Self Portrait

Cool. This is my blue phase.Nicholas is going through a green phase. We tried green beans for the first time last weekend, and I think he figured it out. I tried to spit them out to get them to stop feeding them to me, but he is a master. He ate the stuff and then threw it all back up. Brilliant! Mom and dad didn't feed us another green bean the whole weekend.Of course, more funny was when dad panicked as Nickel started puking. He threw Nicholas over his shoulder and started running down the hall to the bathroom. Of course by the time he got to the bathroom, Nicholas was done with his show, and there was a whole stream of green from the family room to the bathroom. Mom just mumbled something about owning stock in "Spot Shot."

The Meaning of Memorial Day

The Meaning of Memorial Day
The custom of placing flowers on the graves of the war dead began in 1866 and in 1868 General John A Logan declared May 30 would be a day to decorate with flowers the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country.After World War I the day was extended to pay homage and honor the Dead of all wars. The most solemn ceremony conducted on Memorial Day is the placing of a wreath at the "Tomb of the Unknowns" located in Arlington National Cemetery.Memorial Day had a more popular name called Decoration Day as it is the day when we offer flowers to our soldier dead and lay flowers on the hallowed ground where these heroes sleep after having given their lives in the causes of our country.The parades, floats, marching bands and the lines of veterans from World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam and Desert Storm all pay tribute to those gallant men and women who willingly answered their country's call And who paid the ultimate price.We of today's America owe them so much and seem to appreciate them so little. Many of us have only the foggiest notion of the real meaning of Memorial Day. Because of their valor and deeds we do not have to tremble at the sound of Nazi jackboots pounding down our streets, nor have to humble ourselves at the feet of a communist commissar, or pay tribute to a demi-god wielding a samurai sword. Nor do we need to fear any one of the long line of dictators and war lords who have paraded themselves across the pages of recent history.It would behoove us to humble ourselves for just one moment each year and return to the old American tradition of slowing our pace at 11 A.M. on Memorial Day, pay reverence and thank those honored dead for what they did. Far too often our nation takes for granted the freedoms all Americans enjoy.Let us remember these freedoms were bought and paid for by the lives of others few of us actually knew. They came from all walks of life and regions of the country. But they all had one thing in common - love and loyalty to country.By honoring the nation's war dead, we preserve their memory and thus their service and sacrifices in the memories of future generations.Frederick G LangstonState of Washington Legislative Officer

Attention Deficit Disorder

I think mom and dad have a hard time figuring out what to do when one of us is napping and they actually out-number babies that are awake. A cloth diaper, a butterfly rattle, my pacifier, the vibrating bouncy seat and a picture session all at once? They just kept piling stuff on me one-by-one.By the time Benjamin woke up from his nap, they had lost me under a pile of baby crap. At least I didn't get a sunburn.

Dad and His Hats

I know mommy gets most of my clothes handed-down and from garage sales, and we're very thankful, but THIS is ridiculous.Mommy says she's very excited about a new movie coming out next month called Nacho Libre http://www.nacholibre.com/ ; I think she's going to make me wear this hat. And everyone wonders why I'm working so hard to move around on my own. Isn't it obvious? So I can take off this stupid hat! My brother doesn't do anything, and they never put this stuff on his head. They seem to think that I'm the goofy one. Okay, there was that Dirty Rotten Scoundrels thing.

Rotten Scoundrel

My impression of Steve Martin's "Rupert" from Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Baby Mozart

So we go to the symphony on Saturday evening. We hear the music and watch the wind in the trees and feel the breeze and meet another little girl and play in the prickly grass. Such a wonderful time. Then they put us in front of that box that I love so dearly last night. They put on "Baby Mozart." Have you seen this thing? I get to sit and watch other kids play with their toys while music plays. What?! And what's with the sparkling lights going all the time? I can feel my epilepsy developing. I'll say this for Ben, he just pitched a fit until they came over mumbling something about five minutes piece (piece of what?), and they entertained him elsewhere; unfortunately it was too late for me, I had been hypnotized by the flashing lights.

Chicken Noodle Soup

No more fat jokes. Dad said he would help me gain some weight. He says I just need some good ol' chicken noodle soup.Last night we saw the Symphony in the garden. That was fun. We layed out in the grass and watched the wind blow through the trees and listened to some good music: chi-cow-ski, I believe. Having dinner outside was fun too. So much fun, in fact, that we let mom and dad sleep until 6:45 this morning before really cranking it up.Benjamin continues to try to scare the crumb out of mom and dad. Should have seen him just standing there, almost on his own, last night. Still seems like a whole bunch of work for nothing as far as I'm concerned.

Scared Yet?

Wanna really scare my mom and dad? Stand up and act like you're going to walk off.

Folsom Prison Blues

Fat?!

Getting fat? Mommy says I'm just big-boned. (burp) Not my fault that other one can't eat any real food. We both got sweet potatoes for breakfast this morning--yuck. I tried to spit them out and make a mess with them so she would stop feeding them to me, but she just keeps smiling like I'm a comedian or something. Don't know why we can't do rice cereal with a jar of peaches every meal--that's good eats. Of course, the other one can't eat the rice cereal anymore because it has soy in it. No wonder he is so scrawny. Anyway, the funniest thing is that I've learned how to make a zerbert sound with my mouth. Doing that with sweet potatoes in my mouth is about as funny as it gets.Zerbert sounds are good for just about any time of the day and are endlessly entertaining. I zerbert in bed, I zerbert in the car seat, I zerbert while I'm eating. And this thing about being scared about me on my knees--what's that about? Come on, all I can do is plant my face on the floor and move my body around from that point in circles. AND, they put me in that jail thing every night. I try to get free but I can't figure out how to get over the top. Usually I wind up getting stuck in the crack with my arm and leg hanging out of the thing, so I just go to sleep. Mommy keeps mumbling about social services and the rail mark on my face when she gets me ready to go in the morning. Daddy thinks it's funny; that guy has a sense of humor.

Introductions Aren't In Order

Introductions Aren't in OrderFinally. Milk, soy and eggs are off the menu. Hydrocortisone cream, however, is in the schedule. Turns out that, as we all knew, I have eczema. What we didn't know was that it can be aggravated by food allergies. Pretty cool, they took a plastic plate of things and pushed them into my back and pop! pop! pop! milk, soy and eggs. My main question at this point is how this affects future chocolate chip cookie eating, because that mom lady keeps promising me them in the future if I'm good today. She keeps mumbling something about following through with promises and food allergies and not learning to bake without eggs as I sit in my oatmeal bath and eat peaches in front of the TV at night. I like that box. She needs to stop mumbling; it's hard to understand what she's saying.My brother is a little exasperating. Yesterday he actually got up on his knees. My parents smile, but I see that look that passes between them--they're scared and I know it. Frankly, looks like far too much work for me. But, he's getting fat, so he really does need the exercise. Grandpa keeps saying "offensive lineman," whatever that is. I do know that his smell can be offensive nearly every morning before we go to daycare now days.