September 2013

Communication is critical in everything that we do today. Whether it is verbal or non-verbal, but it is really hard when communication is not always there.

With Baby B, the communication is getting there, but there is still a struggle. We have noticed that in the last 2 weeks, he has begun saying 15 new words. That is AWESOME. But, at the same time, his brother was able to tell us in detail when he fell down what hurt.  It is hard when your child hurts, but it makes it even more difficult when the communication is not easily spoken.

This is why we have focused so much on teaching the boys basic sign language. Both have already gotten please, thank you, more, and love you down pat.

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It seems strange that we’ve been married for 5 years now, but today marks that milestone in our lives. We’ve been through a lot. Probably more than most have in 20 years of marriage, but I truly believe that God has given us what we can handle and each and every time we have come out stronger for it.

Happy anniversary to my wife & the mother of my great sons.

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In life we have choices. We have the choice to let life get us down or to face troubles head on. You have the choice to let friends get you down or to deal with the situation and turn it around.

But when life gets me down, I choose to be more awesome. And so does Kid President for that matter. Look at this kid. Seriously, the kid is changing lives being more awesome.

Take a minute to watch his video please and figure out how you can be more awesome!

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Last night as I put the boys down, Baby A kissed me good night and said good night. Then, I lean over and kiss Baby B goodnight and he looks up and smiles and says “Night Night Daddy”. I teared up. I couldn’t help it.
It was the sweetest thing that I’ve heard him say. With all of the struggles that he has had speaking, this was amazing. Never had he said the word Night, let alone saying basically 3 words together like that. With the Delayed Speech that he has endured, it is just so great to hear him not only trying, but really saying new words.

Oh the little things that get us through the day and make our lives complete.

I just hope that tonight he will say Night Night Daddy again.

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There are days in our lives that we will never forget. The birth of our children. The death of a loved one. And for those that were alive, 9-11.

I remember walking into work that morning and the women in the office were huddled around the computer crying. And the moments later, the 2nd plane hit the World Trade Towers.
Our nation was forever changed that day.   We wept for those that died. We wept for those that lost loved ones. We wept for we knew that we were going to war.

Today, as my children play, I am grateful for those soldiers that have fought and continued to have fought for our freedom.  Today, I will hold them and say a little prayer, especially for the children whose parents were taken from them so very early on in their lives.

9-11 forever changed this country, but it did not define this country, it only made it stronger.

 

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I would like to start this post that I am NOT a Baltimore Orioles fan. But, I would like to say, that for a few moments, I was able to smile as they did the right thing.

Baltimore County Police Officer Jason Schneider was shot in the line of duty last week and he left behind a family and more importantly, a young son.  The Baltimore Orioles stepped up this week and Officer Schneider’s son threw out the first pitch and got to spend a few moments with some of the Orioles players.  But what the Orioles really did, was give this young boy a few minutes/hours to be a kid again. They did the right thing. The Orioles allowed a young boy, that had to be grieving and confused, the chance to forget about his life and the fact that he just lost his dad.

In life, we are faced with difficulties and we are faced with struggles. But, we also have to do the right thing and I give the Orioles a lot of credit, they gave this young boy memories that will last a life time and a chance to be a kid again.

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As you can gather, I love cooking and it is something that I use to hate. I find it as a my way to relax and unwind from the day.
I have been making my own pizza now for a year or so and the boys go crazy when they see it. Now, I don’t give them any of mine, because I do add a fair amount of Cayenne pepper in mine. But I got thinking, why not make them mini pizzas?

So, I figured out a quick recipe and off we went into the oven. I was not sure how the boys were going to react, but I took some pizza dough that I made and then some homemade pizza sauce, minus the cayenne and just added some cheese and a cut up some pepperoni and then I was done. My biggest regret is that I didn’t take photos because the boys ate their mini pizzas in no time.

Well, looks like I’ve found a new recipe that the boys not only like, but that is not terribly unhealthy and who doesn’t love pizza?

 

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Last night before bed, the boys and I sat down and read Curious George’s First Day of School.  The boys seemed really excited as we read and the entire time all I could think about was the boys going to preschool today.

As I woke up this morning, sipping my morning coffee, it hit me, today is the first day of school for the boys. Where did the last 2 1/2 years go?  My mind wondered, would they cry when my wife dropped them off?
Would there be reservations on their part going into a strange place?  Would they be ok?

I looked at my calendar for the day to figure out where I would be when my wife was dropping them off. Was she going to call saying that the boys were upset and didn’t want to go inside? Was she going to call upset, because she too realized where had the time gone?  So this morning, before I left, I gave both boys a kiss goodbye and told them to have fun today at school. And as Baby A walked over to hug me, I just held him.  I whispered in his ear to look after his little brother today and be nice to the other kids and to make some new friends today. He giggled, kissed me on the check and said “I love you daddy.” And then he was off to play.

Well, as I suspected, my phone rang at 10:05 this morning, in the middle of my 1st meeting of the day. I could tell by the way my wife said hello, that she had been crying. But I could also tell how happy she was, because Baby B jumped out of the car and said “Goodbye Mommy” and took the hand of his new teacher. Baby B waved and took the hand of of the Director of the preschool.  And as we quickly talked, my wife and I talked about how well the boys handle new challenges, maybe sometimes better than we do. They adapt quickly to new things, they have had to their entire lives.

So as I sit here at work, wondering how the boys are doing at their first day of school. I wonder how they are playing with others. I wonder how their morning was. I wonder how they did at story time. I wonder.
I wonder how did my little boys, have their first day of school today?

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