Regular Life

In a plan whipped up by my brother and me on Thursday, I got the second half of Friday off and whisked Benjamin away for his first cousin’s birthday party weekend. A six-hour drive later we arrived, and only after shaking off his nap did LC realize Ben really was right there in the [...]

I’m pretty sure a local store owner thinks my wife is a drunk.
Benjamin and I spent the past weekend on a last-minute trip to my brother’s home. We surprised Ben’s only first cousin for his fifth birthday. Shannon couldn’t go because of a couple of prior commitments, including auditioning for a local chorus. [...]

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There are some photographs I’m just never going to show you.
Neighbors walking by our house on Saturday morning perhaps thought it strange that my wife trimmed the hedges while Benjamin and I played. To be fair, I did sweep the front porch and sidewalk after she finished, and the boy helped stuff [...]

(click to enlarge. Cropped.)
Benjamin soared at a recent birthday party. Later, I threw him (pics follow).
This place was great. During the school year it’s a preschool with a gymnastics bent, and in the off season its doors are open to anyone who shells out cash, and their guests. The kids can play [...]

Actual search term that led someone to this site: tips to manage 6th grade rock n roll band.
I can only imagine who typed that phrase into Google’s search form. A parent convinced that his or her child is destined to be a star, and wants to hitch a ride on the gravy train? [...]

(Note: Anybody reading “The Keys Are In It” may now proceed to Part Eight.)
Wednesday night Benjamin did something that I thought warranted sharing in the form of an audio file. When I asked him if he would like for me to share it, he said, “Yes.”
Now five years old, Ben says rock ‘n’ roll [...]

(Note: Those reading “The Keys Are In It” may jump into Part Seven. Those who have not started, give it a try.)
At Benjamin’s Fifth Birthday Party (with a Star Wars theme), the boys made up a role-playing game. In the middle Benjamin explains what’s happening and then uses his foot to emphasize [...]

The dialog in my latest video is a bit quiet in spots, but I’m hoping the cinematography makes up for it (yeah, right). Quick synopsis: Ben and I set out to ride around the neighborhood at random. Within a minute he came up with our first destination, and shortly after we reached it [...]

(Note: Those reading “The Keys Are In It” may read the latest, action-packed chapter, Part Four.)

Can I get a “hole purr?”
Benjamin’s fourth birthday party didn’t go very well. Lucky for us, that was a year ago.
His fifth was almost perfect. The only bad thing was the wind didn’t allow us to light his [...]

Benjamin splashes in the bathtub as I lean over the side.
He plunges a toy squirting frog under the water and squeezes it, then lets it slowly draw in its fill. “My frog loves the water,” he says.
“Yep, most frogs do. You know, frogs are amphibians. That means they live on the land [...]