Happy Birthday Anya

I hope you had a great tenth birthday Anya.

The Times, They are a Changin'

Before

After

Photos not retouched. Your results may vary. This is not a guarantee that your three-year-old will remain in his bed. Your three-year-old may use his new found freedom to wander the house at night. Hopefully ours won't.

It's Like a Sedan, Only More

I've got this thing for station wagons. It might come from riding in the back of a Ford Country Squire emblazoned with fake wood whilst a young lad, or perhaps those happy moments piloting our 1972 Pontiac Le Mans station wagon - also emblazoned with fake wood - while in high school. That heap would spin its tires all day long.

Station wagons have gone the way of the California Condor in this country: not extinct but very rare.

Anyway, I own a station wagon that I love. There weren't many choices when I was in the market. Audi, BMW, Volvo, and Mercedes cover the high end of station wagon offerings while Subaru, VW, and Mazda cover the medium end of the market. I bought a VW that does not have fake wood on the sides.

Even though my VW has a top speed around 140 miles an hour I can't help but feel that something is missing. Like 372 horsepower. Therefore, my new dream car is the Audi RS6 Avant.

Photo stolen from carmagazine.co.uk

This Audi hot rod packs a twin turbocharged V-10 with 572 horsepower under its hood. It's a version of the motor in the Lamborghini freaking Gallardo. It's all wheel drive and it looks awesome in blue. The reports in the magazine say it's not very agile on narrow, twisty roads. I don't care. I drive the freeway. This car is a rocket.

And it's a station wagon.

What is the Corvette driver going to do when he gets smoked by a station wagon with child seats in the back? I'm guessing he's going to cry.

There's a problem. There's always a problem with cars that I want. It sells for about 150,000 dollars in England. And Audi is not selling it here in the USA.

Apparently Americans don't know a good thing when they see one. I guess the market for 150,000 dollar super-station wagons is too small.

Ugh

The Great Stomach Bug of 2008 has struck down another victim.

Aidan started puking on Christmas night. Tab had to change his pajamas three times. He was running a fever but by the next morning, the fever was gone. Unfortunately, the intermittent puking wasn't.

Last night we were enjoying dinner at the Macaroni Grill. I was halfway through my Tuscan Rib-eye when Aidan puked all over himself. He even splashed me a little. We hurriedly wiped up the best we could, informed the waitress, and left a 30% tip. We will not be welcome there again.

Today, Aidan seemed fine. We rode our bikes to the park and played in the December sunshine. And then Abigail started puking. At least she is old enough to get to the bathroom in time.

Who's next?

Tim's Christmas Wishes

I wish for a little less cynicism.

Not your's.

Mine.

Infantry Scouts...

... and parents know

that sometimes it's just too quiet.

Happy Third Birthday Aidan

Today is our little guy's third birthday. It seems like just yesterday we were going to meet him for the first time.

Who Has Time To Sleep?

If you are driving home after spending 15 hours in the salt mine, you should not close your eyes when you are waiting at a stoplight. It might be a while before you open your eyes again.

You probably should go right to bed rather than type on your blooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Words One Doesn't Want to Hear

Let's say you are goofing around on the computer (uploading photos on Facebook, blogging) when you really should be watching your almost three-year-old. The silence in the house catches your attention. You call out:



"Aidan."



"What?"



"What are you doing?"



"Giving the cats a haircut."

It's Bad When You Say It

In my continuing series of "Funny Things Aidan Says" I have a new addition:

Ketchup.

For a while Aidan has been saying "sock" thinking it was a bad word. He would walk around the house and say "sock" whenever he was angry or feeling little-boy aggressive. I told him "sock" wasn't a bad word.

Now he has moved on to "ketchup".

Ketchup, the tasty tomato condiment also known as "catsup", has never had a bad connotation until now. In our house "ketchup" is the new swear word.

You heard it here first.

Involuntary Landscaping

So there I was in bed Thursday afternoon, trying to get one more hour of sleep. I hear the sound of tires squealing and then an impact. I leap out of bed, grab my glasses, and look outside.

Some of our local hooligans decided to landscape our front yard for us. They drove up on the grass, over the tree, and back down the driveway.

We didn't really like the tree that much.

Just Let It Go

Not too long ago , a group promoting atheism posted the message "Imagine a World Without Religion" on a billboard in a community near where we live.

The outrage from Christians was immediate and intense. The billboard company removed the message within a week.

The entertaining part for me is the debate that has raged in the letters to the editor in my local paper. Christians blame atheists for this. Atheists blame Christians for that.

There are usually millions of deaths throughout history attributed to the other group.

The thing that really struck me was that both groups are talking past the other. Atheists don't seem to understand why believers believe and believers can't understand why atheists don't believe.

The only lesson I take from this is:

Protesting a billboard doesn't do much to further the Kingdom of God.

Happy Birthday Grandma Terry

Happy 60th birthday, Grandma Terry.

...And I Threw It in the Trunk

Our son, Aidan, is a tease. He loves to bother his older sister. Lately he has started to whisper, "shut up, shut up" at her. She gets upset.

Tonight on the way to church, Aidan was antagonizing Abigail. I told her, "He's just trying to get your goat."

Aidan replied, "I got your goat and I threw it in the trunk."

"And the cows that were ugly and gaunt ate up the seven sleek, fat cows."

Alright, Micah. I'll do it.

Grab the book closest to you. Now.
* Go to page 56.
* Find the 5th sentence.
* Write that sentence as your status.
* Copy these instructions as a comment to your status.
* Don't go looking for your favorite book, or the coolest one you have -- just grab the closest one.

Photos of the Kids From the Trip

Give Them Time

Atheists like to criticize religion and religious people by bringing up all the wars and killings throughout history that have been perpetrated in the name of God, Allah, Baal, Jupiter, etc. As Christians we can look back on our proud past of the Crusades, the Counter-Reformation, the Troubles, abortion clinic bombings, the Conquistadors, and many others.

I say to the enlightened atheist - wait.

You'll get your turn.

Despite the millions who were killed in the Soviet Union, China, and Cambodia by atheist regimes, your body count will rise.

Atheists just haven't been around as long as believers.

Montana Photos Without People

Aidan's Early Birthday

Aidan's real birthday is December 23. That's just a couple of days before Christmas if I may state the obvious. To give a little extra joy to our extra little guy we usually have a party for him before the big day. This year we had the party while we were in Montana to allow the Montana relations the honor of celebrating his birthday.

The Safeway cake.

Abigail, Kinsey, and Bella wait.

Aidan and his adoring father.

Too much excitement.

The little monster.

The kids.

Another Helpful Hint

Always trim your toenails right after you get out of the bath or shower.

Hunting is Not Necessarily Finding

On Tuesday morning I woke up before dawn, put on all of my warm clothes, and climbed into the truck with Dad and Brandon. We drove about an hour west of here to National Forest land to an area where we would likely find deer and elk. The temperature was in the low twenties as we donned our orange safety vests, loaded the rifle and began a silent walk up a gated logging road.

The sky was just starting to lighten. The deer and elk are most active at dawn and dusk. We walked about two and a half miles up the frozen road until we came to trail that led up a draw in the forest. There were several tracks and piles of poo on the trail so we knew it was used by the animals.

We climbed up the steep trail about a hundred yards and sat down to wait.

After waiting about twenty minutes, we decided to head back to the truck. It was getting too late to find anything.

We got back in the truck and began the slow drive back to the highway. Brandon had the rifle in the front seat in case we saw anything from the road. As we approached the highway, I saw a cow elk run down the side of the hill, cross the road about 50 yards in front of us and then race across a field to where two other cow elk where waiting. We couldn't shoot her. I was amazed at how large the elk was.

I realized during my first time hunting (at least for animals) that it is a lot like hiking except you wear an orange vest and carry a rifle.

We've heard that many hunters are having a hard time finding anything. The deer and elk are still mostly in the high country.

It's Not Really a Trip to Montana...

...until you get a cracked windshield.

Road Trip 2008 Day Two

Mom and Dad at their 40th anniversary dinner.

Sara and Katie

Brandon

Judy

The kid's table.

Road Trip 2008

We are currently in the midst of our trip to Montana. Here are some photos --

We got an early start. My alarm went off at 5:00. Abigail walked in minutes later.

Aidan in one of his trademark "moods."

The Virgin River Gorge on I-15 in Arizona. We stopped to take photos of the spectacular scenery.

A photo of Tab holding the camera.

The new In-N-Out in Washington City, Utah was a little crowded. It was worth the wait.

We ate our hamburgers in the car.

Here's a photo of a truck-driver walking his very large rottweiler at a rest stop in southern Utah.

We made it to Pocatello, Idaho at about 9:30 Mountain Time. It was a long day in the car. We kept the children occupied so they didn't whine too much. Tab pulled out her lap-top and played Mah Jong for part of the trip. I marvelled at the GPS capability on my iPhone.

Tomorrow we are driving the rest of the way to Grandma and Grandpa's house. It's their 40th anniversary. They must be getting old.

Post Script:

Today is the one year anniversary of Cast Iron Skillet. My posting has slowed down a little from the frenetic pace at the beginning. I'm a little busier at work now so I can't just post willy-nilly. Thank you for reading.