tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54632962009-07-04T19:21:28.581-06:00Daily parental rants and musings from a father of three small to medium-size children.Markonoreply@blogger.comBlogger225125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5463296.post-82587308373878117622009-07-04T19:21:00.001-06:002009-07-04T19:21:28.787-06:00

Watermelon Eating ContestThis message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.Note: To play video messages sent to email, QuickTime� 6.5 or higher is required.

Markonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5463296.post-85325028516673033412009-07-04T08:18:00.001-06:002009-07-04T08:18:41.940-06:00

July 3rdThis message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.Note: To play video messages sent to email, QuickTime� 6.5 or higher is required.

Markonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5463296.post-10966446867091617102009-04-12T16:48:00.000-06:002009-04-12T16:49:18.036-06:00

"When I kneel down behind him, you push him over!"

Markonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5463296.post-45025789743642908382009-03-25T07:38:00.007-06:002009-03-25T08:04:59.465-06:00

On Monday, we went to Strawberry Park Hot Springs here in Steamboat Springs. Just an amazing natural hot springs next to the river with all these man-made divisions into pools of varying temperature. Loved it.

Markonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5463296.post-49416665897269785472009-02-21T16:00:00.002-07:002009-02-21T16:06:01.339-07:00

Berit tap dances in the Peanut Butter Player's production of Snow White 2000(She is in the wig and peace shirt. Bridey is Snow White.)

Markonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5463296.post-20539170996214590122008-11-14T17:24:00.001-07:002008-11-14T19:07:31.498-07:00

Griffin shoots...scores!

Markonoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5463296.post-18114460096469295272008-11-01T09:21:00.003-06:002008-11-01T09:23:41.956-06:00

IMG_0302.JPG Originally uploaded by flanimationA funky ballerina, a spirit girl, and Dracula pose with Grammy, the New Orleans masked show queen.You can click on the picture to go to all of the pictures in flickr. When you get there, click 'flanimation's photostream' to see the others.

Markonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5463296.post-41045051997339893542008-11-01T09:19:00.001-06:002008-11-01T09:19:10.034-06:00

IMG_0298.JPG Originally uploaded by flanimation

Markonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5463296.post-501173582279105252008-08-19T15:26:00.004-06:002008-08-19T15:31:08.189-06:00

Today was the first day of elementary school for Rowan and Griffin. They were both excited to go, and we all enjoyed the party atmosphere at the bus stop. Berit, whose first day of middle school was yesterday, enjoyed coming up with us to see her siblings off and then coming home to enjoy her time before leisurely heading out to catch the middle school bus.

Markonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5463296.post-56426301366733634732008-08-10T21:15:00.000-06:002008-08-11T21:16:46.539-06:00

Ok folks - the video below should be fixed now - ENJOY!

Markonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5463296.post-37450682552508333862008-08-08T07:01:00.006-06:002008-08-11T21:15:24.468-06:00

Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better Used YouTube's "private" setting on this, and I'm wondering if you all can still view it. Please let me know by leaving a comment. Thanks! Mark

Markonoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5463296.post-52350654755562791532008-08-01T16:03:00.002-06:002008-08-01T16:08:27.488-06:00

Rowan wanted to have a fire in the fire pit last night, which was out of the question since it was about 212 degrees yesterday. I did however appease the kids by setting the tent up in the backyard yesterday evening. Griffin and I watched some of "The Never Ending Story" which put him to sleep, and Berit wanted no part of sleeping in the tent, so Rowan asked me if I would sleep out there with

Markonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5463296.post-32849849567285694852008-07-29T16:17:00.002-06:002008-07-29T16:22:19.123-06:00

Berit is in Shakespeare camp at the CO Shakespeare Festival for a half day every weekday - it's a kick. She plays one of the three witches from Macbeth in the performance they'll do at the end. This past weekend she memorized Sonnet 116:Let me not to the marriage of true mindsAdmit impediments; love is not loveWhich alters when it alteration finds,Or bends with the remover to remove...

Markonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5463296.post-43849747234706882402008-07-28T22:22:00.000-06:002008-07-29T16:23:10.766-06:00

Griffin and I did a crystal growing experiment, but so far I am questioning its success. He fell asleep watching SHARK WEEK.

Markonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5463296.post-64402696245991098172008-07-24T18:18:00.002-06:002008-07-24T18:19:39.233-06:00

Happy 11th Birthday Berit!

Markonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5463296.post-10419002119463487632008-07-18T15:50:00.003-06:002008-12-11T07:36:03.522-07:00

The other day, Griffin and I were doing some "legomation" with the legos and some lego star wars people we have. I set up our digital camera on my tripod and we shot still pictures of the lego people moving.He was pretty into it, so I (against my better judgement) left the camera on the tripod there by the legos in the living room - in case he wanted to mess with it some more. Griffin is pretty

Markonoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5463296.post-11668734970011201042008-07-13T21:01:00.006-06:002008-12-11T07:36:03.911-07:00

Her name is Bellatrix Betelgeuse, and we got her yesterday. Sure - it sounds like we named her for the Harry Potter reference, but the names are the names of stars - Bellatrix and Betelgeuse being (I believe) the two shoulders of Orion's belt (her parents are named after two of Jupiter's moons).She is six weeks old, has extra toes (polydactyl), and has quickly become the most popular member of

Markonoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5463296.post-89581107605178637732008-06-26T20:11:00.003-06:002008-06-26T20:12:51.892-06:00

"I think its your parents who bring the Sacajawea coins and not the tooth fairy. The next time I lose a tooth, I'm not going to tell anyone and see if the tooth fairy comes." - GriffinTonight he was pretty broken up for a couple minutes because he thought that Berit would be leaving to live at another house when she became a teenager.

Markonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5463296.post-69573546179140300942008-06-19T22:22:00.001-06:002008-12-11T07:36:04.106-07:00

Today, Griffin lost his first tooth!

Markonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5463296.post-1066555609085557722008-06-17T09:54:00.002-06:002008-06-17T10:11:39.021-06:00

We got back from Club Med Cancun on Sunday - our second Club Med gathering with Pam's family. What a blast - we all had the best time having spent our days between ocean and pool, sailboats and trapezes, wonderful food, and two amazing performances by the kids - one production of Peter Pan, and one magic show. More to come on that along with pictures.Pam took the kids to the dentist yesterday.

Markonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5463296.post-19767513938294594482008-05-25T12:49:00.004-06:002008-12-11T07:36:04.394-07:00

Sorry I've been so bad about blogging - I vow to do better! For now, here's a photo of the kids at the Boulder Creek Festivus, yesterday:

Markonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5463296.post-34420408893611341252008-04-14T22:06:00.001-06:002008-04-14T22:07:46.498-06:00

Tonight at dinner, Griffin told me that a great invention would be a sign on his bedroom door that said "Danger - Keep Out," and a laser beam that if a person walked through it would cause all of Griffin's underwear to be dropped on the interloper's head.

Markonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5463296.post-47990802890307926612008-03-22T21:08:00.004-06:002008-12-11T07:36:04.910-07:00

Last Thursday, all five of us skied together up in Vail - it was a first. Griffin and Rowan have both been in lessons at Eldora, so they were both up to speed for the green and blue runs we ended up on in Vail. In fact, Griffin had to be chased by Pam as we descended back to the base. Rowan made wonderful s-turns, following me down the mountain. Berit might have been bored, had she not been

Markonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5463296.post-27723566467375899422008-03-15T15:39:00.001-06:002008-03-15T15:40:53.851-06:00

We can hardly extract Rowan's head from the Harry Potter books now. In the past few weeks she's devoured the first two and is halfway through the third one. She walks around with her face buried in it, omitting the occasional giggle or apprising us sometimes of what's happening in the boy wizard's saga.

Markonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5463296.post-91904705578183001302008-03-07T14:42:00.005-07:002008-12-11T07:36:06.217-07:00

What can I say except that there’s hardly anything I’d rather do than spend three days in Disney World with my son and my father. February was a perfect time to be there – hardly any lines, and the weather was beautiful. Griffin had some idea about what he was going to, but I don’t think the sheer magnificence of the experience dawned on him until we arrived. It’s been a few days since our return

Markonoreply@blogger.com0