Batteries in the brain?

After a long day at work, I was just mentally tired, my batteries were just worn down. Things have been a little more fast paced than usually and there are more than a few large departmental projects going on at this time. So, I get home and gobble up some dinner, grab the boys and then off to Justin's soccer practice. On the way there, I was having a conversation with the boys. At one point in the conversation, Justin was having trouble formulating his response. He would start a sentence, stumble over it, and then try again. After about three attempts at trying to get his response out of his mouth, he announces that the batteries in his brain were dead! I know what you mean, Justin! That comment made me laugh and it helped to recharge my batteries.

Manny's Birthday Party

I get a call the other day from Justin. He tells me that it is Manny's birthday today. Although I think I know everyone in my immediate family and I think I know my kids' friends. I was at a loss, so I ask him who is Manny. He replies,"You know, Dad, Manny from Ice Age." Manny is pictured here with his birthday headband on.
Well, I have to admit, I was a little surprised to learn that Manny was turning four year old. So, what do you do when your young son decides that it is Manny's birthday? You have a birthday party. Justin planned a great party.

Here are the party goers in their stylish party hats!


Here is Derek playing pin the tire on the car. I think he may have been cheating.


Time for cake!

Finished opening gifts. Every woolly mammoth needs a slinky and a pig!

Happy Birthday Manny the Mammoth!!!

Trip to Arizona

Sandi and I had the opportunity to go to Arizona last weekend to participate in the wedding of some very good friends. I think Phoenix only gets about six inches of rain per year and they got at least half of it the day before we arrived. The weather did end up cooperating and our friends had a beautiful outside wedding.

While we did fly into Phoenix, we drove up to Sedona for the wedding. I had the opportunity to take a hike at Boynton Canyon Trail. It was incredible!! Here are some pics from the hike.

Test your skills...

This little test was sent to me the other day. Not sure if the Air Force really uses this (it is a little archaic looking), but it is fun and addicting.

The object of the game is to move the red block around without getting hit by the blue blocks or touching the black walls. If you can go longer than 18 seconds you are phenomenal. It's been said that the US Air Force uses this for fighter pilots. They are expected to go for at least 2 minutes. Hit the link below and test yourself.

The URL is http://tinyurl.com/56t9u

Good luck and have fun!!

Bad Hair Day...

Well, it is about time for Carley to make her debut on the blog. She is my little princess for sure! However, even a princess has a bad hair day now and then. One day, it turned out like this:


Well, she didn't like it, so we tried to straighten it using one of those new fangled hair straighteners:


Well, that didn't work either!! The good thing is, we have Mommy and Mommy can make her look like a princess!!


Love you, Carley!

Well, it happened…

I knew it would, but I didn't think it would happen so soon (after all Derek is only in second grade and Justin is in preschool)! We got TP'd! Yes, last night some "visitors" come over to our front yard with what seemed like 50 rolls of toilet paper. Although I am not too happy about this, I am proud of them. They did such a great job! They not only decorated the trees, like every TPer does, they went further. They wrapped the mailbox, completely. They wrapped tree trunks, completely. They wrapped the bushes, the basketball post and hoop, and they wrapped the yard light!! If I were to TP someone, this is the way I would do it.

On our way home from church this morning, I prepped the boys for the clean up task ahead of us. They were excited to help clean up and we are all charged up to tackle the toilet paper that awaited our return. Upon on arrival home, we were met by neighbors and the neighborhood kids. They had cleaned up everything!! Well, everything except the tops of the trees. We will let mother nature and her wind and rain take care of those last few pieces. I would like to publicly thank all of the neighbors and kids for their help in cleaning up our front yard artwork!

For what it is worth, here are some pics of the last remaining stragglers.

The Music Man...

Justin is our free spirit in an otherwise type-A family. He is our performer and loves to play instruments and he likes to dance. Here he is, pounding out a new beat on his drums.


Justin's dance moves are his and his alone. There is no imitating what he does! In honor of Justin and his love of dancing, let's take a look at the evolution of dance. Enjoy!

Youth soccer rocks!!

Derek had another indoor soccer game tonight. Great game for the Sharks FC team. They won 8 to 1 and played very well. Derek played another fantastic game. Two goals tonight and a couple assists and stellar defense. A whopping zero players got past him tonight. He also put on another dribbling clinic on this team. He is not quite to the level of Ronaldinho (the greatest soccer player inhabiting the earth at this point) but he is getting there.

Yes, I am a proud father and coach. I have the privilege of being able to coach both Derek and Justin in their youth soccer leagues. It has been a great ride for me as well as them. It is exciting to see them develop and grow in the sport. Derek has some innate soccer skills and I really enjoy watching him play. I also appreciate his respect and love of the game right now. I hope that he continues to respect and love the game throughout his life.

I do have to say that I am anxious to see how Justin's relationship with the game grows. This spring will be his second season and it is an adventure to watch these little guys play! It is four on four, beehive soccer. Every once in a while, there is a break away, but mostly just chaos on the field.

So here's to you, weekend warrior coaches and players!! Keep the sport alive and keep us entertained!!

It’s a good tired…

Well, it is late on a Saturday night and what is a guy to do. I guess blogging is not the most exciting thing to do on a Saturday night, but hey, the kids and some work kept me busy today and I am tired. It is a good tired; a tired that my phenomenal wife, Sandi, bears everyday. Why am I tired you ask…

You see, Sandi was scrapbooking. It's a gal thing. They all lug 100 lbs. of pictures, paper, markers, supplies, and the cell phone to a local shop. They then indulge in laying out these wonderful stories about their families and children, well, mostly the children. They weave together pictures and paper to produce these tapestries that are priceless. She needed today. She needed girl time. She needed to recharge.

I get to involve myself in many things that take me out of the home at times. School committee meetings, coaching the boys' soccer teams, community functions, and the list goes on. Sandi is a stay at home mother and I don't appreciate that enough, nor do I thank her enough for what she "endures" everyday. Kids are not easy. Managing the home is not easy. Transporting the kids is not easy. Her list goes on longer than mine. She gets tired and so do I. Guys, be in tune with your wife. Know that she is working harder than you are. They need to recharge and this benefits everyone.