Now Presenting . . . Baby Girl!
First Impressions!
Happy Birthday to our Sister!
Born 5/31/10 at 5:57 a.m. 7 pounds 12 ounces, 19 inches long. Curly black/very dark brown hair and intense blue eyes! Everybody is doing wonderfully.
Showing posts with label Boy Wonder. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Boy Wonder. Show all posts
Monday, May 31, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
Camping
This past Saturday night, I got to do something I hadn't done in a long time. I camped out in the back yard with Boo and Boy Wonder. I think the last time we got to camp out together outside was while we were still living in Missouri, back in 2004. We had done some living room "campouts" in between, but none outside for a long, long time.
It was great! The weather was wonderful, the tent was big enough for all three of us and the ground wasn't too hard (at least not after I got my self-inflating mattress pad between me and it!)
The kids love to camp out. I hadn't been joining them for a long time because A) we didn't have a tent big enough and 2) I was either too tired or too busy with school. Thankfully both of those issues have been remedied.
It wasn't perfect . . . someone was having a party in the neighborhood, so the music was still going around 2 a.m.; and Boy Wonder has a bladder the size of a walnut, so he was up 4 times during the night.
All in all, it was an experience I look forward to repeating multiple times over this summer and fall. Camping out is just so peaceful, even with the distractions. It reminds me of great times growing up, camping out in the backyard with my brother, or way back up on the Chacok with Dad. Camping is just COOL!
What's your favorite camp-out memory?
It was great! The weather was wonderful, the tent was big enough for all three of us and the ground wasn't too hard (at least not after I got my self-inflating mattress pad between me and it!)
The kids love to camp out. I hadn't been joining them for a long time because A) we didn't have a tent big enough and 2) I was either too tired or too busy with school. Thankfully both of those issues have been remedied.
It wasn't perfect . . . someone was having a party in the neighborhood, so the music was still going around 2 a.m.; and Boy Wonder has a bladder the size of a walnut, so he was up 4 times during the night.
All in all, it was an experience I look forward to repeating multiple times over this summer and fall. Camping out is just so peaceful, even with the distractions. It reminds me of great times growing up, camping out in the backyard with my brother, or way back up on the Chacok with Dad. Camping is just COOL!
What's your favorite camp-out memory?
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Riffs on a Buck
In case you missed the last post, we have a new member of our household, Buck!
The funny thing about that name is how many variations we have come up with in the last 2 days. Here they are: (Bonus points if you can name all the pop culture references)
Buckminster Fullerene - And he's been neutered, so Bucky Balls is out.
Buckskin
Buckshot
Buck Naked (or Nekked, depending on where you are from and what you are up to!)
Bucket of Bolts
Buckingham Palace
Bucket of Chicken
Buckaroo
Buck Ninety-Eight
Buck Buck Buck Eighty-Nine
Buck Buck Goose
Buckle My Shoe
And then there is this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDnRFjOi3rA
Unfortunately, I can't embed this particular clip, but please follow the link. After we had decided on the name Buck, Boy Wonder quoted this for us. It was awesome. We were laughing so hard Mrs. Penguin was having trouble breathing, and I was having trouble steering.
Here he is!
The funny thing about that name is how many variations we have come up with in the last 2 days. Here they are: (Bonus points if you can name all the pop culture references)
Buckminster Fullerene - And he's been neutered, so Bucky Balls is out.
Buckskin
Buckshot
Buck Naked (or Nekked, depending on where you are from and what you are up to!)
Bucket of Bolts
Buckingham Palace
Bucket of Chicken
Buckaroo
Buck Ninety-Eight
Buck Buck Buck Eighty-Nine
Buck Buck Goose
Buckle My Shoe
And then there is this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDnRFjOi3rA
Unfortunately, I can't embed this particular clip, but please follow the link. After we had decided on the name Buck, Boy Wonder quoted this for us. It was awesome. We were laughing so hard Mrs. Penguin was having trouble breathing, and I was having trouble steering.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Today is National Puppy Day!
In honor of the titular fact, (actually coincidentally) we adopted a dog!
For those of you who don't know, we had to put our previous dog, Mini, down last May. We have been doggieless since. We had the privilege of watching Tucker a couple weekends back, and it really reinforced to all of the Penguins in our house that we are a dog-type family.
Over the last couple months we had established contact with the Miniature Schnauzer Club of Northern California, looking for a rescue dog to adopt. Yesterday, the 22nd of March we drove to a small town outside Sacramento to meet, and as it turns out, adopt, a wonderful new companion for our family. He is a larger miniature schnauzer, about 22 pounds and 16 inches at the shoulder. It was hard to resist his little bandit face, and the fact that he wanted to jump in the truck right away. We spent a little over an hour getting to know him and the foster home, and took him for a walk to a local park. When we left, the foster mom was very gracious and provided a collar, leash, toys, treats and enough food for a few days. I think she gave us nearly the adoption fee in extras. Thank you Nancy!
Somewhere there is a family with a couple of children who are heartbroken. This is a wonderful dog. He was found dirty, matted and loose, with a collar but no tag or microchip. He is a quick learner, even if a little confused at the moment. He had been called "Jack" for the last few days while at his foster home, but "Jack" didn't seem to fit him. We debated his name all the way home, and all the way through the PetSmart store while we picked up some greenies (teeth cleaning bones), reward treats, food and water bowls, a comb and a brush. We got him a tag, but still couldn't come up with a name. Boy Wonder kept coming up with bizarre names like "Battery" to which this very smart dog would give him a look that seemed to say, "Absolutely not! I will not be called that!" We were only a couple minutes from the house when we came up with "Buck." Buck is close enough to Jack that hopefully he can adapt quickly.
He is a very good dog. He did get out of the house yesterday when one of the neighbors dropped by. He went across the street to say "Hi" to a couple of little girls, then came home with me as soon as he had said "Hi." He walks wonderfully on the leash, visits well with other dogs, and the only time he has barked is when Boy Wonder left the house yesterday. Buck could see him through the window and barked a couple times to try to get Boy Wonder to come back and get him.
Our biggest issue so far was helping Buck figure out where to sleep last night. He had been sleeping with his Foster People in their bed, and didn't show any interest in the beds at PetSmart, so we didn't buy him one. Last night we tried placing him on Boo's bed, but he didn't seem to want to stay there. He paced up and down the stairs a few times, going to the couches, then coming to our room. He finally jumped up on our bed. I moved him to Boy Wonder's bed, and he stayed there until 3:45 when Boy Wonder made a bathroom trip. I tried to get Buck to go out to the bathroom, but he was having none of that. Buck moved himself to Boo's bed, and stayed there until he was ready to get up this morning. We weren't as quick out of bed as he wanted, so he woke Boo up.
Buck and we at the Penguin household are quickly adapting to each other. Welcome home, Buck. Welcome Home! Be sure and click on the Title to see pictures of Buck (Jack) in action!
For those of you who don't know, we had to put our previous dog, Mini, down last May. We have been doggieless since. We had the privilege of watching Tucker a couple weekends back, and it really reinforced to all of the Penguins in our house that we are a dog-type family.
Over the last couple months we had established contact with the Miniature Schnauzer Club of Northern California, looking for a rescue dog to adopt. Yesterday, the 22nd of March we drove to a small town outside Sacramento to meet, and as it turns out, adopt, a wonderful new companion for our family. He is a larger miniature schnauzer, about 22 pounds and 16 inches at the shoulder. It was hard to resist his little bandit face, and the fact that he wanted to jump in the truck right away. We spent a little over an hour getting to know him and the foster home, and took him for a walk to a local park. When we left, the foster mom was very gracious and provided a collar, leash, toys, treats and enough food for a few days. I think she gave us nearly the adoption fee in extras. Thank you Nancy!
Somewhere there is a family with a couple of children who are heartbroken. This is a wonderful dog. He was found dirty, matted and loose, with a collar but no tag or microchip. He is a quick learner, even if a little confused at the moment. He had been called "Jack" for the last few days while at his foster home, but "Jack" didn't seem to fit him. We debated his name all the way home, and all the way through the PetSmart store while we picked up some greenies (teeth cleaning bones), reward treats, food and water bowls, a comb and a brush. We got him a tag, but still couldn't come up with a name. Boy Wonder kept coming up with bizarre names like "Battery" to which this very smart dog would give him a look that seemed to say, "Absolutely not! I will not be called that!" We were only a couple minutes from the house when we came up with "Buck." Buck is close enough to Jack that hopefully he can adapt quickly.
He is a very good dog. He did get out of the house yesterday when one of the neighbors dropped by. He went across the street to say "Hi" to a couple of little girls, then came home with me as soon as he had said "Hi." He walks wonderfully on the leash, visits well with other dogs, and the only time he has barked is when Boy Wonder left the house yesterday. Buck could see him through the window and barked a couple times to try to get Boy Wonder to come back and get him.
Our biggest issue so far was helping Buck figure out where to sleep last night. He had been sleeping with his Foster People in their bed, and didn't show any interest in the beds at PetSmart, so we didn't buy him one. Last night we tried placing him on Boo's bed, but he didn't seem to want to stay there. He paced up and down the stairs a few times, going to the couches, then coming to our room. He finally jumped up on our bed. I moved him to Boy Wonder's bed, and he stayed there until 3:45 when Boy Wonder made a bathroom trip. I tried to get Buck to go out to the bathroom, but he was having none of that. Buck moved himself to Boo's bed, and stayed there until he was ready to get up this morning. We weren't as quick out of bed as he wanted, so he woke Boo up.
Buck and we at the Penguin household are quickly adapting to each other. Welcome home, Buck. Welcome Home! Be sure and click on the Title to see pictures of Buck (Jack) in action!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
What are you waiting for?
Yesterday morning, the kiddos, (Boy Wonder and Boo) were watching The Incredibles. This is a great show put out by Pixar. In our house it is often referred to as "The Impossibles!", the result of a little slip of the tongue one day that stuck. The key characters are a family of superheros with superpowers who are trying to live an ordinary life, since "supers" are no longer wanted by society.
If you've never watched it, I would recommend it. If you've seen it before, it's worth a rewatch. Besides the obvious superhero and James Bond nods, see how many other film, T.V., radio and literature references are there. If you think you already know all those, look for the inclusion of Pixar's other films. They are there. In addition to the multiple references, there are a multitude of messages, hidden, sometimes not so subtly throughout the movie. Here's an example. Right before I had to leave, the following scene flashed across the T.V.
[Bob notices the little boy on the tricycle staring at him for the second day in a row]
Bob: Well, what are *you* waiting for?
Little Boy on Tricycle: I don't know. Something amazing, I guess.
Bob: Me too, kid.
It is a profound scene, stuck in the middle of a very entertaining movie. Kids expect the amazing all the time. By the time we become adults, we have been ground down, worn on, and pounded into submission so that we no longer expect the amazing. Many of us spend our entire adult lives waiting on something amazing. How sad. How pitiful.
We live in an incredible world, full of mystery and wonder. Science is making discoveries that boggle the understanding. New species are still being discovered. Islands appear and disappear. Glaciers grow and retreat. Nature blasts us and blesses us, always defying the predictions. Relationships blossom and grow, or grow cold and die. Men and women defy the odds in sports, in exploration, in health, in life and in death.
How can we not be amazed? I don't understand. If you are spending your life waiting for something amazing, you are wasting your time. We get one chance on this terrestrial ball, and we can make it amazing. We can be an Incredible spouse or parent, and an Amazing teacher or friend. It's up to us!
It's been said that impossible means we just haven't figured it out yet. Putting a man on the moon was once considered impossible. Mapping the human genome was once considered impossible. Ending slavery in America was once considered impossible.
If your life isn't amazing, you aren't trying for the "impossible." Find a way to make the impossible possible. Start with yourself. Start with your family. Start with your house or your street. We have the blessing of living in a time and place where the amazing occurs all the time. Take a little time today to count your blessings. Let your family know that you think they are Incredible. They put up with you! Find your piece of amazing and make it possible!
If you've never watched it, I would recommend it. If you've seen it before, it's worth a rewatch. Besides the obvious superhero and James Bond nods, see how many other film, T.V., radio and literature references are there. If you think you already know all those, look for the inclusion of Pixar's other films. They are there. In addition to the multiple references, there are a multitude of messages, hidden, sometimes not so subtly throughout the movie. Here's an example. Right before I had to leave, the following scene flashed across the T.V.
[Bob notices the little boy on the tricycle staring at him for the second day in a row]
Bob: Well, what are *you* waiting for?
Little Boy on Tricycle: I don't know. Something amazing, I guess.
Bob: Me too, kid.
It is a profound scene, stuck in the middle of a very entertaining movie. Kids expect the amazing all the time. By the time we become adults, we have been ground down, worn on, and pounded into submission so that we no longer expect the amazing. Many of us spend our entire adult lives waiting on something amazing. How sad. How pitiful.
We live in an incredible world, full of mystery and wonder. Science is making discoveries that boggle the understanding. New species are still being discovered. Islands appear and disappear. Glaciers grow and retreat. Nature blasts us and blesses us, always defying the predictions. Relationships blossom and grow, or grow cold and die. Men and women defy the odds in sports, in exploration, in health, in life and in death.
How can we not be amazed? I don't understand. If you are spending your life waiting for something amazing, you are wasting your time. We get one chance on this terrestrial ball, and we can make it amazing. We can be an Incredible spouse or parent, and an Amazing teacher or friend. It's up to us!
It's been said that impossible means we just haven't figured it out yet. Putting a man on the moon was once considered impossible. Mapping the human genome was once considered impossible. Ending slavery in America was once considered impossible.
If your life isn't amazing, you aren't trying for the "impossible." Find a way to make the impossible possible. Start with yourself. Start with your family. Start with your house or your street. We have the blessing of living in a time and place where the amazing occurs all the time. Take a little time today to count your blessings. Let your family know that you think they are Incredible. They put up with you! Find your piece of amazing and make it possible!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Labels, and the impossible writing that accompanies them!
As I was making changes to the blog this evening, I happened to notice that there are 41 links listed, each of them occurring only once. That is about to change. What follows is the Freestyle writing including 19 of the links that I have previously listed. I'll try to get the other 22 into the next post.
When Yakob was a little boy, he wanted to be in the Union Air Force. He wanted to fly airplanes and visit far-off places like California. The intervening years had instead immersed him in a world of automated phone calls and book reviews, baby news, frustration and e-mail. Too much of which was currently occupying his phone. He couldn't even load his Bible software without it crashing.
"What ever happened," he wondered, "to the good old days when family sent actual letters, and actual comic books like Boy Wonder sat on actual bookcases?" Instead, as a e-news blogger trying to make a living in the brutally competitive news media, Yakob experienced daily frustration as his technology became ever more rapidly obsolete.
Yakob's thoughts continued as he hurried across the street, dodging around one of the many barricades erected recently. "Beards were only for old men, gaming had gone from on-line to live. Christians were a persecuted people, and few of his readers could separate fantasy from fiction. God's word was often considered a relic from 3000 years ago."
Even the food had gone down hill. "When I was young," he remembered, "and Mama went on her diet, she never ate this poorly." Neither had he, not till the war. It was the war that changed it all. The war . . .
When Yakob was a little boy, he wanted to be in the Union Air Force. He wanted to fly airplanes and visit far-off places like California. The intervening years had instead immersed him in a world of automated phone calls and book reviews, baby news, frustration and e-mail. Too much of which was currently occupying his phone. He couldn't even load his Bible software without it crashing.
"What ever happened," he wondered, "to the good old days when family sent actual letters, and actual comic books like Boy Wonder sat on actual bookcases?" Instead, as a e-news blogger trying to make a living in the brutally competitive news media, Yakob experienced daily frustration as his technology became ever more rapidly obsolete.
Yakob's thoughts continued as he hurried across the street, dodging around one of the many barricades erected recently. "Beards were only for old men, gaming had gone from on-line to live. Christians were a persecuted people, and few of his readers could separate fantasy from fiction. God's word was often considered a relic from 3000 years ago."
Even the food had gone down hill. "When I was young," he remembered, "and Mama went on her diet, she never ate this poorly." Neither had he, not till the war. It was the war that changed it all. The war . . .
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
1,700 PS3s purchase by Air Force
In today's news of the weird . . . check out this article, reporting on the Air Force's attempt to build THE ultimate gaming machine! I wish I could have gotten even 1 PlayStation 3. Guess Boy Wonder and I will just have to plug along with our old PS2. Do you feel sorry for me yet?
P.S. If you click on the title, it will take you to the article. Good to know, hmm?
P.S. If you click on the title, it will take you to the article. Good to know, hmm?
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