Memorial Day

(I took this picture of the US Arizona Memorial several years ago)

Each Memorial Day I try to reflect on the sacrifices our men and women of the armed services have made for our great nation. I am not grateful enough, even on this special day of remembrance.

An armed services veteran is a neighbor of ours. Gene is fully retired and we see him almost everyday. He spends a lot of time in his garage/office - impeccably clean and very organized (reminds me of my dad's garage). He loves kids, dogs, and good folks. He keeps dog treats in the garage (all dogs in our neighborhood know this). One escape-artist black lab occasionally barks for Gene to come out of his house - sometimes late at night! Connor always seems to leave Gene's garage with some sort of treasure (e.g., National Geographic maps, radio controlled car (loaner), candy, $1 for ice cream, etc...). Gene is also friends with Trevor. To give you an idea of his humor, he ended a recent conversation with Trevor with the following exchange:

Gene: Trevor?
Trevor: Yes, Gene?
Gene: I'm glad you got a chance to see me today!

On Memorial Day morning Connor and I visited Gene in the morning to cite the pledge of allegiance as Gene raised his American Flag (he raises the flag every morning). Because it was Memorial Day, we planted additional smaller flags along the sidewalk to his front porch. Gene gave Connor one of these little flags - his first American Flag. Later that day, Connor, Trevor, Noelle, and I took some homemade ice cream to Gene and his wife.

I hope you all had a great Memorial Day Weekend.
God Bless America.

Vader Rules!

I first noticed Connor’s inclination toward the “bad guy” after Connor watched Disney’s Three Musketeers. "I’m the Eye Patch Guy," Connor would proclaim during play sword fights. The Eye Patch Guy is the enforcer of the evil Cardinal, and as you may have guessed, he has an eye-patch. He excels in sword fighting and looking sinister, in a cool way.

The Bad Guy: In most movies the bad guy is very easy to pick out, there is little confusion, and he often wears black. He’s making things happen – albeit bad things. He is powerful and until the hero saves the day, things are going pretty well for him. Quite often, he escapes at the end of the story only to return with a vengeance in a subsequent story. He is focused, seldom distracted by romance or a sassy heroin.

The Good Guy: Unless he is a super-hero, he is more difficult to spot and undoubtedly distracted by romance (sometimes by a young lady that ends up being his sister!). Heroes are often reluctant or lacking in power, they are “in the making” during most of the movie.

I think about such things to figure out why Connor is so inclined toward the bad-guy. Last year, Connor borrowed a Darth Vader action figure riding a black motorcycle (I did not know Darth had a motorcycle!). After watching a few Star Wars movies he quickly locked into the idea of Darth Vader as the ultimate bad guy. Toy Darth Vader has taken center stage at our home. Many good-guy toys in his collection end up “working for Darth Vader" during playtime. The Playskool's Little People in their Wheels-Go-Round-and-Round-School-Bus don’t stand a chance when Batman sides with Darth Vader!

This is probably not related, but this is my World of Wander… Connor’s favorite singer is not a bad-guy, but he is the “Man in Black” – Johnny Cash! Connor’s favorite color is purple, but perhaps its really black. Back to the current thread…

More often than not, I try to spin Connor away from the “Dark Side” while allowing him to be a kid with the freedom to think for himself. For example, I’ll tell him Schrek will not work for Darth Vader, he is not bad, he just has bad manners.

“I want a Darth Vader T-Shirt” he announced the other day. Am I worried? Just a little… For today, Vader Rules!

A Few Family Events

Howdy! I wanted to take this opportunity to document a few family events.

First, my parent's came from Albuquerque to Chattanooga to visit us in early May. They have four grandsons and Noelle is their first granddaughter. This is the first time they have met her! We really enjoyed spending time with them. Grandma and Grandpa bought Connor and Noelle an awesome play-set for the backyard!

Second, both Connor and Noelle were baptized at our church on May 6. The ceremony included another couple and their two kids. The kids provided plenty of distractions and our pastors handled things wonderfully!

Thirdly, Noelle had "solid" food for the first time. I was thinking ground pizza, but Laura chose avocado for her first foray into the world of solid food. Yummmm!!!

You're kidding, right?

Here is a recent picture of Connor and Noelle!

Next Blog: Vader Rules!

Noelle's Music to My Ears

Our little angel, Noelle, is just over 4 months old. For weeks she has been smiling and cooing. Today was special because Laura and I experienced her first laugh. Laura nuzzles and kisses Noelle, while allowing her hair to gently tickle Noelle's face. This interaction has caused her to laugh on several occasions. I love it!

This milestone, and milestones like this, seem more important to me than milestones such as walking, talking, and ultimately solving a Rubik's Cube. Although, I'll let you know when she does any of those things!