Mark of Fridays: A little off the back

So, Mark has about no hair. He's just basically a baldy - a Charlie Brown, you might say. There's just not much up top. (He has a big head! There's a lot of acreage to cover!)
However, Lynne insisted he was getting a bit of mullet. (As shown in the picture where Mark is stuffing a graham cracker in his face. Look close.)
While Matt acknowledged the 'do was getting a little business-up-top-party-in-the-back, he wouldn't agree that a buzz was necessary. In fact, Matt was decidedly against the haircut because Matt is decidedly cheap. It seemed ridiculous to pay someone to cut five strands of hair. Matt was sure he could do it himself.
At this suggestion, Lynne reminded Matt of previous efforts at home-grown projects. Well played, Red Head.
So, Lynne, Matt and Mark dutifully marched off to the haircut shop.
It was an awesome place for kids. It had a giant slide in it and all the "chairs" were shaped like rocket ships or fire trucks.
When Matt was a kid, he'd sob and wail at the barber shop. This was when he was much, much older than Mark (but not quite in high school). Matt caused quite the scene, apparently. Looking back, Matt can't quite figure out what he was so afraid of. Perhaps a stranger approaching his face with scissors had something to do with it.
So, Matt was a little worried that Mark might totally freak out.

Of course, Mark handled it like a pro. He didn't cry a bit.
And, afterwards, he looked like a Very Big Little Man.
Oh, and the haircut? Fifteen bucks for two and half minutes of cutting.
Even Lynne agrees that Matt can handle the next trim.

Mark of Fridays: I-L-L ugh-hiss-boo

Well, it's November and that means another trip to Champaign for the sheer torture of watching Illinois football. Thankfully, good friends show up, too. Otherwise, the pigskin follies might be overwhelming.

After a one-year hiatus, it was back to Chambana to see the Illini play the hapless Minnesota Golden Gophers. You'll notice that the team was not called the "Fighting" Illini. Alas, there was no fight in the team this year. In addition to being 400 degrees below zero, Illinois found a way to lose to a one-win Gopher team that was ranked among the 10 worst teams in all of college football. That's hard to do.

There was some thought that perhaps children should not be exposed to Illini football. Fear not: most of them spent the game safely tucked away in their hotel rooms.

It was a great weekend and Matt was very grateful that so many people were willing to travel far and pay ludicrous prices for average hotels so everyone could hang out. Seeing all the kids was not only fun, but reminded all the dads of how very, very ancient they are. (10 years out of college!) Thankfully, all of the wives still see the guys as the young, vibrant, agile He-Men they married.

All in all: a great trip. Looking forward to losing to St. Mary's School for the Misdirectional next year!

As far as the pictures, at the top right is Mark and Elyse Theoharis. To the left is Michael and Katelyn Farmer, Elyse and Mark. The irony here is that all the dads had the exact same expressions as the kids. Nathaniel/Kramer was even wearing a similar top.

One last note. Here's the record at UFW's.
2000: Michigan 35, Illinois 31
2001: Illinois 33, Penn State 28
2002: San Jose State 38, Illinois 35
2003: Wisconsin 38, Illinois 20
2004: Michigan 30, Illinois 19
2005: Michigan State 61, Illinois 14
2006: Iowa 24, Illinois 7

2007: Illinois 31, Wisconsin 26

2008: Illinois 55, Indiana 13

2009: Cancelled on account of babies

2010: Minnesota 34, Illinois 30

That's 3-6 through 9 games.

And that doesn't even count a Bears loss to the Saints in 2002 and an Illini basketball loss last year. We're like a reverse horseshoe!

Mark of Fridays: Fall is here

Behold: a story in four parts.

This story can be followed below with the captions or - for a truly enriching experience - print out the pictures and make them into a flipbook! Fun for hours!

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ACT I: Grandpa Mark is lowering Little Mark down the local tunnel slide. What fun for the family!

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ACT II: Watch out, Grandpa Mark! You seem to be leaning a bit too far into the tunnel slide! You don't have a permit to go down that slide!

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ACT III: Oh no! Watch out Little Mark! Grandpa Mark is coming down the slide at an alarmingly slow and awkward speed! Clear the area!

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ACT IV: All are safe. Applause. And...scene.

Feeling great

There is probably no time a parent feels more valued than when your child comes to you in tears and wants nothing more than to be held, because you are the only person that can make him feel better.
In his time of crisis, he immediately turns to you. It's humbling and empowering.
And those feelings of parental vitality are in no way diminished by the fact that he's crying because he fell off the first step while you weren't paying attention.
The child is too young to make the connection between the bump on his head and your incompetence. And that's what important. And beautiful.

Dear makers of diapers...

Dear makers of diapers,

A quick suggestion. Whatever money all of you spend securing the licensing rights so you can put different characters on your diapers could probably be better used to reduce the cost of diapers. Because, truly, I don't care if my kid's pooing on Pooh. And he can't see his diapers! But they do cost a lot!
Just a thought!

Matt

How much would you pay for a used house?

The sign is up. We're ready to go. And we're one of 10 million homes for sale on our block.

If you ever wondered what kind of weird stuff Lynne and Matt have in their house, check this out.

Mark of Fridays: Boo!

Can you guess who Mark was for Halloween?