Found this on my bedroom door...

I guess I wake up kinda cranky.

Count Off!

Riding bikes with the kids today, I was chastising Edison and Ana Tobin for not replying when I asked them to sound off. I like to know that they're near, and they're listening, and I don't need to hear Eli because... he's still in the trailer. 

Eli had another idea about why I don't need him to count off...

Eli: Dad, I know why I don't have to count off like the other kids.

Dad: Yes? Why is that?

Eli: Because I never stop talking anyway. You always know where I am.

A Good Goal

Yeah, like that...

WINNER!

Ana Tobin took the 4th grade essay contest at her school very seriously. When it was assigned, she come home from school, and went down to it. Complained when she had to break for dinner, skipped stories, complained about taking a bath, and stayed up late working on it -- all by herself -- all for the sake of her beloved Florida Panthers, since the winner gets money donated to an organization supporting their cause.

SQUEEEE!

Ana Tobin's hard work paid off, because SHE WON!

So, kudos to you, our little writer. Keep up the great work, and you'll go far.

If you want to see her reaction to winning the award, I took a little video of it and you can watch it here.

And now, without further ado or grown-up interference, the AWARD WINNING ESSAY:

Florida panthers are a rare and beautiful animals. Unfortunately, these wonderful beasts are disappearing all the time. If we don't act quickly, they could become extinct. The Florida panther is a majestic hunter, a caring mother to its young, and all together, an amazing creature. If I had $100, I would donate it to Big Cat Rescue, to help the Florida panthers. 

My first reason I would donate money to Big Cat Rescue is because if Florida panthers go extinct,a lot of other animals die too. Hear, let me explain. Say panthers eat hogs. There is probably a LOT of hogs because there is not many panthers to eat them. So then there wouldn't be a lot of what ever the hog eats because there would be too many hogs. Then it happens over, and over again. 

My next reason would donate money to B.C.R. is because it helps more than panthers. Big Cat Rescue helps other big cats such as leopards, tigers, ocelots, and lions. Florida panthers are rare, but other species need help too. A lot of big cats need help, including Florida panthers. It's important that other endangered felines get help too. 

Florida panthers are endangered, and all most extinct. These beautiful cats need OUR help to re-start their race. Programs like Florida Panther Society introduce other species of feline (Such as cougars and pumas.) to breed hybrid panthers. These cats are a LOT tougher than the regular Florida panther. With these hybrid panthers,the original Florida panthers have a better chance at avoiding extinction. The more money donated, the more panthers breed. 

Florida panthers are wonderful, awe- inspiring creatures. With our help, these graceful cats can, and will, be returned to their former glory as top predator of Florida.

Good Kitty.

I don't know any good ways to say this, so I'll make it quick. After almost 19 years of spectacularly performed pet-hood, Lunar Spacecat Ki'ten Stuart Tinnaro; All-Star Cat; Mousebane; Destroyer of Paper Bags and Threat to Birds; Lapwarmer and Occasional Nuisance has left the building. Lunar was very, very old and slowing down but ultimately passed away immediately after an altercation with a car. It was apparently mercifully quick. Knowing her, she probably thought that she could show the car who's boss.

For those of you who are wondering, it was in the alley, not in the street. I told you she was smarter than that.

We love you, and you are missed already. Good kitty. Well done.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ANA TOBIN!

I know, I know, all the parents say it, "I can't believe my little angel is X years old, it seems just like yesterday..." but... it does, sweetie. It DOES seem like it was almost yesterday. And although you've grown so much and are becoming so sophisticated -- I guess you're not a "little" girl anymore -- you're still as special to me as you were when you were just a little weird squalling baby who liked to grab on to my finger. Edison said it when he first saw you, and he said it best -- "wow". 

Thanks for being such an amazing kid. We sure do love you. 

Eli Quote of the Week

"What if we had FOUR NOSTRILS? What if EVERYTHING had FOUR NOSTRILS?!"

I... I don't know, Son. 

Revisiting "A New Hope"

At dinner tonight, Ana Tobin mentioned that she hadn't seen Star Wars in a very long time, so insteadnof stories, we pulled out "A New Hope".

Some observations: 

1) Maybe it would have still been an amazing movie without John Williams. But a lot less amazing. The fact that it wasn't the standard 70's bleepy-bloopy Moog-driven standard sci-fi fare probably plays into the way that it doesn't seem dated in the same way other old sci-fi movies do.

2) I totally married Princess Leia, only prettier. 

3) The kids haven't seen it in so long Eli and Ana Tobin don't seem to remember it. I'm not sure if Eli remembered it at all.

4) The kids laugh out loud every time they hear the WIlhelm Scream. 

5) We watched the re-issue versions, so there WAS a point that I had to stop the movie and apologize to the children for showing them something offensive and inappropriate, and explain that what REALLY happened was Han shot first. 

6) The Clone Wars really is a bummer. For a story that I spent most of my childhood wondering about, I really feel like we got robbed. Of course, I would have killed to have a Star Wars T.V. show, and as a kid I would have loved it unconditionally.

It's kind of amazing how much I remember of my first impression of Star Wars, as I was 5 at the time, but it became SUCH a big deal for me... and back then, we didn't get to see movies over and over. I remember what my mental image of "sand people" was, and how I thought the ad in the newspaper didn't look like something I would like, and how we borrowed 2 bucks from Heather's birthday loot to buy my ticket. I probably only saw it 4 or 5 times as a kid. But the books... and the comic books... and my beloved 8-track, those for worn out. Although they know the story inside and out, it was fun to go down that road with the kids again, and see it in another new light. It was exciting again.

I don't know if I ever gave Heather her 2 bucks back. But that 2 dollars changed my life. Thanks, sibber, and thanks to Mom and Dad for convincing me that it would be worth seeing. It was.

BEST. WAFFLES. EVER.

I took the kids to the Saturday Morning Market this morning, we had a good time, and of course, they got waffles from Sylvia's Belgian Waffles, which are truly a splendid thing. Eli had this review:

"These waffles are delicious but not as good as Pepa's. Pepa's taste just as good but his are made with LOVE."

(Pictured: Edison tucks in while Eli eats his not-as-good-as-Pepa's waffle... with a straw.)

Only 8 Months to Go

Eli's first words as I woke him up this morning were a question: "Longboat Key?"

Eli Quote of the Day

We join the conversation already in progress, where Dad is trying to describe the physical sensation of having Strep to Eli...

Eli: So is it like feeling crazy?

Dad: Well, feeling crazy isn't a physical sensation, is it? I mean, what does crazy feel like?

Eli: Like being me. 

THAT EXPLAINS EVERYTHING.

A Highly Modern Extravagance

We've decided to break down and invest in a highly modern extravagance at the Tinnaro household. 

In times gone by, we have only had telephones dedicated to each individual person who needs one, but now we have decided to go with ONE MORE EXTRA PHONE that belongs to NO ONE IN PARTICULAR. The extravagance is almost embarrassing -- this phone is so unnecessary and impractical that you can't even take it with you, you just LEAVE IT AT HOME. As if the house itself needed a phone.

 

The only reason that I could come up with to justify this preposterous falderal is to make sure that the kids are up-to-date on their telephone etiquette. As their Aunt Heather can attest, the kids' Skype etiquette could be called "rough around the edges" only if things that don't exist have edges. 

 

Granted, it's the merest scrap of cover, less adequate than the fabled "Yellow polka-dot bikini" but it will have to suffice, because... what the hell, it was free for a year and the kids need a phone. BACK, I SAY! BACK, TO THE FUTURE!

Question of the Day

Eli: What does it take to scare cows?

It was 15 years ago today...

...wasn't it? 

A collection of tiny disasters - some of them minor, some not-so-minor but none of them major, combined with the fear of having to stand up and make promises to each other in front of (almost) everyone who matters and the terror of moving 2,000 miles away only 14 days later, it was sheer terror punctuated by intermittent laughter and the temptation to escape. There were some good parties. There was an oil-stained dress, a truck that wouldn't start, a car that needed a new rim, rain that wouldn't stop, a band that wouldn't play, a broken bottle of nail polish, and a DJ. We hardly ate or drank but we DID do the chicken dance.

I thought about running away several times that day, but I couldn't figure out how to get you away from everyone. The promises didn't worry me, but I'm sure you were worried about what you were getting yourself into --  marrying this wandering space-case with a head full of clouds and questions, who barely functioned in the real world. I was nervous, too, terrified, even, since this was a big deal, and everyone we knew would be there, watching, and for many of them this would be the last time we saw them for who knows how long. But despite the nerves and the missteps, we did it, and I'm so glad we did.

 A great many things have changed since then - addresses and phone numbers, budgets and BMIs, follicle density, vision acuity, not to mention the introduction of three amazing kids and their corresponding revolutions in our lifestyle.  But since the moment I first started to get to know you I have always wanted to spend a little more time with you, and find out where this thing is going, and that process is even more rewarding than is was when we were 23 and 24. Because the longer we're together, the more you seem to come up with new and exciting ways to be awesome, and I love that I get to be a part of it.

Happy Anniversary, Lesley. 

It was 15 years ago today...

...wasn't it? 

A collection of tiny disasters - some of them minor, some not-so-minor but none of them major, combined with the fear of having to stand up and make promises to each other in front of (almost) everyone who matters and the terror of moving 2,000 miles away only 14 days later, it was sheer terror punctuated by intermittent laughter and the temptation to escape. There were some good parties. There was an oil-stained dress, a truck that wouldn't start, a car that needed a new rim, rain that wouldn't stop, a band that wouldn't play, a broken bottle of nail polish, and a DJ. We hardly ate or drank but we DID do the chicken dance.

I thought about running away several times that day, but I couldn't figure out how to get you away from everyone. The promises didn't worry me, but I'm sure you were worried about what you were getting yourself into --  marrying this wandering space-case with a head full of clouds and questions, who barely functioned in the real world. I was nervous, too, terrified, even, since this was a big deal, and everyone we knew would be there, watching, and for many of them this would be the last time we saw them for who knows how long. But despite the nerves and the missteps, we did it, and I'm so glad we did.

 A great many things have changed since then - addresses and phone numbers, budgets and BMIs, follicle density, vision acuity, not to mention the introduction of three amazing kids and their corresponding revolutions in our lifestyle.  But since the moment I first started to get to know you I have always wanted to spend a little more time with you, and find out where this thing is going, and that process is even more rewarding than is was when we were 23 and 24. Because the longer we're together, the more you seem to come up with new and exciting ways to be awesome, and I love that I get to be a part of it.

Happy Anniversary, Lesley. I love you!