Barry’s Daily Web News

Veterans Day

Today was a school holiday, so Cortney took Sean and Ethan to the McCormik-Stillman railroad park. This was a MOMS event, and Cortney said it was a good turnout. Apparently, Sean had fun playing on the playground there.

My interaction with Sean was limited to Gym class. There were no other boys in Sean’s class, so he was well behaved, and he looked like he was having fun. He is always in a good mood afterwards, so it’s no problem putting him to bed.

Open House

This evening was open house at work. This year, not as much was on display compared to previous years. Also, we were no longer allowed to bring in a camera. Cortney, Sean, and Ethan did get to see my new office. And Sean and Ethan each recieved a balloon, and had cookies and juice. Other than that, it was a bit of a chore to get the kids to move through the office. But, I’m still glad we went. The open house nicely occupied the evening until it was time for the kids to go to bed.

Sean’s New Bike

We went to Wal-Mart to pick out a new bike for Sean. We ended up getting a bike with 18″ wheels, which is the largest size that comes with training wheels. Sean actually rode the bike around the store. After we bought the bike, he rode it out to the car, with Cortney guiding him and making sure there were no cars coming.

Adamant Ethan

Sean did something to help out this morning, and Cortney insisted that Ethan thank Sean for the help. Cortney even threatened to take away Ethan’s breakfast. I was surprised to hear Ethan say “no, I don’t have to”. Cortney eventually gave in, and when she gave Ethan his breakfast, he said “thank you, Mommy”. So, he clearly understands the concept of “thank you”. Ethan certainly had strong thoughts about not thanking his brother.

Monday News

We had a stormy night last night. Lots of rain, and some very loud claps of thunder. Apparently, that was enough for Sean to wake up. He was asleep in the guest bedroom when I went to grab him to take him into the shower with me. He was a little dirty after our trip to McDonalds last night, and we wanted him clean for school.

Today was the first day in my new job. I am now an overhead employee, which means I don’t have to track which program I am working on, which is good for me. My boss also recommend I not work overtime, which is fine with me. Other than that, it really isn’t different.

Sean insisted the gym was closed this evening, and that we should go to Burger King instead. I played this game with him, and told Sean that we would stop by the gym anyway, and if it was closed, we would go to Burger King. Sean started to get excited at this prospect, so I had to remind him it was unlikely the gym was closed. Of course it wasn’t but Sean did have fun in his gym class.

A Rainy Day

We woke up this morning to the sound of rain. That gave me a good excuse to avoid any yard work. Sean and Ethan did not do too bad playing inside the house. Sean spent quite a bit of time building block towers to go with his train layout. After dinner, I took them to McDonalds for an ice cream cone and time in the play area. This is the first time Ethan has eaten an ice cream cone on his own. He did fine until he got down to the cone, then bit off too much, filling his mouth with cold ice cream. That all came back onto the table, but I was ready with a pile of napkins. Sean and Ethan both were able to get plenty of exercise, so that was a good way to end the day.

A Block Party

The street around the corner had a block party, and some friends we knew invited us. It was nice to meet some of the neighbors. They had a big jumpy with a slide that the kids enjoyed. Also, the Glendale fire department brought over a fire truck and ambulance, and let the kids tour the vehicles. Ethan just couldn’t get enough of the ambulance. He just kept going back to it. We kept the kids up past their bedtime, but eventually they became tired, so we had to leave. On the way home, I asked Sean what he liked best about the party. Sean answered the jumpy. Sean spent most of the time playing inside.

A Picnic

My department at work (on Monday it will be my old department) held a picnic event this afternoon. This time, family were invited. The picnic started at 3:00 PM, but by the time I stopped home and picked up Cortney and the kids, it was closer to 4:00 PM when we arrived. That wasn’t too bad. Sean and Ethan played on the playground at the park for an hour, then the food arrived. Lots of other people brought their kids, so Sean and Ethan had play companions.

The food was barbecued brisket and chicken breast, and it wasn’t too bad. Sean and Ethan just ate rolls and chips, but we did bring some healthier food to munch on. After dinner was a raffle for prizes, and we won two sets of two movie tickets.

On the way home, I asked Sean if he enjoyed the picnic, and his answer was “Oh, yes!”. I asked what he enjoyed the most, and he answered playing on the playground. I guess I can’t blame him.

A Warm Greeting

Sean and Ethan usually coming running up to greet me when I walk through the door after coming home from work. Lately, they don’t even wait for me to walk in the door, they run out into the garage and swarm me as I barely have time to get out of the car. I don’t mind. At least they care that I’m home.

A Night at the Park

This evening, I took Sean and Ethan to the playground closest to our house. Sean and Ethan call this the dinosaur park, because it has a purple dinosaur in the front. The kids definitely had fun. After tiring of the swings and slide, I taught Sean and Ethan about footprints and handprints, showing what they looked like in the sand. We left when it became dark, but poor Sean was having so much fun he didn’t want to leave. He left when I grabbed his hand, even though he cried halfway back. Sean will get a chance to go back this weekend.

An Evening at the Library

We haven’t been to the library in a few weeks, so I definitely wanted to go this evening. I was worried that there wouldn’t be a story time since today was election day, but it turns out they did have one. Surprisingly, they have new librarians in the children’s section, so Sean and Ethan had to put up with a different style of story telling.

Sean and Ethan both decided they wanted to play with the trains rather than go to the baby story time, and that was fine with me. They both wanted to go to the regular story time though. Ethan couldn’t keep still during the stories, but at least he wasn’t noisy. Sean and Ethan both enjoyed the movie at the end of the story time. The new librarian ended the story time early, which is good because Sean and Ethan were able to get home and into bed closer to their normal bedtime.

Sean Misses Halloween Already

Sean told me that he wanted to go trick-or-treating again this evening. I told him Halloween only comes once a year. Sean thought about it a minute, then said, “no, we can go as soon as it gets dark”. I told him that no one would have candy to give him. At least I know he will be excited about Halloween next year.