Monster Mash

There's less than a week to go before Will starts kindergarten. I'm excited to learn that he only has 14 kids in his classroom ... this is a teacher-to-student ratio that I have witnessed since my Pineview Elementary days.

Anyway, all these pencils, erasers, new school clothes got me thinking about Fall and that got me thinking about Halloween ... and that's what led me to ask Will what he wanted to be for Halloween this year.

"Oh, I know, a VAMPIRE! Or, wait, no, maybe a SKELETON! Hmmm, I could be a MUMMY."

"So you want to be something spooky this year, huh?" I asked, thinking to myself that I could probably handle the face paint for dracula but I'm not sure how much toilet paper I'm willing to go through for the sake of a mummy costume.

"Yeah ... but I definitely, absolutely do not want to be Frankenstein."

Ah, apparently the man-made monsters aren't spooky enough for Will.

He's got skills...they're multiplyin'

That pint-sized world traveler known as Will Tappa is spending a week in the U.P. with Grandma Clary, Aunt Mavis and Uncle John.

My mom reports that he has been busy, busy, busy and has even made a new friend named Dalton.

She overheard this exchange between Will and Dalton yesterday afternoon:

Will: Have I told you that my Daddy LOVES sports?

Dalton: Nope.

Will: He does. I play sports too. I played soccer and t-ball. I haven't played other sports but I do have the skills.

Two boys around the house

Who's got the giggles?

Church Festival

Random photos

I don't even want to know

Scott and I usually take turns putting each of the boys to bed. We love to fall asleep with Will but lately Will's been kicking Scott out pretty early. I think it's because a twin bed can be a bit crowded when your dad is 6'2".

So, on Scott's nights, Will generally hasn't fallen asleep when Scott bids him good-night. His awake status leaves all sorts of opportunity for Will to be a creature of the night.

One recent morning, Will, who usually wakes up by 6:30, didn't rouse until almost 7:30.

He had deep pillow creases across both cheeks and looked as us with only one eye half open as he stumbled through the living room.

"Wow. What kind of night did you have?" I asked.

"Nice tats," Scott said.

Will lifted up his forearms one at a time, glancing at the tattoos with a lack of recognition.

He just uttered two words. "Last. Night."

Please, please, please let this not be one of those weird deja-vu moments in late May 2025.

All hands on deck

Chef Char-o-lie

It's fun to sometimes think that kids will foreshadow their future career paths by the toys they like or characters they love.

It sometimes works out: I think I've heard a story or two about Paul Flanagan and his toy airplanes.

If Charlie is anything like cousin Paul, there's a good chance he's the next Emeril or perhaps that guy from Hell's Kitchen. That boy just loves his kitchen gadgets.

He started screaming the other night as Scott headed out to the deck. We couldn't figure out what on earth was biting him when suddenly we realized that Scott had "Charlie's" spatula.

Yesterday, when I was putting away toys, I found pair of tongs next to the Little People. Yesterday morning, he strolled by me with a garlic press.

Of course, he does have his favorites. For Father's Day, the kids and I decided to get Scott some really manly grilling tools. These things are beefy. When Charlie brings them around the house, he has to use two hands and hold them above his eye level to keep them from dragging on the floor.

We'll see if this stage lasts very long. For the time being, I'm grateful that Charlie's fascination with toilets has ebbed ... that was just plain gross.

Memorial Day weekend at Presque Isle, Sugarloaf Mountain