I bought a couple extra tickets for the girls to come to the ASU-Washington game, a day game thankfully. Coach used my ticket and sat with Featha. We were 15 rows up from them, pretty high, but the same section. It got shade faster than they did. The girls were a little tired in the beginning, but they perked up when we went to see Aunt Katie, who gave them free hot dogs and water. The Washington QB imploded in the 4th Q with several turnovers, allowing the Devils to pull ahead. It was a fun time with the girls, who are always asking me to take them.
I was pretty fired up for the UofA game this year. It's been a disappointing season, after all the talk from Graham of the best team he's had in Tempe, and Herbstreit picking us as a dark horse for the playoffs (which I never believed). Norvell has got to go. At any rate, it was a 'beat UofA and maybe get a decent bowl' kind of year. So here we were, hosting the Mildcats, also a day game thankfully. Featha was late coming over so we barely made it into the stadium before kickoff, with all the extra security. We had the usual drunk kids on the light rail there, and plenty of alcohol-fueled tirades waiting to get in.
This is a decent re-cap of the game. We pretty much jumped right on them in the first half. I was pleased to see us finally throw deep, something we haven't done all season. We had a real balanced attack, and only kept UofA in it with a pick 6 on a bad play call by Norvell. Of course we were flat on both sides of the ball to start the second half. Rather than receive the kickoff, score, and put the game out of reach, we let UofA score 13 unanswered (luckily two FGs rather than TDs) and get back in it. Like the previous week, the opposing QB imploded late, allowing us to secure the victory. A 3rd stringer, he threw two pick 6's that sealed it. I kind of felt bad for him having to step into that situation; he also got wrecked on a few plays, including UofA's last consolation score.
Still, no pity for the kitty! Graham's 3-1 against the team down south, and I'm pretty sure this was Rich Rod's last appearance in the Territorial Cup. Hopefully the Devils can beat Cal and finish with a nice 7-5.
Had to go San Antonio for work back in September. Went with my colleague Ben, who is evangelical, so we had lots of talks about the Bible and childbirth. We just missed getting into the Cathedral of San Fernando (at left), and also missed the Alamo, although that was not as big a bummer as the Cathedral.
The plan was for us and our friends to haul the families up to the cabin for Labor Day wkend, but the women didn't feel like roughing it, and I didn't feel like having all the kids for two nights, so we just went up for one. Karin, JoJo, Booch, and I left Sun. morning after Mass at St. Joe's. We unloaded at the cabin, then headed out to the shooting spot. Zach drove up too, with Margaret riding with him. I tried to talk Karin into shooting, but she refused. Kevin eventually joined us with his boys and Sienna. I got to shoot my new Glock, which was fun, and shooting that .22 Ruger rifle is always a good time. After a couple hours, we returned to the cabin and the fire pit next to the garage. We chopped wood, built a fire, and grilled some meat for dinner.
I was a little worried about the sleeping arrangements, but it worked out fine. Jip started out on the floor next to her sister, but eventually she joined Booch and I in the bed. We had a quick breakfast and a nice long walk "around the block" before driving back to Phx. The traffic was ok. We ended up stopping at McD's on the way home, like we did in Flag on the way up. Karin didn't seem to be as scared of the mice as Julia was, and said she had a good time. I'll get her to shoot a gun yet...
I pretty much figured we'd end up with the chickens some day, and sure enough, we did, at the end of August. Jacopone got a dog, and she ate a few of them, which was a real bummer, because they were producers (of eggs). Bobbins wanted to keep them, so I reluctantly agreed to set something up at our house. This was also part of her birthday present. We bought an overpriced coop and put it on the west side of the house, where my garden shed used to be.
That white one was the lone survivor from Jack's. We were doing really good about keeping Olden away from them until one day the door was left open enough for him to sneak out and attack. The poor white one was by the trees and didn't stand a chance. Bobbins had just clipped their wings so they couldn't fly up out of danger. Olden annihilated the white one (the best producer) and got one of the brown ones before Bobbins could rein him in. We had to burn the carcasses in the fire pit. Looked just like chicken you bake in the oven.
D and I were having few takers on our annual end of summer golf outing at work, so this year we decided to enter a charity scramble connected to our work with just one 4some -- myself, D, Sean, and Charles. They had way too many gimmicks to raise extra money. The winning score was something like 36. I think we shot a 56. (This is an 18 hole course.) It was my first time playing this course, Lookout Mtn at the Pointe Tapatio. I drive by it every day on the way home from work. There were some fun holes. I'd like to play it 'for real' sometime on my own.
My cousin Randy, the PBR rep, said he'd send me a cornhole set, and sure enough, he came through. The girls thought it was a lot of fun and we got a little use in the house before I stowed it in the garage.
There's a fair number of us with birthdays in August (now add T Fish), so for the last few years our friends Kevin and Jess have hosted a bash at their house. This year was the first at their new house in northeast Phoenix. Poor Karin was stuck by herself, since her English isn't that great and there were no kids her age. But our kids had a blast, esp. when Kevin gave them all rides in his bobcat. The group photo are the ladies. We took a group shot of the birthday celebrants, but can't find it...
We had our girls vs. boys game of catchphrase, like last year, and it was either a tie, or the boys won.
She was in a transitional kindergarten last year, so this year she started real school and full day kindergarten at a traditional, independent, Catholic school in east Phoenix. It's a long drive for us, but the school closely aligns with our values and truly is a loving, joyful environment centered on Christ. MM loves it. She doesn't love getting up in the morning to get there, but once there, she thrives. She is very artsy [like her mom], according to the teacher, always loving to dance and draw. She's doing well academically and also getting good marks in religion. She attends Mass every day. We are very proud of her. She regularly gets citations for good behavior, and has made a number of friends in the older grades. No worries about bullying or sexting at this school!
I got to take her that first day. What a cutie. She went right into the classroom and was ready to take it on.
We decided in the spring to get another foreign student. We had such a good experience with Julia and thought we might get lucky again. The agency, Educatius, didn't contact us for a long time. Then out of the blue, in mid-August, the incompetent coordinator rang us up saying they had a Japanese girl who would be coming tomorrow. We had half a Saturday to decide. After deciding yes earlier, Bobbins now changed her mind and didn't want to do it. Being the set-in-stone guy that I am, I was already committed and decided to go ahead. Even though it was less money than before, and would be for the whole year (a fact we didn't discover until after we already took her in).
At any rate, on a Sunday afternoon in August, Karin came to live with us. Since they weren't taking anymore foreign students in the PV District, she couldn't go to the high school within walking distance of our house. She was to attend Valley Lutheran HS closer to downtown. We got her set up with a carpool in the morning and a bus ticket for the way home.
East and West are obviously different, but you really feel the difference living together. Karin's English is also not that great, an added challenge. She isn't the most kid friendly, which is ironic given our house. She is the youngest of three girls and is from Tokyo. She's very good about her daily chore of doing the dishes after dinner. She studies A LOT. She has her own room on the east side of the house.
One of Bobbins' mom friends turned 30, so it was a big get-together at their house. Her husband, Will, took on the task of BBQ-ing for everyone and did a tremendous job. It was a nice night away from the kids, except for T Fish, who went to his first party at age 2 weeks. This photo is Bobbins with her besties Jessica and Mary. The theme was yellow, which these ladies loved.
Like the six people who read this blog, I'm sure, I was very angered by the Planned Parenthood videos released by the Center for Medical Progress. I don't see how anyone can argue that they don't expose PP for the evil they are. It's depressing and sickening that the releases haven't caused more of an uproar. One reason conservatives are so mad at the 'Establishment' is that Congress couldn't even get through a vote to defund PP.
At any rate, I took the girls and met Katie at the PP HQ in AZ for the big nationwide protest in August. After the fact I thought maybe they might've been too young for it, but it was a good lesson for them in confronting evil and standing up for the innocent. It was pretty hot, and the PPers were backed by a loud soundsystem/DJ, but we had several hundred to challenge the lie that is that organization. God help us.
Once we decided to get another foreign student, I had to get in action to build her a desk. I had a black particle board shelf from Zach's old room that my dad had given me years ago. I decided to use that as the top, then just use 2x4s as the legs and 1x pine as the braces. It was fun (albeit hot, in August) to work in my garage, sanding, cutting, drilling, etc. I used leftover blue paint from our bedroom. It's not the deepest desk, but it works, and I'll probably use it as my 'altar' in my office once it's no longer needed as a desk (sooner rather than later for Bobbins, of course). The pic at left is the pieces before assembly.
JoJo (not Booch) helped me paint.
I guess we're pretty much an old married couple, or at least one step further. Instead of buying each other gifts, we just bought what we wanted ourselves (our birthdays are in the same month). For Bobbins, it was a camera to replace the one she lost last year; for me, it was a deal on a new Glock I couldn't pass up.
Not long after T Fish's birth, we had a couple other days to celebrate: my own birthday and JoJo's baptism day.
For the latter I occasion, I busted out the ole cookbook and made choco chip cookies off Aunt Mel's recipe. They turned out great.
Going to four hasn't been too bad, esp. since Owen's still pretty little and in diapers. We pretty much just added another one of him. Bobbins and I are certainly older, however, and having a harder time keeping up. It's been fun so far.
Gentle, son, gentle! Owen's idea of loving is some good hard pats on the back. I guess he gets that from me.
We thought the girls loved Owen, but they love T Fish, esp. JoJo. MM is pretty good about holding him, bouncing him, and soothing him with the pacifier. JoJo is an overabundance of love.
I had rescued this old slingshot game from my Grandmother's when we cleaned her house out in 2010. I have some fond memories of playing it with her and my cousins at her house. Being home on paternity leave, I busted it out to play with the girls and Owen. The rubber bands were long dried and busted, so it was a bit of a challenge, but we made it work. It was fun for about a half hour. Need to get some better rubber bands.
The poor little guy ended up with a long tongue tie under his tongue that prevented him from getting his whole mouth on the nipple and made nursing really hard for his mom. We went to a different midwife to get it clipped, which helped for a week or so. It still was difficult for Bobbins, though, so she took him to a pediatrician that specializes in that stuff and had it lasered out, below the tongue and the upper lip. Poor guy was less than a month old and he was already in for 'procedures.' (Which were not cheap nor covered by insurance, btw.)
I think for me the second best part of the homebirth, after catching him, was seeing the other 3 kids get to wake up and meet their new brother. It was like Christmas times 10. The girls woke up just after 530am, less than half hour after the birth. JoJo went right in to see and cuddle him. MM gave me a giant hug first, then went on the other side of her mom.
Owen didn't awake until closer to 6. I grabbed him from his crib and came in the room. The look on his face was priceless. You could see him trying to process the scene: who are these strangers in my mom and dad's room? What are my sisters doing? What is that with my mom? Is my mom okay? I could really see the gears turning in his head. We had a huge hug, then he climbed in next to his mom to start being the big brother.
The midwife, assistant, and doula were gone by about 8am. Bobbins' friend EveElise was supposed to come over to take pic's of the birth, but I didn't have a chance to call until it was too late. She came anyway, about 530, and made us a delicious, hearty breakfast. Katie made it over about 630. I think I woke her up with a text about him already being born. She was expecting to come take the 3 kids out of the house during the birth. As it was, she occupied them for a couple hours so Bobbins, Thomas, and I could snooze a little. It was a Sunday, so I popped over to St. Joseph for the Syriac noon Mass. A lot of thanksgiving to God!
The 'team' at left, then the 3 of us about to crash at right:
We ended up having our usual Sunday BBQ dinner with Jacopone, Katie, and Zach. After all, it was a birthday celebration!
