Ed @ Home Dad

For Ed@HomeDad on His Birthday

2011-12-02T16:10:00.001-05:00

For Ed@HomeDad on His Birthday: My Hot List
Today is Edgar’s birthday and in honor of a wonderful father and husband, I wanted to share just a few of the many things that make him so great:

He’s a Super Heroes, Sports and Science Connoisseur
Edgar has made sure Elle is a well-rounded, fun-loving kid. While many girls at her school are obsessed with things like the Disney Princesses and Justin Bieber, Elle can aptly discuss everything from make-up to sports to science. When the weather is nice, they regularly go to the park and play basketball, baseball, soccer, lacrosse, and football. On the days they’re at home they may be working on arts and crafts or reading super hero comics. Elle is obsessed with science and can explain to you how the earth was created, what a microorganism is or how the human body responds to eastern medicine. Edgar has subject-matter expertise well beyond my domain. And he always encourages her interests, no matter what they might be – he makes sure he doesn’t limit her curiosity to what girls “should” be in to. Whenever she complains that one of her classmates thinks her love of bugs is gross or asks if she’s a boy because she wants to play Batman he always tells her, “don’t worry about what other people say, you can be interested in whatever you want and don’t focus on what other kids want you to do.” I love that we have a girly, athletic, science geek for a daughter. It makes her interesting and I hope she never loses her sense of curiosity and enthusiasm that he encourages every day.

He Takes Silliness to the Extreme
Elle regularly ranks funniness in our family. Edgar and my father always come in at the top and my mother and I always fall to the bottom. I’m the one Elle comes to when she wants to cuddle or color or read. I’m the snuggler and the quiet one in the family. While I like to think I have a great sense of humor, it’s definitely of a drier, more adult flavor. Edgar is the silly one. The two of them can spend hours joking back and forth about what seem to me to be the most random things. And these things often weave themselves into themes that we regularly revisit. For example, did you know that we apparently have a House Donkey? He is an invisible donkey that lives in our house – I’m not sure how he got here or what he does all day, but he’s here to stay and source of endless giggles. It’s also not unusual to have them call each other nicknames based on Mexican foods. Elle will start as Nacho, then Edgar will be Taco. Edgar comes back with Taquito and so on. Then there are the pranks. Sometimes I walk into my bedroom to find a life-sized figure pieced together from a basketball and stuffed stockings dressed up as the lady from The Grudge hanging from the closet. Sometimes our poor dog, Bentley, has eyeglasses and mustache drawn onto his fur in washable marker. These are things that would never, ever occur to me to do. But Edgar thinks of them and Elle loves them.

He Shows Tireless Devotion
Elle is most certainly not a low-energy kid. When she’s not in school, she is constantly asking questions, wanting to explore, and looking for the next activity. Don’t get me wrong, I love this about her. I’m thankful that she’s not a child that can be entertained watching TV all day, but it also means that there is no such thing as half-heartedly engaging with her or taking a break. And Edgar always gives her as much attention, time, and focus as she wants (even when he’s fighting allergies or a sinus infection or a torn stomach muscle). Her favorite days are when she doesn’t have school and can spend all day with him. When she is in school, Edgar doesn’t take it easy. He is a wonderful cook and spends hours prepping delicious dinners each night. He manages the entire household – running errands, doing laundry, cleaning, and on and on and on. But every evening, whether he’s spent it with Elle or running around town like a crazy person, we always wind down with a delicious dinner, good conversation and quality family time. When most people would be exhausted he still finds the time to care and support both of us no matter how long his day was. Not too many people are lucky enough to have someone in their life who works so tirelessly to make time together as enjoyable as possible. There are many things that have been challenging about his life as a stay-at-home dad, but the quality of our family life and the happiness we find in each other every day is worth more than anything else in the world.

Naked Mole Rat And Friends - A Series Of Three

2011-10-28T08:30:00.000-04:00

All work credited to Elle. All of the out of focus photos with poor lighting are credited to me.

I Think I'm Turning Into A Grumpy Old Man

2011-07-18T07:00:00.000-04:00

Maybe it's the few white hairs making an appearance on my head or maybe I need to get out more. But I think that I'm turning in to a grumpy old man. Now I will share a list of example of things that leave me shaking my fist at the sky and just another old man ranting.

We have two dogs that thankfully bark when someone rings the door bell or knocks at the door. This characteristic is very helpful. My next door neighbor's dog doesn't seem to share this ability. It's in the habit of barking all day. As if it's on a time clock, it punches in at eight and clocks out around six.
I remember learning the arm gestures for signaling a turn in driver's ed. Luckily for many decades cars have come equipped with turn signals. Hence with a quick flick your intention of where you are going to turn is indicated. It seems that the ability to use this device is a simple act that has been forgotten. Thus leading to a bit of a guessing game on my part. If I was blessed with the gift of mind reading yes, I would know their intentions. But, if I had the ability to read minds I would be wealthy and I would have a driver that would deal with this. Or, I might possibly be locked in a secret government base somewhat like one of those "X-Men".
Living in the city we often get fliers and menus dropped off on a nearly daily basis. That I have no problem with in the slightest. What does irk me is if you ring the doorbell to hand me said flier or menu. That, sir or madam, is unnecessary. That what the mail slot is for and as I mentioned in the first bullet point the dogs react to the door bell.

That is all for my grumpy old man musings. I am sure I will be back again to revisit my old man side with a firm shaking fist pointed to the sky.

Watch The U.S. Women's World Cup Soccer Team-Previously Posted On LIFEclectic Magazine

2011-07-17T13:26:00.000-04:00

This piece appeared on Monday at LIFEclectic Magazine after the amazing victory by the U.S. Women's National team against Brazil. With a victory this past Wednesday they go to face Japan in the World Cup Finals on Sunday. In case you missed this inspiring team's exploits you have one more chance to see them. For the link to Monday's post, click here.

Nutrition Is A Important Part Of Our Family-Previously Posted On LIFEclectic Magazine

2011-07-11T06:36:00.000-04:00

Making healthy food choices and educating our daughter about nutrition is important to us as parents and as a family. We feel one of the most important steps begins with us as parents leading by example. To help us in this effort, we started gardening and making sure our daughter is involved in the process of growing, planning menus and cooking. This has helped us teach her the importance of bringing nutritional meals to the table. But the choice to be healthier really took hold before we even became parents. To read the rest of the post click on the link to LIFEclectic magazine.

I Am A Stay At Home Dad-Posted Previously On LIFEclectic Magazine

2011-07-04T12:48:00.000-04:00

I am a stay at home dad. That simple statement is the answer I give when someone inquires into what I do. Ninety-five percent of the time the reaction uttered is one of surprise. Since being the at home parent since 2008 I thought by now I would get use to that reaction. It’s not a new phenomenon. I assume those that have asked are familiar with the term stay at home dad. I guess they just haven’t meet one in person. To read the rest of the post from last week, please click on the link to LIFEclectic Magazine.

Little Moments That Make It Special

2011-07-03T17:51:00.001-04:00

With the grind that comes along with the weeks and months that go by it's easy to get tunnel vision. The little moments when we are together as a family without anything on the agenda except spending time with each other - those moments tend to bring everything into focus. Time slows down and a sense of peace seems to take hold. Those moments are the one's that help me reset from whatever stress may be weighing on me. As little as those moments might be they are memories I file away in the back of my mind. All the stresses and worries that seem to anchor me down are minor in scope. Everything that makes me happy and fulfilled is right in front of me.

None of it would be possible if it weren't for a marriage that took place eight years ago today. Walking down that aisle in a chapel in Las Vegas after we became husband and wife was the start of a beautiful union. Many of life's obstacles have come our way and together we have leaned on each other. My wife has helped shape me into a better person and together we have made a family. One that fills me with love and happiness. To a great eight years and to many more happy anniversaries, my love.

Helping Create One More Baseball Fan Maybe Two

2011-06-24T07:28:00.000-04:00

I have also had a great appreciation for sports. For the most part I keep my passion for all things sports on the reserved side. As a father a nice bonus is being able to impart my knowledge and share experiences with my daughter. The range of topics that can flow through the household can be a bit dizzying at times but, always lively and fun filled. With Elle getting older one of the great joys I get to share with her is sports and of late baseball. My introduction to sports was a bit different than Elle's.

When I was growing up I tried to play catch with my father. He was not graced with an athletic bone in his body he was more of an academic. Our time with baseball was short lived after I hit a line drive right into a sensitive area. That ended our outings in the yard. So, what I learned about sports was mostly from watching televised games. Much was learned from trial and error when I participated in team sports. I always felt so behind skill wise. I did always seem to be that kid that was the fastest I just lacked any polish. The best times I had playing youth team sports was on the baseball field. I had coaches that realized I had the asset of speed and motivated me to exploit it. The rundown when they gave me was that I would bunt down the third baseline and just blast off to first and beat out the throw. The bunt signal was great all he would do is scratch his nose. The other part of the plan was just to steal second and third and be in position to be a scoring run. It was simple and it worked. That's when the seeds where planted for my love of sports. Thanks to coach Hurt and Sullivan. Naturally this joy of watching and participating is something that I've looked forward to sharing with my child.

Many of the sports I first introduced to Elle were taken up with much enthusiasm. Once she got the hang of walking she soon started dribbling the soccer ball around the living room. Soon after it was tossing around the football. Living a few blocks away from a college provided a venue for her to she women's soccer and lacrosse. Seeing that then feed into the question of "when will I get to play on a team". The only sport that was a hard sell was baseball. Having a minor league team that's also located a few blocks away provided the opportunity to expose her to the game. But, when we would go she was more interested in the mascot than what was taking place on the field. Which I get it's a difficult game to try to explain all the in's and out's to kid without them glazing over. Mostly I was content with the fact that when it came to baseball it would just be my thing.

Some how this past spring I was pleasantly surprised to make a baseball break through with Elle. It was a beautiful day out and we were looking for something to do outdoors. I happen to see that the local team was having spring training games so I thought let's give it a go. Elle's first question was will the mascot be there with a follow up of will there be fireworks. Despite a stern look she was okay with the explanation that it was just a practice game so the two items are saved for the real games. We arrived at the stadium and it was a little less than a quarter full. So, we could sit behind home plate away from anyone we might disturb. My first thought was maybe she'll make it a few innings and then just be over the whole scene. All of the sudden a flood of questions rallied off from Elle's mind. We actually sat and amazingly I explained the game of baseball and she began to understand what was going on. I noticed she kept on looking over her shoulder which begged the question what are you looking at. "The numbers that show up every time the player pitches the ball, it says 85, that's pretty good." It sealed a successful and fun outing.

That spring training game set the foundation. It lead to sitting in on some more spring training games after I would get her from school and before we had to pick up her mom from the train station. When we would be waiting for my wife's train to arrive Elle would say "I can't wait to tell mom about the game do you think we can all go together sometime soon". We did go shortly after that once the regular season opened up. We didn't spend the game trying to chase down the mascot. We sat together with questions from both Elle and my wife and I was happy to explain. Elle's enthusiasm helped feed into her mom learning about what was actually taking place on the field. We ended the night with the home teaming winning and enjoyed the post game fireworks. Instead of a boring sport that dad would watch on the TV when everyone else was asleep it became something we could share.

When It Comes To Bedtime My Daughter Is A Night Owl

2011-06-22T07:02:00.001-04:00

I believe I’m genetically responsible for my daughter being aNight Owl. Which can be troublesome when we are trying to get a four year old to go to sleep at a respectable time. As parents it’s a trait we are trying to nip in the bud because running a sleep time police state can take its toll as the week progresses. The effect is often evident when the weekend rolls around we are parental walking zombies. Each night my wife and I exchange a hopeful glance without any words being uttered. Click on the link to read the rest of this post at LIFEclectic Magazine.

Reflections on a Father

2011-06-17T16:57:00.002-04:00

Many nights when the clock has already rolled around to the AM hours of the next day my mind is still racing between thoughts. During those hours I’m attempting to just shut myself down and go to sleep. Often this approach is unsuccessful and I lay staring at the ceiling fan trying not to look over at the clock. With Father’s Day approaching and the flood of posts, articles and giveaways that arrive at this time, I naturally think about myself and my father. Of course these thoughts arrive when all I want to do is sleep.

In those sleepless hours thinking about my father, I feel I’ve come to a certain peace with my feelings towards him. Previous post have shone a less than favorable light onto my relationship with my parents. But as my mind was racing this past week, no feelings of anger came to me. Which was truly refreshing and a welcome departure from past baggage. Actually, thankfulness seems to sum up what’s been washing over me. Which of course is a completely odd statement because for about eight years I have had not relationship with my family.

I’m not going to rehash the whole bag of nuts that led to my lack of a relationship - back into the feeling of being thankful. I am thankful that my father unintentionally taught me how to be a good father and husband. Through different conversations about parenting the question that often circulates is “what’s you parenting style, philosophy, etc.?” The answer that come to mind instantly is that I just do the opposite of what my parents did. This may seem simplistic on the surface. The truth of the matter is that it took work, patience and understanding to arrive at the simple “answer”.

Before resentment stirred when I thought of my upbringing. I was fueled in a way by that anger to be better and different. Somewhere along the line, and after many years, came clarity. The easiest thing would be to fall in to the pattern of parenting that my parents laid out before me. Instead of engaging on a wholesome level with my family I could retreat and close myself off. I could also let frustration that comes from external sources flow into our household at the wrong place and time. I fought hard against those thoughts and feelings. But, I realized that there is no need to chase windmills. By my actions in the day-to-day the pattern is broken and by recognizing the direction I want to go the negative is not repeated.

I can remember bringing home a less than stellar report card and my father saying “I just want you to be better than me”. He meant this as being more successful professionally. Which I found difficult having two doctors as parents. I may not have lived up to those hopes, but I think I have in a much more important way. In the actions I take from day-to-day to the years that pass, it’s the doing that demonstrates the lessons learned. This father’s day weekend I am thankful to my father. You did have a very positive impact on who I have become and who I am to my family.

Wordless Wednesday-Taking a walk.

2011-06-13T15:29:00.003-04:00

Happy Birthday Papa aka Commodore

2011-06-11T15:07:00.000-04:00

Before Elle was born one of the debates had by us the parents to be and the grandparents was what they would called. Elle's grandfather wanted to be known as the Commodore. Captain was a close second. Which plays into the sense of humor he has. Once words started to make their way out of Elle's mouth he was forever dubbed Papa. I can see the joy on their faces when Elle runs into their house calling out "Gram, Papa".

Joyful debates are common place when we all get together. One that occurs often between Elle and Papa is whether she's being sardonic or sarcastic. My wife and her father will have more technical debates about aspects of marketing and legal matters. I may have a debate concerning science fiction or super hero movies with him. No matter what we may discuss it's all done in fun. Many of our debates in parenting styles end in my wife saying "yeah, but you dressed me in overalls and gave me a bowl cut". Despite my wife's long standing grudge against her toddler fashion there is a lot of love felt among all parties.

Elle will undoubtedly come back with fun stories after we pick her up from a sleepover at Gram and Papa's. It might be tales of being chased by malamutes or the "three sock rule" (Elle's Papa has a theory about how you can survive off of three socks and film canisters - it's something I learned about in my early encounters before I was married and in honor of that bonding experience he even named his sail boat "three socks" in Spanish). Whatever silliness it might be, the love that he has for her is clear.

One of the ways that Elle's Papa has shown his love and appreciation is in his craftsmanship for woodworking. Before Elle was born he built a crib for her. Soon after that he built a toy box for her and this past Christmas he built a doll house for her. My wife was a little jealous that Elle's doll house was bigger and more intricate than the one he built for her. It's very cool how excited he gets and how much work he puts into doing things for Elle.

I'm very fortunate to have such a great father in-law and Elle is very lucky that she has such engaged grandparents. So, many happy birthdays wishes and cheers to many more. We all look forward to the years of laughs and joy that come with it.

Wordless Wednesday-If you love them set them free.

2011-06-08T06:56:00.001-04:00

A not so guilty pleasure.

2011-06-03T00:32:00.167-04:00

Humor is much appreciated in our home. My wife, Elle and myself share that although we may differ in delivery. Even from our early days of dating, one thing that brought ease to a hard day was enjoying a film or show. To be more specific, if it is awful there's a good chance we'll watch it. So, one may ask "why"? Well, you may not but, for the sake of the post the question is being asked. For your enjoyment the answer to "why" will be provided.

It's pretty easy to find a comedy that will provide laughs. The challenge is to find a movie that was not intended to be funny and extract the humor. One of the great genres for this horror movies. There is an abundance of truly awful films that reside within the depths of this category. A gem with horrid writing, terrible acting and blunders aplenty will probably be a hit with us. Thankfully the days of aimless guessing at the video rental store are long gone. Between multiple platforms to view videos instantly it can feel a bit like Halloween - you'll get some bad candy but, some good ones will be in the bag, too. The disgruntled screen writer is also the gift that keeps on giving. In this category, one of the best "worst" movies that we have seen so far this year is "Tiptoes" staring Matthew McConaughey, Gary Oldman and Kate Beckinsale. Although not a horror film it has all of the three attributes to be just ridiculously horrible. If I went into details it would truly spoil the whole thing. Let's just say that it's insane to imagine that some studio exec went,"yeah this is good, let's make it".

In the past years what has trumped the awful films for us (especially my wife) has been reality TV. We will partake in the Top Chefs or Deadliest Catches while Elle is playing in the living room with us but, the private stock is reserved for our time. Once Elle is off to bed, we'll have a glass of wine and let the fruit spill from the horn of plenty. Many of the criteria that apply to films also fit in this domain. When my wife discovered an unrated version of "Rock of Love" season one was available to watch instantly I thought she was going to do a jig like an old forty-niner finding a golden nugget. A few newer favorites of her's are "Mobwives" and the "Bachelorette". It serves up laughs that help wash away the weight of a long day for her. I have no problem admitting that I enjoy watching with her. I mean come, on there is a guy sporting a mask - that sold me, it really doesn't matter who the bachelorette might be. We really have to control our laughter since Elle's room is next to ours. Still, we have no shame in our guilty pleasure.

If you have the same affection for "it's so bad it's good" programming, feel free to make any suggestions - we'll give it a try. The only thing that's off limits are shows with "Real Housewives" in the title. That's where we draw the line. Unbelievable right?

Wordless Wednesday-Game Face.

2011-05-18T11:53:00.001-04:00

Wordless Wednesday-There's nothing like a homemade birthday card.

2011-04-27T11:46:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday to my wonderful wife.

2011-04-25T14:10:00.000-04:00

From our trip to Washington, D.C.

To my wife,

Like many people you have reached that point where it just your birthday the actual age is stricken from the record. At least you can always point to me as being the older one in our blissful union. Although it's only a little over a year I can readily pitch in on any eighties pop culture references that you may feel are before your time. Many posts have been dedicated to you waxing poetic about my appreciation, and love for you.

I wanted to keep this post nice and light. I wouldn't want you to possibly shed a tear on your way home on the train. Because it might invite a unwanted conversation from a neighboring talk stalking passenger. So, your welcome. It may not feel like your birthday because you had to wake up under the cover of darkness on a Monday to head out to work. The sliver lining to this Monday is that when we pick you up from the train station you'll have a pair of smiles and a lot of love waiting for you. Also, waiting for you will be a warm meal, a glass of wine and a special card from your daughter. Which she has been working on all day while sporting her Nationals baseball cap from our recent trip to D.C. and rocking out to the "Warblers".

All the best on your birthday and all of my love.

Edgar

Wordless Wednesday-A little trip to Washington, D.C.

2011-04-20T08:44:00.000-04:00

Ascot included.

2011-04-01T06:32:00.001-04:00

Daphne and Velma sharing a slow dance with Superman and Batman. Freddy suffering from a bout of jealousy. It could be a direct to DVD crossover release. But, it's likely a production put on by Elle. Some where along the line we made a jump from Sesame Street and Yo Gabba Gabba to Superfriends and Scooby-Doo.

I can't pinpoint when the transition from age specific shows to where we are now happened. I do remember Elle's statement pretty clearly. "Dad, I think these shows are for younger kids and there not that interesting anymore. I know all the things they are teaching and singing about. Plus, I can't stand commercials." I was glad to get a break from some of her kids shows, too. Thankfully Elle never got on board the Dora express. I remember with one Tivo misstep that Dora did get recorded in place of Yo Gabba Gabba. Elle seemed to test out of their demo. That became evident when she said, "Why does Dora stop talking and just stare. It's kind of creppy". That was a welcome statement. I could keep my unwritten ban on all things Dora and Diego in tact.

Doing some parental scouting of current cartoons I quickly realized most of them are pretty awful. Having access to instant streaming video I sought out the cartoons of my childhood. The test cases would be Inspector Gadget, Smurfs, Superfriends and Scooby-Doo. As you'll see from the pictures below the misadventures of Scooby and the rest of Mystery, Inc. struck a chord with Elle. She will often ask for me to tell a Scooby-Doo story and she will readily fill in the ending catch phrase, "I would of gotten away with it if it weren't for you meddling kids and your pesky dog".

From super-hero's, comic books and now Scooby-Doo I have passed a bit of what I know from childhood to Elle. Now Elle's mother might not be a big fan of some of the influences that I've passed on. Especially at bedtime when she's reading a Scooby comic out loud (she only has one volume when reading to herself which is loud) and you hear, "You can't be a part of the team without an ascot". But, there is no denying the great joy and laughs that comes to us in watching her imagination at play.

Freddy seems to get trapped a lot.

A photo-bomb courtesy of Shaggy.

After a good mystery a group sing along is in order.

The gang is taking in a movie.

Superman and Batman were unavailable. They were cleaning up for dinner.

Looks like somebody has a case of the Mondays.

2011-03-07T17:23:00.001-05:00

I just really wanted to use an "Office Space" quote at some point for one of my posts. So, done and done. This Monday morning after a sleepless night due to howling winds making strange sounds throughout our very old home I was awakened by a tap on my shoulder. As my eyes slowly crack open I see Elle a good four inches away from my face beaming with a smile.
"Hey, dad it's Monday and you know what that means? It's time for you to make some pancakes for me. Because it's Pancake Monday! I'll even share them with you. It's going to be fantastic!"
As she stated, it is the Monday where pancakes will get made. After breakfast is done it's all hands on deck for an array of creations to be made from different mediums. We dabbled with Playfoam. May I present the final result from our time with Playfoam, Mr. Blob-O. A healthy mixing of all the colors available. Once he was put away back in the container he became Mr. Box-O.

Then it was on to Play-Doh making an assortment of "Top Chef" dishes. After our culinary show was over we realized it had inspired hunger. So, a break for lunch was in order. Soon it was on to patching up superhero figures who had a range of ailments. From broken bones, head contusions and impacted molars. I of course assisted the good Doctor Elle as a male nurse. Somebody has to operate the X-ray machine and provide bandages. So that's part of our Monday, red stapler excluded.

Watching my mouth.

2011-02-24T06:29:00.001-05:00

So it's widely know kids are magnets for the good and the bad. From four years of experience I can whole heartedly attest to the prior statement. One of my bad traits that I have had to put a cap on to avoid this magnetic attraction is cursing. Starting from Catholic grade school to Jesuit high school it's an unattractive trait that seemed to get more creative through those years. After college, working in bars and restaurants fostered the continued use of bad language. Moving into the professional world and (let I not forget) marriage helped curb it a bit. But, one place the habit resurfaces is in the car. It was not taught in drivers ed but, growing up driving in Washington D.C and the surrounding metro area just brought the cursing beast out.

My wife can probably back me up on the fact that I have come a long way on many things since our happy union. The occasional slip has definitely occurred. The most notable that comes to memory was about two years ago. Where we live we have about one-tenth of the traffic that D.C. has but, we do have a lot of elderly drivers. Slowly traveling behind one of these members of the greatest generation I blurt out "what the f***?!" I happen to have Elle in the car. On the way back from our errand we experienced deja vu only this time Elle was blurting out "What the f***?!" This led to a father-daughter conversation about bad words and how I was wrong to say that and not to repeat dad's foul language.

It's been a long time since I've heard any profanity spill out from my child's mouth. I admittedly have the occasional slip. Instead of the words coming from the Curse Word Rolodex they have become a cut-and-paste effort. So, I might throw out the occasional crud, crud bucket, meatballs, holy taco Batman and assorted creative curse replacements. Luckily I haven't had to have a conversation with Elle about not repeating any of my creative curse word replacements, yet.

I could buy a card.

2011-02-14T16:18:00.002-05:00

Mondays don't seem particularly romantic. It being Valentines Day a certain bit a romance needs to be presented to lighten up the hue of blue that falls on Monday. As I type out these words Elle is cutting out hearts from construction paper while listening to Elton John's "Don't go breaking my heart" and I'm closely watching the oven. She's preparing some cards and I making some pastry puffs. Once we finish our respective tasks we'll team up to fill the pastries with guava jelly and top them off with some powdered sugar. I thought I would beat the Valentine's Day flower rush by ordering some roses to be delivered on Friday. Also, serving the dual purpose of being around for the weekend when my wife could actually enjoy them. Just my luck when I opened up the box to prep the flowers for presentation they were a bit ugly. Luckily the unattractive flowers were quickly forgiven. At least today they look a bit better than when they arrived.

I could have bought a card but, I decided to do a post and borrow one of the construction paper hearts to make my Valentines day card this year.

To my wife,

What I knew of love ten years ago pales in comparison to what I know of love today. That is a credit to you. I grew up with a skewed view of what and how people show love for one another. With your compassion and patience you helped me open my eyes. It's wasn't an over night revelation. But, you let me grow and evolve to become a husband and a father you could be proud of. There is a great level of comfort in knowing that whatever may come I have you beside me. But, it is a fact that is never taken for granted. You are a light in my heart and my mind that bring a warming love to my soul and a smile to my face. With this Valentine's Monday I say thank you for being my beautiful and wonderful love. May we continue to grow and enjoy all that we have together. From a pub in Foggy Bottom to our lives today I wouldn't change a thing.

With all of me I love you now and forever,

Edgar

Lessons in Anatomy.

2011-02-07T06:32:00.001-05:00

Sometimes a car ride can turn into a lesson in the anatomy of a song. To be fair most car rides turn into a deep analysis of top forty hits. For example the other day after picking up my wife from the train station the song "Grenade" by Bruno Mars came on the radio. Within seconds the barrage of questions came from the back seat. This is a combination of two conversations that we had about the same song which seem to come on the radio every time we got in the car.

Elle: Why is this guy going to catch a grenade for love? That seems a bit dangerous? Why would she throw all he had in the trash? He's going to need that stuff.

Mom: He's just singing about how much he loved this girl and she didn't love him as much as he loved her. He tried very hard to give her all his love but, she didn't do the same for him. So, she didn't really throw all his stuff in the trash.

Elle: Why would he hurt himself for this one girl. He shouldn't try to hurt himself. That's not healthy. Why doesn't she love him that much? Does she just like him as a friend? Did he try flowers or a card?

Dad: Well, let me see how I can answer your questions. He's not trying to hurt himself. He's just explaining that he would do anything for the girl he's signing about because he loves her so much. Your right he shouldn't try to hurt himself. Sometimes love can be tricky between two people. Sometimes it works out, other times it can be a lot of work. Maybe she does just like him as a friend but, I'm sure he won't have a problem finding someone else to love. I have no idea if he tried cards or flowers.

Elle: Well I guess he should try being friends first so he doesn't get his feelings so hurt. Maybe he will have better luck next time.

This was at least easier to break down than a Ke$ha song.

The January Issue of Elle.

2011-01-27T06:59:00.001-05:00

It's amazing how four years could fly by, yet it has and my daughter is four years old today. Maybe it's my memory or just something that happens as a parent, but I have a hard time remembering Elle as an infant sporting a Wonder Women onesie. The only thing I was certain of before Elle was born was that she was going to be a she. It was just one of those gut feelings I had. The confirmation came as a result of a blood test well before the sonogram. One of the characteristics my wife and Elle share is wanting to know what the surprise is before they get it.

Someone recently asked me what is Elle like? All I could say was "Elle is Elle, you would understand if you met her". She just has one of those magnetic personalities that bring you in and sticks in your brain. That's just not me blowing smoke. When I make stops around town she's remembered. As soon as I say hello I get asked "where's your daughter?” “How’s your daughter doing?” or “Bring your daughter next time." With that charisma comes a limitless curiosity, a mix of tomboy and yet an appreciation of all things that come with being a girl.

In a day she could go from sharing an "eyeball egg" with her grandfather to collecting feathers with her grandmother for a collection. She can also transition from asking me who's faster between Superman and The Flash or getting some cuddle time with her mother.

Whatever moments we may share with Elle the four of us can agree that she is truly loved. With that, whenever we speak of her a smile seems to immediately sweep across our faces.

Home alone tonight.

2011-01-24T21:10:00.001-05:00

My wife was nice enough to put a post together for me. Which I truly appreciate. I thought I would take this little nugget of free time to hash out a post. As the title states I'm home alone tonight. My wife is out of town for work and my daughter is spending the night at her grandparents. You think I would be up to something cool. No, nothing cool or awesome at all. I'm sporting sweats and glasses. That means I not expecting to be out in public or having any visitors dropping by for a visit. Besides my uncool attire I'm trying to keep a "head cold" from ruining my second week at work. That's why Elle is at her grandparents. It's very nice of them to help out I would have little energy for all that is Elle. Going to the doctor's office this morning was no fun. The doctor didn't appreciate my self diagnosis of a sinus infection. I've had enough of them to be pretty skilled at diagnosing it. When I had my little back and forth at the doc's office I felt as is the theme music from "Curb Your Enthusiasm" would kick in. Damn they make you wait. But, that could easily go into a rant where I offend the elderly and it would get silly. After this post is finish I'll be putting out the trash, gluing a doll's foot and Superman's leg back to their respective bodies. Hopefully I'll have one of those shows my wife has no interest in stored on the TiVo queue that will easily put me to sleep(The Cape, V, among a few). I can't forget to say thank you for all your well wishes in the previous post. It means a lot.