Boo

Remember the two rules for a successful quit. Rule #1: DON'T SMOKE! Rule #2: If you have any further questions refer back to Rule #1. Thoughts about smoking are going to be there during a quit. There's not much point in fighting it. Thoughts only become commands when we surrender to them. Keep it simple. DON'T SMOKE!

Online shopping for sippy cups. My two year-old daughter got a new sippy cup this week. Now, it's the only sippy cup that will suffice. She doesn't want to drink from anything else. She likes apple juice and gets it as a treat. Unless the juice is in the wrong cup, then all bets are off. Toddlers dig in their heels and get stubborn over the weirdest things. Wishing safe travels to the FedEx driver out there who's job it is to deliver these cups to the house.

The IRS calculating how much you owe this quarter...

Jackson is working on rolling over now. He rocks side-to-side when he lays on his back. I remember when Maddie started doing that. Only a few weeks later and she was rolling all over the house. May have another little tumbleweed rolling around soon. He babbles a lot now and experiments with new sounds. Every now and again he let's out with an "oh yeah"...he sounds a bit like the Kool Aid Man. Games of peak-a-boo and ride a little horsey are Jackson's favorites. I had him laughing so much at the "whoopsy little horsey, don't fall down" part last night we had to stop so he could catch his breath. The general consensus is that as Jackson gets older, he looks more and more like his daddy. Whether that's a blessing or a curse depends on your opinion of me I suppose. Happy Birthday Jackson, you are an awesome little dude.

Pondering about how to make this in someway a meaningful post. My last post, a video of a guy singing along with a washing machine, was post number 9,999 for yours truly. That's a lot of wit and wisdom right there. Post number 10,000 needs to be something meaningful. Maybe even downright poignant. This could be a post that changes hearts and minds out there. Or, I could just take the easy route and post that monkey gif again...

My washing machine is out of balance...cleanest rhythm section ever!

Congratulations 11better11. I got here late, so it looks like you're on day eleven now. Good job. It's just a thought; don't make too much of it. We have thousands of thoughts per day; they go away just as fast as they come on. The single biggest turning point in my quit came when I stopped fighting those thoughts. I learned to just sit with them for a bit and recognize them for what they are. Every thought has as much or as little power as you give it.

I love seeing new quitters experience the ripple effect first-hand. Quitting smoking can have far more impact on our lives than we ever expected. Strength begets strength. Confidence begets confidence...and so on. Congratulations Denali. You're doing great.

Good job Denali. Congratulations.

I announced a little while back that Jackson had started smiling. Now, the boy has started laughing. He's been chuckling here-and-there for a couple of days, but yesterday he turned into a little giggle box. Maddie has a toy dinosaur. She will sneak up on you, hold the dinosaur up and say "ROAR!" The little gal is quite the prankster. Jackson was sitting in his bouncer and Maddie would come up behind him and show him the dinosaur. Jackson laughed at Maddie's prank...every single time. Watching those two play and laugh with each other was one of the happiest moments of my life.

Happy to hear it Doreen. I know you will have a great trip and enjoy every moment with your daughter. This particular Aussie had too much fun...

We'll never sea them coming...

Fart-knocker. It's been a while since I've seen you around. It's a shame that came to an end.

Haven't heard of that one, but I'll check it out. When Maddie is sleepy enough to sit down and watch something, we've been watching a Japanese show. The title roughly translates in English to "Funny Monkey and Cute Bulldog." The narration is completely in Japanese. However, since the stars of the show are a bulldog and a monkey the language barrier is not a big deal. Maddie enjoys it and so do I. In one episode they went to a sporting goods store and the monkey ran on a treadmill. The little gal laughed, clapped, and said "again!" I've got a confession: there have been times when Maddie fell asleep and after I put her to bed, I would go back and watch the ending of the episode to see if the monkey and bulldog had accomplished all of their tasks.

Doreen! My partner-in-crime. My amiga. Doorbell. The Horny Toad. Awesome chick by any name. Congratulations on your nine year anniversary and thank you for all that you do here. You are the matriarch of this train and we are all grateful to have had the opportunity to get to know you. Our friendship started over six years ago. A friendship that started over a shared appreciation of dirty jokes and banjo music. So, in keeping with tradition... A dirty joke... I went to the doctor last week. The doctor told me: "Boo, you have to stop masturbating." I said: "Why!?!" The doctor said: "Because I'm trying to examine you." And some banjo music...

I blame Sugar Britches for this one. She really likes this song. And I begrudgingly admit...it is a nice song.

Here's another consideration for your playlist. Some days you just do what has to be done...may have to do it, but I don't have to like it.

You lose track of 'em for one second... Climbing on the furniture is nothing new around here. Maddie has been experimenting and exploring for a while. Last night Maddie ended up in Jackson's crib with him. She used a chair to get up on the table, but the real mystery is how she made it over the headboard and into the crib. The only thing I can figure is that she used her feet on the wall to push herself up and over. It's either that or she has far more upper body strength than I thought she had. With an energetic two year-old in the house, any threat of boredom is long gone.

Congratulations Overcome. Good job.