Sedona gave me peace. I am one with my fatherhood.

Tonight, Rowan cried miserably because she wanted a different tape than Berit wanted.

Griffin combined AIM toothpaste and Sunscreen lotion in our bathroom and left it on the carpet.

Berit and her friend Bridey ended up crying and not talking over a disagreement as to which blanket to lay beneath them and which on top.

I am one.

It's Fathers Day, 2004. We're in Sedona, AZ. Berit is practicing her little keyboard piano; Rowan is playing with dolls in her room; and Griffin is running around like a maniac being Super Naked Boy, as usual.

Sedona is excellent! The huge red rock formations are beautiful. We've enjoyed the pool both days that we've been here, and yesterday hiked up the Cathedral Rock Trail - hot, beautiful terrain, all scrub, cactus, and lizards - to the rope swing swim hole. It's been a blast so far.

And Pam's sending me to 2 hour Ashtanga Yoga for fathers day!

We're on our way to a week's vacation in Sedona, AZ, but first we've got to get there. We've been driving all day from Central Colorado down to Central New Mexico. Berit is exhausted and exasperated with all the driving, and it's starting to show on her.

"I think I'm going to explode!!" she bursts.

"Berit..." Rowan innocently retorts,"people don't explode!"

We're having brisket at Grammy's house (mmmm mmm). Berit and Rowan are sitting adjacent each other that the table's end, and Rowan has a strip of brisket skewered on her fork which she is dancing up and down for Berit.

"Look Berit! The meat is saying 'Hi' to you!"

Griffin is very excited as I drive with he and the girls in the car.

"There's Ole Nidanoles!" (Old McDonalds)

"There's the ice cream store!" (Dairy Queen)

Upon sighting the Starbucks, he exclaimed, "There's the coffee store ... where Mommy lives!"

This morning was from hell. Rowan had a bowel movement last night whose urgency exceeded her ability to get to the bathroom. Pam and I largely spent the morning in accelerated impromptu Carpet-Steaming 101.

That aside, Rowan's been falling apart at the drop of a hat lately. I'm not sure why this is. Unfortunately, I get bent out of shape sometimes and react negatively. What I'm practicing doing is giving her some tenderness and the option to spend a little time alone to recoup. It's hard.

Griffin is growing up crazy-fast. He's a blast to be with now.

Berit learned to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on the keyboard this morning. She was very excited about it. Hopefully, the excitement will translate to her lessons which start this week.

Griffin is entirely too independent for my tastes. He's taken his cup from the bedroom and gotten the chocolate milk out of the refrigerator and poured himself o cup of it at the table, taking care to screw the top back onto his cup

"I do it myself." he beams, uncertain whether I'm going to be angry or proud. I am simultaneously disquieted and proud of this newfoundland independence. There's absolutely no need for him to have anymore chocolate milk today, but what can I do?

"Good job, buddy." I say.