Our Star Student Of The Week

Adam is the Star Student of The Week for his class. As part of this awesome achievement he got to take several pictures to show off at school. He also had a form to fill out that tells all about who he is.

Name: Adam Beck (He got this one right away!!)
Age: Six (This one was a no brainer too)
Siblings: Brother Alex 2 years old
Favorite Color: Orange (War Eagle!!)
Favorite Subject: PE (His first answer was outside. It took a minute for us to convince him this was not an actual subject)
Favorite Food: Daddy's grilled cheeseburgers (Take that Clown & King)
Favorite Book: Harold and The Purple Crayon (This one was a close first to his original answer of Star Wars 3D)
Favorite Movie: The Adventures of Tin Tin (For five minutes he kept pushing us to put down The Avengers, but since it hasn't come out yet we didn't think he could technically call it his favorite)
Hobbies: Play outside (had to get that in there), ride his tooter scooter (he calls it this after something he saw on Wow Wow Wubzy), golf, ride horses (something apparently he's very good at)
What do you want to be when you grow up: A Power Ranger (that's a story for later on in the week)

Presenting William Bryant Beck Jr

Many of you may not know this but my dad is a genius when it comes to photography. On a daily basis he takes some of the most amazing shots I've ever seen in my life. I know I'm a little bias, but you have got to check out some of his work below. For more visit him on his facebook page under William Beck. Click on the images below for a better look

Yea Mommy Did It!!

"Alex! Mommy is trying to use the bathroom. Please leave and close the door back!"
"Hmmmm...Mommy got potty?"
"Yes Mommy go potty, please go!"
"Yea Mommy did it!!!"

We Can't Forget.....The One Year Anniversary

Spider (Little) Man!

For a week we heard all about it. Adam's heroic deed in front of the entire class
"There was a huge black spider! Everybody was scared of it!!"
"I wasn't scared of it! I just went over there and stepped on it."
"Mrs. Wallace patted me on the back and said "Good Job!"

Every time we were outside it was brought up.
"Did you know I killed a big black spider yesterday?"
"I just went up there and stomped it."
"Good thing I don't see any big black spider's out here. I'd run up and jump on it. Yes sir"

This morning....
"Dad there's a big black spider in the bathroom!! Come get it! Come get it! Come get it!"
"Adam I thought you were the spider slayer? What happened to stomping on the next one you saw?"
"Well I didn't know I'd see one in the bathroom."
"What about Mrs. Wallace patting you on the back?"
"Mrs. Wallace isn't here Dad. It's getting away! Get it!!"

Could I BE Any More Preachy?

Tonight I gave the sermon that I published the notes to on Monday and for the most part it went pretty good. Being as my Grandfather Beck has been preaching for The Church of Christ for over 50 years, it does come some what naturally for me. I'm genetically engineered to have an above average ability to speak in public. Trained by the best, I don't typically get nervous and for the most part never worry about coming up empty with nothing to say. In fact most of the time there are huge chunks of time that I find myself missing when I review what I said afterward. The trick is to know your material and if you can't remember your notes, make sure the topic is something you are passionate about.

It never fails that at some point during the lesson I inadvertently throw the script out the window and do a little freestyling. One minute I'm talking about the dangers of serving things other than the Lord (Twitter, Facebook, Television, etc....) the next I'm proclaiming my love for Chandler Bing and how thankful I am that Friends is back on every night. Plus it's hard not to get up there and proclaim myself a complete fraud who has so many flaws to get off his chest that class will be starting a little later than usual tonight.

In another life maybe that's what I'm doing; preaching the Gospel three times a week. In this one though I'm continent at having my say when asked.

Best Of Blockhead: I'm Such A Potty Mouth (January 9th 2008)

Everyone seems to be talking potty training lately. Weird Girl has been trying for some time now with mixed results:

"Wednesday - almost all day successful tinkling in the pot when I took him in.  I think there was a turning point when, at one point, he started to go on the floor and he shut that valve off and walked to the potty instead! Yeah, baby!  However, I did/do have to remind him to go.  He wouldn't tell me when he had to pee."

It's no secret that after 22 months of changing dirty diapers, I still can't stand the smell and regularly pull my shirt over my nose choosing the smell of my own BO over what I'm about to be wrist deep in. This is such a predictable habit that if I don't do it Fred starts pulling my shirt up to my face for me. Still even though diapers aren't cheap and supposedly it's every parents dream come true the first time they make it out of Target without having to fork over $30 bucks for them, I think I may prefer diapers when compared to the alternative.
Lucy bought Fred a potty (or poop bucket as I like to call it) for Christmas for a number of reasons. The first being that he now can be seen entering a room with a fresh diaper in hand saying "My boot. My boot." on a regular basis. The second reason is he's moved up at the Hill and his new teacher insists he'll be potty trained in 6 months. Now they did say this was an option, but everyone else is learning and we can't very well expect him to use a potty at school and a diaper at home just because we don't want to clean out the bucket. I have a cat, which means I already have one poop bucket to clean and I think 2 may be over my "Poop-Buckets-To-Clean" quota.
Another thing that has got me stumped is how are we supposed to know when he has to go? Let's face it, I forget to go sometimes and I've been practicing for 30 years. That's why I keep that "Cleanest and Most Convenient Bathrooms In Town" map in my head. No matter where we go I always know where a good potty is just in case I have an emergency. It's not like he says "Hey! I'm about to wet myself!!!" Letting us know after the fact is great, but should we just pull his pants off and stake out the potty just in case? And if that's the answer, what if we get the origin of exit wrong?
I can just hear myself discussing the previous nights events with the folks at work the next day:
"Did you see The Biggest Loser last night?"
"Nope"
"That guy almost won a million bucks on Deal or No Deal"
"Missed it"
"What was the score of the game?"
"Didn't see it."
"So I guess ya'll rented movies?"
"Not exactly"
"So what did you do?"
"We spent a cozy night in the bathroom huddled around a plastic toilet looking for signs on Fred's face that could give us a clue as to whether or not he's about to go #1 or #2."
"Oh.um how did that work out for you?"
"Not so great. We are hoping the cat will have better luck teaching him to use the litter box."

Serving 3 Ways

I'm giving the lesson this Wednesday night at church so like everything else I thought I'd share this on Charlie too!

Lesson Notes 4/26

Serving 3 Ways

I. Thank you

a. Those To Serve

b. Lords Supper

    i. 10 on the table + 2 Alts + Talk=13

    ii. 2 for PM Lords Supper=15

    iii. 3 ushers for each Sunday Service=18

         1. 4mth rotation= 72 individual people

c. Prayer & Scripture

    i. 3 for each Sunday service= 6

    ii. 2 for each Wednesday service= 2

    iii. With 4 weeks in the month that’s 32 individuals

         1. Other than who is doing Lords Supper

d. 26 Individual helpers each week

II. Preachers Who Are Always Serving

a. Jack, Ben, MJ, MS, MB

b. How do they not treat the pulpit as a confessional

    i. Teaching by preaching their faults?

III. What does it mean to serve?

a. The movie Courageous

    i. Tragic event leads a father to reexamine his role in his family

       1. Joshua “As Joshua prepared the children of Israel for the land of Canaan he made it clear that first priority went to those with whom he had immediate and direct control: he and his "house."

       2. Joshua 24:14-15 “Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. 15 But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD”

b. What does it mean to serve?

     i. Def. 1. a. To work for.b. To be a servant to.

    ii. 2.a. To prepare and offer (food, for example): serve tea.b. To place food before (someone); wait on: served the guests a wonderful dinner.

    iii. 3.a. To provide goods and services for (customers): a hotel that has served tourists at the same location for 30 years.b. To supply (goods or services) to customers. See Usage Note at service.

    iv. 4. To assist the celebrant during (Mass).

    v. 5. a. To meet the requirements of; suffice for: This will serve the purpose.b. To be of assistance to or promote the interests of; aid: "Both major parties today seek to serve the national interest" (John F. Kennedy).

    vi. 6a. To work through or complete (a period of service): served four terms in Congress.b. To be in prison for (a period or term): served 10 years for armed robbery.

    vii. 7. To fight or undergo military service for: served the country for five years in the navy.

    viii. 8. To give homage and obedience to: served God.

    ix. 9. To act toward (another) in a specified way: She has served me ill.

c. Who are we serving?

    i. The iGroup?

        1. iPhone, iPod, iPad, iTouch

    ii. Music

    iii. Facebook

    iv. Twitter

    v. Television

    vi. Alcohol

    vii. Drugs

    viii. Money (Too much time at the office)

d. How much more clearly does the Bible have to make it?

        1. Joshua 24:14-15 “Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. 15 But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD”

    e. Who are we serving when we spend all night watching TV? Texting? Playing Words With Friends?

    f. What would our lives be like if we spent as much time serving God as we did serving other things?

    g. As men we are supposed to be the spiritual leaders of our families. Are we?

    i. Are we the ones that are setting the spiritual examples like Joshua or are we being dragged to church by our wives, by our children, by guilt, by fear of what people might say if they don’t see us walk through those doors?

        ii. Nobody expects us to be perfect. I fail at this all the time

       1. Making Christ your Lord and Savior does not mean you will never sin again, but it does mean you will never be comfortable with it when you do.

    h. If you feel you are not serving the Lord the best way you can or if you are not the Christian example you should be for those around you, come as we stand and sing.

To The Parents Of Alex Beck

To The Parents Of Alex Beck,
             Unfortunately it seems that Alex has had a very bad day and we must tell you all he has been up to. Alex has been misbehaving all day long and was sent to time-out three different times. The first thing he did was pick up a plastic frying pan from the toy kitchen, walk over to a nearby child, and whack him over the back of the head (Mandy, this is surely something he saw you do at home. lol). Next he decided that the child sitting next to him was way to close for comfort and hit him until he moved. Last but not least Alex took a toy away from another child and kicked them in the leg, apparently he has not grasped the concept of sharing.
             We love Alex to death and hate that he had such a rough day. This really isn't like him at all and are worried that maybe he just didn't feel well today. Still, we felt we needed to say something to you considering how much trouble he was in.

If we can help in any way,
Mars Hill Bible School

Pepper Ponderings

We were out junk'n today and came across this framed picture. Honestly the thing fascinates me on sooo many levels the first being on a parental one because I cannot understand how "Mommy" could throw away artwork from her little Pepper.  You put it in a box under the bed where you can easily get it so you can add the weeks latest masterpieces. Frame it sure, but don't donate it to the junk store. If you wanna give the frame away fine, but at least take the picture out first.

Now judging from the picture Pepper was a boy, but I see pepper more as a short red haired girl. A tom boy who loves to climb trees and go fishing with grandpa. I also see Pepper as a child with tons of potential. There is some awesome detail in the picture. Check out the lines in the trunk of the tree, the way the clubhouse is tilted to the left, Mommy is drawn very clean with a great fluid shape. Oh and the colors are spot on. Green grass, brown trunk, red shirt for Mommy with an orange one for Pepper.

Then I think about the date 4-20-2007 and wonder where Pepper is....maybe Mommy was a foster parent and this was Pepper's way of attempting to be close to her. Maybe Pepper moved on and "Mommy" didn't see the need to keep some picture from a foster kid she'll never see again. There could have been a fire and sadly nobody survived. As the fire fighter was sorting through the pile of debris he came across this picture in good shape and donated it to charity. Maybe Pepper's family got caught in a big storm that destroyed their home. The tornado sending their belongings hundreds of miles away where they were found and put in the goodwill box. Pepper and Mommy living to see tomorrow with nothing to hold on to but each other and their faith in God.

No Mo Fro!!

Before

After

This is the longest I have ever let my hair get. I've traditionally had scalp problems, that all changed with the new house. The shower in our bathroom is like a pressure washer shooting out ferocious beams of water at break neck speeds. For weeks Mandy has been saying I look like a Golden Girl (it was a toss up between Dorothy and Blanche). My barber had mentioned how he had seen me out one day last week and almost dropped a business card on the table because he thought I may had forgotten who he was. While some of it was definitely done out of spite, for the longest time I was very happy with it and wanted to see how long it would get before I got tired of it. Finally I'd had enough and decided the only thing to do was go to the opposite extreme i.e. shaved with a three inch guard.

Best Of Blockhead: Showdown After Sundown (February 08,2007)

It is a cold and frosty night along the border between the den and dinning room. The only light comes from a single lamp off in the background. The two gunslingers now staring each other down have never been the greatest of friends and it seems a line has been crossed.

Baby Fred sits firm holding the cat toy in his hand like a lion tamer grasping his whip. Across the five-foot expanse ready to pounce at a moments notice, Buttons the 20lb cat can only think of one thing “That there’s my toy and I reckon I’m about to take it from ya.”

Lucy and I are motionless waiting to step in on behalf of the baby at the slightest twitch of a tail or crack of cotton whip. Neither side budges. Suddenly Fred swings the whip over his head “Whakish Whakish” “Chirp Chirp Chirp” goes the fake bird noise inside the cat toy. Button’s back legs start gearing up like the Road-Runner about to be chased by Wyle Coyote. It is now or never. If he backs away from this battle his reputation as the King of Everything Below 3 Feet would be forever tarnished. Dare he give up his seniority to this drooling, infant that doesn’t even know how to use a litter box? “Somebody must lose this contest young bottle drinker,” says Buttons as he inchs his front paws forward while arching his back.

Baby Fred isn’t about give up what he considered to be “his” new toy. Not only does it have a cool handle, but also just like his furry, tuna-eating counterpart, Fred just can’t resist the chirping noise. The stage is set. Who will make the move first?

In a flash Buttons leaps up out of his stance and is about to grab what was rightfully his!! Until in mid-air he locks eyes with the only thing that can stop his forward assault….DADDY!!

Heart broken and with nothing left to do but tuck his tail, Buttons turns around and decides to play with Lucy’s shoe instead.

There Fred sits basking in the glow of his victory. Swirling the cat toy around his head…but wait Daddy has other plans. “Let’s just put this up for now, Little Man. I don’t want the cat to eat you for dinner when I’m not looking.”
Disgusted all Fred can do is scream “WWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!”

That Thing You Do

I always thought it was funny how everyone on the show Friends knew that Chandler had a job they just didn't know exactly what it was. I still think this is one of the funniest running gags on the show mainly because I face the exact same problem every day.

"So how's work?
"Good. My spreadsheet on the latest payment trends is almost done"
"Ummm....that's cool.....I think"

"How'd it go today?"
"It was rough. The new price list I was waiting on still didn't show up. We are three weeks into the quarter."
"Wow...that's not good....I guess."

I seriously doubt that most of my own family members know what I do other than collect past due invoices. In fact while that definitely is what got my foot in the door, as an Accounts Receivable Supervisor I do very little collections and mainly spend my day fixing problems in an attempt to save the company I work for money.

Let's take today as an example of everything that went on:

* The morning always starts with cash being applied. This morning we received a large of amount of funds that didn't have an account that it could be tied to. Through out the day I spent time trying to figure out why this customer paid us for product I couldn't find they owed

*XYZ customer from Germany responded that we didn't actually ship their product under normal 60 day terms but in fact it went to a consignment (third party) warehouse and there was an entirely unfamiliar system that had to be gone through so we could get paid. Unfortunately XYZ couldn't tell us how this system worked even though they created it. This problem split off into a second problem involving trying to figure out if any other XYZ locations were also doing this.

*Customer ABC sent us a letter saying they were reorganizing and would be contacting us soon with a reduced payment plan for the balance they owed us. Anytime you hear payment plan and reorganizing you can bet the words bankrupt are not too far behind. Hours were spent trying to get as much unused product back as possible.

*Customer DEF wanted us to begin shipping to three dozen new locations each of which required their own individual accounts in our accounting system. Today I researched, tomorrow I implement. Goodbye Thursday morning.

It may sound boring, but it's what pays the bills and I'm good at it. Not the most interesting job in the world, but for the most part I enjoy it. It's nice to be able to fix things even if it is for a brief period of time. If you have trouble sleeping please bookmark this page for future use.

A Prayer Request

I don't normally talk about work for various reasons but tonight I feel called to speak about one person in particular that is need of our prayers. It was just a few months back that she found out that there had been a hole in heart her entire life. The moment it was discovered the surgery was scheduled and the damaged heart was repaired. This past weekend though my friend's life took another unexpected turn.

After having some severe chest pains her husband rushed her to the emergency room where they discovered several blood clots in her lungs. Today they learned that the clots may be tied to what they think may be a genetic disorder. The recent surgery caused the dormant disease to come to the surface. That hole in her heart may have been saving her life all this time by letting the blood clots pass and not being redirected to her brain.

While this is definitely a tragic turn with a still unknown outcome, it does go to show that we never know what God has in store for us. Today's health scare may turn out to be tomorrow's saving grace. Blessings come in the most unexpected of ways at times.

Please pray for my friend......

All NetGear'd Up

Gonna be a short post tonight. After weeks of going back and forth with AT&T about why I suddenly no longer had Internet service at home, I am finally back up & running. Oh but how have I been posting every night you ask? Every night I go to the far corner of the house also known as our bedroom and steal some stranger's vine nearby who doesn't seem to care or know their Internet is not password protected. Our router/modem went out two weeks ago and at first we were told the entire network was down in my area. This held water for a couple days until it still never came back on. Then we were told our router/modem went bad. First we replaced the plug which was the recommended course of action by AT&T then unfortunately we had to buy a whole new box. Luckily it was installed in minutes and so far I'm zipping through the web like never before.

New Home Favorites: Have Dirt Will Plow

Tonight's picture in the series on my favorite parts of the new house features the garden we planted today. Our next door neighbor plowed it a few weeks ago and we've been waiting for the perfect afternoon to get it planted. Today I raked it, hoed it, raked it again, and then the whole family got out to plant a ton of crops. If only half of it makes it to full growth we will have more than enough to feed the whole block. Just check out the list of what was planted:

*Two rows of cumbers
*Two rows of okra
*Seven tomato plants
*Two rows of green, hot, and salsa peppers
*Two rows of petite and rainbow carrots (Adam had to have rainbow carrots)
*One row of yellow squash
*One row of zucchini
*Four strawberry plants
*Two rows of sunflowers
*One row of cantaloupes
*Two rows of watermelons

Next week I'm thinking about planting an herb garden next to the house.

Below The Belt

I don't normally get pranked too easily, but tonight Mandy got me good. I've been complaining about my weight lately and that I was going to have to go on a diet. Tonight while in line for Zaxby's I'm sitting there in the car huffing and puffing to myself about what I've already eaten today and yet there I was still hungry. As I'm breathing in and out, Mandy slips her hand down, pops my seat belt and off it goes. Only I thought that I popped it off with my mega-belly so immediately I'm all "Good Grief I'm so fat I just broke the seat belt!!" She couldn't hold it in and just busted out laughing. It was all I could do to hush her so I could order a chicken tender plate.

Party Foul

I need to the tell the story the boy's birthday party before too much time passes. As I mentioned last Saturday, we could not have had a better time. The party which was Adam's 6th and Alex's 2nd was held at Gattman Park under a perfect sky with temps in the low 70's. The park was deserted except for the boy's friends from school and church. The funny comes from what was going on just a few feet away from where Adam was busy having a birthday blast.

It started with a text the night before from coach saying that a make up practice was going to be held at 9:00 the next morning at Gattman Park. We politely sent word that Adam wouldn't be able to attend never realizing the confusion that was about to be created. So there we go strolling into the park at 9:30 with plenty of time to get the decorations up when Adam shouts "HEY THERE"S MY TEAM!! WE ARE PLAYING BASEBALL TODAY!!"

What followed next was a series of questions from a very confused child followed by several awkward answers from two parents trying to handle a delicate situation.
"I thought I was having a party?''
"Um you are...."
"That's my team. I have a game first?"
"No....you are having a party."
"My team is coming to my party?"
"Well I guess if they want to. You don't really know any of them that well yet and all your friends from school and church were invited. That's like 30 kids that might show up."
"Sooooo I don't get to play with my team?"
"No but you get to have a birthday party!!"

Thankfully Adam got the idea after a few minutes and things were fine again until we stepped out of the van....."Adam we're over here!! We got your uniform! You're late, grab your bat."

Mandy flashed me a look that said "DEFCON 5 Emergency Maneuvers Must Be Taken!!" She grabbed the kids and rushed off to start decorating while I jetted in the other direction to have a few very awkward words with the coach who was standing on the pitchers mound. All the while praying silently that I would find the words to explain how we were not only skipping practice, but that a mere 50 feet away we would be having an amazing birthday party in which no one besides Adam's best friend Max who was currently playing first base was invited to; including might I add said coach's son.

"Hey I know you are in the middle of practice and I hate to catch you off guard here, but Adam's um...well that's his birthday party over there. Um....he didn't really know anyone on the team....I guess you guys could come by after....the odds of you picking this field out of the 100 around here are just mind blowing...um so yeah I guess...anyway that's why we are here..but we really aren't here....we're over there."

I remember Coach smiling and nodding his head, but for the life of me I was too embarrassed and so desperate to get out of there that I have no idea what he said. It must have been said with understanding because he did pop over for a few minutes after to deliver Adam's uniform.

Best Of Blockhead: Attack Of The Monsta Possa (From 5/10/10)

Up until a few weeks ago the closest I had ever been to a possum (other than running one over with my car) was staring out across the yard late one night at the Garfield house. At the time I swore I had scene an armadillo. That changed a couple weeks back around midnight as I stepped out onto the back porch and landed about 5 feet away from one. Shrieking like a little girl I let out an expletive and ran inside deciding immediately that the trash could wait until the possum free morning came.

Always one to have my back Mandy "encouraged" me to finish the task of taking out the trash knowing what lurked just out of sight. I banged and clanged my way to the trash making as much noise as possible in order to scare the beast away. This seemed to work except that in my haste to get outside and back I closed Buttons between the wood and screen doors. Once this was discovered yet another expletive was heard echoing through the neighborhood that night.

I quickly learned my lesson though. Don't go outside after dark and I won't have to face the giant possum (or possa as Adam calls it). Then last week at 5:30 in broad daylight as I was staring out the kitchen window the Monster Possa proved that I had more to fear than a late night stroll around the backyard. There it was just walking through the yard in broad daylight like a cat or dog except twice as big and with many many more teeth. Afraid to go outside at any time of day or night for fear the giant possa will attack at a moments notice I am have become the caged animal. Trapped in my own home scanning the terrain with every step. Fearing the MONSTER POSSA!!

Little Man Whoop Whoop

Tonight before church we grabbed some McD's and headed down to the river for a quick picnic. We found a great spot near some genuine indian tee-pee's that were set up and of course the kids had a blast checking them out. Alex kept running around going WHOOP WHOOP WHOOP WHOOP!

The Boys Of Summer

Adam's first game of machine pitch baseball was tonight and I was able to snap this pic before the game got underway. Nobody is more happy than me to see summer come around and with it hours spent in the backyard playing with the boys. The new house just begs for you to be outside enjoying the fresh air.

The game went really well considering there were 1,000 people there including Gigi, Nani, Baby V, Alex, and of course Mandy & I. Adam hit the third pitch thrown to him and that was enough to call the game a success in his book. A Big Jack & fry afterward sealed the deal on a perfect night.

Sunday Suppers

Looking to make something different, tonight we took a yellow bell pepper, a red bell pepper, an onion, some garlic, laid it all on top of some pork chops, and set it to bake for an hour. The result was more than I bargained for. When we stepped out for a good dose of yard work, what we were leaving in the stove was simply another in a long line of meals. What awaited us when we walked back in though was a trip to a far off land that I had not thought of in quite some time.

It hit me in the face the moment I walked in the door. The smell of onions and peppers mixed with a hint of garlic and the sweet smell of the pork. In an instant I was back in my Granny Beck's kitchen begging to see what smelled so good. The sound of rice boiling in the background, Grandpa in his recliner getting ready to teach the evening sermon. Soon the table would be filled with black eye peas, peppers & onions, a fresh salad, homemade pickles, some of the best tasting pork chops I've ever had in my life, and surrounding it all was the sound of laughter coming from a family that truly enjoyed spending time together. Those days are few and far between now, but if ever I were granted a wish it would be that someday we will all come together every night to sit around that table once again.

Happy Easter!!

Happy Birthday Boys

We had the boy's birthday party yesterday at Gattman Park, then a cookout at the house, then we died easter eggs, then topped it off with a hotdog roast late last night. Needless to say that's why I didn't post last night (posting twice today to make up for it). The kids had a blast, the park was empty except for us and 50 of our closest friends, and the weather was perfect! God has truely blessed with such great treasures.

Money Down The Drain

As long as I can remember back I don't recall ever living in a house with a garbage disposal. I've really never put much thought into it. Never had any sleepless nights staring at the ceiling wondering what life would be like had only I been given the chance to dispose of my trash in the sink instead of a simple garbage can. Never got the feeling that I would have been a better man had I simply been able to empty my food scraps into the sink.

Now that I have one though I'm not exactly sure it's adding any value to the new place. The first night it ate a knife which put it out of commission for three weeks. Then it sucked up half a pot of fresh spaghetti noodles there were going to be our dinner. Last night it almost took two dollars from Alex after he literally tried to throw money down the drain.

At this point I'm not even sure if it can be considered an actual appliance. It's more like this swirling black hole sitting in plain site destroying anything that gets sucked into it's twisting vortex of death. Somewhere in the back of my mind as I reach down into it to remove the latest object of it's affection, I imagine a location somewhere in deep space where a similar black hole sits swirling only suddenly my hand comes rushing out of the opening to grasp some unseen piece of space trash.

Best Of Blockhead: Morning Glory's (May 16 2010)

Now that there are four of us waking up on the weekends is always an interesting slice of life. For one thing the same people that have to be yanked out of bed by their toes Monday-Friday seem to come alive at the crack of dawn on Saturday. I'm speaking of course about Adam. I'm the oposite. Alert by 6:15 during the week and still walking around like a zombie at 10:00 a.m Saturday. Now that Alex has come along, mornings around the house tend to fall into three varieties.

1)The sun is barely peaking through the blinds, the birds are chirping, a feeling of quiet calm covers me like a blanket. I resist opening my eyes for as long as I can, but eventually I take a peek to see what time it is....wow 9:00 a.m. Adam must have fallen out of bed and knocked himself unconcious or has run away from home....either way it looks like Alex and Mandy are still sleeping too. So I just lay there and enjoy the silence as long as I can.

2)The sound of something crashing to the ground jolts me out of a deep sleep. As I open my eyes I halfway expect there to be pieces of airplane wreakage laying around me as if I've woken up on LOST beach. Suddenly Adam yells I DON"T WANT TO CLEAN MY ROOM! I'M HUNGRY! The island is angry this morning. Mandy runs into the room with Alex screaming his head off. "Alex needs to changed, I'm about to beat Adam within an inch of his life if he does not quit whining, the kitchen is a mess, my mom is bringing breakfast, and I've have got to go the bathroom. Take the baby." Things are happening all around me too fast for me to even register them. The phone begins ringing. Baby in my arms I manage to make it before the machine kicks on. The doorbell rings. "Hey mom, Gigi is at the door with breakfast, I have no idea what we are doing today. I just remembered who I was. Got another call, Hi Granny" Can't go the door cause I'm in my underwear. Adam takes off running for the door, but it's locked so he starts yelling at her through the door "I CAN'T OPEN IT GIGI! DID YOU BRING ME A CHICKEN BISCUIT?" I put the baby down, he starts whaling again, I drop the phone, grab some shorts, a shirt, all the while trying to remember where I left my keys so I can unlock the deadbolt, trip over the cat on the way down the hall barely stopping myself and Alex from rolling through the house. The day never stops from there.

3)I hear a pounding sound coming from the other side of the wall. Adam is up and going through his closet for some reason. Good he's letting us sleep and playing in his room. He comes in a few minutes later. 'Can I wear this?" Without looking I say yes. Honestly I have no idea what time it is or what he's holding up, but sleep is my only priority. He returns moments later "Can I lay on you?" I say yes, get a few jabs in my ribs as he climbs up, but I think it's sweet he wants some attention. Plus I might actually get to go back to sleep. Alex is between Mandy and I so I put my arm around Adam so he doesn't roll over on him. That's when I get the finger in my ear. Laughing hysterically Adam has decided wrestling is more fun than sleeping. I go to swat him off and he almost falls on Alex. I catch him and get another finger in my ear. My child is kicking my A@# and there is nothing I can do about it. I plead to Mandy "Adam won't quit picking on me." Without opening an eye she whispers "Boys go play in the other room we are still trying to sleep".....looks like us boys will have to find breakfast ourselves.

Mug Shot

Adam got me a brand new mug this past weekend replacing my 100 year old Starbucks mug that looked like the real deal cardboard cup, but was actually glass. Love this one so much more!

New Home Favorites: View From The Couch

Another of my favorite parts of the new house are the French doors that open up to the backyard. Combined with the attic fan that is installed nearby, the result is a breeze that creates a slice of heaven. Soon the smell of fresh flowers will be coming through; plus once the pool is fixed I may never want to take a vacation anywhere other than my living room ever again.

Kiddie Continues

Adam and I are watching Ninjago last week. It's a normal episode till the end when we were hit with the TO BE CONTINUED closer. Apparently there is a major season finally coming up next week in which one of the major characters won't make it and I'm on the edge of my seat because....this is the dumbest thing I've ever seen!!

We are talking about a cartoon for six year olds!! Not an episode of LOST where actual fictional lives are in danger every week. Yes I'm smart enough to realize this is all a marketing campaign tied to some toy line, video game, exclusive DVD release that are all timed to come out together and spur millions of zombie Ninjago kindergartners to steal money from their parents, hitch a ride in the back of a pickup truck under a sack of potatoes, and put money in the pockets of some corporate fat cat.

I just remember when cartoons didn't come with commitments. Jerry cracked open the fridge, took out the cheese, Tom showed up, swallowed a bowling ball, end of story. We never had to hold our breath for a week while waiting to see if Bugs Bunny would regret making that wrong turn at Albuquerque only to find himself in the starving clutches of Elmer Fudd for the last time. Bugs simply put his finger in the mussel of the gun, it exploded it Fudd's face, and it was back on the road for Bugs.

New Home Favorites: The Boy's Bathroom

I haven't posted pictures much here on Charlie in a while and some of that is because I don't get the security that I would by posting them on Facebook where to a larger degree I can select who sees my profile. From the very start of this blog I've always been concerned about photos and their use. That being said, one thing I am going to start doing to celebrate our new house which we are absolutely in love with is taking smaller shots of my favorite parts as they come together. The above is one of my fav's from the boy's bathroom. The room is done in ducks with baby blue paint, white tile, and Mandy has really done a fantastic job giving it a classic boy look. This chatter box was made by Mandy's great uncle Joe and is perfect for showcasing rubber duckies (and of course bubble bath Spiderman).