My son has now officially been introduced to Swedish pop superstars ABBA and their hit single "Dancing Queen" thanks to Dipper Pines and his obsession with Icelandic pop superstars BABBA and their hit single "Disco Girl" on the animated TV show Gravity Falls. Yes, that last one is a joke from the gnarly mind of show creator Alex Hirsch. 

Nathan, being the YouTube Rat that he is, has come across videos of “Takis Challenges” several times. He wanted to try it.

Nathan has learned about Rickrolling.

That would be “Happy New Year” in Swedish because what better way to spend New Year’s Day than IKEA-fying Nathan’s bedroom a bit.

I'm halfway through my Kevin's 7: Video '22 list. Really! I am! I just can't type anymore tonight and I still need to steal some accompanying images. Yadda yadda yadda.

Nathan was watching a how-to video on drawing on YouTube and decided to hunker down with some paper and markers and create a chibi version of his hero Eddie Munson from Stranger Things 4.

I’m watching Raya and the Last Dragon with Nathan and suddenly I hear him, for whatever reason, start singing Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up.”

We have a new family elf for this year’s Christmas celebration! Meet NatELF.

Today, I’m just gonna leave you with this and you make of it what you will.

Nathan has been trying to convince us that he doesn't need to take a shower every day (he does). It's a long-running battle.

Nathan wanted something, he worked for it, and he got it… he’s been selected to join student council.

It’s a special Double-Post Monday (TM pending… not really). Why the special occasion? Because today is Nathan’s 10th birthday!!!

My son looked at me earlier today and said, "Dad, you're not swearing as much lately as you used to."

Before…

Yup, we finished the costume. He looked great. And he and I had fun. Tons of it.

I have always feared conventions and festivals. I don’t like crowds. I hate them, in fact. So, other than the Pitchfork Music Festival, I avoid them.

So I had this conversation with Nathan just now...

Despite wanting to be a meteorologist, or maybe in spite of it, Nathan is terrified of the concept of tornadoes. I say “concept of” because he’s never actually seen one.

Nathan’s school had a Fun Run today. Basically you could run a lap around a park or a full mile which was four laps. Nathan opted for one. We’ll work on that.

Within the last half year or so, Nathan has become concerned about weather patterns. Well, basically anytime he sees storm clouds, he worries about tornadoes. I mean, we are in Tornado Alley, albeit the north end of it instead of the heart, so I understand the concern.

I’m not sure if these viewing stats from Netflix regarding Nathan’s preferred video themes say more about him as a kid or about me and my parenting of him.

Child art is always interesting, isn’t it? Just a total crapshoot as to what you’ll get vs what it’s supposed to be.

It would seem that Nathan is going to have a dual visit tonight from the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy.

One of Nathan’s favorite book series of the last few years has been Aaron Blabey’s Bad Guys books. There have been 14 books that we’ve read multiple times. Me to him and him to me.

Nathan expressed an interest in trying out a FitBit to see how many steps he takes especially with an upcoming vacation we’re going on. So Katie dig out her old pre-Apple Phone FitBit Versa and we charged it up.

One of the big things I was always looking forward in being a parent was introducing my kiddo to Star Wars and watching through them all with them. 

Today, Nathan went in for oral surgery to remove a backup of teeth in his mouth.

Katie and I introduced Nathan to a new-to-him animated film, and by way of doing so, re-introduced ourselves after more than two decades… Anastasia.

The other day, we bought Nathan and new mattress and box spring for the new bed we built for him a handful of months ago. The problem? Katie and I each drive a Hyundai Sonata. Not exactly the best for getting a mattress and box spring home.

To the overly vocal minority, a big piss off.

I love that Nathan has his “thing” when it comes to entertainment. Movies, TV shows, music… he certainly has his favorites.

Nathan has his “own” bathroom which basically amounts to the off-suite hallway bathroom upstairs in our house. When he’s going to have guests over, we pull the shower curtain closed in his bathroom just to give it the added illusion of cleanliness.

Freaking Artie is juicing it up these days. And with Cap’s help, no less.

I totally forgot to mention that, last week, Nathan had a pretty unique experience. A pair of twin brothers in his class at school had a birthday party at a local Taekwondo studio.

It amazes me what nuggets of knowledge kids possess. Not the normal stuff, but the oddball bits you wouldn’t expect.