Looks like Sidney was probably right!
🙂
(more soon…)
Julia’s Birthday Fun!
Little Julia is TWO today!!! She has gotten card and calls from family far away, and started the day out with a BIG fun BIRTHDAY BREAKFAST! Including our family, we had four two year olds (two of them turning two today!!) and their four moms, as well as a few extra siblings… and me making a big fun breakfast of waffles, French Toast (on fresh baked bread I made this morning!) and Dad’s special breakfast potatoes! Fun!
In the afternoon, after the party died down, we made chocolate cupcakes (with yellow buttercream frosting, and some chocolate sprinkles!!) and then ate a few after singing to Julia with the whole birthday candles thing!
This all wore Julia out a lot… so she took a nap. 🙂
Now we’re getting ready to head out for our more traditional birthday celebration of Red Robin for dinner, and Chuck E. Cheese for games afterwards! Tonight, Grandma & Grandpa Walker will be joining us too! (And perhaps more friends) 🙂
The poster above is Julia’s birthday poster… I just loved her “pose” in this shot, and used it to remember that she often will say now, “Me? Song?” and then sing us a song which is most often “Hoooooooly night!” (Her own version of Silent Night) 🙂
She’s beautiful, and awesome, and lots of fun. And we’re glad she’s two!
Love you, Julia! 🙂
Breaking News!
There are some advantages to staying up super late. I had some stuff to do tonight, and kind of randomly pulled up the Apple online store when lo and behold, I have a scoop! The Apple Store is currently down… and today (tomorrow for me) is Tuesday, which is when Apple typically releases new products.
I don’t know what it will be. BUT… I’ve been telling folks for a couple weeks that I think Apple will be updating the iMac soon. They had a “limited time offer” on refurbs of the current generation listed at the online store for just about two weeks now, and to me that meant that at least an updated iMac is coming, if not a bigger revision of the best computer on the planet! 🙂
So anyway. Now that I’ve broken the story…
I’m going to bed. 🙂
Check the apple store for what the actual news is tomorrow. 😉
Big Fun Food Day
For a little while now our friend Leah and I have been trying to plan a time for she and Scott and Jen & I to have a fun food extravaganza as a sort of “last hurrah” before they move to Maryland. Many obstacles have delayed the outing, and even made it seem impossible. But yesterday… we finally made it happen!! It was tons of fun! And tons of FOOD!
I shall henceforth refer it to as the Big Fun Food Day. 🙂
See, it all started with an idea in my head. We thought it would be fun to get babysitters for all our kids and go out on a “double date” with Scott & Leah before they leave, and I was trying to think of a fun place that they like to make it extra special. Well, the first one that came to mind is one that Leah likes, but Scott… hates. 🙂 (Funnier still, I also am a fan, but Jen is really not.) So, that wouldn’t work… unless…
I thought we could try a “progressive dinner” style outing. Leah and I could eat our fill at the Indian buffet, and then we’d go straight to a place that Scott (& Jen) like to eat. I ran the idea by Jen, and she thought it was fun, and then by Leah, and she too thought it a fun plan… She ran it by Scott, who added his consent and then Leah added Coldstone to the mix for dessert! Ha! Three places in one outing! Fun stuff!
After a few failed attempts at finding a day that worked for all (schedule conflicts) and then finding willing babysitters for our four and their three kids, we finally made it work yesterday!
It all started at about 12:45pm or so. We met up at Willowbrook where we dropped our van and carpooled with them in their (very tiny!) car to the India House buffet. (Photo below… Jen took it, so … she’s not in it.) 🙂
We had a crazy waiter here named Dave. He hit it off with Scott as they are both UFC (Ultimate Fight Challenge?) fans. He also introduced himself as Ravi and said he hates Indian food, music, and Indian people. That was awesome. 🙂 (We learned that the first thing he said was always false.) 🙂
The food was awesome, and as I didn’t plan on eating Indian food again for quite some time… I ate… three plates full. 🙂
I was full.
Next we decided to head to a town about 20 minutes west where Scott’s favorite restaurant resides. We had never been, so I made sure to sample some stuff, but MAN there was VERY little room for the samples! Scott & Jen feasted here. Leah did “sample” as well, of course… 🙂
Funny story was… we got out there about 2:40 or so… and they didn’t open till three!! So we went to Land’s End next door for a bathroom for the pregnant lady and some clothes shopping for Leah (and Jen enjoyed looking at the kids stuff as well) 🙂
Our waiter at Carrabba’s was very good as well. And strangely reminded us of a friend of ours (all of us). They have different names though, so we think they are different people… 🙂
It was super late when we left Carrabba’s (we were having a great time!) so we didn’t get to stay and eat at Coldstone, but we did swing by there on the way home, and three of us got SMALL ice creams. 🙂 (Actually, Leah got a medium sized one…) 🙂
It was fantastic, but at that point, there was very little room for any more food, no matter how good it was! 🙂
We finally got back to our kids at 6pm, and once we collected them and all their stuff, we went over to the Vs house for a little extra hang out (and our kids all got to see each other and play then, too). That actually ended with Jen making a quick run to McDonald’s to round out the Big Fun Food Day (at least for the kids) with some burgers, fries, chicken nuggets and a snack wrap or two. 🙂
It was certainly a memory, and a great, big, fun, day of food! 🙂
More photos here.
[Things That Are Weird] Waking Up In A Dream
Continuing the “Things That Are Weird” theme…
It can’t get much weirder than going through some sort of wake up routine, going about your daily business after turning off your alarm and getting out of bed… only to have the alarm go off again, and you find yourself STILL in bed!
Perhaps it gets weirder when the “regular morning routine” was actually not regular at all, and was in a completely different (fabricated) house and geographic location.
Wonder what I ate last night?
Current TV
I must say… it’s weird, and slightly annoying to be watching a current TV show. I have said here before that I do not watch much current TV (really, barely any) but I got to watch the pilot of the Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles show, and liked it. I can’t really explain it, but somehow it was something I enjoyed and could watch.
So the weird part is, not only do I have to wait a whole week for the next show (and this one keeps a story line going from one week to the next) I also have to wait till who knows when for the resolution of the season finale’s CLIFF HANGER! ARGH!
Totally forgot about that. I need to just stop watching till the whole show is done, and then watch it all in a couple weeks on DVD (without commercials!!) like TV was meant to be seen!
(Although I kinda feel hooked… so we’ll see if I can stick to that…) 🙂
OK Night
I can’t remember now if I have posted this here or not, but it’s worth of a post (or two) for sure.
A while back (I think it was for Kirsten the first time) we thought it would be a good idea for one on one outings with the kids. Usually it would be Dad (since they all get more time with Mom usually) but it could be with Mom sometimes, too. We had heard the idea a time or two from other families, and liked it, and it seemed like little Kirstie was getting lost in the shuffle a bit. So, we did it.
Well, after a long break, we started it up again… but this time we thought Ian needed a little alone time with Dad. So we decided to go in descending age order. Well, after the first time, all the other kids were very much looking forward to their turn with Dad. 🙂 Somehow along those various conversations, we started calling it the One Kid Night… which I shortened to “OK Night.” And it stuck. 🙂
Last night was Julia’s turn (our 4th, and almost 2 year old) and we had a blast. It’s pretty funny when a 33 year old and an almost 2-year-old are out for an evening together. The conversation can be … intriguing, as well as… difficult to understand at times. 🙂 She’s a cutie! Was so fun to hear her starting conversations with Dad! We sang songs, we rode the carousel at the mall, we shared some ice cream, we visited our favorite stores… it was a blast! Can’t wait for the next one!
It’s pretty cool to see what comes out of one-on-one time with the kids. We love being a big family, and we love being together, but sometimes some pretty cool stuff happens when you just get one kid with one parent.
Like I said… can’t wait for the next one!
Subtle Difference
Today the boys and I read the very familiar paragraph in Matthew where Jesus says with the Ask, Seek & Knock stuff. God wants us to come to him and he wants us to know that he’s listening. And that’s amazing.
But the part I noticed is something that I have also been thinking a bit about recently.
At the end of the paragraph, Jesus says, “Treat others as you want them to treat you. This is what the Law and the Prophets are all about.” (Matthew 7:12)
I have said that many times to my kids, and that is really how I want to live my life. Thinking about other people like I’d want them to think about me. Treating them as I would want to be treated. I actually forgot that Jesus said “That’s what the Law & Prophets are all about” regarding this phrase. The other phrase I frequently use is “Love God, Love people.” which is taken from another time Jesus said that, “Everything God has said up until now is summed up by that.”
When he says that, it seems to me that we should listen.
But then, I have been challenged recently that thinking that way, and trying to live that way is still a bit religious. Though the motivation may not be from guilt, or a desire to earn God’s favor, it is still about what I do. How I must change. How I must be. And certainly, on one level, that is good and right. When we do what is right – the way life is supposed to be lived – then life is good, and things work out the best way they can. Mostly.
Could a possible (subtle) alternative could be to focus on our relationship with God, rather than what we do after that? Could it be an even more healthy view of the Kingdom if we could say, “I am loved, and so are you.” Do you see the subtle difference? I’m honestly not that sure I do, but a part of me does. The difference seems to be in the focus. One focus is still on what I can do, the other is focused on what God has done and is doing. He has restored our relationship, and he leads me every day, and he puts other people around me that I can love as I have been loved. Doesn’t he?
It could just be semantics, and I know that I am prone to thinking too much on things at times. But the funny thing is, the more I “think on” this, the simpler it gets. Perhaps that is the true way of the kingdom.
Live loved today. I think when we do, then we are best able to really love back, and love out.
Too Many Streaks
This is the year of the streak for the Buffalo Sabres. Frustrating to fans, perhaps even more frustrating to the players and coaches.
Just when it looks like the team is getting back to their winning ways, the Sabres seem to match a long winning streak with an equally long losing streak. The result has been hovering about in the middle of the conference standings, with just over a .500 record on the season.
Now three points out of a playoff spot, with key losses to the teams they are chasing in this current losing streak, the Sabres are definitely in danger of not even qualifying for post season play. And they know it. The players held a “players only” meeting following yesterday’s embarrassing 4-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings.
At least they understand that they need to step it up. And I believe they can. But will they? Maybe they can have a nice win streak to make the push for the playoffs, followed by their typical long losing streak, followed by a long winning streak to carry them into the playoffs? Not sure there’s time. Then, wouldn’t they just be saving their losing streak for the first round of the playoffs? 🙂
It looks as if this year’s team may have taken too much of a hit with the loss of Briere and Drury in the summer, and now losing one of their top defensemen, Brian Campbell (who always logged a lot of ice time) in a trade to the Sharks. Time will tell. And it will tell soon.
I remain hopeful, but weary of the streaks.
[Things That Are Weird] Gambling Aversions
I know that I probably just can’t understand, since it really has no pull on me, but one more Thing That [Is] Weird to me is how much of an aversion some folks have to gambling on any level. Not just Christian, “God hates gamblers” folks. Regular folks who feel like any wagering is fruitless, and even dangerous. Can’t it just be a fun way to spend money (and possibly make some?) just like going to a movie, or an amusement park or something? (Perhaps those games at amusement parks are equal to gambling? Odds are just as good…..) 🙂
Just one more of the many Things That Are Weird.