Welcome to BPD

Hello and welcome to Boys Plus Dad.

Today is the first day this summer that my wife Sarah is back to work after her maternity leave and since I am an unemployed (hooray!?) teacher, I'll be home with our boys for the summer.  I did this last summer with James, our oldest boy who is three and a half, and we survived.  I went a little nuts by the time August rolled around, though.  That is something I hope to avoid this summer.  But now it is time to try this with two boys.  Introductions will come shortly.

But first, to introduce the blog a little bit.  I'm not exactly sure what shape this will take, what themes I'll explore, how frequently I will post updates, or anything.  For now suffice it to say that this will be more a record of what is going with us than anything else this summer.  You can probably expect to see me talking about outings and city exploration, toys, attempting to get James to eat things, food in general, made-up lyrics to songs we sing, one or two things I actually get done, and who knows what else.  I suppose I'll try to keep things more or less organized, but I am no professional writer so don't be too surprised at my overuse of commas and the occasional misuse of an apostrophe (at least to irk Sarah a bit).

So, introductions.  Here is our family:

We are Sarah (employed), James (3.5 years old), me, and Thomas (11+ weeks)

Sarah and I have been married for a number of years that is currently less than ten.  We got married a while ago.  I remember the date, but not the year.  The number of years isn't all that important to me.  The adventures and times that we have and have had are more important.  She is a chemist at a pharmaceutical company and we may see her here now and then.

James is three and a half and has two speeds, 1000 miles per hour and asleep.  He's a great kid, though he is very very active, he also is aware of others and seems to want to take care of people (his little brother especially).  He just finished his first year of Montessori pre-school, and thrived there.  Unless finances dictate that I am a stay-at-home dad year-round, we will definitely send him back there in the fall.
James's likes include trains, train tracks, dinosaurs, stomping, "reading", roaring, riding his bike, hugging and comforting his little brother, and helping cooking.
James's dislikes include unfamiliar food, slowing down, whispering, naps, not harassing the cat, going to the bathroom when told.

This is Thomas.  At just under three months old, he doesn't do much.  People say he looks like me.  If they say so, I suppose it's true.  Beats the heck out of me, though.  I think he looks like a baby.  His newest tricks include holding up his head when on his stomach, and the occasional laugh... oh and continuing to sleep through the night!  We like that.
Thomas's likes include watching his big brother, being played with, breasts, urping all over mom and everything in sight, and being held
Thomas's dislikes include daytime talk shows, traffic jams, doo-wop music, not being held when hungry or sleepy, and autocracies.

Me?  I am a social studies teacher that has never been able to get tenure due to budget cuts.  I'm an unabashed liberal who tends to vote for presidential candidates that only get three or four other votes in my precinct.  I love the outdoors, but also love the Twin Cities.  I wouldn't quite call myself a foodie, but cooking and eating good food is hard to beat.  I've been a wilderness canoe guide and competitive triathlete but have been dealing with back problems related to a couple herniated discs in my lower back.

I used to look like this:

But now I feel like this:

Well, the short one is waking from his way-too-short nap, so it is time to wrap this up.  Stay tuned for more.