The Couch Strikes Back

Master John Makeover

How do you know when the hockey season is over? The only thing you have to talk about on your blog is your new bathroom.

But seriously, my wife bought everything we needed to re-do our master bath for less than 50 bucks. That includes paint from Home Depot, new curtains, shelves, a vase, a new mirror and storage compartments. I think that's pretty amazing.

This weekend

We helped Uncle Stephen move into his new house this weekend. The boys helped install new locks and door knobs.

On Sunday, Danielle surprised us with a trip to the Model Train Convention for my birthday. Some of the layouts we saw were amazing; I realize now that most of the work spent on setting up a model train comes when you create the scenery, not when you lay out the track.

Aaarchieee!

Danielle and I visited the Smithsonian museum of American History in Washington, DC. These are the original chairs that Edith and Archie sat in on the TV show "All in the Family". It's funny how two pieces of furniture can say so many things about the 70's.

The real reason we went to Washington was so we could attend the annual NEA Gala and to visit with the Center for Missing and Exploited Children. We'll be returning in the spring - hopefully with the kids - so we can see the rest of the Smithsonian!

SuperBowl 2011

In our family, one of the traditions we enjoy is celebrating SuperBowl Sunday with the boys. Danielle spends most of the day cooking, and the boys and I spend most of the game eating. This year, we had pizza rolls (milk & egg free ones, too), home made tortilla chips with guacamole, salsa and refried beans, chili and cheese dogs, Doritos and soda.

Joey-ism #402

Daddy: Do you know what psychology is? It's the study of the brain.
Joey: Oh! I have one of those. I left it in the basement. Hang on... I'll go get it!

I laughed for a few minutes, until Joey came back from the basement with a little rubber brain and put it on the table in front of me :)

Snowy Record

We broke the total snowfall record for January with 36 inches. This is a picture of our back porch.

Mullet Car

The kids and I gave Mommy's car a mullet while she was in Dallas.

Joey's First Kumite

Joey's been studying Karate for a couple of years now, and he's progressed through a rainbow of different colored belts as a "little dragon". He was recently invited to move up to the Juniors program so he can begin learning some basic forms, katas and kumite (sparring) techniques. Here is a short video of Joey's first kumite.

Pond Hockey (well, sort of)

Michael has been getting a lot of ice time this week by practicing on a skating rink behind the firehouse. When it gets cold enough, they dump a full tank of water (about 1500 gallons) on the rink to smooth it out. Here is a movie of Michael playing with Uncle Stephen.

The Happy Napper

He must have had a busy day at Nursery School today. Actually, it's been a tough week for Ryan. He had tubes but in both ears yesterday (for the third time) and he spent much of the morning recovering from the anesthesia they gave him during the procedure.

Ryan's First Day of School

Ryan started Nursery School this morning. He did great! He colored a picture with crayons, made a dog out of a paper bag, and listened to the teacher read a story.

Michael and Jamie

We met Jamie Langenbrunner (captain of NJ Devils) at the snack counter after Michael's game in Randolph yesterday. His son plays for the Montclair Blues.

Our first batch of wings

Danielle and the boys got me a deep fryer for Christmas so we could experiment with new Michael-safe chicken wing recipes. Here's how we made our first batch:

8 tbsp Frank's Hot Sauce

2 tsp white vinegar

3 tbsp Earth Balance imitation butter

1 shake of garlic powder

1 shake of red pepper

1 shake of oregano

some salt and pepper

Stir the sauce over low heat. Bread fresh wings in flour (no eggs or milk) and deep fry for 16 minutes at 375 degrees. Cover with sauce and serve with a lot of water!

Cousins

We had another great visit from our nephew, Quentin. It was sad to watch him leave this morning, but I'm thankful for the time we got to spend with him. It's amazing how fast the boys grow up.

In this picture, their hockey gear doubled as protective armor for the mock battle in our basement.

Santa Run

Michael helped out this year on the Santa Run. It was pretty cold, but for the first time in 2 or 3 years, it wasn't snowing or raining. We drove around town for seven hours handing out candy canes then returned to the firehouse for pizza, subs and birch beer.

A special "thank you" goes out to my wife and other people that served us cookies and hot chocolate along the way.

Thanksgiving Hockey Tournament

We spent Thanksgiving Weekend in Philadelphia at a hockey tournament. Our hotel was right next to a railroad and the airport, so there was plenty of stuff to see right from our window.

We also visited the Camden Aquarium and swam in the hotel pool between games. On the way home, we stopped at Geno's Steaks for an authentic Philly Cheese Steak with Wiz (that's the way you have to ask for it - it's short for Cheese Wiz).

One year later...

2009 vs 2010

Joey-ism

The boys and I got haircuts tonight. When we got back home, I helped Joey get his pajamas on and asked how he liked his haircut. He said "it's ok, but it kills girls". I had to think about it for a minute, and then I remembered... after the barber finished cutting Joey's hair, he stepped back and said "now that's a ladykiller haircut!"

Buddies Day

The boys and I had a long overdue Buddies Day on Sunday. We started by going to the local pet store to look at the fish and other animals. The store had this huge tank of crickets, and of course Ryan had to remove the lid to look inside. I'm not sure how many escaped before I saw what he was doing and closed the lid :)

Our next stop was 7-11 so we could get some Slurpees and bring them to Horseshoe Lake. It was 60 degrees and sunny, but it was a little too cold to drink them outside so we headed back to the truck and finished them in the parking lot.

For the rest of the afternoon, we just drove around Roxbury to look at train tracks and old railroad bridges. The town received stimulus money to restore some of the rail lines, and I think most people are against the idea of more trains going through our town, but the kids and I agree that trains are cool so we don't mind. I can't wait to show them what happens to a penny when you leave it on the tracks.