The kids and I headed to the hike and bike trail, downtown this morning.
Yeah, I know, gas is pricey. Too bad. We had to get out of this house for a while.
So we walked the trail with 8 or 10 other SAHDs and their kids. The Talker got to feed the ducks and chase pigeons and The Princess napped most of the way. The weather is beautiful, so it was a great morning to be outside.
The AtHomeTrio went out to see The Boss Lady at work yesterday. We ate lunch in her office and made a large mess. Then we left.
We stopped at the mall, to window shop and to play on the indoor playscape. And to burn the last of their energy before naptime. Worked like a charm. She? 2 hours and 15 minutes. He? 2 hours and 40 minutes. At the same time!
Me? Could have been productive. But no. Read truck stuff online. Watched Law and Order (twice)! and played in the driveway for a few minutes.
Good times.
This morning we are off to story time. Not at the cool bookstore downtown. Are you nuts? Have you seen gas prices?
And the bus? Yeah, do YOU have a hour and a half to spare to get downtown? With two multi-appendaged beasts on your lap? Yeah, I thought not.
We are going to the chain store a couple of mile away. Besides, the kids really like the old man who leads the story times out here. He sings in Spanish, talks with puppets and plays a ukulele. And not even the really cute story time lady at the cool store can beat a ukulele and a spanish speaking alligator.
of the last long wekend before summer.
Saturday morning we all went to the easter egg hunt. The kids had a blast and it was awesom to see some of our old friends from church. We have all scattered to different areas, some teaching teens or in the nursery and some. like me, just getting older and moving to the "Older Class". Of course, hanging out with these guys makes me want to go back to the old group, so that might happen soon.
On the way to the hunt, The Boss Lady informed me that she and The Talker did not attend last year's festivities. Not that it matters to you, but I believe in full disclosure.
Sunday morning, we were off to church and it was chilly when we got home. So The Easter Bunny slept in. The kids went Easter Egg hunting in the front yard, after naps. They made a pretty good haul. Good for daddy, becasue someone has to eat all of that chocolate.
Today, we are hanging out at home. I might play with the truck a little bit, but no money will be spent on it. At least I can snack on candy while I am out there.
Friday, The entire AtHomeFamily went grocery shopping. You would think that two adults who each grocery shop for the family could make this a quick trip. It drove me nuts. The Boss Lady walks the aisles in a different route than I do, and she buys different stuff. It was weird. But at least she had to backtrack a couple of times. I always seem to miss something, too.
We all survived the grocery run, so the kids and the wife played inside and in the backyard, while I played in the driveway. Actually, they got most of the house cleaned, while I made a big mess.
The Boss Lady is good like that. After 2 1/2 years at home, I still rarely get anything cleaned up while both kids are awake. She can make cleaning the living room exciting enough that both kids will pitch in a little. I have to wait until one of them is asleep and the other is occupied. Then I try a quick strike. Getting one room clean, or one chore done. I can get several things done each day, this way.
Last night, we walked the neighborhood and visited with Racecar Man and his family. The kids had a blast playing in their yard and The Boss Lady got to talk about something other than trucks for a few minutes.
This morning, we are heading out to a friend's house for a multi family Easter egg hunt. Last year, I skipped out, so The Boss Lady could see her friends and hang out with the boy for a while, before The Princess arrived. But it turned out that I was the only husband/daddy to skip out. So I'll be going this year. Egg hunting and lunch. Two of my favorite activities!
I've been a little pre-occupied with the new truck. Sorry for not blogging more here, on the site that started it all.
So a recap of current events:
First and most importantly, The Boss Lady is on a FOUR DAY WEEKEND! Yeah!
The Princess is now choosing to walk a lot of time. She will stop crawling, stand up and walk the rest of the way to her destination or some other great distraction along the way.
She also has a tooth! Beat her brother by a month on walking and three weeks on getting first chompers.
The Talker has gone completely insane for Buzz Lightyear. He has a pair of Buzz pajamas that he has worn all day long. He might of slept in them last night, too. I know he was begging to wear them tonight, but they stink. So no dice. No more Buzz pajamas until they visit the space-washer out in the garage. Even so, the Buzz dolls, both big and small, will sleep in the bed with him, so life is good. I just hope he does not bend his laser while he sleeps.
We hit the hardware store this morning to return some toys, oops, tools. On the way home, we stopped my old office so the boy could play in the giant sand play area. On the way home, I asked if he wanted to eat lunch at McD's. Luckily for me, he wanted Chic-Fil-A! McD's playscape is bigger, but Chic-Fil-A's is not as "scary".
So the day was wasted, running errands and goofing off, but at least we did not have to eat at McDonald's. Yeah!
Our dishwasher may be small, but it is one heck of a good baby nap inducer. The Princess cannot resist a little snooze if we are sitting in the kitchen, while the dishwasher is running.
Right now, she is sitting between me and the dishwasher. And snoozing away.
So I should really be glad we picked the smallest capacity dishwasher. More loads per week = more naps! And that is what AtHomeDaddy is all about.
Now, I wonder if she will sleep with the clothes washer running... Maybe I should roll her out in the garage because the washing machine is ALWAYS running around here.
It was a cloudless and beuatiful day. And after a trip to the biggest park in the area, with Other Dad and his kids, we spent the rest of the day hanging around the house, waiting on a phone call. Everything worked out, so now we are free to roam again.
But it is an overcast and dreary day out there. So I think The AtHomeTrio is off to the mall with the indoor playscape or to bother mommy at work.
The Talker just came running into the kitchen holding his hands with his palms up.
"Look Daddy, I'm juggling cats!" As he starts moving his hands around.
"I caught them out of the tree in a net and now I'm juggling them"
"Oh no I dropped one."
"I'll go get more with my net out of the tree."
How can four people go through so many dishes in one day?
I ran the dishwasher yesterday afternoon. For dinner I cooked some of the world's worst spaghetti. Which is really hard to make, if you hate spaghetti as much as I do. And this morning? Dishes in the sink, dishes on the counter and dishes on the dining table. Not to mention the pots on the stove. Heck, there might have even been more dishes in the pots...
So The AtHomeTrio's first adventure for the day involved emptying and reloading the dishwasher. Very exciting stuff, when you have a one year old wanting to help unload the knives and plates from the lower shelf. And a three year old wanting to sort the silverware into the drawer. Without Help.
He washed his hands first, right? You betcha. Yeah, right. And don't even ask where his hands have been this morning. We don't want to know. I just want the dishes put away. And to stay away.
Here are some recent searches on Yahoo that led someone right to AtHomeDaddy. Why? Dunno.
Shrek 3 wheeled scooter. OK, this one is simple. I blogged about it when The Talker got one for Christmas.
Lowes Dry stack retaining wall. Thank Yahoo's search robots for putting that one together.
Sombrero Cupcakes. See the last explanation...
Has Neurosmith gone out of business? Short answer... Yes.
naked cabanna boys Words cannot describe how confused I am by this one. Sorry, only occasionally streaking three-year-olds found here. And no pictures. And why the heck would I rank 5th on this search? Just because of my poor spelling? I hope so. Of course, enough of you sicko's go there, and I'll end up first. Yeah!
A great big "Thank You" to everyone who left comments or emailed in the past week. I actually had not looked at most of the comments or emails until this morning. Losing our big dog has been tough, but things are getting back to normal.
Now we just have to find some way to keep the #)(@*#g squirrels out of the garden. They would not dare venture in with Ben or Bill out there. For the time being, they have free reign.
Guess I need to train The Princess and The Talker on how to bark like a big dog.
The Boss Lady is back to work, after her week off for Spring Break. Except for the whole sick/dying/dead dog thing, I had a nice week off, too. And the next couple of weeks will be a nice chance to get back in the groove. The Boss Lady has two 4-day weeks in a row, this week and next, separated by a 4 day weekend.
The kids and I are hanging out at the house today. It is drizzling and The Princess is still cutting her first tooth, so she is not a real happy camper. Plus, she has a little fever. The Talker is still weaning himself of having someone's, mainly mommy's, undivided attention for 9 days.
Over the weekend, The AtHomeFam did lots of routine stuff. Lots of naps, trips to Costco, cleaning out cars, lots of excitement. This routine was only broken up for one quick trip to work on the old truck. And a call to Rick, out in Alabama. No reason for the call, but I started thinking last weekend that I had not actually spoken to him since the spring of 1997. Lucky him. Should'a blocked that number on Google.
After a lousy start to the week, The AtHomeFamily has enjoyed all being together this week. The Boss Lady has been off for Spring Break so we have gotten lots of family time.
Good for me, because the kids really want to monopolize Mommy when she is home this much. I think I changed a diaper like 5 days ago. I fed the baby 2 bites, like 3 days ago. Tough schedule, no?
Actually, I usually try and keep some of my normal routines when The Boss Lady is home for breaks. But this time, I have been a big slug.
Today we all went out to the farm. I wanted to piddle with the truck. And The Talker wanted to see the cows and feed the catfish. We had a great time. I got the truck started and running again, after being parked for 12 years. And The Talker climbed all over old farm equipment playing cowboys and indians.
The Princess? She ate a lot of dirt and a few rocks. And The Boss Lady? She must've been happy. She walked around with a goofy grin on her face all afternoon. Hopefully she can enjoy her last day off, tomorrow, too.
I have not really felt like blogging for the past few days. I am much too busy staring out the backdoor, waiting for Ben to stare back at me.
Luckily, The Boss Lady is on Spring Break. The kids are having a blast with mommy being home all this week and I get to stay in a funk for a few more days.
Yippeee!!!
Ben - Benny - The Big White Dog - Big 'un - Boss Man
Whatever we called him, whenever we called, he was one great dog. And every time we left him at home when we went off to do the deeds of the day, we all said "Bye, Ben". And everytime we got home, he was waiting at the front door for us to say "Hi, Ben".
He died at the emergency vet's office this morning. His big old heart and lungs just could not hold out any longer.
Damn. This really sucks.
Bye, Ben.
Here is a picture from the day we brought home 'The Boys'.
The Big White Dog is spending the weekend at an Emergency Vet Clinic. The latest x-rays show a mass or tumor or something near his sternum, alongside his lungs. The vets don't know if it is actually a tumor or the site of an infection or possibly an injury. They are trying to drain it and see what it is.
Whatever it is, The Big White Dog and I hate it.
When the best news they give you is "He should live fine through the night", the news must not be very good.
This sucks.
A couple of days ago, The Big White Dog started coughing. So this morning I was planning to take him to the vet for a check-up. Then, when I got up, The Big White Dog would not move from where he slept last night. He would not even lift his head for an hour.
Finally, he headed outside and slept in the sun for an hour. Then I saw him dragging his back legs when he was walking to the back of the yard.
So I loaded the kids into the van and carried The Big White Dog to the front yard. He was able to walk part of the way. I put him in the van and we were off like a rocket.
The first problem, and the most likely explanation for his dragging his feet, he was dehydrated and running a high fever. Sheer exhaustion could cause him to be lethargic and drag his legs. The vets office has run x-rays, looking for a joint problem or a tumor in his chest. They wanted to, but were not able to get, a sonogram of his abdomen. We will have that done soon.
Now his heart is racing and he has fluid filling his lungs. The fluid is at least partially from an IV he had for dehydration. But the vet is at a loss for why his heart might be racing. They are going to do an EKG tonight. Hopefully everything will show up clear.
Since BWD's brother died a couple of years ago, from bone cancer, we have worried about that possibility with BWD. Now, we don't have a clue what is going on. Hopefully we will know something quickly. Or it may turn into a very long weekend.
The Talker has a really funky shaped bruise, right over his backbone, in the middle of his back. It is weird looking and troublesome. Not for him. He does not even seem to notice, but it is bugging the boys parents.
We have no clues about where or when or how it happened.
Now the bruise on The Princess' leg? We know about that one. It involved an older brother and a pink plastic toy princess castle. The castle won, The Princess cried and The Talker did a stint in time-out.
Other mysteries we have recently dealt with:
Why is the dog coughing like that? And is it going to be expensive to make him stop doing it?
What the hell was that moldy @#$(* growing in the microwave. Was that why our microwave smelled like death re-heated? And should you really touch something that has been nuked 3000 times with your bare hands? Well, someone had to do it. Glad The Boss Lady caved first!
And finally, who keeps leaving clean, but unfolded clothes piled up in the dining room? Don't you think he would be considerate enough to fold the pile, eventually? And can the whole family cram onto one side of the dining table in order to see the 6pm re-run of The Simpson's while we eat, since we can't see over the growing pile of clothes?
The AtHomeFamily is almost back to full strength.
The Talker is yacking non-stop and going nuts with a brand new Jolly Roger flag on his pirate ship/playscape, Thanks to Bob.
The Princess is walking when she chooses. But, she is so fast at crawling, that she still prefers moving on all four.
The Boss Lady survived a long half-day at work. Hopefully The Princess will not keep her up all night, again. TBL is only three days from Spring Break, so she can make it on little sleep if necessary. I hope. 'Cause I needs my snooze time at night.
And me? Nothing exciting. Trying to act like a SAHD today. Laundry, vacuuming, and a little general straightening. I need to make The Boss Lady really happy, since the truck should be invading our driveway sometime in the next two weeks.
Now The Boss Lady is down for the count. Or at lest she is halfway-down for the count. She stayed in not feeling well, but is heading into work a little later. The Talker and I ran a few errands this morning, while The Princess and Mommy played at home.
Right now, The Princess is asleep, The Boss Lady is eating something with mustard on it for breakfast, YUCK!, and The Talker is macking down on some Cheetos for a late morning snack. Norman Rockwell should have painted this scene.
Yep, we surely are the picture of the perfect family.
It is official. The Truck will be AtHomeDaddy's last obsession. For a while.
The Boss Lady had to take today off of work, to watch the kids. I have been sick all weekend with a sinus and respiratory infection. Nobody in this house has been totally well this past week. But I seem to have gone down the hardest. Maybe it was all of the quality time with the parents, this weekend.
While waiting for an afternoon Dr's appointment, I was telling The Boss Lady about a set of 1968 truck license plates that I had bid on, on eBay.
Ever have one of those life altering moments? When you know you have passed some invisible point of no return. The Boss Lady's face said that I had just gone there. And past.
So I swore an oath.
Five years. No new hobbies. The Princess will be in Kindergarten. The Talker will be in second grade. Maybe the truck will be back on the road.
And maybe, in five years, The Boss Lady won't be mad at me anymore.
The AtHomeFam is heading out for a weekend with The Queen Mother, in her newly renovated castle.
The Talker and I are going to help hang curtain rods. Big fun! At least we did not have to rip out the old sheetrock.
Walking must have worn out The Princess. Or maybe The Boss Lady is sneaking horse tranquilizers into her rice cereal. It is 8 am. The girl is still asleep. And best yet, she slept all night long.
I told you The Boss Lady would win the sleep battle.
At 4:50 this afternoon, The Princess walked across The Talker's rug. Seven steps. I wanted her to try again, but she did not seem interested. When Mommy got home, The Princess showed off for her. She walked four steps in her own bedroom.
So we celebrated by eating 5 pounds of fresh boiled crawdads at the Cajun restaurant a couple of miles away.
Yummy!
Our summer Road Trip plans have not really progressed much, but we have been getting deluged with travel information from lots of states.
I am still pushing for the Mt Rushmore trip. And you know what, it is hard to work Mt Rushmore into casual conversation on a daily basis! I have to keep mentioning it, so The Boss Lady will eventually give in. Yessiree, that's the way we work around here. Don't knock it.
But first, we need to find out why the @#*&^(*& check engine light keeps coming on while we are running around town in the Windstar. Or maybe we can just leave it by the side of the road in Wyoming. Can you spell 'insurance fraud'?
2:00pm
Thanks to Rick, for reminding me about AutoZone reading electronic codes. We were there before 9:30 this morning. Showed a vac leak, but no idea where. A quick trip by our repair shop, and the owner found it, in about a minute. I knocked a vac hose loose when I changed the air filter a couple of weeks ago. It finally worked itself completely off.
Best of all, no charge!
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