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Zayne has ALWAYS been a difficult baby. From the moment he was born he has always been so whiny, almost inconsolable, and nearly impossible to entertain! I've tried everything to get him to crack a smile and still nothing....I just give up....as you can see from this video, I just don't think the little boy know how to smile.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Friday, July 25, 2008
Observations On Laundry
Valerie has recently discovered that the Charlotte Library has quite a selection of DVD's available to rent at no or a very minimal charge ($2 for new releases) which includes a wide array of titles and genres covering everything from some of the very newest releases (we just saw Transformers last week), to Foreign films, to Classics, to Documentaries.
Having no cable in our house and only being able to enjoy the DVDs we own for so long, I've truly enjoyed many of the movies she has brought home and was enjoying a documentary she checked out for me on the battle between Stalin and Hitler on the Eastern front in WWII just this morning when the following footage unfolded before my eyes.
My initial reaction that caused me to grab the camera was "Oh, a cute shot of a baby playing in a basket with the laundry...won't the grandma's be thrilled!" However, as this went on, I noticed a few other things with a little deeper meaning and significance:
First and most apparent - Why do we ever bother paying a dime for toys for children under the age of at least 3? I know I've mentioned this before in a posting, but as you see from this clip, with the wall of toys and the floor covered behind him, what makes him happiest? Where does he find the greatest satisfaction? From the $50 Playskool set? The Little Einstein DVD's? Any of the HUNDREDS of dollars of toys?
No. He finds his greatest joy in the moment, sitting in a basket, playing with a sock. Maybe we should take a lesson?
Second - I've noticed on several occasions (and especially when he's fired up and giving me a good baby cussing) that some of the "babbling" as most would call it that comes out of Zayne's mouth has a distinctively German flair to it. I've noted this to Valerie several times and mentioned how I wish I could speak German, for one because there was a tremendous amount of substantial and influential theological work done in German, and for another so I could speak to him and see if he could talk back! I'm not so certain that my suspicions weren't aroused today as you'll see in this clip. If you notice, there's a point when its almost as though he's really getting into the movie when before he hadn't really been paying any attention at all. I thought perhaps he just didn't share my passion for all things WWII, but then when they began interviewing one of the Germans, suddenly Zayne tuned in and even seemed to nod a time or two, as if in either agreement or disapproval, I don't know which since I don't speak German! Coincidence? Maybe....
Having no cable in our house and only being able to enjoy the DVDs we own for so long, I've truly enjoyed many of the movies she has brought home and was enjoying a documentary she checked out for me on the battle between Stalin and Hitler on the Eastern front in WWII just this morning when the following footage unfolded before my eyes.
My initial reaction that caused me to grab the camera was "Oh, a cute shot of a baby playing in a basket with the laundry...won't the grandma's be thrilled!" However, as this went on, I noticed a few other things with a little deeper meaning and significance:
First and most apparent - Why do we ever bother paying a dime for toys for children under the age of at least 3? I know I've mentioned this before in a posting, but as you see from this clip, with the wall of toys and the floor covered behind him, what makes him happiest? Where does he find the greatest satisfaction? From the $50 Playskool set? The Little Einstein DVD's? Any of the HUNDREDS of dollars of toys?
No. He finds his greatest joy in the moment, sitting in a basket, playing with a sock. Maybe we should take a lesson?
Second - I've noticed on several occasions (and especially when he's fired up and giving me a good baby cussing) that some of the "babbling" as most would call it that comes out of Zayne's mouth has a distinctively German flair to it. I've noted this to Valerie several times and mentioned how I wish I could speak German, for one because there was a tremendous amount of substantial and influential theological work done in German, and for another so I could speak to him and see if he could talk back! I'm not so certain that my suspicions weren't aroused today as you'll see in this clip. If you notice, there's a point when its almost as though he's really getting into the movie when before he hadn't really been paying any attention at all. I thought perhaps he just didn't share my passion for all things WWII, but then when they began interviewing one of the Germans, suddenly Zayne tuned in and even seemed to nod a time or two, as if in either agreement or disapproval, I don't know which since I don't speak German! Coincidence? Maybe....
The Life of the House Dad
I just knew that once I talked Val into giving me my dream job of being a house Dad here in Charlotte that it would be all wine and roses from that point on...sleeping in until 10 or 11 followed by a couple of hours of cartoons or movies with Zayne; Lunch around 12:30 or 1 and then a light nap on the couch until about 3:30 or 4 which would give me time to get dinner prepared (with a quick trip to the local market if I needed any supplies).
Well, that fairy tale lasted about until about 5am or so on our first day here as Zayne decided that he would choose that time, from that day forward, as his chosen first bottle of the day as well as the time to move from HIS bed to mom and dad's, which, of course, is MUCH more suitable for drinking bottles!
The fun wouldn't stop there, though, and I soon learned that having two "kids" at home all day who both seem to require about the same amount of attention can be a quite demanding task! As Zayne has been working on his walking skills it has only increased his desire to be under foot all day long which, in turn, has seemed to make my other "kid" (Ben) all the needier and more attention hungry! As this video shows, trying to get anything done in the kitchen (or anywhere else for that matter!) can get to be a bit challenging with a true "toddler" and a 135lb "baby" underfoot all the while!
Well, that fairy tale lasted about until about 5am or so on our first day here as Zayne decided that he would choose that time, from that day forward, as his chosen first bottle of the day as well as the time to move from HIS bed to mom and dad's, which, of course, is MUCH more suitable for drinking bottles!
The fun wouldn't stop there, though, and I soon learned that having two "kids" at home all day who both seem to require about the same amount of attention can be a quite demanding task! As Zayne has been working on his walking skills it has only increased his desire to be under foot all day long which, in turn, has seemed to make my other "kid" (Ben) all the needier and more attention hungry! As this video shows, trying to get anything done in the kitchen (or anywhere else for that matter!) can get to be a bit challenging with a true "toddler" and a 135lb "baby" underfoot all the while!
Monday, July 21, 2008
The REAL Purpose of Birthdays!
Well you've seen the mandatory video of the child stuffing himself with birthday cake...so now here we come to what every other parent on the face of the planet has also come to realize...no matter how much money you spend on birthday presents and lavish parties, until a kid hits at least 3 the most exciting part of every birthday and christmas (at least for the child) will always be the wrapping paper! I'm sure I've already gotten more entertainment out of his toys than Zayne has, but he does find a few minutes every now and then to leave the packaging alone long enough to enjoy whats inside!
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Thank God I'm a Country Boy!
Having spent the better part of his first year of life in the sophistication and urban elegance of Dallas, I wasn't quite sure how Zayne would take to a little slower pace of life and if he would be able to adapt to the less demanding standards of the social circles he would enter into here in Charlotte. To try to ease him into things I've been making sure he reads the sports section daily to check the Nascar standings, has been memorizing all the hundreds of different brands of chewing tobacco we encounter up and down EVERY aisle of EVERY grocery store we enter and, of course, ensuring that he has been listening to PLENTY of country music.
While I knew we were on the right track after he took so well to "Urban Cowboy", I hid my worry when he seemed slipping on some of his more refined social skills. After all, he had been enjoying broccoli, seeming to always laugh at the sophisticated jokes on the Frasier episodes I was watching (I'm too old to try to fix my hang ups!), and never really even making much of a mess as he ate, sometimes even cutting his spaghetti with a knife before twirling it with a fork and spoon and then asking for a wet napkin to clean up his tray after he was done! These weren't the marks of a good old country boy! Where did this stuff come from?
Well, you can all breathe a sigh of relief with me now! Saturday night for his 1st birthday we introduced Zayne to the wonders of cake and chocolate icing and, as you can see, his dinner manners at least are best summed up by the song playing in the background of the clip! Enjoy!
While I knew we were on the right track after he took so well to "Urban Cowboy", I hid my worry when he seemed slipping on some of his more refined social skills. After all, he had been enjoying broccoli, seeming to always laugh at the sophisticated jokes on the Frasier episodes I was watching (I'm too old to try to fix my hang ups!), and never really even making much of a mess as he ate, sometimes even cutting his spaghetti with a knife before twirling it with a fork and spoon and then asking for a wet napkin to clean up his tray after he was done! These weren't the marks of a good old country boy! Where did this stuff come from?
Well, you can all breathe a sigh of relief with me now! Saturday night for his 1st birthday we introduced Zayne to the wonders of cake and chocolate icing and, as you can see, his dinner manners at least are best summed up by the song playing in the background of the clip! Enjoy!
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Birthday Greetings!
Well, our little politician/preacher was not his usual boistrous self tonight (of course) as we tried to get him to wish his Grammy a happy birthday! I think you still get the general idea though!
Happy birthday Mom/Grammy! We love you and hope to see you soon!
Love Justin, Valerie, Zayne and Ben
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Sibling Rivalry?
I was a bit reluctant to post this video as I wasn't sure exactly what kind of response it would get. You see, Valerie, Zayne, Ben and I all went to spend the July 4th weekend with my Aunt and Uncle outside of Atlanta and while we were there Mr. Zayne decided that he wanted to start expanding his bag of tricks and add walking to his repertoire! Uncle Kevin warned me that my mom might never speak to her sister again if she found out that Zayne had taken some of his very first steps at her house, but I'll assume that everyone can work out their differences and take my chances by posting it anyway! He's still not quite ready for the Olympics, but he gets a little more brave and daring every day. We'll just take it one step at a time!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Looking For Love
Here's another short video that I think any of you Okie's can appreciate!
Since we don't have any cable in our new house here in Charlotte, we're down to watching (and re-watching) the videos that we have accrued over the years. To add to the fun, since I decided (for reasons still unknown) to leave our VCR in Dallas, we're limited to those we have on DVD and can't watch the 100 or so others we have on VHS!
Anyways, during one of our first nights in our new house, I thought it only appropriate to bring a little sense of nostalgia and a true feeling of "home" to the place by plugging in something to remind me of my roots in Southern Oklahoma, as well as our recently departed Texas, and what better movie than "Urban Cowboy"? I mean, it's got it all! Cheap beer, bar fights, tobacco, trailer houses, 4x4's, robbery, fake-bull riding....the kind of stuff you want your kids to learn about early so they grow up well adjusted.
As I knew he would, Zayne jumped into that movie with both feet and never let up! As you can see from this clip, he was born for this kind of thing........lets just hope they come up with a shot that can get rid of it.
Since we don't have any cable in our new house here in Charlotte, we're down to watching (and re-watching) the videos that we have accrued over the years. To add to the fun, since I decided (for reasons still unknown) to leave our VCR in Dallas, we're limited to those we have on DVD and can't watch the 100 or so others we have on VHS!
Anyways, during one of our first nights in our new house, I thought it only appropriate to bring a little sense of nostalgia and a true feeling of "home" to the place by plugging in something to remind me of my roots in Southern Oklahoma, as well as our recently departed Texas, and what better movie than "Urban Cowboy"? I mean, it's got it all! Cheap beer, bar fights, tobacco, trailer houses, 4x4's, robbery, fake-bull riding....the kind of stuff you want your kids to learn about early so they grow up well adjusted.
As I knew he would, Zayne jumped into that movie with both feet and never let up! As you can see from this clip, he was born for this kind of thing........lets just hope they come up with a shot that can get rid of it.
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