The Return to the Keys!

After the addition of a dog and two boys we decided it was finally time to take that second vacation we've always talked about.  (Now if we could only get to that bucket list we would really be making progress).  Of course we needed some salt in our vacation and what better place than Key West.  This was my third trip, Carrie's second and my 10th year reunion from that fateful first trip where I first fell in love with Florida.  During that first trip we spent nearly a month down there and I was probably lucky to return at all.  This time we flew in for the first time and due to the size of the island it's like landing on an aircraft carrier (of course I have no experience doing so making this analogy totally arbitrary so don't quote me on such a comparison).  All I know is we take our 737 and we pound that puppy straight down into the pavement and slam on the brakes.  Right before the fun begins they give you a fairly hilarious account of what's about to occur.  After all you are minutes away from your favorite tropical cocktail so no one really cares about the hard landing as long as you can walk off the plane.  It's tropical so you get the stairs rolled up to the plane and get to walk across the active taxiway with your luggage in hand because we're too cheap to pay to check or have no faith it will actually show up.  We had arrived in time to check into our B&B.  There are only B&Bs in Olde Town, the place to be.  Turns out one of the guests in our bed and breakfast is the head coach at Iowa State, Paul Rhoads.  He offered to take us out and buy us a drink (we didn't know who he was) but Carrie said, "Now, Josh we have to get up early and go snorkeling.  We have to go home."  Easy come, easy go when you're living life like a song.

We went snorkeling on the world's third largest reef, which was roughly 7 miles out to sea in search of some pirate booty but all we found was fish.  There was a supposed barracuda sighting but we didn't see him.  I did see a sizable puffer fish and who knows what else because I'm not versed in fish of the tropics.  Our friends saw some tarpon, which we later discovered after the snorkeling trip.  We did see some flying fish, which are pretty entertaining to watch skip across the water.  The snorkeling is hard work because you are out there and can't stop swimming. Well, you can but it results in drowning.  You jump off the boat and that's it my friend.  You either figure it out or become part of the reef.  Lots of people didn't last very long, but the wife and I survived and I think I will continue on to get certified for diving.  I would like to treasure hunt and there are literally billions of dollars in ship wrecks around Florida and the Keys.  I only need a few million of that. 

We went on a sunset cruise as well and a big storm kicked up just west of the city and hid our sun but we had a nice relaxing time on the boat ride enjoying a good drink and the peacefulness of the water.  It was great to get more than 7 1/2 minutes of conversation in before being interrupted to clean up some sort of bodily fluid that came shooting out of one of our children.  The wife and I got a much needed to chance to reconnect and she was reintroduced to nightlife for the first time in four years.  Child rearing is so time consuming! 

Banyan Tree

Duval street was great as usual and we enjoyed our Jimmy Buffett haunts of Margaritaville, Captain Tony's Saloon, Sloppy Joe's, Irish Kevin's and our favorite the Hog's Breath where we were deemed good enough for locals over the long weekend.  Tipping goes a long way down there!  I ate approximately 2 1/2 pounds of shrimp and left wanting more.  Seafood where have you been?!?  We were so busy finding time to squeeze a meal in was the most difficult thing to do.  We visited the southernmost point, Mel Fisher's treasure museum (Atocha), Hemingway's and saw the great trees.  They have these very old Banyan trees and kapot tree (see pictures) that are unbelievably massive.  Just walking the island is a neat experience when you are surrounded by so much history (forts, boats, smugglers, wrecks, and treasure).

We wanted to thank my parents for being gracious enough to move to Iowa for the weekend and watch the boys and the dog.  I tried to be as blunt as possible for what they were about to encounter but I still think the lack of sleep took it's toll.  Seriously people, we're not making this stuff up, we really do only get 4 hours of sleep a night.  That lack of sleep compounds over time.  We also wanted to thank Carrie's parents that came down to pinch hit so my folks could get an early start on heading home.  They were relieved to be, well, relieved.  We cannot describe how enjoyable it was to have adult time away and sleep in past 5:15 am while enjoying sunshine for more than 2 days in a row.  It did rain down there - for the first time in 5 months we were told.  It was a torrential down pour but late at night and we were safely tucked into our night spot so we didn't get wet.  We had a fantastic time.  It was great to come to see the boys and they were equally as excited to see us.  It's good to know we're appreciated by them too.  Wink, wink.  If you haven't been, get to the Keys.  You won't regret it.

The Birds

We thought building that bird feeder in spring was an excellent idea, but I wonder if we have invited our fine feathered friends too close to the house.  About a week ago I went to get Quinny out of his room and I could hear scratching.  I couldn't figure out what it was but it was pretty loud and coming from his window.  At first I thought it was the blinds hitting the window but they weren't moving.  It was a brain conundrum.  Clearly, I was hearing scratching but the blinds weren't moving.  I kept looking at Quinny trying to get some sort of balance for my sanity.  "I'm not going crazy right?  You hear it too right?"  He looks at me and says what Dad?  Thanks buddy.  I looked out the window and there was nothing.  His window is a good 20 feet up on the back side of the house because there is a hill and walk out basement.  I grab him and we begin our adventure.  We walk downstairs, outside and it's clear something is running back and forth in the soffit caught between the roof and the great blue sky.  I can hear claws on metal so its some sort of creature.  While out there marveling at how that's possible I see two birds fly out of the apex of the roof where the vent is.  Awesome.  Birds are living in our roof 40 feet off the ground.

I wasn't sure what to do.  Can you break into your soffit?  I tried and couldn't and I was trying not to destroy the place.  That leads to the question of who do you call.  Do you call the roof guy?  The siding guy?  The exterminator?  We decided it was 85 degrees outside and that thing was doing a lot of laps.  How long could it possibly survive?  Maybe it's best to let nature take its course.  After all this was between mother nature and the creature.  By day 3 the noise stopped.  I'll just assume "it" found its way home.

Over the weekend I'm mowing the lawn and notice a piece of straw coming out of the air condition (or furnace) intake and outtake pipes.  I take a look inside and it turns out there is a nest in each.  Fantastic!  I go inside and mangle a hanger and I am able to semi-successfully pull one of the nests out and two eggs.  We also have two nests under our deck so I had Quinny grab the eggs and throw them in that nest.  I'm sure that will work.  How could it not when you put such thought into a plan?  We'll have a nice adoption ceremony in a few weeks.

So, just to recap, birds living in the roof, stuck in the soffit, two nests in the deck, one nest each in our intake and outtake pipes and a partridge in a pear tree.  Drum roll please....this brings us to the finale of this weekend.  Quinny up at dawn - total shocker! - Carrie be grudgingly rolls out of bed to get something to eat for him.  She hits the hallway and starts screaming.  There is a bird in here she exclaims somewhat hyperventilating.  I assume Quentin or the dog brought a dead bird inside.  I forgot to mention there has been a growing body count.  To date we've found three baby birds dead in the yard over the course of the last 2 weeks.  I am now rolling be grudgingly out of bed and make it to the hallway right before I hit the deck because this dead bird just buzzed my melon.  It's like 6:30 in the morning - on a Saturday!  Quinny, did you leave the door open? Silence, sheepish look, DUCK!  Keep in mind everyone is running for their lives while this fairly calm conversation is taking place.  Is that thing a bald eagle?  No, no, that's good.  It was something that was extremely aerodynamic.  We knew right away it wasn't a duck or a turkey.  What to do, what to do.  Get a broom? No.  Get a flyswatter?  No.  Tennis racket?  No.  Alright, lock down the bedrooms, open the doors and pray for a Christmas miracle.  Just then the bird dropped a deuce in our foyer and out the patio doors he flew.  Thanks for the Christmas present.  Quinny, "Dad that bird just went poo-pooh in our house."  Yup, he sure did buddy.  Kids, you know.  You clean up their mess, you clean up your dog's mess and now I have birds flying into my house also doing their business on the inside.  What a life.

Needless to say the bird feeder is gone and I'm am no longer perusing a career in ornithology.  I am in the market for poison.  Do you know where I can get a deal?

Bah, Bah, Bye!

Look Ma' no Bah!

Quinny turned 2 1/2 over the Memorial Day weekend and that was the tipping point for the bah.  He's been holding on to that thing forever.  Well, literally forever for him.  He was born with it and still has it.  It's not too often you can actually say forever and have it be true.  Take that world.  We had 3 goals to accomplish with Quinny this year; we wanted him to be potty trained, get rid of the bah (pacifier) and we wanted to get him in a big boy bed.  Everything we read told us to handle one thing at a time.  If you try to do too much you will fail at everything.  For example, moving to a new state where it snows while your wife is 8 months pregnant with complications like a breech, changing doctors at the ninth hour while starting a new job at a new location.  Well, I'm just saying.  We had the baby so that part was successful.  He's a really good boy too.  Goes to sleep at night and everything.  Quinny really took to the potty training so we've been hammering that home.  He got a chance to pee off a boat this weekend - so exciting!  So, that's a farm, the middle of a front yard with an audience and now off the back of a boat "in water daddy!!"  Yup, it doesn't take much to excite the little fella.

So after dominating the potty training the bah had come next.  He was being his pistol self, Mr. Personality (sorry Brett!) and just whining to the umpteenth degree.  He was all over the map, even abusing the time out chair so he graduated to prison (his crib).  He didn't like that and frankly either did I.  Who wants a screaming child locked up?  So I walked into his room and we decided we were going to have a little man to man talk.  I sat down in the chair, he still in his prison (captivated audience - so literal!).  And I told him.  He couldn't act like this.  No sir, we can't take this kind of abuse on the weekends.  He's in the prison but I'm living in one.  Nope, his momma and I can't take anymore.  I think you've been babied my son and today you're growing up.  You're giving up the bah, straight cold turkey.  Yup, you heard me.  Cold turkey.  I know there will be some withdrawal symptoms but that's why God gave you a thumb.  Just plug er' in if you feel the need.  So, he agreed.  He was granted temporary parole but only if he could behave.  That was mid afternoon. 

Of course the evening rolls around and one of our beautiful child's scams he pulls on unsuspecting grandparents mostly is "I want to put my PJ's on!"  Oh, the grandparents love it because they are thinking I've got it.  This kid is going right to bed. What are Josh and Carrie complaining about?  Rookies! Ha! Yup, well, guess what Grandma?  PJ's mean he gets his bah.  Not tonight sonny boy.  The whole talk starts coming back to him.  The kid doesn't forget a thing so I know he knows.  His face gets flush.  Reality slowly, painfully sets in.  The wails start coming out.  "I want my bah.  Dad, my bah!  I want my bah!  Oh where or where is my bah?  Dad, my bah!!!"  Nope buddy, today you chose to become a man.  But, but, but, but.  Nope, a man.  After about 10 minutes he accepted his fate.

Our lil' cowboy

When bedtime came he held up pretty well.  He screamed for maybe 45 minutes, which is only like 3-4 minutes more than usual.  He did quite well.  I must admit I would've taken it away a long time ago if I knew it would have gone this well.  He has probably only asked for it 10 times or less, which I didn't think was too bad.  It's kind of weird, though, to not see him it have it.  It actually makes me a little sad, which is so ironic! He's growing up so fast and this is just one more step in that direction.  He spent the weekend at the cabin (I use that term loosely) in Prarie du Chien (wisco!) and we thought the long car ride (dad got a speeding ticket with the whole family in tow- Wahoo! On a side note I've only gotten two tickets my whole life and both were in Iowa.  What's this state got against me anyway??) He didn't ask for it in the car all but once and slept fine. Well, fine for the road, which means sleeping next to me while my wife is sleeping next to child number two in a separate room - so romantic these weekend getaways! without the bah, though.  Success! We are really quite proud of him.

So if you see that son of mine give him a little high five for turning into a man.  Undies - check.  No bah - check.  Still not sleeping - check.

Graduation Circuit

My new crib!

The family has been hitting the graduation parties this year.  It's been a while since we've had family members old enough to graduate.  It's been nice for the family as we have been traveling to the farms so Quinny has lots to be entertained by.  A couple of weekends ago we checked out Carrie's God daughter's party and Quinny got to see all the tractors.  It was a rainy and therefore muddy day so he and I ended up getting all slopped up but we had a nice time.  While out checking the barns Quinny inevitably needed to go to potty so we taught him how to do it on the farm; drop trow and let er' rip.  Shockingly, he loved it.

This past Saturday was Carrie's younger brother's graduation party.  Steve and Sue pulled out all the stops.  The garage was completely cleaned out.  Seriously, that was a chore within itself.  They have lived there for 35 years so you can imagine what it was like to literally get every last scrap of collectibles out of the garage.  They rented tents, chairs and had a massive spread of food.  We dined on multiple cakes (chocolate, white, and carrot were the ones that Quinny sampled by himself), pork, chicken, potatoes, corn from the farm and plenty to drink for all.  As usual Quinny stuffed himself over and over sparing no expense.  Towards the end of the party I caught him going from table to table eating the M&M's out of the bowls of trail mix.  By 5pm there wasn't an M&M to be found.

He also enjoyed the farm mentality when it came time to go potty.  The first time he went inside, but with the party outside he wanted to go outside. "Daddy, how about this tree or on this flower right here?" I was walking the back forty with him one time so we went way out of sight.  The next time he was in the front yard but moved behind a massive pine tree.  The third time he went right in front of the house for all to see.  After that he decided he didn't need anyone and in the middle of the yard without any supervision he just dropped his pants and started going.  The crowd loved it.  For us it was a moment of, "Yup, that's my son!"  So we went and claimed him and told him he should have a little modesty even if on the farm.  You want to use the back yard, not the front going forward.  Life's little lessons...

My first teeth!

Gavin is growing up and is pretty close to crawling.  He's officially scooting, mostly backwards and made some nice progress across the living room floor this morning.  He has two front teeth on the bottom and Carrie said she found two more coming in but I haven't confirmed them yet.  Check out Q's first tooth here.  He's really a good baby.  He was passed all around yesterday and I don't think I heard a peep out of him all day. He's so happy to get attention and has a tough time just sitting on the sidelines.  We are dreading childproofing the house again because what we have in Florida won't fit here. We can't block off the kitchen (dog bowl, cleaning supplies, etc.) because it's open instead of just one doorway.  The stairs are much wider and not separated by a wall, just a railing so we are trying to figure out how we can block that with a gate.  It's going to get interesting around here. 

Q checking out the new digs with baby brother.

Quinny is a pistol!  If that child doesn't get to spend as much time as possible outside he's bouncing off the walls.  We're so proud of his potty training.  He's done an amazing job and has very few accidents.  We still need to keep a pretty good eye on the time to remind him but we can't remember the last time he had an accident at home or school.  It's when we are somewhere else like these graduation parties or a store that we have to remember to keep an eye on him.  It's been great not changing diapers!

I'll continue with the blog.  I have a lot of stories I need to get down on paper.  Thanks to those that responded encouraging us to continue.