Handy-Dad

I am not the handiest of people but every now and then I get an idea and I go ahead with it. This is my creation for my son to help him learn how things work – I was pleasantly surprised with how much my daughter loves playing with it. And it’s got Cubbies (2016 BASEBALL WORLD CHAMPS) ALL OVER IT so it’s a win for me. Wood and paint and fun things for the hands to play with = DAD WIN!

Birthday 2017

Goes to show you how busy life has been that this post is well over a month old…oh well, here’s the 2017 edition of Brian’s Birthday.

Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday!
  • Steak dinner with Murfeesboro friends and families (carrot cake) – on Saturday
  • Steak dinner with Maguire Family (more carrot cake) – on Sunday
  • Cinnamon roll breakfast from kids and wifey
  • Awesome bday cards from kiddos and wife
  • Red Robin dinner with E
  • Cupcake at Gigi’s with E
  • Gifts – Lowe’s gift card for my new woodworking, new auto opening trash can(the small things)
  • I got to pick our movie that night – Lion (Oscar list)
  • Sam and Zoe’s Breakfast with the family
  • Concord Park fun – sliding, ampitheater, running around!

And here are the freebies I used:

  • Zaxby’s Nibbler (always)
  • Starbucks free coffee (it’s gotta be a venti!)
  • Gigi’s cupcake
  • Kohl’s $5 in free cash (of course I bought something for the kids)

To Use:

  • Free bang bang at Bonefish (can’t wait!)

Birdgate 2017

Life with two kids in the suburbs isn’t always what you would call “exciting”. Sometimes you just have to survive. This weekend, we had to deal with…THE BIRDS!

We forgot to close our garage on Saturday night after a long day out and about. I can only guess that since it was a bit cold out that a few birds looked for a little shelter. Sunday morning, I went out to take out some trash and get things ready for church. Well, at least 2 birds had decided to take up residence on top of our garage door. They wouldn’t respond to “shooing” or loud noises. We were, of course, running majorly late for church and didn’t want them in the garage the whole time while we were gone, pooping on everything. Now, what do you do? Were these birds peaceful or would they try to peck out an eyeball? I may have seen Hitchcock’s “The Birds” one too many times.

We went out the front door of the house and backed into the garage with the kids and moved the car out of the garage slowly. Opening and closing the garage a few times made them fly around but not exit the Williams garage. I got the biggest and longest stick I could and banged on the garage and made loud noises. I may have even started tweeting like a bird. That got one of the little buggers out from the garage but there was still ONE left. I lost sight lock and then spotted him (or her). The little jerk was on top of one of the wicker baskets by the front door. Church had already started so we needed to GO and I was out of options.

In true teamwork fashion, Becky jumped in. She ran into the garage and gave the bird what she calls “a little female talk”. She asked it kindly to leave our garage…and it did. Really? It MUST have been a girl bird.

The kids were laughing when we both got back in the car and Becky and I both had a little chuckle. Oh….what unexpected family fun on a Sunday morning.

P.S. I think I saw a few of the neighborhood birds on the power lines last night thinking about how to plot their revenge 🙂

My Little Girl

I won’t be able to call her “little” too much longer. There’s so much she does on a daily basis that just astonishes me. I just wanted to write a few of them down here

  • Going to the potty by herself; flushing and washing hands
  • Putting on her socks and shoes
  • Gymnastics flips!
  • Buckling the top part of her car seat

# prouddad

Little Girls and Princesses

My little princess got to see her Mom’s production of Cinderella today. It was magical to hear her whisper little things to me throughout and sit on my lap to see a few scenes (where’s the stadium seating, Independence High School??? J/K).

I made sure she did a little extra clapping and yelled out “Yeah Mommy’s Play!” a few times. I thought we’d leave at intermission just due to exhaustion and sitting still but she begged to stay – so we stayed – and she sat at full attention for the longest I’ve ever witnessed my almost 3 year old.

It’s not been an easy start to 2017. While Becky helps lead other people’s kids, I spend most of my time raising ours on my own. It’s very neat though to see Emerson appreciate something that her mother has worked so hard on and literally poured herself into. And it’s great to see her recognize some of the students who have babysat her, picked her up from daycare and become a part of her little world. And when she recognizes one of the “big kids” on stage, it’s just…cool. Amazing. My little girl is becoming a big person in this big world right in front of my eyes.

Impossible things are happening every day and may they never stop.

emerson-with-sydney-rella-cinderella-3

Distance and Time

I’ve got a little series here – at least a two parter, maybe more.  The brain has been really active lately.

Distance is just one of those things that happen in life. People come and people go. Jobs require people to change or they just want to see and do something different. I get it, though I’ve only officially ever moved 4 hours and 20 minutes away from where I went home to from the hospital. I am not a homebody as I have seen close to 40 states and been out of the USA 3 times.

I guess the one theme I come back to here is that means that love is everywhere. I have had lifelong friends move so far away that I only see them once a year. While I love being married and having my family, that means shorter trips away from home and having to spend at least half of the major holidays (and vacation days) away from where I would normally be.

 

Yesterday was Dr. Seuss’s birthday and who doesn’t love at least ONE of his classics? His themes were universal – and so can the people in your life be.

seuss

  • Go to Chicago – get a deep dish pizza and catch up with Allison or Justin
  • Go to Denver – see Travis and hit up the Great American Beer Fest
  • In New York – go catch a Broadway show and maybe see one of my old GHS classmates in a show
  • In Ohio – oh, my cousin Patrick is there and so is my old college roomate Josh

I think the following would be something Dr. S would say to the kids today.

“Take some time. Reread. Think twice. Listen more”.