Category Archives: Family Matters

On the road

Well, I’ve arrived in Japan.  Traveling for work is always fun.  I showed up at the airport and while waiting to get on the plane 3 others coworkers showed up as well.  One of them a good friend, and expierenced traveller, so once again going to a foriegn country was really easy.

 The plane ride was the usual 11 hours in a confined space.  The food didn’t suck so much though, which was nice.  But the real pleasure of international travel is the movies.  No longer are you required to crane your head to see the screen at the front of your section. Now, you get a nice in-seat personal video system and and can choose which movies you want to watch.  United’s system is kind of basic but it’s still nice to have 6 movies and a few TV shows to choose from.  Since my laptop battery only lasts 2 hours and it was just recalled on Tuesday,  I opted not work on the plane.  It was a tough decision but I don’t shy away from those big calls – I’m a “Decider” (when my wife lets me) ;).  So, since I usually get to see 5-6 movies a year, having to sit and watch 4 shows in a row was kind of a nice torture.  Here’s the breakdown:

1) The Great Debaters (Denzel Washington).  – This was a great movie.  I was expecting the typical feel good underdog kind of thing that’s just right when you’ve been up since 5am but it was actually a really good movie.  Not only a great story and acting but the characters were all really well developed and had a lot of depth.  My only regret was that it wasn’t longer.  There was so much more to the life of the characters in this small Texas town that I really wanted to see more of each one.  It did the movie good though to keep that on the periphery and focus on the story.  But still I wish this movie had been 4 hours instead of 2 – that also would have made the flight go faster!

 2. National Treasure 2: Book of Something or Other.   Why didn’t Nicholas Cage get cast as the new James Bond instead of Daniel Craig?  Just go watch this movie and you’ll know why.  Still, it was an “entertaining romp” to paraphrase Roeper (At The Movies reviewer).  and was a good popcorn flick.  If only I’d remembered to pack my microwave.  Helen Mirren (spl?) was fun though but she needed more screen time.

 3.  Walk Hard – The Dewey Cox Story – This was a Judd Aptow farce making fun of the recent singer-biopics and it was really funny.  Maybe it was the punchiness of sitting in the same seat for the last 7 hours but it was nice to not have to concentrate on a plot.  This movie just lampooned every concievable “classic” scene from a bio-pic and while there were a few misses typical of these movies, in general it worked really well and I chuckled to myself for a good 90 minutes.

 4. Enchanted – If you are a romantic / Disney-Princess loving person you have to see this movie.  If you’re not (and you know who you are Josh) then don’t.  This is the movie where a cartoon “Cinderella” character is brought to real life by the wicked step-mother Queen.  While the movie was simple and formulaic it was still very well done and cute.  I loved the fact that the main character kept breaking into song and all these real rats and pigeons would show up and all the other people in the movie would freak out.  I am actually thinking about letting Leina see it but I worry she’ll try to get chipmunks to help her clean her room.  My only complaint was Patrick Dempsey (spl?).  The man was just blah.  Really nothing there.  I don’t see what everyone likes about him.  He really doesn’t do anything for me?  I was reallly hoping for some McSteamy but I didn’t see it.  Maybe I should start watching Grey’s Anatomy?

 So there’s a breakdown of the movies seen on my flight over.  Thankfully I get to pick 4 different movies on the way back.  It almost makes air travel worth it 😉

Poor Old Man

As you can see, I’m busy with a new creation. I have a couple little girls on my Christmas list that live very far away. I have absolutely no idea what they like or what toys they have. Personally, I think the biggest let down is getting a present that you already have. All the excitement of a present and then… it’s something old. What a bummer. As an adult, we know it’s the thought that counts but try telling that to a 3 yr old on Christmas morning! To get around this trouble, I’ve decided the best plan of attack is to make a present. That way, I’m 100% sure it’s something new. (Also, it’s a lot of fun for me!) During the year, I’m always on the lookout for something fun and easy I can make come Christmas time. This year, it’s fairies. Yes, this mess on my desk will hopefully resolve itself into a fairy or two. How am I going to do this? With a little magic of course! But for now, it’s just chaos. Lots and lots of chaos.

While I am messing up my desk, I’m vaguely aware of my children pattering back and forth around the house. So long as they aren’t too quiet or too loud I try to give them free reign. But on my last trip downstair for fresh coffee, I came across this.


Seemed harmless enough so I walked on by. However, on my next trip for a coffee refill – fairy magic requires copious amounts of caffine (who knew?!?) – Artie’s status had upgraded to this…



Leina just came in and asked me how to make a tent. Poor old man. The worst part is, they eventually tire of this play and wander off leaving him locked up somewhere. Eventually I remember about him and dig him out of whatever mess they’ve left him in. I won’t post the more undignified pictures I have but let’s just say, he looks pretty darn cute in a bonnet and beaded necklace.

Half a Tail

When I’m tending to Kulia, Leina has learned to amuse herself. Today, while I was nursing, burping and diapering the smallest McLaughlin, I happened to watch Leina at play.

She had a small bowl full of goldfish crackers and was munching away. At her feet sat Artie, drool flowing freely from his large black jowls. He watched her with big pathetic dog eyes as her hand went from bowl to mouth and back again. Leina sat quietly, watching Artie watch her.

“Honey, why don’t you share with Artie?” I asked.

“Sure, mom,” Leina replied.

Carefully, she selected a fishy and held it forth. The drool began falling at an even more rapid pace and Artie’s tail began thumping. Then, Leina popped the fish into her mouth and sucked on it for a moment or two removing all the salt. Once properly de-salted, she removed the fishy and held it loft again. Artie, who saw his chances for a tasty, if somewhat soggy and saltless treat, revived and the drool began gushing at an alarming rate. But Leina wasn’t done yet. Next, she very carefully placed the head of the fishy between her front teeth and bit the head off. With great purpose, she slowly chewed the goldfish head while holding the tail remnant between her fingers. Artie began scooching in place. Surely, that tail was for him! Sure, it was soggy, de-salted, and deheaded, but gosh darn it, it was coming his way!

Leina swallowed and studied the fish tail in her hand. Then, she very carefully placed the little soggy tail piece between her teeth and….chomp. She bit it in half. I’m surprised Artied didn’t just lunge at her right there but no, he’s a good dog. He sat all a quiver, intently focused on that one….. last….. nibblet. It was tiny. It was soggy. It had all the flavor sucked off it but Artie didn’t seem to care. If anything he was more excited to get his big old teeth on that tiny little half of a goldfish cracker tail than ever.

Leina regarded the remains of her small cracker and magnanimously tossed that sad little bit on the ground. Artie lunged. He gulped. And then he returned to the foot of the sofa to watch Leina select another fish and oh so carefully pop it into her mouth and begin to suck.

This routine was contined for several goldfish. Finally, I took pity on Artie and gave him a piece of bread to eat because Leina’s idea of “sharing” seemed more akin to torture to me. However, Artie didn’t seem to mind. He was happy so long as that last nibble was for him.

Sometimes, I feel so much like Artie. It seems like as soon as I get one kid settled the other has an issue. Kulia blows her diaper, Leina can’t find her blankie, Kulia needs nursing, Leina wants milk in the red sippy cup NOT the blue one, Kulia decides to spit up all over herself, Leina demands an episode of Jojo. On and on. Yesterday, I had 12 precious minutes to myself when their naps happen to overlap. Yes, that’s right. Twelve minutes alone without a child. My very own soggy, niblet of a goldfish tail. But like Artie, I didn’t look a gift in the mouth no matter how miniscule. No siree, I grabbed a magizine and headed for the bathroom for some luxurious 12 minute alone time.

Like they say, dogs and mommies can’t be choosers and half a tail is better than nothing at all.

Poor Artie

Well, with the family (Chrissie and Leina) away on business (Cousin Sammy’s
b-day party). The house is very very quiet. It’s amazing how 1 little
munchkin and a much bigger momma can fill a house with noise and life. I
think the person who misses them most, though, is Artie. I have my work to
go to everyday and fill the void but Artie only has the couch. Usually his
day is filled with following Leina around, trying to snatch her crackers, or
generally getting mauled (aka petted) by her. It doesn’t sound like much
but it keeps him busy in between walks. Now, with his main source of action
out of town, he’s reduced for waiting for me to get home and take care of
him (much like my wife ;). At first he would bound off the sofa with a
“where have you been” look on his face and an anxious, “let’s go out NOW”
growl. But now, when I walk through the door, he barely looks up from the
couch with a, “oh it’s just you” look. Poor Artie, he’s the one who suffers
the most when his little terrorizer is out of town.

Daw-ga

Leina loves Artie.

LOVES.

More than the boobies, more than momma and dada, more than her blanket or even the cats. Artie is her first true love.

Every time he wanders by she goes crazy. She’s like a cheer leader trying to catch the eye of the star football player. She bounces, she waves, she screams at the top of her lungs.

But lately, there has been something more. She is trying to say “dog”.

Not dog as in “hot dog” but “dawg” as in that slang term of “you go dawg” only she can’t say the “ga” part. Instead, she belts out (very loudly) “DAAAAW…DAWWW.” Even more hilarious, she pitches her voice very low, much lower than her normal baby babble. So she’ll be in her exersaucer playing away cooing “ba..ba..ba..” when suddenly she’ll hear the clatter of Artie’s unclipped toenails on the wooden floor. Her head will whip up, she’ll zip around to face the sound, and as soon as Artie’s snout comes around the corner of the sofa she’ll break into a very loud and low refrain of “DAAAAW, DAAAAAW, DAAAAW!” Artie, appreciative of this effort, will usual lick her face while he walks by which just makes her day. Even after he passes, she’ll sit for a while, practicing her one and only true word over and over and over.

“DAAAAW…..DAAAW….DAAAW”

Muffin Mystery

We always buy the muffin pack from CostCo and Kevin takes one each morning for breakfast. Now, before baby, after a CostCo run, I’d individually wrap each muffin so they’d be ready to go in the morning and prevent them from getting stale. With Leina in the picture, little things like wrapping muffins have fallen by the wayside. A stale muffin is par for the course now.

So yesterday, Kevin woke up, grabbed a new flat of muffins, opened it up, and took one to work. A few hours later, I ambled into the kitchen and found the open muffin pack sitting on the kitchen chair, crumbs all over the ground around it. I grumbled at Kevin for leaving the muffins open to get stale but that’s all the time I had.

That night, Kevin came home and asked me, “wow, you ate three muffins today?”

“Uh, no, I didn’t have any,” I replied, slightly confused. We both turned to the muffin flat. There were four muffins missing.

“Did you take them to work?” I asked.

“No, I just took one,” Kevin replied.

“Well, that’s wierd because this morning there were four missing and crumbs all over the ground. I wonder what happended? Maybe a mouse?” Kevin and I looked at eachother for about two seconds when a light bulb went off.

“ARTIE!”, we cried and turned to look at our dog who was sheepishly hiding under the table, wagging is tail as if to say, “but guys, you left it open and right at my height, what did you expect????”

Muffin mystery solved.