My Clark W. Griswold moment

I had an issue with fuses blowing out on the tree or else I would have gone further up the branches this year. I may have a remedy in the next day or so, but for now this is it. I have about 600 more lights to go on the house before I will officially be done...but here it is for now.

Nathan's Birthday

The four dudes.

I haven't done this since I was a little guy. Too much fun.

Woo Hoo!

The dance portion of the costume contest. A groovalicious Clonetrooper Rex. Anakin does the reluctant boogie.

The kids won big time.

Do I have something on my face? No? What about on the lips, they good? Really? Cool.

Even Clonetroopers get excited about a pinata.

CAAANNNDYYY!!!

A mass of tiny humanity.

Nathan was such a champ at thanking everyone for all his presents.

The party people.

We went to a birthday party this afternoon for Brady's buddy Nathan from preschool. Nathan and his little bro Austin are both in Brady's class year. Two of the funniest and nicest kids I have ever met. When they aren't smiling, they are just about to smile. I think that's why they get along with our boys so well. The four of them are fun magnets.

Nathan's party was tons of fun for the kids. They had an obstacle course set up, parachute games, a costume contest, tug of war, treasure hunt, and a pinata. Plus a popcorn machine, cupcakes and ice cream...nice. It was also one of the most well run parties I have ever been too. Little kids get bored so easily at parties but Nathan's Mom and Dad kept the pace up and kept the kids engaged and laughing. That is no easy task.

I am so glad my boys have made such cool friends so early in life. I always wondered what kind of friends they would pick once they started school. Nice job guys.

Tree. Lights. Smiles.

First!

Jake got to hang one of my favorites...

Adios Black Bart!

Halfway there.

Sharing is caring. Caring enough to share with your brother is hard work.

Tad-Da! A 9' tree loaded down with 75lbs of Christmas spirit.

This is only a third of the mess I made afterward.

The magic of Christmas started today for the dudes as we dug into the garage for the boxes upon boxes of decorato. As much of a pain as it is to get it all out, it is totally worth it. Somehow I always forget how much putting up the tree makes the boys go nuts with happiness. It's the coolest thing in the world to watch their eyes stare at the lights and their smiles grow wider and wider. They couldn't wait to hang ornaments on the tree this year. It seems like every year they get more and more psyched about the whole process which in turn gets Cindy and I all excited. What the heck would we do without these guys? Ugh...that's not a good scene.

After we got the tree up and decorated, I headed back outside to do the lights. Before I hung them I thought I would do a little yard work out front. Maybe trim up the bushes and thin out the gigantic palo verde. Wrong. I spent way to much time getting it just right and blew half the day. So, no lights tonight. Tomorrow though, look out. That freshly skinned tree is gonna glow like the moon. APS...get ready.

Thanksgiving 2008

Jake took this as we were driving to lunch. He saw a pig shaped cloud, and had to capture it. Mmmm...pig.

Brady found what is really at the top of every kids toy list. 5lbs of chocolate.

Two cameras, full bellies, mixed results.

We got there first. It netted us this picture and the first turkey skins. Woo Hoo!

Jake showing Poppy his Thankerchief.

The beardsman enjoying the spoils of months spent begging his mother-in-law to save him a turkey leg. Gobble. Gobble.

The pictures above are pretty much how it all went down. We went to Cracker Barrel for T-Day lunch with Mimi and O and Aunt Renee.The boys had their usual fun with the gift shop portion of the store, and then more fun eating some pumpkin pie after lunch.

After that we trucked it on over to Ma and Poppy's for yet more insane amounts of food, football watching, and of course pumpkin pie. All told I think between Jake and Brady they had a whole pie yesterday. Sick. Plus Brady had some of his own cherry pie that he made. Yikes.

Needless to say last night they went to bed pretty easily, and slept like logs. We had a great time all day, and didn't get anything done other than visiting and eating. Perfect. What more could you want out of Thanksgiving?

Grandparents' Day

Wednesday was Grandparents' Day at our school. For the first couple of hours of the day, grandparents are invited to come have a bite to eat and spend some time in the classrooms. It is a fun way for them to see where their grandchildren go to school and what they do in their classes. Poppy, Grandma, Mimi, and O were all able to be there. Unfortunately, since Brady goes to school in the afternoon, the Preschoolers missed out, but he will have his turn next year! Jake was proud to show off his classroom and all of the fun things they are learning...and Jake's grandparents got to see what a superstar teacher Jake has and what an incredible student Jake is!

Poppy and Ma came by to see Mommy's classroom before school started, and Jake showed Poppy some of his favorites on ITunes.

Jake with Poppy and Ma

Jake with Grandma and Mimi

Jake and O

per⋅spec⋅tive

Lately I've been trying to do more listening to the boys instead of talking at them. I was getting too carried away with my constant jabber mouth at them. With everything going on with Nick, I realized they aren't bad kids and they will keep getting better at this whole life thing if I just back off a bit. Just watch them do it and give them pointers where I can. They need to screw up. They need to get hurt. They need to feel disappointment. They need to fail.

So, I have let them fail, but let them learn how to succeed. They spill things, but then they learn to clean it up. They break stuff, but then they learn to fix what is broken. They get hurt, but learn to take care of themselves. This stuff is not easy. I am all about taking control and keeping control of each and every situation. But, that crap doesn't fly with kids. It stunts their growth as people. It makes them fearful of life because they never learn how to handle what the world will throw at them.

Every day my little dudes get introduced to situations I would rather they not be in. Sometimes I am there to see it first hand, but often times I am not. This makes me sick to my stomach. But it also make me proud of how they handle themselves when the shit hits the fan. Where other kids might freak out, they are calm. Where other kids may use violence to solve a problem, they use their words. If they see a friend who needs help, they are there right away without hesitation.

I am not trying to pat myself on the back here for my totally new and innovative parenting style. It's not new...just new to me. Plus, there is that pretty lady upstairs sleeping that does more than her share of parenting and therefore deserves the lion's share of credit. And of course, I owe a debt of gratitude to my man Nick, who has shown me that if I just chill the hell out...life is much more fun.

Hey it's me. It's Trale Lewous.

These are the three videos that Jake and Brady are addicted to at this very moment in time. You may not find this guy as funny as we do, but that isn't really my problem. Enjoy. Or not.

More Silliness

Friday night the boys had a sleepover in Brady's room. When they woke up Saturday morning, they decided to play a little dress-up, and this is what I found.......

.

Silly Boys

How could you not love life with these two guys around?

The new guys

I thought it was about time to give the dudes their own voice on here. Sure they are only 5 and 6, but are their words less important than mine? More important I think. They did and will do all their own typing in their own words. From the first letter of the title to clicking publish, it's them.

I am deeply and madly in love with the two little guys Cindy and I created. We had such a great time today, just hanging out playing video games, watching their game, and going to McDonalds for supper. We live a pretty simple life, even though at times I wish it were more simple. These guys teach me every day to grasp on to the things that matter with all I have and let go of the things I don't need to hang onto any longer.

God, you have taken so little from me and given me so much. Thanks again big guy.

Bradys first post

i love mommy and daddy super much.

Jakes first post

i had a t ball game today its fun.

Halloween 2008

Like candy? Like costumes? Like kids high on candy and wearing costumes? We got that.

This year Jake was Anakin Skywalker and Brady was Clonetrooper Rex. If you have no idea who the heck those people are...think Star Wars. The dudes were so antsy to put their costumes on yesterday.

"Is it trick or treat time yet?"
"No Brady."
"Can we put our costumes on now?"
"No Jake."

....Five minutes later....

"Now?"
"No."
"When?"
"Soon."
"When is soon?"
"In a little bit."
"What's a little bit?'
"Thirty minutes."
"Thirty minutes?!?....That's not a little bit!"

That conversation went on all day, just insert different increments of time. Woo Hoo. I tried filling some time with a drawing contest and pumpkin carving, but that only took up an hour or so. I can't blame them though. Halloween is pretty awesome. You get to be someone else for a few hours. People you don't know, and only see once a year willingly give you candy just for knocking on their door. Any other day of the year, they would most likely not even answer the door to you after dark. Awesome.

Before we left, the boys got a visit from Aunt Renee. She dropped off some goodies and got in some hugs and kisses. She is a nutjob and showed up two more times last night to drop off more candy for the dudes. I like that kind of nutjob. A lot.

The boys walked forever on their quest for sugar. Probably twice as long as last year. So when we got home they were more than ready to dig in to their loot. Brady made quite a haul...of nut filled candy. So he traded Jake a rare full-sized Snickers for an even more rare full-sized Crunch bar and a few other considerations. Nice. When you have nut allergies it pays to have a considerate brother.

So, now we have to figure out what to do with 4.5lbs of excess candy. I'm thinking Cindy's students are going to be needing a trip to the dentist in a few weeks. Better them than me.

They came to do two things; chew bubblegum and rip out pumpkin guts. They're all out of bubblegum.

Brady likes getting messy. A lot.

An hour later these would be roasted, salted, and in our bellies. Yum.

Posers.

Brady's Pumpkin............................Jake's Pumpkin

Jake's Skeleton...................................Brady's Skeleton

Aunt Renee can't hide from the paparazzi forever.

Thumbs up Rex. Thumbs up Anakin.

Brothers. No greater friend. No worse enemy.

Trick or treat neighboorino.

"Yes, I know it's scary but they have candy. Focus on the candy."

Jackpot.

Mmmmm....free chocolate.

Mmmm...free Skittles.