My New Signature

Aidan observed me writing checks and started asking questions about my signature. He decided I needed a new one and came up with this...

He told me there's an "I" in there. As soon as I determine whether he went clockwise or counter clockwise with this whimsical John Hancock I'll work on replicating it. The good news is it looks like I'll be able to sign and date checks in one fell swoop.

VIDEOS: Volcano II

Volcano II

Pop Rocks

Look at the "T"

It's hard to fault a little guy for getting restless in church. It's also hard not to laugh when they say funny things when they are angry.

For some reason Kellen was not happy that we were looking at him yesterday as he played quietly in the pews. With a furrowed brow he whispered forcefully, "Quit looking at me!". He then pointed to the front of the church and growled, "Look at that guy!" That guy was the pastor who was in the middle of his sermon. Kellen then said, "Look at the T!"

Keep your eyes on the "T"...always good advice!

VIDEO: Funny Faces

Some of the many faces of Kellen

VIDEO: Kung Fu Kellen

Kellen loves the new Kung Fu mini game on Wii Fit Plus

Field Trip

On Wednesday Aidan took his first school field trip. He had counted down the days for weeks and finally got his chance to bus over to the Minnesota Children's Museum.

You would have thought he had visited the Smithsonian over the course of several days as recounted the many exhibits he had visited. Over the course of several hours he would stop suddenly and spout off five new things that he had done and forgotten to tell me about. I envisioned him sprinting from spot to spot as I knew they had only spent the morning there.

One of his classmate's mothers sent us the pictures below. She said, "he flitted quickly from one exhibit to the next -- I think he was trying to take it all in!"

Sounds like a return trip is in order!

VIDEO: Volcano!

Aidan received this volcano for Christmas from my brother and his wife. It was fun to see people's reactions when they would ask him what he got for Christmas and he would excitedly yell, "A Volcano!". He's been talking about it for several weeks anxious to watch it erupt.

Today was they day we fired it up and watched it bubble!

Sherlock in My Own Home

A little more than 15 months ago I had some trouble with bandits. First there was the Alarm Clock Bandit who advanced my clock five hours and had me scratching my head when the alarm was sounding in the early afternoon. Then there was the Cell Phone Bandit who managed to swipe my phone and program several new numbers into the address book. The then chubby little man assumed responsible for these "crimes" was apprehended after I followed a trail of evidence after he had acted as the Toothpaste Bandit.

There are some new shenanigans going on in the house these days. The current suspect is a little taller, but not tall enough to explain how he's doing what he's doing.

I offer you Exhibit A...

...and in case you didn't see the toothbrush hanging from the wall, here's Exhibit B...

I know who's doing it...I'm just not sure how. Aidan received this fabulous Crayon-esque toothbrush in his Christmas stocking and has enjoyed sticking it to the mirror. Then one day it started protruding from higher and higher altitudes. He claims he's throwing it at the wall. Unless I have a world class javelin thrower in the making, I'm thinking there's more to it than that. He insists he's not climbing up on the counter and has been informed of the dangers of doing so. Only two people in the house are taller than he is and the one who's not writing about this was sitting on the couch when the brush suddenly launched itself north of the mirror this evening.

Household Sherlock is on the case once again!

Booger Chillingly Cold

This week I've been celebrating any daily temperatures north of zero after waking up to 21 below on Saturday morning. I've also been thinking about this cartoon whenever I venture out into the cold.

My New Gig

There are at least two people in my home that are much cuter and far more entertaining than I am so they find themselves featured in the postings of this blog more often than not. Still I found out over Christmas that *GASP* there are those who actually take an interest in little old me. So when I spoke of my current professional endeavors they were unaware because I had posted nothing about them here.

I have been teaching college business courses for a several months now. I spent a few months familiarizing myself with school policy and am now sharing my experiences and knowledge with online students in an introductory business course. It works wonderfully for our present situation and is something I will continue doing when additional opportunities present themselves. With Rachel coming up on maternity leave soon she sees this as a wonderful opportunity to take a 12 week nap while I tend to the kids and my from-home job. I am of course kidding about the three month nap…I think.

Sorry to have withheld this information. I’m sure if you all knew before Christmas I would have been gifted with many tweed sports coats with stylish elbow patches. Of course any time I wore so much as a shirt with buttons during my work sabbatical Aidan asked why I was wearing a church shirt.