Thank You to Shayla's Friends and Family

As Shayla's Dad, I wanted to post a Big Thank You to all of Shayla's friends and family who were able to make it out to her Birthday Get Together yesterday. It was great to see you all there and I know that Shayla was happy to see all of you. Thank you to those of you who sent remembrances even though you were unable to attend personally; your thoughts and tokens of love were sweet and we thank you. Shayla, her mom and I all had a great time. To those of you who could, thank you so much for coming and joining us in celebrating our daughter's third birthday.
With Warm Hearts,
Sean and Christina

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Shayla's 3rd Birthday Party Get Together

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Family is Gold

You know to have a family is to have Gold; It's true riches for sure. Hard times puts this truth in proper perspective. It's the places you can go and the people upon which you can rely in tough times that gives your soul it's salt of survival. These folk need not be blood relatives to be called Family, and many times as we know, they are not. We must treat our families well however, blood and otherwise, for we are nourished by them and through them. To forget this truth is to isolate oneself from the greater good of Family and Community.
I remember when I traveled a little through Latin America years ago, the second question I was seemingly always asked upon first meeting a native Latin person was, "Do you have a Family?" At that time I did not have an immediate family and so I would reply with "no, not at this time", knowing what they meant. Immediately they would sincerely lament, "Ooh,...I'm so sorry", and they meant this from the bottom of their hearts; you could see it in them. That has always stuck with me, and the health and stability that they derived from a culture rooted in a strong tradition of family was overwhelmingly aparent in their day to day ways and actions. The importance of this way of life and the obvious solidity that it gave to their culture made a deep impression upon me. This combined with their reverent religiosity gave them a solidity that I haven't seen since, not as a culture at any rate. The first question that they would ask me was, "What is your name"? These people knew that Family was Gold. They were really poor too, so maybe that helped them to see what true riches really are: the Spiritual and the Familial.

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At Cornucopia with Shayla, Lani, and Katie Jo

I have to say that this little gourmet popcorn shop was a brainstorm as a social gathering spot on the part of someone! Very Cool!

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"Thinking begins only when we have come to know that reason, glorified for centuries, is the stiff-necked adversa...

"Thinking begins only when we have come to know that reason, glorified for centuries, is the stiff-necked adversary of thought."
-Martin Heidegger- wow. I really like this one. Never looked into this guy. Maybe I should.

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Shayla and Lani

This is Shayla, Lani, Katie Jo, and I hanging out a bit today.

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At Cornucopia with Katie Jo, Lani, & Shayla

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Zilker Zephyr Train Ride with Shayla

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Shayla and I at Barton Springs/Zilker KiddieTrain Depot

Today is Shayla's Actual Birthday proper so we're here at Zilker Park/Barton Sprngs. to ride the kiddie train in about an hour. I thought I'd take the opportunity to post a photo assortment. There's no better day than a day like today, right?! :)

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A 3 Year Old's Compliance is a Blessing Indeed!!

It still amazes me that our 3 yr. old daughter Shayla will remain in her room Every Morning until we open her door and invite her to begin the day. As many of you know with small kiddos, they are apt to wake at the not quite, but almost crack of dawn. We aim to 'get her' as soon as we are physically able once we get up after rubbing our eyes and washing our faces--you know the drill. What is amazing about this child is that she has NEVER tried to come out of her room and start her day without us, Ever!
If she gets up before us she will sing and play, and this is what usually signals me that it's time to get going, unless I have set an alarm for something, in which case I will be up before she is.
We have instructed her that if she has to go to the bathroom in the morning she is free to open her door and go to the john (which she is able to do on her own and sometimes prefers it), but so far she has not taken us up on this.
It is quite astounding really as I have heard many horror stories of the early morning 're-arranging' that these little people can do to the living room. We are really fortunate in this particular behavior of hers, and I have to keep reminding myself of that, and also....it could change at any time. :)

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Mini Vid of Shayla's First Snow Experience that She'll Remember

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Shayla's First Snow

Here are some pictures of Shayla's second snow experience. I doubt she'll remember her first one as she was 1 1/2, but this one, I think will stick.

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@RangerDenni I've hrd tht 2, altho I hvn't usd wordpress. Wht I do know is 'P' is a breeze to use. Created by pas...

@RangerDenni I've hrd tht 2, altho I hvn't usd wordpress. Wht I do know is 'P' is a breeze to use. Created by past Apple employees Garry Tan and Sachin Agarwal. So it's smooth and easy. Sorry 2 prosyletize.

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@RangerDenni I made a list w/ Guy Kawasaki and John Gruber together for ur fllwng pleasure. G.K. is the 1 I was t...

@RangerDenni I made a list w/ Guy Kawasaki and John Gruber together for ur fllwng pleasure. G.K. is the 1 I was tlkng abt(Holy Kaw blog). List is 'Peepstofollow'.

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Shayla on Her Big Wheel

http://qik.com/video/02405CDAA7914C71ACB4849D6BC495C8

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Coming Back from The Mailbox (video made by Qik VideoCamera)

Coming Back from The Mailbox

The attached video was created using Qik VideoCamera application for the iPhone.

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Shayla and I Coming Back from The Mailbox

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Shayla Today

Here' a few pics of Shayla playing in the sun today for friends and family. She developing so fast I'm at a disadvantage to keep up. :)

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Shayla Potties on Her Own

It's a happy day when you realize that your 3 yr. old daughter not only can go to the john by herself, but Wants to, AND is successful with everything but the wiping! We have reach a new level. Now she can start to go to the bathroom with other females simply because that's the way things are done, and not because she needs their help to complete Nature's tasks. Wooo Hoooo!! You Go Girl!
Recently, while Shayla was relieving herself she told me a story about Poo. She said, "Daddy did you know that there are Mommy and Daddy and Baby poo-poos? Did you, did you know that?" I said, laughing lightly, "no, not really. I didn't know that". "Like", she said, "Right now the babies are coming out". "Oohh, okay then", I replied. She said, "Look..Look..Look Daddy"!! I cautiously stand above her looking into the bowl from high over her head, as demanded by my persuasive daughter, "Uh,...huh". She says, "See how the mommy and daddy are already in there...and now the babies are going to join them"! "Okay, okay,..I got it", I tell her as that is plenty information about something that I have never thought about and is already too much as it is!
"So, ...are you done then", I ask quickly, so as to change the subject?
"No, there's one more baby that has to come out", she replies with excitement!
"OOOKayyy", I say in signing off of this present poop-a- ganza! "I'll be in the other room, you just let me know when you're done and just need some help wiping, okay", I say?
"Okay Daddy", she says.
Okay everyone, well that's about enough for now. I sure hope that you can appreciate this type of humor. It certainly was funny when it happened, when my daughter was educating me as to the social culture of human detritus. I guess there's nothing quite as unique as a kid's imagination.

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Do you know the history of Flash? Here's an informative little piece on that history and Apple's genius behnd the...

Do you know the history of Flash? Here's an informative little piece on that history and Apple's genius behnd their stance. http://is.gd/8NVg3

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@DelilahLovett Aahh, ok. So they're not on a par w/ 'textnovel' then.? How do you like textnovel? I've found the...

@DelilahLovett Aahh, ok. So they're not on a par w/ 'textnovel' then.? How do you like textnovel? I've found their service inconsistent. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. Frustrating.

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Bribery, Oh Bribery, How I Love You So!

I used to think that bribery was a parental cop-out when I was in my early twenties or before when I used to see mothers using bribery on their kids in the grocery store. You know the kind of think I'm speaking of. It's the whole "if you behave yourself while we're in here we can pick up that movie afterwards that you've been wanting to see", or for younger kids it goes something like, "Hey, do you want some ice cream? I know you do, so do as I ask okay?".
I distinctly remember my mom bribing my younger brother to clean his room with the promise of ice cream. I told her how unnecessary that I thought that was. "He should just clean it up because you're his mom and you're asking him to", I said to her in my matter-of-fact teenage logic. If only the world were that simple, right? If only that the questioning of authority, parental or otherwise wasn't a biological pastime, that might be true. However, things being what they are I now see the practical wisdom in the 'shortcut' that bribery is. Of course it's a shortcut! Of course my 3 yr. old daughter should do what I ask Because I'm her Father and I am asking her to do it. Next thing I know she'll be asking for somekind of Notarized statement of Command from someone,...Who I don't know, Grandma, Nana? It wouldn't surprise me.
Today I found myself whipping out a little can of bribery, although it was true, "The sooner you go for your nap and Actually go to Sleep, the sooner you will get up and the sooner we will go to visit Shay and Quillan (her cousins whom she loves)!". It was true and it was natural!!
Aaahh... I must be coming along as a dad. :)

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Fun at Amy's Ice Cream

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An Ice Cream Frenzy

We haven't been to Amy's in a while. Boy, is this fun!!

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Loading cabinets w/ Mark at Bob's Woodworking shop.

Loading cabinets w/ Mark at Bob's Woodworking shop.

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Forced to Be Social at The Grocery Store

The grocery store (except for Whole Foods back in the day--20yrs ago) is not really the first place on my list to go for my social fix--- since I'm such a domesticated animal at this stage of the kiddie raising game, but my 3 yr old daughter has forced a change on that front. I still don't go there for 'social time', but I do talk to a fair number of folks while we shop, which I would practically never otherwise do. She must feel remiss in her public duty somehow unless she says, "Hi", "Hello", or (the funny one) "What are you doing?"(That last one really cracks me up.), to everyone we get within 10' of or if we stop long enough for her to start a conversation. I usually answer that last one for them with the surprising response, "They're shopping, Honey". As you can imagine, this makes me an even faster shopper than I already am, which is saying something for sure. I am blowing it a little out of proportion here, but it is really funny.
Thankfully too, she's got a sixth sense about people as well. I've watched it in action, which has given me a little reassurance, but I'm sure we'll have to work on that as time goes on. Things like this make me enquire within because in informing my daughter of how to Be in the world I also do not wish to scare her of it as too much of that kind of thinking can also hamper healthy development. A Healthy Caution is what I wish to teach and, of course with each new environment there will come into play a healthy set of protocols. I've seen, as you might've too, the extremes of this kind of conditioning. I'm sure, if anything I'll err on the side of a protective nature and hope the best for my child--development wise.
Even in thinking about the future, all of this is still so cute and makes me smile from ear to ear.

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The Joys of the Low Bloodsugar Kid

Getting my 3 yr. old daughter to eat when she needs to eat and what she should eat can be to wage a war of sorts that many may well wave the white flag on. As a parent I feel fine waving that flag every once in a while, but not on a daily basis! Yes, it's true that they will eat once their blood sugar is at an all time low, and it's also true that they can be destructive little monsters by that point.
A case in point of the above synopsis would be this morning. Shayla was not interested in real food for dinner last night ie., not crackers or something with sugar in it. At this point she craves carbohydrates and that's all she really wants, except for the intermitent piece of broccoli or cauliflower. It's frustrating for us to say the least. This morning when she got up she was practically inconsolable. Once she had some oatmeal she was fine.
As parents we kind of get it coming and going. :) The kid is like, "No, I'm not going to eat what you want me to and when you want me to. That is up to me (they think). Also, when I don't eat what and when I should I'm, of course going to give you hell about it later because I'm going to feel like crap, but you know Dad, that's in your job desciption as a parent and it's in my job description to make sure that I fulfill my job properly as your kid. Also, the fact that I'm a lot like you should make you feel at home and not disturb you. Cheers Daddy!" ....so on we go. :)

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A Realigning Perspective

At many times we parents think that we've got it tough and there are days when we certainly may, yet there's nothing quite so sobering as watching a show like 'Raising Sextuplets' to give you a fresh look at the truth of your reality. Even those of us with two or three children can be humbled by the mere thought of raising 6 at one time that are all the same age---hello,...Sextuplets!! These parents have got some serious skills that others of us didn't know existed. Feeling overburdened as a parent? Check out this family! http://www.wetv.com/raising-sextuplets/

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"If U wnt 2 B respected by others the gr8 thing is 2 respect yourself. Only by that, only by self-respect will U ...

"If U wnt 2 B respected by others the gr8 thing is 2 respect yourself. Only by that, only by self-respect will U compel others 2 respect U." -Fyodor Dostoyevsky

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Someone said that I wouldn't look good in tights. Thankfully Christina begs to differ. I was just thinking, how w...

Someone said that I wouldn't look good in tights. Thankfully Christina begs to differ. I was just thinking, how would they know? :) #friendquiz

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My 3 Year Old Daughter Wants a Computer for Her Birthday!!

She knows that her birthday is right around the corner because her mom and I have been talking about how we want to arrange the celebration, ie. where to have it, and how to go about that, the sending of the invites, etcetera. It's pretty funny and so cute because every evening since then she's been asking us as we're tucking her in each night, "Is my birthday Tomorrow"?!!
We reply with soft, warm, velveteen words, "no honey,...not quite yet,..but Soon". She's such a sweet darling of a child. It's really an honor to be her dad. I remind her--'cause soon enough she'll get it (before I can say, "Well, I'll be....")--that her birthday is on the 25th of February, still a couple of weeks away.
She replies, "Ooh,...yeah". It's sooo cute. Like she's saying, "Well,......of course it is".
Her mom asked her yesterday what she wanted for her birthday this year and without any hesitation whatsoever she said, "A Computer"! "Of Course...of course she does", I'm thinking, with not a whif of surprise. She plays a computer game called 'Zuma' on it just about everyday, and she's actually starting to get the hang of it. Yes, she also plays her Fisher Price games on it too, but of late she's exceedingly enamored of the game 'Zuma' with all it's action and sounds. Plus, and this is a big one for her, Mommy and Daddy play it a lot too and have taken to playing it a lot with her either through putting our hand on top of her's on the mouse or just sitting with her and coaching her on the strategy of the game. She taken with the computers as she sees all this stuff that we do on them and how we each have one. It's a natural progression...., "Where's mine"? She 's asked for an iPhone too....of course. "Yeah right, kid", I say as I give her a big smile. "Haha. You're fuuunny".
It starts so young, doesn't it? "Hey slow down, you're just 3! Savor it"! .....(3 going on 10) Ha!

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Is feeding a 3 yr. old child sugar worth the resultant monster-like behavior?? Good question. Repentance for the ...

Is feeding a 3 yr. old child sugar worth the resultant monster-like behavior?? Good question. Repentance for the offense seems to take place afterwards (on our part) nearly every time. :)

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Daddy Sneaking Up on Shayla (video made by Qik VideoCamera)

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Daddy Sneaking Up on Shayla.mov (3154 KB)

Daddy Sneaking Up on Shayla

The attached video was created using Qik VideoCamera application for the iPhone.

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Multimedia message

Sunday Morning Outside Our House :) http://qik.com/video/C1002E5C3EC646489504D6237E72CDC0

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Sunday Morning Outside Our House (video made by Qik VideoCamera)

Sunday Morning Outside Our House

The attached video was created using Qik VideoCamera application for the iPhone.

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I'm Really Excited about all the 'work based' apps that will be coming to iPad! Here's a little statemnt frm Omni...

I'm Really Excited about all the 'work based' apps that will be coming to iPad! Here's a little statemnt frm OmniGroup on their upcoming plans! : http://is.gd/7PviS

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Things That Make You Say, "Oh #@$$%"!!!

        

    

    

        

    

    

        

    

        

        

    

    

        

    

        

        

   

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Getting your status updates straight between the social networking sites can b challenging especially if u don't ...

Getting your status updates straight between the social networking sites can b challenging especially if u don't always update frm the same service.

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Crap!!!

Perilous situations are certainly Only this funny in pictures after the fact. That said, here they are: 

Th  ings  that make you say

Oh Crap!!!!

        

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Internal Virus Database is out of date.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 8.5.431 / Virus Database: 270.14.126/2601 - Release Date: 01/05/10 07:35:00

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