Motley Crew

I'll write more about our trip west soon (yeah, really), but, until then, here's a picture of pert'near the whole clan.

Scary. (Click on the picture to embiggen, if you dare)

Now That's Just Wrong

Adam and I were heading into a Subway restaurant for lunch yesterday, and we spotted a dead bug in the parking lot. It was a beetle, and it was, I kid you not, at least as big as Adam's fist.

Now, I'm not one to freak out at the sight of a bug, and I didn't yesterday, but... come on. This was one of those bugs that you're only supposed to encounter because some scientist trekked to far away lands and brought back a specimen tacked to a board. You know, one of those bugs you're happy is in far away lands, not at the freaking Subway.

We're learning to get by down here in the land of deep fried food and deep fried weather, but there is a limit to what I'm willing to tolerate in the normal course of my day, and a bug the size of a Sherman tank is pretty dang close to that limit.

Prep the Wide Angle Lens

We fly out of Little Rock early Wednesday morning for my sister Sharon's wedding. We'll be there about 10 days. Ten glorious days of highs in the 60s and 70s. Huzzah! Actually, we haven't been below 72 in June here, so it's probably going to feel cold, but I'm willing to take that chance.

And since there are lots of Joneses heading out for the wedding, it's going to be like a family reunion, and with our family, that's a lot of people. Adam's looking forward to seeing his cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents again (some for the first time), but first we've going to see Odin and Seth and Deb again. Adam likes Odin and Seth and Deb.

I Can't Read Your Crazy Moon Language

We've been using the classic "spell it if you don't want Adam to know what you're talking about" routine for quite a while now. I've long suspected he knew more than he was letting on. So today Jean spelled "P-O-O-L," and I decided to ask Adam if he knew what that spelled.

"Butterfly!" He replied, with characteristic enthusiasm.

"P-O-O-L." We sounded it out. He exclaimed, "Firetruck!"

We sounded it out again. He even muttered, "poo" under his breath. Twice.

"Adam, what does P-O-O-L spell?"

"Walmart!"

I'm Your Huckleberry

Did someone order a butt-kicking?

No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem

The New Orleans Zoo has a water feature that kids can run around in to cool off. Had we known about it before-hand, we would have prepared. As it was, we made do by stripping Adam to his diaper and setting him loose. He approved:

Laissez les bons temps rouler

Last week we met Jean's mom in N'awlins, then hung around for a few days, taking in the sights and sounds and smells of the Big Easy. Adam enjoyed himself immensely, as the trolley train was an important transportation option for us. He loves trains. He loves trolleys. So New Orleans trolley trains are like the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup of public transportation for him.

We went to the zoo, the aquarium, rode the ferry boat across the river and back, drove to a wildlife refuge and saw gators, snakes, ducks, and other wildlife, and Jean and I even walked Bourbon Street one evening while Beth supervised a sleeping Adam. While it's fun on some level to simply people-watch, it only reinforced for us our belief that Bourbon Street is just spring break for old people, and that is a thing best left to others.

On to the pictures:

Our hotel had a pool. Adam likes pools:

For some reason, Adam decided this statue of a gorilla needed a hug. That boy ain't right:

Videos to come.

"This Business Will Get Out Of Control. It Will Get Out Of Control And We'll Be Lucky To Live Through It"

Observation One: Recorded high temperatures (in Fahrenheit, you wacky Canucks!) in West Monroe, LA:

April 1: 81

April 2: 82

April 3: 82

April 4: 84

April 5: 84

April 6: 84

April 7: 82

April 8: 69

April 9: 76

April 10: 77

April 11: 80

April 12: 82

April 13: 83

Today: 83

Observation Two: Average high temperatures for West Monroe, LA for the following months:

June: 91

July: 94

August: 94

September: 89

Conclusion: West Monroe, LA is about to become a brain-melting hellscape.

Consolation Prizes

They may not be on the level of Craig Ferguson, but here are two of my favorite recent Adam videos. In the first, Adam, wearing the oversized boots Jean the Easter Bunny brought him, finds his Easter eggs and places them in the basket with all the delicacy and care one expects from a two year-old:

Here, Adam plays with his Easter puppy, while taking care of business:

And for maximum embarassment, the Saddest Dog In The World:

She wandered too close to the bathroom during bathtime. She hasn't made that mistake again since.

The Greatest Thing In...

EVER:


Whatever you kids say these days when something is... uh, good, you kids, say it now.