The Big D - Dallas

So what everyone says is correct everything is bigger in Dallas and that the object in your mirror that looks so big is closer than it appears.

What's happening in Texas:
Belt Buckles - Large Ones
Wrangler Jeans
Boots - No Imitation Leather/Skin here (For all you boot needs locally - "Step Into The Bootjack , Step Out in Style" and tell them "Our Life" recommended you. Not going to get you anything off but they will see the power of advertising on "Our Life")
Cowboy Hats - not those straw ones college girls are wearing

Let's recap the trip:

Saturday (Travel Day)

Flights
I am in no way a frequent traveler but I am more than once a year and I actually have been on one trip each month that required flying for the past 3 months. I have attempted to park close in the surface parking (right behind the covered parking which is more expensive for an extended stay...I am cheap and park in the surface.) and NEVER have been able to park in the section closest to the middle of the parking garage that connects you to the terminal (I try each time, up and down the isles looking for the closest parking spot...nothing). So as LA and I are looking for a parking spot, I made the fatal comment "Won't be able to find a parking spot over there" (close to walkway) and we proceed to park towards the rear of the lot - not as far as you could be pretty close. As we walk up to the closest section LA tell me "Not going to find a spot" as she points out to me one spot, another spot, and finally a third spot...really, is this how this trip is going to be. Being proven wrong, I go get the car and move to the closer spot (I know men this is against some Man Law about once the car has been parked it can not be moved to a closer spot but I am the exception because I am lazy (and it was going to be late and I didn't want to walk all the way to Summerville to get my car - so it was a safety and convenience move acceptable under Man Law)).

We made it through security (Charleston does not have the choice of full body scanner or being violated by a TSA agent. I am sure it is coming. I thought Dallas/Fort Worth would have had one but they did not.)

While in the Atlanta airport trying to find some dinner, LA saw some players from the U of Oregon (The Ducks) and using our detective skills determined they were on the basketball team. As it turned out, we went to Chick Fil A and they went to Chick Fil A and I think team height is going to be an issue for them down the stretch (probably right now because I don't think there's going to be a stretch run). I got talking to the coach and told him I had some eligibility left and thought I could help them. He said he would have called earlier but he said he read on a couple of blogs that I had retired. Anyway, I got a tryout over the Christmas Holidays with the team.

The flight from Atlanta to Dallas got off to an interesting start. Boarding planes is generally interesting...finding your seat, people in your seat, minor confrontations, overhead storage (people cramming their over sized carry-on in the overhead storage - It will fit if you close it hard enough. Just check the bag.). As LA and I make it to the rear of the plane the flight attendant (let's call her Mrs. McScrooge or sarcastically Mrs. Friendly) is standing in a row wanting us to pass by but she is standing in the seat of the gentleman in front of LA. So we have a stand off on row 24. It starts with stares back and forth at each other between LA and the flight attendant. I will interpret the non verbal communication that took place":

Mrs Friendly - Walk past so I can get by
LA - I can't get by he is in the way
Mrs Friendly - Walk past so I can get by
LA - I can't get by he is in the way
Mrs Friendly - Move
LA - I can't get by he is in the way

Verbal communication is then followed:

Mrs. Friendly - He's waiting on you to go by
LA - I can't get by because YOU are in his seat and he is blocking the isle
(more staring)

Everyone turns sideways which somehow magically makes you smaller (because your arse in the face of the person in the seat that is already sitting down) and we all pass and I give Mrs Friendly the stare down as we pass. Evidently, she missed the training 35 years ago about customer service and Delta's slogan "...flying the friendly skies". I find it hard to believe she missed it.

On the way to Dallas(we thought) from Atlanta, LA and I realized we were on the wrong flight - all that with the flight attendant and we are on the wrong flight. How could this happen? All the safeguards, beeps and bonks and announcements and LA and I are on the wrong flight (we couldn't hear have the stuff anyone was saying over the intercom (sounds like a drive thru most of the time) because our ears were stopped up and we had fine seats right next to the HUGE engine - if anything happened to the engine, we would have been the first to know). Wondering where we are headed, after about 30 minutes in the air we find out, we are on the plane going to the North Pole to either see Santa or drop off a couple of polar bears that had been hibernating in SC. The father and son (from Gvegas) immediately in front of us have their overhead a/c control wide open and blowing right on their heads (suffice it to say that they both had put on a couple of extra layers for the long winters nap coming up...more about them much later in this post). Let's set the record straight. Just because LA is cold doesn't mean it is cold. I am in no way her father who never wears a jacket (didn't think he owned a jacket for the longest time but now I know he does because everyone gave him one last year) but suffice it to say that when I am cold, it is cold and LA is beyond cold to freezing. When the drink service finally gets all the way to the back of the plane, Mrs. Friendly says "It's cold back here" and looks at us as asks, if we are cold? She evidently passed the Flight Attendent Obvious class in training - My fingers and hands were so cold that I had pulled them inside my jacket like you used to do as child so they wouldn't get frostbite and LA and I are huddled in a ball together and the only heat I can feel is when LA puts her head on my shoulder and I put my head on hers ...ding,ding,ding we have a winner "Yes, we are cold". The polar bears seems to be doing just fine, glad they are comfortable. LA asked for a blanket(which we both laugh about because it is not in a package but had been used by someone on an earlier flight but at this point it didn't matter to her...disclaimer - I did not use or touch the blanket in question.). The polar bear express finally made it to Dallas and we began to thaw out.

Rental Car
We made it to the rental car building and filled out all the paperwork and since my phone had died and I didn't have a car charger, I decided that we would need a GPS. My theory is a GPS is great if you don't know where your going. It might not be the shortest route or easiest route but you will get there. As we are preparing to leave, I grab the GPS bag from the counter and it falls straight to the floor, CRASH (butterfingers...probably shouldn't mention that to the coach until after my tryout). I think great a $98 GPS just cost me $399. He tells me to try it out and if doesn't power on to bring it back. We get to the car, pull the GPS out of the bag and the screen is shattered. We plugged it in and it worked but the exterior screen is toast. I took it back inside and the employee looked at it and had the look of that's not good - not powering on I could hook you up but shattered screen not so much so. He punched a bunch of buttons and shuffled some paperwork, gave me a new one and it was handled and if when I came back no one said anything about it then it should be ok. I am expecting a charge on my credit card for it...we will see what happens. But that's not the end of the story...I get the new GPS to the car and try to adjust the mount and what happens? As I am trying to adjust the bracket, SNAP and I broke the mount. In less than 10 minutes, I have shattered a GPS and broke a bracket...this trip is going to get expensive.

Spaghetti/Spider Web

The road system around and in downtown Dallas is like bowl of spaghetti or a spider's web. Good thing we had a working GPS because I am pretty sure, we would have never made it to the hotel with just a map or written directions. I am not going to call myself Magellan but generally after one trip on the roads, I can get a feel and have some sense of direction about where I am and the direction we need to go and the roads. LA and I both were confused most of our trip about directions and roads. Like I said earlier about the GPS, I am sure there are other routes but stick to the GPS and it will get you there. For the first time ever with a GPS, I had it tell me actually make a U turn as part of the directions not because we missed a turn.

They evidently have a trolley that runs through Dallas in one of the lanes of travel...make it a little more confusing for out of towners. The have right exits, left exits, left entrances, over passes, under passes, state roads, federal roads, highways, managed HOV lanes...etc


The reason for the trip - Cowboys Stadium and Dallas

Rising up like a phoenix in the distance, 9 miles away the top of the Cowboys Stadium can be seen. The stadium is in Arlington, TX and is next door to the Texas Rangers stadium.

I think I saw a stat somewhere that Dallas is the Southwest's only city to have the NFL (Cowboys), NBA (Mavericks), MBL (Rangers), NHL (Stars), and MLS (FC Dallas) and to further separate them from other cities even have NASCAR (Texas Motorspeedway). I almost broke a Man Law to see as many sporting events as possible while in a given city and had forgotten to check about the Mavericks and Stars but as luck would have it they were both out of town...close call. Breaking a Man Law is a serious offense.

Gameday

I had paid for parking through an online website to make sure we had a decent spot and didn't get stuck in Egypt taking a shuttle. The parking lot turned out to be great except for the $8.50 premium I paid for paying on line. Parking was $30 when we arrived and I asked the lady for my refund and she laughed and told me it costs extra to have a guaranteed spot...whatever

The rickshaw business is booming around the stadium and the guys peddling are athletes. How do I know? Because there is no way an out of shape sofa lounger could get up off the sofa and do that job. The minimum weight you are hauling is north of 500 pounds. Every rickshaw we saw had at least one huge(fat) dude riding and a passenger that was squeezed into the seat with his friend (he needs to find smaller friends). LA and I both looked at each other and started laughing. Maybe those guys would be better off walking to the game to burn off a few of the calories they are getting ready to intake with the nachos, hot dogs, hamburgers and beer.

NFL and college game day are similar but I would say there is a lot more tailgating at a college game and that is more elaborate. Just the necessities at a NFL game tent, grill, table, food, drinks and the larger ones had tv's. The drinking appeared to be about equal. All the high rollers at the NFL games are in there box eating instead of outside with the common folks. They have two "party" areas outside behind both end zones but inside the ticket area to hang out it before and after the game. We entered in the Miller Lite Party area. It had a stage, music, entertainment. The beers are $8.50 and I hope you like Miller Lite or the champagne of beer - Miller High Life. Those were all I saw in cans. They might have had a couple of other on draft but I am sure Miller was affiliated with the brands. Speaking of concessions at the stadium the company that provides all the food and beverage at Cowboys Stadium is owned by Jerry Jones and the late George Steinbrenner - absolutely pure genius, might as well make all the money. He probably needs all the revenue he can to keep the doors open, pay the electricity bill and all the employees.

We hung outside at the Miller Lite Party Area before the games. Why? I am sure you are wondering. Because LA heard that the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders were coming on stage in 15 minutes. I really wanted to go inside and find our seats but she insisted. We thought we had been duped at first when a group of girls in long pants got on stage with some drummers and started dancing but found out that they were the Dallas Cowboys Rhythm and Dance team (during the game they danced on platforms in the party zones). The Cowboy Cheerleaders were coming on after them. It wasn't the whole team but just the ones that drew the short straw because it was cold and windy outside and they were in shorts and their little tops. LA wanted to take pictures of them for some reason so I let her. It wasn't worth the fight to try and stop her. If you want to generate a crowd of people put girls dancing on a stage in skimpy outfits and the people will come running...wonder why no one does this to make money?


Inside the stadium, we wondered around on the the main level trying to find a way to our seats. We were moving with the flow of people and tried every way we knew to find our seats but couldn't find them. We finally asked an attendant at a set of stairs going down and she told us to go down the stairs and we would find our seats on the "Hall of Fame Level". We left the peon herd and went down the stairs and through a couple of steel doors and we entered the magic city - about 10% of the people with multiple bars and concessions stands (no lines). We found our seats and we were on about the twenty yard line about 19 rows from the field - very good seats. The first thing you notice is the video screen...not sure there are word to describe how big it is. When my mother saw the 61 widescreen tv I purchased she made the following comment which probably fits for this HUGE tv - "that is the most ostentatious thing I have ever seen" and walked off. (Tim and I were left looking at each other wondering what she had called us.) It really is almost distracting. We were below the screen and I often times found myself watching the screen during the game instead of looking at the field. I would imagine as you get higher in the stadium the more you would watch it. It is HD. If you have a 50" HD tv at home imagine 2,000 of them and you have the size of the Cowboys screen. The picture is just as clear as your HD at home - Impressive. There is a screen on each side and one on both ends. The ones on the end are as big as some stadiums video screen...more details later on the video board. You would be hard pressed to find a better stadium to watch a game in.

We got to experience a first at Cowboys Stadium for this year's football games. The roof was open. The Cowboys do not control the opening and closing of the roof. The NFL does. I guess so the Cowboys can not control the conditions for the game. The NFL lets the Cowboys know 2 hours before kickoff if the roof will be open or closed. Once it is opened it will not be closed during the game. If it starts raining, everyone (expect the high rollers in the boxes) is going to get wet.

Just before game time, we let a couple and their kids pass in front of us to get to their seats and as the father walked past I started thinking to myself "I know this guy, who is he" but I couldn't recall his name. Then all of sudden it came to me it was Matt Doherty - UNC basketball player (80-84), National Championship 1982 (with MJ), Cleveland Cavs, AP National Coach of the Year 2001, former coach at UNC (2000 -2003) and now coach at SMU (which explains why he would be in Dallas, because I did not know he got back into coaching.). Since I am from Charleston and have been a Cougar's basketball fan since my sister went there in the early 80's, I felt I had to go down and talk to Matt. I took the seat next to him and made some small talk and then asked him the question "Do You Remember December 21, 2001?" He looked puzzled. "In Charlotte, NC - Tournament of Champions". Now he was starting to come around. "UNC vs College of Charleston" He was now getting a little antsy and didn't like where our conversation was headed. "I remember. I was there pulling for the Cougars. UNC fans were upset at the play on the court as the Cougars were controlling the mighty Tar Heels and one fan was so upset at the thought of losing again (remember 1989...same building same results) that he threw some peanuts on the court and the Cougars proceeded to win 66 - 60. How about that?" He then asked me to leave or he was going to throw peanuts at me. When he got ready to leave, I gave him one last C-O-U-G-A-R-S. Okay, so that is what I wanted to ask him and how it played out in my head but I didn't want to ruin his time at the game or get arrested.

What else was happening during the game?
A trio of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders have other talents...actually sang the National Anthem and did a pretty good job from what I heard.


Donovan McNabb was on the bench watching the video screen.

The reason we got to go to the game...


The Cowboy Cheerleader Christmas Uniforms...

The Cowboys controlled the Redskins but the Redskins wouldn't go away and got back in the game and lost on a last second field goal. It was one of those games where you are watching, if they didn't have a scoreboard you would be sure the Cowboys were killing the Redskins but in the end we had some drama as the Cowboys drove the field and make the winning field goal.

KC and LA at the game


Cowboys Stadium Tour

We signed up for the VIP Cowboys Stadium Tour and by signed up paid $30 bucks to take a tour of the stadium. They had a self guided but you didn't get the full show and when we travel we go VIP. We got to visit the "Jerry Jones" viewing box which is a small box for about 5 people where Jerry can watch the game without all the distractions of his 200 person box, one level below - elevator access between the two boxes.

He has four tv's for replays and a telephone to call a number of people including "Head Coaches" (I guess so he can call in the next play or fire the coach of the spot.).

We didn't get the VIP/VIP tour which would have included his box that supposedly has a 1.2 million dollar chandler, a wall filled with Christel champagne and a wall filled with Petron tequila. We visited the private areas for season ticket holders and any event you can imagine having a the stadium they can accommodate - weddings, parties, proms, receptions...etc someone rented out the locker room for a fantasy league football draft. The stadium has 6 "party" zone areas (3 in each end zone, one on each level) where you can buy a $39 ticket to get into the game and stand in one of those areas. We visited a luxury box where the glass can be opened or shut depending on the experience you want. If you own a box, you are welcome to use it at any event in the stadium but you have to buy however many seats are in your box to that event. You can't use your box and buy only two tickets. There are 5 levels of suites. Every inch of the stadium is designed to maximize return on investment. The video boards cost $35 million and were more expensive than the old stadium in Irving, TX. The Jonas Brothers got to play HALO 3 of the video screens (set some kind of record for playing a video game on the largest video screen) and they have held product launches for Madden football with people playing on the big screens. The can change the stadium based on the event - like for the Jonas brothers they changed most of the men's bathrooms to girls to accommodate the thousands of screaming female teenagers since no males were attending. We got to go on the field. You could play around as much as you wanted. We had our picture taken on the Star (it was free and included in the VIP tour). We walked through the Miller Lite Zone where the players enter and exit the field.



We went to the locker room and not that JJ cut any corners, it just wasn't as plush as I imagined. The lockers are made of some exotic wood that is super expensive but each locker seemed small to me. I bet the practice facility has a players lounge that I would like to tour.



We also got to walk on some holy ground. I wasn't interested but LA twisted my arm...we got to go into the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders locker room...talk about visiting Meca. Anyway, nothing too fancy here except full length mirrors in the back of locker, lots of lights and a life size poster of the girl above her locker.



Each end zone has 5 windows that are the largest retractable windows in the world - 120' x 180'. If they are opened they have to both be opened at the same time due to the pressure.

The two arches that provided the structure for the building and the retractable roof are the longest steel roof structures in the world.

You could put the Statue of Liberty in the stadium and it would not touch the roof (move the video boards).

Why was the old stadium roof open in the middle? So God could always see the star and shine on the Cowboys. Now that the video board blocks the star and God can't see the star what happened? JJ had a lighted star installed on top of the video board.

There is a water feature on the second level in the end zone party pass area.

The Super Bowl is in Dallas this year. Currently, the stadium holds around 80,000 in seats and can hold up to another 30,000 in the "party zone areas" - estimated capacity around 111,000. For the Super Bowl, capacity will be around 120,000. Where are the other 9,000 extra seats? The seats in the stadium are mounted on a rail and the nice seats with cushions an arm rest will be removed and seats without cushions and arm rests will be installed. They will gain about 3/4 seats per row. JJ thinks of everything. The have the most video screens in a building already - around 300. They are going to add another 200 for the Super Bowl that will stay. If you get a "party pass" for the Super Bowl you better get there early. Otherwise, you will only be able to say you were there because you will not be able to see the field or a video board.

At the stadium the have a huge pro shop. We picked up a few gifts for ourselves (tshirts) and picked up a Cowboys cheerleader uniform for a couple of friends wife's (Danny, Cory, Michael). I refused to purchase one for Greg since he doesn't need any more kids right now. When we got back to the airport, there was a Cowboys pro shop. We stopped in to see if we could find something for the kids since the one at the stadium didn't have their sizes in anything we liked. While we were looking we checked out the cost of the shirts we bought. They were cheaper at the airport than at the stadium. Are you kidding me? When was the last time you bought anything at the airport and it was cheaper than you could buy it away from the airport? That darn Jerry Jones...got us.

I know you are as tired reading this as I am typing it but this story has to go full circle - When we are getting ready to board the plane, who do we see? Take a wild guess - THE FREAKING POLAR BEARS (Jeremy, what are the odds of that?) from our flight to Dallas from Atlanta. No way, are you kidding me. We boarded the plane and prayed not be anywhere near them and we were saved from freezing on the way back to Atlanta. There are a lot of people who evidently fly to NFL games because the flight to Atlanta was full of people who had been to the game.

In summary, the stadium was awesome, the video board was huge, it's a great place to watch a football game, LA loved the cheerleaders and we had a great time. It was a good get a way. If you get a chance to go to the BIG D, go!

PS - If you want to see more pictures of the "Stadium" just ask me.

Happy Holidays From "Our Life" To You

We hope that this Christmas season is filled with joy, peace and laughter (this should get you started laughing). We hope that you can spend sometime with family and friends. But most importantly, offering praise and thanksgiving to the ONE who make all things possible. Always be thankful for all that God has provided and will provide. Thanks for reading "Our Life" and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!.

PS - Dallas update is coming but I have to finish getting ready for Christmas.

Just So You Know

My response to the I'm Just Sayin BABY #3 NAME TOURNAMENT...

This is BS…how does DAN aka “DANNY” go from not even in the tournament(refer back to lunch conversation at NYPD when I said “Wow, you didn’t even make the tournament” and Danny replied “I know. I am going to have to talk to Greg” (must have told him not to worry “it’s in the bag”) to winning the name tournament because you are going to call Baby 3 - Daniel, “Dan”. I think it was the blind man that said “I see”…let me get this straight, Danny gives Greg a quarter and magically through some crazy set of circumstances Daniel is chosen out of 64 other wonderful names (well, at least two of them – Carter Electronics Horres and Kevin Winfield) and you are going to call him “Dan”…it is evident that there was a price on getting Baby 3 named after you (even if Greg, is trying to cover up the scandal by using Daniel). Let me guess Jenn H has hired a lawyer and knows nothing about this bounty on naming rights for Baby 3…this sounds all too familiar – CAMGATE - DANGATE. Wait till Daniel finds out his name was chosen for a quarter…that’s going to cost you some counseling sessions (Oh, and I am going to tell him and frequently).

Medicine and Aubrey's Career Has Been Decided

Medicine

Let's talk about medicine...Aubrey loves it. Even the ones that she doesn't like, she will take (and I am not implying she takes a lot of medicine because she doesn't - she has had a couple of antibiotics for ear infections, occasionally Motrin(when we want her to leave us alone, sleep late or go to bed early (just kidding) and some cough and decongestant medicine). She tells us "I don't feel good. I need some medicine" even when she isn't sick. When she actually is sick and we ask her to come take her medicine, she comes running with an open mouth.

Let's go the other extreme, Wyatt. Hates it. Hates all of it, even the ones that smell good. He doesn't want it in his mouth and he puts up a pretty good fight. If you don't get if far enough back in his mouth it is coming out. As soon as he sees the syringe, he is closing his mouth and whining. He has even got to the point where he doesn't open his mouth wide enough to cry to let you sneak it in. We like a good challenge.

Aubrey's Career Choice

It's settled. Aubrey is going to work for a trash company. That girl loves to put stuff in the trash can. She wakes up in the morning and immediately goes to Wyatt's room to pick up the empty medicine containers from Wyatt's breathing treatments (I leave them out on purpose, so she can do it and she has yet to let me down). She was obsessed last year at Christmas about picking up all the paper and putting in the trash bag. She does the same thing around the house..."I put that in the trash can." "I want to help Daddy take the trash out."

All in all I don't guess this is a bad thing. At least the house will be clean and she will have job security (unless this Green thing catches on...she should be okay for most of career as a sanitation professional).

We Are Headed To The Big D

Never thought I would mention the D word on this blog but after much thought LA and I are headed to the big D. We didn't think it would be this way but we are tired and ready for a change. We didn't see it coming, actually we did after that fateful day in late October. It's for the best and will make both of us better parents in the long run.

What big D did you think, I was talking about? Are you kidding me, why would you think that? We are headed to THE BIG D - DALLAS or as my hommies say "DAL". We are leaving on Saturday and coming home on Monday. I won tickets to any NFL game at a Motorola meeting and after much thought decided that the only place (notice I didn't say team) that interested me in the NFL was Cowboys Stadium (because I am not a die hard NFL fan I had to find a reason to go, lots of teams I pull for and lots of teams I don't like but none that I am going to paint my chest for or where some silly object on my head (like lets say a cheesehead- which I had the pleasure sitting next to at a NASCAR race in Darlington a number of years back...race about to start and guy starts up the stairs with a cheesehead on and my first thought was that guy will be sitting next to me and guess what I was correct...nice guy and a big Dick Trickle fan (it's been a few years)). The other criteria was weather - I am not sitting in the freezing cold for an NFL game - for example, last weeks snow fest in Chicago - not going (evidently, those people don't have rabbit ears or cable to watch the game in the comfort of their home. Who would have thought there would still be someone out there in 2010...I mean who would have thought their would be two people - sorry, Meghan (my niece...maybe Santa could get cable for you for Christmas)) If I am in that much snow, I better have skis on and be moving down the mountain.

Cowboys Stadium ($1.2B) will be the 2nd most expensive building I have ever been in - The Wynn Las Vegas ($2.7B) is the most expensive. I think the stadium will be more impressive (or if it isn't I am going to be disappointed because the Wynn was nice but not $2.7B nice). The game is one of the oldest rivalries in the NFL - Cowboys vs Redskins (Why didn't they have to change their name to Native Americans?). I remember growing up watching those games - Staubach, White, Riggins, Kilmer, Theisman(before LT ended his career)...etc (when they were both good) and pulling for the Redskins. I remember my favorite t-shirt was a yellow Redskins one with some players number on it. I don't know who I will pull for on Sunday but I think since I am an outsider in hostile territory, I will wear white for the Cowboys.

Our seats should be pretty good - lower level visitors side, 35/40 yard line, 19 rows from the field. I saw the cost of the seats and about had a heart attack - $340. I left off the each part - $340ea, wholly dollar signs, Batman. $680 for two football tickets, I guess that's why I don't care about the NFL. I can't afford to care, it costs to much. Don't let the NFL catch you thinking about anything NFL related or they will send a bill to your house. In case you are wondering, I did the math - those two seats for an entire NFL season (8 home games) would cost $5,440. That's a lot of cabbage. No wonder everyone is pissed when their team isn't winning. I bet it is going to cost to use the bathroom.

We have a VIP tour of the stadium on Monday and then we are back home Monday night for the rest of the holidays. It is going to be nice to get away for a couple of days with LA to recharge our batteries for Christmas with Aubrey and Wyatt and I am sure we will have lots of fun.

Follow me on twitter(maybe facebook) for updates (pictures) on the trip.

Wyatt's 9 Month Check-Up

Update
December 13, 2010

Aubrey's 9 month measurements:

Weight: 22lb 2oz (90th percentile)
Length: 29 3/4" (100th percentile)
Head: 17 1/2" (60th percentile)

You can read the numbers as good as I can. As you can tell, they are almost the exact same size at 9 months. Length is the same and Wyatt tips the scale 1 oz heavier (pretty sure I can't tell that extra ounce but I can tell you that he is officially to big to be carried around in his car seat any longer. LA and I weren't built for carrying 32+ pounds at arm length for long distances.) Wyatt is the clear winner in head size which isn't any real big surprise (we knew his head was bigger). It will be interesting to watch the rest of the story unfold. LA and I thought Wyatt was taller and heavier than Aubrey at 9 months but I the numbers don't lie.

Here's another observation on their growth. Back in September Aubrey was 35.5" (lets call it 3ft to make this simple). In two years, she grew 3 feet. Over the next 16 years she will only grow another 2 or 3 feet (unless she is going to be some freak of nature and be 9ft at 6 years old). How does the body know to stop growing?...Why do you grow so fast in the first 2 years? (It's probably a conspiracy by older kids or amusement park management so 3 years old can't ride the big roller coasters and a way for amusement park management to suck extra dollars from parents with the Kiddie Park)...It is amazing how God made us and how our bodies function (and how God is at work and we don't even realize it - because He keeps parents from letting a 3 year old ride a big roller coaster or the big slide at the water park and saves them from having the "that wasn't a good idea" thought after something happens).


December 7th, 2010

Wyatt had his 9 month checkup today. It was a quick trip. Everything looks good and he is growing. Evidently, I will have to do some digging to find Aubrey's 9 month appointment measurements since that was during my brief departure from blogging or it's on this blog and I can find it.

Wyatt

Height - 29 3/4" (+2.5" from 6 month appointment) - 90th percentile
Weight 22lbs 3oz - (+3lb 11oz from 6 month appointment) - 75th percentile
Head - 18 1/4" - (+.75" from 6 month appointment) - 75 percentile

The good news is that he only put on 3lb 11oz in 12 weeks.

December 9 Update

I don't know what is up with our kids and well check up appointments but we are going to start making a sick baby appointment for 3-5 days later. We got a call yesterday to pick up Aubrey because she had a temperature. While picking up her, I was informed I needed to get Wyatt because he also had a temperature. Perfectly healthy on Tuesday...sick on Thursday must be the germs in the doctors office. I don't feel we should have to pay for these follow up visits within the same week. We were just there 48 hours ago what kind of warranty comes with their service?

Wyatt's fever could be associated with the vaccinations he received and his temp is down this am (Friday) but he does have a runny nose and more congestion.

I love cold weather. Bah...Humbug..How much longer until spring?

All I want from Santa Is... and the Elf

Aubrey's Wish List For Santa

1. Pink Ladder
2. Presents
3. Chocolate Milk
4. Purple Bicycle (she might need to learn to ride the tricycle or either she thinks I am going to push her on the bicycle like the tricycle)

I will keep adding to the list as it grows.

It's official we are an Elf on the Shelf family. After much debate about the color of our Elf and a couple of trips to the store, we have a very tanned (they call it light skinned, not what I would call it but I didn't make or design it), brown hair, blue eyed elf. It is male elf but Aubrey has decided to call him Maggie - sorry Maggie but you better not complain about your new name and make my kids cry or it's off to the landfill.

She is probably about a year away from fully understanding but she knows not to touch him and she enjoys looking for him in the mornings. The first night after reading about Maggie, Aubrey ended up in time out. Not a good start for Maggie's report to Santa.

Weekly Update

Before I get to the update that everyone floods to this website to read, I felt a couple of events from this week needed to be mentioned:

"Dandy" Don Meredith passed away at the age of 72.
Played for the Dallas Cowboys 1960 - 1968; Never played a home football game outside of Texas (went to high school in Texas; college at Southern Methodist (SMU)). NFL Player of the Year 1966; Pro Bowl selection 3 times; Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor and Pro Football Hall of Fame as a Sportscaster

Unlike some other bloggers, I do remember Don on MNF (70-72, 77-84) with Howard Cosell (until 83), Frank Gifford (and a four man booth with Fran Tarkenton and two years with OJ Simpson (yes, that's right OJ was an announcer on MNF before taking up another profession)) . I remember his trademark "Turn out the light, the parties over" when the game was out of reach for the losing team. As with every sportscaster he had a couple of minor incidents - referred to then President Nixon as "Tricky" Dick; said he was "mile-high" before a game in Denver; and took Cleveland Brown receiver Fair Hooker's name and said "Fair Hooker...well, I haven't met one yet".



As a segway to another topic, I also remember Howard Cosell on MNF in 1983 refer to receiver Alvin Garrett who had broken away from the Cowboy defenders "look at that little monkey run". He was pressured to apologize, refused referring to his history with black athletes and saying "little monkey" was a term he used with his grandson. He retired from MNF at the end of the season. Which provides the segway to event two of this week...

John Lennon's Death - December 8th 1980 (30 Year Anniversary)

Which was 1st announced by Howard Cosell on MNF.



The Beatles...Tragic...Enough Said...

Pearl Harbor, December 7th 1941

A day that will never be forgotten in American History and proclaimed by President Franklin D Roosevelt "a date which will live in infamy".


To those that died, those that survived at Pearl Harbor and all that have served or continue to serve in our armed forces - thank you for your service and sacrifice to make this Nation GREAT.

On with the update...

If you are a male and have a daughter or ever might have a daughter, I would suggest you read the following on raising girls that was sent to my by I'm Just Say'in. Probably one of the funniest things I have read (other that my blog and his blog).

The Brady Bunch

Last weekend LA and I felt bad and agreed to babysit the Wesley Ulmer clan (ok, so we didn't feel bad but it sounds better) - Wes, Garrett and Paige. So we weren't quite The Brady Bunch but it was close enough - 5 kids and 2 adults. Good thing we had an SUV or a couple of them would have been riding on the roof or on their bike holding a rope attached to the car. We should have rented a conversion van...that would have been fun. Darn the car seats...those things just get in the way and take up a lot of space which made me think about when I was growing up and their weren't any car seats. I remember the station wagons my parents had growing up and actually playing in the back of them as we went down the rode - seat belts? What were those? I also remember the rear facing seat in the back of the station wagon, evidently put there so you could witness your own death in a rear end collision. I am going to give my parents some props because the were pretty good drivers to have taken as many trips as we took and not wreck the car and get someone killed.

Day 1 - Friday Evening

Our adventure started with a trip to James Island County Park to see the lights. Nana and Gramps had their camper there and had invited everyone to come out to eat dinner and see the lights. This is where LA and I went from a nice little family of four to a basketball team with two subs. Paige had spent the day with Nana and Scott and Marsha brought Wes and Garrett. After seeing the lights, we loaded up all of the kids stuff (forgot to tell Wesley and Karissa they were only coming for two nights not the month or did they have other plans???) and installed car seat number 3. It was late when we left and everyone was sleeping by the time we got home. LA and I figured we had to do this in waves so we filled our arms with Paige and Aubrey and took them inside and put them to bed. I went and got Wyatt and LA and I discussed leaving Wes and Garrett in car with it running overnight or at least until they woke up. We decided they probably needed to come inside and I went out to get them. They were both knocked out. I was able to get Wes to wake from his trance after a few minutes and he got out the car. I then attempted to wake Garrett who evidently had been drugged. I pulled him out of the car and attempted to lift all 85 pounds of dead weight which quickly made me realize that I shouldn't kill anybody and have to dispose of the body. It was all I could do the get him in the house without dropping him or tripping and killing us both. After I got him inside, he was still barely awake. I took him to the bathroom and told him to use the bathroom. He was just standing there. I would tell him again and he wouldn't do anything. He finally woke up enough to understand the words coming from my mouth, put the seat down (wasn't going to argue with him) and I turned and shut the door. We got them on their sofas and called night 1 over...we thought. Wesley and Karissa evidently forgot to tell us about Paige screaming in the middle of the night....woke both of us up - actually scared the poop out of us.

Day 2 Saturday

After a five star breakfast of ham and cheese omelets and bacon (how do I know it was 5 star because 1. We cooked it 2. Everything is 5 star when bacon is served), LA and I decided that staying at home would be boring and we should load everyone up and go get our Christmas tree. If your new to the blog, you might want to read about LA and our Christmas tree tradition (adventures) here and here the past two years and know that three years ago we bought a tree and it never made it in our house because of the remodeling (but we had a tree). Nothing is ever simple with us or without a few laughs. We loaded up everyone (making sure everyone had gone to the bathroom) and headed out to Ridgeville to Tomlinsons (same place we went last year). We walked the property (fortunately, it is not too big (not 100 acres)) and found a bunch of Charlie Brown trees and some nice smaller tree but nothing of any size like we wanted. I should have known something was up when he told me everything was $50. Wes and Garrett were just ready to cut something down. We should have stopped while we were ahead - we still had all the kids, all the ant mounds Paige and Aubrey walked through were dormant, no one had got hurt falling over the tree stumps...etc. We (LA and I) then had to make a decision...continue on to Younges Island (Hollywood, SC) or go back to the house eat lunch, take naps, eat dinner and get ready for the Living Christmas Story. We decided we were on a mission and to forge ahead with the Christmas tree plans and head on down the road to Toogoodo Christmas Tree Farm. Realizing it was lunch time, we decided that we would stop at our only choice - the Hardee's in Hollywood, SC. Not to long into our adventure, Aubrey tells us that she needs to pp in the grass - she knows to pp in the bathroom inside and in the grass outside when traveling or out in the yard (don't waste the energy to go inside and because every time we need to portable potty which normally is in my car, it has been left behind at the house.). I stopped the car on the side of the road and got Aubrey out of her car seat. Our preferred method for roadside pp is the pike position. As Aubrey is going pp, I look down and realize the it is going everywhere including on my tennis shoes...man, are you kidding me...at least she didn't pp in her seat and on her clothes because that would have been a disaster. We made it to the Hardee's. Did you know that Hardee's is fine dining? You don't get your food at the counter, they bring it to you. I will admit that I haven't been inside a Hardees in long time - breakfast maybe through the drive through but not for lunch or dinner loooong time (never had a monster burger). Other than it taking forever to get our food, it was ok. While we were sitting at our table, I noticed a gentleman looking at us. He had his son with him. After a few minutes, we made eye contact and he said "Are all those yours?" with a look of holy crap, I hope not. I shook my head yes and he came over to the table and prayed for us. Not really...I told him "no" and he was like thank God. He said he had three and couldn't imagine 5. While at the table in Hardee's, it was determined that either someone had stepped in some poop or Paige had stunk up her diaper. It was the latter. It was then that LA, looked at me at told that we didn't have any diapers for Paige. They were at the house. The Christmas tree adventure was going supposed to be quick...oops. Wyatt's diapers are too small and we didn't even have an emergency pull up for Aubrey that she could use. Not having any other option, we got some duck tape from the truck and a handful of napkins and fashioned a diaper for Paige, Macgyver style). It wasn't pretty but it was practical. We continued our adventure to the Christmas Tree Farm. after we went to CVS and got Paige some diapers. Since CVS didn't have a bathroom, LA changed her on the front seat...not classy but it got the job done.

When we arrived at the Toogoodo Christmas Tree farm they have a lot of trees which means a lot more property. I will make this part of the adventure short - you're looking for the perfect tree, YOUR family tree...it's too short, it's too tall, it's lopsided, it's not full, it's got a hole...etc. Imagine the letter T (or look at it right there) with trees planted on it. We walked the vertical line, then the left side to the property line (found a tree that had potential), then right side to the property line (found one with potential), back to the left side to take another look at the one we had found to compare it to the one on the right side. (Did I mention that included in our 5 kids it included Aubrey at age 2, Paige at 21 months (who haven't taken naps yet) and Wyatt 9 months.) Guess what the tree on the right side was to be our Christmas tree because the tree on the left wasn't "perfect" (it was a family decision). So Wes, Garrett and I walked back to the tree we found on the right side to cut it down. There were one minor(maybe, major) problem once I got back to the tree. The trunk was crooked...not good but I decided that I would find a way to over come the crooked trunk and decided to cut the tree down (plus, I wasn't walking all the way back to the other tree to cut it down). I had Garrett on camera duty and told him to record the tree falling. I said "Timber", the tree fell and Garrett told me "You didn't tell be to press "OK"" (which starts the recording)...HA!HA! So, I grab the tree for the 500 yard drag to the checkout. I was wondering where the four wheeler or golf carts were to help me get this tree out of here..I put that suggestion in their suggestion box. As I am nearing the vertical part of the "T" n the field a family is circled around a much smaller tree (about 3 to 4 foot tree...our is 9 to 10) and the following conversation takes place:

Father To Me:"Did you cut that yourself?"
Me: "Yes, about 200 yard back"
Father: "Wow, I feel bad.
Daughter: "Do you want to cut our tree down?"
Father immediately: "NO!"

It seems the father was the city type (more than me) and didn't want to get his khakis dirty and while having the manual bow saw in his hand to cut his very own tree had asked one of the workers walking buy if he had a power saw that he could cut the tree down. In the meantime, the worker had gone to retrieve the chain saw when I walked up. Sorry, to ruin your kids image of you dude and that you are going to have to live with the fact that you didn't cut your own tree down with your own two hands.

I finally got the crooked trunked tree to the bagger and the owner looked at me and said "That is a big, heavy tree". I replied "I know I just dragged it here from way over there, where is the four wheeler". After he inspected the tree, he told me "I want you to be happy and this trunk on this tree is going to be hard to get mounted straight. I will charge you $25 bucks and give you a stand that might help you". They are good people and I appreciated that because I cut the tree and knew what I was getting myself into. (Toogoodo Christmas Tree Farms is the FIRST officially endorsed business by this blog. For all your Christmas Tree needs call Toogoodo Christmas Tree Farms) What a bargain. Now, all I have to do is get it straight and in the house. So the Christmas tree adventure was a success and we only lost Paige for a few minutes when someone (unnamed) stopped watching her and she was just wandering off in the Christmas trees.

Since we had so much fun on the Christmas adventure, we had to hurry home to get ready for evenings event - The Living Christmas Story at Bethany.

Living Christmas Story

This year LA and I were going to be return to our 2008 award winning role as Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus. We followed up last year with another award in 2009 as pregnant Mary and Joseph. This year we had a 22lb infant baby Jesus. Wes, Garrett, Aubrey, Paige and Nanny were going to be villagers. To speed up the story - Wes and Garrett got to be shepherds keeping the cow and goats on the same set as LA and I. LA and I took our place and Wyatt is knocked out which is good because he loves his pacifier and the last time I checked baby Jesus didn't have a pacifier. So after about 20/25 minutes on the set, LA tells me she isn't feeling good and thinks she might pass out. She takes a knee. The Wiseman asks if LA is okay and do we need to get a replacement (being a wiseman he has a radio or phone in his gift box). LA then asks to sit down and the Wiseman makes the call "MARY IS DOWN". LA tells me she can't hear me talking (which she tells me all the time, so I didn't think anything of it.) I help LA up and a Wiseman helps LA back inside...I stay outside because "the show must go on" and now Wyatt is awake. I get a stand in Mary (Melissa F) which causes Wyatt to look at her and be like "where is my mommy". After a few minutes, they get a stand in for Joseph and fake baby Jesus and Wyatt and I head inside to check on LA. She is doing much better....don't know what happened but she seems to have recovered. Nothing like a little excitement on the LCS set. By the way I know what you are thinking, she pregnant. No, not a chance (not impossible) UNLESS for some reason God has decided to preform another Christmas miracle and has chosen LA to be the next Mary and if that is the case you better get right with the man upstairs and start praying for LA and I (and for further proof she isn't pregnant, we haven't listened to any Hootie CD's or been to any concerts). When Wes and Garrett came back in the fellowship hall, Wes had a special treat on him. He had knelt down in some cow poop or something and his costume was smelling right.


Day 3 Sunday

Some how with God's help we got everyone to church and had a great lunch with Wesley, Karissa, Nanny and the kids after Sunday School and we told them of our adventures.

I don't think we scared them and they might even come back - I doubt it but if their mom and dad make them and they won't have a choice.

Don't Miss This

If you have missed the 30 on 30 series on ESPN, you might want to check it out this Saturday after the Heisman Trophy Presentation. It is on the SMU Mustangs and everything that went on prior to the death penalty handed down by the NCAA and now their rise from the ashes. Don't miss it.

Football Update

Need to ask Danny if my comment last week was correct about - winning is much better live and losing is much better in HD.

Cam Newton is innocent (He said so and it was on ESPN this morning); He also said he hasn't talked to his father about the alleged "pay for play" scheme his father dreamed up. I am going to find that hard to believe but it's time to move on. Regardless, Cam is the best (paid) football player this year, give him the Heisman. (It's a joke War Eagle fans. They can always take it back...just kidding - Jenn and Clark) War Cam Eagle!

I am looking forward to an offensive showcase in the National Championship game. I hope both defenses stay at home and it is big play after big play for touchdowns and it goes into triple overtime and the final score is like a basketball game (which might not be hard after a D1 team the other night scored 9 points in a half...yes, that's right 9 points. I am pretty sure Aubrey could score 9 points in 20 minutes...and the other team only scored 25 in the half). However, I am sure it will end up being a blow out...it is too much to ask for it to live up to all the hype. I am holding out hope.

Stay tuned here for all your bowl update information on the Who Cares - Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte.

Weekend Update

Better Call SC Department of Natural Resources They Are Going To Want To Come and See This

So Saturday morning started out most Saturday mornings in our house. Wyatt wakes up around 7am, I get him changed and I take him to our bed to see if he will go back to sleep or if he really is awake which means our day has officially started and it is play time with mommy and daddy. Aubrey woke up a few minutes later calling for "Daddy". I went into her room and our conversation went something like this:

Me: Good Morning, Baby Girl
A: There is a bear
Me: Where?
A: pointing out the window - In the tree. Do you see it?
Me: I sure do...figured I would go along, it might get better - it did...What's the bear doing in the tree?
A: Talking to the Lion
Me: There is a bear and a lion in the tree?
A: Yes
A: Mommy, there is a bear in the tree.
LA: Really, What's he doing?
A: Bear is talking to the Lion. I want to get some chocolate milk for the bear.
LA: How is the bear going to get down?
A: I am going to get a pink ladder for Christmas.
Me: thinking to myself - pink ladder? where is this coming from we haven't really even talked to her about a ladder?
A: I want to get the bear down and feed him
Me: When we go outside, you can show me the bear and lion
A: Okay

We went outside later and she showed me the tree (a tree that she couldn't see from her room) and showed them to LA and I. This could get even more interesting, if she gets a pink ladder from Santa.

Wyatt Update
Wyatt pulled himself up yesterday. He is very active and is very curious and likes to follow mommy, daddy or Aubrey around. I lowered his crib yesterday to keep him inside...they need to put a motor on those beds to raise them up and down because he is so far down now, it is difficult to pick him up if he is laying down.

We had our first injury with blood involving Aubrey or Wyatt on Thanksgiving Day after dinner. Wyatt had left the dining room and crawled into the living room at my mom and dad's house. He was close to a wicker basket and Aubrey decided to pull him by his neck from behind. When she let go of him, his head went forward and his mouth hit the wicker basket. From the table, we told him he was ok and not to cry (because you don't want to baby him...be tough don't cry..suck it up). After about a minute, Aubrey told us that Wyatt spit up so I got up from the table and walked over to Wyatt. When I got there I realized that he hadn't spit up but was bleeding and had blood on the floor and on his bib and around his mouth. I picked him up and took him to his mommy for some TLC and to find out where he was bleeding from. Aubrey was very concerned about her Wyatt. It was nice to see her be nurturing towards her brother...she might have been sucking up and worried about going to time out or getting a spanking since she was the one who was playing with Wyatt when he got hurt. He cried for a couple minutes and was back going at full speed.

CLEMSON vs SC
*Aubrey Pregame


Take 2


Just a few thoughts for my loyal SC fans who read this blog for some reason
*1st a Thank You
...for kicking our arse...it would have been much worse to lose by a touchdown or less and actually have to live with the fact that we had a chance to beat SC and let them off the hook just like we did with Auburn, Miami, UNC, Boston College and Florida State.
...reminding me the we really are not a good football team and as much as it painful to admit - a much better team top to bottom - players and coaches than Clemson
*Mentioned pregame we had to control the big play, Lattimore and Jeffrey
...We held Lattimore in check...defensive line was one again impressive
...Jeffery and our secondary made Garcia look like a Heisman candidate
*Dabo's two biggest losses in his short 2.5 year career are against SC
*If FSU had missed the 76 yard field goal to win the game, we would have had the opportunity of getting our arse kicked by Va Tech in the ACC Championship game on national tv.
*Dabo's has to make some changes...he needs to hire a staff that he believes in and let them do their job and manage everyone instead of being involved - show me one other head coach that signals in plays in the FBS. As many scholarships as we hand out to non players/walk-ons, I am sure one of them is smart enough to signal in the plays. My personal opinion keep the defensive staff and let go all the offensive staff (you can keep, OC Billy Napier if you stop meddling in the offense)
*Pretty sure Dabo said "great bunch of guys, were doing the right things, we are building a program...blah, blah, blah" - I think he only has one more year - year 3 is going to have to show some serious progress which shouldn't be difficult since we were terrible this year but a new quarterback and no Da'Quan could be difficult
*I am getting my Sister In Law to talk Da'Quan into staying (let her know, Karissa)
*Are we really going to a bowl game? That's the problem with our society - We continually reward mediocre performance so what do we continually get mediocre results. It all started when parents got upset about Johnny or Sally finishing in last place and not getting a trophy and wanting to be fair got them a trophy. Life isn't fair. Someone wins, someone loses and someone gets a trophy and someone needs to go home empty handed (even my child).
*K Parker the next plane to Denver, CO is tonight at 7:30pm. Do you really want to play in a bowl game? I will trade you playing in the bowl game for continually replaying the pass to Jacoby Ford to beat Miami last year on this blog. Think about it you have 1.4 million reasons to "officially" hang up the football cleats. See you in single A with the Asheville Tourists when you come to Charleston to play the Riverdogs...good luck, it's a long climb to the big leagues.


*Congrats to the Gamecocks...Hail To The Victors
*Sorry your victory over us didn't help you in the BCS poll - actually lost one spot in the BCS (19), Harris (17 - same), USA Today (16 - up one spot)
*Northern Illinois (NIU) Huskies (who? that's right, who?) are ranked and Clemson is not (It's official, we are terrible.)
*My blood still runs Orange
*To my friends traveling to Atlanta for the SEC championship game - drive safe, avoid rush hour in ATL, go eat at Bones (what a steak) or Fogo De Chao (a man's dream, where veggies are an after thought - Danny this is your spot. Trust me on this one!)

Black Friday Shopping
A BIG thank you to my wife for getting 90% of the shopping done on Black Friday. There evidently was a picture taken of her and her mother leaving the Target in West Ashley on the Post and Courier's website on Saturday but I can not find it (if you can find it or saw it let me know). They were worried they were going to be on the front page. Somebody should have done a story on them...left at 4:30am and got back home at 10:45pm...I don't know why she enjoys it but she does.

California Dreaming

Burrrrrr...it was colder on the inside than it was outside. They blamed all the windows. I said they were too cheap to run the heat overnight and it hadn't caught up yet.