Sippin' on Jamba Juice ...

I got up nice and early this morning and was on the road, when at 5:55 am, my front passenger-side tire went flat. Feeling up to the task, I popped my trunk only to find that I didn't have my car jack's lever - thereby rendering it useless. Lame. Thankfully, Annie had just placed our GEICO roadside service card in my wallet the night before (was that perfect timing, or a jynx? You be the judge). I placed my call and they dispatched a tow truck from Johnny's Auto.

Since it was still dark out, I left my headlights on so the driver could spot me on the side of the freeway. About 10 minutes later, my radio died, followed by my dashboard clock, and then my headlights. Dead battery. Nice. I sat in the dark until the driver could arrive. He changed out my flat with my spare, after having to snap off one of the lug nut studs, and jumped my battery. I had been back on the road for less than a 1/2 mile when 'splat', my spare went out.

I called Johnny's to get the same tow truck driver to pick me up, but their dispatch said I had to call GEICO back and set up a new service ticket. I was just calling them when the driver passed by, saw me, and pulled over. He ended up not being able to help me, due to a doctor's appointment he had, but he saw another driver passing by us in the other direction. He got on his radio, told the guy where I was (he had already spotted me), and then took off. I called GEICO, but they said it would be 30 minutes before Johnny's could come back. What? I had just seen the guy's truck!

After a half an hour, he came by and picked me up. Once we were inside the cab of his truck and on the road I saw that he was sucking on a brand new Jamba Juice! Instead of coming straight over to pick me up, he had grabbed a Jamba! Now that is customer service.

I can't complain, though. In the end, the towing to Les Schwab was free, and my new front tires cost only $77. It turns out that the one was so badly balded that you could stick your fingers though the tread!

As I sat in the Les Schwab lobby, eating popcorn and watching CNBC, I was reminded by the talking head that today is Columbus Day. I was struck at once at how much the explorer and I have in common:

1) He sailed on the Santa Maria.
I drive the Corolla.
2) He had to deal with unruly Spaniards, hostile natives, and the high seas.
I had to deal with Johnny's Auto, GEICO, Les Schwab, and balding tires.
3) He was exploring uncharted waters and lands unknown to Europe.
I was on my way to work.

The parallels are staggering. I expect to be called 'Admiral' from now on.

Pumpkin Patch Galore

Our first trip to the pumpkin patch provided us with many a photo. Be prepared for high doses of pumpkin and child oriented adorability.

This year was a good year for pumpkins. The heat allowed for the growing of monster, child-proof beasts. We tested their durability by placing our girls on top of them. Sure enough, their structural integrity was high enough to support the weight of 30 lbs girls. Well done, science.

But the growing of huge pumpkins didn't deter our agricultural sector from producing the time- honored mini pumpkins. The girls were entranced by the many vats full of these little guys.

They were only $0.25 each! I almost felt bad buying them. So cheap - how do they make a profit? Certainly not off of overseas manufacturing in China (so I know my former foreign exchange students aren't being exploited). I can't understand it. It must be a Halloween miracle.

I admit it. We staged this last one. We wanted a photo of all three girls running towards the camera, so we had to give Julia a head start. It turned out pretty cute, so I don't mind the pretense.

So Much Change

Our little family is growing. Two years ago, we were a one wagon family (courtesy John Deere) at Bobby Dazzler's Pumpkin Patch.

The twins were so small that we could even squeeze in a couple of pumpkins without displacing the girls.

But two years bring a lot of change. Not for the pumpkin patch necessarily, but certainly for our burgeoning clan.

The addition of Julia has made the possibility of navigating the rows of pumpkins in a single wagon a thing of the past. There is simply no room for pumpkins. In fact, this second photo was staged simply to recreate the first photo. Immediately following taking the shot, we transferred the twins to a larger wagon.

I wonder what the photo in two years will look llike. I wonder how long Annie will tolerate my blogging. The future is so uncertain.

Paying Homage

Save for the occassional Disney flick that we all watch as a family, our girls don't get in much more than 2 hours of TV viewing a week. It's important to us that they don't come to enjoy paying homage to the glass idol too much.

However, that said, some shows and DVDs we have seem to be manna sent straight from heaven - possibly even worthy of worship.

The girls love the Baby Einstein series, especially Baby Noah, which features animals and classical music. Not only are these pleasant to listen to and even watch, but they keep our children entertained and out from underfoot (and in each other's hair).

The quality and educational value of these productions are good enough to stave off waves of guilt we might otherwise feel. Plus, its fun just to watch them watch it. With each new animal Kate and Genna shout its name. I love the part when they shout, "Wombat!" Oooh. Warm fuzzy feeling inside.

Essential Personalities

I thought these two photos (taken in front of that same fire engine) displayed the essential personality of our twins. Mind you, I know full well that they are only three years old and that they've got plenty o' growin' to do. But that's too complicated. It's much more fun to project their current selves into the future and see what they might become.

First we have Kate. She is always willing and able to smile for the camera. In fact, she seeks it out. When I pull the camera out, she demands that photos be taken of her, and then she is eager to see the result in the LCD. She loves attention, crowds (if they are watching her), and performing. She was made for the stage.

Then we have Genna. She won't smile for the camera unless I offer her Princess snacks or some other sweet. It's a good day when I can even get her to acknowledge the camera's presence. But when she does, it is worth it. Check out her sassy stance and enigmatic expression. Her eyes and smile hint at mysteries and deep understandings - or plans to torture her little sister. What that might become as she enters adulthood, I don't know. Something very good or something very bad.

Both of them know how to pose, when properly inspired, and this may lead them down the path towards modeling (my unbiased opinion is that they have the looks for it). I contacted Tyra Banks to get Genna and Kate on next year's America's Next Top Model. Her staff began some spiel about 'age of majority' and 'child protective services' and 'I hope you have legal counsel.' Whatever, Tyra, just get my girls on that show of yours.

Playing With Fire (Engines)

It's important to Annie and I that our girls have a healthy respect and admiration for our civil servants, and for those who put their lives on the line to keep us safe. At least, that is the excuse I give for leaping at any chance to play with a fire engine.

The other day when we came across a parked engine on display for the community, we were quick to toss our girls inside and snap a few pictures. Here are Kate and Genna, dressed as twins, and smiling for the camera (a rarity from Genna). They were vaguely aware that they were on a fire engine, though their previous experience with these trucks is confined to their playing with a smaller 'weeble' version.

Julia was up next (not dressed like a twin). Naturally, she enjoyed being up high. She was so distracted that I couldn't get her to look at the camera, no matter how I hooted and shouted and jumped. I was afraid that the firefighters on hand might subdue me and start administering some sort of first aid.

In the end it was worth it. I now have pictures of my girls sitting on a fire engine. I have no idea what I'll do with these photos, aside from using them on my blog, but I have them. Yep, I sure do.

Genna The Bird Whisperer

As a parent I am always watching my kids, looking for new emerging skills and abilities. Imagine my surprise as I began to understand Genna's nascent talent as a Bird Whisperer.

It all began at the Zoo. You can see in this photo that she was quite taken by the chicks on display in the nursery at the Family Farm. Though their incubator labeled them as 'domestic chickens', I believe they should have been labeled 'Genna's minions'. She stood there for quite some time, communing with them.

What was said between them I will never know. It is one of those mysteries that may never be solved.

Genna's communication with the Canadian geese (hi, Chelsa) at the UCD arboretum was much more straight forward, however. As we fed the birds (tuppence a bag) some bread, Genna would steal away and talk to these large (dangerous?) water fowl.

I walked over to her to see what she was saying. I could just barely hear her saying, "Go in the water, goose. Go in the water." And sure enough, there they were, lining up to go into the water. I could dismiss their compliance as being motivated more by there desire to escape a too-close human being, but I believe they could understand her, Dr. Doolittle-style.

This second photo shows that she followed this same poor gaggle of geese for quite some time. It's no surprise that they are all walking away from her. Her bird-whispering soon devolved into bird-chasing-while-screaming, which is a much more readily understood behavior.

Julia Looking In, Part II

Julia, as the youngest, is often found on the outside of some activities that her sisters can participate in. She finds herself outside the gates, able only to watch what her sisters are able to enjoy. She was very sad to find out that the Zoo is rife with gates, corrals, and fences. Though these barricades applied to mommy, daddy, and her sisters every bit as much as to herself, that distinction did little to assuage her feeling of being left out.

Here she stands outside the fence that keeps small kids from the dangers of a duck pond. Not only is the water a drowning hazard (and an insurance/PR liability for the Zoo), but she must also be kept from the enormous and ill-tempered geese that cruise its waters. Her pensive expression belies a melancholy that only a good tractor ride can fix.

I was happy to have this particular iron fence in place. Though Julia was eager to climb over it and join the kitty cats inside for some quality play time, I prefered keeping her away from the pride of lions that would have enjoyed having a small child to play with.

Dear Julia, not all fences are simply there to keep you from the fun. Often they are there to keep the danger from you.