The Open Secret

RECENTLY Dad had a conversation with Aunt Heather. She bravely forged ahead into a topic that he would not have otherwise broached. She admitted that a certain behavior is very common and widespread among parents of young children. That brought Dad great relief. If enough people do it, it is normal.

So based on that, Dad had the idea of having a t-shirt silk-screened with a message bravely proclaiming the behavior. It would say:

Dad of One Year Old Twins

(I sniff butts!)

Well, sometimes removing clothes and undoing a diaper on a squirmey-worm for the fifth time in as many minutes is too much of a hassle. When you have to investigate the source of a foul odor and have two equally potential culprits, a quick sniff can be very efficient.

Now granted this would make other people uncomfortable in public and for that reason Dad will not do it there. But in the privacy of his home, it is fair game.

More Blocks

MOM purchased more blocks for Dad so the Twins could build taller towers.

Right now Ruth is giggling.

They are not yet at the point where they can assemble them, but they sure do love to knock down Dad's buildings.

One day the tables will be turned.

Buddy's eye view

Dad can only do this while they nap. He has to work quickly.

The view from the penthouse.

 

EJ did not attack the tower this time like he did last time. It actually stayed standing for five minutes.
 

Bird's eye view.

At first, he seemed only mildly curious. He was more happy to come chase Daddy.

But that didn't last too long. He soon got back to work demolishing the tower. 

Like King Kong, he tried to climb up it, but it was too rickety to support him. 

Now it has some serious sway in the upper third.

The penthouse could not lean more than it has without falling. 

Finally it fell. Buddy began the meticulous process of pulling every singe block apart. 

 

This is all that remains of Dad's fifteen minutes of labor.

Dad Doing Circuit Training

DAD added elbow knee crunches to his circuit at the beginning of the year. He had not appreciated the difference they made until now when Mom, curious about how to use the camera, snapped this picture.

Contrary to what Mom would tell you, he doesn't spend time gazing in a mirror.

Get over the icky, gross, sweaty hand and look at those abs.

Also, Dad lifted 45 lbs. dumbbells over head 4 times that particular session. That is amazing considering that 6 months ago he struggled to lift 25 lbs. per hand as many times.  His fifth attempt failed. But now his new goal is 45 lbs. 7 times over head.

Update: After two days rest and recovery, Dad duplicated the 45 lbs. per hand lift over head again four times and failing on the fifth attempt. Upward progress was stopped, not because he ceased progress, but because the collet loosened and allowed the plate weights to wobble.

Country Pork Ribs

A pressure cooker is a mighty fine and quick way to tenderize a a tough piece of meat. Dad used his recently to make country ribs.

2 cups water, honey, brown sugar, salt, and ribs.

The ribs need only ten minutes to cook once the cooker comes up to full pressure. Dad has an older model "jiggle top."

Every thing shown in the previous photo except for the BBQ sauce goes into the pot.

A well loved pressure cooker is not shiny or new. You can tell this one has made the New Family happy many times. Dad prefers aluminum because of its conductivity. It heats and cools faster using less energy than a steel pot. In the summer time when Dad doesn't want to overheat the kitchen, a minimal flame under the pot accomplishes his task.

Ten minutes later, Dad removes it from the range and douses it with water. Done! Yes, it smells gross, but it will taste wonderful. Now Dad removes the gelatin remaining in the pot and combines it with the BBQ sauce and a dash of liquid smoke.

He painted the ribs with the sauce and popped them into the oven to caramelize. The best technique is to paint thin layers and build up instead of applying it all at once. It is more time consuming but worth it.

Clouds

THE evening sun brilliantly illuminated the cumulus Sunday.

Welcome Home Mommy!

THE Twins know the sound of the front door opening and have associated it with seeing Mom's smiling face as happens when she arrives home from work. When they hear it, they get so excited they begin to dance. Dad calls it the Welcome Home jig.

The effect is so powerful that even when they are both screaming in discontent, they interrupt their tantrums to dance Welcome Home for Mommy.

Needless to say Dad doesn't warrant any such special greeting. His familiarity to them gets the "I'm hungry" plea when he sees them first thing in the morning. After naps its the "I'm done. Come get me now," growl.

Oh well.

Buddy Likes His Treats

BUDDY cried out from the Twin's bedroom. Dad went to investigate. He found Buddy seated with his arm "stuck" between the gaps of the fence around the playspace. He needed only to rise to "unstick" himself, but being all of one year in age, he could not know that. The gap is sufficient in width to permit easy removal of his arm. But Buddy had twisted himself around in such away as to make it difficult.

Dad left him "stuck" and went to retrieve a cookie from the cupboard. He then showed the cookie to EJ and held it at some distance away. EJ immediately began to twist and squirm and was able to "unstick" himself to crawl over to Dad and get the cookie.

LOL.

Mom claims Dad is "...so bad."

Death Comes Silently

This article comes from Slate.com:

The new captain jumped from the deck, fully dressed, and sprinted through the water. A former lifeguard, he kept his eyes on his victim as he headed straight for the couple swimming between their anchored sportfisher and the beach. “I think he thinks you’re drowning,” the husband said to his wife. They had been splashing each other and she had screamed but now they were just standing, neck-deep on the sand bar. “We’re fine; what is he doing?” she asked, a little annoyed. “We’re fine!” the husband yelled, waving him off, but his captain kept swimming hard. ”Move!” he barked as he sprinted between the stunned owners. Directly behind them, not 10 feet away, their 9-year-old daughter was drowning. Safely above the surface in the arms of the captain, she burst into tears, “Daddy!”

Read more: http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/family/2013/06/rescuing_drowning_children_how_to_know_when_someone_is_in_trouble_in_the.html

Cut and paste or follow the link here.

Few things in the movies are portrayed accurately. Their job is to entertain, not educate.

Choking is a good example. Dad recommends parents take an infant and children's CPR class. Those that have not might be surprised.

Have fun in the water this summer and keep an eye on the little ones.

Buddy in Dad's T-Shirt

BUDDY had worn the onesie for three days already. He needed a fresh, clean one that didn't smell like fermented formula. But they are stored in the Twin's bedroom and Buggy was in there napping. If Dad even touched the door knob she would instantly awake, and she needed the all too brief nap she was having. So Dad could let Buddy run around in just a diaper (not), or he could wear Dad's T-Shirt.

Dad is hot and doesn't need it anyway.

What!?

Yeah it is 85 degree today and the humidity is horrible. Why? What were you thinking?

He quickly wiggled out of it and Buggy was up by then anyway so he received a proper outfit.

Buggy's Bruise

DAD is not happy. Despite his best efforts, Buggy got a bruise. No, this one is different. This isn't one on the arm or a leg - a merit badge from a fall while walking or playing in his opinion - this one is on the lower part of her eye-socket.

Here is how it went down. He put her Thudguard on her in anticipation of letting her toddle around the house outside her padded playspace. He lifted her over the fence and set her down on her feet and waited a moment to see if she had her balance or if she would need further assistance. She seemed to have her balance so he let her go. He went back for Buddy to retrieve from the playspace. In route, he heard the sound of her tumbling forward into the mantle.

Thinking she was fine, she had the helmet on after all, he was surprised when she began to cry. He picked her up and consoled and examined her. There was no apparent injury. But Buggy rarely cries from a fall. Even in the days before the Thudguard, she would hit her head or face on the floor with a sickening thump yet she would not cry.

The Thudguard does not fit very well. It is intended to accommodate little ones and older children, thus it makes a compromise that tends to make it loose on smaller heads. It tends to rotate around her head exposing various parts. This time the right side of her face was unprotected and met a wooden edge.

The bruise did not develop for about a half an hour. At first it was only the round spot on the left (as seen below). Then, over night, the rest of it appeared.

Dad feels horrible. She implicitly trusts him to protect her from all of the dangers and hazards in life, at least those he can foresee and prevent. And Dad loves that trust and would never violate it. Hitherto he has done pretty good job.

Sorry Buggy. It was an accident. Don't be mad, okay?

Mom Improved Her Circuit Time and has Less Recovery Pain

NO surprise here. One's body will do what one trains it to do in the absence of injury or other genuine physical limitation. As she keeps pushing herself her vascular system should increase its capacity to deliver glucose and oxygen carrying blood to her muscles and more efficiently remove CO2 wastes. This will increase her stamina and enable her to work continuously without need to stop to "catch her breath." Her muscles should respond by growing larger thereby enabling them to increase the amount of weight they bear before fatigue.

Tangential benefits also should be better, more refreshing, sleep, increased metabolic rate, tone and firmness, and better mood.

These benefits do not come quickly or easily. If asked right now, her mood and sleep quality is below average.

Dad has postponed posting circuit times for now to better focus on form and endurance, although she improved over the previous week. Times recorded now will not be comparable to times recorded in the future when she has incorporated all of the moves into her routine and is completing them correctly. Too, Dad's new focus is to challenge her to 50 minutes of time under tension to build endurance rather than reducing each circuit's interval.

Congratulate her on her tenacity.

Thorson

POOR Buggy was the last to come down with a cold. Buddy got it first, gave it to Mom, who shared it with Dad, who passed it along to Buggy.

She is not normally one to cry without reason, but she HATES her runny, stuffed up nose.

Anyway, when Mom and Dad first met, Mom got sick one day. Dad soon followed. Then it happened again. He noticed this pattern of her first, then him next. So he teased her about infecting him. He called her Thor, as in Thor the Infector. It was all Greek mythology.

He made quite a sport of her.

Now since EJ seems to lead everyone getting sick, and since he is Mom's son, he now has the mantle of Thorson. Get it? Oh if I have to explain it...

Well, after a thirty minute cry, Buggy is now sleeping peacefully. She has been crabby-panties since she woke up from her morning nap. Poor thing.

Happy Father's Day!

AAAAAHH, to be rewarded for enduring the joys of being a dad. Who thought of this day? Dad takes his hat off to him/her!

Mom's gift to him was to occupy the Twins while he MADE FIRE! Dad decided to  grill boneless beef short ribs*. He has a super secret recipe (shush, don't tell) that he'll share with you. Actually, the ingredients are nothing special, it is the method of preparation that makes this meal great.

He needed:
Boneless short ribs, table salt, sugar, 1/4 stick of butter, spinach or other green vegetable side, blue cheese crumbles, bacon crumbles, two 12 oz. bottles of double IPA, freshly ground cinnamon, and one Turano roll.

Three days before service he purchased the steak. He applied a lite coating of table salt and sugar to the surfaces of the meat. Next, he wrapped it in a towel and placed it in a container in the refrigerator.  He changed out the towel daily.

This accomplishes two goals. First it wicks away excess moisture thereby ensuring a good sear. Surface water has to boil off before the meat will brown and by that time it will be overdone. Second, the salt and sugar move into the meat by osmosis seasoning even the very interior. Glazes and marinades are nice, but they generally don't penetrate deeply enough.

The day of service, he prepared his grill. Now, until recently Dad had been a fan of the hot and fast method of grilling steak. There was no fire too large or too hot. A nuclear blast would not have exceeded his pyro-gastronomic desires. He is no longer a fan. These days he likes a small charcoal fire made with his own homemade oak charcoal.

Yes, you can make your own charcoal. And it doesn't have any petroleum in it so there is no petro smell. It is the byproduct of smoking. The low oxygen environment prevents the wood from burning while releasing volatile organics, thus making charcoal sans the coal.

The reason Dad likes a small fire is control. It cooks more evenly and produces less "carry over," i.e. residual heat that continues cooking the meat after it has been removed from the flame. As you can see from the photo above, the inside is consistent in color across the grain. There is very little gray meat. Moreover, the final temperature is more closer to the observed temperature taken while the meat is still on the grill. Dad likes 135 degree internal temp. at the thickest point. A small fire will not result in 10 to 15 degrees of carryover (and an overdone steak) that a large fire can produce.


There was a time too when Dad pulled the meat from the cold box and let it come up to room temperature. Despite the result, he persisted with this technique for many summers. But he finally had to admit that it produced a gray transition from the brown exterior and the red interior. Gray meat tastes like it looks, gross.

The ribs he buys take four minutes per side before he stabs them with the instant read thermometer. After the first two minutes the grill has marked the steak so he will rotate them 90 degrees to get a nice crosshatch pattern. He flips them at four minutes and rotates them at six minutes.

Spinach, blue cheese, and bacon bits

The spinach was previously cooked and chilled requiring only the addition of cheese and bacon and a minute in the microwave.

After eight minutes he starts taking internal temperatures. Usually the thinner pieces are ready to come off the grill. Thicker pieces need an additional few minutes.

He pulled the steaks and entered the kitchen where he slathered butter over it and let it rest while he toasted his roll. He did pull the butter out of the ice box before he started all of this.

After plating the meat, roll, asparagus, and saying grace, he poured the double IPA into his favorite glass and sprinkled a pinch of fresh ground cinnamon over the foam. Mmm, yum.

The roll was left unattended while he consumed the beef and greens. By that time it had sopped up the butter and moisture on the plate and made a mighty fine rare treat for the carbophobe.

And if this is not enough fat, there is always Oberwies ice cream for desert. Afterall, its Father's Day!

*Hey ribeye fans, at $2 less per pound, beef short ribs are as well marbled and as flavorful as ribeye, but it doesn't hit the wallet as hard.

Final Update: Happy Birthday Ethan and Elizabeth

THE New Family Twins were one year old on June 11, 2013! Happy Birthday E².

Update: The rest of the gifts are pictured below.

It is amazing how they have developed over the last year. When they first came home, they slept almost all of the time, interacted very little, and were largely unaware of the world.

Now they spend far more time awake and are engaged with everything they see, including their Parents, but especially each other.

Their faces just light up when they see each other for the first time every morning. It makes Dad a tad jealous.

Since this is a long post. Click the button below to read more.

The theme of the Twin's party (held earlier for the convenience of friends and family) was garden party inspired by their favorite toys. Cool weather forced them inside.

Look what beautiful "cabbages" we had in our patch in 2012.

A blue eyed girl

A brown eyed boy

Family and friends were very generous with gifts. More on that later.

Everyone sings the Happy Birthday song

Heidi's brother and sister-in-law Dave and Heather graciously hosted the Twins party at their beautiful and spacious house. Heidi's sister Lisa, and two of her three children were able to attend.

The New Family also had a baby dedication, a public profession to friends and family of their intent to raise the Twins in the ways of the Lord. Publicly stating an intent creates accountability from those present. Heidi's 8th grade teacher Kathleen officiated.

Of course there was food.

Chips, salsa, fruit and a yogurt/Cool Whip blend.

Chips, veggies and dip.

Italian beef

 Dad bought the Italian beef, but made his own "awesome jus."

Italian meatballs and BBQ beanie weenies

Beans in the crock were not the best way to prepare them. They needed to be baked to remove excess moisture and caramelize the sugars. As they were they were too soupy for Dad's taste but the Parents needed convenience and the guests seemed to really enjoy the food.

A ladybug flower cake for "Buggy's" birthday

A bumble bee flower cake for "Buddy"

Dirt cake with worms for everyone else

Thank you to Aunt Lisa for making the delicious cakes. Kim decorated all three cakes (Mom adds, "New Family guests must work for their food, ha ha.")

And there were two family friends, Kim and Jessica, in attendance for the dedication/birthday party. Both of whom were in attendance of the The New Family's wedding ceremony and are integral parts of The Twins lives as well.

Heidi and Kim hold a ladybug and bumble bee.

Kathleen and Heidi with EJ and Liesel.

Jessica (Heidi's childhood friend) and Heidi with the Twins.

The Twins waiting on the traditional first birthday cake smash event. The New Family Parents actually stripped them down to their diapers before letting them dive in, thanks to the advice from "Auntie Kim" an experienced mother of four boys (okay she is married to the oldest one).

And check out the resemblance of Heidi's infant face and EJ's.

Pictures of Heidi's 1st birthday
The sequence shows gifts (she's holding a bow, cake mess, then a bath)

Is that not EJ if he were a girl?

Now! Gifts!

Fisher Price camera and book from Dave & Heather. Driving toy from Jessica.

Dad especially appreciates the book. It is the story of a father and son competitively measuring their love for each other while doing their bedtime routine (spoiler alert, the dad wins).

Song book from Dave and Heather. Electronic ball from Jessica.

Bubble machine from Kim. Doodler from Dave & Heather.

Personalized picture book from Lisa

A tower of blocks from Mom and Dad

Onesie from Grandma

For him too.

From Aunt Laurie, Uncle Brian, and cousin Pearl

They love it.

Also from Aunt Laurie and family.

Also from Kim. Not pictured: sippy cups, snack cups and snacks

Bathtub bubble machine from Grandma, other bath toys from the Wells.

Outfits from Dave and Heather.

Wagon from Grandma and Grandpa Woodall

From Missi

Many friends and relatives unable to be in attendance sent cards and money which was deposited in their savings account.

That money will be used to teach financial management like tithing, investing and saving.

The New Family thanks everyone for their generosity. 

Lady Bug in her costume:

Bumble Bee in his:

It was a long day, they were tired as the sugar high abated. 

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