Inspecting Gadget

While nowhere near as complex as the Japanese Rube Goldberg machine that fixes a bowl of ramen (check it out if you haven’t already – it’s six and a half minutes of salty noodle soup fun), the contraption at the children’s museum captures the imagination of all who set its wheel – and levers, elevators, pendulums, swing arms, springs, and bells – in motion.

Looks of Deference for Books of Reference

I woke up this morning to the sight of Olivia reading her children’s dictionary in bed. If you were to look up “proud dad” in the dictionary, you’d find a picture of me, along with the cross-reference for “nerdy daughter.”

Walkie & Talkie

Preparing for the Long Hall from chris k on Vimeo.

Waddle this Way from chris k on Vimeo.

Green Certified (and Glorified)

Flower Power Hour from chris k on Vimeo.

A Message for Hoarders from chris k on Vimeo.

Proof positive of my crunchiness: tearful emanations trickled out of the corners of my eyes upon hearing these kids sing praises for their Mother on Earth Day.

Olivia’s class and the other kindergarten class joined voices on “Each of Us Is a Flower” and “Don’t Throw Your Trash.” The younger kids made signs showing their love. Moms and dads a dad cried.

Getting Set

We’ve been all work and no play set until now: Beni spotted one being disposed of as she made her way to the UU service this morning. Afterward, she stopped by the house to inquire of its status. The homeowners gone (or perhaps hiding from the creepy lady approaching their front door), she left them a note explaining our interest in taking the set off their hands, provided we could reach an agreeable price for both parties. Well, the homeowner called later that day and gave us a deal we couldn’t refuse – zilch for the set and its delivery.

It’s a toss-up by which I’m more impressed: the generosity of a stranger or the resourcefulness of my wife. Either way, I’m way thankful.

Cup Holder

His risk of dehydration is low – he still nurses quite regularly – but supplementation is a must now that we’re entering the period of warmer weather. Reed’s never too far from a sippy cup of water, diluted juice, or cow’s milk, and therefore we’re never too far from the next wash cycle of his soaked cloth diapers.

The Kickoff of Kickoff

I am the head coach of a team of ants swarming around a piece of fallen candy, aka soccer-playing five-year-olds. We had our first game of the season this morning. While the winds whipping over the fields were strong enough to literally knock our players’ socks and shinguards off, those of us who stuck around were treated to play that was, while far from the knock-your-socks-off level, a joy to behold nonetheless, simply to see joy wash over the players’ faces throughout the course of the game and afterward.

Mic Check

With a nod to A Tribe Called Quest’s Phife Dawg, the opening of one of my favorite songs from my childhood:

Yo, microphone check one two what is this
The five-foot assassin with the ruffneck business
I float like gravity, never had a cavity
Got more rhymes than the Winans got family...

All Eggs in One's Basket

The kids participated in an eggs-tensive and eggs-cellent Easter egg hunt at cousin Quintin’s mom’s parents’ house. (How about that for a string of possessives? And apologies for the rotten eggs puns. They were there for easy picking, much like an unhidden plastic egg, resting by its lonesome in the middle of a lawn.) Our overall trip was as resplendent as the morning light: my brother Erick and his wife Danielle were wonderful hosts (as were Danielle’s parents and family), we indulged repeatedly in gastronomic goodness, and we were overjoyed to finally meet and cuddle the newest addition to our family.

Veg Out

I’m not going to pretend I know much about The Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde, but I do know that her vegan restaurant in downtown Akron served up fare that made my heart sing. My brother and his wife graciously took us herbivores to VegiTerranean, where the menu items we selected were as delicious as the wordplay that is the restaurant's name.

The place’s walls were lined with pictures of famous vegetarians, and so we were inspired to start our own photo series, one of non-famous vegetarians and non-famous non-vegetarians alike. I present “Family Members Holding Babies.”

Water Abhorred

Reed’s foray into a hotel pool’s cold waters didn’t go exactly as planned. You would have thought that I was subjecting him to enhanced interrogation techniques based on the volume (decibel levels) and volume (quantity) of his cries. Things certainly got better for him once he got back in his mother's arms.

We got some photographic evidence of the event so that he’ll have proof years later to the claim that we’re torturers, but the pics also allow for this fun flashback (splashback?):

Olivia – age 5 months (November 2004)

Oh…Hi, O

Oh…hello right back, Q

Olivia and our family drove out to Ohio today to meet cousin Quintin for the first time and to hang out with his proud parents. We got in later than we’d hoped, but we still got to spend some QT (quality time) with the cutie, and we’re looking forward to some more QT (Quintin time) throughout the weekend.

April Showers of Love and Affection

April Fools’ rushed in, marking a day of pranks and the anniversary of Reed’s birth. He celebrated turning one by sharing pizza, donuts, and ice cream with a backyard full of his parents’ and sister’s friends. I’ll state for the record that “it’s hard to believe that he’s already one” and “the first year went by so fast,” if only because these are expressions that parents of one-year-olds always seem to say. (But I will note unsarcastically that the little guy didn’t have to wait long to celebrate his golden birthday.)

Ain't Life Grand?

The grandparents parade continued through the week, as Grandma Randi and Grandpa Tsune rolled into town on Monday and stayed through this morning. My family is engaging in a cross-state game of tag this week: my parents started things off by coming here, we then head out tomorrow to visit with my brother and his family over Easter weekend, and then they’ll head up to my parents’ on Monday. I suppose we could have all met up somewhere, but that would have been all too normal and not as much fun.