Race Time

Connor decided recently that the whole walking thing was becoming too easy for him and he wanted to kick things up a notch. So he chose to enter into the Palmer 8K (5 mile) race just to see how everything would go. Being a race rookie he thought it best to bring along mom and pop so they could help give him pointers along the way. Clearly they are past their prime running years but perhaps they can give some moral support and share in their race wisdom.

Like most races, it started off easy enough...

...the aid stations were clearly lacking, only water or gatorade. C'mon, where's the chocolate milk?

Amazingly, Little Man finished the race in a little over 40 minutes without even breaking a sweat. His endurance is top notch for a beginner and I think it's safe to say that we'll be seeing more of him in the future.

Slammin Aarons' Super Slippin Slide Spectacular B-Day Party!!

This year I hit the big two seven. Kinda crazy, this whole gettin older bit. Once you get past 25 there aren't any more grown-up milestones to look forward to. So basically, birthdays are just an excuse to throw a party and eat lots of cake and icecream. And, really, I'm OK with that. Two years ago we had a BBQ and a pinata. Last year we had a BBQ and played kickball. This year, being my final B-Day in Iowa, I wanted to pull out all the stops and have some good ol' fashioned fun. So I decided to try out a 100 foot slip 'n' slide. Actually, the first one I bought was only 50 feet long... but it just didn't feel right so I had to take it back and get the 100 footer. And I'm glad I did. Here's some pics from the festivities. Enjoy...

Thanks to everyone who came and played. It was a blast!!

Even Super Heroes Aren't Immune

It's no secret that 2009 hasn't been a banner year for the economy. It seems like everywhere you turn there's evidence of the recession. The big questions everyone wants to know are- when will it end? how low will it go? and how do we recognize the bottom before everything turns around and goes back up? These are legitimate questions that can only be answered in hindsight. But if you want my opinion, I think we can't get any lower than this... For weeks there have been rumors flying around that even Superman has been forced to take a second job. Apparently, since the banks don't have any money left there aren't any criminals trying to break into those banks. Well, it was all just a rumor until these photos surfaced giving us concrete evidence that in fact, Superman has been forced into taking a second job at John Deere in an effort to supplement his income. Several attempts to contact Superman's agent have failed. Until he comes out in person to clear the air we can only guess why he chose John Deere. Maybe he got tired of the color red? Or perhaps he's using his laser vision to inscribe logos on all Deere machinery. We may never know the complete truth, but it's a sad day for us all.

Up, Up and Away!! (to work cuz my shift starts in 10 minutes!!)

Boys Will Be Boys

During this past week Little Man saw an older boy wearing a funny shirt and the following conversation took place:
"Dad, what kind of shirt is that, it looks funny?"
"That's a Boy Scout shirt. Don't make fun of it too much cuz someday you'll be wearing one along with the standard issue 1970s NBA length shorts."
"Cool, I like short shorts. They show off my massively powerful thighs and accentuate my robust backside. The ladies love it! But anyways, what do Boy Scouts do?
"Mostly play with knives and figure out how much gasoline and lighter fluid it takes to light a campfire without singeing your eyebrows off.
"Awesome!! I can hardly wait. Hey, maybe I should get a head start on those things now so later on I'll be an expert.
"Great idea son... I'll go find you some knives to play with. Just don't tell your mother, she wouldn't understand."

"Ooh... it's so shiny! I like it already.So what exactly do you do with these things anyways???

Take that you bad drawer, you'll never smash my fingers again!Hmmmmm... the more I hold this thing the more I feel a strange sensation coursing through my veins.

I'm becoming stronger and more ferocious with every second. I need more, MORE, MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Run for your lives!!!"

No More Tonka For Me

"Don't get me wrong... Tonka trucks are cool and all, but things are changing and life is diffferent for me now. For example, I'm now tall enough to see and reach for anything left around the perimeter of the kitchen table. It's a whole new world up on the kitchen table- and full of goodies that I never knew existed. Let's just face it, I'm over 14 months old and I'm not a little boy anymore. The other day I think I even got hit on by a 6th grader. 6th grade... now that's the big time! To go along with these changes I think I'm gonna need to upgrade my toys. No more plastic parts or made in China for me. I'm going for the big stuff, the whole enchilada! And fortunately, I know just where to find it. There's some construction going on nearby- the workers seem pretty lazy- so I doubt they'd even notice if something was missing. This one here...let's give it a try.

Not too bad but it seems a little tight inside the cab. I want to feel the warmth of the sun and enjoy the wind on my face.

Now this is what I'm talkin' bout!! Hurry, check and make sure no one's watchin.

... And away I go!!!!"

Mommy Issues

"Yesterday the kids at school told me that my mommy dresses me funny. At the time, I was shocked. No one had ever said this to me before. So I decided to check things out and see if there is any merit to this slanderous statement. I looked back through some recent pics and was more than surprised. Would my mother, the giver of life and my own flesh and blood, conspire against her first born son? In the end it was hard to argue against the evidence. Truly, its a sad day for all mankind. Looks like I'm gonna have to hire on a consultant or personal assistant of some kind just to protect my image. If the tabloids got ahold of these shots of me, I'd be ruined forever."