Pillow Talk (Maddie)

She wanted to talk to me about her feelings. It was 11 pm and we both should have been long asleep. I was tired. But you have to take such moments when you can get them. So I laid down next to her and made some interesting discoveries.

She feels a lot of pressure being the oldest kid because what if she makes mistakes and then Caleb and Henry follow her example. So we talked through that.

Also, she keeps a picture of a map in her mind and adds different colors to parts she has visited. Florida is pink. Virginia is green. Egypt is brown.

And this (quoted as close as I can remember): "I found the scriptures open on your desk and I wondered why you kept reading them. So I started reading. The words were all weird and I didn't understand anything. But I felt really happy. I think that was God telling me I should believe in the scriptures."

Back to Cairo

We left Cairo with 4 suitcases, 4 carry ones, and 5 back packs. We returned with 800 pounds shipped, 5 suitcases, 5 carry ons, and 5 back packs. So I guess our 5 months in the US were productive...from an acquisition perspective.

We all enjoyed being able to try things on rather than guessing at the size and buying online.

Anyway, we're back. It rained the first two days in Cairo, which are the only rainy days we've seen here. The kids were thrilled to reunite with Tiger (the cat) and friends. We slept day one and then they returned to school yesterday. All reports from their second first day of school this year were positive.

Decision Matrix

Car: With no certainty as to when the evacuation would end, we finally bought a used car in early October rather than spend $1,000 per month on the rental. We also figured that we could buy an SUV and have some space rather than schleping around three kids plus sports gear in a Nissan Altima.

We spent about $1,200 on post purchase tune up plus new brakes and tires. So with two months of use, we could sell it for $1,000 less than we bought it and basically brake even with the expense of the rental. Plus the risk of extended time in the US beyond two months was effectively hedged, a hedge for which we were happy to pay a premium, so even if we didn't quite break even, the deal would still be considered fair.

We now know that we have to go back to Egypt Nov. 16, one and a half months of car usage, so we won't quite break even unless we can sell it for close to purchase price. However, the time frame is such that we don't really have time to effectively advertise, market, and negotiate the price, so this is unlikely. We will not break even on the deal.

Cat: We left Tiger in Cairo, of course, because we thought we were just going on vacation. Our housekeeper was visiting him every day. This ended in August when her embassy evacuated her home to the Philippines. So Tiger went to the home of an "essential" US embassy employee in Cairo. We debated endlessly whether we should have Tiger shipped to us. But we just kept thinking we didn't want to spend $800 just to find out we would be returning a few days later.

Then this employee's tour ended in October and Tiger went to another US Embassy home, this home less enamored of said cat's behavior regarding furniture. So we made arrangement to ship him back to the US. What else were we going to do? This involved buying shipping crate and related items and having them sent to Egypt and trying to get cat medical records in order via remote control. This effort was somewhat less than convenient both for us and for our agents in Cairo.

Tiger, meanwhile, was moved to a third home, our British Petrolium friends, for the final week before shipping. Of course, now we are returning, so shipping is cancelled. But at least we have a really nice and expensive cat shipping crate.

2013 Additions to Christmas Playlist

In an essential post-Halloween tradition, the Christmas playlist expands by a handful of songs every year. Here are this year's additions.

Little Drummer Boy, tobyMac

O Holy Night, Sara Groves

Mary's Boy Child, Boney M

In the Bleak Midwinter, Annie Lennox

O Come All Ye Faithful, Amy Grant

The fun of Christmas playlists is having multiple versions of the same song so you can enjoy it reverently, or joyfully, or playfully. There is a time to every purpose under heaven. I love Christmas music.

The Henry Dossier

Henry, age 5, is a kinetic wonder. He came with only two operational modes: fast and off. He runs until he sleeps.

His soccer coaches commented with some wonder, that no matter how they tried, Henry was the one kid they could never wear out. Other kids ask for breaks but he only asks to get back in the game. While in the game, he is a whirlwind of simultaneous offense and defense. Katie reported he scored 4 goals in this morning's game. And to her joy, he threw a magnificent fit when the game was over and he couldn't keep playing. My absence, of course, makes such tantrums all the brighter. Katie really loves it when I travel.

Accounts from school portray a bright and eager learner. His competitive nature makes for a bit of a whiz at math because his desire to calculate the score differential and how long it would take to catch up is like a World War Z zombie trying to pass on its disease. Speaking of, that movie didn't make any sense. So, your dead, and all your bones are broken from stepping in front of a car, or jumping off a 100-foot wall to chase the living, yet you run faster than when you were alive. I can only suspend my disbelief so far. Am I off topic?

Henry has essentially two requests, which feel like they are coming from a Gatling gun: Someone must play some sport with him, and he needs candy.

He's charming when not tired, a terrorist when exhausted.

Goodbye Curb

I was leaving again for a three week work trip. The kids were anxious and sad. Caleb asked if he could walk me down to the taxi (we live on the eighth floor). Of course he could. Maddie wanted to come as well. Henry, a despiser of the goodbye scene, passed.

We went down with back pack and suitcase. The taxi was already there, so it was time to go. I gave them both a hug and reached for my suitcase.

"No dad," Caleb said. "Let me do this for you." He grabbed the heavy suitcase and dragged it to the curb.

Then they both stood on the corner and waived for the three minutes it took for the light to turn green and the taxi to drive out of view. It is strange how this breaks my heart, yet calms my soul.

It's Hard When It Gets Easier

The evolution of my role as father is more or less as follows:

1. Awkward observer

2. Eager helper

3. Worker bee (drone)

4. Clean up crew

5. Body guard

6. Psychological torture victim (aka "when the female mastered language")

7. Courier

8. Referee

9. Coach

So far the work has been physically demanding, a massive endurance challenge. But the objectives have been straight forward. Get kids to school on time and alive, for example, is a logistics problem with pretty clear inputs and objectives.

But strange days are arriving. Hints of adolecence are upon us. The first "body image" concern was recently expressed. The physical demands have eased. Not getting at least 7 hours of sleep is now of my own doing (Monday Night Football is on late, you know) and almost never because of the kids. Two thirds of them tie their own shoes.

How quaint do such concerns suddenly seem, however, now that reasons to worry have increased (I mean, they're just out in the world, like, doing stuff...without me) while influence is indirect and endangered. I realize "Coach" should have been earlier than number nine on the list above.

Dream Team

Caleb decided to try out for the "Dream Team" of his Tae Kwon Do dojo. This involved all manner of speed, strength, and flexibility tests. And man did he want it bad.

I know how flexible he is. I stretch with him in the mornings (can I say "in the mornings" if we got up three mornings and stretched and worked out?). When they asked him to go a little farther, he was at his limit. But then he just did it, pushing through obvious pain to reach about two more inches. And so on with the rope climb and speed kicks and other drills. Enduring pain to stretch his capacity.

I was proud of him. I might have cried a little in the dojo lobby.

He made the team.

Henry meanwhile, is doing great in soccer, so far as it goes at age five. They play three on three with no goalies and no throw ins. When a ball goes out, the ref just tosses another into the middle of the field. Henry's big advantage is that he never stops running yet never gets tired. Also, he just loves it. Sometimes he misses the ball because he is laughing so hard. Nothing "funny" has happened. It's just that playing soccer makes him laugh.

Unrelated to the sports theme, but funny, Maddie says to me today, "Dad, isn't it kind of weird that a naked baby would be a symbol of love?" It took me a moment to realize she was referring to cupid. Then I realized, yeah, that's totally weird.

Fathers and Sons

I took the boys camping with our church's "Fathers and Sons" activity. During a brief program at a large fire, the speaker concluded with the hope that kids will be able to bond with their dads. Caleb put his head on my shoulder and said, "Yeah, dad, we're bonding."

Later, just before going to bed, I hugged Henry and Caleb and told them how much I loved them. Henry looked up with a surprised expression. "Dad, I love you too," as though making an unexpected discovery.

So that was a good event for me. I hope they liked it too.

In the morning we raced back to Arlington and caught the end of Maddie's soccer game. Then we stopped by McDondalds on our way to Caleb's baseball game where Katie dropped me off with C while she went to Henry's soccer game. After which we raced home and got Maddie showered and changed and ran her over to a birthday party and then hurried to a park for Caleb to meet his friend. And then we thought, we could use a second car.

Jawbreaker

Caleb's torture apparatus is fully installed. We have been turning the crank two clicks every night for a week now. He grimaces, holds out is hands for a while in sort of a "calm-the-waters" gesture, and then says, "I'm good." Not a single complaint.

The day it was installed, he noted his new and distorted speech and commented to the orthodontist, "How will I make new friends talking like this?" The orthodontist teared up. Katie teared up. Guess who did not tear up? Caleb.

In his Caleb way, he asked more as an observation of a new problem to be solved than as an expression of self pity or a request for sympathy (though sometimes he plays that card masterfully to acquire new toys). And he has largely solved the problem. This may be correlation and not causation, but immediately he increased his time spent reading aloud, improving his speech to the point that the impediment is hardly noticeable.

I've always loved my kids. Then, as they got a little older, I liked them as well. Now they are giving me opportunities to genuinely admire them. Parenting is a cool gig.

Summer 2013 Photos: Disney World and Misc.

A little target practice at Merida's place.

Maddie likes the hotel room view of zebras, giraffes, and so forth.

Caleb conquered Everest

Captain Jack Sparrow grants Caleb a pirate diploma