Bedtime Prayers

The other night, Jacob was getting snuggled into bed...errr, make that snuggled into his blankets and animals on the floor...and we said his bedtime prayer.  It's the same one I said growing up, and I figured I'd stick with that one since I knew it well and it rhymed, which I figured would make it easier to learn.  I would say it every night with him, probably starting around his third birthday once he was talking sufficiently, and he picked it up relatively quickly. 

Anyway, the other night he insisted on saying it himself, and when he finished, out of nowhere he launched into another prayer: "Dear Lord, thank you for this day, thank you for these kids, thank you for this classroom...and all God's children said, AAAA-MEN!"  That last part was LOUD.

Now, I wish I could take credit for his spontaneous prayer, but as you may have guessed from its contents, it's very obviously spawning from his time in Sunday School.  I'm glad he's learning things in Sunday School, because he rarely gives us much insight into his experiences there.  We can see the stuff he brings home, and once in a while he'll recall one of the stories or lessons he learned, but it's usually like pulling teeth.  But here it came, out of the blue. 

As I said, I wish I could take credit for it, but I suppose I wasn't sure when the right time was to teach him to pray.  Maybe I should have been doing it from the beginning--and maybe next time I will--but I guess I had some concerns.  First, I didn't really want it to be just this thing we always did.  I wanted him to have the capacity to understand what we were doing and why, so it had some meaning beyond being a nightly ritual.  I also didn't want it to lead to so many questions.  My goal is always to keep bedtime simple and quick--potty, toothbrushing, pajamas, two books, prayers and bed.  Adding an extra, off-the-cuff prayer seemed to be inviting delays.  Jacob likes things to be just-so, and I can see him stalling until he thinks of all of the necessary elements of his prayer, or asking a million questions about the contents of his prayer.  I guess that's the price we could pay to have a seasoned pray-er, and we may have to go down that road soon regardless.  Because, obviously, now it's here and we might as well do it right. 

He's prayed pretty much like that for the past three nights, all on his own, and tonight I finally suggested some alternate prayers--thanking God for Mommy and Daddy, and for our house, and for sports.  Then he said something--not sure if he was trying to say "forgiveness"--but whatever he said sounded like it and triggered that suggestion as well.  We are still working on toning down the volume of the "Amen", but as long as he's praying, I'll just plug my ears for now (yes, it's that loud.). 

If nothing else, it just shows you that Sunday School is a much better way for him to spend that hour, at least for now.  He sat in church for three years and barely noticed a thing--aside from Easter time when things were always a little different--but just a handful of weeks at Sunday School and the kid is doing his own prayers out of the blue.  Maybe it wouldn't have resonated as strongly had the same teaching come from me, though.  It wouldn't be the first time he's listened better to someone else besides his parents, that's for sure.  It's also a reminder that I need to up the ante and encourage him even more.  He's a smart boy and he picks certain things up quickly, so we might as well start the process in earnest now.  And knowing what he can pick up, I also need to walk the walk a little better to make sure I'm being the best example I can be.  It can only make things better down the road, for more reasons than one. 

In the meantime, I'm grateful for the reminders and my heart is warmed by this newfound skill.  It is something to be grateful for and I'm eager to hear his prayers for years to come, if only to gain more insight into the amazing little boy we've been blessed with. 

This Week in Blog History (plus a bonus video!)

Since I can't seem to formulate any other thoughts to expound on, I'll take the opportunity to start what I hope will be a periodic series here...this week in blog history!  I now have over four years to recount, so let's see where we've been:

2008 - I had just had my car accident, which totaled my first car.  It happened the week of my first baby shower, so it made for a tricky week.  Craig had to drive me to a doctor's appointment and got to hear the baby's heartbeat and feel around my belly, which was certainly more than he bargained for.  I pondered if getting a haircut would make it feel like a mom 'do, or if getting a new car would leave my old car as a symbol of my pre-baby life.  I looked forward to my shower, and ended up with some amazing gifts and a lovely time with my family.

2009 - We were dealing with some random sleep problems for Jacob, which looking back on it was probably just another round of teething.  Sleep was rare and we were exhausted!  He had also been diagnosed with eczema, which turned out to be pretty much a non-event, thank goodness.  After a conversation with a father-to-be friend of mine, I looked back on my labor experience and wondered how I might do it differently next time.  I still wonder about that, for that matter!  I recounted a very busy weekend that included Jacob's second-ever baseball game, a trip to the zoo, and outdoor dinner by the lake.  I discussed God's wisdom in preventing human babies from getting mobile as quickly as animal babies, which is funny to look back on in light of a picture my cousin posted on Facebook yesterday of a new foal that was born on her family's farm.  Amazing how it was up and walking, but thank goodness human babies have to wait until they start controlling their bodies and understanding the word "no" just a little better.  Finally, I took one of my favorite accidental pictures--a picture of a tulip in our yard with Jacob's and my shadow silhouetted on the house's foundation behind it.  Love it to this day.

2010 - We were still settling in from our move nearly a month earlier, but managed to get the house in decent shape before welcoming some guests--my parents friends, their daughter, and her son Colin, who's just a couple months younger than Jacob.  It was fun watching the boys finally run around together and talk just a little bit!  We'd just purchased our potty, which means we have had that thing sitting in our bathroom for two years now.  I'm ready to hide it and make Jacob start using the big potty, just because I know he can.  I discussed how Jacob really is just a small person, in how some of the behaviors I don't understand at first are actually no different than how I handle things as an adult...from sleeping to not wanting to eat certain foods, we all have our moments.  We had another hectic weekend, where we went to Jacob's little friend Angelica's birthday party (she turned 4 last week!), and had a great time at the zoo with Lori.  I still look back fondly on that day!

2011 - This week last year was Easter week.  I dealt with the difficulty of talking to Jacob about death in the context of Good Friday, and had a blast with him in pleasant weather on Holy Saturday, despite the fact that my mom had to spend the whole day at the hospital with my grandma, who was really starting to go downhill.  We had a nice Easter, though.  That week we took Jacob to Chuck E. Cheese for the first time.  The boys have been back since, but I've managed to avoid it!  It definitely wasn't my favorite place to spend an evening, but I'm sure we'll have to do it again soon.  Jacob's been asking.  A year ago I also attempted to get treatment for my lack of smell, which ended up not working.  I haven't given up hope, but it's been another year without two very important senses.  I also blogged about one funny experience when Jacob and I had to dash through the rain to our car, and while I was freaking out, he was laughing.  And I needed that!  That was just one of the little elements of Jacob's personality that was just starting to emerge.  We've seen a LOT of personality come out in the last year, that's for sure!

It's amazing to look back on how far we've come in four years. 

Speaking of that...check out this video from Easter weekend this year, when Jacob was giving his golf clubs their first workout of the season.  Kid's got some talent...or maybe I'm just used to my lack thereof...

The Dark Side

So, for all the good things that daycare has done for Jacob, there are some things about it that I haven't appreciated.  For example...

Of course it's hard to be away from Jacob all day, five days per week.  He's never really known any different, but let's face it--there's a reason why school is structured as it is and kids aren't meant to start until at least four or five years old.  Maybe it's not fair to him to have to deal with so many hours away from home every day.  But he's handled it like a champ.  Still, it's hard to not be the total master of your child's world.  It's hard when you miss a milestone or learn something about your child from someone else.  As a parent you feel like you should be on top of that stuff, but when you spend more time away from them than with them most days, it's so hard.  I recall feeling that way a lot whenever Jacob seemed a little "off", just hating that I couldn't spend the day with him to figure out what was making him act oddly. 

The cost is crazy.  It makes the prospect of Christian school tuition not seem like a big deal, but it's definitely been a big hit over the past 44 months or so.  It used to be equal to our monthly mortgage payment (including taxes and insurance), though as our mortgage rose a bit with the move, our costs for Jacob have gone down slightly.  The kicker is that I know the people that work at daycare centers don't get paid well enough.  They don't get the breaks that regular teachers do, work earlier in the morning or later in the day, and they have to deal with bodily fluids and extra illnesses and whatever else.  It's a tough job and they don't get the money they deserve...and yet I don't want to pay anything more so they can! 

Doing the daycare thing involves giving up control of your child far earlier than normal.  I mentioned in my last post that the transition to school will hopefully be easier after spending all this time away from him already, having had to trust other people with my child since he was seven weeks old.  But it's hard when you can't control their environment completely.  You don't entirely know what they're being exposed to until they come home and start showing the effects.  That could be something physical, like not getting completely slathered in sunscreen and coming home with a sunburn (never happened, just an example) or something having to do with the food they eat.  Or it could be something emotional, mental, or simply environmental.  It may be a way someone is treating them, interactions with other kids, or activities you didn't know they were doing.    

Right now we're dealing with some potty talk issues with Jacob.  "Pee" and "poop" are among his favorite words right now, and not far behind is "boobies".  Awesome, right?  The pee and poop stuff is just annoying but age appropriate, I guess.  The boobies issue is darn-near infuriating.  Particularly since it comes with a bit of a touchy-feely problem.  Jacob has crossed over into that realm of beginning to understand the differences between boys and girls.  He tries to touch my chest a lot, thinking it's funny, and talks about "boobies" too often for it to be even remotely cute.  He was a "boob guy" from the beginning (haha, like he had a choice!), but for a while he didn't really seem to notice their presence.  Now it's at the point where I need to think twice about showing too much skin in his presence, because he will call me out on it.  It's weird, but I guess the time had to come sometime.  We've tried a lot to curb the behavior, but it's not working.  And it may even be getting worse.  We can punish, ignore, or state in no uncertain circumstances that it's not acceptable.  But I have a feeling that he's got so much of it going on among his friends that we're fighting a losing battle.

In general it's hard to get a read on what he learns about and is exposed to each day.  I can ask questions about his day, I can try to pick up hints, but ultimately I don't know what he's picking up or how it will impact him in the long run.  Daycare introduces a lot of unknowns to the mix because you can't control it all.  I'm hoping it's been good preparation for the rest of his life, which inevitably will only be so much within my control.  But as we've been doing all along, we'll just have to take it day by day and hope we make the right decisions to deal with whatever he goes through. 

In examining this whole daycare thing, it's a little amazing that I had 10 pros and only a few cons, but I suppose it's all in how you weight each one to see how it all shakes out.  Still, we've had pretty decent daycare experiences overall, so I really can't complain.  Hard to believe we only have about 16 months more of the full-time daycare experience before Jacob starts Kindergarten.  Wow.  Doesn't seem possible, but then again, I'm having a lot of those reality check moments lately.  Probably just the beginning, I'm sure...

The Bright Sides of Daycare

Since the day I dropped Jacob off at daycare for the first time, I've done my fair share of rationalizing our decision.  I mean, I still don't feel like we have a choice--cutting out one of our salaries would mean chopping nearly 50% of our total income.  That's a lot of cutting, even with saving money on daycare.  The good news of this whole delayed baby-making thing, by the way, is that at most we'll only have a few months of full-on, overlapping daycare costs by the time a new baby would arrive.  We'll still have to manage summers, before/after school care, and possibly Christian school tuition, but that seems minimal in comparison to the two years of $10,000+ daycare expenses for each kid that we could have had otherwise.

So...knowing we had to have Jacob in daycare, we might as well find the bright side of things.  And here's the rundown of the bright side:

1)  Being around kids and other adults from the beginning, I think he's pretty good socially.  He knows how to act around other kids and how to play nicely, and he's used to authority figures besides his parents.  Not having had a sibling for this long, I think it's good for him to know he's not always the center of attention--even if ultimately that's still how it is at home.

2) He's had a greater variety of experiences than life home with one of us might have provided.  He eats a greater variety of foods, plays with different toys, and has even gone on field trips to places we'd never have taken him ourselves.

3) He's learning from professionals.  I'm not going to say that all of his teachers have been masters-degree-bearing folks, but at the very least they have an interest in early education and enjoy hanging out around kids.  Most of them have plenty of experience (and the ones that don't probably bring fresh ideas and enthusiasm), and they know good ways to get kids to learn.  I know I didn't teach Jacob the alphabet that religiously, so they've obviously done something right because the kid knows his letters well.  He also knows some sign language letters and knows how to count in Spanish.  I've often said that if I was home with him I'd have to dig in and find things to keep him engaged, but they're teaching him stuff I'd probably never have attempted.  And they don't mind being repetitive.

4) Peer pressure is a great thing...for now.  I know he eats things there he'd probably never eat at home, and I have a sneaking suspicion that he wouldn't nap as well without the constant reinforcement that everyone takes naps and is okay with it.  I'd have to think even potty training was helped along by having the influence of ten other kids using the potty at the same time.  He's also more likely to participate nicely in play activities when the rest of his friends are doing it, too. 

5) He's got a good routine, and that's a helpful thing for him.  Kids thrive on knowing what's next and what's expected...and if you don't believe me, try to get a kid to stop playing and do something else immediately, without warning.  We've seen how he reacts when his sleep schedule is off, and I think as a whole he functions better when he's on a set schedule.  Daycare provides that, from getting up at a certain time in the morning, to getting dressed right away, to his normal course of events there, to pick-up, dinner and beyond.  I know I would be too lazy to keep that up at home every day.

6) Based on all of the illnesses he's gotten over the past 3-1/2 years, I'd say he should be immune to a lot by the time real school comes around, which means he'll miss less days when it really matters.  At least, that's what all of us daycare parents tell ourselves.  God forbid the illnesses continue like this much longer!

7) More people to love him.  Nothing was better when he was a baby than sharing his latest accomplishments with his teachers, because we all got so excited!  Oh, and it's nice to hear from other people what a good, funny kid he is, even if we don't always get the same treatment at home.

8) Having been in daycare from the beginning, he's always been used to being somewhere each day, away from us.  While as parents we might have had a tough time adjusting early on, he got through it relatively easily.  He's also become accustomed to changes as he's gotten older--as he changes classrooms, teachers leave, or classmates come and go.  I won't say he handles all of it gracefully, but he's pretty used to it.  And as such, I think all of us will handle the transition into PreK-4, and later Kindergarten, with a lot more comfort than if he was thrust into it after years of settling into a home routine.  I'll probably still cry, though.

9) It's nice to have a sounding board and a little feedback when it comes to navigating toddler-hood.  It's hard enough to know what you're doing right or wrong, and it's nice to have an objective opinion about whether something's amiss with your child.  Parents know them best, of course, but I like the backup of knowing that Jacob's abilities are around those of his peers, or that the rash on his arm might be something we should be concerned about.  It's nice to have extra eyes, ears, and brains overseeing your child, particularly ones that have seen a lot of kids come through their room.  And while not all of their observations may be entirely correct, sometimes their advice is something to consider. 

10) When all else fails, the time away can work wonders.  When we've had our fill or need a little break from Jacob's antics, there's always daycare in the morning.  When we're reunited at the end of the day, we're all refreshed and ready for another round.

In another post I'll ponder the dark side of daycare...but at least I have this list to prove that good things have resulted from a situation that many would say is less than ideal. 

Dreams

Once upon a time, I was obsessed with webcams.  Not the sketchy, personal ones, of course...but rather, the ones that looked at various places around the world.  From town squares in Germany to the construction of an IKEA in Sweden, from an ice rink in Montreal to a controllable light grid in Japan, I was riveted.  Starting in my sophomore year of college, much of my spare time online was taken up by searching for new webcams and enjoying the many I already knew about.  Heck, I created entire web pages linking to them. 

Before I spent significant time documenting the life of our child (and my reactions to the experience), I surfed from camera to camera looking at parts of the world that I never knew existed or that I desperately hoped to visit.  Like anything else in life, certain cameras resonated with me more than others.  I became fascinated by Scandinavia.  I was strangely obsessed with watching street cameras halfway around the world in the wee hours of the morning (their time) and pondering the lives of the random few people passing by.  I loved seeing unique architecture and gorgeous landscapes.  I dreamed about visiting German Christmas markets or Munich's Oktoberfest.  I "revisited" places I'd been previously and sometimes tried to find the actual cameras when traveling through places I'd viewed previously.  It probably bordered on obsession at times, but it was fun and even educational. 

The obsession lasted for more than a decade.  My website is no more, but I still have the files saved and dozens more sites marked as favorites stored away.  And while I used to look at many of them weekly or even daily, I can't tell you the last time I spent a significant period of time surfing webcams, aside from a little at Christmas, a couple weeks at Oktoberfest, and a couple views of bird nests that I frequent this time of year.  But that's about it.

I spend my time online now browsing Facebook and reading and writing blog posts.  I read mostly about parenting and current events' connection to parenting.  Some days I can barely keep up with it all.  I've mentioned here before that writing this very blog has kept me from valuable sleep, all in the name of documenting our lives and participating in a little therapeutic venting.

Where my time was once spent dreaming of travels to far away locations and learning about other places and cultures, my time is now spent looking for insight into this parenting gig, commiserating and sharing experiences, and hoping to find ways to do it better.  It's a definite shift in focus. 

Now the question is, does this mean I have stopped dreaming?

I couldn't get enough of the webcams because they represented places I wanted to go.  They might have been places I never knew I cared to visit, but in the moment I was looking at them, I wanted to be there.  A quaint European square, a zoo exhibit, a breathtaking mountain-filled landscape, or a unique landmark on the other side of the country...I suppose anything would be better than sitting at my desk, for example, but I live for exploring new places and webcams gave me a little peek into so many exotic locales.  I'm a bit timid about venturing out in the real world, but I do love the prospect of going somewhere new to explore, take pictures, and experience new things.  Webcams are an easy way to see a lot without worrying about traveling, public transportation, or money.  Over the years I compiled quite the list of places I wanted to go.  And now, it's just sort of stalled.

I'm not sure why.  Am I just being more practical by spending my time focusing on something that impacts my life each day, rather than dream trips that may never happen?  Do I subconsciously not want to travel because I'd rather stay with Jacob?  Did my list of cams get too long to keep up, so I just cut it out completely?  Or is reality just a little too real and the dream of visiting these places just a little too big to fit in my world right now?  I have no idea.  On one hand it's a little depressing, but on the other, perhaps it's wise to not get myself caught up in something that might never happen.   

I think we all need dreams.  And maybe my dreams right now are focused in other directions--another baby, a part-time job that allows me more time with Jacob, enough free time to catch up on my to do list, the discipline to structure my life in a more fulfilling way (better spiritual life, earlier bedtime, less wasted time)--but somehow those down-to-earth desires feel equally difficult to achieve as the ones I had involving places on the other side of the globe.  Sometimes this parenting thing is an overwhelmingly tough job, and maybe I'm just trying to keep my efforts focused where they're needed most.  Hopefully someday there will be the time, energy, and money to dream bigger once again, but for now I've got one dream come true sleeping upstairs, and maybe that should be enough.    

Long-Awaited Zoo Visit

I'm not sure I remember the last time we were at the zoo.  Halloween, maybe?  We're members, so on one hand I want to make sure we get our money's worth, but then again, part of what's nice about it is the fact that we can just go whenever and stay as long or short as we want.  It's nice that we can be laid back about it and not freak out when animals aren't visible, because we know we can see it another day.  In hindsight I feel like we probably should have skipped our membership this past year because construction on a new exhibit closed off access to the elephants and the baboons.  Thinking back I feel like the original date when they originally said the new exhibit would be open was sooner than this, and I think I just wanted to be members when it finally happened so we could check it out without worrying about it being mobbed the one time we'd go if we were non-members.   

Well, there are two bits of good news in the coming weeks.  First, the new lion exhibit, which looks like it's going to be awesome, opens up in another month.  I can't wait!  Not just for the lions, mind you, but also to see the baboons again, in particular.  The viewing for them is up-close and they're always so animated.  The other bit of good news is that in the past year we came into a certificate for a free membership.  So we won't have to pay for next year (starting next month), which is nice since I'm always debating renewing, given our busy schedule in the summer--travel, pool time, etc.  Often I think that I'd like it next time we have a baby since it's a great, low-key place to take a walk and get out of the house.  I also think it'll be a little easier to go more often when Jacob drops his nap because right now we're stuck going first thing in the morning. Usually it's too late in the afternoon to go once he wakes up from his nap (only took about three years, but it's so nice to have a good napper!).  Anyway, the free membership means we don't have to make that decision this year!

The weather was pleasant Saturday morning and Craig had to work, so Jacob and I headed out for a morning visit.  And for a change, he was 95% good.  What a breath of fresh air to have a little boy that acted reasonably good for his age.  Seriously, it makes all the difference.  We also didn't take a stroller this time, so that was a big step, and fortunately it didn't backfire.  It was a very busy morning there, much busier than when we usually go, but all in all it was a nice time.  Here's a photo summary of our trip:

Different bird I noticed in the aviary.  I love that exhibit because the birds are so close and there are no cages or glass separating them.  Someday that will come back to haunt me, I'm sure.

This meerkat was seriously posing for everyone...then running around in circles.  Reminds me of someone else I know...

Given Jacob's obsession with his stuffed eagle, he had a renewed appreciation for the eagle exhibit.  They are so stinkin' regal, aren't they?

Jacob had a blast running around the playground.  He's gotten to be quite adept at it all, and goes down slides with a lot less fear than he used to.  I fully credit daycare's playground equipment and peer pressure for that.  I love this picture because I can see his dimple!

We always love the otters and were lucky enough to see one swimming outside.  This one struck a pose, too, but turns out it was pooping in the process.  Ew.

Another happy face, this time climbing the log bench in front of the tiger exhibit.  I was getting a little cranky about it because he wasn't supposed to be climbing it, but it was hard to keep telling him no when everyone else was climbing on it. 

Always fun when the zoo adds animals, and this is a new one--a crane.  So pretty with the red patch on its head!

We also saw the penguins, though the ones here happen to be the most boring penguins ever.  We got a couple good views of the polar bears, and while the sea lions were only a little active, we did get to see an odd sight of two zookeepers in a boat in the middle of the exhibit cleaning the glass windows!  We also had our first visit to the animal hospital.  No activity there, but we did get to see where they make the animals' food, examine them, and operate.  Anyway, it was a nice morning to be out and about, and with a well-behaved boy, it was a pleasure to be there with him. 

We came home for lunch and naptime (three hours--I spent at least half of it pulling weeds!), and then went outside for a bit.  While we were out there I snapped this lovely picture of a tiny little violet in our yard.  Just loved the brightness of it and wanted to share! 

We ended the day at the Knighthawks game with Lori.  She ended up not feeling well shortly after halftime, which made for an earlier night than planned.  But truly, other than missing the end of a big win, it turned out well because it got Jacob in bed significantly earlier.  I was hoping that would mean he'd be a more cooperative child again today, but no such luck.  He woke up way early and it made for a rough day.  Boo.  But at least we got one good day.  It gives me hope that we'll get more of those...someday.

Hockey Game

The other night we went to a hockey game.  It was my first Amerks' game since the two games we went to in October.  In between we went to one college game (the boys went to a second) and one Sabres game, but going all those months between Amerks games was a personal record for me.  In comparison to when I was at an average of two games per week, at least, and usually at least a game every few weeks the past few years, this winter was definitely a change.

On one hand, I didn't really miss it.  I mean, I wasn't craving going to games and we had plenty to fill our time instead.  I am grateful that I don't have to spend half my life at the arena anymore, and I'm even more grateful that Craig doesn't have to spend his whole life there, either. 

But on the other hand, hockey has been a huge part of the last 20 years of my life (!).  Hockey is what led me to the life I have now.  It was my main interest throughout high school, the focus of most of my wall decor in college, and the target of my job search upon graduation.  I spent the first 5-1/2 years of my working life employed by a hockey team (among other sports), and met my husband there.  And now, six years after leaving that life, my son is a sports nut. 

After spending so much time away this winter, I walked into Tuesday's game with a bit of a fresh perspective.  It probably helped that it's nearly playoff time, which was always a special time of year when I worked for the team.  We never won a championship, and in fact the closest we got was losing in game six of the finals when I was still an intern.  But some of our playoff runs, no matter how short, held some of my favorite memories from my time with the Amerks.  It was a dream come true working there (even if in reality it wasn't exactly a dream job), and the spring always held such promise and potential.  Walking back into the arena with a hint of warmth in the outside air brought back those memories, and seeing a familiar face on the ice (albeit with the other team) triggered fond remembrances of the players that passed through town during my tenure with the team.  We ran into the widow of our old friend and co-worker, former Amerk Craig Charron, who passed away a year and a half ago from stomach cancer.  It was good to see her and three of their four kids, but it definitely brought my mind back to the days when we worked with Sharky, and all the fun we had as a staff back in the day.  We worked hard and played hard (some more than others), and we had a blast despite the constant stress that bogged us down in the office much of the time. 

Perhaps what stood out to me most was what wasn't there--the players, our co-workers, and so much around the arena that's different than it was back then--and the absence of those things made me just a little wistful for that period of my life that I willingly left behind.  Don't get me wrong, I needed to leave when I did and I could never go back.  It was not the kind of life I could live now, and had I not given it up, Jacob would not have come along when he did.  I don't regret any of it, but perhaps now that I'm a parent and live a pretty tame life, I have come to a greater appreciation of the special, unique time that it was.  There are so many stories and so many memories, and those of us that lived through them could rehash those stories for hours.  Though we all had our beefs with each other at times, there was a certain dysfunctional family vibe to it all, and I think we'd all settle back in pretty easily if given the opportunity to reunite.  It was quite an experience, and while part of me is sad that it's over and past, I can't help but be grateful for the gift that its ending gave me:

Does it get any better than this?



Is this the life, or what?  Watching a game from a suite with my little boy (and Craig, too!)

Yep, I've got it pretty good.