The Sanblog

February Saturday With Dads

2012-02-10T21:56:00.001-05:00

Park. Starbucks.

Space Cadets in the Office

2012-02-10T21:52:00.001-05:00

I love having the girls in the office. I wonder if they will remember it when they are older. I hope so. Lucy especially gets really excited to see "uncle ha ha" which is about as good a match as there is in this world when it comes to kindred spirits.

Ginger and the Guy with the Leather Jacket

2012-02-03T06:13:00.001-05:00

That's max...who is definitely a lover and not a fighter and ok in my book.

Book of Mormon

2012-01-30T19:46:00.001-05:00

Amie getting ready for Book of Mormon on broadway.

In the park with dads

2012-01-29T14:22:00.001-05:00

Cool Girls

2011-07-10T06:55:00.000-05:00

Ginger and the Smith girls eagerly managing their social presence this weekend.

Booger Love

2011-06-10T07:43:00.002-05:00

Amie found this quote on a blog she reads....pretty much sums it up.

I picked a dried autumn booger out of my daughter's nostril today while I was making her watch the baseball on TV with me. She let me do it. It didn't phase her, really. She was more into trying to escape my clutch, to get away from the boredom. I wiped it on my pants. No biggie. When it's your kid you wanna do stuff like that; you wanna show the ghosts and the angels and whatever else is floating around the room invisible, taking notes about if you're worth it or not, you wanna show them that you love your babies with insane love. With powerful outer space love. If someone else were to wipe a boogie on my pants I would take a hacksaw and start cutting at the seams of their lips until I peeled off the top two-thirds of their head, you know? But when it's your kid, it's different. You get in there and you pick their fucking noses and you genuinely enjoy it just as much, if not more, than you would enjoy a nice steak and a baked potato, some red wine.

Hard at Work

2011-01-11T06:44:00.002-05:00

The ladies took a break this weekend from their long days of napping, playing and eating to stop by the office to do some whiteboarding with me. You know....just tossing out some ideas and seeing what sticks...

Colliding Particles

2011-01-09T13:40:00.003-05:00

I saw this one coming a mile away (hang in there till the 1-minute mark) but sometimes you have to sit back and just let it happen. Even when "it" is pain:

Tiny Dancers

2010-12-29T09:09:00.001-05:00

Sometimes...to effectively express that which lurks deep down inside...one must unashamedly, joyously, recklessly... dance...

Tiny Dancers from Chris Sanborn on Vimeo.

Snowmaggedon 2010

2010-12-28T16:05:00.002-05:00

And on the seventh day...He made it snow...and snow....and snow. The east coast got a shot of snow to the solar plexus this week...which was not so fun for anyone who had to go anywhere (which was most of the country) but if you had nothing to do but wander out into the backyard and explore the magical little pieces of white fairy dust falling from the sky...it was heaps of fun:

Lucy catching snow from Chris Sanborn on Vimeo.

Snow Day - Dec 2010 from Chris Sanborn on Vimeo.

Christmas Morning 2010

2010-12-28T15:09:00.004-05:00

Some day they will wake up with hangovers and won't care at all about the majesty and mystery of Santa Claus and Christmas morning...but that day is far off:

X-Mas Morning Showtime - 2010 from Chris Sanborn on Vimeo.

Reading is Fundamental

2010-12-28T15:03:00.002-05:00

Lucy just loves to read....especially out loud to herself. The fact that she doesn't know how to read likely only makes the task more enjoyable to her. I finally caught it on video:

Lucy Reading to Herself from Chris Sanborn on Vimeo.

NOTE: The book is upside down. Also note that she says, "One Day..." every now and then. I think a while ago there was a string of stories we read to her that began with those words so she just kind of worked into the narrative of every page.

Dear Ginger and Lucy...

2010-11-21T13:44:00.010-05:00

Dear Ginger and Lucy,

Captain's Log…stardate November 21, 2010.

It occurred to me the other day that the primary purpose of this blog has been to document the strange and wonderful journey of my life as a father and husband. And that, some day, my kids will look on these entries as an informal first draft of their personal history.

To that end…I thought it would be useful and entertaining to take a few moments to write to my daughters and tell them who they are (right now) in a voice they'll understand (much later). They have grown so much, so fast that I feel the need to document what I see before I forget and caught up in who they'll be only a few months from now (as it will no doubt be a world away from who they are today).

They are so different and yet they feed off each other in the most magical ways that only parents can truly bore each other with in their retelling of how it all went down. I hope to do that task justice here…we'll have to wait and see.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Dear Ginger,

You are very, very smart. And not just in the "my little girl is the smartest" kind of way all parents espouse by genetic default. People seem to not believe how old you are when we tell them and your mother and I often turn to each other and say, "Did she just say that?" after hearing you come forth with some phrase or concept that is light-years ahead of where a 3 year-old should be.

Despite your nerdy ways you are punk rock at the core.

You learned to (mostly) walk and (kind of) play the piano at 8 months.

You are cautious and observant in a way that speaks to your intelligence but it's something more than that. You have a need to understand a thing from top to bottom before you can truly enjoy or ignore it.

You prefer to do it yourself.

You are like your mother. You appreciate and seek out hugs, you are at ease in the spotlight, you are naturally predisposed to singing and dancing…and when you smile I can see your mother's face staring right back at me.

At some point you went from passively trying to destroy your little sister to actively trying to help her.

You've had somewhere to go since the day you were born.

You like to get dressed up like a princess and/or a fairy…a lot…and you think BandAids are fashion accessories.

You like playing with my computer (and I hope you'll learn Objective-C, HTML, CSS, jQuery, PHP and MySQL sooner rather than later).

You are rarely sad and you are almost never angry.

You like chocolate and butter as much as I do.

If I had to guess, I would say you'll be the star of the show.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Dear Lucy,

You are all heart kiddo.

When you laugh I can feel my heart glow. And you laugh often.

You seem to subscribe to the notion that you can get further with a kind word and a clenched fist than you can with a kind word alone. This worries your mother…but I tell her it will serve you well enough and you're not quite Al Capone.

You don't seem to have much in the way of fear or apprehension. And when you do, you often ignore it.

You also prefer to do it yourself.

Punishing you is difficult because you seem mostly unaffected by the penalty.

You ask a lot of questions and read a lot of books.

You like to follow your sister's lead and you like it when she makes you laugh.

You have a very sensitive ear. You REALLY don't like noises that come from places you can't see and you HATE Salt n' Pepa's "Push it."

You're pretty laid back when the mood calls for it.

You enjoy a good nap.

You have an uncanny affinity for your Pa and people say we look alike.

You like trucks & basketballs and dolls & dresses with equal measure. You love the water.

You are ridiculous.

If I had to guess, I would say you'll be very good at sports (and you'll lead the league in both goals and penalty minutes).

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Together, you are quite a team. Where Ginger takes pause, Lucy vaults. Where Ginger contemplates, Lucy takes action. On the flipside…where Lucy gets lost, Ginger navigates. Where Lucy learns the hard way, Ginger generally arrives safely.

Every day you seem to teach other something new and I hope that never changes. As your grandma is fond of saying, "You can pick your friends, you can't pick your relatives." So the very different people you are now will only serve you mightily as you continue to grow.

As far as my hopes for you both, above all else my hope is that you grow to be strong, confident and happy women (and with any luck you are well on your way). I hope you will have the conviction to do what your heart says is right…to be honest always and to have faith in each other and the ones you choose to love. Beyond that…it's your game to play and your rules to make. As your Pa once told me when I was a younger man (and on the verge of entering an unsupervised stage of life), "Don't get hurt and don't get arrested…everything else can be replaced or repaired."

So there you have it ladies. Wherever you are now…whoever you have become…remember that once upon a time you were my little ... girls (and you always will be).

Pumpkin Picking in New Jersey

2010-11-07T13:52:00.001-05:00

Sophisticated Strolling

2010-11-07T13:39:00.000-05:00

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T13:59:00.002-05:00

Sanborn Halloween 2010 from Chris Sanborn on Vimeo.

My Retirement Plan

2010-09-23T15:17:00.000-05:00

Formal Sundays

2010-08-23T15:23:00.000-05:00

My Little Buddy

2010-03-26T16:19:00.002-05:00

Though it may appear as though Ginger is taking her little sister under her wing and guiding her back into the building from the park....in reality she is setting up for a devastating Guatemalan neck hold followed by a "third rope" drop kick to the solar plexus. It looked lovely though...for a moment there...

Dancing on the Table

2010-03-21T14:57:00.003-05:00

This is a little (okay - a lot) dated but I found this video on my phone from Lucy's 1st birthday. There's only a couple of times in your life when you can dance on the table eating your cake with your fingers....and this is certainly one of them...

Listen hard and you will hear Amie's grandmother scream audibly when Lucy makes a move to fall backwards.

Lucy 1st Birthday Party - Dancing on the Table from Chris Sanborn on Vimeo.

And then there was this magical moment in time where we actually got all of the kids to sit together for about 15 seconds to take a picture. ICE CREEAAAAMMM!!!

Date Night

2010-03-17T18:35:00.003-05:00

Ginger, startled momentarily by the commotion inside their date night location, was comforted by her gentleman caller...Jasper....who offered a secure embrace and an assurance that he would protect her from the elements.

Roller Sanborn Derby.....Niner

2010-03-11T05:41:00.000-05:00

Whilst out on long island snowed in for the umpteenth weekend in a row visiting with Grammy and Pop...we entertained ourselves..and maybe even Ginger and Lucy by having them roll each other around in a stroller meant for a doll. The social services police are probably on their way now....but it was fun...

Roller Derby - Sanborn Style - Part 1 from Chris Sanborn on Vimeo.

Roller Derby - Sanborn Style - Part 2 from Chris Sanborn on Vimeo.

Horsey Ride

2010-03-05T16:30:00.000-05:00

Amie bounced at least 10 - 15 SAT points out of Lucy's mellon on this one:

Ginger Eats a Stick of Butter

2010-03-04T16:06:00.001-05:00

Ketchup and butter are a very important part of the Sanborn lifestyle....Ginger demonstrates the latter:

Sister for Sale

2010-03-01T18:08:00.004-05:00

Ginger finally found something Lucy is good for....hard cash...

Adventures in Daddysitting

2010-01-17T18:57:00.002-05:00

Good old dad had an afternoon flying solo with the ladies this weekend.

If you listen carefully - you'll hear Ginger call me "mommy"....just what every red blooded American dad likes to hear...

I keep reminding her that I'm "daddy" but often to no avail.

There Will Be Animal Farm Sweaters...

2009-12-28T16:06:00.002-05:00

...oh yes....there will be animal farm sweaters...

Let it Snow

2009-12-21T17:56:00.004-05:00

Only a real woman can wear a hot pink and white hat with poms poms on it and pull it off.

"Look Mr. Snowman....if that's your real name...I don't know what the story is but I heard all about this carrot nose and a corncob pipe and everything and I have to say.....I'm just not seeing it. You should talk to whoever wrote that song about you because frankly...he painted a picture that is somewhat incongruous to your reality..just sayin'."

We borrowed this sled from Dick to tour the neighborhood.....and he apparently borrowed it from the Saturday Evening Post.

For those who missed it...it snowed....a lot.

Amie and I decided that after some drinks...taking the sled we bought for Ginger and launching ourselves off the front stairs would be a solid idea. I learned that I am no longer 9 years old. Or 25 years old...for that matter.

The Light of Knowledge

2009-12-18T08:39:00.002-05:00

The illuminating light of knowledge shines bright like the white hot goodness of a thousand suns upon the 1-2-3 game in pre-school.

Concrete Jungle

2009-12-15T06:29:00.002-05:00

You see....in New York....we grow up playing with concrete slabs.....that's just how we roll...

Daddies in the Mist

2009-12-07T06:29:00.003-05:00

Like a national geographic photographer....Amie waited in the Sanborn jungle for some time before "it happened." But when it did happen...she did not hesitate and she "got the shot."

Let's begin...

Here (above) we see the daddy beginning the "evening wind-down" process with the alpha-female of the brood. The daddy is employing a popular means of wind-downage...the storytime routine. Due attention is paid by the alpha-female.

Next we see the viral effects of the storytime routine as the beta-female is drawn into the episode. The alpha-female has temporarily vacated the story-time location (as the alpha-female is prone to do when the beta-female enters her airspace.)

Here, the daddy appears to be achieving success in a dramatic two-for-one wind-downage routine. With both the alpha-female and the beta-female drawn into his engaging, yet soothing narrative delivered with just the right cadence and tonality...the daddy appears to be delivering a level of hyper-productivity not generally associated with the daddy species.

Success, however, proves fleeting...as the alpha- and beta-females discover the daddy is actually not as entertaining as the monkey in the corner of the room.

A forceful egress is executed by the alpha- and beta-females, thus leaving the daddy reading storytime to himself. The daddy species...brave, hard-working, strong...yet not always effective.

Working Girls

2009-12-06T16:42:00.005-05:00

Working in the office on a Sunday can suck...but it sucks a little less when you can bring the kiddies along for the ride.

Here we see Ginger running a very important meeting of the board:

And Lucy deciding to take time out from her budgeting work to "talk offline" with her most valued employee....Elmo:

It's hard work...but someone has to do it.

Rock Center

2009-12-06T08:23:00.004-05:00

As his her right as an American and a New Yorker....Ginger made a visit to Rockefeller Center with her mother and grandmother this week. If for no other reason that to understand what Daddy means when he angrily turns off a light in an empty room and shouts out, "What are we? Rockefellers!!"

Sleep Training and No Hitters

2009-12-02T20:19:00.004-05:00

Think sleeping babies and Sandy Kofax have nothing to do with each other? Think again.

Sleep training (the process by which you train your small children to learn how to go to sleep for a healthy 8 hours or more) is a lot like a no hitter (a baseball game in which the pitcher does not allow a hit from the opposing team's batters for a full 9 innings.)

Here's why...when a pitcher is in the midst of throwing the no hitter (also known as a "no-no") an unwritten rule declares that no one on his team can mention it to him or to anyone else. Basically you just can't talk about it...out of pure superstitious respect for laws laid down by the baseball gods.

For the past three months or so, Amie and I have been trying everything to get Ginger to return to the very healthy sleep patterns that defined her early sleeping career. Somewhere along the course of her game she lost her way...and now wakes up crying several times a night.

There are nights...like tonight...when we put her down and she does not immediately cry...but when this happens...neither of us acknowledge it. Despite the fact that it's all either of us can think about...we don't talk about it (for fear of disrupting the delicate balance of superstitious molecules surrounding Ginger's tenuous sleep bubble).

Baseball and sleep training....two games played with a singular goal in mind (winning) and which count on teamwork...and apparently...the gods.

Ginger's World

2009-12-01T17:15:00.001-05:00

Party on Wayne...

Party on Ginger...

Addicted to Pot

2009-12-01T08:04:00.000-05:00

These kids today and their pot...I just don't know...

The Magical Musical Baby

2009-11-30T16:52:00.002-05:00

We learned something new about Lucy this weekend:

Yes...apparently if you take a helpless infant, stick a finger in her mouth and shake it around violently while said infant tries to speak...you can get a pretty sweet YouTube clip out of it. Babies....who knew they were so multidimensional?

Dancy Party

2009-11-24T08:03:00.003-05:00

I'm no expert on the subject...but I'm going to head out on a limb and say that rhythm-less white guys have no business teaching our youth how to dance. But since our house is typically "where rules governing social conventions and proper conduct go to die," I give you a glimpse into the Sanborn Dance Party experiment...

Pigs in Space

2009-11-23T15:55:00.002-05:00

What do you get when you take an extremely overtired 10 month old and dress her up in a new winter jumpsuit that is about 3 sizes too big? Well...in our house....you break out the camera and wait for her to do something ridiculous...

2 Years of Ginger Anne

2009-11-19T08:31:00.002-05:00

Hard to believe two years have passed since my world changed significantly....but alas...our little baby is all grown up. More pics and video to follow...

Biker Chick

2009-11-09T07:33:00.000-05:00

There goes the neighborhood....

Chicago

2009-11-02T13:54:00.001-05:00

We're in Chicago today and as you can see....it's TERRIBLY exciting.

It Takes a Real Man to Carry a Pink Bag

2009-10-20T05:52:00.003-05:00

Is there some unwritten rule that states women need to use the pinkest, least masculine bag to hold things they want men to carry with them on the street in broad daylight? Don't get me wrong...when my sister gave me a bag full of snacks and candy that was left over from her wedding...I was thrilled to receive it.....but had I the time to consider the negative brand equity associated with walking up 31st street this morning with an enormous pink bag on my shoulder (which I tried to carry as though it were a bag of highly poisonous snakes dipped in kryptonite and hydrochloric acid and lava)....I might have reconsidered it's value to me.

In Lunch We Trust....

2009-10-20T05:51:00.000-05:00

Ginger is Taking Care of Us Now...

2009-10-15T05:49:00.003-05:00

Amie at first protested Ginger's usurpation of the cooking duties within the household but soon became comfortable with the notion of having a two year old operate the oven, chop carrots and as seen here.....washing the dishes. I knew we had kids for a reason (slavery).

Meanwhile....Lucy had a "less fun" day yesterday....she endured a triple shot (needles...not limes and salt) at her checkup. We noticed a nanny who was in the waiting room taking a 3 or 4 year old to get her checkup and the kid was clearly nervous. The nanny assured her, "There's nothing to be afraid of....the doctor is a nice man who is not going to hurt you." Amie I agreed this is not the best strategy as far as we can tell. Had she the ability to understand me, I would have looked Lucy right in the eye before the visit and said, "this is going to suck....a lot.....but it's for your own good.....so bear down and take one for the team." When we saw that little girl leaving the office holding her arm and crying...I could not help but wonder if she was more pissed at the pain in her arm or the nanny who lied to her. Probably the pain in the arm....but still...we all deserve to know what someone is about to kick our ass. Don't we?

I'm Huggin Ya....But I'm HItting Ya....

2009-10-12T06:06:00.001-05:00

It's unclear to me whether this is love, aggression or compliance....but I'll take it either way.

Ginger's First Day of School

2009-10-01T16:54:00.003-05:00

Though I was out of town on business and unable to see it for myself....Ginger apparently made a bold entrance on her first day of pre-school....

Rather than waiting for an older kid to stuff her in a locker....Ginger used her intensely developed physcholigcal warfare skills and voluntarily stuffed herself into a locker....thus making it cool...and removing the negative cultural stigma from the act itself. Either that...or her grandmother plopped her down in front of the lockers and took her picture.

Mommy tried to help Ginger with her homework....but she would have none of it. In fact, Ginger could be heard saying, "You're embarrassing me mom....I'm not a kid anymore...."

There's a time for books....and there's a time for rocking the firefighter helmut...and an educated person knows the difference...

Her neighbor seems somewhat unnerved by the fact that Ginger has painted what appears to be a terrifying rendering of an oversized spider.

On the opposite wall there was a montage of stick figures with frown-y faces and AK-47's showcasing all of Ginger's "enemies."

A beautiful day for learning...

Part of the pre-school education process is teaching kids how to each out of a trough like a farm animal...it's very progressive/downtown/touchy-feely....

I'm going to head out on a limb and say that Ginger got some help from Grandma on that "G"...either that or she'll be teaching this class by Thanksgiving.

Kisses

2009-09-30T14:03:00.001-05:00

Monkey Poop

2009-09-29T08:03:00.002-05:00

Ginger has decided that instead of actually learning how to poop on the potty...she will delegate that responsibility to "Apple Monkey" who can be seen here fine-tuning his technique on the training simulator.

MENSA Meeting

2009-09-29T05:02:00.000-05:00

The Game of Love

2009-09-28T04:52:00.002-05:00

Ginger brought her A-Game to my sister's wedding this weekend. Twas a lovely affair with Ginger and Lucy serving as flower girls.

Hair Is Awesome....

2009-09-23T12:40:00.003-05:00

One of the benefits of having kids with generous amounts of hair is that you can find new and interesting ways to dress them their domes. Or so I am told.....by my wife....I certainly don't like playing dress up with little girls.....honestly....never....never....

The Art of the Upsell

2009-09-23T12:38:00.000-05:00

Avis upsell lady = 1 Chris Sanborn = 0

Ginger Phone Home

2009-09-22T05:34:00.005-05:00

Seeking to communicate with the mothership in her native galaxy, Ginger struggled to find the right position on the ground where her frequency was most clear.

We came into the girls' room the other morning and found that we DEFINITELY need to lower Lucy's crib...

"Holy crap.....I could totally make that drop!"

"Pack my bag Daddy!!! Lucy is leaving the building....you can't stop me.....you can only hope to contain me!"

IKEA...and Other Stories of Sanborn Baby Adventure...

2009-09-14T04:59:00.003-05:00

We smuggled Lucy into IKEA.....again. That Swedish law about no babies in shopping areas really makes it difficult to obtain affordable furniture.

Lucy proving...definitely....that crack is most certainly wack....at any age....

"If I only had the hand-eye-coordination daddy....I would tear this silly hat off my head....and shove it down your throat..."

Lucy knew...instinctively...that someone....somewhere....was breaking Lou Gehrig's record for most hits by a Yankee...

In a show of hip-hop bravado....Lucy grabbed a bottle with one hand and her stuff with the other. Don't hate the player...hate the game daddy...

God help me when Ginger turns 14....I'm just sayin...

"YES!!!!! BRING ME THE VEAL!!!! I MUST HAVE IT!!!! THE VEAL MOMMY!!!! THE VEAL!!!!"

I See Dead Comedians....

2009-09-04T15:01:00.004-05:00

When we were up in Canada, Ginger took a moment to channel the late, great Sam Kinison while on the dock...

Bag Ladies

2009-09-04T14:53:00.004-05:00

For some reason my kids LOVE getting into bags. This is not the first time...and something tells me it won't be the last.

It they become bag ladies some day I will feel somewhat responsible

She Came, She Saw, She Slept

2009-09-03T15:31:00.001-05:00

Sanborns are notorious beach sleepers...Ginger is no exception.

The Abyss

2009-08-31T06:06:00.002-05:00

Despite the fact that "the darkness" had finally come to reclaim Ginger back to "the underworld"...Ginger was all smiles.

Grandparental Torture

2009-08-23T06:58:00.001-05:00

Ginger and Lucy hate going to visit with their grandparents.....hate it....

Lucy Blue Eyes

2009-08-22T15:34:00.003-05:00

Grandpa...I am in the sink...here with Ducky and I have no clothes on...is nothing sacred to you sir?

5-Year Anniversary

2009-08-21T06:14:00.004-05:00

5 years ago today about 200 people got REALLY drunk in someone's backyard on Long Island to celebrate the marriage of two ridiculous people.

Feel free to join me in a walk down memory lane.

Playground Patrol

2009-08-21T05:38:00.002-05:00

In their ongoing battle to one-up one each other in all pursuits, Ginger and Lucy spent much of the afternoon trying to out-swing each other in the playground....when Lucy came out on top, Ginger avoided eye contact.....unwilling to let her emotions be revealed...yet her body language says it all.*

*just kidding....I think Ginger saw a squirrel to her left and Lucy's just truing to eat her swing

Lunatics

2009-08-18T05:46:00.002-05:00

Found these on my camera this morning...bath time is always fun time at my house....especially when the "thousand faces of Lucy Jane Sanborn" are involved.

And you'll notice that Ginger can, in fact, use the computer fairly well for a 1 year old. If she's not formatting standards-compliant XHTML and fully capable of setting up a MySQL database by the time she turns 2...I'll consider myself a personal failure...

This one was from our trip to Canada...there's a fish on the wall that sings...and this is a very cute video of Ginger and her friend Alice dancing....but I think I heard this song play 4,082 times that week. I still hear it in my nightmares.

Half in the Bag

2009-08-17T05:30:00.003-05:00

Showing her true Sanborn colors....it's Saturday night and Lucy is half in the bag.

360 Degress of Elmo

2009-08-14T08:07:00.003-05:00

"Are you serious Mommy? Elmo full-body towel? Really?"

Swinger

2009-08-02T14:54:00.004-05:00

Chilling on a hammock is a joy which knows no age.

Adventures in Canadian Babysitting

2009-08-01T16:03:00.023-05:00

NOTE: if you are a casual reader of this blog - the below might overwhelm you. This is an attempt to describe a week-long vacation in which a thousand photos were taken and did not discriminate much in presenting them. If you are a Sanblog superfan...get comfortable.

A few weeks ago we aimed the family truckster northward and headed to Canada where Amie's family has a small house on the St. Lawrence river. It's a magical place...life is simple there....drinking beer on the dock (always Labatt Blue), swimming in the river, waterskiing, drinking beer on the dock, you get the idea.

We go there every summer with Amie's family but this year we made an extra trip with our friends Ben and Kate (who have a daughter Ginger's age named Alice and another in the oven), Emily and Sean, and Ryan and Sarah. Ironically we went there for July 4th (leaving the US to hang with our friends from England on the day we celebrated our independence from...England...struck no one as odd...but alas...we did it anyway...because...it's a free country).

The ladies all went to high school together and refer to their group affectionately as "SAKE" (Sarah, Amie, Katie, Emily...yes...it's very silly).....we (the men) therefore are required to refer to ourselves as "CRABS" (good luck negotiating that acronym in your mind..Ben came up with it...he's British and so we assume it makes sense in some "greenwich mean time" kind of way.)

Anyway...as usual the paparazzi were out in force to document our adventures....

The trip up is 6 hours when you are NOT stopping every 2 hours for the kids to feed and take care of business. This was one of many stops along our 8-hour journey.

Soon after arrival...Lucy got a little too excited and hit the (formula) bottle HARD. The next day she was "wicked hungover."

When you are cool...the sun shines on you 24 hours a day...

Luckily Lucy was there to grab the wheel of the boat when Daddy's "blood-Labatt" level exceeded that which the mounted Canadia police would typically allow.

NO TALKING ON THE BUS!!!

Captain "Pasty White Guy" and First Mate "Pale Skinned Irish New Englander" scanned the horizon for incoming UV rays.

Amie is always so deathly serious on the boat....just can't get her to loosen up.

Ginger and Alice have a long of history of sharing baths...and we, therefore, have a long history of taking pictures of them sharing baths....it's all very cyclical and interconnected and...squeaky clean.

Hoodlums

So brave...

Ginger yelled "Hello fishy" at this fish 498 times in 3 minutes until it died of being yelled at by a toddler.

Amie stole Ginger's firemen hat...as she is prone to thievery and criminal acts...happens every time we leave the country.

The seagoing Sanborn crew in full vacation mode...

I told Sarah that it wasn't really appropriate to yell at my infant daughter at close range...she ignored that edict but Lucy held her own.

Here I can be seen clearly losing money to my friends...as I am prone to do whenever playing any game of chance.

Player.

Katie, Alice, Emily, Sarah, Amie and Ginger get their ladytime in...

Ginger sought to repair decades of bad blood between the US and Great Britain with one, terribly cute hug.

Story of my life...

The ladies manned the sniper rifle station at the top of the house.

A big part of the "experience" in Canada involves swimming in the river. The river this year was cold. And when I say that it was "cold" I don't mean that it was "refreshing." I mean that after you jumped in you waited for God to take you into his kingdom for your "great reward" in the hereafter. It was "hypothermia cold" but don't take my world for it...look into Sean's eyes...which do not betray his emotions.

Ben even had a "sissy shirt" on and was still visibly shaken by the temperature of the water.

Mr. Bevad laughed openly at the sight of his son-in-law (the above-mentioned Ben) in excruciating pain.

Having seen the terrible pain inflicted upon Ben and Sean at the hands of the icy cold Canadian water....Ryan performed some kind of Incan (or was it Mayan?) sumo-Kabuki theater routine to gird up the inner strength to follow suit.

Then he and Ben started doing things I can't really explain...

Finally Ryan took the plunge...and then proceeded to his river bath...which took on characteristics of the world renowned "Canadian ballet"...

Could have lived my whole life without seeing this burned onto the back of my ocular cavity and into my subconscious forever.

Ryan demonstrates our brand loyalty...it's really Labatt Blue or it's river water up there...

"The sea was angry that day my friends..."

Lucy thought she heard someone from the other room call her a whimp. She propped her head up immediately so as dispatch her furious anger against the perpetrator.

Ginger hates chocolate ice cream...hates it.

Sean issued some mandatory"man time" to counteract the aggressive "hurricane of estrogen" that had been circling our camp for days.

Extensive measures are taken to ensure no Sanborn skin sees the sun...we are not a tropical people...nor is Sean.

Sarah at sea.

Ben has a John Deere hat - which at first seems incongruous for a British finance guy - but he is, at heart, a country boy.

Alice stands at attention and salutes in the presence of her general...err....mother.

Ginger doing her best impression of a rabbit (or a really cute kid with a rubber ducky life vest).

The ladies Sanborn.

We got pulled over by the Canadian boat police within our first 10 minutes on the water (Dick "arguably" cut off the police boat in a narrow channel but that's beside the point). They busted our chops about drinking on the boat (which we were not even doing...yet) Mr. Bevad (seen at right) gave the coppers a little mouth...because that's just how Big G rolls. He said to them, "Hey...mounty...how about a little, you know, something for the effort. We didn't bail you boys out of a little something called WWWII (pronounced dubya-dubya-eye-eye ) so that we could come up here and have you country boys bust our baloney over some soda pops."*

*I may have remebered this wrong.

Don't hate the player...hate the game.

Captain Dick will get you high tonight....and take you to your special island.

The ladies Walker.

Ben teaching Alice about how to dive into the water like a man.

Dick took a timeout from his sippy cup to have a chat with Ginger.

Hollywood parents...

The lady in red.

Alice spotted a pterodactyl flying low over the water...but no one took her seriously....to their own peril.

Ginger's kissing Lucy....Mommy's wearing baby sunglasses...I turn my back for two mninutes and it's a hippie commune.

Canada is known for it's synthetic/commercial/industrial landscapes...

My Canadian workstation...everything a productive internet entrepreneur needs to survive in the wild.

In this tiny Canadian town we ran into a Chinese restaurant called "Boston Chinese"...which begs the questions...is Boston really known for it's Chinese food? It that really a selling point? And also...is there any part of the world where you can't find a Chinese restaurant? I mean...how far do I have to go?

Ben decided he wasn't really into having a girl anymore...so he sort of "forced it."

Team picture...minus Lucy....who was off sniffing glue again...reckless child that she is.

Day Dreaming

2009-08-01T15:11:00.003-05:00

Lucy and spent some time on the grass....although in this picture below it looks like we were smoking it more than we were laying on it....

This was our view...

Lucy thought she say Santa Claus at one point (despite my assurance to her that this was HIGHLY unlikely)..

Ginger...never far from her sister's side...was ready to assist with a stuffed animal if things got to grassy...

A Cookie as Big as Your Head

2009-07-24T15:31:00.003-05:00

When I lived in Chicago we used to go to a place called "La Bamba" for burritos. It was kind of strange actually....in Chicago...after a proper night of drinking beer you head to the burrito joints at 4AM (where a NY-minded soul might be more inclined to seek out a slice).

At first it was jarring (Amie and I actually tried to "force it" a few times and would go to a pizza place only to find deep dish pizza that took 45 minutes to make....which equated to passing out before it arrived). We eventually gave up and jumped on the burrito bandwagon (and then of course reverted back to the pizza train upon arrival back here).

Anyway - Ginger came to the office today and was given, by her mother, an enourmous cookie. It was enourmous by "big person" standards and thus made her look like a lilliputian holding Gulliver's dessert.

It made me think of La Bamba because their tagline was "La Bamba: Burritos As Big As Your Head." Effective marketing strategy....for them and clearly for Ginger as well:

First Words

2009-07-19T07:17:00.002-05:00

Lucy decided to make her first words count...at 8:06AM this morning she looked me straight in the eye and said "da da." All it took was me staring at her for 30 minutes before that saying "da da" over and over and over again.

Oh - and after she said "da da"...she said..."can you pass me the remote? ...Now that I am able to communicate I'd like you to know that an entire morning spent watching the Sunday news shows is not appropriate for a girl my age...you got that 'da da'?...if that's your real name."

Getting the Shot...

2009-07-01T06:02:00.002-05:00

When the girls are dressed for a special occasion - in this case Dick's birthday which we celebrated out on the island of strong last weekend - we always try to sit them together for a photo opportunity. And the same parade of emotions always unfolds...like clockwork....

Lucy: "So you're really gonna put me in this chair by myself then? Even though I lack the spinal fortitude and spatial coordination to remain upright for more than 3 seconds? That's really happening?

Lucy: "Oh look....I'm falling over....what a shocking development....so sudden....so unforeseen...mayday....baby down..."

Putting these two together this close is like reaching into your pocket, grabbing a hand grenade, pulling the pin and watching what happens next....

Oh....what do you know? Ginger wants to know where the eject button is and Lucy begins her operatic opening....

Finally Lucy took control of the situation and demanded that her sister calm down and look pretty for the camera. So composed for a 5 month old....

And then suddenly all was right in the universe for Ginger and Lucy...

The Pious Eater

2009-07-01T05:36:00.006-05:00

Lucy is often seen giving thanks (hands clasped as if in prayer). And why not? I'd be giving thanks too if someone made sure that my day included lots of a) spoonfulls of food getting shoved in my mouth for me b) sleep c) play time d) sleep e) laughing f) not working g) sleep h) sponge baths i) drinking j) lounging. Yes I think I'd pray every day...

Now if only I could get them to change each other's diapers, give each other baths, drive the car, run the company...

Uhhhh....can we help you?

The Fairy in the Corner

2009-06-29T13:36:00.002-05:00

After the children in the park pointed and laughed at her little green fairy wings....Ginger retreated to her special corner of the building...where she could be overhead quietly planning the destruction of the modern world and all of its evil, wrongheaded notions of normalcy and convention.

Tasty Feet

2009-06-25T13:22:00.005-05:00

Lucy has officially entered the charming and lovable "if-I-can-reach-it-I-will-put-it-in-my-mouth" phase of her development.

You can run....but you can't hide behind Ernie...

Jedi Mind Tricks

2009-06-24T18:19:00.003-05:00

Ginger doesn't totally grasp the concept of the handheld video camera. She knows that you can watch the videos in the same window where you see the viewfinder when shooting them so filming her becomes a problem because she always want to see the other side of the camera (which means I can't shoot her).....niner....if that makes sense.

Anyway - this video showcases that....but also Ginger's Jedi Mind Trick capabilities. Here's how it works....she'll say something vaguely comprehensible about what she wants....then you repeat it because you want to see if what you heard is actually what she said....so you end up posing it as a question. Then she says "Okay!"...like it was your idea and she's just going along with it.

For example:

Ginger: I want to see the pictures.

Daddy: You want to see the pictures?

Ginger: OK!!!

Lately she's been following up her "OK!" with "Yeah!" ...she does this to drive home the fact that it was, in fact, your suggestion and that you have, in fact, become victim to her Ginger-Wan Kenobi brain games.

It's especially useful to her in scenarios like:

Ginger: I want ice cream.

Daddy: You want ice cream even though it's 7:30 in the morning?

Ginger: OK!!.....Yeah!!

So there's that...

But alas - onto the video which also showcases my lovely wife and her ability to lead the family in ridiculousness...which is no easy task given this group...

And We All Fall Down

2009-06-24T18:08:00.003-05:00

Soon after they held a secret meeting to go over the final preparations of how their nefarious plan would unfold, Ginger and her accomplices joined hands and entered the playground where their attempt to suck the blood out of all the parents became a chilling reality. These kids and their Vampire shows....I just don't know....

The Gene Pool Party

2009-06-23T06:22:00.004-05:00

More shots from the weekend pool party out in the People's Republic of Strong Island...

Oddly enough....as soon as Owen reached the end of the diving board....the cops showed up, guns drawn, and busted the pool party...he surrendered immediately.

Ginger hates the water. Hates it.

After wrestling the beast into submission....the daddy carried his catch to the shoreline...where excessive tickles were administered.

Sitting atop the shoulder of her father...Ginger felt the kind of safety and warmth only a father can give...

Until, that is, the father launches his daughter into the sky for no apparent reason...(note the impeccable form however....I see gold medals....just sayin...)

Ginger (left) is looking into the lens....and Lucy (right) is apparently looking beyond the lens into a netherworld where evil spirits feed on the souls of little girls...or so it seems from her quietly terrified expression.

Does anyone else see evil here? I see love...I see childlike wonder....and I also see "as-soon-as-you-turn-your-head-I-am-going-to-do-something-I-know-I-am-not-supposed-to-so-there"...but I could just be seeing things...

Cousin Austin hacking his way through the challenge of capturing the day's events while NOT breaking mommy's expensive digital camera. He performed admirably.

They always said that boy was as American as apple pie. Dylan, clearly, needed to illustrate the point as literally as he could...

Ginger learning (the hard way) that some (most) toys are weapons...especially when in the hands of ninja toddlers who know how to wield them. Here Dick looks on amiably as one of his grandchildren loses a finger to another.

Father's Day Revelry

2009-06-22T05:15:00.002-05:00

Father's Day weekend was a success....slept late....ate well...was treated like the master of the universe (not that I am not really the master of the universe every other day of the year.....).

Ginger and her cousin Dylan sampled the oh-my-god-how-can-water-be-this-cold-without-freezing-take-me-to-the-hospital-I-have-hypothermia pool water at Pop's house. I sampled it as well and expect the feeling in my fingers to return some time end of week.

We dressed Lucy in ridiculous fashion accessories and took ridiculous pictures....as we are ridiculously prone to doing...

Ginger and mommy found a firetruck worth posing for. It should be noted that firetrucks rank just below ice cream and cupcakes on Ginger's ever-evolving list of things she likes most in life.

Ginger and I stole this one....it looked like they had another one....so we...took it. Seemed like the right thing to do at the time. Some girls want ponies.....Ginger wants firetrucks. Who am I to deny her?

The Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship...

2009-06-19T06:03:00.003-05:00

This is from a while ago but it's pretty good and worth sharing methinks...

After a sustained 3 months of passive aggression towards her little sister....Ginger finally decided that she would show some genuine love and companionship towards Lucy. In this video she can be seen trying to feed her a bottle....whilst intermittently yelling "Lucy is BIG GIRL". Never mind that Ginger is practically suffocating Lucy with the bottle (which has nothing in it)....we're just happy she's stopped sitting on Lucy's head.

And Lucy - who has been pining for any kind of attention at all from Ginger - is clearly very psyched to finally have it...

GET TO THE CHOPPA!!!

2009-06-19T06:00:00.001-05:00

This had to be done...

And if you don't know the reference....first, shame on you, second, this will give you a hint.

The Dimple Express

2009-06-18T11:58:00.002-05:00

I don't know anyone in the family who has dimples....which is why it's odd that Lucy has one.

And it's also odd that she has one (and not two).....but there IS a history in the family of missing one anatomical item in a pair. I have only one kidney (born that way....as opposed to the reason being "Nam" or "Being-a-good-person-and-donating-one").

And Amie has only one nose....which is why when children pass her on the street they cry out to their mommies, "dear god...what is that thing?" But she's grown to live with it...as have we all.

Lucy Goosey and Her Pa

2009-06-16T05:37:00.005-05:00

Lucy spent a little time with her grandparents yesterday. For Lucy, hanging out with my dad is an interesting experience....they look more alike than any other pair in the family....so there's a mysterious, cosmic "mini-me" dynamic at play that we can only peer into and try to understand.

Lucy, at first relaxed in the arms of her grand-protector, looked alarmed when she spotted the Paparazzi in the bushes outside the window.

"You'll stay over there Mr. Paparazzi man....if you know what's good for you....or my Pa will break out his AK-47 assualt rifle...and make a mess of you..."

"You're saying I can't shove this entire sheet into my mouth?"

"Soooooo....everyone is just going to relax while this giant, prehistoric insect crawls within striking distance of me? People!!??!!! Little tiny baby over here....a little help? No? Nothing? We're letting little tiny babies play with insects now? That's the new thing? That's what all the 'adults' are doing these days? That's great....I'll just be over here.....terrified....and trembling...enjoy your yourselves."

"Be gone vile insect! Had I the hand-eye-coorindational fortitide....I would cast you, foul thing, into a lake of fire!"

"So you're saying I am going to look like this when I'm 60? And I am supposed to be pleased with this? I mean...no offense to Pa...but when I was marinating in the mommy's belly, thinking about all of the things I would accomplish....looking like a 60 year old man was not high on my list...but he is quite striking...and he looks like the daddy...and the daddy is, of course, the most handsome, wise, funny, charming, brave, courteous, well-loved and respected man in the world...so...I guess it's cool."

The Boss

2009-06-12T12:56:00.002-05:00

Lucy Jane, in her role as crime boss of the Sanborn family, instructed her enforcer, Ginger Anne, to do the talking when a passerby got a little too close on the afternoon walk in the park. Her specific instructions were, "Hey Ginger....show this clown with the prying eye some teeth." Such is how our ladies roll...

Lucy is Fat

2009-06-02T10:27:00.000-05:00

Literally....

Memorial Day Drinks

2009-05-26T05:09:00.005-05:00

On Friday afternoon we took both set of "kids" - the office kids and the biological kids - out for some drinks at our favorite beer garden. There was much revelry and good times.

As Sanborns are sometimes known to do...Lucy treated the afternoon as more of a "sprint" than a "marathon" and thus burned out her reserves....passing out early in the arms upper management.

As Lucy recharged her battery, Amie and Ginger went about the business of abiding by rule # 12 for successful heavy extended drinking....which of course is "eat food." Animal crackers - as it turned out - work just as well as pizza.

We were also able to shoot some video of the event...here we demonstrate Lucy's aforementioned reverence to the party foul gods...

Ginger tried her first frosty brew...

And Marshall took care of the baby...

It should be noted that when Marshall had the baby in his hands...a throng of young, attractive ladies formed around him immediately as if someone called a "hot girl huddle" on the 50 yard line of the bar. I noticed that when I was holding the baby...no such spontaneous unnatural event occurred. Jake informed me that when I hold the baby - I look like a "dad" holding his kid. When Marshall holds the baby - he looks like a dude who is ill-equipped to care for a child - but who is trying his best. Apparently there is some chemical reaction that takes place within young, attractive women upon seeing these two seemingly unrelated human elements together that triggers an intense physical reaction. If nothing else - it certainly warrants more investigation...but in the meantime I have informed all of the young men in my office that Lucy is happy to be serve as their "hot girl bate" for a fee to be paid to the Lucy Sanborn College Fund.

The House of Cry

2009-05-14T20:21:00.004-05:00

For those who seek a glimpse into our nightly routine....I give you these windows into the Sanborn post-bath wind-down session....I dropped some annotations into both to better describe the scene...

Visit to the Office

2009-05-14T11:18:00.003-05:00

The ladies decided to check in at the office to make sure that everyone was working hard and staying out of trouble...

The Excorcism of Lucy Jane

2009-05-05T12:24:00.010-05:00

The other day my dad was babysitting Lucy and Ginger when Lucy was suddenly overrun by the spirit of "the dark one." It's not often a 3-month old girl is possessed by an evil spirit so my mom was quick to pull out the iphone camera to capture all of the fun....

At first all seemed well.....Lucy playing on the mat...vacillating (as she is known to do) between catatonic indifference and playful incoherence.

Then suddenly an odd look came to her face...as though she either needed to move something out of her colon or something had moved into her soul.

Then the first signs of evil and mischief appeared...

Finally the transformation was complete and Lucifer was broadcasting live through the body of Lucy Jane...you're gonna look at that face and tell me there's no evil there? Come on!

N0 longer able to wait for the priest to arrive, my Dad took matters into his own hands and began chanting anti-satanic verses at the child...seeking to lure her back to salvation.

Meanwhile Ginger - still not totally convinced this "Lucy" person had a permanent place in the home and as a result not entirely upset by her baby sister's descent into the far reaches of hell - pulled up a chair, grabbed a drink and invited a friend to watch as the tragic scene unfolded.

No Sleep Till DC

2009-05-04T08:23:00.008-05:00

This weekend we packed up the kids into the family truckster and headed down to DC for my brother-in-law Steven's wedding. It was good times and I documented as much as I could below.

This shot does not faithfully represent the carnage that became our car during the 10+ driving hours we logged over the course of the weekend. It was not a car so much as "diaper changing, baby feeding, Sesame Street movie repeating, small child transport vehicle."

A little "gamey" from the 6 hour drive from New York...Ginger insisted on a shower, a foot rub and a Pimms to get her back on track.

Drinks? Check. iPhones? Check. Three dudes being forced to sit through 4 hours of wedding pictures while the Yankees are playing and there is no way to follow the game other than through the tiny portal of a handheld device? Check, Check and Check.

Amie and her sister Heather further prove their strict aversion to being the center of attention. They hate that. A lot. Especially when cameras are around. Some day...god willing...they climb out of their shells.

A smart man does not try to step in front of a tidal wave as it is cresting.....a wise man grabs a chair, a drink and watches as the force of nature unwinds itself unto the masses.

Ginger, dressed in her flower girl best and joined by her older cousins Austin and Dylan, performed a stunning rendition of The Scorpions' "Rock Me Like a Hurricaine"...apparently on the assumption that the crowd needed some gentle "house music" as they found their way to their seats. Jewish ceremonies are pretty rowdy....I had no idea.

Lucy provided back up vocals.....from a safe distance.

The time for forks had ended....and Ginger took matters (and cake) into her own hands.

Her flower girl duties thus wrapped....Ginger found a cozy spot in the cocktail reception area and chirped with the bridesmaids....as is tradition.

Eager to "help the team" in whatever way possible, Lucy (from her carseat positioned directly behind me) eyeballed Daddy's wavering attention to the road due to an excess of Jack Daniels and a paucity of rest, determined that her safety and the safety of everyone in the car was at risk, leaped out of her carseat and over the headrest pushing me aside and taking control of the car. She's a woman of action...a true Sanborn.

A Day in the Park

2009-04-28T16:46:00.004-05:00

Confused and disoriented....Lucy could do little more than wonder whether her father would ever notice that he was dangling her with one hand over a slab of slippery, wet concrete whilst obscuring her vision....

Meanwhile......Ginger spent the better part of 12 minutes trying to figure out how to remove her ball from the grip of the sprinkler without getting wet....and in the time it took her to figure that out she became thoroughly saturated and her problem was solved.

The Education of Lucy Jane

2009-04-28T06:55:00.002-05:00

While it is an important thing to learn how to "walk" and to "read" and to "communicate"....it is equally (if not more) important to learn how to "chill"...

The Secret to Healthy Child Rearing

2009-04-24T07:23:00.001-05:00

Tea Time

2009-04-24T07:05:00.005-05:00

We spent Russian Easter with our communist British friends (the Walkers) last weekend. What we love most about the British is their insistence on formality....here we see Ben and Alice Walker lounging around the house in proper Sunday dress well before the festivities began...they just don't know how to let their hair down over there....

Later that day we took a trip to the local food market to grab some lunch and there was an obnoxious guy on his cell phone talking loudly and gesturing wildly with his hands....I wanted to re-enact the scene from Good Will Hunting where Robin Williams grabs Matt Damon by the throat and tells him, "I will end you." Then I remembered that I had a 3-month old in my hands and that "ending someone" on a Sunday afternoon in Long Island for being an asshole is not yet a crime punishable by death.

Rolling Over

2009-04-24T06:46:00.004-05:00

This just in...Lucy has officially "rolled over." For those who do not have babies...the "rollover" is the first among many milestones in a person's life which mark physical development...it starts with the "rollover" moves onto the "crawling"...the "walking"...the "PhD"...and so forth.

So alas...we celebrate Lucy's first step towards climbing Mount Everest...

She had this to say about the day's events...

"You know I just got tired of looking at the ground when the mommy lady put me on my stomach. There's also the whole protection issue. The Ginger girl is a bit of a 'situation'....I mean....I love her and everything.....but I also think she wants to kill me a little bit....so you know...I gotta have my head on a swivel if I'm going to see my 6-month birthday....and if she's taking me down....I'm taking her with me...."

Literary Giants

2009-04-23T06:05:00.002-05:00

Tweaked by the realization that her precocious older sister operates with a heightened sense of intellectual prowess....Lucy took matters into her own hands last night and cracked open a book to get a head start on the whole "reading" thing.

I could have dreamed it, but I think when I got up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night I heard Lucy conjugating Latin verbs.

I honestly don't know where they get it from....my parents used to call me "Jimmy Jet" when I was I kid...

Professor Sanborn

2009-04-22T05:37:00.000-05:00

Easter Bunny Blues

2009-04-21T05:36:00.008-05:00

When a man puts on a tie or a woman jumps into a pair of high heels....we're all engaging in the civilized art of making ourselves physically uncomfortable to prove our dominance over the natural world and to further distance ourselves from our evolutionarily-challenged ancestors.

Therefore...applying the same formula of totally non-practical dress for our children on selected holidays is - more than anything else - a means by which we demonstrate just how "smart" and "sophisticated" we really are....

It was in that spirit that on this Easter Sunday of 2009, Amie and I bent the will of our children to the gods of civilized decency...

Lucy: "I am so out of here...as soon as I can....lift my head....or my arms....or my legs......DAMN YOU INFANCY!!!

Ginger: "Mommy....can I push baby Lucy off the couch? Is that cool? (Ginger accepts Mommy's vigorous shaking of the head and lunging towards the couch screaming 'NOOOO!' as tacit approval of her plan to push her little sister onto the ground)."

Lucy: "Mommy...I don't think Ginger is into this whole 'sister' thing today. I understand you really want this photo opportunity given how long it took to put these tights on me this morning...but really...at what point does my safety intersect with your ambition for cute baby pictures?"

Ginger: "What the? You little....! Oh...it's ON sister!"
Lucy: "I...wha...? It wasn't....! SOS...Mayday....Baby down....Mommy?"

Ginger: "Victory...thy name is Ginger...."

Ginger: "Ok.....pop....I'm a little confused here.....like everyday before today you tell me NOT to pick up the little gooey things on the lawn...and today I am supposed to pick them up and put them in this little bag with a bunny on it? Are you sure that was coffee grammy put in your cup this morning?....I just sayin'..."

Lucy: "Please.....take....this...hat....off....of....me! Do I look like I can pull this off?"

The Man in the Crib

2009-04-19T17:20:00.002-05:00

Chris Sanborn's Good Times With Ginger Recipe

1 crib big enough for a man (a compact man but a man nonetheless)
1 Daddy
1 Ginger
2 Popeye toys
0 Self-consciousness
Shake
Stir
Repeat

I have to admit.....sitting in the crib is kind of...nice. Even now.....30 some odd years after it's been appropriate for me to sit in one...I felt enveloped in the soft glow of safety and serenity.....provided exclusively by the colorfully ornate, semi-translucent plastic and rubber wall around me....and it was....nice.

I might have to build one of these for the office.