Summer Swim

I continue to marvel at how much the kids love to swim, and how fast they progress in skill. Katie is now diving to the bottom of the pool (like 9' down) and picking up multiple rings. Andy is holding his breath for 20 seconds. The both love to jump in and splash me. Katie did about 25 cannon balls in a row without stopping during this session. I've gotten the kids firmly hooked on 80s music as we listen to it on the the pool speakers while we swim. Katie like the Bangles. Andy likes anything that lets him play air guitar.

Tomorrow Jen has to get her teeth cleaned so I am going to babysit the kids at HP for a long lunch while this is going on. The campus is pretty big and I'm going to take them on a tour of all the 'fun' stuff. Ill report back in with how it goes. I'm expecting the vending machine and the copy machine to be the big hits. Also we have a white-board that you can 'print' whatever you draw on it... It's pretty funny how excited they are about coming to the office. It reminds me of how Dad used to take TL and I to GE and let us Xerox our faces on the high-tech copy machine in the 70s. Good times.

Anti-Fire Fireworks

Wish I had a better picture to tell this story. Not that this ins't a great picture of Uncles Chris and Monty, as well as the beautify Katie and cousin Nika...

This shot was taken just before a very exciting night of watching fireworks in Parker, Co. Imagine that you are sitting in the dark, on nice cozy comfy blankets, surrounded by friends and family in the middle of a grassy area in a park. There are people surrounding you everywhere. Everyone is waiting anxiously for the fireworks to begin.

When all of a sudden you hear that familiar but terryfing sound of a large sprinkler system turning on... and the sound is ALL AROUND YOU. Seconds later you feel streams of cold water beaning you in the head. Mayhem quickly ensues. Screams and shrills as hundreds of people start panicing running into each other, and grabbing thier stuff while they blindly stagger to try to find a safe place from the automated sprinkler sentries that are systematically soaking everyone in sight... kinda like attack of the water cylons.

It was pretty exciting. We all got soaked with the exception of Kari who managed to stay smart, not move, and avoid any water at all.

Those people in Parker sure know how to have fun at thier fireworks shows!

Steve

Uncontrolable Giggles in the Weee Hours of the Morning

I have a little story to share. I will warn you up-front with a disclaimer that it is one of those stories that is likely not to be nearly as funny for you (the reader) as it was for me. I also warn you that it involves flatulence and two 'men' sleeping together...

OK, with that warning out of the way, here goes:

Two nights ago I was heading to bed. It was very late and I was really tired. Also, it's been pretty stressful around here so I was ready to hit the sack. I went into Andy's room to wake him up and have him go to the bathroom to try and prevent another accident (we have had a little too many lately.) As I woke him up, he asked me to get him a small sip of water, which I did. Jen had been not feeling well and so I deided to sleep with Andy in the guest bedroom.

We started to settle into sleep, we said our 'good-nights'... and then about 10 seconds into the silence, my son makes a sound from his rear-end that was a little like a cross between an elephant and the horn of an 18-wheeler! I mean, it was long, and it was LOUD.

Well, the comedic timing was perfect, and it sent Andy and I both into the giggles. The giggles then progressed into chuckles, and then laughing, and then full-on hysterics. I swear we were both laughing for at least 10 minutes, to the point where Andy told me his face and tummy hurt from all the laughing. Mine did too, really bad. But we couldn't stop. It was one of the best 10 minutes of my life.

I have only had the 'uncontrollable giggles' about 5 or 6 times in my life. Each time it is memorable and euphoric. Reflecting on this, I realize that my body and mind (with all the stress of late) simply needed to unload and laugh. It felt like taking a shower. It was great. I can't speak for Andy's motivations, other than he thinks pretty much anything is funny.

Thank you my son, I can't wait for the next one.

More from the 4th

For those of you who don't know my mother-in-law, you are all missing out on one of the greatest holiday hostesses America has to offer. Kari takes holidays to heart, and drives this home with detailed holiday decor, as well as smartly coordinated outfits, AND full-blown feasts to top it all off. (My favorite part is the mass selection of sweets and treats :).

The 4th was no different with much red white and blue to be had by all. As you can see, Katie got so much sun that she was always flying the independance spirit on her rosy cheeks.

The Godfather

Another special treat during our visit to Co was to meet up with "Unc-al Gom-ery". That's Andy language for Uncle Montgomery. The kids had a great time catching-up with Monty, as it had been far too long since their last visit. Monty was ready to go with much wrestling, sprinkler chasing and all-around shennaigans. As you can see for the picture, the mere presence of Uncle Gomery spawns the most demure behaviour in my kids.

Still backlogged on pics, will try and get more up. Don't want to leave anyone out!

Castle Rock

While we were in Colorado, we got the treat to get together with all the Heldt cousins for the first time in a long while. It was truly special to see everyone and marvel at the kids.

My favorite moments:

Mike putting a Pepper Johnson style linebacker hit on Krystal

BBQing in the rain

Duck Duck Goose

Watching Mike play his church guitar solo.... 5 times!

And being reminded that family is something that changes and grows. Children become parents and parents become grandparents. And sometimes, when the weather is just right, we all get the chance to act just like kids again.

Thanks for having us, hope to see you all soon.

We just got back from a nice long vacation in Colorado. Visiting family, and enjoying the warm warm weather. The kids had a great time seeing all their cousins... I think we saw them all -- at least all the ones I know about.

I came back a bit a early to work, and Jen and the kids flew home a bit later. After getting home from the airport, I had an interesting conversation with Katie:

Me: "Katie, you guys need to take a bath."

Katie: (Looking at her hands and body) "But I'm not dirty..."

Me: "Well, you have just been through the airport, and there is a lot of dirt you can't see called bacteria that we need to wash off."

Katie: "What is Bak-tear-eee-ahhh"

Me: "Its like little bugs that you can't see that crawl on you and can make you sick."

Katie: (Thinking now, looking both disgusted, and a bit worried) "Why would god make bad things like bacteria?"


I decided not to answer, mainly because I didn't have an answer. I think there are a lot of questions about why god makes bad things and it was interesting to see Katie unconver this line of thinking. We talked about it later and I ttold her that there are lots of bad things in the world, and that god has them there to teach us things.

But seriously, what the heck good is bacteria anyways? I read the Wiki, and I still don't see any benefit. I'm open to any suggestions in helping to answer katie's question.

When I Grow Up

The other night I asked the kids what they wanted to be when they grew up. Katie thought for a few seconds, and then decided that she wanted to be a writer, and write books for kids and adults. I could actually see her doing this. She like to spend a lot of time drawing and making up stories to go with her pictures. She even started making a book this week called, "The Cat with Red Eyes". Coming soon to a store near you.

Andy thought hard about the question, and finally decided not to choose. "I don't want to tell you" he said. I let it go, and then tonight while I was putting him down for bed, he brought it up to me. "Dad, when I grow up, I want to be a Ninja." I chuckled of course. He quickly followed this up with some questions about the profession: "Are Ninjas bad?", "Do Ninjas use Lightsabers?", and most importantly, "Can I be a GOOD Ninja?"

So, it looks like I have one kids who is going to write books for the betterment of society, and one good natured assassian. I guess it could be worse!

Heat

Its been boiling the last few days. 90 in the shade in our house. Pool is a godsend. Kids swimming today, Jen and I taking turns sweating.

Dad's Day

We had a nice quiet dad's day today. Some very special presents with my very special family.

Negotiations

As the kids have gotten older, and more savvy to Jen's and my management skills, they have started to master the art of negotiation. I think all parents know what I am talking about here. I can't remember the first time it happened to be honest. I'm sure it was something as infantile as crying in response to something they don't like, and then us letting them off the hook. It's at that moment that they begin to realize they have some control over the outcome of thier lives.

Crying as a tactic is still in full effect, however, they are beginning to use more strategic means to get thier way as well; like compromising, or trying to create win-win situations. A few examples:

Us: "Eat your dinner."
Them: "Well, what if I just eat 2 of my chicken nuggets?"

Us: "We are turning off the TV in 5 minutes."
Them: "10 Minutes!" (Andy this morning)

Us: "Go pick out a book."
Them: "3 Books!"

Ok, well, none of those are win-win, but you get the point.

The scenarios are endless. To be honest, we are both getting quite tired of it. It's easy to objectively say, 'we are going to have zero tolerance' and therefor diffuse any elements of control. The reality is, there are situations where a compromise is far better than a meltdown, and there are other times when we are just so darn tired at the end of the day, that we just don't have the energy to uphold the law.

Last night, I put the kids to bed (which is always a battle) and Andy snuk back out to watch TV with Jen and snuggle with her on the couch. I was in the den. He had taken a very long nap earlier, and so Jen let it slide. Within a few minutes, he was fast asleep next to her on the couch.

Now Andy knows that if daddy catches him out of bed after bedtime, that I will raise my voice at him and usually take away some upcoming privalge. So when Jen called for me to come put him in his bed, Andy instantly woke from a dead sleep, and sprinted back to his bed! We both had to laugh at his response. It's good to know that we still have a little authority, even when we don't always work for it.

I am sure that these challenges will only become more intese as the kids mature. I dread the teenage years. Until then, I will continue to appreciate any level of influence we have, and try to remind myself that independence and creative problem solving are good skills for my chidren to have.

Bella

Katie often ends up having to endure a lot more Hot Wheels and Power Rangers than most girls, considering many of our close friends have boys. However, once and a while she busts out "Bella Bella Dancerella" and strongly reconnects with her 'shego' -- the result is a lot of confusion on the boys faces. They don't know what to do but just stand there.

The Spoils of No-Soils

Andy has had a "Pee Pee" chart going on his wall. The idea is, that if he can go seven days without an accident, and without drinking juice at night before bed, that we would take him to Toy R Us to get something of his choice. Well, the big day finally came, and to celebrate his apple juice sobriety and clean sheets, we took him to the toy store as promised. You can see what he got: Darth Vader with removable helmet. And I quote: "See dad, he's good underneath."

Scooting

We have recently gotten scooters for the kids. Katie has it mastered already, Andy is still coming up the curve. So far no serious injuries. Andy gets mad at his scooter sometimes when it dosen't do what he wants.

Old Friends

Special treat for me this weekend. My old buddy Jeff "Zeeke" Ruzicka, came home for a week from Costa Rica to celebrate the 1-year birthday of his boy, Suede. Many old bros from the SD spin-off clan were in attendance, including: Karl "The Schlicker" Schlaich, Tony "Salami" Anselmi, Travis "T-Tau" Taylor, and Paul "PT" Torres. We had a great time catching-up and seeing each others kids. Travis is in the lead with 3, and Karl and I are in a tie for second with 2 each, followed by Zeeke, with one on the board, and one on deck. (Of course everything is a competition.)

Napster

Andy's naps are getting out of control. Every day it 4pm its like someone slips him a mickey.

On the bright side, it gives Katie and I opportunities to play games like "Uno". She is really pretty good. I especially like watching her use strategy. You can see the wheels turn as she thinks about what happens 'if'...

Memorable First

We went to the beach on Monday. It was windy, sunny, and warm. Some friends had brought a boogie board and I decided I would take Andy out for a first attempt at riding waves. he did great. He was a little scared going out, but once he caught that first wave, it was all good.

An Escalation of Power

Yesterday Andy and his friend Austin were playing "War" with one of the most classic toys ever; the good 'ol Green Army Men. They used the train table to serve as a battlefield and erected a glorious battle as you can see above. After taking a while to blow each others men up, it dawned on Andy that their other toys in the vicinity might be able to improve his strength against his opponent.

Andy then grabbed Donatello (the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle action figure), proudly planted him on the field and then things kinda went like this:

Andy: "I got Ninja Turtle on MY Army!"

Austin: (Joining in and grabbing his own ninja turtle) "I got a Ninja Turtle on MY Army too!"

Andy: "I got a Giraffe on MY Army!"

Austin: "I got an Elephant on MY Army!"

Andy: "I got a motorcycle on MY Army!"

Austin: "I got a X-Wing Fighter on My Army!"

Andy: "I got a Tie Fighter on MY Army!"

Things kept going like this until the toys ran out, and then the battle began. In the end, all toys were killed in this super mega battle. I guess I won't be holding out for world peace in Andy's generation.

Crazyhair

Another "Crazy Hair" day for Katie at school.

Homer and the Sneeches

About 2 months ago, Andy realized that we have a lot of neat leatherbound classics in the den. He likes being read to, and so he took an interest in the books, with their fancy covers with gold-painted pictures.

Not long after discovering the collection, Andy found Homer's Illiad and Odyessy. He really liked the two Trojan warriors on the cover, and since that day, has asked me nearly every night to read him that book. Often times, he will get the book from the shelf, and bring it to me. Each time I laugh and tell him, "You won't understand it."

Tonight he brought the book to me again, clearly undeterred by my warnings. Tired of fending off his ceaseless requests, I agreed to read it to him.

After about two pages, he stops me and says, "Dad, it's hard to understand." I smiled at him and said, "What do you want to read?". He says, "How about Sneeches?" (Dr. Seuess...)

And so I took Homer back to the shelf in the den, and I thought about the irony that my son could not understand that he would not be able to understand the book. I thought about how many other things I will try to help him understand that will inevitably fall on deaf ears. I then started to feel some urgency, to share with him the little knowledge that I have gathered over the years... maybe I should set up some 'life lesson time', or something...

Then it occured to me that Andy is one of the happiest people I know in this world. Not long after that realization, I decided with supreme confidence that he should be in no rush to understand life. After all, ignorance is truly bliss. Now, if I could only find a way to return to ignorance...

I think I am starting to understand why I am always so eager to keep reading Seuess, and the Sneeches.