I promised photos of the kids' new playhouse, and here they are!
Front view:

Back view:

And now for a quick birthday summary.
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Today I am 2⁵ years old.

So far, it's been an excellent day. The kids got up early with me, and got ready for the day without any hassle or arguments -- that alone is a birthday treat! We packed lunches last night, so we were out the door by 6:45 AM. We rode our bikes to the OSU summer camp, where the girls spend the day on campus, doing crafts, playing sports, and swimming. It was wonderful to get the blood flowing, and all three of us were in a really good mood as we pedalled across campus. Tyler skipped breaskfast this morning, so she was starting to get a little sleepy as I checked them in with the camp counselors. Thankfully, there's a fruit and juice bar inside the RPAC, so I bought Tyler an apple. Not the world's best breakfast, but certainly better than a sugary cereal or a pack of donuts. Have I mentioned lately how proud I am of the twins with respect to their eating habits? Sure, they both love chips and candy, but they both also eat a lot more fruit than I ever did at their age.

After dropping the kids off, I rode to my office (back on the side of campus from which we started!), where I arrived early enough to compose this post before setting to the day's tasks. Tonight I'll bike back across campus to collect the kids, ride home, and then go out to dinner, and probably a few gifts.

As I get older, I find the desire for gifts is diminishing. Sure, I still want gadgets to play with, but I recognize that their novelty will soon wear off, so I'm not burning with desire to get more loot (something the twins cannot understand; just as I couldn't understand my parent's lack of interest in an abundance of gifts). I know at least one gift I'll be getting, for which I am quite excited, though. ;)

Birthdays always make me reflective, about where I've been and where I'm going. Despite the sadness of the first part of this year, I am filled with positive feelings as I look toward the years to come.

Last year we acquired a trampoline via Freecycle. I grudgingly accepted. It turned out to be a pretty good decision, as the twins have gotten a lot of mileage out of it. I still need to remind them of some basic safety issues, but on the whole they've been remarkably responsible with it. I laid down the law early on that a parent needed to supervise their activities at all times, and to their credit they've abided (at least as far as I know).

But I've always been a little uneasy about having it. I'm never quite sure how well their friends will handle the trampoline, even if an adult is supervising. And our insurance policy won't cover any trampoline-related accidents. We've had a few close calls, but no major accidents yet (I think the closest was when Mike did a flip and landed half on and half off the thing!).

We've been talking for ages about getting a jungle gym, or playhouse, of some sort, to replace the trampoline. Tom bought me a couple of do-it-yourself books for treehouses, forts, and similar structures. Some of the designs are really cool. Alas, I'm too chicken to go buy the materials and try to build something like that myself. Carina and I had eyeballed a few pre-built models from various places, but the prices were always astronomical for even the entry-level design.

Today, after a tip from Nikki, we finally purchased a playhouse kit. It's gargantuan -- far bigger than anything I had in mind -- but the price was right. I consider it minor miracle that we were able to fit the boxes into the van. Mike was kind enough to come over to help me unload the thing. He even stuck around to help get the construction started. After about 45 minutes of effort, we successfully completed the first four steps of the assembly instructions. I fear I may have bit off more than I can chew -- especially since Carina won't be able to help with the assembly until her foot heals more fully.

I started to disassemble the trampoline, which made me very happy. I feel much more comfortable about the kids having their friends over to play in the playhouse than I ever did about the trampoline. Sure, someone's probably going to get hurt -- that's inevitable with kids -- but the kinds of injuries are likely to be more superficial, which goes a long way toward my peace of mind.

Speaking of the trampoline -- anyone want it? We didn't pay for it, so we're happy to give it to someone else. Pick up only, please.

Today is my three year wedding anniversary.

It's funny to read about the stuff my wife did that morning.

Three years ago I woke up, had a big lunch with my friend Scott and his (then) girlfriend (now wife). I put on a tux, and then stood underneath a flowered arch waiting to say my lines. After the ceremony we had a wonderful reception with friends and family.

Don't get me wrong: the ceremony was nice; but it was a formality for me. I didn't need to say the vows aloud to know that I was committed to Carina for the rest of my life. She's the one for me.

Three years ago I became "Dad".
Three years ago I became "Husband".

Three years ago I made one of the happiest memories I'll ever have.

I love you, Carina.

My 91 year old grandmother -- my mom's mom -- died today. She outlived her husband, all of her children, and most of her friends.

She will always be an inspiration to me, and I hope that I'm as lively as she was when I reach 91.

She was a funny old lady, for as long as I can remember. She travelled around the world, and had wonderful stories to tell about every place she visited. She was opinionated, and stubborn, refusing to consider living in a nursing home even when her health was beginning to fail her. She was surprisingly hearty, though, able to live alone for the last forty years.

Her hearing failed some years back, and she resisted hearing aids for a long time. When she finally did get them, she often simply refused to put them in. Or if she put them in, she wouldn't turn them on. She had a pacemaker inserted late last year; and at the same time we got her a cane. One of the funniest things I've ever seen was grandma walking across her living room, dragging the cane behind her, rather than using it to support her weight! It wasn't long, though, before she needed the cane, then a walker. Shortly after that she was mostly unable to move on her own.

Fiercely independent, she would often answer the phone "I'm alright!" when I called to check in on her.

She woke up every day and read the Wall Street Journal. Then every night she watched television. She used to read books, but her eyes were too weak for that much reading these last few months. She was sharp witted, and very alert, up until the very end. She was a terrific conversationalist (especially when she had her hearing aids in!), and I always enjoyed chatting with her. She was intelligent, lucid, and insightful.

Monday my dad asked me to meet him at grandma's house to help him get her to a scheduled doctor's appointment. She was easy to fatigue, and got dizzy very quickly. Together we were able to get her into the car without too much exertion from her. The doctor identified a number of problems that, together, were more than he felt comfortable addressing. So we took her to the ER in order to admit her to the hospital.

Her blood pressure was extremely low. The ER placed her on a pair of IV drips which helped. It took about five hours to get through ER and into the hospital proper. The whole time grandma never complained. When she was finally admitted to the ICU, she smiled at dad and I, and encouraged us to go on home. The medicine worked to raise her blood pressure through the night, and when dad and I visited her Tuesday she looked, literally, 100% better than she had the night before. There was color in her face, and she was speaking to us (she was almost completely silent throughought the evening on Monday). As soon as we walked in she said, "I'm alright. Thanks for coming. You two go on home now." We laughed, but stayed there. Several times more through the hour she said "Goodnight!" to us, as though we were just on the way out. She didn't want to be a burden on us.

Then, sometime early on Wednesday morning, she woke up and started to remove the IVs from her arm. The hospital re-inserted them, and called my dad to inform him, and finally restrained my grandma's arms because she kept taking them out. My dad went in and spoke with her, and made her promise not to remove the IVs. She promised, and she kept her word.

Around 10 AM my dad went back to the hospital. Grandma said she didn't want any more medicine. Dad made the painful decision to honor her wishes, and asked the hospital staff to remove all support. He called me, and I arrived around 10:30. Grandma had been given a shot of morphine shortly before I arrived, so she was largely unaware of anyone's presence in the room. She was thin, frail, and her breathing was labored. The parish priest arrived around 11 and administered her Last Rights. That was one of the harder moments for both dad and me. Grandma's breathing slowed, more and more. The priest left, and we stood in silence, staring at this remarkable woman who had been such a wonderful part of our lives. Grandma lay, mouth open, breathing slower and slower. Around 11:20 her breathing stopped.

Dad and I cried quietly together. We'll miss her a lot. But her suffering is over.

Rest in peace, grandma.