Category Archive for ‘Family Life’ at Serving Bread

Archive for the 'Family Life' Category

Take this up with a toddler

Published

on July 21, 2008

. 3 Comments

Thanks for visiting my blog, Serving Bread. Here you'll read stories, insights, reflections and ramblings from a campus minister, father, husband and Jesus-follower. If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to the RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

When I asked my three-year old daughter, “Should I vote for Barack Obama or John McCain?” She unequivocally responded, “John McCain.” When I asked her again (this time I switched the order of the names thinking that influenced her response) to make sure I heard correctly, she seemed annoyed that I would question her choice. “JOHN MCCAIN!” she snapped back.

I’m not sure why she supports John McCain. His policies do not necessarily promise more “Dora,” candy, or ice cream for toddlers. Regardless, my politically astute toddler (afterall, she is her father’s daughter) seems set in her ways and may cause division in our household.

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Aida Kouyoumdjian, 1922-2008

Published

Eddy E

on March 30, 2008

in Family Life

. 1 Comment

My maternal grandmother passed away last Tuesday, March 18 at her home in Cupertino, California. She was 86 years old. Born on March 13, 1922, in Baghdad, Iraq, she was the third of five daughters of Dikran and Azniv. Her father (my great-grandfather) was one of the pioneers of the first Independent Iraqi Government in 1921. She married my grandfather in 1944.

Together they lived in Baghdad until 1979, then moved to Beirut, Lebanon until 1986 when they moved to the United States. It is difficult for me to capture one memory of her because she has been a part of so many of my memories. For years, we lived together, and until college, I had never lived more than a mile from her.

I will remember my grandmother for her brutal honesty. She never feared speaking her mind. If she didn’t like something I did or something I wore or just something about me, she did not shrink back from telling me. Yet despite such honesty, she expressed unconditional love to many, especially to those in her family.

She is survived by her husband of 64 years, four daughters, nine grand-children, and three great-grand-children.

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Published

Eddy E

on February 6, 2008

in Family Life

. 2 Comments

how to change a boy’s diaper

I know the key is to make sure we cover ‘it’ to avoid spraying, but none of the “covering it” methods are working for us…

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He’s Here!

Published

Eddy E

on February 2, 2008

in Family Life

. 5 Comments

Introducing the newest addition to our family, Dikran Marco Ekmekji. Marco was born at 8 lbs 7 oz on February 1 in Northridge, CA.

Marco

Layla and Marco

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Potty Training Tales

Published

Eddy E

on January 15, 2008

in Daughter Love and Family Life

. 4 Comments

Act 1, Scene 1. In the LibraryÂ

Layla (at the top of her voice): “Baba… Layla has to go potty!”
Baba (me): “Ok, let’s go!”

Baba and Layla walk quickly to the nearest restroom.

Act 1, Scene 2. In the bathroom toilet stall.

Baba helps Layla sit on the toilet seat.

Layla: “Baba, go away!”

Baba leaves the stall, giving his daughter the privacy she needs.

Baba: “Layla, are you all done?”
Layla: “No!”
Baba (in a coaching / encouraging tone): “Just push it out Layla”

Noises from the stall. Did she actually do it?

Layla: “Baba… Layla farted”

Act 2. Scene 1

Mommy and Layla at home.

Mommy: “How was your day today Layla?”
Layla: “Layla farted.”

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Contest Reminder

Published

Eddy E

on January 9, 2008

in Family Life

. 0 Comments

We’re running a contest to guess the correct our baby’s correct date of birth. The pool will be split between the winner and the baby’s college fund. For only $10, you have a chance to both participate in the contest and bless the baby

Click here to read up on the rules and instructions on how to enter.

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“Bless the Baby” Contest

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I guess my child isn’t the smartest…

Published

Eddy E

on December 6, 2007

in Daughter Love and Family Life

. 0 Comments

It’s not that I don’t love my daughter, but I don’t think I’m spending the amount of money I’m supposed to be spending on her to make sure she gets into a top-notch university.

Time Magazine profiled a growing industry of tutors for toddlers. Parents all over the country are enrolling their children to be tutored as early as the age of two. With the explosion of the “Baby Einstein” stuff, this is just the natural evolution of making sure we don’t miss the boat on capitalizing on these important developmental years.

The article quotes a researcher skeptical of this development, saying: “Identifying a flash card at an early age isn’t reading, Wolf notes. It’s what researchers call paired-associate learning. That may sound impressive, but, she says, ‘a pigeon can do it.’”

Critics (and I agree) claim that this may make the child smarter in the short run, but in the long run, she will have a warped view of learning and education. These children will be work-horses, but will lack a value for life-long learning.

I want the best for my daughter and we do look for creative ways to make learning fun. We are content with her development, and frankly, I’m pretty impressed. But to enroll her to be tutored so that she is ahead of her class is ridiculous. (Back in the day, tutoring meant to catch up and be at standard, rather than above standard)

My child may not get into Harvard if I don’t follow the prescription set out by these advocates, but then again, my secret desire is that she’ll grow up and partner with her dad to love CSUN students

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2007 Year in Review, Our Family

Published

Eddy E

on December 5, 2007

in Family Life

. 0 Comments

Enjoy the slideshow of the past year set to my favorite Christmas Hymn.

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Academic year in review

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Any A&R Folks interested?

Published

Eddy E

on November 25, 2007

in Daughter Love and Family Life

. 0 Comments

Over our Thanksgiving holiday weekend, we had a chance to enjoy a new soundtrack in our lives. I’m thinking we can easily release an album with the hit single, “ABC”!

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“Bless the Baby” Contest

Published

Eddy E

on October 3, 2007

in Family Life

. 1 Comment

In a few months, baby #2 will bless our family. We don’t know much about the baby, except that the baby is a boy and should be making his presence known sometime in February. We would like to run a contest between now and the baby’s birth.

The purpose of this contest is to raise some money for Baby #2’s college fund. Pick the date of the baby’s birth, and you have a chance to split the pot with our Baby’s college fund.

The Contest: Pick the correct birth date for the baby.
Entry Cost: $10
Rules: Pay $10 using Paypal and email me your guess as to the date of the birth. The person closest to the due date wins. In case of a tie, the person who guesses closest to the time of birth will win. The winner will get 50% of the pot. The rest will go toward Baby #2’s College fund.
Hints: There have been three due dates so far for Baby #2. They are 2/12, 2/14, and 2/18. Layla, Baby #1, was born 8 days before her due date. She was born at 2:04am. If you have any questions that may affect your guess, ask me!