Breaking-in the Backyard

We did something last night that I haven't done since I was a kid. We camped in our own backyard.

Austie and Devin joined us for the psuedo-wilderness retreat. We did all the standard stuff; cooked hotdogs, smores, told stories, played with flashlights, etc. The only real difference was that we had indoor plumbing when needed and also a big screen TV for a quick show before bedtime. :)

Fun stuff. Sure is a lot cleaner and easier than real nature!

9 Years

And they said it wouldn't last...

Well, no one really said that, at least not to my face, but it sure feels like an accomplishment.

Yes, we just reached our 9 year anniversary. It seems like just yesterday that we were living in Pacific Beach and flirting with the idea of becoming more than 'just friends'. We haven't yet celebrated and have a night set aside next week to go out on a date. (Gasp, what a concept!)

I couldn't ask for a more beautiful, talented, wonderful wife, and I am lucky to have someone who is willing to put up with the insanity that is me.

Little Man

Yes, Andy is now 4. For those of you who know him well, you know that this kid is developing to be one heck of a character. Andy is currently way into Power Rangers, Star Wars, Bakugon Transformers, Learning to Ride his Bike and many other toys and action figures. Happy Birthday buddy!

She was an American Girl

The recap on Katie's Birthday and Nana's Visit:

So little miss Katie is now a big 6 years old! Katie celebrated by having Jennifer and Nana take her to "American Girl". For those of you who don't know what American Girl is, Google it. It's kinda like Cabbage Patch kids meets Disneyland. The marketing machine behind it is very powerful, and the resulting drain on my bank account is frightening...

Nonetheless, Katie loved it to death. Note the coordinated outfits, and the whole thing is designed for Katie and her dollie (Kyla) to do everything together. A true girlie experience for a true girlie girl.

Even though we were moving, we still found time to have some cupcakes, sundaes, and have decorations to boot.

Nana was a huge help during the move. She did a lot of heavy lifting with us, watched the kids, and allowed us to do a lot of other things. We never would have pulled it off without her help, thanks Nana! One of nana's favorite things about out old house was the pool, and considering how hot it was, nana took full advantage of cooling down in the water. Those are Andy's goggles on upside down :)

Big Changes

Wow, not only am I behind in my blogging, but I also have a TON of things to update you all on. At least I have an excuse, its been a pretty big week.

In the last 7 days we did the following:

- Sold our House
- Moved to a New House
- I Started a new Job
- Katie Turned 6
- Andy Turned 4
- Nana Came to Visit

Is that enough change for ya? It is for us, we are tired. So Ill try to follow-up with posts on each topic in the next week.

Starting with the Move...

MOVING

Yes, its goodbye to the old 1500 sqft place in University City, and hello to the new 2700 sqft place in La Jolla. Quite a change. Feels like living in a mansion. I must admit I love the new space. I have a den that casts a view over San Diego, the kids have a play-room sun-room, and Jen has... well a lot more to clean up.

Things I miss about the old house:
- The pool, by far the most
- All the memories, the baby steps, where the family began
- Knowing where everything is
- The nice neighbors

Things I dont miss about the old house:
- The size
- The landscape work (which I never really did a very good job at)
- The absence of a backyard
- The crazy neighbors

Things I like about the new house:
- The backyard
- The view
- The space
- My home office
- My wife's support to make the move

Things I don't like so much about the new house:
- The exploding plumbing (yeah, that's a lot of fun on the move-in)
- Renting (we decided to rent for a year for a number of reasons, mainly to give us time to find the 'right house')
- The added 15 minutes to my commute

All in all, its been quite a transition. I think the kids have adapted amazingly well and are excited about their new rooms, the yard and the prospect of continuing school with their La Jolla preschool classmates. Oh and the fact that we seem to have a pet already: there is a cotton-tail bunny that lives somewhere near here and comes into our yard to snack on the grass. More pics and details on that later.

We are actually pretty much there in terms of being unpacked. The rooms look a little barren considering we dont have a lot in the way of stuff.

Here are the photo journal highlights:

Sold!

Wow, all our stuff really CAN fit in the garage!

...which is good cause it has to go in this truck...

Bye bye old house!

Hello new yard, a little Bocce Ball

Andy gets a little air on the backyard swing

Moving boxes aren't just for packing stuff

A Day in the Life of 2008

Note to self, read this in 10 years and laugh at what you used to do:

What I did today:

I wore Jeans to work to meet with the top executives at my company.

I spent $16 on gas to drive 30 minutes to, and 30 minutes from work.

I drank a cup of coffee, and spilled a good amount of it on the table of a conference room that had a sign on the door that said, "No food or drink inside".

The room above also had coasters on the table.

I texted, I IM'd, I called (Cell and Land Line), I Halo'd, I Emailed, and I wrote a few notes.

I got 200 emails.

I sent at least 30.

I talked with at least two dozen different people, across 3 continents.

I met face to face with someone from Oregon and someone from Idaho, at the same time.

I changed my Satellite TV service options.

I listened to many songs, including: "Californication" on my Iphone (Red hot Chili Peppers), "Rio" while swimming (Duran Duran), and "With or Without You" in the car (U2)

I called an old friend and asked him if he was bringing his wife to our 20 year High School Reunion dinner.

I thought too long about some things I don't like about my life. I then scolded my brain and promptly did the next thing on the list.

I swam with my kids. We took turns watching each other do cannon balls... from underwater -- and we marvelled at the number of bubbles that one can make when doing this.

I kissed my wife 3 different times.

I told my daughter that she was the most beautiful girl in the world (once in the morning, and once at night).

I took a 15 minute unplanned nap on the couch with my son lying on top of me. It would have been longer but it's not easy to nap like that.

I blogged this.

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.