"Urine" a lot of trouble...

Yeah, we haven't posted in a while, I've had a big event come up that I was helping called "Cool Desert Nights." I'll have a big post later with pictures and what happened during it, with such exciting moments as:

1. The time a little girl was almost abducted
2. The golf cart accident
3. The drunken fight
   
   
   And more! I'll also include pictures and experiences from the other upcoming July 4th event. So expect that mega post within the next week. But for now, sit, dear friend, as we experience life.

So, today at your local Carl's Jr we had an accident of epic proportions. Emily was playing with a little kid in that rocket you see. His parents were calling him down and he kept saying no. The reason?

He went pee in the rocket

After much coaxing, the kid finally came down, pee dripping everywhere, and they left. At this point, me and Kirsten were thinking "oh man, that was weird." We did not know the extent of the leaky problem.

"Emily honey come down."

"I can't, I'm stuck."

"Is there potty there?"

"Yes"

So, Emily is stuck in a rocket. In a child's play toy. I'm thinking this is what the apollo 13 astronauts must feel like. Kirsten had to climb in there, risking exposure to tiny kid wee, and hang out with Emily while I went and got somebody to put some stuff down so we can get Emily out.

Oh, and I had to find time to snap a picture. Such is the burden of a father.

Also, the kid and his parent left immediately and drove off, without asking if we needed help.

Thanks.

Field Trippin'

Today I had the pleasure of going on a field trip with Emily and her preschool class. We went to the Three Rivers Children's Museum, the same one where we had Emily's birthday party. It was really great to finally put faces to the names Emily has been mentioning for months, and to watch her interact with her peers and play and learn. She is such a sweet girl, and so kind and giving with her classmates. I am so very proud of her.

After getting off work at 5:30, I went and picked her up from school for some Mommy/Emily time. Daniel went to go see The A Team with his dad and brother, so it was just us girls, left to fend for ourselves. We decided we wanted Italian, and ended up having a delicious dinner at Mi Casa in Richland. Emily had a huge plate of salad, a roll and half of a large dish of Manicotti. I had a calzone the size of Alaska, and we both had delicious glasses of Limonata, a fizzy Italian super-lemonade.

All in all it was a wonderful day, and Daniel really enjoyed the A-Team, and spending time with his brother and dad.

Now excuse me while I go work off those 1300 calories I consumed for dinner.

You're not my Amigo, friend.

My baby. Kirsten was driving my car and was waiting to turn when a taxi cab gave her a love bump. The kind of love that hurts. The car ended up getting a few scratches and we're in the process of getting everything settled. Oh, Kirsten and Emily are fine... should I have mentioned that before?

But my car isn't fine, people.

The taxi driver was from a company called Amigo Taxi. I'm wondering whether or not the fender bump was supposed to be a friendly car-to-car high five. You're not my Amigo, Friend.

My parents have come down to visit for a few weeks. I've been really excited to see them, and now that they're here, we're going to spend as much time as we can with them. They want to clean up the house and get it ready to sell, so I want to help them as much as possible with fixing it. I was walking through the house when we moved Kathy and Kevin out. Man, there was such good, good memories growing up there. I'm going to be really sad to see it go.

There's no real changes on the Emily front, besides she's ravenous to get into the pool. Perhaps in another life she was a fish, but everyday when I get home she'll stare out the window at the weather.
"You know what, daddy?"
"What, Emmy?"
"Today's a good day to go to the pool."
"Yes, just like yesterday, huh Emmy? And the day before... and the day before."

There was a moment when we were heading down the stairs where Emily resembled some sort of Pool Shaman. Her little rabbit towel that hung over her head looked like an animal skin cape and her little water noodle eerily resembled a staff.

Our little Pool Shaman

Well, that's all for now.

So long, and thanks for all the fish

The one about fish

Look at this picture. Look at it. What do you think she's thinking of? Why, her charming husband, of course!

This last few weeks we've been focusing more on the consumption of fish. I'm not a fan. Me and fish, we don't hang. Our high schools were rivals, and I'll always have a place in my heart for Ms. Hamburger (That sexy rascal). But, I think me and fish found a common ground; tilapia. For some reason tilapia really won me over. Emily too. In fact, she didn't like fish before (she tells us when she was at the ripe old age of 4, she didn't like it), now she's scarfing it down. In all honesty, how many kids will try something they know they didn't like before?

My daughter rocks.

Here she is, searching for fish

She's been sleeping a little better at night, which is a relief for both of us.

Kirsten and I took Emily swimming yesterday, and Kirsten met somebody who wants to offer her a job. It is true about what they say, when one door closes another opens. The Lord has truly blessed us with another opportunity.

As for my job, I'm loving every second of it. Work is slowly picking up. If it were a symphony, it would be leading to a marvelous crescendo as the two events we've been planning come to a magnificent end. It's stressful, but the good kind. Yes, there's a good kind.

It also helps that I get to come home to a beautiful family.

Lil' Hoot Updates

Our daughter Emily (otherwise known as our 'lil hoot') had a fantastic week, so I thought it would be a good time to share it with our ravenous readers.

This week, she won an award for being kind and respectful to the other kids in her class. We're both so very proud of her!

Back when she was attending preschool in Walla Walla, she used to always win these best behavior awards. I'm glad that the teacher who's teaching her class, Ms. Ashley, is rewarding the kids for goo behavior; Emily loves getting little rewards like that. In fact, the day I picked her up, I picked up the award and asked Emily if the reward was hers, and she got very excited and started telling me how she won the award (from what I could gather from her run-together sentences and the award, buckets and filling were involved).

Now, tonight, she sang us a little song they sing in class. It was so adorable, we decided to film it and post it. So, not only has she won the best behavior award, but she's well on her way to becoming a world singing sensation.

She's still having trouble sleeping, which we both believe is a mix of the light and, well, all her energy. She is five after all. If you have any ideas we could try to get her more comfortable with sleeping, go ahead and leave a comment!

Well, I think it's time for me and Mrs. Hoot to watch the Wolfman. I heard the reviews weren't very good but Hugo "I was in the Matrix and Lord of the Rings" Weaving is in it, so I assume it will be stellar.

New Header and Other Things

My fantastic husband has been working tirelessly on our new header, and I think the results speak for themselves. It looks wonderful, and we each chose our own owl colors, so it's very "us."

Today Emily and I went to the new Farmer's Market with Krista, Flynn and Laynie. It's still pretty small, but I'm chalking it up to crappy weather and the beginning of the season. I'm hoping as the weather warms there will be more vendors, but even if there aren't, there were some wonderful local produce stands and I would be perfectly happy buying my weekly fruits and veggies from them. Today I bought some delicious asparagus which I sauteed with olive oil, garlic, and a bit of lemon, as well as some tiny, sweet little strawberries and some sun dried tomato/ basil bread. Needless to say, dinner was awesome.

Know Thy Enemy

Come forth, dear readers. Let me entice you with a tale. An epic tale. Surely, I know no other tales to provide.

I have an enemy. He haunts our house. He probably eats our food when we're asleep. He is, to put it gently, a leather bound MONSTROSITY.

Ladies and gentlemen, lock up your kids. I only post the picture of this heinous creature in the hope that you will avoid its venom-spewing maw.

YOU CANNOT UNSEE IT.

My wife was given this lovely abomination for a christmas gift. And now, even as I type, the beast has its claws dug deep into her. I am fairly certain that one day in the near future me and the kindle will be hanging on for dear life over a crevice and my wife will sit in quiet contemplation over who to save. Pray. Pray dear friends that it is me.