A Random Pattern

Just a few days ago, after months of radio-silence (ok, blog-silence), I asked you for something.  It was an important day for our country, and I asked you to go out and vote.  I don’t know if you did, but for the many of you that made the time I hope you feel as satisfied about that decision as I do (regardless of who you voted for).

Today I want to ask for one more thing.  I know many of you plan to face very lean Christmases, with all that has happened over the last year.  But it’s easy to forget that most of us don’t really know lean.  Our kids have clothes, will go to nice schools.  We drive vehicles of our choice, and eat food of our choice.  When was your last meal chosen – REALLY chosen – by the dollar in your wallet?  When it wasn’t a choice of “not eating out” but of eating at all?

A new church is starting in my home city of Atlanta.  Before this church has even opened, they are hoping to help the poorest school in this city for Christmas.  It’s not much to ask – one uniform and one toy for each student in the school.  There are only 500 students.

Please help.  You can do something, however small, that will make a real difference for a child that needs it.  But action is needed now – not next month.  Please consider giving to 500uniforms.org.

Thank you for your time.  We now return to our regularly scheduled (Ha!) broadcast.

Go on, if you haven’t already, get to your polling place now.  If you have, sit back and enjoy the satisfaction from having done your civic duty.

Also, relish the fact that the election onslaught of the last few weeks will be reduced (in volume and tone if not eliminated).

I’ll leave you with this good reminder: chill a bit.  The last few years have been startlingly bitter and hateful, divisive.  Let’s get back to respecting our neighbors (yes, even those we disagree with) and our president – whoever it will be.

Peace.

Our two-year old, Selah, has been praying this way for probably a year now.  We don’t know why she says “Jesus God” instead of “Dear God” or “Dear Jesus” – probably just got the two confused and decided to cover her bases.  She also ends each prayer the same way – “Jesus God, Amen”.

Last night she caught me by surprise, though.  I asked if both the girls wanted to pray.  Selah said no (sometimes they are too tired or otherwise don’t want to pray, and we’ve never made an issue of it).  However, just after I finished praying (and before Tessa could start), Selah jumped in with this:

“Jesus God, help me ‘cuz I don’t want to pray.”

She then prayed on for a minute or two about a book we read and some other things before asking me for a drink of water.  Not sure where she got that from, but I suppose she has the right idea. 

Today my wife made cupcakes with the kids.  Later, as we were eating dinner, we played a word game.  We would ask each person for a word they like, and then ask them to define the word.

Tessa picked “bug”, and it was quite a challenge for her to “define” the word.  She came up with “tiny”, “animal”, “has legs”, “some of them fly”, and “alive”.

The adults then picked “village”, “ambidextrous”, and “herbivore”.

Selah finally decided on her word: cupcake.  We asked what cupcake means, and she had the answer ready:

“It means when I eat all my dinner”.

We’ve taught them well. 

We’ve got one more day at the hospital, so Aria can stay under the “bily-lights”.  She’s a little jaundiced, so better safe than sorry.

Because of that, I’m going to relieve Grandma of kid-sitting.  She’s probably ready to take back her statement that she wouldn’t mind more kids. 

Ok, I’ll admit it: I’m too tired to think of a clever title. This post is about pictures and sleep – and some of the family meeting the baby.
Contrary to the pictures below, though, we are doing more than sleeping around here. At least that’s the story I’m sticking to. Head over to the gallery for a full selection of pictures from the last two days.

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As I walk into the playroom, I hear this exchange:

Tessa: Chicken Ice Cream.

Selah: hehehehehe, chicken ice cream

Tessa: You like Chicken Ice Cream?

This from the girl who won’t eat anything except chicken nuggets, french fries, peanut butter, or ice cream.  Not sure why Selah was laughing either, but it cracked me up.

I guess you had to be there…

Apple should hire these guys – this video is more beautiful than the iPod ads.   Check it out here:

http://www.iphonenewyorkcity.com/

I have never been too interested in “The Big Apple”.  I don’t like cities, but I do like people.  This unofficial ad for the iPhone made me, for the first time, really see the appeal in New York, New York.  It is truly an inspired work of art.

It helps that I want an iPhone also.

Only 18 weeks and she’s already sucking her thumb. Amazing, in’it?

Family and friends, there are more pictures online of the girls and our recent vacation. Contact me if you want to see them.

A friend and I were standing around the grill, watching the burgers cook. You know, if you don’t watch them they don’t get done.

Another friend walks up and comes up with this immensely clever line:

“How many programmers does it take to grill hamburgers?”. (I should mention said friend is a salesman. )

My first reaction is to offer a mocking half-laugh at this ‘joke’ (though admittedly, most of my jokes are worse). However, the programmer in me can’t resist the challenge of providing a technically correct answer.

“1”… Even though there are clearly two of us standing there.

From the salesman I receive a confused look and a “Huh?”. Moments later, my programmer friend starts laughing.

The salesman asks “What, is that some inside joke or something?”

The griller explains. “Let’s say you have an array of 10 numbers. You would expect them to be numbered 1 through 10. But the computer will number them 0 through 9 instead.”

I’m not sure if the next look from my salesman friend was more confusion, disgust, or some potent mixture of both.