happy whatever day

I don't know what we should be celebrating today: friends, family, Verizon cell phone service, sunny skies, a child that appears to have mostly forgotten any anxiety he may have once felt about what happened three years ago, all of the above? So rather than any or each of those, how about we celebrate James Spann? If this baby was a boy, I'd seriously consider naming her after him. The Southeast is in for some rough weather over the next few days, so let's take a look at some favorite James Spann moments before we all pause to contemplate what can be so soothing and so terrifying about his voice at the same time. (Soothing = he's amazing. Terrifying = I don't really listen to him unless there's a big storm threat heading toward me or someone I love.)

There's this:
Where James Spann explains what a day in the life of a weatherman is really like.

There's this, where he answers the question people always ask (and have been asking as this week of storms heads toward the state):
THE “APRIL 27, 2011 QUESTION”: As I have stated many times, I don’t answer the question “will this be like April 27, 2011″? That event was generational with a total of 62 tornadoes in our state; on average those type days happen about every 40 years in Alabama. Like March 21, 1932 and April 3, 1974. All it takes is one tornado in the entire state, and if it comes through your neighborhood, that makes it YOUR April 27. We have to be prepared one way or another.

The Alabama Emergency Management Office sent a Twitter post late yesterday that contained some incorrect information, and tried to tie the coming event to April 27, 2011. Thankfully they deleted that tweet.

Severe weather events in Alabama are to be expected this time of the year; it is the core of the spring tornado season. This is not unusual, and there is no need to panic or be upset. It is very unfortunate some media outlets blow out as much hyperbole as they can scaring people into watching them or reading their material. That is wrong and a sad way of attracting viewers or readers.
Yes, this is a significant threat of severe weather, and yes, we need to be prepared. But no time to be fearful.

And this:
The time James Spann reflected on the 2011 tornadoes and challenged Diane Sawyer to a weather debate

And this:
The time the CBS college football announcers (who, let's be honest, no one in Tuscaloosa likes anyway) mocked meteorologists for their inability to correctly predict the weather during a football game and James Spann responded:
https://www.facebook.com/spann/posts/10151991993989936  

And this, the reason we trust him:
A very detailed idea (with multiple illustrations) of what to expect this week

"How Much I Love My Family"

"How Much I Love My Family"
by Jonah

(Translated into plain English by me)

How Much I Love My Family

I love my family when we play [picture of sword fighting]
or watch [what appears to be Josh & me watching him play with Caroline]
or talk at a meeting [me talking while he plays at the playground]

I'm never going to stop and that's not bad.

The end.

Who Wore it Best?

seasonal produce, especially of the fruit variety

I'm a stickler for yummy tasting fruit. With the exception of salad ingredients (yeah, I know tomatoes are awful in January, but Jonah eats them without complaint, so I'm not budging on that one), apples, and bananas, I'm pretty strict about just buying fruit when it's yummy. If the peaches (or strawberries or pineapple) don't smell good enough, or even worse: don't smell like anything at all, we don't get them.

Today I caved and bought a watermelon. It tasted exactly like you'd expect an April watermelon to taste like (so in other words, nothing). But seriously, folks, it's in the mid 90s. That's the start of watermelon season, right? As I mentioned, the flavor was nonexistent. The texture was okay, but it was slightly sour and not at all delicious.

Did that keep the children from devouring a full third of it with lunch? No it did not. Maybe there is something to be said for bending the rules every so often as well.

the boy child

It has been suggested by some that this blog has become Caroline-centric. To that, I offer the following:
1. Jonah had the blog all to himself for 3 1/2 years before she came along, never mind the fact that this was actually MY blog first anyway.
2. She is going through a fairly hilarious/adorable stage right now, so can you blame me?
3. He has suddenly become camera shy. He very rarely lets me take pictures of him anymore. He will, however, let me take pictures of the things he's proud of (sometimes with him in the frame, too!)

Case in point:

He wrote 2 little books a while ago. The one on the right is called The Witch's Magic Potion. Here is the story:

One day, a witch made a potion. It turned a frog into a moose. The potion worked. The witch was happy. The end.

 And what else would you expect him to be wearing in the middle of a hot day? Long-sleeved pajamas and a cape, of course! (A cape, mind you, that was made in desperation one afternoon when he didn't want to share his really cool reversible cape with a friend. This cape was given to the friend, who was young enough not to care that he was just wearing baby Caroline's blanket [that should tell you how long ago this was] and is now the only cape Jonah has any interest in. I keep telling myself I will make him a new, longer, reversible cape, but there's something charming about his baby blanket cape, right? Maybe.)

Then there's always the option of just taking pictures of things he makes without him noticing. I couldn't let this one go without getting a picture. This is a note that was included in a box of presents he made just for me one night when I was gone. For anyone not fluent in five-year old, this says "I love you sooo much". I love you too, kid.

Shakespeare in 3 panels

It's not Golden Age Spanish theater, but it's still pretty good:

http://goodticklebrain.com/

I like everything I've read so far (especially the King Lear stick figures...I've always liked King Lear), but the 3-panel summaries and Shakespeare selfies are especially enjoyable.

I love creative people.

the girl and the dog

Sometimes, Dixie is just a nuisance. When things get busy or the kids are needy, having one more living creature to consider can be annoying. For the most part, though, we love her. She is a sweet dog. A sweet dog that sheds more than I'd like, but a good addition to the family nonetheless.

On days when I'm just not sure I ever want another pet, though, something like this happens. First, the girl approaches the dog:

 When said dog licks said girl, the girl squeals and scoots away:

Tonight, when Dixie walked through the room Caroline and I were in, Caroline said, "Oh hi, Dixie! Did you have a nice nap?" For her sake, I guess the dog can stay.