What the hell?

This has been a weird year. I came home from Nashville to see this scene in my front yard. This same scenario unfolded in our back yard only two months ago. Suni was home alone with Waylon (well, I guess that makes her not alone) when this happened. She tried to call me three times. I was in Nashville eating and didn’t hear my phone. She was pissed… yes, Suni pissed about someone not answering his phone… hmmm, very ironic. Thank God everyone is safe. That is really all that matters.  When I saw the four missed calls from the Missus in a row, I was more than a little scared.  Now that I know everyone is fine, I really would have loved to seen the look on Suni's face when she heard the crack of the tree splitting off. 

Names and what not...

Horace Update: So, here we are on “our” fourteenth week of pregnancy, and still no freakin’ name. Granted, we do not know the sex of the baby, but that is hardly relevant. I have been urging Suni to pick a girl name and a boy name. The obvious alternative is to select a name that's unisex. Someone suggested “Pat.” That ain't gonna work.

The most frequently asked question regarding the naming of ours second child is “Are you going to name him/her Hank, Willie, Merle, Kitty, or [some other old country music star]?” The answer is no, although I am doing some backroom politicking for Conway Twitty Stinson. Suni actually likes “Hank,” but she thinks that would be over the top. It would be.

Please take our poll (bottom right). I'll leave the boy name up for a month then put a "girl name" poll up for a month or so.

Night on the Town: I have to say a word about this. In Nashville on business, I had planned to go to a Verlon Thompson show over at the venerable Station Inn, a complete dive but maybe the best bluegrass venue in the country. My buddies and I were the first ones there and we took a table right up front. To my amazement, Guy Clark showed up and played the first hour-an-half long set with Verlon. Waylon Jennings is the only artist I like more than Guy Clark, and Guy is a close second. I was ecstatic. The Station Inn didn’t advertise the fact that Guy was playing, so there were no more than thirty people there. (The bartender told us Dierks Bentley dropped in like that a couple of weeks before). I got the chance to talk to him for a bit while he was out back smoking. I couldn't have been happier.

One Year Later...

With our Iowa trip on the horizon, I thought it would be interesting to post a couple of photos from our trip to Iowa last August. Here are a couple of Waylon and Grandma. It is amazing how much the little guy has grown in the past year.

I know that he will be thrilled to see his “brother” and “sister” again. Briggs and Mary are seen in the picture on the very top. Since these pictures were taken, Waylon has learned to talk, knows 15-20 different words, understands virtually everything, feed himself all kinds of food, and today he even told us he had to “poop” before pooping!! Despite having the same amount of time in which to learn, Briggs and Mary still do nothing but yelp at the top of their lungs, pee and crap all over the place, and probably eat the poop.

Here are two more: Waylon getting a bath and Grandma Jonnie’s and trying to tell his cousin Owen about classic country music. I don’t think Owen was interested. He’s really more into hip hop, apparently.

Ahh... Milk, Cookies, and Wonder Pets

Today has been a pretty uneventful, unproductive start to the weekend. Waylon and I did get to enjoy some Nila wafers and milk while watching the Wonder Pets on demand. (Today they saved the baby sea lions and the joey… again… for about the thirtieth time).

It is really hot here today, and is supposed to be in the 90s for the next few days. I wish we could summer in Nova Scotia.

Tim Whitehead has rejoined the land of the living bloggers, where he is lamenting the five happy years of his nine-year marriage. Happy anniversary, Whiteheads!

Despite the heat, Waylon apparently thinks it's winter. He's packing for Iowa, and I guess he thinks he will need his stocking cap.

He Gets It!

It has been a rare week in that I have been home every night. This has afforded me the opportunity to take Waylon to daycare in the morning and be home at a reasonable hour (today at the unbelievably early time of 5:45). Although I do not enjoy the screaming and clinging that characterizes the daycare drop-off, I have really enjoyed getting to be a part of Waylon’s morning routine the last few mornings. Unfortunately for you, this means I have something to blog about, so my long-windedness will continue to plague TeamStinson.com in lieu of my wife’s pithy posts. Sorry.

Waylon continues to amaze me with how much he comprehends. Yesterday, I had to buy some time to take a shower, so I basically just took him in the bathroom with me and talked incessantly at him about God knows what all. To my amusement, he listened and attempted to repeat many words. As I was about to step out of the shower, I decided to enlist his help.

“Waylon,” I asked, “will you please go into the kitchen and get your medicine?” (He is again on amoxicillin and we have been giving him Tylenol, as he has been running a slight fever).

Now, I must admit that I thought it was a long shot. You never know how much a 15-month old really understands because they are so limited in what they can communicate. But, I figured what the hell. To my utter surprise, Waylon got his now-trademark look of determination on his face and bounded off for the kitchen. I could hear his little footsteps trailing off as he ran into the kitchen.

Seconds after Waylon had disappeared from the bathroom, I heard a tremendous crash in the kitchen. Then silence. Just when I was going to run into the kitchen in my towel, I heard the pitter patter of little feet again. After about three footsteps, I heard something hit the floor and skid across the hardwood. Nearly immediately, the footsteps resumed. But, again, something fell to the floor. This process repeated itself until Waylon rounded the corner and I everything was clear.

He had understood my request for help, alright. He was juggling an armful of crap – both of his medicines, an enormous bottle of ibuprofen, and two medicine droppers. It was all just too much for his little hands and arms to handle, which explained the noises I’d been hearing. The crash, I discovered when I did make my way into the kitchen, was the entire contents of the medicine cabinet. If you are asking (a) why our medicine cabinet is in the kitchen and (b) why it is low enough for our toddler to reach… well… those are good questions… ones I am sure Suni will address in her next post, whenever the hell that may be.

As far as Waylon’s help, I was impressed. Maybe I shouldn’t have been. When it’s your first child, you really have nothing for comparison. I give Suni a lot of credit for teaching him things that are really beyond his age. She has always treated him, especially talked to him, as though he were a little man, and almost always, he lives up to those expectations. (And, no, honey, I am not saying you don’t let him be a kid. He’s 15 months old, for God’s sake :))

Wow, I never thought I would be gleefully writing about the day my son recognized a simple term like “medicine.” The fact is, however, that it was the highlight of my day… and, inexplicably, that fact doesn’t make be feel even the slightest bit lame.

A Word About Horace: In one of my recent posts, I referred to our next child as "Horace," which has drawn some concern from certain quarters. This is just as I planned. Waylon was named months before his mom brought him into this world. Everybody started calling the baby Waylon before Suni was even showing, and it stuck. That is the way I like it. I like to "know" my child before I know my child. (I am weird; I acknowledge that). We can't agree on a name for this one, and Suni does not share my sense of nomenclature urgency. Thus my plan: call the baby Horace until Suni agrees to name the kid. Horace has raised more than a few eyebrows... yet, Suni seems in no more of a hurry than she ever was. Now, it's either give up the ghost or ratchet up the seriousness with which I intend to call our child Horace. I always was a fan of the Odes.

Team Stinson Hits the Zoo!

Waylon has this animal book with pictures of probably a hundred animals. He can probably identify 25 of them. We’re not talking just doggie and kitty cat here either. This kid differentiates between the parrot and macaw, the chimp and the gorilla, and the Owl Moth Butterfly and the Giant Owl Moth Butterfly. (Okay, I made the last one up, but he really can distinguish among the others).

So yesterday, after identifying the duck for the umpteenth time, he got bored and gave us a look like, “Seriously, people, I want to see the real thing.” So…

Today we took Waylon to the Knoxville Zoo. We saw gorillas, elephants, red pandas, and all manner of fauna. Nonetheless, the runaway favorite was (drum roll)… this “lella” in the elephant pen. Actually, a close second was the ceiling fans in the same exhibit.

Waylon had Suni had a lot of fun in the Kids Cove, where they have a concrete “creek” where the kids can play. Unfortunately, Suni was asked to leave due to her violation of the second prohibition listed here on the sign [bottom left photo on the grid to the right]. (Just kidding).

Waylon had fun sitting on the “water-spitting” frogs. [Top left photo]. Much to his chagrin, however, he could not sit on both frogs at the same time. He came to this painful realization when this unsuspecting Asian girl hopped on one of them. She ignored Waylon’s persistent whines of protest. Right now the boy shares about as well as Jonnie drives, which is to say all people in proximity are in danger.

W really liked this cage and would have run back and forth through it ‘til hell wouldn’t have had it anymore. We were finally able to divert his attention with promises of food. We ate lunch at the Safari Grill, where Waylon ate one French fry and about sixteen ounces of ketchup.

Happy Fourth, Everyone!

Two things to say about today (and there is no cause and effect, whatsoever, here people): (1) Suni slept much of the day, and (2) It was a really good day.

Mama wanted some sleep this morning, so Waylon and I decided to go to the park. Horace is making Mama much sleepier than Waylon did when he was in utero. Halfway to the park I remembered that I freakin’ hate the park. All the little kids trampling mine makes me a nervous wreck. A backup plan was needed, so we went to my dad’s house, where we had a good visit, which was cut short by the fact that Dad and his family went to the Fourth of July Parade in Greenback, the little town where I was born and raised. I really didn’t have much of a desire to attend those “festivities,” a term I use here loosely. For you Iowans, think Walker, but maybe a little smaller. For New Mexicans, think Mesquite with a three-building downtown.

Waylon is barely 15 months old, but he already loves golf. I sawed a golf club off just his size, and he carried it around pretty much all day, swinging it as best he could at the grass. Golf balls are about his favorite thing other than light. I hope to foster a love of golf in my boy in the great hopes of preventing the scourge that is soccer. For any of you who want to regale me with all the great things about soccer, save your breath. It is the most boring regularly played sport, period. I understand it has its place, but it ain’t in the Stinson household.

I hope everyone is having a great Fourth. Our thoughts are still with those spending our nation’s birthday digging out from the flood mess. With all its faults, our nation is still the greatest on earth, and we are thankful for that. Please say a prayer tonight for those protecting the freedoms we all take for granted entirely too often.

Have a great holiday weekend, everyone!

Back to Iowa: Oh yeah, by the way, we are coming back to Iowa the August 1-10, and we hope to see everyone possible. We had hoped to head up that way this month, but schedules would not permit it. Hopefully we didn’t pick a time when anyone is out of town.

Where the F*#@ is Tim Whitehead?!

I'm sending out an APB...Tim Whitehead is missing. As many of you know, Timmy burst onto the blogging scene a couple of months ago, quickly making fans with his wit, dry humor, and dazzling slide show. My fascination with his blog started slowly, mostly because reading it made me truly realize how crappy mine is. I mean, seriously, who puts a poll question up as part of their first ever blog?! Then, he had the audacity to put up a slideshow....show off! Once I accepted the fact that Tim is a gifted blogger and I am not, I became addicted. It was like crack. As any dedicated fan, I stopped by Sober Moments every Friday (the once promised post day) and to my delight there was a deliciously funny post for a couple of weeks.....then nothing. I remained calm for the first week, telling myself the Whiteheads must be on vacation or Tim is sick and cannot muster up the strength to write. Then, as the weeks went on anger started to set in. How could he lure me in like that then pull the rug out from underneath me?! Who does he think he is?
Now, I know Tim is a busy man. He just received an incredible promotion at work, he has a very demanding wife (Cole made me put that, Jaime), and two adoring children, but for the love of God, Tim, give us a little taste of what we long for. Come on back to the blogging world. No questions asked.

Heartache

Our hearts have been broken over the last couple of weeks hearing about the destructive flooding in Iowa. We feel selfish and helpless carrying on with our happy life while so many are dealing with utter devastation. Our thoughts and prayers go out to our family, friends, and their loved ones. Seeing pictures has been hard enough, so I cannot imagine what it's like up close and personal. It has made my and Cole's heart swell with pride reading articles and watching Iowans on the news. While many of those affected have lost almost everything, they still keep their heads up and say "I feel blessed because it could have been worse" or "I feel lucky to have such an amazing support system around me." Wow. It's a testament to the character of the people living in our beloved Hawkeye state. You honestly won't find any better. It's a place we are both more than proud to call "home".
One final thought...the recent levee breaks in Iowa and Missouri make me ponder the question "Does Kanye West think George Bush hates white people now too?" Ah, ignorance is bliss.

A thought from Daddy Stinson:

I think Suni’s post here adequately communicates our angst over the Iowa flooding, but I do feel compelled to add my two cents. I fell in love with Iowa when I first set foot on Hawkeye soil in March of 1996, and I can honestly say this flooding would be scarecely more heartbreaking to me if it were my own house underwater.

My love for the state and its people has always engendered curiosity among my fellow Southerners, and, try as I might, I have never been able to competently explain my affinity for the state most Americans confuse with Idaho. The reactions of Iowans to this flood have explained it for me. The matter-of-factness with which Iowans on the news react to questions about the flood are at once agonizing and humorous. One photo I saw posted somewhere is especially poignant: Two college-aged guys and an old man in a john boat are floating down what used to be a residential street, the oarsman having to duck to keep from hitting his head on an overhead traffic light. In the background are houses submerged up to their eaves and cars semi-floating in their watery graves. Yet, all three men have smiles on their faces that seem to say, “Wow, can you believe this shit?”

Even though the relatively famous blogger Tigerhawk has backpedaled a bit, I pretty much agree with his original post.

Jenni Benesh has a good post with several photos.

Update: Of course, all of this flooding comes on the heels of tornadoes. This L.A. Times piece captures the devastation felt by this little town when an EF5 tornado hit there last month, as does this heartbreaking video. Alas, here is a good story about Parkersburg, Iowa, from ESPN.com. that hints of hope in a town that, like so many of the flood-struck towns, have been changed forever.

Waylon's new "do"

Over the last couple of months Waylon's hair has begun to take on a life of it's own. He had sort of a Donald Trump comb-over in the front and a mullet in the back. Now, living in Tennessee we could get away with the mullet (just kidding, Aaron!), but I just couldn't do that to my child any longer. Waylon is fiercely protective of his mane, so cutting it posed a true problem for us. Well, last week Cole ran into the kitchen yelling for scissors...the opportunity had presented itself...it was time. Long story short...things didn't go as planned. Only one snip was made and out of it came Waylon with a rat tail! I know the 80's are doing their best to make a comeback, but again, I couldn't do it to my child. So, we broke out the clippers, used the art of distraction as best we could and now Waylon looks like a child that just finished chemotherapy! It has taken us a little while to adjust, but we actually do like it. It makes him look so much more grown up. I think I've been in denial that he won't be a baby forever. Good thing we have another one on the way (due in January). Just thought I'd slip that in to see if anyone actually reads the blog. :)

Scenes from the Beach

Well, to say our trip to Destin was less than we'd hoped is an understatement. The picture to the left pretty much sums up the vacation as a whole. Mother Nature did us no favors bringing high winds and tornando warnings, so we were stuck inside for much of the trip.
On the bright side we did get to stop in Tallahassee and visit my uncle Mike and cousin Dustin on the way, which was great. Here's a picture of Waylon and Mike.

We also got to spend a lot of quality time with Cole's cousin Brad, his wife Kelly, and their son Aidan. Aidan turned two the day before we left and had an adorable pirate-themed party. Here are my pirates. Arrrrr!

Waylon was hot and cold about the ocean. He loved it when we first got there, but was reluctant at other times. Overall, though, he enjoyed it, especially chasing the sea gulls. Here are a few pictures from the trip.

February Party: Never Too Late to Post Pics

My bride hit the town with my sister this evening, leaving me in sole control of the blog. How sad is it that it is Friday night, and that’s all I have going? (I did play golf today, so I am not complaining). I am going to capitalize on this opportunity by posting some photos from a party we had here at the house at the end of February. Somehow, it seems Suni never posted any. Better late than never, eh?

I hope everyone is having a good week. The mother-in-law ("MIL") has been in Vegas, Lord help Sin City. She was having a good time last time I talked to her. I think I'll go to bed and read some of my new book, Devil in the White City, which I picked up after having a serial killer conversation with the crew in Destin last week. By the way, serial killer convos are almost as comforting bedtime fodder as Suni's uplifting "cancer stories" she sometimes brings home from work and springs on me as I close my eyes.

Update: Crap! My picture collage hid the funny pictures of Suni. I am still learning how to use Picasa. I'll fix this when I have more energy. Good night!

Team Stinson Goes to Florida!

We have returned from Destin, where we had a very interesting vacation. Yes, I said “interesting.” Most interesting was the weather, which was very windy and cool – not the Floridian staples, exactly.

Until we post a bit more about the vacation, this picture collage will have to do. One thing we definitely got out of the trip was a bunch of great pictures of our Little Man. Hope everyone (Jonnie, basically) had a great week.

Miss You, Daddy!

I love you, Daddy! Can't wait to see you Thursday...be safe. XXOO

W

Putting Sports in Perspective

This is a truly unbelievable story! I was surprised when I checked ESPN.com tonight and saw University of Tennessee basketball star Chris Lofton on the home page. The story that follows is amazing. The call-in shows did indeed light up with callers talking about Lofton's "slump" this past year. The reason behind it puts everything in perspective. Whether you are a Tennessee fan or not - or even a basketball fan - this is worth a read.

More from the Chattanooga Free-Press.

Rainy, "Green" Sunday!

Today was an interesting day. I was able to play Toqua Golf Club, a Tellico Village course I have always wanted to play but haven’t because it is private. Well, today I got to play it – in the rain. The weatherjerks got it wrong again and it was a steady rain when I arrived at the clubhouse to meet the good folks nice enough to sponsor my round – my buddy, Scott Saidak and his dad. After a hearty Southern breakfast with a bunch of old, retired Yankees, we decided to brave the weather. I was personally rewarded with a terrible front nine and soaked clothes. The sun came out on the back nine, as did my game . I still scored poorly, but there were some shining moments. On a 322-yard Par 4, I drove the green, yet managed to three-putt for par. However, and I am not just saying this, all three putts were tough on the challenging greens they have out there.

Suni spent this evening going to Knoxville to gather up all the goodies about which she has been reading in her Gorgeously Green book. Should be interesting. Waylon and I went down and visited my parents. All in all, a pretty good day. I am on the road a lot this week, so hopefully Suni keeps me posted with the blog entries.

Great Reads

I've read a couple of great books lately and thought I'd share. Most recently I finished Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. I enjoyed it and found it very interesting, although I can see how some might not like it. I noticed on Kelly's blog she said she was the only one of her group of friends who did like it. Kelly, you were the first person I thought of when I heard about the book....I knew you'd like it!

A couple of months ago I read The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck. It's an old book, but definitely a life changing one for me. I knew I was messed up, but this pointed out more than I really wanted to admit. :) I cannot imagine a single person who would not benefit from reading this book. It was a lot to take in and I'll be reading it again in the near future.

The Glass Castle is another great book I finished last month. It's a remarkable memoir by Jeannette Walls that's so unbelievable and witty that I had trouble putting it down.

Finally, I have just started reading Gorgeously Green by Sophie Uliano. I'm not so concerned with the "Gorgeously" aspect of the book, but it is a great guide to living a "green" life.

I'm not big on hanging on to my books, so if anyone is interested in reading these (other than The Road Less Traveled, which is on loan to me by Cole's Papaw) let me know and I'll mail it to you.

Good lord! Can you tell I have just recently learned how to get pictures off of the internet. Who knew it was so easy?! Haa! I think I went a little overboard in this post.

Ailin' Waylon

Waylon's sick once again. Probably his worst illness to date. Daycare called on Wednesday (my first day of work for the week) and said he had a temp of 102.5. Nothing too alarming, but since he'd been coughing at night for a week I decided to take him to the pediatrician, who informed me he has one nasty virus and a sinus infection to boot. Also, one of his tubes we had put in last month is already out and an ear infection may be setting in. Great!! Just when I was starting to get used to "Well Waylon" this happens. So, my hopes of having a "normal" work week are out the door and W and I have been doing a lot of cuddling at home. He's absolutely miserable. There's nothing worse than a sick child, especially when nothing you do seems to help. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day!

Scenes from the Stinson Household

So much has been happening, as Cole just filled you all in on. A trip to the Dominican, a visit from Grandma JSM, Waylon's first b-day, Jonnie's 50-something b-day, Cole turned 30 (hip-hip-hooray!), and we celebrated our 3rd anniversary.
In true Stinson style, we have taken very few pictures to remember these momentous occasions. We recently purchased a new camera hoping this would change things, but no, we still suck at taking pictures. I have accepted this, but am working on channeling my inner "Japanese tourist" and hope to be a picture-taking fool someday soon.

Waylon received a Radio Flyer wagon from Grandma JSM for his birthday, which he absolutely adores. Whether is riding in it or pushing it around himself, he loves his wagon. Thanks, Grandma!!

Waylon has always been ridiculously flexible...I swear he's part monkey. At dinner, if he doesn't have his tray in front of him, he likes to rest his feet on the table while he eats. What a nut!! Here are some pics of his first spaghetti dinner.

We hope you are all doing well and love catching up by reading some of your blogs. Oh, I forgot to mention...Waylon has only had one ear infection since having his tubes put in!! It has been such a drastic and welcomed change for us all!