CarCar Vids Are Here!

Blogger finally let me post video today.

Enjoy.

Chris

Jonah's, Meet My Appetite

The weather is finally here in Tallahassee, unfortunately with that blessing comes the pollen. Rian and I decided to take Aunt Donna up to Thomasville for lunch. Mary (Aunt Sister), has raved about Jonah's Fish and Grits in downtown Thomasville. We loaded up the Critters and Rian took her place in the waaaaaaaaaay back of the Jeep. After scooping up Aunt Donna we were off on our adventure.

We arrived in Thomasville and were quickly (I was shocked) seated at Jonah's. Now all of you that know me, know that I love me some southern food, and I was hankerin' the Shrimp and Grits. Well, that idea came to a screeching halt once I heard the specials that they were whipping up that day. Fish and Chips, yes, you heard me right, Fish and Chips. Oh, don't worry they weren't the typical, we are trying to be a British pub crap that we get over here in the States. No, these were cornmeal battered pieces of freshly caught Grouper. They were just little strips of awesomeness. For good measure they also came with a hush puppy! Really, can it get much better? Don't waste your time trying to answer that because NO IT DOESN'T, PERIOD. Rian and Aunt Donna both went with what I was originally going to order, the Shrimp and Grits. While the Shrimp and Grits were good, really good (although not as good as my homemade version I must say), I could tell that they secretly wished they ordered what I did. We also order the Fried Green Tomatoes and once again, home run, I mean an super scrumptious, food hedonism, inside the park home run. These little guys were cornmeal battered, deep fried discs of pure heaven.

After this "meal" we decided to take in the great weather by walking around downtown and looking in the shops. I say "we" but I think that we all know we went to the predetermined shops that Rian wanted to visit. (Love ya babe.) Rian and Aunt Donna both had some ice cream from Izzo's Soda Fountain (I think it's new). We piled back into the car and headed off for home.

If you can't tell I highly recommend Jonah's, but if the line is too long don't fret, Liam's is right next door.

Chris

Easter Week

Well its officially Easter week. We hit up the Palm Sunday Service yesterday and we are now getting ready for the upcoming weekend. We are gearing the critters up for the second sweetest holiday of the year (behind Halloween).

Checklist:

Critter Easter Baskets - Check
Critter Easter Presents - Check (Gotta love Baby Gap)
Candy for the Critters that they can't eat (but Dad can!) - Check

You gotta love it.

Outfits for Easter - Partial Check, we are working on it.

We will be embarking on our voyage to Orlando on Thursday, hopefully traffic will be a little more agreeable than our last trip. The Critters are invading Disney on Friday, and then heading to the beach on Saturday. I am very curious to see how they react to the sand. Oh, we are also having breakfast at the ubergood Peach Valley Cafe.

Hope everyone has a happy Easter.

Chris

Stand

Stand in the place where you live

Now face North

Think about direction

Wonder why you haven't before

Now stand in the place where you work

Now face West

Think about the place where you live

Wonder why you haven't before

If you are confused check with the sun

Carry a compass to help you along

Your feet are going to be on the ground

Your head is there to move you around

[repeat 1st verse]

Your feet are going to be on the ground

Your head is there to move you around

If wishes were trees the trees would be falling

Listen to reason

Season is calling

[repeat 1st verse]

If wishes were trees the trees would be falling

Listen to reason

Reason is calling

Your feet are going to be on the ground

Your head is there to move you around

So Stand (stand)

Now face North

Think about direction, wonder why you haven't before

Now stand (stand)

Now face West

Think about the place where you live

Wonder why you haven't

[repeat 1st verse]

Stand in the place where you are (Now face North)

Stand in the place where you are (Now face West)

Your feet are going to be on the ground (Stand in the place where you are)

Your head is there to move you around, so stand.

If you have made it this far through this blog I will reward you with a picture of what I walked into during "nap time" on Sunday. This is how CarCar now greets us every morning:

Chris

PS - I tried to put up video but blogger was being a pita.

Chillaxin'

Dad and Had(ster)

Hadster and I have been spending a lot of time together and it hasn't been under the best circumstances. We have been running to and from doctors appointments. So in order for her not to associate dad with mean people with needles I decided to take her to Lake Ella, for a little Dad and 'Had' time.

This goes along with a promise that Rian and I made when we found out that we were having triplets, they are to have one on one time with her and I. We had three individual children, they just happened to come all at the same time.

So off to the park we went, luckily the weather was agreeable. I whipped our the stroller and off we went. Hadster loved taking everything in. People in Tallahassee know that Lake Ella can be a bussling place. We strolled around looking at the ducks, the beatnicks at the Coffee Shop, the joggers, the turtles, the dogs, and the fountains. After a couple of spins around the lake we headed to the gazebo. We got out the blanket so Hadley could streach her little legs. We sat there and soaked the sun in (don't worry, not too much sun). We also watch a few people break the law, it is illegal to feed the ducks, but people seem to ignore this quite frequently.

Here are a few pics from our morning:

Hadster hanging out.

Hadley watching the ducks.

Hadley wanted me to take this picture for CarCar, since she loves turtles.

Chris

The Witch Tooth

Well Hadster finally got her first tooth and much to her chagrin Rian has dubbed it the "Witch Tooth." You be the judge:

Figure A

Figure B

I will tell you that Hadster didn't appreciate the comment.


Chris

Happy Birthday Grandpa Dave!

Happy belated birthday from the Critters!

Chris

Junk Mail

What? I'm just looking through the mail.

Chris

Papa-Paparazzi

It appears from the following sequence that CarCar was tired of having her picture taken.

Just takin' a few pics.

Get this camera outta my face.

Someone didn't listen, now here comes the pain!

Chris

Someone Warn Jessica Simpson

Pic courtesy of cartoonspot.net.

Warning. Warning. There are large animals that can do bodily harm in your neighborhood. This is the email that greeted me yesterday from my pseudo-neighborhood association:

This is a reminder that with spring, some of the Waverly residents that don't have to pay taxes ( our coyotes ) are out and about a bit more often than usual. Keep an eye on your pets and remember that they don't want to see you any more than you want to see them. If you see one while out in the 'hood, just give it space. It will run away. It's against the law to kill them so try not to get that urge. The county can't euthanize them and they are really hard to catch so they won't come get them either. Hopefully we will all be able to coexist peacefully.

I am usually not an alarmist but I do try to maintain my position at the top of the food chain. Me and animals that can kill and eat me are not high on my list. I realize that Tallahassee is country but I didn't think that it was Oklahoma or Yellowstone National Park type country. This new morsel of info has definitely put a new twist into my morning (ie 6:30am - still dark) walk with Abbey (aka Dog Sis).

I have emphasised portions of the email that I find especially entertaining. First, the first thing that will cross my mind if I see a Coyote in my 'hood' is not to calmly give it space. Unless I have some sort of instrument that will inflict grave damage my butt is running the other direction, so I guess in a sense you could say that I am giving it space. Side note: I also love it when 50 something white people use the term 'hood.' Really guys, I really would call Waverly Hills the 'hood' although next time I see a predatory animal I will make sure to turn my gun sideways (good thing I played a lot of Duck Hunt as a kid) for effect, and after the fact I will definitely pour one out for the slain marauder.

Secondly, did we really need to add this line in the email: "Hopefully we will all be able to coexist peacefully." You spend an entire email making light of the situation and trying to calm the neighborhood down and then you add the word Hopefully? Did we have an instance were we weren't able to coexist, as you said, peacefully? That's info that I would like to know. I give you one example that wasn't all unicorns and rainbows, Ms. Jessica Simpson and the deceased Maltipoo "Daisy." A "harmless" coyote dragged little Miss Daisy away and killed it. How is that for coexisting peacefully? Hopefully Abbey would show a little more moxie and wup that coyote's behind.

Needless to say the Critters will not be venturing out in the neighborhood unsupervised, sorry guys. Oh, and while Brother thought it would be a good idea for me to get a machete, I think that I am going to have to shoot that one down, sorry big guy, Daddy would probably sever his own leg with one of those.

Chris

Interview Alert

Hey everyone, you can head on over to the Multiples and More blog to read an interview of yours truly.

I have made it easy for you, just click the graphic above.

Chris

Beers, Bars, and Babies

Babies welcome in bars? What say ye?

I stumbled across a fierce debate online the other day about parents bringing their little ones to bars. Apparently it has caused quite a stir in Brooklyn, New York. CNN wrote an article giving equal time to the waring sides.

This picture is just wrong on so many levels. First, the baby looks super stoked to be there and second, the father looks like his is about to go straight up Michael Douglas in Falling Down on someone.

At first I thought it was probably not a good idea to tote your Critters to a bar. Rian concurred with this line of thinking. The more I thought about this I really don't see a problem with taking the little ones while mom and dad enjoy an adult beverage. Let me lay out some ground rules though:

1. Happy Hour - okay, 11pm - bad. Make sure to leave the bar by6:30-7pm.

2. Obviously have 1-2 drinks max, especially when driving. It still applies if you walk, you don't want a PSWI (Pushing Stroller While Intoxicated).

3. Don't expect people to alter their behavior because you brought a child. If you head to a dive bar don't expect to run into Miss/Mister Manners.

4. Try to sit outside. If its nice sit outside, I know that Reese, especially, like to watch people.

5. Respect the other patrons. This is my big one, I am not a fan of crying babies in restaurants (Rian will vouch for this). If your Critter gets upset, head outside or grab your tab. If you want other patrons to respect you, respect them.

That is about all I can think about, let me know if you guys have any other ground rules or if you think that I am just nuts for thinking it is okay to take kids to a bar.

I just don't think that my fun time has to stop just because I procreated. Apparently, our friends to the north agree with me.

Chris

Have you ever wondered if there was more to life, other than being really, really, ridiculously good looking?

Hadley: Well I guess it all started the first time when I was 9 months old. I caught my reflection in a spoon while I was eating my [rice] cereal, and I remember thinking "wow, you're ridiculously good looking, maybe you could do that for a career."

Reese: Do what for a career?

Hadley: Be professionally good looking.

Can you guess what movie that quote is from?

Chris

Who You Gonna Call?

The Cult of Pacification

Pacification - pac·i·fi·ca·tion
noun
1. The act of pacifying or the condition of being pacified; appeasement.

Reese is a proud card-carrying member of the Cult of Pacification. This boy loves him some binkies, our as we say, "he's a bink kind of guy." The world could be crumbling around this child but as long as he has his trusty sidekick, his binky, all is right. While his two sisters have weened themselves off the binky dependence Reese has dug in. As much as Rian tries to break the habit, Reese has resisted and risen in the ranks of the Cult. The next thing you know he will be at the Tom Cruise/John Travolta level of the Cult of Pacification.

Tom gets way to excited about Binkies.

Reese has always loved to have his binky at bedtime, it seems to be his nonalcoholic nightcap. Now he is branching out to other times of the day.

Oh, its 3:34pm I really think a binky would be great right now. What? You're not going to give me a binky. REALLY? Alright, here goes.................meltdown ensues.

His sisters have also created a new way for themselves to have fun, they take his binky and tease him with it, especially CarCar. She will scurry over to him and with a quick strike will snatch it out of his mouth and then proceed to taunt him by shoving it back in his face. Hadley on the other hand has a slightly different approach. I witnessed it first-hand yesterday. She slowly leaned forward and in one motion grabbed the back of his bib and yanked backwards. Reese goes flying backwards and while his is temporarily stunned Hadley grabs the binky and starts to play with it. Then as I am scrambling to get Reese she flashes me a look as if to say, "What, I didn't do anything."

We have also noticed that Reese has begun to hoard binkies in his crib. He generally has two to three within his reach, but one time when I was vacuuming the room I found five behind his crib on the floor. Apparently for safe keeping.

We are continuing to try to ween Reese off the "Bink," but I think I have accepted the fact that it will happen when it happens. Some battles need not be fought.

Reese demonstrating the proper form.

Binky FAIL.

Pwned!

CarCar the Thief.

Chris

Visitors from the MN

Rian, the Critters and I hosted some visitors all the way from the frosty reaches of Minnesota. Our church hosted the mixed choir from Martin Luther College in New Ulm, Minnesota. Rian went to the performance while I tended to the Critters. She said that they were amazing. The two that we hosted were Andrew and Aaron and they were wonderful visitors. Rian and I learned quite a bit about life in a small religious school, a far cry from our time at FSU. It was a quick visit, Rian had to drop them off at 8:30am the next morning, I believe that they were off to Sarasota for another concert.

Lt. to Rt. - Reese, Andrew, CarCar, Aaron, and Hadster.

Chris

Big Adventure Saturday.

When Rian and I saw the thermometer creep up to the sixties we decided make a break for it. I had recently been hankerin some good BBQ, so I jumped online to try to find a dive BBQ joint in the surrounding area. I have found that when it comes to good BBQ, the worse the place looks that better the food (i.e. The Georgia Pig (scroll through to look at the pics, better yet go eat there)).

Off we went, north down Meridian Road. We were headed to a BBQ joint in beautiful Cairo, Georgia. It was a nice drive and the Critters seemed to be enjoying themselves. After a 40 minute drive we finally hit Cairo. We started to head through town when I saw the local high school. I have always found the nickname of this particular school intriguing. Cairo High School's nickname is the "syrupmakers," its mascot is a syrup pitcher. I kid you not, its mascot truly is a syrup pitcher. How exactly does this fire a team up or strike fear in the opposing team. For some reason I just can't see a pitcher walking out to mid-field having the same effect as Chief Osceola planting a flaming spear.

This is an actual shirt.

On we went in search of the BBQ joint. After a few passes through town I started to think I was going crazy, surely I would have seen it, I mean Cairo is not that big.

Rian suddenly asks, "Did you call them to get their hours?

Me: Why, it said on the internet that they were open.

Rian: Well, maybe they could have given you directions.

Me: No need, Mapquest said it should be right here.

Rian: Do you see it, right here?

Me: No, I guess you should call.

Rian holding up the phone with speaker phone on: The number you're calling has been disconnected or is no longer in service. If you feel you've reached this recording in error, please check the number and dial again.

Me: Huh, maybe I should have called.

This is about the point where I realized I should have called the restaurant.

Luckily, without realizing it, I had a back-up plan. I saw another BBQ joint on the web not too far from where we were. So on a wing and a prayer we headed to Big Guns BBQ on U.S. 319 just north of the FL/GA line. Eureka, it was open. Food was decent, but the Critters soon decided that it was time to leave. With a full belly and a new appreciation for calling ahead we headed back to the casa.

Chris

Where's the Beef...er, Puree.

The troops are hungry.

Chris

Big Helper = Brother.

Brother has become the big helper in the family. If you can think of stuff that babies are supposed to do (aside from crawling) that is what brother does.

"What is Brother doing? - What he is supposed to."

We were taking Abbey for a walk the other day and Brother got the Bjorn treatment. He decided that he needed to pull his weight and decided that he would hold Abbey's leash.

Brother taking the reigns.

Brother going with the one-handed approach.

Chris