Hi! We're Cathy and Dave. As seen on ABC 6 News KAAL-TV with anchor Laura Lee. We moved to Rochester ten years ago; and, after being married for fourteen years, Cathy thought it was time I stopped procrastinating and started thinking about our family legacy. We started a fertility program, and she was diagnosed with cancer. We were lucky not to lose her, but our options changed. We spent nearly seven years trying to adopt before Justin found us...
We're trying to get the boys to understand that it is not ALWAYS playtime. What parent doesn't have THAT challenge?! It's not easy, because these guys are enjoying their freedom. Give an inch...
So, Cathy had a thought. After church this passed Sunday, she gave Justin instructions on what he and Ethan were supposed to do. Then WE went to the store. While we were gone they were supposed to get the job done. When we got home, and I came in to open the garage door, they were sitting watching television.
"Popi!" Justin jumped up out of his chair. He told me what he had done and what Ethan had done. "I put my hand IN the toilet and I cleaned it." What parent wouldn't be proud to hear THAT walking in the door?
When Cathy pulled the car in the garage, I told her it was white glove inspection time...except on the toilet bowl.
We're going to make this more of a routine. We have plans for this Saturday and Sunday. Justin has a karate tournament, where he will be showing off his form with his staff, and sparring. We got a nice breather, and the job got done.
While we were out, we found a pretty inexpensive copy of The Last Starfighter. A sci-fi movie from the mid-'80's starring Robert Preston. Cathy and I kept expecting him to break into verse when there was "trouble with a capital 'T' - and that rhymes with 'P' - and that stands for 'POOL'!"
I'd been trying for almost a year now to get Justin interested in either Star Trek or Star Wars. The Clone Wars animated series on Cartoon Network is totally different from the Star Wars films. Especially the GOOD Star Wars films. You know what I mean.
Justin really got into The Last Starfighter. Now, we'll be looking for Flight of the Navigator, but that's another story.
We thought we would give Star Wars a try, since it was the "boom" movie, inspiring so many other movies after it.
Every time we watch a movie, Justin has a million questions. Every one of them can be answered by, "Stop asking questions and WATCH the movie!" Why is he doing that? What's gonna happen next? How come -? "Stop asking questions and WATCH the movie!" Is he gonna -? But if - ?
At the end of The Last Starfighter, like every movie, Justin asks, Is there gonna be another one? I think there's gonna be another one! There should be another one - because that was a really good movie.
Sorry, Mr. Ebert, you can draw a complete diagram on why one movie is four stars and another is only two, but my boys KNOW a good movie when they see one.
Justin made it through the original Star Wars with extra, unnecessary CGI heavy footage with eyes as big as saucers. I even grabbed my vintage Land Speeder and showed it to him. He thought it was pretty cool. He even tried rolling it across the dining room floor.
I made him repeat after me, "Han shot first."
As he was going to bed, we made plans for The Empire Strikes Back.
When he got home from school, Mom let him call me at work on my cell to ask a question.
Can I go ahead and watch the next one? Oh-kay...but can't you wait until I get home and we watch it together? I want to watch the next one now! Can I, Popi, please? *Sigh* Some days it is harder than others to be a parent. Okay. I walked him through where he could find it on his own. Thank you, Popi! I love you! See you tonight!
When I got home to take him to karate, he told me that he LOVED Return of the Jedi...and The Phantom Menace!
WHAT?! You didn't wait for me to watch the third one, and then you went ahead another movie and watched the fourth one without me?!
GO TO YOUR ROOM, MISTER! YOU ARE GROUNDED FOR LIFE!!!
What I really said was, That's great, buddy, I'm glad you enjoyed them...with out me. And that is how I ended every sentence about the movies!
Justin did have some questions about The Phantom Menace. He was asking who Qui-Gon was, and who Obi-Wan was, and where all the characters he knew were. Where is the Darth Vader? And that was when I found out he had started it, but hadn't finished it. We finished watching it together. As much as I still hated Jar Jar Binks is how loud he and Ethan laughed at the character.
Ethan has been spending most of his time playing video games while we watch the movies. He's enjoying them, but in a, they are on in the background kind of way. I had to make sure that when I showed him my Land Speeder, I made sure it was only for a couple of seconds. He's at the developmental stage where things either go in his mouth or get broken.
I doubt that he will be excited about the collection of Star Wars action figures I still have. Maybe when he's older. Right now, we just savor the moment.
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