Do 6yo Boys Dream of Electric Sheep? Nope.

He's part of our team....

Mrs. LIAYF came into our bedroom trying to hold back her laughter last night.  "What's funny?" I asked.

Once she told me, I laughed too.  It was perfect.

Allow me to backtrack just a bit.  It's been unseasonably hot here in Seattle recently, reaching the 80's most of the week, but cooling down in the evening.  So, when we put Lukas to bed last night we left his window open to cool off his room.

Then at about midnight, my wife went in to close his window before coming to bed herself.  She doesn't normally walk into his room in the middle of the night, so her entering obviously startled Lukas.

But didn't wake him up.

Instead, he sat up quickly, still glossy eyed and fully asleep.  That's when he sang out "EVERYTHING IS AWESOME" before falling immediately back to a prone position once again into his deep sleep.  That, of course, if the catch line from the LEGO Movie song and gets sung around here all the time these days.

He didn't remember any of this.

Too funny.  We've always said this boy dreams about LEGO, but we weren't meaning it literally.  Now we have proof.

Yes, everything IS awesome.  Especially our son.

The 4th Was With Us Today

Happy Star Wars Day readers.

That's right, if you haven't already heard (and I'm surprised how many folks I mention this to haven't), today May the 4th, is Star Wars Day.  Get it? "May the 4th Be With You!"

We have celebrated Star Wars Day with Lukas a couple of years running now, but this year was different in a pretty significant way.  That's because this year Lukas is only a couple of months shy of his 7th birthday, which just happened to be the age that Mrs. LIAYF and I had previously decided was the right age to view the original Star Wars movie for the first time.  But since it was Star Wars Day, and since we felt that he was finally ready emotionally, we decided now was the perfect time.

After Lukas greeted his baby sister first thing in the morning with a hug and a resounding "Happy Star Wars Day, Annabelle!" we had breakfast before starting our Star Wars Day with a trip across lake Washington to the nearest Lego Store, so that Lukas could spend his hard earned chore money (he gets 10 cents per household chore or homework exercise) on a new Lego set. He chose a Star Wars one, of course.

It was a bit on the crazy side there, but we did come out unscathed and ready to head home for the main event.

Once we were home and had lunch in our bellies, I put Annabelle down for a nap which hoped would last roughly 2 hours giving us enough time to watch our VHS version of Star Wars.  Yes, we actually have one of those dual VHS/DVD players, although this was the first VHS tape we have watched in it in years. Don't laugh when the movie was made this was state of the art technology.

We were all pretty excited, and Lukas was pretty quiet watching from his mother's lap.  That is, until the scene came on where Obi Wan told the Imperial Storm Troopers in Mos Eisley "These are not the droids you are looking for". He laughed pretty hard at that.  He probably remembered pulling this trick on his dad.

At about half way through the movie, we had to take a bathroom break.  It allowed me to snap this shot of Lukas, who dressed as Luke Skywalker two Halloweens running, next to his namesake.  I see the resemblance, do you?

Anyway, we had a LOT of fun watching Star Wars.  Once it came to the movies climactic scene, I couldn't resist pulling out my phone to record his reaction.  It's pretty cool, although I apologize for the quality and the sudden zoom near the end.

So much fun.

We all loved watching this movie together.  I hadn't realized how long it had been since I had watched Star Wars myself. My First time wasn't until after I had seen Empire and Return of the Jedi, so I was a wee bit confused until I was able to watch.

Speaking of wee things, Annabelle, right on cue, woke up just as the movie was ending.  She's perfect that way.  And as I carried her into our kitchen and past her dollhouse - which she doesn't normally even play with - she reached out and and pointed towards it, letting out an audible request.

As It turns out, there was something else sitting next to it which she wanted to play with instead.

Makes sense.  It was Star Wars Day after all.

Marking May's Days

With the month of May upon us now, I am realizing just how many days of note there are surrounding the beginning of this month.

Of course Mother's Day is on the horizon next week, and later in the month it's Mrs. LIAYF and my 15th wedding anniversary (exciting!), so those are obviously very significant days of note.

But on top of that, there are several other days this week which also afford the opportunity to mark special occasions.  Not sure we will observe all of them, but in an effort to establish tradition in our household, I think Mrs. LIAYF and I are going to at least dabble in the buildup and celebration of some of  these days.

May Day is now behind us.  The new director in my office is from Hawaii where they celebrate May Day as Lei Day, giving out fresh Lei's.  That actually sounds a bit more fun than the May Day demonstrations which took place yesterday here in Seattle, where scheduled peaceful protests in support of immigrant rights and raising the minimum wage eventually gave way to anarchists who were just looking to stir up problems.

At the LIAYF household we celebrated record high May Day temperatures in the upper 80's with dinner on the deck and a refreshing backyard water table.

For those of you who are unaware of this, Saturday, May 3rd is not only Derby Day, with the 104th running of the Kentucky Derby taking place (If we can spare 2 minutes this would be fun to watch), but it is also Free Comic Book Day.  Free Comic Book Day is a terrific idea, and I would love to go and pick up some free comics with my son, but the problem is that there are no participating stores in our neighborhood. So, we will have to decide whether we are going to pack up and travel to another area of the city when there are several other competing activities to choose from.  We'll see.

Then on Sunday, May the 4th, it will be a big day for us here in the LIAYF household. As many of you know May the 4th is Star Wars Day (May the 4th be with you!), and we plan on celebrating by watching the original Star Wars movie, also known as Episode IV, with Lukas.  It will be his first time watching the movie and we are pretty excited here.

None more than me.

Then on Monday, of course, it's Cinco De Mayo.  We have no party planned, but I'm sure we will mark the day with appropriate fare, and beverages.(Note to self: Find Coke or Fanta in bottles.)

Oh, and to top it all off, today is also Felix Day here in Seattle ( The King is on the Hill for the Mariners).  Happy Felix Day all!

All in all, it's look like a fun month is in store.  How do you all celebrate in May?

Galaxy Quest

I'm cute, but I'm busy here!

I'm pretty excited readers.  That's because my new Samsung Galaxy 4 smart phone has finally arrived.  I say finally, when in fact I just ordered it a couple of days ago.  Even so, I wanted more instant gratification.

I was kidding about that last part.  The finally is actually because I waited around for quite some time before committing to the new phone since I was waiting for the phone to become free on our wireless plan.  I'm cheap that way.

Let me revise that.  I'm not cheap, just a dad with a couple of expensive kids who prohibit me from getting the latest and greatest toys until they become affordable.  And Free.99 is just the kind of affordable price that I like. (Yes, I DO know that I'm not getting the phone for free but I'm going with that interpretation, so don't bother trying to convince me otherwise.).

There were several reasons I was getting frustrated with my old iPhone 3.  One was that it was so crammed with apps and add on's that I didn't have room to upgrade my operating system.  

This left me with an out of date phone that I couldn't load crucial apps on.  Crucial apps like MLB At Bat 14. And without At Bat 14 there were several recent occasions where I had to wait to hear that my Seattle Mariners lost a late inning game, instead of seeing it first hand on my app.  

Okay, so perhaps that's a bad example.  Forgive me, I'm a long suffering fan.

I'm also excited  to get my new Galaxy Phone because it offers an improved internal GPS from that of the iPhone3.  I need this for when I take the family Geo-caching.  The iPhone 3 wasn't very precise for this, so we didn't end up actually doing much Geo-caching.  Thanks to my new phone,  I'll be finding treasures like little rubber figurines in no time.

Those things are good, but now I'll admit that the real reason I'm excited about getting this new phone is because of the camera it sports.  That's right, the camera.  It's a 13.1 megapixel beauty that I can carry in my back pocket.  

You don't realize how frustrated I have been with the low quality camera's we have employed in this household over the past several years.  Hint: They were terrible.

Anyway, I know that this phone camera isn't exactly a DSLR, but I'm hoping it will allow me to snap cute, blog-worthy pictures of the kids without a lot of fuss.  Like the one above.  That picture of Annabelle,  my 2nd with my new phone,  was taken by accident.  By accident!  And it was better than most from my previous non phone camera, which I swear took 90% blurry pictures.  This one's not perfect either, but I wasn't even trying.  I think she was actually pooping.  AND IT WAS STILL BETTER!

Yep, the real reason I'm excited about my new phone is that I'll be able to snap higher quality pictures of my kidos. 

And that's well worth the wait.

Happiest Place on Earth? Not Without a Science Fair

I'm a bit bummed readers.

That's because I am currently on a business trip in Anaheim, CA, right across the street from Disneyland. Bummed? "Why would you be bummed" you may be asking, "Aren't you at the happiest place on earth?" 

Well, sort of. I am actually across the street from the happiest place on earth. And I have to tell you, next door to the happiest place on earth, outside the wall not able to look in, doesn't equal happy.

 I actually visited Downtown Disney last night, which was still outside the park and just might qualify as the most crowded place on earth. Or perhaps the noisiest place on earth. It was actually pretty close to closing time for the park, so I thought I might be able to walk in and look around a bit for free. Instead the friendly person at ticket counter offered me a ticket for $92.

I opted to walk back through Downtown Disney instead.  I needed to find some gifts to take back to the kids. That I accomplished, courtesy of the LEGO Store, which is always a good option.

Still, not getting into Disneyland for free isn't why I'm bummed. Nope.

I'm actually bummed, because I'm at Disneyland and Lukas is back at home RIGHT NOW, presenting his very first Science Fair project. It's very cool, he worked amazingly hard on it, and it's NOT a volcano - rather a cool electric circuit challenge where the person taking the challenge has to try not to touch wires together completing the circuit and lighting up a light and siren. It's fun, it's educational, it's well designed and constructed.

It's all these things, and I don't get to see him present it tonight because I'm away on a business trip.

That's why I'm bummed. 

But I am also amazingly proud too. 

Lukas found the challenge in one of his science books, and instead of buying all the materials listed found a way to use the components from his snap circuit kit to complete the project, which he describes on the display for the fair. Lukas is 6, so Mrs. LIAYF, and to a much lesser extent, myself, helped him with the final polish and presentation, but the idea for the project, the design, and the meat and potatoes of the project was all him. 

This is pretty cool. I miss my kids and my wife too, and even though I'm bummed that I can't be there in person I am pretty sure Lukas is having a blast at this very moment, showing off a project that he worked amazingly hard on.

Way to go Buddy.  Your Dad is very proud of how hard you worked on this project.

The Need For Speed! (Stick)

It's not often that an average guy gets a chance to realize a lifelong dream.  But that is exactly what happened to me recently, thanks to the fine folks at Speed Stick.

It's true, as I was fortunate enough to be chosen by them to participate in the Speed Stick Gear Up Challenge.  The point of the challenge was to see how the new Speed Stick Gear would hold up while the user was participating in an extreme event.

Initially, I was sent a pretty cool kit which included a GoPro camera that I could use to film some footage, a heart rate monitor and watch, and of course the Speed Stick itself.  I just needed to choose the actual event.

This is where the realization of a lifelong dream comes in.  Out of the options offered to me, I chose learning to fly in one day.  That's right, in the course of an hour I was to learn how to fly an airplane.  I have wanted to fly an airplane since I was probably Lukas' age, but never have had the opportunity.

Until now.




No, I didn't actually learn to take off and land the plane in that one lesson.  But I was able to take the controls and actually fly it by myself for nearly 45 minutes, circling around the Puget Sound region, climbing, diving, turning the plane, pegging a certain altitude, and racing a jetliner which had taken off from SeaTac International airport.

Okay, April Fools on that last part as my co-pilot made sure that we were never in the vicinity of any Jet liner that was actually in the air.  We did however, to my surprise, cross directly over SeaTac (we had taken off from a different airport) because of the weather at the time, which included several dark and ominous looking clouds.

"Aren't there Jets landing here every minute or two? " I asked as we passed over the runways.  "Yep, but we have a window to get through" my instructor let me know.  Needless to say, I felt much better once we had cleared the airport.

It was at that point we turned away from the rain clouds, and flew towards the sun - its golden rays glistening over the Puget Sound waters which stretched southwards towards Olympia.  I was at the controls then, and would remain there until we actually came in for our landing.

I have to say, this was as amazing an experience as I expected it to be.  Sure, I felt pretty small and vulnerable from up there, looking down on the world in miniature below.  But I also felt both exhilarated, and empowered too.  It was definitely an experience I will remember forever.

As exhilarated as I was, I was amazingly calm during this whole experience too.  And so my heart rate monitor didn't get much of a workout.  Most importantly though, I didn't sweat either.  At least I couldn't tell if I did, as the Speed Stick Gear did it's job nicely.  I was dry.

At least until I headed back towards my car.  It was a rainy day in Seattle after all.

Full disclosure:  As mentioned, Speed Stick provided me with this opportunity, the lesson, and the contents of the box, including the camera and heart rate monitor.  All I had to do was write about my experience. Easy Peasy.

Circuit Training for a 6 Year Old

"Guess what time it is?" I asked Lukas tonight.

"Is it on?" he asked in an excited response.  "Yep, it just started" I let him know.  "Let's see if we can find it!"

And with that, I carefully carried the contraption, which Lukas had so carefully constructed the day before, to the kitchen island and let him turn it on.  It immediately crackled and let out a hiss of static through the tiny speaker.

At first, I was a bit afraid that we might come across some weird, coded message, reminiscent of an episode of LOST.  After all, that had happened to us before.

But, with some searching and careful adjustment of the multi-functional dial, the output that we were looking for spurted out of the speaker both loud and clear.  It was the unmistakably sound of a baseball game.

"You did it buddy!  You picked up the Mariners game."  This made him smile.  I was pretty excited too.

In fact, there is a good chance this will prove the most exciting Seattle Mariners moment we have this Summer.  But hey, it's not yet opening day and our team is tied for 1st place.  So, I hold out hope.

In case you haven't figured it out by now, what Lukas had built was a Transistor AM radio.  He had pulled out the Elenco Snap Circuit Kit that his grandparents had given him for his last birthday and independently decided to build the radio, because "It sounded cool."

Indeed, it was.

Yes, this is a Radio

And, the only thing he was interested in listening to on his new radio was a Mariners baseball game.  I think that was mostly for my benefit, but now we were getting the opportunity.  And, I have to say it was the most fun I have had listening to the radio in quite some time.   The novelty of it certainly factored in, but this was something my son had constructed for the both of us to enjoy.

The circuit kit has made for a great gift for Lukas.  He loves to tinker with different project with it.  We had an inkling he would, since he has always been very adept at building things.  Be it Lego's or puzzles, our son gets extremely excited whenever he gets the chance to construct something cool.

This particular kit should keep him busy for quite some time too.  In fact, there are quite a few projects in the deluxe kit.  The radio was project #623.

I think there are actually more than 692 projects too

This obviously begs the question "How the heck did they design 622 projects before they thought of making a radio?"  I'm not sure what the answer to that question is, but I'm certainly glad that someone decided to design a radio project.

The manual says AGE 8-80.  Lukas is 6, so I might have to talk with the folks at Elenco about revising that, but I'm sure glad that he is into these types of project at this earlier than normal age.

Because, if he wasn't, we would not have had this father/son/baseball bonding moment together.  

Sure, it doesn't quite live up to another Mariners moment we shared together, but this one may actually be cooler because my 6 year old followed some complex instructions all on his own.  

And was excited to share a baseball moment with his old man.  

You don't get much better than that.

Feeling the Glove

Even though I have expressed it in person, I would like to take this opportunity to wish my dad a Happy 70th Birthday here publicly.  His birthday was a couple of weeks ago, but I haven't posted here in a while so I have been remiss.

Happy Birthday Dad!

As I mentioned in a post I'd written a few years ago, 'Catch 42', my dad and I have made a habit in the past few years of pulling out a baseball and mitts and playing a game of catch.   This has been a terrific way to for us to connect, talk about the grand kids, the farm I grew up on - which he still owns and operates with my brother, and to reminisce about times past.  I really love those opportunities.

One thing I also mentioned in that old post was the fact that I still have my baseball glove from when I played Little League ball.  I bring that and another glove with me when we play catch together.  I won that glove for selling the most candy in a team fundraiser and it's one of my most prized possessions to this day.  My dad was an integral part of my selling that candy, having 'asked' a lot of vendors visiting the farm if they wanted to buy some candy from his kid.  Of course they said yes.

That was 34 years ago, but it seems like yesterday.

Growing up on the family farm my dad was always busy, but we knew he loved us and would do terrific things for us, like making sure his son won a baseball glove. Dad is an terrific guy who, not surprisingly, is admired by everyone who knows him.  And he is also a man who I admire and love dearly.   So, of course, for his 70th birthday I wanted to give him a gift that meant something.

As you might have guessed by now, my dad received a brand new baseball glove of his own from us for his big day.  A fine piece of leather stitched together by the Rawlings Co. Along with a baseball signed by Mrs. LIAYF, myself, and the kids too.

"I haven't had a glove since I was a kid!" he said as he slipped it on, smiling, and began to pound his opposite fist into its palm.  You could tell that he was genuinely touched.

Mission Accomplished.

Grandma and Grandpa are visiting this weekend.  If the weather holds, I'm hoping my dad, Lukas, and I can get in a game of catch, and we can help him break in that glove.

After all, Spring is coming...and we have some catching up to do.

This Old Dad, He Blogged Six

I guess you know you've officially been blogging a long time when your blog anniversary (Blogiversary) passes without your even realizing it.

It's kind of like marriage in that way...only you don't get in trouble for forgetting about your blog.  Thankfully though, Mrs. LIAYF is an amazing wife and I would never forget our wedding anniversary.  Just don't ask me how many years it's been.  Unlike Lukas, my math skills are suspect.

If you have by now figured out that last week was the 6th Blogiversary of 'Luke I am Your Father', and that I completely forgot about it until earlier today you are absolutely correct.

Give yourself a cookie.

If I am not mistaken six years qualifies me for senior status as a dad blogger.  Given that, no one should be surprised about the forgetting thing.  Sometimes I also forget to post here for several days on end too.  I am actually thinking of getting one of those sectioned plastic containers with letters corresponding to the days of the week.  I would leave a note every couple of days reminding me to post something compelling.

All kidding aside, things are going okay here .  I have certainly had my ups and downs as far as content, sometimes posting several entries one month, then just a few the next.  That's actually not about getting old, but about how hectic life has become during any stretch of time.  Thanks for sticking with me.

I actually don't worry about irregular posting because, unlike many of today's blogs, I am not beholden to any bottom line or promise of a revenue stream.  The astute among you will have noticed the lack of advertising.  I write here for fun, if you can believe that. That and the occasional free stuff companies want to send me.  (I will be taking a flying lesson soon thanks to one such company, so look out for the highlights...that is, assuming I survive).

I have been writing here for the past six years, and thankfully it hasn't gotten old yet.  It's especially cool now to look back on posts I wrote about Lukas when he was Annabelle's age and compare our experiences with the two. That's parenting gold right there.

So, since the blog as a platform hasn't become irrelevant and replaced by something shinier and new just yet, I will continue to diligently tell all who will listen how wonderful my wife and kids are, and how amazing it is to be a father.

Thanks for reading all, your support means a lot to me.

Especially those of you who have been here for previous Blogiversaries.

Seattle: Dashing the Hopes of Dashing Dad

Happy Monday readers.   Unless you are a blogger yourself, you might not be aware that there are a ton of other great Dad Blogs out there besides this one.  It's true, and today I would like to introduce you to one such Dad Blog, it's called Dashing Dad, is authored by my blogging buddy Brian, and I enjoy it quite a bit.

Brian is a is a Stay at Home Dad, who is also a runner, thus the title.  As it turns out, we have a lot more than blogging in common as his kids are a boy and a girl who are the same ages as Lukas and Annabelle, plus we both grew up on farms.  I would be downright scary if it weren't for the running thing.  Sadly, I don't run.

Brian often blogs about his running (and walking), such as in this recent post - where he assures his readers that there is no shame is walking during a race pointing out the the best of runners do this all the time.

I'm definitely going to keep that in mind the next time I am chasing one of the kids down the sidewalk.

His posts aren't just about running though, as I have also read a recent post of his where he replaced a leaky sink, giving a pretty detailed step by step.  I am book marking that one for future reference since, as I explain  in one of my recent posts, I will eventually need the advice.

Of course, Brian wouldn't be a Dad Blogger if he didn't also blog about parenting and his kids.  I especially liked this recent post he wrote about his goals for 2014 as a Stay at Home Dad (notice he didn't call them resolutions).  Reading through his archives, it's clear that he is a dedicated and loving father.

Dashing Dad is a very entertaining site that I highly recommend you check out the next time you are craving more content from a dedicated dad and talented writer who loves his kids.  The world will never have enough of these.

You may ask why I am deviating from my normal content to tell you about Dashing Dad.  As it turns out, there is a story behind that.  There's always a story.

As I mentioned, Brian, Dashing Dad, is blogger.  But what I haven't mentioned is that he is also a New Orleans Saints fan. (Let's all pause for a moment of silence for his favorite team, who will be spending this coming Sunday on their couches....watching my Seattle Seahawks put a whooping on the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL's NFC title game before advancing to Super Bowl XLVIII on February 2nd. At least that's what I'm hoping for.)

Fellow Seattle Dad Blogger Daniel over at Post Post Modern Dad (another great Dad Blog) and I had this wager going with Dashing Dad over who would win the Saints vs Seahawks game.  Yes, Seattle won, but Daniel agreed to wager against the spread (I know!), which had Seattle winning by 10 points.  And since they only won by 8 points, technically we lost.

But Brian, being a true gentleman agreed that since his team lost, he would also write about both our blogs as well.   I will share the link once he has it published. And everybody wins!

Well, except the Saints.

Looking for a Ship

I love sea stories.  My book cases are filled with tattered versions of classic fictional tales, travelogues, and non fiction accounts of life, discovery, and war, at sea.  The pages of these books tell grand tales of history, adventure, and discovery, that land lubbers like me can only dream about.  Unless, of course, I am reading about them.

Some of my favorites?  Moby Dick, Kon Tiki, Two Years Before the Mast, Sailing Alone Around the World, and the Mutiny on the Bounty Series by Nordholf and Hall.

Another book I really enjoyed, although I haven't read it for some time is Looking for a Ship by John McPhee, which is an adventure filled account of life at sea as a Merchant Marine aboard the cargo ship the S.S. Stella Lykes as she sails down the Pacific Coast on a 42 day journey.  He encounters among other things, pirates! 

Container Ships, like the Stella Lykes, are prevalent in our port city of Seattle which, if you aren't familiar with our geography sits on Elliot Bay, a part of the Puget Sound.  These ships arrive from all over the world, carrying containers filled with goods the likes of which we can only speculate about.  

As I mentioned, Seattle is surrounded by water.  Not completely surrounded because, of course, that would make us an island.  Again, for the geography challenged, Seattle is not an island.  But there is enough water around so that an ordinary family can actually live in a home with a view of some of it.

And, we are lucky enough to be one of those families.   Looking out our kitchen windows, or upstairs in Lukas' room, we can see the Puget Sound in all it's glory.   And also passing ships.  They pass by day and night, in all weather, in all seasons.  They even pass by on Holidays.  In fact, I saw one pass on Christmas Day.  I wondered if there was a tree aboard.

They're not coming by constantly, but enough so that Lukas and I have taken to playing a game around witnessing them.    If we happen to be looking out the window at just the right time, day or night, and see one of these ships pass by we will call out...

"Ship Spotting!"

This will earn the spotter a point on our chalk board.  I have no idea what score will constitute an eventual victory, but recently I was running ahead by enough that Lukas decided to expand the definition of a 'ship' to include sail boats.  On that afternoon there happened to be several out on the sound and visible with the naked eye.   

His number of chalk marks immediately shot past mine.   "That sneaky little cheater" I thought to myself.  I protested a little,  but eventually decided that I wasn't going to begrudge him his points, especially since we hadn't actually defined what a ship was beforehand.

And it's not about winning, right?  Right.

I'm confident that I'll catch up eventually anyway.  As a matter of fact just a couple of days ago I spied a large container ship silently slipping past my vantage point as I prepared lunch in my kitchen.  

Lukas wasn't around for me to call out "Ship Spotting", so I just watched it as it passed by, thought of McPhee's  many adventures, and wondered if this particular crew were off to experience some grand adventure.  Perhaps in some remote location.

But then I realized it was just headed south, and there's nowhere down there for them to stop.  

Except Tacoma.

image credit: Bryan Bloss West Seattle Blog

Repeat, Repeat, the Sounds of Joy!

As I have mentioned in recent posts, It's been a lot of fun around our house lately.

I distinctly remember when Lukas was a baby/toddler. Partly because I can read about it in my archives, but also because it sticks out in my mind as period that was filled with so much laughter and joy.  It is true that small children are bundles of joy.  And he certainly was.

He still is, but it's different seeing a tiny soul learn to laugh, joke, and appreciate humor for the first time.  It certainly serves to help parents forget about all the other unsavory stuff they have to deal with.  I'm referring, of course, to stuff that is usually gooey in one way or another.

I mentioned in a recent post that Annabelle is now now fully mobile, but I don't think I've yet mentioned how much of a little ham she has now become.  Well, she's actually a big ham in a little package, but I think you got my meaning.

She brings that same joy to the household, all over again.

A little Ham?  Or a big one?

She squeals with happiness a lot these days.  This must mean we are doing SOMETHING right.  Often these squeals of happiness take place while we're playing a game.  By the way, she loves Monopoly but has yet to master it enough to beat yours truly.  She usually just throws the pieces on the ground while I am 'Passing Go' and accumulating high priced real estate.  I'm a mogul like that.

Other games she also loves, but is much better at include 'Climbing the Stairs While Laughing at Daddy (Who is Chasing After Me)', Leather Shoe in My Mouth Tug of War',  'Drag Me  Across the Wood Floor While I Pretend to Get Away', and 'All Done! Just Kidding Sucka'.

Of course these games bring about a lot of high pitched squeals of joy.  This is often accompanied by a thumping of her chest with one forearm and a closed fist, which is oddly reminiscent of athletes who have just accomplished something of note, ie: an in your face windmill jam.

Plus, these sounds of joy from our 14 month old little ham are not limited to games alone.  Just the other day for instance I arrived at her day care to pick her up.  There is a hallway leading to an open doorway which opens into her room.

Upon arriving I glanced down the hallway, and saw her wandering by the door.  She paused, looked my way, and upon seeing me let out what can only be described as a shriek of happiness. She then toddled quickly to the gate with an enormous smile and held up her hands.  "Dada!"  She called.

I'll have to admit, her joy at seeing her daddy arrive was pretty cool.   But, of course this is nothing new to me.  Lukas has been doing this for over 6 years.

What a lucky guy I am.  I love ham, and I get to eat it  up every day.

2013 Blog Year in Review

It was a wild ride in 2013!

As has become a sort of tradition here at Luke, I am Your Father,  I will be bidding adieu to the current year with a feature highlighting my favorite posts of 2013, month by month.

The stories below aren't necessarily my most visited posts of the year, just my favorite for the given month. And, unless you have been a die-hard reader of this blog for at least the past 12 months (hi Mom), there is a good chance you might have missed a few, or many, of these posts.

Before I start the list, I'll just state the obvious.  2013 was the year that Annabelle happened in the LIAYF household. We brought our daughter home in late December 2012, but it was during the past year where we really got to know what her personality was like.  I'll give you a hint: We laughed a lot more around here in the past year.  And that was a tall order.

Lukas is still his amazing self - a force of comedic, loving, empathetic nature.  Now though, he has a sibling to direct a generous portion of this goodness towards.  Life is good here.

I hope you see that reflected in these stories.  Let me know what you think, and if you had a favorite.  Also feel free to share one of your own.

January ~ The Dark Knight Falleth :  White Nights, Dark Knights, and an epic battle by one dad to juggle two kids with competing demands.

February ~ Lance, A-Rod & Me : Where I come clean about my use of PED's.

March ~ Makin' Banana Pancakes : Where I talk of family traditions and a labor of love.

April ~ Sibling Revelry : It was apparent from the moment we brought Annabelle home, that our kids would form a lifetime bond.

May ~ The Daddy Chair: Where we discover a most unusual method of communication from our infant daughter, and the benefits it has in forming sibling relationships.

June ~ I want Scarves for Father's Day :  These are very special scarves, and I wear them both daily.

July ~ The Sucker Dad's guide to Not Surviving a Hike :  Yes, I am a sucker for a cute kid, and this one could have cost me.  But it didn't.

August ~ Han Solo Shot :  Read it.  Laugh it up.

September ~ Then We Battled the Ocean:  Perhaps my favorite post of 2013.  Sometimes you just have to let things go and have fun.

October ~ 1 is the Happiest Number: Proof we survived, once again, the tumultuous first year.  We celebrated, but we won't be doing that again.

November ~ It Happens, with an Sh:  A rather crappy night, ends well.

December ~ Thinking Small: What would you do with a Hundred Bazillion dollars?  Lukas, wouldn't do that.

Honorable Mention ~

Long Term Project:  I forego the annoying list of house projects once again, to focus on a couple long term projects, and enjoy myself along the way.

10 Things You Can't Baby Proof Once Mobility Happens: These are meant to be funny, but are also TRUE.

10 Things You Can't Baby-Proof Once Mobility Happens

My, my, my baby gets me so tired

Makes me say "Oh, my Lord"

Thank you for blessing me, but...

She's got a mind on crime with two tiny feet

You can't proof this!

Yeah....my apologies to MC Hammer.

Now that our Annabelle is walking in earnest, she is a force to be reckoned with.  First crawling, then cruising, and now walking. This girl is fast, determined to get into EVERYTHING, and wearing me out.

"Muh!, Muh!

What am I having trouble baby-proofing?  Well, everything really.  But I made a list of 10 things that so far I, and I am imagining most people, can't baby proof once the kidos become mobile.  Check them out below. Do they apply to you too?

10.  The Christmas Tree ~ I know, this is seasonal and won't be a problem for long.  Hence, it's only #10.  But short of putting a baby gate completely around the tree it's almost impossible to baby proof.   We have had to hang all the breakable ornaments above her reach, leaving the ones "less special" to adorn the lower branches.  But you can't do that with lights!  They have to cover the entire tree, and they are SHINY and PRETTY.  This is a problem, especially when the baby keeps doing her Frankenbaby walk towards them with a finger outstretched, saying "Muh!" "Muh".

9.  The Cat ~ Let's assume for a second you have a cat. If it's an intelligent cat, this is not a problem for you...so move on to #8.  On the other hand, if you have a less than intelligent cat, or like us, one that is so starved for attention that it would rather have it's fur yanked out in hand sized clumps by a giggling baby than avoid her, then it can be an issue.  You might even have to keep on constant alert for the sound of a squealing feline who has not been declawed, and whose tail is being yanked on.  In such cases you will need to intercede. Likely often.

8.  The Entertainment Center ~  Unfortunately One Step Ahead doesn't make latches for magnetized glass doors on entertainment centers, especially ones which have not been latching properly for any number of years. One could, in such a situation, duct tape the glass door closed to keep the baby from getting to your CD collection and reeking havoc. Warning: There will come a day when she figures out a way around this and grabs your new Pearl Jam disc and chews on it.  This will be a less than stellar day.

7.  The Bathroom  ~  The bathroom has any number of hazards for a mobile baby.  Hazards such as a toilet, a trash can, cat food, and cat water (see #9).  Of course, you can keep the door to the bathroom closed.  However, you never realize how many trips to the bathroom your family takes in a day until you have a mobile baby and one of you forgets to close the door on several occasions leaving the baby open to toddle in and head straight for the toilet, or alternatively try out the flavor of the cat food (or dump the cat water onto herself, necessitating a full change of clothing, just as you are set to leave the house for an appointment).

6.  The LEGO's ~  As amazing a toy as a set of LEGO's is, each piece is a choking hazard to an baby.  We have about a billion choking hazards lying around our house.  And, no matter how hard we try to isolate these tiny plastic bricks to non baby areas, inevitably they end up adorning the very floor she is walking on.  Unfortunately "What's in her mouth?!!" has become a common phrase uttered around our household.

5. The Kid Chairs  ~ Once a  baby becomes mobile, if you have any small chairs around for your older kids to use these become a hazard.  Especially when a baby climbs up onto them and brings herself to a standing position, while not comprehending that the next step will find her tumbling off, culminating with a face plant onto the wooden floor.  Said face plant does not deter the climbing of said chair over and over again.  Here, we have even resorted to hiding them in the bathroom.

4. The Refrigerator ~  With a mobile baby in the house, simply opening the fridge can be an exercise fraught with peril.  Say you are putting away some groceries, and from behind you you hear the distinct pattering of tiny feet approaching quickly.  You have to ask yourself "What's on the bottom shelf", and "Am I prepared to pull her away from it, causing an inevitable scream?"   Sure, you will successfully get the door closed most of the time, but do you realize how many times you open a refrigerator in any given day? (see #7).  Ultimately you will turn around and the baby will be toddling off quickly with a jar of pickles.

3.  The Kitchen Cabinets ~  Sure, you can put safety latches on those bottom cabinets, including the Lazy Susan,  Inevitably, you will fail to latch them, and the baby will get into that cabinet and shake a bottle of toxic Goo Gone up and down before trying to chew the cap.  Just hope you are watching at the time.

2.  The Dishwasher  ~  What is more enticing to a baby then an open dishwasher with all that shiny silverware, and noisy glass and ceramic ware? Apparently not much, because every time I open ours to load or unload these items, Annabelle makes a B-Line right for it.  If I am not slamming it closed just in the nick of time, I am instead grabbing her and depositing her across the room.  For the record, this does no good.  She is usually back before I can replace another plate... and usually grabbing for a kitchen knife. 

1.  The Stairs ~  Sure, you can put a baby gate at the top of the stairs, but what if your stairs fan out at the bottom?  How do you keep your now mobile and climbing baby from wandering off and climbing those suckers nearly every time you turn around?  Well, you don't. Annabelle is making a run at them constantly, usually carrying one of Lukas' shoes along with her (we don't know, so don't ask).  

Ultimately, we can't proof that!

If you are like Mrs. LIAYF and I, you just have to follow your newly mobile baby around as closely as possible, try to distract her with something more interesting when you find her in one of the above situations, and hope that you survive this developmental phase without anything being broken, injured, or cut in the process.

Because, of course, there are certain things you just can't proof.

Thinking Small

I was out walking with Lukas last weekend - correction, I was walking while he was zipping back and forth past me on his Razor scooter - when he saw something shiny on the ground.  He thought it was a coin.

Turns out, it wasn't a coin.  Just some sort of trash that looked coinish (I'm making up words here, just roll with it) while scooting by at high speed.  Anyway, he was only slightly disappointed that the shiny piece of rubbish wasn't money.

More so, it got him thinking.

"I wish I found a hundred bazillion dollars dad."  he let me know.

For the record, I'm not sure where a bazillion falls on the money scale.  Is it more than a 'ga'zillion? Or less?   I'm guessing more because, friends, I think big.

Lukas? Not so much.

"Oh yeah" I responded.  "If you had a hundred bazillion dollars, what would you buy with it?"

"I don't know.....maybe some new Lego sets"  He clearly hadn't given this much thought.

"What else Buddy?  A hundred bazillion is a LOT of money".  I was trying to prompt him.

"Hmmmmm......"  he was really thinking about this.  "Maybe another app for the Kindle?" he offered.

"That would still leave an awful lot of money.  There has to be something else you might want to use it for." I was only slightly pressing him on this.  I was curious by now.

Would he pay off the mortgage?  Send us all on a vacation back to Lego Land?  Set up a college fund? Donate to the endangered Pandas of China?

As it turns out, none of those things were on his list.  Instead of thinking big, it turns out he continued to think small.  Very small.

"Well,  I would make sure that Annabelle had everything she needed dad.  I know she needs some new shirts.  Maybe I would buy some shirts for Annabelle."

Shirts?  I was thinking to myself that maybe paying for her daycare would have been nice.  But shirts or daycare, he was still thinking of his sister and how he could help her out.

"You're a good brother Lukas".   I responded as I patted his helmet.

And with that, he zoomed away on his Razor.  Once again leaving me a richer person for being his dad.

2013 Best Albums Post

My favorite Album of 2013

There has been a lot of speculation in recent years that with the advent of music in a digital format, the album, or music released by one artist in a collection, would eventually become a thing of the past. Well thankfully, as 2013 draws to a close, that hasn't happened yet.  I, for one, love to listen to a group of songs cohesively put together by bands/artists which can give me an enjoyable listening experience lasting longer than 3-5 minutes.  And, as far a new music goes, 2013 has not disappointed.

I'll admit, the title of this post is a bit of a misnomer.  Are these the BEST albums released in 2013? Everyone, of course, will have their own opinion.  For instance as I scanned the best of lists by some of the major music publications (Rolling Stone, Paste, Spin, NPR Music), there was almost no consensus on the to 50 albums of 2013, much less the top 10.

What it boils down to is personal preference.  And the 15 albums below are the ones I found myself going back to time and again in the past year.  Ones that were for one reason or another compelling to me.

With that, I present the top 15 albums of 2013.  Let me know what you think, and please post yours in the comment section.

15. The Head And The Heart - Let's be Still  

14.  Deer Tick - Negativity  

13. Jake Bugg - Shangri La

12. The Thermals - Desperate Ground 

11. Arctic Monkey's - AM 

10. Frank Turner - Tape Deck Heart

9. The Veils - Time Stays, We Go

8. The Blakes - Junko

7. Black Angels - Indigo Medow

6. Pearl Jam - Lightening Bolt

5. The Cave Singers - Naomi

4. The Mountain Goats - All Hail West Texas

3. Los Campesinos! - No Blues

2. Hobosexual - Hobosexual II

1. Vampire Weekend -  Modern Vampires of the City

Oh Scary Tree

It's that time of year readers.  And despite illness, we were feeling the holiday spirit in the LIAYF household.

We put up our Christmas tree this past weekend.  Usually this is a family affair, where the whole clan gather up, don our Winter apparel, and drive out to the National forest to cut down the perfect tree.  No worries, we always make sure we shake out any nests that are lodged in the branches before we head home.

Okay, truth?  We actually take the red wagon around the corner to the local nursery, where we pay exorbitant city prices for a beautiful Noble Fir.  This way we don't have to drive anywhere on the weekend. It's not as lame as it sounds.  Really.

As I mentioned, usually this is what happens.  This year?  Well, since everyone else in the family was sick and feverish, I had to handle the epic quest for the perfect tree alone.  Not to worry though, as it took me all of about 20 minutes.  That's door to door.

And I really did end up with a pretty good tree too, despite my skeptics who were both full of helpful advice as I was leaving.  Point to Dad!

For the most part the tree was a huge hit once I got it home too.  There was one little set back though. Small really.   Kind of funny even,  now that we look at it in retrospect.

It sorta scared the hell out of Annabelle.

You see, she was asleep when I set out on my quest.  And, as previously mentioned, since I was so efficient in picking the perfect tree, she was still asleep when I returned.  Still asleep when I got it set up in its holder. Still asleep, even, when the lights went up.

Then, when she finally did wake up and I brought her downstairs, I don't think she actually saw it at first.

So when I put her down and she started walking towards it she finally stopped, looked up at it for a moment - as if taking in its magnificent beauty, and with a look of pure horror on her face fell onto her bottom and began to cry - uncontrollably.

While, when looking at her this is what I saw:

I'm pretty sure this is more like what Annabelle was seeing:

Of course I quickly gathered her up and consoled her.  "It's nothing to be afraid of" I reasoned, "It's just a Christmas Tree."   I then executed a classic move straight out of the Parenting Handbook (page 1152 if I am not mistaken).  

That's right, I slowly carried her over to the tree, extending her hand to the still green and soft needles and said "See, nice tree.  Nothing to be scared of."  She looked dubious, but not too long after that she let out a big smile.  At that point I knew we were golden.  

And soon the tree would be too.

Tis the season all.  Can't you feel it?

What He Gets From Me

Kids, you gotta love em.

Lukas wrote a story during his early days of 1st grade.  It was about catching the bus.  It was very well crafted.

I will remember none of it.

 Instead, I will remember how he described himself in the 'About the Author' section.

Sure, he may get his math and spatial abilities from his mother, but he obviously gets something from his dear old dad too.  (His ability to write slightly embellished humor)

In case you need help translating 'Early 6-year-old', here it is in all it's glory:

My but stinks today

My name is Lukas

I can shoot out of my eyes tornadoes

My favorite thing is to build with Legos

Err..............That tornado thing is pretty cool, eh?  You can even see it illustrated in the picture!

Okay.  Yes, we have since bathed him.

Legolandia

I mentioned it in passing in a recent post, but team LIAFY spent Thanksgiving week soaking up the sun, and playing with Legos in So Cal.

We, of course, were visiting Lego Land California.

Finally! The Promised Land.

We went in honor of......well in honor of Lukas being 6 years old and crazy about building with Legos. Oh, and we also went in honor of the fact that Mrs. LIAYF and I needed a vacation. A vacation somewhere where the sun DO shine, so to speak.

Mission Accomplished.

Annabelle checks out the sand.

Carlsbad, CA didn't disappoint on either front.  The sun was shinning, with temperatures in the mid 70's most days - except the one day it was in the low 60's and the park was filled with locals in heavy jackets and tokes.  We must have looked like obvious tourists from the north country, in our shorts and T's.

As I mentioned, we did spend some time on the beach in Carlsbad, and at the hotel swimming pool.  But this trip was mainly about the theme park.  And we spent the better part of 4 days there enjoying nearly everything the Lego Land had to offer.

Life size X-Wing Fighter, made of Legos!

Including the rides.

This included a plan.  As soon as we would arrive in the morning Lukas and I would make a B line straight to the roller coasters and get in line.  Mrs. LIAYF would join us as soon a she could stroll Annabelle there to meet us.

Mrs. LIAYF and Lukas after surviving the coaster

We were especially excited the first day, as Lukas had never been on a large roller coaster before.  I had been waiting for this day for a long time.

And, although I tried to warn him that it would be a bit scary at first, he really had no idea what to expect. None at all.  You all remember your first big coaster, don't you?  After coming up from the first big drop the sheer look of horror on our son's face was priceless.

"I REGRET IT!  I REGRET IT! I REGRET IT!" was all he could say, all color drained out of his face.  I had to chuckle to myself.  But I just reassured him that he was safe, and by the end of the ride he was jumping up and down at the opportunity to go again.  And he got to, too.

That was one unexpected advantage of taking Annabelle to Lego Land.   We were able to 'Trade Off' on nearly every ride.  Once one parent rode with him, we switched places and the other parent got to ride with him without any of us waiting in line again!  So, because of his little sister Lukas got to double down on every ride. How awesome was that?

 "Super Duper Awesome!" apparently.  As was Star Wars Miniland, which was filled to the brim with mocked up scenes from several of the movies.  All built out of Legos.  We went back there multiple times.

Lukas and dad at Star Wars Miniland.

An added benefit was that at almost any place where there was a line, there was an opportunity for Lukas to build with Legos.  He took advantage of this opportunity often.  Once, another dad who was watching him build even asked as I walked up, "Are you an engineer? (I'm not).  It's fascinating watching him build"

This of course was a high compliment to Lukas who, if we had to put money down on it, will be an engineer someday.  It's just how his mind works.

Credit that to the genes he got from Mrs. LIAYF, who is equally spatially oriented.

Mrs. LIAYF and Lukas built this Snow Scene in short order.

Unfortunately, although we did spend 4 days there, we didn't see everything by any stretch.  There were a few exhibits we either missed completely or could have spent a lot more time getting to know and enjoy.

I guess it's a good thing we opted to buy the annual passes.  Not that we will be able to travel there again within the year.

The fact is, if we didn't have to buy so many Lego sets, we'd probably be able to travel a couple of times a year.  But with our Lego building crazy son so focused on new sets (he spent a good couple hours at the main store trying to pick out the perfect set to take home), I don't see that happening.

But you never know.

She Walks! She Really Walks!!

It's official.  Annabelle took her first independent steps while we were on vacation at Legoland CA this past week!

I was walking with her in front of the Lego Millennium Falcon at Star Wars Miniland, lending just one of my fingers to her for support when it happened.  Judging by her progress I had a sense that she might be able to take a few steps on her own, so I called to Mrs. LIAYF who was not far away to take a look.

Then I let go.

It was at that point, holding her arms in the air for balance that she looked up at us, with concentration blanketing her face, and stepped once, twice, then a third time in our direction - before plopping down onto her bottom.

We, of course, were thrilled.  We had been waiting for that moment for the past couple of weeks, knowing that it was imminent.

I immediately scooped her up and Mrs. LIAYF and I gave her appropriate kudos, smiles, and hugs.  She was all smiles too, knowing she had made us happy.

Check another milestone off the list.

It was obviously coincidence, but for Annabelle, Luke's sister, to have her first steps take place in front of a model of The Millennium Falcon, seemed oddly appropriate.

Yes, I'm a geek that way.

Bonus points to anyone who got the titles Mrs. Butterworths syrup reference.