26

2 Years, 35 Weeks.


It really didn't hit home until I picked Braelyn up from school on Tuesday afternoon; the Academy had just implemented new security measures as a precaution to what had happened at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, CT the Friday before.

The unthinkable crime, and worse, as it involved a mentally challenged individual taking the lives of 26 innocent people, the majority of them young children who did not deserve nor could even understand what happened to them.  The shock of the news as images of the scene unfolded, the media trying to piece fragments of information for all of us glued to our television sets.  I gratefully watched as the President I didn't vote for fought back his own emotions as he tried to comfort a stunned nation, meanwhile tears streaming down my face.

I thought of the loss and grief the parents of the victims were going through:  The anxious moments of not knowing if your child is alive or not; the paralyzing realization that your worst nightmare has come true.  I thought about the teachers that sacrificed themselves for the sake of their students.  I thought about the twenty sweet children that will never be able to know or experience life.

The children.  Our children.  My children.

Being a parent myself to three young children, this tragedy really affected the way I saw my job and role as a father.  We can debate whether or not this case is about gun control, or mental health issues, but overall I feel that we can help stem or deter these random acts of violence from the very beginning, which is how we raise, love, and develop our children.  I know there are many, many good parents out there trying very hard to make sure that they raise their children in a loving environment to grow and become good adults.  But sadly, there are also many that do not.

I am not the perfect father, though I try and aspire to be.  I do often get stressed out, or frustrated that things aren't going according to plan.  But in the wake of this event my perspective on effective parenting has undoubtedly changed.  I realize now how impactful my reactions are to my kids; they observe everything with such scrutiny and detail.  They can tell just about anything by the look on my face, in the tone of my voice, in my actions.  And they remember.  Everything.

As I tried to comprehend the unfathomable thought of what life would be like without our three beautiful kids, I now understand clearly that this specific time of my life is but an opportunity.  An opportunity to show them unconditional love reflective of our Heavenly Father.  An opportunity to show my daughters the kind of love they will someday want to seek in their husbands.  An opportunity to show my son how to love his own wife and children.  An opportunity to teach my children to love other people and respect their property.  An opportunity to positively impact and mold their young minds.

An opportunity that will be gone too soon.

This week was another full and busy, but very enjoyable, week.  Lala came up Friday evening to spend some time and assist me with the kids.  Tangie had a flurry of late nights, her teams scrambling to issue Year Ends before the year ends.  I got hit by a bad bug Wednesday afternoon but thanks to Lala's traditional concoction of chicken rice soup and a solid night's sleep, the symptoms were gone the following morning!  We are also looking forward to spending the holidays with our family and loved ones.

Madelyn looks thrilled to sit with Mommy and Daddy during Sabbath School.

Braelyn played Mary for her Sabbath School play.

Kohlden goofing off at lunch at the Macaroni Grill.

Spectacular view of the West Orange Trail during my Sabbath afternoon bike ride.

We took the kids and Lala to Celebration to see the Holiday lights and snowfall.

A fiberglass "ice rink" for revelers to enjoy.

Maddy gets a bird's eye view for the festivities.

She was so exhausted she fell asleep at the bottom of the stairs!

Kohlden plays with his new train tracks set.

I almost thought she had fallen asleep on the bench!

Lala assisted Braelyn and the twins with some arts and crafts.

Feeding the birds at Lake Stark.

Was it all it was quacked up to be?

Now that's sharing!

I love that they love to use chopsticks!

Lala and I had a chat with Preston in California.

Lala enjoying her cheese and olive platter!

Story time at the library.

Just hanging around, goofing off.

Enjoying the holiday scene in historic downtown Winter Garden.

Dish this week:

Torched Flounder on Quinoa with Rosemary Roasted Fingerling Potatoes and Pomegranate.

Randoms:

This week's weather forecast included the Mayan's prediction for the end of the world on Friday!

We're going to take a break from blogging for the holidays next week.  Until then, have a great [last minute shopping] weekend, and a very Merry Christmas!

Storm Chasers

2 Years, 34 Weeks.



I've seen the movie Twister with Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt.  I've watched the shows on the Discovery and the Weather channels.  I've seen the news reports of the awesome power and horrific devastation these forces of nature can produce.  But I had never witnessed one live, up close and personal.

That is, until Monday afternoon.

The kids and I had just stepped out of Publix and were heading back to the van when I took a phone call from Corey.  She was inquiring if I had also received a weather alert on my iPhone warning about an impending tornado in our vicinity.  I'm getting safety alerts from my phone now?  What will they think of next?  She mentioned that the news station had said a storm cell over Lake Apopka could have the potential of producing a tornado.  What?!  Lake Apopka is my backyard!  The good news (for us, at least) was that the storm was heading northeast towards Apopka, and away from us.

I took a quick glance across the street towards our neighborhood.  Ominously black low hanging clouds seemed to engulf it.  I knew our part of town was prone to pretty severe storms, due in part by the enormity of the nearby lake.  But this usually happens during summertime, with all the heat and moisture in the air.  This can't be happening in December, can it?  Sure enough, as soon as I had the children loaded up and buckled in, my phone buzzed with the aforementioned weather alert.  I decided to take the back entrance into the subdivision which is closer to the clubhouse and shoreline.  My thought was that perhaps I could just have a quick look see, in case something was truly brewing out there.  We would be close enough to dash home in the event that actual tornadic activity occurred or made a turn for the community.

The clouds over our subdivision.

Driving towards the back entrance.

Seeing some formations in the clouds.

Getting real close to the ground.

As we pulled into the clubhouse area I noticed several residents standing on the soccer field gazing across the lake, cameras snapping away.  And that's when I noticed it.

I was a little excited and intimidated at the same time;  I really wanted to go on the field to take a better video of it, but I also didn't want to leave precious cargo in the van lest the storm decided to turn towards us.  The actual tornado itself only lasted less than a minute, but that was long enough to realize how close we came to a potentially destructive storm.  I learned later that evening that another tornado made from the same storm cell touched down in Volusia County near the coast, damaging over 60 mobile homes and injuring 2 people.

That was pretty much the highlight of my week.  Tangie has been steadily working away many late nights with her team to finish most of their year-end audits to ensure she can enjoy Christmas vacation that is nearing.  Braelyn is learning about Christmas at school, and they have been very busy creating their own ornaments and holiday projects before they go on break next week.  The twins are starting to learn many Christmas songs, as we've been listening to them in the car or through the seasonal channel on TV.   Every time they hear the word Christmas in a song, one or the other will call out, "Merry Christmas!"

I can't believe it's only 11 days away.

That is, if we all survive the Mayan's prediction on the 21st!

She was exhausted after the Christmas concert at Forest Lake Academy.

Watching something while Tangie and I get ready for the day.

Gorgeous December afternoon.

Duncan watches all the children.

Super Santa's helper!

We joined the Grodacks and Bergherms at Sea World Sunday afternoon and evening.

Looking up at the sharks and stingrays swimming above.

So that's how it feels to be a fish!

Braelyn helps little brother and 

little sister to experience life inside an aquarium.

Gotta love this stroller combination to fit all three fairly comfortably!

Getting pretty close to Flipper!

Silly girls!

Looking at the sea lions, I love how comfy Maddy looks with her feet propped up!

Getting ready for the Sea Lion and Otter Show.

Besties hamming it up.

The whole crew at the carousel.

Braelyn loving the merry-go-round.

Corey accompanied the twins on the train ride for kiddies.

By the big tree at the North Pole.

Panorama of the lit Christmas trees in the Grand Lagoon at Sea World.

Mailing out our Holiday cards.

Doing some activities on the computer at the library.

Braelyn "bought" and wrapped gifts to give to her buddies for Wednesday evening's get-together.

Kohl and Maddy listening to story time.

Braelyn shows off a gift she made for her family at school.

Sharing in the true meaning of the season.

We had the Grodacks and Bergherms over for pizza night on Wednesday.
This would be the last time all three families could get together before we all separated for vacation.
Santa was to drive around the neighborhood later that evening.

The mothers making the pizzas for the adults.

The parents' table.  

Lots of Christmas goodies at Costco!

Playing with the train set at the Orlando Science Center.

Having sushi with Daddy.  That's what they told me they wanted for lunch, I was so thrilled!

Braelyn trying to convince Mommy she wanted this for Christmas...with Daddy's help!

Taking a slide at the play park.

Randoms:

Monday was a weird day weather wise.  We awoke to this thick soup in the morning, and then we had the
tornado in the afternoon!  So crazy this was all happening in December!

12:12:12 on 12/12/12.  We will never experience this ever again.

I'm seeing a pattern with numbers this week!  Sadly though, this was on the minivan.  :(

Quotes:

• Tangie saw a rainbow from her office window downtown and took a picture of it and sent it to me via message so Braelyn could see it.  Braelyn looked at the picture on my phone, zoomed in on the rainbow, and then asked me, "Where's the pot of gold?"

• Braelyn saw the cover to a recent Entertainment Weekly magazine in the guest bathroom and on it was the cast of Star Wars:

          Brae:  [Pointing to Han Solo/Harrison Ford]  "Why does he have a gun?"

          Me:  "Oh it's not real.  It's just for the movie."

          Brae:  [Noticing Princess Leah's skimpy outfit]  "Oh, look at her bra.  It's
                     gorgeous!"

          Such a girl.

• On our way to Sea World to meet the Grodacks and Bergherms on Sunday afternoon, we saw a group of European tourists making their way from the water park Aquatica back to their hotel, still in their swimsuits.  Kohlden spots them and laughs, "Look!  Shake a booty!

• We were heading home from picking Brae up from school, and she was sharing an incident that occurred to her at lunch time:

          Brae:  "Daddy, I had an accident today."

          Me:  "Oh no!  Did you go potty in your pants?"

          Brae:  "No.  It was at lunch.  I accidentally dropped my pizza on the floor."
                    [referring to a create your own pizza luncheable I had packed for her]

          Me:  [concerned]  "Oh no!  So you didn't have any food for lunch?"  

          Brae:  "Yes.  The lady gave me a hot lunch."

          Me:  "Oh good.  So did you eat it all?"

          Brae:  [shaking her head] "No."

          Me:  "And why not?"

          Brae:  "Because I was so angry with myself!"

          How adorable.  

Don't forget to brush your teeth!

Have a great weekend!