spring flowers

I am pretty excited for the changes coming this year.  Carl Crawford in center field and AG playing first or DH or wherever we can put him.  Oh, right I am also pumped for the in-laws to be moving in and what change long nights of video games that will bring.  Cora is wrapping up the 2nd year of school and of course continues to KNOW everything.  Mia also continues to outgrow her own skin and brain...the CEO of the family I think.  But the sarcastic and own agenda type of CEO.  She is entertaining though.  Nolan is running around the house as a 1 year old...yeah..running.  What is happening.  Anna and I continue to find new things about each other and continue to find ways to pursue and respond to each other.  I love what God does in our marriage. 

We are days away from our trip west.  Was hoping for a crisp spring and outdoor activities...now there is still like 90 inches of snow on the ground and in fact...they had a foot yesterday.  Maybe we should cancel and sit outside on our deck and listen to the Red Sox season opener.  Hope  mom is reading this!

Son one

A year ago right about this time the Lord blessed us with a son.  How does a year get by so crazy fast.  Ridiculous.  Regardless, Nolan has been such a gift.  We love you son.  Heres to you!

honor and favorites

Most of the time I don't have a clue what to put on here.  My wife makes it easy with the photos because she has been slaying that camera lately and I can't help but carry those over to here.  So what next?  Matching a photo, look, expression or story with the words on this spot can be at times...tough.

I have been super admired by the way the Japanese have handed their devastating past few days of destruction.  I don't think I have ever seen a country so united and so UN-selfish in my life.  We as Americans should be ashamed at the way our citizens reacted during Katrina compared to what their citizens are doing.  Leaving water on the shelf for the next person, vendors giving away free food and drink to the victims and salvage crews, stores dropping prices so those with little or no money can find away to afford them. 

Then take us...hurricane brings in knee deep water to one of our most famous cities and with in minutes people are looting stores and taking what they can because the world is ending....

I can only pray that if anything of that magnitude happens here... we will remember how a country thatwe once flat out destoryed at one point handled their crisis and look to them as an example.

But I don't have a lot of faith that we will.  Instead We have millionaires being paid to play football, by choice, and comparing it to "modern day slavery"  abnd baseball players demanding to get paid $300 million dollars to swing a bat.  Yeah I think they deserved to get paid, someone will pay them...but would they give even a penny to a town in need when that time comes?

Whatever, I should work today but I work today knowing that people in Japan are crushing this tragedy with an honor and pride I hope my kids...despite their expressions...can show to those around them in all that they do and in all their trials and tribulations. 

Until then...it is indeed MY FAVORITE SHIRT

early starts

The whole family was up and rolling by 0607 today.  It is a lot more fun waking the kids up with a sweet settle revenge then it is when they pull themselves up to our bed on a Saturday at the for mentioned time.  The epic adventures of one car have begun with a family carpools to work and school.  It is fun though starting your day with your family and I am realizing even better ending it with them in the car.  It is nice to get that drive to decompress with the wife rather then come home to a chaotic atmosphere. 

Tomorrow will be interesting.

Of course I do relive the same question from Mia everyday..."Dad, do you have to work tomorrow?" She means today. "Yes Mia I do."  followed by, "Why, you work today and tomorrow and all the time."  God forbid I have to deploy in the next few years.

Well, off to start the day.  But I wanted to let me wife know that she is awesome and her support drives the train...or odyssey if you will.

yard work and tables

So yesterday I learned that when your daughter is tied to your dog that it is NOT a good idea to throw a ball for your dog to fetch.  Look, I am just saying...that would have been a 10,000 dollar winner on AFV and a few nights on the couch I suppose.  Regardless she was a good sport about it and thankfully it happened fast enough that only the mark bares a reminder of it. 
Of course our other daughter is the perfect height now for walking into things.  Door knobs, chairs, tables.   I for the life of me can't figure out why she doesn't look where she is going but when her nose met the corner of the table yesterday I thought the world was ending.
Let's not forget about my son, just days away from a year and minutes away from walking aimlessly through his days.  You think you can get more accomplished with the walker but now your guard and awareness has to be more keen.

I learned this morning that a husband is to "...love his wife as his own body.  He who loves his wife loves himself."  Ephesians 5:28

I found this interesting in the fact of its direct meaning in the Word.  It goes on to say that "...because no man has ever hated his body but he feeds it and takes care of it..."  But if you aren't taking care of body does this mean your love is not the same for your wife?  Or if you are to focused on the love of your body does the love for your wife suffer?  Can go either way on the viewpoints here but I do know that I love my wife and my belly may not be a six pack anymore but the love for my wife is greater then any work out I could muster together.  Plus, she cooks and feeds me...so really by me taking care of my body I am doing so through my wife which means she is loving herself through the care of my body.

Once again...women run everything and we mere pawns...but I love it!

blessings

Malachi 3:10

blank minds

I have to admit I am drawing a blank and words for today. Not sure what to toss in there. I have been kicking around a couple of ideas and they haven't made it much farther then the forefront of my brain...which doesn't say much at all. Some of them include...

My grandmama Hahn went to dance with her husband in heaven this week.

Mia told us that she wants to kiss boys because they taste yummy.
 "Mia, have you ever kissed a boy?"
"No."

"So how do you know that..."

Forget this I don't want to talk about that.

Good thing Cora said,

"I don't even want to talk about kissing boys, thats disgusting. Maybe when I am like 30."

Agreed

We are going to start buying real cows milk...from the utter...pray for me

Cora and I have started memorizing bible verses together in the morning. Today's verse:

Phillipains 2:14 "Do everything with out complaining or arguing."

Perhaps what socks she wore today didn't take this into consideration.

Maybe I will come up with something.

Heard in our house last night

"You want to know what I want to know?"

"yep"

"Why did God invent math?"

or

"have you ever had jumbo"

"you mean gumbo?"

"aggh, yeah"

"can't remember"

and

"mmaahha aaggh ehhhh???"

Interesting looks

Anna sure has been tearing up these photos lately. Amazing how in a few years we all carry our world, literally, in our pockets when it comes to our phones. It is a watch, calculator, photo album, address book, recipe book.... But the one thing I still think people give funny looks for is when people use their phone in church. But who are we to judge the intent behind that use anymore? I currently use mine as well as Anna as our bible in church. Seems some think that is rude or wrong. why? A bible is a bible...does it matter in what form it is being used? Or what if I use it to take notes or look up a reference? I see no harm in this as long as you don't use it as a distraction Maybe I should take the ear piece out and listen more.

few things in life bring as much joy as the a child's heart. the pure innocence of a look, a smile, tear, and laugh. nothing compares to the energy and emotional satisfaction that comes from such a tiny thing. But in reality that tiny person carries more genuiness then any of us can imagine. Sometimes the word of a littler person can make us feel like the biggest thing on the earth and in the very next sentence destroy your internal fortitude.

Regardless, for the time being it is tough to not love those two and I can only imagine where their thoughts and love are currently going at that moment.

I love you bean and mia

listening...

Selective listening can crush someone. It can praise someone. It can captivate a person. It is interesting how we so closely pay attention to Opening Day on the radio, tune in for the military staging in the middle east, or shhsshh those in the room to hear a tv program. But why do we tune out with out even noticing when our loved ones turn to our ears? Look, not something I am proud of but I also know that we all do it. It is amazing what your hear when you just turn your deaf ear...on. Like when you hear "Go do" by Jonsi you stop what you are doing and turn it up. Well, we need to start turning up our kids and our spouses.

Oh, and spouses...it wouldn't hurt for you to hear every once in awhile especially when the first pitch is thrown out! Day two of the ticker has started