Dear Jack: This is My Favorite Picture of You This Week, Throwing a Sea Cucumber Back into the Ocean

8 years.

Dear Jack,

For me, this picture of you perfectly captures who you are now, at age 8.

It was our first morning out on the beach last week in Destin to celebrate your birthday. The beach was covered in sea cucumbers, most of them appearing to still be alive, but barely.

I suggested that you throw as many as you could back into the sea.

Fortunately, you had your trusty shovel with you, which served as the perfecting launching pad.

While I’m not sure how many lives you saved that morning, I do know that the ones you threw back definitely stood a better chance of survival, had you not come along to rescue them.

I think it’s really cool how in this picture, not only is the landscape beautiful in a way not typically associated with Florida, but how you can see the sea cucumber flying through the air as the immediate result of your throw, still in motion.

This is a memory that I will always associate with your 8th birthday.

Love,

Daddy

Dear Jack: A Dad’s Letter to His Son on His 8th Birthday

8 years old today!

Dear Jack,

There’s a page in the children’s book Love You Forever where it shows the son in his teenage years, as he’s dancing around knocking things over, while a slice of pizza lies there on the floor.

Yes, you’re still 5 years away from being a teenager, but here lately, I have been telling Mommy how I feel like we’re catching glimpses of you as a teenager already.

Something that clearly defines you is your confidence. You know what you’re good at and you also know what your weaknesses are.

And therefore, you base your identity off of that.

I am so proud to see that in you.

You clearly have a mind of your own. That’s something I value greatly.

And I am here to help you become more and more of who you are.

Happy 8th Birthday!

Love,

Daddy

Dear Jack: A Dad’s Letter to His Son on His 2nd Birthday

Dear Jack: A Dad’s Letter to His Son on His 3rd Birthday

Dear Jack: A Dad’s Letter to His Son on His 4th Birthday

Dear Jack: A Dad’s Letter to His Son on His 5th Birthday

Dear Jack: A Dad’s Letter to His Son on His 6th Birthday

Dear Jack: A Dad’s Letter to His Son on His 7th Birthday

Dear Jack: You Were Literally Smashing Pumpkins

7 years, 11 months.

Dear Jack,

One of my favorite bands in junior high and high school was Smashing Pumpkins. In fact, their 1993 album Siamese Dream remains one of my favorites of all time.

But all that was lost on you when you asked last Saturday, “Daddy, will you go outside with me so I can go smash the pumpkins?”

The light rain definitely didn’t stop you.

You began by taking your miniature hammer that you got with one of your crafts from Home Depot and started smashing the first rotting jack o’lantern left over from Halloween.

The task proved to be more difficult than either of us thought:

Your hammer basically just bounced off the pumpkin, for the most part.

Then you had another fun idea, “Daddy, can I roll the other pumpkin down the hill and see what happens?

What surprised us both is that after a few rolls, that pumpkin split in half.

It’s official:

The hill was mightier than the hammer.

Love,

Daddy

Dear Jack: Your Ghost Tour Field Trip in Downtown Franklin, Tennessee near Mellow Mushroom

7 years, 11 months.

Dear Jack,

Yesterday was quite an adventure for you. As part of your school’s enrichment program this week for fall break, you got to go on a “ghost tour” with your friends.

A tour guide hopped on your school bus in the nearby town of Franklin, and told everyone ghost stories that apparently took place in those old buildings downtown; near Mellow Mushroom, actually.

Needless to say, last night’s dinner conversations were monopolized by you amazingly recalling every detail of each ghost story you heard.

Ghost soldiers from The Civil war in the basement of the old bank.

Ghost dogs in the yard.

Ghost owls in the barn.

So while I did feel kind of bad about you having to be at school when school was actually out for fall break, I quickly realized that going on a ghost tour was probably more fun than staying home would have been anyway.

Just watch out for those ghost cows at night, mooing in the field behind our house.

 

Love,

Daddy

Our Family Went to the Disney Frozen On Ice Opening Celebration in Nashville at the Lexus Lounge at Bridgestone Arena

Tonight was the exciting debut performance of Disney of Ice Frozen here in Nashville and our family loved being a part of it!

We were able to snag backstage passes for the special opening celebration in which our family was able to meet Elsa and Anna. You can imagine how surprised my kids were.

My son is in 2nd grade and my daughter is 2 years old. I’m sure every minute of it was a dream come true; like bringing Frozen to life!

Though I had been to Disney on Ice exactly 30 years ago when the feature was The Sword in the Stone, my wife had never experienced it.

The show is very well done. I highly recommend taking your family, as the tour will be continuing through May 2019. So check to see when Disney on Ice Frozen is coming to your town.

And if you’re Nashville, there are still 8 more shows through Sunday, September 16th, 2018!

Sep 14, 2018 Fri 10:30 AM
Sep 14, 2018 Fri 7:00 PM
Sep 15, 2018 Sat 11:00 AM
Sep 15, 2018 Sat 3:00 PM
Sep 15, 2018 Sat 7:00 PM
Sep 16, 2018 Sun 11:00 AM
Sep 16, 2018 Sun 3:00 PM
Sep 16, 2018 Sun 7:00 PM
@DisneyOnIce
#DisneyOnIce