Thursday Tidbits

Some tidbits from la casa de Rutledge this week...

• The weather has warmed up in North Carolina -- temperatures in the 80's all week -- so Owen & Gus have spent a lot of time outside. I had the boys for a couple of hours last weekend so we ventured to the neighborhood park with climbing rails, slides, etc. You can just see the boys' apprehension fade and their courage grow as they got to the point where they were running for the next turn once they hit the bottom of the slide. Gus had a minor setback falling from a monkey bar onto his face which scratched him up a bit and scared him more than anything. But scratches, bumps and bruises are part of growing up.



• On Tuesday Amy took the boys to a park where there were several kids. Unfortunately there was an incident where Owen pushed a younger boy off the playset causing him to hit his head and fall about four feet to the ground. Luckily the little boy was ok and we knew his parents. Still Amy took it really hard that Owen had done this. Owen and Gus battle each other at home for toys, books, position in line for raisins, etc. But when they act out aggressively towards other kids obviously that's something we want to nip in the bud. It is tough because at nearly two, they aren't quite at the age yet where they fully understand the consequences of their actions.

• To help with the discipline we've scratched off pajamas, books and Elmo DVD's from their upcoming birthday needs lists and replaced them with the bear trap and stun gun below. Hey, we're about to embark on a double dose of the terrible two's -- Amy and I want to be ready.

(I joke. Of course we wouldn't use such devices on our two-year olds. We'll wait until they are two and a half.)

• Switching gears to hoops, the Final Four starts this weekend with a stellar lineup of two #1 seeds and two #2 seeds. It has really been an exciting tournament to watch. Despite the presence of a Cinderella team making a run, the quality of basketball has been tremendous. The Tennessee/Ohio State, Vanderbilt/Georgetown, UNC/Georgetown games last weekend were just great games to watch. I look forward to the games on Saturday.

• Kentucky's coaching search continues to focus on Billy Donovan. I am intrigued by the possibility of Donovan being the next UK coach and can make a case either way for him jumping ship or for him staying put at Florida. On one hand, he would instantly excite the most rabid, loyal, and supportive fan base in college basketball if he took the job. On the other hand, he can make a ton of money where he is and build his own dynasty in Gainesville. Either way, we will probably know more after the Final Four next week.

• As an avid Law & Order fan this article on former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson interested me. Thompson plays the district attorney on the TV show and is considering a White House run in 2008. If he does run, L&O reruns where he is in the episode would probably be taken off the air (much to the delight of my wife). If Thompson were to pick Jack McCoy as his running mate, he might have a supporter in yours truly. ;-)

• Finally congratulations goes out to our good friend Chris LeDuc from Boston who just took the plunge and got engaged to his girlfriend Pam. We are completely stoked for the two of them. Good times!

Cheers!