a week away

diana headed down to florida.  it wasn't for pleasure though, her grandma who lives down there hasn't been doing very well, so diana, her sister, mom, and aunt all headed down to florida to move grandma in to an assisted living home.  they went down to pack her up and help with the transition into the new place.  with school started back up, that left the question 'what do we do with ledger?'  well, fortunately my mom and sister took up the slack and stepped in to watch him for the week!  what an awesome blessing!  diana was having a really hard time with the fact that she wasn't going to see her baby for five days, but she also knew that she was needed to help grandma.  she might not have another chance to see her, so this was an opportunity that she couldn't turn down.  so, in the morning diana said her teary goodbye to our little man and flew down to florida.  soon after she left i packed ledger up for his week away and we met up with mema and papa in south haven.  ledger was so thrilled to see them again that when he spotted them in the parking lot he ran to them yelling 'mema! mema!'  and i'm pretty sure my mom was just as excited to see him!  we grabbed a bit to eat together, and i said my goodbyes to ledger as well.  oh man, i'm not going to see that little guy for almost a whole week- and to top it off, my wife is gone too!  its going to be a quiet, lonely week for me...

classroom fruit

well, it begins again.  as august comes to an end, so does my summer break!  with the first day of school closing in, i head back to the ol' classroom and get it ready for the new year.  its always fun to come up with different ideas for decorating the classroom.  i know most teachers just put up the same stuff each year, the pre-made posters and wall hangings that they bought at the teacher store, but that's too boring for me.  since i have a little artistic ability, i like to try and make my room personal.  i make most of the stuff that goes on the walls, trying to make it tie in to what i do through out the year.  this year i plan to focus on some of the fruits of the spirit, so what better way to do that than to actually make fruit with the different spiritual qualities written on them?  now that i've got the room ready, my curriculum set, and some great changes in place, all we need now are the students!  and here we go again!

grandpa's playset

sunday afternoon we went over to visit grandpa again.  we had a great time like always, but this time there was something new, something special just for ledger: an outdoor playset!  diana's dad had bought ledger an awesome fisher price outdoor playset and put it in his yard so ledger would always have something fun to play on whenever we come over to visit!  how thoughtful!  ledger immediately ran down to it and started checking it out.  its pretty neat, its got a slide, a swinging door, and cool climbing ropes!  he might be a little too small to fully enjoy it yet, but i'm sure this soon will become his favorite thing to play on.  dad certainly seems to be taking his role as a grandpa very seriously!

chips and salsa's

taking a little break from working around the house, diana and i took our boy and headed in to the city!  we didnt really have any plans, but we just knew we wanted to have a nice afternoon together as a family before i headed back to school.  we found ourselves in michawaka and figured we should stop for a bite to eat.  diana had noticed the mexican restaurant called salsa's the last time we were around, so we thought we would check it out.  the three of us headed in and got ourselves some mexican lunch.  it was really really good!  both of our meals were fantastic and oh so tasty.  ledger had a lot of fun scribbling on his children's menu, sucking on a lemon, and checking out the cool decor.  diana and i were just pleased to be out and about together!  we made a few other stops, just taking out time and enjoying the chance to get together for the day.  with school starting again soon, these lazy days are going to be gone before we know it!

gatecon guests

the three of us headed out on time and got to the con with plenty of time to spare.  when we first got there we wandered around a bit in the merchandise room, but quickly headed over to the main hall to check out this year's special guests!  they had a really great line up for us: three of the original members of the stargate sg-1 cast!  each one came up on stage and shared some fun stories about the show and talked a bit about what they are up to these days.  jon and i had a great time hearing all about their time on the show and the anecdotes they shared.  jeffry lee, who is not so much of a fan, didn't seem to bored...  by the end of the day i was very pleased with the great time we had listening to the guests and getting some good loot at the merch tables!  before i knew it we were on our way home.  another great gatecon in the books!
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gatecon '13

its that time once again, that time i most look forward to all summer: gatecon!  every year for the past four years i have attended the stargate convention in chicago.  its a weekend gathering of all the local stargate nerds where actors from the show come and regale us with funny stories, answer questions, and just chat about stargate and life in general.  as a huge stargate fan, this is heaven!  the last couple years i've roped jon into coming along with me.  it wasnt too tough, considering he loves the show too!  well, this year he did a little sweet talking, and convinced jeffry lee to tag along as well!
the two of them came into town nice and early, which gave us a chance to hang out together for a while.  we got ourselves some chinese food and had a blast just catching up.  the next day i had to work, so the two of them went out and wandered around town till i got out.  we picked up a few pizzas and watched ourselves a dumb movie.  it always seems like the worse the movie is, the more fun the three of us have watching it!

the lil' gardener

almost every day diana's mom goes out to water the potted plants if they need it.  ledger always watches her from the confines of the house, peering out the window while she makes the rounds.  well, grandma found a cute little watering can for ledger, so he got to go out with her and help out!  grandma filled up her can and put a little bit in his as well.  ledger watched her pour it out onto the plants, so he tried to do the same.  he's not all that graceful, so most of the water ended up on his shoes!  well, he wasn't about to give up, so we put a little more water in there and i guided him on how to pour the water onto the flowers instead of himself.  he tried it a few more times, never quite getting it, but certainly getting better!  maybe a few more trips out there with grandma and he'll have the hang of it!
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dip in the lake

that afternoon everybody headed out on the boat for a good swim- even ledger!  he wasn't so sure about it at first, mostly due to the life vest he had to wear.  the whole way out to the middle of the lake he kept picking at it and whining about having to wear it!  once mama got in the water though, all was forgotten and he was ready to play!  he did a bit of splashing around, but he mostly just chilled out and enjoyed being wet.  everybody had a great time out there in the water, even had a few people jumping off the boat- cannonball!
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his first girlfriend

the other day alanna came over with the rest of her boyfriend's family for an afternoon of swimming at the lake.  brittany came along and brought her daughter bella.  now, ledger has only had limited interaction with other children his own age, so when bella showed up- oh boy!  ledger was obsessed!  at first he was just baffled by another person his size, but then he wanted to investigate a little bit more- he walked up to bella and tried to give her a hug, but it was about the most awkward think you can imagine!  then he kept touching her and playing with her hair, not entirely sure if she was real!  as the afternoon wore on he grew more used to her, but continually offered her his toys, staring at her, and even at one point trying to kiss her!  she wanted nothing to do with it though, pushing him away more than once.  girls sure are strange, huh son?  i would tell you that it gets better, but that seems just about par for the course...
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at the park

barbara came to visit with dear ol' sal.  it was a beautiful day, so we headed over to the local park for a little fun with baby and pup!  diana had brought ledger here a few times before, but this was the first time i was able to tag along, and it was a blast!  we pulled up and got ledger out and he went bustling over to the fun equipment to play around.  there were a few other little kids playing there as well, so ledger even got to have a little play time with some new friends!  after exploring some of the wooden equipment and a few times down the baby slide, we put him in the baby swing (sal too), and he was in heaven!  its really funny to watch ledge on the swing, just give him a little push and his eyes glaze over...  he doesn't really seem to be enjoying himself on the swing, he gets quiet and doesn't really move around much, but he is having the time of his life!  when you try to take him out of it and put him back on the ground, he would just throw a fit- put him back in the swing and he's a silent statue...  strange, huh?  after a while he was finally willing to leave the swing, so we got to play a bit more on the equipment and poke around in the sand and rocks.  he has so much fun at the park it almost makes it worth being outside for an extended period of time... almost.
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surprise visit

david has been really swamped at his new job, trying to get on top of the crazy mess left by the last guy.  mom has been helping him with the files and cleaning up the office.  diana kindly offered to help out if needed as well.  david took her up on the offer, so she and mom went to help try and get that place in order.  with the two of them gone, that means its some good old fashioned guy time with just ledger and i!  we had a great time playing around the house, making a mess of dinner, and being generally all around silly!  then i had an idea: how about we make a surprise visit over to grandpa's house!  i asked ledger if he was up for it, 'he ledge, wanna see grandpa?'  'ahmpa!'  he exclaimed.  i figured this meant 'why yes, dear father, i would love to!'  so we piled into the car and headed over.  i didn't want to get there and have him be gone, so i called him to make sure he was around.  we arrived and grandpa, buddy the cat, and poco were overjoyed to see us! (well, maybe not buddy so much...)  we spent an hour over there playing in the yard having a great time.  ledger played with the wheel barrow, the clothes pins on the line, and anything else he could get his hands on!  it was really great to spend a little time with diana's dad, he's always so happy to see his only grandson!
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a big leap

last year mom and david got tavish a leap frog game system to play with when he visits.  tavish loves it and played with it a ton, but when he's not here, then ledger gets a chance to check it out!  i pulled it out for him to play with and he was really excited.  we don't let ledger play with our phones, so this was really exciting for him- his own tech!  i turned it on and showed him a few of the programs it offers, it can read out a book and he can follow along, it can take pictures and video, it has a program to draw with.  all kinds of fun stuff!  after showing him all these fun things he takes it for himself and then proceeds to just push the power button over and over and over again.  on and off, on and off.  hmmm, maybe he's still a bit too young for this thing...

hiding around the house

'where's ledger?  where's ledger?'  our son's favorite game is peek-a-boo, and now he's taken it to the next level: finding spots to hide around the house!  right between the living room and dining room there is a nice cozy little nook that's perfect for hiding.  i was wondering how long it would take him to find it!  in the morning when we get up he loves to play around with his toys and poke around the room, seeing what sort of trouble he can get in to.  when he found this little spot he was so excited- he played in there all by himself with a few toys and melmo for about a half hour!  when he was in there i would loudly ask 'where's ledger?'  and he would peek his little face between the cabinets and railing and just giggle and giggle!  what a goofball!
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punk rawk birthday

i'm way to old for my birthdays to really be special events any more, at this point the only special ones left are when i reach the decade milestones.  diana and i didn't plan anything special for my birthday, which i was definitely ok about, but barbara did invite us out for a concert.  diana's mom was willing to watch ledger for the night, so we took barbara up on the offer!  one of her friends was playing in a punk band in south bend, so we tagged along with her and enjoyed the music and crazy fun of the night.  the music was loud, bad, and angry- just the way punk rawk is supposed to be!  it was a lot of fun and a great way to spend a birthday- thanks sis!
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south haven meet up

anxious to see her grandson again, my mom made plans for us to see each other in south haven.  its the perfect spot to meet, its about 45 minutes from both of us!  diana and i were thrilled at the idea- a chance to see mema and papa, and an opportunity to go out and do something fun!  we met up with them in south haven, and as soon as we pulled in to the parking spot, mom was already grabbing at the back door to see her littlest grandson!  ledger was ecstatic to see them as well, quickly squealing out 'mema!  papa!  mema! papa!'  we got everyone out and walked down to the pier on lake michigan.  ledger had a blast checking out the boats with papa, pointing and waving as they passed.  the weather looked like it might turn to rain, so we walked back in to town to eat, peaking in to different shops along the way.  we ate at clementines, which was amazing, and had a blast showing off all of ledger's new activities and words he had learned since last he saw them.  after lunch we wandered around town a bit more, checking out all the different sights.  then, unfortunately, it was time to go.  we had so much fun, we will definitely be doing this again soon!
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rental work

since we got to south bend i've been working outside and around the house taking care of the place and doing a few projects.  one of the projects i've been doing is working on david's rental property.  as a land baron myself (i know...), i am familiar with maintaining and improving a rental property.  with alanna moving out of the rental, that means that its time to do some work on making this place ready for someone to move in to!  there were a few projects that i had the chance to take care of.  the house had a fire pit in the backyard, but it was pretty delapidated and overgrown with weeds.  i took out all the old broken bricks, cleared out the overgrowth, and put in some different bricks to make the whole thing usable again.  i also built a new step for the front door and did some repair work on the back deck. all in all, i think the place looked a bit better and was now ready to move in to.  its a good thing, because david had posted the property online and it was snatched up in only a matter of days!  the new renter must have liked the repairs, huh?
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his own tent

one of ledger's favorite things to play with is his thomas the tank engine tent!  he always points to it folded up by the tv, 'ten! ten!'  alright buddy, we will take out your tent!  he loves to go in it and just sit.  he'll come out, grab a toy or two, throw them inside of it, then scurry back through the flap.  i think its some sort of special little area thats all his own.  well, its usually all his own, except the times that mama hides in there with him!

scribbles to art

sunday we headed back over to visit diana's dad and our stinky dog.  once again grandpa had an amazing meal ready for us!  ledger had a blast wandering around and finding and playing with everything he shouldn't...  as we finished the meal, grandpa brought ledger up on his lap at the table and pulled out his notepad to see what ledger would do with it.  he handed him a pen and our boy got busy drawing!  i'm pretty sure ledger will be a pretty good artist- he's got it in his blood!  grandpa allen is a professional artist, diana's uncles are great painters, diana and barbara are very talented, and i used to be an art teacher- i dont think he could possibly be anything but good at art!  its good to get him started young though!

batman!

today i was extra proud of my son.  we had recently gotten him a playset toy and along with it came a little pamphlet of the other products they make.  in the catalog there was a page of superhero figures that they make.  he was looking it over while sitting on my lap and pointed at one of them.  'that's batman, ledger'.  thinking nothing of it, we put the catalog away with his toys.  the next day he pulls it back out to go through it again with me.  when we get to the superhero page he points once again and says 'baman!'  oh how this warmed the heart of a proud father!  my son said 'batman'!  now i fully understand the joy of child rearing!  this day will go down as one of those milestones in my life as a father- i am beaming with pride!

relax and snack

its been a while since diana and i have had a chance to have a little alone time.  its been so wonderful staying with her mom and david, but the night that david had to work late and her mom went to go to the office to help him out, well, diana and i really enjoyed the chance to have the house to ourselves when we put ledger to sleep!  we decided to make some good old fashioned popping corn, sit down in front of the tv, and enjoy ourselves for a couple hours!  its always so nice to have that time with the wife, time to relax together and just enjoy each other's company.  i think we will start making a point of doing that more often!