I know what you're thinking:

1) "Where are the photos from Halloween?"
2) "Did the girls have fun trick-or-treating?"
3) "How's little Sylvie adapting to her new life?"
4) "How's Lia adapting to her new role as a big sister?"
5) "What's this I hear about a stomach bug that passed through your household a couple of weeks ago?"
6) "How are rehearsals going for Lori's show?"
7) "How is Maddie doing in preschool?"
8) "Is Shelby talking a lot?"
9) "I'm sorry to hear that you came down with the flu. Does that mean you decided not to go to Grand Blanc for the weekend?"
10) "Are you feeling any better?"
11) "Did you spontaneously shave your head and face in the shower the other day?"
12) "Do you think you and the family might be taking a little vacation in Arizona sometime this winter?"
13) "Why is it that you're so incredibly good looking, when so many other people are not?"
14) "How did you get to be so smart?"

I will respond to these thoughts, and many more, in due time.

But today is Thanksgiving, and since we have decided to quarantine ourselves until I fight off this bug (which, thankfully, I seem to be doing), I am going to tell you about a new game that Maddie invented earlier today. Feel free to play it with your relatives.

This game is called "Pitch Ball Game." It is meant for two players but could easily be played with three or more.

Before you sit down to play, you will need the following items:
1) A "pitch ball lining lead" (This item is commonly referred to as a "stress relief ball." Ours happened to be grey, but yours can be any color you like.)
2) One block per player (Any sort of block will do. Mine had the letter "G" on it -- both upper and lowercase versions, as well as two pictures on opposite sides -- one of grapes, and one of a gorilla. It seemed to work well.)

Once you have these items in hand, you are ready to play.

Here are the rules:
1) Sit on the floor and face your opponent with about three feet of space in between the two of you.
2) Place the "pitch ball lining lead" on the floor exactly halfway in between you and your opponent.
3) Pick up your block, and in sync with your opponent, move it along the floor, in a series of four moves, in the direction of the "pitch ball lining lead."
4) With each move, say the following words (Please note: it is very important that you only say one word per move): "Pitch," "Ball," "Game," "Game."
5) The goal is to touch your block to the "pitch ball lining lead" on your fourth move, as you say the word "Game" for the second time, and to do so before your opponent does. If you do, you win.
6) The winner receives the "pitch ball lining lead" as his or her prize. He or she must then roll the "pitch ball lining lead" over to their opponent, who then picks it up and places it back in the center.

This game and all of its terms were created by Maddie Goss without any prompting whatsoever. The rules above are slightly paraphrased but are practically verbatim.

I trust this game will come in handy for you and your family this Thanksgiving Day!

In any event, Happy Thanksgiving! We'll see you on the other side. . .

It's been an interesting afternoon.

During "naptime" (note the quotation marks), Maddie decided to trash the girls' bedroom. First, in perfect criminal mastermind fashion, she turned off the monitor. Then she pulled out the stool from underneath Shelby's crib, flipped on the light, turned on the ceiling fan, and proceeded to scatter every blanket and stuffed animal in sight all over their floor - including the ones in Shelby's crib (I have no idea how she managed to get hold of those). Next came the wall hangings, and the stuff on Shelby's changing table, and then came the grand finale. Using the spray bottle that we use to do the girls' hair, she drenched her little sister -- face, hair, clothes, and even the outside of her crib.

While all of this was happening, Lori was napping in our bedroom (she let me sleep in this morning in exchange for a nap this afternoon - we usually switch on and off on the weekends), and I was in the kitchen, trying to figure out why my half of the monitor wouldn't stop beeping. I changed the batteries, and when that didn't fix the problem, I thought that maybe I had forgotten to turn on the receiver in the girls' room. So I went in to check it out. And there was Maddie, standing at ground zero, staring at me like a deer in headlights. Shelby was on her feet (thank God she didn't try to climb out of her crib), soaked from head to toe, and grinning from ear to ear.

I was speechless.

Was I angry? Sure. Annoyed? I guess. Confused? Absolutely. But I must admit that I had to practically bite my lip to keep from laughing. I mean, the look on Maddie's face when I opened that door. Oh, man, was that priceless.

Absolutely priceless.

Have a happy Saturday night.

Hey everybody! Maddie made a movie!



Have a happy happy. We'll see you at the Oscars.

My kids think I'm a superhero.



Have a happy happy. . .

The glass is half empty or the glass is half full. I guess it depends on what's in the glass.

This morning, as I opened the door to the girls' room, Maddie whispered, "Daddy. This is how a pirate sleeps."

"How's that?" I asked as I turned on the light.

"With one eye closed," she said matter-of-factly.

"Oh, I bet I know why that is," I offered. "They keep one eye open so they can always be on guard - you know, so nobody gets 'em."

"No," Maddie answered. "They keep one eye closed so they're able to sleep."



Have a happy Friday!

And Happy Halloween!

Well. . . here we go. The moment has finally arrived. In about fifteen minutes, Joe and Carol will meet their new daughter for the first time. Before they left for China, Joe interviewed Lia about her sister's homecoming. I decided to take his lead and interview Maddie - after catching her, of course . . . with a little help from Shelby.

Enjoy.



Needless to say, we're beside ourselves with excitement.

Have a happy Sylvie Day!

You may have noticed that all of the recent photos I've posted on this blog have disappeared. That's because I tried to do an upgrade, and something happened. Suddenly, I found myself in the middle of a technological disaster. I'm trying to fix it, but it may take some time. Actually, I have made a bit of progress (you should have seen this place right after the disaster hit), but my limited knowledge of html can only get me so far.

Do you have any idea what I'm talking about?

Do I?

I don't know, but hopefully I'll figure it out soon.

Have a happy whatever. . .

:-/

This afternoon, after passing a building fire escape on the way to Maddie's pre-school, Maddie looked up at me and said, "Daddy, if you have to climb those daaaaangerous stairs, maybe you should fix the sky."

I thought about it for a minute, and finally I asked, "Why would I need to do that? What's wrong with the sky?"

"Nothing," she answered. "It's just a Gloomy Gus day out."

Just wanted to share.

Have a happy Wednesday.

1) Memories of our recent trip to the Children's Farm in Palos Park (right across the street from where Lori and I got married), where we took a bumpy hayride to a pumpkin patch and picked pumpkins right off of the vine, and rode horses, drank root beer, listened to a band play a bunch of old cover tunes, held baby animals, and hung out in a barn. I think we're going to make this trip an annual thing. It really is a great way to kick off the fall.

















Speaking of which . . .

2) The fall.



And also . . .

3) Baby chicks.



And 4) Baby birds.



5) Watching Maddie hold a chicken.



6) Petting goats with Shelby.



7) Nuzzling Shelby.



And 8) Watching Lori nuzzle Shelby.



And 9) When baby pigs try to eat Maddie's shoes.



And other things, too.

Like 10) The fact that Maddie started pre-school this week.



She's been very quiet in class so far, but she's starting to warm up to everybody. She's already made a new friend, and like my brother said, she'll be running the place before we know it. Our little girl is growing up.

11) Watching Shelby walk.



And 12) Discovering that, much like her big sister, she has a way with animals.





13) Taking photos. I wish I had a better camera, because I get a lot of fulfillment out of recording life on film (digital film, anyway). Here are a few photos that I am particularly proud of. I call these "Triptych in Kitchen with Jelly Bean":







14) When Maddie pulls out the stool from underneath Shelby's crib, brings it into the living room, grabs her ukulele, takes the stage, and puts on a show.

15) Holding Shelby on my shoulders.



16) The fact that the newest member of our family, Sylvia Liying Goss, is coming home from China in less than a month, and I get to meet her at the airport.

17) New music. First of all, have you ever heard of Pandora? Probably so. But Lori and I just discovered it. Anyway, look it up. You can thank me later. Second of all, Elvis Costello has a new album out, called "Secret, Profane & Sugarcane." Lori bought it for me, and I totally dig it. Third of all, Cadence gave Maddie and Shelby a mix cd at her fifth birthday party. We listen to it all the time. Fourth of all, we bought two new cds for the girls: "Alphabutt" by Kimya Dawson and "Rockabye Baby: Lullaby Renditions of the Beatles." They're pretty awesome.

18) This:



And 19) This:



We were pretty sure we were going to lose Priddy, but after we put her on this new thyroid medication, she did a complete turn-around. She's putting on weight, following us around the house, and she hardly ever throws up at all. To tell you the truth, I wouldn't be surprised if she lives until she's twenty-five.

20) My wife. Man, do I love that woman. We had our annual vow renewal dinner last Sunday, and as usual it rekindled our love for each other. Tomorrow is our fifth wedding anniversary!



And finally. . .

21) Directing you to these four sets of photos:

Just Chillin'

Down on the Farm

Triptych in Kitchen with Jelly Bean

Maddie's First Day of Pre-School

Have a happy Friday! Talk to you soon!

I have been singing this song to my girls since the day they were born. I piped Johnny Cash's version of it into Lori's belly while they were still in the womb. For some reason, my version of it has always seemed to affect them in the same way that Cash's version has affected me. It calms them down.

I just had to get it documented, you know?

You might need to turn your volume up. . .



Have a happy Saturday. Stay tuned for a recap of the past week. . .