Facebook and Fireworks

First of all, I love facebook. I love it like I love beer. It makes me all warm and fuzzy. But just like beer, a person can have too much of FB. One of the unintentional side effects of all my time spent on FB is that I have not been blogging as much. I used to put a lot of thought into my blog and lately I take the lazy way out and just post one sentence here and there on my FB page instead. My 335 FB friends obviously appreciate the frequent tidbits I post for their amusement, but I feel that I am leaving my blog-followers unsatisfied lately. I vow to rectify that. Starting...now.

On July 3rd, Truman will have been with us for 8 months. Time really flies. Actually, it feels like he has been with us since he was born because he is proving to be 100% Naughton. (His Irish temper betrays him.) This 4th of July will be his first spent as an American. I hope that as he grows, he will appreciate how fortunate he is to be a citizen of this country. I think a lot of us who were born here take for granted the freedoms we enjoy. When I reflect on our time spent in Communist China, watch news reports of bedlam in the streets of Tehran, and read accounts of never-ending violence in Baghdad, I realize how incredibly lucky I am to have been born in the United States. Our country is far from perfect, but I will take growing up in the American midwest with it's laid-back lifestyle, friendly neighbors, and relatively safe streets over just about any other place on Earth. I hope when Truman gets older, he will feel this way, too.

So while you are watching fireworks (made in China) this Independence Day, take a moment to appreciate what it means to be an American. Then take a moment to appreciate what it must be like to be Chinese, working seven days a week in a factory making fireworks for Americans' amusement while earning about a dollar a day in the hope that someday you can make a better life for your children. That's all any of us can hope for, no matter where we're from. Isn't that what we call "The American Dream?"

Happy 4th of July. Now, back to facebook...

The Discovery Club

I have been promising to build a clubhouse for Alex for some time now. Yesterday, I finally did it. It took nine hours, and I finished just before it started to pour outside. Alex calls it the Discovery Club. I built it as an "annex" to the party porch, so it doesn't take up much space and it sort of blends into the wordwork. It has two windows, shelves for Alex's treasures (fossils, bones, seashells, etc.), a table and chairs, rubber floor mats, and it didn't leak a drop when it rained last night! The boys love it. I kinda do, too.

Truman's First Campout

Naught's Landing, our beautiful party porch, has many wonderful features such as a mini-fridge full of beer and nightcrawlers, a cd player, fish mounts on the walls (including one that sings), and seating for eleven. But it also has a beautiful little camping spot adjacent to it, tucked nicely into a stand of cedar, hickory, and oak trees. That is where we spent our first night of camping together as a family of four.

Truman loved playing in the tent with his big brother Alex. Naturally, since the tent hadn't been used for a while a little maintenence was necessary first. Apparently a mouse decided to chew his way into it while it was rolled up and stored in its bag over the course of the past two years. Nothing a little duct tape couldn't fix. As I said, it was good to go and provided much entertainment for the boys.

We also have a nice fire pit where we had a weiner roast and toasted marshmallows. I was cooking four hot dogs on one stick when suddenly the stick caught fire, burned in two, and dropped half a package of weiners into the flames. Nothing a rinse with the hose couldn't fix. Delicious. And Alex was quite helpful in keeping the fire going. It was nice to have a child laborer round up the hundreds of sticks it would take to keep the flame lit.

At 5:50 this morning a storm rolled in and we "slept" to the sounds of driving wind and rain as we silently prayed that the tent stakes were strong enought to keep us from blowing away to some god-awful place like Kansas or Illinois. Eventually, the storm let up and we went inside the house for breakfast. As I changed his diaper after we ate, I asked Truman if he had fun camping. He exclaimed, "Tooman happy!"

Me too, pal. Me too.

The New Indiana Jones Adventures

Indiana Jones and his sidekick Short-Round. Sure other kids can dress as Indy for Halloween, but how many of them have their own Chinese kid?

First Fish

Today at our neighbor's pond, Truman caught his first ever fish. It was too big to reel in by himself, so his big brother Alex helped him land it. A two pound largemouth bass! The boys also teamed up to land a nice bluegill. As you might imagine, Dad is mighty proud.