This is my first effort to use the email option for posting a BLOG
There have been far too many glitches going through the BLOGGER page itself
not sure if they can not handle a heightened popularity
or if the failures are on my end
a few topics
GRANT:
Grant is crawling at warp speed. He is standing and standing down in a very controlled fashion, very advanced for this Valentines Day baby who is just over 6 months old. His explorer instincts and his need to get where he wants to go is propelling his rapid growth and development. Grant loves to laugh play and eat; he is a very health baby. It goes without saying that Grant is a beautiful child; his chic-a-dee yellow hair, his sky blue eyes, his clear white skin, and his over willingness to break out is smiles and giggles. Lisa is a huge part of guiding Grant to be the wonderful child that he is.....the rest is pretty random. We count ourselves lucky to have such a happy and healthy family.
DEAN:
Dean is now just over three. This fall he has moved to a different classroom at Rosemount with a different set of teachers, a few different students, and a new set of rules and responsibilities. The creativity of Dean's mind is at new and different levels. Dean can create short stories and ideas and is more than willing to share them. His physical being is moving fast and furious....still riding the two wheeler with training wheels, but it is clear that they need to be moved up to dictate his learning of balance. Top toys? Buzz Lightyear is taking a backseat to Bionicles and Batman. The rides at water parks and amusement parks are part of his vocabulary and part of his life experiences. We are considering an assault on Kings Dominion this weekend.
Roscoe and Brutus:
The dogs are aging well. They are still active and strong. But they do not get the workouts that they used to get. Too much time around the house turns up the potential for an "incident." So when in the woods hiking with Dean and Elijah (Elijah is a neighbor who just got back from 8 weeks in Spain) it was vital for me to monitor the dogs as they encountered other dogs. On two efforts an older male German Shepard tried to assert his dominance from a distance and rushed either Roscoe and Brutus with barks and teeth showing. On each case each individual dog turned and chased sending Barney the German Shepard running away with his tail between his legs. Forcing me to run in that same direction issuing calls to break the impulse for dog to become animal over domesticated pet. It is vital that I dispel such situations before they escalate, had both dogs been closer to the potential incident....well....it would have at least been a hassle.
The dogs are good, but I think they need a long forced march where they can let some of the "piss and vinegar" be drained out.
Both Roscoe and Brutus are great with the kids, but they are individuals with personalities....just as you or I would not like to be flopped upon, poked, woken abruptly from a deep sleep, of be caught in the crossfire of flying toys....it is important to always be on top of the situation. Anticipating any and everything. Dispelling anything before it escalates.
LISA:
Lisa is well. She is a machine. Lisa has so much energy for life. It is amazing to see Lisa come home from a full day of work and take on the projects with Grant and Dean. I work backup, but there is no way I can keep stride with her. It is like she is an octopus doing so many things at the same time. Her 3 day work week and her two days at home with Grant is proving to work out very well, perhaps it is the best balance of both worlds. Each set of tasks making her appreciate the other. I may take a leap to say that Lisa is really able to appreciate that the boys will only be this age once and that is should be enjoyed. This summer she has shared so many new experiences both Dean and Grant. Multiple trips to Pittsburgh so that they can build a strong bond with their Grandparents on her side, as well as hang with their four similar aged cousins. On these trips there are adventures to museums and amusement parks....IMAX movies and trips to the park. Dean's mind is a sponge! He is building a great basis for his understanding of the world. Dinosaurs, Volcanoes, Spiders, Mushrooms....you name it an it is part of his world. He is curious and excited on all topics.
ME:
Gwadzilla is on a roll. Riding that metaphorical wave. Job is good. Home life is good. Fatherhood is amazing. Cycling has been going very very well. I have not had the time to commit long miles at some points any miles. Racing is training....and I have done a number of races and had moderate success. This weekend past I did the Shenandoah Mountain 100; a hundred mile off road race in Harrisonburg VA. It was a race that I feared, the long miles and the long climbs were more than I thought I was ready for. Imagine driving your car for 11 hours.....now switch bike for car....just the duration itself is a battle. That is a long time in the saddle. In short, I went out hard, felt real good, had to drop my pace at the 50 mile mark, but still felt good. At times I smiled wide grins as I knew that this was a goal that was soon to be achieved. Such rides can have a strange effect on the mind. There can be these great moments of clarity mixed in with total insanity. I sang single lines from single songs off the WHO Classic QUADROPHENIA. At times I found myself giving myself pep talks in a strange leprocon accent, out loud. And I smiled....images of my family in my brain brought smiles to my face and lead me to the finish.
It was a great race.
A tough race.
glad I did it
glad it is behind me
next year I aim to race it again, only hopefully with some more long miles and some more long climbs beforehand
as I would love to ride this race with less pain
ended up CC myself on this message
put in the wrong address for the BLOGGER
so my first attempt at emailing my BLOG entries rather than using the main page failed
I will figure it out
maybe not today
but I will figure it out
There have been far too many glitches going through the BLOGGER page itself
not sure if they can not handle a heightened popularity
or if the failures are on my end
a few topics
GRANT:
Grant is crawling at warp speed. He is standing and standing down in a very controlled fashion, very advanced for this Valentines Day baby who is just over 6 months old. His explorer instincts and his need to get where he wants to go is propelling his rapid growth and development. Grant loves to laugh play and eat; he is a very health baby. It goes without saying that Grant is a beautiful child; his chic-a-dee yellow hair, his sky blue eyes, his clear white skin, and his over willingness to break out is smiles and giggles. Lisa is a huge part of guiding Grant to be the wonderful child that he is.....the rest is pretty random. We count ourselves lucky to have such a happy and healthy family.
DEAN:
Dean is now just over three. This fall he has moved to a different classroom at Rosemount with a different set of teachers, a few different students, and a new set of rules and responsibilities. The creativity of Dean's mind is at new and different levels. Dean can create short stories and ideas and is more than willing to share them. His physical being is moving fast and furious....still riding the two wheeler with training wheels, but it is clear that they need to be moved up to dictate his learning of balance. Top toys? Buzz Lightyear is taking a backseat to Bionicles and Batman. The rides at water parks and amusement parks are part of his vocabulary and part of his life experiences. We are considering an assault on Kings Dominion this weekend.
Roscoe and Brutus:
The dogs are aging well. They are still active and strong. But they do not get the workouts that they used to get. Too much time around the house turns up the potential for an "incident." So when in the woods hiking with Dean and Elijah (Elijah is a neighbor who just got back from 8 weeks in Spain) it was vital for me to monitor the dogs as they encountered other dogs. On two efforts an older male German Shepard tried to assert his dominance from a distance and rushed either Roscoe and Brutus with barks and teeth showing. On each case each individual dog turned and chased sending Barney the German Shepard running away with his tail between his legs. Forcing me to run in that same direction issuing calls to break the impulse for dog to become animal over domesticated pet. It is vital that I dispel such situations before they escalate, had both dogs been closer to the potential incident....well....it would have at least been a hassle.
The dogs are good, but I think they need a long forced march where they can let some of the "piss and vinegar" be drained out.
Both Roscoe and Brutus are great with the kids, but they are individuals with personalities....just as you or I would not like to be flopped upon, poked, woken abruptly from a deep sleep, of be caught in the crossfire of flying toys....it is important to always be on top of the situation. Anticipating any and everything. Dispelling anything before it escalates.
LISA:
Lisa is well. She is a machine. Lisa has so much energy for life. It is amazing to see Lisa come home from a full day of work and take on the projects with Grant and Dean. I work backup, but there is no way I can keep stride with her. It is like she is an octopus doing so many things at the same time. Her 3 day work week and her two days at home with Grant is proving to work out very well, perhaps it is the best balance of both worlds. Each set of tasks making her appreciate the other. I may take a leap to say that Lisa is really able to appreciate that the boys will only be this age once and that is should be enjoyed. This summer she has shared so many new experiences both Dean and Grant. Multiple trips to Pittsburgh so that they can build a strong bond with their Grandparents on her side, as well as hang with their four similar aged cousins. On these trips there are adventures to museums and amusement parks....IMAX movies and trips to the park. Dean's mind is a sponge! He is building a great basis for his understanding of the world. Dinosaurs, Volcanoes, Spiders, Mushrooms....you name it an it is part of his world. He is curious and excited on all topics.
ME:
Gwadzilla is on a roll. Riding that metaphorical wave. Job is good. Home life is good. Fatherhood is amazing. Cycling has been going very very well. I have not had the time to commit long miles at some points any miles. Racing is training....and I have done a number of races and had moderate success. This weekend past I did the Shenandoah Mountain 100; a hundred mile off road race in Harrisonburg VA. It was a race that I feared, the long miles and the long climbs were more than I thought I was ready for. Imagine driving your car for 11 hours.....now switch bike for car....just the duration itself is a battle. That is a long time in the saddle. In short, I went out hard, felt real good, had to drop my pace at the 50 mile mark, but still felt good. At times I smiled wide grins as I knew that this was a goal that was soon to be achieved. Such rides can have a strange effect on the mind. There can be these great moments of clarity mixed in with total insanity. I sang single lines from single songs off the WHO Classic QUADROPHENIA. At times I found myself giving myself pep talks in a strange leprocon accent, out loud. And I smiled....images of my family in my brain brought smiles to my face and lead me to the finish.
It was a great race.
A tough race.
glad I did it
glad it is behind me
next year I aim to race it again, only hopefully with some more long miles and some more long climbs beforehand
as I would love to ride this race with less pain
ended up CC myself on this message
put in the wrong address for the BLOGGER
so my first attempt at emailing my BLOG entries rather than using the main page failed
I will figure it out
maybe not today
but I will figure it out