All is well

The boys are sleeping soundly in their new rooms. Cindy is asleep on the couch. I am about to rouse her to join me in bed upstairs. I forgot how much moving into a house takes out of you. Especially when it has stairs. Ahh, I curse you stairs...but you're still cool.

We are about halfway done, and I am ready to quit. Visions of selling what's left at the old house for pennies on the dollar are running through my head. I mean, I like that stuff, but...I really don't need it that bad do I? We have our beds, the couches, the TV, the tables, ohh..wait, we need clothes I guess. And somewhere to put them. Hmmm. Dang.

Oh, and a word to wise. Do you have dog's? Cats? Furry shedding creatures of some sort? We don't, but the previous owner did. We thought it wise to buy a Dyson-animal vacuum. Best money I ever spent. Turns out she left us the gift of over 20 canisters of dog fur and dander in the carpets. Now, she only lived here 2 years, and the carpet is only 2 years old. And, she had one medium-sized dog. The house was otherwise clean to the naked eye. Doing the math yet? Beg, borrow, or buy a Dyson. We had the carpets steam cleaned for the sake of our little allergic dudes, but Mr. Dyson has himself a wonderful product to be enjoyed by all.

Home Sweet Home...Finally

That's My Family walking in to Our House for the very first time. Today was a very good day.

It hasn't fully sunk in yet that we finally have our own house. That may take a while. The boys can bang stuff up and make it their own. They have what every little boy wants in a house; stairs. I think they must have run up and down a hundred times in two hours tonight. That's fine though. Those stairs belong to them now. Heck, the whole house is their domain anyway...who am I kidding?

I can't say how pleased as a man, as a husband, it makes me to be able to provide this for my family. I've never been in a position to do it before and it has always made me feel a little less than adequate. My wife has a home she can call her own. She can paint, decorate, go silly with fixtures, window treatments, whatever...it's hers. She has waited long enough and put up with more than her share. She deserves it.

My heart is full and my mind is at ease. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Cuddlin Up!

When the boys aren't plotting on eachother they're just the best of friends. Mornings are a good time to catch them in a state of brotherly love. I snapped the shot a few days ago when they first got up. The dudes wanted to cuddle up and watch a little Playhouse Disney before breakfast. That's quality stuff right there. It almost makes me forget about thirty minutes later when Jake was chasing Brady around the house, growling at him. Ahhh...selective memory.

Happy Birthday Jake!

I can't believe you're 4 dude. No way. Well, from the size of you, I would guess 6 or 7 but...anyway.

This year you wanted a Superman birthday and that's just what you got. Your Mom and I stayed up late the night before making your cake. Well, I actually just cut it out and told her where to put the frosting so she is mostly responsible. When you boys are older I am going to miss making these cakes for you. It's more fun for the both of us than you guys can imagine.

Your party was a blast. Your cousins came over and played in the big-bouncy-house thing. We ate a ton of pizza and wings. You got a ton of cool presents and even two Napoleon Dynamite birtday cards. Cracked you right up. You blew out the candle on your cake. Well, Brady blew it out the first time, so we had to re-light it so you could do it. He's a sneaky fella. Then you ate a HUGE piece of cake, cut right from the center...as you requested.

This was such a cool birthday my man. I hope you remember what a great time you had. I always will.

Welcome home G

He's back. He's in one piece...for the most part. I assume by now he's eaten a good meal, taken a long shower, enjoyed a fine American beverage, and slept in a clean soft American bed. He certainly earned it. Welcome home bro.

9-11-01

Five years ago I was in bed asleep. Your mom was getting ready for work. She turned on the television, not a normal part of her morning ritual. What she saw was anything but normal. Chaos was unfolding on live TV. A horrible, terrible, historic moment in our Nation's history, and I was sleeping. She came in and told me to wake up, that I had to see this. That's all she said. I sat up, turned on the TV in our bedroom and watched. She left to go to work and we didn't even say goodbye.

When the TV came on I just saw flames in a tall building. I wish I could've closed my eyes. Maybe a minute after I started watching, I called my friend Mark and told him to turn on his TV. We both watched as a plane flew into another building. We maybe said 5 or more words in the next hour. We couldn't stop watching and we couldn't hang up the phone. Our Country, our beautiful Country, was being attacked and there was nothing we could do, but watch.

In a few minutes, we would learn about two other planes and two other attacks. Still, no words could express our emotions. We didn't need to speak. Everyone knew what was happening, but we didn't want to admit it. Like maybe we were all just watching a movie that would end eventually. It just never ended.

On that day, heroes were made and lost by the thousands. Firefighters, policeman, soldiers, ordinary citizens. All heroes. I felt shame that I couldn't help. I drove down to the blood bank and was turned away...too many donors. When your mom got home, we just watched. I don't remember talking. I remember crying. I remember being angry. I wanted it all to just go away. I wanted vengeance.

Tonight, I am sitting footsteps away, from thousands of soldiers who stood up and volunteered to bring vengeance to the doorsteps of those who perpetrated these acts. Men and women, who have gone into the face of certain danger time and time again. Your Uncle G is one of those soldiers. He is on his way back home from Iraq. He has spent over two years of his life there.

In those two years I have celebrated your birthdays. Taken you to movies. Told you bedtime stories. Kissed you goodnight and told you I loved you. Everyday. It is my privilege. A privilege paid for by better men than me, who have given their tomorrow for my today. There are Fathers who will never get to see their children. Never know the joys of parenthood I know. I am eternally grateful.

Monsoon Sunset

No camera tricks, just good ol Ma Nature doing her thing. The boys just bust out laughing when they saw this. Not that it was so funny...but I think it just shocked them to see the sky so colorful. We see pretty sunsets like this all the time here. However, I need to take more time to see it reflected in Jake and Brady's eyes. Beautiful.

Steve Irwin

I first saw this guy probably back in 1996 or so. I was watching TV with my buddy and we flipped on to see this nutty Australian dude, playing with snakes and crocodiles. I was hooked. We would sit and watch him all night. The guy just loved animals.

Sadly, he passed away today and the world will miss him. He was a family man, and I feel terrible for his wife and kids. What a loss. Thankfully though, my boys will have his show to watch and be entertained and educated by for years to come. Say a prayer for him and his family.