The Quiet Game

The old salty dog at the helm.

We went to Hilton Head this past weekend and had a blast. This photo was taken on a dolphin spotting tour. All the kids on the boat got a turn at the wheel. Most of them, like Soen, stood there in amazement. Sadie, on the other hand, was driving the boat like she'd done it her whole life. Here you can see her scanning the horizon. Even the captain said, "Look at her! She's like, 'I got this.' "

Anyway, my favorite moment from the entire trip was in the car ride on the way down. It was a five-hour drive and towards the end the kids were understandably getting a bit rambunctious. So, we tried playing the Quiet Game. This is the entire transcript:

Wife: Hey guys, let's play the Quiet Game!
Soen: OK Mommy!
Wife: On the count of three we all have to be as quiet as possible and see who can stay the quietest the longest. Ready? 1...2...3!
Sadie: I LOSE!

Tooth Fairy vs Santa

Guess what!

So, Soen lost his first tooth the other day. Wife has been having a rather hard time with this one. I guess her little boy is growing up too quickly. My dilemma, on the other hand, is more spiritual in nature. As you may know, I have forbidden Santa from our household. But I totally have a double standard when it comes to the tooth fairy. Wife called me on this the other day and I had no good explanation for her other than I'm a hypocrite.

As for the big night, he was concerned with the tooth getting lost under his pillow. I wsa only too happy to suggested we leave it out in the open, for I was concerned with how I was going to be able to do the old switcheroo without waking him up--especially since he's in his bunk bed. Anyway, he was pleased as punch when he woke up and found a dollar where his tooth was. And then promptly forgot all about the whole experience and went outside to look for lizards. I later asked him if he found himself playing with the gap with his tongue, which is what I used to do. He looked at me like I had four heads. He's already cooler than I ever was.

The S word

Roller Disco Queen

This was taken at a birthday party yesterday. I brought the kids' scooters and Soen was happy zipping around the place. But Sadie wanted to try roller skating. I love that about her. She's a gamer. Anyway this is pretty much what she did the whole time. She'd take ten minutes to skate from one end to the other--with the older kids zipping by--and then turn around and take ten minutes to skate back. Perfectly content.

Anyway, this post is called "The S word" because of an interaction Soen and I had the other day at the pool...
"I know a bad word, Daddy."
"Oh yeah?"
"The S word. Do you know what the S word is?"
"I know what it is. I'm curious if you know what it is."
"I know what it is. It's 'stupid.' "
"Ah. Yes, that's it all right."

I'm glad that was the S word he was talking about. Not only was I not looking forward to having a discussion with him about the other S word, but I'm also relieved because it wouldn't take a genius to figure out which parental figure he would have heard the other S word from.

Happy Mother's Day

Cute, right? Of course, this is the same creature who, only hours ago, pulled something out of her belly button and ate it.


In case you're wondering how my first week of part-time work went. Well, it was actually quite nice. Right now it's just me and Sadie and we've had some good father-daughter time. Plus. the pool opened up on Monday, so that scored me big points. I do, however, have one... well maybe "complaint" isn't the right word. "Concern" might be better

Now, I know I'm not the first person to comment on this, but it's unbelievable how crazy your child can drive you with the word "why." She's in that phase right now and it's her reply to every single sentence I utter. No exaggeration. I don't remember Soen being this annoying. Did I say "annoying?" I meant "inquisitive." I'm reminded of a bit that the comedian Louis CK does about this very topic. Once the question is asked it's just a downward spiral:
"Sadie put your shoes on."
"Why?"
"So we can go to the store."
"Why?"
"To buy some mulch."
"Why?"
"For our garden."
"Why?..."
And on and on until you finally lose your mind and scream "Because I said so!"

Actually now I just cut right to the "Because I said so" chase the moment the question is asked. It seems to be the only thing that shuts her up. By "shuts her up," of course, I mean, "satisfies her curiosity about the wonders of the world."

Um... so aside from that... I'm digging the whole part-time thing.

Speaking of mulch, have you ever seen "My Big Fat Greek Wedding?" Remember the one aunt who was obsessed with Windex? She used it to cure everything... Well, I'm in the middle of overhauling our yard, and I think mulch is my Windex. Every problem I see... I'm pretty sure it can be fixed by mulch. Is that weird?