It’s been pretty hot here lately. Somewhere around 90 degrees every day…and 98 degrees in our house!
Yup, our air conditioner took a big ole crap! Why do these things break when they are needed the most?
And on top of that Ace came down with strep throat. When he’s feeling good…he is lying around. When he is feeling bad, he needs to be held.
I can barely stand the heat just sitting here by myself, let alone holding a 100 degree, crying, 25 lb boy!
So, we’ve been staying at Grandma’s house (which has AC) until the parts for our AC unit come in and I have time to install them. 
It really does take a village sometimes…
Ace is rough. He does not play nice…sometimes. He does not think twice about smacking the shit out of you, or kicking you in the nads when you are holding him, or pulling your hair (if you have any), or….poking your eye out!
You heard me right…poking your eye out!
Momma and Ace were playing on the floor and Momma took a fingernail to the eyeball. She said it hurt like hell, but we both kinda hoped that it would be better in the morning.
Actually it got worse. I came home from work at lunch to find Momma with an eye that was nearly swollen shut and bloodshot like she had been in one hell of a bar fight the night before.
I drove her and the eye poking two year old to the eye doctor where Momma was given some eye drops and told to keep her eyes closed as much as possible.
She spent the rest of the day resting lying on the couch with gauze taped to her orbit.
But while it is easy to get upset with Ace when he gets rough like this, you just can’t stay that way very long.
I mean, how can you feel anything negative at a face like this?
Well, that crazy blue elephant has returned again this summer…reekin’ havoc upon Ace in his very own backyard.
That damned thing comes out every time it gets warm and teases him with a small shower of cool water, just big enough for a three foot tall person to run through and cool down on a hot summer day.
And then once he gets close enough to enjoy the small shower… WHASHOOSH! The elephant explodes with a massive flood of freezing cold water that pours down on him…sending him into shock and he runs for his life…
He reaches safety just in time to see the monsoon turn once again into a small pleasant shower.
And then he does it again…and again…and again…
But after a while he starts to catch on…
…and he realize that there is a certain someone ( with a camera ) that is enjoying this a little too much. This certain someone turns a knob connected to the hose every time the monsoon rains down on him.
He is getting smarter…wiser…more experienced. It looks like that certain someone will have to step up their game in order to keep fooling this toddler.
Today we were at the ballpark watching one of our friends daughters play softball. Ace and I went to the playground.
Of course, Ace is not quite big enough for the playground. He can’t climb up to get on the slide, and he is not tall enough to jump on the swing set. So, Daddy gets to play too.
Ace was swinging…Dad was pushing…Ace’s hands keep getting lower and lower on the chain. He was eventually holding on to just the rings on the swing’s seat and not actually the chain.
He was getting wobbly and I was afraid we would end up in the emergency room. So, I stopped the swing…raised his hands back up on the chain…made sure he had a good grip…and gave a slight push.
What’s Ace do? He lets go!
It couldn’t be at the lowest point of the swinging arc. No no no! It had to be at the very tippity top. Right where the swing stops moving forward and start coming back down.
So what happens? Gravity. That’s what happened!
Ace fell a few feet and landed on his back in the gravel under the swing set. Of course I’m the only Dad at the playground, so all I heard were a bunch of Moms gasping for air…like that was going to stop him from hitting the ground so hard.
It knocked the wind outta the little guy, but we walked back over to where Momma was and a sucker made everything hunky dory!
And if you thought that was bad…
We were in the backyard playing. Actually, I was working and Ace was playing. I see Ace climb up the ladder on the swingset to go down the slide. He has only mastered this feat in the past few weeks and is extremely proud of himself for being able to slide by himself.
When I see him get to the top I usually give him a big smile and a “Yey!” Positive reinforcement, right?
So I give him a big smile. He smiles back.
Then I see is his eyes get big…
I see him falling backwards… (of course all of this is in slow motion)
His feet are above his head…
He’s coming full circle…a full backflip…
Only about a foot from the ground now…
…and SMACK! His face hits the ladder.
My eyes shut as I see his face bounce off of the piece of steel.
I open my eyes, try to remain calm, and briskly walk his way…
I can hear Ace crying…
Damn this is a long 20 foot walk…
Screw being calm…I’m running…
I find Ace lying face first in the grass…
I pictured black eyes, blood, a broken nose, and a trip to the ER.
I picked him up…roled him over…his face looked OK (for a screaming, slobbering 2 year old)…his arms appeared to be attached and in one piece…by God we may have come out of this one unscathed…but we go inside for a Momma inspection just in case.
Luckily all he had was a nice sized Goose Egg right between the eyes! No trip to the ER, no black eyes the next day, no blood, no broken bones…just a bit of swelling, a bit of crying, and a Dad whom you would have thought just saw his kid fall off of the Empire State Building .
And people wonder where the gray in my beard comes from…
We spent the weekend in my home town at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. Riding the 4-Wheeler, lying by the pool, going swimming, and doing a little bit of partying on Saturday night.
Ace, however spent the weekend sharpening his speech skills and getting lessons from some of the best out there…
Aunt Amber and Aunt Amy taught him some silly Frog song and he spent the weekend running around saying “mmmmm-eckkkkk mmmmm-eckkkkk mmmmm-eckkkkk-eckkkkk “. Don’t ask me…
Aunt Amy also thought it would be just darling for him to start his flirt training. She successfully got him to say “Hey Gurrrl!” to a few of his potential future mates. You better watch out girls!
Grandpa pulled in the driveway in his old truck, but Ace could not see him. Ace looked to the sky and said “Hewicoptur!”. I think he is indirectly telling you it is time for a new muffler Gramps.
And last but not least, Ace was walking barefoot across the patio when someone noticed he was not putting weight on the heel of his foot. Everyone thought he may have stepped on something sharp. So, I picked up his foot and brushed off a bunch of dirt and rocks. I announced to the peanut gallery that it was just some “Rocks and Shit”. And of course, Ace proceeded to copy my excellent English lingo and announce by himself that it was just a bunch of “Rocks and Shit!”, “Rocks and Shit!”, “Rocks and Shit!”
Can’t Bose make some curse word canceling headphones? I mean hell they make the noise canceling ones!
So, it has finally started to happen. Ace has been slowly starting to talk. First it was a few simple words like “Hi” and “Bye”. Then, he learned some animals: dog, cat, cow, sheep, bird.
But, tonight we were watching my favorite educational television show…Cops. They sure do find America’s finest to show. Other countries watching Cops probably think we are a bunch of toothless, wife beater wearing crack heads. But that is OK…it is good entertainment…for adults.
So anyways, they show this old man who was fighting with his wife. His wife called the cops and when the cops arrived the man was just wearing his underwear…whitey tighteys.
They call them whitey tighteys for a reason…they are supposed to be kinda tight. But this guy had them a size too big and about ready to fall off.
It was funny, and Ace’s Uncle Mike (also known as Munch in Ace lingo) shouted out in laughter…”Whitey Tighteys!”
And here comes Ace marching through the room clapping and chanting…”"Whitey Tighteys! “Whitey Tighteys!” It was hilarious!
I’m sure it is just a start to what Uncle Munch is going to teach Ace…and I have it coming. Still to this day Uncle Munch’s daughter, Olivia still broadcasts to the world (public places included) that she farted.
Where on Earth would she learn to do something like that?
Looks like Ace has moved up in the world. No longer does he need to wait for me to pull out the ole’ junky John Deere to cruise around the yard. He just goes to his Grandma H’s house and rides his very own…
And he looks like a pro…
If only he could figure out how to push the pedal to make it go. Bending over pushing the pedal with your hand while making laps around the yard will reek havoc on your back…so we found an old walking cane.
Not for me to be able to walk afterwords, but to be able to reach the pedal while standing somewhat upright.
When we got tired of mowing, we moved on to ole’ faithful…playing with rocks.
What is so amazing about rocks? Anyone? I wish I knew.
And when rocks are not fun anymore…making a mess is. Especially when that mess includes an old sandbox full of rain water that the dog has been bathing in and drinking out of for the past week…water, dirt, dog hair, dog spit, grass clippings, and one wet Ace…
So what happens at Grandma’s house doesn’t necessarily stay at Grandma’s house…when Dad has a camera.
Free Enfamil and Enfamil Coupons
We got a few of these free Enfamil samples in the mail, and since Ace does not drink formula anymore, I figured I would offer them here for free.
I have one sample can of Enfamil Lipil and one sample can of Enfamil Next Step Lipil. They both have never been opened and expire in 2010.
I also have three coupons that expire June 30, 2009. I am offering these for free as well:
- $5 Off Enfamil Next Step
- $4 Off Enfamil Next Step
- $5 Off Enfamil Lipil
Leave a comment stating which items you could use, and I will mail them out as soon as possible.
So, yeah…it’s been a while. I lost my password to the site…or something.
No really, we have just been super busy gettin’ ready for summer, and most recently enjoyin’ the summer like weather here in Ohio.
Since it has been a while since you all have seen a pic of Ace, I figured I would upload a few pics of him outside enjoying the sunshine…
Bike Riding Is Fun
Getting So Big!
Yet, Still My Little Guy...
PS: Ace is all healed up from his surgery, and back to having more energy than Dad. I took a before picture of his outie… If I can get him to hold still for two seconds, I’ll get a pic of his new and improved belly button and post a before and after.
Stay tuned…I’m going to get my old blogging shoes out of the closet and dust them off.
We never met Payton or her family, but we have a family member that had. To know that Payton has touched so many lives during her short time here is heart warming.
My mother called me Monday evening, and as soon as I heard her voice I knew something was not quite right. She told me that her manager had not been to work that day, there had been a family emergency.
I was afraid to ask what happened, and then she told me that her manager’s grand-daughter had died that morning. Shock was the only way to describe how I felt, and some disbelief too. I didn’t even notice that I had begun to cry when I asked what happened, not that it mattered what happened…this precious child was gone.
Payton Marie Robinson was just 9 weeks old when she passed away unexpectedly, leaving behind her parents and two-year old brother Tyson. When something so tragic happens to someone you know, it makes you hold tight to the ones you have in your life and remember God is really in charge of everything and He has a plan. We may not understand that plan and truth be told we may never, but we must hold fast to our faith for it will see us through.
To honor the life and memory of this sweet child, we are making a donation in her name to www.firstcandle.org and we encourage others to do the same; if not to this organization than to one helping to fund the research and prevention of SIDS. Remember this family in your prayers as we do, for this child may have gone on to be with her Heavenly Father but she will never be forgotten.
This is her obituary:
Payton Marie Robinson, born February 16, 2009, departed this world April 20, 2009. We belong to God and not the Earth. He just lets the Earth borrow us for a little while to do God’s work. God sent Payton Marie “Pay Pay” here to bring love and happiness if only for a short nine weeks. We all were blessed with her presence and are happy to know that she is with her Heavenly Father and among many family and friends that have gone on before us. Preceded in death by paternal great-grandparents Ruthie West, Arthur and Dorothy Robinson, maternal great- grandparents Cyrus and Ocee Simmons and Merchant and Josie Singleton. Survived by parents, Lawrence and Jacinta Robinson; brother, Tyson James Robinson; paternal great-grandfather, James West; paternal grandmother, Eugenia Robinson; paternal grandfather, Ronald Robinson; maternal grandparents, Eric and Charlene Simmons; aunts, Patrice Robinson and Rhonda McKinney; uncle, Joshua Simmons; a host of aunts, uncles, cousins, and many loving family friends. Memorial Celebration of Life 3:30 p.m. Saturday, April 25, 2009 at St. Paul A.M.E. Church, 639 E. Long Street, where the family will receive friends from 2:30 p.m. until the start of service. Attendees are asked to wear bright colors. In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution to the St. Paul A.M.E. Allen Christian Endeavor Youth Ministry. Arrangements entrusted to DIEHL-WHITTAKER FUNERAL SERVICE, 720 E. Long Street.
Jacinta Simmons-Robinson and her mother have been featured in a previous post regarding their online business geared towards formal wear for young boys and infants. Take a moment to check out their site: www.tysonscloset.com
I mentioned recently that Ace would have to go in for surgery.
He had an umbilical hernia. Basically the opening in his belly where his umbilical cord went into his body had never closed. When he would strain, even just a little bit, his belly button would pop out. Actually it was his insides (intestines) pushing out through his belly button.
While not an immediate threat, there would always be the possibility that some of his intestines would pop out this umbilical hernia and get stuck, cutting off blood supply, and causing some major issues.
The docors told us it was not a necessary thing to fix, but was a good idea to have done…and we agreed.
The night before surgery Ace was not allowed to have anything to eat after midnight. He could drink water and apple juice until 6:30 in the morning. I was not worried about the no food after midnight deal, but was concerned about how Ace would do with nothing to drink after 6:30. A glass of juice or milk has been a morning ritual since he was born…
Ace is like his Momma…a night owl…stays up late and gets up late. Ace usually doesn’t go to bed until 11PM or after, and gets up around 9 or 10 in the morning. However the morning of his surgery was an exception…
I got Ace (and Momma) up at 6AM so that he could have a drink before his 6:30 no drink deadline…but, he didn’t drink a drop. We made our way to the Children’s Hospital by 8:20.
During registration they put the hospital bracelets on Momma and I’s arms, and Ace’s leg. You would have thought the world had come to an end. Ace did not like the bracelets on us, and he sure as hell did not like the ankle bracelet on him. I just knew from his reaction it was going to be a fun filled day ahead…
Off to a hospital room where they had a crib that reminded me more of a cage. I immediately pictured Ace sitting in the crib ringing his sippy cup across the bars as prisoners do in jail…
The nurse came in attempting to get a set of vital signs. Blood pressure cuffs and oxygen/pulse monitors are Ace’s mortal enemies. For being only 25 lbs the little guy put up one hell of a fight…and won. Eventually the nurse gave up. She never did get a reading.
Then comes the nurse practitioner, anesthesiologist, and the surgeon to introduce themselves and take a look at Ace.
After two hours of trying to keep Ace occupied in a room with only a sink, a crib, and (thank God) a TV with Nickelodeon, they came to take Ace away to surgery.
I figured this would be the hard part. Seeing him get wheeled away down a hallway crying and reaching out for us saying (if he could talk), “Please do not let them take me!” But Ace took it well. He hopped in the crib and the nurse took off, rolling the crib down the hall. It was like a new ride for Ace, I think. And we all know how much Ace likes to go for rides…
About an hour passed and the surgeon came out and told us everything went great and he will have a perfect little innie belly button after it had healed. Ace was in recovery and we would be able to see him soon.
Fifteen minutes later they asked us to go back to his room. On the way down the hall the nurse warned us…”Ace is a little upset and we are hoping that you two could get him calmed down!” I could hear Ace screaming before we ever got to his room, and when we walked in his room I was shocked at what I saw…
There was a nurse holding Ace doing her damnedest to get him calmed down, but it wasn’t working. One look at Ace and we knew that this was probably the most upset he had ever been…ever. He had tears rolling every which way which literally soaked the neck of his shirt.
The color of his skin was down right shocking! He was soooo red that if he had been smiling I might had confused him with the Kool-Aid man.
After Momma and I took turns rocking him (and a shot of morphine…for him not us) Ace finally calmed down. I don’t know if he was hurting, scared, or pissed off…but I’m guessing it was a little of all three.
I don’t know why a little guy like him who has never done anything wrong to anyone and brought sheer joy to so many people in his life, would ever have to endure something like that. I think I would rather have my insides ripped out and stomped on before seeing him like that again.
After his heart rate came down they let us take him to a more comfortable room, where Ace slept on my lap. The new nurse was a little concerned with his color. We over heard her talking on the phone and she described his color as that of a tomato, and she was right on the money.
We stripped Ace down to his diaper, and let him cool off. All of the fighting and crying really got his temperature up, and between that and the anesthesia the redness was pretty shocking to all.
Eventually his temperature came down, his heart rate stabilized, and his color was better, so they let us go home where Ace slept the majority of the rest of the day and night. (I think the Tylenol 3 with Codine had something to do with that).
Well, it has been two days since his surgery now and Ace is acting much better. I will give another update later this week….maybe with some pictures of his new belly button.
Stay tuned…
Ace and I were outside enjoying the nice weather we’ve been having lately. He was playing in his sandbox, on his swing-set, kickin’ his ball…ya know all the fun outside stuff a kid does.
I, on the other hand was cleaning up the crap that had somehow managed to blow from everyone else’s yard into ours over the past few Winter months. I then started to pull some of the weeds that had taken over our flower beds.
This whole time Ace was happy playing in the very back of the yard which is completely fenced in. Soon he ventured up toward the house and was playing on the deck. I was working near the deck and could see Ace in plain site.
I turned around to gather up some crap out of the yard. When I turned back around, less than 30 seconds later…Ace was not in sight.
I stood up and could not see the little booger head anywhere…
Ya see he has had this fetish for the driveway lately…the only un-fenced section of the yard. He wants to exit the back yard and venture into the wilderness of the driveway and front yard.
I got up and ran to the driveway hoping to see Ace toddling not to far from me, but he was not in sight. “Shit! Where did he go!” I ran out front…looked left….looked right…nothing.
I ran back to the back yard and made sure I did not somehow miss him if he was hiding behind the pool, or hiding behind the slide of the swingset. Nothing…the kid was GONE!
My vocabulary at the moment had been reduced to…”Shit! F#&%! Shit! F#$@!”
I ran back out front again to have another look. I went around to the other side of the house…looked up and down the street…nothing. My chest felt heavy, yet my heart was racing.
“Momma is going to kill me!” (My vocabulary suddenly gained 6 words.)
I ran out back to look one more time…and there he is…coming out of the damn shed all happy and giddy. Looking up at the birds in the trees out back…just happy to be outside.
It’s no wonder I’m losing my hair and turning Grey at a rapid rate!
Guess what I did the very next weekend…
There will be no escaping on Daddy's watch!
I built a gate! There will be no escaping on Daddy’s watch!
I Like The Skins…and Ace Doesn’t
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Last year Ace had a big birthday party because it was, well, his 1st birthday.
This year was not an exception. His party had quite a good turn out!
Last year there wasn’t really a theme, other then “Blue for Boy”. This year the theme was “Fire Trucks“!
Even though the themes of the two parties were not the same there seemed to be some similarities…
Cool Birtday Cakes:
Last Years Cake
This Years Fire Truck Birtday Cake
Messy Cake Eating:
Last Years Messy Cake Eating
This Years…Less Messy Cake Eating. Notice he is actually using the correct end of the silware this year.
Funny Hats:
Last Year: Grandpa S’s Funny Hat
This Year: Momma’s Funny Fireman Hat
This Year: Uncle Charlie’s Funny Fireman Hat
Overall the party was a success. Thank you Momma for throwing such a good party!
What will next years birthday party bring?
March 23, 2009
Posted by: Jared
Category: Entertainment, Family, Fun Activities, Funny Stuff, Growing Up, Pictures, Uncategorized
Tags: birthday, birthday cake, birthday party, cake, happy birthday, hats, party
Hello everyone…it’s been quite a while since my last post…although I have been following several secretly, so I thought I would mention it’s that time of year again!
March of Dimes is having their annual March for Babies (formerly WalkAmerica) and I have decided to participate again this year! Last year several readers/stalkers were responsible for helping me reach my goal so this year I have doubled what I did last year! My hope is this year to earn $250 for March of Dimes and to pray that one day all babies will be born healthy!
If you are able and willing to help please donate via the following link, and if you can’t due to your personal economic crisis I understand just pray for nice weather that day! You never know about an April in Ohio!!!
Momma went to Grandma’s house today to get ready for Ace’s big birthday party tomorrow, so it was a guys house today. Me and Ace doing what guys do best…a whole lotta nothing.
Nah, we did more than nothing. We spent most of the afternoon outside swinging on the swingset, throwing the ball, and playing in the sandbox. We went for a walk and watched the birds sing back by the creek. It was a great Dad/Son boding day…
After dinner I gave Ace a bath and then started to read him a story before bedtime. The book was about two birds that found an egg in their nest…it was not their egg, but they decided to sit on it anyways.
About three pages into the book Ace got up off my lap and ran over and started playing with one of his toys. Yup, the book was soooo exciting that even a two year old lost interest after three pages…
But guess who kept on reading…to himself. You guessed it. I found myself so mystified by what actually might be in that egg that I kept reading the book to myself…out loud and all energetic like I was reading to Ace.
As I flipped through the pages of the book in suspense of what was in the egg I thought to myself…”Why the hell are you still reading this?”…but, I couldn’t stop.
Maybe it’s an overdose of Moose and Zee, the Backyardigans, Dora, and Pinky Dinky Doo that have brought my judgment on what is entertaining to an all time low. You ever found yourself excited when Wonder Pets comes on the TV so that you can sing along with the song? Please say yes…
Two years ago today Ace made his first appearance in this world. It’s amazing how fast time flies…can it really be two years already?
Momma is sad that her little baby…is not so much of a baby anymore. I am excited that my little boy is becoming…well, a little boy.
So, what has happened in Ace’s 2nd year? A whole lot…
Ace has figured out that the world extends much farther than the walls of our home. The boy loves to be outside, at the park, riding on the mower, swimming in the pool, swinging on the swingset, or at the zoo.
He no longer fits in the kitchen sink for bath time, so we had to actually finish installing the bath tub in our upstairs bathroom. He has some foam letters that float in the bath tub, and at only two years old, he can tell you what every single letter is…both upper and lower case. (He’s a genius)
Ace spent his summer going new places and doing new things. Remember going to COSI, doing the chicken dance on the field at Cooper Stadium, going to Iowa for vacation, and swimming at the beach? We had a blast last summer…
Not everything last year was cheerful and happy though. We had to put down our family dog, Buddy. And after trying for 11 months, we got pregnant, and then mis-carried. Ace was young enough that he wasn’t really affected though, which is a good thing.
Last fall Ace drank his last bottle, went to his first fly-in and demo derby, went to Circle-S-Farms, and dressed up like a Vampire for trick-or-treat.
Winter time brought on Wildlights at the Zoo, an amazing Christmas, a new fish tank, and locking Momma out of the house.
So what will next year bring? So far we have a two week vacation planned at the end of summer, which I’m sure will provide some good blog fodder. Other than that I’m sure there will be some more mower riding, swimming, playing, and hopefully….some potty training!
Ace’s birthday party is planned for this weekend, and I know of at least one present he is getting that will get some exposure time here on DadThing. Stay tuned to hear all about his newest big boy toy!
March 12, 2009
Posted by: Jared
Category: Family, Fun Activities, Funny Stuff, Getting Pregnant, Growing Up, Holidays, Links, Looking Back, Misc Ramblings, Pets, Pictures, Pregnancy, Videos
Tags: birthday, holiday
Not me, not Momma, but Ace. You heard me right…my little boy will be going in for surgery in a few weeks.
Now calm down, it is nothing life threatening, but it is still scary for me. Just the though of him being given some anesthetic and being knocked out with hoses and stuff shoved down his throat make my stomach feel funny.
The thought of some doctor, cutting him open with a scalpel sends shivers down my spine. I can just picture him lying there on a table, with all of the wires from the monitors, the beeping from the heart monitor, and him just lying there lifeless. The little boy that is never lifeless…even when he sleeps.
Again, calm down…I am probably over reacting…
Ace has an umbilical hernia…AKA an outie. Basically the hole in his belly where his umbilical cord was…never closed, and his insides push out when he strains.
A good picture of it is from a post I wrote last summer where Ace was playing in the waves…
Big Waves
Ace’s doctor said it should have healed by the time he was 18 months. He is almost two now and it is not getting better, so we were thrust upon making a decision…surgery, or leaving it alone. We chose surgery. One reason is cosmetic, and the other is to prevent any complications with it in the future.
Now, it is only going to be a small incision with 10 internal stitches, but it still concerns me. But hopefully it will be all worth it and everyone will come out healthy with only some slight bruising …including me and Momma.
While Ace can be one hyper kid, that is not what this post is about…
We recently took a trip to the awesome World Of Bounce!
World of bounce is fairly new here in the central Ohio area and is so much fun!
Ace, his cousin Olivia, Grandma S, Momma, and I all went for the Family Bounce Night. Which was quite the deal… We got to bounce for 3 hours, a large pizza, and drinks for everyone for only $25.
Ace ad Olivia loved it…
They had four different “bounce houses”. The one pictured above was a bouncy basketball court. They also had a huge slide that was probably over 20 feet high, and also two other giant bounce houses with slides, ladders, and numerous obstacles to bounce off of.
The coolest part was that the adults were free to bounce too! Let’s just say that I forgot just how much fun it was to slide!
Here are a few more pics…
Ace was one of the younger and smaller kids there. Most of the kids were 4 to 10, I would guess.
Of course there were exceptions to the rule. There were some kids pushing the 12-14 age group and they were being kinda rough seeing how there were much younger kids around.
The funniest part about the whole trip was when we were in the basketball court bounce house. Ace had a thing for the only yellow ball in there. He would grab it, throw it, run after it, and grab it again.
Then the older/rougher bunch of kids came in there and they grabbed the yellow ball. One of the older kids fell down holding the yellow ball and Ace saw the opportunity. He ran right over and took the ball out of the kids hands.
The older kids looked at each other like “What The…?”. It was funny because most of the kids would leave when the bigger kids got close to them, but Ace went up and took his ball back. I loved it!
But anyways, if you come to the central Ohio area and have a few hours to bounce around…check it out!
Wednesday night we had a really bad storm come through town. I was driving home from work and had to literally stop on the freeway due to zero visibility with my wipers on hyper speed. The wind gusts were downright mindshattering. I was driving my truck (which doubles as a wind sail during storms due to it’s large side profile) and could actally feel the truck lift up when the wind was hitting me head on. The news said we had near 70 MPH wind gusts!
Anyways, I made it home without blowing away. I was waiting for one of two things to happen… the tree in front of our house to fall on our roof, …or the power to go out. One of the two was inevitable…
So, in the mean time I cooked dinner (Momma was not feeling well). I made Taco Salad, but I forgot to buy the Taco Seasoning on the way home from work. So I made the taco salad without the seasoning. So really it was hamburger and chili bean salad…tasted about as good as it sounds. 
I set up Ace’s chair in the living room and gave Ace a plate with some hamburger and beans, but he would have nothing to do with it. I don’t blame him…it was gross, but I could not let a whole pound of hamburger go to waste, so I ate it anyways. 
I gave Ace a handful of potato chips to keep him busy until I could get back with ole’ faithful…a hot dog. This kid is going to turn into a hot dog if we are not careful.
Of course all the hot dogs were frozen, so I put one on the microwave for two minutes to thaw and cook it real quick. The microwave beeped when it was done, and I pressed the button to open the microwave door….
DARKNESS!
All the power in our house went out. My first thought was “Where the hell is Ace?” I could just see him getting scared, running to find me, and falling and hurting himself on the corner of some piece of furniture. “He is probably freaking out right about now!”, I think to myself. Then I remembered he was strapped into his chair.
So I start making my way into the living room, tripping over toys and cussing under my breath the whole way.
I get to the living room and can not remember where I set up his chair. Was it on the left or right side of the couch? Remember it was pitch black. I could not see anything.
I called Ace’s name, but he did not make a peep. So I start slowly making my way through the living room with my arms outstretched feeling for his chair, head, arms, whatever. And then I hear it…
“Crunch, crunch, crunch.”
“What the hell is that?” I say to myself.
“Crunch, crunch, crunch.”
I make my way towards the noise and find Ace sitting there in the pitch black room, strapped to his chair, still enjoying his potato chips…just crunching away like nothing ever happened.
Paranoid Dad much? 
The blanky is a magical parenting tool. It is THE cure-all of all cure-alls. Why is a blanky such a magical thing? It can do almost everything…
- The Blanky can make the pain from all boo-boos vanish!
- The Blanky can absorb those tears just like it absorbs the pain.
- The Blanky is a makeshift pillow for unexpected nap times
- The Blanky will keep you warm when it gets a bit chilly
- The Blanky will give you the ability to fly when tied around your neck like a cape!
- The Blanky is the perfect for hiding behind during games of peek-a-boo.
- The Blanky seconds as a teething device when no teething devices are on hand.
- The Blanky will soften your fall when you use it as a parachute when jumping down the stairs.
- The Blanky will make you drive all the way back to Grandma’s house because it is impossible to sleep without it.
- The Blanky can do all of these magical things, no matter how many mud puddles it got drug through, no matter how much slobber it has absorbed, no matter how much puke/milk/mashed potatoes are crusted on it, and no matter how bad the friggin’ thing smells.
So do your children have something “magical”? Share in the comments…
