Seaside Heights

One of the great things about living in NJ is that you're always within driving distance of the ocean. That makes it easier to enjoy it during the off-season while the beach crowds are still months away, and before the show "Jersey Shore" starts filming.

That is Michael's melon in the picture. He is getting tall.

Meet the newest member of the family.

Joey earned enough stars on his star chart to get his reward, and we picked up his new Guinea Pig this weekend while we were down at the shore.

Since the Guinea Pig is a female, I guess Danielle finally got the girl she always wanted. However, it didn't take long for Joey to masculinize it and name it Blaster :)

Joey-ism # 101

Dad, what was your name when you were younger?

Updates

The last two weeks have been pretty busy in our house! Starting from the top left and going clockwise: Danielle accepted an award from NJ Senator Menendez for being a "Pioneering Woman", Ryan learned how to ride on my back (it's one of those small milestones in our house), Joey advanced another rank in Karate, Joey went to three birthday parties, Danielle and I discovered that playing with the kids stuff after they go to bed can be fun, and I think we have a rabbit living under our deck.

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.