Merry Christmas to MEEEE!!!

Here is this year's most awesome present to me, from me. The funny thing is that Jen was completely against it, but once again, I won and now she loves it and can't live without it. When will she learn that I'm always right??

Living room before my intervention (note that it looks boring and average to any male with high taste in electronics and gadgets):

Yes, that is from 2009 but it looks THE SAME. I looked at that room and thought, "What would Tim the Toolman Taylor do?"

VOILA!!! Sophisticated, tasteful living room after my masterpiece is completed:

Make no mistake--this image does no justice for the quality of my new projector. It is every bit as good as watching Bluray on the TV. Only much, much bigger. Add in my awesome surround sound and now we've got one hell of a home theater!

And don't listen to Jen (aka crazy wife):

Our 59" plasma TV was just way too small for my Bluray movies and Playstation games. She is always yapping on and on about how she misses Texas and how everything is bigger and better there...who's talkin' now???

Luke, I Am Your Father

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City Slickers

This is for my Mom, who loves to tease Bryan about being a city slicker! (turn music off at bottom of blog before viewing)

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This House Protected By...

Beware! This house is protected by Nerf N-Strike! (or a cheap knock-off)

(note: that is a half-eaten dog bone at the bottom of the picture--not a phallic symbol)

Oh, thank you so much Santa for bringing our rowdy boys these weapons of mass destruction...we now find foam bullets stuck to our windows, pictures, fireplace, light fixtures, and hiding in places we never knew we had. One boy has almost shot the eye out of another, and we have to dodge bullets just to cross from the living room into the kitchen.

I know there are a lot of other parents out there who feel the same way. Still, I can't help but grab one of their guns and get in on the action. Before long we'll have mafia wars right here in our own home!

Brandon & Tyler's Big Dilemma

I have officially welcomed Fall--our house is now decorated for Halloween! And that means Bryan & I are busy pulling pranks on the kids and each other with all the scary things we've accumulated over the years. Case in point: (turn music off at bottom of the blog)

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Unfortunately, I missed the exact moment I was trying to capture on film. Here's the aftermath:

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Happy Fall Y'All!

Summer Fun

What a great way to water the grass AND entertain the kids! Thank you Nana & Pops for the new water toy--as you will see, the kids love it! And as for all our videos--turn the music off at the bottom of this blog before viewing.

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Family Gamers

OK, It's offical. I am outnumbered by gamers in my house. Bryan started it--he's delved more and more into games in the last few years, and Brandon just couldn't help but get into all the shoot-em-up stuff, loud explosions and awesome graphics. Here they both are--one playing the big PS3, and the other with his little Nintendo DS (nevermind the date stamp on the picture--this is normal everyday stuff.)

Oh, but that was just the start. Now look who's been bitten by the gaming bug:



So, that makes three. And of course, whatever big brothes are doing, Nick wants to do. For now, he'll have to settle for a hand-me-down V-Smile from his brothers.

Batman!

As usual, turn off the music at the bottom of the blog before viewing!

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Bryan Seacrest

OK, Bryan officially knows way more about Ryan Seacrest than a normal male should. I have heard way too many stories about old ladies who keep calling into Seacrest's radio show with their expert child-rearing guidelines (aimed at either Angelina Jolie or the Octuplet Mom), women begging Ryan to tell them more about the link between The Oscars and The Bachelor...etc. Where has all this useful, new-found knowledge come from? Well, Mr. Bryan has been spending the last several evenings/late nights out tinkering with his car. And during that time, he listens to the only form of "music" that he can apparently find in our garage--Ryan Seacrest's voice over the radio. Our usual rock station turns over to Seacrest's show for several hours at night, and I guess Bryan is just too busy to turn the dial. Anyhow, his mission is to make the Jetta's sound system equal to or better than the Denali. Who would think that a 280-lb guy could fit into the trunk of a Jetta?

Judging from the thumping sounds I heard all the way into Starbucks last night, I think he's succeeded in the bass department. It does provide a nice butt massage as we zoom down the road.

The F-Bomb.

Brandon finally got interested enough in his new DS that he decided to play Mario Kart. He had a question about the game, so Bryan took it to figure out the answer. I heard an immediate *GASP* and "Go show this to your mother--DON'T LOOK AT IT, just take it to her." What the...? I looked and right there on the front of the car was an emblem that read, in bold capital letters, FUDGE. Only it wasn't "fudge". It was THE word, the big one, the queen mother of all dirty words. The F-dash-dash-dash-dash word! We bought this thing brand new, still wrapped up in the box. We bought the game used. Apparently, these cartridges keep some memory and this is how the former owner chose to turn it in to the store. In any other situation, kind of funny. For the parent of a first-grader who has excellent reading skills, not so funny. So Bryan re-customized the design of the car's logo and off he went.

I guess worse things could happen. Brandon could have taken the time to read what was written, but thankfully was too busy trying to play the game. We know it's just a matter of time before he, or one of the other kids, picks up on some choice words that Mommy & Daddy let slip sometimes. And when that happens, I'll let you all know about it!

Bryan's Quest

I am trying to update my theme for Valentine's Day, but can't change the font color of previous posts en-masse to show up easier against the new background. So I apologize in advance for my lack of bloggie-knowledge and the strain on your eyes.

Bryan is on a quest to indoctrinate our oldest son into the gaming world. Today, he traded in a bunch of his old Game Cube games for a new Nintendo DS. For you non-gaming-geeks, this is like the Game Boy, a portable video game system. I question who will be playing this thing more--Brandon or Daddy. Granted, Brandon's cousin Berkeley has one and some rotten kids at his school bring them to daycare, but Brandon likes to watch instead of participate. He is content with his little V-Smile in his room, where no one will see him lose. When Bryan fires up the PS3, Brandon will sit for hours watching, giving constant unsolicited advice for winning the most complex battles. But he won't take the controller for fear of losing in front of his Daddy. As I write this, Bryan has the stylus for the DS hanging from his lip like a cigarette, with headphones plugged in--playing Mario Kart. And Brandon is upstairs practicing the games he knows he can win. Perhaps someday he can come downstairs and have a gaming showdown with his father--nothing would make Bryan more proud.