Ugh: Part 2

by Grant

    It seems like I've already done an ugh, so thus the part 2. Rebekah and I are both sick with the flu. The girls (mostly Liberty) had it a few days  ago. It's been pretty rough. But, that's life w/ kids. Definitely one part I hadn't really expected too much. But, lots of other people are sick too so I guess I can't just blame it on my pathetic immune system. But Wow was Liberty unhappy. The girls have been so good, that when they are fussy it's really hard to deal with it. But Liberty is flirting with me right now as I write this, so I guess she's back to her normal self.

Exciting news in the Ballard household: We bought a new TV. And as is customary, we bought the coolest one out there--a flat panel. Well, before you are too critical about the allocation of funds, let me tell you a couple of things. First, I have never ever purchased a TV before. The 20" model we've been using was purchased over ten years ago by Rebekah. Second, I was expecting no bonus at work due to the economy and I got a pretty good one. Third, my friend that was laid-off recently had purchased a TV right after Turkey Day and had never taken it out of the box. So, the good Samaritan that I am, I offered to take it off his hands. So, all the stars aligned to make this purchase happen. I was even able to get it while my wife and fam (except for the girls) were gone. One small problem: It didn't fit in the entertainment center. Solution: Power Saw! At least with a flat panel I only had to cut 5" out, but I knew my wife would probably be resistant, so I had to move fast. When she got home the TV was mounted and she was impressed. Thankfully, the cabinet was home-made out of 3/4" plywood so it's structurally sound.


My brother Tyler and his wife Amy are having a house warming this next weekend. It's a sight to behold that's for sure. My Dad took a house and drug it into town probably 20 years ago and converted it into a garage (he built it into such a large building that my Mom dubbed it, the "Monster"). Then 15 years later, he converted part of it into a small temporary "apartment" for Tyler and his wife. Then a couple years ago, they started expanding it into a decent size "house." I put house in " because it's still part of a larger structure, but hopefully it's large enough for a family now. It is a beautiful work of art, let me tell you. Tyler has spent countless hours on sanding and varnishing wood for the walls and Amy has used her interior designer intelligence to make it look like something you'd see on the H&G channel.

Last, but not least, it's my birthday! yes!

Nicknames

by Grant

    I've called my kids lots of things over the years and most of them are printable. I was thinking that it might be amusing to jot some of these down for posterity (in Internet years, that would be about 2 minutes).


Forrest:

• Velociraptor: Yes, it's a mouthful. But when he was first walking, he moved quickly on his tiptoes with this hands out in front of him just like those little nasty dinosaurs in Jurassic Park.
• il Duche: When Forrest was younger I called him that because he was so bossy. For those of you weak on History, il Duche was Mussolini's title and it means the leader.

Titus:

• Ti-Ti (prounounced Tie-Tie): I think this one needs no explanation
• Tow (Tube Launched Optically-tracked Wire-guided Missile) Head: Ok, towhead means a really blond headed kid. and TOW is a missile used by the military so I just blended the two.
• Scarface: Very recent because he got a nasty scratch that curved around his cheek.

Liberty:

• L-dawg: Short for Liberty Dawg ala Snoop Dawg
• Libs: Occasionally I do shorten her name in the conventional method, but I try to avoid Libby.

Serenity:

• Any Guesses? Yep, S-dawg.
  
• Rebekah calls her "Renny"
• Bill the Cat. This is from a comic strip (now deceased) called Bloom County. The cat would go "Ack!" and stick out it's tongue. Serenity does the same :)

I'm sure there are others and maybe I can get Rebekah to add to the list.