For now, here is a ticker for each of them so you can see how old they are!

See you soon!

Sort of.

Here is another video I recently took of the family here in town.

Enjoy!

Megan woke up around 5:00am Friday morning, with contractions about 10 minutes apart. As the morning wore on, they got closer and stronger, so we headed out to our birthing center to, well, birth a baby! (Well, not 'we', but Megan! I just drove!)

We got there around somewhere between 2:00pm and 3:00pm, and didn't leave until 2:15pm Saturday!

And now, without further ado, (what is 'ado' anyway? Quiet, Jason...) I present the newest member of our family, Elijah Nathan!

Aunt Abby and her newest nephew!

"Aunt" Amanda and her newest nephew!

Proud Papa! (Times three!)

What A Tush!

Generations...

Uncle Keir, Aunt Jen and Cousin Caroline all stopped by to see their newest nephew and cousin!

First shampoo...

And of course a mohawk! (Thanks Aunt Celica!)

Da' Boys LOVE their new baby brother!

I make no excuses. It took me way to long to post this.

Big changes, more pics and more videos are planned for outofhans.com. Stay tuned!

To tide you over, here is a little video I put together, after I finally learned how to do that! Check back often for more videos! Enjoy!

The newest edition to our family joined us on Thursday March 27th, 2009 at 10:12pm. He weighed 8 pounds, and measured nearly 21 inches long.

It was a long, hard labor, but Megan is so strong, so amazing, that she did fantastic!

As soon as we get home, I will work hard to post pics of the cutie!

And he is cute!

Stay tuned!

Elijah is due on Sunday, March 29th 2009. However, we are thinking that the boy is going to join us sooner than that, as Megan is having contractions right regular (that's how we say 'regularly' in the south) and our midwives think that this isn't false labor...

So stay tuned.

As soon as I can upload pics and info to the 'blog, I will do it!

Of course, I will be a bit pre-occupied, but I will do my best!

Next time we 'speak', Elijah Nathan will be here!

See you then!

This man, Martin Brodeur, is, without question, and without argument, the greatest hockey goalie to ever play the game. (IMHO, as the kids are typing these days.)

This goaltending legend, a personal sports hero of mine, was injured back on the first day of November of 2008, eight games into the season. He has missed 50 games so far, but will be in goal tonight against the Colorado Avalanche.

So I should be happy right? I should be jumping for joy that Marty is back between the pipes? Well, I suppose I should be, but that is where my mixed emotions come in.

His backups, Kevin Weekes and Scott Clemmensen have played brilliantly for the Devils in the place of Marty. Today it was announced that Scott Clemmenson (who played the bulk of those games in place of #30,) was sent down to the Devils farm team, to make room on the roster for the now healthy Brodeur.

And thus I am conflicted, because the Devils have gotten to play in front of Scott for a good chunk of the last 50 games, and is playing well enough to find themselves in first place in their division. They have worked to create a rhythm, a tempo and a work ethic that got them to the top. Now, Marty will come in, and be brilliant all over again, but I am not, and this is difficult to type, expecting that brilliance for the first few games of his return. Why? Because he had that tempo once. He had a rhythm as well. But after sitting out for the better part of four months, he will be rusty, even though he has said he is ready, the doctors declared him healthy, and he has been practicing for a few weeks now. Because I have followed him through his career in New Jersey, (and even got the chance to interview him once) I know that he has a work ethic that cannot words cannot describe. He says he is in the best shape of his career, and he wants to get back to playing, badly.

Once again, mixed emotions for me. Why mess with a good thing? (Which was an incredibly hard statement for me to make...) Clemmensen won a bunch of games, including two back-to-back shutouts, and his reward is to get sent down. "Clemmer" as his teammates call him is a career backup, so for him, this wasn't terribly unexpected. Now, we are to expect that Marty can come back from a four month rest, and everything is going to be okay? I guess the worrier in me, the pessimist, can't really handle that.

Scott, on behalf of me, I would like to thank you for your hard work and dedication. Your contributions to this team will NEVER be forgotten by me, and you deserve the raise Lord Stanley's Cup when the time comes. Thank you.

Marty may be missing the tempo and the rhythm of the game, but do not mistake my pessimism for not being a true and loyal fan. Marty will get those things back again, and the Devils will learn to play with the once, present and future leader.

No matter what the outcome, tonight's game is going to be interesting to watch. (Or in my case, read about, since I have to be at training and won't be able to watch or listen to the game. Damn it.)

It is my honor, and my pleasure to call myself a New Jersey Devils fan. I have been one since elementary school, and I will be one for my entire life.

Welcome back Marty, we missed you. Do us proud...

in general, I hate snow. I used to not hate snow, when I was kid. That was because I could play in it, stay home from school because of it, and throw snowballs at people I wanted to throw snowballs at.

But now, snow is nothing but an irritant. It shuts down cities, makes people (and me) really, really cold, and if not the right consistency, is useless for snowballs. It is, however, great for skiing, which I love to do, but can't since it's super expensive to do, and Megan hates it. Ironic, isn't it?

The worst, though, is dirty snow.

The once pristine, crystal clear, bright white frozen precipitation has turned to muck. It is a sign that the snow has hung around for too long, and that it is time for a change.

A change to warmer temperatures.

Sorry I haven't blogged for a while.

Perhaps I''ll do more.

See you soon.

My boys, (my boy to be) my wife, my family, my friends and my fellow Americans are all going to be part of something so special, so unique, so AWESOME.

I am honored, humbled and amazed that we will all be witnesses to history, as Barack Obama takes the oath of office, as this great country's next President.

I plan to post some pics of his party here soon, but it may take a couple of days.

It occurred to me that I still have folks looking in for updates on the boys, and things like that, so I have decided that when, and as the mood strikes me, I will post.

I do this for you, my loyal and faithful readers.

I'll see you (perhaps tomorrow) but certainly in the very near future!

Thanks for keeping up!

Four.

Where did the time go?

Time really did move. Wow.

Happy Birthday buddy.

Here's a look back in pictures from 2008...

We Love You Buddy!

I am sitting here thinking about this past year, and what an interesting ride it's been along the Information Superhighway.

Almost 365 days ago, I pledged that I would post something here, each day, at least once a day, for a full year. I am proud to say that I posted 362 times. I broke the streak on April 2nd, 2008. Not bad, considering I missed one posting due to a fatal accident, another posting because I was super-extra-terrible-awful sick, and something odd happened that caused me to miss one more posting. 362 posts...It isn't like finishing (or even attempting) a marathon. It isn't like saving a life, or anything like that. It is something I set out to do, and with help, encouragement and support from Megan, it was something I (we) saw to the very end.

So how did I do?

Here were the rules...

"Rules:
- Blog everyday for 365 days. (Blogged for 365 days. (Well, 362, but you gotta' give me an E for effort!) Check.

- Feb.29th is a Free Day and will be the Blog365 day of rest! (Thanks Leap Year) (Took advantage of the free day! Check.)

- You do not HAVE to post to the same blog as long as you post everyday. (I did post to the same blog, each and every day (nearly.) Check.)

- No internet? Write your post locally and post it once you are back on the grid. (Always had internet, no problem there. Check.)

- Computer Broken? Grab some paper and do some old school blogging. (Computer was always functioning, if not slow. Check.)

- A post is a post, not everything has to be in writing. Photos, YouTube videos, and the like are all considered content. (Posted pics, Wordless Wednesdays, YouTube videos. Check.)

- Have fun, because that's the whole point!" (Had a blast! Check.)

Sometime during the past year, I posted that I do not like to see things end, as that leaves me feeling like I am missing something. And that is exactly how I feel tonight. I feel that way because I have become accustomed to posting each and every day. It was how I communicated my thoughts and feeling to the world, and sometimes reporting on events in my life, or posting about things that I thought others might find interesting.

For instance...

I reported on deaths of the famous (and not so famous) not because I have some odd fascination with death, but because the people who left us this year were near and dear to me, for one reason or another.

In 2008, we lost Harvey Korman, Estelle Getty, Isaac Hayes, Bernie Mac, Paul Newman, the woman who invented Slinkies (Slinky's?) and the great George Carlin. I have brought to you the sad passing of Rosa Parks, one of my personal heroes; I mourned the loss of life after the London bombings, the Mumbai attacks, (and now the Israeli attacks into Gaza) and the passing of President Gerald Ford.

I also told you about my friend and fellow Firefighter Paula Plichta, who passed away this year, after a courageous battle with leukemia. She will never be forgotten.

And while the loss of life is indeed sad, there were happier times on this blog.

For example, we found out this year that we are going to be parents (again) to a baby boy. (Again!)

You were there when I rescued a turtle from certain death (or at least a certain maiming) from the middle of a busy road.

Over the past year, we celebrated three anniversaries...The anniversary of this blog, (three years old, thanks Keir!) Jonah turned three, and Josh turned two. Megan and I celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary (!) and we are thrilled to have shared these moments with you. We also began to keep track of when we can expect to see Elijah, and that ticker will stay at the top of the page, and will be updated each and every day, no matter if I post or not, so keep checking in!

We watched in amazement, as American swimmer Michael Phelps and Jamaican runner Usain Bolt owned an amazing and entertaining 2008 Beijing Olympics.

At least three times over the past year, we had visitors from around the world. Bloggers (or at least web surfers) from South Africa, Great Britain and Canada checked in! Thanks, and you are always welcome here!

If you've noticed, along the way, I have learned a thing or two about Hypertext markup language, or HTML. I learned to change border colors, change fonts and their sizes, and even learned to

There were times I wanted to shout about what's going on in our country, politics wise, but I stayed away, not wanting to cause rifts. (I think that's a good idea. Some call it avoidance; I call it keeping peace in the family. Besides, most who read this blog know my political views anyway.)

Speaking of politics, we are about to enter a new year with a new President, and hopefully, a new outlook and a new way of thinking, to get us out of our economic funk. I, for one, thinking positive now, am beginning to feel optimistic about this new President, and I look forward to better, more positive economic news in 2009!

Speaking of economics, Megan and I put our house up for sale this year, and if you're interested, leave me a comment! (The ticker on the right side of the page will tell you how long our house has been on the market. So far, it's been 41 days, and we haven't had a single call yet! However, we have an open house scheduled for early next week, so maybe we'll get some interest there!)

Over the years, I have posted 519 times. 362 of those were this year alone! Wow!

But why? Why did I post each day (save for three) for an entire year? What was my motivation? Initially, this blog was created to show pics of my Da' Boys and my family for out of town friends and family. I promised to chronicle Jonah and Josh's growth, and I kept that promise. (Though this will no longer be a daily blog, there will still be lots and lots and lots of pics of the boys here, so please check back often!)

Of course, this will be the first place to look as soon as Elijah joins us. As soon as the new boy is here, pictures will be posted, so even though I may not be posting each and every day, look for lots of posts towards the end of March. (Though I feel fairly confident I will blog before then.)

I am sitting here, desperately trying to think of a way to end this post, and wrap up a year of nearly daily blogging. It isn't easy. That's because as stressful as this was at times, not wanting to miss a day, it was satisfying knowing I set a goal, and for the most part, reached it. It's not easy because I am ending something I have become so used to doing. I am ending something I had to do each and every day, and I will miss that.

But while daily blogging is ending, I am going to start something new here, and I want you to be a part of it.

Before 2008 ended, I made a resolution and a goal to reach in the year 2009. I resolved to become a more positive person, and my goal is to lose weight and get in shape. I resolve to become a better person because if that doesn't happen, I can always say, "who keeps their New Year's resolutions anyway?" But I have set a goal of losing weight and getting in shape, so that I will always have something to work for. And this blog will be a way of reminding me both of my resolution, and my goal, all year long.

After a short break, I will be back on this blog, keeping track of my progress. While not a daily blog, it will be updated constantly, so we can all see how I am doing! (I haven't really figured out a way to measure positiveness, so you'll just have to trust me on that one...)

For now, I want to thank each and every one who checked in, Jodi, Jason, Amanda, Megan, G'Ma, G'Pa, Dad, Selina, Aunt Ginny and Uncle Jerry, Keir, Aunt Jen, and anyone else I may have missed!
I want to thank my dear, sweet wife Megan, the person who suggested daily posting for a year, and who helped me tremendously along the way. Without her, this would not have been possible. The same is true for my Boys,

Jonah and Joshua, who were outstanding and super cute as subjects for most of the picture posted here. I love you all!

So for now, from my family to you and yours, please have a very safe, a very healthy, and a very happy New Year!

See you in next year in 2009!

That is the eve of the eve to the last posting of my experiment to post at least once a day for a year.

So how did I do?

Check tomorrow's blog posting for the answer, and a whole lot more, including my plans for this blog after we ring in 2009!

See you tomorrow...

In fact, I consider myself to be a very trustful person, one who often puts blind faith into people or services I have never had contact with.

With one exception...

Waiters and waitresses.

I put faith that they will write down what I order, how I ordered it, and deliver it to me with few, if any problems. I may be demanding, finicky or even picky, but if I get what I want how I want it, that waiter or waitress will be tipped well. Or not.

Megan, Da' Boys and I recently went to a restaurant in Apple Chill. There, the waiter took our orders, and didn't write a single thing down. I was skeered.

This waitress is doing it right...

To my surprise, our meals came to us without incident. Da' Boys got their grilled cheese, I got my burger, and Megan got her wrap. No problems. He was a good waiter, and he got a good tip.

But sometimes I wonder if not writing it down means my meal is going to get messed up.

As I think about it, my meals have probably been messed up more from people who wrote stuff down as opposed to those who committed my order to memory.

I will take notes, and provide statistics. Stay tuned.

See you tomorrow...