Behind the Three Point Line

The Central Florida Zoo

2012-02-10T08:53:00.003-05:00

After Xmas we headed back to the Central Florida Zoo. It is a fun place for the kids but it is not really up to par with the other zoos I have been to. I am not too keen on animals in cages at zoos. The weird thing about the CFZ is that only about half of the animals are in cages and the other half roam free in enclosures. I like the enclosure idea, although I grew up going to the Miami Zoo and the National Zoo in Washington. (Stepping down from my soapbox.)

The kids had a great time, they all seem to absolutely love animals. Brother was also happy as they have a choo-choo train that goes through the woods around the zoo. That kid absolutely loves trains, according to him, he is going to be a train conductor again for Halloween this year. We'll see, although I don't think the train fever is going to calm down since we are going to see the "real" Thomas the Train in March. That will send him into an absolute fit. I can't tell you how much I hear about Thomas and the island of Sodor.

Well, back to the zoo. We started off looking at some birds until the Critters apparently noticed the reptile house. They made a beeline to it which absolutely thrilled Rian. Lets just say that she is not a fan (at all) of snakes. She stood with her back against the wall the entire time. I guess kids at their age just don't realize that they are a few centimeters of glass away from a deadly snake. They have a black mamba there and Hadley and Carson were right up, faces pressed against the window. Luckily, the snake wasn't hungry and didn't strike the glass. Off we went to see the alligator. We didn't see it at first until something started to move in the water. Then this huge alligator begins to get up on the land and crawl towards us. Well, the Critters thought that this "friendly" alligator was just coming over to say hi. Carson even wanted me to lift her up to see over the rail better. Its hilarious to me that the Critters see this deadly animal and just think that its just coming over to say hi and give them a big hug.

We were walking around after seeing the alligator and stumbled upon a new exhibit that they are building. You will never guess what it is. An OTTER Exhibit. CarCar just about had a fit. For some reason CarCar is obsessed with otters. What kid do you know that loves otters. Not really a common cuddly animal. I am not really even sure if they are friendly. Our Crittersitter Macy told CarCar that her neighborhood in St. Pete has otters and CarCar nearly stroked out. We are going to have to make sure that CarCar doesn't try to hide in Macy's luggage the next time she goes home.

After some more walking and a trip to the playground we headed over see the cheetahs and kangaroos. To be clear they were in different enclosures. I don't think the kids need a lesson on survival of the fittest just yet. Of coarse Hadley wanted to ride on my shoulders to see the cheetahs better. As usual she wanted down after a minute or two and when I was lifting her down my sunglasses went along with her. Somehow they landed perfectly on the right lens and just shattered it. Perfect, now I don't have sunglasses for the rest of my time in Orlando. Update: no worries the glass have be fixed.

After the zoo we headed to Cracker Barrel, the Critters most recent favorite restaurant. I am not sure if they like the food which is okay or the atmosphere, which is akin to a country circus.

Here are some pics of the zoo:

A Florida Panther in its cage.

The "friendly" alligator.

Grandma B with Brother and CarCar.

CarCar and the otter.

Haddie and the otter.

Brother "playing" chess.

Haddie and the ladybug.

CarCar going for a ride.

Chris

Champs Sports Bowl, 2011

2012-02-09T10:11:00.005-05:00

No we didn't go to the game, but we did head down to Park Ave in Winter Park to see the parade. Both bands and cheerleaders marched down Park Ave and ended in the main park to play a few more songs. The Critters loved it except for the drums. CarCar is not, I repeat not, a fan of drums. Something startled Hadley because she covered her eyes like she had just seen Kermit the Frog. Brother just loved everything.

Once everyone got into the park everyone had a great time. After that we headed for some frozen yogurt at one of the ten thousand yogurt places that have sprung up. Really, when did frozen yogurt become that popular? There is literally one in each plaza in Orlando.

The Critters refused to take a nap that day, probably due to the excitement for the game. That excitement was short lived as Notre Dame started putting a whippin on FSU. Needless to say it was not a good first half viewing experience. Luckily, something clicked during the second half and the good guys pulled it out.

Here are a few pics from the day:

Brother's favorite part, the cheerleaders.

The Marching Chiefs.

The Notre Dame Marching Band.

Something spooked Haddie.

Pretty cool uniforms.

Madness in the park.

Twirler girl.

Chris

Briefly Back

2012-02-09T09:11:00.003-05:00

There seems to be a slight lull in work, though I am not too confident that it will last too long. This has been one crazy busy month. The overtime hours were off the charts, luckily the Critters still remember who I am during the few moments that I get to see them.

Well, I looked back to see what my last real post was and it was Christmas Eve, gee, that was only a month and a half ago. To pick up were I left off we had a great Christmas, the Critters got more than they could ever need. Luckily, Rian and I drove separately, so I was able to take back the first wave of gifts when I went back up for session. I was looking though iPhoto for pictures for this thread and I realized that I only had one, yes one picture from Christmas. Apparently I was a little too busy helping them open presents to snap a few pics.

Here is the one picture from Christmas:

Notice the chaos.

I plan to try to rapid fire some blogs out, tonight and this weekend to get caught up. I was also planning a best of photos for 2011, so hopefully I will get to shuffle through my pics for that.

Chris

Be Back Real Soon

2012-02-07T14:20:00.003-05:00

Hope to be back posting soon, like hopefully tonight. Work has finally slowed down a little, for session that is. I was actually able to feed the Critters last night. I think that was the first weeknight I have fed them since session started. Luckily, they recognized me.

Chris

In Session: Bear with me.

2012-01-19T15:55:00.003-05:00

Work is crazy to say the least, I am really not quite sure what day it is. I have a back up of blogs so bear with me, I am hoping to get some up this weekend.

Now back to trying to keep my head above water.

Chris

Christmas Eve 2011

2012-01-06T19:49:00.004-05:00

The fam headed down to Orlando on Thursday before Christmas. We just headed down in two shifts, Rian and the Critters during the day and Abbey and I after work that night. After a relaxing Friday we were ready for the Christmas whirlwind. Every year my mother has Christmas Eve dinner at her house. This year we headed to the children's service @ St. Lukes and had a great time. It was a wonderful (interactive) sermon, yes I said interactive.

After church we headed over to my mom's house to take care of the last minute touches to get ready for dinner. After dinner, Grandma B kept the tradition going and read Twas the Night Before Christmas, with her own twist. During the story she inserts peoples names and has them hunt for hidden presents.

After a little clean up we packed up and headed back to Grandma Kate's to put the Critters to bed.

Here are a few shots from the night:

Finishing touches. With CarCar as the little helper.

The set-up.

CarCar.

MoMo, CarCar, and Uncle Adam.

Haddie not quite getting the proper use of a stocking.

An attempt at a family portrait.

CarCar givin' you some love.

Haddie.

Brother toward the tail end of the night.

Note: There will be more blogs coming soon to catch up. The cameras are still in two separate cities as Rian is still in Orlando.

Chris

CarCar's First Haircut

2011-12-16T16:25:00.003-05:00

It finally happened after 2 1/2 years. CarCar got her first haircut. As with the other two she got her haircut at Rinse and Repeat and as usual Suzi did an awesome job. All three Critters got their haircut, luckily Rian had some help with the ever-wonderful Crittersitter Amy.

Here are a few pics to mark the occasion:

Haddie being Haddie.

Haddie and Brother playing while CarCar gets her haircut.

And so it begins....

Admiring herself.

Lets do some bangs.

You know you like it.

Let me just have a look in the mirror.

The finished product.

Chris

Tallahassee Xmas Light Show

2011-12-16T11:44:00.002-05:00

We took the kids to see this last night. While the video is cool it really does not do it justice. If any of you all like in Tallahassee I would recommend heading over to Southwood to see this. Its on Mossy Creek Lane (Right by the Southwood Clubhouse).

My only complaint is it doesn't seem to recognize the Coast Guard, although I am not sure if they have a mainstream theme/song.

Chris

A Few More Pics from the Holiday Program

2011-12-16T10:45:00.003-05:00

Here are a few more shots from the Cirque du Soleil quality Christmas show @ the Critters school:

The Critters gearing up for thier big performance.

Brother rockin' out on the bells.

CarCar goin' to town.

Chris

Ponce de Leon Springs State Park, a/k/a The Pancake Mill

2011-12-15T09:07:00.007-05:00

The Sunday after Thanksgiving we all headed down to Ponce de Leon Springs State Park. While it houses the supposed 'Fountain of Youth,' these days it is better known for the Old Spanish Sugar Mill Bakery. Here you get to cook your own pancakes on griddles built into the tables. The pancakes were pretty good and it was pretty funny seeing the kids try to get in on the action.

After breakfast Grandma B, Grandma Kate, the Critters, Rian, and I decided to take the boat tour. We read on the sign that there were river otters on the boat tour and Carson about flipped her lid. I am still not sure how a 2 1/2 year old becomes so obsessed with river otters. To add to the excitement Grandma B bought CarCar a stuffed otter (now named 'Otter,' inventive, I know), Haddie a manatee (named 'Manny'), and Reese a raccoon (name 'Haa-coon'). After the kids ran around the springs and playground for a bit we jumped on the boat. Unfortunately, river otters are early morning creatures so there was little chance we were going to see them. We did get to see a ton of birds and an alligator. Haddie kept yelling 'Gator bait' the entire boat ride. Unfortunately, for the Gators of Florida, they had been scalped by the FSU defense the night before. Notice I said defense, that was a painful game to watch if you enjoy offensive football. The Critters had a great time on the boat, but were definitely ready to get off when we reached the dock.

Here are a few pics from the adventure:

The Mr. and Mrs. @ The Sugar Mill.

Pancakes cookin' on the griddle.

Carson getting in on the action.

View of the Mill.

The boat.

Brother locating the floatation devices.

Haddie with 'Manny.'

A Heron.

The Ponce de Leon Swamp Monster.

Checking out relics before we head out.

The 'Fountain of Youth.'

Chris

School Christmas Pagent

2011-12-14T13:34:00.003-05:00

Hadley, Carson, and Reese at their Christmas Program. (Hadley and Carson are in the red dresses and Reese is in the green jumper.)

The video goes crazy part way through, but you still get the gist.

Chris

Brother's New Digs

2011-12-07T09:17:00.004-05:00

This post is extremely behind the times, but I wanted to wait until I had finished Brother's headboard to publish.

When splitting up the Critters we kept Brother in the old nursery. Unfortunately, the striped walls did not seem to appropriate for a toddler boy room. We decided to got with a nautical themed room in honor of Grandpa Dave, who spent many a year in the United States Coast Guard.

Let me begin by telling you what a task it was to paint that room. It took two coats of primer and two heavy coats of paint, four coats on what was the striped wall. We went with Sherman Williams Nantucket Dune. Luckily, they were having a 40% off sale around the time we were getting ready to paint.

After tackling the walls I had to take care of the dresser. We repurposed the old white guest bedroom dresser. I removed the attached mirror and gave it a good sanding. We chose True Navy by Glidden. It is a very (I repeat very) thick gel/oil based paint. (Note: Make sure to have paint thinner or mineral spirits on hand before you start to paint so you don't have to head to Home Depot with blue smurf hands. As I found out water does not remove this paint from your hands, it actually just makes it worse.) To finish the dresser I found nautical looking rope knobs called monkey fists on etsy.

Finally, we couldn't find a headboard that we really liked. After scouring the normal stores nothing seemed to match what we envisioned. Leave it up to Grandma B to find plans so we could build a headboard. Grandma B and I built the headboard in 3short hours when she was up for a visit. We later chose to paint it in a striped pattern to replicate a buoy. I used the same Glidden paint that I used for the dresser, this time is was True Red and Classic White. Building seemed to be the easy part compared to the taping and painting. It took quite a few coats to get the look I wanted.

All in all we are extremely happy with how Brother's room turned out. There are still a few things that the room needs but nothing that he can't live without for a while. I think he is just happy that he now has his own space.

Here are some pics:

Vintage oars from The Tin Shed (Apalachicola, FL), Linens and Pillows from The Land of Nod, and Curtains from Pottery Barn Kids.

Note the United States Coast Guard pillow.

Repurposed dresser, dresser knobs from Etsy, buoys from The Tin Shed, Nautical Knot shadow box from The Tin Shed, Buoy Lamp from The Land of Nod.

Close-up of dresser knob pulls.

Close up of vintage buoys.

Repurposed wicker toy box and rug from Pottery Barn Kids, coat rack from The Land of Nod.

Chris

Haddie v. Kermit the Frog

2011-11-30T16:30:00.004-05:00

On our way back from Orlando we popped a few DVD's in for the Critters to watch. Apparently, one of the Big Bird DVD's had Kermit the Frog in it. Haddie does not like Kermit one iota.

Here is her reaction when he comes on:

Trying to hide from Kermit. Notice Carson isn't fazed.

This was taken after I got Kermit off of the DVD. I just really like this picture.

Chris

I wish I were...

2011-11-30T16:25:00.003-05:00

an Oscar Mayer Weiner. That is what I truly wish to be, cause if i were a Oscar Mayer Weiner everyone would be in love, oh everyone would be in love, everyone would be in love with me.

On our trip home from Orlando after Thanksgiving we saw this cruising down I-75:

Sorry for the poor picture, this was taken at about 80 MPH. (Note: that was my speed, certainly not the Weinermobile's.)

Chris

The Critters and the Ambulance (Don't Worry)

2011-11-25T06:52:00.006-05:00

On Thanksgiving Rian, Grandma B, Adrienne, the Critters, Uncle Billy, and I headed over to Uncle Billy's work to see (and play in) some ambulances. To say the Critters had a good time would be an understatement. Reese and Hadley had a great time turning the sirens on and off and 'helping' Uncle Billy 'drive' around the parking lot. They also had fun exploring the back of the ambulance. Reese seemed pretty comfortable which is good because apparently Rian has already decided that he will be a doctor. I could just imagine Brother back there yelling, 'I need 30cc STAT!' CarCar had a good time but she wasn't super keen on the loud noises. She did have fun once she was in the back of the ambulance.

Here are some pics from the day:

Uncle Billy helping Brother get acclimated in the ambulance.

Brother 'helping' Uncle Billy drive.

CarCar getting some distance from the sirens with Grandma B.

The girls taking over.

CarCar getting in on the action.

Brother checking everything out.

Haddie in the drivers seat.

Haddie taking her shoe off on the gurney.

CarCar taking a rest in the back of the ambulance.

We headed to Steak and Shake afterwards for some lunch.

Chris

Disney Quick Hit

2011-11-25T06:39:00.004-05:00

We shot down to Disney on Wednesday to see Grandma Kate and have lunch at Olivia's. After lunch we took a ferry boat over to Downtown Disney and saw some of the sights over there.

Here are some shots:

Chris

All Aboard

2011-11-21T14:18:00.002-05:00

Here are some instagram shots of the Critters and their choo choo train:

Haddie taking a trip with 'big kitty' and Hello Kitty.

Haddie rolling at the front of the train again.

Brother apparently getting some work done on the train.

The Critters are all aboard.

Chris

Instagram Phone Dump

2011-11-21T14:15:00.003-05:00

Chris

Halloween 2011

2011-11-17T08:55:00.004-05:00

We had a wonderful Halloween this year. It was nice that all the Critters felt good as opposed to last year when everyone was sick. Grandma Kate was in town this year. We headed over to Aunt Donna's house first so the kids could trick or treat and then play around in her backyard. The Critters had a great time over there, they even got Aunt Donna's mail for her. They are very considerate little Critters. Well, lets just say, they got the mail for Aunt Donna, I do not know if they allowed Aunt Donna to keep all of it.

After Aunt Donna's we head over to Lane and Adam's house for some fun. The kids had a blast running around in the backyard and playing on a John Deer Gator. It was quite entertaining seeing the Critters try to drive a car. After Lane's we headed home let Critters have some more candy and try to get them to bed. From what I recall their sugar high lasted quite a while.

Here are some shots from Halloween:

Getting the mail.

Haddie.

Haddie letting Aunt Donna know that the moon (which is apparently made of cookies and cheese) is out.

Aunt Donna and Brother.

Aunt Donna and CarCar.

Aunt Donna and Haddie.

This was Brother @ Lane's. He didn't stand still.

All the kids.

The Critters on a "Gator."

Chris

Halloween Parade @ Faith

2011-11-17T08:44:00.003-05:00

I am really behind in the posting arena. The Critters had a Halloween parade @ their school on the Friday before Halloween. Each class got to parade around the courtyard and strut their stuff. Luckily, I was able to sneak away from work for 45 minutes to see them, it was quite a hoot.

Here are a few shot from the parade:

And their off.....

Haddie and Norah.

As you can see the ears did not last long.

Haddie just being Haddie.

Brother giving 'the look.'

Chris

Pumpkins in the Patch

2011-11-03T09:14:00.005-04:00

Photo courtesy of Terri Smith. (Click picture to enlarge.)

Chris

2011-11-02T17:12:00.004-04:00

On Friday, Rian, the Critters, Grandma Kate, Aunt Donna, and I headed up to Faith Presbyterian (the Critter's school) for their annual Trunk or Treat. As usual it was a great time for the Critters, they got lots of candy, hot dogs, and got to see their friends. I do have to say that Hadley was all business when it came to candy. That child dragged Aunt Donna to every car that was there. She even tried to go to some twice!

Here are some pics:

Haddie and Brother.

Hadley is on a mission to get candy!

Brother as a conductor.

CarCar as a bunny.

CarCar enjoying a hot dog and chips.

I just love this picture of Carson. It might be my favorite that I have taken.

Chris

Huh?!?!?

2011-10-28T08:59:00.004-04:00

What exactly is going on here? I thought you said these things were extinct!

Chris

The Girls' New Room

2011-10-27T13:25:00.005-04:00

So I finally have a few pictures of the girls' new room. It has been mostly done for quite some time but I wanted to put a few fininshing touches on before I took some pictures. We were able to reuse quite a few things for their room. We already had a dresser, chanelier, table, curtains, cedar chest, and pictures. We only needed to get headboards, linens, and coat rack. I painted the room Eros Pink (Sherman Williams) and I'll tell you it is quite a vibrate color. I painted the inside of the girls closet a softer pink and built some shelves for their stuff. The linens and bed skirts are Lilly Pulitzer from Garnet Hill. The coat rack is from the Land of Nod. There are a few more things that need to be done but the girls are super happy with their new digs.

Pics:

Eros Pink. (Wall color)

CarCar's bed.

Close up. Notice that she still has Small Paul and Hello Kitty.

Haddie's side.

Coat Rack. Notice Small Paul again.

Chris

Sisters

2011-10-27T13:21:00.002-04:00

Here are few pictures of Haddie and CarCar resting on the couch. I really have no clue where Brother was when these photos were snapped.

Chris

Pumpkin Patch (with their class)

2011-10-22T21:39:00.004-04:00

The Critter's class headed to the pumpkin patch at their school last Wednesday. I wasn't able to go so I don't have much to say about it. The Critters each got to pick out a small pumpkin. We are heading to the pumpkin patch as a fam on Monday to pick out our big pumpkins and a white one for Abbey.

Here are some pics from the event:

The class. (MWF)

The Critters.

Story time.

The Critters exploring.

Haddie.

CarCar.

Chris

Halloween Party

2011-10-22T21:30:00.006-04:00

We had a Halloween party last weekend at Betsy's house and it gave the Critters a chance to test drive their costumes. The Critters had a great time and looked pretty cool too.

Pics:

The Critters enjoying some snacks. Brother is a train conductor, Hadley is a ladybug, and CarCar is a bunny. (And that is not their beer.)

The train conductor.

Hadley enjoying a cupcake.

CarCar going gangsta on you. She's got Brother's hat and I am not sure where she got the beads.

Chris

The Mouse House, or to be specific, The Mouse's Animal Kingdom

2011-10-19T09:13:00.008-04:00

Rian, the Critters, and I headed down to Orlando for an impromptu mini-vacation. Hence my extended absence from the blog. We left Thursday evening and had an amazingly uneventful car ride, no hitting, meltdowns, or crying. You have to love that they can now focus on the DVD players. Poor Brother though, they watched Hello Kitty and Beauty and the Beast.

Friday, Kate surprised us with tickets to Halloween Horror Nights at Universal. Now let me just say that I am not the biggest fan of things jumping out at me but Rian was super jazzed and I figured I could skip the haunted houses and ride the other rides. It didn't quite work like that. We went with Uncle Adam, Morgan (MoMo), and Matt.

Before stuff started jumping out at us.

First thing we did there was a haunted house, super. It wasn't all that bad, pretty cool actually, it was based off Edgar Allen Poe stories. Next we headed to the Simpson's ride (for you old timers, this used to be Back to the Future). I thought is was great, but I thought Rian was going to pass out halfway through the ride. Next we had a quick booze stop (for the of age folks), blood in a bag, basically a jello shot in a IV bag. After that we headed over to the Mummy roller coaster, it was pretty cool.

The girls and their "IVs."

After that we headed over to another haunted house. This one caught me a little off guard. The walking order was Adam, Morgan, Rian, me, and Matt. Well everyone had made it passed this particular spot aside from Matt and I. I had an inkling that something was coming but this caught me totally off guard. A whole wall dropped there was a blinding flash of light, and something jumped out at us. Needless to say I let out a scream and ran into the far wall and Matt just dropped to the floor. At that point I was about done with the haunted houses.

This was taken about 2:15am.

We hit one more haunted house after that which lead to a few more screams and then we headed to the new(er) roller coaster, the Rip Ride Rocket (I think). After an hour and a half wait we finally got on. I also had to coax Rian to actually ride it. This thing takes you straight up and then a huge drop into a loop twist. Well worth the wait. At this point is was 2:30 in the morning and the old folks were ready for bed. I looked at the clock and Rian and I made it into bed at 3:55am, well past our bedtime.

We apparently forgot to look at the radar for the weekend in Orlando as it rained all of Saturday. It was appropriate though as FSU sucked an egg versus Wake Forest. Sunday was the big day at Animal Kingdom. As we hit I-4 @ 8:30 in the morning the skies opened up. It was still a torrential downpour when we parked @ Animal Kingdom. After a quick peek at my phone I noticed that there would be a break in about a half an hour. Now keep in mind we were getting Disney for free so if we had to go home we wouldn't lose anything. The other folks around us in the parking lot were charging over to the tram line. I can just imagine those folks, "kids, you are gonna enjoy this day, hurricane or not, we just spend 90 bucks on each ticket, so get your poncho and mount up!" I did feel bad for the folks that had to pay for tickets and fight the rain.

After a brief wait we walk to the tram. We made it in the park after buying ponchos for everyone. Luckily, we only had about an hour of rain that morning and it really cooled everything off nicely.

We hit the otter tank first, for CarCar, of course. Next we headed over to the safari and let me tell you I have never seen so many animals before on that ride. I really think that we saw every type of animal that the ride offered. I did learn that the animals can get quite close to the ride, and Haddie was not a fan of the Rhino getting close. She still says "no Rhino!"

After a few more rides we hit up the Tusker House for lunch. It was a good meal and they had Indian food there so I was able to get my fill of curry, since Rian hates it. Next Rian, Jenna, and I headed over to the Himalayan roller coaster. Let me just say it was a blast, although I didn't realize that it went backwards. After some more walking around we decided to call it a day. The Critters were amazing, we hit the park around 9:30 that morning and left a little after 5 and they had no nap. This trip to Disney was much, much better than our last attempt which ended in three meltdowns. Note to self, one and a half is waaaaaaay to young to attempt Disney.

Here are a few (lots) of pictures from Disney:

Haddie and CarCar enjoying their Minnie ponchos.

Brother joining the picture in his Mickey poncho. (Can you tell CarCar is happy?)

Once again I think CarCar is excited.

Brother saw something, we just couldn't figure out what.

Had lunch here, it was good.

Hippos for CarCar.

A big kitty according to Haddie.

An elephant.

Giraffes for CarCar.

The Critters looking @ a tiger (another big kitty).

I asked them who they were calling and they said, "Amy and Macy," the Crittersitters.

I just liked this pic of Haddie.

She liked her Minnie Mouse.

Chris

Two Kitties and a Monkey

2011-09-29T10:16:00.003-04:00

This post is a little bit behind. Over Labor Day weekend Rian, The Critters, Abbey, and I headed down to Orlando for a long weekend. The weather was beautiful and we found a great new (to us) park close to downtown Winter Park. During this jaunt we also headed to Build-a-Bear. My last experience with Build-a-Bear did not go very smoothly, well really not smooth at all (June 2011). About an hour before I got there they sold out of their last white Hello Kitty that CarCar and I were going to stuff. I really could have gone with out knowing that I missed it by just a few hours. The infamous white Hello Kitty was sold out in Orlando also. Apparently, it was going through an update and they were going to come out with a pink version in July.

Well this time I made sure that the Altamonte store had adequate stock levels for the animals I thought the kids would choose. Luckily they did and I was right on the animals that the girls would choose. CarCar went straight for the pink Hello Kitty and Haddie went right to the special edition Florida Panther animal. Haddie is obsessed with the Florida Panther, or 'big kitty.' At the children's museum here in Tally they have a Florida Panther which Haddie loves. She seems to think that it is looking at her lovingly when in reality she looks like a snack. But ignorance is bliss.

Reese took a little coaxing, he did not seem to want to be there in the beginning. Finally Grandma B helped him choose the monkey. After having them all stuffed and 'washed' we headed to the checkout which is always fun. The Critters don't seem to understand the fact that you need to pay for things and in order to pay for things the cashier needs to take them. They seem to think that this strange lady just took my animal that I just made and named. Luckily we made it past that stage with only a few outbursts.

Well the Critters now have Hello Kitty (pink), Big Kitty - The Florida Panther, and Giggles the monkey (complete with a monkey noise voice box).

Here are a few shots (notice how many people we brought, this allowed for maximum zone coverage):

Haddie went straight for 'big kitty.'

CarCar with a death grip on Hello Kitty.

Checking out - notice I am in the waaaaaay back away from the excitement.

Standard group shot on our way out.

Chris

Good Night, The Curtain Drops on the Striped Nursery Wall

2011-09-22T15:56:00.003-04:00

There has been a little bit of construction going on over at the house. I won't share and photos of the girls' room (which is 95% complete) until I finish with Brother's room. I will share a few 'during' pictures of the nursery (Brother's room). Sadly, the striped wall did not fit with the motif that we have for Brother's room so Tuesday was the curtain call. It was a sad day as I rolled primer over the striped wall and the Critters names.

I will say that the color we chose for Brother's room (Nantucket Dune - SW) looks killer.

Here are a few 'during pics (remember to tip your forty for the striped wall):

The point of no return.

Last little corner.

The Critters names, painted by Mary.

The Critters names no more.

Chris

The Critter Sitter: As told with sidewalk chalk

2011-09-12T15:21:00.005-04:00

Our Critter Sitter Amy took the kids out to the carport to play and this is what ensued:

A panoramic view.

The Critters, traced in chalk.

CarCar.

Reese.

Hadley.

Hadley apparently wanted a hot dog.

CarCar kept pointing out airplanes.

And if you know anything about Reese you know he loves American flags.

Chris

Fairies: Can they be angry?

2011-09-12T14:16:00.004-04:00

Rian, the Critters, and I headed to a birthday party @ the pool @ Southwood (aka the Disneyland of pools). It was Savannah's 1st birthday and much to CarCar and Haddie's delight, it had an Abbey Cadabby theme (although I think they got her confused with Zoe). The Critters got their fill of juice, food, and cake, Carson even decided to try to fill up her cup of lemonade herself - unsuccessfully I might add. After the some singing we all headed out to the pool. Well actually the three pools. One is a regular pool, one is a infant-type pool, and one is the playground pool.

The kids tentatively got into the playground pool and started to wade around. I took CarCar to the regular pool for a quick swim. I happened to look over and noticed the large bucket that dumps water over the playground was about to tip (dumping loads of water over the entire play area). I also noticed that Brother and Haddie did not realize it was a bout to unleash (don't worry they weren't in any danger). The bucket unloaded it's contents and you would have thought those two were trying to run to safety from a tsunami. They were screaming and running as fast as they could to the side of the play area. I know it sounds a little cruel, but it was kind of funny, actually to CarCar it was apparently really funny. Needless to say it took some coaxing to get them back in the area, but surprisingly Brother finally lead the charge. Well, later I was carrying CarCar around that area and we emerged from under the covered slide just in time to take the full brunt of the bucket. We were absolutely soaked.

Hey what does this have to do with fairies?

Well, the party favors, sans Brother were fairy wings. We gave them to the girls to play with this morning to play with and here are few pictures with their reactions.

The sweet, happy fairy.

The not so sweet, happy, well, kinda down right angry looking fairy.

The mood was apparently lightened by something.

Still happy and smiling.

Chris

What were you doing @ 1:30 Monday morning?

2011-08-30T14:13:00.004-04:00

Note: We did not see Uncle Jesse at the ER.

Well to say that it has been an interesting past few days would be an understatement. Rian and I both had meetings on Sunday night and we had a crittersitter come over. I had noticed that Hadley was sounding a little raspy before I left but nothing too concerning. She seemed fine when we got back that night but around 9:30 she woke up and did not sound too good. We got her back to sleep but she woke up again around 12:30am. We sat with her on the couch trying to settle her down. She was having quite a coughing fit. It also sounded like she was wheezing and struggling to breath. After some back and forth we decided that we couldn't wait until the morning to take her to the doctor.

Haddie, piggy (luvie), and I headed to the ER at Tallahassee Memorial. It was a painless sign-in and triage experience, but that is where the pleasantries ended. LET ME TELL YOU THAT THERE ARE SOME INTERESTING FOLKS AT THE ER AT 1:30AM. I was able to secure a row of seats far away from everyone and we waited, and waited, oh and we waited some more. Finally we were taken back to a multi person room with some strange guy at the other end of the room. Luckily, there was a lot of separation between him and us. Not sure what was wrong with him but the nurses kept yelling at him about his IV.

Hadley was amazing at the ER. Especially for the fact that we were there until 4:45 in the morning. She had an x-ray to rule out pneumonia and we later found out she has croup. It was pretty funny, after we found out that there was nothing seriously wrong, when Hadley started to pack the diaper bag and stated "Let's go." Luckily we were out of there soon after she started to get antsy.

Hadley finally fell asleep about 5:30am and the others woke her up around 7:00am. She seemed a little better yesterday and slept through the night last night. Today she seems almost back to her normal self, but if you ask her how she feels she will tell you, "No, Haddie no feel toppers." We are gonna hold her out of school tomorrow but she will be ready and raring to go back on Friday.

This was Haddie showing off the teddy bear that the nurses gave her.

This was Haddie packing everything into the diaper bag so we could go home.

Chris

Off to School!

2011-08-24T15:47:00.004-04:00

Well it finally happened. The Critters headed off for their first day of school. Has it already been almost two and a half years? The Critters started preschool at Faith Presbyterian this morning. It was an abbreviated day, only two hours, to get them used to the school setting. Apparently this is similar to a real school, they have a curriculum and everything. I don't believe that I went to preschool this young, but hey, we got to educate these youngsters for some scholarships.

The two teachers that the Critters have are wonderful, Mrs. Mills and Mrs. Pearson. We dropped the crew off this morning and apparently Carson and Reese had a little difficulty right after we left. Hadley could have cared less, she was already off doing her own thing. But the teachers said the after the two calmed down (only 5 minutes) they were great. I was a little worried about their first day but it seemed to go off without a hitch. Lets hope for a great second day on Friday!

Here are some pics from their first day:

Brother is already helping out.

CarCar was a bit apprehensive.

Hadley had a bow in her hair, I am not sure for how long.

Birthday Board.

Of course Hadley headed to the kitchen area.

CarCar getting her bearings.

Hadley found the baby dolls. (And look the bow is still in her hair!)

Chris

ps - As you can tell from the lack of posts I have been a bit busy with the girls room conversion. It felt like the never ending reno, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Brother's room is another story. We hope to have the camera out a little more and resume a normal posting schedule.

Here is a hint for today!

2011-08-24T10:38:00.003-04:00

Post to follow later today!

Chris

And We're Back

2011-08-09T10:14:00.003-04:00

I am back from an extended absence. Rian, the Critters, and I were in Orlando for a little bit and we are still transitioning the girl Critters into their big girl beds. How long is this supposed to take?

First off happy belated birthday to Grandma B (July 28th) and Me (August 2nd)! We were in Orlando for both, well I spent half of my birthday on I-75 driving back to Tallahassee. I guess it was only a couple hours but it sure can fell like half a day. We are in the midst of transforming our guest room that was a relaxing green into a perfectly pink room fit for Critter princesses, complete with Lilly P bedding. And believe me when I say pink we are talking a serious pink. I just have the crown molding and door frames left to paint, but don't worry we are keeping those white to try to buffer some of the pinkiness. I will have some pics up by this weekend.

Brother is probably the most excited about this move as he will remain in the nursery which will be transformed into his own little nautical space, complete with a Coast Guard pillow in honor of Grandpa Dave. The girls have taken to moving his crib around the room while he is trying to sleep. Apparently this is not condusive to sleep, but that is just an assumption. The down side to painting the nursery is the infamous striped wall. Can you say primer, oh, and then say it again. I am not looking forward to painting that beast. But in the end it will be a nice khaki color with navy blue furniture (some repurposed and painted).

The weekend before we left for Orlando the Girls had a Princess Birthday Party at the University Center Club at Doak Campbell Stadium. Yes, that is FSU's football stadium. The girls had a great time and came home with lots of goodies. Brother and i had the morning to ourselves. We drove through campus, and got lost a few times. Things have changed a little bit, like roads vanishing. After that we headed to the capital so Brother could run around in the courtyard and see the dolphin (or as Hadley says, Dol-fiiiiii-nnn) fountain. Brother had the best time running around and navigating all of the stairs, and let me tell you there are quite a few. After that we headed to Brother's favorite, Dog-et-al. He apparently worked up an appetite as he ate an entire meal and then some of mine.

That's all I got for now but I have a few posts about the room transformations and trips to the Tallahassee Junior Museum coming up.

Here are a few pictures from Brother's day at the capital:

Brother in the Capital Courtyard.

Brother pointing out an American Flag.

As you can tell Brother likes to point.

Brother by the Dolphin fountain looking at the Florida Supreme Court, or probably the American Flag.

Hadley in some of her princess gear.

Chris

Big Girl Beds = Lack of Posts

2011-07-25T15:34:00.004-04:00

This is the reason for the lack of posts lately. We are transitioning the girl Critters to big girl beds. Let me tell you that this is an exhausting ordeal. I am freakin tired. Don't fret though, we have made progress and the last couple of nights they have been getting down in under 30 minutes. We will be doing some room shuffling in the near future and get Brother his own room. I don't have any pictures of the girls new beds, it is just basically a mattress and box spring on the floor. Just imagine a crack den minus the hypodermic needles and trash, oh and throw in a luvie or two.

Chris

Haddie

2011-07-22T15:05:00.002-04:00

I really have no idea what to type so I will let the picture speak for itself:

Chris

The 4th

2011-07-12T09:05:00.008-04:00

Grandma B, the Critters, Rian, and I headed down to St. George Island for the 4th. Thanks Grandma B! We had a little condo down by the state park and I can't think of a nicer spot. We didn't have the crowds down toward our end of the island and we set up our canopy on Saturday morning and didn't take it down until Tuesday. Its nice not having to worry about your stuff being taken.

The weather was perfect and the water was a beautiful shade of emerald green. Brother and Haddie took off for the water as soon as we got down there. CarCar on the other had loves to stay in the dry sand. I was a little concerned with Carson being afraid of the water, but as soon as we headed to the pool she morphed into a water baby. The condo complex that we stayed at had a great pool right in the center. To say Carson liked the pool would be an understatement. Grandma B got them these little floatie devices and they actually appeared to understand the concept of swimming, especially CarCar and Haddie.

We just relaxed all day Saturday. It was definitely needed. We headed over to Apalachicola on Sunday to look around. I wanted to head to The Tin Shed to see if I could find some nautical themed items for Brother's room (when he moves). (I will post boards with how I would like the rooms to look later, similar with what I did for the nursery. The trip was a success as we found some hand painted buoys from Nova Scotia, and a shadow box with nautical knots. Brother did want the life size, well endowed pirate wench statue, but Grandma B and Rian vetoed it.

That nice we were invited over to the Marcus's parents house on the island for a little cookout. It was a great time and a beautiful of the bay. Had some great BBQ and a boiled blue crab. The Critters got a lot of energy out as they danced to the live band there. Thanks again to Holly and Marcus for the invite.

We laid low on the 4th, hitting the beach and pool. Around noon we headed to the lighthouse to watch the parade. We packed our lunch, threw up the tailgate and watched the parade in the jeep. I had forgotten about the whole water gun thing and Rian got soaked. I did remain relatively dry, I guess since I was holding Haddie (somewhat as a human shield). We headed back to Appalach that evening for dinner @ Boss Oyster. Man, that was some good eatin'. Raw oysters, grouper, shrimp, fried oysters and beer, what a combo. That night we headed back to the lighthouse for the fireworks show. It was a neat little show but we had a little too much redneck engineering behind us with the illegal fireworks. These things were zinging right over our head. At that point we decided to call it a night. We exited unscathed. Unfortunately, we had to head home on Tuesday but we had a great time down at the island. Can't wait till next year!

Here are a few pics:

Crits @ the beach. I think this was the great crab episode by the look on CarCar's face.

Dad and Grandma B trying to put the kite together. I was convinced it was broken until I read the directions. I guess they help sometimes.

CarCar with a big smile.

Brother with a smile.

Haddie on the dock @ Marcus's Grandmother's house. (Pic courtesy of Mary.)

All of the kids. (Pic courtesy of Mary.)

The Critters. (Pic courtesy of Mary.)

View from the back of the house. (Photo courtesy of Mary, courtesy of Hillary.)

The start of the parade.

We are still working on the right way to wear sunglasses.

Brother and his flag watching the parade.

Rian after a direct hit from a water cannon.

Brother (Quaalude boy) after the parade.

Haddie on the 4th.

Dinner @ Boss Oyster.

Haddie enjoyed the tartar sauce.

Mom and Dad.

Dad and CarCar.

Grandma B and Brother.

View from our table. Does seafood get any fresher?

Chris

New Tab @ Top.

2011-06-29T13:42:00.001-04:00

I have added a tab with items that are for sale. Check it out. Everything that is listed is in excellent condition.

Thanks,

Chris

The Dreaded Binky

2011-06-23T08:59:00.002-04:00

Yes those are binkies in the Critters mouths. The funny thing is is that Reese is the only one that still actively utilizes his at nap time and bedtime. The girls just seem to think it is a fun toy to play with now. Oh well, apparently the 'Binky Fairy' will be visiting our house soon, so that means no more binkies for anyone.

Poor Brother.

Chris

St. George Island

2011-06-22T08:40:00.004-04:00

I really don't know of a place that I would rather be. Rian, the Critters, and I headed down to St. George a few weeks ago and will be going back over the 4th of July with Grandma B.

We loaded up the car after having some cinnimin rolls and headed South. An hour and a half later we were in paradise. It was a breath of fresh air after our experience at the beach at Bald Point State Park. The sand was clean and the water was sparkling. Unfortunately, we forgot to get a beach umbrella and the sun was beating down on the Critters. As you can probably figure out this is a small problem for Brother, who has rather fair skin. Luckily there was a umbrella rental stand right by where we were. The Critters were now able to seek some shaded relief.

While Brother's skin may not love being out in the sun, Brother sure does. We couldn't keep him and Hadley away from the water. Carson is still a little skittish of the water but she seemingly creeps closer and closer each time we go to the beach.

I can't wait for the 4th to get here so we can head back down. Hmm, maybe we will go this Sunday. That seems like a great plan.

Here are a few pics from the beach:

Broman sporting his 'Risky Business' shades.

CarCar giving a big smile.

Haddie with her fashionista shades, which have since gone MIA.

A view from our spot.

The Critters cooling off in the shade.

Chris

Dad's Day

2011-06-21T15:38:00.004-04:00

Not too much to report about Father's Day. It was a nice, quiet, relaxing day, with a little bit of yard work sprinkled in.

Here are a few pics from the day:

Broman and me.

Rian and the girls in their matching Lilly (Multi Zinni Print, for those interested).

Chris
Happy Father's day to all of the dads out there.

Why Having a Toddler is Like Being at a Frat* Party

2011-06-21T08:56:00.003-04:00

I have had numerous people forward me this blog post but I have never reposted it. It is quite a humorous comparison of raising a (many) toddler[s] and a fraternity party. The original blog post can be found here.

Here is the list:

10. There are half-full, brightly-colored plastic cups on the floor in every room. Three are in the bathtub.

9. There's always that one girl, bawling her eyes out in a corner.

8. It's best not to assume that the person closest to you has any control over their digestive function.

7. You sneak off to the bathroom knowing that as soon as you sit down, someones going to start banging on the door.

6. Probably 80% of the stains on the furniture contain DNA.

5. You've got someone in your face at 3 a.m. looking for a drink.

4. There's definitely going to be a fight.

3. You're not sure whether anything you're doing is right, you just hope it won't get you arrested.

2. There are crumpled-up underpants everywhere.

1. You wake up wondering exactly how and when the person in bed with you got there.

Your additions?

Chris

*Us Fraterno Americans prefer to use the term 'fraternity' not 'frat' but I wanted to repost in the original format.

Mica-Radcliffe Wedding, Part II

2011-06-20T15:51:00.005-04:00

Well, here is good old part two of the wedding post. This post will span the last two days of the Mica-Radcliffe wedding festivity. Once again the morning came all too quick, I guess that is what happens when you stay out a bit late. Reference the last picture of my previous post.

The Critters, Grandmas, Rian and I headed up to Thomasville on Saturday morning for breakfast. It was a beautiful day out and we were able to walk around downtown Thomasville for a little bit. We headed home to get the Critters down and to allow for Rian and I to get ready for the festivities.

We headed over to the church a little early so Rian could score a primo seat, which I think she did. All I can say is 'wow' for the wedding entrance. I have never been to an Anglican wedding, so I don't know if that is how they always are, but wow. Maybe it was the size of the church, but it seemingly got you pumped up for a wedding, kind of like a good marching band before a college football game. Hmm, maybe Mary should have gotten the Marching 100, now that would have been interesting. After the service everyone headed over to the Old Capital for the reception. Luckily, I had one heck of a parking space due to my employment. The reception was a great time, although it may have been trumped by the food. When there are fried green tomatoes on the menu I know I am going to be happy. On top of that they had Magic Hat beer, and to top that they had Magic Hat Single Chair. I hadn't had that since we went on the brewery tour in 2007. Good times.

It was a wonderful reception and everyone definitely appeared to have a great time. As with all good receptions it seemed to go by ridiculously fast. Soon we were wishing the bride and groom best wishes as they whisked out of the Capital.

Throughout the first couple of days I had been hearing rumors of an after party that was to be held at Level 8. Apparently, the rumors were true and we headed over there to extend the night. Have you all seen a theme here? It was a beautiful night to stand out on the balcony there. After a few drinks Rian and I headed home to get a few hours of sleep. After all there was a brunch in a little over eight hours.

The Mica's graciously opened their house for a send off brunch the next morning. Once again the food was outstanding. We were able to visit with Mary and David before they headed off to Italy for their honeymoon. It was truly a great weekend, completely exhausting, but great.

Congrats Mary and David.

Here are more than a few pics from the last two days:

Mary and David.

Cutting the cake.

(Sorry its blurry, we had Rian's camera and I think I maxed out the zoom.)

First Dance action shot. (At least if I say its an action shot it will excuse the blurriness.)

To keep up with the blurry theme, Rian and I.

Jason, Katie, Rian, me, Marcus, and Holly.

Clockwise from top: Salad, cornbread pulled pork sandwich, fried chicken on a stick, fried green tomatoes, shrimp and grits, and mac and cheese.

Erin and Rian.

Grady, Sidney, Adam, Lane, Rian, and I.

Heather and Rian.

Rian and Mary.

@ the Brunch: Pamela, Rian, Mary, and Heather.

Me, Rian, Holly, Heather, and Paul.

Chris

Mica-Radcliffe Wedding, Part I

2011-06-17T09:19:00.008-04:00

I think that my body has finally recovered from the previous weekend (all four days). I was rudely reminded that I am no longer 22 and should not see 2am three nights in a row. Not sure what I was thinking but my body said enough is enough on Sunday morning.

It was a truly wonderful four days of wedding celebrations. My coverage of the wedding will be broken up into two parts, mostly because of the sheer number of pictures. It all started on Thursday night with a Fiesta, a little meet and greet at Holly and Marcus's house. The food was excellent and the beer was nice and cold. Aside from the water main break (ie - no running water, yes, that means no toilets, but don't worry Marcus had a Porta Potty delivered) the party went off without a hitch. I don't think that I can possibly describe how excited Rian was due to the fact that her home turf (Winter Park) Congressman (John Mica) was going to be at the party.

After plenty of food and drink we all decided to head to Finnegan's Wake. Now we had the Jeep, with 3 car seats in the back, so Rian and Erin rode up front and I got to enter the car through the hatch lift. After patronizing Finnegan's and The Filling Station, Rian and I headed home. She had a busy day of getting a manicure and pedicure, bridesmaids luncheon, helping Mrs. Mica at the Governor's Club, and rehearsal dinner. Oh, I totally forgot to mention that we had the two best babysitters come into town for the event, Grandma Barbara and Grandma Kate. They were gracious enough to watch the Critters while we attended all of the events.

Friday evening we headed to the Governor's Club for the rehearsal dinner. Dress code was jackets and bow tie for the gentlemen and we did not disappoint. The food was excellent and the speaks even better. Holly and Michael might have taken the cake with their speech/Broadway performance for Mary and David. After the dinner we headed of to the Governor's Club lounge to keep the party going. Are you seeing the theme here, yep it was another late, late night. The GC Lounge told us to leave (no, we didn't get kicked out, the staff just wanted to go home) and we once again headed to Finnegan's. Let me tell you that I haven't seen last call at a bar in some time and this was the second straight night that I closed down a bar. I'll end here and save the next post for the wedding and Sunday brunch.

Here are some shots from the first two days:

Hola!

Mary and Rian.

The Happy Couple @ the Fiesta.

Finnegan's Wake after party.

Bridesmaid's luncheon table setting.

Mary, Pamela, Holly, Erin, Heather, and Rian @ the bridesmaid's luncheon.

Rian and Julianne (David's sister) @ the bridesmaid's luncheon.

Rian and Mary @ the Governor's Club.

Look, no Critters.

The ladies.

The gentlemen, plus Slappey.

The setup.

A gathering of greatminds. Oh yea, notice everyone wearing bow ties.

(Photo courtesy of Heather.)

Paul, Marcus, me, and David @ the Governor's Club Lounge.

Finnegan's. Yea, its about 2:15am. Can you tell?

Chris

Part II coming soon to a blog near you.

The Hen Weekend, er, Bachelorette Party

2011-06-14T09:28:00.004-04:00

I have gotten a little behind on the ole posting. A combination of spending Memorial Day weekend in Orlando and Mary and David's wedding celebration this past weekend. Needless to say it was an amazing time.

Rian and the crew headed to Charleston, South Carolina for Mary's Bachelorette Party Memorial Day weekend. I don't have all of the details but I will try my best to relay what I was told. Mary, Rian, Holly, Pamela, and a sleeping Erin piled in Holly's parents Suburban headed on their merry adventure. The first stop was in Beaufort, South Carolina to eat at Wren. Apparently they have the best fish tacos, yet nobody decided to order them. After that they hit the road for their final destination.

After reaching Charleston and meeting up with Julianne, Heather, and Meghan, they hit the town for a little shopping. They had reservations at a restaurant (don't remember the name, I will fill in after consulting with Rian) and had what was described as the best drink ever. All I know is that it had a candied rose petal that Julianne proceeded to eat. After their bellies were full they decided to hit the town. First stop, some bar called The Squeeze. It was apparently constructed in an alley and was very narrow hence the name. After that it was off to a rooftop bar to get their dance on, especially Holly.

The next day consisted of Erin sleeping, and the rest of the crew hitting the town for some sightseeing in a horse drawn carriage. Again they went to dinner, not sure where and then went out for some drinks. For some reason I think they went to the roof top bar again.

The next day they headed home. We later found out that Heather, Rian's bed mate, contracted Strep Throat, but apparently no one else contracted it in the close quarters.

I was told it was a great weekend. Here are a few pics:

Nothing screams roadtrip like Mary with a bottle of ~~Champagne~~ Prosecco and Holly throwing up a gang sign.

Lunch @ Wren.

"The Drink." Not sure what it was, I'll check and give you an update.

Erin, Rian, and Meghan @ The Squeeze.

This takes "taking the dog for a walk" to a whole new level.

Having a glass of what I presume is prosecco.

Dinner the last night.

Brunch the next morning.

Chris

BooBoo (The big tumble)

2011-06-03T14:21:00.004-04:00

Brother had his first big tumble yesterday. Luckily he walked away with just a few cuts. One on the head and one on his elbow. Apparently the stairs in our backyard won the fight.

Here are a few pics:

The Elbow (Mom initially came with a Hello Kitty band-aid. That was quickly nixed for a Buzz Lightyear.)

Brother is sporting a Woody band-aid on his head.

The total injury package.

Brother didn't let these minor cuts phase him, I told him it will just add character. Just for the love of God, no Hello Kitty band-aids for Brother.

Chris

The Big 0-2

2011-05-20T15:02:00.004-04:00

The Critter's birthday was last Friday and we had their birthday bash on Saturday. I will let you know ahead of time there are not as many pictures as I would have liked. Last year we hired a wonderful photog, but for some reason we opted against it this year. Bad, bad, bad idea. I can tell you that I certainly did not want to carry a camera around the entire party. How exactly am I supposed to hold my beer and snap pics at the same time?

The weather started out a bit iffy, and by iffy I mean a full fledged freakin thunderstorm, but it cleared up nicely before the party. We had a few quick sprinkles during the party, nothing bad, just enough to usher the kiddos inside.

We went for a jungle theme this year. There don't seem to be that many options when you are planning a unisex triplet party. Strange, huh? Everyone seemed to have a good time at the party and those that stayed until the end were treated with a Critter dance party with Ke$ha and Katy Perry blasting. Come to think of it maybe that is what chased off the last remaining folks. All in all it was a great day and a great party. I still can't wrap my head around the fact that the Critters are 2, lets say that again, the Critters are two years old.

Here are some pics from the party. (Two of the shots you will see are from Mary, who just happened to be hobnobbing with the First Lady this week in DC, my old stomping ground.)

The Mr. and Mrs.

The spread. I know it does look like a lot but I promise you there was enough food.

The Critters opening presents from the super awesome Crittersitters.

It ain't a party for CarCar unless Hello Kitty is there.

We have found that Hadley does not share the same appreciation for balloons as CarCar. Actually, she hates them. Add it to the list along with ketchup.

Extinguishing the inferno. (picture courtesy of Mary.)

L to R: Brother, Crittersitter Amy, Hadley, Grandma B, Mom, CarCar.
(picture courtesy of Mary.)

Goodie Bags.

Chris

PS - I am only like 2000 votes behind the leader on the top 25 multiples blogs. There is still time, lets all catch our second wind and head over and vote.

Happy Anniversary!

2011-05-19T08:18:00.004-04:00

Happy Anniversary to my beautiful wife. It has truly been an interesting and wonderful eight years. Who would have thunk that on our eighth anniversary we would have two year old triplets. Here's to a wonderful wife, mother, and best friend. I love ya lots.

Chris

A Taboo Subject for Parents of Multiples

2011-05-18T14:06:00.004-04:00

I guess you all can gather what this post is about. Let me start off by saying that this is not to offend anyone and if you choose to use a tethering device for you child that is your decision. I have been thinking about this for a while, especially with three children who like to run now (usually in opposite directions). I can tell you all that both Rian and I have resisted in using leashes with the Critters. Oh, we own them. They are cleverly disguised as monkeys and dogs. However, their current use is as a stuffed animals that stay in the car. It may just be us but I just can't seem to get past the idea that leashes are for dogs. I will say that I have seen some strange things on leashes, cats, ferrets, and bunnies come to mind. I just can't see myself saying 'hey honey, let's go for a walk, don't forget to get the kid's leashes.'

It's still a leash.

I don't even know where to start with this.

We have taken the kids many places both with a stroller and without. Rian and I even venture out by ourselves with the kids. Actually, Rian does it quite often. She has just gotten the Critters to the point that they will hold hands with each other. I can tell you I called BS on this until I actually saw them do it, and they did it well. No misbehaving, no running out into traffic. Don't get me wrong, we still have devices that will keep the Critters contained when we go out in public, we just choose to use the Choo Choo Wagon. (Possibly the greatest device ever for parents of multiples.) I just keep getting this picture of myself looking like one of those dog walkers in NYC with a gaggle of dogs in tow. I could just see the Critters getting tangled up every two seconds in the leashes.

Explain the difference to me in these two pictures?

So let me flip this on you all, do you use leashes? Why?

Chris

May 13, 2011 - Birthday

2011-05-17T14:21:00.004-04:00

The Critters 2nd birthday was Friday (the 13th). Grandma Barbara and Grandma Kate were both up in Tally for the occasion. Grandma B got the Critters a playhouse for their birthday. Let's just say that this was a big hit around the house. Every other present was seemingly ignored once they saw this thing. They were running in and out of it, ringing the door bell, talking on the phone, and 'washing' their hands in the sink.

We have since moved the house to its permanent location outside and even got some grass (astro turf) to complete the look. There is even a new car (cozy coupe) parked outside of it.

Here it is:

The Mansion.

The Critters goin' wild in the house.

Chris

Good Bye Billy Ray

2011-05-17T10:49:00.006-04:00

Brother went for his first haircut last Friday. He was really starting to get a fierce mullet going. We loaded up the car and headed to Rinse and Repeat, a child only salon here in Tally.

Brother was a little unsure and for a moment didn't want to lose the 'party in the back' but he quickly decided that he needed a more mature look to get the ladies. Ms. Suzi did a great job especially with Brothers quick ninja movements in the chair. How she doesn't cut ears off is a mystery to me.

He looks especially handsome after his big cut. Brother even got a certificate for his big day. Oh, speaking of big days, Friday was the Critters big 0-2. More on that later.

Pics from the chop:

Call Suzi, she is awesome.

The Before.

The After.

Billy Ray quietly shed a tear.

Chris

Unfashionably Early

2011-05-11T08:02:00.003-04:00

CarCar was a little early to the party. I have not idea but I think that this is the funniest picture. She apparently really wanted some pizza and a good spot at the table.

Oh, how did that little button get down there. Cool things happen if you click on the button and vote for behindthethree (just click the thumbs-up symbol next to the blog name).

Thanks again,

Chris

Vote For Me. I want to rule the blog universe!

2011-05-10T08:05:00.004-04:00

If you get a sec please click on the Circle of Moms button that you see at the bottom of this post or conveniently located on the left side of the blog. You can vote one time per day, so feel free to click on it EVERYDAY to vote. While I am not a mom they still apparently choose me as a top 25 multiple parent. Oh how I have them fooled. But seriously vote for me, Brother commands you.

Pure Sass

2011-05-09T09:33:00.002-04:00

This picture just embodies Haddie's sass and attitude.

Chris

A Brother

2011-05-09T09:25:00.005-04:00

A candid photo of Brother.

Chris

Sisters

2011-05-09T09:20:00.003-04:00

Haddie and CarCar

Chris

To Momma (An Open Letter from The Critters)

2011-05-09T08:57:00.004-04:00

Momma,

We are not quite sure how exactly we can thank you for everything that you do for us. We have yet to develop any marketable skills to help us earn money to buy you the gift that you so deserve. Some nights we sit in our cribs and talk about how we lucked out in getting the best mommy in the world. Who else would change our diapers, feed us, play with us, change our diapers, teach us, love us, change our diapers, take us to the park, have patience with us, show us all of the wonderful things the world has to offer, and oh yea, change our diapers. We have come to realize that it takes someone who is a very strong person to have patience with us and love us the way you do. You have sacrificed so much to give us the life that you think that we should have. Brother is still unsure how you keep from keeling over after a long day with us.

Daddy has told us on many occasions that we lucked out big time getting you as our mommy, but sometimes you have to see things with your own eyes to believe it. And with out six little eyes we truly have seen that we did indeed luck out in getting you as our mommy. It is nice to know that we have someone who will always be there for us to brush us off after we fall, kiss a boo boo, rescue our lovie from Abbey, or help us with any other challenge that comes our way. We know that we cannot tell you how much we appreciate you on a daily basis so we are taking this chance to tell you. Just remember that while we may not be able to vocalize it, every time that we flash you a smile, give you a hug, sneak a kiss, or want to be held, that is our way of telling you that we know how hard you work and we appreciate everything you do for us and Daddy.

We know that it has been a big adjustment for you with Dad's new job. It was a big adjustment for us too, we missed having Dad around. We must say that you did a great job in keeping things together on the home front and helping us through the transition. Also remember that while Dad may not say it enough he really does appreciate all of the hard work that you do.

We love you the mostest and hope that you had a great Mother's Day! (We tried to be on our best behavior at dinner last night.)

Luv,

The Critters

Famous, in a Tallahassee kind of way

2011-05-06T10:15:00.003-04:00

Rian and the Critters were featured on our local ABC station. It was a story on modern moms. Yours truly gets a plug on the story too. I think Rian and the Critters did a great job!

It also became the top story on ABC's website, it bumped the Florida Budget story from it's lofty position.

Modern Moms (click me)
(Video is on the right side of the web page.)

Chris

Easter 2011

2011-05-05T14:46:00.006-04:00

For CarCar.

Rian, the Critters, and I headed down to Orlando for Easter. We did have to take two cars to accommodate my work schedule. We had a wonderful weekend down there. As you could see from some of the previous posts the Critters had a great time too (ie Easter Egg Hunt). We did dinner at a local seafood place on Friday and hit the Critters favorite breakfast spot Kiki's for breakfast on Saturday. After that we headed over to Park Ave. to walk around.

We were up early on Sunday for church. Rian for some reason loves Easter breakfast at the church. The rest of us cannot really figure this out. After breakfast and church we headed back to Grandma Kate's to go through the Easter baskets. CarCar got a Hello Kitty basket from Grandma B. If you know CarCar you know that when she sees anything Hello Kitty to world stops. She even had Hello Kitty Easter eggs.

We had dinner a little later and then Abbey and I hit the road because I had to be at work bright and early Monday morning.

Here are a few pics from Easter day:

The Critters on the way to church. We had to take a squadron of cars.

This is about as good as it got family picturewise.

Notice Hadley kneeling like Dad.

CarCar in her Easter best.

The Crits.

The Critters with the Grandmas.

Chris

Off to the Park!

2011-05-05T14:27:00.004-04:00

Rian, Grandma Kate, the Critters, and I headed over to Winthrop Park during Rian's birthday weekend. The Critters love that park. I will say that it is close to the house and it is nice and shaded. The one bad thing is the Critters get tired of the 'little people' section and want to head over to the 'big kid' playground. Unfortunately, unlike Minihaha Park in Orlando, there is not a fence around the 'little people' section to contain them. Hadley is getting quite quick in climbing up things at the playground. You definitely cannot turn your back on Peacharoo.

Here are a few snapshots from our time at the park (I didn't realize until after I loaded them that all of the pictures are the Critters on the same park apparatus.):

Brother having the best time! EVER!

Peach swinging away.

Plane! CarCar. Plane!

(you have to say this in your best Tattoo (from Fantasy Island) voice.)

Chris

CarCar got some new kicks!

2011-05-05T10:55:00.002-04:00

Here is CarCar sporting some new shoes:

CarCar toes!

Sassymcsassenstein. (We're not too sure what Brother is so upset about.)

Chris

Yuvies goes Seepees.

2011-05-05T10:44:00.003-04:00

Hadley refers to her lovie as a "yuvie." We are trying only have the Critters have their lovies when they go to sleep. I have been telling them since their lovies stay up all night making sure they are okay that they (lovies) need to sleep when they are up during the day. So far it seems to be working, the Critters voluntarily put their lovies into their cribs after they are changed. The say "night, night yuvies!"

Hadley, or "Haddies" as she calls herself, took saying night, night to her lovie to a whole new level. She actually had me tuck her lovie and stuffed animals in for their nap. Hadley apparently just wanted to make sure that they were comfortable when they slept.

Here are a few pics:

All tucked in.

Haddies' Hippo taking a nap.

Haddies' yuvie.

Chris

FSU Day @ The Capital

2011-04-30T15:27:00.005-04:00

I know these posts are coming fast and furious. The Critters are still asleep. I guess they were a little tired after last night, the girls were not feeling too well.

Rian and Erica brought the Critters and Norah up to the Capital for FSU Day. The girls got to see the band and Brother got to see the cheerleaders and Garnet and Gold Girls. It was a nice little break in the day to see Rian and the Critters.

A few pics:

The Marching Chiefs rolling in.

The main attraction according to Brother.

CarCar and Dad.

Chris

Easter Egg Hunt 2011

2011-04-30T15:12:00.006-04:00

We had an Easter Egg Hunt for the Critters on the Saturday before Easter. I am not sure if we hid the eggs quite good enough as the Critters did not miss one of them. Maybe I can attribute that to us having amazing bright children rather than poor egg hiding skills. The girls tied with 22 eggs and brother was right behind with 2o eggs. It did get a little vicious toward the end and some skirmishes had to be broken up over eggs.

Here are a few pics from the hunt:

Hadley has found a love for backpacks.

Brother barreling along.

Oh look, Peach has her backpack on.

Traffic jam.

Eureka, an undiscovered plethora of eggs!

Chris

Tallahassee Museum! Oh yea, I'm kinda back.

2011-04-30T13:50:00.006-04:00

Session is almost done. I have a slew of blogs to get out just no time to do anything of real substance. This blog should have been posted in the middle of March since that is when we hit the museum.

We all headed over to the museum and the Critters abso-freakin-lutely loved it. Hadley loved all of the animals that they had there. Reese liked riding on the wooden walkways, there were some inclines that he thought were a roller coaster. I was really actually surprised at how many animals that they had there. From foxes, to bears, to a Florida Panther. (I have recently learned that they just got two new baby panthers.) They even have Bald Eagles! Rian was a little concerned that the animals were going to climb the trees and pounce on us. I tried to play it down but the Bobcat could have absolutely attacked us from above.

After taking a few loops we decided to call it a day. Needless to say the kids slept great that afternoon.

Here are a few pics:

Brother sporting the popped collar!

H2O Break.

And why are you taking my picture?

Cypress Tree.

Barn Owls.

The wagon.

Bald Eagle.

Chris

Happy Birthday Momma

2011-04-13T21:00:00.002-04:00

Momma,

Daddy is always gone and he didn't do this when we asked. Happy Birthday Momma!!!!!!!

Remember that it's Daddy's fault this is late. CarCar found a funny picture for you.

Love,

CarCar, Peach, and Brother

Welcome Home

2011-03-28T20:53:00.003-04:00

This is the sight I see when I get home and the Critters are still awake. I can't think of anything better.

Brother was apparently busy, but he was replaced by plenty of stuffed animals.

Chris

Happy B-day Grandpa Dave

2011-03-28T20:49:00.003-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

Happy very-belated Birthday Grandpa Dave!

Dad has been absent lately so its his fault this is late.

Love CarCar and the rest of the Critters.

The Shower - David and Mary

2011-03-28T20:36:00.003-04:00

I am pretty late with this blog. I think everyone else at the shower has already blogged about it, shoot, I think that Mary has had another shower in the meantime. Session is definitely kicking my butt, let's just say it is a slight change from my previous job.

It was a couples shower and a good time was had by all. There was plenty of BBQ, Mac 'n Cheese, Fried Pickles, and Asian Slaw (I know you definitely think of this with BBQ - apparently it is a favorite of Mary's so they decided to roll with it.). There was also plenty of the beer, which was a hit with the menfolk that were there.

Here are a few pics from the shindig:

Shower Hostesses Prom Picture.

The Real Hostesses, the guys, aside from Adam did nothing (as far as I know).

The super cool card, handmade by Miss Mary. Notice the snazzy gent in the picture, oh yea, thats me just in case you were wondering.

Chris

Going Old School - Pine Box Style

2011-03-09T20:53:00.006-05:00

Our church had a pine box derby race a couple of weekends ago and Brother and I decided to try our luck. Brother came up with the design for the car and I was tasked with actually building the car. Luckily it wasn't too bad and I was pretty happy with the results. Unfortunately we did not win anything, I am still not too sure how that happen. Oh well, Reese and I know that it was pure awesomeness on wheels.

Here are a few pics:

Chris

First Mate?

2011-03-09T20:46:00.004-05:00

Brother, we need to work on this.

Needless to say, Brother will not be a captain anytime soon. The one positive is that things seem further away than they actually are. It will make our yard look that much bigger, and it will also make the Somali pirates seem further away.

Chris

Wakulla Springs

2011-02-28T13:12:00.005-05:00

Last weekend the Critters, Rian, Grandma Kate and I headed south to Wakulla Springs State Park. As you can guess from the name of the park there is a huge fresh spring there. The best part is while the temps outside are cold the water temp in this spring is 69 degrees (year round). This means that manatees, or sea cows, head here to winter in warm water. While we did not see a plethora of sea cows we did see a mama and her baby.

After a brief stint on the dive tower, we took the boat tour. Unfortunately we could not take the glass bottom boat because they said the water was murky. I will say it looked pretty dadgum clear to me. It was a really nice boat ride, we saw tons of birds, alligators, turtles, and fish. The peacefulness was soon broken when Hadley decided very loudly to let everyone know that she was tired and wanted to take a nap. Usually this is not a problem and we are not often confined to a boat in the middle of a fresh water spring. Rian did her best to sooth the savage beast and placate her until the boat docked. We quickly headed for our nearest exit and shot back up 19 to Tally.

Here are a few pictures from our adventure:

The melee started as soon as we exited the car.

Peach showing off her shades.

Brother walkin to the dive tower.

Brother making sure that no one goes swimming.

Peach giving the cartoon manatee a big kiss.

Peach when she finally saw the real manatee.

The infamous sea cow.

A large alligator spotted from our boat.

A shot from our return trip in the boat.

Some birds.

Chris

Peace, Love, and CarCar

2011-02-18T11:21:00.003-05:00

Chris

Saint Valentine's Day

2011-02-17T10:26:00.004-05:00

Who better to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day than the Hoff.

The Critters got to experience two Valentine's Days this year, I guess the one at their mom's morning out was unofficial, but oh well. The Critters did get some nice goody bags which Dad insisted they were much too young to eat the contents. (i.e. it had Reese's Peanut Butter Cups in it.)

On the Official Valentine's Day the Critters got to open their presents from us and Grandma Barbara. As usual they made out like bandits. Mom and Dad also did pretty well this year from each other. Mom finally got her "Happy Everything" plate from Coton Colors. (Yes, I know there is only one 't' in 'Coton' but I didn't misspell it, promise.)

Later in the day Aunt Donna came over to hang out with the Critters. I got off a little bit early and headed home to cook dinner for us. This is where the fun started. I was making a red velvet cake from scratch and the recipe called for three 9" pans, well I only have two. Rian had gone to Publix and all they had was three 8" inch pans. I thought, no problem, it will just take a little longer to cook. NOT THE CASE. After putting them in the oven I noticed that they were baking over and dripping all over the bottom of the oven. My attempts at stopping this with aluminum foil was also thwarted. You can imagine what happened next, yep FIRE. The cake batter dripped onto the heating coil, which in turn created fire. This was not a happy fire moment, this was a damn the oven is on fire freak out moment.

I was able to stomp out the burning cake batter with some tongs. I also was able to carefully dump the remaining non-fire batter from the three 8" pans into two 9" pans. Unfortunately in my rush I only greased one pan. Lets just say that that section of the cake decided to stay in the pan after cooking. So the envisioned three layer red velvet cake chocked full of awesomeness was reduced to a one layer sad sight of a red velvet cake. Hey, at least it tasted good.

The rest of dinner preparation went relatively uneventful after that fiasco. I guess the only thing that could have topped it would have been some sort of small explosion. Rian, Aunt Donna and I dined on salmon, gnocchi, and broccoli w/ hazelnuts.

All in all it was a great Valentine's Day. (especially after the fire)

The Critters did not have a special meal but Aunt Donna brought them over strawberry ice cream for dessert. They each got their own little cup of Haagen Dazs. As you can imaging they scarfed it down. I mean, who doesn't love strawberry ice cream.

Here are a few shots. (No there are not any pictures of the fire.)

Aunt Donna and Brother.

Peach approves of strawberry ice cream.

Peach showing you how much she likes strawberry ice cream.

Chris

Keep it Sassy CarCar

2011-02-11T14:50:00.003-05:00

CarCar is doin' her best.

Well its no secret that CarCar is Miss Sassafras. Strangely enough sassafras is a type of tree. I really don't see the connection between trees and attitude.

That argument aside here are few sassy pictures.

CarCar wants you to notice the boots.

The look.

The look part deux.

Chris

Supporting the Troops (Literally)

2011-02-11T10:12:00.002-05:00

We do two stories a night, Your Personal Penguin and Goodnight Moon. Usually we rotate which Critter gets held during the story. As you can see on this particular night they all demanded to be held.

I did stumble on one creative way to stop their screaming during story time. I happened to be holding CarCar this particular night and when Peach or Brother would let out a scream I would mimic their scream. They thought this was the funniest thing in the world. After a few go arounds of screaming they just decided to sit down. We had a nice rest of story time that night, although I was a little horse afterwards.

Chris

Fun (for them) With Yogurt

2011-02-10T14:07:00.005-05:00

I had to do it. How often do you get to insert a Spaceballs reference? This is Yogurt the Great if anyone hasn't seen the movie.

Rian thought it was about time the Critters eat their yogurt themselves. They obviously had use of their paws and could easily hold a yogurt container. The Critters have also been developing an affinity for utensils. They have come to love the fork, notice I didn't say they have become skilled at using said fork. They are competent when it comes to using a fork but I will not get carried away and say that they have mastered it.

So before they have mastered one utensil we (Rian) thought it would be fun to throw another one in the mix. Before you think that I am throwing Rian under the bus, I think that they are old enough to use multiple utensils. Hey they need to start exercising that intelligence if they want to go to college.

The montage that follows is the outcome of the spoon test:

This is what I walked into.

Brother was certainly enjoying it.

Mustn't leave any behind.

I think I got it all.

CarCar approves.

Chris

ps. If you click on the pics now you should be able to get larger versions. It was getting hard to see what was going on in the pics.

A Little Bit of Rest

2011-02-10T13:59:00.005-05:00

CarCar was pretty sacked. (Click pic to make bigger.)

Chris

An Affair, er Ruffle to Remember

2011-02-04T15:47:00.004-05:00

The cover of the mix cd that I busted out like it was 1994.

I am still alive, very busy, but alive. This will be a picture heavy post, as I am posting about an event that I did not attend.

Rian and her girlfriends (the Ruffles as they call themselves) headed to Birmingham, Alabama over MLK weekend, for a little eating, drinking, and all around debauchery. That is about the extent of my knowledge of the weekend. My weekend was filled with frozen pizzas, college basketball and the Critters.

Here are some pics from the weekend:

The restaurant that they dined at on Friday. Oh yea, it's owned by a James Beard award winner. My dinner was by an award winner too, DiGiorno.

The Ruffles as they are known in these parts.

Another shot.

Some place called Yogurt Mountain.

Apparently they love Brother in Birmingham.

Chris

I have quite a few posts I need to do. I will try to get them out by the end of the weekend.

Are They Real?

2011-01-20T15:40:00.003-05:00

I found this video on the interweb and I thought it was rather funny. It is a pretty good recap of questions that parents of multiples get (while this video refers to twins you can just add an extra child and those are the questions we get). Although this sketch is of two women don't be fooled I get asked some of the same questions.

Chris

And Down They Go!

2011-01-13T15:56:00.004-05:00

I got a very unexpected call last night around 6pm from a member of our church.

"What are you up to right now?"

"Oh, giving three kids a bath."

"You up for the basketball game tonight?"

Me quickly thinking (Our basketball team sucks, its cold out, and its a 9 o' clock tip off.).

"I've got great seats, and its free."

"Sold."

When Gary said they were great seats he did them an injustice. I have never sat that close to watch a basketball game. These seats were two rows from the floor. I was literally in the game. I could get used to this.

What made the game even better was that the Noles (who I said earlier kinda suck this year) knocked off the Duke Blue Devils who were the Number One team in the country. Sorry Coach K.

Hopefully this will spur a turnaround for the team and as Jeff Cameron says we can all jump back aboard the Tournament Train.

Thanks again Reagan and Gary for the much needed night out.

iPhone Pics:

iPhone pics, not the best quality, but it does show how close the seats are.

Game action.

Fans storm the court.

Final Score. (courtesy of Warchant.com)

Chris

A Little Bit of This and That and Maybe Some More This

2011-01-13T11:44:00.008-05:00

This will be a random mishmash post. Mostly pictures. There will be a few words here and there though. Chasing after the Critters kept us quite busy during the Christmas break, hence not a tono of pictures. Here are few shots of the Critters running around outside, their new favorite thing to do. Good thing it is 29 degrees here in Tallahassee.

CarCar exploring.

Brother just chugging along.

Hadley leading the charge.

Brother trying to go into the street after being told 500 times not to go into the street.

Brother showing off his pea coat.

As an aside I was asked to do a review for a product at CSNstores.com. CSN stores has over 200 online stores where you can find everything from modern dining room furniture to cookware and chic lighting pieces.

I have a few more posts in the hopper to catch you all up on what we have been up to. They should be up by tomorrow. Oh yea I have the Critters to myself this weekend. Rian will be shooting up to Birmingham this weekend. The Critters and I will be living it up in Tallahassee while mom is away!

Chris

Eat a Peach - Especially you Gamecocks

2011-01-13T09:54:00.008-05:00

My Christmas present this year from Grandma Kate was a trip up to Atlanta to see the Noles' in action again the Gamecocks of The University of South Carolina. I will be very upfront with you all here, I did not think that we had much of a chance in the game after watching VPI dismantle us in the ACC Championship Game.

Rian and I left Orlando around 6am, after a quick stop at the Starbucks we were on the Turnpike. Let me tell you this seven plus hour drive seemed like an hours drive down the road, the big difference you ask, no Critters. Rian and I could actually have a conversation without being hit by a stray Cheerio. We made great time to Atlanta, that is until we got four blocks from our hotel. That's when I noticed the Florida State Marching Chiefs walking down the middle of the road. I forgot about the parade for the game. This lead to about an hour delay. Finally we got checked in headed to the hotel bar and then to meet up with friends at STATS, apparently the 'official' FSU bar. Eatin' and drinkin' ensued at the bar and before we knew it game time was here.

We walked over to the Georgia Dome and noticed on the way to our seats there were certainly alot of Gamecocks in the FSU section. Little did we know there was a small ticket mix up and we were smack dab in the middle of the USCe section. Luckily we had some great USCe fans around us, cocky (you see what I did there) before the kickoff, but very nice. Then this happened:

Yea, that's Carolina's best player knocked out of the game.

Game changed from that point on. We couldn't have asked for a better game, especially since the Noles' came out on top 26-17. After giving up and not going to Cheetah's we hunted around downtown Atlanta for some grub, unsuccessfully. On this quest for food I had quite the interesting encounter with a lesbian and a "girl from California." You all can get your heads out of the gutter it was just a very strange exchange which Jason and Rian got quite a kick out of. We surrendered and headed back to the hotel to retire.

We were up relatively early for the drive back to Orlando. After stopping to get some grease at Cracker Barrel we hit the road. We were doing great on time until this accident. We had to take a detour around Macon, Georgia.

Mad Microsoft Paint 'skillz' on display again.

While on the back roads of Macon, Georgia I noticed that we were running a bit low on the ole petroleum so I pulled into a little gas mart. When I got out of the Jeep I heard this loud hissing noise. I thought someone left the air pressure pump on. Oh no, it was the back tire. Luckily I was able to pull over to a small parking area and change the tire, thank God for full size spares. Thirty minutes later we were back on the road to try to find I-75.

We finally made it back to Orlando, but not before stopping at a Bojangle's. I must say that it was pretty darn good. Needless to say we were a bit tired the next day.

Here are a few pics from the trip:

You have to have Chick-Fil-A on your way to the Chick-Fil-A 'Peach' Bowl.

Downtown Atlanta.

Cmon it's free with our ticket stub!

Stine sighting.

After the game.

Jimbo and the trophy.

Chris

...And We're Back, The Christmas Edition

2011-01-06T14:15:00.004-05:00

I don't know, there is something about Nancy Regan sitting on Mr. T's lap that screams Merry Christmas to me.

We are finally back in the TLH and trying to get settled back into the swing of things. I do have to say that it was a very eventful Christmas vacation for us. Lots of fun, lots of presents, and last but not least lots of sickness.

We hit the road on the 22nd to try and beat the traffic down to Orlando. We did beat the traffic but I have to say it still was not an enjoyable ride. Please leave car traveling tips if you got 'em. We got there around 8 and the Critters headed straight to bed. The next morning was rather uneventful aside from Hadley having a little fever. Throughout the day we noticed the fever getting a little worse and I thought her face looked a little splotchy. That night was when things got a little crazy, we started to notice red bumps on her neck. On Christmas Eve we headed to a pediatrician in Orlando to see what the deal was and while we were sitting in the doctors office Hadley developed a full blow, raised red bump rash. Luckily we found out it was some virus called Roseola (or for you science geeks - Exanthema subitum). I say luckily because the rash is apparently the final stage of the sickness.

After learning that little bit of news my mom and I headed off to grab a quick bit to eat with the Hadster. Unfortunately at lunch my mom fell ill. She was out of commission for the rest of Christmas Eve and even missed the dinner that was supposed to be thrown at her house. We had prepared a lot of the food the night before so it was a quick switch from my mom's house to Grandma Kate's house. Luckily the next day my mom was back to feelin' good.

The Critters awoke to a sea of presents on Christmas morning. So many that some are still down in Orlando waiting to be brought back. We had a nice relaxing morning of opening presents and then having a brunch type meal. The Critters went down for a much needed nap and I think the rest of us did too. We had a great Christmas dinner later on that night and settled in to watch some football.

About 5 o' clock in the morning the sickness hit me like a ton of bricks. I could barely even walk. I was out of commission for the next day and a half. I don't remember much of the day after Christmas as I think I was asleep for much of it.

This is about how I was feeling the two days after Christmas. (Just a visual aid for ya'll.)

The good news is that Reese and Carson didn't get too sick, notice I said too sick. They both got fevers, Carson's was definitely worse but they were over it quickly.

Here are a few shots from Christmas:

The infamous Candy Cane Pie and a drink called a Poinsettia. (There were quite a few of these consumed.)

This is what the Critters woke up to.

Let the present unwrapping commence.

Can you tell CarCar doesn't feel well?

Chris

Paging Betty Crocker, Paging Ms. Betty Crocker

2010-12-16T09:03:00.004-05:00

Why would I title a blog with Betty Crocker and then show a picture of Duff Goldman you ask? Well, because its my blog and I can. Also Duff looks quite a bit tougher than Betty.

Sunday was the big baking day at the casa. Good thing I was a little hung over from the night before, nothing goes better with baking cookies than a queasy stomach. Don't worry I power through, doin' it for the children.

We decided that we would make Candy Cane cookies and Gingerbread Men. Prep work was the easy part, mix everything and then let it sit. An hour or so later we rounded up the Critters and lined them up on the bar stools. The Gingerbread Men were up first. Brother and Hadley were big helps with using the cookie cutter. CarCar was not so interested in helping at the time. The Gingerbread Men were popped in the oven and were done in no time. The Candy Cane cookies not so much.

With these cookies I had to split the dough equally and then mix red food coloring with half of the dough. Guess who didn't have any latex gloves, oh yea, this guy. I got a few puzzled looks from the Critters as it looked like I was just involved in a massacre.

To distract the Critters from the bloodshed, Rian got out some frosting and decided to see if the Critters would like it. Really? Did you think that they wouldn't like green sugar goo? Needless to say it was a rather large hit. CarCar even decided to lick the remaining frosting off of the counter.

Luckily the baking went off without a hitch and the Critters got to enjoy cookies and milk with red food coloring it in. Why you ask? Because Rian thought it would be cool to give them red milk with their cookies, unfortunately it turned more pink than red.

After a massive clean up and defrosting of the Critters we were off for dinner.

Here are a few pics from the show:

The Critters helping with the Gingerbread Men. (Notice Carson with the big grin. Every time we seem to pull out the camera she seems to know its go time with the smiles.)

Powering through a lite hangover.

Here comes the frosting!

Frosting induced craziness!

Need. More. Frosting.

Chris

We load up on oat bran in the morning so we'll live forever. Then we spend the rest of the day living like there's no tomorrow. ~Lee Iacocca

Happy (really, really)Belated Birthday Abbey

2010-12-15T13:47:00.004-05:00

Happy Birthday Putties (Abbey)! The big four in human years, and the big 28 in doggie years. Apparently Abbey hit the Tennessee Strip again this year (last year she did her waltz for her big 2-1 in doggie years. We had a small party, heck its always a party with the Critters, for Abbey. We didn't get a dog cake this year, we just went for human cupcakes, yellow cake for Abbey of coarse.

Here are a few pics:

Abbey some what patiently waiting for her cupcake.

First bite.

Second bite and its gone.

As you can see CarCar got a chocolate cupcake.

Brother just eatin' away.

Hadley definitely enjoyed it.

Chris

Step Aside Dan Marino

2010-12-14T09:59:00.004-05:00

Now I know that Dan Marino was the celebrity endorser for Isotoner gloves (I am not sure if they even still make these.) Back in the day these were apparently THE perfect stocking stuffer, or so the washed up former Dolphins quarterback wanted us to believe. I'm sure he had a whole closet full at his house in Miami. I mean it does get quite cold down there.

Now to my point, Carson has decided to become a celebrity endorser. Wait you say, CarCar is not a celebrity. Well she would beg to differ and she believes that CarCar mania is about to go worldwide. She has decided to start small but with a product she really seems to like, Dearfoam slippers. What? Yes, Dearfoam is proud to announce that their new celebrity endorser is CarCar Jane.

I mean come on, who is not gonna by a pair of Dearfoam slippers now?

Even the dog likes them.

Enough with the pictures, I'm off to hair and make-up trailer.

Chris

O Tannenbaum

2010-12-14T09:26:00.003-05:00

Living in Northern Florida we do not have the opportunity to cut down our own Christmas Tree (I know there is a Christmas Tree farm in Havana, but their not the type that I like.) I guess the red clay beneath us is not friendly to the spruces. So instead of heading to the non-existent mountains, the over-priced boy scout lot, or the similarly over-priced roadside stand, we headed off to Lowes. Nothing says Christmas like you neighborhood hardware store.

Apparently we picked a popular day to go because it seemed reminiscent of my Black Friday experiences. While there was no running or ripping open glass display cases, people were not in the best mood. It can get a little testy picking out the perfect Christmas Tree. The biggest challenge seems to be standing with a tree long enough to let the stupid branches fall to see if it is full enough. When someone did find a nice tree they would suddenly have 5 people ask them if they were going to buy it.

"No, I don't think I will buy this perfectly shaped tree that I stood with for 20 minutes while the branches dropped. Why don't you take it so you can cut out the tedious work. I'll head back over to the huge pile of trees to try and find another one."

I mean are people really that stupid?

It was tough work finding a ~~perfect~~ suitable Christmas Tree. As you will see from the pictures I was ready to go.

After we got the ~~perfect~~ suitable tree home, I realized that we had thrown out our old non-LED lights. Apparently I was going to buy some after I threw them out last year, but I guess I skipped that step. After some more digging in the very well organized holiday closet I did end up finding one strand of new LED colored lights. It was not enough for the tree, so I decided to go to Home Depot. On my way out Rian said that she wanted clear lights, I said, "I don't think that that will look right with colored lights up top and clear lights on the bottom, actually it will probably look stupid." No she said it would look good and she wanted the clear lights. I confirmed once more and got the same answer, so off to the store I went. After heading to Home Depot and Lowes I found some C5 Clear LED lights and put them on the tree when Rian was working.

She comes out and was like 'what is that, it looks awful.' "Why did you get clear lights?"

This is where my palm met my face. "Really, I don't think I could confirm the fact that you wanted clear lights any more."

These were her exact words, "Oh, I wanted clear lights sprinkled throughout the tree and colored lights at the bottom." Maybe you all can clear up my misunderstanding from what I described above.

So there I was trying to figure out the Christmas light origami to get the stupid clear lights back on the plastic clips and into the box.

Back to Lowes. "Sir, is there anything wrong with these lights?" "No, I just apparently don't understand the English language as my wife sees it and I though clear meant clear lights, not colored lights." All I got from the girl was a puzzled look. Oh well, the great light caper was finally over.

Here are some long awaited pics from the tree pickin':

Let me tell you how easy it is to traipse through piles of trees with a Brother strapped to your back.

Peach in her 'elf' baby legs.

I think we finally ended up with this one.

Chris

The Wisdom of Twain

2010-12-08T11:08:00.003-05:00

I stumbled across this on the interweb. I don't think that truer words have ever been spoken, and they were of coarse spoken by Mark Twain. It is a long read (I know the paragraphs are long, I cut and pasted it exactly as it appeared) but well worth it. I have highlighted the part that pertains to the Critters.

The Speech on the Babies

AT THE BANQUET, IN CHICAGO, GIVEN BY THE ARMY OF THE TENNESSEE TO THEIR FIRST COMMANDER, GENERAL U. S. GRANT, NOVEMBER, 1879

The fifteenth regular toast was "The Babies--as they comfort us in our sorrows, let us not forget them in our festivities."

I like that. We have not all had the good fortune to be ladies. We have not all been generals, or poets, or statesmen; but when the toast works down to the babies, we stand on common ground. It is a shame that for a thousand years the world's banquets have utterly ignored the baby, as if he didn't amount to anything. If you will stop and think a minute --if you will go back fifty or one hundred years to your early married life and recontemplate your first baby--you will remember that he amounted to a great deal, and even something over. You soldiers all know that when the little fellow arrived at family headquarters you had to hand in your resignation. He took entire command. You became his lackey, his mere body servant, and you had to stand around, too. He was not a commander who made allowances for time, distance, weather, or anything else. You had to execute his order whether it was possible or not. And there was only one form of marching in his manual of tactics, and that was the double-quick. He treated you with every sort of insolence and disrespect, and the bravest of you didn't dare to say a word. You could face the death-storm at Donelson and Vicksburg, and give back blow for blow; but when he clawed your whiskers, and pulled your hair, and twisted your nose, you had to take it. When the thunders of war were sounding in your ears you set your faces toward the batteries, and advanced with steady tread; but when he turned on the terrors of his war-whoop you advanced in the other direction, and mighty glad of the chance, too. When he called for soothing-syrup, did you venture to throw out any side remarks about certain services being unbecoming an officer and a gentleman? No. You got up and got it. When he ordered his pap-bottle and it was not warm, did you talk back? Not you. You went to work and warmed it. You even descended so far in your menial office as to take a suck at that warm, insipid stuff yourself, to see if it was right--three parts water to one of milk, a touch of sugar to modify the colic, and a drop of peppermint to kill those hiccoughs. I can taste that stuff yet. And how many things you learned as you went along! Sentimental young folks still take stock in that beautiful old saying that when the baby smiles in his sleep, it is because the angels are whispering to him. Very pretty, but too thin--simply wind on the stomach, my friends. If the baby proposed to take a walk at his usual hour, two o'clock in the morning, didn't you rise up promptly and remark, with a mental addition which would not improve a Sunday-school book much, that that was the very thing you were about to propose yourself? Oh! you were under good discipline, and as you went fluttering up and down the room in your undress uniform, you not only prattled undignified baby-talk, but even tuned up your martial voices and tried to sing! --"Rock-a-by baby in the treetop," for instance. What a spectacle for an Army of the Tennessee! And what an affliction for the neighbors, too; for it is not everybody within a mile around that likes military music at three in the morning. And when you had been keeping this sort of thing up two or three hours, and your little velvet-head intimated that nothing suited him like exercise and noise, what did you do? ["Go on!"] You simply went on until you dropped in the last ditch. The idea that a baby doesn't amount to anything! Why, one baby is just a house and a front yard full by itself. One baby can furnish more business than you and your whole Interior Department can attend to. He is enterprising, irrepressible, brimful of lawless activities. Do what you please, you can't make him stay on the reservation. Sufficient unto the day is one baby. As long as you are in your right mind don't you ever pray for twins. Twins amount to a permanent riot. And there ain't any real difference between triplets and an insurrection.

Yes, it was high time for a toast-master to recognize the importance of the babies. Think what is in store for the present crop! Fifty years from now we shall all be dead, I trust, and then this flag, if it still survive (and let us hope it may), will be floating over a Republic numbering 200,000,000 souls, according to the settled laws of our increase. Our present schooner of State will have grown into a political leviathan--a Great Eastern. The cradled babies of to-day will be on deck. Let them be well trained, for we are going to leave a big contract on their hands. Among the three or four million cradles now rocking in the land are some which this nation would preserve for ages as sacred things, if we could know which ones they are. In one of them cradles the unconscious Farragut of the future is at this moment teething--think of it!--and putting in a world of dead earnest, unarticulated, but perfectly justifiable profanity over it, too. In another the future renowned astronomer is blinking at the shining Milky Way with but a languid interest--poor little chap!--and wondering what has become of that other one they call the wet-nurse. In another the future great historian is lying--and doubtless will continue to lie until his earthly mission is ended. In another the future President is busying himself with no profounder problem of state than what the mischief has become of his hair so early; and in a mighty array of other cradles there are now some 60,000 future office-seekers, getting ready to furnish him occasion to grapple with that same old problem a second time. And in still one more cradle, somewhere under the flag, the future illustrious commander-in-chief of the American armies is so little burdened with his approaching grandeurs and responsibilities as to be giving his whole strategic mind at this moment to trying to find out some way to get his big toe into his mouth--an achievement which, meaning no disrespect, the illustrious guest of this evening turned his entire attention to some fifty-six years ago; and if the child is but a prophecy of the man, there are mighty few who will doubt that he succeeded.

-Mark Twain

Chris

Rave on at The 409

2010-12-07T10:15:00.005-05:00

It started out as a normal Monday, I went to work, came home, Rian went off to her Junior League meeting (buy a cookbook), and I started the Critters dinner. This is were the night took an interesting turn. CarCar said that she was on the interweb and did some research on raves. She decided that we would have one in the living room. Unfortunately, I found out that we were ill prepared for such an event. We didn't have the obnoxious house rave acid punk music, glow sticks, hundreds of hopped up teenagers, smoke machine, illicit drugs (hopefully you all know this is a joke, we abide by the lovely Nancy Reagan and "Just Say No"), and laser light show. CarCar pondered for a minute, went and dug around in the magical toy box, and came back with her laser globe thing that Grandma Kate got her.

CarCar told me to hit the music. "What music," I ask? She told me that Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon would have to do. I comply and walk back into the room to this:

Crazy Globe o' Light.

Hopefully this won't turn out like those Japanese cartoons.

Peach was raving like no other.

After a couple of minutes and with a strong push by Brother to eat, we ended our rave. It started as quickly as it ended. Unfortunately some of the Critters wanted the rave to last long into the night, but it was not to be. Back to the real world of dinner, baths, and bottles.

It just doesn't have the same effect with the lights on.

Chris

CarCar

2010-12-03T15:04:00.004-05:00

This image is just more proof that CarCar is definitely Rian's 31 inch clone. This is exactly how Rian lays on the couch (minus the lovie) and I must point out that just like Rian, CarCar does not share the blanket.

Chris

Thanksgiving - Slightly Belated

2010-12-03T14:38:00.004-05:00

Well better late than never. We had an eventful Thanksgiving weekend in Orlando. It started off with a bang with 6 hour car ride down. This traumatic event lead to a pretty interesting Black Friday for Rian and I.

I'll start off by saying we got two, yes two pictures on Thanksgiving Day. To boot they were taken on my iPhone so as you can imagine the clarity is second to none. It is hard lugging around the ole Canon while trying to corral the Critters. Rian and I have vowed to get more pictures as we only have one shot at this raising kids thing. Hopefully Rian will find a Canon point and shot camera under the tree this year.

Thanksgiving was quite a relaxing day down in Orlando. Rian and I had a few things to make but overall the stress level was close to nil, especially comparing it to the drive down. While thumbing through the ads I noticed that Target had a portable dual-DVD player on sale on Black Friday. The only catch is it went on sale at 4am, and it had the following ever so lovely words printed below the picture, "While supplies last." Translation, we have two in the store so your butt better be here when the doors open and you better be able to throw some 'bows' to get this damn thing.

I am really not sure why we decided to get up at 3:30am to get this, aside from saving $75 off the regular price. We pull into the Target parking lot and I realize that we did not plan this jaunt too well. "Wow the parking lot is pretty full." I am not sure why I said this due to the fact that I knew it was going to be a mad house. What I didn't realize was that the line ended behind the Target by the loading docks. It was also not very well light behind the Target, I guess it just added to the Black Friday ambiance. I will say that once they opened the doors, the line moved at a rapid pace, I'm talkin' it was hard to keep up with the person in front of you. By the time we hit the front doors it resembled what you see on the evening news when three people where trampled trying to save 50 bucks on a TV. Once people crossed that threshold of the door they began sprinting. I'm sure you all can guess where everyone was heading, yep, the electronics section. Somehow I hit the right aisle on the second try. I look down and the woman who got there ahead of me had ripped the glass doors open and grabbed three of the DVD players. I quickly boxed out any other people and grabbed two so I could check the boxes. I am not quite sure how this woman got this case open but she definitely saved us a step by having to get an associate with a key to open the case. I have heard of instances where people get superhuman strength to lift a car off a child, but I can now say I have seen super human Black Friday get that damn glass case open strength.

After that the rest of the weekend was pretty tame. We headed over to the Healey's house to watch the absolute beat down of the Gators (6 years in the making), and then we headed to Mellow Mushroom for dinner. I forgot how good the pizza is there.

Here are the two pictures from Thanksgiving:

Brother decided to eat all of the leaves that Grandma B cut out and put on the pie.

What? You said I could have dessert.

Chris

Kingdom of Sweets

2010-11-23T16:29:00.004-05:00

The girls, Rian, and I headed over to Dorothy B. Oven Park for the Tallahassee Ballet's Kingdom of Sweets. It was a little chilly but overall it was a beautiful day for the event. We first stopped to get the girls picture taken with a character from The Nutcracker, and no I have no idea which one. It turned out to be a great picture of both, yes both girls looking at the camera. After that we headed to get the girls some grub, it was a pretty nice spread. Lots of sweets, hence the name of the event. I think the girls got their fill of sugar that day.

After that we let the girls run around a little bit to burn off some of their excess energy. CarCar took it upon herself to become the grounds crew and she literally picked up every leaf in this field and made a neat little pile. Hadley had her red bouncy balloon to entertain her. The girls had a great time there and I know that Brother had a good time with Aunt Donna at home watching football instead of napping.

Here are a few pics:

CarCar and Hadster running off some energy.

Groundskeeper CarCar.

CarCar on a bench.

Still running.

No, don't worry about decorating my cookie, I'll just eat it thank you.

Chris