What Happened Here?

So my eldest is on this kick where he really likes looking at his baby books - why?  Great question...answer Blue Clues....why, again?  Great Question - because he really likes it - don't judge me.

So back to it...Baby Books, and by baby books I am refering to his first year of life book 1 and volume 2 also known as year 2.  Now bear in mind before you watch the video that he has read these books (and by that I mean had them read to him) upwards to 794 times, and over the past 200 his participation in the process has been the exact same for each picture on the page viewed... and it sounds like this....

 

Tweetsie Railroad

Lets Check the Map so we know what we are getting into and where we are going....

 

Petting Zoo --- Yes.

Lets Warm up with the Kid Airplane Ride ---- Yes.

 

 

Momma I want to Ride that One..... Are you Sure?

 

....I Couldn't be more SURE....

C.U.B. - Pre M.D. #3 - Inflatible Heaven

Before we find ourselves at the inflatible heaven.....a strory must be told... we are late getting to the hospital to do a sibling class .... we arrive and we are the only ones there to be greeted by an angry nurse.  Why do I say angry, no it wasnt the scowl that she wore, no it wasnt the obvious disappointment to see us - yes I repeat the class teaching nurse was disappointed to see her students, and no it wasnt the general displeasure that she read the story about Arthur going to the hospital to see his baby sister....angry because it happens to be the only explanation I can come up with why any sane nurse would try to scare a two year old about going to the hospital --- as "the first reason why you would go to the hopsital if something were really, really wrong say with your mommy, or your daddy, or yourself" --- I look at Abby and expressively ask - is she serious?....she must have had a horrible morning, car wouldnt start, and when it did she got a flat tire, and when she got to the hospital she realized that she came during the wrong shift, and so she went to grab breakfast but forgot her wallet - and she sat there waiting for us for hours on end, starving and have a very no good very rotten bad day or something like that --- and was thus angry.  and thus illogically and unexplainably scaring my son who was about to have a sibling...in the, wait for it, hospital.

 

So we left with this desire to redeem the morning and the Broadway tourist world provides...

 

Inflatible Heaven. 

Seriously Superman Jumper and Slide....I thought it was cool when there was just a plain red, white, and blue blow up, I think they called them moon walkers back in the day, lets take a quick and honest step back I thought it was cool to throw pillows on the ground and pretend to jump and get air - but now they have SuperHero Blowups...Heaven

 

 

 

 

Now by and Large we were ok with B doing the inflatibles of his chosing, because after all they are inflatibles and who gets hurt on inflatibles and then he chose the speed racer here....at first glance you might think its tame, I thought it was tame too, until I notice that Benjamin is no longer climbing the steps like they are steps but more like they are a ladder.  Now if I was running 40 I would have scaled that inflatible in 4.2 seconds to get to Benjamin before he went off this black diamond of a slide....Am I overexaggerating no.  This slide was no gradual decline - it peaked and dropped off like the great speed water slides of new give or take the awesome red car exterior and about 100 ft...am I being ridiculous no...as later this morning I watch a kid do a front flip from the double black drop off right before he hit the moguls and continued flipping and wailing in pain.

 

 

 

 

They had a pirate ship.  So Sick.

 

Here is the slide with that one which is apparently wide enough for an entire preschool.

 

 

 

 

And then the classic with bigger highs and lows than we are used to, for example....

 

 

But we got used to it. It was all about the double bounce.

 



 

Day Redeemed thank you Broadway, thank you tourism industry, and thank you Superman.

 

C.U.B. Pre M.D.#2 Little River Rat.

My Buddy Mike taking us on the River for the First Time....I know I live in a tourist community I am supposed to play all the time and be on the river and at the ocean always but here it is....and here we go....

 

 

 

A great photo op and nothing more...

 

 

 

OR....Captian Benjamin at your service going solo at the helm.

 

 

 

And Yes River Rat is a technical term down here.

Catch Up Blogs: PreBaby MD #1 Future Fire Fighter Training?

Murrells Inlet Fire Department Came out to MMO...

 

 

Drive It. Drive It.



 

 

Here is the Whole Crew.

 

.....After driving around the Parking Lot Sirens Blaring....

 

 

 

Now what is new from when I was a kid is the hands on Learning that they get to do....

 

B grabbing the hose, and running into a burning practice building.  Hose flowing, Gas Mask on....Focusing the flow on the obvious hotspots.  Scouring the landscape looking for anybody trapped.  Staying low to avoid the smoke.  But its inevitable when you rush in as any hero would that you would walk out looking the part, soot, smudged, dripping sweat....

 

 

 

 

After Sweating through the partially melted plastic play hat, B was rewarded with the real deal

 

 

 

 

Or.....

 

 

 

 

The smudge and soot were found else where, and the Chief was generous with what sweaty kids he let wear his helmet....

 

What a great time, Fire Trucks are heard and seen everywhere now...and he is ready to sign on.

 



B with MD. Hold Him.

So by and large one of the cutest pictures out there is a big brother with the younger.  Cant beat it.  At least as a Father (I know mullet pictures and jorts top it but lets stay on point here).  B asked to hold Myers this morning - and so we took advantage of this ask...  Enjoy. 

Love the hand on the belly.  B loves to pet (be gentle) Myers and this was a sweet moment this morning.  He has the arm around the shoulder Big Brother is looking out pose...Boom...left hook if you cross little bro...thats right he is a lefty - you never see those shots coming.

A Family of Four

A New Family of Four.

Welcome Myers Davidson Ott.

7 lbs. 10 oz.

20.5 inches long 

Our beautiful 2nd Boy.

The Next Phenom

Bryce Harper....

or...

B.OTT

Sneaky Doo

So I have been trying to catch B in this new studder step sneak mode that he gets in....check out the first 3 seconds...I was late on the camera and he will not do it on request.

Its a little start and stop shuffle - so sick

And then he gets real quiet as he approaches his prey.  (by the way he turned and smiled because there was an apparent frog that jumped under his foot there - papaw your welcome) .... dont fall asleep around this guy - we have began his American Ninja Warrior Training.  Good day and Beware.

Happy Mommy's Day

To All You Mothers.  Happy Mommy's Day.

We Love You.

World's Strongest Boy

Coming for you.....

P90X and B...betting we got a head start.

Play the Game. Play the Game.

And here it is......
The scenario that you are walking into goes something like this, its dinner time and we are all around the table.  We are all eating, a 7 course meal per usual with fine cheeses and delectables, your appetizers, salads (typically your choice of 3 - Chef, Caesar, Insalata) and soup (de jour),  entrees, desserts and dessert wines included, followed by your coffee and mints.... and then at some point Benjamin will push his plate away from him (well satiated) so that he can have full range of motion so that he can Play the Game.

And now via modern technology this game has been captured, and now I formally invite you to play along....

Happy Easter

Christ Is Risen Indeed.

Party BedHead Birthday Wagon Cupcake

Thats Right I Know What IT IS.....

As I write the title, It looks like I am throwing a word jumble answer key on as a header. 

So the confession is out there now....check out our birthday celebration.

The wifey came up with this idea about a roving party, taking advantage of the perfect weather in the beginning of March, and utilizing/showing off our white wash 4 inch rims on the wagon.  (Minimizing Clean Up for a Neighborhood 2nd Birthday --- i.e. dad carried a plastic walmart bag for cupcake wrappers  --- still not sure if I know how to use i.e. correctly but it feels right)  We set up rows of cupcakes.  Funfetti Chocolate Row 1, Chocolate Vanilla Row 2, Chocolate Chocolate Row 3, Funfetti Vanilla Row 4, and repeat, and +1 row.  4 wide - and your math is correct we are rolling 36 Deep around the neighborhood.

And So We Set Off

And we stop.

And if you notice the garage in the background adorning a "Sea Foam Green" House holding my wifeys Passat Wagon in it - then you notice that we achieved a grand total of 4 steps before this stop....

Wise beyond his years Ben realized that if he ate his cupcake right beside the wagon while Mom and Dad are slightly distracted with the neighborhood peoples that he would have #2 to his mouth faster than their almost 30 year old bones can react.



If you think that this is an embarrassment hug because I just got called out by Dad for getting 2 cupcakes - you are wrong.  This is the momma help me get the wrapper off #2 pose.

And Now we are off again.  With My Entourage (enter HBO hashtag here).  I am holding onto my Mickey Mouse Balloon while I get the older girls to do the pulling.  Check it.  Take Notes Lil Brother.

This was our favorite part.  My man, after scarfing 2 cupcakes down in 27 seconds, was a focused outdoor waiter for the neighborhood.  He made sure that everyone got there cupcake.  And yes he handed them all out just like this, holding them from the bottom ---- no drops.  And yes he was the cupcake Nazi - the cupcake he picked for you was the one you got - no requests - no exceptions - no refunds.  And he didn't want to stop "pushing" the wagon around until they were out....which was about the same time that this started to go down....

The Power Wheel Circle Cruise.  Police Car Yes Please.  ATV Doubles. Cue Regulators in background - RIGHT NOW.

Little Rough Riders....

...ROLL...

Snitches want to try, snitches want to lie...haha...ha....thats how these rough riders roll



Malltrain....

You have heard of Soul Train, you have mourned the loss of Don Cornelius, maybe, I understand for some in my family this will take awhile longer than others....you have been outed my hippie disco mom... I give you Mall train - cheesy - yes a bit - but timely . your welcome. 

IN a time when the mall gets lamer for all young children...  Even though they try to spruce it up with the likes of the trampolines and free food court samples - though i think that is just for cheap teenagers and myself - the mall produces a winner.  And by winner I mean something that will make the kids scream train without thinking of the band that wooed me with meet virginia, and a product that will make a grown man wear...wait for it...

this...as he punches the tickets that resemble the single raffle. roll you get at the dollar tree.

Mall Train...My Son's very first Malltrain...

And yes he said all aboard before this....

gifted conductor/driver I know...

Again...Again...and then there it was ...promises of riding next time...win.  At least for my boy, and this guy/conductor.

Who by the way will be living in Hawaii for the next 6 months with this company, while being payed and put up in an apartment on the beach (i might have made up the on the beach part but it definitely adds to your intrigue - don't lie) - whoever said that dressing up like a train conductor and sitting in the middle of the mall with a funny hat while being ridiculed by every teenager and senile angry old man that walks by doesn't pay off has never met this guy. 

And what post would be complete about Malltrain if I forgot to mention that Every 8th ride is free.  And please keep your hands and feet inside the car at all times and please remain seated while the train is in motion.  Good Day. 

The stages of a trip...and sleep

The new and the exciting .....Step 1 - the adventure begins....we are walking through the hands on museum in Johnson City, Tn.  True I did make fun of it for the years I was there, and also true I was ignorant of how amazing it was for kids.  B loved this place, full of special tunnels and slides, new toys and animals, and rides - not really, no rides beyond the slides - a thank you dr. suess.  And one of his favorite sections was the one with the airplane, or airpane as he calls em.  Once a terrifying crop-dusting fly-by now turned into this possible new career? -  for the thing that once brought tears and scuff marks from the concrete fall  now comes this new intrigue, admiration, curiousity, and a hard right turn.

A long trip in new places, new rooms to sleep in, naps that were half of the average many of which were taken in cars produced some built in need to recover which in turn produces a nice picture of a mickey book lean to the face.  step 2 exhaustion and awkward sleep.

And finally culminating in the final stage of both the trip and sleep - giving up.  After every trip you know that there is a errand to walmart necessary to restock the house again.  So the family loads up and Benjamin in a final cry for peace, in a final cry and offering of defeat  -  sits.  He sits down in the middle of Walmart unwilling to move.  just sitting.  staring.  frozen  in need of sleep. 

Holding his walart snacks but not eatting them, just holding them, just sitting.

He is done.  Exhausted and Frozen

A Leaf Day

Happy Leaf Day.  Small yard, One big sized pile (for a young tike) pine straw included.

The Day....the mullet....died.

And we were singing .... Bye Bye...

O the way it would fly in the wind, jiggle in the jump, it was a statement, a party. It was the product of not wanting to cut B's hair, the product of not wanting him to look like a little boy. But that product was about to start needing product. So it was time to say goodbye.

GoodBye

GoodBye

GoodByyyyyyeeee.

Say Helllo, and Wave GoodBye

And yes you should be allowed to cry when such a statement is cut from his personhood, his swag, his identity. It's the first hair cut, and the baby curls are no more, the mullet is deceased. And I have successfully referenced three songs in a small blog. Win.