Time.

My little boy is growing up.

C.C. starts school tomorrow and all week we have been talking about it and getting him ready for his first day. I have been so busy I haven't had much time to actually think about it much until now. I have grown to cherish the few minutes at night when they are all in bed and the house is quiet. It gives me a moment to reflect and breath.

With C.C. starting school it has made me first feel old, and second ponder the purpose of being a parent. When I think about it, the responsibilty is overwhelming and makes me feel so inadequate. All my life I have heard people tell me that time goes by quicker every year and I am seeing this more everyday. I can't believe at times how our little ones are growing yet I don't feel any different. Ok, maybe a little.


I can't believe that William is starting college at BYU this week, that Ian and Aaron are behind the wheel of a moving vehicle.

So many things boggle my mind if I stop to think about them. Our little family is growing bigger and growing up. I think it should remind us all how important it is to stay close and in touch with one another as things change so quickly.

I had a moment to go on a short drive today with my dad and as he told me stories I couldn't help but think of how quick life goes by for us all. Resolve the things we must today as it might be much more difficult later. Appreciate life, our time, and each other.

Summer Time

It has been 20 days now since I have last posted anything on here and I can hardly believe it. Surely 20 days should feel longer than this.

We are well into summer and the days are longer which would make you believe you could get more done. Au contraire, it is more like my mother in-laws garage.
You work to empty it, and it is filled just as quickly with more stuff than you had before. My days are busier than before and summer is going to be gone before I know it.

I feel like my son C.C. felt the other day. We got up and made pancakes, rode bikes, played with friends, went swimming, roasted smores in the back yard (burning every kid in the process including the neighbors), and then finished the day off with some left over fireworks. When I was tucking C.C. into bed that night I mentioned that tomorrow we'll have another great day. He responded that we didn't even do anything fun today. He either has very short memory or his standard of fun is really high. Summer is going to be done and gone and I will be thinking we didn't even do anything fun.

I remember as a kid, summer was always the greatest thing aside from Christmas morning. That first day of summer with no school was magic as I would think of all the wonderful things I was going to do that summer. The days back then seemed to drag on forever at times and there wasn't a worry in the world. Summer meant waking up extra early and going roller skating before the sun and parents got up. Playing down in the river or out in the sand hills and bringing home what ever creatures we could catch. I loved sleeping out on tramp under the stars and dreaded the projects my parents would come up with for us. My dad was usually working a side job painting a house or fence and occasionally we were asked to help. I remember painting a fence with my dad and Annie my little black dog ran under it putting a white stripe from the tip of its nose to the end of its tail.

Summer was a time of freedom and fun as a kid. Today its a little different as I am working several jobs and going to school, but I still find time some nights while sitting outside under the stars to remember those summers from my youth. It makes me wonder what my kids will remember from their's when they are grown and grumpy like me. Hopefully I can meet my sons expectations and we can have at least one fun day this summer.

Oh Blessed Day.

This past Sunday we blessed our new little one Alyson Ann Lange. She did her part perfect and just laid there quiet and content. Her little blue eyes just stared upward at the strange site of half a dozen men's faces surrounding her. If you think about it thats got to be a little awkward for the baby.

We were very fortunate to have a good showing of family there to support us and it has made me reflect some the past few days on my own family. I am not the best by any means of showing my love or gratitude toward them. At times I am the worst critic of my own family which I find very sad. We all have our short comings but nothing should divide the family.

I was very proud of my brother Jason for coming and supporting me and my small family. It really meant a lot to me. Believe it or not he made it through an entire sacrament meeting and didn't die from it. I expect this to happen more now bro.

I was saddened briefly as I thought of my family and all my brothers. For a family with a lot of men I was unable to have a single priesthood holder from my family stand in the circle with me. Now there are very valid reasons like living in another state is a good one I guess. And illness kept my dad and another brother away. So in no way am I looking down upon anyone, I just wanted to express my feelings of sadness about not having my brothers with me physically, as I know you were all there in one way or another.



In my life I have always admired and loved my brothers both older and younger. I have idolized my older brothers as a young boy and been very hard on my younger brothers because I expect great things from them. With all of our family events I don't recall all of us standing together in a priesthood circle or blessing. We came close when, with dad, we were able to give mom a blessing in the hospital. We had all but one brother then, and it is a memory I will always keep and cherish. I find great joy when I talk to any of my brothers. I love to see us together and I find strength in each one of them. I have been fortunate in my life to have the brothers that I do. It makes me deeply sad to hear one say he is removing himself from the family for any reason, Jason. I want all my brothers to know that I still idolize each one of them in their own way and admire the strength and light each one has to offer.

Sleep Bug

Our little Kayli has had a bit of adjustment since we brought the new little baby home. She has gotten better but for the weeks she had a hard time sleeping in her bed. We would get up and find her all over the house. Because she had no sleep she would crash everywhere during the day too. I took a couple pictures to share our cute little Kayli.

C.C. the Superstar!

We are only a short time into this summer and so far so good. Our family has been to a Luau at Bear Lake, had a mini vacation in St. George, and even got away to San Francisco for a bit, but none of these compares to watching C.C. play sports. He is so funny!

I think it is a huge understatement to say that C.C. is a competitive. Something he inherited from his mother no doubt.

I remember when Liz and I were first dating we decided to play chess. Or I should attempt to. Liz had never played before so I found it a great opportunity to show off my wisdom on a chess board. Nothing says I like you than taking her queen with a pawn. I was teaching her the different moves the pieces can make and what their names were while we went through the motions of a game. Mind you we weren't really even playing, merely instructing at this point. Liz became so frustrated when she was put into check the board went flying and pawns became missiles in the air. I ducked for cover and made a mental note to never play chess with Liz again.

Another time we were swimming and Liz wanted to show off her swim team experience and challenged me to a race across the length of the pool. She was fully confident she had found something she could beat me at as I swim about as good as a rock. Now I was trying to be a nice guy and let her off easy but she kept demanding a race. I tried every way I could to protect her from being humbled in the pool but she insisted. We both took our marks and promptly took off for the other end of the pool. Now I wouldn't say I'm a good swimmer but I felt good that day as I attempted to just not drown. When I touched the opposite wall I turned my head to see Liz about half way down the pool and with just a foot left in the water as she climbed out. She stormed off and didn't talk to me for the rest of the day.

I only share these stories to show you all where I think C.C. may have gotten a bit of his competitiveness. I'm not trying to rub it in at all Liz. ;)

This year C.C. has finished soccer in which he was by far the most intense little 5 year old we saw on the field. On the way to one of his games I could hear him talking to himself in the back of the car. He was saying, "I can't let the cougars win today. I've got to do good and beat them." Have you ever seen a 5 year old get psyched up for a game? By the way he refers to all the other teams as the cougars as in BYU because they are the bad guys. C.C. was by far the best scorer and only defender on the field. He even perfected his sliding kick to score several times.



After soccer we are now into T-Ball. Oh boy! This is exciting if you haven't had the privilege of watching 5 year olds kick dirt and chase bugs around a field. We've only had two games so far but I tell you I find myself just laughing sometimes because I don't know what else to do. The kids at this age are much more interested in the shape of the clouds then fielding a grounder. Except for C.C. that is. This kid has practiced for hours in our back yard just because he wants to. The best moment happened just the other day as C.C. ran the bases. Every other kid is lucky to know which order and direction to run but C.C. ran for home and didn't just slide into home but he full on dove, face first. It was a perfect slide other than the fact he stopped about a foot short of the plate. I have no idea where he learned this but he was safe by a mile as the kids in the outfield were probably still chasing an over throw.

BIRTHDAY BOY!

Our "big" little boy has unbelievably turned 5.  I can't believe it myself.  I almost don't like to admit it.  CC has been a great kid and I am ever thankful that he joined our family.  It just wouldn't be the same without his wisdom and kindness around the house.  CC is constantly reminding us the rules of the house and keeping Liz and I in check on everything.  I dread everyday I don't get to spend with my little boy.  

He is a great big brother and son!  

Alyson Ann Lange

Little Trip to St. George

A few weeks before Alyson was born (that is the official name of our new daughter) we took a little family trip to St. George for a few days.  We knew getting away after the baby was born was going to be tough so we drove through the night in a spring snow storm and enjoyed the southern Utah sun.  Most of our time was spent just being lazy.  Here are some pictures from our little get away.

New Arrival.

Just a quick note that our family has increased by one. Liz and the new little one are doing great. We had a little girl that measured 20 inches and weighed in at 6 pounds 13 ounces.

This baby was definately ready to come. We checked in at the desk and 21 minutes later had a little girl screaming. Good thing I didn't stop for anything or try to catch any of the Jazz game before getting to the hospital. We are still at L.D.S. Hospital and both baby and mom are resting.

I will try to post more later.

April Fooled me.

The first day of April has all but come and gone.  Aside from a few tricks from CC about spiders in my hair the only fooling I got today was from weather.  What a weird day!  I drove up to work in a snow storm and came home 2 hours later in bright and sunny skies.  At one point the sun was blazing and flakes were coming down.  The day ended very nice so all ended well.  

I recall once while living in Florida I got a phone call at 2 a.m..  I was asleep and out of it when I picked up the phone.  I was greeted with, "Will you take a collect call from....?"  I don't rememeber what I said, but then Mom said, "April Fools!"  I was confused and lost.  She informed me she wanted to be the first to get me on April fools.  I assured her she was definintely the only one and we talked briefly before I hung up and went back to bed.  One thing about her you never knew what you were going to get.  I think about her quite a bit.  Every April fools day since I remember that call and laugh at the craziness.  

I am a lazy bum!

For months now I have been trying to motivate myself into shape by suggestion.  This has not worked and I am now decided that I may actually have to put forth some effort to get into shape.  Granted I haven't been able to do much of anything the past two years that involved running so staying in shape has been a little difficult from that.  I can remember a younger me that could run for days and play ball until the gym was empty.  There is a part of me that misses that and then there is more of me that loves to be lazy.  Because of this laziness there is now more of me too.  

Liz and I have been talking for months about getting into shape and have always found some reason to put it off.  Most recently she has been trying to pull the pregnancy card on me.  Sheesh.. lame.  I on the other hand have a very valid excuse and until it is fixed I will remain seated firmly on my sofa.  You see, if I'm going to be running so much when I get around to it I'm going to need new running shoes first.  Until then don't get on me.

Yesterday I was at the first annual running of the leopards and met a guy at the starting line which I talked briefly with before the race.  We talked a little about the usual guy small talk stuff, which I can't say here as there may be women that read this and I can't let out the seceret of what guy small talk consists of.  This guy is my same age and gives me no excuse.  (After I get my shoes that is.)  Turns out that this guy ran 52 marathons in 2006.  He ran an official marathon every weekend the entire year! Talking with him and seeing so many others even much older than me staying fit has really motivated me.  In the near future I am going to be adding something to my blog to track my progress.  I urge anyone else to rise to the challenge with me and pursue a healthier you.  I don't know how we should do this but I don't want to be alone.  Even if you just walk a little every week lets do it.  I'd like to hear your ideas.

http://www.danerunsalot.blogspot.com/

p.s. For motivation here is a link to this guys blog that I was talking to.  You should check it out as it has a nice little mention of the t-shirts I made for the race yesterday.  Cick on the part on top about want Dane at your next event to read what this guy has done. 

Pictures from San Francisco.

Brilliant!!

My son is a genius.  He came up with an idea today that has me asking myself, "why didn't I think of that?"

We have an old get well balloon that has been floating around our house for weeks now.  I mentioned getting rid of it and C.C. proposed the most amazing idea ever and so we did it.  His idea was to tie a note onto the balloon and send it skyward.  Now this has been countless times, but his note was nothing ordinary.  He wrote the note by himself and it read, "Dear Aliens in outer space,

When you find my balloon will you please give me a ride in your space ship.  Thanks, C.C."

So now we just have to wait.  I'll tell you how our ride goes.  I can't wait as C.C. is sure his plan will work.

Happy Birthday Sista!

I would like to recognize my OLDER sister for her birthday.  She has lived one more year.  When I was young I remember thinking one day I could catch her age and beat her.  Today I'll let ya win again Jill.  Keep having them birthdays! 

Seriously though my sister Jill has always been there for me even when I didn't want her sometimes.  Think grade school sister.  

A few months ago when I had my surgery Jill saved my life with countless Tupperware dishes full of food I could actually eat, and she showed kindness and genuine help that I will never be able to repay.  This little video and tribute may bring us a little closer to even though.  

Investment Advice.

I know we, or should I say I, have neglected posting anything new for a wee bit.

I will make no excuses like we were out of town, or we have all been sick, or I just can't think of anything to write about.

No, I will not do that.

I am above that.

Lately my infinitely genius and well educated older brother, I'll let you pick which one that is, has been sharing some insight on our government and the mess we all are in. I have been researching diligently on this matter and came to one conclusion.

I will never be smart.

I will however pretend to be on occasion.

With that I will share with you a little advice I found in my research for knowledge.

Now you might say, "Cory, it is from Comedy Central. How can I take this serious?"

With that in mind I just noticed that perhaps I'm looking for wisdom in the wrong places.

Brother, I will never listen to you again.

Another life lesson learned

This morning I learned another great lesson from my 4 year old C.C..  As I was leaving for work I noticed he was reading some books with his sister Kayli.  I wanted to make a point of this to him so 

I tell him, "Good to see you reading books son.  You know they will make you smarter." 

He doesn't even look up and replies, "Ya, I know Dad.  It erases all the brainwashing from the T.V.."

I don't know where he gets this infinite wisdom from but I couldn't be prouder.

Happy Valentines Day.

Ok so I'm a little late, but take what ya get. C.C. wanted to share the Valentine he gave out at school with all of you. We Love You All!

Oh, the THINKS you can think up if only you try!

I have come to the conclusion that my best thinking days perhaps might be behind me. As we age, the neurons in our brains begin to lose connection and quit firing properly. So as you get older you do in fact lose your mind. I am convinced that kids speed up this process tremendously. 

In my not so humble opinion my kids have always been a little advanced so I'm sure they are making me lose my mind at a quicker rate than normal, therefore my glory days of thinking may be gone. I am also convinced my kids are not kids at all but instead Thing 1 and Thing 2. 

I will save the great adventures and deeds of Thing 1 (C.C.) and Thing 2 (Kayli) for later.  

Back to losing my mind. Its worse now than when I even started this post.. As we go through life we are faced with many learning opportunities and hopefully we do just that, and learn. The past few days while feeling overwhelmed with life and the feeling of "losing it" I was blessed with several learning moments that I want to pass along. 

No arrows stuck in the wall this time, but C.C. once again has taught me a few things. Several weeks ago while Liz was at work C.C. helped me put Kayli to bed which she was very unhappy about. We then we went into C.C.'s room to get him down. He was his usual self and I had to time getting his legs into his pajamas between his bounces on the bed. The whole time he is getting ready Kayli is crying and now the dog is barking at C.C. jumping on the bed. It didn't feel like bedtime at all as my patience was being tested to the limit. After a little wrestle with superman on his bed I got C.C. ready and we knelt so he could say his night prayer. C.C. loves to say the prayers and takes great pride in doing so. He started his prayer and I was distracted somewhat because Kayli was still crying.  He prayed for the missionaries, mom at work, family, and then he humbly asked Heavenly Father to help Kayli be quiet so he could sleep. I kinda laughed inside as I could tell he too was distracted by her. After the prayer he climbed in bed and I got up saying something to the effect that I was going to go calm his sister down. He stopped me by saying, "No dad. I already asked Heavenly Father to do that." I started to explain that sometimes we ask for things, and then just like that Kayli stopped. C.C. just smiled at me with that little look of told ya so, and I walked out humbled once again by my four year old. If only I had his faith.

A couple of days ago while attempting to do some homework on my computer Kayli came running in screaming with her brother chasing close behind. I yelled at C.C. to stop teasing her and making her scream and she climbed up onto my lap.  I clicked on the internet browser as Kayli began to tell me everything C.C. was doing in her own language. My homepage which is set to google with a daily scripture next to a picture of Christ opened up and Kayli stopped mid jabber and said, "Oh, hi Jesus."  It got me thinking a lot about my relationship with the Savior and if I am on a personal level like she was. 

The last one for this post came just last night, once again from C.C.. We had a terrible moment in our home last night as C.C. had lost his new Indiana Jones guy he just got that day. Right as he was going to bed the family had to stop and search everywhere for him. This included a flashlight search of the front yard as well as the neighbors. We searched the car and every room. We finally got him to go to bed by convincing him that we would stay up and search for the lost Dr. Jones. C.C. again said the prayer and prayed that we find Indiana Jones and he would be safe. After the prayer we talked a little and Liz turned his light off as we walked out of his room. We were both tired and ready to call it a night as well when C.C. stopped us and informed us we could start looking for his guy in two minutes. This caught us both off gaurd and we just stared at him. He then told us, "cause thats when Heavenly Father starts working, in two minutes."  We both laughed and said that is very good information to know.  

So when life is getting hard and your losing your mind just know you only have to hang on two more minutes. 

Family fun!

As I was pondering what my topic would be for this post I opened a fortune cookie and this is what I read.  I've never had a fortune cookie more applicable.

Over the past few months we have been lucky to spend some time with some of the family.  

I know I'm not including everything or everyone, but this is what I have together right now.  We wish all of us could get together more often. 

A few of the fun times include when we went to Wendy & Jeff's where C.C. and Austin made gingerbread houses.  Kayli probably had more candy in her gut than on the houses. She is the biggest sugar freak I know. We went to the car show with Bret's family and chased kids in and out of cars all day.  Thanks for the tickets Guy!  After the car show we had dinner at the Mayan and watched the divers.  C.C. and Kayli thought that was pretty cool. Last night the brothers in town and Dad went to the Utah vs. BYU game up at the U. We had burgers at Hires before the game and everyone seemed to have a great time even if we were a house divided on who to cheer for.  It was a great overtime game that was a lot of fun. 

The best part of all this is just spending time with family.  We look forward to future fun and more family to join us next time.    

Below are a few pictures from our fun times. Scroll over images to enlarge.

Quit staring at my...

Quick what color are my eyes?  

If you can't tell me maybe you should look up when your talking to me. 

As you all may know I have the lucky opportunity to talk to people all day at work.  I used to really enjoy this and actually looked forward to it.  Lately things have changed a bit. 

The first time I really noticed it, was the first time I went out to a public event after my surgery.  I went to a Utah basketball game and slipped into the concessions line as I always do upon arrival. The game just isn't as good without a tub of butter with popcorn and something refreshing to drink. While in line I occasionally make small talk about the team or game with someone else in line.  I find it amusing sometimes by how many people get uncomfortable if you talk to them. Then there are others I'd wished I'd kept my mouth shut.  

This particular day I found myself in line with someone I actually knew.  We were talking and catching up on things when I noticed his eyes wondering southward.  At first it was no big deal but as his eyes stuck lower than my gaze for the remainder of the conversation. I wanted to slap him and tell him I have a personality too.

Since that day I have returned to work and returned to my boring life before my medical enhancements. I have returned to talking to the same people I used to, but its not the same at all. Now people just stare!  I'm up here people! I have more to offer.  Is it really that hard to make eye contact while carrying on a converstion? Ok, maybe it is sometimes.  

I remember once just after Liz and I got married we were driving across the country in our move to Florida.  Along the way we were stopping at historical sites. One such stop was at Winter Quarters in Nebraska.  We were the only guests at the visitors center and so we got a private tour.  I noticed throughout the entire tour, the young innocent sister missionary guiding us around kept staring down at me. This was a bit odd, but I thought maybe she's looking down to remember what she is supposed to say.  Some look up and off to the side to recall something, perhaps she looks down.  When we got outside I told Liz what was happening and asked if she'd noticed. She took one glance at me and said, "Well maybe if you did up your fly after using the restroom it wouldn't be a distraction to her."  We got in the car and sped away.

Sometimes it takes a honest spouse or friend to remind us that maybe it is us with the problem. Perhaps its not that people are rude, but its the wonderment of a slit throat that draws their attention.  Better that than my fly I suppose. 

A Real Pain in the Neck!

I had a little reality check today.  I walked into the Dr.'s office feeling OK about myself and walked out knocked down a peg or two.  I am nearing a month now since I  had c-spine surgery and was feeling somewhat good about myself and what I thought I could do.  

It has been said that everyone thinks they are better than they actually are, and this morning was no different for me.  I was somewhat proud of what I could do already.  I sat confidently in the little office playing with model spines and nerve cords while I  waited for the Dr. to see me.  

This is something I can't stand.  I really think they have hidden cameras in these rooms and they all sit out there watching you while you get more and more impatient and/or bored.  After I played with all the model spines, read all the anatomy posters on the walls, looked through the drawers that weren't locked, I started looking at the old magazines left in the room.  As I got half way through a women's fashion magazine he walked in.  It happens every time.

I don't know if anyone else has noticed but neurosurgeons may be brilliant, but they are lacking a bit in the people skills department.  He walks in looking like he was just out camping and his polar fleece was covered with long blonde hair.  I didn't even want to know.  I couldn't think much about it as the smell of fritos kept my attention.  I was starving and this guy is a walking frito.  

He begins by showing me my x-ray and tells me my bone grafts haven't made any progress at all.  In fact as he said, "they haven't even started to fuse."  Great.  Just what I wanted to hear.  I didn't even want to ask what was next if they didn't fuse but the words were out of my mouth before my brain could say no.  He said the bone grafts would die and that's where my feeble mind drifted off.  All I could hear over and over in my mind was die..die...die... d  i  e.  .  .        .

DIE!

I came back to reality just as he was saying, "Take it easy."  Cool, my mind is thinking die and take it easy.  

I'm sure everything is going to be fine in a few months.  I just have to grasp the fact that I am not superman and can't do everything right away.  So for the next couple of months until my next appointment with Dr. Die and his mystery affair with a hairy frito I'm just going to be taking it easy.  

For anyone interested this is my new hardware upgrade.  Those screws and plate run about $12,000 if your in the market.  Not your basic Lowe's stuff I hope.

Utahk about a team!

Ok, I know I already made a post about the Utes thumping Alabama and finishing 13-0 but I thought this was worthy of a good read.  I found this link on the frontpage of ESPN.com

Can U handle the Truth?  -click to read story

An excellent read indeed.  Might I mention the Utes basketball team just put a whooping on another SEC team LSU last night, beating them by 30 points.  Yes I said THIRTY points  91-61.  And LSU came into the game with a 12-1 record.  Not bad.

And more here to read from the rest of the nation.

Sweet Sugar High!!

Just a quick shout out for the University of Utah Utes.  They put on a good showing and made me proud by rolling the tide of Alabama tonight 31-17.  I find these moments in life make things a little bit easier even if but for a moment.  So thank you Utah for a GREAT year.

The Truth Pays

Liz and I have finally gave into the pressure and will attempt to keep a blog.  I have done this in the past and the results were weak so I hope this time we can do better.  

As our opening blog I wanted to share a valuable lesson I learned from my four year old, C.C., seen here to the right.

Several weeks ago I came home from work and was met in the garage by C.C. with a very serious look on his face.  The two kids usually rush to the garage and meet me when I come home, but by the look on C.C.'s face I could tell something was different for him this particular day.  I got out of the car and C.C. looked me square in the eyes and told me he was really sorry.  He said, "It was an accident Dad.  I really didn't mean to, but it was mom's fault.  She told me to do it downstairs and I'm really sorry."  

At this point I didn't even know what he'd done, but I was ready to forgive him for his honesty and genuine sorrow.  My mind was trying to figure out what he possibly could have done that would bring him to greet me this way.  He has done many things, including burning a hole in our carpet trying to cook toast with a light bulb, and never had I been greeted like this. 

He took my hand and brought me into the house and showed me the damage.  There in our den was a meat skewer/arrow stuck in the wall.  He had a small bow made out of a wire hanger and arrows made from skewers.  We had played with these outside but today was cold and as he said, mom told him to do it downstairs.  Inside I was laughing, but C.C. was so serious and sorry that I tried to be serious and make it a learning moment by informing him it was wrong to shoot anything into our walls or anyone.  I knew that he knew this already and so I was kind of stuck on how to punish him.  

After talking about it and promising it wouldn't happen again we went on with our evening.  Just before dinner C.C. brought me to his room to show me that he had cleaned it all by himself and how good he had done.  It looked amazing and I was shocked that he took it upon himself to do this without any pushing from Liz or I.  I found this might be a time to teach him that our actions have consequences.  

In the past when C.C. does something good or helps we reward him with a quarter or dime.  He has a small bank in his room and a book with a quarter collection in it.  I had several quarters in my pocket and pulled them out to have him pick the shiniest one as his payment for cleaning his room.  He inspected them all and carefully picked one out.  After handing him the quarter I then told him he had to pay me the quarter back for putting a hole in our wall.  He had to help pay to fix it and the shiny quarter would have to go back into my pocket.  His face and heart dropped as he thought it over and handed me the quarter back.  Inside I wanted to give him a million quarters for being such a good kid, but I really wanted him to learn something from what he had done.  After taking his quarter back and adding it with the other change his face perked up and he looked at me square in the eye again.  

He then said, "Dad, now you have to pay me two quarters because I told you the truth."