Sophie & Jacqueline are 1 Year Old Today!

Technically, not until 6:22 and 6:25 PM tonight. But what is a few hours?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GIRLS!!!!

10 Things

Long time, no post. Yes we are alive.

Between raising 2 increasingly active little girls, the joys of long overdue house projects, and Jon's insane work schedule there has been little time or energy to post.

For once, I actually have a few minutes while waiting for a colleague to comment on a document.

To provide everyone an update, here is another "10 Things" list.....I know everyone loves them!

10 THINGS ABOUT JACQUELINE

1. She has 5 teeth, all at different heights.

2. Combine the teeth with her crazy, wild hair....she would be a great witch at Halloween!

3. She likes to suck the juice out of raisins then spit out the husk.

4. She is an expert at drinking from her sippy cup.

5. Dad or Mom can't have a beer without Jacqueline wanting to "taste" some.

6. She LOVES Raven!

7. Combine her love of Raven, Raz, and Tweedle with her highly developed fine motor skills......I think she'll be an animal surgeon when she grows up.

8. She still shows no interest in rolling over or pulling herself into a sitting or standing position, but we know she can....we have seen her do it.....she just doesn't want to all the time.

9. She is getting better at cruising everyday.

10. When fingerwalking, she is a Speed Demon! Track star in the making!

10 THINGS ABOUT SOPHIE

1. She has thick, silky hair. She didn't inherit that from Mom or Dad!

2. She developed an extreme aversion to baths in the last 2 weeks.

3. Cruising is her thing.

4. She can crawl up the stairs (with Mom or Dad behind her, of course).

5. She waves "hi" or "bye"....inconsistently, but she can do it in context.

6. You can't eat in front of her without sharing.

7. She is a bulldozer......she crawls over everything and anything that is in her way.

8. Peek-a-boo is her favorite game.

9. Her molars are starting to drop....we now know what parents mean when they say "teething was not bad until the molars..."!

10. She helps get herself undressed.

Christening

Sophie and Jacqueline were baptized 2 weeks ago. All grandparents, Aunt Amy & Uncle Mark, and Uncle Doc & Aunt Analee + cousins Kendall and Holly attended. Our friends Jim and Nicolle are their god-parents. They were on vacation together, so his Mom (Arlene) and brother (Jason) were proxies.

Here are some pictues:

HAPPY EASTER!!!

Love,

Jacqueline, Sophie, Jon, Shannon, Raven, Raz, & Tweedle

A Beautiful Spring Day

The weather last weekend was gorgeous. Here are some photos of the family playing in front yard. Aunt Amy came over one afternoon too. Good times all around! This Easter weekend will be fun too! Spring is such a wonderful time of year!

Doc Enjoying a Coors

Here is the link to the photo mentioned in the previous blog.

http://docgrinch.blogspot.com/2009/03/coors-original-goes-down-smooth.html

We'll try to get a scanned version posted soon.

If you read the comments from the "Dad's Favorite Beer" post, Doc raised an interesting question.

What will our kids think of our habits? Jacqueline & Sophie will probably think that "Dad did not have a favorite beer"....because I drink so many different varieties.

p.s. Jacqueline loves nothing better than wrapping her lips (and sore gums) on a nice, cold beer bottle.

Dad's Favorite Beer

In case you don't subscribe, All About Beer magazine has a story on Dad's favorite beer. Readers were asked to submit brief anecdotes of their Dad's beer drinking habits. Also included was a list of all the beers that readers submitted. I'd heard of many, but a lot were local brews that, unfortunately, have stopped production.

I missed the submission deadline because I heard about it too late. So, here is my blog submission.

Dad's tradition (like most stories in the article) was to come home from work and immediately swing by the fridge to grab a beer before going to change clothes. That beer would be empty by the time he was changed. His second beer accompanied dinner or was consumed while grilling (usually on weekends). If I remember correctly, his third beer was optional on weeknights but almost always drunk on weekends.

Dad's favorites (unlike many other Dads) seemed to vary over the years. Dad has told stories of drinking PBR and Schlitz in the 60's. Coors was the favorite in the 70's. I distinctly remember Dad and Grandpa sitting in the garage at the farmhouse drinking Coors (probably hauled from California) and playing cards. Stroh's was the beer of the 80's, although I remember Dad consuming other brands occasionally. The other brands must have been "on sale." All these beers were canned; he never drank from bottles.

Somewhere along the way, maybe while on business travel, Dad started drinking imports. English and Irish beers seemed to be a favorite, especially Guinness (and remains so to this day). Dad contributed heavily to my beer bottle collection I accumulated in high school. My guess is Dad's fondness for imports led to his enjoyment of craft brews that became popular in the 90's.

Today, his house is always stocked with Yuengling, Guinness, Mendocino Brewing Co. beer (when on sale), and Corona (although I think that is for Mom). Carolina Brewery is another favorite, only available in growlers or 5 gal kegs. Dad will have to build his keg-erator so he can have a continual stash. That would get me over to their house a lot more...=). I don't remember Dad ever drinking Bud and Miller products.

My most vivid memory actually revolves around Doc and Dad. As a toddler, Doc would follow Dad around the house hoping for the "last sip." Dad almost always gave his almost empty can to Doc. There is a famous family photo of Doc sitting on the couch, head tilted all the way back with a Coors can to his lips, making sure he got the last drop.

If anyone has that picture, please scan it and share with everyone.