When I Grow Up

Today while standing in the grocery store line Brooklyn informs me of what she would like to be when she grows up.

Brooklyn: "Mom do you want to know what I want to be when I grow up?"
Me: (Very curious) "Why yes Brooklyn I would love to know."
Brooklyn: (Serious tone) "I want to be a Vegetarian."
Me: (Little surprised. However maybe she feels she will be better at eating vegetables when she grows up.) "Do you know what a Vegetarian is?"
Brooklyn: "Yes, they are doctors that help animals."
Me: "Well, Brooklyn a Vegetarian is not a doctor. They are people that enjoy eating vegetables and fruit and stay away from meat products."
Brooklyn: "Huh? Then what is a doctor that helps animals."
Me: "They are called Veterinarians."
Brooklyn: "Oh, yeah that is what I want to be."

Those that have been around Brooklyn know she is deathly afraid of animals. So I am sure she will examine the animals through a small window behind a locked door.

Important Flowchart

This is perhaps the most important flowcart I have seen this year.

Back to School Fashion Show

With my first daughter embarking on her first year of public school as a Kindergartner it would be very easy to go buy her tons of really cute clothes. However I decided that would not be necessary with the cute clothes she already has. Her and I had a fashion show today with the clothes that are in her closet. There are a few clothes not featured in this spread. Check out my sassy Kindergartner.

Pants are a little big but she sure looks cute.

I think this one needs some leggings under.

I am not so sure how well this outfit goes together however she sure can rock it.

Of course C girl had to get in on the fashion show.

Here's to my very cute and sassy models.

Just the Facts

It seems there is a list of 10 "cannots" attributed to Abraham Lincoln that are making rounds on the Interwebs:

1. You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
2. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong
3. You cannot help the poor man by destroying the rich.
4. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
5. You cannot build character and courage by taking away man's initiative and independence.
6. You cannot help small men by tearing down big men.
7. You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
8. You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income.
9. You cannot establish security on borrowed money.
10. You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they will not do for themselves.

When I read these on a friends blog, I thought to myself, "Lincoln didn't say that. I read those quotes in relation to FDR's policies in high school American History." Thanks, Coach Jesse Parker!

So, to be clear, Abraham Lincoln did not say these things. Rather, the quotes were published in 1942 by William J. H. Boetcker, a Presbyterian minister. He released a pamphlet titled Lincoln On Limitations, which did include a Lincoln quote, but also added 10 statements written by Boetcker himself.

Nevertheless, the advice is timeless. If Bible goers cannot get the world to respect its 10 commandments, getting them to follow these is a valiant alternative.

Yet I feel they are being invoked quite blindly. Almost as if it really means something to those posting it. Is it really wisdom by which they live by or a set of statements where a subset seems to contradict the current health care debate and conveniently align with their worldview.

First, I am allergic to those that are quite ready to cuddle up against falsely attributed quotes from Lincoln without thorough fettering of the source.

Second, it is as if the expected response is "ooohh, Lincoln said that... well he freed the slaves, so he must understand health care."

With Grosgrain Ribbon

The ribbon is stretched out to fit the image but I think you get the idea. I will now be on the lookout for some good ribbon. What do you think about this idea?

Here are some photos of the bedroom. The walls are close to the blue in the painting.

Update on bedroom

*Update* Here are some images of what I have been thinking of using for the room as a starting point. Then add accessories along the way.

All comments and constructive criticism are welcome.

I Need Help!

I am going to come right out and say it. I am not a decorator and can't even pretend I am a decorator. As most of you know we have a baby boy coming this November. I had a design in my head that I wanted to do for the girls however with the change in gender the design needs to accomadate a boy.

Here is a painting I want to use as my inspiration painted by my very talented friend Beth Allen.

I want to have fun with different fabrics. I want to go less expensive on sheeting and add my own embellishments if needed. Lets face it pottery barn bedding or boutique bedding is out of my budget.

My plan first is to find fabric to make my own upholstered headboards.
I know I can make that cheaper than Pottery Barn.

Then coordinate bedding with headboards. Remember it needs to be able to coordinate with a boy but still be girly for their beds.

So I need help finding out different designers, great places to buy these fabrics, and any other commentary on my ideas. All advice is welcome.

B Girls Story

Lately Brooklyn has enjoyed drawing pictures and then telling the story that is in her head. I decided to document it with a picture and writing down her words. I hope you enjoy.


"There once was a man that said that he wanted to be hot as the sun because he was really hot. Then a magician heard the wish and he wanted to grant it. Then the man was hot as the sun. Then he said he was too hot and he then wanted to be as cold as the snowflake. Then he said he was too cold and then said his wish was to be the moon. THE END."

Housing prices

Housing prices in Cary, NC have not been influenced as strongly as in other parts of the United States.

The Twilight Writing Process

If you are not familiar with the phenomenon known as Twilight, crawl out from under a rock.

My experience in reading the series isn't as nuanced as it appears others' is. Nevertheless, I found myself strangely drawn to read them despite them putting me in a foul mood because of the Bella character's incessant "me, me, me" attitude.

One particular aspect that I found a bit annoying is the physical depictions from the first person perspective of the Bella character. They are colorful but unvaried. It seems to me that there are a handful of adjectives that get mish mashed together to generate newer descriptions.

"I looked into his perfect, golden honey eyes."

"Tousled hair."

"I pressed my face against his chiseled marble, Roman, ice cold chest."

It is like Stephanie Meyer had those poetry magnets and assembled them together when writers block kicked in.

I think what frustrates me most is not that the series has garnered so my hype. What frustrates me is that I was actually entertained reading the series. Yes, make no mistake. This is Brandon writing, not Tassi.

As an outlet for this frustration, I created a simple web application that allows you (yes, you) to string words together to make phrases that describe Edward, Jacob, and Bella.

Have fun.

http://twilight.16cards.com/

Brooklyn Had a Birthday Party!

Brooklyn is turning five. I can't believe how fast it goes by. Thank goodness for summer parties. We stick out a slip n slide and we are good to go. I was also lucky to have met a woman at Girls Camp who is a face painter on the side. She gave me a smokin' deal I could not resist. Here are the photos from the party.

Brooklyn sat so still. She did not want to mess it up. She asked for a flower, butterfly, and caterpillar .

Here is the finished product.


Brooklyn and her cousin Gillian.


The girls loved their paint and kept running back asking to have their paint reapplied.

The daddies even got their faces painted. However the little boys did not want anything to do with the paint. The were good with the painted tattoos.

I love the fear in her eyes.

Make a wish! She does think about it before she blows.

Camden excited to dig into the cake.

We had a blast. We could not have asked for better weather. I am pretty sure the kids had just as much fun as the dads. Happy Birthday my Brooklyn.

Brain dead

Today was Brooklyn's birthday party. (More on that later.) And I spent a lot of the day in the sun. It left me a bit brain dead.

For instance, consider the moment at the grocery store racking my brain trying to figure out what the last item on the list was:

Chips
Avocado
Jalapeno
Torilla
Colby Jack Cheese
LeMon

I know I was sent to get ingredients for some type of salsa Tassi was making. "LeMon" is French, not Spanish. Maybe it is a brand and its product is known by the brand, like Kleenex. Then I reluctantly called home to ask what it was that I was supposed to be getting.

A lemon, Brandon. I need you to get me a lemon.

Scrap Skirt

Brooklyn and Camden's new scrap skirt. It is kind of short for Brooklyn but she will not hear of it. Oh well. You can't please everyone.

Smith Girls: An Announcement

I SPY...

While driving in the car today Brooklyn asked if we could play the "I Spy Game." We proceed to play. Brooklyn spied something pink. We were coming upon a little girl on her bike wearing a pink shirt. I asked if it were the little girl. She replies "No." I then ask if it is the flowers in the median. "No." Then she replies "Mom it is nothing outside or inside the car here. We are playing I spy animal." So then I guess the few pink animals I know about. She says no to all the animals I said. I then throw in the towel. Brooklyn proceeds to tell me the animal. "Mom it is a baby pink dragon." Man I felt foolish for not guessing pink dragon. Oh well maybe I will do better next time.

HELP!!!

Ever since we were in Orlando Camden and Brooklyn have played a game I like to call HELP!!!. If they feel stuck, trapped, fell on purpose or accident they immediately yell out HELP!!! desperately. Camden has taken it very far and says it many times a day.

New Glasses

Tassi wanted me to re-post an entry from my "personal technical" blog.

I am leaving IBM and joining Bandwidth.com.

When Joe Gregorio exited my team at IBM during the summer of 2007, he opaquely announced that he was joining Google by outlining that his job moves coincided with road construction providing faster routes to his previous employer.

I recently got a new pair of glasses. Here I am with my daughter just two weeks ago:



And then I began to talk with my wife about when I got new glasses throughout my life. I could not help notice the irony that within weeks of a major life event, I got a new pair of glasses. I am reminded of Christopher Guest teasing Eugene Levy on the commentary track of "A Mighty Wind" of Levy's peculiarity of selecting glasses before filming.

Junior High.

Upon graduating from elementary school, it was soon discovered that I needed glasses. I was quite young, and the late 80's was not exactly kind to the optically challenged community:



Today's youth have a much better selection of stylish frames.

I should note that I went through about a dozen of these frames. It was not long before my mother realized the economics of purchasing the warranty that covered broken frames. Replacing fractured frames became so commonplace during this stage of my life that I would go to the store to get them refitted on my bike. I do not recall whether I thought it was a good idea to ride my bike with impaired vision.

High School.

Awkwardness is one of several words I would describe myself during high school. I think I may have predated Harry Potter with the frames I had during this period of my life.



Nevertheless, I did play football. Between my freshman and sophomore year, I bulked up with my weight lifting. Further, glasses do not exactly go well with the football field. Thus, I would often wear contacts. Except I am petrified of touching my eye. Even to this day. My mother would pin me down on the ground, pry open an eye and jab in the contact until it stuck. I did not make it easy.

Abroad.

Between high school and college I went abroad to South Africa for two years like many do from my church. During this time I got my first "modern" pair of glasses (and stopped parting my hair).

Undergraduate degree. And the band.

Throughout my undergraduate degree at Arizona State University I played the bass guitar for the band Before Braille. (We just released an album of unreleased tracks, it is pretty good.) I definitely took on an "indy" look at this time of my life.

Married. Masters degree.

I got married and got serious about school and finished at Arizona State. Which led me to pursuing my masters degree at Carnegie Mellon. Just before starting graduate school I wanted a more academic look.

IBM.

I had just completed graduate school before joining IBM and had gotten new glasses. I remember feeling compelled to get glasses with a more "professional" look. In retrospect, they were boring. The glasses were the memory kind that bend back into shape. Here I am with my girls. They are quite active which proved useful for the flexible frames.

Bandwidth.com

Which leads me back to my transition to Bandwidth.com next week.

Presenting Brooklyn the Magician!

While at Walt Disney World we often walked over to the Boardwalk for dinner. This is Brooklyn's big debut. We are hoping this video will be the first step into show business.

I'm so dizzy my head is spinning . . .

...Like a whirlpool it never ends.

Hooray for Sisters

I love having two girls that get a long very well. It is very sweet to watch them play and laugh together. Thankfully Brooklyn is a very patient older sibling and allows Camden to jump on her. I hope my daughters can be just as close to one another as I am to my sisters.

The Great!

This past week I was fortunate enough to attend our Stakes Girls Camp. It is such a blessing to have a husband support me in my calling. Brandon took on both roles as a parent this past week. He would wake up and get the girls ready to go over to a friends home for the day while Brandon went to work. Then pick them up for dinner, time with daddy, and then bedtime. I had no worries that my family was okay. I missed them a whole lot. I had fun however was so very excited to get home to them.

The Sure Source of Knowledge

I picked up the girls from our friends house. We could not find Brooklyn's drink cup and on the way home she began to complain about being thirsty. Soon complaining turned to whining. I told Brooklyn she needed to find her own solution. After a moment of silence, I asked, "What is your plan?" "I can drink that," pointing to the Febreeze fabric freshener spray bottle in the car. "That will not taste good." Brooklyn retorted, "I don't think you're right, Daddy." "I think I am," I assured her. Brooklyn's inquiry persisted. "Why? Did you look it up online?"

Sneaky Dad

Tassi is helping out at a girls youth camp this week. That means I have Brooklyn and Camden to myself. (With the generous help of friends during working hours.)

One of Tassi's greatest attributes is that she thinks ahead. So, in this case, she left behind some simple gifts for our girls. One to be delivered each day.

The first night was glow sticks. The girls **loved** them. And fell asleep with them. I gathered them up and put them on the nightstand.

The next morning I woke to a shrieking four-year-old. Brooklyn was upset that her glow stick disappeared in the night. She was confused how it could happen. When I explained what I had done she asked, "So, did you tiptoe into our room while we were asleep?" "Yes," I responded. "How did you get around this that squeaks?" pointing to a spot known in our family for significant squeaking in her second floor bedroom. I then demonstrated how I walked around the rocking chair, straddled her bed, obtained the glow stick, straddled her sister's bed, obtained the second glow stick and then exited the room without making the floor squeak.

To that display of masculine elegance Brooklyn replied in a serious dead-pan tone, "Dad, please don't be so sneaky in my room."

Poor Lost Little Girl

Nice girl: Are you okay? Are you lost?
Poor Lost Little Girl: sniffle sniffle
Nice girl: Do you know where your mom or dad are?



Poor Lost Little Girl: sniffle, sniffle. (With a look of disgust says.) She is right over there.
Nice girl: (Confused expression and proceeds towards me.) Your daughter seems really sad.
Insensitive Mom With Camera: No she is not sad she is mad.
Nice girl: Well, I think she has been crying.
Insensitive Mom With Camera: Yep she is crying. She is just throwing a tantrum. Thanks for checking on her.


Disney World was great even the tantrums. We all survived and no one got lost. I will post more photos later.

Dance Breaking

Brooklyn has started to do more free-form dancing. I call it Dance Breaking. The following was from our very recent trip to Disney World.

New glasses, part 2

My sisters asked for a picture in the comments of a previous post. Taken from our hotel room at Walt Disney World. Note Tassi tending to Camden on the floor.