An audio conversation with Amani as our action-packed, information pills recipe father/son weekend kicked off in grand fashion on Friday night (Stella has taken Viola to Dallas for a dance conference).

Among our discussion topics:

• Amani’s Doodlebug T-shirt (that’s what he’s sporting in the photo above)
• Amani’s books
• The excitement around our weekend “hang” time.

An audio conversation with Amani as our action-packed, pills father/son weekend kicked off in grand fashion on Friday night (Stella has taken Viola to Dallas for a dance conference).

Among our discussion topics:

• Amani’s Doodlebug T-shirt (that’s what he’s sporting in the photo above)
• Amani’s books
• The excitement around our weekend “hang” time

An audio conversation with Amani as our action-packed, pill father/son weekend kicked off in grand fashion on Friday night (Stella has taken Viola to Dallas for a dance conference).

Among our discussion topics:

• Amani’s Doodlebug T-shirt (that’s what he’s sporting in the photo above)
• Amani’s books
• The excitement around our weekend “hang” time.

sick on Flickr” href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/bryanperson/7876077508/”>

Amani’s first day of kindergarten seems like a good an occasion as any to rouse this blog from its extended slumber.

The photo above was snapped in our backyard about 7:15 this morning, anabolics just before Stella and I drove Amani to school.

A few notes from today:

• Getting Amani to school at 7:30 every day will mean starting his whole morning routine an hour earlier than we have been (his start times at preschool and camp over the last year were 8:30).  All things considered, this morning’s first attempt with the new schedule went well!
• Amani was sporting a brand-new Super Mario backpack for the occasion (this shot offers a better view). It was was extra heavy, because it contained all of the supplies (glue, markers, scissors, folders, pencils, notebooks) that the school had asked us to buy. In spite of the extra weight, Amani insisted on carrying the backpack himself!
• It was quite the scene walking into the school with eager kids and parents trying to find their way around. Once inside the classroom — just like with the backpack — Amani wanted to unload all of the supplies on his own. We had just a few hectic minutes to help him get organized, before the principal’s voice boomed over the loudspeaker with a welcome message, marking our time to go.
• We picked up only bits and pieces of how Amani spent his actual day. He did say his new teacher was “great,” but noted that some of the first graders were trying to bully him in the playground.  The teacher also called me late this afternoon to say that Amani had had some behavioral issue in the first half of the day, but that he improved after lunch.
• I published a photoset from Amani’s big morning.

All in all, an exciting day, perhaps as much for the parents (many of them, like me, with cameras in hand to document the milestones) as for their children.

I can’t wait to see how much Amani will learn and grow over the coming year, and I plan to chime in with some of tales of his progress right here on this blog.

An audio conversation with Amani as our action-packed, information pills recipe father/son weekend kicked off in grand fashion on Friday night (Stella has taken Viola to Dallas for a dance conference).

Among our discussion topics:

• Amani’s Doodlebug T-shirt (that’s what he’s sporting in the photo above)
• Amani’s books
• The excitement around our weekend “hang” time.

Grand procession at First Night Austin from Bryan Person on Vimeo.

Some quick takes from the First Night Austin activities, view which Stella, erectile Amani, and I ventured into town for on New Year’s Eve:

* We were chilly! Temps were in low 60s when we arrived and low 50s by the time we left a couple of hours later, but the high winds made it feel much cooler. As you can see in the photo above from the 1st Street Bridge, Amani was all bundled up.

* We were early! We’re hanging out along Auditorium Shores at sunset in the picture above, but most of the action hadn’t yet started while we were there. Things felt slow.

* We have a stubborn little boy. Amani insisted on pushing his own carriage around, including back across the 1st Street Bridge, uphill. A few oncoming passersby were startled to see what appeared to be an unmanned carriage moving toward them, but their expressions softened once they caught wind of the 3-year-old at the controls! They were clearly impressed (as were we, of course).

* The official “grand procession” along W. Caesar Chavez St. that we took in just before heading home certainly reinforced our city’s “Keep Austin Weird” slogan. Mixed among the marching church groups and local nonprofits were ragtag musicians, a unicyclist, an insect-like accordion vehicle of some kind, and other assorted colorful characters.  The video clip I’ve posted just above doesn’t capture much of the weirdness, but these three photos from the Austin Statesman certainly do!

Final verdict? We probably won’t be regular First Nighters in the coming years, but glad we checked it out this time!

Here Amani is testing out the bike for the first time:

Amani’s always been very good at saying the names of animals, discount and shouting out the sounds they make. We read animal-type books to him regularly, ed and his grandmother did the same, too, when we were still in Boston.

In the audio file at the top of this post (click the play above  to listen, or download the file to your desktop), you’ll hear Amani identifying the animals shown in the photo just above, and then adding the corresponding animal sound.

The recording was done from the Cedar Park (TX) Public Library, where Amani and I were hanging out this morning. The library holds a story-time session at 10:00am every Saturday. Also, after some stories and a few songs (most of which he knew), Amani colored in a mask and then donned it for the camera.

Amani’s always been very good at saying the names of animals, page and shouting out the sounds they make. We read animal-type books to him regularly, generic and his grandmother did the same, look too, when we were still in Boston.

In the audio file at the top of this post (click the play above  to listen, or download the file to your desktop), you’ll hear Amani identifying the animals shown in the photo just above, and then adding the corresponding animal sound.

The recording was done from the Cedar Park (TX) Public Library, where Amani and I were hanging out this morning. The library holds a story-time session at 10:00am every Saturday. Also, after some stories and a few songs (most of which he knew), Amani colored in a mask and then donned it for the camera.

For the second straight year, prescription we took in a lovely Christmas Eve service at our church, Hill Country Bible Church Northwest. 

There’s no childcare provided on Christmas Eve, so we were treated with Amani’s presence, too! The snow at the end of the service brought a big smile to his face.

Christmas Eve 2009 at HCBC NW from Bryan Person on Vimeo.

For the second straight year, erectile we took in a lovely Christmas Eve service at our church, Hill Country Bible Church Northwest. 

There’s no childcare provided on Christmas Eve, so we were treated with Amani’s presence, too! The snow at the end of the service brought a big smile to his face.

Christmas Eve 2009 at HCBC NW from Bryan Person on Vimeo.

For the second straight year, herpes we took in a lovely Christmas Eve service at our church, diagnosis Hill Country Bible Church Northwest. 

There’s no childcare provided on Christmas Eve, adiposity so we were treated with Amani’s presence, too! The snow at the end of the service brought a big smile to his face.

Christmas Eve 2009 at HCBC NW from Bryan Person on Vimeo.

Will the new year, seek and new decade, viagra quickly bring about a potty-trained Amani?

That’s certainly what we’re thinking–and hoping–after today’s exciting developments.

While out for a late lunch/early dinner at Texas Land & Cattle Steak House, viagra Amani twice asked us to take him to the bathroom. Now in both instances, he’d already done the deed, but this was, undeniably, progress. With a little more encouragement, he’ll soon be asking to go to the potty ahead of time!

A big-time step forward on New Year’s Day.
Will the new year, dentist and new decade, injection quickly bring about a potty-trained Amani?

That’s certainly what we’re thinking–and hoping–after today’s exciting developments.

While out for a late lunch/early dinner at Texas Land & Cattle Steak House today, Amani twice asked us to take him to the bathroom. Now in both instances, he’d already done the deed, but this was, undeniably, progress. With a little more encouragement, he’ll soon be asking us to go the potty ahead of time!

Exciting stuff on New Year’s Day!
Will the new year, nurse and new decade, quickly bring about a potty-trained Amani?

That’s certainly what we’re thinking–and hoping–after today’s exciting developments.

While out for a late lunch/early dinner at Texas Land & Cattle Steak House today, Amani twice asked us to take him to the bathroom. Now in both instances, he’d already done the deed, but this was, undeniably, progress. With a little more encouragement, he’ll soon be asking to go to the potty ahead of time!

A big-time step forward on New Year’s Day.
here on Flickr” href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/bryanperson/4238984861/”>

Had plenty of fun playing with Amani today, and this audio conversation from the late afternoon (click above to listen or download; note: quality is a little funky) captures some of the highlights. Among them:

* Amani talks about his goggles and other toys he’s playing with.

* Amani explains why he wasn’t happy when he woke up from his nap.

* Amani and I recount part of a story we made up earlier in the day using the picture cards that Grandma and Grandpa sent him as a Christmas gift.

* We take turns asking each other to name “tres cosas” (three things) that we like in the room.  (This is a little game I started with Amani about a week ago.)

Here Amani is testing out the bike for the first time:

Amani’s always been very good at saying the names of animals, discount and shouting out the sounds they make. We read animal-type books to him regularly, ed and his grandmother did the same, too, when we were still in Boston.

In the audio file at the top of this post (click the play above  to listen, or download the file to your desktop), you’ll hear Amani identifying the animals shown in the photo just above, and then adding the corresponding animal sound.

The recording was done from the Cedar Park (TX) Public Library, where Amani and I were hanging out this morning. The library holds a story-time session at 10:00am every Saturday. Also, after some stories and a few songs (most of which he knew), Amani colored in a mask and then donned it for the camera.

Amani’s always been very good at saying the names of animals, page and shouting out the sounds they make. We read animal-type books to him regularly, generic and his grandmother did the same, look too, when we were still in Boston.

In the audio file at the top of this post (click the play above  to listen, or download the file to your desktop), you’ll hear Amani identifying the animals shown in the photo just above, and then adding the corresponding animal sound.

The recording was done from the Cedar Park (TX) Public Library, where Amani and I were hanging out this morning. The library holds a story-time session at 10:00am every Saturday. Also, after some stories and a few songs (most of which he knew), Amani colored in a mask and then donned it for the camera.

For the second straight year, prescription we took in a lovely Christmas Eve service at our church, Hill Country Bible Church Northwest. 

There’s no childcare provided on Christmas Eve, so we were treated with Amani’s presence, too! The snow at the end of the service brought a big smile to his face.

Christmas Eve 2009 at HCBC NW from Bryan Person on Vimeo.

For the second straight year, erectile we took in a lovely Christmas Eve service at our church, Hill Country Bible Church Northwest. 

There’s no childcare provided on Christmas Eve, so we were treated with Amani’s presence, too! The snow at the end of the service brought a big smile to his face.

Christmas Eve 2009 at HCBC NW from Bryan Person on Vimeo.

For the second straight year, herpes we took in a lovely Christmas Eve service at our church, diagnosis Hill Country Bible Church Northwest. 

There’s no childcare provided on Christmas Eve, adiposity so we were treated with Amani’s presence, too! The snow at the end of the service brought a big smile to his face.

Christmas Eve 2009 at HCBC NW from Bryan Person on Vimeo.

Will the new year, seek and new decade, viagra quickly bring about a potty-trained Amani?

That’s certainly what we’re thinking–and hoping–after today’s exciting developments.

While out for a late lunch/early dinner at Texas Land & Cattle Steak House, viagra Amani twice asked us to take him to the bathroom. Now in both instances, he’d already done the deed, but this was, undeniably, progress. With a little more encouragement, he’ll soon be asking to go to the potty ahead of time!

A big-time step forward on New Year’s Day.

Here Amani is testing out the bike for the first time:

Amani’s always been very good at saying the names of animals, discount and shouting out the sounds they make. We read animal-type books to him regularly, ed and his grandmother did the same, too, when we were still in Boston.

In the audio file at the top of this post (click the play above  to listen, or download the file to your desktop), you’ll hear Amani identifying the animals shown in the photo just above, and then adding the corresponding animal sound.

The recording was done from the Cedar Park (TX) Public Library, where Amani and I were hanging out this morning. The library holds a story-time session at 10:00am every Saturday. Also, after some stories and a few songs (most of which he knew), Amani colored in a mask and then donned it for the camera.

Amani’s always been very good at saying the names of animals, page and shouting out the sounds they make. We read animal-type books to him regularly, generic and his grandmother did the same, look too, when we were still in Boston.

In the audio file at the top of this post (click the play above  to listen, or download the file to your desktop), you’ll hear Amani identifying the animals shown in the photo just above, and then adding the corresponding animal sound.

The recording was done from the Cedar Park (TX) Public Library, where Amani and I were hanging out this morning. The library holds a story-time session at 10:00am every Saturday. Also, after some stories and a few songs (most of which he knew), Amani colored in a mask and then donned it for the camera.

For the second straight year, prescription we took in a lovely Christmas Eve service at our church, Hill Country Bible Church Northwest. 

There’s no childcare provided on Christmas Eve, so we were treated with Amani’s presence, too! The snow at the end of the service brought a big smile to his face.

Christmas Eve 2009 at HCBC NW from Bryan Person on Vimeo.

In a fun conversation with Amani on Monday morning, medical we kick around a number of topics. Among them:

* Jesus’ birthday

* His moment of hoops glory at the park

* His new favorite dinosaur shirt

* All his trucks

To listen to our talk, click the play button below. 

In a fun conversation with Amani from earlier this week (Monday, ambulance December 21), check we kick around a number of topics. Among them:

* Jesus’ birthday

* His moment of hoops glory at the park

* His new favorite dinosaur shirt

* All his trucks

To listen to our talk, click the play button below. 

In a fun conversation with Amani from earlier this week (Monday, recipe December 21), generic we kick around a number of topics. Among them:

* Jesus’ birthday

* His moment of hoops glory at the park

* His new favorite dinosaur shirt

* All his trucks

To listen to our talk, click the play button below. 

Amani still doesn’t warn us when he needs to use the potty, sick but that doesn’t stop him from speaking about “pee-pee” and “poo-poo”–along with other, psychotherapist creative scatological variations–on a regular basis (Stella tells me this is normal for kids his age).

In fact, “Poo-Poo Butt” is one of his favorite nicknames for me these days. I, in turn, call him “Doodle Bug.”

I talk to Stella about the new bike she bought for Amani today. Click the play button above to listen.

Here Amani is testing out the bike for the first time:

One of the ways I try to help Amani remember stay connected to his family in Boston and Kenya is by by asking him where they are.

Click on the play button above to listen to us play the “Where Is … ?” game. I mostly use the Spanish equivalent, recuperation
“¿Dónde está … ?
… ?”

Recorded on January 18, 2009, while pushing Amani along in his new bike in our kitchen.

store the pirate” />

Take a listen to Amani celebrating the start of 2009 … as a pirate! (click the play button above)

More New Year’s Eve 2008-2009 photos

We’re sporting the colorful hats sent to us from Carole Sartor. Traditionally, this we would open the “crackers” (containing the hats, a bad joke on a slip of paper, and a small, plastic toy) at her house on Christmas Eve. Now that we’re down in Austin, we decided to do things a bit differently.

All images from my Flickr photo stream.

store the pirate” />

Take a listen to Amani celebrating the start of 2009 … as a pirate! (click the play button above)

More New Year’s Eve 2008-2009 photos

We’re sporting the colorful hats sent to us from Carole Sartor. Traditionally, this we would open the “crackers” (containing the hats, a bad joke on a slip of paper, and a small, plastic toy) at her house on Christmas Eve. Now that we’re down in Austin, we decided to do things a bit differently.

All images from my Flickr photo stream.

One of the ways I try to help Amani remember stay connected to his family in Boston and Kenya is by by asking him where they are.

Click on the play button above to listen to us play the “Where Is … ?” game. I mostly use the Spanish equivalent, doctor
“¿Dónde está … ?
… ?”

Recorded on January 18, 2009, while pushing Amani along in his new bike in our kitchen.

store the pirate” />

Take a listen to Amani celebrating the start of 2009 … as a pirate! (click the play button above)

More New Year’s Eve 2008-2009 photos

We’re sporting the colorful hats sent to us from Carole Sartor. Traditionally, this we would open the “crackers” (containing the hats, a bad joke on a slip of paper, and a small, plastic toy) at her house on Christmas Eve. Now that we’re down in Austin, we decided to do things a bit differently.

All images from my Flickr photo stream.

One of the ways I try to help Amani remember stay connected to his family in Boston and Kenya is by by asking him where they are.

Click on the play button above to listen to us play the “Where Is … ?” game. I mostly use the Spanish equivalent, doctor
“¿Dónde está … ?
… ?”

Recorded on January 18, 2009, while pushing Amani along in his new bike in our kitchen.

One of the ways I try to help Amani remember stay connected to his family in Boston and Kenya is by by asking him where they are.

Click on the play button above to listen to us play the “Where Is … ?” game. I mostly use the Spanish equivalent, pathopsychology
“¿Dónde está … ?
… ?”

Recorded on January 18, 2009, while pushing Amani along in his new bike in our kitchen.

store the pirate” />

Take a listen to Amani celebrating the start of 2009 … as a pirate! (click the play button above)

More New Year’s Eve 2008-2009 photos

We’re sporting the colorful hats sent to us from Carole Sartor. Traditionally, this we would open the “crackers” (containing the hats, a bad joke on a slip of paper, and a small, plastic toy) at her house on Christmas Eve. Now that we’re down in Austin, we decided to do things a bit differently.

All images from my Flickr photo stream.

One of the ways I try to help Amani remember stay connected to his family in Boston and Kenya is by by asking him where they are.

Click on the play button above to listen to us play the “Where Is … ?” game. I mostly use the Spanish equivalent, doctor
“¿Dónde está … ?
… ?”

Recorded on January 18, 2009, while pushing Amani along in his new bike in our kitchen.

One of the ways I try to help Amani remember stay connected to his family in Boston and Kenya is by by asking him where they are.

Click on the play button above to listen to us play the “Where Is … ?” game. I mostly use the Spanish equivalent, pathopsychology
“¿Dónde está … ?
… ?”

Recorded on January 18, 2009, while pushing Amani along in his new bike in our kitchen.

One of the ways I try to help Amani remember stay connected to his family in Boston and Kenya is by by asking him where they are.

Click on the play button above to listen to us play the “Where Is … ?” game. I mostly use the Spanish equivalent, Breast
“¿Dónde está … ?
… ?”

Recorded on January 18, sick
2009, while pushing Amani along in his new bike in our kitchen.
store the pirate” />

Take a listen to Amani celebrating the start of 2009 … as a pirate! (click the play button above)

More New Year’s Eve 2008-2009 photos

We’re sporting the colorful hats sent to us from Carole Sartor. Traditionally, this we would open the “crackers” (containing the hats, a bad joke on a slip of paper, and a small, plastic toy) at her house on Christmas Eve. Now that we’re down in Austin, we decided to do things a bit differently.

All images from my Flickr photo stream.

One of the ways I try to help Amani remember stay connected to his family in Boston and Kenya is by by asking him where they are.

Click on the play button above to listen to us play the “Where Is … ?” game. I mostly use the Spanish equivalent, doctor
“¿Dónde está … ?
… ?”

Recorded on January 18, 2009, while pushing Amani along in his new bike in our kitchen.

One of the ways I try to help Amani remember stay connected to his family in Boston and Kenya is by by asking him where they are.

Click on the play button above to listen to us play the “Where Is … ?” game. I mostly use the Spanish equivalent, pathopsychology
“¿Dónde está … ?
… ?”

Recorded on January 18, 2009, while pushing Amani along in his new bike in our kitchen.

One of the ways I try to help Amani remember stay connected to his family in Boston and Kenya is by by asking him where they are.

Click on the play button above to listen to us play the “Where Is … ?” game. I mostly use the Spanish equivalent, Breast
“¿Dónde está … ?
… ?”

Recorded on January 18, sick
2009, while pushing Amani along in his new bike in our kitchen.
One of the ways I try to help Amani remember stay connected to his family in Boston and Kenya is by by asking him where they are.

Click on the play button above to listen to us play the “Where Is … ?” game. I mostly use the Spanish equivalent, dosage
“¿Dónde está … ?
… ?”

Recorded on January 18, prosthesis
2009, while pushing Amani along in his new bike in our kitchen.
store the pirate” />

Take a listen to Amani celebrating the start of 2009 … as a pirate! (click the play button above)

More New Year’s Eve 2008-2009 photos

We’re sporting the colorful hats sent to us from Carole Sartor. Traditionally, this we would open the “crackers” (containing the hats, a bad joke on a slip of paper, and a small, plastic toy) at her house on Christmas Eve. Now that we’re down in Austin, we decided to do things a bit differently.

All images from my Flickr photo stream.

One of the ways I try to help Amani remember stay connected to his family in Boston and Kenya is by by asking him where they are.

Click on the play button above to listen to us play the “Where Is … ?” game. I mostly use the Spanish equivalent, doctor
“¿Dónde está … ?
… ?”

Recorded on January 18, 2009, while pushing Amani along in his new bike in our kitchen.

One of the ways I try to help Amani remember stay connected to his family in Boston and Kenya is by by asking him where they are.

Click on the play button above to listen to us play the “Where Is … ?” game. I mostly use the Spanish equivalent, pathopsychology
“¿Dónde está … ?
… ?”

Recorded on January 18, 2009, while pushing Amani along in his new bike in our kitchen.

One of the ways I try to help Amani remember stay connected to his family in Boston and Kenya is by by asking him where they are.

Click on the play button above to listen to us play the “Where Is … ?” game. I mostly use the Spanish equivalent, Breast
“¿Dónde está … ?
… ?”

Recorded on January 18, sick
2009, while pushing Amani along in his new bike in our kitchen.
One of the ways I try to help Amani remember stay connected to his family in Boston and Kenya is by by asking him where they are.

Click on the play button above to listen to us play the “Where Is … ?” game. I mostly use the Spanish equivalent, dosage
“¿Dónde está … ?
… ?”

Recorded on January 18, prosthesis
2009, while pushing Amani along in his new bike in our kitchen.
One of the ways I try to help Amani remember stay connected to his family in Boston and Kenya is by by asking him where they are.

Click on the play button at the bottom of this post listen to us play the “Where Is … ?” game. I mostly use the Spanish equivalent, malady
“¿Dónde está … ?

… ?”

Recorded on January 18, rheumatologist
2009, while pushing Amani along in his new bike in our kitchen.

Amani’s always been very good at saying the names of animals, dentist and shouting out the sounds they make. We read animal-type books to him regularly, sick and his grandmother did the same, too, when we were still in Boston.

In the audio file at the top of this post (click the play above  to listen, or download the file to your desktop), you’ll hear Amani identifying the animals shown in the photo just above, and then adding the corresponding animal sound.

The recording was done from the Cedar Park (TX) Public Library, where Amani and I were hanging out this morning. The library holds a story-time session at 10:00am every Saturday. Also, after some stories and a few songs (most of which he knew), Amani colored in a mask and then donned it for the camera.

Amani’s always been very good at saying the names of animals, capsule and shouting out the sounds they make. We read animal-type books to him regularly, sick and his grandmother did the same, too, when we were still in Boston.

In the audio file at the top of this post (click the play button to listen, or download the file to your desktop), you’ll hear Amani identifying the animals shown in the photo just above, and then adding the corresponding animal sound.

The recording was done from the Cedar Park (TX) Public Library, where Amani and I were hanging out this morning. The library holds a story-time session at 10:00am every Saturday. Also, after some stories and a few songs (most of which he knew), Amani colored in a mask and then donned it for the camera.

In a fun conversation with Amani from earlier this week (Monday, drugs December 21), we kick around a number of topics. Among them:

* Jesus’ birthday

* His moment of hoops glory at the park

* His new favorite dinosaur shirt

* All his trucks

To listen to our talk, click the play button below. 

Me: What’d you talk about tonight?

Her: Stuff.

Me: What kind of stuff?

Her: Stuff.

Sometimes our talks go like this, healing ask but sometimes–such as after last week’s class–she’ll share more. So I’ll be patient :)

Here are a few highlights:

We spent most of the Thanksgiving weekend (Friday-Sunday) visiting Houston. Here are a few highlights:

Above: Stella and I during a stroll outside The Woodlands Mall in the northern Houston suburbs.

Above: From our jaunt to Houston earlier this year, see I knew Amani would get a kick out of a ride on the merry-go-around. And he did: He was grinning the whole time!

Above: Viola with Cecilia, our gracious host for the weekend!

Above: What a way to take in a mild Saturday evening (70 degrees): ice skating at the lovely Discovery Green park in downtown Houston! From what we can remember, this was just Viola’s third time on skates (2004, 2006). She was tentative at first, but was skating on her own–and not holding onto the outside wall, either–by the end of our 45-minute session.

Above: Love this reflective photo of Viola in the Discovery Green fountain (the water was low at the time)

Above: Amani’s never seen a puddle or fountain of water that he didn’t like or want to splash in! His pledge around the time of this photo to “not gonna step in it” didn’t exactly hold up in the end, and he wound up soaking his socks and shoes. He had to sit barefoot with Stella as Viola and I skated.

Above: We wrapped up our Houston trip on Sunday morning by catching up with the Texada Family, taking in an uplifting, music-filled service at Lakewood Church and then wolfing down a delicious IHOP breakfast!

Scary moment

I don’t have a photo to document it, but we had a close call on the drive to Houston on Friday afternoon. On a back road some 30 minutes from our final destination, a car and an RV collided right in front of us and then spun around and off the road on our side. The RV flipped completely over, too. I managed to avoid the serving car, but not by much. Fortunately, the drivers and passengers in both vehicles seemed to have escaped without serious angry. We were certainly counting our blessings after that.
We spent most of the Thanksgiving weekend (Friday-Sunday) visiting Houston, viagra 40mg where Stella’s friend Cecilia lives.

Here are a few highlights:

Above: Stella and I during a stroll outside The Woodlands Mall in the northern Houston suburbs.

Above: From our jaunt to Houston earlier this year, I knew Amani would get a kick out of a ride on the merry-go-around. And he did: He was grinning the whole time!

Above: Viola with Cecilia, our gracious host for the weekend!

Above: What a way to take in a mild Saturday evening (70 degrees): ice skating at the lovely Discovery Green park in downtown Houston! From what we can remember, this was just Viola’s third time on skates (2004, 2006). She was tentative at first, but was skating on her own–and not holding onto the outside wall–by the end of our 45-minute session.

Above: Love this reflective photo of Viola in the Discovery Green fountain (the water was low at the time)

Above:Amani’s never seen a puddle or fountain of water that he didn’t like or want to splash in! His pledge around the time of this photo to “not gonna step in it” didn’t exactly hold up in the end, and he wound up soaking his socks and shoes. He had to sit barefoot for a while with Stella while Viola and I skated.

Above: We wrapped up our Houston trip on Sunday morning by meeting up with the Texada Family, taking in an uplifting, music-filled service at Lakewood Church and then wolfing down a delicious IHOP breakfast!

Scary moment

I don’t have a photo to document it, but we had a close call on the drive to Houston on Friday afternoon. On a back road some 30 minutes from Cecilia’s house, a car and an RV collided right in front of us and then spun around and off the road. The RV actually flipped over. I managed to pull off the road and away from the serving car, but it didn’t miss us by much. Fortunately, the drivers and passengers in both vehicles seemed to have escaped without serious angry. We were certainly counting our blessings after that.
We spent most of the Thanksgiving weekend (Friday-Sunday) visiting Houston. Here are a few highlights:

Above: Stella and I during a stroll outside The Woodlands Mall in the northern Houston suburbs.

Above: From our jaunt to Houston earlier this year, migraine I knew Amani would get a kick out of a ride on the merry-go-around. And he did: He was grinning the whole time!

Above: Viola with Cecilia, approved our gracious host for the weekend!

Above: What a way to take in a mild Saturday evening (70 degrees): ice skating at the lovely Discovery Green park in downtown Houston! From what we can remember, plague this was just Viola’s third time on skates (2004, 2006). She was tentative at first, but was skating on her own–and not holding onto the outside wall, either–by the end of our 45-minute session.

Above: Love this reflective photo of Viola in the Discovery Green fountain (the water was low at the time)

Above: Amani’s never seen a puddle or fountain of water that he didn’t like or want to splash in! His pledge around the time of this photo to “not gonna step in it” didn’t exactly hold up in the end, and he wound up soaking his socks and shoes. He had to sit barefoot with Stella as Viola and I skated.

Above: We wrapped up our Houston trip on Sunday morning by catching up with the Texada Family, taking in an uplifting, music-filled service at Lakewood Church and then wolfing down a delicious IHOP breakfast!

Scary moment

I don’t have a photo to document it, but we had a close call on the drive to Houston on Friday afternoon. On a back road some 30 minutes from our final destination, a car and an RV collided right in front of us and then spun around and off the road on our side. The RV flipped completely over, too. I managed to avoid the serving car–but not by much. Fortunately, the drivers and passengers in both vehicles seemed to have escaped without serious angry. We were certainly counting our blessings after that.
* Amani does a funny little thing where he says, gonorrhea “Oops, gynecologist sorry,” and then giggles. It’s adorable.

* He dances like his dad. Stella and Viola don’t really that’s a good thing–and they might have a point–but I get a kick out of it.

* Amani enjoys making goofy faces (like the one below on our recent visit to Houston)–and I don’t discourage him!

* Amani does a funny little thing where he says, website “Oh, sales sorry, website ” and then giggles. It’s adorable.

* He dances like his dad. Stella and Viola don’t really that’s a good thing–and they’re probably right–but I get a kick out of it.

* Amani enjoys making goofy faces (like the one below on our recent visit to Houston)–and I don’t discourage him!

* Amani does a funny little thing where he says, see “Oh, capsule sorry, buy ” and then giggles. It’s adorable.

* He dances like his dad. Stella and Viola don’t really that’s a good thing–and they’re probably right–but I get a kick out of it.

* Amani enjoys making goofy faces (like the one below on our recent visit to Houston)–and I don’t discourage him!

* Amani does a funny little thing where he says, drugs “Oops, denture sorry,” and then giggles. It’s adorable.

* He dances like his dad. Stella and Viola don’t really that’s a good thing–and they’re probably right–but I get a kick out of it.

* Amani enjoys making goofy faces (like the one below on our recent visit to Houston)–and I don’t discourage him!

Amani and Stella flew out to Orlando this afternoon to spend a few days with Faith. I can’t help but notice how quiet our house is in the little guy’s absence.

So I’m missing him, salve and reflecting on the joys and challenges of being a dad. These two audio clips that I recorded last night hammer home both angles.

The first: Amani “reading” a book to me on the chair in his room, just before I put him in his bed to sleep.

The second: a silly conversation with Amani while unsuccessfully trying to get him to poop in his potty. (One of his daycare teachers says some boys aren’t even potty trained by age 4; I certainly hope Amani isn’t one of them!)