HARRISON IS ELEVEN - part 1

Eleven years ago my life changed for the better, forever. Arguably the most life-altering event I've experienced since my own birth, the birth of my awesome kid will always be at the top of my list of favorite days.

He's been sick all week, including yesterday. Luckily going to bed at 5:30pm last night was just the ticket, and so far he's been able to enjoy his day today. We took Alex, Dylan and Abbie to have lunch with Julio at the Old Country Buffet near his office, then we stopped at the Build-A-Bear Workshop next to the restaurant and they each created a special friend.

When we got home, Harrison's friend Avery joined us. The kids are playing "Disney Channel Scene It" right now. Avery and Alex are going with us to dinner at Pei's (where they have teppanyaki tables - they cook the food at your table and make a flaming onion volcano) after Dylan and Abbie get picked up tonight (which should be any minute now, so I need to go wrap presents!).

Tomorrow night Harrison is going to Avery's birthday party/sleepover, then on Saturday Harrison is having a swim party followed by an overnight. Quite a busy end to Spring Break - watch all the kids be sick for the first Monday back to school!

sick boy with foot warmer - yesterday

feeling better now!

oh what a surprise (he picked it out)


starter present

waiting for Julio

lunch

they announced his b-day
over the PA system

"skins"

stuffing "Leaper"

yep, that's just right

Father Son & Frog

you're supposed to groom your pet
but when you're an 11 year old,
you do this while saying
"we have ways of making you talk!!!"

naming their frogs

naming the pink monkeys

ready for the ride home
note HD's "transition lenses"
-they're new!

home with our new friends

a quick game of "Disney Channel Scene It"

The Eyes Have It

A picture being worth a thousand words, here are 9,000 words' worth, with a few extra words sprinkled about:

Zuki wouldn't hold still for a picture
on her first visit to the vet.

we got bored waiting for the
eye doctor today, so out came
Harrison's little camera

old glasses

new glasses

seeing double

sport glasses a la 'The Matrix'

sporty double vision

lunch at Ghengis Grill
before returning to school

Singing With Faux Laity

We have a gig! Our praise band was actually asked to perform for a special Saturday worship service at a Presbyterian church in a nearby town. We found out sort of last minute that they were going to need a promo shot and a band name. I convinced our director that "Westminster Presbyterian Church Contemporary Service Praise Band" might be a bit cumbersome for a band name, so we decided to go with a name we had joked about for this gig, and we'll try to come up with a real name later on, just in case we need one for some other event. So for now, may I present...Pseudolaic. Dad took some pictures of us before church this Sunday, and I Photoshopped as best I could to make something for their posters. Here's what we ended up with:

Everybody's a Comedian, or: Pastor A.D.D.

I am tired out of my mind today, due to a recent bout of insomnia combined with a perilously long day at State Speech contest yesterday. Things strike me as so funny when I'm nearly unconscious...

The young children's bell choir, composed of 2nd and 3rd grade children, played for the special music portion of our worship service this morning. When they were finished, as is typical at our church, the congregation burst into applause, with a few whistles and "woot" sounds as well. Pastor Herb took the podium, and filling time while the children made their way back to their seats, he commented "Wow, I never get that kind of response to my sermons!"

So he's chugging along, giving his homily about living for today or some such thing (although I was trying to listen attentively, nothing was really sticking in my brain) when he suddenly looks toward the door that leads to the hall, and out of the blue, says something like, "and that's why we need to trust in...Rich is out there making faces at me. Come in and say hello, Rich!", at which point the choir director sheepishly peaks in, waves and darts toward the choir room post-haste.

Well, that woke me up a little and I was paying attention better, and he got going again, then said, "so what are we worried about, really? And that begs the question: Can I get my microphone a little hotter please? Well, that's not the question I was talking about. There we go! Can you hear me now? Which begs the question...what was I talking about?"

Finally the surreal sermon reached it's end.

The congregation burst into applause, cheers and whistles.

Thwarting the Mighty Parakeet Hunter

I was sitting at the table in our family room, doing prep work for the spring play. Zuki was in her usual spot, right underfoot, and Budgie (Arora the parakeet) was singing happily in the bay window.

Suddenly, a large THONK echoed through the room. I looked up just in time to see a flurry of white feathers drop from our window, where Budgie frantically flapped in circles in his cage.

I peered out the window to see a gorgeous raptor (John, can you tell me what kind?) standing in the yard, glaring up at his would-be snack. I snatched Harrison's little camera from the table and went back to take his picture. By the time I figured out how to work it, he had swooped over toward our porch. So I pulled aside the drapes and he graciously posed for a picture before taking another shot at the bay window.

I put the camera down and moved Budgie out of the window, so the (hawk?) mighty hunter wouldn't end up dead in our yard, our window would remain intact, and our parakeet wouldn't have a heart attack.

Ah, the perils of having a pseudo-nature preserve for a back yard. Well, this was way more exciting than bagging the dead raccoon who showed up beside the house last week, or raking up the rabbit parts that appeared in the front lawn (and some on the back porch steps) when the snows melted!

frustrated hunter poses for a picture

no wait - this is my good side

enough of the paparazzo