Category: Photos

Mom Field Trip = Dad Day With Boys

Comics, Family, Fatherhood, Fun, JSL, NHL, Parenting, Photos

Today, over on TheAngelForever.com, B is recounting the story of her mom field trip with Christina from CutestKidEver to see Rene Syler (aka Good Enough Mother).  But what of the flip side?  What did the boys and I do while B went on her road trip?  Well, the boys and I had our own fun times.

As you may remember, I was undecided on whether or not I should go to Free Comic Day.  After B left, I made my decision: We were going.  I armed the kids with their Green Lantern rings from our Green Lantern party, got them into the car and headed over to Zombie Planet.

I had heard that the 501st, a group of Star Wars fans who dress up like Stormtroopers, would be there.  NHL was excited to see “costumes.”  Ever since Disney, he’s gone costume-crazy.  He must meet (and get his photo with) any costumed character who is anywhere near him.  He was not disappointed.

We got out of the car and there, in front of the store, was a single Stormtrooper.  He was joined by a Tusken Raider.

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The Tusken Raider would occasionally make a growling sound (like the one that the movie Tusken Raider made as he stood over Luke Skywalker).  This scared NHL off from getting his photo taken with the Tusken Raider.  So we went indoors and proceeded upstairs to the free comics section.

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Unlike last year, when it was “take as many as you like”, there was a 5 comic per person limit.  I had gone online the previous days to Free Comic Book Day’s website to see which comics would be available.  This meant that I knew just which comics were the best for my boys and which should be skipped.  The only complaints from the boys came when NHL looked out the window and spied Spider-Man.  He insisted that we *HAD* to go outside right now to meet the web slinger.

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I explained to NHL that we needed to check out (even we had nothing that we were being charged for).  Besides, I had brought some Phineas and Ferb action figures that needed peg stands.  I hoped that the comic shop would be able to help.  (Sadly, they didn’t have what I needed.)

Finally, we left the comic shop and NHL immediately approached Spider-Man for a photo.

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Then, I made a Geeky Daddy decision.  NHL was wearing a Green Lantern ring.  Green Lanterns Hal Jordon was supposedly “born without fear.”  So I couldn’t very well let him leave afraid of the Tusken Raider, could I?  I’d have been deducted 30 Geek Points!

I spoke with him about it and he finally agreed to get his photo taken.

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After that, we headed home for lunch and some comic book reading.

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Once the boys were fed, I decided that it was too nice of a day to be couped up indoors.  So we grabbed some of our colossal cannons and headed out to play.

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Eventually, NHL had a bright idea.  His great-grandmother had given them some butterfly nets, but NHL thought they’d make great colossal cannon disc catching nets.  And they did!

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Our next door neighbor’s daughter, N, also came over and played with the boys for quite awhile.  Eventually, they tired of chasing after green discs and wanted to play with bubbles.  Cue the Winnie the Pooh bubble blower!

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They also wanted to play with chalk and I eventually relented.

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I noticed the skies were getting dark and warned the boys that we might have to go inside soon.  Besides, B’s return time was getting closer and closer.

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As B pulled up, I hurredly gathered the chalk and got the boys (and N) off our driveway.  The boys said goodbye to N and hello to B.  Then, as we walked in, the heavens opened up.  Perfect timing!

The boys and I had a fun day together and B had a nice Mommy Road Trip.  I’d call that a win all around!

Partying with the Green Lantern

Fun, Geeky Pursuits, JSL, NHL, Photos, Superheroes

When you’re a geeky dad raising two geeky kids, nothing can be better than sharing some superhero lore with your kids.  Unless, of course, you get to play with superhero themed toys with your kids and your friends’ kids in a park on a sunny spring day!  That’s Geeky Dad Nirvana!

To facilitate the party, Mattel and MomSelect provided me with a big box of Green Lantern goodies including some figures (Hal Jordan and Tomar Re), a pair of Colossal Cannons, some Green Lantern comic books, a DVD of Green Lantern: First Flight, and some power rings.

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I had seen the movie before and knew that is, while exceptional, wasn’t appropriate for kids my sons’ age.  I also pre-read the comic book and found this to be inappropriate for their age.  (There was a lot of blood and people being killed.)  Again, it was a great comic book, but was just a little dark for kids in the 3 – 7 age range.  Were my oldest son 5 years older, I would have had no qualms about giving it to him to read.

On the morning of the party, we packed everything up (except for the DVD, but including the comics) and headed to a local park.  We brought some snacks and drinks with us and met up with our friends: Christina, Tom and TJ, Ali, Zach and Ro, Irene, Ben and Garrett and Laura, Doug and Isaac.

Each kid that attended the party got a power ring and every adult got a comic book.  (Well, 1 per couple).  I decided that opening the figures in the busy playground was a recipe for lost toys, so we kept those for parting gifts.  Instead, we broke out the cannons.

Now, you may recall that I previously reviewed the Colossal Cannon and deemed risk of injury as a downside.  I need to modify that review now.  As we fired the discs at the playground, I noticed something interesting.  They were flying far and fast but seemed more like they were floating discs than injury-causing projectiles.  Perhaps it was the presence of wind or the open air rather than indoors close quarters, but the toys seemed much less dangerous and more fun outside.  Indeed, on more than one occasion, a projectile hit one of the boys and never did they sustain any injury.

We (or the boys) would fire the projectiles and the boys would run around trying to collect them all.  Other than some tense moments where we thought we lost a few of the discs (green disc on green grass = hard to spot), we had a blast.

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If you noticed that the boys were both wearing green shirts, good eye.  B (who wasn’t photographed) and I had green shirts on as well though mine was a darker green that looks more grey in the photos.  Green shirts, green grass, Green Lanterns!

Of course, being a park with a playground, we didn’t limit ourselves to Green Lantern toys in the fields.  The boys played in the playground, in the sandbox and even used their rings to navigate a hedge maze.

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By the end of the day, I was exhausted, but it was a good kind of exhausted.  Of course, my muscles may have been tired, but my geeky heart was soaring because another piece NHL’s geeky education was in place.  He could now recite the Green Lantern oath!

In brightest day, In blackest night,
No evil shall escape my sight.
Let those who worship evil’s might,
Beware my power, Green Lantern’s light!

Disclaimer: Mattel and MomSelect provided me with the Green Lantern toys/comics/DVDs to throw the party.  I didn’t receive any other compensation and all opinions expressed above are my own.

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