Dean is our funniest kid. He is also the scariest. He used to have these crazy tantrums and a severe case of separate anxiety that made our lives hell. He's over that and now pretty easy to deal with most of the time. But lately he's done a couple things that make us laugh and joke about him being the crazy demon child.
Dean had his crib turned into a bed a couple months ago. He has learned how to open his door and come out of his room on his own. A couple weeks ago I walked out to the loft in the morning and there he was holding his bear, standing in the door way completely still, just staring at me. When I saw him there I jump. I still really tired and wasn't expecting to see him the second I opened the door. Then a couple nights ago he was being a pain and it was getting late so Natalie put him in his bed. The rest of us our on our bed watching tv and a couple minutes later we look over and there is Dean standing in the doorway, not making a sound, just giving us the stare down holding Bear. He didn't come in, he just stood there.
Dean about a month ago when he was sick.
Falling alseep on the train with Bear.
Showing his sweet and innocent side.
And then there is this. Just standing there giving us the stare down. Cute or creepy?
This spring and summer we are going to do a lot of hiking for vacation. So a couple weeks ago I decided it's time to get these kids some new hiking boots and toughen these kids up. I took them up to Camp Verde for some hiking at a spot known as my "pee spot", since I have to stop at this exit a lot going in and out of the valley. From the top of the hill there we could see all of Camp Verde and all the way out to Sedona.
My plans didn't go quite as expected. I've hiked this hill once hauling my hunting gear and my 30 06 while looking for coyotes but it had been a long time. There is no real trail, it's all scrambling up the hill. I was a day short of my 6 weeks of no lifting from surgery so I carried Dean up the hill. He was fine walking until we got to the uphill and then I guess he just got scared and decided he is going to be carried.
When we got up the hill the plan was to have a little picnic. Well that plan didn't quite work out. We were still in a bad drought two weeks ago and the minute we opened up the lunch box the bees all started swarming trying to get our food and water. We had to keep moving around while eating and weren't able to just sit and enjoy the view. After eating we immediately had to go down the mountain.
The kids were doing a lot of complaining on the way down the hill because they thought it was scary. Natalie seems to think that means the hike was a bad idea. I think it just means the kids need to do this stuff more and toughen up. When I was 6 years old I was hiking with my dad at my grandpa's property in Corona and I would get poison oak. It didn't stop me from going every time my dad went up there. I knew I was going to get poison oak, I knew it was going to suck, but I loved hiking Hagador Canyon. My kids like to hike but they are just a little soft and get scared easy. I have a feeling by mid summer things will be different.
At the top of the hill trying to eat our lunch while the bees swarm.
When we got down the hill Dean wanted to play with the rocks and dirt in the wash. No doubt about it, it was Dean's favorite part of the day. The other two seemed to have some fun digging for rocks as well.
We made it through the year. I've been laughing at everyone's post about how awful 2020 was and onto something better. A number on the calendar isn't going to change things. Tyrants are the problem, not the date. Keep voting for the same assholes and we'll keep having the same problems. 2021 won't be better, it's probably going to be a lot worse and so will the next few years until people revolt.
We made the best of the year regardless of all the stupidity going on, up to the last minute. We spent Christmas at home but we had my dad come out for New Year's and Dean's birthday party.
This year the weather has been awful. Driest monsoon and hottest year on record. The skies were cloudless for months. It so great having some clouds back in the sky.
The great conjunction. This is the best I could do with my telescope. Jupiter on the left and Saturn on the right.
Got a decent shot of the moon.
Dean playing with the Christmas tree train.
Our Christmas Tree 🤣
Dean fell asleep eating his dinner.
This is the look he gets when faking asleep but he was not faking it.
Dean's new kitchen set. This kid is obsessed with cooking.
Zach got a keyboard for Christmas.
Adri got a violin.
Christmas morning with the kids. We made up the booty song.
Toys everywhere but give me that box.
Dean gave Natalie the phone and told her to take a picture.
Dean looks a lot like Kevin.
I smoked a brisket for New Years. I had to work New Years Eve so I got up early and had the meat on the smoker at 6am. I decided to make it easier to keep an eye on it by using my wireless meat probe and sticking it down chimney. Then I put the receiver console in the kitchen and set an alarm if it goes over 220 degrees.. This saved me a lot of trips running outside to check the temp.
The boys showing Grandpa their moves.
Dean's 3rd birthday.
Dean is learning how to drive.
Zach is obsessed with playing chess. I was playing lazy and being cocky and not paying attention and somehow the kid put me in check mate. No one else in the family has ever beat me. Well the next day I showed no mercy and beat him in five moves. I'm savage like that. Gotta keep these kids in their place. Still, I'm impressed with how he plays for a six year old that just learned the game.
My dad has had this train in the attic for years and brings it down every once in a while when we are out there. I asked him to bring it for the weekend and he decided to leave it with us. He thought Dean would get bored after a couple days. Nope, not Dean. Every day he wants to ride choo choo. He has even fallen asleep on it a couple times as you can see in the video below. Bear has to ride with him.
