Camden's Choice

We've taken Camden for a haircut several times now. And although Camden was a little hesitant at first, he's now more like an old man who knows what he's there for and just wants the barber to stay out his way when he's trying to watch the television they have there for him. He'll actually sit fairly still only turning away he gets distracted by something or they spray a little too much water in his face.

At the particular place we go, they have three cars to choose from for toddlers his age to sit in while they get their haircut. There's a red jeep (super tough), there's a yellow race car (super cool), and then there's a pink Barbie car (super pink). Every now and then they'll change them out for new ones, but on this particular day this was the set up.

When it was time for Camden to choose his vehicle, naturally he went with the jeep. The big knobby tires, super-strong roll bar, and sporty lights are very hard for him to resist. He's been crazy about big trucks as long as I can remember. They are sort of his thing. Unfortunately, the jeep was already taken. A fact that didn't matter much to Camden, as he just went ahead and started to climb into the jeep much to the surprise of the other little boy sitting in the jeep getting his haircut.

After bringing him down off the side of the jeep and breaking the news to him that one was already taken, Camden was faced with the choice of either the yellow race car or the pink Barbie car. An interesting choice considering the stereotypical gender issues at play. And this was the moment that I wondered if we'd done a good enough job keeping him free from any gender bias. We didn't go in thinking about this being a test, nor do we live forcing Camden to choose gender neutral items. Instead we just try not get in his way when it comes to making these kinds of choices.

So there we are standing motionless trying not to give any cues to Camden which might alter his choice in any way. Somehow thoughts of my days as a psychology research assistant ran through my head and facts about double-blind studies were getting all jumbled up in there. And now all the employees were now looking on noticing something out of the ordinary was happening. We all waited for what was probably only 5 seconds but seemed much longer. And that's when we all knew, there's a real possibility he's going to pick the pink Barbie car.

There he stood right in the middle of both cars. Looking them over as if he was measuring up the pros and cons of each. Then finally, he made his choice unequivocally. He said, "I want that one!" And he pointed to the pink Barbie car. I was so proud of him. He in no way seem adversed to the Barbie car in any noticeable way. And he in no way seemed swayed by anything other than which car he honestly wanted to try out.

The fact is that I don't really know why he picked the pink Barbie car. All I know is that he considered it and then chose it. He didn't discount it. And for that I am very happy. And I take it as a sign that we have not biased him with gender specific ideas. And that's a big win in my book.

Turkey Day 2010

My Thanksgiving blog is a little overdue but no worries, here's a rundown of the events surrounding my Turkey Day.

Of course any good Turkey Day begins with the preparation and this year we tried "brining" the turkey. This consists of making a solution of spices and veggies for the turkey to soak in before roasting. The 23lb turkey soaked in the brine overnight and roasting in about 3.5 hours. I don't mind saying it was fantastically moist and tasty.

Tee and I also took part in Operation Homecooking, which means that we hosted a couple of airmen trainees from Lackland AFB. We got word of the event through our HOA. The process was a simple phone call, a background check, and picking up the trainees from the base, which is nearby. There were tons of people at the base taking part in the event. It was awesome. The two recruits we hosted were fantastic. They were so grateful to get off the base for the day and have a home cooked meal. Taking part in Operation Homecooking was one of the best things I have ever been a part of.

Family was also in attendance including my brother and his family who spent the night. Everyone seemed to have a great time and they also seemed to enjoy the food. What else could you ask for? Before everyone left we drew names for a secret santa between family members and took the group picture that you see above. After a little football and some Xbox Turkey Day was over and we were heading back to drop off the trainees. Tee and I were overflowing with thanks that we could share this Turkey Day with family and provide a break to two very awesome people who are serving our country in the Air Force.

Spring Break!

We drove down to SA for Spring Break. It was a busy week but we had lots of fun. We visited with my cousins Gabriel and Cynthia. They made killer homemade chalupas. For those who don't know, this picture was taken in the house I grew up in. I realize you can't see much, but just thought I'd pass along the info.

We went to Six Flags Fiesta Texas with my brother's family. Although, we didn't ride the Scream it was one of the only pictures I took while at the park.

Other pictures from our trip are of Tee and her Sangria....

Amber chasing Tee around the park....

and my Aunt's dog Toby who kept humping his stuffed animal.