Dan's Three Beautiful Girls

These pictures are fom Hadley's first professional photo session with Jamie Miller. As you can tell she is amazing. For a slideshow of more pictures you can visit the following link: http://jamiemillerimages.com/slideshows/deeble/

She Meant to Say "Valentines Day"....

Fatherly Musings While Putting Off The Dishes...

My wife once vowed that she'd never drive a minivan. I vowed that I'd never use the word "Potty." That was 3 girls ago....The #1 phrase you'll hear around the house, "Okay, let's get our babies, and let's get our blankies, and let's get our bottles." Manly...We've made a major switch recently. We swopped out the girls' nightly musical rotation. We're giving the Beijing Choir a break and now have a killer children's worship CD in its stead (called "Sing Over Me"). It's perfect and it gives Elise and I both a peaceful spirit and prompts us to pray even more.

Speaking of which, my favorite crib routine with Bri is when I lay her down on her back, I look at her and let out a monotone, "Mmmmmm." And she looks up at me and with a sparkle in her eyes she says, "Mmmmmmm." This is the international (or at least family) sound for "I want a kiss." So I lift her up in my arms, give her a big smooch, and lay her back down. She then says "Mmmmmmm." and I do it again. Over and over - until I realize that she's playing me and it was all a stall tactic.

Mondays are my day off. My only day off. But "day off" is a euphonism; a pleasant sounding combination of words that does not mirror reality. It just might be my favorite day, but it is not a day off. It is an AHOD day - All Hands On Deck. Technically, it is Elise's day off too. Which, as you might imagine, is not a good combination. Two parents with three girls under the age of two trying to have a day off on the same day does not work, unless you're rich. Then, I'm sure everything's always easier. Anyhow...let me briefly describe my Mondays from just 2 years ago...I'd awake between 9:00 - 9:30. Coffee at HiHat. Newspaper. A book. Some frivilous writing. A walk. A trip to the arboretum, perhaps. Lunch with a friend or with my wife at her fancy office. Workout. Frisbee golf.

But now, my Mondays are my days on. I arrive to work on Tuesday exhausted and all the more in love with my wife. I'm with my daughters for an entire day, my wife is with them ALONE everyday. She once left me with the girls for just an hour and a half. When she finally returned, I was done. Had to take 2 naps. Barely knew my name. Needed an IV.

Man, my job is demanding. And I work hard. But I am a wimp when compared to her. I do NOT, repeat do NOT understand how she can be so devoted, so selfless, so alive.

granola girl

Bri, Bri, Bri.

Hadley the Action Hero

Kisses sold separately.

my daughter

Mia, I love you so much. - daddy

fallfun

Autumn Flirts

Bri plays it cool with a neighborly chap!

Neighborhood Pals!

It's Amazing What $2.06 Can Buy These Days

This will not come as a shock to most of you guys but the older Deeble Girls are going to have a Pottery Barn Kids Christmas. And their gift is the gift that keeps on giving. This little video is of the "house" that Mommy made for them. That is right, Mommy made it not Daddy.

Thanks to a Pottery Barn recall on their wooden hammock stand, Mia and Brianna got a card board box house and will be getting a kitchen set for Christmas all for $2.06. Desperate measures for desperate times.

Three Hoodies

The girls all decided to wear their warm pink sweatsuits today. Afterall what does the first day of snow flurries call for: Hoodies.

An "Of Mice and Men" Type Love

Daddy Dance!

This is the view I never get to see - what happens on the other side of the door when I get home!

sleeping beauties

Mia's First Haircut!

We had an early 9:00 AM appointment at Sheer Madness this morning. Mia needed her first haircut and so we packed up the whole fam and headed off. The place is pretty sweet. It had the most festive atmosphere - like a gift shop at Disneyland. There was a kid "parlor", a pedicure throne, toy room, and what appeared to be a kids' little gossip hub. They also had hip, Johnson County-type cars for barber seats and little flat screens with cartoons playing at every stylist station.

If I had seen the joint before having kids, I would've been abhorred and lamented over our country's never-ending expression of opulence and indulgence. But now as a father of three girls, I was praising American ingenuity and the free enterprise. "This may not be so bad!" I thought optimistically.

Mia opted for the BMW sports coup - which I thought was a wise choice. There was the Jimmy Johnson NASCAR in the corner and a HUMMER at the far end - both not energy efficient. I'm certain Mia's was a hybrid. Anyhow, she wasn't too comfortable at first (they weren't leather seats) and I had to hold on to her the whole time, but the stylist was great and Mia had just enough distractions to hang in there.

As you can see, just looks absolutely adorable.

The best moment, though, had nothing to do with Mia. Brianna and Hadley were in the stroller taking it all in. While the stylist was working away on Mia, she suddenly let out a "Hooo!" She turned around and said, "Someone just pinched me in the behind!" And right behind her, sat Brianna in her stroller seat, butt-high, beaming proudly from ear to ear.

Things Are a Bit Fuzzy

Ever since Mia got glasses, I have grown keenly aware of my own eyesight difficulties. Focusing on anything up close, reading a book, checking the time...it's not the same. So, I dont' knoew if tis is (a) a reel stigmatim that neds to be adwessed and Mia's conditon has now just ahlerted me to it or if it is (b) a commen case of Fatherlee Compasen.

I'm hoping (b).

hadley is surrounded

pealips

Brianna, at 5 months, sampling her peas.

(from the family "archives")

Bri's First Laugh...

It is no surprise that Bri's first real laugh was with her Nana. To this day, Nana is her favorite. And, until this day at Nana's, we had never heard her laugh before.

It's worth noting that this is not the case with Poppy. Brianna has rebuffed her grandfather for 15 months now. She will not go to him, she will not receive his advances, and even at the remote chance that he might make an approach, she begins to chant "No. No. No." We'd feel sorry for Poppy, if it weren't so funny.

Thrill Seeker

It is so fascinating to see how quickly a personality develops in these little ones. For example, Bri has always been a thrill seeker. I'll never forget our first interaction together. She was about 3 or 4 months old and we were out in the sun-room.. I had just lifted her up in the air over my head. Within seconds of bringing her down into my lap, she raised her arms back into the air and motioned with her eyes that she wanted to be thrown again. My goodness, that girl writes novellas through her eyes. She could co-host "The View" without ever saying a word.

And this has been the theme of her young life - she loves to be scared, spooked, thrown, tossed, swirled, pounced, and - of course - chased. It's the first thing we do when I get home. Mia starts trying to shed my layers (see below) and Bri starts running away. She'll stop every five feet, turn around, cock her head, smile, and dart off again. When I finally fall into pursuit, she lets out the cutest giggle this side of Eden.

It's scary. Notice in the first picture that, as she's being thrown into the air, she knows exactly where the camera is and - at the peak of her ascent - has the wherewithal to flash her blue steel right at it. I have two lifelong prayers for this daughter: we know she's going to charm everyone and it's clear that she'll break many rules, I'm just hoping she'll be an authentic charmer and a breaker of bad rules, not good ones.

Nigh Nigh @ Nana's

Mei Mei!

Mia's favorite person in the whole world is her aunt Mei Mei. She has no interest in me when she's around and she wouldn't go to sleep unless Mei Mei put her down.

"dan" and "ryan"

Operation "Keep Daddy Home"

A new routine has developed within the last week when I come home from work. Beside the chanting ("Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!") and the door-pounding and the heavy breathing (from the dogs, Keiffer and Bower), Mia insists that I shed a few layers of clothing before going any further.

This is her way of insuring that I don't leave again for the night. So she tugs on my sweater. I take it off. Then she pulls on my shirt, leaving me with just a white "t". Then my shoes. Finally, my socks. Operation "Keep Daddy Home" complete.