I hope Elwood meets a Jimmy

Jimmy and Conor have been buddies since their voices started to crack and they began to notice that ladies weren't as annoying as they once thought them to be.  They have been doing cool shit ever since. Like really cool shit.  We got a badass sailing canoe off of craigslist (we were looking for a second vehicle but when that bad boy popped up under the search for volvo wagons it was a no brainer to spend the car money on her) and Jimmy instantly started researching spoil islands to camp on, tidal changes in our area, best routes across the Everglades, possible routes from our house to his, wind patterns for this time of year, lee board size calculations, and possible modifications to add to reduce water splashing into the canoe on account of plowing through seas at his predicated 8-10 knots.  Jimmy:  Optimist, Prepared Planner, Genuine Good Guy. . . and also a Husband to one of my favorite ladies in the Universe and Dad to two beautiful, tough little girls.  I want Elwood to have a Jimmy in his life.  A life long friend who brings the best out in him; a buddy that makes life more fun.  Boys can always find drinking buddies or lady chasing buddies and I'm not saying Con and Jimmy were not those kind of friends, being much more proficient at the former than the latter back in college, but over the course of the 20 years they have known each other the core of their friendship is not built from the superficial bricks of party life but rather it has been built on trust, love, reliability, supportive talks, rational thinking. . .  and doing tons of cool shit together.  The other weekend I held Elwood on my hip as I watched Jimmy and Conor scramble around looking like the 12 year old versions of themselves as they readied the sailing canoe for her maiden voyage camping trip down the Indian River.  A "test run" I was told by the boys to see what adjustments need to be made so it will be comfortable for when Elwood and I get to go.  As the boys pushed off from shore, giddy with the lure of adventure, I waved them off with just a few pangs of envy.  I then looked down at my grinning little boy and thought
  I hope you meet a Jimmy to do all sorts of cool shit with.   

"Jimbo. . . you were right, this splash guard is nice"

"Dad, what do you mean I'm not going? I thought this was a boys trip?"

Bubby has been nabbed

Nabbed is an understatement.  Elwood is beyond in love with Bubby and Elwood has gotten fast.  Too fast for Bubby.  Penny has better anticipation and isn't scared to knock Woody over to get out of his way but Bubby is timid and when cornered by a excited 11 month old, he gets frozen in his tracks.  Bubby gets nabbed on a damn near constant basis and he just pitifully stands there while Elwood squeals with joy and does circles around him, proceeding to poke his fingers into eyes and nostrils.  Bubby just looks up at me as if to say, "What do I do now?"
And for those of you that fear for the safety of my kid:  Relax, these are supervised eye pokes.

All kidding aside, Conor and I do take the safety of our kid and our dogs seriously.  No one can predict what an animal will do all the time, especially when tested by a kid. I want our dogs to get use to Elwood balancing on them, petting them too hard, and yes, poking them in the nostrils. . . while I sit there and rub them and tell them what good dogs they are.  I also am encouraging Elwood to be gentle, showing him how to pet nicely and I tell him that eyes and noses are off limits.  The reason we do this is because we have chosen to have dogs prior to babies (I think that rarely this happens in the opposite order) and they both need to learn to be gentle and accepting of one another.  Both of our dogs have gotten a ton more love lately.  We all just sit on the floor while Elwood delightfully gets brushed in the face with Pen's tail and licked by Bubby while I rub bellies and tell the dogs what a great job they are doing with the newest member of our tribe.  And I try to catch those chubby Elwood fingers before they get to any orifices.

Blurry but highly accurate pictures of what goes on in our house lately

Heart Doctor Seeking Valentine

Must love the outdoors, music, dance parties, Oats, going to bed early and getting up early, wrestling matches, reading books, bird watching, the beach, smooches, and grapes.  Mature women who don't mind changing diapers a plus.