SwingDaddy

Happy Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T23:19:00.000-08:00

M-lady and I got up around 7:30, and found Bud already up, reading. Buster slept in a little bit, and I got Bud some breakfast. He was ready to go at 8:15, and M-lady took him to school. I had to get on a call, and Buster and I lounged on the bed together for a bit while I was on the phone before Nanny J arrived. When she showed up, Buster got dressed and had breakfast, and I headed off for work.

M-lady arrived home first, and I came in a little after 6:00. The kids were settled a little bit. Bud did a good job of handling his homework and piano this evening, and I had to take care of some email before dinner. Both kids were excited to have some Valentine's Day candy after dinner and at snack time.

Buster and I watched just a little Ninjago before snack time, and then I watched some more of Kung Fu Panda 2 with Bud before bed.

Easy Monday

2012-02-13T23:04:00.000-08:00

Buster joined us in bed about 20 minutes before it was time to get up, and then was pretty good about getting dressed and getting ready for school. Bud was a little tougher to roll out of bed, but both kids were ready to go without much rushing. I took Bud to school and dropped him off just as the rain was setting in.

The kids seem to have had a good day. I got home a few minutes after M-lady, just as Nanny J was leaving. Buster greeted me by letting me know that he refused to take a bath today.

Bud and Buster were having a great time roughhousing in the living room, and eventually (inevitably) there was a minor mishap. The kids apparently collided and Buster hurt his hand. It still seemed to work, though, and there wasn't any swelling, so after a bit of consoling he was fine. We turned on the TV, and Buster watched a couple episodes of Ninjago for the remainder of the evening.

We had a dinner that both kids enjoyed. Towards the end of the meal, Buster started playing 'Battle Tomatos', and eating the loser of each face off. We all found this very entertaining. Bud was good about doing homework and piano practice, and snack time rolled around pretty quickly.

I put Buster to bed, and we turned out the light fairly early, around 8:15. Bud was in bed by 8:30, but had trouble falling asleep, and was up and down a few times. He finally fell asleep sometime around 9:30. Hopefully he won't have trouble getting up in the morning.

Quick Post

2012-02-12T23:14:00.000-08:00

The kids were up around 8:00ish, and I helped get them some breakfast before I headed out around 9:00 for a bike ride. The kids and M-lady had a good time while I was out.

They headed out to the mall for lunch, and got home a little before I did. I was home later than I had hoped, and when I arrived M-lady headed out to run some quick errands. We had dinner when she got back, and I played with the kids a bit for the evening.

I finished watching Kung Fu Panda 2 with Bud at bedtime, which he really enjoyed. He asked to start watching it from the beginning again. We had the lights out around 8:30, and the kids were asleep before too long.

Late Party

2012-02-09T23:58:00.000-08:00

Bud was up early this morning, and got himself breakfast before I was up. M-lady left early as well, so it was just me and the kids when I rose. Bud was ahead of schedule all morning, which was nice. I got Buster dressed, and Nanny J arrived around 8:15 in time to get Buster some breakfast while I took Bud to school.

The kids seem to have had a good day. I arrived home around 6:00, and the kids greeted me enthusiastically. Bud proudly let me know that Buster earned a tape stripe on his belt in TKD, which means he a step closer to being ready to test for the next belt. Bud was proud of his brother, and Buster was pretty proud of himself, too.

I had brought dinner home with me, and we got the kids started. A few minutes later, our guests for an evening work/Rock Band party started arriving. Bud retreated to his room for the majority of the evening, but Buster was OK wandering around with the guests. One of my coworkers brought her three-year-old daughter, who immediately took a liking to Buster, and the two of them had a good time playing together through the evening.

Buster took a turn playing drums when we started playing Rock Band, and headed to bed a short time later. M-lady was good enough to get the kids into bed. Bud read for a bit, and turned in around 8:30. The kids took a while to fall asleep given the noise in the house. Hopefully they won't be too groggy in the morning.

Sulky Morning

2012-02-08T23:46:00.000-08:00

The morning started well, with the kids getting up a little before us and playing together while we got dressed. I got the kids dressed, and headed downstairs for breakfast. Sometime between going downstairs and eating, Buster got grumpy. When he gets sulky, he tends to really hold onto the sulk, and he doesn't communicate what he's upset about. He ended up not eating breakfast, and screaming a bit on the way to school. M-lady reported that he was still grumpy heading into school, but it apparently didn't last too long.

I got home around 5:30, and the kids seemed pretty pleased to see me. We said goodbye to Nanny J, and I got Bud started on his homework before too long. After getting through that, we all watched a little bit of TV together before dinner. After dinner, Bud got through his piano practice, and there was time to watch a little bit more TV before snack.

Buster opted to forgo the snack today, and I got him into PJs. Nanny J had reported he was very tired, so I tried to get him into bed a little early. I got the lights out in his room shortly after 8:00, and then hung out with Bud a little bit. We turned the light out in his room around 8:30.

Busy Daddy

2012-02-07T23:50:00.000-08:00

A two in one post, since I missed yesterday.

I've been very busy at work, as we've got all the people from out of town in town this week. I was out at a dinner/planning session last night, and didn't make it home 'til pretty late, after the kids were asleep. This morning Buster jumped into bed with us, and crawled on me as well as M-lady.

I got up around 7:30, and helped get Bud ready for school and Buster dressed and fed. After M-lady took Bud to school, I played with Buster for about 20 minutes before Nanny J arrived. It was pleasant to spend a little time together.

M-lady was great about taking care of the kids again this evening, as I was out late for work. I arrived home around 8:30, as the kids were getting into bed. They were both watching videos on separate iPads in the same room, which made for a somewhat noisy environment. I did hear an excited, "Daddy's home!" when I walked in the door, but it wasn't exciting enough to tear them away from their iPads.

As the vids finished up, I helped tuck the kids in, and they fell asleep pretty quickly. M-lady reported that Bud had done a good job on homework and piano, so I need to add his points. I'll be getting home to take the kids tomorrow night (as it's M-lady's turn to be out with her team), and I'm looking forward to spending the evening with them.

Ear Information

2012-02-05T22:02:00.000-08:00

The kids were up sometime before 8:00, and M-lady got them some breakfast before coming back to bed. I rolled out of bed shortly after 8:00, got Buster dressed, and then got myself ready for a bike ride. I headed out around 9:00, as Bud and Buster were playing a game of chess together. Buster was sort of pushing the pieces around, but they seemed to be having a reasonably good time.

They apparently had a good morning, which included a second breakfast a little bit later. I got home around 1:00, and walked in the door with a couple of friends who'd ridden with me. The kids came down to say hi, and Bud's first words were: "Dad, I've got soooo much earwax!" I guess he and M-lady had been working on cleaning his ears when we arrived.

I took a quick shower and got some lunch for the family, and then rested a bit while Buster and Bud played with the iPad near me, jumping in occasionally to forestall arguments and keep the peace. M-lady spent time today manufacturing plush shuriken for the kids, based on the design from the Lego Ninjago series. The kids had a lot of fun playing with the shuriken as well.

Eventually I roused myself and headed outside to pick some oranges. The kids followed me out, and had a good time running around while I worked on the tree. I saw Bud teaching Buster how to use the glider bike, which was pretty cool. The kids remained outside for a bit after I'd wrapped up my work, and ended up coming in around 5:00.

We started watching some of the Super Bowl, which I'd been capturing on DVR, and M-lady arrived home from an errand run just as I was getting dinner started. We all ate well, and I got the kids into the shower after dinner. After getting all cleaned up, we watched a little bit more of the game and commercials before snack time.

The kids had a quick snack, and I watched a vid with Buster on the iPad before turning the light out around 8:30. He fell asleep pretty quickly.

Family Weekend

2012-02-04T23:19:00.000-08:00

The kids were on us around 8:00 this morning, and M-lady was good about getting up and tending to them. They had some breakfast before too long, and I was able to sleep in until about 10:00, which was great.

M-lady headed back to bed for a while, and the kids entertained themselves with an iPad for a bit. Eventually, I got Buster motivated and he and I headed out to do the grocery shopping. Bud and M-lady took off a short time later for Target and a few other errands.

We got home a few minutes before them, and I was just getting started on preparing lunch when they got back. We all had a good lunch. Afterward, Bud did his piano with M-lady, and I worked on hanging our new big Toulouse Lautrec art in the living room. It's a pretty big piece, and I ended up heading off to Home Depot with Buster to pick up a new stepladder. Buster and I had a pretty good time on our second outing of the day.

After getting the piece hung, the kids and I played a little bit of Machinarium before we went to pick up some dinner. The kids opted to come with me to get some sushi, and we again had a good time. The kids ate well when we got home, and they settled down to play together a bit after dinner.

They eventually had an argument of some sort, and Buster was upset for the rest of the evening, probably due to fatigue. He ended up skipping snack, and wailed for a bit at bedtime. M-lady eventually soothed him to sleep. Bud and I got a quick snack, and we watched a little bit more of Kung Fu Panda 2 together before turning out the light.

Integrated Errands

2012-02-03T22:22:00.000-08:00

I woke and headed out early this morning to drop my car off at the shop, and rode my bike back home. M-lady got the kids up and dressed, and generally did the morning routine with them. The kids got dressed quickly on the promise of opening up the last bag of Buster's new skull truck Lego set, which Bud helped him finish constructing before school started.

I got arrived home just in time to take Trevor to school. The kids cam downstairs proudly brandishing the finished truck, and it took a while to separate it from Buster. M-lady took Buster to school, though, and we all managed to get out the door in time to make school start.

I got home around 4:30, and M-lady arrived a short time later. She took Bud to his piano lesson, while I played iPad with Buster after he'd had his bath. When M-lady arrived home, we said goodbye to Nanny J, and loaded up in the car again immediately.

M-lady dropped me off at the dealership, where I picked up my car, and we met again at a place for dinner. After we'd all eaten, we headed home, and watched a little bit of TV before snack and bed time.

Bud was suddenly excited to see Kung Fu Panda 2, which the kids had received at Christmas, but shunned so far. Bud and I watched the start of the movie together on a laptop at bedtime, which was fun.

Rewards and Recognition

2012-02-02T23:21:00.000-08:00

Bud was up before we were this morning, and we could hear him digging through bins of Lego. Buster was up a short time later, and I got Bud some breakfast before he headed off to school with M-lady. Buster got a little grumpy about something during the morning, and refused breakfast, but I did get to play with him a bit before Nanny J arrived.

The kids seem to have had a good day. M-lady got home early enough to snooze for about 10 minutes before Nanny J took her leave. She was apparently prodded a bit, but not jumped on while she rested.

When I got home near 6:00, Buster proudly let me know that he'd kept his pants dry today. We've been giving him stars for dry pants days, and this star marked the completion of his first set and attainment of his first reward, a Lego set. He was really excited. We opened up the set a little later in the evening, after Bud had started working on homework, and spent a chunk of the rest of the evening putting it together.

Both kids ate reasonable dinners, although Bud has been complaining of a sore throat. Hopefully he feels better tomorrow.

I got Buster ready for bed, and we worked on his Lego more rather than reading a story before turning out the lights.

Slightly Stuffed

2012-02-01T23:19:00.000-08:00

The kids slept solidly during the night, and I rolled them out about 7:40. Buster was pretty groggy, but was motivated by the promise of new shoes, which had arrived in the mail the day before. I got the kids fed, and took Buster to school while M-lady took Bud.

The kids seem to have had a good day. I got home a few minutes late, and the kids were running around, having a good time. Nanny J apparently baked with them again today, and they reportedly consumed a large quantity of bread in the afternoon. We said goodbye to Nanny J, and I got Bud started on his homework.

M-lady arrived home a short time later, and Buster started watching some TV while Bud was finishing his homework. Bud joined Buster presently, and M-lady and I had a nice meal while they were occupied. The kids did end up eating dinner a bit after 7:00.

Bud did his piano with M-lady, and there was a quick snack time before getting ready for bed. I chatted with Bud a bit before bed, and we turned out the lights around 8:30.

Skipping Snack

2012-01-31T23:48:00.000-08:00

Buster woke once this morning around 5:00, and asked me to help him find his blankey. I tucked him in and he went back to sleep for a little while. He was up early, though, around 6:00, and crawled into bed with us for a bit before asking for breakfast. I was able to put him off until the usual breakfast time.

The morning routine was pretty straightforward once we all got up. I took Bud to school, while M-lady waited for Nanny J to arrive.

The kids apparently had a good time at TKD, although Buster fell asleep on the way there. He woke in time for class, though. The kids were playing happily when I got home around 5:30, and I had to fend them off a bit as I finished up my work meetings. M-lady arrived home just as Nanny J was leaving.

M-lady did homework and piano with Bud, and Buster hung out with me while I did a few emails. Buster and I played a little bit of Machinarium before dinner, and Bud joined us before we all headed downstairs. The kids ate a good dinner, and afterward I got Buster into PJs. Buster and I spent the rest of the evening watching Ninjago videos on the iPad, and Buster decided to forgo snack. We turned the light out a little bit early, and Buster fell asleep pretty quickly.

Word Games

2012-01-30T22:13:00.000-08:00

Overall it was a fairly usual day. The kids were pretty good in the morning about getting up and getting dressed, and I took Bud to school while M-lady took Buster.

The kids had a good day, and they were just finishing up baths when I got home around 5:30. I dropped my stuff and we said goodbye to Nanny J. M-lady arrived home a few minutes later.

I got Bud started on homework, and he did his piano practice a short time later. The kids played some Xbox before and after dinner.

Buster has been learning letters in his preschool (one per day), so we spent some time thinking up 'F' words today. Bud's spelling is getting pretty good as well, so we had fun thinking up and spelling significantly long words. Bud has done enough reading that he's not too bad.

Snack and bedtime were straightforward, and I played a little of Scribblenauts with Bud on the iPad before bed. Spelling counts!

Music Trick

2012-01-29T23:35:00.000-08:00

The kids were up around 8:00, and M-lady got up with them initially. We were able to have a pretty lazy morning, though. I got up around 9:30 to help cook some french toast for breakfast, which the whole family enjoyed.

After breakfast, I loaded some of the kids music onto their iPad, and showed them how they could use AirPlay to play it on the new sound system in the living room. They enjoyed that immensely, and before long they were having a lightsaber battle to the Star Wars soundtrack.

We had a nice chat with Grandma W a little later in the morning. Buster interacted a bit, and then had a bit of a meltdown that we attributed to fatigue given his late night last night. Bud joined the call a little later, and chatted a bit as well. Buster was fine after a few mintues.

Around 1:00 I headed out to pick up some lunch. Both kids initially declined the opportunity to accompany me, but both changed their minds just as I was walking out the door. We had a good time together, and got home before too long, where we all had some lunch. After eating, I played with Buster for a short time on the computer.

I headed out for a bike ride around 3:30, got back near 5:00. Buster joined me in the shower, so I got him cleaned up before dinner.We all had an early dinner, and the kids ate well. After dinner we had time for just a little bit of TV before snack and an early bedtime. Buster was asleep quickly, but Bud asked me why we turned the lights out an hour early. I let him know that it was in response to the short night last night, and he seemed OK with that answer.

Dinner with Good Friends

2012-01-28T23:11:00.000-08:00

The kids were up around 8:00 this morning, but M-lady was good enough to get up with them to get them breakfast, and let me sleep in a bit. By the time I woke and got out of bed, M-lady and Bud were working on piano, and Buster was dressed, and both kids were fed.

Buster and I played together a bit after I got myself dressed, and Bud joined us shortly. I got the kids playing Lego Harry Potter, and planned the rest of the day with M-lady. When I got them wrapped up, I got Buster into his shoes and he and I headed off to do the grocery shopping. While we were out, M-lady and Bud made a run to the library. They found a new Pirates of the Caribbean for Bud, and he was half-way through the first book before they left the library.

We had lunch when everyone was home again, and after that took the time for a video chat with Granddad B and Grandma Nese. Buster chatted with them for a bit, and Bud said a quick hello before running off to read some more.

After chatting, we got everything together for our annual P10 party. Around 4:00 we were able to load up and head off, and a few minutes later we were at Friend D and A's house for a 'Burning Man' themed party. They had set up a 'kids tent' with crafts for the kids, which the boys mostly eschewed.

Bud mostly removed himself from the party, reading books and later playing with the iPhone. He was very well behaved, though. Buster was more interactive, and ate a lot of food. In the second half of the party, he played with the iPad, and ended up playing chess with the two girls, Av and An, for quite some time. None of them actually knew how to play chess, but that didn't seem to matter too much. Later I caught a glimpse of them playing some Tower Madness together, too.

We got home a bit late, around 10:00. M-lady and I tucked the boys in immediately, and they fell asleep pretty quickly. Hopefully they get enough sleep tonight that they aren't too grumpy tomorrow.

M-lady Comes Home

2012-01-27T22:01:00.001-08:00

Bud came in early this morning, a bit before 7:00, to tell me about a book he was reading. I told him to go back to reading for a while, since he didn't need to get ready for breakfast for about an hour. Otherwise the morning was fairly standard, and after I got Buster up and dressed, we took Bud to school, and then returned to wait for Nanny J. Buster didn't have school today, and seemed to be looking forward to playing with Lego.

M-lady got home a bit before I did, around 4:00. The kids were super excited to see her, and were bouncing off the walls when I got home around 4:30. M-lady took Bud off to his piano lesson a short time later, and I helped Buster get into the bath. When M-lady and Bud got home, we said goodbye to Nanny J.

Buster and I headed out to get some dinner, and we all ate together when we got back. M-lady was a bit drowsy, not surprisingly, and snoozed a bit during the evening. The kids and I watched a little bit of Ninjago before having a snack and getting ready for bed.

M-lady tucked Buster in, and I played a quick game of chess with Bud before we turned out the light.

Challenges

2012-01-26T23:46:00.000-08:00

Buster wandered into my room a few minutes before my alarm went off, and curled up on the carpet. When I got up, I rolled Bud out of bed, and was able to snuggle with Buster for a couple minutes before I got myself ready. The kids were good about getting dressed and having breakfast this morning, and we got out the door on time to drop Bud off at school. Buster and I returned home, and Nanny J arrived a few minutes later.

The kids seem to have had a good day. When I walked in the door, they were running around a bit, and took enough time out to report that they'd had a good time at TKD, and Buster had napped in the car on the way home. Both kids were excited to play with me, but I had enough time to drop my things and say goodnight to Nanny J.

Bud read in his room for a bit while Buster and I watched a little bit of TV. Bud had a set of tasks for the evening, including the usual homework and piano practice, but stalled for much of the evening. He got everything done, but it took a lot of reminding.

I noticed at one point that he was doing his math homework upside down. I asked why, and he responded that he liked that it made it harder.

The kids both ate respectable dinners, and snack and bedtime went pretty smoothly. I discovered that Buster had largely gotten himself ready for bed the previous night, and I asked if he could replicate the feat. He did pretty well, and showed me that he could get into his PJs pretty much by himself. Yay for autonomy!

Buster is still coughing a fair bit, so he's still getting croup medication at bedtime. Both kids went to sleep pretty quickly when the lights went out around 8:30.

Daddy Night Off

2012-01-25T23:53:00.000-08:00

Buster was a little hard to rouse this morning, but I eventually got him going and got both kids dressed, fed, and out the door to school. We were again about five minutes later than I would have liked, but overall I consider it a major accomplishment.

The kids seem to have generally had a good day. Babysitter G took over for Nanny J in the evening, and I didn't get home until about 8:30. Buster had apparently retired early, but got up when I came in the door. Bud was just about to turn in. We said goodnight to Babysitter G, and I got the kids settled into bed.

Nanny J had apparently baked a raisin buns today, and Buster was pretty excited about them. I chatted with him a little bit before we turned the light out around 8:45. He fell asleep pretty quickly. Bud and I discussed Bunnicula, which I read last night, a little bit before he drifted off around 9:00.

Groggy Mommy Chat

2012-01-24T23:08:00.000-08:00

Bud was up reading when I got up around 7:30 this morning. M-lady called around that time, and we were able to have a quick video chat. Buster was a little groggy, and took a bit of coaxing to get out of bed, but seemed happy to see M-lady. After wrapping up the call, Buster tried to get back in bed. I managed to get him up and dressed, and he just had time to have a bowl of oatmeal before we headed out to drop Bud off at school. We headed back home to wait for Nanny J, where Buster had a second bowl of oatmeal.

The kids seem to have had a pretty good day. Buster is still coughing a bit from his cold, and apparently fell asleep on the way to TKD. Nanny J let him nap, so he missed class. He didn't seem to upset about it, though.

I managed to get Bud to do his homework at about 6:00, and we had dinner a short time later. Buster deferred on dinner for about half an hour, and Bud was taking a shower while Buster ate. After his shower, Bud did his piano practice, and the three of us were able to play together for about 20 minutes before snack time.

I was afraid Buster would take a while to fall asleep since he had a nap today, but he dropped off around 8:45. Bud was asleep by about 9:00. Hopefully I don't have any trouble getting Buster going in the morning for school.

Fairly Routine

2012-01-23T23:14:00.000-08:00

Buster was up before I was this morning. He was a little snorky, but otherwise in good spirits. I rolled Bud out of bed, and got Buster dressed. He didn't have a fever, just a little bit of a cough. He was excited about heading to school, so we had breakfast, packed up, and I dropped both kids off at school.

The kids seem to have had a good day. I got home a little bit early, shortly after 5:00, and Buster was just starting to get cranky about taking a bath. He still didn't have a fever, and I helped convince him to get in the tub. He wasn't ready to get out by the time Nanny J took her leave, so I got him dried off and dressed again after we'd said goodbye and wished her a Happy New Year.

I got Bud started on his homework after Buster was dressed again, and when he wrapped up I delivered the hong bao to both kids which they were given by Ama and Agu. They were pretty excited, and immediately started discussing Lego sets.

The kids both ate solid dinners, and I got Bud to practice piano after dinner with minimal fuss. After practicing, we all played some Uno together before snack and bed time. Bud had read Bunnicula today, so we chatted about that for a while before bed. He really enjoyed it, and I believe I first read it when I was about the same age. I haven't read it for many years, though, so I'll need to pick it up again soon.

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

A Relaxed Sunday

2012-01-22T23:27:00.000-08:00

I got up early this morning to head out for a bike race. Bud woke before I left, said hello, and then crawled back into bed with a book. Babysitter G arrived at 7:30, and I hit the chilly road.

Buster apparently slept in until about 9:30, and didn't show any of his cold symptoms other than a slightly runny nose. When I arrived home around 11:00, the kids were screaming around the house. We thanked Babysitter G and said goodbye, and the kids chilled a little bit with the iPad while I showered. Bud reported that they had had fun playing Uno.

I made the breakfast I had promised the kids for lunch, and they both ate well. After lunch, we sat around a bit, and eventually the kids played some Lego Harry Potter together for a while as I got a little bit of office work done. It was raining fairly steadily by that point, so we stayed inside for the rest of the afternoon.

Buster got a bit grumpy in the late afternoon, and I discovered he was running his low fever again. This time, however, he was so grumpy that he didn't want to take his medicine. Eventually I got him to down it, and a short time later he was chipper again.

M-lady called in the late afternoon, and the kids had a chance to say hello. It was the middle of the night for her, though, so it was a pretty short conversation.

We did get out briefly to pick up some dinner, which we brought home. After dinner, Bud practiced his piano with a minimum of fuss while I gave Buster a bath. When Buster was cleaned up, Bud jumped in the shower, and both kids were in PJs by about 7:00. We watched a little bit of TV before snack time, and I gave Buster a preventative dose of prednisone before tucking the kids into bed. Both kids wanted to play Uno with me before bed, so we did a little of that before turning out the lights.

Inevitable Timing

2012-01-21T23:55:00.000-08:00

The kids were up around 8:00 this morning, and Bud got himself a bowl of cereal to tide him over until I got the kids some breakfast. M-lady was up packing before too long, and after the kids had eaten we all said goodbye as she headed off to the airport around 10:00.

Buster had a bit of a runny nose, so I opted to generally keep ourselves indoors. We played a bit, watched a little TV, and had a mid-morning snack a little after 11:00. I noticed Buster's cheeks had gotten a bit rosy, and discovered he was running a (very) low-grade fever. I dosed him with some ibuprofen, and since he didn't seem to notice the fever at all, we loaded up and headed over to the mall for lunch.

It was nice to get out and walk around a bit, and after lunch we had a quick swing by the Lego store and the Apple store. We tried to hit Stride-Rite to get new shoes for Buster, but they were packed and didn't have much selection around the Star Wars shoes. So we'll pick something out online for him.

We headed home, and the kids played some Lego Star Wars for a bit before we loaded up again and headed out to do the grocery shopping. Buster's fever was gone by that time, and he showed no ill effects other than issuing a couple of yawns before we left the grocery store.

The kids played outside while I unloaded, and came in a bit later. We had found the game 'Uno' for sale at the grocery store, and Bud was excited to play that. I explained how it worked, and we played a few hands before watching a little bit of TV. I got started on making dinner shortly after that. Bud ate well, and I managed to get enough food into Buster. After dinner, Bud practiced piano, and I played with both kids a bit. I took a short time out while the kids played some more to make Rice Krispy treats for snack time.

Snack time was a success, of course, and the kids headed upstairs to get ready for bed. I read with the kids separately, and we turned out the lights around 8:30. Buster fell asleep quickly, still without a fever, and Bud went to sleep a bit later.

Around 10:30 Buster woke with a croupy cough. He didn't seem to be suffering from stridor, though, so I dosed him with the oral prednisone we keep handy for just such an occasion. He and I watched a little bit of night-time TV before I tucked him back into bed, where he has slept soundly since.

Early Rising Family

2012-01-20T23:37:00.000-08:00

I rolled out of bed at 7:30, as usual, and found the whole family up before me this morning. M-lady was up and on a phone call, Bud was reading in his room, and Buster was playing with his Lego.

M-lady got Buster dressed, and I got breakfast for the kids. I took Buster to school this morning, and the drop-off was uneventful.

M-lady got home in time to take Bud to his piano lesson, which apparently went pretty well. The came back from the lesson and wished Nanny J a good weekend, and they were working on dinner when I arrived home around 6:45. I helped with getting the kids to the table, and we all ate together.

M-lady and I cleaned up as the kids played, and snack time rolled up quickly. Bud had a usual snack, but Buster opted to forgo the snack tonight. I got him ready for bed, and we watched a little bit of Ninjago on TV before tucking in and turning out the light. As usual, Buster fell asleep quickly when the light went out.

Fulfilling a Promise

2012-01-19T23:23:00.000-08:00

We had a fairly standard morning, with Bud getting up and being good about getting ready, and Buster sleeping in a bit. In fact, Buster was still asleep when I left with Bud to get him to school at about 8:15. It wasn't quite as cold today, but still pretty chilly.

I got home around 6:00, and apologized to Nanny J for being a bit later. Bud got started on his homework, and M-lady arrived a short time later. After wrapping up homework, Bud did his piano practice, and the kids then played Lego Star Wars while M-lady and I prepared and ate our dinner.

We waited on the kids while they ate next. After eating, Bud ran upstairs to take a shower, since they'd had TKD today and he hadn't yet bathed. That brought us straight to snack time. After snack time, Bud and I played the old Republic Heros Xbox game, as I'd promised to play with him the day before. That counted as our bedtime activity, and we headed upstairs a few minutes before 8:30 to get him tucked in.

Uneventful

2012-01-18T23:13:00.000-08:00

I rolled out of bed around 7:30, and about 10 minutes later started waking everyone else up. Bud got moving after a little prodding, and I had to dress Buster while he was still mostly asleep. I got the kids downstairs for breakfast by about 8:00.

I took Bud off to school, and M-lady took Buster. The kids seem to have had a good day, and were pretty fired up when M-lady and I arrived home around 5:45. We said goodbye to Nanny J, and M-lady got Bud started on piano practice before too long.

I entertained Buster while Bud did piano and homework. M-lady headed out at about 6:30 to run some errands and swing by a work dinner, so the kids and I did dinner and bedtime. They were well behaved, and ate a good meal. After dinner, they played a bit of Xbox before snack time.

The bedtime routine was smooth, and I brokered a 2-player game of Tower Madness before the kids turned in around 8:30. They fell asleep pretty quickly.

Mostly Missed Evening

2012-01-17T23:05:00.000-08:00

The morning was pretty straightforward. I rolled out of bed around 7:30, and got Bud up and moving a short time later. He was good about getting himself dressed and having breakfast. We had him put on his warm coat, since it's still surprisingly cold outside. I dropped him off at school (in the cold), and headed off to work.

The kids seem to have had a good day, and they went to TKD with Nanny J in the afternoon. M-lady and I got home around the same time, but I was unfortunately tied up with meetings for a good portion of the evening. M-lady was good enough to run the general evening activities, including shepherding Bud through his homework and piano, getting the kids some dinner, and getting the kids snack.

I was able to join the family sporadically between meetings, and played with Buster a bit. We also watched about 15 minutes of TV together, watching the How It's Made segment about Lego. I got off the phone in time to help Buster brush his teeth before bed, and then play some Machinarium with Bud before turning the light out.

Wrapping Up a Long Weekend

2012-01-16T23:47:00.000-08:00

The kids were up around 8:00, but Bud didn't come in until about 8:30. He complained of being hungry, but we were able to send him downstairs to get himself a bowl of cereal, which he negotiated successfully. I headed down a bit before 9:00, and got started on making roll-up pancakes for a treat breakfast.

After everyone had eaten, Bud did his piano practice with M-lady, and then the kids kept busy by sitting around and playing while M-lady and I did some paperwork in the office. I gave Bud the opportunity to go with me on an errand right before lunch, be he declined. I ran out, and was back a bit after noon. We decided to get out for lunch, where both kids ate pretty well.

We wandered through a bookstore on the way out, and the kids had fun seeing all the different books on display. Their eyes were caught by Harry Potter, Lego, and Star Wars displays as we wended our way out.

When we got home, M-lady and I continued doing paper work, and eventually I headed out on the roof to pick some more clementines. The kids played together for a bit, and spent some time playing Lego Pirates together as well. We all had a solid dinner together, and the kids bathed afterward. I showered with Buster, and Bud showered himself.

Snack and bedtime followed soon after, and the kids were good about the routine. Buster and I read some stories and played a quick iPad game before turning out the light around 8:30. Buster passed out pretty quickly when the light went out.

Cold Snap

2012-01-15T23:34:00.001-08:00

I got up early this morning to head off to a bike race. The family was still asleep when I left at about 7:30.

It was really cold this morning (for being on a bike), around 40 when I got up. It was cold warming up for the race, cold at the start, and still cold when we finished. While yesterday we enjoyed beautiful weather at Happy Hollow, today the temperature never got above the low fifties (which is pretty cold for here).

The kids and M-lady made blueberry muffins for breakfast, and Bud had completed his piano by the time I got home around 11:30. The kids engaged me as soon as I got home, and I promised lunch after my shower.

Bud ate a good lunch with me, and Buster waited to eat a bit later with M-lady. After lunch, Bud and I played on the computer for a bit. Eventually M-lady ran out to do some errands, and the kids bundled up and played outside while I finally got around to taking down the Christmas lights. I then managed to get the kids into the car so we could do the grocery shopping before dinner.

Bud was a little grumpy about going to the store at first, but was in a good mood by the time we got there. We did the shopping fairly effectively and then headed home, where the kids played some Lego Harry Potter before dinner time. M-lady and I put together a dinner that we hadn't had in a while, and Bud really enjoyed it.

After dinner, we all hung out together for a short time before snack time rolled up. The kids had opted to get Otter Pops at the grocery store, and on the coldest day of the year they had popsicles for snack before bed. They were pretty good about getting ready for bed, and the lights went out around 8:30.

Surprising Enthusiasm

2012-01-14T23:19:00.000-08:00

The kids woke at about 8:00 this morning, and played with each other for a while, which let M-lady and I sleep in a bit. I got up before 9:00, and got some breakfast going for the kids.

We got a call from Aunt O a short time later, asking if we'd like to meet at Happy Hollow. We checked with the kids, and they were both excited to go, so we let Aunt O know that we'd meet her there. We loaded up around 10:30, and made it to the park by about 11:00.

We headed down to the lower zoo, and checked out the critters down there. Aunt O and Cousin C caught up with us while we were looking at lemurs, and a short time later we headed out of the lower zoo to grab some lunch.

After eating, we headed off to the playground, where the kids had a good time running around. Buster in particular was braver than he had been in the past, and negotiated parts of the play structure that he had avoided before. He really enjoyed the big slides.

The kids spent some time running around the grassy spiral area, and then hit the playground in the upper zoo for a while. Eventually the kids were mostly spent, and we headed for home a bit later. We relaxed at home for a bit when we arrived, and M-lady headed out to run an errand a short time later. The kids and I played together, and the kids played some Lego Pirates while I worked on the computer for a bit.

M-lady arrived home around 3:30, and I headed out to get a haircut. Wile I was out, Bud completed his piano practice. I got started on dinner when I arrived home, which was a hit with Bud. After dinner, I got Buster into the tub. I showed Bud Skyrim, which he found very interesting, and we played a little bit together before doing the usual snack and bedtime.

Looking Forward To The Weekend

2012-01-13T23:30:00.000-08:00

I had a short night last night, and Buster and M-lady were up before me. Bud rolled out of bed without too much prompting, and M-lady did the bulk of the work getting the kids ready for school. I loaded up Buster when the time came, and dropped him off without issue.

The kids had a good day. M-lady and I got home around the same time, shortly after 4:30, and she took Bud off to his piano practice. I had a short nap, and while I was snoozing M-lady returned with Bud, and they said goodbye to Nanny J. I got up a bit after 6:00, and Buster and I headed out to pick up some dinner.

We all ate pretty well, and after dinner I watched a little bit of the new Lego Ninjago TV show with the kids before snack time. We snacked a few minutes later than usual, but Bud and I turned out the light around 8:30. Both kids were asleep before too long.

Traffic

2012-01-13T01:55:00.000-08:00

The morning was fairly standard. I rolled out of bed around 7:30, and Buster was up a short time later. Bud was a little slow getting out of bed, but was pretty good about getting ready for school once roused. Bud and I headed out for school before Buster had breakfast.

The kids seem to have had a good day, with TKD in the afternoon. Traffic was awful on the way home from work, and M-lady and I were both late. I arrived first by a few minutes, around 6:15. M-lady was a couple minutes later. We said goodbye to Nanny J, and got going on dinner shortly.

Bud had homework, piano, and a shower after dinner, which mostly kept him busy. I played with Buster a bit, and the kids had a snack with M-lady before bedtime. Buster is really, really good about going to bed when the light turns off, and falls asleep pretty quickly.

Folding Toast

2012-01-11T21:33:00.000-08:00

M-lady had a very early meeting she needed to head into the office for, so she was already gone when Buster crawled into bed with me at about 7:00. He was bright and chipper when I rolled out of bed around 7:30 to start the morning routine. I got him dressed, got Bud going, and we all had some breakfast.

After eating a couple bowls of oatmeal, Buster decided that he wanted toast like his older brother. He was clearly full, though, so he looked at the toast and then folded it up. He was pretty proud of himself. I dusted off the crumbs and got us all packed up and off to school. We were off early enough to get both kids in on time.

The kids seem to have had a good day. As usual, Buster was playing in his room with Nanny J, post bath, and Bud was reading in his room when I arrived home. They both seemed happy to see me. M-lady arrived home a few minutes later, just as Nanny J was leaving. I roughed around with the boys for a few minutes, and then we put together one of Buster's Christmas puzzles for the first time, which both kids had fun with.

Bud got started on homework, and was wrapped up by the time dinner was ready. Both kids ate pretty well, and after dinner Bud did a good piano practice while Buster and I played a little bit of Lego Harry Potter. Bud joined when he finished up, and that took us to snack time.

The kids had reasonable snacks, and then we spent some time picking up their rooms and getting them ready for bed. Bud opted to watch some trailers with me on the iPad before bed, and he was interested in Madagascar 3, The Hobbit, and The Lorax. Maybe I can take him to see that last one in the theater.

Out A Bit Late

2012-01-10T23:39:00.000-08:00

My alarm didn't go off as expected this morning, and I ended up sleeping until M-lady kindly woke me at 8:00. Bud was already up and dressed, and he was working on a Lego set with Buster in his room. I got him set up with breakfast, and then M-lady took him to school while I hung out with Buster until Nanny J arrived.

M-lady arrived home in time to relieve Nanny J, and I was stuck at work until a bit later. They had dinner and did homework and piano, and by the time I got home they were all watching some TV together. I had a quick bite to eat, and snack time came up quickly.

I had a chance to chat with the kids a bit, and then played a few games with Buster before turning out the light around 8:30. He fell asleep pretty quickly.

Accessory Interest

2012-01-09T23:10:00.000-08:00

The morning was fairly standard, with Bud doing a good job of getting himself ready, and Buster being a bit slow to rise. I took Bud to school, as M-lady took Buster.

The kids seem to have had a good day. Bud was reading a library book when I arrived home, and Buster was playing Lego with Nanny J. We said goodbye to Nanny J, and Buster and I played for a short time. I got Bud started on his homework, and M-lady arrived home shortly. Bud now has spelling homework, which is very basic considering the amount of reading and writing he's been doing so far.

We had some dinner, and I played a little bit of football with Bud in the living room. He got upset when I got tired, but it was time for his to practice piano in any case. Buster and I opened a package which had arrived for me, which turned out to be a drum throne for the Rock Band drum kit I have. Buster was pretty excited, and we fired up Rock Band to play a few songs.

Snack time came up pretty quickly, and Buster only had a nibble before I got him ready for bed. M-lady finished up the task of putting Buster to bed, while I played some of Bud's favorite new game with him, Scribblenauts. We turned out the light around 8:30, and Bud was asleep before too long.

Joining the Company

2012-01-08T23:40:00.000-08:00

The kids were up around the usual time, and I heard them trading Lego pieces with each other before coming into our room. They eventually wandered in, and found an iPad we'd left unguarded. They entertained themselves with the iPad for a while, and M-lady and I got to sleep in a bit.

We rolled out of bed around 9:30, and I got some breakfast for the kids after M-lady got Buster dressed. They ate a big breakfast, and after cleaning up M-lady and I picked up around the house a little bit while the kids played. Bud got started on his piano practice before too long with M-lady, and Buster and I packed up and headed out to do the groceries and pick up some lunch.

Buster and I had a good time, and he was good about going into Jamba Juice, which he generally finds too loud. He started with his hands over his ears, but acclimated pretty quickly.

We got home and had some lunch. Bud had bumped his head while playing with M-lady after piano practice, and had a good sized lump on the back of his head. It was apparently treated with a real cold pack instead of just Mr. Bump this time. He seemed fine by lunchtime, though.

M-lady and I got serious about baking for a little while, and at about 2:00 we had some company arrive. A few friends of M-lady's from work came over for tea and cookies in the afternoon, and we had a great time. The kids hid upstairs when the guests first arrived, but when we set the table, they came and sat alongside the grownups, and conversed very glibly. It was definitely a step forward in comfort with (parental approved) strangers.

As the party wore on a little, the kids played, watched a little TV, and played some Lego Harry Potter. We got dinner going shortly after the party broke up, and the kids ate pretty well. After dinner, I played some guitar with the kids, and we bathed perhaps just a little too late in the evening. We were a few minutes behind schedule for snack, and I got Buster into bed around 8:30. He fell asleep within a few minutes after turning out the light, as he is wont to do since he started going napless.

New Game

2012-01-07T23:26:00.000-08:00

The kids were up around 8:00, as usual, but were pretty good about playing with each other and letting M-lady and I sleep in a little bit. We rolled out of bed a bit after 9:00, and M-lady got Buster dressed, and I got them some breakfast. We played together a little bit before I started packing up to go to a bike race around noon.

M-lady and the kids apparently had a good afternoon. Bud did a solid piano practice, and M-lady reported having fun reading Mr. Men books. I got home around 3:30, and the kids came outside to play at that point. They played in the front yard for a bit while I picked oranges from the roof.

The kids and I came in around the same time, and we all packed up and headed out to dinner a short time later. We had a good meal, did a quick stop at Office Max on the way home for M-lady and arrived home around 6:30. The kids played loudly with the balloons they'd gotten at the restaurant for a while, and we spent a little time playing Machinarium together on the iPad before starting snack and bed time. Bud and I played some more Machinarium before turning out the light, and had a good time working on it together.

Wrapping Up the Week

2012-01-06T22:49:00.000-08:00

Buster came into our room early this morning to snuggle before it was time to get up. I rolled out of bed around 7:30, and kicked off the usual morning routine. The kids were pretty good about getting ready, having some breakfast, and heading out to school. I took Buster, and M-lady took Bud.

M-lady arrived home early to take Bud to his piano lesson, which apparently went pretty well. I arrived home around 6:00, and was greeted with a loud, "Daddy's home!" from Buster. I got a phone call right as I walked in the door, so was preoccupied for about half an hour, but when I got off Bud and I headed out to pick up some dinner.

We got back and all ate together. There was time after dinner to watch a few minutes of TV to calm the kids down before snack time... there's been a lot of running around and waving of swords recently. Over the past few weeks the kids have been playing more roughly with each other, and while they generally both seem to have a good time, it usually ends in tears on one side or the other.

Snack and bedtime were pretty straightforward, and I read some stories with Buster before a quick game of Tower Madness. We turned out the light around 8:30, and he was asleep really quickly after a long day.

Play Time

2012-01-05T11:57:00.000-08:00

Bud was good about getting up and getting going this morning, and I got Buster dressed and got him some breakfast as well. I headed out to drop Bud off at school at about 8:15, while M-lady stayed home with Buster until Nanny J arrived.

The kids did TKD today, and Buster reported that he had a good time. M-lady arrived home in time to see Nanny J off. I wasn't able to get home until about 7:00, at which point I found that homework had been done, piano practice was complete, and both kids had already eaten dinner. It was pretty much high-energy playtime while I tried to get some dinner for myself.

After I'd eaten, snack time came up pretty quickly. We watched a few minutes of Stanford basketball on TV before having a snack, and then I played a little bit of Scribblenauts with Bud before we turned out the light.

Routine Setting In

2012-01-04T23:10:00.000-08:00

Buster was a bit reluctant to get up this morning, and I dressed him while he was still in bed. He joined Bud and me for breakfast around 8:00, though, and was ready to head to school with M-lady in time. Bud was good about getting ready, as usual, and I dropped him off at class.

I got home around 5:45, and we said goodbye to Nanny J after I'd dropped my stuff. I set up a video call with Granddad B and Grandma Nese, and the kids had fun running around and showing off for them a bit. I eventually calmed Buster down by handing him his iPad to play some games, and Bud did his homework with M-lady when she arrived home.

After we got off the call, we had some dinner. Both kids ate well, and Bud did a solid piano practice after dinner. Snack time came up quickly, though, and we didn't have much time for any other sort of playing. The kids requested popcorn for a snack, and we did the bedtime routine without much issue. I read a story to Buster, and we played one game before turning out the lights.

Wired Again

2012-01-03T23:14:00.000-08:00

Bud was good about getting ready for school when I rolled him out of bed this morning a little after 7:30. I got him some breakfast, and we headed off to school around 8:15. Buster had woken a few minutes earlier, and was snuggling with M-lady.

I got home around 5:45, and we said goodbye to Nanny J. The kids had had a good time at TKD, and they had bathed before I arrived. M-lady arrived home a few minutes after Nanny J left.

We had a video chat with Grandma W, during which time the kids were a little over-excited. They were tearing around, yelling, and grappling now and then. They interacted with Grandma W a little, and Buster had fun pushing at the buttons on the screen. He hung up on Grandma W about four times.

The kids eventually had a minor contention, and we split them up for a little while. Dinner came soon after, and Buster apologized to Bud and joined us. Both kids ate pretty well, and Bud handled his homework and piano practice after dinner. We had time to play just a little bit of Lego Harry Potter before snack and bed time.

Almost Back to Routine

2012-01-02T23:52:00.000-08:00

The kids were up a bit before 8:00 again. Bud didn't have school, so it was another lazy morning. Buster hung out with us in bed for a while, then went back to his room to play. At about 9:00, Nanny J arrived.

The kids were pretty excited to see her, especially Buster. He was happily showing her his new Lego when M-lady and I headed out to run some errands and hang out with each other (since we didn't have work today, either).

The kids seem to have generally had a good day. Buster was having his bath when M-lady and I arrived home at about 5:00. We said goodbye to Nanny J around 5:45, and the kids hung out with me for a bit to watch a little bit of football.

We took a break from the games to play a little bit of Lego Pirates. When that wrapped up, Bud practiced his piano before we had some dinner. The kids ate well at dinnertime, and afterward Bud and I watched the final hour or so of the second Harry Potter movie. Bud really enjoyed it.

That took us right to snack time, where I popped a bowl of popcorn for the kids. They were pretty good about getting ready for bed, and I tucked Buster in after playing a game with him on the iPad.

Bud will be back to school tomorrow, and M-lady and I will be back to work, so hopefully getting back into the routine isn't too painful.

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T23:33:00.000-08:00

I got up really early to take Aunt K to the airport, before anyone else was up. I was able to sneak back into bed around 5:30 without waking anyone.

The kids were up around 8:00, and were pretty good about letting us snooze for a little while. I rolled out around 8:30 to get the kids some breakfast, and then came back to bed for a bit. When I got up again, we looked for the Rose Parade on TV, and discovered that the 'not on a Sunday' clause was in effect, moving the parade and game to tomorrow.

M-lady and I worked on taking down some of the Christmas decorations. Buster helped a bit. We got the tree de-decorated, and the majority of the things packed away. We saved actually taking down the tree for the evening, after the kids went to bed.

I took the kids out to pick up Jamba Juice for lunch, while M-lady ran some errands. The kids were well behaved, and we enjoyed the smoothies when we got home. After lunch, Bud and I started watching the second Harry Potter movie, which he's been asking to see for quite some time now. M-lady and Buster played together for bit while Bud and I were watching the movie.

We headed over to Friend J's place for her annual New Year's Day soup party, and had a good time. Buster in particular had fun running laps and eating cookies. He was totally wired after about 20 minutes (and far too many cookies). We managed to escape before total meltdown, and picked up some dinner on the way home.

The kids ate pretty well, and we had showers after dinner. I spent the rest of the evening watching more of the movie with Bud, which took us up to snack time. I played a new game on the iPad with Bud before bed (Scribblenauts) which I discovered ported to iPad. Bud really liked the game, so we'll probably play more of that going forward.

Last Day of 2011

2011-12-31T23:56:00.000-08:00

Bud was up around 7:30, reading some of his Christmas books, and Buster crawled into bed with us shortly after 8:00. After he'd snuggled for a few minutes, he ran off to play with his Lego in his room.

Around 8:30, I rolled out of bed and got started on breakfast for everyone. We all ate together a little later, and after breakfast had a pretty mellow morning playing together. Bud did a great job on his piano practice, too. We had a fairly early lunch, and after eating got started on writing thank you notes. Bud was a machine, and wrote and illustrated all his letters in a single sitting. Buster was a little harder to convince, but he put a 'C' on most of the letters.

We played more in the afternoon, and Aunt K ran out to do some quick errands. When she got back, she and the kids and I loaded up in the car and headed out to a yarn store, where we picked out some yarn for a new knitting project for Aunt K. It was a fun trip, and the kids were well behaved in the store. They were impressed with the yarn ball winder as well.

Bud played with Aunt K for a bit outside when we arrived home, and I played Lego with Buster. We headed out to an early dinner, and the kids ate really well. When we got home again, the kids opened some late Christmas gifts from Aunt K, and Bud ended up playing with Jenga blocks for most of the rest of the evening. Buster and I played a little bit of Lego Pirates before snack and bedtime.

Hanging with Aunt K

2011-12-31T00:19:00.000-08:00

The kids were up this morning around 8:00, and I got them some breakfast. I headed back to bed when they were fed, and M-lady got up for a brief time to get Buster out of his PJs. She came back to bed when he was dressed. Buster played in his room for a bit, while Bud played downstairs with Aunt K.

Around 11:30, I took Aunt K and the kids to the mall. M-lady was still recovering from her cold, and opted to stay home and nap. We had a good lunch, and then did some quick shopping. The kids were excited to visit the Lego store again, even though I made it clear we weren't going to purchase anything.

We got home around 2:30, and the kids played outside for a bit. Buster came in first, and went back to playing with Lego while I spent some time picking oranges from the roof of our house. I took some time afterward to play outside with Bud and play Legos with Buster as well.

Aunt K headed out in the late afternoon to run some errands, and the kids and I played some Lego Harry Potter. When Aunt K returned, we had a quick dinner, and I got the kids bathed. That took us just about to snack and bedtime, which went pretty smoothly. M-lady was feeling well enough to help put Buster to bed, which I think he enjoyed.

Hug, Hug, Squish, Squish

2011-12-29T23:41:00.000-08:00

I had to head off to work today, but I decided to bike in. Bud got up and had some breakfast with Aunt K, and Buster slept in until about 8:30. The cleaners arrived a short time later, and I headed out on the road around 9:00 after getting things generally picked up.

They apparently had a pretty mellow morning, and then M-lady got up to help out with lunch and get Bud through his piano practice. That tired her out a bit, so she retired to bed again for a while. Buster joined her, and they played on iPads together for a bit.

The kids played outside with Aunt K for a while in the later afternoon. I arrived home around 5:00, and found Bud playing a dice game (involving math) with Aunt K, and Buster laughing over photos with M-lady. They were looking at photos of Buster and his new stuffed octopus, and seeing the progressive compression of the plush toy in the photos made Buster repeatedly giggle.

I got some dinner together in fairly short order, and we ate pretty well. After dinner, I played with Buster a little bit, and we headed for bed on the early side as Bud watched the end of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone with Aunt K. Buster was in bed before 8:30, and fell asleep pretty quickly. Bud was in bed short time later, and fell asleep on his own.

Happy Birthday, M-lady

2011-12-28T23:47:00.000-08:00

The kids were up around 8:00 this morning, and Aunt K came up to see them around the same time. I rolled out of bed and headed off to Home Depot for a quick errand while M-lady and Aunt K got breakfast for the kids. When I got back, they were dressed and eating.

I did some chores around the house while the kids and Aunt K played a little bit. M-lady was still feeling a bit under the weather, so she rested. At about 9:30 the kids and I wrapped M-lady's birthday presents, loaded them into bags, and at about 10:00 we all loaded up and headed over to Aunt O + Uncle C's place, where Ama and Agu were staying.

Cousin C and the boys had a great time playing together today. After lunch (where the kids ate pretty well), we took them out scootering to the nearby elementary school, where they played on the playground for a while. They were able to burn off a little energy there, and after a bit we headed back to the house to have some cake.

The kids were pretty wired, so we cooled off by watching an episode of Kung Fu Panda before loading in the car and heading for home. The kids and Aunt K played outside for a bit after we got home, and I headed out to pick up some dinner before too long.

After everyone had a good dinner, Bud played with Aunt K while Buster and I played a little bit of Lego Harry Potter together. That took us up to about snack time. Buster deferred, and he and I worked on his Lego just a bit before getting into PJs and watching a video. We turned out the lights around 8:30, and he fell asleep pretty quickly.

Bud was put into bed by Aunt K, and he didn't fall asleep until nearly 10:00. It was surprising, given the amount of time he spent running around outside today.

Back to the Mall

2011-12-27T23:12:00.000-08:00

The kids were up around 8:00 this morning, and we rolled out of bed a short time later. M-lady was feeling a bit under the weather, so she spent a good portion of the day in bed again. She did get the kids some breakfast and get them dressed while I headed out to start on cleaning the house air filters, though.

By the time I was done, we were all set to load up and head to the mall. M-lady brought the returns with her, and was moderately successful. The kids petitioned to hit the Lego store, but we agreed that we weren't buying anything: just looking. We had a very early lunch at the mall, and then hit a Sears on the way home.

I did more work outside when we got home, and the kids played outside for a bit. They had a good time running around and whacking at each other with sticks. Eventually, Bud had an unfortunate fall in the gutter, and had to go in to change clothes and clean up. We decided it was time for all of us to head in.

We had a snack, and hung out for a little while before Bud did his piano practice. We started dinner a short time after that. Buster got a bit grumpy, and declined dinner. After we'd finished up, he eventually lightened up, and I got him some dinner around 6:00. I managed to get both kids bathed after dinner, and they were in PJs by about 7:00.

I ran out around that time to do a quick shopping run and pick up Aunt K at the airport, who will be visiting for a few days. M-lady got the kids in bed, and Buster was asleep at least when we got back. Bud was still up, but wasn't quite up to saying hello to Aunt K. I'm sure both kids will be excited to see her in the morning, though.

Chilling

2011-12-26T23:12:00.000-08:00

I got up around 7:30 today, to run a quick errand. Bud was up a bit before me, and was working on his Lego when I got up. Buster joined us in bed a few minutes before I rolled out.

My appointment kept me away until about 9:30. When I got back, Bud was practicing his piano with M-lady. After he was done, we spent most of the rest of the morning just hanging out together. We had lunch fairly early, and after lunch I played some Lego Harry Potter with the kids. M-lady was feeling a little under the weather today, so spent a good portion of the day in bed. She napped for a chunk of the afternoon.

After I turned off the video game, Buster protested, and eventually fell asleep on the floor in the playroom. He napped for a couple of hours as well. Meanwhile, I played outside with Bud for a while so we could get some fresh air. We tossed a football around a bit, and I spent a bit of time breaking down boxes for recycling. It was pretty chilly outside, though, and we headed in around 5:00.

Buster was up by that point, and both kids came with me to pick up some dinner. We all ate together, and then built some Lego and generally hung out a bit more before snack and bed time. M-lady was good about getting the kids ready for bed, and I watched a video with Buster before tucking him in for the night. Overall it was a very relaxing day, without an agenda. Looking forward to a few more mellow days this week as well.

Happy Holidays

2011-12-25T21:54:00.000-08:00

Bud woke this morning around 6:45. We let him know that we wouldn't be opening stockings until about 7:30. I think we mis-conveyed the message, because he was back every 5 minutes or so to let us know how long we had until it was time to open the stockings. Consequently, there wasn't a lot of sleep after that point.

Buster woke up a short time before 7:30, and snuggled in bed with us for a few minutes before we all headed downstairs to open stockings. The kids were excited by their haul, and we'd given them a couple of little Lego sets to keep them occupied until the main event. They also received an assortment of Harry Potter stuff, including some Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. Bud ate a dirt-flavored bean.

A first breakfast followed shortly, and after some stalling, we got a video call going with Granddad B. Unfortunately, Grandma Nese was off visiting her family, but we got to say Hi to Granddad B, and we opened gifts on camera. The kids were pretty excited about their gifts, and were good about saying thank yous pretty much all day.

After the call with Granddad B, we got a video call going with Grandma W and Granddad B, and chatted and did the gift opening with that family. Again the kids were gracious, if more excited about opening presents than saying Hello.

After the call with them, we had our second breakfast, where both kids ate well again. We opened a couple of smaller items to keep the kids content for a few minutes, and then Aunt O, Uncle C, and Cousin C arrived and we got on with the main event.

Everyone seemed satisfied with the event, and we spent some time cleaning up afterward as the kids explored their new toys. Around 2:00 we were able to sit down to dinner, and everyone ate well. After the meal, Aunt O, Uncle C, and Cousin C took off for home, and Ama and Agu followed them over to their house a short time later.

The later afternoon and evening were spent playing with Lego, reading, and having a quick dinner around 7:00. We got the kids bathed after dinner, and then the kids and I played with the new Lego Harry Potter Xbox game for a short time before bedtime. The kids were a little reluctant to head to bed, but fell asleep quickly after a long day.

Bottomless

2011-12-22T23:02:00.000-08:00

We were able to send the kids downstairs to get some breakfast with the grandparents, so the kids didn't invade our bed quite as vigorously as usual. I rolled out of bed shortly after 9:00, and joined the kids and Agu as they were opening up their Lego advent calendar item. Buster assembled his A-wing all by himself today!

After Bud finished up his piano practice, Agu bestowed upon the kids some wands he'd build himself. They were immediately put to use, and the kids were casting spells at each other and innocent bystanders all day. A bit later in the morning Buster headed off to a TKD class with Ama and M-lady, and Bud stayed home to play with Agu and invent new spells.

I headed out to work briefly for a lunch with the team, and got home mid-afternoon. I played with the kids for a short time when I got back, and we fed the kids snacks. In particular, Bud has been constantly hungry for the past few days.

Around 3:30, we headed out to a local Winter Wonderland festival, where we arrived at the same time as Aunt O, Uncle C, and Cousin C, around the time the gates were opening. It was still light out, so the lanterns weren't lit, and we took the opportunity to eat an early dinner. Bud ate a huge piece of pizza, and was hungry again about 10 minutes later.

We had fun wandering around, and Buster and I did a big slide, which he loved. He was excited that he was tall enough to ride it with me, and excited about the slide itself. He had no problems with the altitude we climbed to before starting a fairly rapid descent, and finished with a big grin on his face. Bud seemed mostly excited about the food, and we had some mini donuts as a treat.

We headed home around 6:00, and had a light dinner (except for Bud). I lit a fire in the fireplace for the first time in a while, and the kids thought that was pretty cool. The kids got showered before bedtime, and I played a game of Tower Madness with Buster before we turned out the light. Buster fell asleep pretty quickly.

Building Excitement

2011-12-21T23:37:00.000-08:00

M-lady had a couple of calls early this morning, and the kids were up as well. I rose a bit after 8:00 to distract Buster, and rolled around on the floor with him for a bit. Eventually we got dressed and headed downstairs to get some breakfast. M-lady ran out for a quick Target strike while we were still getting ourselves going.

We spent a good portion of the day playing Arkham Horror, Lego Indiana Jones, and Tower Madness. Along with piano practice, that pretty much took us up to lunchtime, where we all ate pretty well. Buster asked for a hot dog, and then just ate the bun, but other than that, the meal went well.

After lunch, I ran out for a quick bike ride. It was a bit chilly, but otherwise pleasant. When I got back, M-lady was just packing up to take Bud to a playdate with Friend D. They apparently had a great time together, and then Friend D's mom took them both to TKD together.

M-lady stopped at the library on the way home, so I played with Buster for a bit while we waited for her to return. She got back just a few minutes before Ama and Agu arrived. Buster was absorbed in Lego Indiana Jones, but was willing to say hello.

I ran out for a quick errand, and returned around dinner time. Bud arrived home a short time later, and we had a nice dinner. After dinner, Buster went and turned on the Xbox and TV by himself for the first time. I went ahead and unplugged the Xbox, so hopefully it will take a few weeks for him to figure that out.

The whole family watched a few Christmas specials together before having a snack and starting the bedtime routine. The kids were pretty good about getting ready for bed, and Bud and I turned out the light a little before 9:00. Bud fell asleep pretty quickly.

New Student

2011-12-20T23:57:00.000-08:00

The kids were up early again this morning, and I got them some breakfast before 8:00. I headed back to bed after they were fed, and M-lady got up with them a short time later. Bud did his piano practice before I rolled out of bed around 9:30. By the time I headed downstairs around 10:00, the family was having a second breakfast.

We had a pretty mellow morning. I had a couple of calls for work I took throughout the day, so had to remove myself occasionally, but otherwise things went smoothly. Bud and I played a little bit of Arkham Horror during the day, and Buster played a little bit of Lego Star Wars. We had lunch around noon, and M-lady headed out for a hair cut a short time later.

Around 2:30, M-lady had returned and the kids were ready to go to TKD. M-lady took them while I was on a call, so I didn't get to go with them. Bud received his senior orange belt today, and Buster started classes. He was really excited to join the class, and apparently did very well. Both kids came home excited and proud: Bud showing off his new belt, and Buster showing off his new uniform (with the sleeves and legs rolled up a bit).

The late afternoon was a bit more of the same, with some gaming, and another call for work. I joined the family for dinner after my call, and everyone ate pretty well. After dinner, I had a nice chat with Grandma Wendy, and played a little bit more with Bud before we got started on showers.

The rest of the evening was pretty straightforward, with PJs, snacks, and bedtime. I played a little bit of Tower Madness with Buster before bed, which seems to be the new fad for the family. Buster passed out a few minutes after turning out the light: I think TKD will be a good way for him to expend excess energy.

Successful Backup Care

2011-12-19T23:46:00.000-08:00

M-lady had some early meetings, but we didn't have a hard time line in the morning for getting ready. The kids jumped in bed with me while M-lady was on the phone, and then M-lady came back before we all started getting up and moving around 8:30.

We managed to roll out of the house a bit after 9:00, after getting everyone dressed and fed. M-lady and I took the kids to Cisco Day Care for the day, where Bud went to Science Camp and Buster did standard backup care. The kids were OK with the whole thing, and Buster was pretty excited. Bud was a little nervous, but more interested when he saw all the kids playing at the foosball table when we arrived.

M-lady and I took care of various businessy things during the day, and got back to pick up the kids around 4:00. They both seem to have had good days. Bud was a little hesitant to go, since he wanted to finish the book he was reading. Both kids were happy to see us, though.

We picked up pearl milk tea on the way home, and had them as a treat before dinner. Bud got a bit grumpy after dinner when asked to play his piano, and had a bit of a meltdown. He later came down and helped M-lady in cleaning up the kitchen, though. Buster and I watched a little bit of TV, and I got some dinner for the kids around 7:00.

Bud had played with some green plasticine during the day, and played with it more in the evening. He ended up getting it stuck all over his hands and under his fingernails, so we spent a good amount of time in the evening trying to get his hands clean.

Snack time arrived directly, and snack time led to bed time. I helped get Buster into PJs, then played some Tower Madness with Bud before turning out the light around 9:00.

Serious Board Gaming

2011-12-18T23:25:00.000-08:00

Bud rolled in around 7:00, and M-lady got him set up with some breakfast. Buster came in a bit later, and M-lady watched the kids for a bit, letting me sleep until about 9:00. Bud was actually done with piano around the time I got up.

Bud got dressed, and both kids did their advent calendar. M-lady headed out to ballet class around the same time. The kids and I played a little bit, and hung out together. Bud has been hounding me to play Arkham Horror, a board game I've had sitting on the shelf for a while, for a few days now, so he and I spent most of our free time in the morning reading more of the Arkham Horror game rules. Buster played various games nearby.

We had lunch around the time M-lady arrived home, and after lunch I headed out with Buster to the grocery store while Bud headed off with M-lady to the post office. We both got home mid-afternoon. I managed to have a nice video chat with Granddad B and Grandma Nese, and Bud interacted with them a bit.

By late afternoon Bud and I were ready to start playing our first game of Arkham Horror. Bud was anxious to keep the play moving, but it was slow for the first game as we figured out the rules. He never got particularly upset, and we both had a pretty good time playing the game.

Buster spent a good amount of time in the afternoon playing Lego Star Wars while Bud and I were occupied, and M-lady was kind enough to make dinner. Buster and I took a break to eat, and then played a bit more, wrapping up the game shortly after 7:00. We won, but it may have been due to several rule modifiers I missed as we went along.

The kids and I showered and snacked, and did a quick bedtime routine. The kids were good about going to bed, and Buster fell asleep a few minutes after the light went out. Bud was up for a couple minutes longer, but was asleep around 9:00.

Big Tree Party

2011-12-17T23:52:00.000-08:00

Bud was up pretty early this morning, jumping on the bed and asking for breakfast. I got up and got him started, and got him everything he needed to get seconds for himself, which he did. I was also hoping he'd get breakfast for his brother, but I forgot to leave out a plate and cup.

M-lady headed off to run a quick errand and do ballet class, and the kids and I spent the morning hanging out together. We did a little bit of online Christmas shopping for M-lady, played on the iPad, and watched the Claymation Christmas special. The kids liked 'Here we come a-waffling'.

M-lady returned before lunchtime, and I headed outside with the kids to start harvesting our clementine tree. Bud helped, and climbed up the ladder to pick some fruit. Buster spent the time outside riding his trike and scooter. We got some fresh air, and headed back inside with three full bags to have some lunch.

The kids ate a pretty good lunch, and I had a quick nap in the mid-afternoon. Bud spent a good portion of the day checking out a game I've had on the shelf for a while, but haven't had opportunity to play yet: Arkham Horror. Bud's really anxious to try playing it with me, though. We didn't get to it today, but I expect we'll try a game tomorrow.

Buster took a nap in the mid-afternoon as well, and we rousted him a bit after 5:00. After he was done with being groggy, we loaded everyone up and headed out to a Holiday party at a friend's house. They had a huge, 12-foot tall Christmas tree, which the kids thought was pretty cool.

Bud and I spent a little bit of time during the party petting the dog, since Bud doesn't come in contact with them too much. The kids ate a bit, although we really didn't have a proper dinner. Bud and I also spent some time playing 'I Spy' with the ornaments on the tree.

We headed home, and both the kids skipped snack. Buster and M-lady played on the iPad together for a bit, and Bud and I set up the board for Arkham Horror. Bud and I actually read some of the rules together for a bedtime story (at his request). Both kids fell asleep pretty quickly.

TKD Test

2011-12-17T00:24:00.000-08:00

M-lady got the kids ready for school today, and I had a meeting I had to head in for a bit early. I said goodbye to the kids as they were getting ready, around 7:45. M-lady did a great job of getting both kids to school on time.

M-lady headed over to Bud's classroom mid-morning to help out with their holiday party. Apparently the kids had a good time. M-lady headed to work after helping out in class for a bit.

M-lady got home from work a little before 5:00, a few minutes before I arrived home. She got Bud to get into his TKD uniform, so he was ready to go when I got home. We loaded up and headed off to his TKD test.

We arrived about 20 minutes early, and the school was packed. When the yellow belts were finished, we headed into the studio. Bud did a great job with the test, and executed all his skills with competence. We headed home when he was done, arriving around 7:00.

M-lady and Buster had headed out to pick up sushi for dinner, and had eaten before we got home. Bud and I had a solid meal together, and then started getting ready for bed. Bud did have a bit of a lump on his foot from his board break (where he'd accidentally kicked the instructor's hand rather than the board), so we iced that while reading a story. We turned the light out around 8:45, and the kids went to sleep without incident.

Practical Angry Birds

2011-12-15T23:30:00.000-08:00

I got Bud out of bed around 7:30, and we had a pretty quiet morning. M-lady was on a call, and Buster didn't wake up before Bud and I headed off to school.

Nanny J had a doctor's appointment this morning, so M-lady stayed home with Buster. They apparently had a pretty good time. Nanny J arrived around lunchtime, and M-lady headed off to work.

The kids had a good day. I arrived home around 5:45, and the kids greeted me as I came in the door. We said goodbye to Nanny J, had a quick, small snack, and Bud did his really small amount of homework. Bud was pretty hungry, so he had (the first part of) his dinner, and I ate with him. Buster deferred.

When Bud was done, the kids and I played a little bit of Lego Pirates before Bud got started on his piano practice and Buster had a few bites to eat with M-lady. While Bud was working on piano, I pulled out my guitar, which is sitting in the living room now, and played along with him a little bit. I don't have the chord changes yet, but I can pick out the melodies of the songs he's working on with him, which seems to be fun for everyone.

The kids played with the guitar a little bit as well, and there was also a brief intermission for playing practical Angry Birds. That is, Buster pulled out his stuffed Angry Bird and Pig, and we set up the pig and threw birds at it.

Snack time came up pretty quickly, which M-lady moderated this evening. I got Buster into PJs and did the bedtime routine with him, and we played a little bit on the iPad before turning out the light around 8:30. He fell asleep pretty quickly.

Just a Morning

2011-12-14T23:36:00.000-08:00

The morning routine was fairly straightforward. I woke Bud and Buster when I got up, around 7:30, and worked with Buster to get him dressed while Bud got himself ready. Both kids opened their Lego advent calendar, and we headed down for breakfast. We ended up getting out of the house a few minutes late, but not too bad.

We all (M-lady, too!) headed out in the same car this morning. We dropped Bud off first, and then delivered Buster to class. M-lady and I headed to work together after that. M-lady and I headed out to a show directly after work, and didn't get home until after midnight, so we didn't see the kids again during the day.

They apparently were fine. Babysitter G took over for Nanny J around 6:30, and the kids were good for her. We'll catch up with the kids tomorrow morning and see how their day went.

Not So Restful

2011-12-13T22:25:00.000-08:00

Bud was up when I got up around 7:30, reading in his bed. Buster was up a few minutes later, and I got him dressed before both kids opened their advent calendar Lego for the day. After the brief construction, they had breakfast and I took Bud off to school.

The kids seem to have had a good day. M-lady got home early to take Bud to his piano lesson, since he'll be testing for his next TKD belt on Friday. I ran an errand on the way home, and arrived a bit after 6:00, finding Bud working on his homework.

When Bud finished up, I headed upstairs to lie down for a few minutes. The whole family followed me to bed, where the kids squirmed for a bit. I did manage to doze off for a few minutes, but I took a couple kicks to the ribs. After about 20 minutes, I got up and started on dinner.

The kids eventually ate, and had a reasonable dinner. Snack time came up quickly, and I got Buster undressed, but couldn't convince him to get PJs on. M-lady took care of that while I played a game with Bud before turning out the light.

Another Tooth Down

2011-12-12T23:24:00.000-08:00

Buster was up early this morning, crawling into bed with us at about 7:00. He tried to wake us up, and even went so far as to turn on the room lights. We convinced him to lay quietly with us until about 7:30.

The kids were good about getting ready, and enjoyed another day of the Lego advent calendar before breakfast. I took Bud to school, and walked him to the door of his class, where we arrived just before the bell sounded. I headed on to work after that, as M-lady took Buster to school.

The kids seem to have had a good day. Bud had a field trip to see a show at a nearby community theater: Madeline's Christmas. He apparently really enjoyed the show.

M-lady got home a little early this afternoon, and took Buster to the doctor to have his scalp checked out. Buster has a couple of dry patches of skin on his scalp, which are flaking off with clumps of hair. Turns out it's not anything more than a dry scalp, and the hair isn't coming out at a faster than normal rate. We just need to oil his head up a bit.

I arrived home around 6:00, and Bud excitedly informed me that he'd lost his second tooth, about twenty minutes previous. This is the second tooth, the other center lower one. The adult tooth is already mostly grown in, just behind where the baby tooth was (shark teeth!). It's mate moved forward pretty quickly when the baby tooth fell out, so I expect the same of this one.

Both kids were very well behaved during the evening, although Buster was a little exuberant. Bud was good about doing his homework and piano rehearsal, and we all had a good dinner together. After dinner, I tuned up my guitar, and M-lady played some Christmas carols on the piano while I clumsily tried to follow along on guitar. I need to practice a few chord progressions, but it should be fun to play with both her and Bud.

Buster was getting very tired towards the end of the evening, and skipped his snack. I got him into PJs and ready for bed while Bud was still snacking. Buster actually fell asleep while we were playing a game together, so I tucked him in and turned the light out.

Decorating The Tree

2011-12-11T23:56:00.000-08:00

I got up before 7:00 this morning to head out to a bike race. The family was all still sleeping when I left. They apparently had a good morning together, and were all out running a quick errand when I got home a bit before noon. They arrived home as I was getting into the shower.

We had lunch together, and played for a bit before decorating the Christmas tree. The kids had fun opening some new ornaments, and pulling out lots of the old favorites. Buster seemed to be particularly drawn to the Imperial shuttle which played the Imperial March.

We had a good time decorating, though, and ended up with a very pretty tree. In the mid-afternoon, we packed up and headed over to Friend D and Friend A's house for a party. We were there pretty early, and the kids were very well behaved. Bud asked Friend D if he had a chess set, and the two of them sat down and played a game together. I think Bud had a pretty good time.

After cookies, cake, and other snacks, we packed up and headed for home a bit after 5:00. We were just starting up the car with Aunt O, Uncle C, and Cousin C arrived. We waved in passing, and then headed off.

When we got home, I got the kids showered and PJed. After that we had a quick dinner, and I got the kids fairly well situated before heading out to a friend's place for an evening event. M-lady was kind enough to get the kids into bed while I was out. Thanks for watching the kids so much today, M-lady!

Christmas Tree Day

2011-12-10T23:49:00.000-08:00

Alas, putting the kids to bed late didn't make them sleep in any later in the morning. They were up pretty early, and jumped in bed with us, where they wriggled and kicked. M-lady got up to help get Buster dressed, and then headed out to run a surgical strike at Target.

While she was out, I got some breakfast for the kids. Bud ate lots. Bud and I got ourselves dressed and ready for the day after that.

When M-lady arrived home, I headed out to get a smog check on my older vehicle. While I was out, Bud practiced his piano with M-lady. When I got back, we snoozed for a little while before getting up and getting some lunch (Bud deferred on lunch, though).

We puttered around for a bit, had a snack, and then headed out to pick out a Christmas tree. The selection process was pretty straightforward, and the kids seemed to have a good time. We got it home, got it out of the net, and got it up in the living room. The new stand and waterer seemed to work pretty well. Bud helped with the process, and Buster spent some time on his scooter outside.

After picking up some dinner and eating together, we put lights on the tree. We all agreed it was beautiful. After that, M-lady and I got ready to go out for the evening, and got the kids prepared for Babysitter G and mostly ready for bed. Babysitter G showed up while the kids were having their snack, and M-lady and I were able to head out. The kids were apparently good for the sitter, and were sleeping soundly when we arrived home.

OOO

2011-12-09T23:17:00.000-08:00

We had a fairly standard 'Get Ready for School' morning with the kids pretty good about getting ready. They opened their Lego advent calendar for the day after breakfast, which proved to be a fairly complex model. I helped Buster complete his, while Bud has been good about doing his own.

M-lady got home in time to take Bud to his piano lesson. I got stuck behind a traffic accident on the way home, but managed to reroute and avoid the worst of it. I didn't get home until after 6:00, though. When I arrived home, I discovered that the Christmas tree stand I had ordered had arrived, which meant we could get a tree over the weekend. The kids and I had a good time assembling the stand and wrestling a bit before settling in front of the TV.

We ate dinner very late (around 7:45), after watching the TV show. Dinner was followed immediately by a couple of cookies, and bedtime. I played with Buster and his Lego for a while, did a quick video game, and we turned out the light just after 9:00, with the hope that he'd sleep in just a bit in the morning.

Save The Sheep

2011-12-08T23:51:00.001-08:00

Bud got up early this morning, and wasn't in his bed when I went to wake him up at about 7:30. I found him downstairs, finishing up Buster's Lego set for him. I'm still not entirely certain how much he was motivated by wanting to help Buster and how much by wanting to build the set himself.

In any case, he was good about getting ready for school this morning. Buster was up before we left, and was hanging out with M-lady when Bud and I headed out to school.

The kids seem to have had a good day again. Bud greeted me when I arrived home, informing me that he's been deemed ready to test for his next belt in TKD. He's pretty excited about becoming a senior orange belt.

I had a call to make, and Buster entertained himself with the iPad for a bit while Bud played with Lego. Both kids have been playing a game called 'Tower Madness', which is a tower defense game where you try to protect your sheep from alien invaders. Bud's gotten into the game seriously, and Buster just likes saving the sheep.

M-lady arrived home before too long, and we fell back into our usual evening routine. Bud did his homework and practiced piano, and we all had dinner together around 7:00.

After dinner, the kids and I played some Lego Pirates together. As snack time approached, the kids had a disagreement and Bud had a bit of a meltdown. We ended up skipping snack time altogether. M-lady got Buster ready for bed, and Bud get himself tucked in.

Bud came around in time to play a little more Tower Madness with me before we turned out the light around 8:45.

Point Reward Day

2011-12-07T22:27:00.000-08:00

M-lady had another early morning, so I got the kids up and going this morning. They were both pretty quick about getting ready, as they were eager to check out the latest Lego mini-model in their advent calendars, which they played with after breakfast. Due to a series of small setbacks, we didn't get out the door until about 5 minutes after I wanted to leave, and consequently Buster was a few minutes late to class, but overall it was a successful morning.

The kids seem to have had a good day. M-lady got home in time to relieve Nanny J, and I arrived about half an hour later. We got Bud started on his homework, and tried to contain Buster, who was particularly wired this evening. After wrapping up homework, Bud got onto his piano practice.

We all had some dinner together, and the kids ate pretty well. After dinner, Bud finished up piano. I encouraged him along, because he'd earned enough house points to get the prize he'd selected, which had been delivered from Amazon earlier that afternoon.

When Bud had satisfactorily completed his piano practice, we broke out the prize. He'd selected a Harry Potter 'Wizard Chess' chess set, and he and I got set up to play a game. I'd picked up a small Lego Ninjago set for Buster as well, so he wouldn't be left out. Both kids seemed thrilled with the awards, and we had a good time playing until bedtime.

The kids had a quick snack, and then I got Buster into PJs and did the bedtime routine with him. Again, he fell asleep pretty quickly after turning out the light.

Smooth Evening

2011-12-06T23:33:00.001-08:00

M-lady and I rolled out of bed around 7:30, and I rousted Bud a short time later. M-lady had to leave a bit early for work, so I got Bud some breakfast. Buster woke a few minutes after 8:00, and the kids had just a few minutes to open their advent calendar Lego before Nanny J arrived around 8:15 and I took Bud to school.

The kids had a good day. I got home around 5:45, and we said goodbye to Nanny J. M-lady had an event with co-workers, so it was just me and the kids. After playing together for a bit, we all had some dinner together, and the kids were well behaved and both ate well. After a pleasant meal, Bud worked on his homework, and then practiced piano (with a couple of breaks for games on the iPad).

Once Bud had finished up his piano, the kids and I played Star Wars Lego on the Xbox for a bit. That took us right up to snack time. Buster threatened to be a little upset when we turned off the TV, but was mollified by having a cookie at snack time.

After snacking, we headed upstairs, where the kids were good about getting ready for bed. Once pajamafied, we all read a Where's Waldo? book together, and then I tucked the kids in. Buster fell asleep on his own a few minutes after the lights went out. Bud was still up when M-lady arrived home around 9:00, and requested that she come up and say goodnight. He was asleep a short time later.

Monday Monday

2011-12-05T23:31:00.000-08:00

We had a fairly usual morning, with Bud up before M-lady and me, and a little more work rolling Buster out of bed. We got him up eventually, though, and the kids were eating breakfast before 8:00. They got ready fairly quickly, and had about 5 minutes to open and play with the Lego for today from their Advent Calendars before we packed up and headed to school. I took Buster to class, while M-lady took Bud.

The kids seem to have had a good day. I arrived home at a bit after 5:45, and found Bud naked, about to get into the shower. Buster had already had a bath. After Bud bathed, we watched a few minutes of TV before M-lady arrived home and Bud got started on homework and piano.

We all had a good dinner together, and afterward the kids and I played a bit of Lego Pirates together before snack time rolled around. Buster had a little bit of a meltdown when we turned the game off, though, and missed snack time. M-lady got him giggling again, got him into PJs, and did the bedtime routine with him while I played chess and a tower defense game with Bud on the iPad before bed.

Another Solid Performace

2011-12-04T23:25:00.000-08:00

Buster come into the room pretty early this morning, and curled up between M-lady and me. I got up a short time later, around 7:00, to get ready for a bike race. I found Bud up reading, and Buster was heading downstairs, looking for some breakfast, just as I was heading out the door.

I got back around lunchtime. M-lady reported that the kids had a large breakfast, and they'd all done some charitable giving online together for some of the local school systems. Bud was having some lunch when I arrived, but Buster deferred on lunch. I had some food myself, took a shower, and hung out with the kids a bit.

M-lady headed out to run an errand, and Buster and I lounged in his room while Bud was reading in his. After a quiet half-hour, we got up and got snacks. I tried to steer Buster towards more of a lunchy snack. After eating, the kids got ready to head out, and we loaded up in the car as soon as M-lady arrived home.

We headed over to a local senior care home for Bud's piano recital. It was a longish recital, and Bud performed in the middle. Bud banged out his pieces without errors, and did a really good job. Buster fell asleep in M-lady's lap during the recital, and woke as I strapped him into his carseat for the return home.

The kids ran around a bit when we got home, and we got started on dinner before too long. M-lady made a nice meal, and the kids ate well. While M-lady was preparing dinner, I made chocolate chip cookie dough, and started baking the cookies after dinner. A bit after 7:00 we all sat down and had cookies for snack/dessert together.

I got the kids showered, and Bud used adult shampoo for the first time. We'll see if it makes his hair any easier to comb. The kids got into PJs, and I played a game and read a story with Buster a short time later. We turned out the light pretty early, just a few minutes after 8:00.

To The Theater

2011-12-03T23:15:00.000-08:00

The kids were up fairly early this morning, and I got up to get them some breakfast. I was able to get back to be for a bit, but the kids were anxious for some attention. M-lady headed out about 8:30 for a commando strike on the mall, and I tended the kids for a bit while she was out.

When she got back, Bud worked on his piano a bit, although reluctantly, we I entertained Buster. By the time they wrapped up, it was about time to get lunch going. Both kids ate pretty well.

After lunch, M-lady took Buster out to see a local production of the Nutcracker, mostly to test Buster's theater tolerance. Apparently he did really well, and they had a great time at the show. And we now know that we can purchase 4 tickets for the some of the shows coming through town that we think the kids might like.

While they we it, Bud and I played and worked around the house. We got some chores done outside, and after a quick trip to Home Depot, got the first pass at the Christmas lights up on the house. I let Bud climb the ladder a few times, after discussing ladder safety, which he thought was pretty cool.

I got the rest of the Christmas decorations out of storage shortly after M-lady and Buster returned, and then we headed out to RedRobin for dinner. We had a good meal, and the kids had a good time playing Lego Pirates when we got home. That took us up to snack and bedtime.

Both kids seemed pretty tired, and Bud fell asleep pretty quicky after we played a quick game of chess.

Car Seat Graduation

2011-11-30T23:17:00.001-08:00

Buster was very reluctant to get up this morning, and almost didn't make it to school. He had a meltdown when I got him dressed, and refused to eat breakfast. Eventually I think M-lady coaxed him into the car, and he informed me later that he ate breakfast in the car... must have brought something along. Bud was great about getting ready, though.

M-lady and I both got home around 5:45, and found the kids had gotten their hair cut during the day. They both looked much tidier. Bud got started on homework and piano, and I got started on making some dinner a short time later.

We had a good dinner, and Bud wrapped up his homework and piano afterward. When he was done, I opened the big Amazon box which had arrived yesterday, and I had told him it was a surprise for him. He was delighted to find that we'd ordered a couple of booster seats, and he's graduated to a backless booster. Buster gets to move up to Bud's old seats now, which is good, because he's nearly out of the Roundabout. Buster was pretty excited to move up a seat size as well.

We played a little bit of Lego Pirates, and then had a quick snack. I cut up a pomegranate, which Bud was very interested in. We took a look at it, and Bud seemed to like it. I'm not convinced that the reward is worth the effort for those things, though.

Bud was good for the bedtime routine, and we played a game before turning out the light a bit after 8:30. Bud fell asleep pretty quickly.

Grumpy

2011-11-29T21:31:00.001-08:00

M-lady was up early this morning for a video call, and the kids were up fairly early as well. I rolled out of bed a bit before 7:30, and found Buster playing in his room and Bud reading in bed. I got Bud moving towards getting dressed, and got myself dressed. Buster waited for M-lady to get him dressed a bit later.

Bud and I did a fairly efficient morning routine, and had a little time to play before packing up and heading for school. It was pretty chilly this morning, but otherwise the dropoff went fine. I headed for work, while M-lady stayed home with Buster, waiting for Nanny J to arrive.

M-lady had dinner with co-workers this evening, and I got home in time to relieve Nanny J. Bud had showered, and Buster was just acquiescing to a bath when I walked in the door. After he was dressed again, we said goodbye to Nanny J and watched a little bit of TV together.

I got dinner together for the kids, but they weren't excited about it. Bud eventually stormed upstairs without touching his dinner. I sat with Buster for a bit, and he eventually decided the broccoli was OK and ate pretty well. Bud never came back down again, though, and had a meltdown when I tried to get him to practice piano. He ended up going to bed early, without eating.

Buster and I enjoyed the remainder of the evening, though, and I got him into PJs and played a little bit of Lego Pirates together before having a snack, a story, and bedtime. He was happy and good all evening, and fell asleep quickly when we turned the lights out around 8:30.

Using Soap

2011-11-28T23:47:00.000-08:00

The kids were pretty good about getting ready for school this morning, although Buster was his usual 'sleepyhead' self and required some prodding. I got him dressed and we headed downstairs, where we were joined by Bud for breakfast. The kids were ready to go a little early, which was nice. I took Buster to class, and we headed in when the door opened.

The kids seem to have had a good day. Buster collected some pretty leaves from Bud's school when he and Nanny J went to pick Bud up. Apparently Bud asked Nanny J how her break was when he first saw her, which impressed Nanny J immensely. Buster had a small nap in the afternoon, too.

I got home around 5:45, and found Bud naked, just about to take his shower. Buster and I said goodbye to Nanny J, and I found Bud just getting out of the shower and getting dressed. He hadn't used soap in the shower, though, so I sent him back.

M-lady arrived home, and we got started on dinner pretty early. Bud came down to join us (smelling of soap this time), and we ate shortly after 6:00. Bud had already complete his homework, and had a solid piano practice with M-lady after dinner while I played with Buster a bit.

After Bud finished up piano, the kids and I played a little bit of Lego Pirates before snack and bed. Buster was pretty tired, and Bud was good about getting ready for bed. I read a story and played some games with Bud until we turned the light out, around 8:45.

Recovery Day

2011-11-27T22:52:00.001-08:00

The kids were up before 8:00, and Buster jumped in bed with us for a while. M-lady got up with the kids before long, and got them some breakfast. I rolled out of bed around 9:00, and found the kids all set for the day.

After getting myself together and hanging out with Buster a little while Bud did some piano practice, I took the kids to the grocery store to reprovision the house. The kids were overall pretty well behaved, although Bud wants to push the cart now. We were fairly efficient, though, and stopped by Jamba Juice on the way back from the store to pick up some lunch.

We all had lunch together. Afterward, I played with the kids for a bit before heading out to run a few errands. The kids played some Xbox while I was out. I found them still playing when I got back.

I played with the kids a bit more in the afternoon, and Buster and M-lady and I had a nice video chat with Grandma W and Granddad B. Buster showed them O-pus, and was generally cute for them.

Around 4:30 I was able to set up a playdate with RuggerMom for Bud and Cousin H on the Xbox. They had a great time played Lego Star Wars together. We need to try to keep doing that, since they have so much fun playing together. It's too bad there aren't more Lego games that allow network co-op play.

We had dinner after signing off with Cousin H, which the family all enjoyed. After dinner, the kids and I watched some Wallace and Grommit shorts until snack time. The kids had a big snack, and then headed for bed.

Buster was pretty tired, and after we read a story and played a game on the iPad, he fell asleep within three minutes of turning out the light. Hopefully he wakes early again tomorrow, so we can get him off to school and back to the normal routine without too much trouble.

Home Again

2011-11-26T23:23:00.001-08:00

We rolled out of bed around 7:00 this morning, around the same time that the kids got up and jumped in bed with us. After sending them off to be dressed and fed by the grandparents, we finished up packing, got some breakfast ourselves, and loaded into the car. We were on the road around 8:30.

The kids were great for the drive again. M-lady and I did a quick driver switch about ninety minutes in, and then stopped for lunch in Gorman another ninety minutes later. The kids were fine, ate lunch, used the bathroom, and we hit the road again.

The next stop was almost three hours later again. The kids watched a couple of movies in the back, had some snacks, and were well behaved the entire time. We stopped at a rest stop to pee and stretch, and then loaded up again, drove for another hour or so before a quick driver switch, and made it home (picking up a pizza for dinner on the way).

We made it home around 5:30, putting total travel time around 9 hours (we hit some traffic on the way). We still did it on one tank of gas, though, which is very convenient. After unloading the car and having some dinner, I played with the kids for about half an hour while M-lady unpacked a bit. We did showers, snacks, and bedtime routine after that.

The kids were pretty tired and fell asleep quickly. They were such good travelers today! Of course, they had movies to watch and iPhones to play with, but they really behaved all day, which was nice. We've had a wonderful vacation, but we're all happy to be home!

There are a few posts before this one that I need to fill out and publish... they'll be coming in the next day or two.

A Lego-y Day

2011-11-21T23:15:00.001-08:00

The kids weren't up quite as early this morning, but were still up and hungry before M-lady or I was ready to be up. Ama and Agu got some breakfast for the kids, and they checked on us fairly regularly until we got out of bed a bit after 8:00. The kids played outside on their scooters a little bit around 8:00 as well, but I think it was a little chilly out, even for them.

We got ourselves together and loaded up in the car for an outing. Bud was a little grumpy, but came along as we headed off to Legoland. The drive was smooth, and we arrived a few minutes before the park opened, in time to buy our tickets. Aside from being on the cool side, the weather was gorgeous all day, so we didn't need to bring our rain gear with us.

We wandered around a bit, checking out some of the rides. Bud didn't want to go on any rides, and Buster was too small for most of them. M-lady and Buster did find one ride they liked before we discovered the new exhibit.

Legoland has a 'Mini USA' area, where they've constructed the landmarks and distinctive buildings of a number of cities of the US in 1/20th scale. They've got DC, San Francisco, New York, Las Vegas, and New Orleans, among others. But they had added a diorama for each of the Star Wars movies, and another for the Clone Wars. The detail was spectacular, and we were all thrilled to see all the scenes captured in Lego. My favorite was the Millenium Falcon of Episode 4, constructed from 19,000+ pieces and 143 man-hours, apparently.

We had some lunch and wandered around a bit more. Buster and I stood in line so he could drive a little car around an oval (untracked), which he loved. He did a great job, keeping it in line and not crashing at all. He did concentrate pretty hard in the turns, but smiled and looked around on the straights. We also hit the factory demo, which is one of my favorites, saw some street performances, and viewed some more exhibits before getting a snack.

We did one more mellow ride before hitting the final attraction, the big Lego store by the exit. Both kids picked out some sets, and we headed home. Both kids fell asleep on the drive. When we arrived home, around 4:00, I got started on helping the kids assemble their sets.

We had dinner presently, and Buster deferred. The kids played well together after dinner, until Buster started melting down. M-lady and I managed to calm him down a bit, get him fed, and into the snack and bedtime routine. The kids were pretty tired, and fell asleep fairly quickly.

Long Day Trip

2011-11-19T23:25:00.001-08:00

The kids were up around 7:30 this morning, and M-lady was up to get them some breakfast. I rolled out of bed around 8:00, and we got started on packing for the trip. The kids were pretty good about getting dressed, and then keeping themselves entertained.

Bud packed up some books and toys, and the kids spent a good chunk of time running around outside. When it was time to load up the car, a bit before 11:00, the kids helped out. We were all loaded and heading out around 11:00.

We hit a gas station and the grocery store for snacks before really getting underway, so we were on the freeway closer to 11:30. The kids were generally well behaved through the trip, and the kids whiled away the drive by listening to music (mostly Pirates and Harry Potter soundtracks), playing with iPhones and iPads, and in Buster's case, a bit of a nap.

We had dinner a bit north of LA, and the kids got set up to watch Cars 2 for the last leg of the drive. We made it to Ama and Agu's house around 8:00. The kids had a snack and then started getting ready for bed, but were super excited to be at Ama and Agu's house. I managed to calm them down a bit by watching a couple videos with them on the iPad. We turned the light out, and tried to get them to sleep a bit before 9:00.

Bud fell asleep pretty quickly, by about 9:00, but Buster was up a bit later. He eventually dropped off around 10:00ish.

Welcome Home Mommy

2011-11-18T23:31:00.000-08:00

The kids were up around the same time I was this morning, and we did a fairly standard morning routine. They were pretty good about getting ready, although Buster required a little prodding, and we were out the door a couple minutes after optimal time. I was able to drop Bud off at school, and got Buster to school just a couple minutes late.

The kids seem to have had a good day. I arrived home around 4:30 to take Bud to his piano lesson. When I got home, Bud immediately asked me why M-lady wasn't home yet. I responded that her plane had landed, and she would probably be home by the time we got back from the lesson. As we were heading out the door, Nanny J delivered holiday presents to the kids: hand-knitted mittens for each, in their favorite colors. Buster apparently wore his the rest of the afternoon.

Bud did pretty well at his lesson, and we headed home afterward. M-lady had indeed arrived in our absence, and Bud was pretty excited to see her. After we said goodbye to Nanny J, the kids went a little berserk.

We finally calmed them down, and got started on dinner. Buster didn't eat much, but Bud did a pretty good job on his meal. After dinner, Bud took a shower (with some coaxing), and I played some Lego Pirates with Buster. At snack time, Buster had one more bite of his dinner before heading for bed. He was pretty excited to have M-lady put him to bed.

I got Bud into bed, and we chatted for a bit before he drifted off around 9:00.

Rewards

2011-11-17T22:26:00.001-08:00

The kids were pretty good about getting going this morning. Buster woke around the same time I did, and Bud was already up reading. Buster took a little bit of prompting to get dressed, but was ready to go by the time we needed to leave to get Bud to school.

The dropoff went fine, and I brought Buster home to wait for Nanny J. He had breakfast as soon as she arrived, and I headed off to work.

The kids seem to have had a good day. As per the agreement I made with Bud, he did his homework after TKD, and before I got home. As soon as I walked in the door, he got started on his piano practice, and really nailed it. We reviewed his homework together, and he added the twist for the evening: he'd been sent home by the teacher with about 50 pencils for sharpening.

After Bud's homework was squared away, we loaded up and headed off to the mall. Bud had accumulated enough points to earn the Lego set we'd agreed on earlier in the week, a day before I expected him to get it. We had a good time at the mall, and the kids were really well behaved.

We grabbed dinner first, and then proceeded to the Lego store. The kids had picked out the same set, so we purchased two of them and headed back to the car. We were home in time for the kids to assemble the sets before snack time. They really seemed to enjoy themselves, and were both good about putting the Lego away and getting ready for bed when the time rolled around.

Quick Video Chat

2011-11-16T22:45:00.000-08:00

Buster wandered in about 7:20 this morning, and wandered out again quickly. I got up around 7:30, just as M-lady called to set up a video chat. The boys were cooperative, and happy to see her. Buster showed her the new toy he's been playing with a bit this week as well. We couldn't chat for long, though, as I had to get the wheels in motion to get the boys dressed, fed, and ready for school.

We ran a few minutes behind schedule, but got out the door without drama. Bud was good about his drop off, and Buster and I arrived at his class in time. I headed off to work after Buster was situated.

I worked a little late this evening, and Nanny J stayed with the kids. I got home around 8:30, and found the kids in PJs and jumping out of bed to say hello. Bud assured me he had been good during the day, and had worked on accumulating points, including doing his homework and practicing piano.

I got the kids tucked in and chatted with each for a couple minutes before they went to sleep. They seem to have had good days. Buster was clearly pretty tired, and dropped off to sleep quickly. Bud was up a little bit longer, and we set up a general plan for tomorrow. He's nearly reached his point goal, so we may be going shopping tomorrow evening if he prepares a little bit before I get home.

Eager to Please

2011-11-15T23:42:00.000-08:00

Bud was up before I rolled out of bed around 7:30, and I found him reading in his room. He was good, as usual, about getting ready for school and getting some breakfast. Buster was a bit more reluctant to get up, but sprang up as soon as I reminded him he needed to be good this week to get Lego at the end of the week.

Buster and I took Bud to school, and then headed home to meet Nanny J. Buster had breakfast when she arrived, and I headed off to work.

The kids had a good day. I got home around 5:30, just as bath time was being handled. Bud is pretty much showering himself now, and Nanny J bathed Buster just before she left. Bud was pretty eager to earn points towards his Lego set, and so immediately attacked him homework and piano practice with minimal prodding, doing a good job on both.

We had a relatively early dinner, and Bud ate pretty well, although Buster deferred. With homework and piano out of the way, we were able to watch a bit of TV before snack time, at which point Buster ate enough of his dinner to qualify for a snack. The bedtime routine also went pretty smoothly, and the kids and I watched some old Muppet Show videos on YouTube before bed. We turned the lights out around 8:45, and both kids fell asleep pretty quickly.

Point System

2011-11-14T23:51:00.000-08:00

The kids were both up before I was this morning. I rolled out of bed around 7:30, and found Bud reading in bed and Buster playing with Lego. I got them going, although Buster took a little more effort, as usual. We managed to all get dressed and fed and out the door with enough time to get both kids dropped off at school.

The kids seem to have had a good day. I got home around 5:45, and we said goodbye to Nanny J. The kids seemed happy to see me, and Bud was pretty good about getting started on homework.

Neither child was very helpful with dinner ideas, and they both turned down a number of suggestions I thought they'd like. I eventually got something Bud was interested in, and Buster said he wanted the leftover California rolls. Buster just had a nibble before he declared himself done, though.

Bud reluctantly did his piano practice after dinner, and the kids had a little time left over to play some Lego Pirates before snack time. At snack time, Buster agreed to eat his sushi. When my back was turned, he mushed up the rolls with his fingers, and then claimed he'd eaten them all. I eventually got him to eat a bowl of cereal.

During snack time, we discussed implementing a 'house point' system. If Bud fulfills his responsibilities, behaves, and does good things, he'll get points. If he misbehaves, he'll have points taken away. We set some point values for expected tasks and behaviors, and a goal for the end of the week. If he hits the goal, he'll get a Lego set.

I didn't formalize the system with Buster quite so much, but he understands that if he's good this week he'll get a Lego set at the end of the week. Both kids seem pretty excited about the prospect.

The bedtime routine went very smoothly after this talk, and Bud and I chatted more after he was in bed. We talked about the points, and about piano, and about math. He's starting to get the hang of multiplication, and seeing some of the symmetry in the operations. Buster fell asleep quickly, and Bud was asleep by about 9:00.

Hanging With The Boys

2011-11-13T22:35:00.001-08:00

I got up this morning about 6:30 to get ready for a bike race, expecting Babysitter G to arrive at about 7:00. A few minutes before 7:00, I checked my phone, and discovered a message saying that Babysitter G was suffering from presumed food poisoning and wouldn't be able to make it. Bud came downstairs to see what I was up to at about the same time.

I got some breakfast for Bud, and waited for my friend I was planning on carpooling with to arrive to let him know that I wouldn't be able to make it to the race. I sent him on when he arrived, and got some clean clothes and breakfast for Buster, who had also wandered downstairs. I was able to get back in bed for a little bit, but the kids needed help with Lego every now and then.

I got up again around 8:30, and watched a little bit of TV with the guys. Overall, we had a pretty mellow morning, which included some TV, some of the Lego Pirates video game, some real Lego, some books, and eventually getting dressed. Around 11:00 we got started on a snack/pre-lunch, since we had some plans for noon.

At about 11:45 we loaded up into the car, and headed out to play miniature golf. We arrived as the place opened an noon, as we had before, and were among the first families on the course. Unfortunately we got stuck behind a really slow family, but the kids were pretty patient, and about halfway through the round they let us play through.

The kids had a great time, and were very well behaved overall. We finished up the round by about 12:45, and headed home after turning in our clubs. Bud was getting pretty hungry, so we had the second half of our lunch when we got home.

We had a nice video chat with Grandma W, and the kids made her a birthday card to show her on the call. Buster was particularly engaged on the call today. Happy Birthday, Grandma W!

After the call, we loaded up in the car again and headed over to Bud's school to play on the playground for a little while. Bud wanted to play some wallball, and Buster brought his tricycle along. I couldn't convince Buster to ride the Strider bike. But's he's gotten fast and agile on the trike, and zipped all around the playground on it while I played with Bud for a bit.

We ended up staying over an hour before we headed for home. The kids continued to play outside for a little while, but the light was failing around 5:00. They came in and I ordered some sushi for dinner, which the kids were excited about. We all picked it up together, and had a nice dinner.

After dinner, Bud did his piano practice, and then we all did some push-ups and sit-ups together. Buster was mostly interested in sitting on my back while I did push-ups, which didn't help all that much, but was immensely entertaining for him. We headed upstairs to shower after that.

The kids and I all showered together, which was a little crowded. Buster slipped and bumped his head at one point, but seemed to get over it pretty quickly. We did end all clean, so the purpose was ultimately served. After getting into PJs, we all played on the computer, watching videos, for a few minutes before heading downstairs for snack time.

Bedtime followed, and the kids were pretty good about getting ready for bed. Buster was clearly pretty exhausted, and fell asleep almost as soon as the lights went out. Bud took a little longer to fall asleep, but dropped off around 9:00. All in all, we had a very fun day together.

Fun Day

2011-11-12T23:17:00.000-08:00

The kids were up before I was, and M-lady was up packing fairly early this morning. I rolled myself out of bed around 8:15, and took the kids downstairs to get some breakfast. Both kids were excited about Eggos with syrup, and Bud ate four.

We watched a little bit of the new Kung Fu Panda TV show, which I'd captured on the DVR. The kids were pretty excited about it. We took a break around 10:00, which was about the time that M-lady headed out for a week-long business trip. The kids each gave M-lady a hug, and we said goodbye.
We played a little bit of Lego Pirates of the Caribbean before lunch. Buster was a bit grumpy about heading out to get some lunch, and I discovered that he was running a low-grade fever again. I dosed him with ibuprofen, and we loaded up in the car. The kids got to watch some Wallace and Gromit on the way.

We had a good lunch, and headed back home afterward. I ran inside to pick up the grocery list while the kids stayed glued to the car's DVD player. We all had a pretty good time picking up groceries, and the kids were very well behaved. We headed home, and the kids watched most of the end of the Wallace and Gromit episode while I unloaded the car.

We all played outside for a bit. I vacuumed the car while Buster rode his tricycle around the car, showing remarkable ability to turn the pedals. Bud rode his Strider bike around for a bit, which he is way too big for now. I tried to facility the handing of the bike down to Buster, but neither Buster nor Bud was particularly keen on the idea.

I played with the kids outside for a bit before we all headed in and watched an episode of Sesame Street before dinner. The kids ended up eating well, and after dinner we all had a good time building Lego together. I got the kids into PJs before snack time, and the general snack and bedtime routines went pretty smoothly. Buster wasn't running a fever anymore, so I didn't medicate him before bed. The lights were out around 8:30, and Buster fell asleep withing about 10 minutes. Bud took a little longer to fall asleep, but both kids have slept soundly.

Kid's Day Off

2011-11-11T23:12:00.000-08:00

Neither child had school today, due to Veteran's day. That made the morning much easier overall. Both kids were up around 8:00, but didn't have breakfast until Nanny J arrived. Buster had a runny nose this morning, but didn't seem too put out by it.

The kids apparently had a good day. Bud had a playdate with Friend D, which he really enjoyed.

The house was empty when I arrived home at 5:30, which was a bit unusual. Apparently, Buster had opted to go with Bud and M-lady to Bud's piano lesson, so Nanny J had headed home. I was alone in the house until the rest of the family arrived home at about 5:45.

I set up the Cars 2 specials for the kids, which they really seemed to enjoy watching. We ate dinner a short time alter, and both kids ate pretty well. After dinner, we watched a few more specials.

Buster still had a runny nose, and I discovered that he was also running a low-grade fever (just below 100 degrees). I dosed him with some ibuprofen around snack time.

I read a few stories with Bud, and we watched a couple of videos on the iPad before bedtime. The lights were out a bit before 9:00.

Looking Forward to the Weekend

2011-11-10T22:47:00.000-08:00

Bud was up early this morning, and crawled into bed with me while M-lady got up for an early meeting. I got out of bed around 7:30, and got Bud going. Buster was up pretty early as well, and had breakfast with us. Bud was ready to go in plenty of time, and I took him to school while Buster hung out with M-lady before Nanny J arrived.

I got home just after 5:45, and found the kids playing wallball in the dining room with Nanny J. She was keeping up pretty well, too. We said goodbye to Nanny J, and the kids jumped on me as I tried to drop my stuff. Bud didn't have homework, since both kids get tomorrow off (and were pretty happy about it).

I got some dinner for myself, but the kids didn't join me as I believe they had a big snack late in the afternoon. After I ate, we played a little bit of Rock Band 3 and watched a little bit of School House Rock! before M-lady got home. At that point, Bud got started on piano practice, and I got dinner for the kids.

Both kids ate well, and enjoyed the cupcakes M-lady brought home from a celebration at work for them. They wolfed down the cupcakes, determined there wasn't any more, and then got started on getting ready for bed. I took a few minutes out to take a call for work, and then read some stories and watched a video with Buster. He was pretty tired, and fell asleep almost immediately after we turned out the light.

70's TV

2011-11-09T22:46:00.000-08:00

The morning routine was fairly usual, with Bud being good about getting dressed and ready, and Buster requiring some prodding. Everyone was ready on time, thought, and I took Bud to school as M-lady loaded up Buster. The drop off went fine, and I headed off to work.

I had another longish day, wrapping at about 6:00. M-lady got home early, though, and was able to hit the library on the way home, since Bud has been chewing through his most recent set of books. Bud had finished his homework and the kids were just wrapping up dinner when I got home around 6:45.

I had some dinner, and then played a little bit of Rock Band 3 with Buster as Bud did his piano practice. Bud wrapped up and joined us, and we watched a bit of the DVD which arrived today: School House Rock!, which I'd already watched a few of with Bud. We were able to watch a couple of segments before snack time.

Bud was good about getting ready for bed, and we read a bit together before watching a couple more SHR segments on YouTube and turning out the light.

Gone for the Day

2011-11-08T23:06:00.000-08:00

Both kids got up without much fuss this morning. Buster woke with very interesting hair. M-lady got Buster dressed, and then jumped on a call around 8:00. I got breakfast for the kids, and then took Bud to school.

The drop off went fine, and I headed off to work. I was in a late meeting, and then had dinner with my team, so I didn't see the kids for the rest of the day. M-lady was wonderful and watched the kids for the evening. They apparently had a pretty good time. The kids were sleeping soundly when I got home around 10:00.

I look forward to seeing a bit more of the kids tomorrow.

Squirmy Photo Shoot

2011-11-07T23:45:00.000-08:00

Bud was up in plenty of time this morning, and I had to work a bit to get Buster up and dressed. Once he was dressed, he trotted down to breakfast without trouble. Both kids were ready to go in time, and I took Bud to school while M-lady took Buster.

the kids seem to have had a good day. M-lady and I arrived home early, around 2:30, shortly before Nanny J arrived home with Bud. We all loaded up in the minivan and headed out to our photographer's place to have some family portraits taken.

The kids were good on the drive, and overall very good for the photo shoot. Buster was amped, though, and particularly wiggly and squirmy during the shoot. Fortunately, our photographer is awesome, and did a good job of coaching the kids. Bud was great, as usual, and very patient as M-lady and I tried to wrangle with Buster. We even got a couple shots with Nanny J and the boys.

Buster was happy through the whole process, just a bit distracted and over-excited. After shooting in the studio for a bit, we headed over to a nearby park for some location shots. The kids had a good time running around, even though it was starting to get a bit chilly. We didn't spend long, as the sun was going down, but hopefully got some good shots.

We packed up and headed back home, arriving around 5:30. Bud did his homework quickly, and Nanny J helped clean up a bit before taking her leave. Shortly after 6:00 we got started on dinner, and both kids ended up eating reasonably well. After dinner, Bud did his piano practice while I entertained Buster with the iPad.

During snack time, Bud demonstrated counting by threes, which reminded me of School House Rocks. Bud and I watched a couple during bedtime on the iPad on YouTube, including math, grammar, and American history. I then described some of the basic outline of the Revolutionary War to him (at his request) before he fell asleep around 9:00.

Family Movie

2011-11-06T21:58:00.000-08:00

I woke fairly early (aided by the time change), and packed up and headed off to a bike race, leaving the house around 7:15. The morning apparently went fairly smoothly for M-lady and the kids, with the kids feasting on waffles for breakfast. After breakfast, Bud did his piano practice, and they all went out to run some errands together. The got lunch at Johnny Rocket's, and both kids ate pretty well.

I was just finishing up my shower when they arrived home, and I helped unload various sundries. The kids played outside for a short time before coming in. After having a bit of a snack and hanging out for a bit, I played a little bit of Lego Pirates with them. Buster got a little grumpy when we eventually turned it off, but was consoled by dinner, which M-lady prepared and the kids and I enjoyed thoroughly.

After dinner, I suggested watching Cars 2 again, and this time was met with enthusiasm. We fired it up, and watched the whole movie together before bedtime. It actually ran just a little late, so snack time was short, but we managed to get the kids in bed without too much trouble. They really enjoyed the movie, and neither child seemed unduly scared by any parts of it.

I read a couple of the Mr. Men books to Buster at bedtime, and he was asleep about thirty seconds after I turned out the light. I think he's still adjusting to the time change. Hopefully he'll be easier to wake up in the morning.

Books and Food

2011-11-05T23:19:00.000-07:00

The kids slept in this morning, which was nice. M-lady and I were able to lounge in bed for a few minutes, and M-lady got up before too long to say goodbye to her folks, who were headed over to Aunt O and Uncle C's place. Around 8:30 or so the kids jumped in bed with us, demanding breakfast.

I got up and cooked some eggs, and we had eggs and doughnuts for breakfast, which the kids enjoyed. After breakfast, M-lady headed out to run some errands while I played with the kids. We played with the iPad for a bit before turning on the TV to watch a little bit of Sesame Street.

M-lady arrived home before the show finished, so we turned it off to have some lunch. The kids ate pretty well. After eating, I settled in to watch a little bit of football, and M-lady took the kids out to the library. When they came back, Bud absorbed himself in one of his books for most of the rest of the day.

We loaded up again before too long, and headed over to Aunt O and Uncle C's place to celebrate Aunt O's birthday. Bud continued to read his book for a bit when we arrived, but eventually joined us and played with Cousin C and Buster. Those two played well together for most of the afternoon.

Ama and Agu prepared hot sandwiches (at Bud's request), and Bud ate a huge amount at dinner. After dinner, Aunt O opened presents, including the card that Buster and Bud had put together for her earlier in the day. Bud was ready for cake after that, and ate a big slice. The number of calories he's consuming continues to be impressive.

We packed up and headed home a bit after that, arriving home shortly after 8:00. We put the kids to bed straight away. I read with Bud for a short time, and we turned the light out before 9:00. The kids get an extra hour to sleep tonight, so keeping them up a little late won't hurt.

Loading Up

2011-11-04T21:48:00.000-07:00

Bud crawled into bed with us at 7:00 again this morning. Buster was hard to wake again, but we got him going. M-lady took Bud to school, and I took Buster a few minutes late.

The kids seem to have had a good day. M-lady arrived home in time to take Bud to his piano lesson, which apparently went well. I got home around 6:00, and found Ama and Agu making dinner.

We all sat down to dinner together. Both kids ate well, and we promised a little bit of a surprise after dinner. When we were all washed up, we loaded up into the van and went for a drive so Ama and Agu could see the new car. We had a pleasant ride, and Bud enjoyed sitting in his booster seat in the far back. The kids were really excited when we arrived at Krispy Kreme.

Everyone put their doughnut orders in, and I got a dozen. We then sat down to eat our doughnuts, and both kids ate the doughnuts I'd picked out. I was slightly put out, but they really enjoyed the doughnuts.

We headed home again. Bud showered when we got home, and we put the kids in PJs. They'd just had doughnuts, so snack was just a little bit of fruit, and then it was off to bed. I watched some musicals with Bud on the iPad, including Sound of Music (with Julie Andrews), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (with Dick Van Dyke), and Mary Poppins (with Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke).

Enjoying the Visit

2011-11-03T23:39:00.000-07:00

Bud crawled into bed with us around 7:00 this morning, but was good about getting up and getting dressed when the time came. In fact, he was pretty much ready to go to school about half an hour early. He played with the grandparents a bit while he was waiting.

Buster was up around 8:00, and was immediately ready to get dressed. He was having some breakfast when I took Bud off to school. The drop off went fine, and I headed to work.

The kids seem to have had a good day, and had fun with the grandparents. Bud went to TKD, where Ama reported he did very well. Buster stayed home with Agu, and apparently did take a nap during the day. I got home a bit after 6:00, just as everyone was sitting down to dinner.

Everyone ate well, and Bud got into his homework and piano practice after dinner. I again played some Rock Band and Lego Pirates with Buster before snack time, with Bud joining us for a few minutes right at the end.

The kids had a good snack, and headed upstairs afterward. M-lady pulled out footy pajamas for Buster, and I helped him climb into them. He liked how soft and fuzzy they were. We read a few stories, watched a couple videos, and turned out the light. He fell asleep pretty quickly, and then I went and lay down with Bud, who didn't drop off until a bit after 9:00.

Excitement

2011-11-02T23:39:00.000-07:00

The kids jumped in bed with us this morning around 7:00, which was a bit early. We didn't have much trouble getting them going, however, and I was able to load Buster up and get him to school in plenty of time.

The kids seem to have had a good day. We were scheduled to do a photo shoot for a family photo this afternoon, but our photographer is apparently sick, so we rescheduled.

In the late afternoon, Ama and Agu arrived. I got home shortly after they appeared, and the kids were really excited. Bud was showing them how he plays wallball in the dining room, and Buster, who's received a new foam sword, was alternately playing ninja and pirate with his two weapons.

I had been up late the previous night, so I retreated for much of the evening. The kids were loud for most of it. Ama and Agu prepared dinner, which was really nice, and we all sat down together for a bit. After dinner, Bud showed off his piano playing and I played some Xbox with Buster, including breaking out the drum kit (which is usually stored in the guest room) to play Lego Rock Band.

I read a bit, played a game and watched a few videos with Bud before bedtime. We turned the light out pretty early, around 8:15, and he fell asleep pretty quickly.

Routine

2011-11-01T23:47:00.000-07:00

Bud was good about getting up this morning, and Buster got out of bed before 8:00. Both had some cereal for breakfast, and Bud was all set to go to school a bit after 8:00. M-lady was on a call, but Buster was pretty happy playing on his own when I left with Bud. The drop off at school went fine, and I headed off to work.

I got home right at 5:45, and we said goodbye to Nanny J. Bud was bouncing a ball against the wall, and Buster was playing with Lego. I played a little bit of Lego Pirates with them for a bit, and then tried to get Bud started on homework and piano practice. He was resistant, and ended up being a bit sulky for a while. He did finish his homework, though, and we all had some dinner. I had to rush my dinner a little bit as I had a call for work, but I was able to hook up with the family again around snack time.

The kids had solid snacks, and the bedtime routine was just a bit frenetic. Bud had far too much energy. I read a few stories and played a game on the iPad with Buster, and we turned the light out around 8:30. Buster had apparently had a nap today, but he fell asleep in a reasonable amount of time. Bud, on the other hand, was up pretty late, and clambered out of bed a number of times.

A Satisfactory Halloween

2011-10-31T22:17:00.000-07:00

M-lady and I rolled out of bed around 7:30 this morning, and started getting Buster up. Bud didn't have school today, so he was on his own schedule for the morning. Buster had his costume parade at school, so we worked on getting him up and dressed as Jay, the blue ninja from Lego Ninjago. The kids had some breakfast, and M-lady took Buster to school while Bud and I waited for Nanny J.

There was a minor mix-up with Nanny J's arrival, and she didn't end up getting here until about 9:30. I headed off for work. Buster was apparently very cute as the blue ninja, and was willing to wear his ninja mask (a blue t-shirt around his head) for the parade.

M-lady and I both got home early, around 5:00. The kids were excited for trick-or-treating, and were all set to head out and have candy. M-lady and I rested for a few minutes, said goodbye to Nanny J, and got the kids fed in a quick dinner.

Bud, sticking to his plan of being Harry Potter, had M-lady draw a quick scar on his forehead. Buster thought that was pretty cool, and tried to draw one of his own with a marker. Fortunately, the washable marker came off easily, and M-lady obliged by drawing a scar for Buster, too. Buster then dressed up as Harry Potter as well, and we had two HPs running around for a little while.

I worked to resuscitate a couple of old flashlight/wands, and got a blue one for Bud and a red one for Buster put together. At that point, Buster decided that he wanted to be Voldemort rather than Harry Potter, and told us that Voldemort didn't have any hair. Rather than shave his head, he was content with just putting up the hood on his robe.

We did a practice Trick-or-Treat run on our own door, which M-lady answered. After success, the boys and I wandered around the neighborhood a bit, looking for decorated houses. They did a reasonably good job, and got a pretty good haul. Buster got a few surprised looks when he told people he was Voldemort, though.

The kids decided to turn for home pretty quickly, and we made it back shortly after 7:00. The kids probably hit about five or six houses, total. They were happy with their take, though, and spent a little time trading pieces. I let them each have a couple pieces, and then we spent a little time watching MNF and answering the door. They got one more piece of candy with snack time, and then did a pretty standard bedtime routine. I read a little bit with Bud before we turned out the light shortly after 8:00.

Halloween Prep

2011-10-30T23:41:00.001-07:00

I was up early this morning, around 7:00, to get ready for a bike race. Bud woke around the same time, complaining of being hungry, which has been his common complaint, all the time, for the past few days. We figure it's a growth spurt. I got Bud some breakfast while I was getting ready, and he headed back to bed as I headed out the door around 7:30.

The kids had a good morning with M-lady. Bud agreed to do a double piano practice today, so that he could skip tomorrow and focus on Halloween and trick-or-treating. He reportedly did a good job working on his pieces.

M-lady and the kids headed out to Target just a few minutes before I arrived home from the race. They picked up some sundries, including a bag of candy to give out tomorrow night (even though I'd already stocked up). We all had some lunch when the kids got home.

After lunch, M-lady and I napped for a little while. I turned the kids loose on an old iPad, and they watched YouTube videos for a bit, mostly Lego recreations of other movies. When I caught up with them again, they were watching 'Lego Titanic', and Bud commented that all the Lego that was in the water would be getting clean.

We had a snack together, and had video calls with all the grandparents. The kids were pretty good about participating in the calls, and Buster in particular was interested in chatting with relatives. Bud was good about making an appearance and saying 'Hi', though.

The kids and I headed out to pick up dinner a short time later, and Bud continued to eat a huge amount when we got home. After dinner, the kids and I had fun carving the pumpkin, and Bud got his hands dirty, reaching in and pulling out pumpkin guts. We eventually turned out a pretty passable Jack-o-Lantern, and came in to have a snack.

After snack, the kids got ready for bed. Buster and I read a few stories, and then played a couple of games on the iPad. We turned out the light shortly after 8:00, and Buster fell quickly asleep.

Home Improvement

2011-10-29T23:36:00.000-07:00

Bud woke me around 8:15, asking to see if we could track M-lady's flight to find out where she was. He was really excited to see her again. After figuring out her flight number, we got the flight tracked and determined that she'd be landing within an hour. Bud told me he was going to wait at the door until she arrived.

I managed to talk him out of that, and we had some breakfast. Buster declined breakfast, and ended up staying in bed until about 10:00am. I was just rousting him out of bed and getting him cleaned up and dressed when M-lady arrived home.

The kids were both excited to see M-lady. We got breakfast for Buster as we were catching up, and Bud had a second breakfast. After eating, the kids got to play with some gifts M-lady brought for them.

M-lady and I both napped for a little while before lunchtime. Bud entreated us to go to Arby's, but we resisted. I got up to get myself some lunch around 1:00, and the kids and M-lady joined me before too long.

After lunch we got started on putting up the big whiteboard calendar/corkboard (custom, but a bit like this one) in the breakfast nook that M-lady has been excited about for a while and finally ordered. The kids had fun checking out the boxes, and helped a bit with the construction. I took a break in the late afternoon, after making some progress, and headed out to the bike shop briefly. When I got back, I worked in the garage while the kids played outside.

The kids had a disagreement while holding lacrosse sticks, and both came inside crying. Buster took a nap, and Bud cooled off in his room for a bit while I worked on the board some more. Before too long, M-lady and Bud headed out to pick up dinner while I finished up the board and Buster napped.

Buster snoozed through dinner, but got up in time to start while I finished up the board installation. The kids played a bit before snack time, and Bud watched me get the last installation done. Snack and bedtime were pretty standard. I played some games on the iPad with Bud, including Scrabble, before bed. We had a good time fitting words in with his new spelling prowess.

Fun Friday Evening

2011-10-28T23:46:00.000-07:00

The morning routine was pretty standard, with Bud getting ready on his own with minimal prodding, and Buster taking a bit more effort to get out of bed. Buster's cold is hanging in there, currently in the form of a cough. Both boys were ready to go in time, though, and the drop offs went smoothly. The kids seem to have had good days at school.

I got home around 4:30 to take Bud to his piano lesson. We got there just in time, and Bud did reasonably well. He hadn't been practicing the full list of songs this week, and was a little rusty on a few of them, but overall did pretty well. He's going to be working on his Book 1 graduation recital before too long.

We came back home to say goodbye to Nanny J and pick up Buster, and head out to dinner. Bud picked a nearby fast food place for dinner, and Buster concurred. We had a pleasant dinner together, and then got home around 6:30. We spent some time playing Lego Pirates for a while before having a snack and heading for bed.

The kids were good about getting ready for bed, and I was just reading a story to Buster when M-lady called. The kids were pretty excited to hear her voice, and they're looking forward to seeing her again tomorrow. I watched a quick video with Buster after we hung up, and he was asleep a couple minutes after we turned out the light.

Bud was up a little bit later, but fell asleep shortly after 9:00. He's excited about Halloween, and get Monday off school, so is starting a three-day weekend.

New Books

2011-10-27T23:38:00.000-07:00

The night passed mostly uneventfully. At about 4:00am, Buster padded into my room holding a pair of socks, and asked me to help put them on him so his feet wouldn't be cold. I complied and got him tucked back in bed.

Buster slept in a bit this morning, but I was able to roust him in time to take Bud to school. We headed back so Buster could have some breakfast, which he was working on when Nanny J arrived.

M-lady left a few new books for the kids for the week, and I deemed today the right day. I gave Buster his books as I left, and left the magazine for Bud on his couch for him to find when he got home.

The kids seem to have had a good day, and did TKD in the afternoon. I got home a bit before 6:00, and said goodbye to Nanny J. Buster's cold had moved into a somewhat loose chest cough, but overall he didn't seem too put out. I pulled out the last of the books, a few Mr. Men books for the boys to share. Buster and I read a couple while Bud played with Lego.

Bud and I had some dinner a bit later, while Buster deferred. Buster joined the table as Bud was finishing up and getting started on homework and piano. Both kids ended up eating reasonable dinners, though.

We did an early snack and bedtime, since Buster had missed his nap. The kids and I read a couple more Mr. Men books together before bed, and I tucked Buster in around 8:15 (with socks). He fell asleep pretty quickly. Bud was up a little bit later, reading the Mr. Men books that he'd missed earlier in the evening. He was tucked in around 8:45, and drifted off a bit later.

Nothing To Fear

2011-10-26T22:49:00.000-07:00

The kids were both up early this morning, and in good moods. Buster was a little snorky at first, but his nose wasn't running, and he was excited to go to school. So we did a usual morning routine, and the kids were ready to head out the door before 8:15. We dropped Bud off first, and then Buster and I had time to get to his school, arriving a minute before the door opened. Buster happily dropped his coat and found his spot for circle time.

I worried about Buster during the day, since I didn't know how he'd be doing. I was kept away from home for a co-worker's going away party, which I excused myself from to get home before the kids were asleep for too long. I arrived home around 8:30, which is the usual lights out time.

I needn't have worried. I said goodnight to Babysitter G, and both kids snuck out to the top of the stairs to greet me enthusiastically. It took me a little while to calm them down and get them back in bed. Buster was absolutely fine, and aside from still having a slightly stuffy nose, showed no other signs of illness. I managed to get both kids back in bed, and chatted with each for a couple minutes before they fell asleep.

The day was apparently pretty standard for them, with TKD in the afternoon. Bud had finished his homework, and they enjoyed playing with Babysitter G. Overall a good day, apparently.