All Things Awesome

Tobin and Nick have developed this habit that, wherever we go, they have to point out 4x4's, monster trucks, speedboats and motorbikes.  But not just point it out, SHOUT it out - It's like they have Tourettes syndrome.  It's impossible for them to carry on a conversation without having it interrupted (by themselves) with shouts of MONSTER TRUCK!!  SPEEDBOAT!!!  I find it amusing, but it drives AMG insane.  It can be pretty annoying when, for example:

Tobin: "dad, when we go to my school SPEEDBOAT! today can I take 4X4! my lunch SPEEDBOAT! bag in my MOTORBIKE! backpack?"

So this morning on our bike ride to school I quizzed Tobin on what made a 4x4 different from a monster truck, and it gave me the idea to make up a dichotomous key to All Things Awesome.  See below*.

* I had to revise the key to accommodate for vehicles that didn't have knobbly tires, but were muddy.  Tobin pointed out a van this morning which was muddy, but was also a 4x4.  It's complicated.
I also had to add in non-truck items of awesomeness - you'll see here the prerequisite for this category is explosions or the capacity for shedding blood.
**revised again to include extinct genera.

Let's call a Table a Table

OK, I haven't made a post for a while and there isn't even an awesome photo to accompany it, just an amusing anecdote.  After partying at Rob and Sylvia's (thank you!) I came home with the kids and an overdue bed time (for the kids).  Nick, in his usual over-tired procrastinating manner, got up several times after some bedtime resistance to; first ask if we could please leave all the curtains open tonight; and second to ask what I was doing.  I replied that I was working on my paper (master's literature review, bla, bla, bla - my painful existence these days) to which Nick replied:

"No you're not, your working on your puter.  This is paper (pointing to paper) and this is your "puter".  The kid's got a point.

Then he goes on to educate me that this was a chair (pointing) and this is a table (pointing).  The lecture was not over.

While waltzing off to bed (for the 3rd time) Nick proposes: "Let's call tables tables, and chairs chairs, and lamp's lamp's, and walls walls".

Brilliance.  Pure brilliance. 

(those are MY genes!!! - more likely Ryan's)

Anyway, cheers to Cinquo de mayo

More Spring Things

 The boys with our chickens/dinosaurs.

Tobin originally wanted to call them Smacky the Lips, Saddle Snacks and Sneezy Clocks.  No, I don't know where he came up with those names.

Ann-Marie and I thought we'd name them after some grandmothers: Margaret, Edith and Cecile, but the boys weren't so keen on that.

My vote is for Gandalf, Sauron and Shadowfax.  Or maybe Hexamitiasis, Histomoniasis and Trichomoniasis.  Those roll off the tongue nicely.

Any good chicken names out there?

They sure are cute at this point