Nathan Gets a Haircut

Nathan is generally a very happy guy, but there are a few things he has learned not to like. Anything have to do with a doctor or hospital is one of those things. Another is getting haircut.

The usual scenario is two of the three of us (Mom, Sean and I) take him to Supercuts at a time when the fewest people are likely to be there. Rita Ann knows the drill. Two of us hold him down while he squirms and yells (the little guy is pretty darn strong!) and she tries to cut a moving target. This usually results in a nick or two -- which serves only to exacerbate the problem -- as well as the occasional chunk out of his hair.

So this week we thought we'd try something different: I've cut all the other boys' hair, so why not Nathan's?

So I backed the car out of the garage and set up shop. Since it was only Debbie and I, we had to improvise. We grabbed a couple of soft straps used for his therapy and tied him to his chair. I'm not licensed for anesthesia or that would be the preferred option.

This photo would definitely not win us "Parents of the Year" accolades. It's likely to attract the attention of Child Protective Services. But by golly it worked. Better than the public scene at Supercuts where the customers are looking at the terrible parents abusing their child in the barber chair...

Mom Finally Gets Her Shed

This summer our resident construction management expert-to-be Stephen helped design and build a storage shed. Unfortunately, we did not have the presence of mind to take pics from the beginning. But trust me, we both looked very cool in our toolbelts and boots. (Truth be known...he looked better than me and had a better tan.) There's something very macho about wearing a tool belt.

Going was somewhat slow, given my propensity to step back and look at things, consider options, reconsider options... a serious flashback to when my brothers and I were working with Dad and building their house. We could talk about the smallest things for HOURS without making significant progress.

To his credit, Stephen always wanted to make sure we were doing a quality job. Me...I kept saying "it's only a shed" and was satisfied with a few gaps, un-square corners, etc. That worked until it came time to build the doors... We made several what my father would call "jury rigged" fixes and each time I'd say, "Dad would be proud."

We didn't finish before Steve left to go back to school and I let golf and other things get in the way of completing the project. Then Hurricane Ike threatened, the winds started to blow and Debbie says, "You'd better finish that roof or the tar paper's going to rip off in the wind." So I got out there as the rain started to fall and finished the roof wearing my my not-so-cool eggplant colored raincoat.

The rains stopped, the temperatures cooled, and Debbie and I finally wrestled a couple of doors into place. Oh sure, I could paint it -- but what's the rush? I never did paint the shed I built at the other house and we had that for 5-6 years!

On the Lake with Robbins

For Labor Day we were able to take a break on the lake. Haven't done that much this year given the busy summer it's been. But our friend Marty Robbins has been ill recently and we wanted to get out and do something with him and his wife Anita. So here's Anita and Debbie in the tube (Nathan's in the middle wondering if he's having fun). They were mostly oblivious to everything around them, just chilling and scooting along.

For those who know the Robbins, their daughter Brit came home from her mission not too long ago and is now engaged to Brett. We took them all out on the boat with us a couple of days before Labor Day but it wouldn't start, so we had our picnic dinner sitting in the trailered boat at the lake park.

Just Starting

OK. So we're new at this blog stuff. The kids do it all the time. And yes, I know what BLOG actually stands for... So I'm determined not to get left in the dust and accused of being OLD. Not yet.

Mostly this is self-defense. I really do not write letters, and I spend way too much time in email to want to do that for personal stuff as well as work. But somehow blogging seems to be a better way. So we'll try it.