Brief update - More to come

I know it's been a while. I'm sorry. I have been shirking my duties as purveyor of Baker Monkey knowledge. I'm sorry. I've been very busy and just haven't made the time to update in a while. If it makes you feel better I've been neglecting my music site as well.

Maggie went to UK's last home gymnastics meet yesterday. Princess Pinky wrote all about it in this post, complete with a picture of my girl with two of her favorite gymnasts. From what I hear Maggie is really coming out of her shell and actually talked with these girls at length about gymnastics without the usual fidgeting and hiding. I wish I could have been there to see it.

Josh turns seven today. We're having a family party today and then a friends party tomorrow at Kids' Place. I'll do a whole new post on that soon, complete with pictures and everything. Josh's basketball team (which I have been helping coach) is doing very well. They're learning a lot and improving with each practice and game. It's been a lot of fun for me to watch these kids develop.

Caleb has been helping me coach. I think it's mostly because he's been very needy lately, particularly wanting to be around whoever is least available at the time. If his mother is cooking dinner or cleaning the kitchen, or even updating her blog with way more regularity than I have been, then he wants her. If I'm across the gym trying to teach nine other kids how to rebound, then he wants me. That said, he's having fun being around the bigger kids. Plus he got to dunk on Wednesday (with some help), so he's having a lot of fun.

Like I said, I'm sorry I've been neglecting you. I'd make some sort of empty promise to do better in the future, but I'm not sure that either of us would believe it.

Well, I will promise something. I'll post about Josh's birthday parties soon.

Tom

Baker Monkey sighting!

The Baker Monkeys have been making the cyber rounds of late. They were recently sighted at Princess Pinky's, appearing in this post about whaling. I'm so proud of my tree-hugging-nature-loving-whale-saving little hippie Monkeys and their would-be activist mother.

Baker Monkeys on Ice / Giant Picture Post

In honor of it being freaking frigid here I have decided to get off my lazy duff and post the previously promised pictures. Actually, I'm not sure that the two have anything to do with each other and I do find it a little ironic that my version of "get(ting) off my lazy duff" involves sitting in front of a computer. That said, it is so cold outside (2 degrees) that I was thinking of working on a new musical extravaganza called "Baker Monkeys on Ice", and I'm pretty sure that the cold has affected my brain and thus led to this little bit of inane rambling that precedes the pictures that are to follow now:

From Adam's party...

From Maggie's gymnastics...

From UK gymnastics...

From Skybourne Studios (Baby, It's Cold Outside)...

I think that's probably enough pictures for now. I hope you have enjoyed this photographic gluttony!

So, what's new in the land of the Baker Monkeys?

I know it's been a little while since I've provided any updates here. That should not in any way indicate a lack of activity here at Baker Monkey central. Quite the opposite, actually. We have been extremely busy.

Josh is a basketball player now. If it seems to you like early February is a little late to be starting basketball, you are absolutely correct. While I have always striven to be a very loving and involved parent, I have never been considered to be an organized and "together" one. A few months ago I totally flaked out on getting Josh signed up on time for the basketball league he was going to be playing in. Fortunately the local Y has a second basketball session for the children of parents like me.

While that is a very good thing, they also appear to have coached that are even flakier than me. You don't believe that's possible? Josh's entire coaching staff quit just before the first practice! We went to the gym where the practice was supposed to be. We arrived early (in our sporting experience thus far "on time" is "late") and waited. And waited...

Fifteen minutes and about five phone calls later (to make sure we were in the right place at the right time) a coach for Josh's team arrived. He explained that he had just found out that he was needed to coach the team because the other coaches had decided not to coach this season after all. He is a soccer coach with the Y and has never coached basketball before, and could therefor really use some help.

To make a long story short, I am now a basketball coach.

This could be very interesting.

In other Baker Monkey news:

There's actual snow on the ground. The Monkeys got to go skiing today, and will also be doing a fair amount of snow playing over the weekend. Last weekend we went to Adam's (the Baker Monkeys' cousin) and had a marvelous time. Caleb received an awe-inspiring black eye to go along with his scar and missing tooth. Pictures of all of these events and more will be posted as soon as I have both the time and the inclination.