thank you--it's been great

i would like to thank all of you who i have gotten to know and who have been so supportive of me during my tenure here. i have truly enjoyed all of the various roles that i have played. they include: dad, daddy, pop, hey you and even occasionally stupid butt head. it is time however for me to relinquish these positions as i have been given a new title, new position and role. some of you may notice that there is some overlap in duties between my previous role and my current one, but management has made the decision, one with which i agree, that my previous responsibilities will be be cut back, in order to allow me to focus on this one important area. I am now a professional and full time "butt wiper." my duties will include the wiping of rear ends after going potty, the changing of diapers, regardless of their contents and the occasional cleaning of dog poop from under the dining room table (the dog feels his malodorous gifts will add to the festive feel of any dinner party or as the table is more commonly used, inspire a truer version of events when they are being documented in a scrap book). i will no longer be cooking as certain health code prohibit some one with my title and duties from entering a kitchen.

once again, thank you all and i hope to see you soon.

i can be reached in the bathroom, nursery or under the dining room table.

Inaugural Lunch

After listening to the the Obama Inauguration on the radio, the boys and I went to Plan B Tavern for lunch with my father-in-law.  we had chocolate milk, sweet potato and green bean fries and beers.  Of course burgers were had as well.

No one at this party had the seizure salad. (sorry Teddy).

snowshoeing

It's been a while since i've been out on snowshoes, both because of life and cruddy snow.  But many of my favorite winter memories involve walking through the woods in the snow.  Today, Liam strapped on his first (his mom's really) pair of snowshoes and we took a two mile walk through Stratton Brook State Park.  We both had a blast.

Walking with kids is really fun, because they slow you down.  I find that the leisurely pace dictated by kids allows me to notice things i would otherwise pass without noticing.  The kids  notice things too.  Birds in bushes, oddly colored rocks, salamanders, etc.

The barrage of questions, though at times difficult to manage also directs me to think about things that i haven't thought of in some time. Why do leaves change color, what kind of clouds are those, where do bunnies sleep in the winter?

This was not the 10 miles though the Green Mountains, or through a blizzard, but it was a great time.

I'm in Love

I was walking through the mall yesterday and say the coolest thing ever.  It's a salt pig.  You keep your cooking salt in it and then take some out when you need it. What could be cooler?  Yes, a time traveling DeLorean would be cooler, but we'll have to wait for 1985 for that.

Sledding

Sledding has become the preferred family activity here this winter.  Liam is finally old enough that he goes up and down the hill with limited help.  Drew likes to watch and to go down in some one's lap.  we all like to get outside and do fun stuff.  Since the closing of the Canton Golf Course, I've been having a hard time really getting into it, but the boy's enthusiasm for it is contagious.

As a side note he is wearing his winter sports helmet, which he loves and makes everyone feel better about his hitting jumps head first (unfortunately there is little video of this currently, but imagine a rag doll being tossed in the air and you get the idea).

Sleep Deprived Parenting

It comes as no real surprise to any adult that parenting has profound effects on one's sleep.  newborn babies put parents on a sleep cycle that allows for one consecutive restful hour for every six that is taken up getting things done---namely seeking that next one hour window.  As a parent i have learned a great number of things about my abilities to function on limited sleep and i thought that i might share them.

• children's programming is on 24/7 with the right cable package.
• 2 day old coffee is better than no coffee, despite my college days protestations
• sleeping with you clothes on makes not showering seem like a good option. shoes make getting up easier and quicker, especially when a school bus is involved, but they tangle the sheets.
• if you nap next to your toddler's crib, be sure that all hard toys have been removed, as waking to a wiggles guitar hitting your head is far uglier an alarm than any buzzer invented.
• Preparation-H does work on the bags under your eyes. (dedicate a tube--mixed use is gross)
• if your kid is sleeping in the car it's OK for you to sleep in the car too, just be sure to park it first.

The most important lesson is that my kid's enthusiasm for life is far more invigorating than a 5 Hour Energy shot chased wit a Red Bull.

"Dad it snowed, let's go sledding"

"It's 6 am"

"It's light out."

"Should we have breakfast first?"

"Yeah."

"OK, wake up mom and tell her you need breakfast." (Mom let's me sleep in more than she ought to.)

This isn't Facebook, right?

it seems like a second wave of facebook is crashed over me. 

"are you on facebook?"

"uh--no, why?"

"i am."

"oh." 

I twitter. i've always figured that if you want to know a brief impersonal (sometimes over-personal) statements, you could follow me on twitter, but that seems to not satisfy. 

I'm hoping to make this a longer form conversation, in one direction, about me and my doings; school, family, work, etc.

I hope that it satisfies, both you and me.

cheers!