How do you define Normal?

Suzy and I were talking in the car about games we could play at "Game Night" (some friends were coming over for games that evening). I said, "We can even play something like Apples to Apples (a "fun" game)." During the conversation, Kate was given to understand that I REALLY don't like Apples to Apples.

Kate, in a somewhat querulous voice asked, "But I like Apples to Apples" (She plays the Jr version with friends sometimes)

Suzy, "Don't worry, most normal people like Apples to Apples."

To which Kate replied, "Does that mean Daddy's not normal?"

We busted a gut at that one. I mean, who would consider me non-normal? Right?

Emergenitics Profile

At work the other week we got our Emergentics Profiles taken. It was a series of questions that you rank yourself on to understand what your thinking and behavior patterns are.  The 4 colors correspond to how you think, the three lines in purple correspond to your behaviors. 

Blue is Analytical (meaning you like data and logic a lot). The Green is Structural (meaning you like order, agendas, plans etc). The Yellow is Conceptual (creativity, ability to think of the big picture) and Red is Social (relationships, networking etc).  If you have more than 23% of a certain color, that means you have that as a thinking pattern. I'm 44% Analytical, 32% Conceptual, 22% Structural and 3% Social. 

What does all that mean? Basically, I'm your perfect engineer. I can look at data all day long (analytical), come up with new ways to solve problems (conceptual), put together a plan to fix things (structural) all the while never wasting precious time by talking to someone. 

Here is a more balanced profile (this is a group of about 18 people that I work with averaged together. We're engineers, so you can see it's weighted towards Analytical, Conceptual and Structured).

Batman Jace

Guy time

So, Suzy took the girls (K,F,B) up to the cabin today (Memorial Day). That of course means that it was MAN Time at the Garrett house! Jace and I had a blast! Including TWO trips to Lowes and Wal-Mart. This will hopefully balance out all the princess influence floating around Jace on a daily basis.

Oh Yeah, I look cool! (These sunglasses have lightening McQueen on them).

Guess who!

Look who takes after his old man with an abundance of Back-hair!

We saw the fish at exactly the right time! There was a battle going on between these two guys. The spotted leopard fish won. 

Mother's Day Cookie and other Misc Pictures.

This is Faith's usual kind of Outfit. She loves skirts, will wear leggings upon request (and when told it's cold). She also likes lots of fun patterns. I think she gets her fashion sense from me. I'm reminded of the lines from MIB "I make this look good"

We had been talking about what to do for Mother's Day. Faith came up with the idea to make a cookie that looked like Suzy. Here was the result.  

Faith's first time on a swing! 

Jace, as usual figuring out how to do something in a way that wasn't intended. I see trouble in his future (really our future I guess)! At least he's cute while doing it. 

Primo's Pizza (the video game section in the back)

Faith all Dolled up

Grandma's wonderful visit! 

Bighton's Sailor girl outfit

Pink Motorcycles, Also, Blackmail.

Someone hangs out with too many Sisters and Girl Cousins. At least, that's all we hope it is. Then we can use this video as blackmail, probably when he's about 16 or so and ready to go on a his first date.

The Joys of Helium

The funny thing is that Kate's voice doesn't change...

Puppies

We were just at the park. All 4 kids were swinging and Suzy was doing under-dogs.  When I came up, Jace started asking me "Dad, do a puppy"! I was confused, but quickly realized that he was asking for one of those "Under Puppies".

Faith kept saying that there was no way she would let Mom do an Underdog, since she fell off. Apparently, when she was 4 (oh so long ago), Suzy gave her an Underdog. She was okay, until the back swing where at some point she let go and face planted it.

Last night the fam went on a pajama walk. Jace was on his balance bike, and occasionally would get ahead of Suzy.  Whenever this happened, he would say "I Winned, I winned"! Suzy corrected him and said, Jace, It's "I Won, not I winned".  The next time he did it, Jace said, "I won, I won...<you could tell he was thinking here>...I not won, I three!!" (for some reason, he thinks he's three. Probably because he thinks every birthday party is for him, and 2 of his cousins just had birthday parties. He always tries to blow out the candles).

Foodie

We've been eating a lot of Thai food lately. Faith commented last time that the Pad Thai was "the best food in the world! Better than Mac and cheese, better than hot dogs!"

We were making a lasso out of a piece of rope for Kate, and Faith said, "Make sure to tie a slip 'n slide knot!"

We love that girl. She always keeps us smiling and has a smile on her face as well!  That's probably why she makes friends wherever she goes.  Anywhere that has kids, Faith has a new best friends approximately 2.3 milliseconds after arrival.  

Littering

Well, I think we all acknowledge that littering is bad. My parents are serving a mission in Louisiana and just helped with cleaning up a section of the river. Apparently people will just make piles of trash by the river and let the river sweep it away. Out of site, out of mind! Sort like kids (although, those consequences are more immediate, usually involving something in the bathroom being dumped all over the carpet).

Anyway, we went to the Mall the other evening, and got some delicious Ms Fields cookies right before closing (discounted).  That doesn't have anything to do with littering. What does is the fast food type drink that was left on the parking lot ground just next to our car.  The same one that when we got to the car, and I finished putting Brighton's stroller in, we found Jace happily downing.  Needless to say, we freaked out and quickly sterilized Jace's digestive track with Bleach. Okay, we didn't really do that. But we did freak out. I think Jace still wonders to this day what the problem was, since the "juice" tasted just fine to him.

Later that day we reminisced about the time Faith saw something on the ground (she was 2.5-3yrs old) and asked, "Dat poopoo?" Then promptly  picked it up and popped in her mouth, "no, not poopoo" (luckily).  That lead to the time when Faith swore up and down that she ate Kate's CTR ring. After two weeks of Suzy faithfully digging through her poop, we found the ring behind a dresser.
Kids make life fun.