ken zirkel

No more crib for Son. Here he shows off his new toddler bed.

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Tuesday I went to the Gilbert Stuart exhibition at the Met. They had the largest collection ever of his George Washington reproductions. But what I especially found interesting the way his middle years were spent perfecting a very specific, stylized portrait style. Also, I learned that Dolly Madison had a really hot sister.
On a whim, [...]

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We had a very happy xmas. Left, Grandma Zirkel expresses sheer joy when she opens her big TV box. Right, Daughter and Son pose for a photo with their cousin. Hey, how come they don’t pose like that for me?

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For our new Xmas eve tradition, we went to see the lighting display at a local church. They have one of the most elaborate holiday light displays in the Northeast, or so they say. It’s about as close as we get to a church during the year.

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On Friday the wife got the idea that it was time to replace our blue 1992 Subaru. Although I believe the car might make it for a few more months, she made some good arguments that the time is right for a better car. I won’t bore you with the list of problems, but the [...]

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Daddy: How are you feeling?
Son: (with enthusiasm) GREAT!
Daddy: Did you go outside today?
Son: Yes, outside
Daddy: Did you play?
Son: Yes, play!
Daddy: Did you run around?
Son: Yes, run around
Daddy: Did you dig in the sand?
Son: Yes, dig sand

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So today I had the bright idea to make sugar cookies in Christmas shapes, of the kind that I enjoyed making as a child. It started off well. The kids loved to cut their favorite shapes. Son even had an Xmas Dinosaur.
But soon the kids were fighting over who would go first, who would use [...]

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My #1 rule of Xmas cards is to create my own cards.
My #2 rule is to sign them late at night.
My #3 rule is to sign them while drunk.
My #4 rule is to call them Xmas cards, never Christmas cards.
If you receive an Xmas card from me, I apologize in advance if [...]

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Tonight, while reading “Bear on a Bike”, Son found a row of palm trees and counted them. He counted from 1 through 12 without making a mistake. I think this is the first time I’ve heard him count so high without making an error.

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Grandpa Charlie has posted about the Rolling Stone list of Top 500 Songs of All time, and has posted his own Top Songs of All Time. Which got me thinking, what are the top songs around our house? Here is our top song list, both to sing and to listen to, from 2004 in no [...]

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