Dust, Dust, and More Dust. The Wall Comes Down.

Demolition is So fun! I started with removing the sheet rock from the wall to be removed. The previous renovation on this wall by owners in the past included removal of the plaster, but not the lath. And I found an old doorway buried in the wall. This was interesting to find! I also realized that there was some of the original "post and beam" structure that we may be able to incorporate into the redesign of the room. So the picture above shows the sheet rock off, and the lath off.

While I was working on this side, I let Grace and Morgan color on the other side with crayons RIGHT ON THE WALL. It's like a carnal SIN to write on a wall with crayons, so, since the wall was coming down anyway, I figured I'd let them have at it. Here are their master pieces...

Grace told me that it's a picture of her and I walking back from the store.
Those are buckets of paint for HER new room in the wagon.



Morgan loves to color flowers and she's so good at it! Her excitement
was indescribable! She kept saying, "I just can't believe we're coloring on the wall!"

 So, after the kids were in bed, I laid into this side of the wall, removing the sheet rock, and the lath giving the first glimpses of just how big the new space would be!

Jeez. What a mess! In the back ground you can see the new wall that I built before this demo. Now the next step is some major clean up, and then building a couple of false walls on either side of the wall to be removed. This will allow me to install a pair of LVL beams to carry the load of the floors above. Then the temporary walls can be removed, and the rooms will become, for the first time, ONE. We're excited! We do lots of talking about what we're "going to do someday", but THIS, IS HAPPENING!

I'll keep everyone posted soon!

Cheers,

4DAUTRZ

Fire and Ice, A Night Out!

Bryan Adams was on FIRE at the State Theater this past week! My bride and I had a really great night out in Ithaca! We ate at out at a posh little eatery called Blue Stone where we had a really nice meal, and then walked form there to the theater, just a few blocks away.

When we arrived at the theater, we noticed that the doors were wide open, and the ticket takers were all wearing winter coats, hats and gloves INside. It turns out that their boiler had decided to quit working at 8:30 that morning, and they informed us that there was no heat. They said they'd been running space heaters throughout the day, and assured us that with a full house, it would be warm enough.

It actually turned out to be just fine. They were serving free hot chocolate and coffee, and the temperature of the theater was perfect for being packed in like sardines.

I was totally impressed with the concert. His music was spot on. His voice sounded just like it does when you hear his songs on the radio, and the music, with acoustic guitar and piano was a really nice unplugged twist to classic music from our younger days. I'd highly recommend buying the album for his Bare Bones tour.

Check out his Bare Bones tour schedule HERE



All in all it was a great night out! My wife and I were a little tired the next day as it was on a school night, but it was well worth it! We had a great dinner, a night out, just the two of us, and we can now add this chilly night at the theater to our long list of stories that make up the story of "we".

Cheers,

4DAUTRZ

A busy couple of days all! I promise that this weekend I will blog again! I've got a blurry picture of Bryan Adams for you, and lots of pictures of where that wall USED to be so stay tuned :-)

Back to the 80's BABY!!

A little R&R tonight! My parents are coming over to watch the little ladies, and my bride and I are going to see Bryan Adams at The State Theater in Ithaca!  We bought the tickets the day they went on sale back in October I think it was.  Anywhoo, I'm having visions of holding up a lighter and swaying back and forth to "Summer of '69", but this is supposed to be an acoustic concert. I guess it's like an unplugged tour for him. I'm always a little apprehensive going into a concert because you already have a preconceived notion of what this artist is supposed to be, and then sometimes, the concert just isn't what you expect.

Either way, it's some quality time, "alone" with the love of my life. That's going to be the highlight of the evening. I really don't care if I hear Bryan's unplugged version of the alphabet song, as long as she's there by my side. We'll catch a dinner somewhere too. I don't care where. We'll probably just park near the venue, and then walk until something catches our eye down on The Commons.

I'm really excited! She and I don't get out enough, and the time has come!

I'll give everyone an update about how the concert went tomorrow!

Cheers,

4DAUTRZ

OK, So Change Of Plans...

My goal was to wage war on the wall to come down yesterday, and then I had a thought. If I make that amount of mess, the living room is going to be filthy. So, I decided that the best thing to do would be to erect the wall that would become the separation between the living room and new bedroom first, thereby sectioning off the living area from the construction area.

I got on the phone and called the local home store and asked if they could deliver the materials that I'd need to build and sheet rock the wall. They fit my delivery into the schedule JUST under the wire! The truck driver was super nice, and unloaded all of the 2x4's from the truck and handed them to me through the window of the room I was working on to save time, and then I gave him a hand bringing in the 4 sheets of 10' half inch sheet rock.

After the delivery truck left, I concentrated on locating where the new wall would be built, and cut the carpet where the new bottom plate for the wall would be placed, and removed the carpet in the rest of the room. There were also about 15 million staples in the floor that held the padding for the carpet, so I spent the rest of my night pulling staples, and cutting door mouldings and window mouldings, where the wall plates would be placed the next day. Here's what the room looked like at quittin' time last night.



Not too different. Carpet is gone, and my knees are killing me :)

This morning, I had a great feeling. One that I never get tired of. All of the prep work was done, and I just had to dig in and get building! So, I started by getting the bottom plate screwed to the existing hardwood floors. Then, I plumbed the two wall plates up, and screwed those to the walls, leaving them an inch and a half shy of the ceiling. Then, I located where the nailing was in the ceiling, and cut and placed the top plate on top of the wall plates, and screwed that in place, as shown below.

Progress!

Naturally, the next step was to start at one wall, (I chose the right) and lay out my marks for 16 inch centers, all the way across the bottom plate for where the studs would be located. So I did that, and then began putting in the studs, nailing the bottoms first, and then plumbing them up to the top plate, and nailing the tops. This is where the "crookedness" of the house was severely highlighted. The outside wall of our house tips in toward the house pretty seriously due to settling of the center of the house, and our 2 foot thick stone foundation not settling even a bit. It hasn't fallen down in the last 200 years, so I'm not worried. Here's what the wall looks like with all of the studs in place.

Morgan and the twins, Emma and Lily couldn't pass up the chance for a little photo "OP"

This next picture is just for laughs. The twins had just come down from their nap as I finished installing the studs and my wife told them that I had built a cage in the living room. So naturally, I did my best Gorilla impersonation. As you can imagine, the kids fell down laughing. And with my luck, THAT is what they kids will talk about at school when their teachers ask, "So what did you do this weekend?"

OOH! OOH! OOH! AAH! AAH! AAH!

Next up was the sheet rock. OH! I almost forgot. Before the studs even went in, back when I only had the bottom, wall, and top plate in place, I looked at the piano. Then I looked at the "other" door that went into the living room. Then I looked at the piano again, then the door, then the piano. YYYeah. It wasn't EVER coming out of that room if I didn't get it out now.

So I had to cut a section of the bottom plate out wide enough to roll the piano through, and out the other door into the dining room. My wife was a COMPLETE trooper when it came to this! HOO-rah- She and I muscled the piano out, and she helped me move the sheet rock into the other half of the living room which was the side it would be placed on.

Which brings us back to the sheet rock stage. By now, it was getting to be late afternoon, and my parents arrived, as they were coming over for dinner. My parents follow the blog through email, so they knew there was some sort of plan to do something with a wall, and when they saw the wall with all of the studs in place, my dad said, "So you wanna hang the sheet rock?"

I said, "Yeah! Sure! as long as you know that's NOT why we invited you over." he laughed. I didn't invite them over for that reason, but it did have all the ear-marks of a "roping in". Truth is, I really wanted to see them, and my parents love the roasts that my wife cooks, and it gave everyone a chance to just catch up and spend time together. And, we did get the sheet rock hung, as shown in the last picture.

Yep, you guessed it. That brown recliner in the picture is where I'm sitting, writing this right now. When I write in the next few days, I'll include pictures from "the other side" of this new wall. The next step is pretty easy and FUN!!. Demolition of the wall that will open up the new bedroom space. I can't wait!

Cheers,

4DAUTRZ

End of Round One!

Ok, so there's a section of the wall opened up, and it looks pretty good. There is one wire going straight up through the wall. There are also a couple of outlets in the base board that'll have to be taken care of.

The wall to be removed!

On the other side of this wall is the bedroom that we moved into last weekend. Now my job is to un-do what we did last weekend. I have to move all of the furniture back upstairs. This is just until I remove this wall and build a full width archway that supports the wall upstairs. So I'll be back in about an hour. After I move the furniture back upstairs into Grace's "Someday" room, I'm going to remove all of the sheet rock and lathe that is on this wall. Hopefully by the end of the night, you'll be able to look right through this wall, as only the studs will be left.

OK back to work...

Oh Boy, Here We Go...

Well it's Saturday morning and I've decided it's time to just do it. I'm going to begin the process of building his and hers closets out of some of the living room. This will give us the closet that we lost by giving Grace our room. And, we can't really begin renovating her room until we get our old closet cleaned out, so this was inevitable.

There's still a debate as to if we should take a HUGE chunk of the living room to make it bigger, or just a small chunk to add closets. Either way, I need to cut into the wall that our new bedroom, and existing living room share. Our house was built in 1810 so Lord only knows what's in there. I know there's a bit of plumbing in one section, and there are outlets along the bottom, I just don't know where the feeds for that electric come from.

Ever seen the movie Money Pit? Ya know, the movie where Tom Hanks and that bartender lady from Cheers buys the big, old beautiful old house and try to renovate it? Well call me Tom Hanks. Here we go! Actually, Tom Hanks got to just go to his job and had contractors do all the work. Huh. Well, so I get to be Tom Hanks and Ty Pennington all in one! That's not so bad.

Here's a pic of the wall as it stands today. Furniture and all. The wall that will be the root of heated arguments, probable calls to electrical and plumbing contractors, and ultimately gazes into the checkbook that will be followed by temple rubbing deep breaths, and outcries of, "What were we thinking?"

Hey, that's the stuff life is made of! I'm not afraid. We always make it through. It will be a bonding experience for my wife and I right? RIGHT?

Stay tuned...

Another day, another daughter,

4DAUTRZ

So I Watched American Idol Tonight...

I'm a sucker. I'm a sucker for the marketing, the film editing, the "just has to be rigged" horribly awful singers, and the "violins playing" rags to riches stories that are portrayed in the show. I admit it all.

I've got a bit of a singing background, so I like that aspect of the show too. Not to brag, but I WAS Sky Masterson in our high school production of Guys and Dolls. Yeah. Back up. I'm a superstar LOL

So, as I was watching, there was one thing that I found most unbelievable. It wasn't a ridiculous outfit, or a screechy voice that marred my memory. It was the parents standing outside the audition room with Ryan Seacrest. I get it. Parents support their kids and encourage them to live their dreams. But when do you say when?

Singer after singer came out of that audition room that didn't have a FLYING CHANCE of winning, and when they stepped back out with no golden ticket, in tears, THE PARENTS LOOKED SURPRISED, and with their hands in the air, burst into tears as well. Now, again. I pose the question once more- When do you say when?

I believe in my kids. I really do! I love them, and I want them to believe in themselves, and I want them to believe in their dreams, and attack those dreams with every ounce of their being! But what happens if you can clearly see that your child's dreams just aren't aligned with their abilities?

Those singers on Idol tonight obviously had no chance of winning. They didn't even qualify and they were crushed by that! Shouldn't the parents have stopped them before they even went over to the audition venue? OR, are all of those friends and parent's just tone deaf? OR maybe they all knew the people couldn't sing, but they were sick of hearing them sing in the shower and they wouldn't listen to the "don't go" advice, so they all said, "Let 'em go. They need to learn the hard way." I don't know. I just don't know. I can't figure it out.

So I guess what I'm asking is...If your kid wanted to try out for American Idol, and you knew without a shadow of a doubt, they weren't going to make it, would you take them?

I'm having visions of Little Miss Sunshine playing in my head. I almost think I would. I mean, we're supposed to support our kids at all costs right? Even if your kid's voice sounds like a train slamming on its breaks, you're supposed to say, "You sound like an angel baby." Yeaaaaaahhhh. I don't think so.

What would you do!?

The whole family had today off in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. We just relaxed. We just relaxed until about 10:30 am. It was then that everyone began to get a little restless with cabin fever. My wife could tell because I was pacing around the house, and I'd opened the fridge and closed it about ten times in ten minutes, and hadn't taken a thing out. It was -7 degrees outside and felt like -13 according to TWC, so taking the kids out to play was out of the question.

We'd toyed with the idea of working it so that our oldest daughter Grace could have her own room for some time now. We have three bedrooms upstairs, and a guest room downstairs in our house. Grace (8) and Morgan (5) share a room, as do our three year old twins Emma and Lily, and we have the third bedroom.

So upon my 11th arrival to the fridge, my wife said, "Let's DO something today. Like switch some furniture around or something." I raised my eyebrows and said, "Like you mean...THE BIG SWITCH?"

I think in HER mind she was thinking more along the lines of switching the angle of the couch in the living room, but she raised HER eyebrows and said, "OK, are you up for that?" I said, "Sure!"

So it began. We first emptied the guestroom into the dining room. Then moved all of our furniture out and into the guest room. It really looks great, and for now, the dining room looks like and episode of HOARDERS, but that's only because our "old" bedroom upstairs is waiting like a blank sheet of paper upon which we will create a room worthy of the only oldest daughter we'll ever have.

Remember our goal of making Grace feel special in the wake of Morgan's Pneumonialebrity? Well I would say special doesn't hold a light to what she's feeling! She's MEGAexcited. Even Morgan is excited because she's gaining freedom from having to share a room with Grace, so all is well.

Now all that's left to do is everything.

It's all good. Instead of dipping my hand into a bag of chips at night, I'll be dipping a brush into a gallon of paint. Always look on the bright side :)

Another day, another daughter!

4DAUTRZ

Holy. Moving. Furniture. I'll fill everyone in later! Man are we bored on our day off- well, we WERE

On the Mend

Morgan hasn't had a fever for over 24 hours! Victory! The first medication we gave her didn't agree with her stomach, and I went first thing yesterday morning to get a new prescription. She still isn't excited about having to take it two times a day, but as I've said, she's a trooper, and she's doing it! 

I stayed home with Morgan yesterday and my bride took Grace to her first skating lesson since the "Big Break" eight weeks ago. She also took the twins with her to watch Grace. After the skating lesson, she took the kids over to the Ithaca Sciencenter where they ate a packed lunch, and explored the museum. They returned at about dinner time. Grace finally had some time without Morgan being in the spotlight, even if it was handicapped by her twin three year-old sisters.

I got up with the kids this morning and let my bride sleep in. I made eggs and toast for breakfast. After, it was time for Morgan to take her medicine. She took down her spoonful like a champ, and chugged a bunch of water to dilute the pseudo fruit punch flavor.  She's been so good. After she left the room, I grabbed a clean tea spoon, and scooped some chocolate chips on it.

I told Grace to go in the living room to tell Morgan that I messed up and that she actually needed to take ANOTHER spoon full. She immediately objected, and began to hide under a blanket on the couch. I entered the living room and said, "Morgan, just take a look it isn't as bad as the last one." She said matter of factly, "NO."

Grace said, "Just look Morgan!"

She slowly peeked out from under the blanket and when she saw chocolate chips, jumped up saying, "Yes! Daddy THANK YOU!" I said, "No, thank YOU! You've been such a good girl taking your medicine!"

I know. I know. She's going to demand chocolate chips after her medicine from here on out, but the dose is only for another 9 days, and if she's thinking about the chocolate chips, she's NOT thinking about the medicine, and she'll just take it down with less objection.

Tonight, it's time to charge my "daderies". I'm going over to mom and dad's SOLO to watch the Partiots battle the Jets in the playoffs. It is much needed time off duty for me, and much needed time with my parents. So much happens so fast here at the baby farm, that a week or two flys right by. I really do miss seeing them and spending time with them.

It's kind of an awful skill to have, but I'm completely tuned in to the social dynamics of every branch of my family. Of course, I'm constantly reading the moods of our four daughters and my bride, but I also have in the back of my mind that my parents want to see me too. I also know that my kids are also mom and dad's grand kids, and that relationship needs nurturing. It's hard work to keep the family tree from "needing a v8". I know that given the winds of change, a family tree is going to lean and sway from time to time.

This week, a micro burst of pneumonia hit the tree. It's beginning to stand upright again. Things are beginning to return to "normal" and I'm able to jump to another branch, and see mom and dad for a while. If the tree doesn't lean too hard here again in the near future, I'll jump over and see my sister and her family, and over to see my grandmother too.

Knowing your tree, and accepting that you can only be on one branch at a time lends a sense of comfort. And, realizing that you don't have to be the only climber in your family is a stark truth. Keep your branch open, and welcome other climbers. They'll climb when they can too.

Cheers,

4DAUTRZ

A Leg Up, A Fever Down.

Well yesterday was quite a day. Grace, Morgan and I headed out to go to their appointments in the late morning with a stop to get hot chocolate and muffins on the way. Grace's spirits were high, in hopes of getting the "all clear" from the orthopedic, so she can return to skating, gym class, and recess at school. Morgan's fever was lower grade, and she was excited about seeing Grace get pictures of her bones taken. She knew too, that we were going to an appointment to see just what was causing her now, week long fever.

We arrived at the orthopedic, and within a half hour, we had x-rays of Grace's ankle taken and had met with the doctor. He told us that the x-ray looked like an ankle that had never been broken. Grace's wish had come true. Now she can return to the second session of figure skating with Morgan. All is well.

We had about an hour and a half break between appointments, so the kids and I went to the Sciencenter in Ithaca. They really love it there (OK, I do to). Absolutely everything there is hands on! They played with sound waves, saw snakes and giant hissing cockroaches, built a dam, and even touched a real dinosaur bone! My parents bought our family the membership to this science museum, and it's one of the greatest gifts they've ever given us! We can just pick up and go there when ever we want! Free to us! Thanks Mom and Dad!

After we made our brains a little bigger at the museum, we headed to Morgan's appointment. We didn't have a very long wait, and we were able to talk to the doctor. She knew that we'd been in the office a few days earlier, and that they'd ruled out the flu and strep throat. Morgan did still have a fever, and she had a general sense of malaise. She had a cough that was increasing in intensity too. The doctor recommended that we go right over to the hospital to have a chest x-ray, and blood drawn.

With this news, Morgan bowed her head, and her lip began to quiver. She heard hospital, and she heard blood. She buried her little head in my chest as the doctor left the exam room and said to me, crying, "Daddy, what did she say about the blood thing?" I told her that the doctor tried to figure her fever out with all of her tools, and she can't figure it out here. I told her that the doctor has some friends at the hospital with even more tools that they can use to help her out. I was honest with her. I said, "They need to look at some of your blood to make sure that your blood isn't sick, and they are also going to take a picture of your lungs and your bones so we can make sure they are healthy too."

She asked, still crying, "But, what do they do to get the blood out daddy?" I told her straight up that they were going to use a needle, and pulled her sleeve up to show her where they would poke her, on the inside of her elbow where you can see the blue veins.

She asked if it was going to hurt. I told her yes.

I said that the doctors and workers were so good at getting the blood out that the hurt would be really little. Our doctor advised us to get the lab work and x-rays done, and then stay there at the hospital until she called us with the results of the testing.

We got to the hospital, and went to the lab to get the blood drawn. Morgan's anxiety had grown to tears and repeating, "I just want to go home."  She wasn't yelling, or being rude. She knew she had to get this done to get better. As I filled out paperwork for the lab work, she sat on my lap, and the woman behind the desk stuck out HER bottom lip, acknowledging that she understood how nervous she was.

I said to Morgan, "We are going to get this done and then get a really good lunch down at the cafeteria!" I winked at Grace as I rested my chin on Morgans head and said, "I think I saw on the board out front that they're having a special on Horse Ear Stew and Monkey Butt Pie!"  Well with that, Grace, Morgan, and the woman behind the desk began to laugh. The tension of the situation had been broken.

We entered the room where Morgan was to have her blood drawn, and she began to cry again, but I sat in the big chair with her on my lap as the nurses did their work, and she made it through OK. She was like a little soldier, staying tough the whole time not moving her arm a bit! I've had blood drawn, and I'm pretty sure the nurse set a record for HOW LONG it can take to find a vain and get the blood flowing into the vials. "Jeez." I kept saying to myself while being so proud of Morgan! The two nurses finally switched places, and the second nurse got the blood flowing in no time flat. Which makes me wonder if for the first few minutes my daughter wasn't a guinea pig for an intern or something?! I hate that. Put your best first. Especially in THAT business. And especially with MY daughter! I kept it together, and was polite, and Morgan was OK in the end. She even got a Snoopy band aid and a sticker. The worst part was over! Hooray!

X-rays were next, and they didn't take very long at all. I asked the technician if Morgan could have copies of the films and she said yes! I said to Morgan, "Come here! you can see your little chicken bones!" She said, "Dad. They're not chicken bones, ha ha ha!" Her spirits were rising by the second! I really love making sure the girls are happy.

We went to the cafeteria while we waited for the doctor to call us with the results of all the testing. The ladies in the imaging department said we were more than welcome to eat in their waiting room, so we brought our lunch there, and ate, and watched TV. We hadn't sat down for more than ten minutes when the phone rang. It was the doctor. She told me that Morgan has pneumonia. Now we had an answer! Even though it's sad for me to know she has this awful sickness, I'm happy that there's an explanation for her symptoms, and more importantly, a cure.

So, a prescription was faxed to our pharmacy and after finishing our lunches, we headed home. Morgan fell fast asleep on the way home. The poor kid had been through so much in one day. We waited until after dinner to give her the first dose because the medicine had to be taken with food. She didn't like taking it, but posted another victory by downing it like a trooper. She was finally on the mend.

Now today's mission? Upping the ante for attention in Grace's corner. They poor kid was in her little sister's shadow for most of the day. The day where she was finally cleared from having her broken leg. That was big news, and unfortunately, though she is happy about the news, she still feels a little "forgotten" in the whole mix of bacteria and sisters.

Another day, another daughter!

Cheers, 4DAUTRZ

At the Ithaca Sciencenter with Grace and Morgan! Ortho cleared Grace 100 percent!

One STILL Down, 2 To Go Tomorrow...

Morgan still has a fever. My wife stayed home with her today, and I returned to work, but just for the day. Tomorrow was a planned "off" day because of an appointment my daughter Grace has had for a while. She's going to have a final check-up at the orthopedic after suffering a broken ankle in gym class about two months ago. If all goes well, she'll get the all clear tomorrow, so she can return to skating lessons, and all other normal activities.

My wife has an apointment tomorrow that she's had scheduled for a while too, so that means both my wife and I are out of work. Now- Morgan still has a fever, so that means she can't go to school tomorrow either. She has to go with one of us to one of the appointments, fever and all- After we drop the twins off at pre-school.

I said I'd take Morgan with me, because the doctor that she sees is in the same office park as Grace's orthopedic and she's had this fever for about a week, and the Dr. has some explaining to do! Virus SHMIRUS! Now- Grace is upset because she has been looking forward to her "special daddy" time all week long, and now Morgan is crashing that daddy time. Yeah, it doesn't look like I'm going to win this one in any way, shape or form.

I'll think of something. Take two kids to two different doctor's appointments at two dofferent offices all while inventing some new version of super special daddy time?!

Don't worry loyal readers- The force is strong in this one :)

Cheers, 4DAUTRZ

I just lost 3 straight games of jenga to a 5 year old who's got a fever and a cough!

Hot To Not. Daughter Down.

For the past couple of days, our daughter Morgan has had a fever. She's our little female version of Jim Carey in the family, and to see her knocked down by a fever is really sad. She's just been a lump on the couch. She hasn't really wanted to eat much or play much. She is a master snuggler though, and I love that too, so she's on the mend.

I took her to the Dr. yesterday, and they said she has some sort of virus. No flu and no strep is a good thing, but it makes me feel kind of helpless. I want to be able to pull that trigger on the magic eye dropper of wellness and with a poof of smoke, make her better. I guess that doesn't get to happen this time around.

 She had a mild fever this morning, but we opted not to give her any Motrin, and she has since crossed over into feverfreedom! She's been dancing around the house, making me laugh too, which is a good sign. My cousin stopped over this morning and she just adores him, so getting to see him lifted her spirits as well.

Morgan is tugging on my shirt as we speak. I've got to go snuggle and watch SpongeBob for a bit, and then maybe move to a sudden death territory battle of Jenga!

There's no better joy than bringing joy to others!

Cheers, 4DAUTRZ

2 Down, 4 Days To Go...Oh, and Happy Birthday Dear!

The two down are my youngest daughters Lily and Emma, our twins. They have the stomache bug. Though they are being saved the unpleasant experience of vomiting, they are spending more than their proper share of time in the bathroom- poor babies!

Babies-They are three now, and we still refer to them as "The Babies" and maybe we will for some time to come. I feel bad for them and the doctor says the stomache bug is going around and has been lasting for about seven days. The kids have been feeling like this for about three days now so there are still about four days to go until they feel better. Lots of water, and as much yogurt as they want the Dr. says. Dry diet, and of course lot's of snuggling or "nuggling" as the twins call it.

Of all the days for this illness to be hitting the house, today is my bride's birthday. She's at work, and I'm home with the kids. We're having pizza and wings (bonless of course) for dinner which will be a big hit with everyone! Cake and ice cream too of course! The kids will have fun, and maybe just maybe, after the kids are all tucked in, I'll get to relax and watch a movie with my bride when all is quiet.

I've got to go for now- The twins are climbing up on a stool to decorate the fireplace mantle with costume jewelry singing, "Decorate, decorate, decorate the Christmas tree" from Yo Gabba Gabba. They are feeling good in spirit, and that's good to see.

Sweet and Sour

It's the end of a week of vacation from school and our jobs. Christmas is now past, and a new year has begun. It's all easy to take in when you're with your family, and you have leisure time to spend with the ones you love.

Tomorrow, we're back to the grind. I, to my job, my wife to her's, and the kids all back to school. It's not so hard for me to think of our eldest kids returning to school, because they return with us to where we work. The twins go to their pre-school tomorrow, only about a half mile away, but it seems a world away when for a week they've been "nuggling" on daddy's lap.

It will be good to get back to the daily grind. I thrive on schedule, regularity, and a "to do" list. I love it. It keeps time flying, and keeps my mind exercised. It's a busy month coming up with report cards and all, and also because I'm beginning a new venture- an investment in my future and the future of our whole family. I'm returning to school to earn my Certificate of Advanced Study to become certified to be principal, and/or superintendant of a school district.

And...Partially because I have a tendancy to overestimate my abilities, and mostly because I know I really need to...I'm beginning a workout program called P90X. It's designed to really kick my body back into shape. I do really need to get into shape. NOW, MOST people say get BACK into shape. Not me. I'm a realist. I wouldn't say I was ever really IN great shape so it's going to be to get me into true shape for the first time.

Wish me luck. Lord knows I'm going to need it!

Wahoooooooo! THAT. JUST. HAPPENED. :-)

Well, if everything is working according to plan, this text message from my phone should be showing here on my blog automatically! Isn't technology just great?! Here goes nothing!

Sleep Over a Success! Happy New Year!

So the sleep over was a total success! I woke up yesterday morning really early, made coffee and set the griddle to 375 anticipating the thunder of hungry footsteps. It was nice to begin the day with quiet. Quiet and coffee are on the top of my fatherly needs list! The early rise was due to my good night's sleep, which was due to the sleeping conditions I alluded to in the last post. Here's how it went down...

The week leading up to the sleep over, the plan for sleep over night for Morgan and I was to sleep in our tent in the living room, ya know, to make it cool and exciting for the sibling NOT having the sleep over and thereby opening up her bed in their shared bedroom, so our guest had a bed upstairs with Grace. This was all fine and dandy until my wife Cindy mentioned to Morgan that I snore really loud, and she may not like it HA HA! So throughout the day of the sleep over, Morgan began mentioning maybe NOT doing the whole tent idea. (I don't blame her).

So later on I suggested that she sleep upstairs with my wife, so that she'd be in a bed, and I'd sleep in the guest room by myself (sniffle sniffle...it'll be ok...I guess...HA HA YES!!). Well they went for the whole plan, and I got the guest bed to myself TOTALLY sprawled out and snoring to no one's dismay and awoke refreshed and renewed, ready to bang out coffee and chocolate chip pancakes WITH a smile and yes, even enthusiasm for my tribe and our guest.

The morning went really well, beginning with "killer if I don't say so myself" pancakes, and the kids played without any major conflict. Our guest's mother came to pick up her daughter up at 10am on the button as planned. I told her that the girls came back from downtown in a taxi WAY after we'd gone to bed which made her laugh, and we enjoyed her conversation until it was time for them to go. The girls wanted it to last even longer, which was a sign that it went well, and our guest and her mom parted feeling it was a good experience which is all we could hope for. There was mention of a future sleep over at her friend's house which will be fun for her, and she's excited!

Later on in the day we all piled into the family truckster and headed to my parent's house for a New Year's Eve get together. We only stayed until about 8 or so. We knew the kids would get over-tired if we kept them up until midnight, and what we don't need is for them to get sick. So, though there were a few tears, we did what was right and set them up for a healthy and happy tomorrow by leaving early. And wouldn't you know? They were all out cold before we reached home. It's such a good feeling to make decisions with your children's best interest in mind and knowing you made the right call. After all, that our first priority: Their health and well being, no matter what.

Cindy and I got the kids to bed, and relaxed for a bit before turning in. And yes, it was before the ball dropped. It feels good to make those “health and well being” decisions for ourselves too. I had no hang over this morning, and I woke up refreshed and ready for another day with my earthly angels.

A happy beginning to the New Year indeed.