Barry’s Daily Web News

And More Rain

We had rain all last night at all morning. We had a brief period of sun in the afternoon, followed by a heavy downpour. A good day to stay indoors.

We did make a morning shopping trip, going to Fry’s electronics, a new Harbor Freight near us, and a hobby store. Sean and Ethan did not care for any of those stores, but at least the trip took them out of the house.

My mom fixed a nice dinner, but other than that, we just relaxed all day.

A Rainy Day

We had plenty of rain today, heavy at times. I managed to get some work done, and get Sean to swim lessons without too much trouble.

My father went with us for our trip to Burger King. When we first arrived, the Burger King play area was fairly crowded. My guess is that this was due to the rain weather. Sean and Ethan had fun playing, but tired early, so we left earlier then usual. They were both cranky before bedtime, but they were both fine after they were finally in bed.

Today is the first full day Sean and Ethan have been away from their mother.

A Hectic Day

We had a hectic day today. I stayed home from work to watch the kids after Cortney left, but it was still hard to stay on top of things.

I had a phone conference at the same time Cortney needed to leave for the airport, so my parents took Cortney to the airport, bringing Ethan with them. I was able to finish my conference in time to get Sean when the school bus arrived.

Both Sean and Ethan were tired late in the afternoon, and they were both cranky. It was tough getting them to wait for dinner, then getting them fed when dinner was ready.

I took Sean to tumbling, and my mom went with us. Sean’s energy returned in time for his class, and he looked like he was having fun. I was a bit worried about Ethan, who was staying home with my father. It turns out I had nothing to worry about. When we arrive home from the gym, Ethan was sound asleep, curled up next to my father on the sofa.

I hope both kids get more sleep tonight, so they do better tomorrow.

Visitors from Texas

My parents arrived today, flying in from Houston, Texas. They will be staying through the weekend, to watch Sean and Ethan while Cortney travels to Florida for a friend’s wedding. My dad has not visited since Sean was a newborn, and my Mom has not visited since Ethan was a newborn. So, Ethan and Sean were a bit shy when they arrived.

We had Chinese (take-out) for dinner to celebrate the Chinese New Year. After dinner we all went to Costco. Cortney and I needed to pick up a few items, and we needed to get some food for my parents. It wasn’t Sean’s favorite thing to do, but he went along anyway. Ethan seemed happy just to ride in the car and in the cart at the store.

We should have a some fun filled days ahead of us. It might be a bit of a challenge actually, as we are expected to get some rain in the next few days. I will need to find a way to keep everyone occupied.

Story Time at the Library

Since we missed last week’s story time, I was happy to go to the library this evening. Sean and Ethan had fun on the train table. The library now has some new train cars, so there are plenty of cars to play with. Sean and Ethan even skipped baby story time to keep playing on the table. After baby time ended, too many kids wanted to play with the trains, and since Sean and Ethan weren’t sharing, I told them they had to wait in the story room for story time to start.

Ethan did not want to sit still for story time. It’s too bad, as the theme was the Chinese New Year, and it sounded like they had interesting stories. So I dragged Ethan out, leaving Sean in the story room. Even though Ethan was not allowed to play with the trains, he entertained himself by playing with the bead toys and the puzzles. Sean was happy to stay in the story room all by himself. I think he had a good time, and I told him I appreciated his good behavior. Even though Ethan did not cooperate with the story time, he behaved well playing on his own. I think he is going through an independence streak.

A Nice Dinner

Cortney took the time to make dinner tonight, and it was ready when I arrived home. That was nice of her, and I appreciate the effort. She actually prepared individual menus for everybody.

The dinner was the highlight of the evening. After that, I have just a short break before taking Sean to gym, and that’s about it for family time.

Super Bowl Sunday

We had plans to have people over for the Super Bowl, but they all fell through. So, today was just a typical Sunday. As usual, I spent the morning working in the yard, mostly pulling weeds (again). This afternoon, I did laundry and the bills.

We did have a nice dinner to start the Super Bowl. Cortney picked up some good quality T-bone steaks, and I cooked them on the grill. During dinner, I realized I had promised to take the kids to the park. So, I missed the beginning of the game. I did take my cell phone, and told Cortney to call me if a team scored a touchdown. We did not stay at the park too long, and I only missed one score. I wasn’t able to actually really relax and enjoy the football game until after the kids went to bed. At least the game was interesting until the end.

The Reupholstering is Done

I finished reupholstering the three remaining kitchen chairs today. My original plan was to do one chair a weekend, but I decided I didn’t want to wait that long. Of course, it took almost the entire day to finish the three chairs.

I did take a break today to get my hair cut. I walked over, and took Sean with me. He was reluctant to go out at first, but then decided he enjoyed the walk. He behaved well at the hair place, and it seemed like he was a big hit with everyone there, with his charming looks and innocent behavior. I rewarded Sean with a trip to the grocery store to pick out a treat that he wanted. He picked out German chocolate frosted brownies. Sean did not care that much for the brownies, but Cortney and I did.

The Kids Go for a Haircut

Today, we added a stop to the children’s haircut place to our normal Friday night regimen. Cortney chose Sean’s hair style, and I chose Ethan’s. Sean went first, and did an excellent job of sitting still and not complaining. Ethan started right after Sean did, and wanted to sit next to his brother, even though he could have sat in one of the cars to get his hair cut. I think they both look handsome now.

Cortney joined us for dinner at Burger King, then left to go shopping while I stayed with Sean and Ethan. The kids had a good time, and we left only when it was time to take them home to put them to bed.

Sean Completes One Year of Gym Class

Sean first started gym classes one year ago today. He really enjoys the gym class, so we will keep taking him. He has made quite a bit of progress, and I think the classes are a good outlet for his pent up energy.

First Reupholstered Chair complete

I finished reupholstering the first kitchen table chair this evening. Just three more to go. The chair doesn’t look too bad, with a barely noticeable bulge in a few of the corners.

Sean and Ethan had a cute moment while I was working on the chair. Cortney had gone out shopping, and I needed to do some work out in the garage. I put in one of their favorite DVDs, told them to stay seated in their chairs, and went out into the garage. I came back in a few minutes later, and the kids were both still seated, staring at the menu screen! Sean said “We stayed in the chairs, Daddy”. I apologized for not starting the video, and told them how good they were for following directions. They are great kids.

Dinner Celebration

I took Cortney and the kids out to dinner tonight to celebrate. I completed my “Lean Expert” Certification today. While it doesn’t sound like much, this is an important milestone in my career, something I have worked hard to achieve for the last year.

I think Sean and Ethan took the celebration thing a little too far. Neither one of them would sit still for the meal, and it was hard for Cortney and I to enjoy our food.