My Little Knight

Some of my favorite shots of Owen while we were waiting for the show to start....Owen saw this kid and they were sword fighting for a while....

A Date with My Son

Owen and I got to spend some alone time last night while Michelle had her Mary Kay Open House. I decided to take Owen to watch STAR WARS: The Clone Wars. I thought it was appropriate since my 3 year old son
has been obsessing with swords. Our house has become a venue for frequent sword fighting and dragon slaying. Although I have no objections, my son has the tendency to get carried away and start to attack in a manner that
can hurt whoever he is playing with. My poor wife has to defend herself from Owen for most of the day, but as soon as I get home, I sometimes hope that she thinks of me as her Knight and Shining Armor who has come to rescue her from her sword-fighting obsessed toddler. Hey...a man can dream!

But as we left the house last night, I was filled with glee and excitement to watch a movie with my son. We have never done this before. We have always gone together as a family, but never have I braved the idea of taking my son to the movie theater myself, but last night, I did it! And it was worth it! Not to say that we didn't have some troubles.

For those of you know who don't know where we live, we are practically in the middle of nowhere. Well, at least I think so. It's not like we have no neighbors....it's just that the nearest Mcdonalds, Walmart and Starbucks are more than 5 miles away, hence the remark that we are out of touch with the rest of the world. But the reason why I am saying this is because on our way to the movie theatre, Owen and I were just talking. Then as got close to the street where I needed to make a left turn to get to the theater, there was a sign that said "ROAD CLOSED". The street I needed to turn to was only about 200 feet away or less! But they closed it for repairs! At this point, I was in panic mode. The movie was going to start in a few minutes, and I had no idea how to re-route myself! After all, I was in the middle of nowhere! I only knew one way to get there...and that was was closed! I told Owen that the road was closed....and as I turned around, he said: "I will help you find it! It's otay!" I was like...."OKAY....thanks", but with a hint of desperation as I try to re-route my brain to find an alternative route.

I found a street that looked like it was going to the direction I wanted to go to, so I turned right with that hope that we would get to the movie on time. But as I looked at the time, the movie had already started! But thank goodness for previews! I can still do it! I hinted to my son that we may be too late and maybe we could watch a different movie, but he quickly exclaimed: "But I want to see Star Wars! I want to see sword fighting!" I thought to myself: "OKAY VINCI....YOU CAN'T DISAPPOINT YOUR SON!" Talk about pressure! There was no way I was going to let him down! So, ONWARD we go! I drove as the roads curved and turned into conspicuous angles. I had no idea if I was going North, South, East or West! I was just hoping I was going the right direction! My mind was blank as the place seemed so foreign to me. It was nothing but cornfields! And at this time in the season, the corn stalks are so tall I can't see anything for miles! As I looked at the time again, I was starting to lose hope. I saw a stop sign and ALAS! Civilization! I saw houses, and then a few more cars! WE ARE NOT ALONE! I peeked at my son and I saw him looking at me, and I knew that I had to try my best to find my way! And of course, asking to stop for directions is out of the question! That was always the wife's job!

But as I passed the stop sign, I saw a billboard with several arrows pointing to different locations. I was confused and doubted myself...and I decided to turn around. As I did this, Owen started saying: "I don't want to go home yet. This is the wrong way!" The funny thing is, I actually listened to the little guy. I don't know how we would have known where we were, but I just thought that maybe he knew. Who was I to doubt him? So, I got back in the previous direction, and as I passed the sign again, I saw the arrow pointing to the street I needed to be and we were headed the right way! I was right, and Owen was right too! I was glad! We kept going and there it was....BEHOLD THE MOVIE THEATER!

We quickly got out of the car and ran inside! We got our tickets and enjoyed the movie! We were set! I had 2 bottles of water, and chicken nuggets that Michelle sent with us. And we were the only ones inside! I looked at my son many times during the movie and he was enjoying it. SUCH INNOCENCE. SUCH PURE JOY.

It's amazing how a simple thing such as going to a movie can actually become a memorable experience for me and my son. I can't wait for our next date!

Owen is going to be three!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow! I really can't believe it! Owen will be 3 in 13 days! August 19th is the big day! He is growing up way too fast! I miss having a little baby to hold! Every now and then, he lets me rock him like a baby, but most of the time, he is quick to say: "I am big boy now!"

He is almost completely potty trained....We are working on the waking up to go potty at night....but when he has an accident, he is quick to strip off his clothes, and put on new ones, then he moves to our room and squeezes in between Michelle and I. Actually, he usually takes over the bed! He is a stinker! But he is getting there! He usually says: "Oops. I had an accident. But it's 'otay;. Accidents happen sometimes." How can you be mad when he says that? He is too cute!

He is still obsessed with swordfighting.....and he is getting better and better too! It reminds me of me and younger brothers playing when we were kids......man..that was so long ago!

Owen has also become quite the jokester and trickster! The other day while we were in church, he looked at me and said: "I have to go poo-poo." I quickly took him out and brought him to the bathroom, then when I finally got there, he said: "I was just tricking you daddy." HE GOT ME! I didn't think they'd start doing that till they are teenagers....but I am watching out!

But he is a fun boy to be with! I love my son! He gives me big hugs and kisses every time I leave for work in the morning, and as soon as he hears the garage door open in the afternoon, he runs to the door, and starts waving at me. Then we always get the mail together! That's our tradition, I guess!

Well, that's all for now.

The Ant & The Grasshopper

I got this through an email the other day....and it was really a good one...

The Ant and the Grasshopper
>
> There are two Versions - Read Both
>
> TRADITIONAL VERSION:
>
> The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his
> house and laying up supplies for the winter.
>
> The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and
> plays the summer away.
>
> Come winter, the ant is warm & well fed. The grasshopper has no food or
> shelter, so he dies out in the cold.
>
> MORAL OF THE STORY: Be responsible for yourself
> -----------------------------------------------------
>
>
> MODERN VERSION:
>
> The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long,building his
> house & laying up supplies for the winter..
>
> The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and
> plays the summer away.
>
> Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and
> demands to know why the ant should be warm and well fed while others are
> cold and starving.
>
> CBS, NBC, PBS, CNN, and ABC show up to provide pictures of the
> shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable
> home with a table filled with food.
>
> America is stunned by the sharp contrast.
>
>
> How can this be, that in a country of such wealth, this poor
> grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?
>
>
>
> Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper and everybody
> cries when they sing, 'It's Not Easy Being Green.'
>
>
>
> Jesse Jackson stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house where
> the news stations film the group singing, 'We shall overcome. Jesse
> then has the group kneel down to pray to God for the grasshopper's
> sake.
>
>
> Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid exclaim in an interview with Larry King that
> the ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper, and both call
> for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his fair share.
>
>
>
> Finally, the EEOC drafts the Economic Equity and Anti-Grasshopper Act
> retroactive to the beginning of the summer! The ant is fined for failing
> to hire a proportionate number of green bugs and, having nothing left to
>
> pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the government.
>
>
>
> Hillary Clinton gets her old law firm to represent the grasshopper in a
> defamation suit against the ant, and the case is tried before a panel of
> federal judges that Bill Clinton appointed from a list of single-parent
> welfare recipients.
>
>
>
> The ant loses the case.
>
>
>
> The story ends as we see the grasshopper finishing up the last bits of
> the ant's food while the government house he is in, which just happens
> to be the ant's old house, crumbles around him because he doesn't
> maintain it.
>
>
> The ant has disappeared in the snow.
>
>
>
> The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related incident and the house,
> now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who terrorize the once
> peaceful neighborhood.
>
>
>
>
>
> MORAL OF THE STORY:
>
>
> Be very careful how you vote in 2008