He seemed healthy for so long. Occasionally doing something odd, sure, but everything seemed fine. Now he is dead and we don't know why. It looks like everything is fine, but there is no picture. It looks like just the cover is closed but, no, it is open, and nothing.
The video camera is dead.
It was shaky when I was transferring the fire helmet videos, often pixelating and going green in some places, but I assumed it was the old tape, not the camera.
It was the camera.
So now of our 3 cameras, only 1 is functional, my nice DSLR. So pictures and video of the girls will be halted until we can get back into the store and get a new camera, hopefully that can pull double duty.
Anyone want to buy a video camera cheap?
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Boomp-Beedle-ee
This the sound Morgan has been making as she and Eliza navigate the line of couch pillows now in a straight line on the floor. Morgan arranges them and Eliza watches, occasionally shrieking what can only be interpreted as approval.
With the carefulness of a mad dash for free food, Morgan runs down the line of pillows and shouts,
"Boomp-Beedle-ee" and falls diwn onto the pillows, causing Eliza to erupt in laughter.
Where did she learn such a strange word? From Jeana of course. This was the sound she made when someone would trip or fall, or make as though they were about to. Apparently I learned it and use it often enough that Mona has picked it up in common speech.
So the game of Boomp-Beedle-ee continues until Eliza gets involved on the pillows, blocking Morgan's running path. Eliza crawls up, lays down on the pillow with her head to one side, arms down near her hips and smiles and laughs. We call this a "bing." Not sure why.
This morning they are playing with the Winny the Pooh Fire Engine riding toy that makes all the sounds. Eliza enjoys sitting on it and being pushed, she has yet to master the art of riding it alone. Morgan, on the other hand, will car jack her every chance she gets.
So back to the coffee, Kim back to her paper and the girls back to pressing every single noise making button on the fire engine toy.
EDIT - Kim says, "and Eliza stood on her own yesterday."
With the carefulness of a mad dash for free food, Morgan runs down the line of pillows and shouts,
"Boomp-Beedle-ee" and falls diwn onto the pillows, causing Eliza to erupt in laughter.
Where did she learn such a strange word? From Jeana of course. This was the sound she made when someone would trip or fall, or make as though they were about to. Apparently I learned it and use it often enough that Mona has picked it up in common speech.
So the game of Boomp-Beedle-ee continues until Eliza gets involved on the pillows, blocking Morgan's running path. Eliza crawls up, lays down on the pillow with her head to one side, arms down near her hips and smiles and laughs. We call this a "bing." Not sure why.
This morning they are playing with the Winny the Pooh Fire Engine riding toy that makes all the sounds. Eliza enjoys sitting on it and being pushed, she has yet to master the art of riding it alone. Morgan, on the other hand, will car jack her every chance she gets.
So back to the coffee, Kim back to her paper and the girls back to pressing every single noise making button on the fire engine toy.
EDIT - Kim says, "and Eliza stood on her own yesterday."
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
A quiet day at Carriage House
A quiet day for us begins at 4 AM with Cleo crying to go out. She refuses to use her litter box in the garage.
Then on to 6:45 when Morgan awakes announcing she has wet the bed.
The new garage door went in this morning, he arrived just before 830.
830 was when the producer of the BBC show I'm going to be on called to get background info and ask me a ton of questions about the fire departments in the USA. I told him what I hoped to accomplish with the project and he sounded very excited.
930 was when I called Mark in England to relay how well the meeting went with the BBC and Kim and Morgan left for story time around 10.
1130 Had us eating lunch and Morgan and I deciding last minute to grab a train and head into the City for the big rally at City Hall. we were a little late, but got to make it into the rotunda with the others and show our disgust with the budget cuts the supervisors were trying to make.
Morgan passed out asleep on the car ride back from BART and we came home around 4 to Kim making dinner for a Mom's club friend.
So there it is, a standard day at Carriage House.
Then on to 6:45 when Morgan awakes announcing she has wet the bed.
The new garage door went in this morning, he arrived just before 830.
830 was when the producer of the BBC show I'm going to be on called to get background info and ask me a ton of questions about the fire departments in the USA. I told him what I hoped to accomplish with the project and he sounded very excited.
930 was when I called Mark in England to relay how well the meeting went with the BBC and Kim and Morgan left for story time around 10.
1130 Had us eating lunch and Morgan and I deciding last minute to grab a train and head into the City for the big rally at City Hall. we were a little late, but got to make it into the rotunda with the others and show our disgust with the budget cuts the supervisors were trying to make.
Morgan passed out asleep on the car ride back from BART and we came home around 4 to Kim making dinner for a Mom's club friend.
So there it is, a standard day at Carriage House.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Morgan sings Popular
The volume is low and she doesn't sing much but she LOVESto watch clips from the musical on YouTube. Thank goodness she likes this instead of the Wiggles. Drives me nuts listening to that stuff.
Updates, updates
Well, it was coming sooner or later, we all knew it.
Not Morgan's 16th birthday (shudder) or Eliza's prom (double shudder) but the time to close public access to the blog.
The exciting news we've been hinting about for awhile is becoming a reality.
I will be participating in a Paramedic exchange of sorts. I will travel to England to see how they run things first hand and a UK medic I met through the work blog will come here to see how we do things. and all of it will be filmed for a BBC documentary. That documentary will then be used as a kind of "pilot" episode for a more in depth series to be filmed some time next year.
And since the names will be out and the documentary shown all over the world, the words from Carriage House will need to be protected from looky loos.
So one day before too long when you try to access the blog, you will be asked to sign in with a blogger.com screen name and password. then you'll need to be invited to read, but you can request that from the same screen as the sign up I believe. Sorry ahead of time, but security is about to become a kind of issue.
In other news, Eliza has 7 confident teeth and is still flirting with the ideas of talking and walking. Morgan is becoming more of a handful each day and, like a trapped T-Rex, is constantly testing the boundaries of our patience.
The girls do play well together now that Eliza can hold her own against the Mona. when Eliza gives chase as Morgan leaves a room Eliza gets excited and starts to talk, which makes Morgan shreek and run. But when she runs she calls Eliza "Fafazu." We don't really know what that means either, so don't ask. But it is hilarious to hear "Run! it's fafazu!" see Morgan go flying by and hear the thunk thunk shuffle that is Eliza on the wood floor.
And Eliza now knows how to turn on the alphabet singing toy. It's still cute for now, try me back tonight and we'll see if I feel the same way.
And that is the news from Carriage House.
Not Morgan's 16th birthday (shudder) or Eliza's prom (double shudder) but the time to close public access to the blog.
The exciting news we've been hinting about for awhile is becoming a reality.
I will be participating in a Paramedic exchange of sorts. I will travel to England to see how they run things first hand and a UK medic I met through the work blog will come here to see how we do things. and all of it will be filmed for a BBC documentary. That documentary will then be used as a kind of "pilot" episode for a more in depth series to be filmed some time next year.
And since the names will be out and the documentary shown all over the world, the words from Carriage House will need to be protected from looky loos.
So one day before too long when you try to access the blog, you will be asked to sign in with a blogger.com screen name and password. then you'll need to be invited to read, but you can request that from the same screen as the sign up I believe. Sorry ahead of time, but security is about to become a kind of issue.
In other news, Eliza has 7 confident teeth and is still flirting with the ideas of talking and walking. Morgan is becoming more of a handful each day and, like a trapped T-Rex, is constantly testing the boundaries of our patience.
The girls do play well together now that Eliza can hold her own against the Mona. when Eliza gives chase as Morgan leaves a room Eliza gets excited and starts to talk, which makes Morgan shreek and run. But when she runs she calls Eliza "Fafazu." We don't really know what that means either, so don't ask. But it is hilarious to hear "Run! it's fafazu!" see Morgan go flying by and hear the thunk thunk shuffle that is Eliza on the wood floor.
And Eliza now knows how to turn on the alphabet singing toy. It's still cute for now, try me back tonight and we'll see if I feel the same way.
And that is the news from Carriage House.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Slowly returning to 'normal'
The house is slowly returning to what we would call normal. The snot isn't flowing from tender noses, the coughs are fewer and farther in between. Sleep is returning to regular and only Cleo cries in the middle of the night.
In the midst of all the sickness, Morgan has gone a few nights without a diaper. It is still a challenge to get her to potty before bed and she often simply says, "I don't want to potty, I want a diaper." But she awakens in a good mood and has even awakened before Kim and I go to sleep to potty without a diaper.
She's getting there.
Justin is at work for the weekend, paying back a trade from our trip in May.
The Department is so screwed up when it comes to EMS service, it really makes my head hurt when they make suggestions that make absolutely no sense at all. The new suggestion is to limit the number of paramedics on fire engines in an effort to save money. This means virtually the elimination of overtime for paramedics, while hiring firefighters on overtime to fill the empty paramedic spots.
It is likely to change on Monday and if it does it will make San Francisco one of the least safe cities to get hurt in in California, possibly the United States, when actually implemented.
But then again, what do I know, I'm not an expert in these things or anything.
I'm going to go get a smile back on my face by looking at pictures of my girls.
In the midst of all the sickness, Morgan has gone a few nights without a diaper. It is still a challenge to get her to potty before bed and she often simply says, "I don't want to potty, I want a diaper." But she awakens in a good mood and has even awakened before Kim and I go to sleep to potty without a diaper.
She's getting there.
Justin is at work for the weekend, paying back a trade from our trip in May.
The Department is so screwed up when it comes to EMS service, it really makes my head hurt when they make suggestions that make absolutely no sense at all. The new suggestion is to limit the number of paramedics on fire engines in an effort to save money. This means virtually the elimination of overtime for paramedics, while hiring firefighters on overtime to fill the empty paramedic spots.
It is likely to change on Monday and if it does it will make San Francisco one of the least safe cities to get hurt in in California, possibly the United States, when actually implemented.
But then again, what do I know, I'm not an expert in these things or anything.
I'm going to go get a smile back on my face by looking at pictures of my girls.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
The plague must have sucked
The whole house is sick. Morgan has pneumonia, Eliza an ear infection and deep cough, Kim and I both have similar symptoms to both girls and feel lousy. It really stops us in our tracks since we enjoy going places and doing things together.
But instead we're all mostly stuck at home.
Eliza has a cough and is congested which makes her very unhappy, but she's being medicated and is feeling OK when awake and fed. Right now she's wandering around pushing her walker. She stops to look at herself in the mirror, then moves a bit forward and looks again. She has 6 teeth now, 2 up, 4 down. She's on antibiotics for the infections, her first course ever.
Morgan is feeling better on her first course of antibiotics as well. We were so proud to avoid them this far, but to hear Morgan's cough and how miserable she was, something had to be done. She was well enough to go with me to Costco today and coughed only 1 or 2 times.
So we'll be medicating and waiting for this to pass along.
But instead we're all mostly stuck at home.
Eliza has a cough and is congested which makes her very unhappy, but she's being medicated and is feeling OK when awake and fed. Right now she's wandering around pushing her walker. She stops to look at herself in the mirror, then moves a bit forward and looks again. She has 6 teeth now, 2 up, 4 down. She's on antibiotics for the infections, her first course ever.
Morgan is feeling better on her first course of antibiotics as well. We were so proud to avoid them this far, but to hear Morgan's cough and how miserable she was, something had to be done. She was well enough to go with me to Costco today and coughed only 1 or 2 times.
So we'll be medicating and waiting for this to pass along.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Sick Sickly
Morgan is recovering slowly with a diagnosis of pneumonia. 10 days of antibiotics should clear up the infection that had her exhausted, with no appetite, for almost 3 solid days. Her fever broke yesterday and she's still warm, but the tylenol seems to be keeping it in check.
Eliza awoke this morning with a cough, but in a good mood. Often she just wants to wander the floor looking for food, but this morning she sat next to me cuddling on the couch watching the news. From time to time she would see something she liked and point to it, look at me and try to say something.
Now at the table, feeding her breakfast, she refuses to let me feed her, she wants to do it herself. Very little food is actually reaching her mouth, most is falling quite short.
But they're both smiling and Kim is getting some rest.
Eliza awoke this morning with a cough, but in a good mood. Often she just wants to wander the floor looking for food, but this morning she sat next to me cuddling on the couch watching the news. From time to time she would see something she liked and point to it, look at me and try to say something.
Now at the table, feeding her breakfast, she refuses to let me feed her, she wants to do it herself. Very little food is actually reaching her mouth, most is falling quite short.
But they're both smiling and Kim is getting some rest.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
That was weird
No, not that.
Earlier today I was out washing the cars in the driveway. It was hot today, but nothing like it's going to be in the summer. I had the sun in my eyes when I started so I grabbed an old hat off the shelf and got to work.
By the end of the second car I felt like I was going to burn up from the inside. Not a heat stroke moment, not even a heat exhaustion (yes, they're different), just a "fear" of the sunlight. As if I developed a sudden case of photo sensitivity. For the next few hours I was drinking fluids, Kim got me a wet cloth for my head and neck, but I just couldn't shake this feeling of overwhelming heat from the sun.
Even after a shower and a popsicle I felt a little off, getting out to the bar-b-q with dinner was a challenge, but then I felt a bit hungry and had a snack. Keep in mind I already had dinner with no change in condition, even a snack right before.
It was an orange chocolate stick that made it all better. Almost like a switch got flipped in my hypothalamus under the tag "Orange Stick."
Maybe it was the standing infront of the fridge, or the fluids finally kicked in but, well, that was weird.
In other news not of the Justin feeling odd variety...well let's stay there for just another minute. I grabbed my phone out this afternoon to call and wish my mother a happy birthday when the date on the phone said I had missed it. *smacked head*. We were just there and their birthdays are easy to remember (5,10,15 Morgan, Meadow, Jerry) and 5 25 52. No guessing needed. Somewhere in all the Eliza standing, Morgan remarkably smart, yet unable to calm herself down, I missed an entire day.
So Happy Belated Birthday, Mom. I am a retard for missing it, no argument there, I just wish there weren't so many distractions these days. TV, cell phones, blogs, more blogs, facebook, flickr, upload the pictures, download the files, go here, go there. Oregon was so much calmer.
We do indeed look forward to pulling off at the Merlin exit and going through the woods to that house. It is indeed another home for us.
But I digress.
Eliza, as I said, stands well, walks with asistance, but isn't scooting along the furniture quite yet. At this age Morgan was not only already walking, but at 11 months had mastered crouching down to pick things up.
Speaking of the Mona, she has an amazing ability to make us forget she is only a new 3 years old and not 6 or 7. Her deductive skills and ability to change verb tense is not only neat, but she also introduces new words to us. The other day she found Cleo's comb, a small tight grouping of stiff metal brushes. she brought it to me and explained that it should not be located somewhere Eliza might find it, it is too sharp. She turned to walk away, stopped and turned back, "No Daddy, it's too prickly."
Prickly? As opposed to sharp? Briliant that one.
Then onto the after dinner time tonight and Morgan had a complete nuclear meltdown. Heat rash around her neck and arms, muffled crys and whines, screams when anyone but mommy tries to comfort her, and even then. Like a different girl. then after all the drama and the bath, she seems to smile and calmly get her PJs on. After repeated requests, of course.
It's been one weird day here at Carriage House. Let's see what tomorrow has in store.
Earlier today I was out washing the cars in the driveway. It was hot today, but nothing like it's going to be in the summer. I had the sun in my eyes when I started so I grabbed an old hat off the shelf and got to work.
By the end of the second car I felt like I was going to burn up from the inside. Not a heat stroke moment, not even a heat exhaustion (yes, they're different), just a "fear" of the sunlight. As if I developed a sudden case of photo sensitivity. For the next few hours I was drinking fluids, Kim got me a wet cloth for my head and neck, but I just couldn't shake this feeling of overwhelming heat from the sun.
Even after a shower and a popsicle I felt a little off, getting out to the bar-b-q with dinner was a challenge, but then I felt a bit hungry and had a snack. Keep in mind I already had dinner with no change in condition, even a snack right before.
It was an orange chocolate stick that made it all better. Almost like a switch got flipped in my hypothalamus under the tag "Orange Stick."
Maybe it was the standing infront of the fridge, or the fluids finally kicked in but, well, that was weird.
In other news not of the Justin feeling odd variety...well let's stay there for just another minute. I grabbed my phone out this afternoon to call and wish my mother a happy birthday when the date on the phone said I had missed it. *smacked head*. We were just there and their birthdays are easy to remember (5,10,15 Morgan, Meadow, Jerry) and 5 25 52. No guessing needed. Somewhere in all the Eliza standing, Morgan remarkably smart, yet unable to calm herself down, I missed an entire day.
So Happy Belated Birthday, Mom. I am a retard for missing it, no argument there, I just wish there weren't so many distractions these days. TV, cell phones, blogs, more blogs, facebook, flickr, upload the pictures, download the files, go here, go there. Oregon was so much calmer.
We do indeed look forward to pulling off at the Merlin exit and going through the woods to that house. It is indeed another home for us.
But I digress.
Eliza, as I said, stands well, walks with asistance, but isn't scooting along the furniture quite yet. At this age Morgan was not only already walking, but at 11 months had mastered crouching down to pick things up.
Speaking of the Mona, she has an amazing ability to make us forget she is only a new 3 years old and not 6 or 7. Her deductive skills and ability to change verb tense is not only neat, but she also introduces new words to us. The other day she found Cleo's comb, a small tight grouping of stiff metal brushes. she brought it to me and explained that it should not be located somewhere Eliza might find it, it is too sharp. She turned to walk away, stopped and turned back, "No Daddy, it's too prickly."
Prickly? As opposed to sharp? Briliant that one.
Then onto the after dinner time tonight and Morgan had a complete nuclear meltdown. Heat rash around her neck and arms, muffled crys and whines, screams when anyone but mommy tries to comfort her, and even then. Like a different girl. then after all the drama and the bath, she seems to smile and calmly get her PJs on. After repeated requests, of course.
It's been one weird day here at Carriage House. Let's see what tomorrow has in store.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Back from Camp
We're back home after a long week up at Camp Gray Wolf in Grant's Pass, Oregon.
We always enjoy leaving all the pavement behind and running for the hills, especially with two ready and willing babysitters wishing we'd leave them the children.
Kim and I got some much needed relaxation and the girls a good dose of life amongst the trees.
I'd love to post a ton of pics, but someone already has.
Head over to the Gray Wolf site HERE and see what we all got into while on our little "Vay Cay."
Instead of a bunch of paragraphs, I'll just leave you with some of the more memorable lines from the week:
"Morgan, why do you have a piece of bacon and a cookie?"
"Grandma said I could."
"Mom?"
"She said please..."
"Where's Eliza?" Morgan whispered after Eliza woke up and was "removed" from the room. The girls shared and it worked rather well. At least the last 2-3 nights anyway.
"That cash register on the floor..."
"Yes?"
"It says 'free' what does that mean?"
"It means it's yours!"
So now we have a 1930s cash register. Looks really cool.
"Since my usual salutation seems oddly self serving I will leave you with this. Good luck."
A line from Star Trek. We actually got to go to the movies. $6 too. Gotta love Oregon.
"Bahoooo"
Eliza learning to start her own game of peek a boo with my hat. She pulls it off my head and says a muffled form of 'boo.' Adorable.
So there you have it. Combined with Grandma and Grandpa's picture diary over at the Gray Wolf blog, you have most of the story. But the best part by far, I think, was when we went to see the horse and Morgan was so scared at first until Eliza climbed up with grandma without batting an eyelash. Morgan went from scared to confident and wanted up onto Sugar right then and there. Just as mom got Morgan situated in the saddle and the reins into her hands Morgan says, "GIDDYUP!"
Priceless.
Thanks mom and dad for a great week, as usual.
We always enjoy leaving all the pavement behind and running for the hills, especially with two ready and willing babysitters wishing we'd leave them the children.
Kim and I got some much needed relaxation and the girls a good dose of life amongst the trees.
I'd love to post a ton of pics, but someone already has.
Head over to the Gray Wolf site HERE and see what we all got into while on our little "Vay Cay."
Instead of a bunch of paragraphs, I'll just leave you with some of the more memorable lines from the week:
"Morgan, why do you have a piece of bacon and a cookie?"
"Grandma said I could."
"Mom?"
"She said please..."
"Where's Eliza?" Morgan whispered after Eliza woke up and was "removed" from the room. The girls shared and it worked rather well. At least the last 2-3 nights anyway.
"That cash register on the floor..."
"Yes?"
"It says 'free' what does that mean?"
"It means it's yours!"
So now we have a 1930s cash register. Looks really cool.
"Since my usual salutation seems oddly self serving I will leave you with this. Good luck."
A line from Star Trek. We actually got to go to the movies. $6 too. Gotta love Oregon.
"Bahoooo"
Eliza learning to start her own game of peek a boo with my hat. She pulls it off my head and says a muffled form of 'boo.' Adorable.
So there you have it. Combined with Grandma and Grandpa's picture diary over at the Gray Wolf blog, you have most of the story. But the best part by far, I think, was when we went to see the horse and Morgan was so scared at first until Eliza climbed up with grandma without batting an eyelash. Morgan went from scared to confident and wanted up onto Sugar right then and there. Just as mom got Morgan situated in the saddle and the reins into her hands Morgan says, "GIDDYUP!"
Priceless.
Thanks mom and dad for a great week, as usual.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Photography 101 with Morgan
I never would have thought such a gift would be so exciting for her, but for Christmas Linda got Morgan her own little digital camera. It is specifically designed for kids and burns through AA batteries like nothing.
We recently replaced the batteries and tonight Morgan brought it to me and told me to sit in the middle of the floor, she was going to take my picture.
And it was on. We spent the next hour taking pictures in and around the house.
And now, Morgan will tell you what each picture is and I will do my best to type it the way she says it.
Picture 1.
That's Eliza my baby sister playing in the libing rooms.
Picture 2
That's my park.
Picture 3
Those are rocks. i took a picture of that flowers cause I want to take a picture. I want take a picture now. It was fun. I'm tired.
I thought this would last longer, but now she is more interested in drawing than describing her photos.
More soon, I promise.
We recently replaced the batteries and tonight Morgan brought it to me and told me to sit in the middle of the floor, she was going to take my picture.
And it was on. We spent the next hour taking pictures in and around the house.And now, Morgan will tell you what each picture is and I will do my best to type it the way she says it.
Picture 1.
That's Eliza my baby sister playing in the libing rooms.
Picture 2
That's my park.Picture 3
Those are rocks. i took a picture of that flowers cause I want to take a picture. I want take a picture now. It was fun. I'm tired.I thought this would last longer, but now she is more interested in drawing than describing her photos.
More soon, I promise.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Wicked
Kim and Justin took the opportunity with Ken and Linda in town to go see Wicked again.
We left the girls in their care and took the train into the City. It's always neat to go into the City when not on duty, I can enjoy it more.
Kim did a great job getting us a room at the Westin St Francis Hotel, the only building in Union square to survive the great earthquake and fire.
We got the room on Priceline, of all places, and for a steal. Almost 70% off regular price.
We had a fantastic dinner at a place called First Crush, a wine bar and restaurant. The only folks eating dinner in the City before 9 PM are parents and folks going to the show. All three of the tables in our area were headed to the Orpheum Theater for the 8 PM curtain.
The show was fantastic. When we saw it pre-broadway we loved it and when we got the soundtrack there were new songs we hadn't seen, so this gave us a chance to see the numbers that go with them.
The leads were both played by their standbys and I can't imagine the leads doing any better. A few of the songs were tweaked a bit and they changed the ending (I want the big hat back) but all in all we are glad we went.
After the show we went back to the hotel and had a cocktail in the grand lobby of the St Francis. In my great grandmother's day, not just anyone was allowed to do that.There was a time, long ago, when certain places excluded people based on certain reasons. Some were unfair, others made perfect sense. Kim and I were dressed to the 9s. One step below formal, I'd say, and we wanted to fit in with the theater and hotel crowd, since this is one of the luxury hotels in the City. This photo is a few years old and there is a large seating area where the table and benches are, but the rest looks the same.
When we got to the lobby bar we were almost overdressed. As Kim sipped her wine, and I my scotch, a man in basketball shorts and a t-shirt drank a draft beer. This is not your average hotel lobby. This is the original lobby, the grand lobby, from the 1860s. Back then it was about who you were, now it's about how many people they can get in the doors.
Oh well. We slept in and loved it.
When we returned from our adventure, the girls had been perfectly happy without us, meaning any time we feel like we need a weekend away, we'll just fly a grandparent or two out and we're all set.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Following the Leader
One of the songs from Morgan's new favorite movie, Peter Pan, is Following the Leader.
It's catchy and fun to sing. Even more fun is listening to Morgan sing it behind Eliza in the stroller and Eliza shaking her arms and trying to sing along.
A few mornings back, however, I realized just how long this song has been sung by children.
Peter Pan first appeared in a 1902 short story, later in J M Barrie's novels and in the 1953 Disney film Peter Pan.
The film version has some fantastic songs along with the classic animation and a peak into life at the turn of the century.
But this song's chorus, the "De-dum Dee-dee," has to be the most recognizable part.
At Target the other morning, Morgan and I were wandering the isles, holding hands when she started into the following the leader song. Most of the other children might sing a Hannah Montana song or the opening theme of their favorite cartoon show, but Morgan likes her Peter Pan.
As she was singing and skipping along, an elderly couple was walking past us. That tune must have sparked their memories because as we passed they stopped dead in their tracks to watch her go by. No doubt their minds raced back to when their children did the same thing dressed as John and the Lost Boys oh so long ago.
Morgan has sung and skipped past folks before, but never has someone stopped and watched with a smile on their face, let alone 2 of them.
I can only assume it was this song that did it. And that was pretty cool.
It's catchy and fun to sing. Even more fun is listening to Morgan sing it behind Eliza in the stroller and Eliza shaking her arms and trying to sing along.
A few mornings back, however, I realized just how long this song has been sung by children.
Peter Pan first appeared in a 1902 short story, later in J M Barrie's novels and in the 1953 Disney film Peter Pan.
The film version has some fantastic songs along with the classic animation and a peak into life at the turn of the century.
But this song's chorus, the "De-dum Dee-dee," has to be the most recognizable part.
At Target the other morning, Morgan and I were wandering the isles, holding hands when she started into the following the leader song. Most of the other children might sing a Hannah Montana song or the opening theme of their favorite cartoon show, but Morgan likes her Peter Pan.
As she was singing and skipping along, an elderly couple was walking past us. That tune must have sparked their memories because as we passed they stopped dead in their tracks to watch her go by. No doubt their minds raced back to when their children did the same thing dressed as John and the Lost Boys oh so long ago.
Morgan has sung and skipped past folks before, but never has someone stopped and watched with a smile on their face, let alone 2 of them.
I can only assume it was this song that did it. And that was pretty cool.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Where are they now?
Here are the finalists from the Orange County Fire Department's Explorer calendar sometime between 1991 and 1993.
One of them is still buttoning his coat, while the other seems to have figured out his equipment much faster and stands proudly, helmet tucked tight under one arm.
Sorry D, I had to. Thanks to D's mom for finding this long lost pic!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Camping
Morgan has been talking about our camping trip for weeks.
We were planning on meeting our new friends at a campsite in the hills of the East Bay. They have a pull behind trailer, which I'll get into detail about later, and we would be in the tent. When I say "we" I mean Morgan and Justin because dealing with Eliza at room temperature and controlled conditions is bad enough.
We loaded up the car on Saturday and drove, just Morgan and I, to the campsite. On the way I heard her having little conversations with the Daddy in her head.
"Can I watch movies?"
"No sweetie there is no TV at camping."
"Please?"
"I said no"
"OK"
I hear that all from the back seat.
I also hear her telling me all about her new friend Faith who will be there and Faith's mommy and daddy, the friends I mentioned earlier.
The girls had an absolute blast together. Running around the campsite, going for little hikes and running about looking adorable were on their schedules and they did everything.
They even invented their own game called "beers."
"Let's play beers!" one of them would shout. As the fathers proudly looked on the girls collected bottle caps and slid them across the star covered table cloth on the picnic table.
"I win!" One of them would shout and Jason, Faith's daddy, and I would make game pieces.
After dinner both girls got to make and eat their first Smores treat. Morgan was more interested in the chocolate as opposed to her father who thought the whole thing was just awesome. I don't recall camping this young, but if I did, I hope my dad felt like I did.
They trailer was nice. It had all the amenities one would expect and a couple of slide out sleeping areas giving Morgan and I room if we chose to climb in away from the wind and the cold.
Morgan climbed hesitantly into the tent and got her PJs on, her eyelids heavy as I told her her 2 favorite stories "Morgan and the Dragon" and "The day Daddy met his Baby Morgan." Sleepy and slurred, she mutters, "Where will you sleep?" "Right next to you in the tent." She smiled herself asleep.
Back out in the wind I see Jason's Guinness sweatshirt right up near the fire, his cold body bundled inside.
We've known each other only a few short months, having met online and later in person thanks to Dylan Reinhold, who came the next day for lunch with his daughter.
Jason and I exchanged brief tales of husbandhood and fatherhood before deciding to get in and away from the wind. The little heater in his trailer kicked on as he entered and stayed on until well after I had climbed into the tent and next to the sleeping Morgan.
She coughed all night.
She never awoke, I would every so often whisper her name to see if she was awake or not, but only got a response early on when she wanted a drink of water, which was outside.
It was a night on an air mattress in a tent in the hills of Northern California.
As soon as you could reliably say it was more light than dark Morgan was awake and bolt upright in the tent, half out of the sleeping bag.
"Daddy it's morning, the sun is up."
"Only technically I said." And she did her signature crumpled nose face with her new favorite phrase.
"Whhhhat?" which sounds almost like "hot" but not in any funny way at, check the phone, 5:12 AM.
We talked for at least 30 minutes and listened to all the birds now sitting in the trees overhead. Morgan did her best turkey call and imitated a crow quite well before I decided it was time to get up and get the coffee going. It was cold. Not the coldest camping trip morning in memory, but huddle by the camping stove cold. Morgan in 2 jackets cold. But it didn't phase her one bit.
"Is Faith awake yet?" she asked every few minutes until Faith and her daddy did eventually emerge as did the sunshine to warm the camp.
The girls and their daddies went for a decent hike after breakfast looking for animal sign which Morgan reads about in a book Jerry gave her, Who Pooped in the North Woods? all about sign and scat.
When we returned the sweaters came off and the sun was shining.
Dylan Nikki and Chloe arrived and were soon followed by Kim and Eliza who all gathered for lunch at the campsite. We enjoyed burgers, dogs, chicken and steak, all from the neat grill that attaches right to the side of the trailer. The tent has no such feature.
It was quite the enjoyable event for all, especially the Park Rangers who insisted that, even though sites 8,9,10,11 and 12 were empty, we had to move cars around. That whole story just gets my riled up so I'm skipping it.
In the end Kim drove the prius home and I had the girls in the CRV. As we were driving down the windy road out of the park I asked Morgan what her favorite park of camping was.
"Sleeping in the tent next to Daddy!" and not more than 2 minutes later, the car ride had her fast asleep and I smiled most of the hour long drive home.
We were planning on meeting our new friends at a campsite in the hills of the East Bay. They have a pull behind trailer, which I'll get into detail about later, and we would be in the tent. When I say "we" I mean Morgan and Justin because dealing with Eliza at room temperature and controlled conditions is bad enough.
We loaded up the car on Saturday and drove, just Morgan and I, to the campsite. On the way I heard her having little conversations with the Daddy in her head.
"Can I watch movies?"
"No sweetie there is no TV at camping."
"Please?"
"I said no"
"OK"
I hear that all from the back seat.
I also hear her telling me all about her new friend Faith who will be there and Faith's mommy and daddy, the friends I mentioned earlier.
The girls had an absolute blast together. Running around the campsite, going for little hikes and running about looking adorable were on their schedules and they did everything.
They even invented their own game called "beers."
"Let's play beers!" one of them would shout. As the fathers proudly looked on the girls collected bottle caps and slid them across the star covered table cloth on the picnic table.
"I win!" One of them would shout and Jason, Faith's daddy, and I would make game pieces.
After dinner both girls got to make and eat their first Smores treat. Morgan was more interested in the chocolate as opposed to her father who thought the whole thing was just awesome. I don't recall camping this young, but if I did, I hope my dad felt like I did.
They trailer was nice. It had all the amenities one would expect and a couple of slide out sleeping areas giving Morgan and I room if we chose to climb in away from the wind and the cold.
Morgan climbed hesitantly into the tent and got her PJs on, her eyelids heavy as I told her her 2 favorite stories "Morgan and the Dragon" and "The day Daddy met his Baby Morgan." Sleepy and slurred, she mutters, "Where will you sleep?" "Right next to you in the tent." She smiled herself asleep.
Back out in the wind I see Jason's Guinness sweatshirt right up near the fire, his cold body bundled inside.
We've known each other only a few short months, having met online and later in person thanks to Dylan Reinhold, who came the next day for lunch with his daughter.
Jason and I exchanged brief tales of husbandhood and fatherhood before deciding to get in and away from the wind. The little heater in his trailer kicked on as he entered and stayed on until well after I had climbed into the tent and next to the sleeping Morgan.
She coughed all night.
She never awoke, I would every so often whisper her name to see if she was awake or not, but only got a response early on when she wanted a drink of water, which was outside.
It was a night on an air mattress in a tent in the hills of Northern California.
As soon as you could reliably say it was more light than dark Morgan was awake and bolt upright in the tent, half out of the sleeping bag.
"Daddy it's morning, the sun is up."
"Only technically I said." And she did her signature crumpled nose face with her new favorite phrase.
"Whhhhat?" which sounds almost like "hot" but not in any funny way at, check the phone, 5:12 AM.
We talked for at least 30 minutes and listened to all the birds now sitting in the trees overhead. Morgan did her best turkey call and imitated a crow quite well before I decided it was time to get up and get the coffee going. It was cold. Not the coldest camping trip morning in memory, but huddle by the camping stove cold. Morgan in 2 jackets cold. But it didn't phase her one bit.
"Is Faith awake yet?" she asked every few minutes until Faith and her daddy did eventually emerge as did the sunshine to warm the camp.
The girls and their daddies went for a decent hike after breakfast looking for animal sign which Morgan reads about in a book Jerry gave her, Who Pooped in the North Woods? all about sign and scat.When we returned the sweaters came off and the sun was shining.
Dylan Nikki and Chloe arrived and were soon followed by Kim and Eliza who all gathered for lunch at the campsite. We enjoyed burgers, dogs, chicken and steak, all from the neat grill that attaches right to the side of the trailer. The tent has no such feature.
It was quite the enjoyable event for all, especially the Park Rangers who insisted that, even though sites 8,9,10,11 and 12 were empty, we had to move cars around. That whole story just gets my riled up so I'm skipping it.
In the end Kim drove the prius home and I had the girls in the CRV. As we were driving down the windy road out of the park I asked Morgan what her favorite park of camping was.
"Sleeping in the tent next to Daddy!" and not more than 2 minutes later, the car ride had her fast asleep and I smiled most of the hour long drive home.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Friday, April 17, 2009
Disneyland
Of course our friend Murphy had to come along and bring his stupid law. Kim Morgan and Linda braved the spring break crowds for Morgan's first trip to Disneyland. Even this day after they're discussing the Princess making factories now in place that take your innocent little girl and transform them into little Disney princesses, at quite the cost.
Morgan's favorite part of Disneyland was "the rides," not including the rocket ships, but liked the Dumbo ride the best, riding it twice.
She covered her eyes on parts of the train ride and sang It's a small world after getting off the ride.
Storybook land seems to have been a hit, even with the scary whale the boat goes into.
The highlight of the visit was to her favorite character, Tinker Bell. Morgan likes the Tink movie, enjoys Peter Pan and was excited to meet Tink and her friends. After the 45 minute wait she was visibly startled and taken aback when her fantasy friend arrived in the flesh. Morgan told Kim "That's not the real Tinker Bell, Mommy, that's the normal one," clearly understanding that Tinker Bell is a tiny fairy and not a the size of a person.
With the dead camera Kim found out about the PhotoPass, where photographers snap pics, then you can see them online later and purchase for $15 a piece.
Thanks to Dylan (not his real name) we were able to high tech a solution to the problem and grab some pics. Like every kid, she hid.
When they returned home Morgan came through the door first, Minnie Mouse hat on, "My 1st Visit" pin proudly displayed and the biggest smile I have ever seen on her face. Had I tried for a picture, I would have missed it myself.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Mommy, I can't talk, fix me.
Speaking Toddler, as any parent knows, can be tricky.
On our 7 hour drive down to meet Angela's newest daughter, yet to arrive, we had a small variety of things to keep Morgan occupied. Some books, some headphones and a DVD player borrowed from friends in case we just needed her to be quiet for awhile.
After our lunch stop the decision was made to set up the DVD and put in a movie for Morgan, Tinkerbell. She loved it and was quiet for almost the entire movie, headphones on so we didn't have to listen to it or her cry about not being able to hear it. About 40 minutes in she asked it to be turned off and Kim contorted around to get it undone, paused and stowed. No sooner than Kim got it figured out, Morgan wanted it back.
As she watched she would make comments like, "Oh no!" or giggle, clearly enjoying the movie.
Then she started asking Kim to "fix me, I can't talk."
OK, some strange game where she can't talk because Eliza was sleeping next to her?
"Maybe Papa can fix you when we get there, OK?" We exchanged confused looks as she held the DVD in her lap and the headphones around her neck.
That should have been the giveaway.
As the movie ended and Morgan handed it back to Kim, she unplugged the headphones and we could finally hear the movie...
...in French.
Somehow in the transfer the language settings were changed. The only way Morgan could think to tell us the people in the movie weren't talking right was to tell us to fix her talking.
Certainly a memory I'll have for a long time.
On our 7 hour drive down to meet Angela's newest daughter, yet to arrive, we had a small variety of things to keep Morgan occupied. Some books, some headphones and a DVD player borrowed from friends in case we just needed her to be quiet for awhile.
After our lunch stop the decision was made to set up the DVD and put in a movie for Morgan, Tinkerbell. She loved it and was quiet for almost the entire movie, headphones on so we didn't have to listen to it or her cry about not being able to hear it. About 40 minutes in she asked it to be turned off and Kim contorted around to get it undone, paused and stowed. No sooner than Kim got it figured out, Morgan wanted it back.
As she watched she would make comments like, "Oh no!" or giggle, clearly enjoying the movie.
Then she started asking Kim to "fix me, I can't talk."
OK, some strange game where she can't talk because Eliza was sleeping next to her?
"Maybe Papa can fix you when we get there, OK?" We exchanged confused looks as she held the DVD in her lap and the headphones around her neck.
That should have been the giveaway.
As the movie ended and Morgan handed it back to Kim, she unplugged the headphones and we could finally hear the movie...
...in French.
Somehow in the transfer the language settings were changed. The only way Morgan could think to tell us the people in the movie weren't talking right was to tell us to fix her talking.
Certainly a memory I'll have for a long time.
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