Haircut

Bobbins uses an electric razor on my hair but is outsourcing the boys' haircuts (with scissors) to her dad.

Jack's Funeral

It was tough, of course. MM cried throughout almost the whole Mass. I did one of the readings, as did Paul, who chose them and the music. Fr. Steve gave a nice homily and recited a wonderful poem by Henry Van Dyke (with a couple changes) that was powerful. There he was gone, but those on the other side were shouting "There he is!" Thank God for the Mass and our faith to sustain us through it. Also our friends who made it out to support us. There were several people that I know of who only met Jack once or twice but were so affected they came to his funeral.

The graveside service was short & sweet. Mike, then me, then Paul, and finally Nadia (awkwardly) spoke from our hearts. Jack was cremated and is buried with his two cousins, who also died young from accidents. Aunt Patty hosted a reception at Pip & Noelle's.

I think the girls learned a lot and had some personal growth, if there's a positive to this experience.

We love and miss you Jack.

Bobbins' Birthday

For Bobbins' birthday this year we did a double date with our friends Kevin & Jess to the Paniq Escape Room in downtown Phoenix. I had read about these places and thought it sounded like fun. Boy was it! Four of us was just the right number. We did the Old West room and struggled in the first part, needing a hint. It took us about 30 minutes in there, but we got through the other two parts fairly fast. We finished in about 55 minutes (you have 60 to finish). It was a blast and we'd love to go back. The pic at left is us right after finishing. Bobbins and I managed to work together...fairly well.

Later, we drove to a fancy restaurant in north Phoenix for dinner and drinks.

On her actual birthday, we had a chocolate cake at home. She couldn't eat much of it because of her gestational diabetes, so mostly it was for everyone else, esp. visiting family.

TF Walking

I've said it before, but TF is developmentally ahead of his siblings, which I'm sure you're thinking is because he's just trying to catch up. Probably true enough, but hopefully it means he's going to be a brilliant scientist or a professional athlete or a Navy SEAL. Who knows. But he started walking right about after his 1st birthday (the other kids weren't until about 14 mos.).

V I D E O         [https://youtu.be/n56kk6liCzk]

You can see me laying on the bed. I think I might've been sick. It is the 4th kid though. These things aren't as big a deal anymore.

Girls' First Day of School

The girls were excited to put on their uniforms and go to school. It wasn't JoJo's first time, as they start the kinders a few days ahead of everyone else. But it was the first real full day with everyone, and she had her trademark shy smile. It was hard for Bobbins and I to be too excited because it happened to be the same morning that Jack died. We didn't want to tell the girls and spoil their day. A couple of the teachers and the headmaster knew Jack had been in the accident, so they asked about him when they saw me, and by the third time talking about it, I lost it.

The headmaster announced Jack's passing to the whole school, who prayed for the repose of his soul. Which is great, and another reason we love the school. However, that's how the girls found out. It was a hectic time, obviously, and we wish things had gone differently, but oh well. JoJo's teacher was so sweet and kind to me that morning and genuinely cared for our situation. I was able to get a hug from her a little later, which was helpful. Another reason we love their school. Everybody truly knows each other cares for each other.

We have a new carpool this year. They have two kids and we have two, so it's pretty manageable. I can fit them all in the Camry and they all fit in their vehicles. It's a lot for Bobbins to drive out there with our other kids to do pick-up, but we're getting by. It's worth it.

Painting the Living Room

Instead of a day off for my annual end-of-summer golf outing with the guys from work, I got to stay and home and paint. To be honest, I didn't really feel like playing golf because of Jack's situation. And Bobbins really wanted the living room painted before the baby came. I got it done in one day.

Seminarians Fundraiser

The Diocese held its second annual "Sons vs. Fathers" fundraiser basketball game in early August at Xavier. It pits the seminarians (in orange, like the real Phx Suns) against the priests (the men in black). You would think it would be old vs. young, but a couple stars from the seminarians team last year were ordained in June, so the "Fathers" weren't all old guys. We had a lot of fun cheering on our adopted seminarian, Harold, who needed a lot of cheering as a basketball player. It was a fun game that was close till the end, with the "Fathers" pulling away. We sat with some of our friends and got a few souvenirs. Doug Franz the local sports radio personality called the game. He gave his parish priest, Fr. Camou, a pretty hard time.