National Signing Day

Forget that dirty Groundhog, today is national college football signing day. High school recruits all across the country are signing their letters of intent, choosing which football program they will be playing for next year. ESPN provides coverage and tracking like the NFL draft. Coco was very taken with the spectacle of it all. We were both hoping that it was not going to be 6 more weeks of winter for the Noles. As it turns out, the Noles ended up with the #1 recruiting class in the nation. Finally. Maybe FSU is back on the rise. Coco wanted to see the list of recruits, which is amusing since it won't mean much to me but even less to him. I like that he takes such an interest in the details. Most kids his age could care less about this stuff. I like the Father/Son bond talking like this creates.

Movie Review -TRON

First movie review of the year. I took the boys to see Tron - Legacy. I tried to get the original to watch first but it's out of print and prices on eBay were way too high. The boys had seen the preview and seemed only mildly interested in it. But they humored the old man and we went to see this latest installment. In 3D no less. I thought the movie was pretty good. It was a bit unoriginal and predictable. The effects were good. The casting department did a great job finding someone that was the spitting image of a young Jeff Bridges. There was some good action scenes. They took the old effects and really improved them. It brought back great memories of playing the old games in the the arcade. The light cycles. The disc arena. Facing Cue was the precursor to Brickbreaker. 13 looked great in black and neon. Surprisingly, the boys were really into it, Coco in particular. I give this edition a B+.

New Years Day 2011

Happy 1-1-11, as Coco eagerly pointed out. He was very fascintated with this numeric anomaly. Unfortunately, I spent much of the day working. But I still watched the Rose Bowl parade and a few games with the boys. I think the parade is interesting. To watch. I wouldn't want to go but I like the TV aspect of it. I recall growing up, having it on TV, just like I do now with the boys and Demi.
The boys and I worked in a snowball fight too. They built quite impressive snow forts during the week. The forts needed some quick repair before the festivities could begin. Then it was an all out free for all. Coco and Dad against Caz and Coleman (a neighborhood kid). We dueled all over the yard. Gizmo provided some yellow snow balls which got interesting. Snowballs flew, kids ran, and kids dove. Laughter filled the air.
Never get too old for a snowball fight. The boys love it when Demi and I are out there flinging snow balls at them. They love trying to sneak up on us and catch us by surprise. I wish I saw more of that around the neighborhood. Most of the neighborhood kids come over with the boys to try and take on the Champs. No one gets spared when it comes to the snowball fight. Which is why I think they all enjoy it.

New Years Eve 2010

For the record, Dad and Coco made it up until mid night. Demi woke up with 5 minutes to spare. But she had hunkered down for a nap with Caz on the couch around 10 PM. It's great that the boys are self sufficient and old enough to take care of themselves at these events. Our friends and family are just starting out with parenthood and their kids were long in bed by midnight (as they should being so young). The boys were very well behaved. Coco watched football all night. Caz watched a movie. But we got to spend some time eating and talking before the naps. I think spending the holidays with friends like this will help them as they grow older. Maybe they will see the importance of being with loved ones during these special times. At least I hope so.

Christmas Eve 2010

I really enjoy the family time spent together on Christmas Eve. While I enjoy seeing my extended family, I really like it the most when it is the 4 of us, Demi, Caz, Coco, and me. We had a great time at a neighborhood party. But it was when we got home that I like the most. The boys exchanged presents as is the family tradition. They had each put a lot of though and effort into it. Coco got Caz a watch that he knew Caz had been eyeing. Caz got Coco a Tom Brady Fathead for his wall that he knew Coco would dig. They each got their Christmas pajamas from Demi. Then we settled in and read Twas the Night before Christmas like we usually go. This year I tried to add a new wrinkle. I had read Dylan Thomas's A Child's Christmas in Wales as a 5th grade class assignment. It stuck with me all these years later. I thought that the boys might enjoy it too. However, it was a bit longer than I remembered. The boys indulged me for a while, but I did cut it short. Best part of the night for me though. I hope it was for them.

Christmas In NY 2010

The boys have such a great time with their cousins. They really enjoy being around them. They are the youngest of the bunch. But now the oldest cousin has a small boy belonging to his fiancee, who has been added to the holiday mix. My boys enjoy playing with him and pal-ing around. They played Foosball and bumper pool with him. They opened presents with him. It was a nice site to see. It's what the family holidays are all about.
The boys' cousins from Demi's brother were a site to see too. The girls gathered around the computer to watch film of Coco's football season. They were actually interested in seeing their little cousin run around in his football gear.
It's not a road trip that the family dreads, that is for sure. We always have a great time with that side of the family. So it doesn't matter that we celebrate before Christmas. It just matters that we are all together.

Road Trip Detour

This year's annual pilgrimage to the Island for XMas with Demi's side of the family could have really been a disaster. Actually, it was close to being over before it began. Last night, the house was in a bit of chaos when I got home. I was running later than normal, as it was the night of the annual company holiday party. Demi was being a good Samaritan and watching a roomful of kids for relatives of a friend that had had a death in the family. My niece, Daisy, was still here too. My brother was pulling in the driveway as I got home. Caz was helping Demi with the kids. But Coco was nowhere to be found. He was on the couch running a mild fever. We knew then he would not be going to school the today.
As I was packing the car for the road trip, Coco woke up and meandered down by me. He seemed to be perking up. And when he asked to play XBox, I figured he was on the mend. But when he went to have breakfast, he said he couldn't swallow. Demi walked in just then and called Dr. Bob. He is the best. He took us right in and did the strep test. When it came back positive, he got a prescription pronto. We got a dose into Coco as we left for NY. While Demi had Coco with Dr. Bob, I was picking up Caz from school. We divided and conquered. Coco was a champ. He never complained once. It took us 7 hours to make the 4 hour trip. He did his best to cover his mouth, wash his hands frequently, and keep to back seat. We let the family know about the strep but they had us come anyway. Crisis averted.