Kisses From Ali

Well it was a rare visit from our niece and nephew during tax season, both Nick and Natalie our accountants so tax season is insanely busy for both of them.  Nick wasn't able to come but Natalie brought Ali and Brock down for the weekend and it was fun hanging out and enjoying the warm March weather.   Hayes had fun following after his cousin Ali in the blanket tent,  Max got schooled in basketball by his Aunt and everyone got wet once Laney brought out the waterguns.   

Early Spring

With 70 degree weather in March and plenty of sunlight due to daylight savings time, we enjoyed a evening outdoors after work and school.  Max, Laney and I played catch and Hayes enjoyed running around.

~Jeff

 

  

The Pickle Game

  The origin of the pickle game escapes me.  When I was growing up I remember playing "quarters" with my brothers but instead of alcohol we substituted the most disgusting drink we could think of, such as a mixture of  pickle juice, mustard, milk, hot sauce, vinegar and pepsi.  Thus when you bounced the quarter into the glass, your brother had to drink your homemade concoction without spitting it out.   So the pickle game stems from that idea of making something really gross and the loser must eat it.  The kids and I first played the game back  5 or 6 years ago when I was a single father and Max would have been about 4.   The game is very simple - in order to have dessert Max and Delaney have to flip a coin with one of them picking heads and the other tails, but while the winner gets dessert, the loser must eat a pickle.  Then the loser keeps having to flip a coin and keep eating pickles until they guess the coin flip correctly.  We originally started with pickles because both of the kids hated pickles, but we quickly escalated to pickles with hot sauce and then pickles with hot sauce and blue cheese.  
   So recently the kids asked to play the pickle game and we were out of pickles so I decided to use jalapeno peppers with siracha sauce, mustard and chili sauce.  Delaney chose heads and Max chose tails (the rules state that one must choose heads and the other tails so that we always get to see someone eat something).   The coin flip turns up heads.  Max must eat the gourmet jalapeno delight.  Max then has to flip the coin again and he again chooses tails.  It's heads-- another jalapeno for Max.  Max sticks with tails but lady luck isn't with him.  It ends up heads five times in a row and Max has to eat 5 jalapenos.  He can quit anytime he wants but then he wouldn't get dessert so he soldiers on.  Delaney of course is loving it.
Finally a tails comes up and Max gets his dessert.  The kids love this game and always want to play it...Now that I'm thinking of it, the drink I made when we were kids sounds worse than my recent jalapeno and pickle recipes.  That drink should be on the next menu for the pickle game.  I'm sure the kids will go for it,  the lure of seeing your sibling gag is a powerful lure indeed.

Wildlife Prairie Park

It was opening day for Wildlife Prairie Park and so we trekked on out for a couple hours of fun.  Max and Delaney weren't especially thrilled because they used to go every year for field trips.  Since it was opening day it was also free admission which was good because it wouldn't have been worth it otherwise.  It seemed like a majority of the animals were not out or sleeping, so that was a bit of a bummer.  Hayes enjoyed dancing on the empty stage and the kids enjoyed the 50 foot slide.  Someone had brought a roll of wax paper, so the highlight of the day was shooting down the giant slide while sitting on the wax paper -- you really fly!
~Jeff

Jeff Hopkins Motion Graphic Demo Reel

Jeff Demo Reel from Jeff Hopkins on Vimeo.