Takin' it private

We started this blog to document Jake and Brady's lives. No other reason. We've finally made a decision that it's better to keep their lives private than to let just anybody and everybody see it. So, as of Sunday the 2nd, if you want to keep viewing it, you're going to have to log in. I'll be adding email addresses that we have, if I don't have yours, email it to me. If it takes a while to get you added, no worries we'll get to it. If we don't know you, just send us a little note letting us know who you are, you'll get added. Sorry, but it has to be this way.

PS...our email address is in our profile.

Big Boy

My big boy Brady is the MAN. He was the snack helper today. He got to sit at the head of the snack table and was in charge of handing out snacks, cups, milk, and all things snackish. He was such a little gentleman. In that last picture he is saying, "Destiny, can you please pass this cup to Benji?" Way to go B.

Jake's Destiny

Jake and Destiny sittin' in a tree. Just kiddin little dude. You guys had a great time together today. You went fishing, listened to some tunes, and built a tower up to the sky with her. Good times.

Sweet Fancy Moses

New Record Set, 8/29

The Valley of the Sun lived up to its name Wednesday, as locals sweltered through a record-setting 29th day of 110-plus degree heat. Sky Harbor International Airport reported 112 degrees at 3:45 this afternoon. According to the National Weather Service, highs around 107 degrees are expected through the rest of the week.

Cuddlin' on the couch

I gave the boys a morning bath today because well,...they didn't get a night bath. Go figure. Instead of getting them all riled up and ready to go, they got all snuggly. Right before I took this picture they were holding hands and their legs were all crossed up together. Of course...a camera spoils the fun every time.

One of My Favorites

This is one of Mommy's favorite pictures.

Oh, how I love these boys!

Bad time to forget the camera...

Have you ever been halfway to a place you really wanted to take a picture at, and realized you had forgotten your camera? Well, that was us today on our way to take the boys to the library for the first time. Aaarrrgh! We had been talking it up for a few days to the boys and then when we finally get the chance to go...brain fart.

Well, it was a big hit anyway. I have plenty of mental pictures so you'll have to trust me. The boys got their very own library cards and signed each of them on their own. Then we spent about an hour in the kids section picking out books and reading. The boys are both bookworms, so this was pretty neat for them. They finally narrowed it down to 13 books to take home, plus one DVD. They got a little of everything; Fantastic Four, Where's Spot, Mrs. Wishy-Washy's Farm, Search for Scooby Snacks, and Pancakes for Supper, just to name a few. I even snuck away to get a few of my own. Score!

I'm so proud of you guys. You made my heart swell and my smile was a mile-wide today. Mmmmmmwah!

Ham Sandwich

Happy Birthday Abby!

Our friends Jason and Julie had their daughter Abby's first birthday party today. What a cute little squirt she is. The party was awesome. Jake and Brady got their fill of sweets and even got to splash around a little outside. The best part for them though was what they got in the goodiebag. Flarp! Basically it's just a ooey gooey fart machine. It's an old idea, repackaged for the new generation of fartmeisters. The boys cannot get enough.

Thanks for the invitation you three. It was awesome.

Woah!

The boys thought these "cute" little heads were the funniest thing. OK then.

Simpsonize Us

Too much fun. They even got my scar right on my forehead. Nice. Try it yourself here.

WiFi anyone?

Wow. We are old. We are nerdly. We are wireless. 5 adults. 4 laptops. Wow.

The kids went to bed and what do all of us do? Watch a movie? Have a deep conversation about worldly things? Play a board game? Oh no. We plugged in our power cords and turned our home into an Internet cafe. Party time!

I would post the picture of my beautiful wife and her little mac, but I really want to sleep in my own bed tonight.

Old and new friends

We have a few house guests staying with us for a few days. My old buddy Jimmy finally made his way out here. He brought two awesome people, Heidi and Warren, with him. The boys were so excited to meet their new friends. They really put on a show for them. The boys enjoy making new friends just about more than anything I think. Plus they are both little hams anyway.

For me, it's just great to see my old friend. This is a guy I grew up with in Louisiana, who is now a big bad Captain in the US Army. Whatever though, to me, he still looks like that big oafish prankster I knew way back when. Me, him, and GW used to get into all kinds of nonsense back in the day. Good thing our bodies are a little less resilient now, or I'm sure we'd be doing the same old stuff.

Oh and yes...those are FRIED PORK SKINS in the picture up there. Mmmm...healthy snackin'.

Up too late

I am up way too late because my brain won't shut off. This happens to me more than I care to think about. It's been that way for most if not all of my adult life. Heck I remember doing it as a kid too. I am a thinker/worrier what can I say? Now that I have a family, it hasn't gotten worse, just more intense.

As a young man, my thoughts revolved around some pretty trivial stuff. At the time my problems seemed earth-shaking. Girl trouble. School trouble. Baseball trouble. Oh the World was on my shoulders alright. If I knew then what I know now...

Now, I worry only about life as it pertains to my kids. Sure, I worry about my wife and her well being. Most of the time though it's the boys. Am I doing enough to protect them? Are they truly happy? Are they mad at me because I had to punish them? What does the future hold for them? What tragedies will they have to endure in their lifetimes? Am I preparing them enough for what the world can be like? Will they be good men? Will they be good fathers?

All this plus about a million "what if" scenarios run through my mind. I take my job as a Daddy more seriously than anyone can ever imagine. Maybe not though. Maybe this happens to most fathers. Heck, I hope it does. This is the most important job a man can have. If I fail at this, I am failing not only them, but generations to come.

See what I mean? I get way too wrapped up in my thoughts. The funny thing is, I like it. I like it because it means I am on the right path. I may not be doing much right, but I am trying to. Till the day I die boys, I will try and get it right for you. I owe you nothing less.

Happy Birthday Oscar!

We just got back from Oscar's party. The boys swam, slipped and slid, ate pizza and cake, and went nuts in the toy room. Oscar got just about all the baseball stuff a 6 year old can handle. Oh and the kids got to bust the guts out of a pinata again, and now they have two big bags of chocolaty innards to eat. Awesome.

Funny lil Dude

The boys were watching Croc Files today after lunch. They were really just kinda half watching/half playing with their LeapPads. Suddenly Jake runs up to the TV and stands about an inch away when Steve Irwin starts talking about scorpions. He was totally into it. It's funny how much he has started getting interested in bugs lately. A month ago, he couldn't have cared less, now...he wants to pick 'em up, squish 'em, talk to 'em, etc. Since I am the certified "bug man" around here, I have to give him detailed explanations of what they are, what they do, how they eat and where they live. He just soaks it all in, much like Brady has always done.

So on the one hand we have Brady learning how to write and read and behave from his big brother. Then we have Jake learning how to let go and have fun and enjoy the little things around him from his little brother. It's just too cool to watch.

Great job guys

It was a week full of new things, but the boys handled it really well. A new school year. New schedule. New friends. It's an adjustment they made look easy. So after our visit to see Great Grandpa at the hospital tonight, the boys got their reward. A big, beautiful bowl of Oreo ice cream. They enjoyed it so much, that they decided to give me some of their "sweet faces" instead of the regular mouths agape, squirrely dude poses.

Thanks for the awesome week guys. You boys are the light of my life.

Jake and the Gecko

We were outside a few minutes ago just getting a little fresh air. The boys were using the curbing as a balance beam, walking around the field. Suddenly, Jake looked down, said, "Hey little fella", bent down and picked up a gecko from the dirt. This is the kid who usually gets squeamish as all get out around things like that. Blew me away. He was so proud of himself. I think Brady was just in awe of his big bro. They both couldn't stop giggling. When it was time to let the little guy go, Jake was pretty sad. Poor guy wanted to keep his new little friend. We explained he could do more good outside, eating all the bugs for us. Jake was OK with that reasoning and went inside to wash his hands.

Jake, buddy...you show me something cool every day. I love you so much kiddo.

School is in session

Man the boys were excited today. From the time they got up, all they could talk about was school. They did such a good job getting themselves dressed and ready to go. Usually it takes several reminders from us to motivate them to get ready to go somewhere. Not today.

We got to school and met Mommy out front. She walked the boys down to the classroom with me and even got to stay for a while. It took the boys about 3 seconds to get comfortable in the room again. Once they figured out where the backpacks went, the party was on. I think they tried out/played with every single thing in the room in the hour we were there today. They did great playing with each other and by themselves. It was fun to hear them laugh and giggle with the other little boys and girls in there.

The quote of the day belongs to Brady. Before they got started playing, Brady turns to Jake and says, "Jake, don't show me what to do OK? I can do it myself." Jake just kind of gave him a look like, "Uhhh...OK", and off they went. Priceless.

Tomorrow, they have the full day to play and learn without Mommy and Daddy peeking over their shoulders and making strange sad/happy faces the whole time. They're gonna have a blast this year. I'm so proud of my two big guys.

Posers

This picture would be great to hang on a wall if not for Jake inadvertently grabbing his junk. Little boys are great at reminding you to take life a little less seriously.

Meet the Teachuh

Tonight, we went to "Meet the Teacher" at the school. Brady got to officially meet Mrs. Dexter, even though he's seen her about a gozillion times before. He ran right up and gave her a big hug. Jake got to reacquaint himself with his teachers and a few friends. They both put on their best shy faces until it was time to eat some ice-cream.

I'm about halfway excited to send them both to school together on Monday. The other half is a big bag of man-tears. It's all gone by too fast. I know there is so much for little B to learn, but it still sucks letting him go, even for a little bit. The only thing really getting me excited about the whole thing is knowing how much Jake got out of it last year. Brady loves that big guy and has learned a ton just by watching Jake this last year. Plus, it should be a great for them to spend time together in such a cool environment. One last year together as buddies, before the great separation begins in earnest. Ugh.

God, if you could let just this year go by very, very slowly, that would be just awesome.

Never give up

Woah..She's 30.

That sweet little girl I met back in 8th grade with the permed hair and huge brown eyes is now 30. Wow. She sure doesn't look it. The perm is gone, she doesn't wear the cheer skirts constantly (sigh), she has a career, and two kids....other than that, she's the same sweet girl I fell in love with. She still makes my heart skip a beat when she walks in the room. Every time I kiss her it reminds me of our first kiss, even though that's corny as all heck. Most of all, she somehow still gets my crappy jokes. That alone says it all. She loves me, despite...me.

Happy birthday sweetheart. I love you more now than ever.

Fun run

After I got done working in the yard, the boys decided to get a little wet. It's been a long week and they needed a good release. Nothing better than stripping down to your skivvies and going full blast in the "sprink-luhs".

Prayers

Most of you who read this already know, but Cindy's grandfather could use a few extra prayers right now. Take a minute if you will, and say a few for this great, great man. He'd do it for you...and he probably already has.

Distraction

I created a new blog to better document the monstrosity in our backyard. Most of you will be bored to tears by it, but maybe 1 of the 30 people who read this blog will come back and look at the new one again. Enjoy. Or don't. Your choice.

Flight Risk