One of these reminds me of our family....actually...

Drinking champagne in the morning

I'd chilled it for the evening but we got home too late and too tired to open it up, so this morning Miku and I blew the cork on a bottle Moët and we toasted Yuzuru's successful dissertation defense. She did it!

There are still some revisions to due by the October deadline, but we've got Dr. Mom in da' house!

Miku's bilingualism leads to amazing Spanish abilities

This morning we were talking about a friend who lived in San Diego. Miku heard this and brought up Dora, who's cousin's name is Diego. Yuzuru and I were trying to figure out what "San" means in Spanish. At first I thought it was "city of" but then realized that "Los" means that. Yuzuru suggested "Saint" but that's "Santa", I think.

We were explaining to Miku that many cities have Spanish names and begin with San: San Diego, San Francisco ("I've been to San Francisco!" she exclaims), San Antonio.

Then we mentioned that some cities also have "Santa" names: Santa Fe, Santa Barbara, Santa Monica, Santa Cruz.

And of course, Miku adds "Santa Claus."

Cat Fud -->

This reminded me of the Far Side cartoon where the dog tried to get the cat into the drier.


more cat pictures

Dreams of old

Today Miku had a bit of a fever so I laid down with her for a nap. Of course I fell asleep too. I dreamt of the Cataldo Post Office. In the dream, I was walking by as they were unloading/loading the truck. I just stood by and watched it, thinking about how magical and mysterious the truck was. I used to ride my BigWheel™ around the loading dock and broke one once jumping it off the loading dock. I got a CHiPs branded one as a replacement. I remember dragging my broken one home in tears, crying at my friends (Aaron Wilson and one other boy I don't remember offhand) about how I could never play with them again, ever, because it had broken. Not that I was going to be in trouble, but that it was broken beyond repair.

Somehow in the dream I was also suddenly unloading a few personal items from the truck (a jar of pickles, what?) I finished taking my items out, stacking them on the sidewalk next to the post office, and the driver (always faceless and mysterious) came out, got in the truck and drove away.

So Old he Pooped Pretrified

Jrod, you remember telling me there was a dog so old when he pooped it was petrified poop? Not sure why I remember that so vividly but I do. I'm sure there were many other theories you had while we were growing up that would be cool to hear.

Remember the earthquake story?

Emma is just like her family

On Fathers Day Emma demonstrated how much she is like her Aunt Antigone. We were getting ready to leave the house to go see Baba and eat Ben-Yays. We were doing good, only about 15 minutes behind schedule when we headed for the door. I realized right before we walked out that we didn't have a stinky. I asked Emma to go upstairs and get the one next to the bed. I should have known better to send a 23 month old upstairs to get a stinky. I figured while she was on her way upstairs I would look for the one that I had seen downstairs earlier that morning. After a minute or two and now sound from Emma I thought I better head upstairs to see what she was up too. Rather than grabbing her stinky that was on the night stand she took advantage of the bathroom door being open.

First thing she grabbed was a bottle of finger nail polish. What's interesting about that is no one in this house uses finger nail polish. Grandma Lori always paints Emma's fingers and her house and Steph has someone do her nails for her. Anyhow Emma found a full bottle in what had to be the first minute she was upstairs because no only had she tried painting her finger nails she also had her toenails painted on one foot and the rest of the bottle on the bathroom floor. When I walked into the bathroom the first word out of Emma's mouth was "Preeetty". Very similar to someone about the same age (antigone) getting into finger nail polish and getting it all over the bedroom floor. Getting it on the carpet rather than the linolium and saying "beautiful" rather than "pretty" is the only differences.

I think this next story is an all time classic and solidifies Baba's theory that Emma is a clone of her Dad.

A few nights ago we took a family trip to Coldstone Creamery downtown. Emma was ecstatic about going to the ice cream store to pick out her own flavor of ice cream. When we walked into the store there were a few people sitting down enjoying their treats. There was one little boy probably 3 years old sitting with his mom chowing down on his own cup of ice cream. Emma immediately locked on this his enjoyment and didn't look away while she continued farther into the store. The further she walked the more her head turned to the left until she was walking forward and looking backward. Away she went, face first into the pole in the middle of the store where everybody could see. She hit it hard enough to make her cry. It probably scared her more than it hurt her but everyone, employees included got a good laugh out of it. I felt like it happened in slow motion. I saw her looking at the boy and I saw the pole coming but for some reason I didn't stop her. I guess I wanted to see if it would end like the story I have heard so many times from both of my own parents.

The allure of egg cartons

I admit I haven't watched this video recently and don't really know what is in it, other than that they are playing with some egg cartons.

Emma on the importance of using your own phone

Emma demonstrates her particularness and extreme displeasure with the notion of Stephanie using someone else's phone.

Tiggs writes: Grandma Dew comes again

Last Thursday night during voice lessons I was working on the Amazing Grace song. This song always reminds me of Grandma Dew. The last few times I was singing it I got about half way through and I felt this sudden feeling like courage/energy burst and I felt like someone was standing next to me and at first I thought it was a draft of air, but it didn't go away and then I just knew it was Grandma Dew. Right then my voice got stronger and more confident. It was a really weird experience but sort of cool. :)



~tigs

Why? Cause!

Emma's vocabulary has really exploded over the last two or three weeks. She is now to the point where she will attempt to say whatever it is that we ask her too. Sometimes she catches phrases that we don't really want her too as well. Like when Stephanie can't get the shades in the bedroom down and says "F%&* Me" Emma picks up on the new word and walks around the bedroom telling the dogs "F%&* Me, F%&* Me".

Yesterday Emma had her Elmo Nammies on when she woke up. I had just got home from work when she headed down the stairs. I'm not sure how it came up but she decided that she needed to find her Dora top to put on. She took off around the corner and a few seconds later returned with the top. She smelled the jammies and said "Yuk, sink (stink), Cashy, poop, wash, soap" The jammies didn't really stink but they did a few days before. I don't know where she got the poop and cashy part but she had it in her head that Cassius somehow put poop on her jammies and that is why they stunk. Half jokingly I told her she should ask Cassius why he put poop on her jammies. "Yea!!!" off she went up the stairs and into the computer room where the dogs where sleeping in their kennels. She walked over to Cassius and held the Dora top up to the kennel door. "Why Cashy?, Why?"

Im going to do a better job of adding to the blog in the upcoming weeks. Emma does stuff everyday that I believe are worthy of writing down. When it comes time to type it out I usually don't remember what it was that I was going to type.

Miku and Barkley in the snow

Back at work

So obviously I'm surfing the internet.

Here's how Miku feels about me being gone:

Off to DC

I'm leaving for a week in DC tomorrow so there might not be so much content updated during that time. Here are a couple videos to amuse you until I get back, at least.

Part 1


Part 2

Me and Emma

There are so many problems with this photo but I really like it. One of the best parts of our last trip home was befriending Emma.

Simple pleasures: Sledding in BabbaJo's backyard

Here's a matching pair of videos from last March.

The Playgroung Gang of Girls

A Lion in my Entryway

When snowangels attack