This is Enough

Yesterday, Sarah and I noticed a sizable leak coming from the toilet in our master bedroom, it proceeded in the wall and into a storage closet in our bedroom.  We we lifted things off the floor in the closest they were wet and moldy.  It was a disaster, and by was I mean is, we are sleeping in the guest bedroom until it gets fixed.  On the bright side it is kind of cute watching Cooper and Micah walk around in little toddler sized gas masks.

We have been renting this house for the past few months waiting until we are qualified to buy another home to do just that.  The original intention was to buy the house we are renting, truth be told, between the leaking sewage incident and the fact that I don't think us and the owners are going to get to a price we are both happy with we have been looking elsewhere.  I mean, Sarah has been searching online, but when you are looking in a small town like Kingsburg for a home, you will probably drive by a new home for sale before you see it online.  Needless to say, we are on the hunt and have a beaut in our sights.

I won't tell you where it is because I don't want you to stalk me, actually you can stalk me, just don't put an offer in on the house we want.

It never seizes to amaze me how God reminds you that he is in control, and in ways that a lot of times frustrate teh heck out of me.  After seeing and drooling over the home we saw, Sarah came home and listened to a sermon by Brad Bell.  She felt convicted about giving something more attention than her relationship with God, I merely told her to stop listening to Brad.  She remained adamant though and has forced us to slow down and count the blessing God has given us already.

I have been thinking about the phrase, "This is enough."

As in, "God, this is enough.  You have blessed me immensely and now you are just showing off.  I have two healthy kids, a job, a wife with a job, a car that runs smoothly (most days) and an incredible base of friends and family.  This is enough.

And every time I get anxious and worry about financials or try to tell other buyers that their are ghosts in the house, I remember that this is enough.

What blessing do you have that you forget about?  Maybe they are staring you in the face and you are looking right passed them.  How about the ability to have a kid?  What about having a job, even if you hate it?  What about having enough money to food on the table every night?  What blessings are you forgetting about?

As you recount them, remember, "This is enough."

Dad Apps

Last week I talked about the apps that sit around on my phone and I don't use, my crap apps if you will. As you can probably figure I have an iPhone, we have a love hate relationship, I love it and I hate when it isn't with me. It has essentially replaced every other piece of technology I use on a regular basis other than my computer that I use for word processing and blogging. So instead of the terrible apps that have no point of being on my phone, lets talk about the apps I use on a daily basis as a dad.


1. Camera- I wish I had the money to get a camera I don't know how to operate, but I don't so instead of packing a camera and extra charger, I don't. The camera on my phone takes relatively good pictures and the majority of the pictures we take come from it. If I want to edit my pictures I have the ability to, if I want to be trendy I can instagram it up. I can instantly upload pictures of my ridiculously cute kids to Facebook. We have more pictures of our kids this year because of this app than my mom has of me, ever.

2. White Noise- This has been a lifesaver on numerous occasions. We use this app to drown out the other sounds while our kids are sleeping. This app has come to our rescue when we forget the kids sound machine and has also been incredible to not have to pack the bulky CD player or sound machine when we go on trips, again, it is in my pocket and good to go.

3. Peekaboo Wild- Kids meltdown, it is inevitable and only a matter of time. Cooper has outgrown this app and gets bored pretty easy but Micah has just discovered how incredible this is. It makes a 15 minute car ride bearable when it could have been a stressful crazy disaster.

Again, I love my phone, and for different reasons but it makes parenting easier and I am able to catch more memories because of it. There are always those times that your phone can be a distraction, so be wary of overusing technology and overusing your phone. Be present when your kids are but if used correctly, can be a great addition to your parenting arsenal.

Here's some fun Coop had on my phone the other day.

What'd I Just Say?

As I was walking into church this morning with my wife and two kids we ran into our good friends the Silvas.  They have been parents now for about 5 months and are very much into the swing of parenthood.  I know this because as we approached the church Denver asked his wife if she remembered the 'Horsey.'  He was referencing the unicornesque stuffed animal that is one of their kid's favorite toys, but hearing a man as rugged as Denver watering down a word to make it more kid friendly made me laugh a bit and simultaneously lose respect for him as a man.  I started thinking about all of the hits my manhood has taken by the change in language that occurred when a kid popped out of my wife.  Here are a few words that I never would have said as bachelor but now are in my everyday vocabulary:

1. Cute- Sounds innocent enough right?  Wrong.  I can feel the testosterone leaving my body any time I say, "Sarah, Micah looks so cute in that sweater vest and button up shirt outfit today."  It is like that word is the thorn and manliness is the inflatable raft you bought this summer at Walgreens for 7.99, if they ever touch, it is gone forever.   Sounds innocent, and that is the problem, it sounds innocent.

2.  Y, EY, IE, S- These are suffixes that have the power to emasculate any word within a five mile radius.   Even gross words are disarmed by these suffixes, poopy, toots, tinkles, etc.  If you utter words with these suffixes it is quite possible your facial hair will fall out and you will start smelling better immediately.  At first it sounds like a good trade off, all you have to do is add a Y to the end of a word and you don't have to shave anymore, sweet.  You are wrong though, who is the last man you respected without any facial hair that isn't me?  Thats what I thought, none men, and my grammar is incorrect because it made me feel more good about I as a manly.

3.  Potty- Being in the midst of potty training with Cooper I say this word hundreds of times a day, in fact the most commonly heard phrase in our house right now is, "Cooper, do you have to go tinkles on the potty?"  Really!? A twenty year old version of myself would have beat me up for saying anything even remotely close to that.

4.  Paci  (Pass-ee)- Is in Pacifier shortened.  This is a word that I thought was a good compromise at first because I wasn't going to be caught dead saying "binky."  It doesn't matter if it is binky, paci, or meemer, they all sound like sound effects for a terrible action movie.  You know how Chuck Norris is going to die? I do.  He is going to say the word 'paci' and roundhouse kick himself in the mouth for saying it.

5.  Bah-bah- As in bottle.  Bah-bah isn't bad, for a one year old they can say it and they know what you are referring to so it isn't so much baby talk for the sake of baby talk but rather for the sake of communication, it is his evil twin brother with a creepstache that stays home online talking to hot chicks that I have an issues with, bah-bahs.  It is an abbreviation of the actual word combined with the emasculating suffix of 'S' that causes this word to be so disarming to manhood that if uttered you are forced to buy an American-Girl doll and take it with you everywhere.  It is a terrible occurrence but I have seen it happen, twice.

In reality I don't have beef with any of these words as I use them on a regular basis but still enjoy watching baseball even if I don't understand the rules or chatting over a warm cup of coffee cuddled in a soft blanket with my BFF. Crap.

Moms and Dads, what are some words that entered into your home when a baby did?  I really am interested to hear these, please leave your comments below.  Happy Monday.

Musings on the Week

Since I am at home a lot now I don't get a chance to talk with adults as much as I used to, because of that I have a lot of thoughts run through my head that I don't get to talk about to people over three feet tall.  That being said, here are my thoughts throughout the week:

1.  I drank more coffee than I should have this week, I believe it is related to getting less sleep than I should have but I am not confident in that assessment, I will let you know when my children wake me up at 5:30 tomorrow.

2.  Complaining about Facebook on Facebook is like complaining about animal rights while cooking a     t-bone.  Don't like it? Switch to Tofu.  Don't like tofu?  Good, Ron Swanson would be proud of you.  Don't know who Ron Swanson is?  That means you spend too much time watching Meredith Grey sulk and not enough time laughing your head off.  Don't know who Meredith Grey is? Congrats on being the .5% of our population who is living their own adventure rather than watching someone else's.
(Note: I am not part of that .5%)

3.  Mark Zuckerberg is every bit as awkward as me my Sophomore year. (I was a late bloomer, you want to fight?)

4.  Don't fret if your kid isn't reaching benchmarks before all of their punk friends, with their dry underwear and their ability to remember the number 15 when counting to 20, God made them perfect and they will hit their benchmarks when they are ready and God has planned.

5.  When potty training sometimes you just have to throw underwear away.

6.  When your kid is potty training sometimes you just have to throw underwear away.

7.  A well timed poop joke is the best fodder for comedy.

8.  Audiobooks are great as long as you want to listen to the same person talk for five hours straight without remembering a word of what they said.

What are some of your random thoughts throughout the week?  What about Facebook's announcements or the Dodger fans that finally have something to cheer about (the inevitable collapse of my favorite team, the Giants)?  Have a good Friday, I hope as you read this I am asleep or drinking my third cup of coffee.

Boxes

When I was about 12 or 13 I remember watching TV with my Dad and he turned on a show that featured some dude pulling a string out of his stomach and twenty minutes later he was gravitating in the middle of the street and all the boys on the stoop were blown away.  It was David Blaine before he started doing things like trying to set world records for publicity.  At one point I remember one of my Junior High Friends asking me is I thought Blaine was the Anti-Christ, I was concerned at the time, then I realized the Anti-Christ would probably have better things to do than impress girl scouts with his ability to find their card.

One of the dumbest things Blaine every did was try to live in a box suspended over England's River Thames for 44 days surviving on merely 4.5 liters of water per day.  Incredible? Yes.  Stupid? Yes.

Since Sarah and I switched to a single income we sold my truck since we weren't going to be able to afford to have two cars.  It was an easy decision for us, and truthfully it hasn't been too difficult, we just have to plan our day better.

But because we have one car, Sarah takes the car to work during the week which leaves me and the boys at home.  At times it makes me feel like I am suspended in a box over England.  The furthest I can go is immediately related to the maximum distance the boys can travel without melting down or about 300 feet.

Obviously I love our house and where we live but not having the ability to do something as simple as run errands wears on the psychy.  So here we sit on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays playing in the back yard, cooking food all day, coloring at the table, and trying to get my oldest son to stay in bed during nap time.

Is it the same as living in a box?  No, it is smarter.  But there are times it absolutely feels isolating, especially when our roles feel like they have been flip flopped. Sarah was made to be a mom, to love and nurture and care for those that used to live inside of her.  I feel like I was meant to make money for our family and support us in that capacity.

Needless to say we are still trying to figure out how this year is going to work.  We will do it to the best of our capacity and eventually I am sure we will get back to where we are most comfortable but until then it is walks to the corner and back for the boys and me.

Is there anything about your daily life that makes you feel like you are an illusionist trying to stay in the spotlight a bit longer by being locked in a box?

I'm a Student of My Work

I have been a part time stay at home dad now for about a month and I decided that it is time to let you all know about some of the best things I have learned since staying at home.

1. My wife is way better at staying home than me- I needed to get that out of the way because since being at home I can finally appreciate the work she has put in with our boys by staying at home.  I am more tired at the end of a stay at home day than I am after work.

2. You have to feed your kids 3 meals a day- Granted I knew that, but I am pretty sure I am cooking for 16 hours a day right now.  And it isn't just cooking one meal that the boys and I can sit down and eat together, it is differentiating meals for my 1 year old, 2 year old, and myself and frankly... I'm a picky eater.

3. Tangled is the best thing on Netflix- I am pretty sure I have seen different parts of this movie about 100 times, my kids still aren't tired of it, nor am I.  Flynn Rider is my hero, mostly because his facial hair mimics my own, a patch on the chin and nothing else.  It is about time we get rid of this idea that manliness comes with a full beard, I am starting to equate manhood with a smallish patch of hair on the bottom of people's faces, right now.

4.  Cooper loves his brother to the point of pain- 99% of the crying that happens in this house is due to Cooper trying to hug his brother, or move his brother, or tackle his brother.  Trying to explain to a two year old that he can dominate his little brother and he needs to be careful is like explaining to a horse that I am terrified to get on his back.  It doesn't register, and now matter how much I talk someone is still going to get hurt.

5.  White floors are not conducive to raising children- Really? Who installs white laminate anywhere? Thanks landlords for making me clean my floors hourly.

6. Deadbolts are non-negotiable- Coop has a desire to sneak outside any chance he gets, he is like David Copperfield without the terrible wardrobe, bad hair, and womanizing ways.  He can reach the knobs now but the deadbolt is still out of reach, gotta keep 'em locked, always.

Yup, six things I have learned since staying at home, mostly common sense, but to a man who has to live it to appreciate it, some of these have blown my mind.

Stay at home moms and dads, what is the funniest thing you have learned since being at home?

Micah Turned One

We had Micah boy's first birthday party here about a month ago and Sarah was a champ and did just about everything herself.  With some great last minute help from my Mom, her husband Loyd and Sarah's parents the party was great.  I thought I would share a few pictures from the festivities which was an All-American Baseball theme.

Papa Loyd

Juniper, Cooper, and my cousin Becky 

Sarah's best friend Lissa Sander

My friends Denver and Corey (Lissa's husband)

Sarah's Mom Susan 

My favorite moment when Sarah's grandpa Dick tried to give Micah some of his Dr. Pepper

Ryan (Sarah's Brother) Brad (Sarah's Dad) and Bergie (Sarah's Grandpa)

 It was a great party overall and Sarah was a champ completing this party after her first week back to school in a new grade.  We love our Micah boy and feel so blessed by those who are a part of his life both near and far away.

Focus II

I have been trying to lose weight recently, I am not doing P90X, or drinking green tea, mostly because I can't afford either, I am merely eating better and exercising.  About a week into this whole weight loss thing I went on a run and I got a sharp pain on the inside of my left leg, slightly above my ankle.  I ignored it and kept running, I figured it would go away like spider bites and feathered hair.  The next day I went out to run again and the same thing happened except the pain was more severe and started to hurt with each step I took.

So I went to my doctor, Doctor Internet, and she told me (Yes, the internet is a girl) I had a stress fracture in my leg, usually brought on by excessive running after long periods of fat.  I didn't want to give up on my diet but running is the way I have always slimmed down when I wasn't feeling comfortable and this stress fracture was knocking me out of running for 6-8 weeks.

I had to figure something out, because with the holiday season coming up I needed to lose weight so I could put it back on and continue the vicious cycle.  I decided I had to eat waaaaay better, that cheese was  not a food group, and that the weight set in my garage was going to be put to good use.  So I'm three weeks in and have been pretty successful thus far, but I had to focus on my goal in order to achieve success.

The idea of focus has been plaguing me (I am always scared I am going to misspell plaguing and make it plaquing and then the whole world will think I have bad teeth). Focus is a funny thing because you don't realize you are out of whack until you are squinting to see the score of the game, or asking your wife to read the back of the cereal box to you.

Focus, like a lot of things is something you don't miss until it is gone.  It begs the question, "how, then, do I get focused?"  For me, I am a "type A" personality when it comes to my expectations of others and a "type B" when it comes to others expectations of me, that may just mean I am a jerk, but I do indeed expect a lot out of myself.

I can't accomplish much, however, unless I feel like my private life is in order, this can be anything from, I forgot to do the dishes that I told Sarah I would take care of to lingering sin issues in my life.  Unless I clear up the junk that is hindering me from straining forward, then I become distracted.

So, how do I focus? I clear out the junk and strain forward, with my eye on the prize.  That and have a strong cup of coffee before, during, and after work.

How do you focus?

Micah Boy

On here I mostly complain to you all that I am really tired or how school is hard or how my life is crazy busy, not today.  Today I will not complain, as a matter of fact I am going to tell you about something incredible that happened to Sarah and I exactly one year ago today.

We had Micah Boy, yeah, this one --------------------------------------------------->

The first night we had him he slept all night, didn't make a peep, ate like a champ and I got to stay at the hospital with Sarah, life was good.  The next night same story, except we got to sleep at home.  Every night since then, save about 30 (bare in mind I do camps and mission trips that take me away from home for about 20 of those nights), Sarah and I haven't gotten a full nights sleep.  Why? Because Micah I am convinced hates sleep.

Contrary to his brother, who would sleep the majority of the day if you let him.  He is like an adolescent who enjoys watching 'Wonder Pets.'  Regardless of the lack of sleep Micah had colic, he had jaundice, and he still doesn't have very much hair.  But we love our boy, Micah Boy as he was affectionately dubbed by Coop.

Happy Birthday Micah Boy.

Here are a few pictures from when this kid popped out.