Gloom and Doom

Rachel is really testing her boundaries and our patience these days. It seems whenever we tell her not do something, she does it again. It really wears thin after a while. We can only hope she outgrows it soon, for everyone's well being. I mean, I'm a smart ass, but I was never this way with my parents. I want to tame my spirited mustang.

I almost spit up my lemonade tonight when my wife looked up at me at dinner and said, "I'm starting to understand why hamsters eat their young!"

At one point during the meal tonight, I had had enough and it was time to take the matter outside. This after sugar and spice and everything nice stood up, turned around and farted in my face twice! (Damn genes!)

So I snapped her up in a way that showed I meant business and headed to the front door for a stern talk outside. Unfortunately, I was laughing by the time I got there. As I strode quickly toward the front door, Rachel apparently realized she was in big trouble, buried her head in my chest and said, "I'm doomed. I'm doomed."

How can they be so cute and disobedient at the same time?

Daddy Loves Daughter; Daughter Loves Daddy

Family Portrait

Oldie But Goodie

This is one of my favorite all-time photos. It was taken before I started this blog. The look on Rachel's face is priceless. She is four or five months old at this point.

Rachel and Daddy with Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Patty

Einstein Photo Revisited?

Again, Rachel took this picture.

Everytime I look at it, I think I should be wearing KISS makeup!

I Got A Fruitcake! (His name is daddy!)

"Please Don't Take My Picture" Mommy

The Menorah Rebecca and Rachel Made

Read more under Birthdays and Holidays below.

Note: Rachel's handprint to lower right of Menorah

Object in front is a pen that lights up when you use it.

Daddy

Photo taken by Rachel while trick-or-treating at Mall of Georgia

Ready For Her Closeup

Accessorized

Overstuffed!

Clockwise from Top left

Frankie, Kanga and Roo, Minnie, Cassie, Honeybear, Hannah Beare, Glancy, Heffalump, Mickey, Raj and Kissie

Not Pictured:

Ord (banished to the floor for being too loud), Elmo, Jessie, Brenda, The Other Brenda and assorted others

All Dressed Up and Wild-Eyed

Rough Patch

As I have mentioned before, Rachel has one eye that is weaker than the other. To make sure the weaker eye strengthens, we cover the stronger eye with a patch, which she is to wear at least four hours a day.

She is not fond of the eyepatch. Sometimes, we appease her by letting her decorate it first. She usually takes as long as she can to color it. Once on, she finds some reason to cry, but we know it is an effort to loosen the adhesive. Other times, she says it itches and rubs the eyepatch until it loosens up just enough for her to peek out with her stronger eye.

Yesterday, I saw the adhesive has loosened again, just enough for her to cock her head at a certain angle to watch her Wiggles videos. Without saying a word, I went to the kitchen, got some tape and taped down the eyepatch, as Rachel exclaimed, "Oh no! No! No! No! No!"

I left her to watch the video and logged on to this computer. After 20-30 minutes, I realized it was quiet in the living room. Too quiet. However, Rachel was not up to no good. She was on her back, eyepatch still in place, snoozing. I decided to leave her there. I carried her to her bed around three hours later.

When she woke up this morning, she was ticked. "You let me sleep with my eyepatch on!" she admonished me. "I could have choked!"

She has now been awake an hour. I'm still trying to understand how the two are related.

Neither Rain Nor Snow......

Driving home from dinner tonight, we were stopped at a red light. As traffic crossed in front of us, there was a broken-down U.S. Postal Service truck. It was hoisted backwards, being towed back to the Postal Headquarters nearby.

I leaned over to my wife and whispered (Rachel was in the back seat), "That gives a new meaning to mail impotence..."

Awwwwww!

We celebrated two birthdays this week. First was mine and the next day my wife's. My sister was in town to help celebrate/cushion the blow.

Tuesday morning, Rebecca opened a card that expressed my thanks that we found one another and how my love has continued to grow. Rachel asked what the card said. My sister replied, "Daddy is telling mommy how much he loves her."

Rachel's perfect response was, "That makes me proud!"

Birthdays and Holidays

You know that scene in "When Harry Met Sally" when Meg Ryan sobs "And I'm going to be forty...one day!"

Well, I'm going to be 50...next week. How did that happen? Okay, I know how it happened and as my late father used to say, "It beats the alternative." But seriously, it seems it wasn't that long ago I was sitting in the clubhouse of my apartment complex. celebrating age thirty with my friends. And yes, it bothers me that I can no longer remember the name of the apartment complex.

I'm trying to come to grips with this. It doesn't seem to bother Rachel much. On the way to grandma's the other day, she told complete strangers in the checkout line, "Nana is 75....and daddy is almost 50 and mommy is almost 46." When told that one day she would be that old, Rachel responded, "not for a very long time!"

Rachel can't wait to turn five. Remember that age? No bills, no responsibilities. You just hoped you didn't receive a bunch of clothes for gifts and looked forward to having a party with all your classmates.

Many of Rachel's friends have these lavish parties. I didn't mind the one at the Little Gym with the balance beam and tumbling. The party at the bowling alley was okay too. But these parties where all the girls put on makeup as princesses and march around outside...Well, let's just say we are doing everything we can to stave off Rachel becoming a princess.

And Hanukkah plays a role here. It really is a rather minor Jewish holiday, but because of Christmas, it's been hyped up. We had some nice moments. Our menorah was actually one Rebecca and Rachel made at school. You know the clay pots you buy for plants at Home Depot or Lowe's. Think the smallest size, like you'd buy for a doll. They glued those down upside down, attached metal nuts atop them and then put the candles in the nuts. The base of the menorah was painted and included Rachel's handprints. And then when we lit the candles this year, Rachel was old enough to sing the Hebrew prayers. It gave me joy.

But even at this age, you have to watch for greed. Rachel is inundated with all these toy commercials and every commercial break would say two to three times, "I want that." Grandma told her it would be better to say, "That's on my list." Apparently, that list is now longer than our house is wide. We bought a gift for a needy child off a giving tree, trying to impart the value of giving.

However, one day, Rebecca bought Rachel a Hello Kitty hoodie for after a bath as well as two Hello Kitty towels. That night, we lit the candles and I pulled out one tiny wrapped present that was a bell for her bicycle's handlebars. Before she even opened it, Rachel exclaimed, "That's what I'm talking about!" We were not amused. That is an attitude we refuse to cultivate. It is an attitude we are seeing more and more. And we will get it out of her if it takes months!

Back to me, I have finally wrapped my mind around turning fifty. I have a daughter who keeps me young. I have a wife I adore and who loves me. As Rachel slept in a restaurant booth last night, I gazed at her, looked at my wife and said, "I can't get over it. We love each other and because of it we did that (pointing to Rachel), with some help (pointing to the sky.)" I was doubly swelled with thanks. First, for the blessing of Rachel. Second, for the blessing Rachel was asleep, so I could talk to my wife uninterrupted!

The only hitch is what awaited me when I opened the mailbox the other day. Just when I was accepting this birthday, here was an invitation to join the AARP. If you need me, I'll be curled up in a ball in the corner.