family news – Page 36 – Out Of Their Minds Design

Enter November

From my notes on November 1st:

Me – Come on.
Ian – No.
Me – Okay, stay in the bathroom all day.
Ian – I’m coming on.

November 1st, and little Nina doesn’t look quite so little anymore! See this image larger.

Around this time her head start tilting toward one shoulder again, and we didn’t quite know what to do. Given that her physical therapy had ended long ago, we started talking about her perhaps needing to go back. Eventually she seemed to right it herself, and it has been awhile since we noticed any further tilting. See this image larger.

I forget what Ian was doing here… probably messing with the iPad. See this image larger.

Look at our big girl standing up! See this image larger.

When I look at this picture I think I start to see Nina at an older age… probably a little more hair and a change or two, but you can almost see future Nina! See this image larger.

Halloween Night, 2010

So, Halloween night! A lot of work led up to this evening, so if this sounds a little self-congratulatory, I apologize. There’s certainly a little pride showing through. If you click here you can see an image from a little bit ago, when Ian was peeling apples. In the foreground is a plastic package that contains a food Nina eats called “puffs.”

I traced out lines using a stack of books and a marker, then used scissors to cut the puff containers to size. See this image larger.

I grabbed an LED “road flare” style flashlight and pressed it through loops that I cut into one of the puff containers… this made an almost complete “laser” armband for Buzz’s right arm. For his left I took the other puff container and put it inside of yet another. I cut open a door and added some shiny stickers for Buzz’s left armband, where he has a communicator. When I found neon lime-green duct tape, I knew we were pretty much there. I ended up putting two “bracelets” of bubble wrap on each arm so that the armbands easily fit his skinny forearms. See this image larger.

Seeing as I had plenty of duct tape to spare, I added some highlights to Ian’s ordinary sneakers. I did this quietly downstairs in my office and when I was done put them by the front door without any of the other bits I had created. I knew something went right there as well as soon as I heard Ian exclaim “BUZZ LIGHTYEAR SHOES!!!” from halfway across the house. See this image larger.

Ian’s inflatable wings looked great, but I thought they needed something a little more… a couple LED lights on watch batteries stuffed into water resistant gumball machine toy capsules did the trick. (I kept the dinosaur toy for myself until it is less of a choking hazard for Nina.) Add a little velcro and boom, done.

All I need now for Buzz Lightyear to be complete is a cute kid in his cousin’s costume. See this image larger.

And where’s my other cute kid? Hey! Halloween for creepy, no for sleepy! See this image larger.

The full costume! Hard to get a good pic, unfortunately… See this image larger.

Perhaps it would be best to include a brief video! See this image larger.

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BONUS VIDEO!!!! – Click here to see a brief video of Ian in his Buzz Lightyear costume!!!
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Alright, everybody have costumes on? Look at that cute little kitty back there! See this image larger.

Ian was very proud of his costume, and I was proud to tell anybody who gave me a chance how the armbands were made… the range of comments went from “Good Dad!” to “Sounds like you’ve got too much time on your hands!” See this image larger.

We discovered very quickly that our new neighborhood was just too popular for us to be able to trick or treat as a family. Melissa was kind enough to man the door and bowl back at home while I paraded Ian around. Next year I promise to realize that I’m being selfish, and trade spots… sorry! See this image larger.

Back at home from a long walk, everybody was pretty exhausted. Buzz took off his wings and was pretty much ready for a treat and bedtime — I pushed for one more picture, thus I have this one of two miserable kids. Which reminds me, we actually ran out of treats! Next year we’ll be more prepared! Happy Halloween everybody! See this image larger.

From my notes:

Ian – Where is the book the one with the cars not the real cars but the one with the wheels that don’t go round and round.

Disposable Entry

These are some additions I made to earlier entries… I’ll delete later after we’ve all read it.

October 20th Nina cut her 2nd tooth.

From my notes:

We were waiting in the parking lot of the bank, Ian, Nina and I…
Ian – Whars mommy buying in the bank?
Me – Shes getting money
Ian – It says money up there. See? Mon eee.
Me – Lol that actually says something else. “Western Union.”
Ian – uh nnn ehh ah nnn.
Me – GOOD BOY!!! (You may not understand that, but that’s him using phonetics to sound out the word “Union.” It means he’s one step closer to reading.)

I told Ian he was being a backseat driver at one point.
He then recounted a story Grampa Dave told us about weeks earlier wherein the differing size of his trucks had led him to be a literal backseat driver for a few moments.

Ian – Shew! I ran out of breathing.

Halloween Morning

Ian and I started our jack-o-lantern design with a pumpkin and the latest in hyper expensive computer-aided drafting to create a face compelling and haunting at the same time. See this image larger.

Usually I try to do a little better than this, but so much effort went into Ian’s costume that I ran out of time. It was nice to let Ian do a lot of the work though, he loved it. See this image larger.

You’d think between this smile and having permission to make a great big mess that Ian would love doing every aspect… See this image larger.

…but he did not like the gushy insides! See this image larger.

He still had fun though… See this image larger.

…Nina had a lot less. See this image larger.

Mommy wanted to dry out the pumpkin seeds, so she had Ian help her. See this image larger.

Look at him go! He looks like a little pro! See this image larger.

But the best was yet to come… Halloween night, next blog entry! See this image larger.

October 30th, the Never-Ending Day!

So Melissa was letting me get away with whatever I wanted to do for my birthday, which has somehow stretched out into a month-long event. Hey, you only turn 40 once, am I right? Sadly yes, I’m right. Anyway. As a family, we made October 30th last a good long time, and it was a wonderful day as a result.

The day started by Daddy and Ian getting to go on a boy’s adventure! We went to see Hubble 3D at an IMAX theater. This is a really bad picture that was taken in the complete darkness with no flash. If you squint at it, you’ll see Ian slack-jawed at the incredible visuals. See this image larger.

We both looked pretty stylish in our 3D glasses. He may not look happy here, but I think he’s sick of me taking his picture all the time. In reality, he had a blast. It was such an amazing father/son moment to take him to the movies with me… the best word I can come up with to describe it is just “important.” It brought back childhood memories of seeing Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind with MY dad. And to see little Ian with a hand outstretched, trying to grab a 3D star passing by… or trying to capture one in a clap like a firefly… was the best birthday present anybody could have given me. Thank you Melissa! See this image larger.

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BONUS VIDEO!!! — In case you don’t believe me about Ian’s enthusiasm, here’s some wonderful proof. This is in the lobby after the movie, and it runs a bit long, sorry. Click here to watch the video.
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That same day we decided to go grab a pumpkin, so back to Robinette’s we went! Ian had a blast on the slide, and we met up with Mommy and Nina. See this image larger.

Finally, on that same day, we went to Meijer Gardens to see the final day of the Chihuly exhibit. I know, I know… who? I kept wanting to call him Chipotle. Chihuly is a glass blower, and he makes some beautiful sculpture. Here’s some pics! See this image larger.

As simple as this was, I think it was my favorite. The colors were brilliant. Melissa liked a similar one in red that was right on the side of a grassy hill. See this image larger.

Pretty cool, don’t you think? See this image larger.

I walked my feet right off, to be honest. I guess I need to get out more. See this image larger.

Finally it was time to wrap up the day with a tea party! See this image larger.

Nina has a bit of a rustic look going on that seems to match well with the setting… she looks like a server at a lumberjack lodge or something. *Jah, guut morgen, keen I git u dissert? Ve haff plastick deesh. You eet it.*See this image larger.

Ian and Nina’s Halloween Party!

October 29th, and it is time to party!!! See this image larger.

And yes, Ian looks cute in his Buzz Lightyear costume, but I have an even bigger bombshell to drop! World Premiere of Nina’s awesome kitty costume!!! See this image larger.

Oh would you look at that little kitty in the high chair!!! So cute! See this image larger.

Purrrr! Purrrrrr! See this image larger.

Mommy and Ian pose for a quick pic while waiting in line to go to the next room full of activities and games! Don’t get me wrong, I think Ian looks adorable as well, but that’s just the first phase of his Buzz costume. You’ll see the fully operational awesomeness on our Halloween entry! See this image larger.

Can’t believe how awesome the coincidence was that Ian decided on Buzz, and Connor’s old costume was a perfect, perfect fit. Great party everybody! See this image larger.

Just throwing this in for posterity… by now I was climbing on the swingset in the backyard to try to get a better view of the damage on the roof, not knowing it was going to be a “total loss.” Ah well, life goes on, right? See this image larger.

October, Part XII

On October 23rd, Mommy took the kids to the mall to look for birthday presents for Daddy’s upcoming 40th, and there turned out to be some fun to be had as well!!! Here I imagine Nina pretending to be a used car salesperson. *You like this beauty? (conk conk) yeah she’s built solid alright. A real gem. 20 grand.* See this image larger.

As I was not there I can only assume that this means “This machine takes 2 quarters” or “I need two beers to go with my hot dogs.” See this image larger.

And this one is either “I don’t want to ride in Clifford the big red dog, I want to ride in the airplane,” or “Nina is touching my Clifford.” Nina might be saying *You like this beauty? (conk conk) yeah he’s build solid alright. A good dog. 30 grand.* See this image larger.

And this is the only other thing I know about the trip. A small airplane was purchased, and a hamburger was hastily consumed. Ian eating a store-bought hamburger is pretty rare… See this image larger.

From my notes:

We were waiting in the parking lot of the bank, Ian, Nina and I…
Ian – Whars mommy buying in the bank?
Me – Shes getting money
Ian – It says money up there. See? Mon eee.
Me – Lol that actually says something else. “Western Union.”
Ian – uh nnn ehh ah nnn.
Me – GOOD BOY!!! (You may not understand that, but that’s him using phonetics to sound out the word “Union.” It means he’s one step closer to reading.)

I told Ian he was being a backseat driver at one point.
He then recounted a story Grampa Dave told us about weeks earlier wherein the differing size of his trucks had led him to be a literal backseat driver for a few moments.

Ian – Shew! I ran out of breathing.

On October 24th Ian had some friends over to play including Scott and Elena’s daughter Rowen. Casey came over too from down the street! See this image larger.

I think they wore him out a little. See this image larger.

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BONUS AUDIO!!! — On October 25th, I interviewed Ian for about 8 minutes, and am posting it here. It is actually pretty hilarious. Example: “What is your favorite football team?” “Daddy and Nina are my favorite football team, kicking balls.” You should be able to listen to it by clicking here.
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October 26th, Ian had been asking for a demonstration of this device for days… an apple peeler! Mommy actually let him use it and he had a blast! Nina practiced her management skills. See this image larger.

See how quick? Boom, naked apple. See this image larger.

October 27th, Halloween was closing in fast, how fast? Fast enough that the kids at daycare gave each other some important Halloween tips. I think my 2nd favorite is “Don’t hold your basket upside down,” but my favorite is Ian’s “Stay with mom and dad.” Good boy! See this image larger.

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BONUS VIDEO!! — On October 27th, I started having a bit of a mid-life crisis, I guess. I was on my way home from a meeting and passing by daycare. I picked up Ian early and went to the park with him. (Jean, if you’re reading this, I made up for the hours later… it is only sunny enough to play during the day, turns out 😉 ) Click here to watch a video from that fun, windy day! (This might also have been the windy night that subsequently destroyed our roof.)
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October, Part XI

October 18th, and why Spider-Man needs a car, I have no idea. This day was one of infinite patience on my part and that of the kids, we went to about 5 or 6 stores, if I remember correctly. See this image larger.

Ian grins for a really horrible quality picture from my iPhone. See this image larger.

Nina reads the morning paper. See this image larger.

October 19th, Some additional shots for those of you who miss Michigan Fall. See this image larger.

This is from the tree in our front yard. See this image larger.

Ok that’s all I have. Here comes winter! See this image larger.

We end this entry with one of those “Where’s Waldo?” puzzles. Can you find my daughter in this mess? See this image larger.

Nina cut her 2nd tooth right around this date.

October, Part X

I got some picture off of Melissa’s camera, and I shuffled those into earlier entries if need be. The first few pictures happened back on October 2nd, all of us enjoyed a nice lunch out with Mr. Brandon and Max. Click here to read that entry. These others were from a day out on October 12th with Mommy took the kids to the park. Click here to see the entry I added pictures to.

On October 17th, we got a visit from Grampa Dave and Gramma Marcia! You’ll never guess what Grampa Dave was making here! See this image larger.

A space helmet! The awesome home-made kind! See this image larger.

Gah, another auto-focus blunder. I probably need to have the sensor cleaned on this camera, or… muhuhahhaaa…. (more on this later…) See this image larger.

There we go!!! Ian the astronaut! See this image larger.

Ian the astronaut gives big kisses! See this image larger.

Nina gives a little wink! See this image larger.

An awesome visit, thank you both so much! (Nice pic too! Hurray for smiles all around!) Daddy premiered his attempt at cooking breakfast, and Gramma Marcia made an awesome dinner! See this image larger.