The Boy Child, aged 4, discovered today that not all plans, no matter how splendidly conceived, reach glorious fruition. The children were brought into the City today, under the Viking Bride's watchful eye, to visit the Norwegian consulate today in order to renew their Norwegian passports. They have to visit in person for these kinds of things, which is actually quite annoying. The group stopped by my office afterwards and the kids told me about their train ride in.

The Girl Child said that they shared the window seat. Their plan, she explained, was to switch seats at every stop so that they each got turns at the window. I was holding their hands and walking them back to Grand Central when she told me this and so I turned to the Boy Child on my other side and asked him whether this was his plan, too.

"No", he told me, "that wasn't my plan". "My plan was that whoever got there first got the window".

Not a bad plan but it did not survive contact with his sister.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 02:15 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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It was one year ago yesterday that I was in a hospital room. The Viking Bride was confined to bed with all sorts of pregnancy related complications and had been for well over a week at that point. But on April 5 (04/05/06) she managed to give birth successfully to the little boy I am calling for the purposes of this blog, Le Fils Cadet (the second son, as it were). Yesterday, the little guy turned one. It has been quite a year.

I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 10:44 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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1 Many, many, many happy retuns of the day!!

Posted by: Christina at April 06, 2007 03:53 PM (gFrA0)

2 Wow, a year already? Unbelievable. Happy Birthday li'l Cadet!

Posted by: Tuning Spork at April 07, 2007 10:53 PM (UlHJb)

3 It's been a whole *year*? Unbelievable! Happy Birthday Cadet!

Posted by: Amber at April 08, 2007 10:40 AM (zQE5D)

4 Already? No way. Wasn't it just a couple of months ago that the VB was in the hospital? Happy birthday to the LFC!

Posted by: Jocelyn at April 10, 2007 09:45 PM (yhl0g)

5 Oh I am late as always...........HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Posted by: LW of Snoozebutton Dreams Jim at April 11, 2007 12:24 PM (oqu5j)

6 Happy Birthday Lil' Guy! Love, Auntie Margi P.S. Time do fly, don't it?

Posted by: Margi at April 12, 2007 11:34 PM (QzQAa)

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A part of any Seder is the search for the afikomen, a broken piece of matzah wrapped in a cloth. There is an interesting piece about the afikomen here, although I do not know how accurate it is. Anyway, during the Seder, I got up to hide the afikomen and, during dessert, the Girl Child and the Boy Child got up in search of it so they could redeem it for a reward. They returned with nothing; they couldn't find it. They asked for a hint. I said, did you try the dining room? The Girl Child looked at me, thought for a moment, turned to her brother and said: "Boy Child, you go check the sun room!"

Guess who found the afikomen?

I declined to allow my dad to give her more money than her brother received. I sort of felt like she wasn't playing fair. Although I was secretly pretty amused by her sleight of hand.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 11:01 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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1 RP, there's a comical ad on TV where three office employees are seriously puzzled over how to ship a package to an international destination. After humming, and hahhing, they conclude that the only way to find a solution is to "break into groups". I laughed when I read your post. Wondered if girl child saw the commercial and likewise thought the solution to finding the afikomen might be to 'break into groups'.

Posted by: Roberta S at April 06, 2007 10:42 AM (M9Nfn)

2 Wow...reading this brought back so many memories. I'd watch my Uncle Izzy like a hawk, but I never caught him in the act of hiding. It'd just be gone and he'd say, "Find it.

Posted by: Howard at April 06, 2007 01:39 PM (u2JaN)

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I was having this chat with my dad the other day. He and I agreed that having children changes a person. Not a very controversial position, frankly, but it was nice to kick around a not too difficult topic for a change.

This morning, walking to work after my morning squash match (lost, but it was close and who cares since it was so much fun anyway) and weight lifting, I cut across another guy's path to cross the street. I tend to walk very quickly and I easily passed in front of him without him even having to break step. Just the same, he spit out: "F*!k you". Maybe that's just normal behavior in his neighborhood, beats me. So, the post-three children guy that I have become responded, without thinking about it, not that way I would have 6 years ago "("Oh yeah? Suck my ****, you asshole!), but:

HEY!! That wasn't very nice!!!

Any street cred that I ever might have plausibly laid any potential claim to is now officially dead, kaput, gone, history, finished.

I am now officially rated G, even when angry.

That G rating does not apply when I am behind the wheel, however. Just saying.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 09:21 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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