I was saddened to see the news this morning that Berenstain Bears co-creator Jan Berenstain died.
And then, of course, I began getting nostalgic about all the good times I've had with that furry family who lived in the Bear Country and taught me valuable lessons about junk food, sharing, going to the dentist and Christmas, among other things.
The memories I have of collecting those books and having my parents or grandparents read them to me at night rank among my fondest childhood memories.
And now, one of favorite parts of being a father is seeing Phoebe delight in having Kates or I read those very same books to her before she goes to bed at night.
The books live on.
2.26.2012
Glorious fun
We've had a glorious weekend.
With temperatures in the 60s today, we did our church stuff. Then I demanded that we get outside for a walk.
I retrieved Phoebe's pink tricycle from its winter storage facility -- aka the basement. Then, Kates and I walked the neighborhood, with Phoebe peddling alongside us, and headed for the playground on the university campus. Phoebe climbed the monkey bars, slid down the slides, and swung on the swingset for what seemed like hours as Kates and I stood nearby and took it all in.
Now I've got some records on as I prepare for my mind for another week. A glorious way to end a glorious weekend.
This morning we said goodbye to Kates' parents, who arrived Thursday night to spend the weekend with us. ... To say Phoebe was happy having Grandma and Grandpa S. around this weekend is an understatement. There were some serious tears running down her cheeks this morning as they prepared to leave.
I can't say we did anything out of the ordinary or overly exciting with them here. Nowadays, any time we can visit family members, their presence alone is enough.
After they arrived Thursday night, we ordered food from a Thai food place in town that Kates and I have wanted to try for a while -- and it was good. ... Friday, Kates, Phoebe and I went off to school, but the grandparents followed and spent a little time with Phoebe in her classroom during the morning. During the evening, we dined out at one of The 'Ville's finest restaurants.
Saturday, we slept late. And in the afternoon, Kates and her mother finished a duvet cover they've been working on for Phoebe's bed, while Kates' dad and I walked to the campus for the Bearcat basketball team's regular season finale.
Going in, I knew it had the potential to be a thriller. Our team was going up against a close rival in basketball, both teams were ranked in the top 20, and the winner took the conference championship.
The 'Cats burst out to a 10-2 lead to start the game, and they held a 34-23 lead at halftime. Things looked good.
But the game got interesting during the second half. Our opponent chipped away at the lead and then, with 1:20 remaining in the game, tied the score at 63 with a pair of free throws.
Both teams battled for the lead and the game came down to a final possession for our opponent at the 15-second mark. After a timeout, the away team ran a play. Missed a jumper for the win. Missed a tip-in for the win. And the Bearcats grabbed the rebound with 4 seconds left in regulation.
I jumped so high in the bleachers that I nearly stumbled on the bench in front of me on my way down.
Our star point guard sank two free throws with two seconds left. And then it was over. Our team won the game 67-64, and "We Are the Champions" began to power through through the sound system as the players received the conference trophy.
We hung around to watch the celebration play out and see the players cut down the nets. It was a glorious scene to witness ...
On a glorious weekend.
With temperatures in the 60s today, we did our church stuff. Then I demanded that we get outside for a walk.
I retrieved Phoebe's pink tricycle from its winter storage facility -- aka the basement. Then, Kates and I walked the neighborhood, with Phoebe peddling alongside us, and headed for the playground on the university campus. Phoebe climbed the monkey bars, slid down the slides, and swung on the swingset for what seemed like hours as Kates and I stood nearby and took it all in.
Now I've got some records on as I prepare for my mind for another week. A glorious way to end a glorious weekend.
* * *
This morning we said goodbye to Kates' parents, who arrived Thursday night to spend the weekend with us. ... To say Phoebe was happy having Grandma and Grandpa S. around this weekend is an understatement. There were some serious tears running down her cheeks this morning as they prepared to leave.
I can't say we did anything out of the ordinary or overly exciting with them here. Nowadays, any time we can visit family members, their presence alone is enough.
After they arrived Thursday night, we ordered food from a Thai food place in town that Kates and I have wanted to try for a while -- and it was good. ... Friday, Kates, Phoebe and I went off to school, but the grandparents followed and spent a little time with Phoebe in her classroom during the morning. During the evening, we dined out at one of The 'Ville's finest restaurants.
Saturday, we slept late. And in the afternoon, Kates and her mother finished a duvet cover they've been working on for Phoebe's bed, while Kates' dad and I walked to the campus for the Bearcat basketball team's regular season finale.
Going in, I knew it had the potential to be a thriller. Our team was going up against a close rival in basketball, both teams were ranked in the top 20, and the winner took the conference championship.
The 'Cats burst out to a 10-2 lead to start the game, and they held a 34-23 lead at halftime. Things looked good.
But the game got interesting during the second half. Our opponent chipped away at the lead and then, with 1:20 remaining in the game, tied the score at 63 with a pair of free throws.
Both teams battled for the lead and the game came down to a final possession for our opponent at the 15-second mark. After a timeout, the away team ran a play. Missed a jumper for the win. Missed a tip-in for the win. And the Bearcats grabbed the rebound with 4 seconds left in regulation.
I jumped so high in the bleachers that I nearly stumbled on the bench in front of me on my way down.
Our star point guard sank two free throws with two seconds left. And then it was over. Our team won the game 67-64, and "We Are the Champions" began to power through through the sound system as the players received the conference trophy.
We hung around to watch the celebration play out and see the players cut down the nets. It was a glorious scene to witness ...
On a glorious weekend.
2.22.2012
Late night laughs
So I finally got around to watching last weekend's Saturday Night Live tonight.
Ha-larious. I thought it ranked alongside Emma Stone's appearance as one of the top episodes of what has been a pretty good season.
The current cast is at its funniest when the guys and gals are doing impressions of pop culture icons and when SNL alumni and friends drop in. With SNL alumna Maya Rudolph hosting the show last weekend, there was plenty of both.
EW, in its review, wrote that the "hysterical and edgy episode of SNL may have been the ultimate unifier: A fusion of greats from the show’s past effortlessly blending with the new."
I laughed out loud a lot. ... Here are my favorites sketches of the night ...
Amy Poehler returned, too! ... And she stayed on after the Really!? bit to co-anchor the newscast with Seth Myers.
This sketch is worth watching just to see Maya Rudolph, Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader cracking up.
And finally, I think Fred Armisen's Barack Obama impression is great. But when he melds it with an impression of Bill Cosby as Cliff Huxtable -- even better.
(Sadly, what this SNL-provided video clip doesn't show is the bonus portion of the sketch, which had the cast members doing a classic Cosby Show scene and Amy Poehler jumping in as Hillary Clinton. Here's the original scene, and here's the SNL clip that some guy recorded off his TV.)
Ha-larious. I thought it ranked alongside Emma Stone's appearance as one of the top episodes of what has been a pretty good season.
The current cast is at its funniest when the guys and gals are doing impressions of pop culture icons and when SNL alumni and friends drop in. With SNL alumna Maya Rudolph hosting the show last weekend, there was plenty of both.
EW, in its review, wrote that the "hysterical and edgy episode of SNL may have been the ultimate unifier: A fusion of greats from the show’s past effortlessly blending with the new."
I laughed out loud a lot. ... Here are my favorites sketches of the night ...
Amy Poehler returned, too! ... And she stayed on after the Really!? bit to co-anchor the newscast with Seth Myers.
This sketch is worth watching just to see Maya Rudolph, Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader cracking up.
And finally, I think Fred Armisen's Barack Obama impression is great. But when he melds it with an impression of Bill Cosby as Cliff Huxtable -- even better.
(Sadly, what this SNL-provided video clip doesn't show is the bonus portion of the sketch, which had the cast members doing a classic Cosby Show scene and Amy Poehler jumping in as Hillary Clinton. Here's the original scene, and here's the SNL clip that some guy recorded off his TV.)
2.17.2012
Not so happy Valentine’s Day
Well, our Valentine’s Day didn’t exactly go the way I had imagined.
I had written a Valentine’s Day tribute to Kates and I on the marker board that adorns our refrigerator. I had a sentimental card with a sweet passage ready to go. And I had a card picked out for Phoebe to give Kates, too, which Phoebe – as always – colored with some crayons to give it her own seal of approval.
I was going to try to beat Kates home from school and have James Taylor music playing on the iPod as we prepared for supper. Kates had plans to make one of her special meals.
Then, for the grand finale, I was going to hand Kates her card and an envelope that contained two tickets to James Taylor’s appearance at Kansas City’s Starlight Theatre in July. I wished for a James Taylor do-over a few weeks ago, and it was granted just days afterward.
None of my plans happened. Because of some circumstances at my workplace this week, I’ve been working some crazy hours and didn’t arrive home until after 9 p.m. Tuesday night. Phoebe was already sleeping in her bed, so I missed getting her excited description of her school Valentine’s party and the cards she received.
Instead Kates and I had a quiet exchange of cards and hugs on the living room couch.
It was a Valentine's Day to remember. For all the wrong reasons.
I had written a Valentine’s Day tribute to Kates and I on the marker board that adorns our refrigerator. I had a sentimental card with a sweet passage ready to go. And I had a card picked out for Phoebe to give Kates, too, which Phoebe – as always – colored with some crayons to give it her own seal of approval.
I was going to try to beat Kates home from school and have James Taylor music playing on the iPod as we prepared for supper. Kates had plans to make one of her special meals.
Then, for the grand finale, I was going to hand Kates her card and an envelope that contained two tickets to James Taylor’s appearance at Kansas City’s Starlight Theatre in July. I wished for a James Taylor do-over a few weeks ago, and it was granted just days afterward.
None of my plans happened. Because of some circumstances at my workplace this week, I’ve been working some crazy hours and didn’t arrive home until after 9 p.m. Tuesday night. Phoebe was already sleeping in her bed, so I missed getting her excited description of her school Valentine’s party and the cards she received.
Instead Kates and I had a quiet exchange of cards and hugs on the living room couch.
It was a Valentine's Day to remember. For all the wrong reasons.
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