What I Always Wanted!

Dear Becca & Grant,
                     Merry Christmas! The day is almost over and that's always kind of depressing for me and it always has been even when I was a child. I remember the big family soirées at Granny & Bambi Dee's back when I was a mere lad; I was always the very last person to leave because I just never wanted it to end. The ending of Christmas is especially sad this year because I had to take the kids back to their mom's late this afternoon. It was a great Christmas, but ain't they all?
      We never did get our Holiday pictures done. I really wish I could have figured out a way to have gotten them done. This will go down in the history of our little family as the strangest Christmas season of all, or at least I hope it does. I don't want things to get any stranger. We are all adjusting to new ways of doing things and while there have been some bumps in the road we are doing okay.
      The children's mother ended up taking them to Southern Lights this year with her friend Sherri so I didn't get to go this year. I always enjoyed watching Becca feed the animals at the petting zoo. Maybe next year I will take them there too.
      I had a big surprise for the kids one day last week. I told Becca & Grant that we were going to the bank and they didn't think a thing about it. What I didn't tell them that Santa, Frosty and Rudolph were at the bank. We walked in and there was Santa all by himself. No waiting in a long line. He came up to Becca all on his own and talked about how much taller she had gotten since the last time he had seen her. Becca had a nice long talk with Santa. They had snacks there as well. It was a really nice event and to top it all off it wasn't even our bank but they said they wanted as many children as possible to come because they were making a donation to some charity for every child who came through the door.
      I kind of screwed up after we left the bank though. I was talking to Mamaw on the phone and was telling her how nice it was when I mentioned that the Santa Claus was the Lexington Radio personality Jack Pattie. Becca noticed right away but it didn't seem to matter to her. Since then whenever we saw a Santa she would ask me if that was the real Santa or Jack Pattie.
      Becca and I had what we eventually called our Nutcracker Barrel day this past weekend. We had a grand time. I eventually got a red Christmas dress for Becca that suited my taste. I wanted one that just screamed Christmas. The next day we went out and I got her some thick white stockings and a very pretty pair of shoes that ended up not fitting that well. She kept losing them on stairs. Anyway, I took Becca down to Mamaw & Papaw's so Auntie Lynn and Mamaw could fix Becca's hair and that child was as lovely as I have ever seen her and let me tell you, Becca is one lovely little girl. I then took Grant over to where their Mom is staying with her friend, Sherri because this was a special father/daughter day.
      We were running a little late. I hate to be late to these type of things but we weren't late. As a matter of fact we were right on time. We were seated and about two minutes later the show started. Our box seats were okay but I don't think I'd like to sit there again. We were very close to the stage and could see the dancers close up but about twenty-five percent of the stage was blocked off from view because we were so close. I'd like to sit in the middle next time. Becca absolutely loved it. I was afraid she would be bored to tears because it's a ballet and the story is told through dance instead of dialogue. I thought I would be bored to tears but surprisingly enough neither one of us were. Becca raved about it at intermission and when I asked her if she's like to go see the show every year she excitedly said that she would like that. Becca was a huge hit at the show in her own right because at intermission we went to get us a drink of water and she was dancing like a ballerina in her beautiful Christmas dress all the way back to our seats. She got kind of bored halfway through the second act but she made it much further than I really expected her to get. After the show we headed over to Cracker Barrel, hence us calling it our Nutcracker Barrel day. Becca had a big plate of shrimp, her latest favorite food, mac & cheese and a root beer. I had a chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, green beans, carrots and a cola. We went to look at the toys when we had finished eating, as we always do. We then went to get our boy, Grant. Becca and I had a lovely Chritmassy time and I am looking forward to doing it again next year.
      Last night we went over to Mamaw & Papaw's to celebrate Christmas Eve with them and Auntie Lynn's family. We had a huge meal. We had turkey of which Becca ate a leg, country ham, corn pudding, green beans, sweet potato casserole, dressing, salad, strawberry pretzel salad, cranberry chutney, mashed potatoes, sliced cucumbers, rolls, soda and tea with a full compliment of desserts. Then I had to run back to the house for a second. Things needed moving from there to here. When I got back we all sat in the living room for a little while and then it was down to the basement for present opening time. Grant got a big Tonka truck, a bubble making dog, a stuffed dog with labeled body parts that Becca picked out for him, some nice new clothes, a V-tech helicopter and a toy cell phone from me. Becca got a LeapFrog Tag Reader, a pen looking thing with a camera in it that reads special books that are downloaded into the pen, from me. She also got two extra books for the Tag reader, a collection of Winnie the Pooh stories by A.A. Milne, and some nice new clothes. I got a new shirt, some nice new pillows and a super nice mattress pad. All of the children played in the basement for awhile and for the most part had a fun time except when Becca and Jon got into it. Becca and Jon are always getting into it because they are so much alike.
      Eventually Auntie Lynn and her brood headed for the house. Mamaw told Becca that the boys were going straight to bed because Santa was on his way and he wouldn't stop if you weren't asleep. That lit a fire under Becca right away. At that point we had to leave and we had to leave now. We got home and I told Becca I had to get Grant ready for bed, we had to pick up the living room, lay out milk and cookies for Santa, put the mattress pad on the bed, get her in her new Christmas pajamas and then we could go to sleep. She rushed me like you wouldn't believe. She was afraid Santa would come while she was awake. I explained to her that I had checked the NORAD Santa tracker website just before we left and he was just then starting in South America and it would be awhile before he got to us. South America was too close for her comfort. I got most of what needed to be done done but she wouldn't let me put the mattress pad on. She jumped up into bed and closed her eyes and went straight to sleep. I was dead tired myself and was afraid that I would fall asleep as well if I wasn't careful but I managed to stay awake until I thought she was fast asleep. I got up and helped Santa put out their gifts and right as Santa disappeared up the chimney I heard her calling for me. She was upset that I had left her in the night. I told her that I had merely went to the bathroom and that she needed to go back to sleep. She tried but sleep didn't come this time as easily as it did when she first laid down. She said she wanted a drink. I told her I would go get her a drink and she said she was afraid all alone and she was coming with me. I couldn't have that because Santa had already been here and I certainly didn't want her to see her stash yet. I told her what a disaster it would be if she was in the living room when Santa popped out of the magic chimney. The magic chimney is what Santa uses to access homes without a chimney. He sets the chimney up on the roof and he slides down and out a hearth made in the wall by the magic chimney. Anyway, she didn't have any problem staying by herself as I went to get her a sippy cup of cherry juicy juice. Soon after the juice she went to sleep. I got back up for awhile and installed the Tag reader software onto the laptop, loaded Becca's new Tag books onto her Tag reader, checked my E-mail and went back to bed.
      Becca woke up at around 9:00 this morning. I was surprised she slept as late as she did. She woke me up and told me to look outside. I thought maybe we were going to have a white Christmas but she just wanted me to notice that it was daylight outside. I told Becca to stay in the bedroom for a few seconds because I wanted to get the video camera ready. She did as I requested but she didn't give me a second too long. She came into the living room and the look of Christmas wonder filled her eyes. I asked her if she wanted to open her presents and let Grant sleep or if she wanted Grant to be awake with her. She looked at me like I had grown a second head. She informed me that we were going to get Grant up and away to his room she flew with the joyous news of Santa's arrival. I got him up and into the living room we went. Becca had colored a picture from her giant Christmas coloring book and we have had it hanging in the living room for a few weeks. She had me write a note on it that it was a gift to Santa and he was to show it to his elves. The picture was gone. Santa had taken his gift and this tickled Becca to no end. Then it came time for the opening of the gifts. Becca got a Kid Tough DVD player and a travel accessory kit for it, two additional Tag books, a Moon Sand playset, Baby Alive go bye-bye, a Jack in the Box, an art kit, a kaleidoscope, a spinning top, Wedding Day Barbi, a Tinker Bell doll, Tinker Bell make-up, an Etch-a-Sketch, a slinky, a big box of crayons, a Candy Land Castle game, Disco Dancing Wow Wow Wubbzy and her favorite gift of all, a Hannah Montana Jammin' guitar with a Hannah Montana doll to go with it. Grant got a Bounce and Spin Zebra with mats to go under it, a Ball Popper thing, a musical activity table, one of those ball popper things that you push, a Learning Piggy Bank, Laugh & Learn tool set, a football, stacking rings, shaped blocks with a bucket, a drum, little Tonka four wheelers, and Barnyard Bowling. Grant's favorite was between the Bounce & Spin Zebra and the stacking rings. I'm sure I am foregtting something but if I am it couldn't be too big. The kids also got odds & end in their stockings. Becca got a Spiderman spinning tooth brush, conditioner, flash card and a huge Honey Crisp apple while Grant got little sports balls, a bar of baby soap and a tiny Gala apple. They both got animal crackers, a toy flute, chocolate money, chocolate Santas', chocolate bells and balls, a sucker, a lifesaver book and a clementine. There's more but like I said a little earlier they couldn't be too important or I wouldn't have forgotten about them.
      There was one instance where I had to take a mental note to be careful about the paper I wrapped gifts in. As a child I remember questioning why Santa always wrapped his gifts in the same paper we did. I was given an unlikely answer but since I really wanted to believe I bought it. I was much older than Becca when this event occurred but something along the same line happened this morning. As she was unwrapping a present she got a confused look on her face and told me that the paper that her present was wrapped in was the same paper that Jacob's present from last night was wrapped in. I didn't try to give any kind of explanation at all. I just acted as puzzled as she was. I could almost see the cogs of her mind turning and dread filled my soul. She can not stop believing so soon. I'm sure it will come to nothing but from here on out Santa wraps presents in paper exclusive to Santa. I always had it in my mind that I would use different paper than Santa used to avoid such misunderstandings but I suppose I just assumed that she was still too young to put two and two together. I have to remember that my oldest child is no longer a baby but a full fledged child with a very well developed ability to reason. There was also a moment when my heart kind of broke because as she was opening up her Baby Alive Go Bye-Bye she thought it was the swimming doll she had been wanting since the summer. She was so excited but when she saw it was Baby Alive Go Bye-Bye she got the most crushed look on her face. It only lasted a moment but to me it seemed like eternity. She immediately got happy over the Baby Alive Go Bye-Bye but I do believe that that doll would have been a bigger hit with her if she hadn't been expecting her swimming doll. I didn't think Santa should even look for the swimming doll because it's December and there's not a whole lot of swimming going on this time of year.
      After presents I set up some of the toys and cussed at myself for not buying D batteries when I bought all those double and triple A batteries. I needed four of them for Grant's ball popper thing and I only had two. Becca really wanted to see some balls pop. She had as much fun with Grant's stuff as she did her own. I put the kids in their jackets and we headed on down to Mamaw & Papaw's for the afternoon. None of us had had any breakfast unless you count chocolate money and a few bites of an apple. We ate leftovers from Christmas Eve for lunch. For some reason I always enjoy a big holiday meal best when I'm eating the leftovers the day after. I don't know why that is. After lunch Grant went down for a nap and Mamaw, Papaw, Becca and I watched A Christmas Story, you know, the one about Ralphie and his Red Ryder BB gun. We didn't get it finished before we had to get Grant up and leave. I had to have the kids to their Mom by four. I was running a little late. I had to stop at the house for gifts that Becca had for her Mom, Grant's shoes and my cell phone. I would have loved to have had them all day on Christmas day but that wouldn't have been fair to their Mom. I took them up there and walked them in and gave them both big Christmas hugs and kisses, wished them a Merry Christmas and I left my babies.
      I got home and picked up the Christmas Morning disaster and then I downloaded the Christmas videos and pictures to my computers; pics to the laptop and video to the desktop. I spent four hours editing video and uploading to YouTube and a little while updating my online photo album. I sat down to post a blog and here I am. I think Grant had a nice Christmas. He's just a little young to really get into it but Becca on the other hand was whole heartedly into the Christmas thing, even though I still can't understand shy she would ever want to watch a show that didn't have anything to do with Christmas when I have hours and hours of Christmas oriented children's programming either on DVD or recorded on the DVR. She was heavily into the Christmas music though. Anyway, I know that Becca had a great Christmas because two or three times this morning as she was opening her Christmas presents she declared that this is her best Christmas ever. Of course she doesn't have that many to compare them to. It was a great Christmas for me as well. Traditions are in transition with the situation with their Mom and I so things were a bit chaotic and disorganized. Everything will eventually stabilize and Christmas will be the same year in and year out just as it should be.
      Now, a couple of non-Christmas notes. Grant is trying to say some words and unfortunately the one he is most fond of is NO. I suppose he's so good at that word because he hears it more than any other word. He's a small hellion and he does have a temper and no patience which is always a bad combination. Also, the other day Grant pulled the letter M off of the keyboard I am using now so when I have to really press hard on the place where my M key used to be so if there seems to be a letter missing anywhere in this post it's probably an M.
      I am now able to switch Becca's earrings. She lost one the other day and I convinced her to let me try to put it back in and after much cajoling and a few tears of dread she let me try and the thing slid right in. Becca couldn't believe it went in that easily. I asked her is she wanted me to get her some Christmas earrings and she said she did. We went to Wal-Mart and got her an incredibly ugly pair of Santa earrings for a dollar. I would have thought that you could get prettier Christmas earring but what do I know, I've never shopped for Christmas earring before. Becca was so proud of her earrings. I had a little trouble getting her earrings in the next time I tried putting them in because she had went awhile with no earrings in and I think that Becca's pain tolerance is that of her mother's and that is absolutely no tolerance at all. I eventually got them back in. I ended up losing her regular earring which got me in a little bit of trouble from her Mom. I'm going to get Becca a really nice pair of earrings when I can. I'll probably let her pick out whatever she wants to wear until valentines Day and then I will get her a real nice pair because there will be pretty good sales on them then.
      The special surprise is even closer than it was the last time I posted. I am working to get it done. I have already taken numerous steps toward the surprise and I am super excited. I start another step tomorrow. I can't wait until I know for sure this thing will happen and I can actually mention what it is. Even if the surprise falls through I will attempt to achieve the goal of the surprise through alternative means.
      A whole lot of bad stuff happened this past year. It started out great. Our finances were in the best shape they had ever been in and well, I thought things were okay but then the bottom dropped out and it sunk this whole year for me. The kids were the only bright spot I had throughout this year. But I am super excited about 2009. I have plans to get my finances back under control and then there's the possible surprise and then the sky is the limit. I think this coming year is going to be a fabulous year and I haven't been this excited about a new year in forever.
      Well, I have the Christmas Eve video that still needs uploading to YouTube and I have to put sheets and my blanket in the dryer plus my finger is hurting because I have to mash in on the letter M so dad-gum hard, so I will close out this post. Daddy loves Rebecca & Grant and wishes his kids the Merriest of Christmases!

Dear Becca & Grant,
                  We are full swing into the Christmas Season. I love Christmas. I am laid off from work until the new year. Santa Claus has 99.5% of the children's Christmas gifts ready to go to the wrapping department at the North Pole. We have a whole lot to take care of once I get paid again on the 18th. I have to get clothes for our Holiday pictures for Grant and myself. I suppose Becca will wear a dress that Mamaw purchased for her. We have to actually get the pictures done, Becca and I have a date to go see The Nutcracker on the 20th and we may go to Southern Lights. Mom really wants to take the kids because that particular tradition was begun on her wishes. I have come to love Southern Lights and would love to take the kids but I know how much this means to Mom so I will wait until I know what her plans are until I take the kids. Then of course I have to get my own presents for the kids, buy wrapping paper and wrap the the presents. We have a busy next few weeks but it really can't start until I get some more money. I wasn't really financially prepared for the season this year what with this whole mess that Mom and I went through this year. I hope to really get back in the swing of taking care of my money in the beginning of the year and really being ready for next Christmas. I still have had great fun so far this year.
      Becca is so excited about Santa coming. Every night she tells me that she is going to dream about Christmas morning. I don't think she will be disappointed at all. I don't think she has as much as she had last year but she will be getting quite a nice haul from Santa. Grant really didn't get that much from Santa last year because he was so little that he really didn't care that much. He has a nice haul this year as well. Maybe not as nice as Becca's haul but he still won't car all that much.
      Last year I downloaded tons of Christmas shows off of the internet and TiVoed a bunch more and transferred them to the computer. My plan was to spend the summer months burning those shows to DVD so we could all have an awesome collection of Christmas programming. The thing with Mom kind of changed all my summer plans so I was going to do it closer to Christmas. I had all of the files on my 500 gig external hard drive, 500 gigs was a pretty big hard drive in 2008. One fateful day Grant who has a habit of pulling things off of tables one day pulled my hard drive of of the table it was sitting on and broke it. All of my Christmas files were gone. I was so incredibly bummed out. I purchased a few DVDs, Rudolph, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Frosty and the Little Drummer Boy when they were on sale for Black Friday this year but the lions share of programming I had to download again. I think my collection is nearly complete. I am still in the process of downloading a huge file with some rare and incredibly old versions of a Christmas Carol. What do I have in my collection? I have Miracle on 34th Street, The Grinch with Jim Carrey, Elf with Will Farrel, Rudolph (1964), Frosty, Frosty Returns, The Little Drummer Boy, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Celebrate Christmas with Mickey, Donald and Friends which includes old the very old cartoons Santa's Workshop, The Night Before Christmas, Cookie Carnival and the more recent Pluto's Christmas Tree; I also have Mickey's Orphans from 1931 and Mickey's Good Deed from 1932, Nestor the Long Eared Christmas Donkey, The Mystery Science Theatre 3000 versions of Santa Claus Conquers the Martians and a really terrible Mexican movie called Santa Claus, Christmas in Connecticut with Barbara Stanwyck, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, A Christmas Story, The animated Grinch, Shrek the Halls, Ernest Saves Christmas, The Polar Express, It's a Wonderful Life, the old and the newer versions of the Twilight Zone episode, Night of the Meek and White Christmas with Bing Crosby. I also have a few versions of a Christmas Carol such as Mickey's Christmas Carol, Blackadder's Christmas Carol, Christmas Carol with Patrick Stewart from 1999, the 1984 Christmas Carol with George C. Scott, the Muppets Christmas Carol, Scrooge from 1970 with Albert Finney, the 1951 Christmas Carol, the 1935 Christmas Carol, the 1938 Christmas Carol, the 1910 Christmas Carol, Barbi's Christmas Carol, Scrooged with Bill Murray from 1988, An American Christmas Carol from 1979 with Henry Winkler, a Rankin/Bass version called The Stingiest Man in Town, an animated 1971 version and I have the very first surviving Christmas Carol film from 1901. I don't have the whole story of the 1901 version because it's been lost to time but I think it's a cool addition to my collection. I am also trying to download the 1913 and 1923 versions. That is my Christmas movie collection. I love Christmas shows.
      Grant was a holy handful the past few days. Just the other day he bit Becca so hard that he actually drew blood. She cried and screamed and ran around like she had been stabbed but even through her tears she told Grant that she still loved him. What a sweet little girl I have. Later that same evening while I was preparing Becca's new favorite food, shrimp for supper Grant got a hold of the laptop I am typing on right now. He tore off three keys and I could only replace two of them so if you happen to notice a missing letter M every now and then you will know what happened. He's all boy and so much more mischievous than Becca ever was.
      Becca's parent teacher conference was yesterday. She is doing great. She's right where she is supposed to be for her age. Ms. Dykes told me that last year Becca kind of hung back and let the stronger personalities lead but that this year since she is one of the older ones in the class she herself has developed into a strong personality in the class and she is the one to take the lead. I am proud of her in that regard. I myself have never been much of a leader and I would love it if Becca did develop into a leader type person. She also said that Becca is one of the few kids in her class that will interact with a mentally and physically handicapped child in her named Cesar. She said the other children consider Cesar a baby but Becca will talk yo him and doesn't get all out of sorts when he pulls on her clothes or even when he pulls her hair. I suppose it's because Becca has her little brother that makes her able to interact with Cesar. Ms. Dykes said that she scores high on the empathy scale as well. When someone is hurt or not feeling very good she shows true concern for them. Becca has always been a very empathetic child and I have always been so proud of her for that.
      I remember years ago in this blog I spoke of a special surprise that was coming. Things happened to throw that particular surprise out the window for a time, notably Grant being born which was a much better surprise than the one I had planned but now the original surprise is back in play and I am closer than ever. I am so excited about it. I don't want to talk about it until I am 100% sure it's going to happen but I am crossing my fingers.
      Well, Mom has the children today and I am off from work so I think I will relax and watch some television and have a lazy day. Daddy loves Rebecca & Grant!

Becca and Grant Playing with Rocking Eyore

The day after Thanksgiving 2008

Dear Becca & Grant,
                  This is the longest I have ever gone without putting up a post. I know I should have at least touched on different important topics throughout the moth but I have been so preoccupied with life that I have neglected the blog. A whole lot of stuff has happened since my last post.
      Becca & Grant were involved in a traffic collision. Mom was turning right onto Man O' War from Alumni when she probably shouldn't have. I was told that Becca was so very brave and even though she took a good bump in the accident her very first priority was the safety of her little brother, Grant. When I heard that I was so proud of her. Becca had some x-rays taken at the hospital after the accident. She wasn't too sure that was something she wanted to do. By the time they took Becca back for her x-ray I was at the hospital, St. Joe's East and I went back with Becca. I convinced her that x-rays are no big deal and she actually ended up having a pretty fun time getting pictures of her bones. The x-ray technician was nice enough to show Becca the pictures of her bones. Becca thought that was a trick. The Explorer took a pretty good pounding from the collision but Papaw was able to make it nominally road worthy. It's not safe enough for the kids to be riding around in but at least mom has some wheels so she can look for a job.
      Halloween has come and gone. Grant was a jack O' lantern and Becca was supposed to be sleeping beauty but by the time she ruined the make-up Mom put on her and her costume got all ragged looking she ended up looking more like a horror movie prom queen. Later on Halloween night we all, including Mom went to Arby's for a late supper. I'm not big on Halloween and it was over a month ago and I have no memory so that's all I have to say about Halloween.
      Becca has been kind of ill the past month. She's had a very bad rash that itched her to no end accompanied by vomiting and diarrhea. The medicine she took for the rash caused even more diarrhea after she got over the thing that caused the first wave of squirts. Then she picked up a second bug that made her feel kind of sick at her stomach and nauseas. I had many nights this past month where I had to wash bed sheets in the middle of the night. Becca ended up missing an entire week of school this past month.
      I have been off from work the past two weeks so the kids and I have been spending tons of time together. I had a great two weeks. You think I could have posted to the blog in those two weeks but it just didn't work out that way. We really didn't do much just hung out a lot.
      This past Thursday was Thanksgiving Day. We had a late Thanksgiving because big Sissy, Allison didn't get off work until six o'clock. We had turkey, dressing, cranberry chutney, sweet potato casserole, broccoli casserole, green beans, mashed potatoes, a corn pudding that Becca and I made, rolls, tea, lemonade, peanut butter pie, chess pie and pumpkin pie. Oh, it was so good. Before we went down to Mamaw & Papaw's Becca and I put up the Christmas tree while Grant slept. We didn't decorate it we just put it up. When we returned from our bountiful feast and after Grant was asleep for the night Becca and I got busy decorating the tree. We had tons of fun. Becca put all of the ornaments she handled right on the bottom of the tree. I had half a string of lights go out on me after I got them placed on the tree. Other than that we didn't have any problems at all. Grant can not be left alone in the living room with the Christmas tree for even a moment because he just loves to take the ornaments off. He's going to be a challenge with that tree. He's worse than Becca ever was.
      Friday night when I took the kids to where their Mom is staying on Palumbo Drive I went on down the road a bit to Garden Ridge and purchased some extra lights for the tree and of course outside lights. I buy new outside lights every year because I have such terrible luck storing those lights. I purchased some fancy new fangled LED lights but when I got them home I realized I had purchased cool white lights instead of the warm white lights that I really needed. I went ahead and put them on the tree anyway. They are really twinkly so it looks pretty good, I reckon. I got the outside lights put up Saturday evening. I suppose it looks okay but I don't think I've ever been really truly happy with my outside lights and I don't suppose I ever will be.
      Becca and I have a date on the twentieth of December to see the Lexington Ballet's production of The Nutcracker. I am going to get a her a fancy Christmas dress and I hope she will enjoy the show. We looked at some bits and pieces of it on YouTube, a video sharing website and she really didn't seem all that interested. The three of us, Grant Becca and myself are going to have family Christmas photos done in late December. It will be weird not having Mom in the pictures though.
      Well, That's all I can recall. There would have been much more if I had maybe posted every week but I didn't so this is just going to have to do. Daddy loves Rebecca & Grant!

Dear Becca & Grant,
                     Becca's been on fall break last week. She goes back to school this afternoon. She's looking forward to going back to school; of course she is in preschool and you learn in preschool by playing so she hasn't come to dislike school yet. I hope she doesn't start to dislike school at all. I here there are actually kids out there who actually enjoy school. I've never known any of them and I certainly wasn't one of them but I hope she has her love of learning throughout her entire life. I love learning but I didn't develop that until I was well out of school.
      Becca and I have come up with a game that we play right before we go to sleep every night. It's called Bugga Bugga. The name is based on an episode of Dora the Explorer where she has interactions with a bug. Becca pretends to be a bug asleep and I am the daddy bug and I wake her up for breakfast and tell her what we are going to eat for breakfast but I have to interject the phrase "Bugga Bugga" every few words. There's also a variation where I go to wake her up and she's not asleep at all but instead she is playing with her Bugga Bugga toys. We repeat this sometimes over twenty times. There's also the Bugga Bugga Lion versions of our game where she is a Bugga Bugga and I am a Bugga Bugga lion out to eat up a Bugga Bugga and then there the one where I am a Bugga Bugga lion waiting for my Bugga Bugga to be born out from under the blankets that are standing in as the mommy Bugga Bugga lion and when she is born I am so happy to see my baby Bugga Bugga lion cub. Then we also have developed the Ice Cream Shop game where we are at an ice cream shop where the only two flavors are sunshine and poo-poo. Last night the game was particularly fun because poo-poo was not on the menu; last night we could choose from sunshine ice cream and splatter strawberry. Last nights Ice Cream shop game was the most elaborate yet as Becca pretended to drive me to the shop as I rode in the back seat. I took on the role of the child and Becca took the role of the mommy. After the ice cream shop we pretended to go to the zoo where we stood in line forever to get a ticket because Becca told me that if we snuck on in without paying our money we would get thrown out. We paid our money and got a ticket. We gave the ticket taker our tickets and they gave us chocolate money. We then went to ride the pig merry-go-round where we also ate some pig angel food cake. Then we went to see the gorillas who had been let out of the glass enclosure and you could hug the gorillas. I next went swimming with the monkeys and slid down the neck of a giraffe like a slide. It seems that the game got kind of bizarre after that because we had to leave the zoo and go to the hospital because Becca had to have a baby cut out of her tummy. These games take forever to play and sometimes I am just too tired but Becca has come to look forward to them every night so I play them with her.
      I tried to leave her down at Mamaw & Papaw's a night or two last week but she fussed so heartily for me that one night she came home with me and another night I ended up sleeping down there with her. She did manage to stay the night once last week but she had to have a picture of me with her when she went to bed, a picture of me when I was in high school. Papaw told me that she woke up at 2:30 one morning and stumbled into his bedroom and she was carrying my picture with her when she came. The night I spent with her down at Mamaw & Papaw's she commented on the fact that she wouldn't need the picture of me because I was there. She eventually decided to take the picture to bed with her anyway because she knew that I would be gone to work when she woke up and she wanted my picture with her after I left for work. She is such a sweet child. I know this is a faze she's going through and Mamaw & Papaw say they can't wait for it to be over because they have such a hard time getting her to sleep because she cries for me so much. I love the sentiment but I also hope she gets out of this faze because there's so many nights where she has to stay with either Mamaw & Papaw or with her Mother and she's not with me and I hate to think that she is unhappy anywhere she is.
      I would love to have the children with me every night but I feel that it's better for them to stay with Mamaw & Papaw when I have them during the week. I don't see the point in getting the kids up so early and loading them in the car and taking them down to Mamaw & Papaw's at 5:30 in the morning. I know kids all over the world get up that early everyday but if they don't absolutely have to I don't think they should be be made to; plus cold weather is almost upon us and there's no more miserable time to go out in the cold than first thing in the morning.
      I actually think that Becca has learned more this past week hanging out with Mamaw & Papaw than she would have in two months of preschool. Mamaw and especially Papaw have been working with her this past week. She has finally learned that the number five exists and that it actually comes between four and six. She's been driving me crazy withe the number five. She has been able to count to nine for some time but she always has forgotten number five. Now she can count to ten with the number five in its proper place. I was so proud when I heard her do it for the first time. For some weird reason I absolutely love hearing her count to ten. I never thought such a simple act could thrill me so much. She also has learned to not only spell her first name but also write it. I told her she would be ready for Centre College soon. She liked the idea of going to Centre College until she thought she would have to move away. She told me in a very serious manner that she didn't want to go to Centre. I told her that she could live with me and she could drive to college. She then brought up the fact that she couldn't drive. I told her that I would teach her how to drive and she told me that she didn't want me to teach her how to drive she wanted Sissy to teach her how to drive. I told Sissy that and she got a big kick out of that. She also informed me that she would be glad to teach her how to drive.
      Grant has had a pretty monumental week as well. I can now say that Grant can officially walk. His chosen mode of locomotion is still to crawl but he can and will sometimes stand up on his own without pulling up on something and toddle five or six feet. He looks like a baby Frankenstein monster with his arms stretched out in front of him and of course sometimes he looks like a little drunk stumbling around trying so desperately to maintain his balance. I love watching my boy walk. There's nothing like watching my son walk while I'm listening to my daughter count. This is truly a special time in all of our lives.
      Last Saturday Grant got his very first haircut. He was getting those wings over his ears that I would always get before I started shaving my head and it was getting a little long in the back. Becca, Grant and I loaded up and took us a trip to Cookie Cutters which is now known as Kiddie Kutters. I had him dresses in a plaid shirt and a pair of Levi's overalls. I chose a John Deere tractor barber chair for him because he was dressed for the part. I also chose a Teletubbies DVD for him to watch as he got his haircut. Teletubbies are about the only television show that he really likes. He did so great. He was pretty tired when we got there. He was actually asleep in his car seat as we pulled into the parking lot. He laid his head down on the steering wheel of the tractor and just calmly laid there as the woman cut his hair. She was amazed that he took it as well as he did. She commented to me that cutting his hair was almost too easy. I thought he might have a bit of trouble when she used the buzzer on him but he sat up for her and let her buzz his neck and over his ears like he'd had a hundred haircuts. I was so proud of my boy. He did lose his curls with the haircut but they'll be back. Becca got herself a haircut as well. We had to even up her last haircut that we had to get when she decided to take scissors to her own hair. Her cut looked great for a short haircut. Now that we have it even we can get on with the growing it back out business. After haircuts we went to get some lunch.
      A couple of weeks ago I stopped by a shop called Re-Kids which used to be known as Children's Orchard. This place buys and sells used children's clothes. I had visited Children's Orchard and Once Upon a Child, another used children's clothes seller, before and I wasn't too impressed with the prices but now that it's known as Re-Kids the prices are fabulous. I bought Grant a pair of Levi's jeans for five dollars and a Children's Palace shirt for two dollars. I got tons of really high end clothes for twenty dollars. Anyway, after lunch last Saturday we went to Once Upon a Child because Dora the Explorer was going to be there. We had to wait an hour for Becca to sit on Dora's knee for seven seconds or so and get a picture taken. Becca got a thrill out of seeing Dora though. Then we went over to Re-Kids and I got two and a half tons of clothes for fifty dollars. I got Grant a really nice pair of Nike shoes, a Ralph Lauren outfit, a pair of Tommy Hilfiger jeans and tons of other high end stuff. Becca also got a bunch of jeans. I really like shopping there. Becca found a toy there that she really liked. It was a baseball on pole and when you swatted it with the plastic bat it would cheer for you and tell you that you had hit a single, a double or whatever it decided that you had hit. Becca told me she was going to put it on her Christmas list.
      We then went to Toys R Us so Becca could browse around. She saw Biscuit, the Fur Real Friend there that she had originally seen on a commercial. She's decided that that is what she really wants this year for Christmas. I am distressed over that because the thing costs $180 dollars. If I get her that there will be precious few additional gifts. I hope I can swing it and still get her a nice pile of decent stuff. We then went to Culver's for supper where we met up with Mamaw, Papaw, Auntie Lynn, Uncle Rodney and the boys. After Culver's we went to Wal-Mart and then finally and thankfully home.
      Friday after work I dropped by Re-Kids real quick and bought Becca a winter coat and I picked up the toy she had been so taken with. This was to be my first Christmas present purchase of the year. I put the toy in the trunk and headed on down to Mamaw & Papaw's. We went to church yesterday and as I was getting Grant's bag out of the trunk of the car Becca's eyes lit up and she asked me what that was in the trunk. She looked up at me with such adoration and told me what a great Dad I was. Well, so much for the first Christmas gift of the season.
      Grant's eyes have been all matted, mucousy and crusty. We think he might have pink eye. He won't be going to daycare today. I'm off today anyway so I will enjoy hanging out with him while Becca is in school. He's got some eye drops that should take care of the problem. I hope Becca doesn't get it.
      Well, that's all I can think to mention in this post. I need to go lay back down so I can enjoy my kids tomorrow. Daddy loves Rebecca & Grant!

Dear Becca & Grant,
                     Well, how about this; two posts in one day. The earth must have stopped spinning. I just thought that since I had a few free minutes I would update y'all on today. We went to church and Becca learned about Moses and the burning bush and they had a safari theme today whereas last week they had a pirate theme. The lady in the church nursery was concerned that Grant might start walking any day and then they would lose him to the walking class. They separate the older babies by walkers and crawlers. The message in the main sanctuary was Unleashing Confidence and last week it was Unleashing Forgiveness. It's a nice church and Becca really seems to like it. She said she liked our new church better than her old church, Woodford Community Christian as we drove by on our way to Quest.
      We went to Jacobson Park after church. Becca wanted to fish right away. Papaw and I went down by the lake with her and Papaw threw in her line and we waited. Becca had a little nibble and then we actually saw the super tiny fish swimming around her bobber. He never hit the bait again. It wasn't too long before Becca got bored and wanted to play in the sand box. I wish I had known there was a sand box there; I would have brought a shovel for her. She climbed around the playground structures and swung on the swings and generally had a pretty good time. Grant got to swing as well and he laughed big. He was really tired all day though. Becca had an okay time but I don't think that she had as good a time as she did last weekend but that's okay. Becca's not feeling too well right now so it's understandable. I don't have any big plans for next weekend so we'll all just hang around either here or down at Mamaw & Papaw's.
      I forgot to mention one day last week when Becca and I took a walk along the dirt bike trails at Mamaw & Papaw's. It started out as a bird watching adventure and when we got to the mound of dirt that the boys like to ride their dirt bikes over we had to play Dora and Boots on the snowy mountain. We eventually decided that since Becca was Dora and I was Boots we should go exploring. We went down a trail that had been made since the last time I rode dirt bikes down there. I bet I haven't ridden three times this past whole summer. Last year I rode the dirt bike tons. I suppose it's because I don't get to be close to my kids as much as I did before their mother and I separated. I had a great summer with Becca in the pool and Grant sometimes got in as well but not nearly as much as Becca.
      Anyway, Becca and I found a long vine and Becca swung on it for a little but when I tried to swing on it it was apparent that it wasn't made for a man of my girth. I ended up pulling the vine down and we decided we would use it for a rope if we needed to do any mountain climbing. Eventually the game morphed into Scooby Doo and zombies. When we eventually emerged from the woods into the field I laid down in the grass and Becca, being a zombie tried to eat me. I kept rolling out of her way until she finally got me. We checked out Papaw's barn and she had to show me the bulldozer, the bobcat, Papaw's two vintage Ford tractors and his truck. We headed back up the hill but she wanted to walk up the heavy truck access road on Papaw's land and even though I was hungry and tired I relented. She said she wanted to show me something. Eventually she decided she wanted to show me a magical rock that she just happened to pick up. When the rock was on the ground it smelled nice but when you picked it up it magically smelled stinky. We had big time picking the rock up and putting it down. Eventually we started to head back to the house. We saw Mamaw's concrete goose and Becca wanted to shoot it so she made her fingers into a gun and shot that goose. We pretended to pick that goose up and take it back to the house. There was a big pot of stew on the stove so we pretended to throw the goose into the pot and we had goose stew for supper.
      I was about to head for the house but I had to write Mamaw & Papaw a check so I reached into my back pocket for my checkbook but it wasn't there. I know I had it before Becca and I left on our adventure. I deduced that it had fallen out of my pocket as I was rolling and diving away from the Becca zombie earlier in the evening. So I grabbed a flashlight that really needs new batteries and Papaw and Becca rode the mower back to the field. I guessed at about where we had been and I looked around on the ground as Papaw made swipes over the area checking it with the headlights of the mower. Papaw and Becca eventually found my checkbook and while I didn't find the checkbook I did notice the prodigious amount of wild animal droppings, mainly deer. It made me vow never to go rolling around in the field again.
      Well, that's that for this second post in one day. I bet I won't get around to posting again until Thanksgiving but I hope it's much sooner than that. Oh, I have begun work again on the project I started about this time last year. I started downloading Christmas movies and shows off of the internet last year and I TiVoed a bunch more. I have begun editing them and maybe looking for a few more on the internet. Soon I will be burning them to DVD. I'm going to burn four or five copies of each DVD I make so that as one wears out or becomes nonoperational I will still have backups and maybe the kids will be able to enjoy the DVDs their entire childhood. That's my hope anyway. Now, really that's it for this post. Daddy loves Rebecca & Grant!

Dear Becca & Grant,
                     Well, we did go to Bi-Water Farm in Georgetown and Becca had a great time. The day before we went Grant was not feeling very good at all so I decided to reschedule the flu shots for both of the kids. Becca was so relieved that she wouldn't be getting a shot. We dropped Grant off at Mamaw's and Papaw loaned me his new GPS navigation system thingy so we could find our way and I loved it. I had never been to Bi-Water Farm and had no idea where it was at and his tool, it's called a Magellan, worked like a dream. It was a lazy slow day that both Becca & I enjoyed immensely. We first went to Cracker Barrel for brunch. I ordered off of the breakfast menu and Becca had chicken fingers and mac & cheese. I at all of mine but she didn't eat any of hers. We then browsed in the gift shop for awhile. They already have Christmas stuff out. After we left we went outside on the porch and played a game Becca invented using the giant checkers they have there while she chewed her bubble gum I bought for her there and I drank an orange cream soda. We sat there for a good long while. The day was beautiful and it was so relaxing. After we were done there we went to Bi-Water Farm. I knew she was going to enjoy it when we pulled into the drive and she got so excited to see a roll bale of hay they had made up to look like a giant spider. We paid our way in and the first thing we did was check out the baby animals. They had baby ducks, baby chicks and baby bunnies. Becca loved it. Then they had a petting zoo right next to it. There they had tons of goats with two baby kids and a couple of llamas that you could pet. They also had pigs, sheep, chickens, turkeys, and a calf; you couldn't pet any of those though. Then we went over to the Trike Track. They had a ton of big tricycles and a nice little track set up. Becca had fun riding through that. Next we went right next door to the Pirate's Cove which was really only a bunch of sand boxes and a big wooden thing built to look like a ship with wooden pirate cutouts everywhere. Becca really enjoyed playing in the sand boxes. She was there playing for 45 minutes. That's where we first saw the stray chicken. Apparently one had gotten away from the petting zoo area and she was just hanging out with all of the people. The poor chicken was probably traumatized because all of the children were chasing it around all over the place. Becca took another ride around the Trike Track and then we took a hay ride up to the pumpkin patch and Corn Maze. We went through the corn maze and went only a little way in, I hadn't even lost my bearings yet and Becca started talking about us never getting out of there. I assured her that we would. She was just a bit nervous but I knew where we where at and I assured her that I knew how to get us out and sure enough we marched right out of there. Then we browsed the pumpkin patch and we found a very nice little pumpkin for Becca and a super tiny one for Grant. Becca was concerned that we would have to walk all the way back but I assured her that the hay wagon would soon return and sure enough it did. We rode it as far as the playground. There was a soda machine there and Becca was just a bit fussy so we bought an orange soda and that seemed to cheer her right up. She was probably just thirsty. The had a nice playground with some big tubes on ropes that the kids were using as swings, tractor tires halfway in the ground that you could climb on, a wooden tractor, a wooden train and a wooden truck. Then we went across the tractor path to what they called The Little Cowboy Corral which was a bunch of giant rocking horses and a slide. Next we checked out Bunny Town which was an area where they had about twenty rabbits with miniature building made to look like a town. I then convinced Becca to go through the Lost Pumpkin Mine with me. It was in a barn but the entrance was very dark. Becca didn't want to go but I asked her if she would go if I carried her; she said she would. It wasn't scary at all. The story was that Bi-Water Farm got their pumpkins from a pumpkin mine that was worked by dwarves but there is a dragon in the mine. Becca loved the dwarves that she called little Santas, especially when they were having lunch. They were really low quality animatronic type dwarves but cute and funny for a four year old all the same. She said the dragon scared her just a little but I think she was fibbing a little because you don't smile when you are scared. She wanted to go through again and this time I didn't have to carry her. We then stopped at the Ducky Derby which was rubber duckies that you raced using a hand water pump and a length of pipe. She had loads of fun there. We then revisited the baby animals and she got to pet a baby bunny this time. Becca just didn't want to leave. We hung out for a long time in the petting zoo area and then Becca decided she wanted to try the Spooky Old Farm House. She didn't want to try it earlier because the entrance there was dark as well. She took a few tentative steps in and when she saw the skeleton band playing rock music she grinned big because she knew at this point that there would be no spooks in this spook house. There was a monster school room, a bunch of witches relaxing at home, a skeleton taking a shower and a ghost restaurant. All of the exhibits were accompanied with funny little songs appropriate for the setting. There was more but I don't remember all of the spook house things. Becca ran out of the exit and right back around to the house and in we went again. We finished up by paying for our pumpkins and purchasing some apple cider. We then bought us a caramel apple to eat as we waited for the train, actually a tractor made up to look like a train. We rode the train down by a creek and saw an Indian Teepee and a few other sites. She grinned huge the whole train trip.
      We left Bi-Water Farm and I used the Magellan to tell us where the Wal-Mart was located in Georgetown. We needed paints so we could paint her pumpkin. We bought some face paints so we could paint each others face as well as the pumpkin. We got back to Mamaw & Papaw's and broke open the paints and we had a grand old time painting each others faces and then when it was really too dark to see we painted the pumpkin. Papaw made us some popcorn and Becca and I had a ball trying to throw popcorn into each others mouths. We made an absolute mess of the deck. After the popcorn we spent nearly an hour playing a game Becca invented. She gave me the instructions everytime we started. I was supposed to be visiting the penguins at the aquarium with some fish but I didn't see any when lo and behold Becca would come waddling out as Becca Penguin and I would be so excited to see a penguin and then Becca Penguin would eat my fish and Becca Penguin would give me a big hug and the game would begin again after I was instructed on how to play the game. Grant fell asleep long before we decided to head to the house so Becca and I just let him stay at Mamaw & Papaw's and we went home. I was out of dip and I absolutely had to have some dip so even though my face was painted all kinds of different colors as was Becca's we stopped at Dairy Mart. Becca actually thought I had lost my mind wanting to stop at a store when we both looked so foolish. She thought it was funny too though.
      Next morning Becca woke up way earlier than I would have liked. We eventually got dressed and went down to Mamaw & Papaw's so we could all go to church. We were running a little late. We eventually pulled into the parking lot of Quest Community Church right as the service was supposed to start. I got Grant and Becca both settled and I went to the service. The message was on forgiveness. After church I went and got Becca and it seems like they had a pirate themed message. She had fun though and I am going to start taking them there whenever I have the opportunity. We all need to be in church somewhere.
      After church we went to Culvers for lunch. It seems that every time we go to Culvers Becca has to potty. After we had lunch we went to the Lexington Green and fed the ducks and fish. I got change from a lady at the outside bar at Regatta and she gave me a bowl for the feed. That was real nice of her. I really wanted to get a drink at the bar but I thought that would look tacky; me sucking on a mixed drink as I played with my children. I passed on the drink. Becca enjoyed feeding the fish and the ducks but when the food and the money had run out she said she wanted to do something else fun. We went inside Joseph-Beth Booksellers and she played with a train set they had there and a marble game. Both kids had fun.
      We then went to the Carnival Shoe Store to get Grant some shoes but all they had there was Nike and New Balance in his sizes and I am not paying thirty dollars for shoes for a thirteen month old so we decided to go home because we were all so very tired. I changed my mind when I decided that Grant really needed a pair of shoes in the worst way. I stopped and got Becca out and when I went to get Grant out the poor boy was sound asleep. I picked him up and strapped him in a buggy thinking that he would wake right up but he didn't. He would flop over in one direction and I would set him up and he would flop over in the other direction. We got inside and I got one of those carts with a baby carrier type thing attached and put him in that and he slept like exactly what he is, a baby. I tried a couple of pair of shoes on him and eventually found some to fit him and he never woke up during the whole process. We did a little more shopping. Grant finally woke up and he was hungry so I went to the dairy case and got some milk and fixed him a bottle right there in the store. Becca and I were hungry so we got us something to eat as well. We bought us a chicken salad sandwich to split, some Funyuns, some raw broccoli and a banana. We ate on the way home and I have never heard a child go on about how delicious broccoli was like Becca did as she ate her raw broccoli on the way home. You would have thought she was eating ice cream and cake. When we got home Becca and I played our penguin game some more after Becca painted her nose black and her tummy white like a penguin and then that was the end of our fun weekend.
      This past week Grant wasn't feeling too well. Papaw picked him up from daycare one day this past week while I worked over and he looked so puny and was coughing until he was red in the face. Papaw was concerned so he called the pediatrician and they got him in right away. He had an ear infection. While they were there I talked to Papaw on the phone and I asked him to ask the pediatrician about the flu mist for Becca. She really didn't want the shot and if she didn't have to have it I didn't want her to have a shot either. They asked about the mist and the doctor said that she would do just fine with the mist and then Mamaw asked if they could just go ahead and do it that day. They said they most certainly could. Grant got the shot and did not like it one little bit and he has to go back in a month to get another one. Becca on the other hand got the mist and it didn't hurt her at all she told me; as a matter of fact she said it was fun. So now we have the kids inoculated against the flu. Grant's antibiotics made him feel better with his ear infection. After the doctor Papaw, Mamaw, the kids and I all went to Fazolis for Italian food. I love spaghetti.
      Becca had an ear ache incident as well. I left the kids at Mamaw & Papaw's Thursday night and when I was about ready to go to bed I got a call from Mamaw and in the background I heard Becca screaming like a banshee. I grabbed my clothes and all the stuff I would need for work and headed on down to be with her right away. I was almost there when I realized I had forgotten the children's Motrin so I had to rush back and get that. Becca was very upset and complaining of her ear and her tummy. Mamaw thought about taking her to the emergency room until calmer heads prevailed. I gave her some medicine and laid down beside her and she went right to sleep as did I. I went to work the next morning from Mamaw & Papaw's.
      Today we plan on going to Jacobson Park for a small family gathering and they have a lake there so Becca has some plans to fish. We needed a fishing rod so Friday night the kids and I went to Wal-Mart in Lawrenceburg. We got her a Dora the Explorer fishing rod with a Dora bobber, we got her a lantern and a cheap Halloween jack O'lantern mask so she could scare people. She wore her mask inside McDonalds Saturday morning and everyone was scared to death. We came home and everyone was so tired we went right to bed.
      Like I said we are going to Jacobson park this afternoon. First though we are going to go to church though. I was supposed to get the kids this morning about now but it seems Becca had a bad night last night. It looks like we are going to have to take her to the pediatrician Monday and find out what is going on. Kids under sixteen can fish for free at Jacobson Park. This will be Becca's first fishing trip. I am excited about it, maybe more than she is. Papaw & Uncle Rodney have plans on cutting a road in the back of Papaw's house all of the way down the hill to the river. They have to work it out with the owner of the land behind Papaw's land but Uncle Rodney doesn't think that will be a problem. Becca and I along with Jake & Jon went down to the river almost a year ago and it was such a job to get back up the hill that we decided, or rather I decided we would never try that again. It'll be nice if we could just ride down the hill and fish a little bit or just enjoy the river view and then ride back up the hill.
      Grant has taken as many as seven steps. His problem is that he will take off when we start our walking lesson and he will do great starting out but when he does so well to begin with he gets so excited that he really can't repeat his first walk. It's only a matter of weeks until he is toddling around everywhere. I will love to see him walking like that but at the same time I will be sad to see the end of his little commando crawl. I took him to church last week in a cammo shirt, cammo socks and an army green pair of pants and the lady at the church nursery commented on how appropriate his outfit was.
      Grant also seems to be very popular with the staff at Kid's Kingdom Daycare where the kids have been going as of late. When I go to get him it's like he's a rock star on the way out because everyone has to stop and talk to him or hold him. That little boy has some charisma, unlike his Dad who has absolutely zero charisma.
      Well, I need a shower and a shave. I'm supposed to get the kids here in about a half an hour so I had better get on the ball. Daddy loves Rebecca & Grant!

Dear Becca & Grant,
                  I told y'all it would be quite some time before I posted again and it looks as if I was 100% correct. It's almost 6:30 in the evening on a Wednesday. I worked two hours over at the factory and then came straight home. I checked my e-mail and performed a few other internet related activities and then opened up my blogging program and here we are.
      Mom has Becca & Grant this evening so I am here all by myself. I miss them both so bad when they're not around but I have a pretty big weekend planned for us coming up. First thing Saturday morning we have to take care of some business that all of us would probably not have to fool with. The kids both have an appointment Saturday morning at 9:20 for flu shots. After the flu shots though we are heading off to Bi-water Farm in Georgetown for their AutumnFest. There's supposed to be a corn maze, a petting zoo, hay rides, pumpkin patches and all kinds of fun stuff there. I asked mom if she wanted to go with us but she said she would be looking for a job Saturday. I certainly hope it's as fun as I was led to believe. I reckon by the time we've had some fun there they will both be feeling kind of puny from the shots so we are going to come home and relax awhile; what am I saying, those kids never relax.
      Sunday morning we are all going to church at Quest Community Church. We went once and Becca really enjoyed it because they had s'mores there and free popcorn in the lobby. It's all a little too contemporary for me but we all have to start going to church somewhere and I feel like the children's programs would be so much more dynamic in a huge contemporary church like that. Anyway after church we are going to go to Lexington Green and feed the ducks and fish in the lake there and maybe browse around in Joseph-Beth Booksellers for a little while and then we are going to have lunch at Culver's, topping it off with a big frozen custard. Yummy!
      A few weeks ago I was talking to Becca about school and she informed me that after preschool she was going to go to college. I asked her what she was going to study in college. She really didn't understand what I meant by that. I explained that Sissy would be studying how to be a teacher in college and Becca then informed me that she was going to study to be a doctor. She got an urgent look on her face and informed me that Papaw & I were going to have to build her a doctor building. I asked her what she was going to have in her doctor building. She told me she was going to have shots, band-aids, cream and emergency beds.
      Grant has a new bottom tooth to go along with the two that are already there. He's getting so big. He'll be walking any day now. He's saying more and more stuff as well. One of his first words and the most understandable is "Sadie" only it's he pronounces it "sa-DIE", the emphasis being on the second syllable. He's got it in his head that all animals on four legs that look even remotely like a dog is in fact a Sadie. It doesn't matter if it's a dog five times the size of little Sadie, a cat or even a picture of a dragon, they are all "sa-DIE" to him. His first word was of course Dada but I've often wondered if that really was his first word or was he just babbling. I've come to the conclusion that he was talking. He says Mama, Sissy, cookie, tractor, bottle, ball, hello and his favorite word of all, "Hey". I went to pick him up from the daycare that his mom has him in and when he saw me he looked at me and got the biggest grin on his face and hollered out "Hey!", like he hadn't seen me in a month. He started kicking and reaching like a tiny wild man. My boy loves me so much and the feeling is more than mutual.
      Papaw & Uncle Rodney closed up the pool last night but Becca got one last swim in it right before they shut it down. I got in with Becca night before last, the first day of Fall. The water temperature was around 70° I dove right in and while it was super cold it was so refreshing. The days have been running kind of warm this month. Becca and I stayed in the pool for probably around 45 minutes or so. It was getting very late; that's why we didn't stay in longer. I had worked over-time and Becca wanted to go back to the house with me because I had to go get her a nighttime pull-up and she wanted me to give her a bath at our house. That's why we only stayed in for the short time that we did. I didn't get in last night. I didn't have my trunks with me. Becca jumped right into that cold cold water. She was in maybe 15 minutes or so. She probably didn't pay as much attention to the cold the night before because I was in the pool and we were racing and having a grand old time. So Becca was the last one out of the pool for 2008. I promised I would take her to the indoor pool at Falling Springs this winter and she's already talking about that.
      Becca climbed the tree out front since my last post. She really and truly climbed the tree. She was probably five or six feet up. She didn't have any trouble at all going up but coming down she needed help.
      I have been getting in bed too late this week so I am going to get a bite to eat, take a shower and go to bed early. Well, I know I am forgetting stuff that should be included like how well Becca is doing at school. She's gotten all green marks so far this year; green means good whereas red means bad and orange means she could have done better. Mrs. Dykes seems to think that Becca is doing better in the afternoon class than she did last year in the morning class. I can understand that being as how her Dad is not exactly a morning type person either.
      Like I said before there's stuff that I am forgetting but that happens when you only post twice a month. Let me close this out by saying how much I love and miss my kids when they are not with me. It's like I am not whole when they are away from me. I truly believe that until you have children there is no way you can achieve your potential for love. I love my Mom and Dad, I love my sister and I love my niece and nephews but until you have kids you really only have a vague idea about what love truly is. And with that let me just say that Daddy loves Rebecca & Grant!

Dear Becca & Grant,
                  Let me introduce myself. I'm Danny Marlin Lanham and I am your father. I thought I would reintroduce myself to y'all since it's been nearly a month since my last post. I really should have posted this weekend because Mom had y'all this weekend. I missed y'all something awful. Anyway, like I was saying I should have posted this past weekend but of course I had television that needed watching and serial killers that needed to be read about on crimelibrary.com. In other words I was just too ornery to post.
      Lots has happened in the past month. I'll do my best to hit the highlights. Grant, of course had his first birthday. It wasn't nearly as elaborate as Becca's. Mom had custody of the kids on his actual birthday so a few days before his birthday we had a nice birthday cake with footballs, baseballs and footballs for decorations. We also had a small cake for Grant to make a mess with and ice cream. Mamaw & Papaw were there as well as Uncle Rodney, Aunt Lynn, Jake, Jon, Allison (Sissy), Wayne who is Allison's newest beau, Becca and myself. Becca and the boys got in the pool after the cake and ice cream so Grant kind of a pool party as well. We all had a nice time.
      One day this past month Becca asked Mamaw if she could play in the mud and Mamaw without thinking to inquire exactly what mud she was referring to said she could. Well, apparently she was playing somewhere she shouldn't have because Papaw got onto her. It wasn't Becca's fault at all and Papaw apologized but I told Becca that the following weekend we would find her a nice mud hole she could play in. children love to play in the mud. Well, the weekend rolled around and Becca seemed to forget about my promise of mud play. However she did decide she wanted to go dirt digging so we got us a pail and a small shovel and found us a nice place back in Papaw's field with some really nice loose dirt and we filled that pail up. I then remembered my promise to Becca of some mud so we took the dirt back up to Mamaw and Papaw's house and topped the pail off with some water. We started out with the intention of making mud pies but I was feeling kind of silly so I spread mud all over my shaved head. Becca thought that was funny so I coated her arms with mud. Eventually Becca had came out of her shirt and her entire torso, arms and legs were covered in mud. About that time the boys got home from a day of dirt biking with Papaw and Uncle Rodney in Berea. Becca saw Jon and she wanted to belly bump him. She ran after him absolutely coated in mud and he was running away from her as fast as he could. Becca had a grand old time as did I. We both had to be sprayed off with the water hose outside and while Becca seemed to have a grand old time getting showered down with the water hose I thought it was entirely too cold. Becca ended up ruining the shorts and panties she was wearing but I think we would both agree that the experience was well worth it. We then showered in the basement. I didn't think that little girl would ever come clean. That was one of those days that I will never ever forget. That kind of thing is what being the father of a preschooler is all about.
      Speaking of Becca being a preschooler she started her second year of preschool last week. We don't have to pay for her to go this year because being as how Mom is on food stamps she got in for free which means she gets to ride the bus. Becca is going to the afternoon session this year which will probably work out better. So far she's been riding the bus to and from Mamaw & Papaw's but I think she might be going to start riding the bus from Mom's apartment complex and going back home to Mamaw & Papaw's. It's actually kind of a mess right now. Mom & I are still working out custody issues but we are working together and we remain friends so while I am sure there will be bumps in the road and there will be issues we don't agree on things will eventually work themselves out. Anyway, she loves preschool as much as she did last year if not more. She's in Ms. Dykes class again and Becca just adores Ms. Dykes and her teacher's aide Ms. Bush. The first day of school Becca helped Ms. Dykes and Ms. Bush in showing the first year students how the class was run because Becca has had a year there already and she knows how things are done. I asked Becca who was the smartest kid in her class tonight and without a hint of hesitation she said she was. I asked her who the prettiest kid in her class was and once again she didn't even have to think about it when she told me that she was the prettiest kid in class. I am tickled that my daughter has such high self-esteem. That's something I have never had even to this day.
      A few weeks ago I taught Becca how to blow bubbles with bubble gum. She was so proud of herself. Mamaw & Papaw told me they wish I had never taught her how because for days after that they could hardly get her to take the gum from her mouth to eat. Becca is really proud of herself but I don't think she could be as proud I am. I bought Becca a big bag of Dubble Bubble brand bubble gum because Hubba Bubba was getting expensive. Pieces of Dubble Bubble are much smaller than pieces of Hubba Bubba so she ended up swallowing a few pieces. Papaw told her that if she wasn't careful she would be blowing bubbles out of her butt when she went to the bathroom. Becca thought that was funny.
      Grant has been growing like a weed. He's been saying "Sadie" for quite some time now as well as "Mama", "Dada", "Hi" and "Hey" but he's seems to be picking more and more words as time goes by. He says "tractor" and Mom told me he said "duck" the other night. He said duck as he showed her his rubber duckie in the bath the other night of course later he showed her one of Becca's plastic lemons from her kitchen set and told her it was a duck as well. It was the same color. Like I said before one of his first words was "Sadie" but apparently he'd been under the assumption that all creatures like Papaw's dog were called Sadie because one day the middle of last month he saw a dog in our front yard and called it Sadie. He's said "dog" since then so maybe he's figured it out. He's just way too cute. He's standing on his own for a few seconds at a time now as well. He's started to crawl regular instead of the command crawl he's been so fond of; of course when he really wants to move, like when he's trying to away from me he reverts back to his commando crawl for speed. He's getting to be a handful. Becca has discovered that she can grab Grant under his arms and carry him about. That's actually been a big help because if he's trying to get into something he's not supposed to be into and if Becca is closer than I am I can just ask Becca to move her brother and she cam pick him up and move him away from whatever it was that he was trying to get into. Becca does love her little brother and I can tell that Grant loves his sissy just as much.
      Papaw Lawrence is in the hospital at UK so Aunt Mary came up and brought a cold bug with her. Becca and Grant caught it and gave it to Mamaw. It's really knocked her for a loop. I took the kids home with me after Becca got off of the school bus this afternoon to give Mamaw some peace and quiet. We came home and I put in a burned copy of Beauty and the Beast but to my great disappointment it didn't work like I wanted it to. I'm going to have to burn it again using different software and maybe it will work. So I put in a burned copy of The Lion King that I burned using the software I should have used for Beauty and the Beast and it worked perfectly. Becca watched the show as I fixed supper while Grant crawled around all over the house. Well, not all over the house. We keep all of the doors closed leading to the bedrooms and the bathroom. I fixed the kids a hamburger patty with steak rub and ketchup, broccoli with cheese sauce, sliced potatoes, peas and tropical fruit. Becca sat in the living room in her dining room chair with the booster seat using her Dora the Explorer TV tray as a table and ate almost her entire patty and a few bites of her veggies. She didn't touch the fruit which I thought was the best thing on her plate. She was engrossed in the movie but eventually she told me she wanted to watch something else because it was too scary. She told me this right before Timon and Pumba showed up so I told her that the scary part was over, the part where Simba's dad gets killed in the Wildebeest stampede.
      She did enjoy Timon and Pumba though but eventually she got bored and wanted to go outside. She wanted to climb the tree out front. She loves "climbing" the tree out front. She never really climbed it much before she just kind of stepped into the place at the base where it splits off and called herself climbing the tree but this time she really climbed that old tree. I was a nervous wreck. Eventually Mom showed up to take the kids back to her apartment. It's my day but I don't want to get them up at five in the morning so they will either be staying with Mom or with Mamaw & Papaw when I have them during the week. I wish they could stay here with me but I don't think that's fair to the children to be rolling them out of bed so early. The great thing about life before school is that it's probably the only time in your life when you get to sleep in every morning worry free. Anyway, Mom showed up. Becca wanted me to climb the tree so I did. Becca followed me up the tree. She's had been climbing the tree great but she hasn't gotten the hang of climbing back down again. She got up there right below where I was at and she got scared. Eventually I just had to take her by the arm and lower her down to her Mom. I hope that doesn't scare her off from climbing trees. All the while Grant sat at the bottom of the tree just watching. Eventually he got bored and started to fuss but Becca was so into climbing that tree that she told me to just let him cry. She loves her brother but there does seem to be limits. Another great day with my kids.
      It being September the pool time is coming to a close. One day last week Becca and I got in the pool after I spent twenty or so minutes skimming the leaves out of the pool. The wind was up because what was left of Hurricane Gustav was coming through so while the water was very nice the wind made it crazy cold outside the pool. Becca was doing back flips and forward flips; just showing off all the great things she has learned through this past difficult but wonderful summer. We started a game we called "Leaf Patrol". When a leaf would fall into the pool we would race to it calling out "Leaf Patrol, Leaf Patrol!" as loud as we could and when one of us had it we threw it out of the pool. Eventually I decided that Becca looked like a talking leaf so I had to throw her out of the pool. She shivered and hollered from the cold as she jumped right back in. Eventually I tried to block her from jumping back into the pool because she seemed to be really enjoy being so cold. She would run around trying to jump back into the warm water. Once again, another absolutely great day with my daughter.
      Well, It's ten o'clock and I need to take a shower and go to bed. I have to get up just a hair earlier in the morning. They changed my time at work. I recently got a new job as a utility operator which paid twenty-five cents more on the hour but then they changed up things and offered me a choice of a couple of jobs. One of them was a really easy job but I would lose my twenty-five cents. I opted to go with that job because I didn't want to have the pressure of learning new jobs. I hate learning new jobs. Anyway, I need to close this post out. I usually promise to post more often and then I end up not posting again for weeks at a time so this time all I will do is promise to post again sometime. Daddy loves Rebecca & Grant!

Dear Becca & Grant,
            I think I am coming down with a case of cellulitis, my arch nemesis. I felt bad today at work but I got better so I thought maybe it wasn't cellulitis at all but when I changed into shorts after work I noticed the swelling in my leg. I feel like crap right now. I'm going to take an Excedrine PM and go to bed very shortly. I can not miss another day of work because I have missed way beyond too many as it is. I pray that I feel better in the morning.
      I promised that I would take Becca to Jake and Jon's middle school football scrimmage. She was very excited about going but ended up being bored out of her head. She had to go pee while we were there. There was one of those nasty port-a-potties there. She took one look at it and told me that I was going to have to hold her above the potty because she didn't want to sit on it. I don't blame her.
      I came home a little early because I felt so bad I thought maybe Becca & Grant would think I was cross with them when in fact I'm just sick and I turn into a big baby when I am sick. I just wanted to check in real quick before I take a shower and try to go to sleep. Daddy loves Rebecca & Grant!

Dear Becca & Grant,
                     Well, I missed the kids this weekend something fierce but I did get some stuff done which wouldn't have happened if I had the kids. I mowed the lawn, trimmed around stuff with the weed eater, edged the sidewalks and even clipped the hedges. Of course I ended up cutting the wire of my expensive noise reduction headphones in two. That made me a bit ticked off. I also cleaned out the garage and am now able to get that new car in out of the elements. Oh how I wish I had never bought that car. I then cam inside and after a half an hour break I spent about two hours cleaning the house.
      Today I went to the grocery store and bought about twenty-one dollars worth of stuff and to Wok-n-Go for some Chinese food to eat while I looked at some television. I watched an episode of Monk, and episode of Psych and an episode of Eureka. I also did some laundry while I watched television. The washer wouldn't work on the second load but after it cooled down some it did work. I think it may be going shot which is not really something I'm real happy about right now.
      We had lots of fun a few weeks back when Mamaw, Papaw, the kids and I went to the Louisville Zoo. I remember going to the Knoxville Zoo when I was just a wee lad and I loved it. I went to the Jacksonville Zoo when I was courting my first ex-wife and I didn't enjoy that one as much. It was in the dead heat of the summer in Florida so you can imagine how hot it was and it stunk to high heaven. I really enjoyed the Louisville Zoo though. I love seeing all the exotic animals. My favorite was the gorillas. They also had pygmy hippos near the gorillas and I was looking forward to seeing them but I never did. I will be taking the kids back there often and I am sure I will see them soon enough. Becca had a good time as well. She enjoyed the petting zoo which I thought was kind of lame. All they had were goats. Growing up I had all the goats I could stand on account of my grandfather, Bambi Dee raising goats. They have an awesome splash park at the zoo called Glacier Run. That's what Becca enjoyed the most; that and the train ride around the zoo. She loves a train. She also loved the conservation carousel they had there as well. She liked that kind of stuff more than the animals. I liked seeing all the animals. Maybe I'm just a big kid.
      Well, I think Mamaw & Papaw are coming over and bringing some fish from Long John Silvers with them so I had better get off of the computer, I prefer Captain D's fish though. Daddy loves Rebecca & Grant!

Dear Becca & Grant,
                  This is the longest period of time between posts since I began posting. Lots have happened since last I checked in. Earlier in July we all went to Richmond we to watch Jon's Woodford All-Star baseball team lose to Mercer county. We stopped at Cracker Barrel after the game and had the worst experience of our lives at a Cracker Barrel. They didn't even have Becca's favorite Cracker Barrel toy in the gift shop, a jack in the box. We swam a whole lot. Mom & I took the kids to a small festival behind McDonalds where Becca road the same pony she rode at the county fair.
      We went to the Louisville Zoo while I was off on vacation and we all had a grand time. Becca liked the splash park best of all.
      I am having trouble with my internet connection so I am a little distracted. I will post again this weekend as Mom has the kids this weekend. Daddy loves Rebecca & Grant!

Dear Becca & Grant,
                  Happy Fourth Birthday to Becca! She had a pretty good day as far as I can tell. I was working for most of it. She spent the night with Mamaw & Papaw and got up to a birthday breakfast that she didn't eat. She had a birthday mower ride and she did all of the fun stuff she usually does when she's at Mamaw & Papaw's. Mom came to pick her up and the two of them came up to meet me at work. We went to see the new Disney/Pixar movie Wall-E at the AmStar theatre in Nicholasville. She had been looking forward to it for weeks and weeks and when the movie got going she became bored out of her head. She kept talking about playing the arcade games while we were in the theatre. I eventually took her to the lobby before the film was over and we played games. She insists that she loved Wall-E; I'm sure she did, just not enough to actually watch the whole thing.
      I took Mom and Becca back to the Explorer at my work where we left it. We stopped at White Castle and had a few little square burgers and a milkshake on the way over there. I went to Wal-Mart when I dropped Mom and Becca off and got some birthday presents for Becca and Jacob.
      Grant has a little cold, an ear infection in his right ear and he's finally having some more teeth pop through so he had a pretty rough week. He now has a tiny tooth on the top to go with the two on the bottom. It seems like Becca had a mouth full of teeth by the time she was his age. Grant has started waving and clapping. He sometimes gets the two confused. He's such a pleasure to watch. Daddy loves Rebecca & Grant!

Dear Becca & Grant,
                  It's been awhile since I posted. There's been stuff going on around here that has diverted my attention as I am sure you can guess. Becca has been making great strides in her swimming. When she first decided she wanted to swim without her floaty suit it was so that she could dive to the bottom of the pool to retrieve little pool toys. As I mentioned in my last post earlier this month she was so excited when she touched the bottom of the pool with her feet when she jumped into the pool. As the month progressed she became braver and braver under the water. She got to the point where she could hit the bottom of the pool with her butt and then she got to the point that she is able to dive and retrieve those elusive pool toys resting so tantalizing on the bottom of the pool. She swims so well under the water and now she can swim under the water with her belly touching the bottom of the pool. She still hangs out right next to the steps but I am proud of her that although she has absolutely no fear of the water she knows her limitations and takes intelligent steps to keep herself safe. If Becca is able to spend as much time in the pool the rest of the summer as she has so far this year she will be an excellent swimmer by August.
      Grant has not started crawling in the traditional sense but he gets around anywhere he wants using an army type belly crawl. He crawls using his elbows and toes and can get around super quick. He is such a squirmer. It's became a real job to change his diaper because he always wants to be flipping around. That little boy has become quite a handful. He has started waving and even clapping. Grant is becoming more and more interactive and as a result he is becoming more and more fun.
      Becca and I had a big week this week. Mom had planned on going with us to the Woodford County Fair Thursday night. Mom has had some problems with her leg and was going to be unable to go with us Thursday so Wednesday evening after I worked two hours over I came right down to Mamaw & Papaw's and Becca and I went to together to the fair. Becca and I had an absolute ball. We stayed a little over two hours. Becca had so much fun but I wasn't able to get as many pictures as I would have liked so I told her that we were going back Saturday evening so maybe Jon, Jacob and Allison could ride some rides with her so I could get some pictures. Allison has a friend named Becca who we call Big Becca and Little Becca and Big Becca really hit it off so my Becca wanted to ride some rides with Big Becca.
      During our two evenings at the fair we had cotton candy, funnel cakes, corn dogs, a bucket of fries, a lamb gyro, a snow cone and tons of soda. All of the traditional fair food. After we ate Saturday night my Becca decided she wanted to join Uncle Rodney and Jacob in watching a tuck pool. I didn't think she would really be into a truck pool so much so as we walked over there I noticed that they had pony rides and a petting zoo so we stopped and I let Becca take a pony ride and pet the llamas, sheep, goats and the calf that they had there. Becca had such a ball. After we had finished with the petting zoo I was ready to head for the house but she hadn't forgotten about the truck pull. Uncle Rodney and Jacob had graciously waited on us to get done. I hadn't expected them to wait but being as how they are good people they did. So we all went to the truck pull. We staked us out a spot in the grass near the starting line. I thought that once Becca heard that first truck rev the super loud engine she would be ready to leave. The truck roared off of the starting line with the weight sled behind it; Becca covered her ears and I thought we would be leaving. She turned her head and she had the biggest smile on her pretty face. She loved it. We watched maybe a dozen trucks pull and then we finally headed to the house.
      This morning Grant, Becca and I met Mom in Lexington so we could try out Quest Community Church. It's a very contemporary type church. They have a coffee bar right in the church and you are welcome to take your drink right into the sanctuary. The children's areas where larger than some churches I have been in. They are into a series of messages based on current films which is certainly different in my experience. I personally prefer a more traditional church with good old fashioned hymnals and old ladies with blue hair but I understand that those kinds of churches have lost their appeal to younger people and I certainly want Becca and Grant to grow up in church and I want them to love church. Quest will be good for the kids and I need to get back in church as well.
      Well, it's late and I have to hit the proverbial hay. Daddy loves Rebecca & Grant!

Dear Becca & Grant,
                  Becca is with Mamaw & Papaw right now. She was supposed to go with them to Dairy Queen and then come on home if she wanted to or go home with Mamaw & Papaw if she wanted to do that. It's 10:13 right now so apparently she decided to go home with Mamaw & Papaw. Grant is fast asleep in his room right now. Mom is still at work up at the Cardinal Hill unit at Samaritan Hospital.
      Becca has been learning to swim the past couple of days. She's been doing absolutely fabulous. Saturday Becca rode down to Mamaw & Papaw's while Grant and I planned on going to Wal-Mart. Grant fell asleep before we got going so I decided to take a nap as well and we ended up sleeping most of the day away. Grant and I decided to go to Kroger instead. We bought nearly $200 dollars worth of groceries. Mom was at her friend's house playing board games. All the while Becca was being taught how to swim without her floaty type swimsuit by Big Sissy, Allison. She did really well so I was very excited to get down there and check this out.
      When I arrived I got in the pool and she took right off with a very impressive little dog paddle. Mamaw was blown away because she said that she did okay with Big Sissy but she was doing so much better with me. That made me feel very proud because she trusted me so much more than anyone else. She did so well for a three year old with just one day of real swimming experience.
      Today she worked with Papaw while Mom & I were at work. I got there after work and went right into the pool. The water was so much warmer than it had been. Becca and I worked on swimming for hours. She really excelled in the water. She can swim like a fish underwater just like her Mother can. She was jumping into the pool with no fear and swimming when she emerged from the water. She was out there playing with the boys and I without any floatation device at all. Becca still needs someone right next to her to grab her from the water when she goes under. It doesn't freak her out when she sinks below the water because we have assured her that we will always be there to get her. We have emphasized to her that she is never ever to get into the pool and try to swim when an adult is not in the pool with her. The highlight of her day was when she jumped into the pool and her feet touched bottom. She was so excited she got out of the pool and danced a little jig. Watching her learn to swim has been a true joy. This will be something I will remember my entire life. Poor Becca's flat beat down when after a hard days play in the pool.
      Grant spent a long time in the pool as well. He was in his little float most of the time but when Becca was out of the pool or wearing her floaty suit I got to play with him in the pool. He seems to love the water as well. He's getting cuter every day. Papaw has got him whispering. Papaw will start whispering to him and he will whisper right back at him. Grant also has figured out how to click his tongue and he does it all the time.
      My kids are so great. I am so blessed to have two such wonderful little people in my life. Well, it's almost eleven now so I am going to close this post out. I don't reckon Mom is posting here anymore but I am and Daddy loves Rebecca & Grant!