Nutritional Value of PB&J

Lunch at our house is fairly simple as long as there is bread, peanut butter and some sort of jam or jelly. Logan, Ethan, and Dylan LOVE PB&Js and if I cut them out using a cookie cutter or if Gary cuts them into the shape of a letter, the boys are in heaven. Well, as with most easy ways out, we eat them a bit too often for lunch. It beat the arguments over anything else. Lately we have begun to use them occasionally for dinner on the go too. Yesterday I think we hit an all time new low. I made them for lunch and didn't get around to putting something on for dinner by 3:30 so when Gary got home at 5:00 there was nothing started. We had to leave for a soccer game in ten minutes so Gary packed a dinner for us to eat on the way to the game and while cheering Tom on at the game. Well, dinner was VERY similar to lunch. PB&Js and cookies. I guess if they are nutritious for lunch, then they must be for dinner too? When ball is over in June, things should slow down and we can start eating slow and easy dinners at a normal time again!

Dylan

I finally got some film developed and it had some great shots of the little man.

Dylan at Easter. Tom was helping him stand up by holding his hands and boy did he look so big!

Dylan the Harley ridin' dude. This was at the Easter Egg hunt. It was FREEZING that day!

Gary thought Dyl's hair was getting too long. I put off his haircut as long as possible but finally gave in. Boy do I miss that baby fine hair that I played with while he nursed! It was a bit long I guess.

Post hair cut. His expression says it all to me. "What the heck just happened?"

Just chillin' the end of April. Showing off all of his teeth. Will he ever have more than two? I can't believe what he can eat with just two teeth. Last night was bacon wrapped meatloaf, carrots, and pickled beets. Yeah, beets sound nasty but my kids all love them.

Dodge Circuit Finals Rodeo

Each year when the rodeo comes to town, the Forest Service is involved in this field trip day for third graders where they can learn about fire prevention and rodeo stuff. This year my sister brought her class from Preston, Idaho and Logan, Ethan, and Dylan and I joined her. I thought I'd post some of the great pictures from that afternoon. Thanks for letting us come Sunnie and Gary!

Bowel Sounds

So, last Wednesday I had my gallbladder removed. It was same day surgery and I was actually home just after noon but it's taken me a while to get back on my feet. My belly button has never looked sexier all yellow-green-purple and all. Anyway, I was at my doctor for a check-up today and he looked over the incisions and then listened to my stomach and then reported, "Your bowel sounds are great!" Never in my life would I have thought that a statement like that would make my day but woooo hoooo! Funny the things that make you happy as you get older.

Baseball and boys

Tom has started baseball and between soccer for Tom and Logan and baseball practices and games, we have started eating dinner any time after about 4 pm to get it done before we race out the door for one sporting event or another. Tom had another game last night and the kid makes me smile. It is so fun to watch them succeed at something that they enjoy. He started playing center field and then moved to catcher and ended the game, they only play three innings after all, as the star third baseman. I was feeding Dylan in the car by this point and could only see parts of the last inning but I saw enough to know he got several out in a row as the ball was hit down the third base line and he caught it and tagged his base in time. Boy is it fun to watch! Just don't tell Gary I think it is fun because I gave him quite a hard time about signing Tom up for another sport when he was already playing soccer.

Gary wrote about the first game on our family website and I thought I'd share it. Every time I read about it, it makes me smile. I'll add some pictures of Tom in his uniform soon.

"Tom had his first Baseball game on Tuesday. Man, he sure looked sharp. Cleats, long socks, pants, jersey, hat. He was a great looking third baseman. He hit really well. It was a blast to watch! The league has a rule that if the kid is going to play the catcher position, he has to wear a protective cup. Oh, did Tom want the cup. So, being the dutiful father that I am, I went to the sporting good store the night before the big game. I walked right over to the baseball stuff and was looking around. A cute salesperson approached me and asked if I needed some help. I said confidently "I am looking for a cup." She took me straight to them, what a great helper. This is where the story begins to unravel. I then said, " What is the smallest one you have?" Looking back on it now, I hope that she knew that I was a proud father, trying to protect my young son, and that I already have my own extra large protective cup! She was quite polite through the entire exchange......Anyway, Tom was way excited the next day when he saw that he now had a cup, and as equally as grand to him was that he could play catcher. So like I said, he started out in the hot corner, and then moved to catcher in the 2nd inning. I hustled in from the first base coaches box to help him get his gear on. The shin guards were up to his thighs, the chest protector was down to his knees, and then, being a bit naive, I helped him put his cup in place, and I just shoved it between his underwear and baseball pants. He caught a great inning. (They use a pitching machine and a bucket of balls, so the catcher just sits back there and lets the balls hit him and then gathers up a handful after a few batters and takes them back to the bucket. There may be a play at home, at which time the catcher may be involved, but don't hold your breath.) At the end of the inning Tom came back to the dugout and said to me "Dad, I don't know wear my cup is." Image my surprise to hear that. It's not like he had left for a while. There were 100 people playing and watching the game, How would something like that escape? Well, it wasn't an escape, more of a migration. In all of Toms "catching", the cup had slid down and to the left. I found it behind his knee, just floating in his baseball pants. I love little league!!"

My Learning Curve

So, Gary was on his way to work and I noticed that there were a few dandelions next to his truck. Logan was out working in his "garden" - actually a place Gary parks his boat that is covered in bark and routinely sprayed to keep the weeds down. I made a deal with Logan that if he would pick and throw away the dandelions, I would pay him a dime for each one. I had heard horror stories about this kind of deal before but I could see the small patch of grass and could count on one hand how many flowers were in it, or so I thought. He came in and we began counting. He picked those that had turned yellow and actually bloomed as well as those that were yet to bloom. You gotta give the kid credit for going the extra mile if you ask me. Well, 75 dandelions and one paper IOU later because I didn't have $7.50 in cash, Logan went on his way smiling. I guess that means they only need $42.50 for their Wii now and there goes my lunch out one day! Out smarted by a six-year-old again.

This face is made for pictures

Logan. What can I say about Logan? After going through our latest pictures we had developed (yes, we are still old school with the 35 mm) all I can say about him is, "WHERE DID HE COME FROM?" The kid makes me laugh. I don't think he can take a picture without some sort of pose going on. I thought I'd let you all see what I mean by putting a few of his poses out for the world to see. I have to sign him up for some acting classes! He also has quite the dance moves if you ever get him to show you. This kid is great!