Random Fun!

Jenga!

My Son the Aspiring Dentist

A few days ago, Lincoln came up with what he considered a really cool way to pull his loose tooth, and he wanted it all caught on tape...



The tooth eventually came out, but by much more conventional methods.

David Crowder Lookalike

The other night, the kids at our church had Crazy Hair Night. What is Crazy Hair Night, you ask? Well, it's a night when all the kids to come to church with the craziest hair they can engineer.

Mullin has reached the age where it's not cool to participate in Crazy Hair Night (becoming self-conscious is such a bummer), but Lincoln still has very little shame, and therefore, decided to give his luscious locks the Crowder effect.

I must say, I was a little worried. That is a dangerously flammable hairstyle to be sporting. Plus, I was a little jealous. I mean, that is a 'do with which a fella could do some serious rockin'!

Lincoln


David Crowder

New Year's Day Adventure: The Apache Trail

I woke up New Year's Day and had to get out of the house.

One of the bad things about being surrounded by mountains is I'm always wishing I was up in them instead of commuting into the overcrowded, highly congested, smog-covered city every day.

One of the good things about being surrounded by the mountains is that I'm a very short drive away from a different climate, a different landscape, and a different pace of life. That, I love very much.

So, the boys and I grabbed our packs, Brandi packed us some sandwiches, and we set off to drive the Apache Trail. About half of this 40-mile trail is unpaved. It's very steep and very narrow in places. It reminds me a lot of the Oh My Goodness Road in Idaho Springs, Colorado, but it's not nearly as scary as that. However, Mullin did spot the remains of a vehicle that wasn't to careful out on the trail (see third pic below). The views from the Apache Trail are much better than any of my pictures capture, and the history is everywhere.

We scouted for a fishing trip at the Canyon and Apache Lakes. Then, we went to Roosevelt Dam, and ended the trip by hiking up to the Lower Cliff Dwellings of the Tonto National Monument. The boys got to handle some cool fossils and even earned Junior Ranger badges. Very fun.

A special thank you to old "TR" for having the foresight to preserve and reserve this awesome country for future generations!

Cutting Room Floor: 8-20-2004

I don't think these pics have ever seen the light of day, but I've always liked them. Lincoln really wanted to ride the carousel, so we made a special trip one afternoon, braved the mob of preteen punks that permiate and promenade the porticos (I enjoyed writing that) of the Wolfchase Galleria, and plunked down our change for a ride.

One go of it was plenty for Lincoln. I don't like rides that just go 'round and 'round either.

He's just so darn cute!



I'd like to say I planned this shot, but I think I just accidentally hit the button while trying not to hurl.

Decorating Day is Finally Here

Ah, the day after Thanksgiving. No shopping for me, thank you. I look forward to this day for one reason only...well, make that two reasons.

Reason #1: Leftovers. I had turkey, ham, CiCi's hot corn, Lindsay's bacon-wrapped green bean bundles, Brandi's double layer pumpkin pie, and a small slice of cran-apple pie. Mmmmmmm, I love me some pie.

Reason #2: Time to decorate the tree. I miss decorating Paw Paw and Grandma's tree more than anything, but watching Brandi and the kids decorate our trees is fun in a whole different way.

The boys were up long before Brandi and me. They made their own breakfast and passed the time playing video games until we finally rolled out of bed at the late hour of 7:30am (very late for us).

Then, we continued the family tradition of giving each other new Christmas ornaments. Brandi and I especially like the S'mores ornaments and Dad and Cindy have given me for several years, so this year we added to the collection by getting Mullin a baseball player S'more and Lincoln a soccer player S'more. Very cute.

I got Brandi a cross for her theme tree, and she got me a Starbucks cup and a basketball player S'more.

Shiloh got more than everyone, as usual. She has no chance of not being spoiled rotten. Brandi got her an antique baby carriage, a Care Bear, and a very pungent Strawberry Shortcake.

The kids did a great job of getting their tree decorated without too many catastrophes, due in large part to Brandi's skillful staging of the whole event. We finished up all of the hard work with a cup of homemade hot chocolate.

Bedtime Theology

Let me preface this post by telling you a little bit about the boys. Both, of course, are smart as whips (whatever that means). Lincoln is quite artistic and creative, while Mullin, although very thoughtful and introspective, tends to be literal and scientific in his approach to everything.

So, I'm tucking them in tonight (Brandi's out with her mom), and the following conversation occcurs.

Lincoln: Dad, tomorrow I'm going to draw you a picture of what I think Jesus looks like.

Me: Wow, that sounds really interesting. I can't wait to see it. What do you think he looks like?

Lincoln: Well, I picture him with brown hair and a beard, and he's wearing a gold shirt with different colored jewels all over it.

Me: Interesting. I never thought of Jesus as wearing a gold shirt, but you know, I bet God has reserved the most beautiful robe in heaven for Jesus. So maybe you're right.

Mullin: Nobody knows what Jesus looks like.

Me: True, but it's okay to imagine.

Mullin: It's impossible to imagine that.

Me: No it's not. That's what we're doing right now.

Mullin: Well, it's impossible for me to do it.

Me: Why?

Mullin: Because everytime I try to imagine what Jesus looks like, he always turns into Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Simpsonize Three!

I had so much fun Simpsonizing Brandi and myself, I thought I'd try it with the kids. Here, in order, are Mullin, Lincoln, and Shiloh.





And here is my third sentence of original content, followed by the fourth. Good grief!

Blast from the Past: October 2003

Look at our two little puppies! I can't believe this was four years ago. Time flies. I know I haven't wasted a moment with Mullin and Lincoln, but it still seems like the time that they were little was so short.

Cleanup on Aisle Three

In preparation for a little outing we're taking as a family, I decided to clean up the Expedition. The front two sections of the truck were no big deal; a little vacuuming, a little wiping down of the doors and dash. We are a fairly tidy troop.

Then I got to the back of the SUV, the section of the vehicle my middle child Lincoln has unofficially claimed as his own. Our oldest, Mullin, refuses to sit in the back with him, and when I removed the third row bench, I found out why.



Yes, there were sport drink bottles, two M&Ms wrappers, two sets of shoes, a jacket, two baseball caps, a Gameboy, a pair of dirty socks, an army man, a dinosaur, an assortment of straws, miscellaneous trash, stained carpet and sticky residue everywhere from many a beverage treat lovingly bestowed upon him by his doting father, a bag of money, and four dried up wads of well-chewed gum - two in the cup holders, and two on the tire well.

I was too overwhelmed to be mad. Believe it or not, the picture above was taken after I started cleaning. That boy is a raccoon! He hates to part with anything of value, and he sees value in everything. What this kid considers to be his material treasures in life are worthless and priceless all at the same time, and I love it!

Lincoln felt badly about the extent to which he'd lost control of his clutter. He promised not to let it happen again, and I'm sure that he means it. I'm just not sure that's a promise he can keep.

Now the truck is spic-and-span. The fluids have been checked and the tires balanced, and we're ready for a little adventure. Stay tuned as Brandi and I will probably be racing one another to see who can post about it first.

Cutting Room Floor

So many pictures that I take never make it to the blog. I thought I'd post a few of the ones that I really like that for whatever reason were left on the cutting room floor.

Lincoln is adorable in his catcher's gear, but I like this picture for the baseball behind him that appears to be levitating.

Another nice picture of Lincoln. I took this one at Trinity Baptist during soccer practice (obviously) one afternoon.

This is one of the many spectacular views from the ski lift in Beaver Creek, Colorado.

Here's my dad creating an awesome spray while slaloming at sunset on the Tennessee River.

We got Mullin to pose for some pictures in the backyard. Here's the one we didn't pick, but I still think it looks good. He's doing his action hero pose.

This picture was taken the night we decided to move to Arizona. I'm now thinner, older, and poorer.

Well, whaddaya know? A post of nothing but pictures without one appearance by Shiloh.

Lincoln's Movie

Not to be outdone by Shiloh, Lincoln asked to do his own little movie for all of my blog viewers to enjoy.

If There's Grass in the Field, Play Ball!

Little League is in full swing, and the boys are doing great! It seems like we are at games or practices every night, and I love it. There's something cathartic about baseball.

Mullin is playing his last year of coach pitch and has already asked if he can play on a summer league team. He's extremely focused and determined about his baseball. Tonight, he hit his first home run of the season. On the year, he's 8 for 9 with 1 homer, 3 doubles, and 4 singles.

Lincoln is playing his very first season of T-ball, and for him, baseball is more of a social event. He's having a lot of fun, but he has some unconventional ideas about how the game should be played. Instead of running the bases hard after a hit, he thinks he can advance around the diamond more successfully by tip-toeing. He prefers to "sneak" around the bases because, as he put it, "that's how Bilbo got past the trolls."

Oh well, one's serious, and one's a clown. But they're both having fun, and that's what baseball is all about.

You Did Not Have a Home

If all goes as planned, we will close on our house on the 22nd of this month and move in on the 25th. Unless they plan on getting Ty and the gang involved, I have no idea how they will have the house ready in time. Here are some pics from this past Saturday. Compare these with those taken on November 14th.

Here's the living room.

There's the boys on the dreaded stairs. Mullin isn't too keen on having a two-story house.

Here is - obviously - what will be the kitchen.

Once again, Lincoln volunteered to pose in all of the photos. Mullin was a little too shy, I guess. This is our dining area and arcadia door (Funny, I've only ever known it as a sliding glass door).


The front is looking nice.

This is our big backyard, which will look dramatically different after the landscapers have their way.

Birds Have Nests, Foxes Have Dens

After this past Friday, the ragamuffinwriter clan is well on its way to not being homeless anymore. Technically, we won't have a home for a couple more months or so, but the contracts are signed and construction is progressing well. No rain in Arizona to slow things up, and plenty of illegal labor to keep things on schedule (just kidding, I think).

I was really beginning to wonder if we were going to find something within our budget out here in the land of unrealistic real estate valuations, but the market has cooled considerably, and for whatever reason, lots of people are simply walking away from houses that they contracted to build. That has left builders scrambling to get new buyers, which results in deep discounts offered to fellas like myself who are willing, ready, and able to move into a "spec house." Last week, the New York Times published an article that addressed the Phoenix area housing bubble burst, and it specifically highlighted the area to which we're moving.

More on the process later. Here are some pics, with a little Poo to add perspective.

Lincoln is standing on the blocks that will become our fence. No wood fences in Arizona.

This is a look into the living room from the bend in the stairs. That hole in the wall was going to be a fireplace, but the superintendant decided it wouldn't work, and that was fine by us. We never would have spent money on a fireplace in Arizona, and now, we don't have to!

Here's what will be the kitchen.

And this will be the breakfast area.

Looking upstairs from the living room.

Photos From The Western Front

It was good to hear from my buddy Chris yesterday evening. Congratulations to him and his lovely wife Lisa on the birth of their baby girl Lydia!

See folks, it's that easy to stay in touch. Send an email. Post a comment. Wire cash. Don't be a stranger.

Okay, here are the belated Halloween...um, All Saints' Eve...costumes. As you can see, Mullin was a Clone Trooper, Lincoln was Darth Vader, and little Shiloh was an adorable Care Bear. Leave me a post if you can tell me which Care Bear she was. If anyone's wondering, I went trick-or-treating dressed as Guy Fawkes. (Thanks Brandon.)

Here's Mullin puttin' tha hurt on Goliath!



And here's little Darth plummeting to his doom!



These are just because.

Bedtime Prayers

While we tucked in the boys tonight, Lincoln prayed, "God, thank you for making the college kids."

I couldn't have said it better.

Back To What's Really Important

I'm not going to let the politics of religion steal my attention away from what's really important. The ragamuffinwriter's done with convention talk for at least a few posts.

This evening after we finished grilling burgers, Lincoln told me he was ready for the training wheels to come off. So, I took 'em off and let him go for it. Can you believe that stinker started riding his bike on the very first try! I think it helps that he actually enjoys crashing.

Check out my fearless little stuntman.

Minor League Musings

Yesterday, the boys and I had a great time at the ballpark. The seats were tremendous. The barbecue nachos were delicious. The weather was almost perfect.

Time has a way of standing still at a baseball game, and that's something I really appreciate.

This was the first game where Mullin was actually interested in the details of the game, down to balls and strikes, but for Lincoln, it was all about hunting down Rocky Redbird.

"Daddy, where is Rocky Redbird?"

"Um, he's probably inside cooling off."

"Is he gonna come back out?"

"I'm sure he will later."

"Can we go look for him?"

"In a few minutes. We just went looking for him. Let's sit here and enjoy the game for a minute."

"Can Rocky Redbird talk?"

"I don't know."

"Daddy, is Rocky Redbird really real?"

"Well, there's a real person inside his suit."

"Can we go look for him now?"

"In just a minute. Let's watch some of the game."

"How much more?"

"One more out. Then we'll go wash the cotton candy off of your face and hands for the third time today and look for Rocky Redbird."

There was one thing that I observed at the game that left me somewhat confused and a little sad.

I noticed that there were men getting their pictures taken with members of the team's cheerleading squad, known as the Redhots.

That, in and of itself, is no big deal in the eyes of most, but what really left me dumbfounded is that in each of the instances I witnessed, the man was getting his "significant other" to take the photograph.

Now, two questions pop into my feeble mind at this point:

First, what woman would let herself be disregarded and disrespected to the point that she would not only stand there and let her husband/boyfriend pose for a snapshot with a cheerleader, but that she would go so far as to take the picture for him?

Second, what man would even think of putting his wife/girlfriend in such a degrading and demoralizing position? The message these guys are sending to their "significant others" is simple, selfish, and sexist. It's flaunting one's lust, plain and simple. Do these guys realize that, with their actions, they are communicating to their mates that they are not as beautiful or desirable or worthy as the person with whom they are posing, arm in arm.

I think if I ever go to a game with Brandi, I'm going to walk up to a Redhot with my camera in hand and ask her if she will take a picture of me and...my wife.

That's the way it should be.