Twitter Machine Tuesday

We wanted to let Grace heal on her own after her slide injury.  This was especially true after we saw two separate x-rays with no signs of a break.

She seemed to be progressing.  She started crawling.  Then tried her hand at standing.  She even got to the point of trying to take a few steps.  She still had a limp and wasn't moving or acting the same, so we had another appointment scheduled for this morning.

And we decided on this...


Grace rocking a cast and Ana consoling her

 Erin and I have never had a cast in our combined 60 years of life, and Grace is in a cast before she even turned two.  Bad luck kiddo.  Better safe than sorry.

Onto the Twitter Machine's triumphant return.

-Having a kid in a cast is going to be a pain. No baths and we'll have to wrap in plastic before showers.
-I really want to sign it with inappropriate stuff to get sideways looks from other parents.
-That or a heart with Justin Beiber written in it
-We hung out with Kim and Janelle this weekend. It. Was. Awesome.
-If you think they're cool in blog form, you don't even know how rad they are in person #seriously #timesathousand
-We even have inside jokes now. I'd have no problem scheduling a monthly get together. #baconwrapped
-Janelle's kid Ava is going to make a mint babysitting. Seriously this kid is beyond her years and fantastic with little ones.
-Giants trade for Hunter Pence #yesplease #sfgiants
-It's just great for Giants and Dodgers fans when both teams are good because they'll do whatever they can to beat the other.
-I liken it to an arms race between nations except without the fear of nuclear winter
-The Olympics are on every night in our house. Or as I like to call it "Time to catch up on my reading"
-I've started the Harry Potter series for the first time. Amazon Prime Lending Library #FTW
-Seriously as if free shipping to Amazon Prime members wasn't cool enough, you get a free book from their lending library once a month
-Great gift for a new parent would actually be an Amazon Prime membership. Bought so much baby crap in that first year without paying shipping.
-This is by no means an advert for Amazon. I just like the service. #gratisadvice
-I'm not an Olympic fan. I just don't understand why we hand out medals for basic survival skills like running and swimming.
-The Girls both say "Limpics" though. I blame their mother.
-How would you like to be a high schooler competing against Missy Franklin? Chick wins gold medals. Seems unfair.
-I wanted to post parts of this Twitter Machine on tape delay, but NBC wouldn't release their superior technology to let this happen
-I'd comment on the Opening Ceremony, but I refused to watch.
-Is there any event more self-congratulatory than the Olympic Opening Ceremony? Maybe the Oscars.
-I don't agree with Chick-Fil-A's politics. They just make a damn delicious chicken sandwich.
-How come you always want Chick-Fil-A on a Sunday when they're closed? #hangoverfood #murphyslaw
-We cancelled our Netflix streaming some time back, but I think we're going to need to reinstate to finally watch Breaking Bad
-Had someone tell me that I provided them with the best car-buying experience in 30 years. #winning
-I love me some Tolkien, but did we really need to make The Hobbit into three movies? #overkill #moneygrab
-Snoop Dogg is now Snoop Lion after travelling to Jamaica. This is actually a thing.
-What took Snoop so long to travel to the pot capital of the universe? I'm thinking they may not have had enough pot until now.
-No I will not confirm you as my family or allow you to post my info on your MyCalendar app #facebooksucks
-I really don't care who you're voting for nor does anyone else on Facebook. I'm here to see clever status updates and comedy videos #justsayin

That's all for this week.  See you next Tuesday!

Daddy Daughter Days

I took a week off from blogging and it was somewhat glorious.  I didn't have to worry about being clever or figuring out what I wanted to write for a whole week.

Now I know why people stop entirely.  Because it is just so easy to decide not to do it anymore.

You go on a vacation and see this...

And this...

And you think "Why am I worrying about writing and blogging and not just experiencing life?"  But I came full circle on it and remembered that I started this whole deal to record our life as a family.  That way we'll always have something to look back on.

So I jumped right back into it this Thursday for Daddy Daughter Day.

We love to color.  In fact Grace sees the table and immediately starts saying "Color. Color."  It is adorable and a great way to learn the different colors.  At one point Ana ripped the orange crayon out of Grace's hand, and Grace started screaming.  Of course it was the orange crayon.  She wouldn't do the same for a Dodger blue crayon.

Here is Ana doing yet another self-portrait.  I saved you the 10 pictures of the ceiling that she took as she kept hitting the camera button at the bottom of the iPhone screen.

Grace put her baba in my mouth and her blanket (Zeebs) on me and said "Dada nigh-night" and went back to playing with her toys.  I was honored that she gave me her stuff to go to sleep, but I was a little disappointed that she didn't want to keep playing with me.

I just...this kid is so...  I'm so in love with these girls.

Sometimes when you need to use the potty, you just need to read a good book.  In this case, it was That's Not My Bear.  Grace also used the potty 3 times on Thursday.  I was so proud.

Just loungin' so hard.  No big deal.

And we love to play with our new chalkboard.  Thanks to our mom for finding that one.

That's all for this week.  Hope everyone is enjoying the weekend.

Daddy Daughter Days

I won't complain about work because I could obviously have it so much worse than I do right now.  I have plenty of time to spend with my family.  I have an okay schedule that allows for down time in the middle of the week to spend a day with my daughters.  I'm not nearly as stressed as I was in my previous job.  All in all it's great.

There are times however where it can lead to a little extra stress.

This Daddy Daughter Day was interrupted about halfway through, so I could go into work because a customer needed me to come in.  I'm all for being available to help.  Instead of spending the morning playing and enjoying time with the girls, I had to get the house cleaned up, so I wouldn't be embarrassed if someone had to come over.  Instead of going to the park, I had to get ready to go into work.  And instead of relaxing during their nap time, I was in doing work.

Again I can't complain because I actually have a job that I enjoy.  I just hate when my day with my daughters doesn't go according to schedule.

With all that being said there are still some pictures of our day.

The day started the night before when we went on a walk with the girls and Molly the dog.  Grace went potty right when we were about to leave, so Ana and I had some fun outside with the dog while we were waiting.  Ana kept saying "Bye" and walking away with Molly.

Every morning the girls come to me and say "Elmo."  They have conditioned me to do a call from Elmo on my phone first thing in the morning.  By the way, the Elmo Calls app is pretty cool if you have a kid that is obsessed with Elmo.

Morning Giants Game + Morning Snuggle = Morning Giant Snuggle

Normally you can't pry this necklace away from Grace.  You can kind of see her in the background.  Most likely about to grab it away from Ana.

What's the deal with women having to go to the bathroom with all their friends?

There is a frog on the water table.  We name him Frederick.  At one point Frederick jumped onto Grace's hand, and she didn't react at all.  Then he jumped onto Ana's shoulder who totally freaked for a half-second.  Then he hopped away.

Ana has learned the importance of accessorizing.  Dada's belt probably doesn't work with that outfit, kiddo.

We went to a park with a lot of great slides.  Ana was having fun.  Grace was too until she hurt her leg going down a slide with me and Ana.  She twisted her leg on the way down and hasn't wanted to stand on it since.  We iced it and gave her infant Ibuprofen.  This morning she still didnt want to stand on it and kept saying "Hurt" in her little voice.  We took her to the doctor, and he didn't see a major break or fracture.  Thank God for that.  But I feel terrible about it.  I didn't want her to get hurt.  I just want my angel to get better.

And a video.  Yeah maybe I should be teaching my girls to say things that will be more useful in real life.  But we're Giants fans damnit.

Every one have a wonderful and safe weekend.  We'll see you next week after our mini-vacation.

Criminally Underrated 4.0

If you've been following my blog, you know how much I love sharing music, movies, tv shows and other assorted things that I find to be underrated.  Not just underrated but criminally underrated.  This is the stuff that should be way more popular, so I decide to make it my own personal mission to share them with the world (or at least my readers who will share it with two friends who will share it with two of their friends and so on and so on).

You can read previous incarnations here, here, and here.

On with the underrated...

Music: Walk the Moon
I downloaded the song Anna Sun as one of iTunes' free downloads a while back, and I haven't been able to get it out of my head since.  It is such a fantastic and epic song that I bought their entire album the day it was released solely on the strength of the one single.  And let me tell you the rest of the album doesn't disappoint.  They're the band I wanted The Killers to become.  Powerful and catchy pop songs that make you want to sing along.  They have a somewhat electronic sound on some of their songs that I don't usually like, but somehow it just works on their songs.  Ultimately they're just a killer band that has some earworms that you can't help but enjoy.  Try listening to Anna Sun, Tightrope or Shiver Shiver and not sing them the rest of the day.  Impossible.  Also they'll be on Conan tonight.  Tune in.

Music: Matt & Kim
Speaking of earworms.  I'm not sure if you remember the music video of the two people stripping naked in Times Square.  That was Matt & Kim.  The video garnered the attention, but the music is really what remains and stands up.  Daylight is probably their most popular song.  You know it and don't even know it.  What is most impressive is it's literally just Matt & Kim making all this great music.  They incorporate so many styles from hip-hop to disco and any other genre you can imagine.  But once you start listening to them, their sound is so distinct and unmistakable even with all these different influences.  They have a new album coming out at in the fall.  I'll be buying it.

Movie: Bottle Rocket
This movie came up the other day thanks to State I Am In.  She posted a picture to Instagram of new picture frames on a book shelf.  I saw her DVD collection underneath and couldn't help but comment on a few of the movies.  Bottle Rocket being one of them.  You've no doubt heard of Owen and Luke Wilson, and you're probably aware of the director Wes Anderson after Moonrise Kingdom just came out this summer and is being lauded by critics.  This was the directorial debut of Anderson and the feature film debut of the Wilson brothers.  It has all the flourishes found in Anderson's later films: eccentric characters, an old-timey feel, great music, complicated schemes hatched by the characters, missed love connections, quirky comedy, etc.  It's just a fun and enjoyable movie.  If you like The Royal Tenenbaums or Rushmore, you'll love this movie.  If you've never seen Tenenbaums or Rushmore, start with this one and watch all the Anderson movies because they're really fantastic.

TV: Freaks and Geeks
18 episodes.  One of the best television shows of the last 20 years only lasted 18 episodes, but it launched the careers of so many people.  Judd Apatow.  James Franco.  Seth Rogen.  Jason Segel.  Apatow and Paul Feig (who later went on to direct Bridesmaids) were the men in charge, and this show has a lot of the Apatow themes: angst, lovable losers, underachievers, mismatched love interests and the perfect mix of drama and VERY funny comedy.  It's just excellent television.  And the thing that Apatow and Feig did so well was making it feel so real and relatable.  So many shows and movies focus on the popular and beautiful kids.  This show was all about the kids that 90% of us were in high school.  It's the same reason we still look back fondly at the John Hughes high school movies of the 80s.  These are characters we could see ourselves in.  With the advent of DVD and streaming media, you can go back and watch the entire run and wonder what the hell NBC was thinking when they cancelled it.

That's all for this round.  Go and listen, watch, enjoy all these things.  If you don't think the stuff I like is that great that's fine.  If you do, share it with someone.

Twitter Machine Tuesday

Next week we are actually going to have an honest-to-goodness vacation.  We're going down to Southern California with Erin's parents, her grandma and the girls.  It's pretty exciting since this is the first time off I'll have taken since starting my new job.  It's also the job that is allowing me to go down there in the first place.

But mostly I'm looking forward to taking the girls to the beach and going out to nice dinners.

It actually isn't an extended time off for me.  I'll only be down there for two nights and flying back on Tuesday.  But you probably don't care about that.  All you care about is what this means for you the readers?  Well I won't be posting a Twitter Machine next week.  I also won't be posting anything on Monday.  When I go on vacation, I go all the way on vacation.  I also don't post stuff from my phone because that's way too dedicated.

At least you can enjoy the Twitter Machine this week.  Or at the very least tolerate it.

-I don't think people should be forbidden from telling certain jokes. If Tosh wants to tell a rape joke, then he has the right to. #tosh
-It isn't your job to police what people say. If you don't like it, you exercise your right by walking out and not giving him your money.
-His response of five guys raping that audience member wasn't funny. You need to address hecklers in a more humorous way than that.
-The moment we start deciding what should and shouldn't be said is the moment we start losing our freedom. Hurt feelings happen. Get over it.
-I've been putting off my recent Criminally Underrated for too long. I'll be posting it tomorrow.
-For those of you who tuned into the All Star Game and saw a Giants' game instead: you're welcome #sfgiants
-Dark Knight Rises comes out this weekend, and I probably won't be seeing it because we're watching our money. #stupidresponsibilities
-Keep in mind that buying movie tickets isn't the only cost to consider. Babysitting. Popcorn. Junior Mints. It isn't cheap.
-Ana loves holding Grace's hand. On walks she says "Hand" and walks with her. #twins #myheart
-The Bachelorette claimed that the finale will be the "Live event of the summer." I guess we don't consider the Summer Olympics either live or an event. #whoknew
-I find it funny when someone that has had a bunch of plastic surgery calls someone else fake. I'm sure you're like 38% real though.
-My girls don't even want to snuggle in the morning anymore. They've been conditioned to ask for a call from Elmo first thing. #elmocalls
-This whole Viacom/DirecTV thing has led to no Futurama or Yo Gabba Gabba in our house. I'm not happy about it.
-In a related story, I called DirecTV and complained that I would cancel and got $30/month off my bill for 12 months. And free Showtime and Starz for 90 days. #winning
-It has at least allowed us to DVR the last season of Weeds #littleboxes #littlevictories
-I still want my Futurama back, and I get the distinct feeling our girls still want Yo Gabba Gabba back
-MLB The Show and MLB.com feature a Dharma Initiative logo at Turner Field. It makes me chuckle and want to rewatch LOST. #LOST
-This morning Ana was saying TV. Really? We hardly let you watch it for this very reason.
-I want to write a song if only to include the lyric: It's hard to get over you when I was never under you
-Apparently owning a separate non-smartphone to take out when getting drunk is a thing. #kidstoday
-I don't know what I'm more jealous about: The ingenuity of the idea or the fact that people have that kind of disposable income.
-Erin actually asked me if the DVR knows that The Bachelorette finale is airing on Sunday instead.
-I don't know why she is so concerned with it. She already read the spoilers of who will be chosen.
-Funny thing is if I had read the spoilers and told her, she would have been pissed.

That's all for this week's Twitter Machine.  I won't see you next Tuesday, but I'll be back the following week.

It's Potty Time!

We always had the best intentions when Erin got pregnant.  You read the books and hear about how other parents have helped their children develop.  And you want to be just as on top of it as they are.

We wanted to do sign language because it's the chic thing to help communication.  Didn't happen.

We wanted to keep them away from sugary sweets and processed foods for obvious reasons.  Did a little better there, but good luck explaining that to grandparents, aunts and uncles.

We kind of lucked into a pretty regimented schedule as far as eating and naps because of the NICU.

And then there's potty training.

You hear about all the horror stories when it comes to potty training.  The messes on carpets.  The ruined clothes.  The crying kids that don't want to use the potty.  And then you hear about the parents that potty trained their kids with no big issues, and you hope to god you can at least fall somewhere in the middle (while secretly hoping your kids will be potty rock stars).

And for a lot of people it seems like a contest.  You hear someone say "My daughter was potty trained at 16 months" or some ridiculous age like they are so much better than everyone else.  We even heard it from family members.  Erin was trained at 18 or 19 months.  Her mom was telling us this when her grandma chimed in that her kids were all trained at 12 months.  It isn't a contest, but that would be some sort of record if it was actually true.

The thing is your kids sort of determine when they're ready.  And with two completely different kids, this is when the job can get hard.

A few weeks ago Ana and Grace started telling us when they had dirty diapers.  They would say "Pee-pee" in strained voices while squatting and making faces.  Apparently this is more common with cloth diapers because they aren't as absorbent as their disposable counterparts.  That is a huge positive because discomfort leads to wanting to avoid discomfort.  It's human nature.

It also told us it was time to start the potty training process.

So we headed to Babies R Us and picked up some training toilets.  Since then we've had somewhat mixed results.

Grace has taken very well to it.  It helps that we know when she usually has to go.  So we've been sitting her down on the potty after naps and meals or when she tells us "pee-pee."  The first time she went pee in the potty was so exciting.  I had sat her down after her nap.  She sat there reading her book like it was no big deal at all.  Ana woke up crying, so I went in to check on her.  I heard Grace say "All done" from the bathroom, and she walked into their bedroom without any pants on.  I picked her up was telling her she needed to stay on the potty until she was done when I saw that she had used the potty and was in fact all done.  Later that night she pooped and the very next day she went pee again.

Ana on the other hand HATES using the potty.  The first time I sat her down she cried the entire time and kept trying to stand up.  Whenever we sit her down her response is always "No, no, no."  She has had rashes and sitting on the potty seems to bother her.  She doesn't really get that she probably won't be as itchy and rashy when she stops wearing diapers all the time.  So up to this point she has yet to use the potty.

But we gave Grace a treat for going poop in the potty the other day.  Maybe Ana will see that Grace is getting something she isn't and get with the program.

What I really learned about it is I don't care what the books and supposed perfect parents did.  All I care about is the look on Grace's face when she saw how happy her mom and I were after she used the potty.  She was so proud of herself.  So if you want to tell me your theories on how to potty train or when your kids were trained, don't.  I just don't care about comparing my kids to yours.  Mostly because my kids aren't your kids or anyone elses kids.  And also because I already know my kids are awesome and don't need the comparisons to prove it.

Daddy Daughter Days

So yesterday it was hot.  Like Hansel hot.  Like unbearable and horrible heat that makes you thankful that we've evolved to the point of inventing central air.  Thank you guy who invented air conditioning.  You are a true visionary.

Need proof?

Yeah 110 degrees.  That shit is unacceptable.  And as much as I love me some AC, I hate the bill that it creates.  So basically I have to be okay with it being 80 in our house.  That isn't all that comfortable, and the AC still works all day long to keep it there.  Once again cementing my hatred of almost all things summer.  Stupid season.  We should just get rid of it.

Combine that heat with a large fire that has given the surrounding areas a smoky haze for the last day and a half, and it makes me a happy summer camper.  Needless to say our day was filled with indoor activities to beat the heat and smoke.

Grace was awake and ready to go as soon as the light broke.  They are just so beautiful in the early morning.  Grace almost always wakes up before Ana which inevitably leads to Grace repeating "Sissy, nigh-nigh" and my heart exploding with love.

Just sitting on the potty and reading a book.  No big deal.  Oh and there is another post all about the potty coming.  Just you wait.

Grace also likes to take her animals and put her blanket (Zeebs for the uninitiated) on top and says "Nigh-nigh" to them.

 

 

Ana likes to play with the bigger kids.

Getting ready for Mother Goose on the Loose.  Or as Ana likes to call it "GOOSE!"

We get special hand stamps after every Mother Goose.  Today we had fishies.  Which led to Grace and Ana pointing at their hands to exclaim "Fishy."

The girls have this thing where they take every shoe out of this basket, run across the room with them, put them all in a big pile and carry them back to throw back into the basket.  All the while they say "Helping."  I'm not quite sure how this helps but I appreciate that they like the idea of helping.

Ana has been saying "Bye-Bye" for quite some time.  Yesterday she was pulling this cart behind her and running around the house.  Everytime she passed by me she said "Bye-bye. See ya."  I don't really know where she picked up on it.  I think I say "See ya later" sometimes, but I didn't think it was often enough for her to catch on to it.  Needless to say this stage where they say grown up things with their little voices is so much fun.

That's all for this week.  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.  Stay cool and hydrated out there.

Twitter Machine Tuesday

The Twitter Machine in which I write about what Erin and I did on our anniversary.  Don't judge my lack of a creative intro to this edition.  I lack inspiration.  Just read and hopefully enjoy.  Actually I don't even care that much that you enjoy.

-I've kept with the theme of traditional gifts for wedding anniversaries since the beginning.
-In case you're wondering, the fifth anniversary is traditionally wood gifts (insert Kim snickering).
-And wood can be hard (insert Kim laughing uncontrollably) to find a great gift.
-I had a great idea though: Wine from Dreaming Tree (Erin's fav Dave Matthews song) because tree=wood #getit in a wicker picnic basket. #DMB
-Problem 1: Wicker picnic baskets are apparently not cheap. I can't see myself spending $60 just for the container of our romantic lunch.
-Problem 2: We planned on hiking in the morning to a lake or river, but Erin had to read at church which threw a wrench in hike plans and the picnic plan.
-Problem 3: It was like surface of the sun hot on Sunday, and going anywhere cooler would have taken 2 hours. Nothing says romantic like sitting in the car.
-So I went with plan B: Keep the wine. Wooden jewelry box. And a gift card for a massage because she'd like that more than the picnic basket anyways.
-My mom was nice enough to watch the girls on Sunday. So thankful for that. The only problem was we had no idea what we were going to do.
-This of course led us to Yard House for beers in the middle of the afternoon. I've notched another couple of beers off my list #30by30
-Halfway through lunch I suggested we go bowling. Why the hell not?
-So we drank beer and bowled. It was the white-trashiest wedding anniversary celebration this side of Branson
-We talked about going out for a romantic dinner too, but we missed the girls and decided to take them and my mom out to sushi #howromantic
-Ana and Grace know how to eskimo kiss which might be the most adorable thing ever. Ana even says "Es-mos" #idie
-I'm teaching them butterfly kisses too. Not like the stupid song. This is inspired by The Untouchables #obviously
-Whenever I see a story about really valuable items found in an attic all I can think is "This is just going to enable more hoarders"
-The homerun derby has become so boring. How many times can you hear "Back, back, back"?
-MLB's All Star Game is the best in any sport. If only because you know that everyone is actually trying. You still have to pitch, catch and hit.
-This year is especially nice with 4 different Giants starting. World baseball domination has begun #sfgiants
-Then I can tune out after 3 innings
-The great thing about turning your wife into a Giants fan is we have excuses not to watch The Bachelorette #sfgiants
-I don't understand the reason behind a red carpet to the All Star Game. So stupid. This isn't Hollywood.  It's baseball.
-I still have a Groupon for Icing on the Cupcake, and it is absolutely burning a hole in my pocket.
-Grace now throws her food everywhere. If we had a dog this would be ok, but you're only as patient as how often you have to pick up eggs off the floor.
-I taught Ana how to say "Go Cain" in the lead up to the All Star Game. I'm raising them right.
-Erin made this recipe that Crazy for Crust had on her blog. It was amazeballs and should become a summer staple.
-It has blackberries, so you know it's good for you.

That's all for  this week.  We'll see you next Tuesday.

FIVE!

Five years ago today I married my best friend.

As I look back at every version of myself, I have no problem saying it has been the best five years of my life.

No offense high school and college me, but you guys just don't hold a candle to happily married for five years me.  You may have gotten summer vacations, but I get to wake up every morning to the love of my life.  You had it easy, no doubt.  But you also didn't get to see your first children born, so I'm counting that one in the win category for the me of the last five years.

Colorado me tries to make claims that he had a pretty good run, and I don't disagree that it was a beautiful and enjoyable time.  There was a lot of freedom and getting to know myself there.  I also got to live in one of the most beautiful places in the world.  Unfortunately it was also a time spent away from Erin.  As Colorado me knows, this will always be a time that I missed out on years we can never get back.  Once again this one goes to happily married for five years me.

The me of the last five years also takes the win in sports memories.  From attending a World Series game to watching my team win it all, it was only made better with my wife by my side and my children on the way.  It only is made better having spent it with someone you care about.  Sorry every other me, but you didn't see the Giants win the World Series.  Happily married for five years me wins yet again.

The thing that earlier iterations of myself could never understand is how incomplete they were.  You couldn't convince me of that in high school or college or any time really.  I was dating the woman that would become my wife throughout most of that time, but I wouldn't spend every day with her until we got married.  I thought I had it all I needed in life until I heard my beautiful girls say "Dada." 

You don't know how empty your arms were until you've held someone you love in them.  You don't know how empty your heart really was until it's been filled up.  I've held Erin and my daughters, and it was the first time my arms felt full.  My heart has spent the last five years being filled to the point of overflowing.

I love you eringirl.  You've brought so much joy to my life.  You constantly challenge me to be a better man without condecension.  You value my opinion over all others (or at least you don't tell me otherwise so you don't hurt my feelings).  You truly look at me as your partner and not just some guy that doesn't do the laundry nearly enough.  You're the first person I see every morning (except when you put Grace in the bed to wake me up) and the last person I see as I drift off to sleep.

I love my life, and this amazing five year run all started with an "I do."  I wouldn't have it any other way.

Daddy Daughter Days

Daddy Daughter Day from last week got rescheduled at the last second.  I had to go into work because I changed my schedule around, so this left me with no pictures or time with my girls.

It really leaves a void in my week when this happens.  I look so forward to spending one on one time with them (or one on two time more accurately).  There are times when all I do is sit in the chair and watch them interact with each other.  That usually devolves in getting on the floor and playing with them and wrestling.

But I was back off and playing with them yesterday.  Enjoy.

Here the girls are enjoying their oatmeal. They like to look at each other when they eat.

We went to Mother Goose again.  Ana was saying "GOOSE!" when we got there.  Needless to say they were very excited.  They were also very tired when we got back home after all the dancing and singing.  So we ate lunch early and took early naps.  Nap time used to be Walking Dead time.  During the summer it is Futurama time.

Grace wanted to brush her own hair after her nap.  It's obviously awesome.

Seriously this kid makes my heart explode

I wanted a nice little picture with me and the girls, and Grace decided I needed her baba.  She's such a giver.

Erin got off a little early.  This was the text that she sent me.  We decided to do something impromptu like...

Going to Folsom Lake with the girls.  Grace loves the water.  She ran right into it.  Ana on the other hand wanted nothing to do with it.  She just kept saying "Hold You" whenever we got close to the water.  There was much sand in diapers and Grace had a mini-meltdown when we had to leave, but it was a great way to end the day.

Ana also was running a fever all evening.  She woke up in the middle of the night and Erin brought her to bed with us.  She wasn't acting sick.  Just a little lethargic.  There was a point where she was crying because of the discomfort and only wanted to be held by me.  I didn't know I missed the feeling of rocking them to sleep until I got to do it again.  As Erin said "This is why people have more babies."

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Twitter Machine Tuesday

I wasn't clear about something in last weeks post about having multiple kids.  I didn't want to come off as insensitive to those that have difficulties getting pregnant.  I know there are some families that try and try to have kids and are only blessed with one.  I'm sure they'd love more if they could have them, and I understand that the one kid they do have gets showered with love and adoration.

If you were at all offended, get over it already.  Jeesh.

-So was there anyone that didn't know Anderson Cooper was gay? I feel like this was already announced at some point. #oldnews
-I'm kind of happy that Usain Bolt keeps getting beaten by one of his training partners. He's kind of a jackass to his competitors.
-Am I the only one seeing the irony in Katie Holmes divorcing whackadoo Tom Cruise so close to Independence Day? #freedom
-I'm really glad we didn't purchase HBO simply for The Newsroom. I hear bad, bad things.
-Apparently spanking your kids can lead to depression and alcohol and drug abuse. I wouldn't be a spanker anyways #notcool
-Spider-Man comes out today. I really want to see it because I love me some Spider-Man, but I can probably wait for the DVD #realitiesofparenthood
-Ana is the klutziest kid. She is constantly tripping and hitting her head on stuff.
-Yesterday she took a header on our bathroom tile. I was significantly freaked as she screamed & convulsed. 15 min later, totally fine.
-We made way too much food for the fireworks crew, so we'll be eating pork tacos for the next month or so #comeonover
-I miss the crazy suits that were a mainstay in NBA drafts of the past. I think we have too many stylists involved now #NBA #wherearethecharacters
-People were freaking out when Instagram went down because of power outages. Meanwhile people don't have AC in the middle of summer. #perspective
-Grace is entering terrible two-ish range. She has been a raging psycho at times. May just be her molars bothering her.
-We watched a bit of the Euro Cup final. We rooted hard for Spain. Ana especially what with her Spanish-inspired name and all #makesense
-I was trying to teach the girls to say Espana which only made sense after teaching them 'Merica this weekend. #internationalflavor
-We also logged some time with the 2002 Giants World Series reunion. Loved that team. Erin thought I was way too excited about it. #sfgiants
-I mean just because I was re-enacting David Bell's slide into home for the game-winning run of the NLCS to the sounds of Grace's laughter? #sfgiants
-Or it could have been me teaching Ana to say JT and Woody #sfgiants
-Rice Krispie Treats with Red, White and Blue sprinkles. They actually taste like freedom.
-I'm pretty sure I want to punch the girl from the U-verse Olympic commercial in the face.
-It's sad that Andy Griffith died, but I've been whistling the Andy Griffith theme all day. #catchyashell
-I know the rest of the country is in the middle of a heat wave, but California has been mild all June #keephatin #westcoastbias
-I hate The Bachelorette TV show, but I loved that one of the families pranked the shit out of her.
-I'm not saying that she is a horrible person that takes money to keep appearing on camera and that anyone trying to win her hand is foolish #ohwaitiam #thebachelorette
-Maybe I'm old-fashioned but making out with like 6 different dudes in the span of a week makes me question any time she uses the word "love"
-That's all I'll be writing about that horrible TV show this week #endrant

That's all for this week in the Twitter Machine.  I hope everyone has a safe and happy 4th of July.  See you next Tuesday.

Fireworks

I helped work on a fireworks crew at Cache Creek Casino yesterday.  This was the second year in a row that our friend Kevin (Ana's Godfather) was doing the show, so he asked Erin and I to help out.  Erin made dinner for all the people working on the show, and I transported it and set it up.  I'm not going to say that Erin and I should start a catering company, but we would probably take the catering world by storm if we did.

I also helped on the clean-up after the show.  Let me tell you that it has left me tired today.  Like zombified.  In case you're an idiot and didn't know, fireworks have to be shot at night otherwise it kills the whole appeal of big, bright exploding lights.  It's sort of the whole point of their existence and all.  And summer means that the sun doesn't go down until pretty late in the day in case you haven't kept track of the sunset patterns since the beginning of time.  Which means a late night for all involved.

So by the time the show is over, it's after 10pm.  There is a waiting period immediately after the show to check if there are any fireworks that didn't go off.  There are also usually small fires that need to be put out.  This means that we're inching closer to 10:30-11:00 before we can even start the clean-up process.  And clean up isn't just simply picking things up off the ground.  This includes pulling nails out of boards, gathering wire, and lifting the boxes where the shells are loaded into trucks.  It's grunt work, but it isn't unenjoyable grunt work.

By the time we were finished with clean up it was 12:20 AM.  And I still had an hour and a half drive home.  After showering off all the dirt and sulfur, I wasn't in bed until after 2 which wouldn't be a big deal if not for the whole having two 20-month-old kids.  Apparently Grace and I disagreed on how desperately I really needed that extra hour of sleep because I awoke to the sounds of her crying and screaming this morning.

As I write this I can't actually be sure what is actually making it onto the page.  That's how tired I am right now.  But the show itself was fantastic.  Even better than the one they put on last year.  It's a shame the girls and Erin couldn't be there to watch it because they would have loved it.

As it was we did take the girls to a fireworks show that is done in our neighborhood on Saturday night.  There were a lot of "Oohs" and "Ahhhs" and they even mixed in a "Wooooow" here and there.  I was pretty proud of myself because I taught the girls how to say 'Merica.

And really is there anything more patriotic than fireworks and babies saying 'Merica?  I say no.