We’re Going To Marvel Universe Live! In Nashville On Friday, December 12th

Our family is now just a few weeks away than from Marvel Universe LIVE! making its debut here in Nashville, Tennessee! The show will open on Friday, Dec. 12 and will run through Sunday, Dec. 14. We’ll be at the Friday show; and in this post, I am able to give away a set of 4 tickets to one lucky family…

Marvel Universe LIVE!

In case you’re unfamiliar, Marvel Super Heroes including Spider-Man, The Avengers, Iron Man, Hulk, and more, along with threatening villains come to life in an action-packed arena extravaganza, are coming to cities around North America.

Marvel Universe LIVE!

There will be cutting-edge special effects, pyrotechnics, aerial stunts, martial arts, motorcycles and more. It’s being hailed as the most technically advanced live show ever.

So, now I get to give away 4 tickets for the Friday night show at 7 p.m!

Just be the first person to post on the Facebook wall for Family Friendly Daddy Blog (not a private message), asking me, “Did I just win 4 tickets for my family to go see Marvel Universe LIVE! in Nashville on Friday, Dec. 12 at 7 p.m?”

If you’re the first person to do so, I will respond by saying yes… After that, I will follow up by getting your family’s name and address to get you all set up with the tickets!

*Update… we have winner! Therefore, my giveway is complete.

Dear Jack: A Dad’s Letter To His Son On His 4th Birthday

4 years old!

Dear Jack,

Dear Jack: A Dad’s Letter To His Son On His 4th Birthday

Two years ago, on your 2nd birthday, I started a tradition of writing you a letter on each of your birthdays; which started me writing to letters every week.

A year I wrote to you on your 3rd birthday, right as you were making that unofficial transition out of “toddlerhood.”

And now a year later, here you are, a year into boyhood. There is no doubt you definitely a real boy; not a toddler, not a baby.

Dear Jack: A Dad’s Letter To His Son On His 4th Birthday

Those funny “onion head” pictures on packages saying that toys are not suitable for ages 0-3 are a thing of the past.

You can now easily handle smart parts without it being a problem; as demonstrated in your amazing Lego creations.

This evolution of my son is present in the wallet cards I get from your school each time they have picture day.

I see a chubby blonde-haired baby who turned into a brown-haired boy.

These are the new “good ole days.”

I can honestly say I’m just as happy as you are to see you open your presents. These are the days of Legos, Transformers, Ninja Turtles, and Captain America. (Sounds a lot like my own childhood!)

Gone are the days of changing dirty diapers and cleaning bottles. Gone are the days of you stuttering and speaking in pigeon-English.

Dear Jack: A Dad’s Letter To His Son On His 4th Birthday

The fact that we’re building this new house (and hopefully moving in it in January) only compliments your coming of age to boyhood, as well as our family’s coming of age to a family with a real boy.

I am so excited to teach you to learn how to ride a bicycle in the cul-de-sac we will live in. And can’t for the day we get to “go camping” in our backyard; even though I convinced you’ll ask to go back inside after about an hour.

Things are good and about to get even better.

Happy 4th Birthday, Son. I love you with all that I have.

Love,

Daddy

Dear Jack: You Now Can Remember Your “Past Life” As A Baby

3 years, 11 months.

Dear Jack: You Now Can Remember Your “Past Life” As A Baby

Dear Jack,

Here lately, you’ve been asking me questions when you were a baby. I’ve determined that your definition of “baby” basically means any time before you were 3 years old.

Given that your 4th birthday is coming up next weekend; that means that the last year of your life, the year between age 3 and age 4, is the part you’ve lived as a “boy.”

Again, this is all your thinking, not mine. I’ve learned this by you calling any other kid under the age of 3 a baby.

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So in essence, you are asking questions about your “past life”… I was there for all of it, documenting it the whole time. As for you, you mainly only remember the events from the most recent 25% of your life.

Dear Jack: You Now Can Remember Your “Past Life” As A Baby

For example, you obviously still remember your friend Sophie; she moved away in February.

But as for Henry, you’re clueless. Many playdates took place. There were countless hours together at your school.

Yet the only reference you have of him is after the fact; pictures and videos that I took of you two.

Dear Jack: You Now Can Remember Your “Past Life” As A Baby

Of course, I fully recognize that this most recent 25% of your life will eventually become the oldest 25%, getting blurrier as each year passes.

In the end, you’ll only remember a portion of this past year which you can currently recall very well.

Like this- will you remember the days when you’d visit our next door neighbor Rachel and her pet cat after school?

Because those are things are going on in your life right now.

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Will you remember drawing your awesome pictures of monster trucks then asking Mommy and me to cut them out and hang on the fridge?

As for me, I serve witness to these memories which will mostly be forgotten by you. And since I’m taking good notes, you’ll always have a portal to the past for any day you want to travel time.

I’ll tell you all about it. I’ll even show you.

Love,

Daddy

Making Cool Party Favors By Baking Crayons In Lego Man Molds

3 years, 11 months.

Making Cool Party Favors By Baking Crayons In Lego Man Molds

Dear Jack,

In addition to making you feel special by taking you to go get tater tots at Burger Republic back in September for the “The Great Food Truck Festival”, you also had a lot of fun that same weekend by helping Mommy and me make some of the party favors for your upcoming birthday party in just two weeks.

For your appropriately themed Lego party at Bricks 4 Kids (A Lego-themed party place), we are giving out homemade Lego Man crayons as part of your party favor bags.

Mommy found the Lego Man mold on Amazon. From there, we found a few boxes of old crayons; some of them having been baking in our cars for the past couple of years!

Making Cool Party Favors By Baking Crayons In Lego Man Molds

My main job was to take the knife and cut off the paper wrappers. Your job was to organize the crayons by color (which you did with great pride) and throw away the wrappers for me after I cut them off the crayons, which was actually very helpful for me.

From there, Mommy crushed them and fit them into the molds, baking them for a little while. After that they went into the freezer to cool off.

Making Cool Party Favors By Baking Crayons In Lego Man Molds

Too bad we only had one mold tray, which yields 8 Lego Man crayons at a time. Mommy was basically baking batches for about 6 hours straight in order to produce a total of about 64.

So as you can see, as long as you use as least 2 different colors of crayons, each Lego Man crayon is guaranteed to look unique, like a snowflake or a fingerprint.

Making Cool Party Favors By Baking Crayons In Lego Man Molds

My favorite one looked like the Earth. I named him Captain Planet.

Without surprise, you immediately chose your favorites to put in your own goody bag.

Making those Lego Man crayons was definitely a fun family activity for us. Granted, Mommy’s role was the most tedious.

Making Cool Party Favors By Baking Crayons In Lego Man Molds

But we all a great time. It was such a unique and “Pinteresty” thing for us to do.

I guess we get cool points now or something…

Love,

Daddy

Trick Or Treating 2014: Halloween As Batman

3 years, 11 months.

Trick Or Treating 2014: Halloween As Batman

Dear Jack,

I don’t know who as enjoyed this Halloween more… you or me.

This is the most excited about “trick or treating” I’ve been since I can remember. I have been telling my coworkers all week how excited I have been for this day.

You were Batman, of course; dressed in $8 WalMart pajamas and a $4 Kroger mask.

I want to compliment you on the fact you actually said “trick or treat” before accepting candy from the dozen or so random households we accepted candy from tonight.

Trick Or Treating 2014: Halloween As Batman

Mommy and I threw on random costume hats we had lying around the house so that our whole family could technically be dressed in costume for the night.

Going “trick or treating” really is so much fun… and so random.

I really like your choice of Batman. Your costume was very well respected among the houses we visited; as well as among other trick or treaters.

Trick Or Treating 2014: Halloween As Batman

Today was also special in that I came to visit you at your school during your lunch. I enjoyed hanging out with you and seeing your friends dressed up. I truly appreciated the fact that your (girl) friend Eiley was dressed as a Power Ranger.

Trick Or Treating 2014: Halloween As Batman

You even drew a special “Batman SUV monster truck” today for the occasion; which you insisted I cut out for you, to serve as a form of a toy.

Trick Or Treating 2014: Halloween As Batman

Not to mention, you also have been making Play-Doh pumpkins, which you’ve been moving around with Lego bulldozers.

I was telling Mommy how much I enjoyed tonight and look forward to the Halloweens to come in the next several years. We had such a fun time together as a family.

Most of all, I loved seeing how excited you were to “be Batman.”

 

Love,

Daddy

P.S. Below is an inforgraph on the history of pumpkins; as I see relevant on Halloween.

 
pumpkins infographic