Barry’s Daily Web News

Cooldown Downtown

A Crowded Night at the Burger King

Tonight was a popular night for the Burger King play area. The entire time we were there, there was a constant crowd of kids playing. One of Sean’s schoolmates even showed up for a while. All of the noise from the kids screaming and playing will be good conditioning, making Sean and Ethan together at home seem like a quiet time. I wanted to stay as late as possible to give Cortney time to get ready for her party, but it was clear when it was time to go, as both kids were exhausted.

Oops, No Post for Thursday

I simply forgot to post yesterday. I spent the evening working on a compilation disk of 80’s songs. Cortney is hosting a pool party with an 80’s theme for this evening, and I wanted to have the music ready last night. I made a CD with mp3 songs, which will play the audio on our DVD player. Of course, our DVD player is hooked up to the stereo, which also is connected to outdoor speakers.

Sean Asks to Use a Public Restroom

For the first time outside the house, Sean told us he needed to go potty. We happaned to be at McDonalds, and Sean all of a sudden told us he needed to go potty. I was surprised, because he was wearing a diaper. Sean actually ran off before we could say anything. He ended up in the women’s bathroom, so I had to get Cortney to get him into the proper restroom. This time I went with him. I helped him get his pants and diaper off. I was standing there waiting to see if he needed any help. I guess he didn’t, because Sean ordered me out of the restroom. I went back in just a bit later. Sean showed me where he had gone potty (he had), so I helped him get dresssed and helped him wash his hands. This is a big step for Sean, since now we can start going out without him wearing diapers. It’s a good thing too, since he has almost outgrown the size six diapers, the largest size they make.

Library Night

As usual on Tuesday’s, I took Sean and Ethan to the library. We are still going to baby time, even though Ethan is starting to outgrow it. I still like to go, since Ethan doesn’t like sitting still for the regular story time. Sean and Ethan form a cheering section after each one of the songs and stories for baby time. I try to tell them not to make so much noise, but I don’t think anyone else minds.

We actually arrived early at the library before story time started. Sean still likes to play at the train tables, and Ethan likes the puzzles and the Lego table. I didn’t think much of Ethan’s ability to do the puzzles until I saw a father trying to teach a daughter, older than Ethan, where to put the puzzle pieces. Ethan actually walked over at pointed to where the pieces went.

Sean won’t say so, but I think he really likes the story time for older children. Tonight’s theme was magic, and Sean intently listened to each on of the stories. I enjoy just relaxing, holding Sean and Ethan in my lap. Both kids were tired by the time we arrived home, which I consider the sign of a successful evening outing.

Interesting Weather

We had the hottest day of the year so far, at 112 degrees. With the higher humidity, it was very uncomfortable. I had the A/C in my car going at full blast when I drove Sean over to gym class, and the car was still hot inside. After gym class was over, Sean and I had to brave high winds to get from the building to the car. The winds were from a huge dust storm. This dust storm looked like a normal thunderstorm, except no rain, just dust. With the higher humidity and hot weather, the chances are good we will have a real thunderstorm later this week.

Ethan is 21 Months Old Today

Ethan is 21 months old today. I have noticed that he is quite talkative lately. I figure Ethan can say at least a hundred words, with about half pronounced well enough to understand what he is saying. The next big speaking challenge will be to combine words. Ethan has just started doing that, saying things like “Hi, Daddy!”. Physically, Ethan is also doing well. Too well, in fact. He can climb up on or get into anything he can reach. Of course, we still love him, even when he misbehaves.

A Hot Day

The high today was 110 degrees, which is only a few degrees hotter than the normal temperature, but it seemed worse because of the higher humidity. I ended up using the pool twice today. The first time was after finishing mowing the lawn, and the second time was when the whole family went in after dinner. The pool is now warm enough for Cortney to enjoy, and we don’t have to worry about Ethan getting too cold. That’s about the only good thing I can think of to say about the hotter weather.

A Busy Day

We started off the day with a trip to an outdoor play area that had sprinklers. Cortney and I thought that Sean and Ethan would love to cool off from the hot weather in the sprinklers. As it turned out, neither of them cared much for the sprinklers. So, we played on the slides until it was just too hot outside, then went home for lunch.

After a lazy afternoon, we went out to dinner. The dinner was fairly uneventful. After we finished, I took Sean into the bathroom with me, and he used a urinal for the first time. I guess he saw me use it, and he wanted to try it himself.

After dinner, we took Sean and Ethan to get their hair cut. We had their hair cut to the same length, but Ethan’s hair is much finer, so it actually looks shorter than Sean’s. With the same hair cut, they both look more like brothers now. Before, Sean’s hair was mostly straight, with a Dennis the Menace cowlick. Ethan’s hair had grown out to where it was starting to curl. Cortney seems to have some doubts, but I think they both look handsome with neatly groomed hair.

After the hair cuts, I took Sean and Ethan into the pool. I figured this was a good way to wash the hair off their bodies, and have fun at the same time. Ethan walked off the side of the pool into the water for the first time this evening. Of course, I was right there to grab him. Ethan is slowly becoming more used to playing in the water.

And of course, after a busy day, Cortney and I always hope Sean and Ethan get a good night’s sleep. At least if they don’t, we don’t have much planned to do tomorrow.

Ethan Has Fun at Burger King

We did our typical Friday evening at Burger King. Ethan ate a hamburger for the first time. I was bringing the hamburger to his mouth, so Ethan could take bites out of it. Cortney suggested that Ethan pick up the burger himself. He did that, bit into it, and out came the entire meat patty. I decided to compromise, and hold it until he was down to the last few bites, then let him pick it up himself.

Ethan contines to have more and more fun in the play area. He still likes to make a big jump into the ball pit, lifting his feet up and everything. Ethan can now quickly climb up the slide, and he had no problem at all going through the top part of the play area. I like sitting back and watching him play.

Our Guests Have Left

Corky and Leslie flew home this morning. We had lots of fun during their stay, and I hope they had a good time too.

Meanwhile, life goes on as normal here. I took Sean to his gym class this evening. Sean was tired and a little cranky before class, but he still had fun.

And, we still have electricity.

Hot Weather, Wildfires, and No Electricity?

A transformer station near us caught fire. That in combination with wildfires threatening one of the major power lines feeding Phoenix, has caused a potential electricity problem. We are supposed to set our thermostat at 82 degrees, or risk rolling blackouts. I hope it doesn’t come to that.

A Busy Night

We took Corky and Leslie out to dinner this evening. They are not actually leaving until Thursday morning, but they will be packing tomorrow night, so it was easier to go out this evening. We had a good time at dinner. Ethan was fussy until the food arrived, but he ate a good dinner. Sean didn’t eat much, but at least he was well-behaved.

After dinner, I took Sean and Ethan to the library. Sean enjoyed the stories. Ethan kept complaining that he wanted his milk. Just as I was worried that he would start bothering the other children, he got over it and settled down to enjoy the last story and the movie. On the way out, Sean picked out a video. The checkout line was long, and it was a bit of challenge to keep Sean and Ethan occupied, but I managed. These types of experiences offer an opportunity to learn for both me and the kids.

After the kids went to bed, I was tired and almost ready for bed myself.

Sean Swims to the Bottom of the Pool

I brought Sean and Ethan into the pool with me after I finished mowing the lawn. I normally bring goggles into the pool with me, and if I’m not using them, I throw them to the bottom of the pool, so the kids can’t get them. Well, until today. Sean kept trying over and over again to get the goggles off the bottom of the pool. He did not give up though, and he finally succeeded. He learned from his tries, so that he can now easily swim down to get the goggles. I was impressed with his accomplishment.

A Trip to the Ballpark

We went to see the Arizona Diamondbacks play the Minnesota Twins today. Randy Johnson was pitching, so we thought are chances of winning were good. In fact, the final score was 6-2. Everybody stayed to the end of the game, mainly to see Randy Johnson to get the last out in the 9th inning.

We sat in the picnic area, courtesy of my company. They even threw in a free lunch. The picnic area was past the outfield. We actually sat just behind the pool, which is just inside the right field fair ball line. They shoot off water cannons whenever the Diamondbacks get a home run, which we were able to see. We had a good view of the field, although home plate was quite a distance away. At 6′7″, Randy Johnson looks very intimidating on the pitching mound. The only downside of the picnic area was that we could not see the jumbotron, and we could not see the outfield fence in center and left field.

We bought a ticket for Sean, but we decided at the last minute to leave him home. Sean has been a little tired lately, and he had a bit of a cough for the last day or two. We were also worried that Sean would be bored by having to sit through a three hour game. Little did we know that there was a kid’s play area near where we were sitting. Oh well. If I get a chance, I will definitely bring Sean next year.