?

Take me out to the (your billboard here)

Quinn and I made out to our local minor league ballpark for the first time. We invited some friends to enjoy the complimentary tickets Daddy snagged. The boys had ants-in-the-pants-itis which is contagious in this environment. There is constant noise and gimmicky stunts between each inning. Of course, there is plenty of food, bouncy houses, rodent inspired mascots, bachelors humiliating themselves in the hope of bagging an engagement ring (today's big prize) and did I mention the noise?

Cindy has left me for another man!

Ok, so she didn't leave but can you blame me for keeping her under lock and key? Everyone wants to take her away including her favorite heartthrob, Marty Casey, lead singer of some band! She doesn't really care about the band, just him. The photo plainly shows, however, the disappointment she felt meeting him at a recent concert. She told me she had a terrible time and the photo totally confirms it. Whew! I was nervous.

America is .................... Corn!!!

Today was marked by our annual trip to the county fair. All in all, it's a good deal ($12 for unlimited rides, shows etc. --- Jack was free) despite the same standard attractions - placed in the same exact locations - with even some of the same freaky workers -- every year.

The boys don't care about that stuff, though. They love the rides, the smelly animals and for the first time ---- the sandbox --- no wait --- the Cornbox! That's right! What would a trip to the fair be without some time in the cornbox?

The best part is going up in the ferris wheel and admiring a rather dramatic view of the Shawangunk Ridge. Unfortunately, photos of that will have to wait for another day.

Belly Laughs

Here are two short videos of Jack laughing. He hast a great laugh to share and these movies capture just a bit of it.

Jack's vocabulary continues to grow. Quinn's swimming lessons are ending tomorrow.

Upcoming events -- trips to the county fair (heeee hawww!) and a night cheering on our local minor league baseball team.

Little men doing Big things

Wow! What a day! Quinn lost his 2nd tooth (right next to the first one he lost). Jack continues to dazzle us with his wizz-dom (Ha!), continuing to tell us when it's time to go to the bathroom. He also has been reading letters and counting a bit for us too. The boys certainly keep us on our toes. It's hard to keep up with them both lately.

Urine alert!!!!

Jack took a leak into the toilet today (after 6 years, I've grown a little tired of saying "peed in the potty"). The crazy thing is he did it all himself. He simply pulled his stool right up in front, looked to Cindy for help and presto! I've done absolutely nothing to encourage him and Cindy has only propped him up there once or twice before.

No photos were taken and even if they were, I'd doubt you'd want to see it. Hooray for reclaimed money spent on diapers!

Back into the normal swing of things ...

Daddy had an exceptionally busy week (of course) after returning from the big beach trip. The heat is on here again ... in the office and outside. The boys hit the kiddie pools. Check out Jack's towel technique.

We hope to get some shots of Quinn at the ol' swimming hole (where he takes his lessons) soon.

It's all over (turn off the lights ... turn off the lights)

We had a good time on our trip. On Thursday, Quinn said he had enough of the beach and proclaimed he wasn't going on Friday. Come Friday morning, he was down there with Jack and I enjoying his best beach day of the trip. We finally caught a handful of hermit crabs and actually had Jack's kiddie pool set up which quickly doubled as an aquarium. Some kids from Virginia helped out too. While we were eating lunch back at the condo, they found about 9 more so there were about a dozen in the pool when we got back. Jack enjoyed stepping on them and loading the pool up with sand so the crabs could continue to burrow.

Quinn and Travis both got swept right off their feet by some impressive waves Friday. I literally got turned over twice underwater as I bodysurfed a couple into shore. Travis didn't think he would have fun on his trip without bringing one of his goober friends along but I knew better. He had alot more fun than even he expected. Hey Kim - ask him about Ocean City's public transportation system. That's right -- I made him take the bus -- at night! (photos of bus excursions not posted to protect the innocent --- and guilty). We are proud of Travis and impressed with his meticulous plan to become a fire fighter (and then some). Seeing the fireman's memorial seemed somewhat prophetic. He can come back anytime. Brittaney -- we will be visiting Lancaster County, Pennsylvania when it's your turn to come to New York. I'll bet you never thought the Amish could be so much fun.

This blog only focuses on the positive things so I'm not going to write about Quinn's new found susceptability to car sickness or his awful behavior on the way home. I'm also not going to write about Jack's constant recitation of the words "Pee! Poop!" or "Hat!"(his name for Travis) at maximum volume at all times of day and in all possible places. I'm also not going to talk about the 15-20 miles of traffic that cost us 90 minutes in New Jersey today. Nope, I'm just going to conclude by saying we had a great time.