New Year Resolutions

It's that time of year to look at resolutions. Not sure why really, but it seems like everyone else is doing it so let's give it a shot.

I resolve to:

• Watch less TV and play more with the girls.
• Give Kim more time away from the house or in the house alone.
• Finally get moved into the garage
• Get serious about my projects or move on
• Prepare for the Paramedic Captain's exam
• Write more in the Girl's books

Kim resolves to:

• Cook more
• Take more walks
• Continue to kick ass
• Minimize psychological damage to the children

Back to the grind

Back to work I go, after the chaos at the house, here I am at my quiet house. As you saw in the last post Eliza is in her walker with nice results. My only fear is that Morgan will figure out she can push her sister around in it. And I can guarantee Eliza will smile and laugh when she does.
In other Eliza news, she is on to solid foods! We've been doing bananas and rice cereal, but yesterday she got a whole can of peas and loved every bite. Now near dinner time she screams and cries until we put her in her high chair...and even then!


Morgan's early success at potty training has regressed since we changed products. The cotton training pants just led to too many accidents that required my haz-mat training to deal with. With a return to a paper product, Morgan finds it easier to just play and worry about the potty later. But then we go out somewhere and all of the sudden she remembers how to use the toilet.


I expected to work new year's eve, but it looks like I may not have to after all.
For now I'm just catching my breath at work.

Random Christmas Pics

Here are a few more pics of the girls









And look what Eliza can do now:

The human side

Proposition 8 has been a touchy subject recently. Supporters of the bill seek to redefine Marriage as between only a man and a woman, legally overturning previously legal unions.

It passed by a slim majority and is slated to become state law in California, the first ever alteration of the State Constitution to deny a right.

These are families being ripped apart. Watch this slideshow and realize that if Prop 8 becomes law, everyone of these couples, plus countless others will be forcibly divorced against their will.

"Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD." - Leviticus 19:18

A hap hap happy christmas

Later on Christmas day Morgan was overheard saying her favorite gift was "My kitchen!"
Ken and Linda got Morgan a big play kitchen complete with dishes and play food and she just loves it. It seemed like a good place at the time, but against the wall in the family room may have been wrong, it shares a wall with our bedroom and is quite noisy first thing in the morning.

In other news, the families are now scattered back to where they came from. Angela Mike and Meadow left yesterday and Jerry and Jeana left this morning. Ken and Linda are the only stragglers, but they leave today for a few days in Napa to "relax." I told them taking the girls for a few days would be a nice way to relax and Linda laughed.

Eliza slept in on Christmas morning and smiled and played all morning. Morgan and Meadow took turns begging for their fathers to open certain packages, such as a baby you can take a bath with and a toy shopping cart.

It was chaotic at times, but we had a blast hosting Christmas. We hope everyone who visited had a nice time. We've been updating the slideshow up there in the right hand corner and will continue to do so as we sort through the pile of photos taken.

Hope all is well,
Carriage House

The Eve

The Eve started early for Angela as Meadow awoke around 2:15 proclaiming, "Play Morgan."
Last night, with the family all together, the girls were adorable. Running around in matching pajamas and playing together made everyone smile.
This morning started with Morgan and I starting the coffee and bringing in the paper while Arnold ran out to use the yard. Angela and Meadow were next to wander out and the two girls were so excited, they woke Eliza. Kim made it out just before Jeana and Jerry arrived with Coffee in hand and activities to distract the girls from the exhausted parents. Mike was last to surface, but after the long drive yesterday with a 2 year old I'm surprised he's conscious.


Right now I'm huddled in the front room chair you saw in our card photo, the one near the tree, while Linda and Jeana (Grand and Mina) are helping the girls build a gingerbread house. On occasion someone will wander in with Eliza in hand or Arnold will sniff around for dropped food.
Johnny Lang's Merry Christmas Baby is on the radio and all is well.

I need more coffee. More pictures soon.

One last quiet night

We've got the girls to bed and are sitting near the fire catching up on TV and the interwebs before the chaos that is the Schorr family christmas begins. We have the moose shaped glasses for nog, got a black dickie and white sweater for Mike and cleared out a space for the RV. The keg is here, the dartboard will be going up in the morning and the tree is being held up by a number of gifts. Can't wait for everyone to arrive.

In other news, congratulations are in order for the newest local member of our extended 'family,' Chloe Reinhold. Chloe was born December 21st at 7:19 AM weighing in at 6 lbs 11oz. We have word that mom Nikki is doing well and Dylan is wandering aimlessly (New dad syndrome).

I don't want to go back to bed

moRemember when I said it was neat that Eliza and Morgan can keep each other entertained for 20 minute stretches? Yeah, I should have said what time of the day that was a good thing.
Whenever I don't work I try to wake up before Morgan to keep her from waking Kim so she can get at least a little more sleep. Sometimes she does the same for me. Usually Morgan wakes up, wanders into the family room and asks for cereal and Caillou. After getting no sleep the night before at work, I chose to hit the snooze button this morning instead of just dragging myself out of bed at first alarm...like I did all the night before.
This morning was not a new experience, just always a great way to wake up. I awoke to the sound of Eliza talking her grunting language (which actually sounds like a tawn-tawn from Empire Strikes Back) and Morgan talking back. Morgan woke early, saw no one in the family room and decided to wake Eliza. Lovely. I walked in and shout whispered "What are you doing in here!"
"I don't want to go back to bed!"
Smile* grunt*
Now the feeding and nap schedule is toast and we have a lot to get done today.

Welcome All!

Welcome all you newcomers to Word from Carriage House.

Our Christmas card has arrived here, which means you all should be receiving it and heading this way out of curiosity. We've been at this since soon after Eliza was born in July and try to keep it updated as best we can.
How about a tour?
At the top right of the page is a slideshow of recent pictures. Just click on the image to start it and the little arrows in the lower right corner make it full screen.
To the left is the archive, which will let you pick and choose which events to catch up on. Below that are fun links to other blogs, websites etc that we enjoy and want to pass along.
So take a look around, click on an ad (Help the girls get to college) and while you're here, press control-D to bookmark us and make coming back easier.

We're getting ready to host Christmas this year, the whole clan is coming up to visit. Ken, Linda, Jeana, Jerry, Mike Ang and Meadow, Jennifer and likely the dogs will make for one busy house so we'll be posting photos and news as it happens.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and have a Blessed Solstice on Dec 21st!
The Schorrs

Christmas Towne 2008

Sequoia Hose Company #1 and Carriage Hose Company #5 race to a fire at the Candy Shoppe.

Carriage Hose Company #5, the first horse team in the County















The Firemen racing















Sequoia Hose #1 pulling out of the Firehouse behind the horses














Great Great Grandfather Schorr, ahead of the Company team

Eliza has a boyfriend

Now that I have your attention...Eliza has been kissing the fellow in the photo below. If I find this guy, he's toast.







In other Carriage House news, the tree has been up for a while and I'm getting requests for a tree picture. I tell these people, it looks a lot like a douglas fir with a bunch of lights on it, but they keep calling. So let me post this photo to end all the calls...LINDA!

And that takes care of that.
Morgan has been at it again...that is acting like she's 2 1/2 going on 14. She has informed us of everything she is going to teach Eliza when Eliza gets "bigger and bigger" (arms rising higher and higher). Tonight it was teaching Eliza to swim. Morgan also turned to me at the dinner table and said, WITHOUT COACHING, "When I get bigger and bigger daddy, I'm going to go work with you. Is that OK?" I nearly cried. You see Morgan is slated to be a 3rd generation firefighter and eventually Chief of the San Francisco Fire Department. I looked at her and said, "I would like that very much." She turned back to her dinner and said, "OK."
Then she spat out, "When I get bigger and bigger I be a Doctor" so we laughed and then the gold began to flow..."When I a doctor you and mommy come live with me." I immediately turned to her and extended my hand. "Deal?" I asked, hand extended to shake, "Deal" she shook. We're SO totally taking her up on that on account of her being the first Doctor Chief of the SFFD.

The way too inside joke

I thought you all knew this, but the comments prove otherwise. As Morgan has grown, and since she was Eliza's size, I have played silly games. One of those games was singing a certain song to the tune of Gumby. Instead of the part, "Who started out as a little green clump of clay...GUMBY!" I changed the words to "Who's your favorite Secretary of State...COLIN POWELL" With the arm raised up where the "..." is.

Geez people, that was easy to get wasn't it?

Oh Tannenbaum... Oh Tannenbaum...

The tree is up and looking good. It was such a painless experience this year. we bought the tree from a local school doing a fund raiser. Pick your type, height and pay them. A few weeks later, we get the tree. We wandered into the school building and there were 4 of our kind waiting. I asked the guys to help me stand one up (they were only that morning unwound and cut down only 2 days earlier) and it was perfect.
So it spent the night in the garage, drinking an entire tree stand of water in less than 12 hours and this morning was moved into the front room. Morgan's job was to hold the front door slightly open and when she saw me coming with the tree, open the door. This was to minimize the 48 degree weather from coming in while I carried the tree part way around the house. This thing weighs an easy 60 pounds and as we all know isn't easy to get a grip on. It was right near the door I can hear morgan's voice from deep in the house "Mommy the tree is here, the tree is here!" Thanks kid.


In other news it seems you don't realize what you leave in the car until it gets ransacked. My shaver is missing as well. I save time in the mornings and used to shave while driving. Oh well, that's the second one I've misplaced.


In adorable news, Morgan and Eliza are now able to keep each other entertained for 20 minutes at a stretch. At the end of one of their "playdates" I heard a familiar cadence in the things she was saying. Kind of like when you hear a pop song in musak in an elevator and can't quite place it right away. It was Morgan lifting Eliza's arm that finally made what she was saying, and their playing so funny.
It's like that quote we have says, "The most haunting thing in motherhood is hearing your own words come out of your daughter's mouth."
What Morgan was saying to Eliza was this (just sound it out) - "Oos favit serary ate? Orin (pull Eliza's arm up)Owl!

It clicked and Kim and I lost it. Morgan was trying to teach her sister what I spent so long trying to get her to do, often to her complete refusal. My work here is done.

They took what?

As a belated welcome to the neighborhood gift, it looks like someone found the Prius unlocked in the driveway and decided to give it a try. Justin came back from work around 930 this morning and we went to get the tree, more on that later. After an afternoon of putting up christmas lights, Justin decided to run out to the car and grab a little something he had bought just a few days ago. He opened the door and the satellite radio dock was on the floor, the saddle compartment open, as well as the glovebox and he couldn't find the item he was looking for. There in the backseat was his computer bag, badge and uniform cap. Then he noticed the DC splitter for the satellite radio was missing and sure enough so was the item he was looking for. The Prius had been ransacked.

BY IDIOTS!

Here is where I go from feeling sorry about losing $10 worth of stuff and kicking myself in the head for neglecting to lock the doors and wanting to kick the little punks in the head. Not because of what they took, but because of WHAT THEY DID NOT TAKE.
OK, pop quiz:

You're in someone else's car and have the option of stealing the following, which do you take?
A. $5 cigarette lighter adapter
B. $5 Wooden bird house, unfinished
C. Dry cleaned pants, in plastic
D. Laptop Computer
E. Garage door opener
F. D and E
G. A, B & C

Correct answer: G
You guessed it, they took my work pants. Wool fireman pants, a wooden bird house and a cigarette lighter adapter. I fear for the future of America if our best and brightest choose someone else's dry cleaning over a computer. Idiots.

Ah....an overtime

Many consider working work, but my work is my time off. Justin here by the way. I'm stuck working an overtime near the beach, watching the Arsenal game getting ready for volleyball. My co-workers consider it losing a day off, but I realize that it's actually an additional day off. I'm not having to carry Eliza around while Morgan cries or awake in the middle of he night to feed the baby. I wake in the night for other reasons, but that's another story.

Our Christmas tree arrives on Saturday and it seems as though Christmas is not sneaking up this year, but breaking through the wall Cool Aid style, "Oh YEAH!" We bought a tree from a charity a few weeks back. We pay them then, and a tree is cut down on Thursday in Oregon and brought to the local fairgrounds on Saturday for pick-up. We've already specified the type and size, so hopefully if I can get there early enough we can get the best one. It needs to look good since it's going in the front window this year.

Morgan now has an advent calendar, actually 2 of them. Linda got her one while I was at the store buying a nice wood one she refers to as "My tree with doors." She loves opening all the doors, then closing them and trying to keep her opening just one at a time is a chore, but I've been here 2 days so Kim knows more about that.

On another note: My 1976 Ladder Truck is still for sale. If you all are going to get it here before the heart of winter you need to move fast.
Arsenal 2-Chelsea 1 8 min remaining.

Winding down

The last of "My visitors," as Morgan called them have gone and the house is almost quieting down. It was a busy week and a lot of fun to have family around for awhile. It was also nice to be able to host family in the new house, without making people stand around in a number of different rooms.
We got some great pictures, now up in the slide show and some fun video of Eliza laughing.
So back to the grind I guess and getting ready to host Christmastime here in a few short weeks.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Eliza watching the family run around


Janet and Eliza share a quiet moment


Morgan reads a story to Aunt Janet


Morgan makes up a story to Aunt Janet


Morgan eating the double stuff oreo cookies she and Grand made into little turkeys.

The turkey breast was juicy and the ham was great. Forget the roast at Christmastime, we're having bourbon ham. Mike will like that, I'm sure. The wine was a McDowell 2003 Syrah which complimented Linda's cheesy potatoes nicely. Morgan ate mostly bread and ham while Eliza made her usual grunts at the table. We finished the night with some lovely apple pie with crumble crust Kim made last night. Simply divine if I may say.

Well, time to get Janet and Margaret back to their hotel. Tomorrow we sleep in and get some work done around the house. Tomorrow night will be the viewing of Christmas Vacation and the official start of the Christmas season.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING ALL!

Meltdown

When Kim went to get Janet and Margaret at the BART station, Eliza melted down. Screaming, crying and completely inconsolable. Yeah. Good news is Kim eventually returned and we were all able to relax a bit. Janet and Grandma are here safely, although very tired after a full day's travels.
Luckily the girls got adorable when I had the camera out. More tomorrow, time to get the pies going and season the turkey breast.

It has begun

The first wave of guests for the holiday have arrived. Morgan was waiting at the window as Ken, Linda, Sufi and Arnold pulled in just a short while ago. Cleo was found huddled in a bush this morning after refusing to come inside last night before the rain started. With the dogs running around, Cleo has needed to find refuge from them and the rain. I think she's doing just fine.
The pies and stuffing will be prepped tonight and the ham starts at 10 tomorrow morning! Let's go!

A big week coming up

After a rough week with sick Morgan and sick Justin, Kim is anticipating the arrival of 4 additional guests for Thanksgiving. Ken and Linda are coming as well as Ken's sister Janet and their mother Margaret from Indiana. Needless to say it's going to be a full house, but empty compared to the Christmas we are hosting in a month's time.
To get ready for all that I got an early Christmas gift last night at work. With the week sick and a busy week coming I got a full night's sleep last night...AT WORK! A full 9 hours. It was almost like stealing, but not really. Working 2 days in a row now so I can have the whole week off to prep for TG.
Back to work now, time for movie #2 before volleyball. Oh and what a tough place to be stationed for 2 days. Google Earth it - 32nd Avenue at Pacheco.

Morgan feeling better, Justin too

Morgan recovered rather quickly from the stomach bug, mainly by passing it to Justin. I suffered through Monday night on the couch awaking numerous times for business and finally in the morning to Morgan whispering "Shhhh Mommy, Daddy's sleeping on the couch." If poor Morgan had half of what I did she is quite the trooper.

I am back at work today, Wednesday, after going to sleep last night not sure what would happen. I was able to live like a fly on the wall the last few days and watch Kim take care of three whiny people and it reminds me what an amazing woman and mother she really is. She helped me along while dealing with Eliza, who is now teething, and Morgan, who now melts down on a regular basis.

So here's to Kim, wife and mother extraordinaire.

Silent Night...Holy $#!& !

Last night was Eliza's first full night's sleep. Normally parents would awaken on that morning happy and excited that their little one let them sleep.

Unfortunately at the same time Eliza was snoring away, Morgan was recovering from a stomach bug that had her vomiting after she tried eating anything and then every 30 minutes after that. The poor thing was so exhausted every time she got sick she shook and cried. Her first event was before midnight 2 nights ago and had us racing into her room every time we heard her scream "Mommy!" in a way reserved only for real pain. Kim eventually lay down in Morgan's room to be there before Morgan got sick, mainly to make cleanup easier. I offered but Morgan refused to let me sleep in her room. In the middle of the night, when Morgan was starting to feel better she told Kim to go back to her own bed. As Kim was leaving the room Morgan stopped her and said, "Mommy, take your stuff" and pointed at the bedding she had brought in.

Our planned trip up to Laytonville yesterday was understandably postponed as we hoped Morgan would recover from the previous night. She did well for a few hours, but when she was down for her nap we were summoned by that call, "Mommy!" We've done a lot of laundry in the last 36 hours.

Last night, Eliza's night, we were awakened to a version of "Mommy!" that, half asleep, sounded the same, but Morgan only wanted her pacifier.

Eliza is also now teething. Feels like she just got here and she's screaming in the other room. Kim fumbles through the medicine cabinet like an addict looking for a score and in a way she is. She gave Eliza some teething tablets and the kid is silent.

Morgan has kept down everything for the last 16 hours or so, and things are getting back to normal. Good thing I had 4 days off.

So Silent night, Holy $#!& !

More money from the Feds?

I ran across this article and it looks like we will be eligible for another $300 because we had Eliza this year. I know a lot of people who also had a kid this year and could benifit from this. Please pass this information on to any new parents (or new-again parents).

Christmas Lists

CHRISTMAS NEWS
As requested here are guidelines for gifts for the girls. If you are reading this thinking I want you to get them something, think again. This post is for anyone (mom) who is already wanting to get the girls something for Christmas but wants some guidance first.

Ahem...

For Morgan,
1. She is showing interest in cooking and a play kitchen has already been arranged (Thanks Ken & Linda) as have play foods and the like. She enjoys stirring for whatever reason. But anything else play kitchen wise...
2. Dolls or small toys she can pretend with. Preferable ones that are quiet so she can create the fun instead of having it done for her.
3. Stuffed animals are a big hit right now as are coloring books.
4. Clothes, she is hovering in a 3T-4T winter clothes area with spring and summer likely a 4T. She's good on sweaters, but loves a good variety of long sleeved PJs.
5. NO. Let me repeat that...NO singing books. You know the ones with the buttons you push and it makes a sound? Yeah, um, no. She loves them too much. the ones we have will do just fine.
6. Really anything that comes in a box would go over well here. She's too small for most fun toys and Barbie is a few years off.
7. The best gift for Morgan would be a visit from anyone who wants to come and see her smile. She'll dance for you and introduce you to her..."Lilly sister Eliza Rose."

Eliza is big on stuff that goes in your mouth. Not intentionally of course, just stuff that happens to be in reach or might be fun to chew on.
1. She's in mostly 6-9 month clothing for the winter and we're decently stocked on clothes from Angela and Morgan.
2. Toys that encourage crawling would be fun for her, she already has the little blue talking monkey "hoo hoo hee hee ha ha!" for those in the know.
3. Eliza also loves company and will stare at you, grunt, laugh and pee for no additional charge.

The girls would love a few nights away from mom and dad in the coming year. You could get them( the girls) a coupon book with stuff like "Dad gets 3 hours uninterrupted in the garage" or "Mom gets to sleep tonight"

Just having fun. We are so excited to have everyone up at our new place for Christmas their visits alone are gift enough. More to follow.

3??? Are you out of your mind?

Got you there, didn't I? No we're not expecting, but we watched a friend's little one for an hour this morning and it may have made that difficult decision for us. As it is now, there is time to sneak away when the other is distracted, but 3 requires constant supervision. I was able to get online a bit only because the new visitor fell asleep in my arms, simply I think because the 4 and 2 year olds he usually listens to were gone.
I'm not saying 'no' to a third, but this put things in perspective.

In other news, many of you know we frequent a puzzle site, Tanga for daily brain teasers. You can solve the puzzles for points and even submit your own for consideration. I've been a regular there for about a year and had quite a few puzzles published. They recently made me (us) a puzzle moderator which allows us to review the submitted puzzles and decide if they should be published or not. Sounds simple but for this growing community it is quite an honor and since not much else is happening, this is what I have to show for as a hobby. Tanga is also the ones who sponsor that random question we have here at the site. So link over there from their ad on this page, register and try a puzzle or two.
Our id there is steph_frolin. Happy puzzling!

Justin's christmas list

For all of you friends and family looking for the perfect gift this holiday season, let me show you what I want so there's no awkward mis-sized sweaters or electronics I already have.


YES, that is a 1976 Seagrave 100 foot tractor drawn tiller fire truck located in Canada, near New Jersey. I know it's a long drive and would be a TON in wrapping paper, but only a bow need be placed. I already have a place to park it and a plan for it, which will be revealed in due time.
So put down the Sharper Image catalog and forget gifts for Kim and the Girls, Jerry Jeana, Ken Linda, heck cross everyone off your list because this thing will take up most of your time.

Everyone wants their own fire truck, right?

Thanks and Merry Christmas.

Justin
( I originally spelled catalog 'catalogue,' I think my fingers are British)

2 year olds don't get sarcasm

Morgan has been testing the boundaries of acceptable behavior recently and we've both been trying to keep our cool and stay consistent, but when she screamed at the top of her lungs after leaving the doctor's office today I found myself getting frustrated. It was one of those moments when I understood why some people take out their frustrations on other people. Not to toot my own horn, but a lesser man would have snapped and crashed into a pole hoping the unconsciousness would be a break from the screaming. All she wanted was "Mommy" but Mommy was back at the doctor's with Eliza where Morgan had not followed instructions to stay away from the exam table so we had left.

Its maybe a 10-12 minute drive and she was at full volume the whole way. I tried asking, whispering, hinting, reasoning, reverse psychology (Scream louder Morgan, louder!) and finally sarcasm. Funny thing, it didn't work. She used every tear and every bit of volume her little lungs could muster and then, as if flipping a switch, we pulled into the driveway and she just stopped. We got down from the car and she wandered into the house as if nothing happened.

Earlier this evening she was in one of her moods following another bi-polar episode. We were all at the table and just started eating when she said, "May I be excused please?" adorable right? Then after being told she may not, she cried, faked a bathroom run and then melted down again. With Kim needing to eat before putting Eliza down it fell upon me to corral the flimsy crier and either punish her with a bath and bed time an hour early or convince her to return to the table. Much like a scene from a horror movie, it was while I was holding her over the bath water that she broke down and agreed to return to the table and eat.

Add to this day the usual bath time panic and wiggling, the almost tortuous teeth brushing and then calming her enough to comb her hair before bed. Groan.

Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue.

We did it

President Elect Barack Obama!

Now the real work begins. Goodnight from Carriage House, tomorrow is the first day of a better America.

Way to go New Mexico

After 8 years there and trying desperately to convince folks there of the benefits of the blue, New Mexico does the right thing in choosing Obama. Morgan is running around the house looking for Obama, Kim and Eliza are having a lopsided screaming match and I'm cleaning up the dishes and sneaking onto the computer here in the Kitchen. It looks as if we did it. Not to celebrate too soon, I've taken the wine out of the fridge, but it's still wrapped and corked. I think a 2003 Coro Mendocino will go nicely with some election results when the west coast closes. As of this posting McCain has to win EVERY remaining state, including California, to win.
Now to see the results of local initiatives...

Polls are closing

Our big day draws to a close. We were out and off to vote shortly after 9 AM and reached our polling place when Morgan looked around and asked, "Where's Barack Obama?" We had to tell her to quiet down and that our vote was our own business.
Then off to story time at the library and hot dogs at Costco.
After a break nap for Morgan and Daddy we awake to polls closing and Indiana still in the balance. This is a day the girls will tell their grandchildren about. Either way today is history.

Eliza wakes first on big day

Eliza awoke just before 6 this morning, clearly knowing its a big day for us. Not just the election, but its our story time Costco hot dog day too. When Eliza wakes in a happy mood she talks, which wakes her sister who's first words this morning were, "I don't want to go back to bed."

Kim is still asleep, apparently having a rough night with Eliza and I was able to trick Eliza back to sleep so here Morgan and I are watching Little Einsteins and MSNBC, which can get confusing from time to time when you forget which one you're watching. Why is Chris Mathews driving a big red rocket? How come Quincy has a different electoral vote count than everyone else? I need more coffee. We'll leave updates throughout the day. Don't forget to vote!

Welcome Parker!

Parker Ryan Hambel arrived today weighing in at 7 lbs 14 oz just after 1 PM this afternoon. Mom and baby are doing well and we can only imagine how excited Daddy and Emma are. So Happy Birthday Parker and sorry I thought you'd be a girl.

Morgan says the darndest things III

While dressing her before playgroup I asked her if she was looking forward to going to McDonalds since it has been raining playgroup would be indoors. She smiled and I asked her what she would see there. She responded, "Horses, cows and chickens!" Huh? I asked and she began to sing Old McDonald had a farm.
A popsicle is no longer a "parking lot" but now a "Pock-ill-lull." We've been trying to get her to sound it out in syllables which came back at us recently as Kim asked her, "What are you eating Morgan?" she responded "Mommy say Pop" "Now sick..." and Kim laughed so hard she never made it to "cull."

Election Day approaches

Those tricky political folks are at it again. Even here at the Carriage House Blog, the "protect marriage" folks are busy hiding their true identity to the folks over at google that run our ads. We are able to choose certain advertisers we do not want on our page so the ads reflect our beliefs. However, the "Yes on 8" campaign identified themselves as "Voter Guide 2008" allowing their ads to go straight through the filter and onto our page.
We do not support the constitution being altered to deny rights to any group of persons for any reason.
Proposition 8 will amend the State constitution to define "marriage" as the union between a man and a woman. Why? Religious groups from out of state have poured millions of dollars into California to get this initiative on the ballot to ensure that THEIR beliefs and their beliefs alone are recognized. They hide behind the Bible but refuse to read the entire book. By eliminating rights they clear the way for any majority of voters to pass religious doctrine into law.

A quick Voter's Guide 2008 - For real

President - Barack Obama
YES on 2 - Safer, cleaner, healthier food. Eggs will cost you another 3-6 cents a dozen.
NO on 8 - If you want to protect "Traditional Marriage" love your spouse, raise your children to love other people and expect nothing of them but to be themselves.

EDIT - Just a few mometns after altering our ad filter to remove the deceptive "yes on 8" ads, they have another group of ads under the title "Safer Children." If you see an ad for them on this page, please click on it all day long today and tomorrow. They refuse to clearly state their affiliation which makes them cowards. Maybe they realize that no one will support them if they tell the truth?

Double Edit - It's been a little over and hour since the ads were changed and here are a few of the ad titles submitted by the deceptive "Yes on 8" campaign - "Biden", "Safe Children" (they dropped the 'r'), "Equal Rights 2008" (That one cracks me up), "Schools need your help" and the last straw was "Marriage Equality". They lie about the content of their advertising so I have pulled all the ads from the site. Is this really the only way they can advertise their hateful message of inequality?

The high chair is here

Another big step for Eliza is on the horizon as she is showing an interest in food and sitting with us at the table when we eat. So this morning I got the high chair down from storage and put it in the eat in area of the kitchen. It didn't hit me until I walked away, then came back that little baby Eliza is about to sit up and sit with us at the table. Wasn't she just born like ... oh. Time really does fly.

Our thoughts are with Jenn Hambel and her impending delivery. Well wishes to the Hambel clan, check their blog for photos of Parker, even though he's scheduled to arrive next week, I have a feeling today is a good day. Then again I thought he'd be a girl.

Happy Halloween to all and remember the 31st and the 1st are a Pagan holiday, celebrating the end of summer and the beginning of the next year, so enjoy!

Trick or Treating

This past weekend saw the girls and I attend the annual mom's club trick or treating outing at a local retirement community. Morgan was Tinkerbell and Eliza was a flower. Morgan had a blast (most of the time). Halfway through she handed me her candy bag and held on to a red lollipop. She wanted to eat the lollipop and didn't care about the rest of the candy. I promised her she could have it on the couch in the lobby when we were done. The magic time came, we went to the lobby and she started looking back and forth between the four different couches. I told her it didn't matter which one, she made a bee-line for the closest and devoured it.

The Other Schorr Girl

A lot of text here about one of the girls, hows about news of Eliza, the Other Schorr Girl?

Where to begin really? She can make your heart melt when she smiles and bring out the opposite when screaming at bedtime. We had a run in with what can only be described as "Colic" which is latin for 'pissed off baby.' Our pediatrician, who has been seeing patients less than I have suggested adjusting bedtime to just before the screaming and it worked for quite awhile. Now we are tweaking the bedtime routines and hopefully it will jive soon.

Eliza is a blast to just hang out with on the couch. She loves to stand on her own and makes funny faces as she does so. She is very ticklish and does more of a fast grunting than a laugh, but we're working on it.

She spends most of the day in awe of her sister, watching her move with her mouth open almost wondering aloud, "How long until I can do that Daddy?" She is now aware of her hands and that they are indeed under her control as evidenced by her new found interest in holding things. She reaches out and grabs toys, hair, anything really. Her least favorite thing so far is standing still. I think watching her sister on the move all the time has her wishing she could do the same. Carrying her can get tiring, although I'm not sure how Kim handles them when I'm at work. Having to give each one equal attention is near impossible when one wants you to help her build a Lego tower and the other wants to walk around in your arms. (Kim's response: Caillou, Caillou, and more Caillou. Moms, you know what I'm talkin' about.) For you non-moms, Caillou is a bald French Canadian cartoon Morgan adores.

Eliza now sits up on her own in corners of chairs, so long as she can lean back against something and will rock from side to side as her head turns, again watching Morgan move around.

She is truly an absolute blast to have around and I love that she smiles when she sees me and it's not just gas. Now I'm looking forward to them blaming things on each other.

Who will raise your taxes next year?

I found this link sponsored by an independent group which allows you to enter your family's income, then how you pay for healthcare and it estimates your tax burden next year based on both candidate's tax plans. Under McCain my costs go up $100 per year. Seems not so bad...under Obama we would receive a $4500 decrease in taxes.

Try it for yourselves:
http://www.brandimation.com/ria/election08/

I even tried it with a fake income over $250,000 after all the talk about "Joe the Plumber" (not even a plumber, nor is he buying his boss' business) and I still would get a bigger tax cut under Obama. Not until I stated I would buy my own health insurance with no dependents did McCain give a bigger tax cut.

Whatever your choice this November, please remember to vote!

Morgan's Field Trip

Last Monday Morgan and I (this is Kim, by the way) went on a very exciting field trip. She had a wonderful time and impressed me with how well behaved she was.
The day started with a train ride - yes, her first trip on BART. She was very excited about the whole idea, she has seen the train from the freeway all the time and has commented on it more times than I can count. So we got our ticket, made our way through the turnstiles and onto the train. If you have every gotten on BART from our local station, you know that since it is the end of the line, the train is there for close to 10 minutes before it leaves. But Morgan wanted it to leave right when we got on. We got our seats, I explained we had to wait for other people to get on. A few people got on and Morgan said "OK, they're here, let's go!" When the train finally started moving, the look on her face was priceless; it just light up in a big surprised smile.
We had to change trains partway through our trip and she stuck right with me and enjoyed waiting at the new platform and watching the train pull into the station. Once we got to our final destination, she wanted to get on another train. I had been worried about keeping her occupied and quiet for the train ride. I needn't have worried. She spent the whole time looking out the windows and telling me every time we went into a tunnel.
Our destination was Habitot, a children's museum in Berkeley. We met up with a few other moms and kids from my mom's club. I'm not sure if "museum" is the right term for this place, but it was great. It is a really nice play and discovery space. They have different areas including a water play area, a wall to paint, clay, a couple of train tables. Morgan loved the grocery store area where she could take a shopping cart and fill it with plastic food from a few bins. There was also a diner section with menus and cash registers so they can play restaurant. I ordered a taco and a potato, and Morgan went to the bins and brought me a taco and a potato. Of course, I don't think I got the correct change, but that's ok.
On a potty training note, Morgan had no problems whatsoever that day. She even stopped in the middle of her water play, told me she needed to potty, went, and asked to go right back to the water play area again. I was worried about the time on BART because there are no bathrooms even in the stations, but she handled it perfectly. I was so proud of her.
Morgan had a great time, left with a new toy ("bouncy guy"), and had a enjoyed pointing out all the tunnels on the return train trip. Overall, Morgan and I had a great morning together without the distraction of the new baby. It was great quality time that we have been missing lately.

Schorr Family Sleep-a-thon

Raise your hand if you've had a full night's sleep in the past, oh 3 months. OK, all you people giggling have slept well and we need your sleep! Help us out by going to bed an hour later or waking an hour early and let the universe redistribute that sleep to us. Eliza wakes usually twice, Morgan now at least once and I can't even find a quiet night at work anymore. This morning I rolled out of bed at the firehouse only to look at the clock and realized we had been asleep for 3 hours since our last call. When I arrive home Kim will, I'm sure, be exhausted and both girls ready to continue their day.
So sleep less people and send those winks, z's, mimi's what ever you call them! We need them! Thank goodness my parents are coming to visit for a few days. Forget an adult date with my wife, I'm taking a nap.

Goodbye Aunt Mary

Meeting Ori

An adventure into The City today to meet little Ori, son of Teri and Dickie who was born a mere 12 hours after Eliza this summer. Even though our families are only 41 miles away, they've never met Eliza either. And when you add in that Trisha and her son Kieren (Kee-ran, I'm butchering the spelling for sure) are in town, we had to stop by. Tami and Tiffany, Trisha and Teri's sisters (for those of you having trouble following along, yes all the sister's names start with a T) also came by to meet all the little ones and visit all together. Morgan had a blast running around their old City house, up and down the stairs and Trisha colored with her a bit. Everyone passed around children so at any one time 2 people had no child to monitor. It was nice to see everyone again and finally meet Ori.

After a long drive home Morgan and Eliza were ready to climb into bed. Morgan wanted only 1 book instead of her usual 2 and closed her eyes as I left the room. My mother will simply adore this next part of the story. I hear a sudden cry from her room and open the door to see her getting out of bed. Does she have to goto the bathroom? Is she in pain? No. "We have to brush my teeth Daddy!" In all the rush to get them into bed, I had neglected to brush her teeth.

How I spent last Christmas

Thinking ahead to the holiday season I am reminded of how I spent the holidays last year, off work on disability. For those who didn’t know I had a decent accident last year at work. Decent enough to send me to the hospital in the ambulance. In remembering the event I came across pictures of the building I was in when I got hurt and I wanted to put something together to kind of commemorate it. So without being too dramatic, although I’m sure it will be, here is the story of how I spent last Christmas Vacation.

Early morning December 17th and I’m working on an Engine. A call comes in over the radio for a reported fire in a part of town not too far away and it sounds big. We get called not 5 minutes later to investigate smoke in the area a few blocks from the fire. We arrive downtown and the smoke is so thick the buses have stopped moving. Weaving around stopped cars we can barely see until we turn the corner and see the large old building with flames shooting a good 30 feet out 2 giant windows in the front. Old buildings in this part of town are usually wood frame structures with brick or stucco facades and this thing is cooking.

Our engine is one of the later ones to arrive and the fire is pushed back up the stairway before we aim our hose lines at pushing the fire back towards the large windows. Making our way up the stairs we turn and enter a large open room, I say open because there is a faint glow of fire far away in all directions.

Take a look at this video and you’ll have an idea of where we found ourselves. Take special note of where the man is dancing, near the middle in the bright red pants. The entrance to this room is below the camera and those big windows are where the fire was blowing out from. Remember that location in your mind.


We were all making progress, good progress. The theatre seating was getting knocked down and the ladder truck crews had made it to the roof and opened a large hole allowing the smoke to escape. We could see what was happening around us and most of the large room area was full of firemen tearing walls open to find hidden fire. We were shooting water into one of the balcony areas still smoldering when one of my co-workers asked if they could switch spots with me and use the nozzle. I happily obliged and moved back, picking up the hose about 6 feet behind her and helping to steady the heavy hose.

The next thing I remember is hearing someone shouting, “Hey are you all right over there?” I recall seeing the chinstrap to my helmet waving in front of my face, which was odd on account of I had tightened it around my chin and for it to be where it was meant I was face down. I answered, “I’m fine, give me a minute.” I felt an arm lift me from my shoulder and realized I was on my knees, looking down, surrounded by debris. “Help me get this guy out of here,” there was a lot of commotion around me. “Tell the Chief there’s a man down, the ceiling collapsed.” The next few minutes are blurry to me but a good friend was there helping me and told me the rest.

This photo from a few days later shows the section of ceiling that likely fell on me, an approx 4' by 8' section of wallboard and plywood that fell almost 30 feet. And yes that is our union hall next door. We saved that.

I was carried to the main stairwell and they lay me down to assess my injuries. I was holding the right side of my head and asking repetitive questions, a sign of a head injury. They began removing my fire coat to check for injuries when I asked them, “Is the building still on fire?” “Yeah” “Then put my coat back on.” I didn’t know that where I was had been a safe area. The ambulance ride became more real halfway through when I recognized the sweating, nervous Paramedic was one of the ones I had helped to train earlier in the year. After an hour or so at the
hospital I was released with diminished hearing in my right ear, a headache like I’ve never had before and the need to call Kim and tell her what had happened.

“Hey I’m running late,”
“There was a big fire on the news, are you there?”
“Not anymore.”
The next few weeks I was on medication in case my brain was bleeding and it meant no alcohol and no caffeine. That’s big for me. Everything seems to have turned out fine and I haven’t experienced anything that would make us worry, but it was a reminder that not all my work calls are B.S. Hopefully this Christmas break will go better.

Recalls and recklessness

Eliza joins me in front of the keyboard as she is screaming everywhere else we try to put her.
Her crib, made by the Jardine company, has been recalled, a second time, so we sent in the parts and received a voucher for a new crib. Check for your recalled baby items here. the first recall was due to brain dead parents assembling the front gate upside down, even though there is a big plate marked "PUSH" on the front. I guess they never noticed the letters upside down. We skipped that "recall" and just confirmed that we had in fact assembled the crib properly. This most recent recall involved the wood slats breaking and injuring 4 children. No deaths, just 4 kids got scratched. So we went to get Eliza's new crib yesterday and I assembled it this morning so Kim and I could get our room back. Eliza is not a fan of sitting still and cries as soon as we sit down. Kim just took the crying child to eat, but she has yet to settle down.

A friend of ours mentioned on her blog a guest on the Oprah show who left their daughter, unknowingly, in the car on a hot day while she went to work. Temperatures outside reached over 100 degrees, meaning inside the car was easily 150 degrees. A horrible way to die and a reminder to slow down. With all the confusion people are adding to their lives today, we all need to remember to slow down. Less activities, less work, less school. I am not immune to hurrying at times. More than once I have arrived at a destination only to find I neglected to completely secure one of my children in their car seats. It happens. But completely forgetting your child is in the car is inexcusable.
Friends have told me stories of forgetting who had what child and quickly realizing what had happened but there are people out there who can't even read simple letters on a crib to see if it is installed properly.
In the Air Force they have giant REMOVE BEFORE FLIGHT tags on the planes. If your schedule can not be altered to see if your child is indeed in the car try adding your own type of REMOVE BEFORE FLIGHT tag. Moms: Place your purse next to the car seat regardless of whether you have the child in the car or not. Each time you get in or out you will be required to look at or past where your child will be to retrieve your items. Dads, get in the habit of putting your bag or briefcase in the same place. Don't carry a bag? Place your wallet and phone where the car seat goes. If these simple tips seem too difficult to follow or you don't have "time" to do them, you need to seriously rethink your priorities.
The extra 5 minutes waiting in line at Starbucks in the mornings can be better spent checking to see if you have a human being with you or not.
Dropping Jr off at the daycare, Grandma's, a friend's...take the time to ensure you have the child and if not, find out who does.
I hate to sound overly preachy about this but the increasingly busy schedules and activities I hear families undertaking will only lead to more confusion. Buffer more time into your day or take less responsibilities into your day. I would love for Kim to return to work full time, but her salary would be eaten up by daycare and someone else would be raising our children. And I only work 9 days a month. I can't imagine the chaos that comes from both parents gone all day every day.
And I'll pass along a quick story that sums up why I can't get too mad when Eliza freaks out and won't stop crying.
Back in Mission Viejo at my father's promotion ceremony to Captain, a Chief stood at the podium trying to say a few words. The fire house apparatus floor was full of young families with a number of children and babies crying. I remember wanting them all to be quiet and we could barely hear the Chief. He said very calmly, "You know some of you may be upset about all this noise but I've learned something over the years as I'm sure most of these men have as well. A crying baby is a breathing baby. When you walked into the room on that call, that baby was silent and all you wanted to hear was that baby crying." I remember that like it was this morning and I continue to believe every word of it.
Eliza is most certainly breathing.

Morgan says the darndest things Part II

While out for our afternoon walk after dinner last night Morgan said, out of the blue, "I want to get on the school bus and go to school. Then I don't need you anymore." After further questioning she revealed that by taking the bus I would not need to drive her to school.
Soon after spilling a bit of water on the carpet she said to me calmly, "Don't touch the water daddy, I'm going to get a towel." She went into the kitchen for a towel and came back, cleaned it up and said, touching my leg, "OK daddy, you can go there now."
She is also following politics and is quick to point out "Bara Bobama" and "MaAin", now if we can get her to pronounce "Mahmoud Ahmadinejad" properly we'll be all set.

A quick word about ads

I'm sure visitors have noticed we added advertisements to the Carriage House happenings in an effort to make a little side change for the girls' college funds. Well, it is working. Those of you who are simply loading this page with your ad blocking software turned off, are making quite an impression on the folks at google who manage our ads. That's right, those are OUR ads. We choose the size, color and location and google's advertisers scramble and compete to place ads on our site based on what topic we're discussing, hence all the ads for potty training. But you may have also noticed up at the top of the page is our very own google search bar. Now you can search the google safely from Carriage House and help us out at the same time. Every time a supporter of ours does a search, it helps. Every time you choose to click on a featured ad in the results, the girls are rewarded.

So sorry if the ads are annoying or detracting from the experience here, I gave it a try and we're doing OK so far. So if you see an ad that interests you, by all means learn more.

On a related note have you been over to Justin's therapy page? It's a place for me to tell all the hilarious and ridiculous stories from work. You can also find it down on the left here under "You called 911...for this?" Oh and there are ads there too.

It's Bath Night!

Morgan loves to help Eliza take a bath and on this occasion Eliza enjoyed every minute of it. The girls seem to always smile and laugh at one another and Eliza is quite curious ofthe camera as you can see in the video below.
Grand and Grandpa McDowell are staying with us this weekend and the girls are loving it. Kim and I are also enjoying a few moments of quite here and there I'm not ashamed to say. So enjoy the video of the bath and I'll pass along more soon.


Just a quick note on the potty training front, Morgan is now doing it completely on her own and when she decides it necessary. She's still in a diaper at night, but the day time is covered. Well done Morgan!

Potty UPDATE Update

Never count your chickens before they hatch.


That comes to mind as I review my day, which was going so well, as the previous posting suggests. If you have not read it yet, please do so before continuing here.
While I was passing along to the world how wonderfully my daughter was doing at potty training she was making quite the disaster area in her room. I won't go into details in case you're eating, but let's just say I deal with stuff like that at work and I hate it. She had done so well earlier in the day and then to have such a complete regression is indeed a bummer, but we will prevail. There was a glimmer of hope when, while I was cleaning up, I heard a toilet seat close, a toilet flush and the sink turn on. I ran in to see Morgan washing her hands, "I peed daddy!" with a giant smile. She did. Not in the toilet, but she at least made it into the bathroom and we're just down 1 more pair of training pants.

Potty UPDATE

Well shiver me timbers, yesterday was talk like a pirate day.

I digress.
Morgan is doing fantastic with her potty training and is even reminding us of when she should go. We wandered off to the farmer's market this morning as we often do and we left her in the cotton training pants, no liner. Brave, I know. She was fine walking all around and riding in the stroller and when we got to the car to leave she told us she wanted to pe before we went to our next stop. Luckily we still have the little potty in the back of the car. Kim led Morgan over to a quiet spot and she went potty all by herself, no trouble at all.

The sticker chart method was altered early on to include m&ms as a reward for dry panties and using the potty, but when we're out she never asks for them. Kim and Morgan put a lot of work into this thing and is sure does make things different. In a good way.

Eliza is still using her diapers and the cloth diaper service is working out easier than I could have ever expected. I wish we had gone to it sooner. More updates as they happen...

Potty training is here

And it has us all captive! Kim and I, well mainly Kim, took the initiative this past 4 day off of work to dive headfirst into potty training. Kim set up the idea a week ahead of time by telling Morgan we would be teaching her doll, Morgan Baby, how to use the potty. We've had a potty out and waiting such a moment for well over 6 months now and have never used it.

Kim also devised a sticker reward system to let Morgan celebrate certain aspects of using the toilet the rest of us have forgotten. 1 sticker for sitting down, another for pottying, another for flushing and the fourth for washing hands. Then there are the candy rewards for having dry pants at the start of the adventure and another candy for actually pottying. It's a brilliant system and has worked well for 3 days now.

We even tried introducing an "on the road" element, using the potty at Costco, with great success. It has not been all "fun and games" however and there have been more than 1 accident, but she is only 2. This evening, while Kim was dealing with a fussy Eliza, Morgan decided to wet her training pants while looking me in the face saying, "No daddy, I don't need to pee." Then when she was put on the potty to finish that episode, I went in to put the wet pants in the bin and she wandered away. It wasn't until a few minutes later that I noticed the wet spot on the floor. "Did you have to go and pee on the floor? I asked if you were done and you said yes." "yeah." "Well, are you done going potty or do you want to do it on the floor again?" "Don't get mad at her!" Was shout whispered from the other room.

It is so frustrating when she won't do the simplest thing and yet so exciting when she wants to, succeeds and is proud of it. When she came running over to me screaming, "I peed daddy, I peed!" earlier today I got a big hug and told her, "All you need to learn now is to tie your shoes and drive and you're all set."
Since I started typing this post she has come out of her room, after bedtime, to ask if she can use the potty, event hough she is back in a diaper for the night.

It takes time I keep telling myself.

Kim read in a book today that the most important things in potty training are a positive attitude and patience. Yeah, patience, sure, whatever. I have patients at work I'm not allowed to scream at and kids at home who don't appreciate sarcasm. Day 4 tomorrow, let's hope it keeps getting better.

Dance Off! Morgan vs Morgan

Sure she dances, but I didn't notice until recently that her styles vary based on the type of music she's listening to. So here it is, the first Morgan vs Morgan Dance Off! Make a comment and tell us which dancing style you like better!



Vampire Weekend Morgan


OR



OK GO Morgan


Tell us what you think! Want to see Morgan dance to your favorite song? Mention it in your post and we'll see if she'll dance to it.

Morgan says the darndest things

Kim here again! Morgan says such great things from time to time that I thought I would share. And this way I will remember them after she stops saying them. I will update this post as needed in the future.

- Mispronunciations:
Cookie Monster is "Cookie Machachine," almost cookie machine, but not quite.
Popsicle somehow sounds like "parking lot." Not exactly sure how she does it or how to spell it, but if she asks for a parking lot while dragging you to the freezer, don't worry, she's not crazy.

-While Aunt Jennifer was visiting and we were watching Morgan ride her tricycle in the back yard, Morgan stopped and left for a minute. She came back and in response to "where did you go?" replied, "I just had to go change my mind." Of course, this was greeted by amazement and laughter so she did it repeatedly the rest of the afternoon, and a few times since. Jen and I thought it a wonderful way to get out of a conversation: "Excuse me, I have to go change my mind."

-The other day Morgan was playing with her Grandma and her magnetic letters. She said she was going to "build a word" (the TV show Word World, anyone?). She proceeded to lay out a bunch of letters, and a couple of numbers, in a big line. Once she was satisfied she ran her finger under the letters like she was reading them and pronounced, very authoritatively, "Peanuts!"

I'm learnin' me the internets

So it's obvious that the blog is undergoing changes. I'm slowly learning how to alter the code for these things and having interesting results, so if you check in and everything is out of whack, give me a few minutes, I'm "learning." Soon to come here in the pages of Word From Carriage House: Morgan plays air guitar, Eliza laughs at aforementioned activity, Kim knits and Justin juggles. OK, only 3 of those are real. As we say at work, "More to follow."

Morgan helps Eliza

When Eliza had a little bit of spit up, Morgan jumps in to save the day!

Auntie comes to play

Aunt Jennifer and Sufi came out to the suburbs to see Morgan and Eliza, and Kim too. On Monday we all went to the park.




It was windy but we had a lot of fun! Aunt Jennifer has a very busy schedule and we don't get to see her as often as we'd like and LOVE it when she comes to visit. Justin taught Morgan to say, "Hola Tia!" when she sees her, she has trouble with it in front of Jenn but acts like a native speaker alone. Jenn grabbed Justin's bicycle, which he used to ride in The City and has been sadly hanging here in the 'burbs. hopefully she can take it back home where it wants to be.

The family values candidate

So Sarah Palin tells the world that, no Trig can't be my daughter Bristol's son because, um...because she, um...IS 5 MONTHS PREGNANT! Yes, the teenage unwed daughter of the Republican Vice Presidential nominee is pregnant and marrying the father of the child, AT 17! That means she conceived this child while away from school with Mononucleosis. So she endangered the father with infection, had unprotected sex (way to go abstinence only education!) and is now carrying a child. Will this be the White House's first shotgun wedding?
I know you righties are all for gun rights but this is taking it a little too far. I smell a conspiracy here and those of you who know me, NONE of my conspiracies can be proven wrong.
So I will make this prediction: Bristol Palin will marry her "Sweetheart" and then suffer a miscarriage from the "media attention" that will then make family issues off the table. Anyone who tries to challenge Trig's actual birth mother will be labeled as trying to destroy an "already grieving family." ...OR...
Gov Palin did indeed endanger Trig when traveling 12 hours from Texas to Wasilla to give birth to a special needs child. Talk about not keeping your house in order.

Do the Republicans think we're stupid?

Sarah Palin is NOT the mother of the 4 month old child she claims is her own. I believe it is the child of her 16 year old daughter. Why do I think this?


Palin announced she was 7 months pregnant to her staff and constituents, who responded surprised. To this point and from this point on there is virtually no photographic record of her being 6-7 months pregnant, aside from photos that show her trim and fit. Here she is in March at the Newsweek Conference on Women...almost 8 months pregnant!
At this point in my wife's pregnancies she had trouble sitting, let alone sitting like that. At this same time each photo of the Gov shows her trim and fit, she even describes running vigorously, not exactly a good idea when 6 months pregnant. Meanwhile...
Her daughter is reportedly removed from school for "Mononucleosis" and stayed away for 5 months.


During this time, Gov Palin gives a speech in Texas where she claims her water breaks. A quick aside here. Breaking of bag of waters is an imminent sign of birth. From that time on amniotic fluid will escape the birth canal and increase the risk of infection. Keep in mind they knew this child has Down's Syndrome and that the birth would require immediate attention. Instead of seeking care at the nearest hospital she was taken to the airport where she neglects to advise the airline she is indeed in labor. The 8 hour flight includes a stop over in Seattle where she has a chance to goto the hospital. She instead continues to Anchorage. Once back in her home Alaska does the family meet her at the local hospital? No, they get into the car and drive an additional 45 minutes to Wasilla where she, reportedly, gives birth to Trig.


3 days later Gov Palin is back at work. With a premature critical needs child at home. Talk about bad decision making. And in every photo guess who is holding and comforting young Trig? Bristol. Incase you wondered what Sarah Palin looked like in prevoius pregnancies at this same point:


They really do think we're not paying attention. Or is this just a ploy to rob Obama of a 4 day press cycle so she can back out during the convention citing, "Family reasons?"

See Daddy, it's seven

My original purpose when showing Morgan the numbers on the clock, was mainly to explain it out loud so I didn't get angry. You see Morgan, like her father before her, is an early riser. Ever since she figured out a few weeks ago that you can open the bedroom door "all by the self" she is now waking early and wandering. The title of this post may be misleading. If she waited until what you and I can seven o'clock, fantastic. Apparently when I explained how the clock works I failed to get through to her the concept of the turning hands, since apparently every time she looks at it, it has a seven on it. Maybe digital would work better. But then I picture her waiting until 5:37 and coming out. "See Daddy," she'll exclaim next to a sleeping Eliza, "it's seven!"
This morning was the latest in awhile, she awoke at 6 and I coaxed her back into bed until she climbed into our bed at 7:37 with the above exclamation. She was not incorrect today, but I already have to get up for work in the dark, should I have to on my days off as well? Groan.
We've tried the whole, "You can play quietly in your room" bit, that lasted about a week. So now we're going to bed earlier (OK we often say "Why are we still up?") not because the baby will wake us up, but instead the 3 foot noise machine that is The Morgan.
So mornings start with a sigh, a robe, Caillou on the TV (only after 7, hence the magic time) milk and a bowl of dry cereal. Then she'll look at me and, without even a smile, say "Make coffee Daddy, you want coffee."

What are you reading?

I was at the dentist's office yesterday with my book, 'cause I knew I'd be waiting, when the hygenist asked me what I was reading. Avoiding the obvious answer, "A book," I tried to describe the book I was reading. I found it difficult to answer the question. Do I mention the authors since they were somewhat well known to me and mine? Do I go into the plot? Do I describe the lead character who is in other books by these authors? I was so worried about answering with something useful that we reached the chair before I could answer. When I finally had an answer, she was cleaning my teeth. Too late.
So it got me wondering, why do I read the books I enjoy? I thought I'd rattle off a few of my favorites and why I like them and the list got confusing so I'm sharing it with you all here in the interwebs.

The Dark Tower Series by Steven King. This series of 7 books was started when King was young and was actually his first published piece. The idea has carried through his entire career and culmonated in 2005 with the finale. I loved this series, in part, because it blends the old fashioned feelings of a western, sci-fi twists and turns in a post-apocalypse world and ancient mythology. The way he writes is just magnificent, of course, but the stories have back stories and if you've read any other King wirks, they all tie together in the Dark Tower series.

Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child The Pendergast novels are fun, but these 2 have been writing together for awhile now. They often involve the New York Natural History Museum and bits about Old New York while set in modern day. The twists usually revolve around some ancient little known artifact that unusual things happen around. The first one I ever experienced was "Riptide" and we heard it on tape driving from New Mexico to Laughlin, Nevada. I remember driving to the boat launch slowly so we could hear the end of the story. I'm currently in the middle of "Wheel of Darkness" and enjoying it very much.

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. When I asked my father, soon after Morgan was born, what his political views were, he told me to read this book. I don't agree 100% with the message, but then again when do we ever accept something 100%. It's a fun read with a philosophical message built right in.

I'll add more as I think of them, what are you reading and why?