Friday, October 31, 2008

Kawalski, what's the status on that halloween?








As previously mentioned, we did a Madagascar Penguins Halloween. Here are the final pictures of the pumpkins (home grown, along with the watermelon) and family festivities. #3 was going to be a Lemur, but that didn't work out so we used a past costume. Melissa received compliments from nearly everyone that we passed, whether they knew us or not.

But we're not from happy feet people. No liberal dancing birds here.



Sunday, October 26, 2008

80 mph... In pink!

For Melissa's 30th birthday, she wanted to go watch the national qualifying rounds of the skeleton up at Park City. Noelle Pace (who was in our ward until the most recent split and the reason Melissa thought it would be fun to go and watch her) ended up winning! From what we understand, she'll be on America's world cup team and be able to compete in the next Olympics. Attached is the craziness of going down a sheet of ice on a couple pounds of metal/plastic at over 79 mph. Go Noelle!



What's really amazing is that there are not any yellow streaks on the ice. Apparently no one from our family has gone down the mile-long track.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Madagascar


The children are quite excited to be the Madagascar Penguins for Halloween. (David is "Skipper" I'm "Kowalski", #1 is "The Private" and #2 is "Rico".) I've just finished #2's costume. Behind them in the picture, my fabric is visible. I have David's and mine cut out and about 6 hours of sewing to finish them up. With 10 days to go before Halloween, I think I'm way ahead of schedule for my usual decide-one-week-before-Halloween-that-I-want-to-make-family-costumes rush. :-) I really do enjoy the challenge of turning flat fabric into something beautiful.
The children also enjoy sitting on my lap to help by raising and lowering the needle. Hopefully they'll choose to learn this great skill. Stay posted for the finished product...probably in about 10 days! ;)

Monday, October 20, 2008

Failure apparently is an option...

I grew tired of the children's near constant complaints about whatever Melissa's makes for dinner, so this evening, it was time for a home evening they would never forget. Forget "starving children in Africa", pssh, that's weak. Cast aside "it will make you big and strong", those are sissy little girly-man reasons. Say hello to "It could be worse".



Crickets.

11 Cents a piece at your local Petsmart for the "large" (1-knuckle sized) variety. I gassed the little buggers with cotton balls dipped in rubbing alcohol, fired up the trusty charcoal grill, and began with a song and a prayer.

We placed the crickets on the table, then talked about how Zacharias sent John the Baptist and his mother to live in the wilderness when the soldiers of Herod came to kill the children. We talked about how Zacharias died at the hands of the soldiers between the altar and the porch of the temple protecting the location of his son. I taught about John living on locusts and wild honey. We then pointed out that things our children have to eat could be worse, so we were going to see what it would be like not having poptarts, mac & cheese, pizza, and spaghetti.

#2 piped in, "I want the biggest one!" and then picked it up, smiled, and pounded it.




#1 gave me the "Are you serious?" look, then ate it also. "Dad, it tastes like chicken tacos! Crunchy"



Melissa and I looked at each other and ate ours at the same time. The bible dictionary states that they taste like shrimp, Melissa agrees. I thought #1 was more accurate with her tastebuds.



#2 blurted, "Yea! Crunchy and yummy. Can I have some more?"

I begrugingly replied, "No."

#1: "You forgot to say 'please'".

#2: "Can I please have some more?"

Sure, kick me while my lesson is down. The only people who won't be complaining about the meals are Melissa and I. But we weren't complaining in the first place. Oh well, another failed attempt at teaching in the home.

But then again, no one complained about dinner...

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Scarecrow Festival






Grandma and Grandpa Hoffman got me the year-long Thanksgiving Point membership as a gift, and so we took advantage of it for the scarecrow festival! Rock wall (Maggie made it 7 feet high with Dad's help until panic took over.) The bouncy castles and games were the favorites.

Who's raising these kids???

It's not the TV. It's not a sitter. I can't figure it out if it's someone other than me! But...

Questionable situation 1:

[Background - whenever #2 has an accident of the poop kind, he takes a shower. #2 equates showers with punishment. Baths are good, showers bad.]

David made lunch today after his flag football game while I worked on sharing time. After we sat down, we talked about our afternoon plans. David said the first thing he needed to do was take a shower. #2 innocently asked him, "Dad did you have an accident and get poop on your bum during the football game?"

I shoved food into my month to keep from losing it completely.

Questionable situation 2:

[Background - they haven't seen this with us or at our home on TV!]

As David came out of the bedroom after his shower, #2 ran to excited report to me the latest game he and #1 had come up with. "Mom! #1 and I are playing with our tongues together! We're touching them back and forth."

I couldn't contain it, so David stepped in and informed them that "the only thing we touch our tongues to is food, and unless you are going to eat each others ears, you better not use the tongues"...

After talking with them, he looked up at me with that, "What in the world" type of look. All I could do was respond:

"Who's raising these kids anyway?"

He turned around, walked off rubbing his head in disbelief.

Monday, October 13, 2008

More Injury to the Insult to Injury (update)



David went in for surgery today to have his tumor (large marble-size cyst) removed from his left arm. He handles medical procedures somewhat like snails handle salt.

The procedure is fairly simple: the doctor takes a star-shaped cookie cutter, approximately 1 cm, and cuts through the layers of skin, after which they insert needles and remove the material.

After recognizing David's love of surgery, and what was about to happen, the nurses gathered around and popped popcorn or something. David made the mistake of looking up soon after the cookie cutter part and seeing the wound. He was instantly nauseous, bringing about laughter from onlookers.

After the procedure came the real pain--David got his first stitches ever (2). He is paranoid of stitches.

What made the nurses and doctor laugh until they couldn't breathe was his final question: "What are the post-op recovery procedures?" The doctor tried to keep a straight face. That failed.

He just grabbed a gi-joe-esque-blue-camouflage-run-of-the-mill-normal-sized-band-aid and slapped in on. David nearly decked the doctor into next week for the mockery. He was... annoyed...But, to make him feel better they wrapped his arm in Coban (stuff like after blood donations).

They also offered him a sucker, if looks could kill there would have been a homicide.

I think if David ever gets cancer, he probably won't go to the doctor.

Oh well, it could have been a lot worse.

NEVER SAY 'IT COULD HAVE BEEN WORSE because... IT GOT WORSE

David went into get the stitches removed, and the nurse, after removing them said that the skin looked a little weak. So she called in the nurse practitioner type guy. He looked close, and pushed on the skin on one side. The wound, as David put it, "ripped open to the sound of my own tearing flesh". He almost fainted, and then they gave him a couple of new stitches to replace the old two.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Kung Fu

If you like actual Kung Fu movies with legitimate martial arts, we highly recommend "The Forbidden Kingdom". Though Kung Fu Panda may be more suitable for children...

Friday, October 10, 2008

Revised - cooking... on the bus?

Woke up in the middle of the night to #2 screaming. Went in to figure out...

"What's wrong?"
*sobbing* "I can't make this!"
"Make what?"
"This recipe!"
"What recipe?"
"A recipe for a peacemaker."
"Do you know what a peacemaker is?"
"No" (Proving our FHE's are completely ineffective...)
"Well, let's work on it tomorrow, can you go to bed now?"
"Okay."

Two days later when I was at volleyball, David had a similar experience...

"What's the deal bud?"
*terrified shaking*
"The bus!"
"What bus?"
"The BUS!"
"What's going on with the bus?"
"It isn't leaving, it won't go away."
"Do you think it will be gone by tomorrow?"
"Yes?"
"I think so, if you go to sleep, I don't think the bus will bother you in the morning, would you like to try going back to sleep?"
"Okay."

And just like that, he was asleep again.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

But I thought teachers were just psycho recluses...


#1 had her star day at school today. She made her star book all by herself, and drew pictures, read it to the whole class.

She then became a little confused when she turned in her Halloween doll.

(Background) She decided on her own she wanted to make Princess Leia for her doll's costume.

She was shocked when she gave it to the teacher who recognized it immediately. She could not understand how her teacher knew about Star Wars. I mean - come on - teachers don't do anything other than teach, and be at school... right?

You would think she should know better. Oh well...

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

The trains run on time…

I've been asked by a few readers to post on the government bailout. The left is erroneously pointing to the current economy as evidence that conservative fiscal measures and philosophies do not work.

The problem is not with the program, it is with the implementation. By meddling in the private sector's failures, our congress and the government have prevented the fundamental ideals from succeeding.

The private sector is set up to self-correct. A business has a board of trustees that each have a fiscal involvement/investment in the business but are not part of the day-to-day functions of such. They act as the regulatory branch of business. When the business is honest and practical, these board members, in theory, should make money. When it is dishonest, they are supposed to be hit the hardest, and thereby bring about change in the corrupt practices. This built-in regulatory measure does not function when the government bails out CEOs, CFOs, and board members for corrupt practices. Doing so sets a massive precedent for widespread corruption benefiting politicians and these in wealthy circles while the middle class bear the burden. Bailing out by the government institutes a type of slavery of the middle class to the wealthy.

Does America take a major hit if we do not bail them out? Absolutely. Such that our entitlement economy would be rocked for years to come and people would have to manage their finances and debt! Would this then create again the need for honest business practices? Yes. Would this solve the problem of golden parachutes and corrupt boards? It should... in theory.

The core problem is the darkness that lies in the hearts of some men who believe they are the exception to the rule, are exempt from discipline, or can get away with crime.

The liberal groups specialize in exploiting the weakness of the conservative without offering proven sustainable philosophies that result in stable change. They feed on fear. Notice that the fundamental difference between (every?) conservative or liberal position is the belief on the nature and agency of man. Does a person believe that we should let people use their agency to succeed or fail of their own choice? They choose the right. Do they believe all people are corrupt (except themselves) or stupid and must be managed "for their own good"? They choose the left.

The more intriguing questions is: If the tables are turned, what do the democrats offer? More taxes, more government programs, which means more wasted money on bureaucracy for poorer services!?! But hey, if the government provides trains that run on time, isn’t that what’s important?

Tag - I'll try something like this once...

What are the last three things you purchased?
1. Clothes for #2
2. Fabric for Halloween costumes
3. Gas

What are the last three songs you downloaded?
1. Enchanted soundtrack
2. Little Mermaid Broadway soundtrack (highly recommended!)
3. Tarzan Broadway soundtrack

What are your three favorite movies?
1. Madagascar Penguin's Christmas Caper
2. Enchanted
3. (I'll deny it but) The Wedding Singer

What are three things you have not done yet?
1. Gotten serious with road cycling.
2. Gone on a cruise.
3. Had a fourth child (no plans... stop starting rumors)

What are three things you cannot live without (excluding people)?
1. Scriptures (and other spiritual stuff answers)
2. My mountain bike (Even though it's David's, I've now claimed it)
3. My blender... it also grinds my wheat...

What are your three favorite dishes?
1. Salmon
2. Any Tex-mex food.
3. Anything David makes (he can make great meals even with just about anything)

What are your favorite T.V. shows?
1. Psych
2. The Office
3. BYU football?

What are the last three places you traveled to that were more than one-hundred miles away?
1. Yellowstone
2. California
3. Idaho

What are your three favorite desserts?
1. Is "all" an answer?

What are three things you would buy if money were not an issue?
1. A Zero-gravity chair from the relax the back store
2. BMWs
3. A home with a large library for David (with a fish tank) and a monstrous sewing room for me... drool

Three people I tag:
1. Lisa
2. Pam (That's right, it's time to start a blog)
3. Sherry (Your one-post blog is weak young skywalker...)