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Congrats Carter!

Just for those who didn't know, Carter is basically done with daytime diapers! Hooray! We've been working on training her for the past few weeks or so, and it's been hit or miss - she was having a fair number of accidents. But this week we took the plunge and decided it was underwear all day, no matter what - and she's been doing great! She's even started to wake up dry some mornings, so even nighttime diapers may not be around for long. She loves talking about how she is a big girl now, because she can use the potty. She is so proud of herself. Of course, her potty humor has cranked up a notch now, too. But that's the price we pay. :)

Posted under Stories by Joel on July 23, 2009 02:23 PM | Comments (0)

Cannonball!

After canoeing, we decided to stay at the beach and do a little swimming. Nobody was in a bathing suit though, as we had originally planned to just head straight home. I was helping Sean do cannonballs by grabbing his waist and launching him into the air. That kid is really taking to the water. He can already swim under water for short distances (3-4 feet), and he keeps his eyes open. Carter did great too - she came out much deeper than she normally would. I think having Daddy in the water with her made her especially brave.

Posted under Photos by Joel on July 23, 2009 08:43 AM | Comments (0)

Canoe

We took the new canoe out this weekend, not knowing what to expect from the kids. Much to our surprise, they were great! We all had a good time. We've really only got one picture from the canoe itself, but we'll try to take more next time.

Posted under Photos by Joel on July 22, 2009 07:07 AM | Comments (0)

Airborne!

Lori got some great pictures last week while the kids were playing in the pool. She was able to catch them in the air as they were jumping off the slide. The light must have been just right coming off of the water in the pool - normally every time she attempts a shot like this they just come out blurry.

Posted under Photos by Joel on July 21, 2009 07:22 AM | Comments (0)

Who's Your Daddy?

First, some context. Sean's teacher is named Miss Nicole. She's in her early 20's, and quite attractive. Lori claims that she is "my type". So that said, here's the story:

I was home from work yesterday, and I picked Sean up at school after his lunch. On the way home in the van, Sean says to me, "Are you Miss Nicole's daddy?" So I immediately respond, in my euphemism voice, "why...did she say so?" And Sean says, "Yes, Miss Nicole said that you were her daddy!" Needless to say, this tickled my funny bone. When I told Lori the story later, she was howling with laughter. I'm guessing Miss Nicole must have talking to Sean about how I was HIS daddy, and he somehow got the pronouns mixed up. :)

Posted under Stories by Joel on July 17, 2009 12:01 PM | Comments (0)

Tada!

Just a quick story about something funny that happened at home the other night. Lori, Carter, and I were in the living room playing on the floor. Sean had just gotten up to go use the bathroom. So we're all talking, and suddenly Sean comes bouncing in the living room, drops his pants, throws his arms up in the air and exclaims, "Ta-da! Penis!" Lori and I just look at each other, and then bust out laughing. I have no idea what he did that for, but it cracked us up. I joked with Lori that I think it was his very first pick up line.

Posted under Stories by Joel on July 14, 2009 07:12 AM | Comments (0)

Gardening

Recently, the kids helped me transplat some young pepper and tomato seedlings into containers. These kids just love to garden. They get their little gloves and spades, and go to town. I'm sure at least one aspect of it was that it was the first sunny day we had had in weeks, and they were just enjoying the time outside. And on the other hand, what little kid doesn't like getting dirty - especially when they know they won't get in trouble? I can't wait until we actually start harvesting some tomatoes - I'll bet the kids will be so excited to eat something they've grown themselves. They already talk a lot about the flowers we planted, which have just recently started to bloom.

Posted under Photos by Joel on July 12, 2009 06:19 AM | Comments (0)

Take My Picture!

Carter is becoming quite the little ham. This photo was totally staged, but not by us. She was playing quietly in the living room, and found her props, set up the rocking horse, and climbed on. Then she called Lori into the room and said "Mommy, do you want to take my picture?" How cute is that? I remember Tracy being a bit of a ham when she was little, and it's adorable to see the same thing in my own daughter.

Posted under Stories by Joel on July 11, 2009 08:11 AM | Comments (0)

Doggies

The kids have really started to take an interest in the dogs these past couple of months. For the longest time, Sean and Carter both treated the dogs as little more than mobile furniture, and usually couldn't even remember which dog was which. But lately, they love those pups. They pat them, talk to them, try to get them to play - this past weekend, Sean even helped me give them a bath.

Posted under Photos by Joel on July 10, 2009 09:18 AM | Comments (0)

Preschool Graduation

A couple of weeks ago, we went to Sean's preschool graduation ceremony. We were more than a little worried about him - sometimes these sorts of things give him a lot of anxiety, and he sort of melts down. But to our surprise, he did such a good job. He sang the song, pledged his allegiance to the flag, and even enjoyed the clown they brought in. I was so proud to see my little fella sitting there with all of his friends - it feels good to know that he's developing a little life and relationships of his own, outside of the family.

Posted under Photos by Joel on July 9, 2009 08:15 AM | Comments (0)

42 Words of Wisdom: #13

"He hoped and prayed that there wasn't an afterlife. Then he realized there was a contradiction involved here and merely hoped that there wasn't an afterlife."

- Douglas Adams

Lori has recently joined me in watching the first season of Battlestar Galactica. I'm noticing that it's got a lot of religious themes in it. Which is a bit mind-boggling, when you really think of it - robots that believe in God? I find this quote to be particularly appropriate. We're both enjoying the show quite a bit, by the way. I didn't originally ask Lori to join me, as I didn't think it would appeal to her much. But after accidentally watching an episode or two while waiting for Carter to fall asleep, it's piqued her interest. The depth of the characters on the show is really pulling us in.

Posted under Stories by Joel on July 8, 2009 08:19 AM | Comments (0)

I Win!

The other day the kids were riding bikes in the driveway, and Sean suddenly got it into his head that he wanted to run. At not just run, but race. So he set up the cones, and talked his sister into running with him. Although in all honesty, she didn't need much convincing. The best part is when he wins a race - he sings "I win! I win!", all which doing some kind of little dance. In one of the shots below, you can see part of that dance.

Posted under Stories by Joel on July 7, 2009 02:23 PM | Comments (0)

Grampy-Big-Red-Truck

Here's a cute picture of Carter with Grampy-Big-Red-Truck. He came to visit the other day, and Carter was ecstatic. When I see pictures like this, it reminds me why we moved back to New England. I could live without the power outages all winter, the snow-shoveling, the sticky summer heat (without central A/C), and all of that - but family makes it all worthwhile.

Posted under Photos by Joel on July 7, 2009 02:04 PM | Comments (0)

Cuties

This is just a cute photo I found on my computer last night, and had forgotten to post when it actually happened. I think it is one that Lori took the week before our vacation.

Posted under Photos by Joel on July 2, 2009 07:13 AM | Comments (0)