Why Won’t the Toilet Won’t Work

Abby came in asking me, “Why won’t the Toilet won’t work?” Which of course was a double negative. Everything my mother trained me to react with (correction) was held back because the last thing I needed to do was confuse Abby with why her potty was or wasn’t flushing. The not flushing lead to me lifting the lid off the top of the commode. Wow! Abby was very impressed with the inner workings of the toilet. I can remember the same wonder of how a toilet worked. Previously it had been magic, but then it became mechanics… mechanical parts to be played with.

I hope Abby doesn’t want to not not play with the toilet [I’m so clever].

Dancing with the Stars: I Love My Children

I danced last night with Abigial to the soundtrack of whatever was playing on dancing with the stars.  I think the judges would have kicked us off the show for our out of control, wacky, jerky and impromptu movements.  Abby laughed over and over so I figured that our ‘dancing’ was doing the trick.  Jessica, our only judge gave us a ten each time, to which Abby responded by either bowing or raising her hands in victory.  I even scored a victory peck on the lips.  Its good to dance with a child star like Abby because she really throws herself into it.  I just have to catch her.

Crying Myself in Circles

This morning we went to the zoo to have some family time and to get out of the house.  At the zoo there is a carousel.  Upon installing Abby upon a black panther (the feline mammal and not the ethnically oriented militant, political group as you might have suspected) I noticed how big she was getting.  She’s not my little baby girl any more, she’s turning into a girl, soon to be followed by teenage girl and so forth.  I said to Abby, “You sure are getting big.”

Abby replied, “I sure am going to miss you when I get married, dad.”  I began holding back as many tears as I could in the manliest fashion possible.

Swimming Lessons in a Pool Full of Tears

Tonight Abby had swimming lessons, but as we left Evelyn just lost it.  She cried and cried and cried.  Tears streamed down her face that we would leave without her.  We could have been going to Hell [Michigan] and she’d have wanted to come with us.  Of course somewhere in Nebraska she’d throw an equally intense fit because she was still in the car.  She’s become quite the drama queen.  I’m praying the God sends a miracle our direction to cause her quaint little happy-all-of-the-time attitude to come back.

Pulling into the parking lot at the recreation center I realized that about 25% more people wanted to recreate than could park in the parking lot.  No amount of patience that I could have or have supernaturally given to me was going to free up enough parking spots for me to fit in and get Abby to her lesson in time.  So I parked around the side of the park on a side street and we walked to the pool.  I think we cleared the quarter mile in about 6 minutes which was good given that Abby is so short and I’m so slow for being in the near prone coding position I sit in all day.  [my legal team would like me to state that I don’t actually sit in the prone positionwhile coding lest I be released from contracts for being lazy]

Abby’s swimming lesson went well.  She didn’t panic when the teacher instructed her to rest on her back (while being supported by the instructor’s arms).  She didn’t panic when the teacher tied a lead weight to her middle and dropped her into the deep end.  Abby was well behaved. [My legal department wants me to tell you that no weights were tied to Abby and the deep end of the kiddy pool is only 4 feet deep at most]

Of course the teenaged girl who was doing the group lessons appeared to be maybe fifteen or sixteen years in age if I’m generous.  Its hard for me in my nearly-thirty state to just look at a teenaged person and say, “That person is [some number] years old.”  My ability to judge ages for people on the whole is weaker now, but the teenagers throw me for a huge loop.  I’m even finding some early 20 year olds hard to distinguish from teenagers.  It is as if there’s some conspiracy to make me feel very old now.  It won’t work, I’ll get plastic surgery and face lifts until I’m 45 and then I’ll just let it all go.

I’m hoping to bring the camera to Wednesday’s lesson.  That way you can see pictures of this instructor with Abby and tell me that she isn’t barely older than Abby 😉

Pray for Evie

This evening Evie walked out of my office (where I was draining the water pipes due to yet another winter storm) and tripped and smashed her face across the bathroom door frame.  She has a bruse that runs down her forehead, nose and lips.  Its sad, really.  She was snuggling on my lap as I held her and then rolled over, sat up on her knees and then threw up all down my jacket, shirt, pants and even managed to score some into my pants pocket.  The poor little girl is not doing well.  Tomorrow is Jessica’s birthday and I’m thinking its going to be less fun because on top of Evie’s funk, Abby has a cold.

I love my family and I hate to see them sick like this.

Abby’s First Time Bowling

Tonight after work Kurt called and invited us to go bowling with he and Becky. <complete lie>Being avid bowlers</complete lie> we said, “Yes!” I actually enjoy bowling now for some reason. In fact tonight I bowled a 157 on the second game. Anyway, we said that we’d go bowling in part because it would be Abby’s first exposure to bowling. She was excited because she happened to have on a shirt with different sports balls pictured on it, so it was the ‘right’ shirt to wear. The video linked below is her first ever bowling experience. Enjoy it, it makes this daddy proud. Slowly, but surely, proud. I love to see Abby’s joy. And it doesn’t hurt that Uncle Kurt is yelling, “Go ball, Go,” either!

Abby bowls for the first time

Evie, too:

Daddy & Evie Bowling

Frozen Yogurt

I took Abby out to get frozen yogurt tonight.  Only the shop was closed.  They’re on sabbatical for approximately 10/12ths of the year.  Abby was dissappointed and said, “The lights are out and the people are bummered.”  But I think she was the ‘bummered’ girl.  Such is life.  I love her little phrases that try to hard to speak at an adult level.  Being her dad is awesome – if your kid is half as cool as mine you’re a blessed parent 🙂

Abby on Snow

“It’s just going to keep snowing forever, mom.”

We’re having a new snow storm here, I think this is the 4th storm in 5 weeks.  I love the snow so this is great, but Abby’s starting to feel like the snow could take a break and let Spring and Summer have a go at things 🙂