Category Archives: LCW

The Bird is the Word

June 27, 2019 admin Leave a comment

I’ve been trying to explore our little town more lately with the kids. There are so many small things we drive by every day that are probably fascinating them but we just pass by as adults. Linc has been into vehicles for the past 2 years and Emerson noticed the traintracks through the trees on our way back from soccer camp EVERY day the week before. There are train tracks in Thompsons Station right by a local restaurant called Circa so one evening before sundown, that was my chosen adventure.

I chose well! They loved walking on the tracks (which I am not 100% sure are inactive) and there is an old train model that you can climb onto (and down and back on and down as they had me do). I had to include a little bit of safety like what to do if the signal DID come down and we got a few practice rounds in (also, Mom was NOT present for this adventure as she probably wouldn’t have approved and I only told her about AFTER we were home safe and sound). Anyway, the kids probably did a 1/2 mile walk on and around the tracks each direction. That’s an eternity for kid attention span in my house.

I’d be remiss to skip past the subject of this story. There was what I assume was a family of birds by the tracks – a mom and two of the smallest birds I’d ever seen. The kids were not TRYING to torture ther birds but they have always wanted to catch a bird and hold it. I do not know the reason but no bird has been willing so far. I wonder why…One of the baby birds was a few feet away from the kids on the rocks by the track when the kids decided to chase after it. I was nearby when the little baby bird was running, lost its balance and toppled over. And then was still. Completley still. Had my kids inadvertently caused this bird’s death? Had it small little neck and bones broken by falling just right onto the rocks? The bird was still still. And I swear the momma bird a few yards away was singing a tune trying to call her baby. And my kids had killed it…The bird was still and the kids thought it was sleeping. “Yes”, i said. They tried to get closer but I used my “Dad” voice to keep them back and then prodded them back behind this little area behind a vehicle. I don’t know what I expected to see.

The momma bird coming over and seeing that her baby was dead and doing detective work and having a vendetta against my family forever?

We sat and watched for a few minutes as the kids sang lullabies to the sleeping bird. Eventually, I got them distracted by something else and we walked the other direction. Then, Emerson remembered the bird and we turned around. The bird was gone. Gone! It had been playing dead after falling (didn’t know they did that). I did not see the bird again (the reunion with the family must have been AWESOME and I bet he/she chirped out the entire ordeal).

So crisis averted…we wont’ be having a remake of “The Birds” at my house anytime soon.

LCW

Lincoln Traits

May 23, 2019 admin Leave a comment

There are some things about the kids that I know I will forget as time goes along, The brain can only hold onto so much information and the BIG things tend to take up the most space. There are just some small things that Lincoln does that just make me smile a bit.

He started this a few months ago. When reading a book and turning the page (he turns the pages), he’ll take my finger and make sure that it’s pressed up against the book so the page doesn’t flip back. I never showed him this – it’s just something he picked up,
I’ll admit it. I’m pretty wiped at the end of most days and can fall asleep if sitting still for too long. So during bedtime, if I do fall asleep – or even stop reading too long for his liking – he’ll give me 3 hard taps right on my daddy gut to make sure i’m paying attention. And he smiles so big knowing he’s done it.
He wants to play outside EVERY SINGLE DAY WHEN WE GET HOME…and no matter how many times we say no, he tries to take a car or hot wheel out for just a litttttle spin.

LCW

Being Heard

May 4, 2019 admin Leave a comment

Listening is a lost skill these days. We are often heard on social media or in written form. But face to face communication – I know I often fall victim to waiting for my next chance to talk instead of absorbing what someone is saying to me.

This takes on more meaning as a life long stutterer- really bad as a child to where I had to take speech classes and with varying degrees of difficulty as an adult. There have been many occasions where I haven’t been able to be heard…or I’ve had to change what I wanted to say. I don’t think non-stutterers will ever fully grasp the difficulty this can bring to one’s life (but there are MANY worse things)

With these smart devices, it’s a whole new world. We got out first Amazon Echo device around the time my daughter started talking so it wasn’t something any of us were used to. My son had a bit of a speaking delay but we had ‘Alexa’ in the house for his whole life. He has used the phrase “she not hearing me” so many times when he made a broken English request or was too far from the microphone.

The joy in his face the first time, “she” played the song he requested Man, priceless. ANd he said “yay, she hearing me”.

Yeah, buddy. We all do. Loud and clear. Love you!

-Dad

EHW, Family, LCW

The Story of “John Tonto”

January 25, 2019 admin Leave a comment

I wonder sometimes what my kids will remember from this period of their lives. It’s been so much fun watching them experience new things and just show them the world. I don’t remember much (or anything) from when I was 2 1/2 or 4 1/2 years old…but I think there are probably some foundation pieces that are still in my subconscious.

Which brings me to “John Tonto”. I have been getting a lot of telemarketer calls lately for reasons I don’t know why and I wish would STOP. Let’s just say I’m not always the happiest to receive these calls and sometimes I let it be known.

One day while E and I were out running errands, I got such a call and I told the person to “lose my number and never call me again”. Since it’s out of my typical nature to talk that way in front of my kid (who I had almost forgotten was in the car), she, of course, inquired who I was talking to. Instead of explaining that it was a telemarketer, I made up a person. “John Tonto”.

I thought it’d be a one-time thing. Never talked about again.

Wrong.

It’s been almost 3 months and when the kids use their toy cell phones, they pretend that “John Tonto” is calling them and get upset and hang up on him. They make me pretend that he is calling me and get upset. Emerson has even got her brother in on the act.

Sample Interaction:

E: Dad, pretend someone is calling you..
D: OK (picks up pretend phone and holds it to ear)
E: Dad, who’s calling you?
D: John Tonto
E: Ugh. Tell him to stop calling you all the time! Grrrr
L: (something unintelligible but it sounds like mock anger)

I hope I never forget this memory of them….and that “JT” loses my number 🙂

-Dad

LCW

The dedication of Lincoln Clay

April 5, 2018 admin Leave a comment

I really wanted the title to be a play on the awesome album, “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill”. Anyway…

We couldn’t be happier of the dedication services for our little Linc. So much love, such a great church. Thank you to everyone who came into town for it or sent well wishes. He’s covered in love by those on Earth and those in heaven as well. What a lucky boy!

Thank you Charlie Weir and Gateway Church!

Family, General, LCW, The Godparents

To Lincoln’s Godfather

August 4, 2017 admin Leave a comment

Godparent Series – Kid #2

This was an easy one. It’s about my best friend for over 20 years. Man, has it been that long. I am the godfather to his firstborn son and he’s the godfather to mine. Even though he has to travel a lot for his job, he made the time away from his wife and kids to come visit us in Nashville a few months and meet Lincoln (and give this dad some MUCH needed family getaway time).

Seeing how Travis has transformed into such a family man, lowered his temper, raised his game and become such an amazing father has been nothing short of amazing. He has helped make me a better man, shown me how to do things the right way and given me honest and solid feedback when I ask him for advice (and given me a love for trying to grow my own food). A best friend isn’t one who just blindly agrees – we all need some challenging. Check and check.

I love his family and he loves mine and we are pretty much brothers, probably closer than many real life ones. It’s amazing we have lasted 19 years (senior year at GHS) since living in the same city with maybe a visit or two a year to actually hang in person. The app Voxer has helped a lot along with social media and texting. It’s a challenge but we make it work.

There’s a thing about life-long friends. As you get older, you forget about some of the adventures you had. Travis made me a video for my 37th birthday and looking through them, I can’t believe all the life we have lived. I forgot even BEING in some of those places. It’s a beautiful life and an awesome friendship with him as my bro-pilot.
To my Cubs-loving, movie-watching, Memphis Tigers bball fan and fellow Germantown High School thespian, I love you…man. And my son is lucky to have you in his life.