Love of Life: Entries

Counting by Tens to 1 Million

2021-07-17T16:40:00.003-05:00

Edit: I originally posted the RANGE function going to 1000000. Python does not include the last number (e.g., from 1 to 5 goes up to 4). The functions have been updated to use 1000001.

The other day, Astrid said she could count to 1 million by tens. She started off and got to 100, but then skipped up to 200. When she got to 1,000, she started going by thousands. Then she needed help. I told her she wasn't counting by tens any more, and that it would take a really long time to get to 1 million counting by tens.

Today, Astrid and I sat down and wrote a program in Python to count to 1 million by tens. Here was the first version of the program:

for i in range(0, 1000001, 10):
print(str(i))

This program sets up a variable named 'i' and executes a loop for every value between 0 (first argument to RANGE()) and 1000001 (second argument, which is not included, so we have to go past our target) by 10 (third argument). Then it prints the number after converting it to characters (STR() function), like the text you're reading now.

Python was so fast that the numbers just rushed by in a blur on the screen. It didn't give us a good sense of the size of this task. For our next attempt, we decided to write it to a file. Here's the new program:

with open('numbers.txt', 'w') as f:
for i in range(0, 1000001, 10):
f.write(str(i) + '\n')

This program sets up a file first, named numbers.txt, with write ('w') access, and names it 'f'. Then it repeats the same process as in the first program, but instead of printing the number, it writes it to the file (f.write() function / method). So that the file is readable, we have to append (+) a line ending ('\n', what is inserted when you hit ENTER on a keyboard).

Below is a sample of the output.

# Output:
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
...
999900
999910
999920
999930
999940
999950
999960
999970
999980
999990
1000000

Finally, we wanted to get an estimate of how long this would take to read. At first, we just opened the file and scrolled through it. However, it was so big that the scroll bar on the right of the text editor program barely moved! So then we thought maybe we'd see how many pages it would be if we printed it.

That's where the computer started to have trouble! It said it was working on the print preview for a while. I opened the task manager and showed Astrid the "workers" - CPUs - on the computer (4), and how the chart showed a lot of work was going on when the line was drawn toward the top. It appeared like the CPUs were "getting tired" and telling another CPU to help out, one at a time. Kind of strange!

We also looked at the computer's "work table" - RAM - and how if the line was toward the top, it was taking up a lot of room to do the work. Working on the print preview did not take up any space on the work table, though, so it was flat at the bottom.

After waiting for a bit, we decided that this seemed like too much work to ask the computer, so we cancelled the print preview. I guessed that the number of pages would be like a thick book. At that point, Astrid was losing interest, so we concluded our little counting / programming play.

As I'm writing this post, I ran the print preview on a more powerful computer and got an estimate of the number of pages. 1,563!!!

P.S. I was running Python 3 on Ubuntu 20.04 GNU/Linux with the GNOME desktop.

Lost Ladybug

2021-05-17T12:40:00.000-05:00

Last week on May 11, the world lost a lovely person.

Carla (Weffenstette) Demp died from complications related to her lifelong condition, cystic fibrosis (CF).

Carla was an intelligent, beautiful, vibrant, sparkly woman.

To my children, she was "Auntie Carla". To me, she was a dear friend, a sister, a part of my family, a part of my heart and soul.

Carla loved to quote songs to express her feelings. Here's a bit of how I feel about her using words from "A Case of You" by Joni Mitchell:

Oh, you're in my blood like holy wine
You taste so bitter and so sweet
Oh, I could drink a case of you, darling

I remember that time you told me
You said, "Love is touching souls"
Surely you touched mine

I didn't have enough time with her. There weren't enough dances, enough trips to Hawai'i, enough smiles and laughter. I didn't give her enough paper flowers to get to "sixty-five roses". I didn't have enough time to talk to her, to learn more about her. I could drink a few more cases of you, darling.

I'm so thankful, though, for the time we had. My life is so much better because she was in it, and I think that's true for my family too. She brought with her other wonderful people as well: Her father, "Grandpa Bruce"; her brother Darin; her love George; and lots of friends we would have never met if not for her. We've been truly blessed she was our friend, Auntie, sister.

From a song named "Sparkle" from Your Lie In April:

All I wanted to see is your smile,
And have your beauty color my world in pastel once more
Recalling the memories that welled up inside me,
I let out my feelings, hoping they'll reach out to you far away

All I want to hear is your voice,
And have it resonate undulatingly throughout me once more
And the times we spent together,
Are all irreplaceable in my heart
I'll treasure these memories you gave me
Thank you

Today

2019-08-22T18:26:00.002-05:00

Hi here, Luca writing. Today has been boring, boring, boring. All I feel like doing is a Rubik's cube. But mom had stuff to do. #:(

Violet Evergarden

2019-08-07T13:01:00.001-05:00

Luca and I have been having a "guys night", where just him and I spend time together. Usually we play Minecraft, watch a show, play a board / card game, go out for a treat, or something like that.

For a few weeks, we've been watching Violet Evergarden, an anime about a young woman who has difficulty with emotions, both expressing and identifying. While not explicitly autistic, she does have autistic attributes, like the difficulty with emotions. So I think her struggles resonant with Luca, and it provided a good opportunity to talk about these issues while providing experience of another person with the same difficulties.

The show also provided him an opportunity to see me get emotional - many of the episodes are tear-jerkers for various reasons. At times, I noticed him looking at me to see what I was expressing. Usually young children do this to understand and model emotions, and Luca is just doing this now.

One of those moments was in the special episode ("episode 14"), where Violet is asked to write a love letter for an opera. The lyrics are very touching and remind me of people I've lost, to death and other circumstances, including our foster child. I think I might print out some of the lyrics and post it on our memorial wall. I couldn't find them online, so I thought I'd post them here. (If you haven't seen the show, I highly recommend it.)

Letter from Marietta to Modesto

Just listening quietly,
To the wind in the sky,
Together.
[But] you're no longer here with me.

But the words I've written,
Over and over,
Have flown as if they were feathers
And disappeared.

Love is always
In a sunshine-filled place
Even if I can't see you,
Can't touch you,
It's like you're by my side.

[woodwind solo]

Just softly speaking,
[The] trees in the forest
[In] the rain,
As if to cheer me up.

Walking upon
The yet damp
Ground,
A road to be.

Love is always
Like looking through clear water.
Go to accept it,
And it leaves,
Just like you.

[instrumental]

Love is always
In a sunshine-filled place.
Even if I can't see you,
Can't touch you,
It's like you're by my side.

We remember those who have left us, and cherish their memories. They are a part of us, and made us who we are.

Day

2019-08-04T16:30:00.002-05:00

Hello, Luca writing. Today I had a water balloon fight with Mom and Astrid. I also made origami roses with Dad. For nap time we all (except Dad) had to rest in Mom's room because Dad was putting up ceiling fans up.

Poor caterpillars

2019-07-25T11:55:00.002-05:00

Hello, Luca writing. Our caterpillars were doing well until one of them died. The first one to die was "Tiny". He got to attached to his leaf of old Milkweed and then died because he didn't get enough nutrients. The second to die was "Lucky". We had his leaf on an egg carton and he fell into the hole. "Lucky" was not very lucky after all. :(

Monarch Morning

2019-07-21T08:41:00.003-05:00

Saturday morning, Nana called me a little panicked. The hospice where she had been working as a gardener had instructed her to pull out all the milkweed in the gardens, as "it wasn't part of their gardening plan". (This, despite the fact that monarch butterfly habitats are already under siege on all sides) She was doing as instructed, when she found two plants, one with eggs and one with a live caterpillar on it. "I just couldn't throw him on the pile," she told me, "he deserves a chance to live." So she saved the plants, and at nine AM rushed over to my house to find a spot to plant them. The kids were elated that we were being given charge of new creatures, and I quickly googled "how to care for monarch caterpillars indoors". (Seriously, what did people do before the internet??) Mom arrived, and Luca carefully scoured the plant for any eggs, removing nasty aphids and spiders in the process. Sadly, the big caterpillar mom found that prompted all this had fallen off somewhere in transit. But we did find two new hatchlings (later named Lucky and Tiny), and we transferred to mom's mesh cat carrier. Then, as mom was literally walking over to pick up the plants for transplant, a monarch lands on the milkweed and starts laying eggs! Luca then once again went back to scour the plants for more eggs, and found at least two that the monarch had laid.

As a preschool teacher, I couldn't think of a better lesson illustrating how humans are screwing up, what we can do to fix it, and the general beauty of nature. What a magical monarch morning!

Luca and Astrid checking on Lucky and Tiny

Tiny (above), and Lucky (below)

Cat carrier/butterfly habitat!

First write

2019-07-18T16:13:00.000-05:00

Hello viewers, Luca writing today. This is the first day I have written on this blog. I will usually be writing on Thursdays and Sundays, and rarely on Saturday. Anyhow, I'll tell you about my every day life. Speaking of every day life, Mom just accidentally mailed a few Shutterfly pictures to our old house, it was a disaster.

P.S. Dad picked them up.

Family Photos 2018

2018-09-08T17:01:00.002-05:00

We have new family photos! Here are a few good ones.

We didn't get family photos last year, so it's been a while!

Astrid at 3

2018-09-06T18:47:00.001-05:00

Astrid had her 3rd birthday this year. It's amazing how she's grown!

For her birthday, we went to a farm to pet the animals and run about. Daphne and a few other friends attended. We started by visiting some goats.

Astrid saw some baby chickens and a pig.

After the farm, we went home for cake.

Great Grandpa attended, too. Jeremy is also in the pic.

Astrid is growing up so fast!

P.S. Yes, I know I'm super late posting this. It's been a busy year!

2017 in Review

2018-03-19T14:34:00.001-05:00

2017 was a quiet year on our journal. We didn't publish a lot, for a few good reasons.

I mentioned the calculus course and what happened surrounding it in another post. The course took up quite a bit of my time and required Kyra to do a lot of extra work since I was busy. Once I finished the course, I got laid off from work, so looking for a new role took up quite a bit of the summer. I've been back at work for several months now, so things have gotten back to normal.

We had a lot happen in 2017! Here are a few highlights.

Luca and Astrid Cooking

Ghibli Spirit!

Yoga Pants 1

Yoga Pants 2

Touching Organs

Cooking as a Family

Visiting Cousins

Astrid's 2-Year Birthday

At a Dance

Fireworks at Great-Grandpa Ihm's

Swimming Lessons

Bathtub Play

Goon Face

A Day with Baba

Hanger Dance

Hugs with Grandma

On the Farm

Luca in a Plane

Cousin Pile

Visit to Great Wolf

Astrid's First Day Back at Daycare

Luca turned 9 this year, but I can't find any photos of the party! We went to a Lego store, built with Legos, and had pizza.

Halloween

Lego League

Great Grandpa Visits

Birthday Present

Holiday Preparation

I posted about Christmas in another post as well - here it is.

Now that I'm caught up with 2017, I need to catch up with 2018!

Christmas 2016 and 2017

2018-01-20T17:07:00.000-06:00

I hadn't posted any Christmas pics from 2016, so I figured I'd post both and compare! First, Christmas 2016:

Here's the family in front of the tree.

And we met Santa for the first time... It didn't go too well.

Sledding out front!

Making some bread dish.

Here we get to Christmas Eve, and Astrid got many baby dolls.

Opening some more presents.

And hanging a new ornament.

Looking at presents with Megan and Jeremy (first photo of him on the journal, I think!).

On Christmas Day, I had to hold Luca back, since he was so excited.

He got a bike. Santa must have had a hard time wrapping that one!

We went to Auntie Megan's for brunch.

And read a new book after food.

We visited the family in the Twin Cities, too. What a bunch of goons: Liliana, Luca, and Dalila.

And we tried to get a shot with Nana, but the kids were just too excited to sit still for a good one. Here's the best one, at any rate.

Now, on to 2017!

Grandma and Auntie Megan made cookies with the kids.

On Christmas Eve, of course we had a goose again, and for some reason it was hard to cut this year. It took all our "man" power.

Jeremy and Megan with their gifts from us.

Astrid got a microwave, which of course got Luca's attention.

On Christmas Day, we went to Megan's again, and Great Grandpa was there too!

Everyone on the couch after eating.

We had a very short visit to MN again, but Astrid got a fever and we had to leave early. Here's one with all the kids on the couch with Auntie Sabrina.

It was a bit of a tumultuous holiday season and year, so I'm glad it is concluded. I feel like we're just getting back to normal now.

We hope you all had a Merry Christmas. Stay warm!

What a Year

2017-11-15T16:18:00.002-06:00

It's been a tough year, and we've been rather quiet on our journal. What happened?

Early this year, I decided to take a prerequisite course (Calculus III) for an master's program that I would like to apply to. It was the only requirement I didn't have. The course was online and I'm pretty good at math, so I thought it would work well. I was quite wrong - the course was simply not run well.

Just a few weeks into the course, my cousin, Alexandra, a 20-something year old college student, died as a result of complications from a collision with a car driven by a drunk driver. She is a bright, beautiful young woman and will remain so in my heart forever. She was the second cousin to die on this side, and my family was devastated. It affected me more deeply than I imagined.

I was not close to Alexandra or her family, but she meant a lot to me anyway. I remember when she was born, holding her as a baby, and watching her grow over the years. Granted I was a kid for most of that time, too, but I really felt quite fond of my young cousins. For about 2 weeks after her death, I had bouts of despair where I just cried until I ran out of tears. I still think about her quite often.

Begrudgingly, I started the course again. I had all sorts of issues. The mentor was behind on grading, the content was not up-to-date and sometimes incorrect, and it was tough to learn the material. I had a lot of review and catch-up to do, and all told it disrupted our family life quite a bit. Kyra had to do a lot more work around the house and with the kids.

I completed the course and thankfully got an A+. Shortly after, I submitted the paperwork to get reimbursed for the course by my employer. About two weeks after that, I got a strange meeting invitation from my boss. I asked what it was about, and got a vague response. I found out at the meeting I was getting laid off, along with several other coworkers. Fortunately, I would still get reimbursed for the course, and they offered a very generous severance package.

Obviously, this was rather awful news, especially since I had already sapped a lot of time and energy out of our family by taking that course. Now I had to drop everything and look for work. Fortunately, I was able to find work as a consultant rather quickly. It didn't provide (reasonably priced) benefits, so I continued to look for full-time work.

However, I needed a new car since we got rid of mine as I was working at home. Well the first car turned out to be a lemon. I had to work out returning it, getting my money back, and finding a new car all on a work day. What a hassle - I just didn't need any more stress at the time.

Eventually I landed a new, full-time role. Luckily, it's a work-at-home role as well, so I was all ready to go. I took a couple of weeks off and started working. Shortly into the new role, I heard some more bad news - my grandma died.

Grandma Jeraldine always had a bright smile whenever I saw her. She had multiple sclerosis (MS) for a very long time, and most of the time I knew her, she was confined to a wheel chair. Yet still, she had this magnificent smile for anyone who visited. She never seemed depressed to me, although I imagine she must have been at least some of the time. Despite it all, she just glowed when you saw her.

She had been in hospice for quite some time, and it appears she may have just fallen ill with a cold or something minor to anyone else. She had 7 children, 12 grandchildren, and 11 great-grandchildren, and 1 hell of a husband - Grandpa Robert.

Grandpa Robert is quite a man. He is a dedicated husband with amazing strength, a great sense of humor, and an abundance of love. It's been a hard year for him, losing a second grandchild and wife. Through it all, he's been a role model of love and compassion.

On top of all this, my aunt Cindy has been struggling with a recurrence in the cancer she had years ago. She's a strong, amazing woman, too. She has this quiet strength like Grandpa. We were both sick at the same time when I was a kid, and I always felt like we were war buddies. We made it through our diseases together. Last time I saw her, I told her she had to come to our anniversary party and Megan's wedding. She promised she would be there.

What a year. I'm exhausted just thinking about it again!

So far, 2017 has only had a few redeeming qualities:

I have a new nephew!
Our dear friend Carla got new lungs and is doing rather well!
My immediate family is healthy and doing well at school/work

Kyra decided to go back to work at her prior preschool, and Astrid has a spot in one of the classes there, too. They both have adjusted very well. Luca continues to do well at school and is improving in social areas. I'm at work again, and our daily life is more-or-less back to normal. Thanksgiving is almost upon us, and despite all that 2017 has thrown at us, there's a lot to be thankful for.

Even so, I sure hope 2018 is better. We've got our 10-year anniversary to celebrate, after all!

Welcome Miller!

2017-09-24T19:27:00.001-05:00

Miller Kenneth was born over the weekend to Ken and Joana.

Welcome Miller, and congratulations Ken, Joana, and Luma!

A picture is worth...

2017-05-24T01:00:00.000-05:00

My darling Chris, words could never express how much I love you, or how important you have been in my life over the past nine years. I hope that instead these few pictures can say what I am unable to.

Dating

Engagement

Wedding

1st Anniversary

2nd Anniversary

3rd Anniversary

4th Anniversary

5th Anniversary

6th Anniversary

7th Anniversary

8th Anniversary

9th Anniversary

All my love darling, for now and so many more years to come.

Kyra

Our Baby is Two

2017-05-01T20:59:00.001-05:00

The other day, Astrid turned 2.

Here she is reveling in all the birthday attention.

She's done a lot of growing over the past year, but she still has that same goofy smile!

She was so little!

She's always had beautiful bright blue eyes.

She loves being outside.

And she loves to dress up and be goofy.

I think she has paint on her face.

OGA!

Oh, that cheesy grin!

She can be quite sensitive.

And she always loves to read.

Happy Birthday, Sunshine!

I love you!

Father-Son Day

2017-03-06T13:45:00.002-06:00

Back in November last year, Luca had a day off, so I took the day off to spend it with him. We didn't do too much, but it was a good day.

We decided to start the day by going on a hike at a park in Middleton. It's just outside of town, and there was a large hill to climb. Luca is a very physical kid, so he was excited about it. Additionally, I figured he would sleep better if we burned some energy.

We arrived and started hiking toward the big hill. It was a quite a way from the parking lot we selected, but it was rather nice so it was worth the walk.

Once we got to the top of the hill, we read some signs and found out that there are Native American burial mounds around and on the hill. It seemed like they were working on clearing the brush from some of them, so we found a couple and walked around them.

We started heading down the other side of the hill, but found that a neighboring pig farm was rather stinky, so we decided to head back to the car. It would be about lunch time anyway by the time we got back. Back on top, I snapped a few pics:

Here you can see the river running by the park.

I was hoping to go to a certain cafe for lunch, but it had closed down. So we went to Hubbard's, and we had lunch at the counter. It's kind of odd eating with Luca at the counter - not sure why. We had pie and had a good conversation.

Then it was off to home for a nap. After that, we played Minecraft for an hour or two - why not? It's a day off - take a break!

Then it was back to the usual routine of dinner, family time, and bedtime.

Overall it was a good day. Thanks for sharing it with me, Luca!

Growing Up Fast in 2016, Part 3

2016-11-20T10:00:00.000-06:00

Here's the final set of photos featuring Astrid's growth, from July and August.

Part 1
Part 2

Here's another from Olbrich, in the flowers.

Spaceman Spiff (with a dress)!

Nana with the kids at the bears at Olbrich.

Again with the skirt and one of her favorite things: a book.

We went to the Renaissance Fair in Bristol. I should write about that, too.

Astrid was a fairy, of course, and Luca was a goblin or orc. Kyra was beautiful, and I was weird. As usual.

Here's Astrid reading. Poor baby doll, getting left on the window sill like that.

And here she is outside enjoying the warm, late summer weather.

I haven't had a chance to review photos from September to now. I feel like she's come to a milestone, and is really growing taller for the most part. Her face hasn't changed quite as much since the last photo her, other than her hair getting a lot longer.

I know 2016 was tough for a lot of people, but these last few posts show that there were good things going on, you just have to look in the right place. I'll (try to) remember 2016 as a good year of growth for our kids, Astrid especially.

Growing Up Fast in 2016, Part 2

2016-11-19T10:00:00.000-06:00

Continuing on from the last post, here are some photos from May and June in 2016.

Growing up in Olbrich, with those beautiful white flowers in the trees.

with Luca and Mama.

Some good reading time with "Cuca"... with a classic Astrid "smile".

Dirt baby.

We were moving dirt, and just couldn't keep her out of it.

And here are Luca and Astrid taking care of the baby (doll).

A pic from Father-Daughter Day. We're in the back of the car, of all places. I think I was getting something, and she wanted to get in.

And another with Luca while at Nana's.

She's definitely getting taller, and her face is changing.

Stay tuned for one more set of photos!

Growing Up Fast in 2016, Part 1

2016-11-18T11:05:00.005-06:00

Astrid grew up quite a bit in 2016. Over the next couple of days, I'm going to write a few posts about her growth.

Eating some yogurt.

Crafting with ribbon paper.

Playing in the old tires.

Walking outside with the blue elephant.

In pajamas on the couch.

With Grandma Teresa on Astrid's birthday!

First birthday cake!

Having fun at the party!

These photos are from March to April, and she grew so much just in 1 month! Getting to 1 year old really was a big difference.

More to come!

We Haz Cat

2016-10-31T10:50:00.002-05:00

A couple of months ago, we got a new cat.

We named her Renee.

Initially, we had some problems. She was having digestive problems, and we really didn't want to deal with another sick cat. But they went away once she got use to the new place. Additionally, I thought I had developed an allergy. I was sneezing and my eyes were red. That resolved, too, after we changed the litter and set up an air purifier.

Now, she's a part of the family. Astrid can't pronounce Renee, so she calls her Nee-Nee (nay-nay). Renee is a bit skittish, preferring to be around people who aren't overly excited. She flees whenever she feels the energy is too much. She's a big whiner when it comes to meal time. She's very snuggly, especially in the evening.

Welcome to the family!

My Own Prairie Home

2016-09-03T20:32:00.000-05:00

Tonight I listened with no small amount of sadness to Garrison Keillor's last live radio broadcast with A Prairie Home Companion. The show and its iconic host, with his characters of Guy Noir and The Cowboys, the Powdermilk Biscuit theme and the news from Lake Wobegon has been a part of my weekend routine for years, and have come to represent a portion of my childhood, one that now, with Keillor's departure, seems well and truly over.

This all sounds a bit strange considering that I'm a relatively new listener. I really only started tuning in after Luca was born, needing something to listen to while I nursed him and tried desperately to get him to sleep. I do remember my mother listening on occasion growing up, or making vague references to it, but I really started listening as an adult.

The thing is, all the things I grew up with are what I hear when I listen to Garrison and his strange meandering monologues. My Lake Wobegon was Roseville, Minnesota, where my mother was born and raised, and was filled with stories of Ms. Clackston, who dressed in purple right down to her tights and pearls, and her son Rodger, who my mom smacked in the mouth with a metal lunch box that got stuck in his braces. (She always ends that story with "And he went on to become a minister". I think she feels a little guilt to this day.) There was the story of my Grandmother, who hit a stranger's child over the head with a hymnal for talking in church, and how my mother saved my uncles from only time my Grandfather threated them with corporal punishment for shoving her off her bike.

My childhood was peppered by that strange wonderful Minnesotan dialect, courtesy of my Grandmother. "Hot dish" was served regularly. "Garage" had one syllable, "Battery" had two. Sentences started with "so" and ended with either "then" or "yeah, right, exactly..." The character of Duane's mom puts me in mind of a composite of both my mother and grandmother. And when my mom played a tape of my Grandfather talking to me as a toddler, it was in a nearly identical cadence to what I have heard coming from my radio every Saturday night.

I think that is what touches me most about this last Prairie Home. Listening to Prairie Home each week kept me in touch with the childhood I was rapidly losing. Both my Grandparents are gone now. My mother, gray hair and all, is a grandmother herself. But there was still a part of me that wasn't quite ready to accept the reality of being an adult, despite two kids, a husband and a mortgage. And Prairie Home spoke directly to that part of me. For the space of two short hours, my childhood was real again. I guess that's what his last show means to me. My childhood has faded to memories, and at last, at 31, I feel like an adult.

Goodbye Garrison, I will miss your voice on my radio each week. Thank you for helping usher me into adulthood.

New Family Photos

2016-08-25T13:24:00.001-05:00

We recently took some new family photos. Here are a few highlights:

These were taken at Pope Farm Conservancy just outside of Madison, WI in June 2016.

Father-Daughter Day

2016-07-10T08:43:00.003-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, Nana and Ave decided to rent a camper and go on a camping trip with Liliana and Dalila. On the first day, they arrived at Devil's Lake, and we went up to meet them, play at the beach, and have dinner.

Kyra decided to stay with them that evening, along with Luca. Since Astrid is still so young, we decided that I would bring her home so she could sleep in her crib. The following day would just be me and Astrid. But father-daughter day really started on the drive home.

Usually Astrid falls asleep in moderate-to-long car rides, but on the way home I decided I was still a bit hungry, so I stopped at a restaurant and ordered a chicken sandwich. While we were waiting, Astrid and I played in the car, with me reaching back to grab her hand and make funny noises at each other.

When we got back home, it was late and past Astrid's bedtime. I had showered her at the park so I could just put her to bed, but since she was still rather awake, we snuggled for a bit before bedtime.

Astrid has been teething lately, and I might have forgotten to give her medicine before bed. She woke up at midnight, probably with tooth pain. I ended up pulling her into bed with me since I was too tired to lean over the crib and get her back to sleep. She fell asleep as we snuggled, but I couldn't get to sleep. I was too worried I would roll over her in the middle of the night, so I put her back in her crib.

Of course, when we woke up that morning, I was still too tired, so I brought her back to bed again and we snuggled and chatted about the ceiling fan. (Kyra says Astrid thinks the fan is waving at her.) She's making all these funny noises now - not quite words, but she's trying.

After a morning of playing and reading, we went to visit the principal at Luca's school (Huegel Elementary). She's leaving for a new job in the southwest, and she was a really great principal. I wanted to say goodbye, and let her see Astrid one more time. During the school year, I would watch the kids in the mornings, and she was often out there too. During the warm spring weather, I would bring Astrid on occasion. Grandpa Bill was at school that day, too, cleaning up the school after Luca (and his classmates, I suppose). We had a good talk and headed home.

When we got back home, we decided to play ball in the front yard. Astrid took this little blue basketball and dropped it at the top of the driveway. It would roll down and I would catch it and bounce it back at her. A simple game, but she got a kick out of it.

During lunch, Astrid was being goofy and had food all over her hands. She started clapping for some reason, so I started clapping with her, and I tried to get her to do a clapping game. She thought it was hilarious. Once we cleaned up, it was time for more reading before naptime.

After nap, everyone else was scheduled to come back to our place. So ended a father-daughter day. I'll remember the laughter, playing in the car, snuggling, and clapping with food all over our hands.

Christening

2016-05-29T08:13:00.000-05:00

We were in the car on the way to lunch talking about spelling. We started spelling names when we realized Luca didn't know how to spell his middle name. Granted, there isn't really a need for him to write it much, although he hears it often enough (I almost always refer to him by his full name, Luca Theodore). But typical of a seven year old, he hated the fact he didn't know something, so rather than try to learn the spelling, he decided to reject the name outright.

"Why did you name me Theodore?! I don't like it!"

"Hey!" I replied, "I wanted your first name to be Theodore."

"Mom, you wanted to name me after a chipmunk?"

Chris snickered. "I'm glad you recognize that, Luca." He wasn't a huge fan of the name either. It was more of a concession to me, really.

Luca went silent for a minute, then out of the blue said, "Mom, you should have named me 'Calvin Alvin'."

"Why? Do you like those names?"

"Well, its just a little bit of me is Calvin, and a little bit of me is Alvin."

I started to laugh immediately, but it took Chris a minute to get it. "Oh, you mean your personality is a little bit Calvin, and a little bit Alvin?"

"Yeah, that's what I mean."

"Why do you say that, Luca?"

"Well, Alvin gets yelled at a lot, and Calvin has some really dumb ideas."

There are moments when children can have great insights. Really, really funny insights.