New Photos

New posts, sonogram pictures, I know, I know- they are coming. In the meantime, click on over and have a look at the new photos I posted to the Flickr page.

Family Reunion

We got to travel to NY this weekend for a family wedding. L and E stayed with some of my friends while Superwife and I attended the wedding. I think they had a great time while we were away because when we showed up to pick them up, Elizabeth said "I don't want to leave" without ever saying hello. It was great for me as I got to see some old friends and the family as well. Nanny and Grandpa even came back home with us for a few days and got to go to the Please Touch Me Museum and soccer practice.

New Halloween Photos

Just added a few shots of the girls in their Halloween costumes. Click on over and have a look.

Happy Halloween

The girls are very excited about Halloween. We had a dress rehersal last weekend at their friend Mia's Hallowen Party. Tinkerbelle (Linda) and Ariel (Elizabeth) we very excited to finally put on the costumes that were hanging in their closets for weeks. I do have some movies and photos from last week's party that I will get around to posting, and I'll get some images from Halloween posted as soon as I can.

Happy Birthday Princess Elizabeth

Three years old, when did that happen? To celebrate, here is one of Elizabeth's most recent masterpieces.

Back To School Night

Tomorrow night, E's birthday, is Linda's "Back To School" night. Superwife and I get to go to Linda's classroom, meet her teachers, and see what she's been working on for the past 1.5 weeks. I'm sorry we have to cut Elizabeth's b-day celebrations short, but they will be with their fried Mia while we are at school and they couldn't be happier.

Here's one of Linda's first assignments. Click for a larger image.

First Day Of School Pics

I have a few posted on the Flickr page, go on over and have a look.

Another New Movie

Superwife and I took the girls to an Arboretum this weekend. It has been on my list of places to go for quite some time, but I was worried the girls wouldn't enjoy themselves. Boy was I wrong. They had a fantastic time. The second we got home Linda started asking if we could go back the following day. Here's a video of Elizabeth chasing Linda through the rose garden.

New Movie

New movie posted to my YouTube site of the girls playing on the beach in Maine.

First Day Of School

Today was a special day at The Jack Girls Headquarters, it was Linda's first day of school. After a very rough night with little rest for any of us, the girls woke up ready to go. Linda met me in the bathroom and asked “is it time to get ready for school?”  When we finally got there the festivities were in full swing- the teachers, Principal, and school chorus were assembled on the front step. There were balloons, a gold ribbon in front of the door, and a red carpet for the kids to walk down. The teachers sang a song for the children, cut the ribbon, and then little by little the parents said goodbye and let the kids walk in. If Linda was nervous, she didn’t show it- she walked right in without ever looking back. Elizabeth on the other hand couldn’t contain herself. Once Linda disappeared out of sight she started bawling “I want Linda, I want my sister…” Despite Superwife’s best efforts, she was in pretty bad shape for a while. Once all the kids were inside, the school chorus sang “Be Our Guest” for the parents and siblings still assembled outside. It seemed to cheer Elizabeth up a bit.

We took lots of pictures and a few movies. I’ll see if  I can post some when I get home tonight.

Happy Eid el-Fitr Everyone!

Whew- now that we can all eat in the daytime again it's time for a post! Linda and I had a birthday, I have a new nephew, we went on vacation to Maine, and Superwife is pregnant. Now that we're all caught up, click on over to the Flickr page to see some new pics.

Things Kids Say

5:30am: Terry and I were woken up by some door slamming, or maybe someone knocking on a door. I gave it another few seconds just to be sure I wasn't dreaming it and heard it again, this time a bit more frantic. I ran to the bathroom to discover that Elizabeth had locked herself in. I grabbed a Swiss Army knife off my desk and picked the lock, she greeted me with a far to jovial "HI DADDY!" I walked her back to bed and explained that it was still sleepy-time and that she needed to stay in bed.

5:45am: I heard some more commotion in the bathroom. Something again having to do with one of the doors. I went back in to see Elizabeth going through the linen closet.

"What are you doing Elizabeth?"
"I need lip gloss."
It's sleepytime, you do not need lip gloss for bed."
I need red lipgloss."
"If I give you red lip gloss will you stay in bed?"
"I'm a princess."
"Yes, you are."

When Steve Cooks

When I have the time I like to have some fun with the meals I make for the girls. I started out by carving cheese in the shape of their initials and it has blossomed from there. L and E pancakes, sandwiches shaped like hearts or teddy bears, arranging the food on their lunch plates into smiley faces... I like it and I think they do too. Here are two of my more recent creations: Eve (from Wall E) hard boiled eggs, and to celebrate the US's opening World Cup game red, white, and blue star pancakes. More to come if I can remember to take the pictures.

 

Oh Snap(shot). New Photos

Hey everyone. We've been pretty busy lately. Superwife keeps our summer scheduled filled with all kinds of stuff. Playdates, playground trips, volunteering to clean up parks... it has been a busy summer so far. I have added some new photos to the Flickr page, so click on over and have a look.

New Photos

A few new photos of Linda, Elizabeth, and Superwife's press conference with Mayor Nutter added to the Flickr page.

Coolest Block

Check this out. Superwife won our entire block a free roof! She went door to door gaining signatures, explaining the contest to our neighbors, and filling out the application. I'll see if I can get her to write a few words on the press conference she and the girls had with the Mayor yesterday on the top of one of the city's skyscrapers, but in the meantime click the link for an article on her "cool" accomplishment.

Press announcement here:
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/05/prweb4000564.htm

Homepage for the contest including "official" announcement and Superwife's award winning essay here:
http://www.retrofitphilly.com/

Things Kids Say

Baseball practice was rained out this weekend so on Sunday morning we went to the Zoo instead. Elizabeth has been doing very well with the potty training so Superwife decided that she was ready to go on a field trip with no diaper. This was the first time (I can remember) she was outside running around in underpants.

As we got into the Zoo Linda and Elizabeth took off running down a hill at top speed.
Elizabeth (yelling excitedly): MAMA, MAMA, my booty is jiggling!

New Movie

Just uploaded this to the YouTube page. Click on over and have a look.

New Pics

Just uploaded a bunch of new photos including bike riding, lunch in DC, and Easter Sunday. Click on over and have a look.

Game On

Linda and Elizabeth had their first ever baseball practice yesterday. We showed up a bit late, but it didn't matter much. Linda stepped out of the car and into the batters box; after a few lines of instruction from her coach she missed with her first swing and then connected with the second. There was a moment of panic as she wasn't quite sure where to run, but she did ultimately find her way to 1b. Elizabeth's hitting philosophy was a little different than Linda's. As the coach was explaining where to put her hands, she buried her face in my chest and clung on with all four limbs. We eventually got her little more comfortable and, with my help, she did swing and hit. We also ran the bases holding hands, which was kind of fun. Practice was interrupted a few times for a trip to the swings or slide, but they did get through it. Each of them said they enjoyed hitting more than fielding, so I'm hoping they'll stick with it for a while.

Play Ball

Linda and Elizabeth have finally gotten their Little League team assignment and they'll both be playing on the same team, the Cicadas! I'm not sure how this works yet as this Sunday will be their first ever game or practice or something. Updates to follow as I learn more.

What A Weekend, Part II

After our Friday trip to DC it was time for some Saturday fun at home. Just before lunch we headed down to a local playground to see a petting zoo and the second Easter egg hunt of the week. I wasn’t expecting the petting zoo, but it turned out to be pretty fun. There were chicks, puppies, a piglet, some ducks, chickens, a lamb, and an alpaca all accessible to the kids. I felt a little bad for the chicks. A whole bunch of the children were coloring Easter eggs before walking into the petting zoo and the chicks were covered with tiny pink, blue, and lavender finger prints from all the petting and touching. The egg hunt was organized pretty well as they had little sections roped for the different ages of the children. Linda and Elizabeth did a good job and now have more candy at home than Superwife and I will let them eat. The rest of the day was pretty tame as we hung out at home and colored eggs after the girls nap.

Stay Tuned for Part III, Easter With The Amish

What a Weekend, Part I

If the way Sunday ended, with all of us collapsing from exhaustion, you could tell we had a jam packed weekend. On Friday were out of the house by 8:15 and on our way to Washington, DC. Linda and Elizabeth had never been there so Superwife and I decided to take a short day trip to the Museum of Natural History, followed by a picnic lunch on the Mall. I had been prepping Linda and Elizabeth for a few days before letting them know that we’d see some dinosaur bones, some bugs, and some jewels. They were both scared at the thought of dinosaurs, but very excited about bugs and jewels. The ride there went off without a hitch, a little traffic coming in to DC, but that’s to be expected. On our walk from the parking garage to the museum Linda kept commenting “what a beautiful city. I like Washington.” The girls were a little scared by the fossils, a little bored by the jewels, and a little excited about the bug zoo. The picnic on the mall was great as the girls got to see the capital building and big white crayon (Washington Monument) from afar. We mistimed our departure by about an hour and wound up stuck in some pretty bad traffic all the way home, but Friday was still a great day and I cannot wait to do it again this summer.

Stay tuned for:

Part II, The Easter Egg Hunt

Part III, Easter With The Amish

Wedding Drawing

This is a picture Linda drew at school of her and her friend Dakota getting married. If you look closely you'll see that Dakota has a beard, and Linda has a baby in her belly. (Click the image to see a larger version.)

Easter Drawing

Linda's drawing talent has really increased since she started daycare at her new school. As her skill has gotten better, so has the subjects she chooses. The first image is "The Jack Family easter Egg hunt." That's all of us holding our Easter baskets and looking for eggs. (Click the image to see a larger version.)

New Photos

Grammie and Papa were in town for avisit this weekend. I just posted some new photos to the Flickr accont of Linda, Elizabeth, and our weekend fun.

Cow

Elizabeth really needs a new bed. She has been mature enough to move out of the crib for some time, so it is now up to Terry and I. For the past few weeks she's been going to bed late and getting up pretty early. I suppose she needed a bit of comfort on one of those days because when Terry came in to get her in the morning, she found her lying in bed with a stuffed cow on top of her. Not some tiny little stuffed cow, but a larger than Elizabeth is stuffed cow. She must have climbed out of the crib, threw the cow in, and then climbed back in herself.

Reading Lessons

Last night was my turn to put Linda to sleep. It usually takes Elizabeth about an hour to fall asleep, so Linda and I can get trough quite a few books in that time. Last night, after three other books, we were just about to start a book called "Best Ever Flower Girl." I thought that rather than read it straight through like I did with the others, I'd ask Linda to help me sound out a few of the words. I pointed to the first word in the book and said "what does that say," she very curtly blurted out "DAISY."  Linda knows most of the books by heart, so I thought that might have been a bad word to start with.  I pointed to one in the middle of the page, thinking she'd have to work a little and sound it out, and said "what does this word say?" Again, she seemed rather annoyed by the whole exercise and said "PLAY." Then she looked at me, scrunched up her face, farted, and said "that says you read it Daddy."

Picnic Dinner

Yesterday was the first truly beautiful day of the year in Philadelphia and we decided to celebrate by having a picnic dinner on the river. We went to a nearby playground for a while before we set up camp on the riverbank. Linda and Elizabeth loved it and we even got the girls to bed a few minutes earlier than normal to boot.

New Pics

A few new pics of our picnic at the river posted to the Flickr account. Go on over and have a look.

Things Kids Say

Usually the verbal fastballs are slung by Linda, but last night during dinner it was Elizabeth's turn. I was sitting on the floor next to her trying to get her to eat dinner. She was doing well with some things but not others so I offered up a cucumber on the end of her fork:

NO. Princesses do not (pause), DO NOT eat cucumbers. They eat chicken and couscous but not cucumbers.

She also glared at me at the end. Good stuff from the little one.

Home Chemistry

I sliced up my hand pretty badly a few weeks ago, stitches, emergency room, yada, yada Terry had the girls mix up some sort of chemistry experiment / Daddy get well medicine the following day. I got a beautiful phone call at work from Linda and Elizabeth letting me know that they made me something special and that it was waiting for me when I got home. At the time I was thinking cupcakes or something similar, what I got was peanuts, vinegar, raw potatoes, and just about every spice in the spice rack. I did taste a few spoonfuls (cause each one wanted to feed me some of the concoction) and it wasn't the most horrible thing i've ever eaten, but I don't think i'd like to do it again. 

Busy Weekend

As usual we crammed a weeks worth of stuff into two days. Saturday was a pre-nap trip to the rocket ship playground and a post nap visit to the zoo to see the baby orangutang (who was sleeping) and feed the ducks. The zoo visit ended with Linda kissing our car (Rocket) because he was hurt.* When I questioned why she kissed the car on the door handle, she replied "because rocket is a member of our family and I love everybody in our family." Sunday started off with some chocolate chip pancakes (courtesy of yours truly) while Superwife slept in, then a trip to a different playground, followed by Jonah's birthday party and way to much cake frosting, followed by a late nap. I fell asleep myself putting them down for a nap. Why do they have so much energy and I don't?

I don't think we have anything coming up this weekend, but I am trying to work a day trip to DC to visit the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History (they're into dinosaurs lately) and a picnic lunch on the Mall. We'll see.

*I'll see if I can get Superwife to tell everyone about the streetfight and our car damage.

New Pics

Stop the presses, I've made an update. New pics posted to the Flickr account with a write soon to follow.

Been A While

Umm, sorry everyone. Been a while since we've posted anything.  Let's see... where to begin... we went ice skating on Terry's birthday. That's not really new news is it? Hmmm... we went to the circus last weekend... that's not really breaking news either is it? How about this, we'll do something cool this weekend and I'll be sure to cover it here on Sunday night with text and photos.

Here's an old Elizbeth movie to hold you over:

Quotes of the morning

Civic minded Linda:
- Here, Mommy.  These are some drawings I want to send to people, like Grammy & Papa and President Obama.  You know, people who live far away.
- You know the only thing I love more than this great city?  You, Mommy!

Child psychologist Elizabeth:
- Mommy, are you getting frustrated yet?  Do you need a beer? I'll get you one 'cause I love you too!
- (During a game of pretending to be puppies/kittens in response to Linda saying, "How many times do I have to tell you?") You have to keep telling.  You are the mommy, so every time.  Every time you tell me. And don't get angry with me because you know I don't like to listen to you when you get angry.  That's your job; you work all the time to tell me. You are the mommy. Got it?  Now come here and get a kitty treat!

The Curse Of The Jets Blanket

Drama? Intrigue? Mystery?  An injured Welkah, Tawmy's broken ribs... After this wekeends games, I suggest those in New England ask Papa Nick to explain the curse of the Jets blanket.

Steve and his victorious Jets blanket in RFK Stadium, DC.

Things Kids Say

It's been hard to keep up with these posts. Linda's 48 year old mind in a four year old's body is constantly churning out whoppers. Last night as we were putting Linda to bed she had to make one more trip to the toilet. Sorry about all the bathroom posts.

Linda: My hair is magic.
Steve: Oh Yeah?
L: Yeah, when I pull on it it makes the poop stuck in my butt come out easier. (Pulls hair, grunts, plop.) If you had longer hair, maybe it would be easier for you to poop.

New Pics

Just posted some new/old pictures of Linda. What a cute baby she was- look at all that chub.

New Pics

I just uploaded a bunch of new pics from Christmas weekend in Danvers, Ma. I'll work on getting some of the movies posted shortly. Click on over and have a look.