Kids and Shoes

Mr. T is obsessed with basketball lately.  I don't use the word obsessed lightly, I mean obsessed.  He talks non stop about the payers, games, scores, stats, etc..... He played in a little practice league earlier this year and really liked it. We also went to a couple Sacramento Kings basketball games and he liked them.  But as the days went on, he started asking to see scores and stats for all of the college teams with March Madness.  He was cruising through the ESPN app like it was his job.  He learned all of the teams, players and how good they were.  As soon as college basketball ended, it was all NBA.

While this obsession was building, we purchased a pair of kids Jordan shoes for him.  He picked them out himself and has worn them everyday since.  He is a tall 7 year old boy who plays a lot of basketball at school and home and within 2 months, there was a hole in them and the sole of the shoes were worn out.  So the other night I take Mr. T to the mall to get some new shoes.  He really wanted to get some new Jordan's or the Steph Curry Shoes.  He was sold on them.  As soon as he saw them in the first store that we stopped at, he knew he wanted them.  They were a lot more money than I was anticipating on spending, but we agreed that I would pay a certain amount of money for whatever shoes he wanted, and anything over that amount he would have to make up by doing chores and other tasks around the house and yard.

He was pleased as could be and put his new SC shoes on his feet on the drive back home.  After all of the kiddos were in bed, the wifey and I were talking about how much money we spent on his shoes and if we were being ridiculous but after thinking about it talking about it, he only buy him 1 pair of shoes every few months, where his sisters get different sandals, church shoes, ballet shoes, etc..... all the time.  Granted, theirs are cheaper than his fancy basketball shoes.  We usually grab some from Walmart, Target or H&M and they are usually $10 or cheaper! Honestly,  it probably evens out in the long run....right?!

Also, he probably would have slept in the shoes if we would have let him.....

Lake Clementine

The kiddos spent some time at their grandparents last weekend, so the wifey and I had a nice relaxing quiet weekend. We were able to sleep in a little, do some yard work and we event squeezed in a great hike to Lake Clementine as well.  We hiked just over 2+ miles to the dam to see the waterfall and the views of the lake.  We hiked back down and ended up having lunch on the river and jumping in for a quick swim.  It felt great to catch up on some sleep and get re-energized for life as a parent.

Tacoma Rainiers Baseball Game

Last weekend Mr. T and I had a father and sons night out.  We got tickets to the Rainiers baseball game, and they happened to be playing the Salt Lake Bees!  We had a great time at the game, even though they lost in the end.  The game went pretty long, 12 innings and didn't end up after midnight.  Mr. T knew that there would be fireworks at the end, so we waited until the end, watched the fireworks show and then headed home.  It was a late night, but a fun night.  I think is it good to spend some quality and fun 1:1 time with your children.  I am sure we will have future events like this one.  I added some pictures of both kiddos just for fun as well.

Titlow Beach and Park

Since the weather has been so nice, we headed up to Titlow Beach and Park on Sunday afternoon and soaked up the sun on the shores of the Puget Sound.  The views of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge were amazing.  We really do live in a beautiful place!
The kiddos had fun throwing rocks in the water and hunting for sea shells and other small creatures in the sand and rocks.  The 'choo choo' train goes right by the beach too, so they loved their front row seat to see that as well.

Parenting

I love being a parent and father.  I love seeing my children grow, learn and develop on a daily basis.  Some days are obviously better than others and I realize that my wifey does most of the work but I am dedicated to being there and being an active father.  Last weekend the sun was shining and after my afternoon jog, Mr. T and I got to spend some quality one on one time with each other.  We hopped on our bikes and rode around our new neighborhood and ended up at a fun new park.  They had a little track around the field and we raced all around the track multiple times and then stopped to swing and run around on the playground.  He was so excited and on the way home he said, "we have got to bring mom and Darla here too."
It's the simple moments that made me proud to be a father.

"I'm a Daddy and I Know it"

I found this gem the other day.  Apparently they made this little video for a family party and everyone there wanted copies of it, and then it spread from there and is now a you tube hit! 

Watch and enjoy! 

Christmas Time

Christmas is so much better with kids. Seriously it is. They get so excited about everything and their faces light up for every little thing.  We have been decorating the house and dressing the kids up while listening to Christmas tunes on pandora on a daily basis.  Toddler T is beyond excited for Christmas and he gets it more this year.  When the wifey told him more about Santa and how he comes down the chimney his little face just lit up.  It was an awesome moment!  He has seen Santa at the Bellevue Mall and he told him that he wants trains and a toy vacuum.  Yes, you read that right, he wants a toy vacuum.  I may have a slight obsession with vacuuming and my son is following in my ways, ha! 

We just found out last weekend that we will be staying here in WA now and my in laws will be joining us for the festivities along with some of the wifey's siblings.  We hosted Thanksgiving and now we are hosting Christmas.  We are officially grown ups now. 

Tis the season.   

Curious George

Recently, T has loved watching Curious George.  When my cousin Chels was visiting last time, her daughter would watch it, but T was not interested, but over the last few weeks he has grown to love it.  He refers to kid shows as baby/Turner shows and frequently asks to watch them.  He is also a fan on Chuggington, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and before that he liked Yo Gabba Gabba.  Apparently he goes through phases, which is fine because we just record them on our DVR and then when we need to bribe him in any way possible, we will let him watch one of his baby shows. 

This idea worked perfectly when he was doing his breathing treatments on  the nebulizer.  Each clip of Curious George was 15 minutes and that's about how long it took him to breathe in his treatment.  It was a win win situation for everyone. 

On one of the episodes on Curious George they went bowling and he started asking over and over again when we could go bowling.  When the in laws were in town for baby D's baby blessing a few weeks ago we all went bowling and then we went again a couple weekends later for T's cousins birthday, it was perfect.  Plus I enjoy bowling and so the wifey, I mean she has her own pink ball and fancy shoes that come in their own bag.  And I use to be in a league in the college days. 

PS- I forgot to mention that I won the second time we won!  Of course I was on the lane with all of the kids, and with the bumpers.  But a win is a win.  I will take it!

Everyone should have kids.......

Yes, I said it.  I think that everyone should have children.  They (meaning kids) keep you in line and help you in so many ways!  Last week in church, we went to the 'other' sunday school class, (that I didn't know existed) where my father-in-laws childhood friend was teaching.  It was an awesome lesson on parenting and being an example. Since this topic had already been on my mind, it just hit home for me. 

So, think about it.  When you have children, you seem to always put their needs before anything else.  It's a great thing to do, a selfless thing to do.  You seem to want to teach them good things that will help them and be a good example for them at all times.

Baby T is at the age where he copies a lot of what we do as his parents, whether it's our actions or words.  This can be either a positive or negative experience for them.  For example, if I put my 'flip flops' (his lastest word) on, then he wants to.  If I say I am going to give a prayer before dinner, then he folds his arms like we do.  On a negative note, if I maybe curse when I drop something on my foot, then he will repeat that same word and somehow add it to his vocabulary.  Are you catching my drift here??  Children keep you in check with yourself.  They humble you and teach you new things everyday as you are teaching them.  What an awesome experience it is.  And I don't think this experience will ever end.....will it?

So agree with me, or disagree with me if you may, but either way, get out there and have some children and teach them well.

*We took a Costco run yesterday to stash up on diapers, and see he is wearing his flip flops and so was I!