At three and a half I’m not sure how much scrutiny I should be giving Carter’s likes and dislikes, but there are a few new ones that are indeed encouraging.
A few weeks back I was able to test drive the Nissan GT-R which was the first car that Carter really took to. He’s always paid attention to them mind you and knows every brand out there by sight. But with the GT-R he wanted to see the engine and in every test car since he’s asked the same thing.
I have to pop the hood and lift him up so he can check it out.
The other day we were driving back from a friend’s birthday party and the kids were in the back. Carter asked me to “Drive faster!” then Evie chimed in “FASTER!” so I floored it…in a Rolls Royce Ghost no less.
With cars clearly engrained permanently in this kid’s noggin I was stoked to hear he has taken to liking Spider-Man and Iron Man. Clearly from his friends at daycare who are older. Still, it’s the first step into comic books and I can’t wait until we get to go to the comic shop together.
Now if I can just get him to like Pearl Jam when we’re in the car instead of Rihanna…
Disclaimer: I haven’t seen the new ‘Green Lantern’ movie and I probably won’t until it’s on HBO, like every other movie that’s come out for the past three+ years since Carter was born. But I read the comics and know Ryan Reynolds stars as the iconic Hal Jordon.
Reynolds is also taking up the charge to promote Nissan’s all-electric Nissan Leaf. Get it? Charge?
Well as many of you know I’ve been driving a Leaf my company purchased as a long-term test car months ago. Do I feel like a green superhero when it’s plugged into my two-car garage, wedged next to a mound of outdoor toys?
A lot of times, all the time actually, folks tell me to enjoy the kids because they’ll "grow up so fast." I don’t know how many times I’ve heard that in the three and a half years since Carter was born.
Even when I’m out of town for just a few days the two kids seem bigger in size, more articulate with language and just plain cuter then when I left. So I guess that saying is apt.
But this spring and summer there has definitely been a huge change. I haven’t really noticed a big growth spurt but Carter and Evie have done something new so quickly it was overwhelming. Both kids are pedaling their big wheels and trikes. In the video above you see Carter still pushing his big wheel with his feet. That was in April. By early June he’s pedaling. Evie is clearly a fast study and is pedaling the trike she's able to reach.
Carter is also moving really fast into everything now. He used to be kind of hesitant but often surprises us like when we recently went to a park and he jumped into a paddle boat and just started moving.
Yesterday, I was delayed coming home from a business trip and decided to do a quick iMovie of the kids in motion, pasted above. It’s really only interesting to our family and friends…unless you want to see Carter finally enjoying one of Daddy’s test cars.
Saturday I took Carter to the toy store to pick up a reward for potty training. Yep, the boy is pooping without incident for about a month now (knock on wood). We have a little chart and every time he poops he gets a new sticker for the chart.
At the end of filling the chart Carter gets a prize. He has been pouring over the new Chuggington catalog (he reads them, and makes us read them to him too) for a few weeks and wanted the Musical Car that plays the Chuggington theme song music, sans lyrics.
We took the Nissan GT-R to the store after his nap. Well, he didn’t really nap, because he knew where we were going afterwards. So, he climbed in the back of the $100,000 sports car – he called it the blue Nissan race car – and headed to the store.
After about 20 minutes playing at the store with its duel Thomas and Chuggington train tables (otherwise known as “heaven”) we headed home. I had to open the Musical Car and Carter went right to town hitting the button that plays the song. He hit that button continuously for the entire ride home. Thus, this video.
Daddy was about to go insane by the end of the 20-minute ride.
I hope that when he hits action figure age the musical/electronic noise producing toys end. Do they? Please tell me they do.
I'd say only the Dodge Charger is indeed Dad/Family friendly but I enjoyed the Mercedes-Benz CL550...a lot. And the Lexus CT200h is more fun than I thought it would be. If you want one-on-one advice on buying a new car ask me on Facebook! Otherwise check out my work on Cars.com.
I’m not going to review Eddie Vedder’s new solo record, Ukulele Songs, featuring the above song, a version of the Pearl Jam track "Can’t Keep". The video actually sounds like the audio was recorded right there on the rocks but I don’t see any mic. Can anyone help me out with that?
Anyway, one reason I didn’t cry after being shut out of the Eddie Vedder shows later this month in Chicago was because I figured it would be heavy on the Uke. For a record it’s a neat idea, shelling out $300+ for seats via StubHub or Craigslist…probably not.
One sentence record review: This record, unlike the Into The Wild Soundtrack is just for Pearl Jam fans.
As we took in a wonderful, sunny Memorial Day (after two days of crap Chicago-burb weather) the cameras came out. My wife shoots with our Canon G9, which produces amazing photos. Check out one below. I whip out my iPhone when not saving kids from certain doom caused by trike/water table/every toy on the ground.
In the past I’ve written about some cool photo apps for the iPhone but I rarely use them. I’ve found the one I still use the most is QuadCamera (above) because it captures the frenetic action that is living with a three and two-year-old rather well. I also shot an "8mm" video Monday, but don’t think it offers enough over the standard iPhone vid I shot. I’d also rather have the widescreen ratio without it to sync up to iMovie better.
I rarely if ever use Infinicam anymore, even for my car photo twitpics.
I’d definitely like to hear what others use and any first-hand reviews.
There have been a few things said and reported about MGD 64 Lemonade. It’s been marketed to female centric blogs and isn’t widely available for sale yet. I only just learned of it through my wife hunting for Weight Watcher friendly foods...and I guess drinks.
I have a connection inside Miller Coors so I secured a single bottle to test just recently. Before all the readers assail me for reviewing such a concoction there is a history for lemonade and beer err…concoctions.
A few years after moving to Chicago to marry my wife we went to a Fourth of July parade in her hometown of Palatine. A family friend was nearby and had gallon milk jugs filled with a yellowy drink. It was beer and lemonade…and a little vodka. It was the best thing you could have on a hot day watching a parade. Of course two red plastic cups of it knocked you on your ass.
MGD 64 Lemonade tastes the same but you could probably drink a dozen of them with little impact to the senses, it’s only 2.8% alcohol.