Shit Hunter Says

We are out for Syrian food and I am very excited to have my family trying a new cuisine.

Hunter says he wants to order the lamb kebob. Lamb has a strong flavor I tell him. He decides to get the lamb.

Mechelle loves her chicken...Reed is raving about his meal.


Hunter bites into his lamb. "This is good," he says, "But I don't like lamb."

--Dad

Reed's 3:38 AM Texts

My mother-in-law Keiko gave the boys a gigantic Teddy Bear for Christmas...weights about 40 pounds and is 5' tall!!

Much to my chagrin we brought it home last night. Reed wanted it in his room so we sat it in the corner.

At 3:38AM I am awoken by 4 text messages sent rapid-fire.

Anybody wanna gigantic Teddy Bear?

Best,

DAddy

Wee Christmas Tree 2017

Took this photo a lil after 2AM Christmas Eve just after I put all the gifts under and around the tree.

This was the smallest tree we have ever had. Waited until 12/16 to get a tree. It was late, we were coming back home after a late-ish dinner at The Oakland Diner. We stopped at a little lot in the corner of the Copper Tree Mall parking lot in Oakland. It was cold and no one had on a real Winter coat.

The trees were all small.

"All the bigger ones are already gone," said the kid in the lot.

I wanted to leave and head to a bigger lot in Franklin Lakes to look for a "better" tree but Hunter was appalled.

"We can't leave Dad --that would be rude." My 11 y/o son Hunter,  who has been known to tell his parent s to STFU, can be surprisingly empathetic sometimes. Leaving now would mean he'd be upset and angry --would probably cry.

So picked the best of what was left...with tax it was $58.50...gave the kid a $10 tip.

Merry Christmas.

Love, Dad
 

Magic in the Gloaming

--Dad
NJ Wedding Photographer

Planted a Dogwood

Bought a small, pink dogwood last week. I had $300 in my pocket and that's what I was willing to spend. Trip to the nursery and the price was exactly $300. Picked the biggest of the small ones. The larder ones would not have been manageable by me and the boys.

The nursery delivered it this AM and we proceeded to dig a ginormous hole to drop it into. When we were done it was 52" wide and 28" deep. We ran out to get a pick as the soil was rather rocky and criss-crossed with oak roots. Hunter stuck with me --sent Reed in to complete an essay on the Industrial Revolution.

Spent 4-5 hours total. Excited to have a companion for our gorgeous magnolia!

--Thomas

Hunter and I went down to the Ramapo River tonight. Always interested to see how high it gets after some rain. Also down by the river the choruses of tree frogs were unmissable.

Started throwing rocks in the river...found a flat one and skipped it almost across.

"How'd you do that, Dad?"

I haven't taught my kids to skip stones. There is a worthy mission for the summer.

We found a few more rocks. I talked to stance, how to grip the stone, the angle you throw the stone, etc.

Nothing skipped tonight but we'll be back. 

 

--Daddy

When Easter goes...poorly

Hunter perceived some slight from his brother and rather than collect more Easter eggs he climbed up into our magnolia tree.

--Dad
www.JerseyWeddingPhotography.com