On the road again.............

I attempted to bask in the sun today during nap time only to be disappointed by the clouds, ugh! The weather has been wonderful. The kids have been loving the outdoors especially my Pie Pants. Its so awesome how they can go outside and entertain each other. Well at least Mr. P entertains himself. Kyan on the other hand thinks he lives at a resort with 24 hour a day entertainment! Ugh just go play!!!!!!!! The neighbor kids (part timers) have been coming over and playing in our back yard with the boys. It caught me off guard but was so cute when Morgan rang the bell and just stood there. I guess I was suppose to know she was "here to play" Ok come on in!!! The kids are 7 and 9 a bit older but keep the boys on their toes and completely entertained! They also serve as role models. Jordan was standing on our fence and fell, caught the back of his shirt on the top of the fence and ripped a board down. Basically he almost hung himself, ouch! Watching it made me cringe, but not a tear from that boy. Now, when Kyan hurts himself what used to be cries and tears is now a brush off the old knees and, "Im tough, just like Jordan" THANK YOU Jordan! Kyan need to see that!!!! Of course all this friend making had to start happening right when we are about to move :( Mick always says I look at the glass half empty. I admit it, I do! So yeah, we need to be out of our house by May 15th! Talk about a hussle to pack and move. Mick graduates on the 9th so we will be busy with company coming for that. The packing process has started once again for us. So where are we moving? Um, oh yeah forgot that part! Not sure yet. We have not found a house yet in GR. Well, one we can agree on that is. We will most likely sublet a pad in AA for the remainder of the summer so I can finish up my Contract at Henry Ford. We do have our eyes on a duplex that would be nice. Build in 99 both sides 3 bed 2 bath with approx 1700sq ft each. By scooping up a property like this our morgage payment would be cheap, I mean dirt cheap. As long as the otherside is rented. PJ and Jess are talking of moving to GR so they would make wonderful tenants! PS Get your butts packing Jess, I dont care if you are 38wks prego!!!! We have come to terms with this to save save save to buy a home we really want instead of something mediocre. Its a shortsale property so it may take some time. Then, we can move again in 2 years! Whats wrong with 8 times in 6 years? Wish us luck! If we don't find anything, I did snatch a load of boxes from sams for packing. We could always just duck tape them all together, we could probably get over 4000 sq feet of living space!!!!

I Should Be Studying

I should be studying (actually writing); instead, I'm posting to get a few things off my chest. (Cue sighs.) During the past few minutes, I've thought about several things that I thought deserved to be written down. Because I tend to lose random pieces of paper with "important" lists and musings on them, I've decided to post some of my musings here, where their insightfulness or short-sightedness will be forever accessible to our vast audience. ("Blogging: Never have so many said so little to so few." I'm not sure who said that first, but I like to think that the "so little" part doesn't apply to things people say about their kids.) Warning: This has nothing to do with our children.

Sometime during the next century (or two), there will be a war fought over weather. As more countries begin to "seed the clouds" to make it rain, and"fight global warming" to make it cool (like temperature-wise, not radical-wise), the effects of some countries' meddling will rain upon some other countries' parades. Other countries will not like it. War will ensue. What I find interesting is not the question whether people will or won't fight over the weather (they will), but whether people will fight for cold weather or hot weather, wet weather or dry weather, etc. In the end, people will probably fight for cold, hot, wet, or dry, when what they really want is a mix of all four. If this sounds like modern politics (a fight for extremes when what most people want is the middle ground), it is.

The future of warfare is not bigger, more destructive weapons; it's much more subtle. Countries with nuclear weapons don't attack with them (at least not with the intent being to kill large numbers of people). Countries without nuclear weapons strive to get them, and some, if not most that seek them eventually will get them (sorry Israel).

It's difficult to say what will happen when the majority of countries possess nuclear weapons. It seems that it will be in all countries' best interests to band together against the use of any nuclear weapons, lest most of mankind be wiped off the earth in a volley of retalliatory strikes. The most historically significant advancement in warfare will either become, in effect, a non-issue (if countries don't attack with nuclear weapons), or most of us (at least those of us living in countries that possess nuclear weapons) will be obliterated by it. In either case, there's no need to waste time worrying about it.

Back to the future: religion's grip on the human (and robotic?) mind will loosen; global cooperation among nations, even those now described as super-powers, will be the norm; wars will be fought over more rational and meaningful disagreements (like border disputes, trade wars, etc.); countries will avoid overt warfare because it is wildly expensive and because killing children (while overtly waging war) is both seemingly unavoidable and widely unpopular. Countries will still look for ways to ensure their survival by threatening the survival of others, but will do so only when they can not be held responsible. Think ant treatment: If you spray with Black Flag one hundred ants in the house, you've temporarily solved your problem, but until you treat with something that the ants take back to their nest to kill the colony, your ant problem will return year after year. Leaders of countries found to be waging overt war without the consent of the global majority will be deemed "uncooperative"; such leaders will be swiftly punished, removed, and replaced by cooperative leaders - this will be the primary use of overt warfare.

Of leaders, they will be chosen democratically. The days of the dictator are over. While individual countries will still harbor internal debates about the proper role and size of government, the primary division on the international stage will be between those countries pushing capitalism and those countries pushing socialism. The days of the communists are over.

Of armies, they will be smaller. Once borders are secured (they will be), and overt warfare becomes disfavored and more mechanized (it will), fewer troops will be needed. Because the economic disparity present between rich nations and poor nations has diminished, "cooperative" countries will be more able to assert effective control over uncooperative countries in their region.

Of subtle warfare, it's difficult to say what it will look like: Pollution seems too easily traceable; the same goes for internet and other electronic warfare; perhaps epidemic-disease-warfare would be effective, but I suspect countries will become more vigilant about screening those who intend to enter. I can't think of many things that could be done in good faith (or at least apparently so) domestically but which would nonetheless have serious negative repercussions abroad; weather manipulation is one such thing.

It's late, and I'm already sure to catch flak from Jen for posting this, so I'll stop. Beware, though, there may be similar ramblings in the future.

Not a Master Card ad...........Better!

Law School at a top 10 school 40k a year

IBM note pad $1000.00

Suit shirt $30.00

Jumbo Salsa $7.00

Multigrain Chips lite salt $2.99

Crashing in front of the fire place so you can stay up and cram and write long papers all night long......Priceless.





Love you Mick.....only one more week honey!!!

Happy Birthday Thing 2! Hope your taxes are filed!

Take 2 of last weekend...........

GOT EGGS??

Kyan playing in the back yard.

Home boy style, its cool to leave the tags on right?

Can it stay this way....Please!?

Tonight Nolan stayed in his big boy bed without attempting to get out once!!! Ok, I have to admit the boys were out with me until 9:30 and didn't get to bed until 10. Of course he didn't get up, he was exhausted. Maybe this will be his new bed time for a while?

Leaps and Bounds and No More Foffy!

We had a wonderful extended weekend with my parents and Micks mom down from the U.P. We celebrated Nolan's second birthday on Sat. and of course Easter on Sunday. Saturday we started the day at Domino's Farms for an Easter Egg hunt, boy was it a joke! You had to pay $5 bucks a head to get in. It would have been an additional 5 bucks per kid for food to feed the goats (I was thinking ahead and brought a whole bag of cheerios, the goats need grains too right? I think Ill carry a diaper bag until my kids are 18, you can fit everything in there!) So they advertised the hunt to have 20,000 eggs! Not bad for five bucks right? Well I think 30,000 kids showed up! Some kids didn't even get an egg!! What counts is the boys had fun, and they did. I will not be returning next year. Later that day we had a little shin dig for Mr. P. We carried on our tradition this year and asked him what he wanted on his cake. His request was "pizza" So the cake had a slice of pizza on it. (I will post pics on the 15th when he actually turns 2) And the BIG news.....Nolan has been geared up for days now and the time has come. He gave up his Foffy! When you ask him how old he is he replies, "2, noooo more foffy" while shaking his head no, Priceless! Giving up his pacifier was really easy. We also took him out of his crib for his own safety. That on the other hand, not so easy! The kid will not stay in his bed!!! Not only that, he's waking up about an hour earlier now too! UGH! Kyan was way too easy, he wouldn't get out of his big boy bed. In fact, he would scream, "awake!" in the morning for us to go get him! Duct tape, saran wrap? Anybody have any "legal" ideas to keep Pie in his bed? Im all ears!

Kyan has had another milestone too! I took his training wheels off his bike! He is doing great, well minus the fence post he ran into twice! Ouch! He needs to work on getting on and going by himself, not that coordinated yet. He'll get it! The second time I let him go he rode the length of the block! YaY good for you KY!!!!!! He's had really good behavior lately, I think its because he likes seeing Pie get into trouble.

Easter Sunday was a hit for the boys! The Easter Bunny left eggs all over our back yard. I filmed the boys collecting them. Their personalities really shined during the hunt. Nolan ran around like an animal as fast as he could to get them, Kyan....too busy looking in each one. Our parents left around lunch time, prob excited to get away from the chaos we always offer them when they visit! Thanks for everything you guys! Sure is nice to have a break, you help so much when you are here.

Kyan is on spring break this week and we will be seeing Auntie Wind and Aunt Becky from the U.P. this weekend! They will be taking the boys on Sat. so I can sleep and Mick can study. 1.5 wks left of law school!!! Who's counting anyway?

Tuned back in!

So here I am once again explaining myself. Yes, I have fallen off the blogwagon. I think it was the loss of my camera cord that has kept me so distant. Behold! I found the cord in the "extension cord basket" Not sure how it got there but I will take the blame. So a quick update. We still are homeless when it comes to our move to Grand Rapids and our renter is still pending background checks (I think, this is micks role) so wish us luck as we try to find our place in GR.

I have extended my contract at Henry Ford until July for insurance purposes, Mick will be getting his jaw surgery before we move. Mickey only has a couple weeks of Law School left!!!!! And officially graduates May 9. I'm sure you will be able to hear a sigh from our house all the way to the pacific coast the day he is done! Kyan continues to hear and is still pushing every button known to mom and dad. We are holding our own! Mr. P is has rounded 3rd base and is approaching his 2nd birthday in a few days. His bash is tomorrow, nothing extreme, a few friends, family and a lot of cake! Just how we like it.

Nolan gave Mom and Dad a scare of a life time Tues morning. He want awake by 830 so Mick and I knocked on his door together to wake him up. He was laying on his belly and whimpered when we came in. Knowing he got to bed later than usual the night before we figured he was just tired and crabby. After 15 min of him not budging, Mick picked him up, he screamed and grabbed his head/ear. It took forever to calm him down, I told Mick just to leave to bring Ky to school and I would take care of Nolan, calm him down and possibly bring him to the Ped. for what I was thinking could be an ear infection. I knew I couldnt send him to daycare like this. I sat with him in his rocking chair and rocked him and he was content. If I moved, he screamed. He was hungry, I asked if he wanted to go eat in his highchair, he screamed. I then brought him to our bed where I laid him down and then got him a nutrigrain bar to eat. When watching him eat it, it hit me. Oh my God! He cant move his neck!!! His head had been turned to the right ever since he woke up! I panicked and called mick. He call the ped and then got home and we rushed him to the ER. He climbed out of his crib the other night twice and we arnt sure if he fell our had a smooth landing, he just "appeared" to Mick in the living room. Im thinking the worst, broken neck, skull fracture, contusion......etc. So after a dreadful IV start, blood work, CT of the brain and C-spine and mult xrays all being clear they decided to admit him overnight for obs. Thank goodness for all the testing being negative! I think we should just forclose on our hose and move into the hospital, it might be cheaper! Then after a little Tylenol and then Motrin he started moving it! By 10 that night he was a new man! Talk about a hassle for a stiff neck! We are just thankful our baby is ok! Oh, did I mention I worked a night shift the night before? I finally retired to bed at 10:45pm the next night after a long 30 hours with no sleep.