living with boys

Joey comes into the room dressed as Iron Man and asks: "Mom, which causes more damage - a bomb or a grappling hook?" and "Dad, can we build jet boots for my costume with model rocket engines"?

I can't imagine what it must be like having girls.

Super Mommy

Danielle has met many powerful people during her tenure as Teacher of the Year, including Governor Christie, President Obama, Jill Biden, Arne Duncan and more senators than I can remember.

But now, in the eyes of our three year old, mommy just took it to the next level. Today she met Fu Pow (that's Ryan-speak for Super Why). This will be hard to beat.

June

Ahh, June. The air is hot, the pool is luke and the kids can watch TV from outside :)

Generation gap

Dad: Michael, one day you'll be able to do your book reports on a typewriter.

Michael: What's a typewriter? All I need is a laptop and a USB key.

Lunch date with Mom

Some little man's making moves on my wife. I bet he made her pay for lunch, too. :)

Learning to ride

Ryan's learning how to ride the scooter. He's only one step away from learning how to ride a bike with training wheels.

Joey

Joey's still playing the guitar, and he's getting pretty good at it. We discovered that headphones are a great alternative to an amplifier :)

1.21 gigawatts? Great Scott!

We have a plastic slide that creates static electricity each time you go down it. After about ten trips down the slide, Ryan could practically shoot a lightning bolt from his fingers.

Look closely at his hair - it's standing strait up. He's armed and ready...

Ohio Trip

We had another great visit with the Ohioans. Dad took us fishing and we caught two bluegills (we, meaning Joey and Dad. I didn't catch squat).

Truck Stop

I think that one of these exhaust tips would look great on my Honda...

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 :)