requested

They are both progressing very well. Luke started swimming lessons this morning. I am very proud of him, and his parents. You want to know how you are doing parenting, bring your kids to swim class for the first time. Its 99pct about control, 1pct about the water. His teacher reminds both Raegan and I of Col. Ingram. He is a crusty old vet. who holds nothing back when teaching people how its supposed to be. Luke was the only kid that didnt cry. Its me and him taking the lesson together. First, we poured water over their heads, then did a couple of floatie things, then back float, then dunking, and splashing. At the end of the lesson, the man took Luke from me, went a few feet away, stuck his face in the water and pushed. Luke swam to me, and came up clapping, very proud. He was used as the example of what the kids would be able to do over the next few weeks (on day 1!!!) After we left, we stopped for something to eat. His diaper was FULL. He apparently had plenty of pool water to drink. I'll get some video of it next week. I didnt know we could take pictures. Grace and Jack start their lessons on the 8th. They all had fun watching Luke, and are excited about doing it too. In other news, we joined the YMCA. cause its fun to stay at, apparently. You can do whatever you feel! We are excited. they have 5 of them in our area, and we can go to them all. I'll be bringing the kids in the mornings, working out, and playing. Then me and Raegan will go back in the evenings for classes on weekdays.

New junk 2 posts

We took a ride on a riverboat, on the Tennessee river. It's just like New Orleans, except better in every way )

Italian Street Fair

Here we are, downtown. Its nice to have access to a great city. There are many things to do.

Musico

Jack's drum teacher is pushing him now. He wants to see how far, how fast he can go. He is working on paradiddles, flam taps, double bass with 1 foot, and 5 and 9 stroke buzzing. This vid is his last weeks lesson on mixing times. It goes 1 and a, 2 and a, 3 e and, 4 and a, 1 and a, 2 and, 3 e and a, 4 e and a, 1 rest rest rest. He can read tabs, but he memorized this one after a little practice. Timing will come on everything, the main thing now, is that all his limbs get their own brain.



Here is a tone sample of the new ax for those who asked. I know I suck, but you get the idea.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQJLKF2-ns0

REBEL YELL!

The UPS man brought daddy a present. Jack was very excited. Not as much as Daddy, though.
Whats in the box?

It's a Dean Dime Dixie Rebel!

It says it right there on the neck! The flag is battleworn, if you look close.

I shall call him J.R. (Johnny reb). This one was designed by Dimebag, himself.

Luke shows his approval, with the tugging of the cord.

I know what you're saying, mom. "Why does he need another guitar, isn't 1 enough?" Nay, verily I say unto you, Floyd rose is tricky to tune, it takes a long time to go from standard e, all strings dropped down one whole step to drop d, all strings tuned down one whole step. Long story short, Im stuck playing either one half of the set, or the other. Thats why, if you notice at concerts, they change guitars at least once during a set. If you break a string, you need a backup. Thats 4 guitars! Then you have odd tuned songs, requiring at least another axe, plus its backup. Guitarist's never stop looking for the next guitar. Its like the mechanic looking for the right tool for the job. This one is very sweet. It has a fat, and deep neck. unplugged, I can hold a note for over a minute. Plugged in, I can hold a note until I pass out. The tone is very sweet, he is capable, and sounds very good clean. I can go from blues, to country, to metal. Needless to say, I won't be getting an allowance for a couple of months, as I have to pay Raegan back. Ask me if I care )

Update!

Luke has a little friend. They squeal and squeak at each other.
Yep, here we go again.

Here is what Luke thinks about the gate.

His hybrid drag/crawl has turned into a crawl/walk. He pulls up on everything now. He can walk behind his toys that slide, but doesnt know what he is doing yet.

Jack has been learning at a good pace. He will be very good at an early age, if he keeps practicing. I didnt get a shot of him on piano, but he is at the same spot as Grace. They are both doing really well. They practice on their own now, I never have to make them. I just have to make sure to watch them a couple times per week, to make sure they do it right. Raegan gets a kick out of the faces he makes. His funniest face is when he is practicing flams.

And, miss Grace.

The contendor!

There may be 1 or 2 people who read this, that don't already know. My Mom kicked Cancer square in the ass! I know it was not a walk in the park, but she traveled half way across the country, half way through her chemo to be with her family. She never let up, never slowed down. Her toes, fingers, and hair all tried to quit on her, but she held it all together with scotch tape and determination. Im so proud to have her example of how to fight the good fight. She just had her follow up doctor visit, to check for any problems. There is no sign of the enemy. I hope you get to rest in Riggins. Poor old Chuck is gonna realize how much you have done up there in the past.