Electrical or Plumbing Issue?

We have had some issues in the last few days with our cable TV.  I know how surprising to all of you that have Time Warner Cable like we do.  *cough*  I believe it’s an issue with our cable box, as it has rebooted and done some diagnostics a couple times plus the DVR service will occasionally tell us there’s no disk space left, when it definitely has room.

So, most of you are saying “So?”  I know… it’s not like it’s unusual for people to have issues with cable, especially with Time Warner and the cutting edge technology they use for their converters.  (Can you pick up on the huge amount of sarcasm there?)

Well, the reason I’m sharing this is so I can set the table for what Braden said that had me cracking up.  This morning the picture froze again and I hear Braden call from the kitchen table “The TV is clogged again.”  Clogged.   I love it.  Kathie wants to call TWC support and tell them it’s clogged.  I’m pretty sure they won’t find it funny though.

At least we have the cable box plugged into the TV, unlike someone else I know that has had issues lately.

Trains at the Domes

Another annual trip to the domes was a success.  The kids really enjoy the trains and plants.  Kathie really enjoys the warm weather.  I think she’d move into the tropical rain forest dome if they let her.

We’re not sure, but we think Alex forgot what it was like to be outside.  He really enjoyed sitting up in his stroller and looking around.  Emma probably would have enjoyed sitting in the stroller too, as most of the time she spent asking to be carried.  That’s going to have to change!  She even tried telling us that Alex wanted to get out of the stroller (so she could get in).  She’s a sneak that way.

After the domes we had a special treat for lunch.  We went to Friday’s Front Row at Miller Park.  Braden couldn’t quite figure out why we were going to Miller Park when we were supposed to be going to a restaurant.  He also had ribs for lunch, which he thought was fun, once he got over the fear of accidentally eating a bone.

All in all it was a pretty fun day!  Although that night was a bit tough, as I think both kids were over-tired after the Admirals the night before.

 

 

Admirals Game

 

Last night, Brett, Braden, Emma and I hit the Admirals game.  It was a great time!  I really appreciate Brett coming because it certainly made handling the two kids a little easier!

We got there for warm ups, which was nice.  But within 3 seconds of sitting down, Emma was asking for soda.  I managed to hold her off until Brett showed up so that I could run up and get french fries and soda for the kids.  Emma seems to be a bottomless pit at times… she at most of the fries and drank most of the soda.  She also had most of the nachos I got and some popcorn.

We didn’t get any pucks in warm-ups, but we did get two game pucks.  The first the linesman gave to me for the kids.  The second, the backup goalie gave to Emma.  That elicited a bunch of ‘Awwww’s from behind us.  Emma was very impressed with how cold the puck was.

Both kids did very well, especially considering we didn’t get home until 2 hours after bed time.  The “I love you, Dad!” at the end of the night really capped it all off for me.

Today we head to the Mitchell Park Domes for our annual visit to see the trains there.

Dinner Conversation

I know sitting down as a family at the dinner table is supposed to be good for everyone and healthier too.  However, we seem to struggle with that concept in our household. 

Last night Braden ate his usual 3 bites of food and stated that he was done.  He even asked to be excused. But we told him no, asking him to just sit with us:

Us: “Just sit and enjoy the conversation for a while."

Braden: “But I don’t like conversation!  What’s conversation?

Us: It’s when we talk with other people about things like how your day went and what you’re up to.”

Braden: “I don’t like conversation!  And I’m not up to anything.”

After a while, we gave in and excused him from the ‘conversation.’  He proceeded to go into the living room and call back to us saying he was… yep, you guessed it… lonely. 

Count Down to Puppygeddon!

Puppygeddon descends on us in 24 days.  I’m still not sure we know what we’re really getting ourselves into here.  But the odd thing is I’m very excited about it, even with the anxiety and knowledge of all the work this is going to take.

We haven’t received any more pictures from the breeder, which is driving Kathie (and me) a little nuts.  I almost feel like we’re stalking the breeder waiting for more pictures! 

We have a safe place setup in the kitchen, but still need to get some supplies:

• Short leash and collar
• Pee pads
• Dog Dishes
• Slip proof rugs for the hardwood floor
• A good chew toy
• Dog Food
• More pee pads
• Training tools, like shaker cans and some good treats
• And the list goes on…

The plan is for Kathie and I to drive to Ohio on Friday, March 19th.  Hopefully we can leave fairly earlier and take our time getting there and enjoy a nice dinner out or something.  We’ll probably stay in Chillicothe, which I’m sure you know was the first capital of Ohio.   That’s the closest city to the breeder that has hotels, but it’s only about 10 miles form the breeder. That way we can get to the breeder fairly early and meet our new pup and still get on the road back home pretty early.  I think that’s important because it’s probably going to be a much longer trip back with potty breaks and potential cleaning of the car along the way. 

It’s about an 8 hour drive, so I hope to get home around 8 PM or so.  I’m sure the kids will have worn out Grandma and Grandpa by then, but I’m guessing they’ll still be up to meet the new addition to the family.

Are Any Kids Really Normal?

Are any kids really normal, or are our kids just all abnormal?  Braden has anxiety issues and was speech delayed.  Emma has asthma and has a significant issue with leaving toys in the bathtub while it’s draining.  And I mean screaming, panicking type issues.

Now Alex is going to see Birth-to-Three,  (Birth to Three?  Birth 2 Three? Birth 2 3?) because we’ve noticed that he only stands on his tip toes when trying to take steps.  It’s pretty severe: to the point where he’s curling his toes underneath and walking on the top of his foot.  Hopefully it’s just a phase, but he hasn’t started pulling himself up or cruising yet, so getting a consult on it will be at least reassuring.

I think society is a bit more concerned about slowly developing kids these days than it used to be.  I’m still on the fence whether that’s a good thing or not.  On one hand it can help catch issues earlier and get children help.  On the other hand, it tends to cause anxiety in parents more.  Then again, parents are generally more anxious these days anyway, so maybe that’s just a wash.

I’m still not sure whether this is a real issue with Alex or not, but I think it’s good that we’re consulting with them now.  I think it’s mostly an excitement thing where he gets really tense when he’s excited about taking steps, or standing next to the couch and he contracts his muscles, making him stand on his toes.  I stood him up in front of me and let him calm down a little and he was standing flat footed.  Plus he jumps in his exersaucer very well and doesn’t seem to stand on his toes there.  So, we’ll see. 

But, all things considered, I think we are extremely blessed as a family, regardless of our ‘minor’ issues.

Get Herpes for only $9.60

That’s right.  Why spend all that time and effort trying to get Herpes, or Chlamydia or the Clap, when all you need to do is go to Amazon.com and buy it for $9.60.

I would advise skipping the Flesh Eating Bacteria though….