Where does "girly-ness" come from?

How do little girls become so girly so fast. Yesterday I was in the kitchen pouring myself a glass of water, when A Bird comes tearing around the corner only to stop and tell me “Dad, I’m going to stop biting my nails, so Mom can paint polish on them.” and then she was gone in another swirl of coloring pages and doll clothes. I just shook my head and thought ok, and went about my business. When I told L Bird about it later, I asked her if she had mentioned anything about painting her nails for her and she said that she hadn’t.


I guess it just amazes me how girly and what a little diva A Bird really is. L Bird isn’t super girly with lots of make up and frilly dresses, none of A Bird’s Grandmothers are very girly either. But it just seems to be that A Bird is destined to be a diva. As I think back on it, she has said or done things ever since she was a tiny little girl that should have clued me in to the fact that she has the princess factor. Another great example is a month or two ago it was a birthday party for someone and we had just started letting A Bird pick out what she wanted to wear, so I told her that we were going to a party and asked her what she would like to pick to wear. She immediately grabbed a pink dress and informed me that you have to wear dresses to parties so you look beautiful. I was stunned, but it was just so cute I had to laugh.

Now don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with A Bird being girly. I’m glad that she has a strong personality and her own individuality now at such an early age, its just when she was born I didn’t realize how girly she could be. I had visions of her getting older and working with me outside in the garden or getting dirty camping or hiking. I guess I just envisioned her as being more of an outdoorsy/granola girl. She definitely has that side to her too, she loves to get dirty and stomp in puddles, she picks up bugs and worms without hesitation, and she loves to “drive” the lawnmower, but she just adds her own drama and princess flair to it, by doing all of those things while wearing her Barbie “Glass Slippers” and a tiara.

In her Snow White ball gown.

I’m sure I’m in for more wonderful surprises as she gets older and she finds her way in this world, but right now I’m just enjoying my little Diva!.

Please notice both the tiara, the fact that she has to be in the center and of course, the hands on the hips!

Funny how things change....

It seems funny how things change and you don't even realize that they've changed until someone from your past reminds you of it. While my wife and I were engaged and just married, I used to play golf. I played most Saturdays during the summer and every Monday night on a league. I was even playing golf right up until the week before my daughter was born. I'm not that great, but I was getting better every time I played, I think I had 11 handicap.

However since A Bird has been born I can count the times I've played golf on my right hand. Yep, that's right I went from playing golf 50 - 60 times in a summer to 5 times in the last 3 years. I've played every year on Father's Day since she was born and two tournaments. Sure I miss the enjoyment of playing golf, but the thing is I didn't even miss it until one of my friends called me up and asked me to play in a tournament this Saturday. Even the last 5 times we I have played, it hasn't been the same, the whole time I'm out on the course, my mind is always at home with A Bird and my wife, L Bird. I really enjoy the time we spend together, it never seems like enough. I work ten hour days and L Bird works every other Saturday so, we have just a few short full days to be together and go places, so I feel like I'm wasting my opportunities if I'm out doing something else.

But even with that being said, I am going to suck it up and play in a tournament this Saturday, because even with all I said above, I haven't done anything for myself in awhile so I deserve a small reward I think, but the bigger reason is it is for a good cause. This tournament is a memorial tournament for a friend of mine's son. Last year my friend lost his 11 year old son to Leukemia. The scary thing is that it was undiagnosed leukemia, up until the week before he passed away, he was a completely normal, healthy kid who was turning out to be one hell of a wrestler on his youth league. Then one day he complained of some aches and pains and was real lethargic. They took him to the hospital to find out the devastating news, and then it was only a few days later that he passed away. So this golf tournament is a memorial to him and the proceeds are going to charity.

Now that I've brought everyone down, I guess the main point of this rambling post is that it is real funny how kids can completely change your outlook on life. How you can only remember your life from the time  they entered it, the person you were before that seems like a far off dream, but that is ok, because they make that trade so worth it. I can't remember the actual quote or who said it, but it is definitely true. "The decision to have children, is making the decision to have your heart walking around outside your body."

Well, I suppose I have rambled enough. Enjoy your children and enjoy your day!

Aaaaaaaah Routines, how I hate you...

I work four ten hour days during the week, Monday through Thursday 6 AM - 4:30 PM, that means I have to be up and out of the by 5:30. That's my routine. On Fridays I like to try and sleep in until 7:30, I don't think that, that is too much to ask for. Well A Bird has her own routine that interferes with my desire to sleep in. During the week, L Bird has to be to work pretty early, which means she has to get A Bird up early to get her to daycare. So A Bird gets up between 6 - 6:30 AM Monday - Thursday, but unfortunately this morning (Friday) she was still on her routine and I was up at 6:15. Not Cool.

However, after a hot shower and a cup of coffee I was ready to deal with all of the energy A Bird had to dish out. So we started by having pop tarts on the deck. While we were eating on the deck, I shook off what was left of my morning crankiness and took a good look around me and really admired the beauty surrounding me.

Sure, there are toys all over and sure the lawn needs to be cut, but it was quiet and the sun was out. Everything was quiet, and we had a nice conversation about puzzles and princesses. Things were right with the world.

We finished up our breakfast and went inside to take a bath. Normally bath time is at night, but A Bird had gotten a brand new Nemo swimming fish and she had been dying to test it out in the tub. The Nemo was a swimming success, (I know that's an awful pun, but hey I tried), it swam around the tub and bounced off of Barbie, Ariel, Strawberry Shortcake and Sleeping Beauty much to the delight of my little pirate princess, Captain Arrrrrrrrrgh Bird. Once the water went cold 25 minutes later, I finally coaxed her out to do some camping.

A Bird had me pull out her princess tent and put it up in the middle of the living room. Then I had to find her Disney princess sleeping bag and zip it "just right". Apparently just zipping a sleeping bag is not enough for a princess, you have to hold the zipper gently between your thumb and forefinger and then pull the zipper with your pinky up. Next came the pillow and a game of hide and seek with A Bird telling me she was hiding in the sleeping bag but I had to count and then come and find her.

Then it was on to a long discussion about how we can't have a real campfire in the house to roast marshmallows because it would burn the house down. After a bit of whining, and two marshmallows we decided would be best to leave the fires for outdoors.

All of this was done by 8:30 AM, man I love my routine!!

Vacation in The ADK's

Normally for the past two summers, we vacation with the rest of my family at my Aunt Linda's house on Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island, but this year none of my family could get it together long enough to decide on a time to go. So with the clock running out on when L Bird had to submit her time off requests, we decided we would skip RI this year and go up to the Adirondacks.

So this is just a short snippet of some of the tings we did:

A Bird entertaining herself on the ride up. Yes, that's right, she found it hilarious that she could smell her own grubby little feet.

Seventh Lake from the dock.

My Pop trying to get the grill lit. It was a little windy and chilly right there on the water.

L Bird & A Bird calling in the ducks.

They were friendly.

VERY FRIENDLY!!

A Bird hanging out on the dock.

L Bird getting ready to mount her first REAL horse. (Apparently I don't count, lol)

L Bird on Patches!!

Roasting Marshmallows!!

It was a great, relaxing trip. It was so great that L Bird has decided that eventually we should live in the Adirondacks. The air is so clean, and the atmosphere is so nice it was definitely hard to come home.

But there is always next year, right?

Funny Ol' World, Isn't it?

Normally I just end up trudging through my days at work and then I rush to daycare, then head home and start dinner. By the time dinner is finished and cleaned up up I have about two hours to spend with A Bird before she goes to bed, then if I lucky I have another hour and a half of relaxing, watching a little TV, and catching up with my wife, L Bird, then I head to bed and the whole process starts again in the morning. That is a normal day in my life.

I am so concentrated on what I have to do next that I lose sight of the happiness in the everyday moments. It seems like this happens a lot to me until, through fate or God, I get a sign that reminds me of how lucky I really am and how I should appreciate all that I have and how different things could really be.

One of those moments hit me yesterday at the gas station of all places. I drove into the gas station and I see a girl that I was once engaged to. Its a long story, but she was one of my first loves, we were together for three years and I proposed to her. I was young and foolish and figured a ring would solve all of the problems, that looking back on were clearly spray painted in large bold face print all over the walls. At the time she was all I wanted, when we had problems I would pray to God that he would fix me or fix us and that she would be mine forever. We moved into together in a little apartment and 3 weeks later I found out about one of her many affairs and that was the last straw, as much as it hurt me I threw her out and ended it all. So I saw her yesterday in the gas station parking lot, she was sitting in her car with her two boys waiting for her newest boyfriend. I pretended I didn't see her, pumped my gas, and went in to pay. As I was waiting to pay I saw her boyfriend for the first time and man was he a piece of work. He was wearing a Jose ad Willy's (crummy little dive bar) T shirt, pot belly sticking out of that shirt, skull and snakes tattoos up his arm, teeth rotting out of his head and he is deep in conversation with the attendant. They are talking about a few stray kittens that have been hiding in the brush around the gas station, when this gem comes out of his mouth "You know for a couple of free hot dogs, I'll trap 'em for ya.". I swear to God, those were his exact words. Well after that nugget of information I just shook my head and paid for my gas and got the hell out of there. As I was driving away, he sauntered out of the station scratching himself, hopped in her car lit a cigarette and they pulled away.

The rest of my ride home, I gloated to myself at how much a better catch I was and how bad she screwed up, I know its petty, but for all she put me through I'm still spiteful. But as I thought about this, my mind shifted to how different my life could have been. As I thought about that I felt enormously happy for my life as it is now and I am so grateful God never answered my prayers to make that girl mine. If he had I never would have had all of the experiences I have had with L Bird and I never would have felt her love or the love I have for her. We never would have been married and never would have been so blessed as to have A Bird. I am so thankful for my wife, my daughter, and my crazy life. People always ask, what would you change if you could change anything in your life, I wouldn't change anything, My life is perfect and I am truly blessed.

So I'll pull a Garth Brooks and just say I thank God for unanswered prayers.