Barry’s Daily Web News

Sean the Photographer

This week’s picture of the week is not necessarily a good photo, but it is interesting because of who took it. Sean apparently grabbed the camera without anyone noticing. The angle looks like he was on the sofa, pointing the camera straight up. What you see is our family room ceiling.

Mall Day

Today’s big event was driving to the Chandler Mall, which is one of the nicest malls in the area, but a bit of a drive at 45 minutes each way.

We normally arrive when the mall opens, have lunch, then leave mid-afternoon. Last night, I had trouble sleeping, so we left after my afternoon nap, had dinner at the mall, then left after the kid’s bedtime.

Sean and Ethan had fun at the play area, we had a nice dinner, and Cortney had fun shopping, so it was a good trip.

No Fast Food Tonight

We skipped the trip out for fast food this evening as punishment for Sean and Ethan stealing food earlier in the week. It was just as well; I was a bit tired and did not feel like going out.

One of the things I did instead was work with Sean on his writing. Tonight was the first time that Sean could write the numbers 1-10 in recognizable form. He has typically written the 2 and 5 backwards. I am glad he is over that phase.

A Rough Day

I woke up this morning feeling terrible. There’s no doubt in my mind that I have strep throat. The quick test yesterday came out negative, but I expect the culture test to be positive. I will get the results tomorrow.

After a sinus wash, hot shower, and a handful of pills, I felt good enough to go to work. I came home a bit early, took a nap, then spent the rest of the evening with Sean and Ethan.

Amusing Link

Rather than tell you about what a long day I had, I thought I would be better of pointing to this web site. Have fun.

Strep Family, Round 2

Back in November, the entire family had strep throat. Yesterday, Cortney tested positive for strep, and both kids were tested positive today. My turn is tomorrow morning.

The interesting thing is none of us is particularly sick. I wonder if one or more of us has had the bacteria since November, and the bacteria has developed a resistance to the antibiotic. I guess we will see.

Ethan is Accident Free for 2 Days

I think we finally have hit on a effective strategy for Ethan’s potty training. He has known what to do for at least six months now, but he has been having consistent accidents. I think the problem was we were not rewarding him properly, and he also needed a effective deterrent.

Our new strategy is he loses one of his favorite Thomas’ themed toys if he has an accident. If he does a number two in the toilet, he either gets a toy back, or we give him a dessert treat if he has been accident free.

It only took once for Ethan’s train to be taken away for Ethan to realize we were serious. So he has now been accident free for over two days.

In other news, Cortney hosted Bunco this evening. I mostly stayed out of the way.

Sympathies to Cortney’s Family

On a sad note today, Cortney’s grandmother passed away today. My sympathies go out to Cortney’s Mom, Leslie, and Cortney’s Aunt Cindy, who were with Cortney’s grandmother to the end.

Snow Visible in Phoenix

I did not realize that yesterday’s rain brought snow down to 2000 foot elevations. The mountains just north and east of us were covered with snow. Unfortunately, we are too close to the local mountains to see the snow, but it was easily seen from the local highway.

Sean took a trip with me to the local nursery, where we picked up a bush morning glory to replace one that had died in the front yard. Sean helped me plant it, digging part of the hole and watering the plant.

At least some of the bulbs we planted last fall are flowering, so Sean is developing a good track record in gardening.

Ethan Visits a Dairy Farm

This past week, Cortney took Ethan to visit a dairy farm. I selected this picture as the picture of the week. Apparently, Ethan was not allowed to milk a real cow.

Rain, Finally

The official record number of rain-free days has ended in Phoenix, at 143 days. And, in a big way. It rained all day long today.

Sean, Ethan, and I played video games for a good part of the day. We went out to dinner, and stopped by the mall afterwards. The kids play area was packed, I guess from all of he restless kids in the area.

I hope the rain clears up by tomorrow. I need to do some work out in the yard.

Back to Burger King

The weather was terrible today, windy and cold. Going to the park was definitely out, so we all went to Burger King this evening, even Cortney. Sean and Ethan now appreciate the time in the play area, so they behaved well. I was glad to see them behave, as I am a bit tired after a long week.

Ethan Falls Asleep Early

Thursday evenings are devoted to going to the library, but we haven’t made it there in quite some time. At least tonight, the reason was that Ethan fell asleep shortly after I came home from work, and only woke briefly while getting him ready for bed.

I did not realize for some time that Ethan had actually fallen asleep. Sean was playing with his Gameboy, and I noticed that it was quite in the house otherwise. I went looking for Ethan, where I sam him curled up in his chair.

I guess Ethan tries to keep up with his older brother, getting up when Sean gets up, and Ethan just runs out of energy sometimes.

Injured Shoes

Cortney had an early morning dentist appointment today, so I stayed home and watched the kids while she was gone. I was getting Sean dressed for school, and I noticed he was putting on his sandals. I asked Sean to wear his tennis shoes, and Sean replied “I can’t find my injured shoes.” I asked what he meant, and Sean said “My injured turtle shoes.” I then figured out that Sean was talking about his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle branded shoes. I guess it makes sense that Sean does not know what a ninja is, and the thought that it was “injured”, not ninja. Still, it was pretty funny.

Doing Better

I felt much better today, even though I did not eat much. I had to leave work early to pick Sean up from school. Cortney took Ethan on a dairy farm trip, and she was out most of the day.

I was able to do a little bit of work from home while waiting for Cortney. I was also able to take a quick nap, giving me enough energy to take Sean to the gym and make it through the rest of the evening.