benaar’s posterous

It's been cold here recently, cold enough in fact to force me off the bike for my daily commute. However, despite the chill and the torrential rain we had throughout November, there's not a flake of snow to be seen. I'm still holding out hope for some semblance of a white Christmas but I doubt we'll have much and almost certainly it'll be nothing like last year!

Also, going thru these pictures I came across this video of Joel reading. It doesn't seem like he changes that much from day to day anymore, but looking back it's pretty remarkable (insert some "they grow up so fast" platitude here). I think he was fighting a cold or was all stuffed up from being outside or something. The result is even that much more adorable.

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Last night at the dinner table, my 3 year old told his first knock knock joke.

Joel: "Daddy, I want to tell you a joke"
Me: "OK"
Joel: "Knock, knock"
Me: "Who's there?"
Joel: "Goat"
Me: "Goat who?"
Joel: "Goat to the door and find out!"

I just about fell off my chair. I dunno why it caught me as so funny, I mean it's a cute joke but definitely not in the comedic genius category or anything. I think it was the idea that he, in his own little 3 year old way, was pulling one over on me. I hadn't heard that particular joke before (or if I had I'd long since forgotten the punch line) so when he delivered, slightly bumbling and trying to remember exactly how it went I was at once surprised, proud and completely tickled. Brilliant!

Just wait 'till Uncle Sean comes over…

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I'm kinda sad that the holiday I remember as Halloween seems to be going by the wayside. Like most people my age I fondly recall tromping un-chapperoned as a child through the neighborhood on my annual candy quest. Apparently the world is different now and we had a grand total of 3 visitors on Halloween night at our house. However, we did join a whole grip of costumed kiddos earlier at the Greenwood Businesses "Safe Trick or Treat". Joel had a great time playing the carnival games and by the end of the afternoon was confidently (if uncharacteristically) galloping up to the candy distributors along the route announcing, "It's me! I'm Eeyore!"

We did have a few people comment about his little "sister" dressed up as Piglet.

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As a human born into this world, there are certain things you just know instinctually. Things like how to breath, how to laugh, and what sound a lightsaber should make.

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I've been trolling the depths of the ol' iPhoto library recently. It's pretty amazing to see how much Joel has changed over the last 3 years. He doesn't even recognize himself in older photos. I'll show him pictures of when he was just a year old, he looks at them and confidently says, "that is Baby Isaac."

I'm particularly fond of these old Halloween pics. What a cutie.

                 

Click here to download:

The_ghosts_of_Halloween_past_t.zip (2951 KB)

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I love October!

I love the crisp air and the fact that there's still an acceptable amount of daylight. You get those brisk sunny days where the shadows are all slanty because the sun is scooting along the horizon instead of straight overhead and there are great picture opportunities. This is precisely why God invented the pumpkin patch! Let's face it, it's not really about pumpkins (since those can be had much less expensively at the Fred Meyer on the corner) but it's about the urban novelty of tramping through a muddy field and snapping vibrant colorful pictures of your kids.

It's as close to hunting and gathering as we city-folk get.

More pictures here.

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Just going thru the photo library and came across these. Enjoy!

Isaac, Week 27

Joel, Week 32

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On my morning commute I encountered three "road construction" signs smack in the middle of the southbound bike/pedestrian lane on the Ballard Bridge (I only thought to start snapping pictures after I'd passed the first one). This seems particularly dangerous since that lane is so narrow I couldn't even walk my bike around the signs, but instead had to lift my bike over my head and walk up on the curb (in my bike shoes) with traffic whizzing by at 40mph.

At the end of the bridge, of course there was no work going or construction vehicles to be found.

Seriously Seattle? This is a joke right? Let's take one of the most precarious bike lanes in the ENTIRE CITY and turn it into an obstacle course!

   

Click here to download:

Signs_signs_everywhere_theres_.zip (2616 KB)

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Isaac telling Tigger what's on his mind.

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Hard to believe our little rockstar is three years old today!

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