We play two games as a family (minus Jayson). Angelina Ballerina Uno (Uno with the dancing mouse, Angelina Ballerina--the colors are pastel pink, blue, green, and yellow) and Sequence for kids. Sometimes we play as a family (minus Jayson and Rylee). It depends on our patience level.
Rylee can engage in serious game play for about two minutes. Then she's gotta mess around. She will go out of turn. She will place her chips (in Sequence) on an animal that isn't one of the cards she drew. Or she will try to secretly, or not-so-secretly depending on her mood, switch chips with someone else's on the board. My favorite, until tonight, was when she leaned back and put her bare foot up on the table. She then put the cards in her hand between her toes and held her "hand" of cards with her feet. Nice.
Each time we ask her if she wants to play, she promises us that she will not be silly. But it lasts only a short time.
Tonight she did better than she has for a long time. She lasted through 3 games of sequence and four hands on Uno (she won three of the four rounds of Uno). She celebrated her victories by quietly climbing up on my right shoulder to sit. As she perched up there, she turned to me and said, "I a parrot".
OK. Game over.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Bro-Mance
It's become so commonplace you hardly even notice it anymore.
Two or three gals getting their exercise on with a brisk walk through the neighborhood, or as often is the case in my neck of the woods, around the track surrounding the park adjacent to the Layton Firestation.
I've seen them in the early morning, afternoon, early evening or even late at night. Group exercise walking is beneficial in so many ways. Not only does it address safety concerns, but it increases the obligation of both parties to participate in the exercise ritual, and provides company (which lessons the pain and boredom of repeated walks in an area providing no change in scenery). Without a doubt great conversation is also an essential ingredient to the successful group walk exercise and fitness program.
Years ago Jessica was involved in an early morning walking group. They successfully pounded the pavement of our subdivision and the Firestation track on many a very early morning (the early morning comment may come as a great shock to those of you who know my wife and her love for sleep.) Jessica would come home rejuvenated and no doubt filled with the latest information on who was doing what around our neighborhood.
Well times are changing.
Some neighborhood drivers have undoubtedly seen a different form of group exercise ritual emerging in these parts.
The benefits are all the same. Exercise. Obligation. Safety (well, not really). Pleasant conversation.
But the group composition is slightly different.
This pair doesn't just blend in due to commonality.
United with a desire to increase health and fitness, drop the poundage, and boost energy levels, two three-hundred-plus pound male fitness walkers have been hitting the pavement with semi-regularity.
There are definite differences from the typical walking pair.
1) We actually need the exercise.
3) We are bound by similar goals and limitations.
2) Due to our subpar fitness levels, walking actually constitutes exercise.
3) Conversation is often cut short due to brief periods of breathlessness.
4) When we can talk, we don't talk about other people, we talk about ourselves, our ideas, our goals, our common interests and challenges.
5) Cars have to swerve significantly in order to avoid hitting us.
6) We never have any pre-conceived route or distance. We prefer to meander through the neighborhood, take random turns and eventually end up somewhere close to where we started.
7) When we move to the sidewalk and try to walk side by side, we have to take turns being the one either slightly ahead, slightly behind, with one foot off the sidewalk, or dodging the low-hanging branches of grass-strip trees.
8) When we finish, we are actually perspiring, even in 20-degree weather.
9) Afterwards, we feel tired as opposed to rejuvenated.
Jess calls it a "Bro-mance" (she views it as a match made in heaven).
I prefer to think of it as "two big guys on a very slow jog".
Two or three gals getting their exercise on with a brisk walk through the neighborhood, or as often is the case in my neck of the woods, around the track surrounding the park adjacent to the Layton Firestation.
I've seen them in the early morning, afternoon, early evening or even late at night. Group exercise walking is beneficial in so many ways. Not only does it address safety concerns, but it increases the obligation of both parties to participate in the exercise ritual, and provides company (which lessons the pain and boredom of repeated walks in an area providing no change in scenery). Without a doubt great conversation is also an essential ingredient to the successful group walk exercise and fitness program.
Years ago Jessica was involved in an early morning walking group. They successfully pounded the pavement of our subdivision and the Firestation track on many a very early morning (the early morning comment may come as a great shock to those of you who know my wife and her love for sleep.) Jessica would come home rejuvenated and no doubt filled with the latest information on who was doing what around our neighborhood.
Well times are changing.
Some neighborhood drivers have undoubtedly seen a different form of group exercise ritual emerging in these parts.
The benefits are all the same. Exercise. Obligation. Safety (well, not really). Pleasant conversation.
But the group composition is slightly different.
This pair doesn't just blend in due to commonality.
United with a desire to increase health and fitness, drop the poundage, and boost energy levels, two three-hundred-plus pound male fitness walkers have been hitting the pavement with semi-regularity.
There are definite differences from the typical walking pair.
1) We actually need the exercise.
3) We are bound by similar goals and limitations.
2) Due to our subpar fitness levels, walking actually constitutes exercise.
3) Conversation is often cut short due to brief periods of breathlessness.
4) When we can talk, we don't talk about other people, we talk about ourselves, our ideas, our goals, our common interests and challenges.
5) Cars have to swerve significantly in order to avoid hitting us.
6) We never have any pre-conceived route or distance. We prefer to meander through the neighborhood, take random turns and eventually end up somewhere close to where we started.
7) When we move to the sidewalk and try to walk side by side, we have to take turns being the one either slightly ahead, slightly behind, with one foot off the sidewalk, or dodging the low-hanging branches of grass-strip trees.
8) When we finish, we are actually perspiring, even in 20-degree weather.
9) Afterwards, we feel tired as opposed to rejuvenated.
Jess calls it a "Bro-mance" (she views it as a match made in heaven).
I prefer to think of it as "two big guys on a very slow jog".
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Stiff Competition
Jayson's apparently trying to upgrade his current status with his "BFF".
The other night Jess and I were sitting on the couch watching TV before bed. Jayson wouldn't go to sleep so he was hanging out with us. Rather, he was cuddling with Jess. I was the third wheel.
It got worse.
I heard Jess chuckle so I looked over to see what was so funny. Jayson had his arms locked around Jess' neck. He was staring longingly (yes, longingly) into Jessica's eyes. His head was tilted to the side and he was clearly smitten with his mommy. It was all Jess and I could do to not laugh outloud.
"How long has this been going on?" I asked her.
"A couple days now." she responded.
Well, I've decided to think it's cute.
But still a little creepy.
Jayson better be ready for a war, cause I'm gonna fight for my woman.
You better bring it...Momma's boy!
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