School and Golf:

Indy started play-school about three weeks ago.

I didn't say much about it before because we wanted to see how he took to it before we told everyone. If he wasn't ready we would have just pulled him out and tried again next year. Turns out, He loves it! His little girlfriend Kaitlyn, from the old neighborhood (go back to pics of last summer, you will find a beautiful little blond girl... that's her) she goes to school with him. There are ten kids total in the class and Indy is loosening his grip on Katie now and getting to know the other children. So the pic is off Indy, waiting to be chauffeured to his first day of school.

He manfully struggles from bed at 615 every Monday and Wednesday morning for a trip to South Albany high School's child development center. We pick him up around 1230 in the afternoon. This week he will actually be going on his first field trip. The class will be going to see the Linn Benton Community College production of Charlotte's web. The play isn't on a normal school day for him, but he gets to go anyways. Hooray for extra mom homework time for me.

More exciting news from the world of Golf.

We got the call today.

Duck has made it through this round of cuts.

More try-outs Friday.

Keep those fingers crossed, and keeping thinking Varsity thoughts.

We are so proud of him for making it this far through the try-outs.

If he makes the varsity squad as a sophomore, well, even better!

sharing a picture

I just love this picture.

We had popped down to Fiddlers green to play golf and i got a few shots in before and during their round.

We are all crossing our fingers for Varsity Golf Team this year! I look forward to visiting some of Oregon's great golf courses to cheer (quietly... it is golf you know) for my #1 son.

Hes a nice looking conservative republican who plays golf and knows his way around a computer... he's going to make a ton of money when he's all grown up.

chubby goes to the park:

Lets go to the park... park, park, park, park, park.... YEAAAAAAH park! pose for pictures with my boy... then we can PLAY!OH YES! chase, chase, chase, chase, lemme go! i wanna chase the wood ducks...
Oh, yeah... my boy has the right idea.

feed them, lure them in close with food then :

CHASE THEM! Good Boy! Chase the seagulls... chase, chase, chase.

WE LOVE THE PARK!

GRRRRRR, more pictures. I could be in the lake bothering those ducks. Car ride time, it must be time to go home and get my reward...ah, when I am a good boy at the park i get the best treats!

It's great to spend a day at the park.

Jeff Hardy... disappoints.

Jeff Hardy and the rest of the WWE were in Portland yesterday (and today). Jeff was scheduled to sign autographs from noon to 2pm yesterday in Gresham, so we all played hooky and went to the city. We arrived 30 minutes or so before the signing was to start and stood patiently in line in 35 degree temperatures with 20 mile per hour wind gusts blowing Indy nearly off of his feet. At 5 minutes to 1, after waiting in line about an hour and a half, the doors were locked and we were told that because there were so many people he was going to quit signing early. Small children cried outside the door. We watched several Little boys in their Hardy gear, clutching their Jeff hardy action figures sobbing as their mothers dragged them away.

Indy didn't understand how his hero could not want to see him.

Anyhow, after the doors were locked the powers that be decided to let Jeff walk the crowd. Indy and the multitudes began shouting "Hardy Hardy Hardy". As Jeff began making his way toward us, we were pushed and shoved out of the way by several adults and even a few children and Indy wasn't even able to high five his favorite wrestler.

However, Indy was mostly all right when (in this crowd shot, Indy is in the red jacket and Jeff is the fellow with the purple hair)he realized he had come within 5 feet of Jeff. He saw Jeff and got to chant his name.

The wrestling match is scheduled for tonight (it starts about an hour from the time i write this). We couldn't afford to go. Life happens i guess, but it bothers me a lot that a fellow like Jeff hardy, who is an idol to tons and tons of little kids, quits early and just says, "sorry too many people want me". I know that he isn't a role model; i know that just because he is a celebrity he doesn't have an obligation to my child. But i didn't like being the one to explain to my three year old why Jeff Hardy didn't want to say hello to him. Indy didn't want an autograph to sell on eBay, he didn't want a lock of hair, or a commentary on the world. He just wanted the chance to tell his hero how much he was loved by one small boy, how much he was admired for his high flying flips and daring-wrestling-do.

The thing about little fans like Indy, he doesn't care if Jeff isn't the champion anymore. He gets mad on Jeff's behalf when Matt smacks Jeff with a chair. The little fan is in the backyard, leaping off the trampoline shouting "Look at me mom, I'm Jeff Hardy". The little fan is at toys-r-us saying, "no mom, i only want a Jeff Hardy one, i don't like the other guys, they stink!" The little fan says Brian Kendrick is a "darn dirty cheater", because no way he could have beat Jeff without cheating. The little fan has a Jeff Hardy poster over his bed, because Jeff Hardy watches over him while he sleeps and doesn't let the monsters or nightmares get in (Indy says Jeff Hardy beats them up).

I guess , bottom line, is that i don't like that Jeff made Indy feel not important enough. When Indy asked, with tears in his eyes, why Jeff didn't want to see him, we told Indy that Jeff really wanted to see him, but there were so many other people that Jeff just couldn't. We told Indy we were SURE that had Jeff realized Indy was there, he would have made that effort for him, that even Jeff Hardy knows how special Indiana is. We told Indy that it was mommy's fault because she didn't get to the place at 5 am, like the folks in the front of the line. So, Jeff's still a hero and mommy is the bad guy.

that sucks. thanks, Jeff.

Google:

The ferret belongs to Tooti (Indy's maternal grandma, for those who don't know all of our nicknames). It's name is google, because it searches all over the house, like a search engine, for anything that might be yummy and interesting. Indy adores Google. The feeling is fairly mutual... as much as a ferret can adore anyone.

this is what 35 looks like

Enough said i guess: I turned thirty five yesterday, so i got a more "mature" haircut; the first in many years. It is definately short. The salon comped my haircut because i donated the cut hair(totalling slightly over 14 inches) to locks of love!

Middle Age: here i come!

what we've been up to

It seems like family life rolls along quickly some times. Even without foster children in the home now, my time is constantly in demand. School is going well, or as well as can be expected.

Duck got an award at school the other night, for being just an awesome kid (actually it was for being an intern with the school' child development program). I am just so proud of him. Proud of both of my boys... anyone who has read this blog before already knows that, i guess.

Indy has his own moment of drama. He and Duck were chasing around the house when Indy tripped and hit the sliding plate glass door with his head. He survived it without even a bump or bruise but the door wasn't so lucky. The glass folks will be replacing it next week.

Chris is planning for his solo trip home and for the upcoming visit of his friend, now our friend, Richard. we always enjoy his visits as a chance to sight-see in my favorite state (the one we live in!) I love being able to show off my home. Hopefully i will be able to show Oregon off again this summer, but i do have summer classes that may preclude my participation.

So, all is as well as i can reasonably expect. I'm content with that.