Christmas 08

With sick kids and sick parents, we toiled through Christmas this year. Luckily, the runny noses and fevers weren't enough to ruin the kids spirits. Serenity really got a kick out of opening presents this year. We tried to keep it low key since Hayden and Seri have more than enough toys as it is. Hayden still ended up with about 10 toys in his closet that we will dole out throughout the rest of the year. Serenity got really excited about every present... which was really cute.


Out of everything Hayden got, he played with his harmonica the most that morning... which was pretty annoying. Once I got his space toys out and assembled the harmonica found a new home in a far off kitchen cupboard.


The next day the kids were actually feeling pretty good so we went and fed the ducks and rode the train.


Seri hated the train. It might have been that she was a little hungry but... she was not feeling the ride at all.


So now we have a little time to clean and re-coop before Mom and Dad come down. I can't wait to get out of here and take our cruise. Of course, we'll be broke when we get back and I'll start my latest run of courses a week late... which will suck, but it'll be worth it!

Merry Christmas!

So for Christmas I'm sick and so are Joy and both of the kids. Yep... it's going to be a fun time at the Arnold house this year! The good news is that we have a perfectly good excuse for not going anywhere for the holidays... also, childrens Tylenol knocks the kids right out. It looks like I'll be warming myself to the glow of some Fallout 3 for the holidays!! In semi-unrelated news... Batman was a mean drunk.

I get mad when...

I go to my brothers blog and see pictures of other people hanging out with him and having fun while I'm stuck in San Antonio. There I said it.


Not that I want to move back there and give up the chance of ever having... you know... a job and all, I just wish we lived next to each other. It would also be cool to live in a place that isn't 80 degrees one day and 40 the next. I know what your thinking... "80 degrees would be awesome right now!" That may be true but, I've been sick for a month now and I think the drastic weather change isn't helping. Yeah, I just started getting a cold for Christmas. It's one of the achy joints, stuffy head... NightQuil colds. In the words of my old supervisor, I feel like hammered shit. At least we have a ton of cleaning to do before Mom and Dad come down. Can't have them thinking that we live like we... um... do now can we?

In other news, I got to play some paintball this weekend! It was great and I had a blast. Of course, now I'm sick. I think it's my body's way of telling me that fat guys aren't suppose to attempt to play paintball!

Hayden did awesome in gymnastics this weekend and I think he's really starting to gain a good amount of balance. It's really obvious when he plays with other kids his age. Currently his class is just him, a 7 yr old and a 9 yr old. He regularly outshines the 7 yr old and can almost keep up with the 9 yr old... so good times. Ok, gotta run. I have to find a unique way to make hot dogs and mac-and-cheese for the 100th time. (a cook book might be a good Christmas gift BTW... one with lots of pictures... written for someone who can burn ice would also be preferable!!)

Have some free brain to spare?

This is the song that has been stuck in my head the last couple days...



It's a band called the Ting Tings and they perform this song for Serenitys favorite show Yo Gabba Gabba. Noggin also plays the song about once every few hours so I get a lot of exposure to it. It's really catchy, but it's not that cool when you spend most of your day singing "Happy birthday". I warn you that it's weird and it'll stick in your head for a good long while.

In other news, a boy in Haydens class told him that he was white (he's pretty much the only white kid in his class) He responded that he's not white... he's lots of colors! His hair is blond and his eyes are brown and his tongue is red!

That's my boy.

The night owl

Serenity is a night person. I'm having the hardest time getting her to bed lately. Here she is enjoying some cut up apples at around 11 pm last night. Joy offered to stay up with her but I decided to have a little talk with my daughter before I turned in. I asked her if she liked her apples and she said yes. Then I asked her if she was tired and she said no. I told her that she should be in bed and she said no. So I told her that I was going to bed and she said bye-bye. Having a daughter is tough. When Hayden was this age I'd just duct tape him to his headboard and then go to bed... problem solved!


I got some new office furniture. I decided to adorn it with some of my Air Force memorabilia. Most of the awards are for 'best looking in squadron' and 'most humble'... you know, no big deal. I have a ton more books, I just have to put them up there. See, some people on XBox Live are literate after all!


My favorite part is that I feel all official now. I mean, I have an office with a window and everything... at home at least. I'm still in the windowless dungeon at work but... at least it's my windowless dungeon! Thanks Career-Point!

Ok... back on track.

So, I haven't posted anything in a long... long time. I have some great excuses lined up so, lets get into what's been going on the past month.

First of all, I turned 31. It was a pretty rough day. I have just enough leave to go on our cruise in January so I worked on my B-day. I had nothing go right all day and then caught some stomach bug and spent the second half of the day with my own special waste basket on hand at all times. I ended up throwing the whole thing in the dumpster at the end of the day... I didn't want the cleaning lady to deal with it and I didn't care enough to find a new bag for the can... so that's what you get.

Anyway, I get home and I'm happy to find out that Buffalo is playing a Monday night game. They lost so bad that I turned it off at the half. Yep, one of the few Bills game that I get to watch and they sucked eggs all night.

After the B-day I really spent about a month being sick! I caught a stomach bug which I gave to Joy, just in time to get a cold from Seri who I then gave to Hayden. This last month has been terrible. We've literally all been sick all the time for so long that I'm starting to forget what healthy feels like!

So, then it comes time for the Christmas decorations. We've had 4 Christmases in this house so far and each time I put up lights and all sorts of stuff. This year I decide that I'll do a tree... and a wreath. Done and done. Well, this happens to be the year that my whole neighborhood decides to do an all out decorating extravaganza! I mean, even my next-door neighbors, who can't water their lawn or even find time to mow it put up lights!! Joys ticked... but she knows where the ladder is so, I'm going to ride it out!

It hasn't all been bad news, we got what should be the last of the furniture purchases for the house. I got a great new desk for the PC, which is pretty awesome. I'll get some pics up soon. It's just nice to have all that taken care of and, more importantly... paid off! Well, almost anyway.

I did pass my Java class. Once again, I found out that I can wait till the last day and do two weeks of homework if I stay up all night.... so that's how I got through. Not really smart but, I got an A so... I'm not complaining! Now, if only I can cram my guitar lessons into one night I'd be set.

We really did a ton of stuff, I've just been swamped lately. Mom and Dad are coming down after New Years and we have the cruise coming up really soon to. I'll get some pictures of the kids up as well. As for now... I'm going to get some sleep!