Watch Out Trees

So, one day Casey and I are riding bikes around the complex.  He loves to ride his bike. He's leading the way and I am following behind.  Suddenly he speeds up then stops, jumps off his bike, and before I can stop my bike and get off I ask....

Mom: Casey why are you stopping?
Casey: I need to piss on a tree!
Mom: WAHT?
Casey: I need to piss on a tree!

And he proceeded to pull down his pants and underwear down to his ankles and piss on a tree. Did he choose a tree in a discreet location? NO of course not.  He chose a tree out in the open where cars pass by all the time. He was pissing and a car was passing by with a mother and her daughter in the car. The mother placed her hand over her mouth and all I could do was laugh, shrug my shoulders with my hands in the air and shake my head. What could I do. 

My boy being the boy that he is....just like his daddy.

Gotta love my boys!

Basketball Playoffs

The TV is a constant battle in the Wang household. Casey and Sydney have their favorite shows, right now it's Octonauts. Meanwhile, Daddy favors basketball. Especially now that it's playoff time. Tonight, I won the battle and we watched some basketball. Casey got interested, and asked to wear his jersey. So, I got his 'retro' Steve Nash- Phoenix Suns jersey and he put it on to watch the game. We watched some basketball together, and then Casey wanted to PLAY basketball. So, I offered to take him to the YMCA to play. (Hey, gotta strike when the iron is hot) I loaded Casey and Sydney into the car and trekked over to the Y. Casey and I passed the ball back and forth. And I demonstrated how to dribble. Casey started practicing his dribbling. Meanwhile, Sydney rolled on top of a basketball, treating it like an exercise ball during core strengthening. Toward the end of the 'practice', I was holding the ball in front of Sydney. Suddenly, he swiped downwards with his right hand, knocking the ball from me. He promptly started giggling. It was a clean steal! Then he did it again and again. And each time, he laughed! Maybe he is destined to be a defensive star. As for Casey, he was content with our passing and dribbling 'drills'. He wasn't even tempted to shoot. Which is a good thing, because the rims were regulation height; 10 feet... It might be awhile before he can hoist shots up that high! Leaving the gym, Casey was already excited to go back and play again.

Close Call

This weekend, Casey and I embarked on a new adventure. As you know, he has been riding his bike without training wheels. In a series of baby steps, he has gone from riding around our building, to exploring the 'streets' within our gated community, to riding on the sidewalks adjacent to city streets. Well, this time, we added an extra component. We ran errands on our bikes. First we rode to Supercuts to drop something off. What is significant about this is that it required us to cross an major intersection. Next, we rode to Target where Casey got a 'drinking treat' ie: ICEE. After browsing for some toy cars and trains, we rode home. The next day, Daddy had a (seemingly) great idea. We were going to ride to the 'Ice Cream Factory' ie: Baskin Robins and eat ice cream. The ride started out benign enough, Casey just very excited to be riding his bike to get ice cream. Our planned route was as follows. Plaza del amo to Crenshaw to Sepulveda. (See diagram below, click to enlarge).


We got to the corner of Crenshaw and Sepulveda. Of course Casey wanted to be the one to push the pedestrian walk button. At this point, the idea was to head east along Sepulevda, crossing Crenshaw. (See red arrow below, click to enlarge) For reference, at this location, Sepulveda has a 45 MPH speed limit and is heavily congested at this time of day. IE: wall to wall cars. We waited for the traffic signal to change, and got the white walk sign on the pedestrian box. Casey mounted his bike and proceeded into the intersection GOING SOUTH ALONG CRENSHAW, AGAINST THE RED LIGHT, DIRECTLY INTO TRAFFIC!!! (See pink arrow below, click to enlarge).


Casey crossed into two lanes of travel; cars had just began to cross the intersection, and thankfully drivers in both affected lanes were attentive, and stopped WITHIN 5 FEET OF HITTING CASEY. I had to let Casey go first, because he isn't always steady on his takeoffs yet, so I have to stay behind to make sure he launches OK. I was just exiting the sidewalk when I noticed he was going the wrong direction. I immediately yelled, "Casey" and simultaneously jumped off my bike, ran after him and picked him and his bike up together and ran back to the sidewalk. Horns were blaring and people were yelling. We waited on the sidewalk thru another light cycle, and WALKED our bikes across Crenshaw. Then we stopped on the corner and I hugged him and consoled him we hugged each other and consoled each other. I asked if he was scared, and he was ready to cry and could only nod his head yes. And I was thinking, "Yeah buddy, me too". While I tried to be strong for both of us, I was torn up inside. Let's just say there were likely way more skid marks in our laundry than on the roadway... This incident affected me so deeply, I couldn't sleep last night. Buddy, I'm glad you're safe, that was a close call!

This is pretty much what was facing us... Kinda scary!

New Workout

It seems every year, there is the hot, new, trendy workout. Tae-bo, P90X, Insanity, etc... There also seems to be an abundance of trendy workout 'props'... Exercise balls, kettle bells, resistance bands, TRX, etc... Forget all that latest and greatest marketing stuff. I have the ultimate workout accessory here... A baby. As demonstrated in the video, baby Sydney can be used for shoulder exercises. There are certain built-in advantages to this equipment, ie: he gets heavier as he grows, forcing you to step up your strength. Perfect huh? As an aside, the workout accessory, (Sydney) really LOVES his role. Granted, he is a generally happy baby, always smiling with that huge smile of his, but he really grins during this exercise. And talk about rewarding. Not only do I get a solid shoulder workout, but I get the greatest feeling of all... The feeling of seeing my baby smile and giggle!

Shoulder Workout from p wang on Vimeo.

Easter Egg Hunt 2013

Casey and Sydney had a private Easter Egg hunt. The ummm, Easter Bunny stuffed plastic eggs with candy and chocolate treats. We escorted them to the area, and cut them loose. Sydney found his first egg, and proceeded to crack it open and goto town on the treats inside it. We have to untrain him from the concept of instant gratification. IE: grab as many eggs as you can now, and you'll have more treats in the long run... Meanwhile, Casey was in turbo mode. He motored around and scooped up eggs in record speed. His limiting factor was the volume in his Easter basket. He had it filled to capacity, and didnt want to stop to empty it and make room for more eggs.

Casey and Sydney walking running towards the Easter eggs.

And the hunt is on...








Bros






Da Wang Boys... All three of em

Lil Biker Dude

Casey has been rapidly improving his bicycle riding skills. He has shed the training wheels. Granted, he had ditched the training wheels once before, but shortly thereafter, he requested to have them put back on. I'm pretty confident this time, it will stick. He is still a little hesitant, asking for help to get started. Once he gets moving the bike becomes more stable and he is good to go... Until.... it's time to stop. He is not entirely comfortable with the braking/stopping/dismounting process. But he is overcoming his fear and TRYING!!! More than that, he is DOING GREAT!!!

The first video shows Casey and Daddy riding together....

And the second video truly touches my heart. The scene took place immediately after he dismounted his bike. He jumped into my arms, and whispered in my ear, "Daddy, I was a little scared". I reassured him, comforted him and encouraged him. Then Mommy and Daddy helped him celebrate, and took care of him when he asked for a surprise for his efforts!

caseybike from p wang on Vimeo.

00029 from p wang on Vimeo.

Greetings!

I came home from work yesterday, and was walking up the stairs from the garage, when I heard Casey say, "I'm going to go fart on him"... I thought to myself, "Wow, what conversation did I just walk in on?". I make it to the top of the stairs, and look to my left... I see Casey, bent over, underwear at his ankles, MOONING me!!! Call me warped, but I kinda smiled to myself... Just to set the record straight, he DID NOT learn this from me. I have never mooned anyone in his presence. For the life of me, I can't figure out where he learned of this concept. But I gotta say, his form was perfect, his presentation and timing impeccable... Kudos, kid...

Alas, he stopped short of actually farting on me...