Storytelling

Leave a comment Posted on fatherhood, parenting, Storytelling, Uncategorized

Dear Holly: Nonna and Papa’s Visit while Mommy Went to Washington D.C.

10 weeks.

Dear Holly,

Last week, Mommy went on her annual overnight business trip to Washington D.C. Instead of me using my last two vacation days, Nonna and Papa came up from Alabama to watch you and your brother Jack while I was at work.

It was a perfect match-up: Jack had Papa and you had Nonna.

When I got home from work each day, I couldn’t help not notice that without him trying to, Jack kept entertaining you as he played with his toys.

You had a front row seat to Jack’s antics. The funny thing is, you just stared intently. You never really smiled while watching him, but you didn’t want to do anything else- just watch him.

Dear Holly: Nonna and Papa’s Visit while Mommy Went to Washington D.C.

In fact, you stare so much at your brother he complains to me about it: “Daddy, Holly’s staring at me again!”

Nonna took care of you during the night, which perfectly coincided with you beginning to sleep through the night, at 2 months old. I am so happy about you sleeping longer, and I know Mommy is too.

Dear Holly: Nonna and Papa’s Visit while Mommy Went to Washington D.C.

As I look through these pictures of you and Nonna together, it’s evident what a light complexion you have, especially in contrast to Nonna and Papa’s skin tone.

In particular, it’s interesting to see how such a pink-toned baby girl can come from a Mexican/Italian grandmother who is so much darker; knowing that even Mommy and I both have an olive-complexion, as compared to the lighter tone both you and your brother have.

Dear Holly: Nonna and Papa’s Visit while Mommy Went to Washington D.C.

Something else I’m thinking about as I see these pictures… it’s helping to confirm my theory that you may end up being my little red-headed daughter. How amazing would that be?

We’ll know for sure once your baby hair completely falls out and your new hair really starts growing in…

Love,

Daddy

Dear Holly: Nonna and Papa’s Visit while Mommy Went to Washington D.C.

Leave a comment Posted on parenting, Storytelling, Uncategorized

Dear Jack: Novelty Fireworks in the Cul-de-Sac for July 4th

5 years, 7 months.

Dear Jack: Novelty Fireworks in the Cul-de-Sac for July 4th

Dear Jack,

My philosophy on fireworks for the 4th of July is this: Enjoy the entertainment in which our neighbors provide as they go all-out on fireworks; meanwhile, we’ll spend $13 on novelty items to get the show started.

And that’s exactly what happened this year.

Dear Jack: Novelty Fireworks in the Cul-de-Sac for July 4th

After we finished dinner Monday night, I set up a folding chair for Mommy and Holly in the driveway. Then you and I went to work.

The show started with you blasting through 50 Mega Snaps, about a dozen of which were instant casualties when they fell out of the box as you were opening it.

Dear Jack: Novelty Fireworks in the Cul-de-Sac for July 4th

Next I lit the ladybug, but unfortunately, nothing happened. The fuse burned up and that was it. Bummer.

I think even Holly was disappointed on that one.

Dear Jack: Novelty Fireworks in the Cul-de-Sac for July 4th

You were very excited about the American flag themed tank, which of course, was made in China. It provided a nice explosion. We both liked how it was smoking afterwards, like it just came out of battle.

Dear Jack: Novelty Fireworks in the Cul-de-Sac for July 4th

The smoke bombs remain to be one of your favorite types of fireworks every year; though you and your friend Aiden didn’t appreciate the sulfur smell.

Dear Jack: Novelty Fireworks in the Cul-de-Sac for July 4th

Both you and Mommy decided it was best that I handle the sword, once we learned what it actually did; which was to shoot sparks out for about a minute straight.

Dear Jack: Novelty Fireworks in the Cul-de-Sac for July 4th

We finished off our family’s fireworks show with the most curious item: the Poopy Puppy.

It was impossible not to laugh: He shot sparks out his rear-end, spun around, “pooped” out ashes, and then self-destructed by catching on fire.

Dear Jack: Novelty Fireworks in the Cul-de-Sac for July 4th

Dear Jack: Novelty Fireworks in the Cul-de-Sac for July 4th

By that time, our neighbors came out with the real fireworks and we got to relax, as spectators, watching the explosions in the air, as neighbors from nearby cul-de-sacs tried to compete for glory.

Ah, the cul-de-sac life.

Love,

Daddy

Dear Jack: Novelty Fireworks in the Cul-de-Sac for July 4th

Leave a comment Posted on fatherhood, parenting, Storytelling, Uncategorized

Dear Holly: I am Your Fitness Instructor and Speech Pathologist

9 weeks.

Dear Holly: I am Your Fitness Instructor and Speech Pathologist

Dear Holly,

One of my exclusive daily responsibilities as your Daddy is to make sure you’re being physically challenged in your exercises. So when I’m home, I do exercise time with you after each feeding.

You curiously love to stand up while I hold your hands. This seems peculiar to me, in that you’re only 2 months old. But yes, you stand on your feet for several minutes at a time before you need a break.

It’s funny because you always stand with your feet perfectly together; never in a regular stance.

Sometimes I pretend we are having a father-daughter dance, jokingly signing “Cinderella” by Steven Curtis Chapman. You totally go along with it, not knowing any better.

But while it is a joke, I look forward a lifetime of dancing you with as your father.

After you get tired of that, I turn you over on your stomach, which forces you to attempt to crawl. You have every reason to cry within in a few seconds, yet you never do.

Instead, you are always inspired to keep trying to crawl until I finally flip you back over due to your puddle of drool.

In addition to you having an obsession with maintaining mobility, you also are getting very serious about learning to talk.

During our exercise training, you also will smile at me and starting talking:

“Grrrr-ooowww-ahhh…”

I’ve learned that as I make random sounds back, you try to imitate them.

You’re also fixated on trying to roll all the way over from your back to your stomach.

Rolling over from your back to your side is easy for you at this point. My favorite time was last weekend when you were laying down on your play mat, smiled at me real big, then just threw your whole body into immediately rolling over.

It was as if to say, “Hi Daddy, bye Daddy!”

We have fun together! I am your fitness instructor and speech pathologist.

Love,

Daddy

Leave a comment Posted on parenting, People, Storytelling, Uncategorized

Dear Jack: The Mysterious Package- Puss in Boots Funko Vinyl Character

5 years, 7 months.

Dear Jack: The Mysterious Package- Puss in Boots Funko Vinyl Character

Dear Jack,

You are always so excited whenever a package is delivered to our front door. When I got home Tuesday afternoon from work, Mommy asked me, “Were you expecting a package for your blog or something?”

The only thing I have been waiting for to come in the mail was a much larger package; a Simply Fit Board I saw on Shark Tank.

So I was just as surprised as Mommy to see such a small box with my name on it. With much anticipation, I opened the mysterious brown box in front of you, Mommy, and Baby Holly.

It was as if time stood still. The anticipation…

I had received my first Funko Pop Vinyl character: It is Puss in Boots from the Shrek series, which is part of DreamWorks Animation, which is now part of Comcast and XFINITY.

Dear Jack: The Mysterious Package- Puss in Boots Funko Vinyl Character

It was only natural that you immediately asked me, “Daddy, can have that cat?” You immediately named him Quasi, and it appears “he” is your new favorite toy.

Coming up in a month from today, you and I are taking a special father and son road trip in an all-new 2016 Toyota Prius that Toyota is sending us to drive for a week; like our they recently sent us a 2016 Lexus IS 200t.

We have decided to take Quasi’s picture at each point in our trip, as a way to sort of document the chronological progression with the background of the photo illustrating our whereabouts.

So this new toy cat of yours will be showing up again in a few weeks.

The reason I received this gift from Comcast is because for the past 3 months, I’ve done a monthly sponsored post about the relationship between Comcast, XFINITY, and DreamWorks Animation:

April: XFINITY X1 DVR: Taking Entertainment on the Go for Road Trips

May: Comcast + DreamWorks Animation = Future of Family Entertainment

June: XFINITY’s Share App Lets You Stream Live from Smartphone to TV

The folks at Comcast recognized that I’m one of the top findings when you do an Internet search on “Nashville Daddy Blogger”. So they hired me to spread the word about what’s going here in Nashville with Comcast.

Little did they know, they would be making you very happy!

Love,

Daddy

Dear Jack: The Mysterious Package- Puss in Boots Funko Vinyl Character

Leave a comment Posted on Nostalgia, parenting, Storytelling, Uncategorized

Dear Jack: Monster Jam at the Nissan Stadium for Father’s Day 2016

5 years, 7 months.

Dear Jack: Monster Jam at the Nissan Stadium for Father’s Day 2016

Dear Jack,

This past weekend made our 4th time in 3 years to go to a Monster Jam show. Clearly, we are fans! However, this made the first time that Papa got to go with us. He filled in for Mommy, since she was home with your baby sister Holly, along with Nonna.

Dear Jack: Monster Jam at the Nissan Stadium for Father’s Day 2016

You and Holly got Papa and me our own special t-shirts for Father’s Day. Plus, you drew Papa a special Father’s Day picture which features you, Papa, and me as dogs, as well as Whiskers; a stray cat that stayed with Nonna and Papa for a few weeks around Thanksgiving last year.

Dear Jack: Monster Jam at the Nissan Stadium for Father’s Day 2016

Another thing that made this time special was that it marked the first time Monster Jam was held at the Nissan Stadium in downtown Nashville, which is outdoors; as compared to the Bridgestone Area where it is normally held.

Dear Jack: Monster Jam at the Nissan Stadium for Father’s Day 2016

Not only was the noise not so bad since it was outdoors, but there was more room for the trucks to do their thing. And, you counted over 13 different trucks… maybe even 20! That’s the most we’ve ever seen at a Monster Jam event.

Dear Jack: Monster Jam at the Nissan Stadium for Father’s Day 2016

This was definitely my favorite Monster Jam show so far! So much action…

We had really good seats- any closer and we may have gotten mud slung on us!

Dear Jack: Monster Jam at the Nissan Stadium for Father’s Day 2016

You were very happy to see your favorite monster truck, Zombie, was there. I don’t think the driver intended this to happen, but the truck was smoking as it flew through the air. And just like the last time we saw Zombie, the truck lost one of its arms during all the action.

Dear Jack: Monster Jam at the Nissan Stadium for Father’s Day 2016

That’s similar to the case with El Toro Loco, which lost one of its horns after the truck did a back flip. To our surprise, as seen on the big screen, the driver apparently gave away the broken horn to one lucky fan.

Dear Jack: Monster Jam at the Nissan Stadium for Father’s Day 2016

Dear Jack: Monster Jam at the Nissan Stadium for Father’s Day 2016

Ultimately, it seems that the “back flip ramp” had a lot to do with which truck would ultimately win the completion, as doing a backf lip earned the driver extra bonus points, but at the same time greatly risked putting the truck out of commission if it landed upside-down.

Dear Jack: Monster Jam at the Nissan Stadium for Father’s Day 2016

The show ended with the winner being announced: Hot Wheels. Then we were all pleasantly surprised by fireworks!

Dear Jack: Monster Jam at the Nissan Stadium for Father’s Day 2016

Getting to go to the Monster Jam really made Father’s Day special for Papa and me. As always, you and I are looking forward to going back to Monster Jam the next time it comes to Nashville.

Love,

Daddy

Dear Jack: Monster Jam at the Nissan Stadium for Father’s Day 2016