Play-Learn-Grow-Repeat

From Wednesday Mom – Janelle:
I’m certain, unless you live under a rock, you know that Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens in T minus 2 days. The Star Wars franchise is always a big box office hit, and this one is supposed to be the best Star Wars release yet. My marketing mind notices the Star Wars logo cross promotions on just about every product. The latest advertisement sent to my inbox was a coupon towards a Baskin-Robbins “Star Wars” cake. My kid’s even want a Star Wars Christmas. Their wish lists are filled with the words “Star Wars.” To say they’re obsessed is an understatement.

Ever since the announcement of the movie, all three of my boys (husband included) have been extremely eager to see it. They’ve watched countless previews, talked about what the storyline may be, and which characters, new and old, will play an important role. The excitement in our house is through the roof. I’m not the biggest Star Wars fan, but I am the biggest fan of my kids when their faces light up hearing the theme song.

My husband is planning to take the boys(and possibly me too) to the IMAX release of the film for the best possible experience. With so much marketing exposure, we have been trying to keep the boys expectations in check while still nurturing their excitement for Christmas. I know it sounds like I am talking out both sides of my mouth, but I hope we have a good balance…May The Force Be With You.

From Friday Mom – Erin:

Rory has decided he doesn’t particularly care for me lately.

That’s probably an overly harsh characterization. But Daddy is definitely Rory’s parent of choice. What’s odd is that for the first two years of his life, he really looked to me for some of the pivotal parts of his daily routine– getting up, getting breakfast, getting bath, and reading his bedtime story. Now, with the exception of breakfast, Rory is vocal about expressing his preference for his Daddy.

I do my best not to take it personally. After all, many of those tasks fall to Daddy each day out of necessity. For example, I had to work late two different days this week, so Daddy was on solo duty for all of bedtime. Having Rory comfortable with his Daddy taking such a very active role as what is sometimes characterized as the “primary” parent, is a key component to making our daily juggling act work.

But, at the same time, I fear that perhaps my business, task-focused approach has overshadowed my love and affection and makes me come off as less fun, less caring, or otherwise less approachable than his Daddy. I think that is probably reading too far into it, but I have started to try harder at just going with the flow a bit more, even if it means I’m five or ten minutes later to the office than I might have liked.

Negotiating with toddlers is daunting. Combine that with the stress of trying to “have it all,” and you can go nuts. So, as with everything parenting, I am trying to take it in stride with the hopes that “this, too, shall pass.”

From Wednesday Mom – Janelle:
We celebrated Tate’s 5th birthday last weekend. His aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, parents and brother all gathered at the swimming pool. It was a perfect day for the festivities, and time well spent with all his family members.

Unfortunately, Tate’s father was supposed to work and couldn’t join in the celebration. He was visibly bummed. Tate asked almost daily whether or not his daddy was going to attend his party. I did my best to explain to Tate that Daddy’s schedule is very demanding that he would to his absolute best to see him on his birthday. Tate’s father made a last-ditch effort to move his schedule around, and miraculously he got the day off.  He got into town late on the eve of Tate’s birthday to surprise him.

On the morning of Tate’s birthday, the whole family greeted Tate with birthday hugs and kisses. However, Daddy patiently waited a few minutes and snuck up behind Tate to surprise him. He gently tapped his shoulder and whispered “happy birthday!” Tate turned around with the biggest eyes and joy in his voice shouting, “daddy, you made it to my birthday!” It was very sweet and an exciting moment for the two of them.

Tate’s 5th birthday was a great day. He played with his family, ate pizza and cupcakes, and best of all his daddy made it there just in time. One birthday I’m sure Tate will never forget.

From Friday Mom – Erin:
I still remember the conversation with my father upon learning that Rory was a boy. Though obviously happy to learn that our little nugget looked healthy and well inside the womb, I could detect a slight air of sadness in his voice when we delivered the news of a third grandson. He was plenty diplomatic (in contrast to my late grandmother, bless her heart, who proclaimed how much she wanted a girl for whom she could make smocked dresses), but I could sense his disappointment.

“As a daddy of a daughter, I just wanted Blake to get to experience what I did,” he explained.

I was, admittedly, a daddy’s girl. Not the kind who has tacky t-shirts or bejeweled coffee mugs that proclaim that fact. The kind who share a strong, sometimes silent love, awe, and camaraderie with one another that never goes away (even after my husband took over as the central man in my life).

So you can imagine, then, my excitement when we learned that Charlotte was a girl. My daddy would have a granddaughter to dote upon, and my husband would have a daughter who would wrap him around her little finger.

Watching Charlotte look at her daddy, I cannot wait to see how that relationship develops. Rory already adores his dad, and I am certain Charlotte will too. Just as much, if not more.

Happy Father’s Day, All!!!

From Wednesday Mom – Janelle:
Father’s Day is upon us. The boys and I are big fans of my husband for obvious reasons. He is the backbone to our family and works very hard to support us. With his current job, he isn’t always present, but he will take every opportunity to communicate with us any way he can. We are so grateful for the access to technology that keeps us connected.

Jack and Tate look up to their father. He is sometimes a big kid himself, but that is why they love his company. He is funny, playful, and always loving. Sometimes, it’s hard on the boys because their father is away a lot. When they were in school, and on a routine, it didn’t seem to affect them a whole lot, but now that the boys are out of school for the summer, they’re more aware of his absence.

Unfortunately, my husband will be working on Father’s Day this year. It’s a bummer, but we were prepared beforehand knowing this would most likely be the case. We love FaceTime for this exact reason and plan to let Daddy know just how much we love and miss him every single day. With my husband away, it reinforces just how much we appreciate all he does to support our little family. He is my husband, my best friend, and the best dad two little blonde boys could ever ask for.

To all the dads and granddads, Happy Father’s Day!

From Friday Mom – Erin:
Charlotte is now a little over two weeks old, and we are still working on adjusting around here. Unfortunately, given all of Rory’s illnesses, we’ve been taking a divide-and-conquer approach to parenting, with me taking the lead with Charlotte and my husband taking the lead with Rory. Now, as my mother prepares to head home and we start in on life as a family of four, Rory has become pretty dependent upon his daddy… pretty much to the exclusion of all others.

I had certainly noticed his preference, but it was only when he returned to school on Wednesday of this week and his teachers commented on how much he talked about daddy during the day that we realized we had started down a dangerous path of single parent dependence. I actually picked him up from school today in hopes of giving us some mommy-and-Rory time, but he still asked about daddy much of the way home.

I am hoping that a two-week trend is largely reversible. However, I am also realizing how much of a concerted effort we both will need to make to demonstrate to Rory that mommy and daddy are still a team, and not so easily divided. Part of our new approach will be ensuring that daddy spends time holding and caring for Charlotte, and letting Rory realize that he will need to share both of us with her. The other part will be figuring out ways for Rory to be a “big boy” helper with her little sister, so that he can be involved too. I’m sure we’ll try a number of other approaches as well before we find a silver bullet. And I’m sure I’ll have a number of updates along the way.

From Wednesday Mom – Janelle:
Tate’s preschool has two fundraisers each year, one in the spring and one in the fall. I have blogged before about the spring fundraiser to benefit St. Jude’s Childrens’ Hospital. Last night, the school held their inaugural Veterans’ Day Fun Run, to benefit the preschool.

We loaded up the minivan and headed to a local park for the festivities. The preschool director gave an introduction and greeted all the Veterans and their families in attendance. The youth pastor gave an opening prayer and the children each got an American Flag to wave while they ran.

We gathered at the starting line for the big race. The course was a brief ½ mile run around the park. The kids did a great job keeping pace for their slower parents. Surprisingly, both Jack and Tate made it around the loop. Every child received a participation medal at the finish line and both boys enjoyed a hotdog and cotton candy to celebrate Veterans’ Day.

It was a small event, but the kids loved it and it was a great way to stay active and honor our Veterans. The boys told their dad they ran extra fast for him. Daddy is our favorite Veteran!

From Wednesday Mom – Janelle:
Daddy has been away for the last week on business, and we miss his company.   Weather permitting, he’ll return very soon and we look forward to spending a relaxing Father’s Day weekend together. In honor of Daddy’s special day coming up, Jack and Tate wrote a list of 10 reasons they think their dad is awesome.

1. He makes us laugh so hard our cheeks feel like they are going to fall off.
2. He protects us from scary monsters and ghosts.
3. He cooks yummy meals for us.
4. He plays all different games in the backyard with us.
5. He flies jets.
6. He camps in the backyard and we get to eat s’mores.
7. He tells us funny jokes.
8. He reads us books.
9. He always tells us to work hard and do our best at school.
10. His cannonballs make a humongous splash.

There you have it, ten reasons my kids are fond of their father. I’m proud of my husband for being so active in our kids’ lives. He is very busy and often away, but when he is home he maximizes his time with the boys. I am lucky to have such a great husband, father to my children, and best friend. I’m also thankful to have a pretty cool father myself. To all the dads and grandads out there, I hope you have a fantastic Father’s Day!

From Monday Mom – Neetika:
Breaking news: being a stay-at-home-mom is hard. It’s worth it, I love it, and I don’t want things to be any different. Yet sometimes the only thing getting me through a long day of toddler insanity is knowing that in the evening, I’ll have someone to hand the reins to in my husband, Joe. As it turns out, there are many days when Haley’s had enough of me, too!

The last few nights, busy with work and social engagements, “Dada” has not been around at bedtime. Haley seemed okay with this, as she’s quite the Mama’s Girl. But on Saturday night Haley had had enough. Maybe it’s because it was the weekend and she spent the whole day with him only to have him disappear after dinner. When she realized that he was gone—even though he said goodbye—she had a fit and a half. She cried hysterically, screaming, “I want my Daaaddee!” at the top of her lungs. I could not get her in the bathtub and I had to placate her with an episode of Daniel Tiger! (I do not ever let her watch TV right before bedtime!)

The next day, Joe put Haley down for her nap. As she was winding down, she quietly said, “I wanted you.” Joe said, “You mean last night, at bedtime?” She said, “Yeah.” He felt awful! Sometimes a girl just needs her Dada.

I’m so happy that Haley is so fond of her father. She is close to me in a way that seems obsessive—and I’m guilty of that with her, too—so there were times that I wasn’t sure how much she’d take to him. It was like Mama was her world and everyone else was just there. But as she’s growing more mature, she’s appreciating having another parent who has different things to offer her and loves her just as much.

From Wednesday Mom – Janelle:
Every year, Jack’s elementary school honors veterans – past and present – with a program presented by students and staff.  This year, a teacher contacted me and asked if my husband would speak at their Veterans Day event.  I volunteered my husband immediately, because I knew he would be happy to participate.  He is proud to serve in the military and delighted to help out at our son’s school.

My husband and I arrived several minutes early to meet with the principal and to gather his thoughts to prepare for the speech.  If any of you know my husband, he can wing most speeches and leave the audience impressed.  He did just that.  He spoke about what the military meant to him and his family.  He addressed all branches of the military and what each mission was to keep our country safe.  He spoke about the good times and the hard times.  Several students asked questions and he provided honest answers.  For example, “How does the Army fight?”  My husband replied, “hard.”  The adults chuckled.  Most importantly, he informed the students and staff how humbling it was to be a part of the school’s event and tell about his experience in the Navy.

As I sat and listened to him speak, I couldn’t help but think back to the last eleven years we’ve been a part of the Navy.  We’ve lived in several different states, and experienced numerous deployments and detachments away from each other.  It’s been a crazy journey, but one I from which have learned so much.

At the end of the program, each student who has a veteran in their family placed a flag in the ground to honor those who served.  It was the sweetest act of patriotism.  Jack was so happy to show his Daddy his flag and gave him a big hug while whispering the words “thank you” in his father’s ear.  Oh, yes I had tears streaming down my face.  It was an emotional moment for all involved.  Hundreds of flags lined the entrance to the school waving in the breeze.  What a special program the school presented and we were happy to be a part of it.

Happy Veterans Day to all the honorable men and women who serve this great country and to all the spouses/family members that show them unwavering support!