The End of 2017

What a great year!

I've stayed busy at work and Matt has been invaluable at home taking care of the kids and the house.

Jane broke her pinky finger by dancing and kicking her own hand.  Our first broken bone for the kids.

We traveled to Missouri in the summer.  We had a blast with Andy and Clair's families and celebrated July 4th with everyone.  We had an awesome day at Clair's house in Columbia and the kids enjoyed their cousins.

We traveled to California for Christmas.  We went to Monterey, Big Basin, and San Francisco.  We saw lots of cousins and had a blast staying with Matt's parents.

I got a terrible ear infection and spent 6 weeks with a PICC line to take strong antibiotics.  I took a couple trips to the ER thinking I was dying, but good news, I'm alive.

I went to New Orleans and San Diego for work conferences.

I went to Charleston, SC with Monique and Brittany for our annual get together.

I got to spend an evening with my niece Livvy while she made her way home from college.

Jane pierced her ears!

Jane continues to draw all the time.  Now she mostly does digital art.

Jack is a budding scientist. His favorite gifts have been Snap Circuits and a science kit.

Pete had "wee-wee" surgery and spent a couple weeks reminding everyone not to punch his wee-wee or kick his wee-wee.

We got a new van--a 2011 Kia Sedona.

Pete is out of diapers during the day.

Hank started kindergarten. He has surprised us by having a very serious crush on a girl in his class.  He talks about her a lot and is very open about his feelings.  However, when Matt was walking them to school and they ran into her, Hank was frozen with embarrassment.  He couldn't speak and simply grabbed Matt's hand and kept walking.

Some funny things were said:

When Hank's pj shirt was too small he said, "I think this ungrew me."

Hank went through a phase of calling people "my love".  He told Jane and I that we were his two loves.  He also taught me that a love spin is when 2 people hold hands and spin while gazing lovingly at each other.

When we visited my parents at home, Hank said with as much compassion as he could muster, "I'm sorry you're going to die soon."

When Matt took Pete's picture in the car Pete said, "There's no reason for that, Dad."

Pete called Jimmy Johnson, Jin Jin Johnson.

Pete is very particular about which stool he sits on and will not letting anyone sit on his.  He knows which one is his because the wood grain makes an oval shape on it.

Hank found out his name means king.  or "ruler of the home" he said, in all seriousness, "I hope dad doesn't care."

Pete: Mom! I need to pee!
Me: Ok!
Pete: What's that on your nose?
Me: A zit.
Pete: Take it off.
Me: I can't.
Pete: Ok, I want dad to help me.

Another day I had a zit on my chin.  I was trying to help Pete eat the last bites of his dinner but he kept approaching me with a fast blink, while he moved his eyes around.  I said, Pete, why are you being a blinker?  He said, 'Because I don't like your chin."

Hank had a weird, minor pain in his chest.  He said, "I hope it's not heart disease. I'm going to eat a lot of cheerios because it can make a lot of heart diseases go away."  (He read  that on the Cheerios label).

Pete has been loving the Snowy Day book about a cute little boy named Peter.  He has been SO excited about Christmas because he thinks that means snow will come.  And, just like the book, he wanted to make snow balls, and put one in his pocket.  When we were driving to California we stopped at a gas station in Nevada.  There was a little patch of snow in the parking lot.  We got Pete out and we were rushing everyone in to use the bathroom.  Pete saw that snow and said, "Oh! Just a second!  I just need to make a snowball really quick."

I showed Matt a picture of us from 5 years ago.  Then Pete looked at Dad and said, 'You look like an old man, daddy?"

Pete promised us all year that he would poop in the toilet when he was 4.  And I tell you what, he actually made good on that promise on his birthday.  While on the toilet he said, "I am SO 4."

Matt tries to keep me in the loop with all the home shenanigans by sending me texts throughout the day.  Here's a collection of what I was informed about:

I pointed at Hank and did my joke where I say, “Hank, right?” Hank asked me why I say that. I explained how it was a joke because I’m his dad, of course I know who he is, blah, blah, blah. When I finished, he let out a genuine laugh and said, “That’s actually pretty funny.” Finally, I’m getting somewhere with these guys!

We got food from Target. I explained it's not illegal because the theater can't make laws. But we had to sneak like Ninjagos. Hank said he was Zane: "This is going to be so fun. And yummy, because there is candy."

Pete: I'm having fun, Dad. Go away.
Matt: Did you go poo poo?
Pete: No! I don't want you to say that.

Hank, Jack, and Scottie are playing a murder mystery game, each taking turns in different roles. Hank’s role, as murderer, involves Baby Jesus with a  weapon.
Pete: “Why saying ‘Baby Jesus’?”
Me: “That’s a good question, Pete.”
Hank: “Baby Jesus! Baby Jesus!”
Pete: “I not talking to you.”

After Matt tried to tell Jane she couldn't eat the Boursin cheese:  Sometimes Jane hits me with some fairly airtight logic: “Dad, the whole reason to buy Boursin is for me to eat it with crackers.”

After Pete's surgery: Pete wanted to show Hank his big wee-wee bandage, and had a long, fairly incompressible conversation explaining how the bandage came to be via the doctors.

Matt to Pete: “Don’t be angry. You’re so angry.”
Pete: “No. I not angry. I was sad and whiney.”

Scottie came to play one Saturday afternoon and must have inquired about everyone still being in their pajamas.  Jack said, "Scottie: “It’s stinking Saturday! Who gets out of their PJs?”


Hank: "Dad, my nipple-ies are cute. I don’t want them to change to big."  He later made up a son about them.  So then this convo happened; 
"Hanky, remember you can't sing the Nipple Nipply Song at school."
"I can in my head." Bobs head slightly in silence, then: "NIPPLE NIPPLY!" Laughs hard. "That came out of nowhere, right?"

Matt: "I love Hanky. He's my best friend. Now everybody knows it. It's out there in the news. Everybody's talking about it."
Hank: "But not really, right?"
Matt: "Right."
Hank: "News is importanter."

Hank: “I am scared in de bathwoom.” 
Matt: “I’m right here and the door’s open. There’s nothing to be scared of.” 
Hank (suddenly cheerful): “What de heck? I am not thinking about anything called a poo-monster.”

When I got to the end of the Ninjago book where Zane dies, I was tearing up a little, then Hanky says, “I shouldn’t have picked this one.” He was crying. We were a couple of babies."

And I think that rounds out our year!  I'm so grateful to be able to spend my life with these people!