Last night Amanda sat on the couch and sang along with the funny duet called TROUT FISHING IN AMERICA. One song is 18 WHEELS ON A BIG RIG. She was adamant in her claim that it was the best song ever.
Her speech is nasally and slurred for the most part, but she loves to sing. Every morning when I drive her to school we play music and she sings. She only needs to hear a song a couple of times before she knows it so her catalog is quite extensive. But her school is so close we only get one song. In the fall she will go to the middle school, which is across town. She was concerned that I wouldn't like driving her so far, but I assured her that I don't mind because it will give us more time to sing.
It is things like this that make all the difference.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
?????????
I haven't been procrastinating or even avoiding my blog, but I have been absent. The thing is, I just don't have a lot say because so many things are going so well in regards to the primary subject of my musings.
Amanda is finishing up her last semester in Elementry School and is looking forward to Middle School in the fall. She told me the school is awesome and full of big kids.
At this very moment I hear her through the wall yelling her cheer from her cheer team. She doesn't really have an inside voice so she is a natural.
We are back on the bench most evenings after work. Me with a Coke Zero enhanced with either lemon or lime and my sweet girl enjoys her apple juice. It's a nice time and we relax. I used to do it to give my wife a break but now it is more for me than anyone else. I find it to be a great unwinding from the day.
With all that being said, at the moment there isn't anything else to say.
Amanda is finishing up her last semester in Elementry School and is looking forward to Middle School in the fall. She told me the school is awesome and full of big kids.
At this very moment I hear her through the wall yelling her cheer from her cheer team. She doesn't really have an inside voice so she is a natural.
We are back on the bench most evenings after work. Me with a Coke Zero enhanced with either lemon or lime and my sweet girl enjoys her apple juice. It's a nice time and we relax. I used to do it to give my wife a break but now it is more for me than anyone else. I find it to be a great unwinding from the day.
With all that being said, at the moment there isn't anything else to say.
Monday, January 24, 2011
They Did Fine
I went on a business trip to Washington DC last week. It was my first trip without Tina and Amanda in ten months.
What a difference that ten months has made. Amanda usually took it upon herself to punish Tina and everyone else she could find when I would travel. This trip was completely the opposite. She was cooperative and sweet and she and Tina had a wonderful time.
Along with my mother and older sister, they formed what they call, The Ladies Supper Club. Amanda is the self appointed president for life.
Those two hours each evening allowed Amanda to relax and gave Tina the relief they both needed to get through each day.
Something else that happened on this trip was Amanda insisted on talking to me on the phone. Tina finally entered the modern age by getting an iPhone 4. Seriously, she has only had four phones in twelve years.
Amanda and I spoke for about fifteen minutes each night. I thought it was incredible. She told me about school and dinner and I told her how I missed lunch for a meeting and had to wake up early.
I'll be upgrading to the next generation of iPhone this summer and then we can do face time.
The down side to this, is now I will have to travel a little more.
Why is this a downside? For example, while my room was nice, it was right above the the flags outside the building. The last night a front rolled in with thirty mile an hour winds and all night long I heard a steady, whap whap whap. The joys of business travel.
What a difference that ten months has made. Amanda usually took it upon herself to punish Tina and everyone else she could find when I would travel. This trip was completely the opposite. She was cooperative and sweet and she and Tina had a wonderful time.
Along with my mother and older sister, they formed what they call, The Ladies Supper Club. Amanda is the self appointed president for life.
Those two hours each evening allowed Amanda to relax and gave Tina the relief they both needed to get through each day.
Something else that happened on this trip was Amanda insisted on talking to me on the phone. Tina finally entered the modern age by getting an iPhone 4. Seriously, she has only had four phones in twelve years.
Amanda and I spoke for about fifteen minutes each night. I thought it was incredible. She told me about school and dinner and I told her how I missed lunch for a meeting and had to wake up early.
I'll be upgrading to the next generation of iPhone this summer and then we can do face time.
The down side to this, is now I will have to travel a little more.
Why is this a downside? For example, while my room was nice, it was right above the the flags outside the building. The last night a front rolled in with thirty mile an hour winds and all night long I heard a steady, whap whap whap. The joys of business travel.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Getting back on track
The bench is covered in snow but it was actually too hot to sit on the last time I posted.
Amanda dropped out of the Christmas play she was in. It was simply too involved for her. However, she did participate in her 5th grade musical where she played air guitar, danced and sang. She truly enjoyed it.
In October she joined a newly formed cheer team for special needs girls. It is proving to be a great experience. The gym that is running it has a great group of teenage girls who are on the elite team who are helping. Amanda is actually jumping, which is something we never thought we would see.
In November we took a trip to Tucson where she once again showed how mature she has become. Traveling with her isn't difficult when at one time it was virtually impossible.
Tina and I are thrilled about this because that is the one aspect of the pre Amanda life we missed.
I think one of the reasons for my long absence from the blog is that I have been very content. The past four months have been as good as I can remember as a husband and father and I was simply lost in the moment.
But, there are a lot of changes about to take place and I want document them. Amanda will be thirteen in two months. She is constantly reminding us that she will be a teenager and things are different now.
In the fall she will be starting at the
middle school. And there will be quite a bit of travel this year.
So I will be more disciplined in my posting.
I think my iPad will help in the matter.
Amanda dropped out of the Christmas play she was in. It was simply too involved for her. However, she did participate in her 5th grade musical where she played air guitar, danced and sang. She truly enjoyed it.
In October she joined a newly formed cheer team for special needs girls. It is proving to be a great experience. The gym that is running it has a great group of teenage girls who are on the elite team who are helping. Amanda is actually jumping, which is something we never thought we would see.
In November we took a trip to Tucson where she once again showed how mature she has become. Traveling with her isn't difficult when at one time it was virtually impossible.
Tina and I are thrilled about this because that is the one aspect of the pre Amanda life we missed.
I think one of the reasons for my long absence from the blog is that I have been very content. The past four months have been as good as I can remember as a husband and father and I was simply lost in the moment.
But, there are a lot of changes about to take place and I want document them. Amanda will be thirteen in two months. She is constantly reminding us that she will be a teenager and things are different now.
In the fall she will be starting at the
middle school. And there will be quite a bit of travel this year.
So I will be more disciplined in my posting.
I think my iPad will help in the matter.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
YEAH!
Amanda went to our local fair this week with her school. While there she was asked if she would like to help change the tire on a go-kart. When you ask Amanda if she wants to do something and she does she always answers with a loud "YEAH!"
Last night she sat on the couch and imitated the sound of the impact wrench. It took it minute or two for me to figure out what was going on but I was relieved when I did. She has started burping on purpose and I was concerned this noise was going to enter into her vocabulary.
Her latest activity is she will be a cast member of the local youth theatre's performance of "A Christmas Carol"
She has been in three school plays and thinks this will be fun. She is venturing out more and that is enjoyable for all of us.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Something on my mind
I have a topic on my mind that has dominated my thinking the past few weeks and it can be summed up like this: CRAP is CRAP
What I mean by that blunt statement is this; do not deny people their pain. I believe the worst thing that I have ever been told or have ever heard anyone say to anyone else who is having a hard time with a personal issue is: "It could be worse."
Everyone is aware that things can always be worse, that is not the point I am trying to make. What I am say is this.
Imagine you are about to be served a meal at a restaurant and the food is brought out and placed before you and your family or date or whomever you care to share a nice meal with. The food is everything you want it to be and then all of the sudden a squirrel that is hanging from the rafters poops onto your meal. The food is ruined by this small amount of fecal matter, as is the outing.
Now the manager of the restaurant is demanding that you pay for the meal.
Customer: I'm not paying for this meal
Manager: But why?
Customer: Because a squirrel crapped on it
Manager: But it was just a squirrel. It's not like it was a buffalo
Customer: No, crap is crap.
So what I'm saying in my round about way is this, when a person has received bad news, don't trivialize it by saying it could be worse because we all know that is true. Don't be a squirrel or a buffalo, be a human being.
What I mean by that blunt statement is this; do not deny people their pain. I believe the worst thing that I have ever been told or have ever heard anyone say to anyone else who is having a hard time with a personal issue is: "It could be worse."
Everyone is aware that things can always be worse, that is not the point I am trying to make. What I am say is this.
Imagine you are about to be served a meal at a restaurant and the food is brought out and placed before you and your family or date or whomever you care to share a nice meal with. The food is everything you want it to be and then all of the sudden a squirrel that is hanging from the rafters poops onto your meal. The food is ruined by this small amount of fecal matter, as is the outing.
Now the manager of the restaurant is demanding that you pay for the meal.
Customer: I'm not paying for this meal
Manager: But why?
Customer: Because a squirrel crapped on it
Manager: But it was just a squirrel. It's not like it was a buffalo
Customer: No, crap is crap.
So what I'm saying in my round about way is this, when a person has received bad news, don't trivialize it by saying it could be worse because we all know that is true. Don't be a squirrel or a buffalo, be a human being.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Turn about
As you know Tina will not save me from an attacking frog. Well she learned something very important about me the other day.
I was sitting in the living room a couple of evenings ago playing Words With Friends on my iPhone. This is one of my favorite aps and games and it keeps me occupied in a positive manner.
While sitting there minding my own business trying to think of a four letter word that ends in either C or J Tina screams from our master bathroom. It's a blood curdling scream that conveys pure terror. So naturally I think it is either a zombie, Jason Vorhees, or a frog. I pause the baseball game that is supplying background noise for my scrabble like game and then charge to the bathroom at a light jog. Tina and Amanda are on on side of the bathroom which measures twenty feet across and are pointing towards the other side. I don't see the walking dead or a hockey masked murderer so I look down and see...
Yes, that blur is the worlds smallest lizard. I had my iPhone with me so I was able to capture the creature with my camera.
I then put it in some tissue and took it outside and released it to the wild. Tina and Amanda were safe and I was able to return to my games.
Now, I'm not saying I'm better than my wife, because I'm not. I'm just saying that when it comes to small little creatures you're better off with me than with her.
I was sitting in the living room a couple of evenings ago playing Words With Friends on my iPhone. This is one of my favorite aps and games and it keeps me occupied in a positive manner.
While sitting there minding my own business trying to think of a four letter word that ends in either C or J Tina screams from our master bathroom. It's a blood curdling scream that conveys pure terror. So naturally I think it is either a zombie, Jason Vorhees, or a frog. I pause the baseball game that is supplying background noise for my scrabble like game and then charge to the bathroom at a light jog. Tina and Amanda are on on side of the bathroom which measures twenty feet across and are pointing towards the other side. I don't see the walking dead or a hockey masked murderer so I look down and see...
I then put it in some tissue and took it outside and released it to the wild. Tina and Amanda were safe and I was able to return to my games.
Now, I'm not saying I'm better than my wife, because I'm not. I'm just saying that when it comes to small little creatures you're better off with me than with her.
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