Trick Or Treat!

Halloween 2005

Well, the boys dressed up as Team USAF this year. Cale sported my old flight suit that I wore when I was a young lag. The same one Cade wore a couple years ago himself. Cade just wore some Air Force fatigues. We did the rounds and hit a few of the neighbors, family, and some friends. Even with the limited places we went, the kids still made out like bandits. Gotta love that sugar! ;)

Before you know it Thanksgiving will be here and then Christmas! Man does time fly!

There are a few more pictures over @ Flickr.

Cale's First Haircut... FINALLY!

The First Cut

Well, Cale is nearly 3 years old (2 years 9 months to be exact) and he's finally getting his first haircut. I thought Cade's hair grew slow. Cale's even worse. The back of his hair finally got to the point where we decided it's time. I couldn't stand the thought of him having a mullet. :)

Check out the Flickr site for a mini photo shoot of the grooming. It rolls over to the second page for the final shots of his new doo.

Up, Up, And Away

The Best Video Game Ever!

Welcome to the best (and most expensive) video game ever! That's right, the C-5 flight simulator used by the United States Air Force. I'm sure as most of you know, my dad is an instructor for Flight Safety right at Dover AFB. They recently got a new simulator and things were slow over the weekend, so he invited the family to stop by. My mom snuck us in the base (actually she signed us in, but it sounded cooler) and we began our fun.

We flew in Dover, Hong Kong, Hawaii, and New York in clear conditions, snow, and thunderstorms. We began with the motion off and Shelly felt disoriented (more than normal anyway). It felt like we were moving, but we weren't. Later he turned the motion on.

Cade and I got to do a little flying. I even landed us safe and sound without destroying the plane. Granted, I was all over the runway and even managed to tear up some grass. :) But I landed us safely anyway.

Everyone had a great time. It's definitely something you don't get to experience all the time (well, unless you're a pilot). Thanks Dad!

Check out a couple pages of new pictures I added over @ Flickr. Although I put new batteries in my camera before I left, they were dead. DOH! Fortunately my dad brought his camera as well.

Just An Update...

There isn't a whole heck of a lot going on lately. The only thing really worthy of mentioning right now is that Cade can officially ride his bike by himself. He's been doing fine since the second or third try, but the other day I let him ride solo without me there to spot him. So off he goes, all the way down to the end of the parking lot. He makes the turn and headed back. Great job!

Now we need to work on stopping. :) He's still a hair to small for the bike, which makes it difficult to come to a complete stop. We're working on a technique that'll hopefully pan out.

I just can't believe how quickly he got the hang of it. By the third try I could tell he was getting the feel of it and was compensating his balance by moving the wheel.

Michael Keaton the next Joker?

The rumor mill is spinning, but this would be very cool. I thought he did a fantastic job as Batman. Seeing him now play the Joker would be a clever move in my book. Here is where I heard the rumor from...

Not Puzzled

Cale Completes His First Puzzle Solo!

Today Cale and I sat down to do one of his puzzles. Actually, his Dora puzzle. It's his favorite. He opened the box and I went in the computer room for a few minutes. When I walked back into the room, Cale had a 1/4 of it already done. I guess I was helping him too much and didn't realize that he didn't really need my assistance afterall. So I let him keep going. Wouldn't you know it, he finished it by himself. The little turd had me fooled all this time. :)

When it rains... It pours!

So on Tuesday the battery lights comes on in my car. Crap. So I change the battery since it's past it's warranty anyway. Hoping the battery light goes out, I start the car. Of course it doesn't go out. I've been here before. For some reason both my Saturns have had alternator issues. Normally the alternator isn't that bad to change, but in a Saturn it's near the bottom of the engine and you need to take it out through the wheel well.

So for 3 days I cautiously drove to work on with a poor alternator and new battery. The battery held up, but the weather didn't. I don't have a garage, so a friend of mine from work, Jorel, offered up his garage. It's huge. He had it built big because he actually likes to work on cars. I had to drive almost 40 minutes to get to his house, so I was praying the battery would at least hold up until I got there. It did and everything, for the most part, went fine with the install of the new alternator.

It's still raining it's butt off outside as I type this. We desperately needed the rain though, so I won't complain too much. :)

Serenity coming to DVD in December?

The Rumor Mill is reporting that Serenity, which just hit theaters last week, may be available on DVD's as early as 12.20.2005.

While the movie has received great reviews ticket sales have been sluggish. Shelly and I were going to go last week but were delayed by everyone not feeling well. Hopefully we can make it this weekend.

This looks to be a great movie if you are into Sci-Fi and witty humor. Check it out!

Riding Solo...

Cade Rides Solo For The First Time

So Cade has had his own bike for awhile now. When we got it, I got it a little big because I didn't want to turn around and have to buy another one right away because he outgrew it. He could ride it with the training wheels no problem. But I neglected to think the whole thing through. Cade wasn't big enough to stand up over the bike and have his feet on the ground. This was going to prove to be a little difficult when it came time to learn without the training wheels. As a result, we never really got to it.

As it turns out, a friend of mine from work had a small bike to give away. It was the perfect size to learn on. Yeah, sure, it was a little worn but it had character. Cade and I cleaned it up and got it ready for the road.

Today, Sunday, the family headed over to a local school to play on the playground equipment and rides bikes. Finally we all were beginning to feel a little better after being sick. Cade quickly took to the bike and immediately realized it was going to be a little harder than he thought. I had explained in advance that it was going to be a challenge and that he shouldn't expect to be a pro after the first day. It was going to take time. He did great though. After he got used to the feel of it, I started counting seconds out loud that he was riding without me holding him. He made it to 9 seconds one time and was very proud of himself. The whole thing wore my ass out! I was hustling to keep up with him and kinda had to squat a bit because I am so tall. He made me proud because he stayed positive even when things weren't always going so good.

Cale started on the scooter, moved quickly to the bike, and just as fast to the playround equipment. He loves being outside and running around like a maniac. :) Cade and I joined him for a little fun while we took a break from the bike riding. There's nothing like having a huge playground to yourself.

For more photos of the day, head on over to my Flickr page.