Sunday morning movie

Daddy. I want to watch a movie.

OK. Which one?

Return of the Jedi.

My work here is done.

Saylee

I thought it was cute when Kaylee made drawings of herself and her best friend. Then it got REALLY cute when she glued them together so they could be a Saylee. (We've covered this before, right? When the two of them put their heads together, that's what they call themselves.)
How cute? Super cute.

I got a rock

Kaylee chose her gift from GG to open on Christmas Eve.

For months, ever since she saw one at school, she's been talking about geodes and how cool these "rocks with crystals inside" are. Well, GG heard about this and decided to share part of Grandpa Rice's rock collection with her.

As you can see, she was thrilled to receive it – and I was thrilled that something that meant so much to GG is going to be a gift she cherishes for years to come.

Or at least until she sees that doll house Santa is dropping off tonight.

More to come tomorrow I am sure. But for now – Merry Christmas to all.

Can't put anything past a five-year-old

"Dad, what color was Michael Jackson when he was a kid?"

Happy Holidays

From the backs of Kaylee and Sara's heads. (And a mule butt or two.)

It's cold

Dad, look at my arms. I have moose bumps.

Goose bumps, Kaylee. They're called goose bumps.

No dad, these are bigger than gooses.

Quote of the day

"Dad, could you please not put this in your newspaper? I would be so embarrassed."

Best. Quote. Ever.

I only wish I could give you context.

Five

She got a bike. She got a Batgirl. She got a Barbie.

And a crown.

Gotta love the crown.

The big show

Watch the kid in the middle. She's cute.

Pecan Festival

Look at all the cool stuff going on this weekend. Kinda makes you wish you were here, doesn't it?

Yeah, I thought so.

Maggie came to visit

I can totally see right up her nose from here.

All Souls

Nothing is more Tucson than the All Souls Procession. It's a little bit of tradition, a little bit of hippie and a whole lot of soul. We've been bringing Kaylee to this event since she was almost a year old.

Both she and the event have grown so much since then. This was the first year she really grasped the meaning behind it all. More than once she told us how much she missed Eddie. And Grandma Susie.

She never ceases to surprise me.

And I promise she had a much better time than it appears.

Football with the dads

UA's homecoming game was horrible. So bad that we left before the end of the first half.

But this shot from when the team took the field (complete with ominous music and fireworks) made the trip more than worth it.

Shock and awe.

If only the Wildcats could have had the same effect on Utah.

Happy Halloween!

Astrid and Wonder Woman hope you had a "Boo-tiful" night!

God, that was lame.

Skate night

So while I'm off having a nice dinner, my little girl is learning to roller skate.
As long as she's not kissing boys in the arcade ...

Old. So very old.

"Dad, what's this?"

Training regimin

Daughter is rolling around on my bed – with a sword and shield – grunting and yelling.

Hey K – whatcha doing?

Hi Dad. I'm pretending this is a boat.

A boat?

A viking boat.

Oh yeah?

Yes. We are going to fight a dragon.

A dragon?

Yes, a big dragon. It is so big that three of us are going. Hiccup, Tuffnut and Astrid.

Oh.

And I'm Astrid.

I see that.

(Continues grunting, rolling and miming throwing) We have to do exercises to get ready.

Ok, you should do some push ups.

Dad.

What?

I can't do those.

But it's exercise.

(Rolls eyes) Dad – we only do dangerous exercises.

A visit from the Godfather

Daddy, who are we going to see today?

Well, my godparents are coming to visit and we're going to go to dinner with them.

What are their names?

Their names are Uncle Melhi and Aunt Bahktu.

*snicker*

What's so funny?

*laughing* Bahktu is a silly name.

It's not a silly name. It's just a different kind of name than you are used to hearing. And it's not very polite to laugh at someone's name. You wouldn't like it if someone laughed at your name, would you?

No, Daddy.

Now, what are their names?

Uncle Melhi and Aunt *snickering* Bahktu.

Kaylee …

Don't worry Daddy. I won't laugh at her name when she is here. But I will laugh when it's just you and me because it's still kind of funny.

And, just for the record, she didn't laugh. Not once.

Skate or Die

Dad, when do they tell you all the rules in this town?

The rules?

Yeah. For driving and stuff.

Well, when you are older, there is a special class you can take where they teach you all the rules you need to know to drive.

Did you and Mommy take that class?

Yes we did.

Well, I don't think I want to take that class.

You need to take it if you want to learn to drive a car.

That's OK. I think I'll just skateboard.

Worn out

A long weekend with Uncle Ry is a lot for a little girl. But she doesn't need a nap. No sir. Just ask her.