Stairs, Preschool, Green Tongued Climbers: The Usual

(Nathan's Famous Magical Wonderblog)

Over the past 14 months, I think I've used about every excuse in the book for missing a week (or two, or three) of posting. Unfortunately, given the weather, the market, the economy, the election and the lack of new shows, I have nothing to blame it on except myself--but that can't be right.

I can't believe that Max is approaching his first birthday. This has officially been the fastest year on record, coming in only slightly faster than the year Kaitlyn turned one. Max is now standing on his own and going up (and down...mostly) stairs on his own. It's true. Here's proof:

Unfortunately, my attempts at teaching him sign language to express himself have fallen on deaf hands. He continues to just scream to indicate his hunger, tiredness, or general displeasure. And, his screaming seems to come on most when I'm trying to actually pay attention to something--like talks at church or Sunday school.

Kaitlyn has officially started her "school"--which is pre-school for 2 hours, 2 days a week at a local church. But, she loves it. Loves it. She feels so grown up and she loves that we make a big deal out of it. She loves that she's just like Alison.

And, she's unbelievably adorable here on her first day of school:

She didn't even freak out at all on the first day. She just hopped right out of the car. She's so big.

Alison is getting settled into her first grade class. She has "amazing" spelling words that she has to learn. The other day she was asked what she was learning about in school. She answered, "We're learning how to count. I already know how to count!" She's very confident in her school skills.

Yesterday during FHE, Ali did something cute and Megan praised her for it. Ali replied, "I'm a better mom than you are--except I don't know how to cook!" Perhaps our next lesson should be on humility.

Ali has also perfected the ability to turn her tongue green by eating treats and candy, as well as the ability to go through the monkey bars as opposed to just swing from them.


Speaking of monkey bars, Megan, Kaitlyn and Max went to the zoo with Megan's sister and kids a couple of weeks ago. See if you can pick out Kaitlyn from among the wildlife.


Now, in an effort to hide the fact that it's late and I am suddenly unable to produce anymore intelligent content, here's a random assortment of pictures of the children as well as the people who wear all white and reflective vests in the middle of the afternoon.







Finally, a warning and a sad commentary on parenting in our society that I took when Megan and I went out on our date a week or two ago:

New Stuff to Blog About

So, with my travel schedule, and my new de-prioritization of blogging on Sunday, I've discovered that I don't ever have pictures with me to upload and blog about. Enter Megan. I asked my wonderful wife if she wouldn't mind uploading a few pictures that we took last week, and I would go ahead and blog about them. Let's take a look at what she's provided:

Hmm.

Well...I'll give it a try.

Um, on the top picture you'll see some really cool cards that I could never make and which use some interesting colors and stamps and you have to be pretty good to make. The second picture is what Megan is making for her Scrapin' Open House at our house this weekend.

Wait. Maybe I'm supposed to talk about the tile. Notice how the tile is square. Oh well. I guess if you want to find out more about whatever I was supposed to write about you can visit Megan's stampin' website: http://www.meganisstampin.stampinup.net/

It's still a work-in-progress. She's still getting over scoring the winning run in the stake YW/Relief Society softball tournament. Yep. She's a champ.

Ali started first grade at her new school. It's been traumatic. She was home all summer. I was home all summer. But, I'm getting through it OK, and I think after a few more weeks I'll be just fine. Ali, on the other hand, is excited about her new teacher and making new friends and everything that has to do with school.

I can't believe I'm old enough to have a first grader.

Kaitlyn is really getting into playing house. Or as she calls it, "playing baby." It consists of going down to the basement, laying down on a blanket she has laid out on the floor, and pretending to sleep. Then she says, "Honey...it's time to wake up." We pretend to go the store and push around her dolls in the stroller. Then, Kaitlyn says something like, "My babies are crying. I need to go. Sorry!" to an imaginary store clerk. Then you have to lay back down on the blanket and start all over again. Do this for 3 hours. Straight.

And...she loves wearing her night gowns all day long. Here is Kaitlyn's new night gown I mentioned in the last post.


Max getting cuter and cuter and more and more grown up and functional. He's able to stand on his own for a second or two, but then he freaks out and immediately sits down or tries to grab on to something. He also has several new teeth coming in, which will help him to actually chew his Cherrios ©.


And, as for me, I'm learning that getting on the earlier flight doesn't necessarily mean you get home much sooner than you had planned originally if you have to sit on the runway in Newark for 2 hours while tornado warnings in Manhattan ground all planes.

A Consultant's Daughter

Alison and I now share a special bond: we both spend hours in front of PowerPoint. Ali's cousin Grant introduced her to it a month or two ago and showed her how to do a few simple tasks. She's since learned how to change the background color, use word art, add clip art, change fonts and colors and many other things that I'm sure I don't know how to do and will have to ask Ali for help with.

This past week I was able to work from home and not travel to the client site since I'm just starting a new project. On more than one occasion Ali came downstairs to my office and saw me working on PowerPoint. She just smiles, nods and says something like, "You're working on your PowerPoint, huh Dad?" She apparently sees no distinction between my work and hers. Maybe I can outsource some of my PowerPoint work to a low cost region like Ali's room and pay her in trips to the pool.

So, without further ado, I present Ali's PowerPoint:

In other news, Megan and Kaitlyn had some great bonding time this weekend. They went shopping--just the two of them--and Kaitlyn picked out a new dress and a new night gown (which she wears around the house all day long like a dress). Kaitlyn was in heaven!

Ali got to go "shopping online with Mom" because she turned down the chance to accompany Megan and Kaitlyn to the store. She was also in heaven.

Max and I have also had some good bonding time at church. We've learned that it is between 220 and 250 paces to circle the entire church hallway during sacrament meeting, Sunday School or Elders Quorum--depending on how fussy he is and how many people are in the hallway.

So, to close, I was informed by Alison that she took the best pictures she could with the camera today. Let's have a look:

How to Repair Drywall

Step 1: Have spouse run into garage wall with mini-van so you have drywall to repair. (See Figure 1 below.)

Figure 1

Step 2: Avoid expletives 1, 2, and 3; substitute phrases like, "I think the wall is a little closer than you thought it was."

Step 3: Wonder if any 2x4's were cracked or damaged.

Step 4: Call father (who is an architect) for advice.

Step 5: Speak with father-in-law. Have father-in-law over for second visual opinion of damage assessment.

Step 6: Notice that the dining room wall (the opposite side of the wall shown in Figure 1) is bulging.

Step 7: Repeat Step 2.

Step 8: Cut the wall open enough to determine that no 2x4's are damaged. (See Figure 2 below.)

Figure 2

Step 9: Notice that one of the 2x4's is no longer flush with the edge of the base, but has been pushed in about 1/4" or so--which explains the bulging wall. (See Figure 3 below and enlargement in Figure 4.)

Figure 3

Figure 4

Step 10: Take hammer, towel and spare piece of wood and pound base of dining room wall until baseboard appears to start cracking in order to drive displaced 2x4 back into place. When 2x4 is back in it's correct position, it should appear something like Figure 5 below.

Figure 5

Step 11: Measure an exact rectangular piece of the wall to cut out so you can go to Home Depot and buy a piece of replacement drywall. (See Figure 6 below.)

Figure 6

Step 12: Clean up your mess so you feel like things are more under control than they really are. (See Figure 7 below.)

Figure 7

Step 13: Assess the probabilities of the wall being hit again. (If the probability is determined to be high, install hanging tennis ball mechanism. If the probability is deemed low, forget about it.)

Step 14: Install hanging tennis ball mechanism. (see Figure 8 below.)

Figure 8

Step 15: Go to Home Depot. Convince attendant to let you cut a rectangular piece of replacement drywall off of a new, clean sheet and charge you only $1.50.

Step 16: Make sure to cut piece of drywall exactly 1-inch too short.

Step 17: Return to Home Depot.

Step 18: Convince different attendant to sell you for only $1.00 the rest of that entire huge piece of drywall that "somebody has cut a big rectangular piece out of." Now you will have plenty of drywall should you measure wrong again.

Step 19: Borrow drywall compound (a.k.a "mud"), drywall knife, drywall tin thingee, book about repairing drywall, drywall "tape" and drywall screws from father-in-law.

Step 20: Cut drywall to correct shape. Attach to wall with borrowed box of drywall screws. (See Figure 10 below.)

Figure 10

Step 20: Apply mud and tape.

Step 21: Be sure the mud has plenty of time to dry before continuing to work on it. Take businses trip to Chicago to ensure one-week drying time.

Step 22: Sand all seams. Reapply mud.

Step 23: Go to Washington D.C. for 4 days.

Step 24: Repeats steps 22 and 23.

Step 25: Sand. Determine that it's not going to look any better and that "hey, it's only the garage anyway." (See Figure Whatever-Number-We're-On)

Figure Whatever-Number-We're-On

Step 26: Paint wall and let dry...

Total cost to repair drywall: $2.50 + labor.

I've Been Waiting

A little over a month ago I commented, in passing, about "1 general home repair to be blogged about later." Well...this was it. I've mentally written this post a dozen times. I'm glad it's all over and now I'm on to the next item on my "cantaloupe" (i.e. not "honey-do") list.