The Powers That Be

Little House on the Prairie of Bethlehem

2012-01-24T10:03:00.000-08:00

The girls love to play together. This occasion sparked a mash-up of Little House on the Prairie and the birth of Jesus. When I got home from work they had set up a sort of Ingalls Family Nativity Scene in the living room with Parker's panda bear as the baby Jesus.

After the festivities Laura had the girls pose for a picture. Ella thought it necessary to add a little "pizzazz" to it all. I'm assuming she watches a lot of America's Next Top Model.

All I want for Christmas...

2012-01-24T09:52:00.000-08:00

Toofless

It's official! Without her two front teeth, Parker is now certified as an adorable little girl.

And Georgia is officially perplexed over the concept of a child losing its baby teeth and growing new ones.

Laura is so excited, or as Georgia calls it "ess-sighted" about Parker losing her front two teeth. As I write this I'm sure she is making appointments with photographers to capture this moment.

Text message

2011-12-20T11:00:00.001-08:00

Is texting evil? No, but texting is not the correct means to communicate mostly. Instead of texting, you could be talking. Hearing people's voices is going out of style. Between email and twitter and texting, we're losing the nuances of communicating by hearing one's voice. At least Skype is helping bridge the gap.

Comments overheard by me...

"You know what's irritating? When you send a text to someone and that person just doesn't answer. It's like "Oh, I'm to busy to send you a text back" . I hate it!"

"I hate it when I text a picture and they don't respond...they're all a bunch of anti-social posers."

"Will, please stop sending me pictures of your crotch. Thanks honey."

Collect Them All

2011-12-20T10:41:00.001-08:00

Christmas 2011

2011-12-20T09:55:00.000-08:00

The time of xmas has brought many things to us. Including...

THE GREATEST RAINBOW EVER!

This is the typical exercise we go thru with the kids when it comes to pictures...

"Gather 'round kids for a picture...now say cheese"

"Ugh...now this time, smile like good little children and I will give you some candy."

Much better!

"One more time..."

"KIDS...SMILE OR I'LL SEND BARBIE DOWN THE GARBAGE DISPOSAL...HEAD FIRST!!"

Much better.

Goofballs...all of 'em.

This Train is Bound for Glory

2011-11-07T10:13:00.000-08:00

Parker and I spent a little time at the mall over the weekend. After the highly anticipated train ride we had a nice lunch together accompanied with a long discussion. She excitedly informed me that she knows what she wants to be when she grows up.

The person that drives the train around at the Pacific View Mall!

So many things are going on for Parker, including:

-She lost one of her front teeth a couple of days ago.

-She's an entrepeneur! She went through her piggy bank and gathered up enough capital to start a company that only makes hats that say "Parker". Laura and I have some concern over her business plan. For christmas she wants a subsidiary company where she can hide her company's losses.

-Her freckles are slowly emerging. Once they're complete Georgia and I are going to play connect-the-dots while she's sleeping.

-She's learning about death. The two goldfish we won yesterday at the Poinsettia School carnival have died already :-(

Our Little Ballerina

2011-11-02T08:24:00.000-07:00

Georgia wanted to be a ballerina for Halloween. And she made quite a cute one!

Notice any resemblance here.

Finding Mr. Right

2011-10-21T16:04:00.000-07:00

Girls,

The both of you have repeatedly professed your desire to get married when you get older. Georgia, the other day when threw your arms in the air and impassionately asked...

"Daddy, who am I going to marry when I grow up?
I want to know.
Who will it be?"

Although I had no answer for you at the time I can now say that I've done some research. In addition to the research I thought long and hard about the characteristics of a person that will make a good spouse for you.

Your mother and I know you love cats. And because of that you're going to want someone who shares your love of all things feline. With that said I have someone in mind...

Another option perhaps? Well, another thing I've noticed is your affinity for the color green. I also noticed you like things that are shiny. This gentleman may be acceptable to you.

No? Well it should please you to know that I've thought about this further. I noticed how much you like to point out fire trucks when we're driving around town. Perhaps a future fireman would meet your physical and amotional needs??

Still no? I must say you are hard to please but I do have one more idea. As your mother and I can attest, you are an emotional little girl. Also, you're incredibly cuddly and love affection. Because of that you're going to need someone who can meet these needs of yours. I can tell you that I have found that person and he likes games, Pokemon for sure.

If these selections do not meet your needs then I suggest Jdate($$$).

Georgia's First Day of Preschool

2011-10-20T14:06:00.000-07:00

I'm posting this a little late, but I did take a picture of Georgie on her first day of Preschool. She was so excited to go to school like her big sister Parker. I love how she loves to wear pretty dresses. It seems the second Parker started Kindergarten she had no interested in wearing any of the 22 dresses hanging in her closet.

This and That

2011-10-20T13:20:00.001-07:00

Parker would hardly wear these pajamas that I made. I knew Georgia would love them once she got big enough to wear them. They match her blanket for goodness sake!

Toilet Tea Party

Our third child.

Oh My!!!!

We'll have to pull these out on her wedding day.

El Capitan - Round Two

2011-10-20T10:57:00.001-07:00

We loved camping at El Capitan so much, we decided to go back again in September with the Hoovers. The weather was beautiful again and the beaches were much less crowded. We had so much fun. I wish I had a picture of the two antique tent trailers parked next to each other. It was a pretty funny sight to behold...lots of rust, wood blocks and 80's brown color going on.

I had to try the the 'white trash s'more' recipe....King's hawaiian bread instead of a graham cracker.

Our site had beautiful oak trees with wonderful braches for swinging.

I eventually figured out riding Georgia to the bathroom was much faster than walking.

The Hoover Family

Cathching frogs at the creek

Pumpkin Patch Blues

2011-10-20T10:21:00.000-07:00

Our little Peachy.

Georgia cheered up after a while.

El Capitan July 2011 Edition

2011-08-31T15:28:00.000-07:00

I never camped much as a kid, my parents just weren't into it. They made up for it by taking me to a lot of Dodger games. Laura's family was quite the opposite, a lot of camping and no Dodger games. With that said, I have a lot to learn about camping, especially with two small girls. These two had a blast!
El Capitan's got a little bit of everything for camping...close proximity to home, great weather, creeks, bicycle paths, a wonderful presentation at the campgrounds outdoor theater on kelp and of course, the beach.

A couple of things I learned on this trip...

1) Loren, Julie and Laura need to join Snarts Anonymous. Those three are totally loco about that card game. It is not normal.

2) There is little time for rest when you combine kids and camping. Next time we're hiring a nanny.

3) Julie and Geoff really like to drink Laura's wine, especially after they've already had a few.

4) If you're walking with a flashlight in the dark and you come across a startled skunk who immediately turns around and raises its tail while it's staring at you with that "make my day" look on its face, peeing your pants just might be a good deterrance.

and the most important lesson...

5) Just accept the fact that your kids are going to be dirty all of the time. Just deal with it and move on.

Band Picture

2011-08-30T08:50:00.000-07:00

I have a confession...when I was a teenager I was an idealistic, snobbish musician. I found three other like-minded individuals and we started a band. The music we created can be characterized as art-fag gothic prog-rock. A lot of time changes, improvisation, forboding undertones, all the stuff that produces a likeable dance beat that the ladies love. I think it's apt to label the type of music we played as "snob rock". The band's highlights included gigs at the Whiskey A-GoGo, Ventura Theater, Madame Wong's West, Nicholby's, UCSB, and a now-defunct record store on Main St. called "12 Inch Fun".

Jeff (the mulletized gentleman in glasses) worked at Montgomery Ward and was able to use his rock star influence in the photography department to get us a free band picture...woo hoo! So we strolled down to Montgomery Wards and had a family picture taken.

For me the 80's checklist was as follows:

Torn Levis(not pictured)...check
Obligatory Rush T-shirt...check
Mandatory flannel shirt on top of Rush T-shirt...check
My "I'm a rockin' drummer" sneer...check
Full head of hair...check

so the final product is...

...the happiest people ever!

First Day of Kindergarten

2011-08-23T11:01:00.000-07:00

Does the first morning of kindergarten last forever to all moms? Or is it just me. I keep looking at the clock to see if it's time to pick Parker up yet. I'm so anxious!

Parker was a real trooper this morning. There's nothing that makes me feel more proud as when I see Parker suck it up and hold her composure in a new situation that she is very nervous about. When I walked her to her class this morning, the teacher didn't invite me in....and I didn't see any other parents in the class. So I gave PJ a kiss goodbye and watched her walk tentatively into the class, not knowing what to do or where to go. That was my brief tear jerking moment. I watched her through the window for a few seconds as she found a book shelf and looked for a book. But I didn't want to be a totally lame, peeping tom mother...so I didn't watch too long, I just left.
Sara and I walked Jack and Parker to school this morning with Georgia of course. The kids rode their scooters. They were so excited. An especially heart warming moment was when they voluntarily hugged each other before parting to go to their separate classes.

We ran into Ali and Jeff. Today Ali's going into 2nd grade.

Scott is going with us to pick Parker up from school. Then we are going out to lunch to celebrate the first day of school.

Tahoe Summer Vacation

2011-08-18T08:52:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally got to take my family to Tahoe to experience summer vacation the way I did as a kid. That's me in the green bikini top. I was 3 years old.

My big sister Cyndi, age 5.

Here's Parker standing in the same spot 32 years later. The place hasn't changed much at all.

Georgia, 3 years old with a much cuter bathing suit.

To me, Zephyr Point is the ultimate vacation spot. The cabin is just a short walk from the lake. There's crawdad fishing, swimming in crystal clear delicious water, jumping off the dock, the smell of pine trees. There's no tv so we always get some reading done and a lot of snarts playing in.

Almost the whole family came this year. Julie and Nate's families were the only ones who couldn't come. In this picture: Laura, Sebastian, Mom, Caleb, Cyndi, Daphne, Becky and Scott jump of f the dock.

John did a head-stand on the dock. Watching a 6'8" man do this was quite astonishing and impressive.

Jumping off the dock is the only way to get in that icy lake.

Cousins.

We celebrated the Fourth of July with cute outfits and fireworks. We climbed to the highest point on the grounds and sat on giant rocks to watch the grand display going on a mile away at the casinos.Peachy

Daphne, Sebastian, Maria and Rebecky watching the boys fish.
The Cabin....stinky cabin I might add. When we arrived there were 5 dead chipmunks in the bathtub.

Lounging on the lake

We shared a cabin with Thor, Heather and Peyton which was very fun.

The State of Georgia - 2011 Edition

2011-07-13T13:35:00.000-07:00

When speaking of the overall mental state of Georgia, the common term Laura and I have been using is "boogery". Technically it isn't a real word but it isn't difficult to determine it's meaning and it fits so well. Both of these pictures represent this phase Georgia's going through.

...at least we hope it's just a phase.

Sometimes it's hard not to laugh when she does this. It starts when she doesn't get her way. For instance, lately she's been requesting a piece of gum every 30 minutes throughout the day. When she's denied she starts out with a resounding "humpf!", then she'll fold her arms in disgust. Usually she'll double down by walking away and sitting down somewhere close by and put her hands on her chin and sulk for 5 minutes or so. Again, it's hard not to laugh when this occurs.

I don't know if we're handling it correctly. We make sure she understands that it isn't the proper way to act. Time outs follow which devolve into even more "boogeryness". Then we just give up and focus out attention on our prized daughter Parker. She's such an angel.

When you think about it we're not doing so bad. Going one for two in baseball is a .500 batting average. Hitting one out of two three-pointers is a .500 field goal shotting percentage from downtown. Both are very respectable results...can't parenting be the same?

Sarcasm aside, while the State of Georgia is experiencing some behavioral turbulence, the forecast for the future is bright and sunny.

Splish Splash 2011

2011-07-12T12:40:00.000-07:00

Powers to the People

2011-06-24T11:59:00.001-07:00

Hey I made a podcast. There's no succinct way to describe it so I won't try. It was fun and a bit tedious to do and I may do it again if people find this aurally agreeable. It's available on itunes as well. If you click on "Podcast" and search for "willcast", it'll pop up on the list. There are random acts of cursing and poor grammar throughout so it's probably best to keep children next to you when you listen. This will afford you the opportunity to explain adult language to your 4 or 5 year old.

Prepare to explain the clinical definition of "Santorum" as well as others.

Spend some quality time enhancing the curious mind of a 5 year old.

It's 80's Night

2011-06-19T16:07:00.000-07:00

...and the feeling was not right!

Way back when....

2011-05-13T15:57:00.000-07:00

... Scott used to get all of my attention and affection.

Indio

2011-05-09T14:18:00.001-07:00

Lovely view just outside our room
Ahhh.....The Lazy River

Skating around the premises
Rise and Shine!

Just outside the sliding door to our apartment, Parker feeds the ducks.
The Living Desert
Camel ride

We're definitely going to make the trip to Diane's timeshare in Indio an annual event. I never knew the desert would appeal to me so much.

Little Miss Moonshine

2011-05-04T14:42:00.001-07:00

Georgia has been having problems in the bathroom. Peeing is a breeze for her but the other is a different story. Getting her to use the toilet when she needs to go #2 is quite the crapshoot (pun intended). When is she going to start…
-Bombing the oval office
-Dropping the kids off at the pool
-Creating a grunt sculpture
-Taking the Browns to the Super Bowl
-Letting Charlie out of the Chocolate Factory

While on vacation this last weekend Laura was telling my mom (with Georgia present) about how Georgia won’t be able to go to preschool next year if she can’t go in the toilet. Later that day, with a little help from Laura, Georgia bombed the oval office. When she came out to announce it to everyone she followed up her news with “now I can go to preschool!” None of us recognized that she was listening to that conversation until then.

This picture intrigues me, and not necessarily in a good way. It just looks eery.

I keep thinking of the song "Hey There Georgie Girl" when I see this photograph.

The cuteness just keeps on comin'.

It's Time For a Mullet Minute

2011-04-19T10:53:00.001-07:00

It's Cletus and Betty Sue-Ellen!
Laura and I were invited to one of my co-worker's retirement party. The theme was "Hoedown!"

The family with the girls' cousin Peyton as well.

Crazy Hair

2011-04-08T08:39:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I fix the girls hair into two tiny buns (a.k.a. teddy bear ears) on top of their heads. They absolutely love this hairdo! But the most fun part is taking it out. After a day of wearing this "do", once taken out the girls have very glamorous, 1940's movie star curls. We call it crazy hair becuase after I take the buns out I rub the girls heads to fluff up the curls.

Mom Skipped Town

2011-04-04T16:12:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend Laura basically abandoned me and the girls and fled to Visalia to attend a dear friend’s baby shower. PJ was originally supposed to go as well but her recent bout with a mild case of pneumonia changed our decision on the matter. So that left me with the parental oversight of two young girls; one of which was very disappointed that she couldn’t attend the baby shower. So with that said, the pressure was on me to deliver a clutch hit for the team and show the girls a good time.

Our first trip was downtown to do some thrift store shopping and have a little fun with the water fountains. After that it was a quick jaunt through the farmer's market and onto to what can be considered Mecca to the girls...Rocket Fizz. We loaded up on some quality candy. I introduced them to Zots (gotta love the fizz) as well as some other sugary wonders they have to offer.

After that it was on to Marina Park where we had a good time ostensibly doing nothing. Parker's hiding behind the park bench for some reason.

This is the moment when PJ discovered Zen Buddhism. Once she took on the lotus position she immediately channeled the essential nature of the collective unconscious. As soon as she came down from the top of the dune she had some interesting questions...

1) "Dad, why are we born?"
2) "Dad, what is the ego and how does it relate to Scooby Doo's individuality?"
3) "Dad, when Tom violently knocks out Jerry with a big metal toy submarine, is Jerry part of the unconscious or subconscious?"
4) "Dad, in the context of suffering, how does the Coyote manage to maintain the idea of karmic eternal life when that dang Roadrunner is constantly avoiding his traps?"

All in all we had a very good time together.

To Catch A Leprechaun (on St. Patrick's Day)

2011-03-23T15:22:00.000-07:00

It seems there's some sort of conspiracy amongst preschools that I was not aware of. The conspiracy involves convincing innocent little children that leprechauns exist. A couple of parents that I surveyed offered up the same story; one preschool teacher brings the kids outside to play while the other teacher surreptitiously leaves little bits of evidence around the classroom that leprechauns were just there.

So step aside Easter Bunny, Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy for yet another mythical creature to enhance our imagination. Hello little Leprechaun.

So with that said, Parker came home from school convinced that a Leprechaun would be coming into our house on the night of St. Patricks's Day to spread shamrocks (and whatever else...dwarfism, alcoholism, etc...) around the house for us to discover the next morning. And so, what better time to catch the little guy and keep it for a pet, right?

Behold the PARKER POWERS LEPRECHAUN-VALESCENCE TRAP 3000

She's thought of everything. There's a bed, a pillow, a toilet, a bedside statue and a little chain he can rattle when he needs PJ's assistance with meals and whatever else. Her plan (as she so eloquently recited to me that morning) was for the leprechaun to walk up the ukelele and slide down into the Leprechaun-valescence home where he will be well-taken care of by his new master Parker.

On Tour

2011-03-23T15:16:00.000-07:00

With last week being PJ's VIP week, Laura and I totally rocked a 3-song set for the kids. This time we had a song ready for an encore (B-I-N-G-O) however no request for was made by the audience (drat!). The 3-song set consisted of an original Maraca! (words by Loren Barroca-Haar),Old MacDonald and the ABC song.

Although it wasn't caught on tape, when we sang "and on this farm he had a..." and paused, one of the kids Laura pointed to said "igloo". Hmmmmm....after Laura and I looked at each for a brief second we moved on to the next audience member and continued with the song.

Note that we were merely the opening act. The headliner was a well-told story by Daphne Dahl titled "Parker and the Three Bears". She is marvelous at story-telling as well as changing the story on the fly...one this one she replaced Goldilock's porridge with Parker's blanket.

We may need to take this show on the road. Hopefully by then I can learn how to correctly play the chords to the ABC song.

The Tempetuous State of Georgia

2011-03-15T08:30:00.001-07:00

This is an interesting video. It was taken in the morning during our first family camp out in April 2010 at El Capitan. Georgia offers up a sneak peek into her occasionally petulant personality. She knows she is not allowed to take her blanket outside of the camper but, like her counter-culture ancestors of the 1960s, she decides it's a good time to question authority. So the police state made up of Laura and myself elect to punish her with the utmost of consequences...behold the tortuous "Time Out Chair".

Parker had a really bad hair day.

Scooby Doo in the Morning

2011-03-13T09:17:00.000-07:00

They love Scooby Doo! Notice will getting ready for work.

Parker Art Revisited

2011-03-11T14:47:00.000-08:00

This is our neighbor Alaura. This is Parker's camera.

Note the rubber band...very old school. Nice touch girl.

Hitler Youth

2011-03-08T08:24:00.000-08:00

Next stop…the Rhineland.

I cannot conceive how but Georgia managed to scrape the skin right below her nose a few weeks back. The result of this injury was something of epic comic proportions. This would’ve been much more timely (and tempting) a couple of days before Halloween.

There’s so much more Nazi humor to insert here but in the interest of good taste I will refrain from such childishness.

I'm not sure which is worse, the scar or the band-aid covering the scar. Either way it's some good comic relief.

The Birthday Bash - Laura's 35th

2011-03-07T15:17:00.000-08:00

...this is the longest post of this blog and deservedly so!

The actual notice to our neighbors was as follows...

Dear Neighbor,

We want to let you know ahead of time that we will be hosting a backyard birthday party this Saturday, March 5th. There will be live music playing a 10 song set, it shouldn't last more than an hour starting at 7:30 or so. We appreciate your understanding and hope it is not too much of an inconvenience for you. If you have any questions or concerns feel free to call us at 650-XXXX. Good day.

Scott & Laura Powers

The truthful, after-the-fact notice to our neighbors should've been something like this:

Dear Neighbor,

Be afraid…be very afraid. 30 people are gathering in our backyard this Saturday night and it’s going to be drunkenly loud. A live band will be performing at high decibel levels for about an hour but that will not be the end of the evening. Following their performance the encore will consist of a hippie-like Stevie Nicks character (a self proclaimed mix between Madonna and Sade...seriously) who will take the mic and repeat the same phrase "Laura from Ventura" over and over ad nauseum.

Neighbors, prepare yourself for a long night of adult exuberance! Hopefully you’ll enjoy hearing Grandmaster Melle Mel’s hit “White Lines” blasting in our backyard a little after midnight while a pack of wild ladies dance around the patio like it’s Studio 54. Unfortunately the keg that is being provided is of a somewhat lethal variety which will only encourage depravity throughout the entire evening. For all of this we apologize but please understand …THIS IS LAURA’S BIRTHDAY BASH AND SHE’S WORTH IT…SO POUND SAND PEOPLE!!

Scott and Laura Powers

P.S. To our neighbor across the street that will be hosing down the vomit chunks off of his sidewalk the next morning...sorry about that dude.

Every band needs a good looking drummer with attitude.

A special thanks goes to the sound engineer Allen Dahl... even though he kept erroneously telling me that my guitar was too loud. Further proof he doesn't understand the full effects of alcohol. Al was a tremendous help in getting the sound right in addition to putting a dent into the keg. He's a good man.

Another special shout out goes to the vocal stylings of Geoff Nicolle. Not only can he sing just about anything, he can make just about any song sound good. This night would've sucked (musically) without him. I as well as my country thank you for your service Mr. Nicolle.

This is the other guy that deserves special recognition. I have always been a huge fan of John's guitar playing. He's the only guitarist who can produce riffs that make me laugh (in a good way). I aspire to play like John. He brought so much to the songs he played on. No doubt we wopuld've sucked without him. And boy do our girls love John. I especially enjoyed playing the classic Miss Marmalade.

These two are nothing but trouble.

I am positive that Tracy had a good time. She's agreed to join Laura's basketball team, she challenged the husbands (along with Becky) to a sport of their choice, and she agreed to babysit our girls for a week while Laura and I go on a cruise (paid for by Tracy, of course). I tell you, it was good beer. She also busted out a mean drum solo late in the evening.

It was nice talking to Brian although he probably doesn't remember our conversation. Like Tracy, he agreed to babysit our girls for a week and pay for our cruise to Mexico. Thanks dude!

And I can't leave out Loren. She is a marvelous woman who dished out a mean dish of rice and beans...and I never get to talk to her anymore.

And lastly my dahling wife. I think this topped the surprise 28th birthday party. Turning the garage into a disco was easy compared to this. I know you had a great time because you're still talking about it which makes feel oh so satisfied and so very glad we embarked on this endeavor together. I love you for so many reasons but what comes to mind when thinking about this night was your energy. You were fearless on the drums, on the mike, and on the dance floor. I can't think of a better time I had and it's because of you. When it comes to your birthday my goal is to make it something special for you. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. However, now I'm in a tight spot. I have no idea how to make your Leap Day birthday next year nearly as memorable. Maybe we'll do the same thing but add in a princess jumper. I can't imagine that being nauseating after several cups of strong ale, right?

A special thank you to everyone that attended and made this an evening to remember. I was looking for a good party picture of Song and Becky Wicks to include but I could not find one.

The last song of the evening, I Love You Lakshmi Singh. Unfortunately the sound is a bit distorted. We were too loud for the little condenser mic.

Parker's 5th Birthday Party

2011-02-23T13:42:00.001-08:00

Parker's 5th Birthday Party Checklist:
Oversized Princess Jumper (check)
Mandated pajama attire (check)
Sugar and even more sugar (check)
Fun for all (check)

A delicous island-themed birthday cake (check)

A large number of children (check)

Games and more games (check)
An enormous princess jumper (check)

The "Guess the Color of the Jellybean" game (check)
A trifecta of adorable little pink princesses (check)

A game of musical chairs (check)

If this is any indicator, Laura's birthday party is going to be a hoot.

Parker Art 3

2011-02-18T14:37:00.001-08:00

These were done back in April 2010.

The Birthday Present

2011-02-08T15:37:00.000-08:00

A birthday present for PJ...one of many.

SKATES! YES!

It's hard to explain to a little girl that it takes work to learn to roller skate. She is getting better though, she incessantly practices in the backyard. Keep it up PJ!

Parker Art

2011-02-03T08:11:00.000-08:00

This is a typical example of something Parker might throw together. This work was inspired by the sticky strechy thing she received in a goody bag from a birthday party. I just asked Parker what this work was and this is what she had to say.

"The point of it was.... so...well I didn't really get this part, but I wanted it to shoot by itself, but somebody has to shoot it out. It could be like a ball waterfall!"

I think she was trying to build a sling shot that worked by itself. Interesting. I never would have known if I hadn't asked her about it.

NOTE: As I write this, both girls are standing on my chair behind me and hanging on while they try to balance. They are leaning around my back into my face saying, "Hi mommy! Hi!"

Christmas 2010

2011-01-27T08:51:00.000-08:00

I finally went through our Christmas pictures. Here are some of the better ones. Parker's note to Santa.

Snow World.

Dad and Cyndi.

My sisters with the aprons I made for them.

Georgie and me.

My sweetie.

Diane with her eyes actually open for a picture. After many failed attempts to get this shot with her eyes open, I finally said, "Try to look at the flash". It worked!

Our girls in their beautiful Christmas dresses.

Parker Art

2011-01-25T08:26:00.000-08:00

Christmas Banana Peel Punctured by Meat Thermometers
Parker creates some of the most interesting artwork. Her media choice often involves found art and objects from nature and around the house. I'll be posting pictures of her wonderful creations from time to time.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PARKER

2011-01-21T13:47:00.000-08:00

Today marks the day when exactly 5 years ago a lovable little sparkplug named Parker came into our lives. It’s difficult to imagine now that there ever was a B.C. (before children). The life-long act of raising children significantly changes one mindset. It has a way of discounting the past (B.C.) while naturally gravitating the focus to be on the future.

PJ is one special girl. From the very beginning it was quite evident that she was going to be an active, cerebral little girl with an incredible sense of grace and kindness. She was talking at a young age, walking at a very young age (8 ½ months) and quickly developed a personality that evokes energy and fun. And all the while her little inquisitive mind is constantly in motion.

And now this little sparkplug has turned five years old. My goodness. It’s a relief to feel all the hard work is done, from here on out its just smooth sailing!

As easy as peeling a carrot!
As sweet and simple as strawberry pie!!

There snow doubt about it.

She's number one!!!

As nice as Barbie spending a hot summer day relaxing by the bathroom sink.

God Bless Parker and God Bless the United States of America.

Happy Birthday Parker. You've enhanced our lives in ways that I just cannot describe with the written word. Seeing you grow up one day at a time is a priceless gift that I will cherish and remember until the day I perish.

I expect this constant enjoyment to continue until you turn 18 and go to college and methodically cut me out of your life like what your cousin Zoey is doing to your Auntie Cyndi.

I did the same thing.

But when that time comes, please be gentle with me.

P.S. And what happened to those Santinos mugs?!?

Really Laura. Orange? Bright Orange?!? You think this template looks better?

2011-01-12T10:43:00.000-08:00

We have not been blogging in a while. Well…to be entirely accurate Laura rarely posted anything on this site to begin with. The ratio of my postings to hers is probably 9 to 1 or so. I implored her to do so and she occasionally did but nevertheless I was running this show by default. I had always felt that this blog would serve as an interesting scrapbook and recounting of our life as a family. The careful documentation of our girls’ development and quick little stories about something PJ or Georgia spouted would be an interesting read later in life.

I put a lot of work into this blog. Then Laura comes along with her semi annual posting and decides to delete the template I labored over several weekends to create and change it to…bright orange. In order to create the prior template I had to learn the basics of html and figure out how to create a template and create the little pictures on top that would expand once you put your mouse over the photo and all that stuff. Ugh, that was a lot of tedious work. And yes, I should’ve saved the dang template somewhere but once it was up I never thought she would delete it.

Have I made you feel bad yet Laura?

I still love you. I was always impressed by your choice of colors when it came to painting the interior and exterior of our house. But this...is...fugly.

Trick or Treat

2010-11-05T14:24:00.001-07:00

Parker carved the face of this jack-o-lantern all by herself (except the right half of the mouth). I couldn't believe it!

Georgia was so thrilled to be a ladybug. I wanted her to be Snow White (because we have the costume) but when my mom gave her some ladybug wings from the dollar store, she was so thrilled I knew we had to come up with a costume.
The thrill of being a bride wore off after PJ wore her costume to school the week before. Kids asked her if she was getting married and she didn't like that. I told her to tell people, "I'm just a bride but I'm not marrying anyone".

Maybe we'll show this picture at their wedding some day.

It took Georgia a few houses before she got the hang of trick-or-treating. Peyton seemed to know what she was doing.

Best Friends

2010-11-05T14:18:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken at 7:45 on a warm east-windy morning. Jack was leaving for school when the girls saw him through the window. They ran out to wish him a good day at school.

Costume Party

2010-11-05T13:55:00.000-07:00

I never dress up for Halloween. The last time I did was about 8 years ago when I glued some pennies, safety pins and other metal objects to my face because I was too embarrassed to go completely costume-less in the flamboyant Castro district of SF. I did get compliments for being "Magnetic Personality....so witty" (little did they know I was too unenthused and lazy to put a costume together).
This year my sister, Julie asked me to go to a costume party with her, Cathy and Loren. It was mostly Ventura College faculty there. They wanted to do a group costume and came up with the elements: Earth, Wind, Fire, Water. I would be water. I should have known better than to go with a bunch of artists to a costume party. Of course they'd want to be something all "abstract". I wasn't sure I could pull off a water costume, but with the help of Cathy and my mother, we were able to come up with this.
The others costumes turned out great too.

And wouldn't you know it, we won second prize in the costume contest!

Loren really looked windblown.

Cathy's costume was amazing!

Julie put so much work into her seasons.
But next year I want to be Esther Williams or a synchronized swimmer!

The Corner of Sunset and Seaward

2010-10-26T13:53:00.000-07:00

Dinner at Duke's always leads to some face time with the beach.

Birthday Ice Cream Cake

2010-10-26T13:48:00.000-07:00

As usual Laura concocted another delicious cake for my birthday. She gets it right every year. This one is a baseball theme and includes little baseball men that my mom gave to us. She's owned them all of my life so it's fair to assume these guys were used on my cakes when I was a young'n.

I have an announcement...

2010-10-21T10:48:00.001-07:00

In order to make ends meet I have started a new and different type of financial consulting/self help/life-coach operation. I know I look different in real life but it's well known that photos uploaded to the blog tend to make you look like a soap opera star.

The inspiration comes from something my father said to me..."Son, if you're planning on giving financial advice, make sure it's Rockstar financial advice!"

Rule number one: Always...protect your ASSets!

www.scott-powers.com

I hate rats

2010-10-12T15:37:00.000-07:00

Recently we sublet our attic to a couple of rats. We named them Dick and Cheney. They were in our attic for about 2 weeks or so when they started venturing out at night and discovered a path into our kitchen. We’re still not sure how they got in the kitchen but they left us a few mementos to let us know they were there; “thank you notes” of a sort. We tried everything to get rid of them. The old school traps, glue traps and even a water trap device I crafted but I tell you they were smart.

These rats started getting to me. I found great solace in visiting youtube and watching people set up elaborate traps in their house and filming the rat dying a formidable death. My favorite one is embedded below...it's not very gruesome but DO NOT WATCH if you are some sort of "people for the protection of rodents" person. Turn up the volume!

I never thought I'd get so giddy over a dead rat. It's quite cathartic.

So, none of our traps were working. For about ten days Laura and I would set up traps all around the house and nothing worked. Dick and Cheney were two smart rats! Finally, we succumbed to poisoning them. The only risk was that they would die somewhere in the house between walls or in the attic and we wouldn't be able to find them. We knew one of them died (probably Dick) because we could smell the rotting corpse above the music room. Luckily, Cheney appeard out of nowhere; our nephew Ethan spotted him.

Ain't he cute?

So lessons learned.
1) Inspect your roof and make sure there is no place available for a rat to sneak in. They do not like the cold so they'll come looking for shelter in the evening.
2) A mouse can squeeze through a hold the size of a penny, a rat can squeeze through a hole the size of a quarter (half inch or so). Sounds crazy but it's true.
3) If you use traps, make sure they are set up to be very sensitive.

In conclusion I'd like to say that rats suck! Kill them any way you can, don't think twice about it.

Goodbye Dick and Cheney.

Block Party 2 : Electric Googaloo

2010-10-12T13:29:00.000-07:00

The second annual Hollings St. block party was held last month and turned out to be quite fun. Our sucky band did not play due to a lack of interest.

Pre-block party - I love this picture.

Parker is all over her cousin Ethan. See what I mean? And there's another five pictures that I didn't post of her hanging all over him. I know how Ethan feels, I had that same problem when I was younger.

It was a fun day for everyone. Next year the sucky band will perform...all Rush songs. Starting from 2112 all the way through their catalog to Moving Pictures. The children are gonna love it!

Laura already told me she wants to sing. It's gonna be a hoot.

Auntie Candy

2010-09-04T09:04:00.000-07:00

Did I say "Auntie Candy", I meant Auntie Cyndi. She pretty much ALWAYS presents candy to the kids when she sees them. However, this time, she called and said, "I'm right around the corner. I have a present for Parker. I just wanted to make sure you were home".

"Parker, I have a present for you and I'm hiding it under my shirt."

Can you guess what it is?

"A set of 100 fine tip markers! Now Parker, don't let Georgia use these. You need to keep them nice."
"Come here you little cutie!"

It means a lot to me to have my sister spoil and dote on my kids.

Cousins

2010-09-04T08:48:00.001-07:00

I never had any extended family around when I was a child so it pleases me greatly to see the bond that has developed between Parker and her cousin, Ella. When I think about possibly having another child (because two kids doesn't seem like much compared to the 5 siblings I have) I have to remind myself that my girls have lots of cousins that are kind of like sisters and brothers. I know that I'm going to stay very involved in their lives....going to their games and recitals. Our lives are very full and connected.

Rancho Oso Campout 2010

2010-09-01T12:32:00.000-07:00

Laura was looking forward to this camping trip ever since our El Capitan experience. She booked the campsite a few months in advance and was figuratively counting the days that led up to the trip. So when we got to the site on a warm Sunday afternoon, it looked like a good time was to be had by all.

Logistically we were located in a perfect spot. Our campsite was huge and private and only 100 feet away there was a nice grassy area, children’s playground, tennis court and a campground store (with lots of expensive ice).

Then a couple of 'challenges' started to make themselves known.

Flies and mosquitoes – they had an amazing way of driving someone crazy, me in particular. They strategically would buzz around my face and ears to the point that I understood what Jack Nicholson’s character in The Shining went through. It was simply maddening, none of us could take it.
Heat – day two was at 97 degrees. That evening I spoke to the ranger who informed me that the following day was supposed to be hotter.

We all felt defeated. So that evening we decided to leave early, ‘early’ meaning immediately the next morning.
Laura slapping on a fake smile for the picture...trust me, she was miserable.

However there was one discovery that seemed to be exactly what Laura was looking for. We found a swimming hole deep in the Los Padres National Forest that was truly a special place. When we got there we were the only ones there. Within about an hour there was another 20 people or so.
A cute little picture of Georgia (post lunch break)

Believe or not, people actually climbed up that rock and dove off the top...yikes.

Two faces of Georgia

2010-08-30T13:22:00.000-07:00

Georgia in sulking mode. This usually occurs when she gets an emphatic "No" to something she wants to do.

Georgia enduring the process of defaction. She usually hides somewhere when she has to perform the task. If you look at her too long while she's pooping she will put her hand up and say "Stop".

She needs her private time.

Scene from the Beach

2010-08-30T13:19:00.000-07:00

All that's missing is the little table between them with two Corona bottles sitting atop.

Sorry Seems To Be The Easiest Word

2010-08-12T16:59:00.001-07:00

She hasn’t figured it out yet. To Georgia, the word “sorry” is like an eraser. Once it’s said the act performed that caused the evocation of the word is absolved thereby allowing for her to do it again.

For example, yesterday some neighbors came by for a visit so they tied the leash affixed to their little beagle named Rufus to our front porch before they came inside. As I was working in the kitchen (I am always working in the kitchen), PJ reported to me that Georgia was ‘being mean’ to Rufus. When I looked out I saw Georgia mildly smacking poor Rufus. “Georgia stop!” I said…”sorry dada” was her response. Moments later she performed the same act and immediately stated “sorry dada”. I verbally scolded her and warned her but before I could finish my sentence…whack…”sorry dada”. After that I stepped up the level of punishment to DEFCON 4.

But if left me asking myself, “what kind of sadistic child are we raising?” Then I thought…”this must be how they make Republicans”

Lake Arrowhead

2010-08-05T15:34:00.000-07:00

We had a nice quiet time in Lake Arrowhead. Well, as quiet as it can be with six children and six adults in a house for three days.

I Built Myself a Time Machine

2010-08-05T15:02:00.001-07:00

I haven't used it much because the Deloreon has been in the shop quite a bit lately. However, I did get a chance to march with Dr. King in Washington D.C.

Also, I got the chance to share a peanut butter and banana sandwich with Elvis in the White House. In the morning Nixon gave him the appointment of Drug Czar then after lunch we pounded down some vicodins and amphetamines and watched an episode of the Twilight Zone.

Then I got the chance to live a childhood dream. I played shortstop in the 1927 World Series against the New York Yankees. I went 0 for 3 - but I did manage to trip Lou Gehrig when he rounded the bases. He doesn't even look like Gary Cooper.

2010-07-29T07:58:00.000-07:00

Ok Darling....I'm back. I already have like three new thoughts to post about.

#1. I wanted to respond to your pop quiz on the Campout Sequel 2 post. The answer was "a" I was looking at a photoshopped picture of you with hair on your head. Actually that was your own hair I had just cut and picked out of the trash can and put back on your head.

#2. I wanted to post this picture of me throwing Georgia in the air at Lake Arrowhead last weekend.

#3. Here's a clip of Parker aiding in Georgia's potting training efforts.

Metaphorically Speaking

2010-07-27T10:03:00.001-07:00

For much of you Laura’s lack of posting has gone unnoticed, much like the period after Dr. on a can of Dr Pepper. But for me, I miss Laura's posts. She's the Ying to my Yang, the Peaches to my Herb, the ketchup to my hamburger and fries.

For the past several months Laura has been absent, a truant in the sphere of the blog. And while it is instinctual to blame it on her busy schedule with the girls and such, I think it’s a matter of prioritization. So my plan is to harass her and goad her into again becoming involved with this project and unlike Laura, this plan just might work (doh!).

There’s no doubt that Laura is a busy person. I know she does very little lounging with two busy girls to take care of. So let’s be clear, Laura’s life is frenetic, like a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs, she is always on the go. But Laura has abandoned us. She has better places to be than the sphere of the blog. And while it may seem odd to characterize Laura as unfocused, there is a pattern of this kind of behavior.

For instance, she wanted a video camera, so I buy her a very good one for her birthday, we have children, she records 742 hours of film (to date) of our family and how many DVDs have been created from this footage? Four - totaling about 8 hours of footage, and they’re all of PJ! The remainder of unviewed material remains on the perpetual ‘to-do’ list...sorry Georgia.

This makes me sad, as sad as a one-legged Riverdancer with an inner ear infection and an arthritic knee.

Come back Laura.

Seeking Corporate Sponsorship

2010-07-26T14:47:00.000-07:00

Since the licensing scheme for Magnificent Fantastic memorabilia went over like a loud fart in a quiet church, I've been exploring some other means of exploitation. I've submit the following propositions...

This blogpost is sponsored by Hershey's Milk Chocolate..."not only sweet and tasty, it now has secret emollients to help improve your child's eczema!"

This photograph is brought to you by your friends at The Gap(in Parker's front teeth).

This blogpost is brought to you by our friends at Harrison Industries.

This photograph is brought to you by Kleenex (and lots of it!).

Spnsored by The Georgia Powers Nanny Service (who's watching The Sopranos with little children in the room?)

This photo of Laura wakeboarding is brought to you by Ocean Spray

This photo is brought to you by Heros Foam Ear Plugs

And these photosare brought to you by

the Strawberry Growers of America

7/4/10

2010-07-12T15:29:00.001-07:00

As usual, I'm torn by this holiday.

For this post, the opening paragraph from the patriotic optimist in me reads like this...

July 4th, a day where we come together to remind ourselves of the sacrifices and struggles we've endured as a great nation for the past 234 years. From the humble beginnings of thirteen colonial states we've evolved into the most awesomest superpower on the planet (running a close second is the Mexican drug cartel). On July 4th we stand up and proudly walk down Main St. in Ventura California with our children and our wagons decked out in red, white and blue ribbons and celebrate the great document penned by Tommy Jefferson.

The opening paragraph from the cynic in me reads as follows...

The 185th day in the Gregorian calendar was celebrated this year with all of the vapid celebratory patriotism you've come to expect in a day that marks our adoption of the Declaration of Independence by the majority of Americans wearing the colors of France while enjoying the awesome sight of Chinese fireworks. In defiance of our de-evolution as a democracy (hello! corporate influence on the body politic and mindless occupations of foreign lands that bleed our souls of hope and civility), I wore a Gordon Biersch t-shirt.

Georgia sporting the double "pop pop" look.

Georgia may be just a young naive two year old but she's incredibly wise for her age. A few days prior we partook in a rather intelligent exchange examining the political dialogue we're having as a nation...

Me: "Georgia, don't mess with the remote control, I'm trying to watch Hannity"

Georgia: "Hanty...poo poo...stinky"

Me: "Perhaps Georgia but it's important to keep the channels of communication open amongst all factions of political thought"

Georgia: "Dayee!, poo poo out! To the, to the potty chair, right?"

Me: "You can't just 'poo poo' every right wing theory without proper critical analysis even if at its very core fails to serve the needs of the lower and middle class"

Georgia: "Dada, dance to rock down song!!Pleeeez??"

Me: "Fine, we can rock down to some Primus but we're going to continue this discussion at a later date"

Georgia admiring my red, white and blue toenails. They were painted in honor of France; not because it looks gay (and boy did it) but because the French are so maligned by Americans. However whatever your opinion is of France they deserve at least an honorable mention on July 4th.

Look Who's A Year Older

2010-07-07T16:26:00.000-07:00

I’m doing all the posting now. Laura doesn’t seem to think it’s important to document our children’s progress. Luckily I'm around to pick up the slack. We’re rearing children during the age of the internet which allows for the recording of our lives thru this blog. Someday Laura will come back to the blogosphere...perhaps when "So You Think You Can Dance" is finally over but then "Dancing With the Stars"(Stars?...really?) will begin again and the cycle will never be broken. There's no end in sight.

Let me put it this way, if I waited for Laura to post important developmental information and related milestones of our beloved progeny our next post would be about Parker's terrible acne problem at the age of 13.

GEORGIA'S TWO! YIPPITY DIPPITY DOO! What a day for the little girl. She woke up to her first present…a sleeping bag.

The party was held at Marina Park where a hotly-contested game of musical chairs took place. It was a gut-wrenching struggle which tested the kid's fortitude as well as their mental toughness(redundant?). Not sure who won being that chairs were not being removed after each turn so everyone always had a chair to sit in. This small rule change made it difficult to find a winner. It soon became a war of attrition - whomever had the longest attention span won.

For weeks prior Georgia was requesting a “pop pop cake” meaning she wanted a lollipop cake. As usual, Laura did a great job with the cake and Georgia loved it!

Father's Day 2010

2010-06-23T15:30:00.001-07:00

The day started around 6:30 am with Parker and Georgia climbing into bed with us and Parker assuredly exclaiming “today is Father’s Day which means that mommy does all the work and daddy doesn’t have to do anything!”

She is such a special little girl.

We spent part of the day at the Ventura Harbor. A band was playing and we know how much Georgia and parker like to dance to ‘rock down’ songs, however the band was too loud for Georgia’s little ears so we walked on.

The gift I received from the girls was a japanese fighting fish. Parker named her Cherry several days before. I knew it was coming. A few days earlier Parker could not keep quiet about the gift, she kept asking me to guess what my Father's Day gift was. I played along a bit but she kept giving better and better clues. She finally narrowed it down to something in a bowl. "A turtle" I asked, "no, try again", a really small unicorn?", "no silly, try again". Finally I inquired "is it a fish?", from there came those most loudly exclamation "YES IT IS!!!!"

That girl has not learned how to keep a secret. I was smart enough not to tell her my Mother's Day gift because I knew she'd let the cat out of the bag.

Parker got her face painted as well. The theme she chose was....

pink and white fairy? - I'm not quite sure.

The evening ended with a magnificently fantastic dinner including filet tenderloin with a gorgonzola sauce and stuffed mushrooms. Excellente.

CAMPOUT 2, The Sequel

2010-06-21T16:20:00.000-07:00

What makes this a campout? From what I can tell, just pajamas and smores, oh there’s a tent there as well. I don’t think the kids cared, they were just happy to be there.

Georgia was the highlight of the evening. No child went down that slide with as much aggressiveness, carelessness, velocity, vigor, and lack of respect for gravity and anatomy as Georgia.

Watching Georgia shoot down the slide made me want to pick up the phone and dial 9, then 1…and wait for her to crash to finish the call with another 1.

Pop quiz. In the background, Laura is looking in reluctant appreciation at:
a) a photoshopped picture of me with hair on my head
b) a detailed plan she's concocted to defer funds from our savings account towards the acquisition of more women's clothing
c) a photoshopped picture of her arm in arm with Justin Bieber
d) a picture of the eighth pair of running shoes she's purchased in the past 6 months

Georgia

2010-06-18T13:48:00.001-07:00

Every day shows a sign of development. Lately she’s been learning about the existence of prepositions. Everything she wants to communicate includes the phrase “to the”. For example, this morning as I was getting ready for work and Georgia emphatically asks me “Dada…go to the…work?” A few days ago I was watching the World Cup and Georgia asks “Dada…go to the soccer?”

The context she’s using is when Laura would say something like “let’s go to the beach” or “who wants to go to the pool?” My assumption is that constantly developing brain of hers is firing off synapses that equate everything in the context of “go to the…”

Now only if she would “go to the...potty?”

Post #300

2010-06-08T15:03:00.000-07:00

This is the 300th post on our blog. My goodness.

In commemoration of this historic milestone, I want to render a complaint.

Every morning at 6am Georgia is crying in her crib. The cry is not like a "I'm awake, someone come get me out of here" kinda cry, it's more of a shreiking panicked "aaaagggh! there's a giant Siberian tiger in my bed and it's attacking me" kind of a cry. Once I or Laura wake from our serene slumber and drag our zombie-like bodies to her room, the shrieks fall silent and there's this big grin on Georgia's face. Ugh...fooled again.

Fort-ified

2010-06-08T14:58:00.000-07:00

http://blog.buildllc.com/2010/04/couch-cushion-architecture-a-critical-analysis/

This is a great article about something I always enjoyed as a kid...domestic forts. Coincidentally while I was tearing apart our bathroom shower this alst weekend, I was thinking how much Parker and Jack would enjoy building a fort out of the 4x8 panels I was placing on the side of the house.

Slip Sliding Away

2010-05-21T13:28:00.001-07:00

That's me and Parker in the background sizing up the task-at-hand.
PJ: "You can do it dad!"
Me: "Why don't you try?"
PJ: "Because I'm a little girl and you're a big strong daddy."
Me: "Ya know, you're right. Foot surfin' across a slip-n-slide can't be that difficult. Right?"

Unfortunately...
As the saying goes..."gravity, it's not just a good idea, it's the law"

Damage assessment deemed manageable.

Mama Mia

2010-05-20T11:20:00.000-07:00

Me and my mum 1971.

Based on the picture I am at my grandparents house in San Jose and I'm clinging to my mom because my grandma was approaching me with the intent of laying a big juicy kiss on my cheek that almost sucked up the right side of my face.

My mom has taught me a lot about parenthood. She's taught me about trust, hard work, and the all important tenet that parenting is a life-long task...er....adventure. And in that long adventure it's a good idea to own a Zippo.

When it comes examining our evolution as a culture, nothing is more compelling than ads from a by-gone era.

Getting Laura or my mom a new Zippo lighter for Mother's Day did not come to mind.

Maybe next year I can find a nice pink one.

Pizza Party!

2010-05-14T14:54:00.000-07:00

Our County tennis team in the Corporate Games had a little luncheon celebrating our sweep in tennis (no thanks to me, I lost 8-1). When I mentioned this to Parker the day previous she got very excited. She smiled and kind of 'tremored' a little before excitedly stating "Dad, I am so there!".

"I don't recall inviting you Parker."

"Daaaad, you know how much I love pizza parties. Remember the one at your old work?"

"Yes, the one where it was me, you, your cabbage patch doll and a couple of old ladies sitting in a cold conference room eating lukewarm pizza?"

"Yeah, that was soooooo much fun."

Sure Parker, you can come along. It'll be fun."

She is so well-behaved around stangers. I love it.

Laura in 3's

2010-05-13T08:23:00.000-07:00

Me and my big sis' Cyndi

I was tagged by Christie to share about myself and I am finally getting around to it. Here goes.

3 names I go by:
1. Mommy

2. La La

3. La La Babe

3 jobs I have had:

1. Order Management Supervisor

2. Server and bartender at Outback

3. Basketball referee

3 places I have lived:

1. San Francisco

2. Azusa

3. Castro Valley

3 fave drinks:
1. Cabernet Sauvignon

2. Water
3. Caramel Macchiato, extra shot of espresso, "but make it just barely sweet, only half a pump of caramel"

3 t.v. shows I watch:
1. So You Think You Can Dance

2. United States of Tara

3. Mad Men

3 places I have been:

1. Spain

2. Sweden

3. Germany

3 places I would like to visit:
1. Grand Canyon

2. Portugal

3. Hawaii (again)

3 fave retro TV shows:
1. Scooby Doo

2. Charlie's Angels

3. Brady Bunch

3 fave dishes:

1. Filet with wine reduction sauce

2. Blackened Salmon

3. The pasta dish with truffle sauce at Cafe Zack. I can't stop thinking about it.

3 things I am looking forward to:
1. Summer beach trips
2. Camping

3. Taking my girls to Hawaii, hopefully next summer

3 people I am tagging:

1. Will

2. Loren

3. Geoff

Words of Wisdom

2010-05-08T08:35:00.001-07:00

I was at Macy's the other day doing a little shopping for my girls in the childrens department. At checkout, my girls were trying to climb up the counter to see what I was doing. Then they'd run over to the clothing rack and climb inside the clothes so that I couldn't see them. As I was finishing up and folding the receipt into my wallet, a woman behind me, about my mom's age, who had been observing us said to me,

"I remember those days of having young children. I felt like I had no time for myself and I always looked forward to a time when they were older so I could start having time for me again. But now when I look back on my life, those were truly the happiest times of my life. I just wanted to share that with you."

This was one of the first times I've received unsolicited advice/comments from strangers that I actually appreciated. And her comment was actually very helpful to me. Although I find myself regularly frustrated when I can't seem to get anything done because the girls always need something from me, it is so true that I am the happiest I've ever been in my life. I guess I've had this mental construct that true happiness doesn't include daily fits of frustration. But I'm letting go of that now.

Here are some other unsolicited comments I received from strangers that I did NOT appreciate:

While traveling to Fargo by plane when Georgia was 5 weeks old , at the security checkpoint I lied and said my bottled water was for formula (this was the only way I could get my water onto the plane and I needed it desperately. I didn't trust the flight attendant could provide me the volume of water a nursing mother needs to drink). The woman who handed me back my bag said, "Breast milk is best" with a snotty look on her face.
On that same trip, I decided to take a trip to the bathroom. I peeled Georgia's sweaty little body away from mine and headed to the toilet. Another passenger saw that she wasn't in a blanket and said,"Oh...she must be so cold!"

Project Camp Out – El Capitan April 30, 2010

2010-05-05T14:31:00.000-07:00

It was Laura’s idea earlier this year for us to plan our first family camping trip. The Dahl family's tattered yet formidable 1976 Coleman Yorktown Tent Trailer was up for the task. The poor thing hadn't been awakened (opened up) since the early 90's.

This monumental occasion was not covered by any of the big networks or any element of the nefarious liberal mainstream media but “The Powers That Be” web log was there like a fly on the wall of a dirty shower stall to record the event in detail.

Most of the unpacking and setting up went quite smoothly.

The beach was only a five minute walk from camp.

The Georgia Transporter 2000

Parker in deep contemplation about the existential meaning behind the Scooby Doo episode she watched the day prior.

The Parker Powers Princess Power Trio played an impromptu camprground concert for the little gopher that kept sticking his head out of a hole. An encore was not requested by the audience.

Gerogia's melodramatic sobbing sessions are becoming legendary. She didn't get what she wanted so she walked away from us and cried/whined by herself. Usually she walks away and falls to the floor and buries her head and cries. Life just isn't fair.

The unveiling of the potty chair for Georgia. Although she is very excited about it, the mission proved to be unsuccessful.

Concerned look.

The little hippy.

In summary the trip was enjoyable for all of us except for the major allergic reaction I have to nature. Hopefully modern medicine will cure my ills. The one thing we all learned is that the next trip has to be longer.

Berkeley...where retro-cool happens

2010-04-28T14:00:00.000-07:00

2010-04-27T17:34:00.000-07:00

The Spoken Word (Part 2) and other musings

2010-04-22T11:03:00.001-07:00

While sitting at the table last night with Parker I had another moment that inspired me to relish the stage of development Georgia is currently in. While looking at her profile and listening to Parker tell me about her exciting experience at the library; she was very excited about getting her first library card and checking out five books by herself, “I even wrote my name by myself on the paper!” she exclaimed, by the way thanks for not getting photos of this Laura, that $700 SLR camera is safe at home where it should be as opposed to capturing our children’s important milestones that I don’t get to experience because I have to work all day mired in responsibilities of providence and……but I digress. Anyhoo, while investigating her profile as she assiduously pieces together the 60- piece ballerina puzzle with very little assistance, I see a profile of a young mature person and I’m reminded of a famous phrase from Faulkner – “times is a thief of which we have no justice against”. Further analysis determined it wasn’t Faulkner but rather Patrick Swayze in “Road House”.

Translating from Georgia-nese to English.

Unfortunately, babelfish.com cannot help me in this matter, I have to rely on the two people that interact with her on a daily basis much more than myself. With that said, I am thankful for Parker and Laura and their effort to educate me on just what the heck Georgia is uttering. I hate it when I kneel down to Georgia’s level when she’s talking to me and I helplessly respond with a “Ohhh” or “really Georgia?” and nod my head and just smile like the president when he is at a staged photo-op with some foreign dignitary from Who-cares-istan without a translator in sight.

Such a helpless feeling.

I must say that it’s quite adorable to hear her talk. I know I’m going to miss it when she becomes fluent in English. Whenever I am in the position of listening to her speak I try to remind myself that this moment is fleeting.

Favorite Words or Phrases in Georgia-nese that I do Understand and Adore

1) When Parker and I were making chocolate shakes a couple nights ago, Georgia pushed one of the chairs from the dining table into the kitchen to “help”. While trying to make room for her to “help” she emphatically repeated “eschoo sme, eschoo sme”.
2) When she wants Parker’s attention she emphatically repeats “Parta, Parta”
3) When she says words like 'milk', 'chip' or 'help' she replaces the first and last consonant with the letter ‘P’ so the words sound like ‘pilp’, 'pip', and ‘pelp’.
4) Whenever the tv is on, she enthusiastically states in the format of a question "Bi-dett?!?", which translates in Georgia-nese as "do you know where my blanket is?"
5) When I give her something she wants she politely states “deece” which means ‘thanks’ in Georgia-nese.
6) When I'm doing something that deems interesting she'll say "a-shy" which means "I'd like to try".
7) When the tv is on something she doesn't want to watch she'll say "A doo doo?" which means "I'd like to watch Scooby Doo".

It's all in the delivery.

The Spoken Word

2010-04-12T16:39:00.000-07:00

Slowly but quite surely, Georgia is really communicating with us. This weekend I noticed her vociferously stating “Parta, Parta” as she tries to get Parker’s attention from across the room.

Georgia has very good manners. Whenever we give her something (usually it’s something she wants) she immediately replies with a kind and hearty “deece”. The word “deece” dates back to the fifth century in ancient India. The term is ancient third or maybe fourth generation Sanskrit and carries the meaning “thanks doofus, now am I gonna get a lollipop or what?”

Or maybe she’s just trying to say “thanks”. I’m not sure.

I do have one general observation of children-if you put several children in a room with the t.v. off and they are loud and playing games and jumping off the furniture and bouncing off the walls, all it takes to get them to stop is to turn on Noggin. It’s quite scary to see how their behavior can take an immediate and complete 180 degree turn from being a pack of spastic hyenas, to a group of slow-termed lobotomized television viewers. Now that is the power of television.

Also, below are a few actual books we will not be reading to Georgia…

This one was definitely form a different era.

And last but not least...the title of Parker's autobiography when she gets a little older...(that's me in the slippers).

This and That

2010-04-12T14:55:00.000-07:00

Crying on daddy's shoulder.

The girls love my baby shower cake.

Georgia wants to ride a bike so badly.Parker helps Ella ride a bike.

Georgia's first pony tails.

Scenes From The Desert

2010-04-06T10:09:00.000-07:00

For weeks Parker has been very excited about Indio. When Parker is told that we are going on a vacation she gets tremendously excited even though she has no idea where we are going. After the Lake Arrowhead trip Laura and I were “in negotiations” on a trip to Lake Tahoe. Parker overheard some of that conversation and asked some questions and we left it at that. A few days later Parker was trying to recall the place where we were talking about going and started calling it “Lake Tahoe-head”.

She eagerly inquired about it for several days after continually referring to “Lake Tahoe-head”.

Feeding the duck.
The Lazy Riverdance.
The first picture in a long time where Grandma Powers did not blink.

Georgia at the pool waiting for the waitress to fetch her a fresh vodka martini.

Spelling and Counting

2010-04-02T14:39:00.000-07:00

Parker is at this stage where she likes to count things. She proudly states the she can count to 101 however, she needs a little help getting there. Whenever Laura and I read to her she seizes the opportunity to show off her counting skills, "Mom, let me count all the cars on the page 1,2,3,4,5,6, etc..." or "Dad, watch me count the number of letters on that sign".

Spelling out her name is another act Parker like to partake in. Sometimes writing it is just not good enough so...why not Play-doh??

I'm afraid her love of counting took a turn for the worse(in my opinion) though. Yesterday I was laying on the couch and she was sitting next to me when she started investigating my head. "Daddy, I think I can count all the hairs on the top of your head because I can count all the way to 101 and I don't think there's 101 hairs on the top of your head Daddy. I'll start counting there's one, two, three, four..."

"Alright Parker I get your point - now go play in traffic or something."

She'll get hers someday.

Lake Arrowhead

2010-03-15T14:21:00.000-07:00

We went to Aunt Julie's cabin at Lake Arrowhead for my birthday. I got to see falling snow for the first time in my 34 years of life.

Grandma reading to the kids.

Dad and Jules

Georgia only wanted her mommy to hold her when we were out in the snow. This is how she looked when she wasn't in my arms.

It really started snowing just before bedtime. We couldn't resist; instead we just opened the slider and let them celebrate.

Parker’s Significant Life Event #842

2010-03-03T13:37:00.000-08:00

Part of the joy of parenthood is exposing your child to new activities. These new discoveries are just as exciting for us as they are for our children. I still remember the day in the kitchen when Laura exposed Parker to the devilishly delicious taste of chocolate as well as the artful act of licking the beater. Parker hasn’t been the same since.

So the next logical step in child development has to be…bowling.

I think the most surprising revelation about our bowling date was the realization that Laura has something in common with our President - they both suck at bowling. More importantly I do think that Laura could take him on the basketball court though.

Somehow Parker got a spare.

However, the one thing she really enjoyed were the bowling shoes she got to wear.

I don’t think it was much of an experience for Parker because she hasn’t mentioned it since. I think she finds it about as amusing as Laura and I do. Maybe it’s genetic.

2010-02-25T09:44:00.001-08:00

The Stay-At-Home-Mom (SAHM) Olympics (inspired by the Winter Olympics and a posting from Jen Mowad)

1st event: Diaper Changing - now keep in mind that this isn’t merely a speed event, there is quite a bit of judging involved. The judging has to include several key elements:
1. Contentment of the child- is he/she happy while the diaper is being changed? Points are deducted for crying and added for laughing.
2. Movement of the child – is the child remaining inert while diaper is being changed or is the beast trying to constantly roll over and move around?
3. Rash – points deducted for rashes, it implies mother is not applying proper ointments (Desidin, talc, etc…) to alleviate discomfort.
4. Number of children – the more children you have the higher the degree of difficulty (bonus points if their twins)
5. Degree of odor – the more heinous the smell the higher the degree of difficulty awarded
6. Density of bowel movement produced - reflects the type of diet the mother has implemented for the child. If the excrement is too runny, mother is not feeding child enough fiber and bananas (points deducted), if the excrement is too dense a significant risk of constipation is evident (points deducted-lay off the bananas).

Points also deducted for cheating! The contestant may not “sneek a peek” down the child’s pants to see if there is excrement. Nor can the contestant pick the child up and put her nose in the child’s crotch to detect odor (Laura!). Knowledge of dirty diaper can only be determined by a casual odor detection method (child walking or crawling by parent). Bonus points awarded for diaper change detection based solely on instincts.

AUTOMATIC GOLD MEDAL AWARDED TO MOTHER USING CLOTH DIAPERS. CONGRATULATORY LETTER FROM AL GORE TO FOLLOW AT A LATER DATE.

2nd Event: Offensive Driving Because Your Child Is Late to Pre-School, Dance Lessons, Psychotherapy appointment, Soccer game, et al. – this is another event that’s based on scores from judges and times. Scores are evaluated on the following criteria:
1. Ability of the SAHM to have children dressed and ready. The more children involved, the higher degree of difficulty (bonus points received if twins are involved).
2. Ability of SAHM to methodically anticipate effective lane changes that will decrease time needed to reach destination.

Points deducted for stopping at gas stations. Shows contestant has not shown proper foresight (Laura!) in transporting children to destination.

Points deducted for traffic citations received while transporting children to destination. No additional comments needed.

3rd Event: Cake Making – an essential part of all child development is the mother’s ability to bake a birthday cake. Scores are evaluated on the following criteria:
1. Creativity – judges are allowed discretion on contestant’s ability to design a cake that jives with the particular birthday party theme.
2. Ice Cream Cake – additional points awarded if cake includes ice cream (judges preference).
3. Butter Cream Frosting – extra points awarded, enough said.
4. Type of Ice Cream Served With Cake – additional points if ice cream complements cake (e.g. a cake made up of layers of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry accompanied with neopolitan ice cream)

Points deducted for birthday cake being purchased from outside entity. Cheater! Cheater! You Can’t Lick the Beater! Additional point deducted if the cake was purchased from Costco, yuck.

4th Event: Prepare Children For Bed So That Daddy Can Lay On The Couch and Watch Olympic Hockey When He Gets Home From Work…this one was my idea.

Further events will be reported on in monthly installments…input and ideas for new events are always welcome!

I Assume...

2010-02-22T11:12:00.000-08:00

Laura disciplined these two for standing on the couch right after she had them pose for the picture. Consistency is very important when it comes to parenting.

A tough weekend for child-rearing. With Georgia and myself being sick both of us had our moments of discontent. Georgia has a good excuse only being 19 months old. Myself on the other hand have just simply run out of excuses.

I would take the identical picture of myself but I just cannot allow the snot to run down my face in the same manner Georgia does.

Memorable Moments

2010-02-19T16:38:00.000-08:00

MTV CRIBS

Talking to Parker this morning about Georgia being sick and waking up coughing throughout the night, Parker came up with a great idea.

“I know, we’ll get her a little tv and put it in her crib so she can watch Wow Wow Wubzy late at night when she can’t sleep”

CHOO CHOO TRAIN

Georgia is digging that song. It was a song I wrote and recorded on the first MagFan cd. When I play it for her on the guitar she dances and dances. When the chorus hits there’s a couple of whole notes-in between the whole notes Georgia will frantically chant “Choo Choo”. What’s even more remarkable is when I reach the part in the song that drops real quiet dynamically, she stops looks at me and squats and just listens intently. I gotta get it on video.

OUR WEDDING VIDEO

Parker really likes to watch our wedding video. She seems to thoroughly enjoy the footage, especially when my dad comes onto the screen. She’ll say something like “there’s Grandpa Powers, I wish I could meet him”. Every time she says that I take a pause. “I do too Parker”. A couple times she’s uttered something like “Mommy, I hope I die and go to heaven so I can see Grandpa Powers”.

How do you respond to that?

JUICE!!!!

2010-02-11T08:22:00.001-08:00

We've had a problem brewing for a while now and I finally decided to take action. The culprit? JUICE. We fell into the bad habit of giving Parker a cup of juice and turning on the tv every morning while we crawl back into bed and get a few more winks of sleep. I don't know exactly how it happened but it has become a morning ritual for Parker and she can't have one (juice or tv) without the other.

Now Georgia has fallen into this habit too. It started because she was anemic and we were giving her iron supplements in juice every morning and evening. Georgia has always been a great water drinker. But she won't touch milk. She can't stand it. I've tried soymilk, chocolate milk...nothing. She spits it out, which is quite funny to watch.

I started noticing that the girls were asking for juice more often. I'd always tell them no, "you get one cup in the morning and one cup at quiet time. And you know Dr. Pecht says you should only have one cup and I'm giving you two." Also, they weren't drinking the water I'd give them inbetween meals. They'd just hold out until it was time for the next cup of juice. This bothered me.

So I decided to lay down a new rule. No juice for Georgia, except on special occasions and

Parker could have one cup of juice while Georgia naps as long as she's had water and milk earlier in the day. I felt good about the new rule but apprehensive at the thought of instituting it.

The first day was just what I expected. I came into the kitchen and heard Parker ask, "Can I have some juice?". Well I had explained the new rule to her the night before but she gave it a try anyway. Georgia heard the word and began yelling, "Joooos! Joooos!" I filled up her water cup, making sure to put a few ice cubes in it and handed it too her. She threw it on the floor and ran to the other room, fell to the floor and began crying. I looked over at Parker who was having hard time watching tv without a cup of juice in her hand. I know the power of association and I was prepared for the jucie-tv association to take about a month to break. Ugh!

The next day was more of the same. But towards midday Georgia started sucking her water down just like she used to. This made me happy. There's somethign about kids drinking water that makes me a very happy mommy.

Day three was a total triumph for me. They both seemed to have forgotten about juice completely. They didn't even mention it! Parker forgot to ask for a cup of juice during Georgia's nap! I felt so victorious!

Good Listener

2010-02-11T08:06:00.000-08:00

A few days ago Parker dropped some blueberries on the floor. She promptly picked them up and headed over to the trash can to throw them out. I stopped her, telling her that they are fine and she should still eat them. She told me that her teacher, Ms. Lucken, told her that when things fall on the floor they get germs on them and you should always throw them away. On the one hand I appreciated the teacher's explanation and effort to instill some cleanly values into my child. So I said to Parker, "Well, that is true when you are at school or other places where there are lots of people. Because wherever there are lots of people, there are lots of germs". But here at home it's just our family so you can eat things that fall on the floor." I didn't want to go into more detail....like if it's an m'n'm it's okay to pick it off the floor and pop it in your mouth, but if it's a spoonful of lasagna forget about it. I tried to keep it simple.

So yesterday I asked Parker how her Valentine party was at school. "What did you guys eat?" I asked, curious to see how much sugar she'd already ingested for the day and if she'd still be hungry for lunch. She said something like this,
"Well, it was fun. I had a really good time handing out Valentines to all my friends. And we got a cookie but I dropped mine on the floor so I threw it away. I was really disappointed because the teacher said we could only have one and I really wanted to eat it."

My first thought was, "Wow, she just used the word "disappointed".... impressive!"
Next I felt so bad that I didn't go into further detail about when you should throw food away (depending on the type of food and how long it's been on the floor, how dirty the floor is, etc) and when you shouldn't. I pictured Parker sitting at the table watching all her classmates eat their cookies. She didn't even ask the teacher for another cookie. I felt so proud of her for exhibiting so much self control and trying to do the right thing. Such a good girl!

T.W.I.P. Notes (This Week In Parenting)

2010-02-08T16:54:00.000-08:00

1) Georgia has quickly becomes PJ’s shadow. As Parker goes, so does Georgia. Which leads to many spills and falls but also leads to wonderful moments when Parker hurt herself and Georgia runs off looking for Parker’s blanket in an effort to make her feel better.

2) Georgia has learned to emphatically say the word “No”. Anything I ask gets a resounding “NO” in addition to a lot of head movement side to side to further punctuate the sentiment. “Georgia, is the sky blue?” – “NO”. “Does a clock turn clockwise?” –“NO”. “Is six plus four equal to ten?” –“NO”. Do you want some M&Ms?-….[pause]….she answers the question with an emphatic nodding of the head up and down stating “Plea!” Plea!”

She is also making my day when I come home from work and hear this little angel wail an excited "Daaaayyyeeeee!!!"

3) I went to get something out of my trunk when I realized what I’ve been doing for the past 3 months. I’ve been throwing all of the crafts that PJ gives me into my trunk. Someday she’s going to read this and not be very happy about this confession…

And if you are reading this, Ms. “Mature Parker”, remember that these are crafts of a 3 and 4 year old girl – impressive for your age but still they’re not Rembrandts. I should take a picture and post them on this blog just to defend myself.

4) At a dinner party Saturday night Laura and I were having a conversation with an acquaintance of mine whose profession is an occupational therapist. Laura asked her how her work is different from that of a physical therapist. She stated that a physical therapist focuses on a specific injury and methods to heal the injured part of the body where an occupational therapist focuses on functional tasks and what is hindering the person from performing them. “Great” I said, “can you help get Laura to take out the trash once in a while?”

I still think it’s funny.

Laura still does not.

5) This weekend reminded me of a better time to come. “Saturday Morning Chores” with the girls. This is where I play a supervisory role and oversee my progeny perform all the remedial cleaning tasks that Laura and I do not like to do. Better times ahead.

Come to think of it. Maybe I do want a third.

Great news on the In-Laws side of the house.

2010-01-28T10:45:00.000-08:00

The last of Laura’s five brothers and sisters not to bear children is in the process of rectifying the issue. Laura’s brother Nathan has passed the virility test and is expecting a child with his lovely wife Deann.

This is great news! Lately Laura has had to endure my constant complaining that 78 nieces and nephews is not enough. There are still weekends throughout the year where there isn't a Dahl-related birthday to celebrate. This cannot go on.

Ain't they cute? I guess they're not shooting at storks.

The names they are considering are:
Shooter
Remington
Winchester
Glock
Beretta
Skeet

Their timing is impeccable. With the 2010 Census ramping up the Dahl family can officially be upgraded from a platoon to a battalion. Five more births and the dream of a Dahl Army will come to fruition. Once that objective is achieved the entire family jumps into the rocketship named "The Lunar Ark" and colonizes the moon. The rocketship will be designed and constructed by Allen Dahl in his backyard on a summer day.

Basketball at zero gravity will be very interesting.

Congratulations you two.

The Other Birthday Party

2010-01-26T16:28:00.001-08:00

Then there was the other birthday party for PJ; it was on her actual birthday. Party-goers included immediate family and grandparents.
She got some cool gifts from her grandparents (Leggos, Cooties, cheerleader outfit, shoes, etc…) and she got her Princess Piano. It’s not the actual $90 piece of plastic junk provided by your friends at Hasbro, but an actual wooden vanity with a mirror and a drawer and a pink Barbie piano on top of it.

And the puddin’ cake wasn’t bad either.

DDT Wallpaper

2010-01-25T09:41:00.000-08:00

It's 1947 and your lovely domicile is suffering from the kind of disease-bearing insects that thrive in dirt and muck and filth. You worry about your child's well being so you're looking into ways of getting rid of those icky inhabitants. Why not protect your dear children with DDT-treated wallpaper, and look...

there's Disney characters!

Wait, there's more. Woolworths is having a sale on asbestos pillow cases.

Happy 4th Birthday Parker

2010-01-24T12:43:00.001-08:00

The morning of Parker's birthday I looked down at her and said, "Parker, do you realize that you're not three anymore. You're four now!" Her eyebrows raised up in realization and then she looked down at her body. When she looked back up at me she said, "But I'm still the same size as when I was three. I thought I was going to be bigger when I was four".

PJ's brithday was drawn out over 3 days (I feel like I've been baking for a week though). We had the grandparents over for dinner on her real birthday.

Cupcakes were taken to school on Friday. Parker was very excited about this. She even asked to take some lifesavers she'd received as a gift from grandma Powers to school to pass out to each kid in her class. Her generosity always surprises and impresses me. Parker got a blue birthday ribbon at school that she wore for the next two days.

PJ's birthday party took place on Saturday. We got a break from the rain and were able to have some of the party activities outside. This year we did a birthday Tea Party. The kids loved this and were really well behaved sitting at their little tables using real ceramic tea sets. I was a little worried these might get broken, especially since they were all borrowed (thank you Becky!) But the kids rose to the occasion and acted like little ladies and gentlement. They were adorable.

The Hello Kitty water cooler was definately a hit with the kids. They drank so much water from it...I was very pleased. I love it when kids drink water.

The highlight for me was getting to make a beautiful cake. It's been a while since I put this much work into a cake (Loren's wedding I think?) The kids were intrigued with the miniatures. I had a lot of fun making them too. I finally understand the fascination with doll houses. I felt like I worked for a doll house manufacturer. I kept finding myself saying, "Oh my gosh this is soooo cute! Look how real the apples look". Parker enjoyed watching me make them too.

It was a great day for everyone. Childrens birthdays sure can be fun!

Validation That I'm Doing Something Right as a Parent

2010-01-15T10:53:00.000-08:00

Sure there have been some tender moments the girls have shared. And some have been captured on film (well...SD card). But nothing compares to the most tenderest moment of all that continues to bleed my tear ducts dry.

There's the oh-so tender moment when Parker helped Georgia with putting her shoes on.

That's not it...

Or there's the time when Parker and Georgia put on their matching bathing suits and strolled around the backyard on a beautiful Saturday afternoon ensconced with the future promise of perpetual kinship and love for each other.

But that's not it either...

These tender moments make both Laura and myself feel as if it is all worthwhile. All the incessant crying and screaming we had to endure at bedtime or at the diner table more than makes up for itself when we look at these precious photos.

I promised Laura I wouldn't incessantly scream and cry anymore.

Sure someday when they're older they'll be moments when they're in this same backyard pulling each other's hair and kicking each other in the shin because Parker stole away Georgia's boyfriend or because Parker takes 30 minutes in the bathroom every morning to get ready but that's a long time from now.

And when that does happen I hope to be at work.

But for me the most tenderest, most precious moment that makes me proud to be a parent came on a Tuesday evening on January 5th, 2010. That defining moment captured my imagination. It was a moment where everything I've held dear to me from childhood and throughout my eternal struggle with adulthood erupted like a Mt. St. Helens of emotion. Finally, my children have joined that exclusive club.

The moment came when I turned on the tv in our bedroom and set Parker up for the first time to play...

Ms. PACMAN!!

AND GEORGIA WATCHED TOO.

It was then I realized that my purpose in life was to breed children for the purpose of playing video games with me.

Mission Accomplished.

Oh the future we have together, Saturday afternoon trips to Golf-n-Stuff, hanging out at Electronic Boutique at the mall for 2 hours, a day trip to "Tilt" in the Thousand Oaks Mall (is that place still open?), or purchasing a PS3 and simply buying cool games to play until 2 o'clock in the morning.

Finally I see a future with my children that isn't all about them, it's about what I want as well. To sit at home on a rainy afternoon and play Tiger Woods golf on the Wii! until one of us contracts a mild case of "Wii elbow".

Parker, Georgia meet your new cousins Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog, you'll be getting to know them better.

ahhhhhh...parenthood

P.S. the leopard-print blanket is not mine, it's Laura's. It matches her leopard-print boots and leopard-skin-tight spandex pants she wears on "80's Metal Night" at Nicholby's. She's been caught walking around the house singing "Don't Need Nothing But a Good Time" as well. Someone please stop her.

Let the Product Licensing Begin…A Magnificent Fantastic Business Plan

2010-01-13T09:11:00.001-08:00

The first step in this marketing campaign is t-shirts, then our business plan kinda goes awry…

1) The Potty Town Map of Ventura County – a parent’s guide to nice, clean bathrooms for children in the Ventura County area. For the parent who shops a lot and wants to know the location of the best child-friendly public bathrooms. This is inspired by the bathroom Parker and I found a long time ago at the Pacific View Mall by the food court. There are several private bathrooms with a big toilet for adults and a little toilet for children…very cool. Everybody probably knows about this but no one told me!

2) Mr. Fancy Pants - A new line of children’s pants made of flashy satin accompanied with other bright accoutrements such as dazzling fake diamonds, LED lights on the pants cuff, etc…

3) The “Spank Me” Spanking Paddle – comes with booklet on other punishment options when the child is performing extra-badly, chapters include:
a. An Introduction to Pressure Points
b. Waterboarding, If It’s Good Enough For the C.I.A. – foreward by Dick Cheney
c. The Comeback of Castor Oil
d. The All Vegetable Diet…nothing else but!

4) The Let’s Swing Swing Set – nothing more than a mere swing set, of course it will cost twice as much than most swing sets due to the “Let’s Swing” licensing moniker

5) Brushin’ My Teeth Toothpaste – butter cream frosting flavored toothpaste…yum yum

6) Opening an actual Goody Goody Gumdrops Candy Store…strike that…after further research it was discovered that one already exists… www.goodygumdrop.com (hmmmm…maybe they need a theme song)

7) The Laura Powers bobblehead doll – it just sounds funny

8) The Wonderin’ If It’s Time To Go Potty Chair – as soon as the child sits down the sound of running water comes out of the speakers

9) The Pink Thongs Lingerie Shop- nothing but thongs

10) The “When I’m Sleeping” Sleeping Bag – plenty of hidden pockets inside to store candy for midnight snacks

Other ideas are always welcome...

A New Cd?...SWEET!

2010-01-12T10:10:00.000-08:00

The creative process can be as entertaining and rewarding as anything in life.

In our biggest musical enterprise yet, we’ve finally finished the Magnificent Fantastic double cd titled “Sweet”. Although the project was quite tedious and time consuming, there were some memorable moments of laughter and creative fulfillment for all of us involved. Some of the songs can be heard at:

www.myspace.com/themagnificentfantastic

I believe there’s ten copies left if anyone is interested.

I was thinking yesterday about how these songs provide a dual purpose. Not only are they some measure of aural entertainment for children and adults alike but they also provide a snapshot into our experiences and observations as a parent, much like the goal of this blog.

This project has provided for some memorable moments. A few memories that come to mind:
- Parker still does not use the pronoun “she” when she’s referring to a third person of the female gender. Hence the lyrics in the song Seasquirt (her name is Seasquirt and her’s my best friend/her greets me in the morning, her’s with me at the day’s end). One day her’s going to grow out of it and I’m going to miss the way her misuses the word “her”. Grammatically it’s her-rendous.
- After not hearing the song “Sugar High” for several weeks, I was driving PJ home from preschool a few weeks back when out of the blue she belts out the line “so high you can touch the sky…kiss the ground goodbye”. I still chuckle thinking about that moment.
- Although she’s doing it herself now, Parker used to yell out the phrase “MOM/DAD CAN YOU WIPE MY BUTT?!!?” so incredibly loud with complete disregard of the personal aspect to it. Of course it’s coming from the bathroom which adds some reverb to it as well. She was “performing” about five to seven bowel movements a day so for Laura it was seemingly a continual exercise for her. That’s something I’m going to miss…well sorta. I will miss her declaration but not her defecation. Luckily we have a little song on the cd to commemorate the memory.
- Whenever I’m at the computer, Georgia walks up to me, taps me on the knee and chants “Da…Da…Da…Da” very enthusiastically which means she wants to dance. Whenever I play her one of my songs she looks at the computer screen, then looks at me and shakes her head meaning “no”. Then I put on “The Littlest Little in Littleland” and she goes nuts. She bee-lines to the ottoman, climbs on top of it and dances.

Notable songs from the cd include:

1) Sugar High - I love this song moreover I love annoying Jeff with my 8 minute song creations. Let it be known that this song, like many had input from other people. I had the initial idea and lyrics but Laura and Jeff helped out with the “when the sugar hits her brain” mantra as well as the lyrics in the Pink Floyd-ish breaks.
2) Potty Town – this song was written by Geoff Nicolle. He came to me with the idea in his head and the lyrics and it’s one of my top 3 songs of the cd by far. I love this song…especially the “freedom” part.
3) Seasquirt / Fuzzy for the Many – I can’t stop writing songs about Parker’s blanket. I don’t know why, it’s kinda weird. Fuzzy for the Many was written (Loren Barroca helped with the lyrics) based no something PJ said a long while back. She was telling me how she preferred the Fuzzy side of her blanket as compared to the shiny (silky) side. She mentioned that some people might like the shiny side more but most people like the fuzzy side of her blanket because it’s so cozy and cuddly.
4) Going On A Trip – the best song on the cd penned by Jeff, in my opinion. The lyrics are quite inventive and paint a very visual picture of a child using her imagination. What’s most impressive is the feel of the song. It paints a distinct picture that meshes so well with the lyrics which is a difficult task to achieve, believe me.
5) Spank Me – this song was fun to create (Laura, myself, and Jeff…and a couple wee drops of alcohol) in the music room. A couple things stand out; my father-in-law’s recitation of the clinical definition of the work “spank” and Jeff’s cathartic singing at the end “NO…MAMMA NO!”
6) The Littlest Little In Littleland - I have never ever heard the word "aperitif" used in a song, much less a children's song. Don't know if i can top that lyrically. Kudos to Jeff.

FEEDBACK...PLEASE. Although I think the sound quality is our best yet, I would thoroughly appreciate some feedback on the sound quality of the cd. How did the mixes sound? Are the vocals loud enough or are they buried too far in the mix? Too much bass in some of the tracks? How about the volume of some of the songs, we tried to keep it consistent but it’s more difficult than you think. Jeff and I suffered through numerous iterations of the songs all the while arguing over the type of equalization as well as mixes on each track. Again, I would love some feedback on anything that was wrong with the mixes. It’s amazing how the cd will sound different in each stereo it’s played from. I don’t know how the professionals do it.

This cd is intended to be our swan song to children’s music. I figured the well had run dry after this endeavor. I never would've imagined we be able to put together 48 songs. It originally was intended to be a songle cd but the hits kept on coming. Plus, I wasn't ready to be done after one cd and delaying the project meant that I could procrastinate the inevitable and unenviable task of writing music for adults.

Writing and recording children’s music is a great cover for us. The expectations are inherently lower in this format which is great for the songwriter. Also, you can be as silly and witless as you desire. It's songwriting with a warm, fuzzy and cuddly safety net.

In the movie "The Candidate", Robert Redford starts as a long-shot senatorial candidate in California. He spends the entire movie enduring the trials and tribulations of being an unknown candidate going through the rigorous campaign obstacle course otherwise known as California politics. Eventually he overcomes all the setbacks presented to him and wins the senate seat. In the final scene Redford walks into an elecetion night celebration party and looks back to his campaign manager and asks the poignant question..."Now what?"

So now that we are done I can finally get back to spending quality time with my wonderful wife sipping wine while sitting on the couch watching our favorite tv show “SO YOU THINK YOU CAN be THE BIGGEST LOSER on PROJECT RUNWAY before an INTERVENTION occurs by OPRAH and you continue to be in the running of becoming AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL yet would rather be spending your time DANCING WITH THE STARS”.

ahhhhhhh good times ahead…

I do want to say...

to everyone who listens to it and enjoys it. Although our fan base is approximately seven or eight people, it's nice to know that a few people are waiting with some level of anticipation for the cd. It motivated me to make this project sound as polished as possible.

P.S. - don’t give up on either cd after track 24.

P.P.S. - thanks Becky for the pictures

The Cracks In PJ's Social Shell Are Showing

2010-01-07T16:51:00.000-08:00

The Sunday mass we usually attend includes a “children’s message” portion where the pastor invites all the children up to the front to sit down while he tells them a little story or a magic trick or an allegory or something of that sort. Last Sunday’s service provided us with a special little surprise.

Parker (who’s usually quite shy in these matters) meanders up to the front with her cousin Ella, holding hands as they usually do and sits down with the rest of the kids. Laura and I are sitting in the middle of the church where our line of sight to the kids is somewhat hampered by the big headed people sitting in front of us. Pastor Steve starts the message with “well kids, did everyone get the presents they wanted for Christmas?” The response was as expected…pretty quiet except for a voice that echoes out…”well, I was hoping for a princess piano but I didn’t get one”. I cringe with delight, embarrassment, and a bellyful of chuckles. This was not expected from our shy little girl. She continues on in some detail about the princess piano she wanted but didn’t get. The pastor then speaks about the notion of light and whether one candle and light up the room and if not, how many were needed to light up the room. Parker enthusiastically states “Fifty Five!”…not sure where that came from. But Parker then continues to offer up some more informational tidbits about how her daddy got a light for Christmas that he can use when they go camping. By this time I’m flabbergasted.

Next Pastor Steve speaks about the spelling of the word “Light” and what the letters represent. “L” is for love, etc…. Parker offers up another tasty piece of information…"Hey L is in Ella’s name!”

After the children’s message is over the parents usually come up and help escort the kids to their Sunday school class so I walk up to get Parker and casually walk by Pastor Steve and tell him “no more Starbucks for her”.

As I reflect on this experience I still chuckle inside.

My girls

2010-01-07T16:27:00.000-08:00

Growin' Like a Weed

2010-01-01T12:50:00.001-08:00

Growth from Febuary to December

Christmas Dresses

2010-01-01T11:25:00.000-08:00

My mom and I made Christmas skirts for all the little girl cousins in the family. I couldn't get them all together for one picture unfortunately.

Peyton, Parker and Georgia

Here's Parker and Ella in the Christmas pagaent at church.

Tobias, Daphne, Georgia and Parker
I have to say we have some gorgeous children in this family!

Merry Xmas

2009-12-29T15:12:00.000-08:00