Super Sleeper

While Tucker doesn't sleep in our bed like Sophie did, he has no problem with using it as nap spot after a long day of doggy daycare...with the toughest of days ending in a full Superman pose...

Nothing is Free

The kids are at their favorite place on Earth this week - Grandma and Grandpa's.  They get all the sweets, attention, snuggles, and freedom they want.  They'll come home with more toys than they brought and far more regard for soda than they have for bedtime.  However, just like anywhere else in life, things aren't free on the farm. Day one and they've already been put to work....

Proud Display

When your kids make artwork, you display it proudly.  It may be in your house.  It may be in your office. It may even be in your car. It may be the Mona Lisa or it may be an owl painted with devil-red eyes and green wings. It's not about the art.  It's about the artist...and these artists are two of my favorite people on the planet. 

Options

Who wants to play ball when they have the option of just laying around in the pine straw??  Running or napping....running or napping....

Upgrade

Amelia informed me tonight that she used her new app to make me look better. So, looks like all I need to do is turn manly enough to grow a beard, get hair transplants, and dye it all black. Simple.

Forecast

Here is the weather for the last 3 weekly soccer practices....

39 degrees and windy
44 degrees
50 and pouring rain

....I don't remember these conditions being discussed or contemplated when I decided I'd spend 3 hours a night out there coaching both Everett and Amelia's teams.

One of Those Nights

You ever have a night where you keep telling your kids you love them, not only so they know, but as a reminder to yourself of the reason you haven't sold them to the circus just yet?  Well, tonight was one of those nights.  I love my kids dearly and tonight was no exception.   In fact, I loved the way they whined because we had to leave the house and wouldn't have time for video games. I loved the way they wrestled each other in a restaurant.  I loved the way they found 876 distinct ways to say the word "butt".  I loved the way Everett screamed at me because I made him go upstairs even though he was afraid of the doll from the movie Annabelle.  I loved the way Amelia coughed until her throat hurt, but still refused to eat a cough drop because they don't taste good.  I loved the way the Amelia explained to Everett that I wasn't going to scratch their backs tonight because they had been huge pains in the butt....just so she could squeeze in "butt" #877...and so he could laugh like it was the first time he heard the word.  I really, really, really love my kids.

Checking In

Amelia and I were looking at old blog entries the other day when  I came across one of my first and still one of my favorites - http://barberbabble.blogspot.com/2009/01/i-promise.html.  It seems like a good time to check in on my progress now that I've been doing this parenting this for a while..... 

I Promise
As the big day nears, I think it is only natural to wonder what type of father I will be. This being my first foray into fatherhood, I can't say I know for certain how I will be in all situations. However, I have compiled a list of promises that I think all fathers should try to stick to throughout the years. 

1. I promise to mute my fears and natural gag reflexes at 2 a.m. when you decide to defy all laws of biology and fill your diaper with 3 times more substance than you have ever ingested.  Check. This one was easier than I anticipated. I've seen it all and held strong each time.

2. I promise to exhibit the patience of Job when your inquisitive little mind tests your hypothesis that my Blackberry not only can and should be flushed down the toilet, but that watching it swirl will be a hilarious feat indeed. Check.  The Blackberry never made it in, but other items certainly took that wet leap of faith.

3. I promise to be a brave warrior when you hear monsters under your bed or in your closet even though I'm far closer to the indian in the Village People than any in The Last of the Mohicans. Check. Little did I know you actually naturally become brave when you have a daughter. No monster, real or imagined, is going to mess with my little girl.

4. I promise to proudly display your artwork at my office - completely disregarding the fact that I have no idea what you drew or why it looks like you potentially were holding the crayon with your feet instead of your hands while coloring. Check.  I can see three pieces of it from my chair right now.

5. I promise to take you for ice cream after we have a hard day putting in time at the Build-A-Bear workshop. This double scoop and a new teddy will make your Saturday .... simply hanging with you will make mine. Check. I may have fallen short on the bear part, but our love of ice cream is well documented...and yes, the company of my children is still my favorite part.

6. I promise to confidently answer questions like "why aren't there 'B' batteries" and "do people yawn in their sleep" because even though I have no idea the actual answers, all little girls deserve the luxury of thinking their dad's know everything. Check. At nine, she instinctively says I know nothing....but, deep inside, she still knows I have it all figured out and under control. 

7. I promise to dance with you when your school or girl scout troop hosts a Father - Daughter dance. This way, no matter what stage of bodily awkwardness you are going through, you will certainly not be the worst dancer there. Check.  We haven't missed one.  

8a. I promise to be a shoulder to cry on when your heart gets broken by the 15 year old you just knew you were going to marry.  To Be Determined.  At this point, I've learned little girl drama is much darker and more spiteful than any heartbreak she'll have. 

8b. I will secretly hide my joy over this recent relationship development as even though I am 15 years from meeting said boy, I already don't like him. To Be Determined.... but, I still definitely don't like him.

9. I promise to do my best to hold it together as I give away the most beautiful girl in the world on your wedding day... AFTER college...to a DOCTOR. (Disclaimer: "hold it together" in no way means I won't cry. After all, I'm a father, not a robot) To Be Determined.  This has no chance of working out in my favor.  I will be a mess.  That said, I have learned I don't care if he's a doctor. She's an amazing girl and will have her own money.  I just want him to be good to her. 

10. I promise to be the kind of grandpa that spoils your children so badly that they literally cry the whole ride back home and can't get to sleep until midnight because they are hopped up on the candy I stashed in their suitcases. To Be Determined.  However, I do have excellent role models now as this is exactly how my kids are when they come home from Grandma and Grandpa's house. 

As time passes and life gets in the way, lists like this get harder and harder to stick by. So, perhaps I will do myself a favor and make a slightly shorter one - I promise to bring God into your life as I am so very thankful he has brought you into mine. I promise to love your mother in a way that sets the highest standard and example for all men who will come into your life. Lastly, and most importantly, Amelia, I promise to put you FIRST on all my lists. Check. Check. and Check. I had no idea how quickly time passes or how immeasurably life gets in the way.  I'm happy to say that hasn't stopped me from keeping my promises.  Faith in God is a cornerstone of our family.  I love Meggan more deeply today than ever before.  I'm proud of the example I've set for Amelia on how she should expect to be loved as well as the example I've set for Everett on how to be loving husband, father, and man.  And still most importantly, Amelia and Everett come first.  They always have and they always will. Their hearts and minds should be filled with the love, security, and peace that accompanies this fact.    

Born with It?

Women, watch your hearts.  There is a handsome little devil who is apparently preparing for a lifetime of womanizing. When asked what he was going to do when he gets a girlfriend some day, he replied .....

"When I get a girlfriend I'm going to ask her to give me all her Pokemon.  After I get them, I'm going to say "thanks for nothing. I don't love you. I'm going back to my mom!"" 

Obviously, the great example I'm setting as a husband is really rubbing off on him....

TGIF

Ahhhh, the weekend is finally here. Two full days to do whatever I want.  With all this free time, all I have on tap is to -

wash my car
paint the bathroom
add a chair rail to the staircase
coach soccer
clean up the yard
go to the gym
watch the Gator game
buy a toilet, bathroom light fixture, and backsplash tile
go to church
shop for a grill
move patio furniture from the garage to the screened porch
work on a project for the office
read the book Amelia and I are reading
buy new shoes to replace the shoes Tucker ate
return Amelia's broken lamp
file our taxes

....and that should take care of Saturday....