Summer is here...

The past two days here on the Jersey Shore have been hot - "stupid hot" in fact.  I am looking forward to today's "tornado alert" to hopefully blow in some cooler weather before I have to tackle the jungle that is my lawn.

The lawn...we took some initial swipes at it with our push-reel mower; however, the weeds that make up 30-40% of our lawn (or so it seems) just grow too fast and too tall for our push-reel to accommodate.  Given that fact, the size of our lawn, and the amount of leaves that we have to rake and bag each year (over fifty 33-gallon leaf bags!) we decided to purchase an actual lawn mower.  We decided on a battery-powered model over gas (too expensive and smelly) or corded-electric (yard is too big and electric cords around a lawn mower is just asking for trouble.)  We were able to get it through Amazon.com.  I had a gift certificate from a textbook publisher (I do regular academic reviews of textbooks and online learning platforms) plus we could get free shipping.  It arrived yesterday and the battery is now charging up.  If all goes quickly I could have the front yard done tonight and the back done tomorrow or Friday.  Hopefully before Friday - I like to leave Fridays free (during the Summer) for time with the kids.

The kids...are all growing up way to quickly.  The boys' hair is about 10" long (last we checked) and should be ready to cut and donate by early fall (at the latest!)  They are growing so independent - their personalities and age difference are really showing.  I guess I've always thought of them as "the boys" and thus treated them very similarly (with minor adjustment for personality type.)  But there is a lot of difference between them that can be better explained by age.  I really hope I am up to working with them.  I sometimes think that I am failing at being the kind of father I want to be.  If I am failing now, how do I have any hope later?
Aside from their hair the boys are involved in cub scouts and love to play outside.  They love to read and watch Pokemon.  Last night we introduced them to "Mr. Bean."  My oldest was laughing so hard he had to stop eating so he wouldn't choke on his food.
My daughter is growing up too fast as well.  Her strong little personality is evident in all she does.  She is very good at telling everyone what to do (she even started counting at her oldest brother when he didn't do what she said - just like my wife and I do.)  She knows so many words, signs, and songs.  She sings to herself all the time.
My family is my joy and my anchor.  I am so blessed to have them!

I'll do my best to keep up a little better with my blog.  I plan to continue my Lent resolution of posting only non-political items (unless they are really important and relevant.)

For now, my daughter just woke up from her nap,

Brad

Marathon day of medical issues...

So we took my oldest into the pediatric orthopedic specialist today.  He hasn't been able to walk much at all since Sunday evening - so we are definitely hoping for some answers.  The doctor didn't find anything "structurally" of concern (through examination and an additional x-ray) so he ordered some "STAT" lab work.  We drove down to the hospital and went to the outpatient lab so they could draw some blood.  Immediately after they finished with the last vial (5 or 6 total) my son went very pale, clammy and looked like he was falling asleep (all while dry heaving at regular intervals.)  They called for a "quick response" (I think that was the term) and got him onto a stretcher and down to the ER.  All of this was made somewhat more difficult by his lack of mobility and pain from the underlying condition that brought us to the hospital in the first place.  He quickly stabilized, but he was still looking all pale and tragic.  They moved him over to Minor Care and had a pediatrician look him over.  The pediatrician said there was nothing wrong - BP, pulse, blood oxygen, blood sugar, etc., all normal - and that it was probably just basic wooziness over needles.  We watched David Attenborough while they periodically checked his BP.  After the third check they declared him fit to be released.  He got a popsicle and I wheeled him out of the hospital about two hours after we had checked into the lab.

All that drama and we still have no idea what is wrong with our little boy.  The ER pediatrician mentioned something about kids recovering from colds and having localized pain about 3-4 weeks later, but he didn't elaborate.  My son has made comments about building ramps in our house for his wheelchair - or at least having an "upstairs" and "downstairs" wheelchair for him to use.  I don't think we're anywhere near that point - and told him so - but the idea has crossed my mind (worst-case scenarios come naturally to parents, especially to me when you consider who my parents are!)

Tired and out of words,
Brad

Why can't parents "make it all better"?

My oldest went into the doctor last week.  His hip was doing better after his limping rather severely through Saturday night and Sunday.  However, the pain has now moved to his left hip/thigh.  He was having difficulty even getting off of the couch for dinner due to the pain.  After dinner he was in his room crying due to the pain.  It absolutely devastated me.

Right now he is watching Charlie Brown's Christmas with his siblings.  If he is still in as much pain as before, we will have to call the doctor and perhaps head to the ER.  I hope not.  I hate the ER, and I know he would too.

Again, why can't I just make it all better?
Brad

Can I be "proud" on Sunday?

Yesterday was Fast Sunday (if you're not LDS, you may have to look that up on wikipedia or something) and my family had a pretty impressive day.  I have regularly fasted for the standard two meals (Saturday dinner and Sunday breakfast works best for me) while my older son fasts for just Sunday breakfast.  My wife has not fasted since early 2008 due to pregnancy and nursing.  Well, yesterday she joined us in fasting for Sunday breakfast.  It was an awesome experience overall.  None of us complained or acting like we were hungry, tired or miserable through the entire experience.  I even think we had a noticeably more positive spirit in the home while we were fasting.

Another part of Fast Sunday that I am "proud" of is the testimony meeting part.  We have been sharing our testimonies with each other as part of Family Home Evening for several months now.  My wife and I have been encouraging our boys to share their testimony in church.  We have tried to set the example by having at least one of us share our testimony each month.  So Sunday I tried something a little different...I asked if one or both of them wanted to go up with me so we could share our testimonies "together."  My younger son eagerly accepted my offer and we went up together.  Once we finished my wife repeated the offer to my older son.  One of the young men in our ward (who was sitting in front of us) got in on the "let's go up together" discussion (reverently of course) and so all three of them went up and shared their testimonies one after another.

Overall, it was an amazing day!  My boys are growing up so fast.  It's a good thing to see them growing up in righteousness too.

Brad

On my honor, I will do my best...

After a preliminary visit in early November, we signed our older son up for cub scouts tonight.  He had a great time (again) with the other boys.  They drew pictures of themselves "being good citizens" and then shared their drawings with each other.  They also practiced "fall out!"  When my son asked what that meant (after the meeting) I could only come up with "It means get out of your bunks (or barracks) and line up!"  I'll have to look it up online (with him) so we can learn together.

Of course, I was a cub scout.  I earned every skill award and Webelos pin available.  I think I even earned the Arrow of Light.  I then entered Boy Scouts and tore through the requirements quickly.  I was a Life Scout by age 13 (or 14, I forget.)  It was the year I turned 13 that my dad became seriously ill with cancer (brain tumor) and we moved from a ward with a large and active scouting program to a ward that had a small and fairly weak one.  Dad had been an Eagle Scout himself, and was highly active in our scouting program.  He had really helped me stay focused.  Due to his illness, my attention was distracted and ultimate turned to other academic and musical pursuits.  Though I never earned my Eagle I can honestly say I don't regret it (when my son earns his I may feel regret at not being able to sit in the Eagles' nest at his court of honor - so that may change.)

That being said, I am looking forward to scouting with my boy ("boys" if my younger son decides to join) for the next several years.  Maybe they'll end up being big-time Scouters like their grandfather and great-grandfather.  Or they may be like their father and his brother and pursue other interests.  Either way, I will enjoy the adventure with them.

Brad

Bike troubles...

First, an injury update...

My older son is still limping, but the x-ray came back negative.  He probably just pulled a muscle or strained some soft tissue in another way.  I'd say he should rest and stay off his leg for a while, but I don't think boys his age know how to do that unless they are really sick.

For the first time in a while, Aldetha is out of commission.  This morning while performing my pre-trip inspection, I found that her front tire was about 50% flat.  I attributed the air loss to the sub-zero temperatures overnight and used our full-size manual pump to inflate the tire.  It stayed inflated through my entire morning commute and seemed solid when I got to OCC.  This afternoon I decided to check her out before I got changed into my biking clothes.  Sure enough, the tire was flat again - this time entirely!  My portable air pump was ineffective and I didn't have a spare tire anyway.  I had my family pick me up and Aldetha will be headed to Padi's Pedal for a replacement tire and a long overdue accessory installation (my family got me some side-racks for Fathers' Day that require professional installation with my old-school rear rack) and overall check-up.  My older son's bike also needs some reassembly work.  I think we'll be able to get them in and out by Thursday so I can get back to biking by Friday.

I definitely need to keep up on my exercise.  I feel so much better when I do and it is the only way I can survive the holidays without adding extra weight (I know I do not have the self-control to maintain my weight by limiting calories.)

"It's the most fattening time of the year,"
Brad

A day of transition...

Well, my escapism and avoidance only lasted so long. I had nightmares most of last night - all of them involved being stalked or hunted down by some ominous hunter (not Hirogen, though, that would have been at least somewhat cool.) I woke up feeling agitated - and it showed in how I dealt with my family. I think that may be why my oldest has had such a sassy/moody day - he's keyed into his dad's mood a little too much.

Well, I was able to break out of my mood through raking leaves with the whole family. We threw ourselves into the front yard with 3 rakes and 2 garbage cans. My boys had already filled 11 bags before today and we got at least another 15 before we ran out of bags. We didn't even get to the leaves on the smaller side of our driveway - and that's just the front yard. The back yard is at least twice as big and has not been raked this Fall. Hard labor is ahead!

After finishing the leaves my younger son and I went over to Rich's II for their "last day of the season 1/2-price sale." We got 1/2 gallon of vanilla (for Thanksgiving pies) and 1 quart each of their pumpkin and egg nog ice cream. We had some for dessert tonight and it was wonderful!

Tomorrow I am teaching both the 12-18 youth in Sunday School and the Elders Quorum. The youth get a lesson on Eternal Marriage (we just finished the lesson on Chastity last week - so a natural segue) and the brethren get a lesson on Baptism. I love teaching, so it hardly seems like a burden to do so at church. I just hope that the Spirit will be with me - because that's who really teaches.

Brad

Fun with my boys!

The week after Mothers' Day was an amazing week for me and my boys. It was that busy "last week of class" for the Spring Semester, so I was not planning on one of the events that we shared, and dreading the other.

The Brick Armory:

One of my students who is in both the clubs I advise has a membership to a local gun range. As a member of the armed forces, he also has several weapons of his own. He has regularly invited me to come with him and the other students, but they always went in the evening (which is family time for me.) He said the family could come, but I've never taken the initiative to plan it. Well, Wednesday (5/12) he reminded me yet again. I called my wife to see if the boys and I could go (somewhat hoping she would give me an excuse not to go.) Well, she didn't. In fact, it worked out perfectly for her evening plans - so off to the gun range we went!

When we got there, neither of the boys wanted to shoot. I took a couple of turned with the .22 pistol before my younger son decided he wanted a turn. He went right to it! He didn't miss his turn the rest of the night. My older son remained resistant (he even got teary when I suggested that he could have a turn if he wanted one) so I didn't push the idea. Eventually, he saw how much his brother liked it and decided it was OK to try. Once he got the pistol in his hand, though, he began to loosen his grip finger by finger (I was holding it too for the first attempt.) I finally convinced him to just try one shot before he gave up. He did. And then he took another...and another...and another! He quickly emptied the clip and told me how excited he was for his next turn. The rest of the night the two boys took turns with the .22 pistol. They even named the target ("Mr. Deadman") and did a fine job making the name fit. My older son was able to understand the concept of aiming and did the better job of recognizing some of the technique of shooting (two years does make a difference!)

I got to try a couple of other guns. My favorite was the 9mm rifle. Using it, I finished off whatever was left of Mr. Deadman. In the end, both the boys want to go back for another night at the gun range.

Fathers & Sons:

OK, this was the one I knew about but was dreading. I hate camping. The only things that makes camping fun are family (like the Weston reunions) or condos (like East Canyon - maybe a houseboat like Lake Powell.) In this case I didn't see either. My boys are family, of course, but not in my "camping fun" family. They don't sit around the campfire telling old family stories while smoking, drinking coffee and cussing - that's the family I remember as fun. And where can you really "camp" in New Jersey?

Well, we didn't go to a real campsite, but that turned out for the best. We stayed on a large grassy patch in the middle of a "forest-type" area. The boys and I got there with two adult sleeping bags and a 3-man tent. They had their pjs, but no other change of clothes. Ten minutes after we got the tent set-up and loaded, it started pouring rain. We had coordinated dinner with the other fathers/sons from our ward, so that went smoothly, but we were soaked. Fortunately, the rain stopped early enough that the bonfire could be built and we could dry ourselves while we roasted marshmallows for smores. After the fireside, we went to sleep. I had neglected to bring a pillow, but we all slept well. The boys enjoyed the big breakfast in the morning and we left by 8:30. Although my oldest was carsick on the way home, we are all looking forward to next year. We have a list of changes we need to make:

1. Bring an extra set of clothes for everyone.
2. Bring ponchos
3. Each boy gets his own adult sleeping bag (so daddy need a new one)
4. Bring a foam mattress, not air (I forgot to mention that the air mattress had a hole in it and was completely flat by midnight!)
5. Bring a pillow for daddy.

After that week I have come to appreciate my boys a lot more. They are really fun to be with. Any time they aren't, it is normally my fault. Like anything in life, you get out of it what you put into it. I am trying to put more into my relationships with my family. They really are worth it.

I just hope that I am worth it too,
Brad

A chip of the old block...

My oldest son shares so many characteristics with his dad (I will have to apologize to him about that at some point!) One of them is his tendency to sing at all times (and make up lyrics that fit his immediate situation or observations.) When this started, I initially told him to stop making so much noise; however, I realized how hypocritical it was of me to do so. I also realized what a gift it is to be able to sing and make up lyrics on the spot to fit the moment. More and more I am realizing that I have been (and still am, sadly) a controlling parent. Many of the things that I get after my boys about are simply my exerting control over them. It is a continual struggle for me to know when I need to "intervene" and when I am only doing so to satisfy my own controlling need. At least I am solidly on the first step: recognizing that I have a problem!

To end on a happy note, 2 things:

First, my 8 & 1/2 month-old daughter stood by herself for just over 10 seconds this past weekend! She will be walking really soon!

Second, in honor of making up new lyrics to catchy tunes:



With a song in my heart,
Brad

Back to work...

School hasn't officially started yet, but I am back on campus fairly regularly now. I have meetings of all kinds and I am trying to be a little better prepared for the start of this semester than I have been in semesters past (not looking promising!)

I do, however, have something to look forward to this semester - besides the genuine thrill I get from teaching (I am serious about that!) - we are going to Utah for Christmas and New Year's! Just got the tickets last night! We were initially going to get a flight that connected from Philadelphia through Houston to Salt Lake City; however, we waited until Wednesday to purchase the tickets because we had heard that airlines post new and good deals on Wednesdays. Our wait paid off. For just $2 more per ticket we found a non-stop from Philadelphia to Salt Lake City! We were also able to use our credit card rewards to purchase one of the tickets, so we only needed to pay for three (our daughter is still young enough to not require a seat.) I am so looking forward to being with family for Christmas. It will be the first time most of them have seen our daughter in person (she'll be 1 - and probably walking!) They will also be amazed at how tall the boys are (and how old and gray I look.)

Looking forward to December,
Brad

A moment to brag...

Monday night, or rather, early Tuesday morning our daughter woke up and would not go back to sleep. Normally my wife can nurse her back to sleep. If that doesn't work I will rock her, either in the glider or walking around the house, until she falls back asleep. Well, after 30 minutes of walking/rocking she was not going back to sleep. Just as I was headed back to our room with her, she shuddered twice. This is one of her signals that she needs to go potty. So that's where we went and that's what she did.

Initially, I was somewhat annoyed that she had kept us awake at such an early hour just so she could go potty in the toilet. However, she kept us awake because she did not want to go potty in her diaper - she wanted to go in the toilet. That's amazing! I'd say I'm proud of her, but I overheard our primary president giving someone a lecture last Sunday on how there is no such thing as righteous pride - it is all evil. Even Heavenly Father says "in whom I am well pleased", not "in whom I am proud."

We just finished going through our boys' clothes and switching out the smaller sizes for the next sizes up. They are growing so freakin' fast! Fortunately, the need for more clothes was not too overwhelming. The need for shoes was, however. My older boy only has a pair of crocs that fit him. His brother has a pair of Sunday shoes, a pair of leather sandals, and a pair of crocs. Fortunately it is summer, and the younger one never wears running shoes if he has sandals.

Our organizing of the boys' clothes is part of our new Summer Schedule. Since I no longer have a class schedule around which to organize my day - and after spending a week haphazardly taking on the "to-do-list" with minimal success - we decided to schedule out our day on an hourly basis using our Google Calender. It has given us a new sense of purpose and given me a little extra boost of energy to get things done. I just need to work on getting up at 6am to exercise.

I feel good, I feel great, I feel wonderful.
I feel good, I feel great, I feel wonderful.
I feel good, I feel great, I feel wonderful.

-Brad

The politics of Halloween...

OK, for Halloween this year my boys have chosen normal costumes. The younger one will be Superman, and we bought his costume. The older one will be Darth Vader and his mother is making his costume. My wife, due to the fact that she has a cute little parasite growing insider her, will probably wear an orange shirt and call herself a pumpkin. If the baby starts kicking could she say she's the pumpkin from Alien? I have chosen to dress as Dr. Gregory House. My Friday students should have a wonderful time watching me limp around, popping pills (M&Ms) and making sarcastic remarks. Oh the joy of it all!

What does that have to do with politics? Nothing. But this does:



An exaggeration? Nope.

According to Senator Obama taxes have nothing to do with raising revenue, only making the world "fair"...

Q: You favor an increase in the capital gains tax, saying, "I certainly would not go above what existed under Bill Clinton, which was 28%." It's now 15%. That's almost a doubling if you went to 28%. Bill Clinton dropped the capital gains tax to 20%, then George Bush has taken it down to 15%. And in each instance, when the rate dropped, revenues from the tax increased. And in the 1980s, when the tax was increased to 28%, the revenues went down.

A: What I've said is that I would look at raising the capital gains tax for purposes of fairness. The top 50 hedge fund managers made $29 billion last year--$29 billion for 50 individuals. Those who are able to work the stock market and amass huge fortunes on capital gains are paying a lower tax rate than their secretaries. That's not fair.

Q: But history shows that when you drop the capital gains tax, the revenues go up.

A: Well, that might happen or it might not. It depends on what's happening on Wall Street and how business is going.

Source: 2008 Philadelphia primary debate, on eve of PA primary Apr 16, 2008

I look forward to leeching off the work of others and having no part (stake? interest? reason to care?) in the funding of our government for the next 4 to 8 years,

Brad

So much to catch up...

1. We closed on our house last Tuesday.
2. We found out we are having a girl on Thursday.
3. We finished packing everything up on Friday.
4. We moved everything into the new house and officially vacated the apartment on Saturday.
5. I taught the priesthood lesson on Sunday.
6. We all came to OCC today.

OK, some details...

Our ward members really came through on our move. Two people helped us pack up on Friday and about a dozen helped us move on Saturday. Because of all their help, it only took us 3 hours to move everything from the apartment to the house. Of course, now we have to organize everything!

The whole family was there for the ultra-sound on Thursday. It was really cool to see her little arms, hands and heart. When the tech said it looked like a girl, the greatest feeling came over me. My wife and I had suspected that it was a girl, and we were hoping for one. The boys are so excited to have a little sister, and I think they'll make great older brothers.

Well there it is for now. We've got a lot of work ahead of us as we settle into the new place, so you may not hear from me too often (so nothing new there!) I'll try to keep everyone informed as big events take place.

The happy homeowner,
Brad

A fun weekend...

Last Wednesday my wife's sister and her husband arrived to stay with us for the weekend. They spent most of the day Thursday resting (they were on their way back to Utah from Europe) while I taught my morning class and my wife attended her afternoon ASL class. Friday we were ready for some fun!

A family in our ward runs a parasailing business out of Point Pleasant and has been reminding us that we need to come try it out. With family in town our chance had come! We went up in pairs - I got to go with my younger son, then my sister-in-law and her husband went, and finally my wife and older son went. Neither of my boys are big fans of heights (nor am I, just ask my sister about the Eiffel Tower or the big ferris wheel at lagoon) but they both loved the ride and are ready to go again!

While the in-laws were in New York on Saturday, we went up to the Monmouth Mall to do some maternity clothes shopping and see WALL•E. I loved it! I even got a little teary at the end. The boys loved it too; unfortunately, my older son got impatient when we didn't get up and leave once the credits started. I guess we haven't done a good job passing down that tradition. The clothes shopping was also a great success. For dinner we went to 4 different places at the food court - isn't that what a food court is for?

I think we are going to try to have more weekends like that this summer,
Brad

Running again...

I've decided to start running again. I found a pretty cool podcast to help in my return called Podrunner: Intervals. I tried the first week's edition of "First Day to 5K" yesterday. The 142 beats per minute pace for the running portion was too slow for me. I also felt like I was walking more than I really needed to. Nevertheless, I am sore today. I definitely use different muscles when running than I do when biking. For tomorrow I plan to use week one of the "Gateway to 8K." I figure since I am in good shape because of my biking and I have a history of running, I can skip ahead. I'll let you know how tomorrow goes.

Yesterday my boys dressed one of their teddy bears as a king and put him on a chair in their room. They both picked up their swords and stood guard outside the door. At regular intervals they would come tell me and my wife that "the king wishes to see you." I love the creativity and energy they have - I just wish I was more patient and understanding of all their creativity and energy. Oh well! It gives me something to improve on. I could also improve my patience when they don't understand what I have asked them to do. It may take more time to explain, but ultimately its worth the result:



Finally, what do you get when you combine 80s music, Star Wars, and So You Think You Can Dance?



The dark side is just so much cooler,
Brad

From the mouth of my boy...

My younger son says some of the best stuff to describe new or different sensations. For example, he calls any food or drink that has an unusual or strong taste or texture "spicy." Well, yesterday my wife was lightly tickling him on the back of his neck. We can do that with him. His older brother is so ticklish he would have dropped to the ground in hysterics the instant we touched his neck. But I digress. After she had been tickling him for about 20 seconds he said "now I'm all hairy." I never would have thought to identify "getting the chills" or "goosebumps" as "I'm all hairy."

A few days ago my wife was serving the boys lunch. We normally buy the "double fiber" variety of Arnold bread (it's been on sale lately.) Well, I decided to get a variety the last time I went shopping. One of the variety was called "Oat Nut." It's a little lighter in color and texture than the double fiber, but still has lots of good stuff in it. My wife chose the Oat Nut bread to make the boys' sandwiches. When my younger son saw the bread he said, "Is that white bread? I don't like white bread!" My wife reassured him that it was not white bread. Later that night when she told me the story, we shared a moment of deep pride in the bread preferences we have instilled in our boys.

Raising healthy and regular boys,
Brad

We're having a heat wave...

Going on three days of near 100-degree weather (105+ if you count the heat index!) Needless to say, I have not been biking to work this week. A 7am ride at 80 degrees would be OK, but the 95+ degree ride at 3 or 4 in the afternoon might be a bit rough. I have also finally changed into my summer teaching wardrobe. On Monday I wore my long-sleeve, button-down shirt with a tie, and nearly died! Today I've got khakis and a three-button short-sleeved shirt, and I feel fine.

Last night at dinner we had scrambled eggs with cheese and chives mixed in. My younger son asked my wife "what do you call those things?" and pointed towards the pan of eggs. My wife said, "those are eggs" to which my son said, "not those, the chives!"

It reminded me of the cartoon with Sylvester the cat trying to catch the mouse (baby kangaroo) for his friend who calls him "George"...

"Why do you call me George? My name is Sylvester?"
"Because I cannot say Sylvester, George."

Finally, my class recently discussed the idea of equality. We talked about Aristotle and Jefferson as examples of theorists who think equality is good, though they have differing views of what constitutes equality. We then talked about Nietzsche and Vonnegut. These two think equality is not a neutral and universal good. Like all ideas, it is a tool employed in the interest of some at the expense of others. Kurt Vonnegut's short story Harrison Bergeron is quite interesting (and an easy read.) Though we haven't started visibly handicapping those who excel (or have we?) there are some signs that excellence runs counter to recognition:

Grapevine student with top grades won't be valedictorian.

The key to this controversy (for me) is here:

Anjali rocketed through high school in only three years.

But a school district policy states: "The valedictorian shall be the eligible student with the highest weighted grade-point average for four years of high school."

The dispute over Anjali's status as valedictorian comes down to interpretation: Does four years mean calendar years of school attendance or does it mean completing the credits it takes most students four years to earn?

You cannot make the argument that it means four calender years. Why? If I took history every class for four years and had the highest GPA I would never be called the valedictorian. Why? I didn't FINISH high school in the process. Therefore, the key is finishing the credits, not the time in school.

I think I'll go put on my little mental handicap radio so I don't have to worry about such things,
Brad

2 houses and a baby...

Well, most of you know by now that in addition to buying a new house we are expecting our third child. The due date (for the baby) will give us another December baby. The two boys both came two weeks early, so there is a very slight possibility it will come as early as late-late-November. More likely it will come in the first half of December. We announced it to our boys last night and my older son spent all of choir rehearsal asking people "have you heard the news?" He even took the ultra-sound pictures so that people could see. Even this morning, both the boys are still chatting about how excited they are and how they wish the baby was already here (to which my wife added her whole-hearted agreement!)

As for the house, everything is on track for our July 11th closing date. I guess that means we should start packing. We really haven't yet. After the 24th of June our schedule will get even more busy! Hopefully this is the last move for several years (or decades.)

In other news, my wife and I have become fans of House. I absolutely love Hugh Laurie! Of course, I am much better than most fans of House in that I appreciated Hugh during his "artistic" phase before he became a star on Fox:



And the classic "Well.......and call me....." line:


Perhaps I need a YouTube Blackadder marathon,
Brad

One down, one to go...

It's basically over on the Republican side now that Romney's gone. I am personally disappointed. I didn't like McCain in 2000, and that was before his name began regularly appearing on legislation next to almost every liberal democrat in the Senate. Oh well! At least we'll still have interesting debates as Huckleby kisses McCain's butt in an effort to secure the VP nomination and crazy uncle Paul keeps failing to take his meds.

The Democratic nomination is still up for grabs. Though Hillary is leading, Obama is favored by the gamblers (59-41). If Hillary pulls it off, I think McCain has a decent chance. Obama, however, will run circles around angry old-man McCain in the general election. McCain's been the media darling because he was the "liberal" Republican. When he's the conservative candidate, the media will turn on him at every opportunity (the idea of any Democrat as president triggers their most primal pleasure centers.)

Enough politics - maybe I'll get a late start on lent and give up political primaries.

Last Sunday was Fast Sunday, and my wife and I choose to fast from lunch Saturday to lunch Sunday. So after running some errands on Saturday afternoon, we decided to let the boys choose what they wanted for dinner. My older son said "hamburgers" and my younger son said "hot cereal." My wife and I offered to get White Castle burgers for them. My older son was overjoyed; however, my younger son still said he wanted hot cereal. OK, so on the way to White Castle my younger son was bothering his brother, so I said "if you don't stop hitting him I'll get you a burger and you won't get hot cereal!" That did the trick. He was well-behaved the rest of the drive and happily ate his hot cereal and fries (my younger son would never give up fries.)

Who knew that a burger was such a powerful threat?
Brad