Week 158 Pictures

Week 158 photos are up at the smugmug site. Click here to view.

Unprompted, part II

This morning, while driving Reilly to school, Shawn called to check in on how our morning was going. She was in the car herself, en route to Orlando. My answer: we overslept, Reilly is whiny, and I haven't had any breakfast yet.

When I got off the phone, Reilly asked if I was just talking to her mommy. I told her that I was, and that her mommy said to be sure to tell her that she loved her.

Reilly was quiet for a moment, then said, "I love mommy THIS MUCH," and to illustrate her love, stretched her arms out as far as she could.

I asked her how much she loved her daddy, and without a moment's thought, she moved her hands about twelve inches apart.

Unprompted

When Shawn is away, Reilly always asks to sleep in "mommy and daddy's bed." When she asked to do so last night, I told her that she had to be a big girl and sleep in her own bed, an answer which had the effect of turning on her waterworks.

I waited through about five minutes of her crying before I relented and carried her over to our room.

When I put her in bed, she asked me to stay with her for a minute. "Just one minute," I said, and eased myself in next to her.

A few minutes later she had settled in and the room was quiet, except for a quiet whirring from the overhead fan. It was then that she rolled on her side to face me and said, "I love you, daddy."

Reilly Grace - Week 157

This week we had some deck furniture delivered. It came fully assembled (thank God), and the boxes were huge, which of course was very exciting for Reilly.

Yet another example of the kid playing with the box that the gift came in:



For more photos from the cardboard clubhouse, click here.

Reasoning with my head

I’ve never liked the expression, “Everything happens for a reason.” I think it is the undercurrent of divinity that troubles me; I always find myself wanting to ask, “What reason?” which in turn leads to “Whose reason?”

I don’t really want to get into the whole guiding hand of God conversation here. That topic has been talked to death—at least in my own head, and probably the heads of others, except for those with the luxury of blind faith.

I think the expression that works better for me is, “All events in the past have led me to this very moment.” To think that only the positive events have led me here is to be ignorant—the wrong turns have as much weight as the correct turns, and blue sky days as much weight at days the blue sky turned yellow with smoke.

My life, as it is, is very good. I am very happy. Some would say that I am “blessed.” I think that I am lucky, and fortunate, and unlike three thousand plus people who died on September 11th, 2001, I am alive, which is something to be thankful for in itself.

Reilly Grace - Week 156

A little bit of Reilly, a little bit of New York. Click here for weekly photos.

If only

"Daddy, chewing this gum makes me bigger."
"No, Reilly. Apples and beans and chicken make you grow bigger, not candy."
"But if I chew it really fast, the gum will make me bigger, Daddy."

I couldn't argue with her. After all, the gum was Juicy Fruit.

No introduction necessary

Yesterday evening Shawn, Reilly and I met up with my old friend Shannon and her children Pilot and Rowe. Though Rowe is 8 or 9 months older than Reilly, they started playing the very second their eyes met, which made me think of how awesome it is to be a kid, to be so unselfconscious and so pure of heart that a friend can be made in just moments.

Gone Catchin'

A few photos from my fising trip with my father.

This is a nice river trout, caught on a March Brown fly:

Here is a nice lake trout, caught on a live worm suspended below a slip bobber.

Here is dad with what you would define as a "mess of fish":

Five minutes after sunset: