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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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?
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?
Vacation is quickly approaching and I can not wait. Every year we look forward to a family vacation and every year, it doesn’t seem like it is coming fast enough.
Well, it is almost that time. In fact, it is so close, that my wife and I are already talking about packing, what food we need to take, what we are going to cook, etc.
The boys have no clue that vacation is coming up. They have no idea that for 7 days, they will be playing on the beach. They have no idea that they are going to be able to run and play in the ocean.
They have no idea that they are going to see family, cousins, grandparents, etc.
But for my wife and I, it is a chance to unwind. Vacation is something that we look forward to every year. But not in the same way we once did. Now, we look forward to vacation for the quality family time, with no cell phones, computers/internet, or just basic struggles of life.
Vacation is going to be a great time, to relax and recharge.
After a lot of debate, we broke down and signed the boys up for preschool.
My wife and I talked through their age, the schedule, etc. and if they were too young. And at the end of the day, we figured that if noting else, preschool would allow the boys a chance to interact with other little kids.
They will be attending a church preschool, which was also important, but this will be the first introduction to new little friends and school type structure. There is a lot of focus on social interaction and development, sharing, playing and just being a kid in a safe environment.
I wasn’t thrilled on the cost, but at the same time, we were able to get a 10% discount because of enrolling two kids. And at the end of the day, can you really put a price tag on what your children can learn?
Here is an easy Orange Chicken Recipe that I found a few weeks ago and have fallen in love with it.
What You’ll Need:
4 – 5 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, thawed
3/4 cup Smuckers Sweet Orange Marmalade
3/4 cup of Sweet Baby Ray’s Original BBQ Sauce {it’s SO good!} -> I used the Weber’s Buzz’N Honey BBQ Sauce
2 tbsp. Soy Sauce
Crockpot
What You’ll Do:
Cook chicken in crockpot on high for 3 hours {covered}
After 3 hours, drain juices from crockpot
Mix together bbq sauce, orange marmalade, and soy sauce
Pour mixture over chicken, and cook on high for 30 more minutes {covered}
View the entire recipe and instructions here.
But here is the best part, not only is this Orange Chicken recipe easy to make, it is really inexpensive. It is so good, that I might not order from the local Chinese restaurant anymore. Seriously, the chicken is cooked perfectly and it is not fried. I served this for my wife the other night and she could not stop talking about how great that it tasted. She even said that she could not order Orange Chicken at a restaurant again, after eating this meal.
I’ve really been focusing on making easy meals that 1) I can eat throughout the week, but 2) that I can use ingredients in multiple recipes. So, I’ve basically figured that to make this meal, it costs me about $8.00 for 4 pieces of chicken or $2.00 a serving, however you want to look at. But, in reality, that $2.00 a serving, is really spread out over several meals. And where can you really eat a good and healthly meal for $2.00 a server?
Please Note: I use the Weber’s Buzz’N Honey BBQ Sauce for another recipe, so that cost is split into 2 meals. The Orange Marmalade can be used on biscuits and who doesn’t love a homemade biscuit on a Saturday morning?
So, as you make these recipes, think about your ingredients and what you can use in other things. Cook smart, eat better and save money.