Various updates

So, no big plans for this weekend, maybe get the Christmas tree and decorations up. Depends on Kim's work schedule.

1. So James has been throwing the little fits lately, just out of the blue, for minor little things. Such as yesterday morning when I took him to school he refused to wear his winter coat, then last night we let him skip his bath for more play time with Jon Del, but when it was bed time he broke down over not taking a bath. So after some thought I decided that this is probably because he feels like he is not getting full attention, what with Emily and now Daniel is potty training so he is getting lots of positive attention. So I will be focusing some extra time on James tonight and over the weekend.

2. Well I thought I was going to be able to put off the surgery on my foot. I had pulled out a pair of shoes I had, and they do not bother the bunion, which is good. But they are heavier shoes, and after 2 nights of painful foot cramps at bedtime it is clear those shoes are not a long term solution. So today I will bite the bullet and call the Dr. to schedule the surgery. Which is very annoying, because I have been going kind of crazy not being able to get any decent exercise. I was hoping that a different pair of shoes would be all that was necessary, I was wrong. So it will have to be surgery, so I can hopefully resume exercise in a couple of months.

Jason WHitlock Chimes in on Sean Taylor

And Pulls no punches whatsoever

And for that he and Michael Wilbon will probably get castigated and raked over the coals by the community at large. When instead they should be supported for speaking out.

Best quote:
"Watch the documentary and ask yourself why nine poor kids in the '50s risked their lives to get a good education and a thousand poor black kids today ignore the opportunity that is served to them on a platter. "

Again, I won't pretend to know exactly what it's like to grow up black in America today. But it seems to me that what people face today is almost worse in some ways than the institutionalized Jim Crow era problems. No it is different, what the Civil Rights movement sdealt with had to be fixed, it was a terrible injustice. But what is faced today seems just as bad in a way.

How to Win at Monopoly ®

A very interesting read and strategy

Of course this is based on a) all luck going your way, playing the game exactly as written. Since my luck in dice games, particularly 6 sided dice games is never great I cannot count on that. Plus the way we play always involves the huge payoff for Free Parking. But I would be interested to test this out, especially the chart on the payoffs for each property based the number of houses, hotels etc.

Wednesday Thoughts 11-28-07

So this morning when I went out to my car I discovered that someone had got in and rifled around in it. Nothing of any value was taken, it was probably just some kid checking car doors, but it was still odd and disturbing. I will have to make sure it is locked, which I thought it was last night.

Sent out invitations today for our Annual Christmas Eve bash. Not planning for as long of an event as in years past as we don't know what Kim's schedule is yet. This started as a way for me to see my family for Christmas events so we could focus on Kim's family on Christmas Day, but it has evolved into a much bigger deal. It has also taken the place of Kim's Grandparents annual Christmas Eve event at their house as well. It's Pot luck, pretty much all friends and family in the area are invited. I also created it as an event in Facebook.

Michael Wilbon on Sean Taylor's Death

Wilbon always finds a way to address the bigger issue in the best way. At least to me, raised in an upper middle class background and being white, what he says makes sense. The concept of having to make that decision at some point to cut everything off in order to succeed is alien to me. Yes at some point I had to cut off certain people and behaviors in order to get my drinking under control, but it wasn't all that hard, and it certainly wasn't a question of leaving my childhood and home behind. It must be tough.

Tuesday Thoughts 11-27-07

First, RIP Sean Taylor, Washington Redskins Safety, 24 years old, shot in his home in an apparent Robery attempt. It's sad when anyone dies, and terrible when it is due to senseless violence. So I will post this for this player, but think of it as a tribute to the many faceless victims of violence who were not also professional athletes and therefore did not make the national news.

Bill Simmons on fatherhood

What a great story about taking a young child to a sporting event. We've dragged James and Daniel to just about every sporting event we could: football (NFL, College, Arena), Basketball (NBA), Hockey (CC) and Baseball (Sky Sox). And Simmons really hits the nail on the head as far as how easy it is to get your kids to watch sports, so long as you make them exciting. James is not a total convert yet, but he's getting there, and so is Daniel. Which means it should be that much easier to draw in Emily mwahahaha...

Ole Miss get's it right

Nutt is a good coach, he knows how to win in the SEC, even when he doesn't have the resources of an LSU or Florida. He's not afraid to be creative, his use of QB Matt Jones and RB Darren McFadden are excellent examples. He is a good recruiter. Plus we don't have to play against him every year now.

Christopher Hitchens attacks Mitt Romney

In case you are not familiar with him Hitchens is a vehement atheist, attacking all religious beliefs with an equal hatred. But he does raise some valid points in this little diatribe. Why shouldn't Romney be asked the same questions we asked Kennedy about his Catholicism? Of course he answers his own question with this last observation:

we should expect him not to obfuscate and whine anymore but to give clear and unambiguous answers to them.

Of course it is to laugh to expect a politician to actually do the above.

Ole Miss get's it right

Ex-Arkansas coach Nutt agrees with Mississippi

I am pretty excited, Nutt is a good coach, knows what it takes to win in the SEC, even when the school doesn't have the resources of an LSU or Alabama or Florida. He's not afraid to take risks or be creative: witness what he did with Matt Jones at QB and Darren McFadden in the Wild Hog formation. He's a good recruiter. Plus it means we won't have to play against him every year too...

Links for thought

A particularly slanted view on e-waste

This is a big topic lately, getting a story on the Freakonomics site last week as well. It's a puzzling problem. I have an old PC sitting at home, that is ostensibly for James, but he's really not old enough for it. Plus it is really pretty decrepit. And if I ever get the disposable cash for the laptop I want then I will probably look for a good way to dispose of the old PC, as I would then be able to set up James on our current desktop. Does anyone out there have any ideas on how to avoid letting the disposal of old PC's become such a horrific thing?

Food for thought concerning Holiday spending

We stand as examples of this, despite planning every year to start in the summer with paying on lay away, and then Kim's annual fall job change, the planning is never there. Then when Thanksgiving hits, we hit the stores, because we want the kids to have a good Christmas. I know it is outrageous, and maybe not all that smart, but we do it anyway. And I know my parents did it too to a certain extent. Best line in the article:

Archaeologists in Rome recently unearthed the hitherto unknown Epistle to the Keynesians, a fifth-century tract in which an economist frets that an impending invasion by the Visigoths and the lack of a must-have toga would sack the Christmas season.

There is an almost instinctual response to do what we can to make the kids happy. And it is almost impossible to overcome. There is an intellectual feeling that we know it will all come out okay in the end for us, but still spending is one of those things that usually overwhelms sense. One of my buddies volunteers at Ecumenical Social Ministries and he was telling me the other night that he often has conversations with people seeking aid where he explains that for the cost of one month of their cable service they could have a year's subscription to the Gazette, and they always say that 1 month is cable is better.

This story just gets bigger and bigger

Remember the link I alluded to a week ago about the horrors of the Internet. Well this article goes into what has become a dramatic fall out. I believe that the one woman deserved some punishment and calling out for her actions. Although the brick through the window, death threats etc. are out of control. One of the comments here raised a very good point and angle: what if it had been the Dad who was posing as the teenage boy? Boom, straight to jail for solicitation of a minor etc. There is a very deep double standard there which has only been worsened by the Internet. But again, I think the most important point here is that people need to not point there fingers at the "Big Bad Internet" and instead look at the people involved and make them accountable. I have been on both sides of the anonymous mob fights in various Internet forums, and I can attest that people need to realize this is not a perfect media, it lacks the sophistication of even phone conversations. And that the most important thing I would impart to any kid starting out with all of these tools is to explain that things will almost never be what they seem.

Monday Sports Links 11-26-07

So not exactly a good Sports weekend, with both the Rams and Broncos losing heartbreaking games where they had a lead. But at least the Buffs won their game. Although I did not watch the second (and clearly more exciting and satisfying) half. I was at home with all 3 kids while Kim was doing our Christmas shopping, so when CU fell behind I turned off the game for the sake of my own sanity, not needing to add the stress of CU losing to the existing stress of dealing with the kids.

Coach Hawkin's Blog

Celebrating a win without going into specifics. I would hope they could go to a bowl game. It would be a nice reward and recruiting tool. But for now I will simply bask in another record setting win over Nebraska and chasing off another Nebraska coach.

DJ Gallo's take on the week in the NFL

Gallo's stuff is almost always very humorous. And this was an excellent week for the humor. An Example:

Vikings vs. Giants
Eli Manning delivers a memorable, convincing performance as a bumbling, overshadowed and talentless little brother. (Drama)

Holiday weekend Recap

Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving Holiday. We had a good weekend overall. Thanksgiving was nice at Dad & Marcella's as always, excellent food. Had a nice game night at Nancy & Bill's afterwards. Friday I stayed home with the kids while Kim braved the holiday shopping crowds with Connie. Then I had dinner with Kernan and game night at Forrest's.

Then Saturday we left Emily with Grandma Cella while we took the boys to the Bee Movie (fun little movie, I enjoyed it). Then a relaxing evening at home. Then Sunday James went to Sunday school, Church and then started piano lessons with Grandma Cella, which helped offset the absence of Jhon-Del. James seemed to enjoy the Sunday school, and will probably be attending semi-regularly for a while, in an effort to broaden his horizons.

Endeavoring to keep awake on what promises to be a slow day at work.

First, a Happy Birthday to my buddy and minister, Forrest Oates! Forrest is one of my best friends, we game together, hang out, we officiated each others weddings (hence the minister comment). Out of courtesy I won't mention his age (although there is a reason we call him Old Man).

Is Thanksgiving a Religious Holiday?

Like most such things my approach is: can't we all just get along? I was not raised in any religious fashion. The only times I attended church was when I visited my grandparents. And occasionally I might attend a service with my step-mother. And Kim is even less religious. What is funny is James, he is raised in a completely non-religious way, but his good friend Jhon is from a very religious Jewish family. So he often comes home speaking of Yah. What is funny is that I think James has this picture of Yah or God as some kind of Super hero, not a particularly spiritual viewpoint. But I digress from the article at hand, the point was that Thanksgiving in my experience was not a religious gathering, it is about family, good food and the accompanying entertainment (be it football, reading ads, playing board games).

I'm gonna keep the post short today, have some work to catch up on before the Holiday weekend. Have a Happy Turkey day everyone!

What Reagan meant by "states' rights."

This article dovetails nicely with the point of my Master's Thesis

Which pointed out the same thing, comparing the speeches and writings of Theodore G. Bilbo to George Wallace, ending with the echoes of Reagan's speeches. It's nice to see some validation, albeit 15 years later. Although it is somewhat comical that people are still arguing about it. This was considered more or less a fact when I went to school in the early '90's. And now apparently some people are trying to say that the Republican message of 'States Rights' wasn't a veiled message of opposition to the Civil Rights movement, and the ensuing policies. That's just downright foolish in my mind, talk about revisionist history.

I'm not downplaying the impact of Reagan, I voted for him twice, he really changed the body politic for the better. But there was a dark side to the Reagan Conservatives, and this is one example.

Very happy today as I was able to accomplish a rare trifecta: both of my NFL teams won and I won in Fantasy. This is the first time that has happened this year.

Interesting view on the effects of Facebook and other sites

While I can't say I have reached the 150 number yet (Up to 16 on Facebook with the vast majority being family) I do think that if all of the friends/past acquaintances I would like to contact did become friends I might push to that number. I can see how tools like this will allow this so called magic number to grow in one sense, but I agree with the writer that the 'friendships' won't be the same as ones made in person.

Priceless line I found on ESPN today:

"Lil' Romeo to play basketball at USC. (Lil' Mercutio declared academically ineligible, forced to attend Santa Monica College)"

Jay Cutler growing into his role

I was really impressed with the offense last night, and the defense to an extent. There are definitely times when you can see what Shanahan saw in Cutler, plays like that first TD last night where he made a pass very few people could make. Of course there are times that he attempts plays that make you scratch you head, but those are getting rarer. And I thought the defense actually played pretty well, they really only gave up on Touchdown Drive, the other TD was on a short field after the fumbled punt. Otherwise they did a good job of bending not breaking, which is the best way to play Vince Young, you can't blitz him because he is such a good runner.

Daily links for 11-19-07

Celebrating the Ram's 2 game win streak and another dominant victory in Fantasy football.

The ongoing feud between Mark Cuban and Bill O'Reilly

Is getting really interesting, another example of how the FoxNews folks just aren't all that smart. If O'Reilly and the folks at FoxNews are that vehemently opposed to a movie that they haven't seen, it stands to reason they wouldn't support it by advertising it. And you gotta love Cuban calling O'Reilly out for his supporters threatening Cuban and his businesses.

Another article illustrating why current electoral politics frustrate me

It not only shouldn't even be an issue that someone eschews attacks on their opponent it just turns me off. This brings to mind 2 of my favorite TV shows, for different reasons. First West Wing, a very good show, but frustrating because it's idealized world where super intelligent people could get elected without destroying their opponents, and who could share that intelligence with the electorate is unfortunately right now more or less a dream world and a cruel tease. And Deadwood for the episode where there are campaign speeches for mayor and Sheriff and one candidate bases his entire speech on pointing out that his opponent is a Jew and viciously attacks him. Unfortunately I think that current politics are closer to the Deadwood campaign that the West Wing.

Interesting article on teachers and social networking

I think this is a good topic for discussion. I know of at least 2 highly inappropriate relationships that took place at my high school, and there were probably more. And my favorite show, Friday Night Lights, looks like it is gearing up for a sub plot of the same issue. But like the article states, if a teacher is willing to cross that boundary, preventing use of these sites will not stop what they do. But these sites are becoming ubiquitous, and expecting someone to not have one because of their profession is kind of ridiculous. I think it is time that people stop blaming the Internet for people doing Horrible things . Blame the people, not the technology. Gun advocates would have us blame people for crime, not guns, well I think the same applies to the Internet.

Because I have to say something about football

I think this theory is very interesting. And like I noted in a post last week, Professional coaching has become too conservative in my opinion. Which is not uncommon when you start investing large sums of money i.e. paying coaches and players millions of dollars. But at some point these ideas start to percolate. I remember when the USFL teams first began to use the Run N Shoot offense, the NFL scoffed. Then a few NFL teams adopted it, and later trashed it, but the essence survived. Heck the Patriots this year run a variation of the Run N Shoot most of the game. So eventually a college coach will try this, and within 10 to 15 years an NFL team will adopt the strategy at least for portions of the game.

The boys Helping Out

Daniel Holding Emily

James Feeding Emily

So the boys have really taken to caring for their little sister. James is becoming a willing helper, including the picture above where he fed her so I could eat my breakfast. Daniel likes to hold her, and he loves nothing more than to just lie down next to her and talk to her. It has been great to watch.

So we started a new step with Daniel, having him wear underwear instead of pull ups for part of the day. He already peed his pants once but that was partly my fault for not watching the time and having him go potty at a decent interval.

We also are implementing a weekly chore for James: cleaning his room and the kids area in the basement. He protested at first, but started to get into it. He gets the picture that if he keeps the area clean on a daily basis the weekly cleaning won't be so onerous, now we just have to keep on him about it. I figure just saying every Sunday morning before he can play with Jon Del, he has to get those 2 things done. And Daniel will help out with it.

First, a quick comment, thanks to the people who already joined Facebook, I think it is worth your time as a way to see what is going on in people's lives in a simple fashion.

Go here, then open the slide show

For a slide show about Charlie Brown, Charles Schulz, and Peanuts. Specifically the new biography of Schulz. I have many fond memories of sitting in my grandparents lake cottage at Fern Glen reading Peanuts collections. And looking back it is striking how different the strip was from it's contemporaries in that it was never just a laugh track. I always sympathized with Charlie Brown, except I was able to grow up and marry the little red haired girl.

Would you sell your vote, and for how much?

An interesting theory, even if it is contradictory to what we are all led to believe in the grand scheme of things. What I find especially fascinating is the break down of cost per vote for the presidential candidates. Doesn't that seem ridiculous? Almost a billion dollars spent on an election! I really think that the first candidate to successfully figure out a viral campaign will just blow things a way. I would really like to see a word of mouth Internet campaign get some publicity.

Remembrances of Thanksgiving Family football

This is just a blast to read. Playing football and/or basketball has always been one of the things I have looked forward to every thanksgiving (and one of the secret reasons we go to my Dad's house instead of the in-laws). The tradition has declined considerably over the years due to medical reasons. But with a new generation finally arriving (my boys and their cousins) maybe we can resurrect the game, at least in subdued fashion. I have very fond memories of trudging up the street to the Junior high field as a family to play, even though I could barely catch.

Daily Links (New Format)

Instead of the multiple post attack like I did yesterday (4 different posts) I am going to try something different. As I come across a link I will add it to a single post, then post all of the links at the same time. I will also put up another Poll asking for feedback as to which approach works better.

Interesting article on the future of electronic communication

This hits home for me as I am kind of a bridge between my semi-technophile family, my technophobe in-laws, and working for a tech company. So I have become fluent in all of these forms, although I don't do the text message thing much if at all. It's one of the reasons why I am concerned about my kid's ability to become comfortable with a computer, because long term, that will be the portal for communication. And I really like Facebook, I think there there are some real possibilities in using it.

My Facebook page

I am inviting loads of people here, I think it would be a great way for folks to keep updated with family and friends. I have also created a Family Group as well which can act as a central repository for family news, phots, etc.

Just a fascinating paper on College football polls

Is it better to lose early or late? Is it better to beat a strong or weak opponent (or lose to same)? Does margin of victory really matter? In a college season where we have seen a return of the 70+ point wins, and where coaches get into near fist fights over decisons that can only be construed as runing up the score, and where all of the unbeaten teams appear to have little chance of winning the mythical National Championship this is just fascinating.

Story on one my favorite sports writers

Dan Jenkins is one of the writers most responsible for my love of sports and appreciation of the art form. I haven't always agreed with all of his views one every team, and since I'm not a Texan I certainly don't have the same love for all things Texas that he does. It's always nice when you see how someone else has the same appreciation for something you love.

Busting out the NFL

Good analysis of the failure of the NFL to innovate

This is a big theme this year as far as the sports writers I read regularly: the NFL (and the NBA for that matter) is simply too conservaitve for it's own good sometimes. The person who came to my mind when reading this article was Warren Moon. When he came out of college the NFL was not willing to take a risk on a black quarterback with yhis skills. It took the arrival of Mouse Davis and the Run and shoot to showcase his talents, which eventually led to a Hall of Fame career. I understand there are good, valid reasons why a true spread offense wouldn't work in the NFL, but at some point a coach is going to come along and take a guy like Alex Smith or Troy Smith or Tim Tebow, build their offense around their talents and just kill people.

Too much of NFL coaching is built around coaches with their 'system', and the system is bigger than the players. One of the best quotes about Bear Bryant was he could beat you with his players then tun around and take your players and beat you just as bad. One of the most amazing coaching moves I ever saw in the NFL was how Don Shula, who for years had a team built on Defense, running game and an almost point blank refusal to pass the ball, totally reversed course and became a passing team when he had a great QB in Dan Marino.

Billy Jack to come back?

Another Article on Tom Laughlin and his persona

It is interesting to read an article like this to get a different perspective than what you find on the billyjack.com website. On the one hand it is difficult to picture an old Tom Laughlin when the only picture I have in my head is from the movies he made in the 70's, 30 years ago. And I know some of his views are pretty radical and out there, but one of the things I have realized in recent years is that those radical ideas did a lot to shape my views. And it is comforting to know that I am not the only one.

More Bloggin' With Hawk

What can I say, he impresses me more every week

Yeah we may not make it to a bowl game this year, but I know 2 things from reading his blogs:

1. The program is on the right course and I think we will see a return to the continued success of the later McCartney, and Barnett Era's. The difference is when we see that success it will not be accompanied by the thug like behavior and attitude that we saw in those era's. I just don't think Coach Hawk would recruit those types of players.

2. If I was on the fence as a parent, and education and personal growth for my child were important to me, I would want Coach Hawk as my son's coach. If he left CU and went to (shudder) Nebraska or Miami or OU, that wouldn't change. He just seems like the type of coach who 'get's it'. The only other coaches I would compare him to are Phil Jackson in the NBA and Mike Leach (although not insane like Leach). I really think that the players are not just getting coached as football players, they are receiving an education as men as well.

Do Conservatives watch 60 Minutes?

Here is an interesting study which looks at that and other questions

Basically the study looks at what people watch, play and read and what effect their political views have on that. An interesting read. Not unsurprisingly I find myself in the Moderate category.

TV Shows

So a while back one of my favorite sports columnists, Bill Simmons, defined a good TV show or movie as one where you don't look at your watch when you watch it, and you're not ready for it to end. Well I had not encountered too many shows like that. Really the only one that I can remember before this year was the Soprano's. Well that is over, I now have 2 shows like that: Mad Men and Friday Night Lights.

Mad Men was so entrancing that not only was I not ready for any episode to end, when the season ended I wasn't ready, I had to go on the web site to find out that it was over. This was really just a great show and I can hardly wait for the next season.

Well up until recently I liked Friday Night Lights, a lot. But recently I have been recording the episodes and watching with Kim. Well this last week when the show was over, I was totally taken by surprise, I was so immersed in it that I didn't realize it had run it's full hour. The surprising thing is that Kim has now been sucked into the series and is watching it with me, when normally she doesn't care about any football unless it's the Broncos. But this show is not a football show, it just happens to involve football players. So I will continue to press people to take the time to watch it, you will not be sorry.

This is what is bothering my foot

Tailor's Bunion

After my Dr. Appointment on last Thursday (which was really a waste of time). He told me he could schedule the surgery mentioned here, but I elected not to do it at this time. So basically I need to invest in some good wide walking shoes for my day to day wear and for getting my exercise. Maybe look into a shoe stretcher for my current shoes. The good news is I can wear my Crocs so long as the weather is nice. With everything else going on, plus the holidays, I really don't want to have to deal with surgery. Maybe next year, in March I might do it.

Back at work

So here I am back at work, in my dark little cubicle, sipping on Diet Coke, waiting for a call. It's kind of nice to return to the routine of work. Emily woke up at 4:15 but Kim was nice enough to get up and feed her so I could get an additional hour sleep. Since we made a few changes in her sleeping arrangements and some of her bad congestion cleared up she has slept well the past couple of nights. Yesterday while Kim was out, after her afternoon feeding I was able to lay her down in her room and she slept a good hour and a half there. I think she is on the right track. And fortunately Kim doesn't have to contend with getting James to school today as he has the day off for Veterans Day.

So I was talking to a friend yesterday about how much of a change it is to have multiple kids. When you have just one kid, as a parent it is a lot easier to still try and live your life like there has been no change. You just take the one child everywhere you go, and try and do things. But once you have 2 to keep track of (or more like we do now), everything changes. And for me the birth of Daniel was a real change in my attitude, everything became family first. So with the birth of Emily it was easier, not much adjustment.

Kim's Birthday Party

Mike delivering the cake

Kim & her boys blowing out the candles

Admiring all those candles!

So the party went quite well I thought. Despite my operating on 2-3 hours of sleep. Everyone got to see and visit with Emily. James and Daniel got to wrestle and play around with cousins and aunts and uncles. And everyone had a fun time I thought. I have posted all of the pictures on the Picasa site as well. Thanks to everyone who brought presents, food or helped me keep things going smoothly (or did all 3 of the above). I also think everyone enjoyed the opportunity to see all of the pictures via the TV, that was a great hit! So all of my hard work getting that set up paid off.

Weekend plans and Recap of time off

So today is my last day of vacation/time off for paternity leave. I head back to work Monday. Saturday is Kim's birthday party, we moved it forward so it wouldn't interfere with her nephew's birthday or ask people to attend 2 parties the same weekend. It should be fun, the weather should actually be nice enough to spend most of the time outside.

Well I am very glad I took the 2 weeks off instead of just 1. I think it was good for the boys as far as adjusting to having Emily around. Plus it helped Kim get herself on something of a schedule. The past 2 days I have gotten up around 5 to feed Emily as part of adjusting myself for going back to work. Which hasn't been that bad, it actually has been nice to be up before the boys, made it easier to get James to school. But I don't think I would want to take another week off, and I don't think Kim will take very long off herself. We aren't the types to just sit at home and keep ourselves occupied with doing stuff with the kids.

I'll be back posting more non-family stuff next week, so be prepared for the focus of the blog to change back. Although the focus will always be on my life and the family.

What to do?

So after a week and a half at home, I truly wonder what my sister-in-law can possibly have a messy house. If you have little kids, unless you are spending all the time interacting with them (which very few sane adults can do), there is a considerable time in the day when you can pick up the house, take care of laundry etc. And yet Tammy astoundingly lets the house get worse and worse, and then blames the kids for it.

I have become somewhat bored sitting around here today. Admittedly I have a few small projects that I am neglecting, but even those won't kill a full day or even several hours. And Daniel is pretty much self sufficient as far as playing on his own. Now this does not mean that I will have different expectations of Kim after I go back to work, because it would be much harder to get truly bored with a little one around that you have to keep a closer eye on. But still I cannot see how anyone could do this for too long and remain sane. I doubt that Kim will want to stay out of work the full 6 weeks now that she is no longer breast feeding, I think she will feel the same way that I do after 2 weeks at home with just the kids.

Sports Update

So this has been a strange couple of weeks. Normally at work I inundate myself with sports all day, gorging upon all that ESPN.com has to offer as well as CNNSI. But the past week and a half I have been somewhat cut off. Which has been good and bad. But it probably helps when the following things have happened: The Rockies got swept, the Rams continued their 0 fer 2007 campaign, the Broncos first choked away 1 game followed by a brutal loss. And my Buffaloes were embarrassed at home. About the only positive has been the performance of my fantasy football team which has been dominant.

But having all this happen at a time when I was at home, watching kids, taking care of house work etc. has eased the pain. On Sunday when the Broncos fell apart I just turned the game off and turned to Kim and stated that it was only football. I won't pretend that I have staved off my addiction to sports news, but my perspective and distance have improved considerably. It's a lot easier to stomach these losses when there is so much else going on.

Happy Birthday Kimmy!

Happy Birthday to the most wonderful wife a man could have!

Kim is the best friend, companion, mother to my children that a man could ask for. She is selfless, always willing to pitch in and help others in need. She sacrifices so much for her children, and also for her family. Many people would have given up on siblings like hers, but she is always there when they call. And she has survived so many setbacks in her career, first her losing her dream job on the CSPD, then running up against incompetent sexist management at Papa John's. But she has persevered and kept her head high.

So for all that and more I wish my wife Kim, my goofygirl, the most wonderful of birthdays.

Big Brothers taking care of Sister

 

James and Daniel taking care of Emily

So here are a couple of great shots I took yesterday morning. The one with James alone with Emily was especially great I thought. James has really taken to Emily, he always wants to hold her and help take care of her, at least on his terms, when he's not busy with other things. And Daniels is slowly warming up to her, mostly following the example of his brother. Like he does all the time anyway. Daniel always works hard to stay with James and do what his Bubba is doing. So with James being so good with Emily Daniel just follows that example.

Emily is well as is the rest of the family. Kim made the decision to stop breast feeding Emily, it was just not an enjoyable experience, and it was really for the best. And since she did so her emotional attitude has been like Night and day compared to before. So it was definitely for the best. I am really looking forward to this next week, I think Kim and I can get some things done. Get a good routine established for everyone that she can keep going until she goes back to work.

Also we went to Dillon's birthday party (Dennis' younger boy, 11 years old). I added a new folder to my Picasa site containing the photos, the ones of note are Danny and all of his grandchildren. And the expressions of Austin and Dustin. Nothing like a sullen teenager and an emotionally troubled 11 year old to bring down the party.

Halloween

Harry Potter and Mickey Mouse (aka James & Daniel)

So last night we crossed a major obstacle for the 2 weeks I am off: Halloween. Because we did hand made costumes instead of store bought ones we had to do some hard work to get everything together. Which ordinarily would not have been quite as big of an issue, but this week of course we had to squeeze it in with everything else baby related. Which was pretty big as Kim was in the ER Tuesday night Wednesday AM because she thought her stitches might have torn, producing some really intense pain. So Kim was exhausted at the same time that we had the following to do: Lactation consultant appointment (went well), pick up some breast feeding accessories (don't ask), pick up some last minute costume accessories, pick up paperwork for Kim's work. Then back to the house to get costumes together, then off for trick or treating.

First we went to the Manitou Springs trick or treat crawl. Which is a tradition where all of the shops hand out candy, lots of fun, but pretty chaotic. Then it was home for dinner for our kids and Tammy's. Then over to Connie's for some neighborhood trick or treating. Overall the boys had a good time and were only 30 miutes late for bed. Pretty tiring for me, but fun to watch the boys, especially Daniel who got really into the idea of opening his bag and having people give him candy.

Unfortunately all the walking brought home to me that the cortisone shot did not have the desired effects on my foot. So it appears I will be keeping my appointment next week to likely discuss surgical options, yuck. But if I want to be able to walk without pain, and therefore get exercise, it is necessary.