We're eating at the Aquarium Restaurant in Nashville: 200,000 gallons

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Only 500 miles to find warm weather!

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Maria's stripey tights - at Mammoth caves

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Road Trip Links

By The Way
we are simultaniously posting some stories and pictures on our website www.rayclan.com/roadtrip

Also, we are posting pictures on a cool mapping site that can be found at Panoramio

Only 400 miles from home and it's 44 degrees already!!

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Fun with glowsticks in Kentucky

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Getting started early

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Elizabeth Rose at 23 weeks.

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A child's sense of time

One thing I love about kids is their sense of time and the phrases they use to describe time. 

Joshua, "Wow that took me ten whole years" (actual time was 2 months)

Samuel, "When I was bigger..."

Maria, very dramatically, "I'm dying, I haven't had water in 3 days!"

Joshua, "When I was a hundred I was bigger than daddy"

Maria, "a thousand years ago..."

Joshua, "a hundred weeks ago..."

Samuel, "When we went to that park tomorrow..." (meaning yesterday)

Maria, "remember when we went to that park a few miles ago..." (meaning a few days)

Mom, "your turn is in two minutes"

Samuel whining, "I can't wait, that's so long...."

Mom, "it's in 3 days"

Maria, "How much is 3 days? Is it 1,2,3?"

Maria," I'm starving, I haven't had any food in weeks!"

Funny Apple Spoof

Apple Introduces Revolutionary New Laptop With No Keyboard

Samuel was complaining the other day that he didn't feel so good. He Then said, "My tummy is so fat I am going to have a baby soon."

Happy New Year from the Rays

Enjoy a look back at 2008 with us...



...and something a bit more fast paced and loud:

Nations's Wealthy Cruelly Deprived of the True Meaning of Christmas

I know this is meant to be humorous (it is from a satirical news website), but there is a little bit of truth buried in all this sarcasm. Let's see if you can find it.


Report: Nation's Wealthy Cruelly Deprived Of True Meaning Of Christmas

How Many Days Until Christmas?

Maria does not like wearing a coat, well none of our kids like clothes very much, but being forced to wear a coat is the ultimate tragedy. So I'll give you the inside scoop one of our kids Christmas presents: Mrs. Campbell made them hooded fleece capes (shhhh, don't spoil the surprise). Up until today we have allowed the kids to carry their coats with them in case "the car breaks down" and they are stranded for a long period in the cold of winter. But today was bitter cold and the wind-chill brought the temp down towards -20F. Maria was sobbing on our way to church that she didn't want to wear a coat. After she calmed down I told her that one of her presents would allow her to stay warm without wearing a coat. She seemed intrigued, and this 4 year-old's Christmas anticipation was raised to a higher grade level. It was 12-noon when she started asking questions to Anna about how many times she had to sleep before Christmas would be here. After going through the pattern of "go to sleep, wake up, go to sleep again, wake up...." she said in her sleepiest voice, "Mom, I am tired, I want to go to sleep."

Nutcracker

We were introducing the nutcracker story to the kids and I asked them if they knew what a nutcracker is.
Maria quickly and confidently replied: a chipmunk.

Nonsense

Samuel has been reprimanded frequently of late for being silly at inappropriate times and during these events has picked up a new phrase...

As I was tickling him, in desperation he cried out, "Mom, you need to stop all this nonsense!!"

Funny Exchange

Papa " I'm going to give a talk to cloistered nuns today. That means they stay in a building and I have to talk them through a screen."
Joshua "Why?"
Papa "Well, they pray all day."
Joshua "that they can get out?"

(I guess the cloistered life isn't very appealing to Joshua who's top two fears are being locked in a room and getting trapped in an elevator.)

Christmas Dance

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

It's a Girl!

The day before Thanksgiving we were very blessed to find out we have a beautiful baby girl! Jesse had claimed a girl from the beginning. Joshua was glad our family would be even. Maria talked all day about her baby sister who she can play "girl" stuff with.  She is also begging us to name her Rose, and although we don't have a name picked I'm not sure Rose Ray will make the cut. Samuel wanted a boy but seems okay with the fact that she is a girl. I'm just so thankful to have a healthy baby. 

The kids were with us for the ultrasound and after a few moments of looking at the screen Joshua exclaimed with delight "I see the baby and she's moving!"

Funny

Another potty story

Sammy had been calling to be wiped and when I arrived he said pleadingly "mom, you have to wipe me". I replied "Oh, I have too?" "Yes." "But what if I don't?" "Then you're a bad guy, bad guys don't wipe kids."

Pesky ants are so darn handy at cleaning up

Motherhood

Maria is just so cute. I was squeezing her and told her that I was going to keep her from growing because we want her to stay small. She told me she wanted keep growing. After a few seconds she asked if she would have any more birthdays.
Me: "No more birthdays."
Maria: "But I have to have more birthdays, because I want to be pregnant. I want to have a baby in my tummy like mommy."

We are going to need to be careful, because at this point in my little girl's life her goal is to be pregnant ;)

Just like Papa

I was reading a book about Jesus and the saints to the kids and Joshua got this bright look in his eye and told me "I know what I will do, (now nearly shaking with excitment), I'll read a book all about Jesus.

With just a short pause for a thought he then said, (in his most excited voice), "then I'll write a book all about Jesus."

I guess having a passionate and prolific writer for a a grandpa has rubbed off on this little boy.

Nobody's home

Samuel locked the door to the bathroom yesterday before he sat down on the potty. When he was finished doing his dooty he called to us in normal fashion: "I'M DONE!" When I found the door locked I jokingly knocked and called to him, he called back: "NOBODY"S HOME."
Well at this point I started looking for one of those pin-like keys that you stick in the indoor locks to open them up because I knew Sam was not going to hop off the toilet and unlock the door for me. It had become a game of I'm smarter than daddy; which is funny because he probably would have sat there waiting to be wiped for hours and that's not too smart. I couldn't find a key so I pulled out a credit card and used that to pop the latch. As I opened the door he had a surprised look as if I was spoiling all the fun. I guess even waiting on the potty is fun for a 3 year old if your dad if it is predicated in tricking your dad.

You should see the other guy

Yesterday at a baptism party Maria was playing with an adult, who will remain nameless, and got swung into a coffee table. Ouch! She is feeling just fine and has a great attitude about her big ol' shiner.

Obama's Pick for Chief of Staff Tops Recipients of Wall Street Money

If you weren't scared enough already...let's take a look at what Jeff Schibler on AmericasRight revealed about the soon to be White House chief of staff.

We learned on Friday from ABC News that Rahm Emanuel sat on the board of directors of the now infamous Freddie Mac during the beginnings of the scandal, and was complicit in the board's failure to recognize "red flags" in accounting and lending practices, and that he accepted more than $50,000 in contributions from the organization. Now, we're learning that Emanuel was, just this year, the top House recipient of contributions from hedge funds, private equity firms and the larger securities/investment industry, and that he has received more money from individuals and political action committees in the securities and investment business than from any other industry since being elected to Congress in 2002 after a previous job as an investment banker. Barack Hussein Obama tapping this gentleman to assist him in fixing the American economy is kind of like asking Rosie O'Donnell to manage a Weight Watchers franchise.

(FROM: OpenSecrets and AmericasRight)

Gun sales up

Allegedly gun sales are up in this country. According to this video on msnbc.com it is because the economy is souring and people are planning on needing to defend themselves.

hmmmm. Do you think this is the main reason, or is it more likely that intelligent people worry that B. Hussein Obama may try to take away our right to buy/bear arms?? If I were to buy another gun to cling to it would have much more to do the president elect's liberal policies than anything else.

Obama was being misleading when he denied that his handwriting had been on a document endorsing a state ban on the sale and possession of handguns in Illinois. Obama responded, "No, my writing wasn't on that particular questionnaire. As I said, I have never favored an all-out ban on handguns."

Actually, Obama's writing was on the 1996 document, which was filed when Obama was running for the Illinois state Senate. A Chicago nonprofit, Independent Voters of Illinois, had this question, and Obama took hard line:

35. Do you support state legislation to:
a. ban the manufacture, sale and possession of handguns? Yes.
b. ban assault weapons? Yes.
c. mandatory waiting periods and background checks? Yes.

Obama's campaign said, "Sen. Obama didn't fill out these state Senate questionnaires--a staffer did--and there are several answers that didn't reflect his views then or now. He may have jotted some notes on the front page of the questionnaire, but some answers didn't reflect his views."

http://www.ontheissues.org/domestic/Barack_Obama_Gun_Control.htm

A little political humor to cheer you up

This is a surveillance video from the yard of a North Carolina electrical engineer who, sick and tired of having his McCain/Palin yard signs stolen and replaced with Obama/Biden signs, decided to hook the metal frame into his invisible dog fence. While it's sad that the person caught in the act was only a nine-year-old boy, he invariably learned a lesson he wasn't going to learn elsewhere.
(discovered on www.americasright.com

I laughed out loud at this mostly because it reminded me of my old friend Frank Galdoni who died of cancer a few years ago: after many diplomatic attempts failed, he put an electrified screen over a bush in his yard that his neighbors dog always did his business on.

America: "We want Barabas"

We were given a choice for a man who sacrificed so much of himself for his country, a man who can not even lift up his arms because they were broken so many times by our enemies. But in our greed, and desire for the government to "help" contribute to our grocery budget, we have ignored our founders' morals and our christial roots. Well our greatest fears have come true, our country has voted in a velvet-tounged pro-murdered who promised the largest abortion provider in the country that his first act as president would be to make it easier to kill babies in the womb (and even out of the womb if they are born alive during an abortion).

We were given a monumental choice and we chose poorly, now we shall suffer the consequenses that we deserve.

This may be the last post you see from me as we swing towards socialism this blog will most certainly be shut off by the censors.

Mixed results from initiatives in states all over the country now further promote embryonic destruction, and abortion. On a good note, voters in California saw it in their hearts to protect some mothers and their unborn from cruel treatment, a proposal passed there to "outlaw the confinement of pregnant pigs, calves raised for veal and egg-laying hens in a manner that does not allow them to turn around freely."

silly boys

Joshua asked a question about the origin of the name duct tape: "Why do we call it 'duck tape'? Is it because it feels like a duck is biting you when you peel it off your skin?"

Samuel emerged from the pantry after being inside for a few minutes in suspicious silence, his face was covered in what appeared to be chocolate.
Before revealing what we saw on his face we asked what he had eaten.
We got a few sheepish "I don't know"s before we finally told him to point to what he ate.
He pointed at the powdered ovaltine.
Anna: "Did you eat the chocolate ovaltine Sam?"
Sam: "No it's coffee."

Twas The Night of Election

'Twas the night of elections*
And all through the town*
Tempers were flaring*
Emotions all up and down!*

I, in my bathrobe*
With a cat in my lap*
Had cut off the TV*
Tired of political crap.*

When all of a sudden*
There arose such a noise*
I peered out of my window*
Saw Obama and his boys*

They had come for my wallet*
They wanted my pay*
To give to the others*
Who had not worked a day!*

He snatched up my money*
And quick as a wink*
Jumped back on his bandwagon*
As I gagged from the stink*

He then rallied his henchmen*
Who were pulling his cart*
I could tell they were out*
To tear my country apart!*

'On Fannie, on Freddie, *
On Biden and Ayers!*
On Acorn, On Pelosi'*
He screamed at the pairs!*

They took off for his cause*
And as he flew out of sight*
I heard him laugh at the nation*
Who wouldn't stand up and fight!*

So I leave you to think*
On this one final note-*
IF YOU DONT WANT SOCIALISM*
GET OUT AND VOTE!!!!*

Keep Coming Down

What cost us over $70 to fill our minivan's gas tank only two months ago not only cost $35. I don't know what the root cause of this price drop is, but I am ok with it.

Found in a Run-down Boston Public Housing Estate: Barack Obama's Aunt Zeituni Onyango

(FROM: UK Times Online) So, his half-brother lives on one dollar each month in Kenya, and his aunt lives in dilapidated public housing in Boston. How wonderful. For a guy who is often seen as elitist and egotistical, this sure does a lot for that perception. Between Sen. Joe Biden's abysmal record of donations to charity--in the past ten years, the Bidens have given $3,690 out of their $2,450,042 in income--and Obama's failure to provide at all for his own family, the same family spoken of so nicely in his memoirs, it's a wonder that the pair can so successfully misrepresent themselves as caring for those who have less than they do. Amazing how they have no qualms about forcing ordinary Americans like you and me to share our wealth involuntarily, but have utterly refused to volunteer to share their own.

Little Baby Ray

At week 9 everything is going fine so far...other than "all-day" sickness that Anna is going through at the moment. Thanks for your prayers for our little one.

Red Green's Alternative Fuel Vehicle

how does it taste now?

if you have ever met my grandpa Ray you can probably imagine the innocent smile on his face during this quick exchange.
In September we were enjoying the fruits of the fall harvest that my parents neighbors had genorously given to us. Now these neighbors, Patrick and Michael, who are the nicest neighbors you'll ever want to meet, but they are not brothers or roomates ( if you know what I mean).
Now my grandparents were over and we were eating the most beautiful red ripe tomatoes you can imagine; these hems were just bursting with flavor. Half way through one my grandpa commented on how delicious they were. I responded that they were from the gaye neighbors...without missing a beat he said, "hmmm, now I'll have to take another bite and see if it tastes different."

why do we call it the library?

we pulled up to the library after church today and Josh asked:
"why do we call this the 'Libary' (pronounced lie-berry)?...because it lies and eats berries?

It is hard to keep a secret

Its hard to keep a secret especially when it is something that we want to share with our family and friends. So after only a few days of trying to keep it to ourselves I (Jesse) spilled the beans enough times that we felt everyone should hear it from us...so here it is: We are expecting.

Please pray for us and the new baby.

Funny quote

Sam and Maria were playing dress up and Maria announced "we're married now". Out of curiosity to see what her idea of married life was  I asked "what will you do now?" The immediate joyful response was "have a baby!" as she ran in her wedding dress to get a baby doll. 

The generosity of a 3 year old

After making a project Samuel said, "You can have it, I made it just for you"

A second later, "we can share it"

A second later, "well, it's mine, but we can share it"

In Dexter with the Brown Family

It has been a few years since we have seen our old neighbors, the Browns, but it seems like we picked right up where we left off. Amanda, Steve and Mike played so nicely with our kids and we all had lots of fun.

Little Swimmer

Maria is our water-loving child and she is now our first swimmer. Watch her paddle through the water without any floatation device.

Joshua lost a tooth

It started wiggling at the beginning of the week, and it just fell out Saturday afternoon. Josh was giggling with excitement and wanted to show everyone that he now has a window in his mouth.

They've got a ticket to ride

Joshua and Maria didn't have too much interest in giving up their tricycles, but within the space of a few days they really picked it up and rode with it.

Sam's Bible Verse

I was reading an article by a Francisian Friar and decided to share the following line with the kids "The devil always breaks the toys he plays with". Before I could attempt to explain it Samuel laughs and says "I don't want him in our house".   

This morning as the kids were playing super heroes I overheard Joshua say "Let's pretend we have so much power in our hands we can eat as much candy as we want with out getting sick!"

Kid Brains are cool

It has been a while since our last post. Lots has been going on, which I will get to later. But there has also been a flurry of silly thing the kids have been saying.

While riding bikes outside on a hot day.
Maria: Sam, your face is red.
Sam: Thats cause there's blood in it.

Running just a bit late to mass.
Maria (shouting): JESUS, don't worry, we're coming.

Going frequently to daily mass at a local church that is predominantly made up of senior citizens has made the kids very popular. They have gotten toys, candy, games, and most recently money ($1 each). While leaving mass the other day an old lady, who luckily a little hard of hearing, said to Maria: "What a beautiful girl you are!"
Joshua piped up: "How about, what a handsome boy I am?"
Sam smiled and asked: "How 'bout some money?"

a devil shirt?

Maria came running to Anna and said "Sam told me I am wearing a devil shirt!"
So Anna interviewed Sam:
Anna: "Sam, what kind of shirt is Maria wearing?"
Sam: "A duwrl shirt."

Oh, a Girl shirt...his pronunciation can be funny sometimes.

Two year olds say the funniest things

In case you haven't seen Sam in a while, he is turning out to be a sweet little kid with a great sense of humor. Yesterday Anna was asking him about boys and girls: Sam is Maria a boy of a girl?
Sam: Durl (girl).
Anna: Are you a boy or a girl?
Sam: Boy.
Anna: is Josh a boy or girl?
Sam: Boy.
Is Mommy a boy or a girl?
Sam (with a big grin): You're silly, you're a mommy.
Anna: is Dad a boy or a girl?
Sam (with a big smile): You're teasing, he's a daddy.

Sammy's explination

Yesterday Sam took the ice out of his glass and was playing with it at the table. It kept slipping out of his hands and he was trying to figure out why. Finally he said, " The ice is slippery because it is full of water."

Free Text Books

Here are the books that we are giving away for free.
eMail us if you would like some or all.

Knitted from the finest Truffela Tree

This my dear friends is a thneed, which nobody, Nobody, NOBODY needs.

(I think people in Japan have a lot of time on their hands) Wowie.

Anna's new look

Anna was growing her hair long so she could donate it to Locks of Love so that disadvantaged kids with cancer can get hairpieces during their treatment. So check out the difference:

Least Influential People

Helpless and forsaken

The other morning Maria was being dramatic and we were not bending to her wishes. So to get our sympathy she pretended to fall down the stairs (grunts and all). When she got to the bottom she saw that we were not running to her aid so she continued rolling in slow motion into the living room.
Maybe she'll be a stunt double when she grows up.

Not a good sign

After a meal, we were sharing ice cream together with the same spoon, Maria had a few bites and said, "I can't walk any more, stop giving me ice cream." 

...Because you have a gun.

The kids have been facinated by guns for the last few days. They have a couple of toy pistols that were given as gifts a while ago and these have recently been the toys of choice. Of course hands and fingers shaped like guns (accompanied by a loud bang) also work.

The kids also have a great desire to be protected. So the question was bound to come some day: "Dad, do you have a real gun?"

So I gave them the "this is dangerous and only dad can touch it" talk. But I told them that I do have a real gun locked up in the house to protect them if a bad guy was to try to hurt them.

Now I am all of a sudden the coolest and most inspiring person on the planet. This morning Maria was sitting on my lap cuddling in a blanket and she said, "I love you so much...because you have a gun." 

Funny Stories/sayings:

Samuel in worried voice "don't dink all of it"
Mom hands Samuel the glass to drink, he drinks, then proudly states "I dink all of it"

Maria in a sympathetic yet patronizing voice to Joshua "calm down, I'll take good care of you"

Samuel drops large bucket of markers onto kitchen floor then attempts to belly dive into them sending marker everywhere. 

Dinner conversation with a three year old:
Maria "are plankton persons?"
Mom "no, thery're creatures"
Maria "do plankton walk?"
Mom "no, I think they float"
Maria "in water?"
Mom "yes"
Maria "look I'm eating pizza just like plankton"
Mom "I don't think plankton eat pizza"
Maria "yes, they do, like this" (eats her pizza while making a fish face)

Sam loves sleeper pajamas, especially his red one. We call them bunny suits.  Last week we were explaininig to the kids that they were born without clothes on. A few days later Sammy states "when, I baby, I waya (wear) red bunny soot in mommy tummy".

Pick myself up

This morning Maria was commenting on how strong her daddy is, and that I can pick up little kids and big kids.
Maria: " You're big, you can pick up big kids and little kids. I'm little so I can pick up little kids."
Dad: "Oh"
Maria: "I'm little, I can pick myself up."
Dad: "Can you show me?"
First she So Maria sat down, put her hands under her thighs and lifted her legs off the ground.
Maria: "See daddy."

Almost everything...

Preface: Joshua does not like tomatoes, but like most wierd people who don't, he likes tomato sauces.

The story: Today during dinner Anna made a yummy crispy pizza, but it was covered in diced tomatos. Joshua looked at it and reminded her of his dislikes. Anna said, those are cooked tomatoes, they taste like spaghetti sauce.

Joshua tried a bite: "You're right mom! You do know EVERYTHING... about Pizza."

This little guy never assumed that his parents knew everything about everything. Even since he was a toddler he has always acted suprised when we have been right and he has been wrong.

It all makes sense

The popularity of first person shooter video games has been growing at a fast pace. I don't know if these violent video games are part a driving force behind recent senseless violence. But I do know that the government will NEVER outlaw these games. Is there a direction I am going with this? Yes.

Check out this video of the new robot/remotely driven military force and comment on if you think the government has an interest in the continued growth of video games. Do you think it is good or bad to use remote "controlled" fighting forces to do our fighting for us?

Deductive reasoning

This morning at breakfast Sam asked, "Dod made Pancakes?"
We tried the detailed answer that God made the things with which me make pancakes. But them he just repeated what he had said earlier, and we realized that it was not a question...he was making a statement: "GOD MADE PANCAKES."
"Yes, Sam, God made pancakes." He was happy with that reply.

After breakfast I asked Sam who made real clown fish. He didn't feel confident enough to answer. So I asked who made everything.
"Dod (God)." said Sam.
Then I asked again, "So who made real clown fish?"
"Dod." was the confident reply.

Alright! My little two year old is deducing right up their with Sherlock Holmes.

Narnia Quiz

Thanks to Alexis, of Love Life, for helping me discover my true self.

Punitive damages

Joshua has has some money in his piggy bank, but yesterday Maria acquired some pennies yesterday and Josh has been trying to get them from her ever since. This morning while making them breakfast I heard Joshua say.

"Maria I got hurt, so can I have your money?"

Hmmm, not such a great outlook to have.

Nightmares

Fish are Sam's favorite topic, and clown fish are the king as far as he is concerned. In fact the adorable 2 year old spends much of his time carrying around his toy clown ('cown") fish, talking about his clown fish, (losing his clown fish), and now we know that he dreams about it too.

Last night at 3:15 am Sam woke me and Anna up with his desperate cries.
Mom: "What is the matter Sam?"
Sam: "Cown fish, Josh broke my cown fish!"
Dad: "It's ok sam, you were just dreaming, your clown fish is on the counter."
Sam: "wimpers" and goes back to sleep.

Follow the Crowd

At lunch today I realized that Sam's sleaves were going to become a casualty of the meal if Anna or I didn't intervene. He was given 3 choices:
1. Roll up your sleeves
2. Take off your shirt
3. Lose the pizza
He chose to lose the pizza. But Maria (the kiss-up) said in a very proud voice, "I'll roll up my sleeves dad."
This gave me the idea to have everyone roll up their sleeves.

Sam sat silently as everyone at the table rolled up their sleeves. He simply couldn't resist following the crowd (or maybe the 2 year old is learning to compromise).

But eutopia was nearly ruined when 5 year old Josh announced that his arms were itchy and proceeded to put his sleeves back down.

A nano second later Sam was saying "my ahms ichy, sweeves down."

No, No. Josh had to get quickly back in line to save Sam's sleeves from a saucy doom. Luckily we all worked together today to keep it clean once more.

Fun Educational Songs

KidsKnowIt.com  is full of 1950's music all about science and other stuff for kids to learn.

The lightning song is fun.

New Soul

A larger version of this film as at at MacGallery

Music by: Yael Naim

Video edited with iMovie 08

Soft hands

I was trying to explain to the kids how laws in our country keep us safe. I used the examlple that laws say you cannot kill someone or you will be punished by going to prison.

Maria interjected: "Dad, I can't kill anybody because I have soft hands."

Hot Tea

Apparently two years without talking has left Sam with a lot to say. He has been talking a lot lately. On cold mornings we like to drink tea, and in the past we made a big deal about it being hot (so they wouldn't stick their fingers in the boiling water. So now even warm tea and milk is referred to as "Hot Tea".

This morning while eating french toast and drinking tea Sam said, "Look Dad, burn fench toast in mouf."

Sugar

We had dinner with the Brown's and afterwards my kids wanted a piece of candy from the big candy bowl. There was, however, cheese cake planned for dessert. They were given the choice of waiting for cheese cake or having candy. We knew the kids would be disappointed with their candy decision once they saw us eating our cake in a few minutes. So we began trying to help them make a better choice. "Cheese cake is yummier." "You'll get more cheese cake than that little piece of candy." They still weren't buying it so Dominic spoke up, "Cheesecake has more SUGAR in it."

(it was so funny to see how a little boy's mind works: as if sugar content is the best way to rate food). They ended up going with the cheesecake after they saw it.

Anna had the kids at the play area in the mall and Sam was bending over with his hands over his crotch and a startled look on his face. Anna though he was hurt but then Sam said,

"Ty-ing keep pull up dy, pee coming out." 

Ahh, the joys of toilet training.

I mopped the bathroom floor the other day...but only after I dropped a dark blue towel near the base board and retrieved a dark blue towel with a large gray collection of dust on it. What is the world coming to? 5 years ago I was so focused on keeping the house spotless: I mopped at least weekly (Mr-Janitorial-background, here). Now I seem to have lost my zeal for cleaning. As long as the counters are clear, the dishes are clean, toys are off the floor and the kids are content--things are peaceful. I guess I have found peace in something other than cleanliness (and that must be a good thing).
Posted as a comment on voxpopuli-hannah.blogspot.com and after I typed it I thought it was realization I should post here too.

Little Readers

Having kids that are close in age has some wonderful moments; they just love to do things together. This afternoon I found them in the living room reading our old Tintin comic books.

The other day Joshua authored another book, this one is an "ABC" picture book. He did it almost completely on his own except for the spelling of a few words, including xylophone. Later in the day I found Joshua teaching the other kids (who were completely engrossed) their abc's.

Coolest birthday cake yet

It has become a tradition in our home to make birthday cakes in cool and unusual shapes at the request of the kids. We have had a fish, fire truck, teddy bear, school bus, and most recently a Nautilus and Tiger Shark for Joshua's birthday.

Yeah, it takes a little more effort than a normal cake, but the kids love it, and Anna and I have fun making them together.

Seriously considering a crazy departure from normalcy

In case you didn't know we are planning to build a house on some land we bought with some family & friends. Anna and I kind of Stumbled upon monolithic domes and now we are hooked.

Here is an example of this Beautiful Monolithic Dome from the inside.

Here is a page with the construction process and a floorplan.

Why a monolithic dome?

1. More interior space with less surface area.

2. 1/3 the cost to heat & cool.

3. Disaster proof.

Please comment with your thoughts.

This movie had a very solomn impact on me.

How many more days are going to go by before I become the person God made me to be?

(Humor) Date Of Apple Backlash Set For March 21, 2008

NEW YORK—In the face of Apple, Inc.'s 3- billionth iTunes sale and soaring stock price, some Wall Street forecasters are predicting that consumers will finally get fed up with the computer manufacturer's high retail prices and various product bugs sometime between March 20 and 22 of next year.

"At the current rate, we believe that at this time a sea change will occur in which people will look down at their glossy white or black devices and feel a sense of embarrassment and gullibility," Goldman Sachs analyst Steven Shore said. "They will realize that, despite all the sleek design, they got caught up in a wave of hype that made them shell out additional hundreds of dollars for options and features they didn't need. Until then, I would like to point out that my iPhone is awesome."
Apple has responded to the backlash rumors by announcing the late-October release of a mint green iPod in time for the holiday shopping season, a strategy that appears to have silenced naysayers at least temporarily.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

The kids watched the old Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer movie the other day. It was a hit, the kids really liked it. 
Maria in particular wanted to watch it again. She said," Can I watch the scary Bambi movie."

While we were checking over our living will this morning we explained to Joshua that if Anna and I were to die that he would go to Uncle Ben and Aunt Cindy and they would take care of him and his brother and sister.

We gently asked, "Do you understand?"

He said, "Yes, but I won't be able to drive the car to get to their house." 

#1 Bella takes the cake last weekend.

In case you hadn't heard, Bella the movie debued last weekend. It is an incredible film that everyone over 12 should go and see.

It was #17 as far as box office take with a healthy $1.3 million...but it was being shown at only 165 theatres nationwide. That is a huge $8,051 per theatre which puts it at #1. The next closest was earned only $6,100 per theatre and the rest were way below that. (source Yahoo box office)

Way to go Bella. I hope you make it into EVERY theatre in the world because people need to see this movie.

Halloween, the only to time we see our neighbors

We had a very nice Hallowed Evening. Cindy brought her kids over (they like our neighborhood because it is fairly dense) Dominic and Damian were running from house to with excitement on their faces. Joshua, Maria and Sam were quite a bit slower. I think they got lapped by their cousins who ended up with their buckets overflowing.

I know many of you don't like halloween because of all the scary stuff, but we look past that and use it as a time to get to know our neighbors. Most of the time people are cloistered in their homes with blue light (from the TV) flashing in their windows. Tonight, only one night of the year, everyone is standing in their front yards smiling, talking, and handing out candy to kids. We just found out that one of our neighbors has a kid named Joshua Thomas, too. I think it's great.

Maria and the tub are friends

Maria learned how to turn on the cold water in the bathtub a few weeks ago. And just this week she learned how to plug the tub to fill it up.

In case you didn't know Maria is crazy about swiming, baths and water in general. This afternoon Anna found Maria dancing around in the tub in 2 inches of ice cold water; she couldn't figure out how to turn on the hot water but it didn't bother her.

Back in the day we used to dance more

Star in Your Own JibJab! It's Free!

Sensitive kids and their sense of justice

This afternoon Sam appeared to be getting ready to draw on our globe with a marker. Anna and I both interviened from the couch by saying "NO" very firmly.

Well apparently Sam was not planning on drawing in it, and he was very sad that we had been so abrupt with him. He came over wimpering and looking for us to apologize. But we didn't apologize as first; instead we cuddled him. He continued his little fussy wimpers so my adult mind told me "distract him."

So I tickled Sam while doing the "your foot bone's connected to" song. He layed quietly and even laughed when I got to his collar bone. But when I finished he started wimpering again. So I did the whole song again with the same reaction. And again, after I stopped he started fussing again.

I thought for sure I could just get him to forget our mistake, but Anna finally realized that he wanted us to apologize. After we apologized he stopped and went back to his normal self immediatly. Aren't kids amazing?

This afternoon while putting the kids down for a nap the kids, as always, asked for a story.

I started telling them about my Boy Scout days, camping and climbing mountains.

Maria was so funny she kept interupting and telling me how she was there with me.  It went something like this:

Me: "it took me all day to climb up the mountain..."

Maria interupts: "Yeah, I was with you daddy, and I carried you when you got tired."

Me: "Oh yeah, was I heavy?"

Maria: "No, I was so much huge-er than you, you were just a baby."

(she had Anna and me in stitches)

 

During our yummy pumpkin-pancake breakfast this morning Joshua had his mouth full, but his plate had just become empty.

He reached his arms out and made grasping motions as if to 'sign' that he wanted more.

Anna asked, "are you trying to say more please?"

Joshua responded, "I can't say more please because my mouth is full."

But he said it with his mouth full...hahaha, I thought that was funny. 

I don't know about you, but as the temperature drops our family starts to drink more hot tea. The like it because it makes them feel all grown up as they sip it in their special mugs.

I tried to add less honey today, so it was slightly less sweet than the last time. 

Joshua took a sip and set it down with a tired expression on his face. Then he said, "I don't really want to drink this its too hard to hold."

Anna questioned, "Do you mean its not sweet enough and you want more honey?"

"Yes!" Was his response. (which in the moment was very funny)! 
After we sweetened it he drank the whole thing.

Looks like its worth seeing

Check out this movie trailer for Juno (not the city in Alaska). It looks good.

NEW Ray Family Picture Gallery

We have a new place to view all our pictures.
just go to http://gallery.mac.com/rayfam
Be patient as they load, because there are lots of pictures within the events and you can skim through them by moving the mouse over the top of the event.
Enjoy.

Aunt Threatens To Devour Helpless Newborn's Toes

WALDEN, TN—While family members stood silently by and did nothing, visiting aunt Debbie Koeler proclaimed her desire to consume the "tiny little toesies" of her nephew Daniel, a powerless infant less than one-fifth her size, after the child's christening Sunday.

"Who's my little sugar pie? I could just eat you right up," Koeler threatened as she held the vulnerable child above her cavernous mouth and simulated the impending act of cannibalism on his tiny, dangling legs. "I've gotcha! I've gotcha! Yes I do! Yes I do!"

Koeler then returned the confused and speechless newborn to the bouncy seat, prodded his abdomen, and disappeared behind her own hands.

I'm the first crazy one in the my family

I have been thinking about it for a while, and I finally made the switch from a PC to an Apple.

Kids say the funniest things

Joshua was picking through the trail mix at the table and I interupted him saying, "Josh, you can't just pick though and eat the chocolate chips."

Josh responded, "I'm not, I can't find any."

(that's probably because he already ate them all)

Sammy is two, but he still doesn't talk very well

As you may know, Samuel is a boy of few words. Anna had told Josh a while ago that when Sammy turned two he would start talking more.
Well Sam's birthday rolled around, and after a couple of hours Joshua said with a bit of annoyance in his voice, "Sammy's two but he still doesn't talk very much."

Isn't it funny how kids see things in black and white--of course on September 13th everything should have changed for Sam (but alas, he is but one day older).

A Bath, or two

Maria came bouncing up the stairs with one of her baby dolls and asked cheerfully if she could take a bath. It was very spontanious--tonight is not bath night and she wasn't dirty or anything.

Only a few seconds had passed, I had put the last of the dishes in the dishwasher, and I looked for Maria...she had already stripped down and was in the tub with her doll.  She was prancing around making little pattering sounds with her bare feet and had this amazing look of joy in her eyes. I had never actually said "yes" to her bath request, but she knew I would turn that warm water on for her because I love her.

After the water started flowing I ran down to share this memory in the journal so I would not quickly forget it. Within the time it took to write the first part of the title "A Bath", it suddenly became two. 

Samuel began crying. I ran upstairs to find that the little clothed kid had climbed on the edge of the tub and had fallen in, sweatshirt and all. I guess he was a bit excited to take a bath too.