Mrs. Dude snapped some fab photos yesterday.
This one spoke to me. It said “I need to be the new header image.” And I listened.
Header
Pixels: Header
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Tag Archives: Dude
Anything You Say Can & Will Be Used Against You
Princess - Celts
There should be a Miranda Warning for parents.
Undoubtedly, anything you say can and will be used against you…by the kids.
Usually The Princess clears her plate after dinner, but the other night I offered to clear it for her. As I turned to walk away, I heard…
Princess: “While you’re doing the job, take this with you.” As she held her empty juice box up to me.
Dude: Laughs.
Princess: “That’s what you do to me.”
So true.
PS – Go Celts!
Ask and You Shall Receive. A Response Video to Jorge & Alexa’s “Home” Video
Caution: This isn’t much of a response video.
When the fans speak, the Dude listens. After the Behind the Curve post, we were so flooded with fan requests for the Princess to make a video (all 2 of them), that we felt we owed it to our loyal readers to come up with something. Well, that and the events unfolded serendipitously so all the Dude had to do was point and click. No effort, my favorite type of work.
However, prior to jumping into the video, I want to mention the Jorge and Alexa video again. I didn’t mention this in the last post, but their back-story is interesting. Based solely on the 30 seconds I spent on their Facebook page, it seems Jorge is a 24 year old, single father of two young girls (at least one of which loves to sing), working his way through college.
The video has a good story too. After 9 or 10 practice runs with a mic that ended up being turned off the entire time, at 11 PM they were both ready to hit the hay, but gave one last run at it with the mic on. Clearly it worked.
It’s a great rendition of a great song. There are a few pieces of the video that stand out for me. Alexa’s fake whistle around 1:35 is great, and her question, “One day I’m going to whistle?” was timed perfectly and seemed spontaneous. The stifled yawn at about 2:30 is perfect, and definitely shows it was the end of the night. But I guess most importantly, even in a short video, a strong father-daughter bond seems to come across.
Was this the breakout weekend for this song everywhere, or just in our world? It’s been around for a while, so I have to guess it was just our world. Like when you buy a new car you start to see the same cars all over the road. It was popping up everywhere we turned. Radio, Facebook, email, Pandora. The Princess can’t stop singing it. Which I guess leads us to our “response” video.
The Dude doesn’t have the same musical acumen that it appears Jorge has. At least not yet. I’d love to learn the guitar, but I’ve been stuck trying to teach myself the harmonica for the past five years. And judging by that progress, learning the first verse of Home would probably take me another 3 years. So, I probably won’t be performing anytime soon. I only make a small cameo, from the waist down, with some poor bongo banging. But the Princess is building her stage presence.
I was feeding the dogs when I noticed The Princess was jamming on the bongo and singing. The camera was close by, so I grabbed it. I tried to catch her without her noticing. It was a bad angle and she noticed, so I moved in for a closer look. Most of her quiet singing is drowned out by the bongo. She starts out singing this country song. But as she’s playing, Home randomly comes on Mrs. Dude’s Phoenix mix on Pandora. (Go Mrs. Dude. Nice selection. Quality musical taste; another item on the long list of “I love you’s.”)
So, we seize the moment and poorly sing along with song…kind of. But not really because the Princess knows about three words…and the bongo is loud. In the end, The Princess poorly lipsync’s the song and ends up licking a microphone.
All in all, an unremarkable response to a remarkable video.
Enjoy.
Pixels: I Do Declare!
In honor of Mrs. Dude’s southern roots, I figured I’d spice up the blog with a little “southern speak.” Although, considering the majority of my “southern speak” comes from The Princess’ DVD of old My Little Pony episodes, please forgive me if I misuse any phrases. I “might could” make a mistake here and there.
As I did who knows what in the other room, Mrs. Dude snapped this picture. What could warm the Dude’s heart more than my boys looking for Daddy?!
“I do declare!”
I do declare!
Ridin’ Dirty
Ridin' Dirty
For those of you not as down with the Hip Hop community as the Dude, ridin’ dirty is slang for:
the act of driving with illegal weapons or drugs. First coined by Houston Rap group U.G.K.(Bun B and Pimp C) In a song “ridin dirty”
“Somebody told the laws that Bun was the one ridin dirty.”
Mrs. Dude and I don’t let Little Dude play with illegal weapons or drugs just yet, but he’s been ridin’ dirty baby style for the past week; a walker!
The Dude’s parental units graced us with their presence last weekend, and while visiting the Mrs. mentioned that we recently ordered a “walker” for the Boy. Grammie then proceeded to explain that the “toy” we just ordered, and is now being delivered, does not pass the Grammie-nurse standards; it should not be called a “walker” because it doesn’t teach a baby to walk, and it’s actually an accident waiting to happen because kids roll down stairs in them.
While Grammie was preaching her Grammie-nurse laws of the land (which are almost always accurate regardless of how much I try to resist them), Papa was chiming in asking her if walkers are outlawed.
Is Walmart now selling black market baby products? That helps explain how they keep their prices so low.
To add insult to injury, the first thing Grammie-nurse #2, aka Nina, said was “kids roll down stairs in those.” And I believe she half-jokingly referred to it as “the death trap” when she saw it.
Sweet, we’re providing deadly toys for our son, and the Grammie’s don’t approve. Thanks Walmart.
Oh well, it was already paid for and on the way. Hope Little Dude is tough.
Can’t wait to hear the I told you so’s when he rolls off the cliff we let him play on.
Pixels: Winter Beard Update
We’ve past the two month mark. On the the downward slide toward my four month goal.
Look at that beast. The Dude stache is eating my lip! But my chin sure is warm on these chilly winter days.
Winter Beard - 2 Months
Winter Beard Week 2
Pixels: Happy New Year
Sickie
Just like many other New Years Eve celebrations, the Dude house rang in 2011 with copious amounts of vomit. Unfortunately, we didn’t enjoy any of the benefits of overindulgence that usually accompany New Years revelry.
The Dude and The Princess rang in the New Year with our heads in the toilet thanks to a tummy bug that stowed away in our luggage from The Lady in a Shoe’s house. Mrs. Shoe’s house not only incubates chaos, but also germs. As a result, Casa de Dude resembled, and smelled like, a frat house as the ball dropped.
Thankfully, Mrs. Dude and Little Dude have escaped the bug so far. And a big thanks goes out to the Mrs. for working into the wee hours of the morning taking care of the sickies (and the infant).
Thanks again for a great visit Lady in a Shoe. However, in the future, please make sure your germs pass through customs before following us home.
The good news is that starting from the toilet, 2011 has no where to go but up. Here’s to a great 2011!
Hap, Happ, Happiest Christmas
Hap, Happ, Happiest
Seems like most aspects of life move in some sort of cyclical pattern. For example, we arrive in diapers, and most of us will exit in diapers.
Christmas is no exception. As a kid, Christmas is a pretty special time. I’m sure a lot of that has to do with getting “things” we want, but for the most part, the excitement is just the joy of the experience. Weeks on end of Christmas specials, holiday cookies, talk of Santa, time off from school, plans to be with family. It’s a time when the world seems to slow, and kids are at the center of the excitement.
At some point, life grinds you down, and eventually some of the Christmas magic wears off. Bachelor Dude often questioned the jolly holiday. A large dose of religious dogma mixed with an extreme helping of consumerism seems like a dangerous recipe. But kids make those questions seem irrelevant.
Nothing warms the heart of a parent like seeing their children filled with happiness, and Christmas makes that joy burst out of their little bodies. Parenting is the bridge that brings that Christmas joy back to adults…at least for the Dude it is.
I have to hand it to the Moms of the world though. I’m going to go out on a limb and stereotype a bit here. I’m sure there are a lot of Dads who can fill this roll as well, but from the Dude’s experience, Moms hold Christmas together…and they love every second of it.
Mrs. Dude has been planning and budgeting for months, and it still takes a last minute sprint to finish all of the odds and ends. Odds and ends, mind you, that no Dads the Dude knows could understand and/or execute.
The shopping alone would knock 90% of the Dads out, but then there’s wrapping…oh the wrapping! It never ends. But Moms are totally awesome wrappers…as if it’s in their gene’s…the wrapping gene. Bows, and ribbons, and wrapping paper that fits the person. Dudes buy one roll, try to wrap the first gift, give up half way through and put all the presents in bags with tissue paper piled on top…done.
But for Moms, it goes way beyond just shopping and wrapping…especially when it comes to the big fat guy in the red suit. Based on the stories the Lady in the shoe is sharing about my oldest nephew, we are realizing this could be the last year that the Princess whole-heartedly, unquestionably, without a doubt believes in Santa. The news spreads quickly with those kids at school, and kids aren’t dumb.
Creepy Elf
So Mrs. Dude went all out. We wrote a letter to Santa, The Princess saw Santa at least three times, we got an email video from Santa, we tracked Santa as he flew, we even allowed the creepy Elf on a Shelf to stare creepily at us from random spots in the living room for the last three weeks (I don’t care what anyone says, that Elf is super creepy.).
Jingle Bells
But the icing on the cake was the Santa display Mrs. Dude crafted on Christmas Eve. Stockings hung by the chimney with care, a plate of cookies and carrots that the Dude had to eat, and the coup de grace, the fireplace door cracked slightly with a “jingle bell” strategically placed as if Santa dropped it during a quick exit, and glitter on the hearth! Did you know Santa left a trail of glitter?! Me neither. But he does, and it’s awesome.
Santa's Trail O' Glitter
And The Princess ate up every bit of it. She was so happy, and the happiness is so genuine that she makes everyone around her happy. That’s the power of kids at Christmas, and I’ll trade that happiness for the pragmatic questions any day.
As a result, and despite brief occurrences of the Dude’s bah-humbugness, we had a great Christmas. We had quality time with our extended family (arguably the true meaning of Christmas), ate great food, relaxed, played with new toys, the Dude was able to get a Christmas Day surf session, and to close out the holiday season, we enjoyed one of the best Christmas traditions of all, an annual viewing of Christmas Vacation.
In the immortal words of Clark W. Griswold, from the Dude Family to your’s, we hope you had “the hap, happ, happiest Christmas…”
PS – I’m sure you will all be excited to know that Santa added a cheetah to Little Dude’s zoo!
Welcome to the Zoo
Pixels: You Don’t Scare Me
Santa is a rad dude. He gives kids great reminders about the meaning of Christmas. Sure there’s some bribery involved, but the message is clear; be a good person and life will reward you. Santa also offers kids a great opportunity to enlist their imagination, a tool that improves with practice.
Overall, Santa gets a big Dude thumbs up, but Santa can also be pretty intimidating. A large dude with a deep voice, giant beard, and bright red outfit. That’s a lot to take in for little ones.
I can certainly understand some apprehensiveness, but judging by this picture, it’s safe say Little Dude feels pretty comfortable in the giant gift-giver’s paws.
You Don't Scare Me
* Dude’s Note: The Daily Pixels have been a bit less than daily, so we’ll switch to “Pixels” until we can live up to the “Daily” moniker.
She’s Artsy
All Dolled Up for the Nutcracker
The Princess had the pleasure of attending the Nutcracker ballet over the weekend. Nina and Rex brought her to the big city to watch the toe spinners.
Here’s a big thank you to Nina and Rex. Without you I may have been forced to partake in another episode of the torture that many refer to as the Nutcracker.
I’ve been. I think I was asleep in a bout five minutes. Just not my thing. Princess and I will have to bond over other life experiences…perhaps blogging.
But, as we all expected, The Princess fell in love. Rumor has it that she was on the edge of her seat the entire time, and during a quick moment of silence as the crowd stopped applauding, she let out a spontaneous “woo hoo” that echoed through the theater.
Based on her lack of interest in soccer, and what seems to be a natural inclination towards all things girly, dance seems to be a perfect fit for The Princess. It’s no surprise the Nutcracker is her jammy jam.
It’s fun to watch interests developing.
So after the ballet, I started to dig into what she liked, and eventually it led to me asking if she would like to be a dancer when she grows up. The Princess replied with….
“My ribs get tired when I dance.”
Huh?! For real?!
Your ribs?! Get tired?!
Can ribs even get tired?
Perhaps physical exertion is not her bag.
At least she’s a good artist.