Our trip to the Clipper game...

When I was younger, I went to professional sporting events pretty often. As my amigo Cap can attest, we saw the Lakers and the Kings quite often, and I saw a lot of Dodgers games (and a few Angels games too).

But I haven't gone to many in the last several years, for several reasons. There's just a lot of other things to do with my time. And it is REALLY expensive to go to a game, especially when you have to buy tickets for the whole family. (Not to mention the fact that my kids can each eat their own weight in hot dogs, which are also a bit pricey.)

So when I learned that the Clippers were giving away tickets to some of their preseason games, I jumped at the chance. Now, I know it's the Clippers, but free tickets are free tickets. Plus, I kinda like the Clippers. So, last Friday, Little MacGyver and I went down to Staples Center to enjoy the NBA action.

He had never been to an NBA game before, so he was a little excited. By "a little" I mean that he talked about it non-stop for several days before the game. And I thought his little head was going to explode with excitement when we got to the arena.

Here he is taking in the inside of the Staples Center for the first time. He's a little overwhelmed by the size of it:

This is the view from our seats:

As you can see, the place is packed with excited fans!



















Here's the little man, while his daddy makes him miss part of the game so he can take pictures:





















The best part was that after the game, he got to go down to the court and shoot a free throw! It was very exciting for him. He said that he was going to try to make the shot, and help the Clippers win the game. (Unfortunately, the Clippers needed a lot more help than even my amazing boy could give.) Here he is, barely visible as he heaves the ball toward the basket:
















The Clippers did lose, but it didn't matter to Little MacGyver, or me. We had a blast, and we'll never forget the experience. There's no better boy to go on adventures with than my terrific son!

The perfect porch decoration...

My son loves to go with me when I head out on an errand. So a couple of days ago, when I took him with me to the post office, he was pretty happy. So happy, in fact, that when I opened the door to leave, he had printed this in chalk on the front porch:


If you're having trouble reading it, it says, "Dad I love you/you are the best dad frum Samuel"

I like his decorating style...

I don't want him to grow up either...

Last night, Little MacGyver and I were sitting in my bedroom, singing some songs. He turned to me and said, "Dada, I don't want to grow up. I want to stay a kid, so I can live with you and mama forever!"

I tried to explain to him that growing up was just part of life, and that we would love each other, no matter how old he was.

But he just wants to stay a kid.

To tell you the truth, I'd love for him to stay a kid too...

Here he is at the Nature Center yesterday, being his goofy, terrific self:

A note from Little MacGyver...

i love
you dad

Daddy/daughter day at Disneyland...

One of the reasons I've been scarce here at the Frontier the last couple of weeks is that we've been getting our house in shape. You see, we decided to renew our foster care license, just in case we we jump back into the adoption thing again. In order to have a foster care license, your house needs to be in pretty good shape, and certain safety requirements have to be met. So it took time to get that all together.

We had the licensing inspection yesterday, and we passed. The Mighty Mrs. J took the 2 oldest kids with her to work so they'd be out of the way during the inspection. After the inspector left, Toddler Houdini and I were all alone. So we hopped in the J-mobile, and went to Disneyland!

TH is a lot of fun on outings like this. She's very sociable, so she loves being around groups of people. We started out at California Adventure. She loves this ride where you spin around high in the air. She usually sits next to me, but she decided this time to sit across from me, by herself:

You can't see her hands in this pic because she got scared when the ride started. So I'm holding on to her hands to ease her fears.

She's actually too short to go on most of the rides. So we ended up just walking around DCA for a while.













She loves to pose for pictures, so here are a few. First is her in the doorway on the Main
street of DCA. Next, TH in front of an airplane.






























When DCA closed , we went over to the original Disneyland. We had to ride the carousel, because TH can't go there without seeing the horses.
































We also had to ride the train and go to the Tiki Room. She has such a great personality. Taking her places is a real pleasure (even if she is 2).

I'm at the end here, and there's no real point to this post. (Unlike most of my posts, which have a laser-like focus.) But 1 thing we can all agree on: she sure is cute!

Little MacGyver goes golfing...

My friend Cap likes to write things about my lack of golfing skills. But he's really not being honest with everybody. I'm actually much worse than he says. But I do enjoy getting out occasionally to chase those little white balls around a course.

Yesterday, I got the privilege of taking my boy out to the course for the first time. We played at the luxurious South Gate Park golf course, a par 3 course about 10 minutes from our house. He was so excited he could hardly sit still in the car.

He was ready to go when we got there. The starter was kind enough to let us play, even though Little M is too young to play, according to course rules. Here he is just before we walk to the first tee...


In case you're wondering, the sign above his left shoulder says, "Supervise Your Children," which I did. He was actually very well-behaved, especially considering how excited he was. (He only chased squirrels into the fairway twice.) We had a great time.


He seemed to enjoy himself quite a bit, although he started getting tired by the end. He got the basics of hitting the ball, and he mostly hit it in the right direction (something I still have trouble with.)


Here he is out on the course...

I have no idea where the ball is in this picture, but he's ready to hit it when he finds it.

I'm glad he had so much fun. Golf is something he can enjoy his whole life, even if he's as bad as I am.

Of course, if he gets really good, maybe he'll turn pro some day. And then the Mighty Mrs. J and I can live off of the allowance he gives us. Can anyone say Tiger MacGyver?


(By the way, the pic at the top of this post? It's the World's Greatest Boy, and his very proud daddy...)

I'm not sure there's a cure...

I found out tonight that Little MacGyver has an illness that I'm not sure can be cured. We were driving home from the Lynch house, talking about the planet Saturn (he's really interested in the planets right now). He asked me, "Where is Saturn?"

I explained that Saturn is a long way from earth, that it goes around the sun, just like the earth does. He said, the earth goes around the sun? Yes, it does.

He's quiet for a minute. Then he says, "Dada, I'm dizzy."

"Why are you dizzy, son?"

"From the earth spinning around."

Does anyone know how much Dramamine is recommended for motion sickness caused by the earth's rotation?

Toddler Houdini makes an appearance...

Well, since I've been posting adorable pics of my adorable kids the last couple of days, here's one more. Toddler Houdini is one terrific daughter. She's got a sweet, fun personality, and she oozes charm.

In fact she might be a bit too charming. Sometimes I think she gets away with stuff because of her cuteness.

Example: TH throws her napkin on the floor (Why? Because she's 2, that's why!) I say, "Pick it up, girl." Her reply? "No thanks!" Then she runs, giggling, out of the room. My first reaction? "Awwwww, how adorable!"

Then I realize: she is completely disobeying me! At that point, I apply a little gentle persuasion, and she does what she should. But I'm sure sometimes she gets away with stuff because I just see the cuteness, not the total disregard of my authority.

But I don't worry about it. Why? Because she's really cute, and cute goes a long way...

The world's smartest boy!

I need to make an announcement. Everyone, please read carefully. This is very important, so I need your complete attention.

Here it is: my son is the smartest boy in the world. (And very handsome, too.) How do I know he's the smartest boy in the world? A lot of reasons, but right now I'll show you what he just put together:

It's a big puzzle of the solar system...and he put it together all by himself! Not bad for a just-turned 6-year-old.












Here's the proud, happy boy with his creation. Your dad is very proud of you, son!

Happy birthday, Little MacGyver...

Today is Little MacGyver's 6th birthday! Yes, he's a Christmas Eve baby. His birthday can be overshadowed a bit by this guy. But we usually have a party for him the week before or the week after, to separate his special day from Jesus' special day.

But we did have a special birthday breakfast this morning. And of course, I took pictures!


Here he is, waiting for his favorite breakfast (bacon and johnny cakes). Notice he has the family celebration plate that we use on birthday days.


The girls are less concerned with birthdays and more worried about getting breakfast served soon!












Here he is with one gift--a set of books called The Magic Treehouse. He has the first book in the series as an audiobook, and he loves it. He listens to it every night while he goes to sleep.









This was his big gift--his very own, kid-sized guitar! He's been playing it all day. I've got to say, teaching your son some simple guitar chords is a great feeling!









I assume that at some point Little MacGyver will read this, just to check up on what his old man is doing.

So here's a note to you, son. You are the best son a father could ever have. I am so proud of the boy you've become, and I look forward to seeing the man you'll be. You are one of God's great blessings to your mom and me. I know you'll be a great blessing to all the people you touch through your life. Two things I want you to be sure of in this crazy life: 1) God loves you more than you'll ever imagine, and 2) your dad is totally proud of you, always.

Happy birthday, my crazy boy!

Coaching 5-year-olds is hard work!

You know, I had something clever to post today. But I'm too tired to do it. Little McGyver's YMCA basketball team had their second game tonight. Coaching is harder than it looks! I have a new-found respect for Doug Moe.

Maybe I'll feel like being clever tomorrow...

Meanwhile, here's what it looks like when I make Little McGyver and Disney Girl take pics when they don't want to:










Of course, Toddler Houdini likes to take pictures anytime:

They Call Me Coach...

I now have a new title--Coach! I'm coaching Little McGyver's YMCA team. Our first practice was tonight. It went pretty well, considering the kids are 5 to 7 years old, and I don't have a clue what I'm doing.

First game? Tomorrow night. We should be completely ready. Actually, practice doesn't mean a lot at this age. Mostly the kids seem to all end up moving in a blob, first under one basket, then the other. My job is to keep the kids from killing someone on the other team.

Someone did manage to snap a pic of my coaching debut. I think my boy has a real future in basketball...

They're growing up way too fast...

This has been an exciting several days. My computer monitor died, so I commandeered the Mighty Mrs. J's monitor so I can get some work (and some blogging) done. The new monitor comes today, and it should solve all my problems. (I know some of you are thinking that a team of Harvard-trained psychologists couldn't solve all my problems, but in this case, I'm just talking about my computer.)

But the most exciting happening this week has been Potty Training Frenzy. DisneyGirl has really shown that she's ready to make the leap. We knew she would, when it was time. Well, it's time. That means lots of parades through the house, singing the old favorite, "DisneyGirl went pee-pee, pee-pee in the potty!" We sing and dance until one of us, usually me, passes out from exhaustion.

I think the best part, aside from not having to clean up dirty diapers, is seeing how happy and proud she is of herself. She sees herself as a real big girl. To me, of course, she's still the little 4 pound baby I could hold in the palm of my hand. So I feel happy and sad all at once. I want her to do all the normal , growing-up kinds of things. But I always want her to be my little girl.

I hope that in some way, she always will be...

Trip to the fair...

We spent Friday at the LA County Fair. What a blast! The kids had a great time, as you can see by the pics. It wasn't too hot, like it is many years when we go out there.

The fair is our yearly chance for the kids to see farm animals. Otherwise, they would only interact with a cow when they go to McDonald's.

It was also a very cool chance for Little MacGyver to go rock climbing. He's a natural at it. He's light, he's strong, and he's great at figuring out where to put his feet and hands. And I get to stand at the bottom and cheer him on! It's such a great picture of what I think being a dad is all about. I get to encourage him, point him in the right direction, make suggestions about what he should do. But in the end, he's responsible for what he chooses to do. I pray he'll make life decisions that are as great as the ones he made yesterday on that rock wall.

However far he climbs, I'll be there to cheer him on...

Are stay-at-home dads happy?

Am I happy being a stay-at-home dad? I thought I was. Then I saw that this blog had been linked to in another blog. The topic at that other blog? (Yes, there are other blogs. I know, shocking!) How unhappy the marriage of the blogger is with her stay-at-home husband. It got me thinking about my whole situation.

You probably should know that I tend toward being slightly dramatic. When I see a commercial for some new medication on TV, I always imagine that I have the ailment the medicine is supposed to cure. Even though, as the Mighty Mrs. J has often pointed out, it would be very hard for me to be suffering from the traumatic effects of menopause. So, I started thining that maybe I wasn't happy after all. I wondered, am I really happy?

Answer? Yeah, I really am happy with where I am right now. And not just because I have a writing business I operate from our house. (The blogger woman suggested that the only happy SAHD's are ones who work also.) In fact, I came up with a list of reasons why I'm happy to be a SAHD:

1. I have a profound impact on my children's lives. Much more than I would if I was at an office 10 or 12 hours a day.
2. I have a terrific wife who realizes that marriage is a partnership where both of us have to give up things to make the family work. I give up some of my self-identity by not working outside, and she gives up some of her time with our kids.
   
3. We get to show our kids that families comes in all shapes, sizes, and configurations. I hope our 3 musketeers grow up to know that they aren't bound by what society says is normal.
4. I get the challenge of doing kid stuff, and working to run a small business on short amounts of time and money.
5. We see every day just how good God is to us. He provides in miraculous ways, even when we don't understand how He's doing it.

Will this arrangement last forever? I have no idea. If the writing business takes off like I think it will, then maybe both of us can stay at home full time. That would be ideal.

By the way, if you want to read the blog that prompted this post, here it is. I gotta warn you. If you go there and find something you don't like, don't blame me. I don't vouch for anything there. Or anything here, for that matter.

And just to prove how deliriously happy we are, here's a picture of us. Try
to ignor that I look all doped up (more than usual). This pic just goes to prove the old saying, the couple that takes cheesy pictures together, stays together.

True confessions of a sick father...

I have to make a confession: I am a bad parent. At least, I'm a bad parent when I am sick. Actually, I'm pretty much a bad person when I'm sick. Irritable? You bet! Easily angered? Absolutely! Ready to lash out at anyone who annoys me? No doubt!

What a joy I am for the kids and the Mighty Mrs. J!

What that means is that everybody has been tiptoeing around me for the last couple of weeks. And, when the kids did something terrible, like play loudly, or talk, or you know, act like children, I would call them down. I'd growl lovely parental encouragements, like, What are you doing?!? Do you know what you're doing??? This has to STOP!!! Stop NOW I tell you!!!

Mostly, the kids just stare at me. It's really hard for children to stop acting like children.

As you can probably guess, I've spent a lot of the last few weeks apologizing to my kids. After my anger died down, I would realize what a jerk I was. Then I'd go beg forgiveness. Because my kids are wonderful, they always forgave their cranky, irritated dad.

I've spent a lot of time the last few days snuggling up my kids. I'm trying to remind them that their dad isn't always a growling, crabby old bear. I also hope they learn something I need to remember: the 2 most powerful words in the English language are "I'm sorry."

New beginnings...

This is mostly going to be dedicated to chronicling the hardest, most thankless job known to mankind--fathering. I am the very happy father of three small children. I have a 5 year old boy, Little McGyver, who firmly believes in his ability to do anything, anytime without any help from adults. His sister, DisneyGirl, is the queen of imagination and drama. Their baby sister, The World's Sweetest Toddler, is 20 months old.

Together, they are the greatest, most maddening, kids in the world. And, although there are a lot of mommyblogs out there, there aren't as many dads getting their perspectives into the e-world. And I think we all agree that moms and dads see things very differently.

That's all for now. Crying kids call me away!

(By the way, the pic above shows them in their natural habitat--lounging, being waited on hand and foot.)