Racing

This weekend was my trip to the track. I was pretty excited to go. I usually go a couple times a year but this year I cut back due to buying the new house and that sort of thing. I was a bit disappointed to see the forecast calling for rain and waking up to wet ground. I went anyway, hoping for the best. I was also excited to have the family there since K is old enough to remember it this time. She was pretty revved up to go too. It turns out the weather held up and actually got quite nice so there was lots of riding to be done.

I was riding pretty well and having fun dicing it up with some of the other riders. K and N showed up. J went straight to grandmas house. he's still pretty little for the track. K was so fun. She looked at N and I and said "I'm going to watch the motorcycles daddy, I'll be right back." Then when we were watching the other group ride she said to N "Mommy, go home and get my helmet so I can ride on the track" I got the biggest kick out of imagining her peddling her tricycle as fast as she could go on the track. Then I thought, uh oh, she's interested in riding on the track. How am I going to explain to her why her mother would never let her do that. I was so happy that she enjoyed it so much.

It ended up being a great day. I ran into some guys I haven't seen in awhile and we had some real fun riding together. I came up on these two guys riding bikes that were newer and faster than mine. I could tell that I was faster in the corners but couldn't catch them in the straights because they had probably 30 horsepower on me. I followed them for a lap. I was all over them in the corners but they would pull ahead in the straight aways. I got past one guy on the brakes getting into the first turn at about 100mph and it was on after that. I was lining up the second guy to do the same thing. I knew I could since I was all over him in the turns. The next lap the first guy came past me. the horsepower again. Just as he got by me I could see him starting to slow for the first turn. I wasn't to my braking point yet so I went right back past him into the turn. That is the kind of riding that makes it super fun. I was thrilled that I was right on my pace the first time out for the year. It ended up being one of the most fun days I have had at the track in some time. I love going past these guys, who have probably 10-13 thousand into their bikes , on my old beater that I paid 5000 for about 8 years ago. It makes me smile just thinking about it. It also makes it more tolerable when someone goes by my old tired a#% like I am standing still. :)

Wake Up Laughing

I don't know if any of you ever wake up laughing, but you should.

I don't usually. Today was different. We sleep with the monitor on still since K is the only one downstairs. We always tell her that when she wakes up she doesn't need to be afraid since she can just say I'm awake and we will come get her. Usually we hear her say "Mommy, I'm awake, Daddy, I'm awake". Not this morning.

I don't know if there are any Lauri Berkner fans out there but K loves her music and it has grown on us too. she has a song about messes. It goes something like this: I'm a mess.......I'm a mess...... I'm a big ol messy mess!

K loves it because we have always told her she is a messy mess when she is making one. So it makes sense to her.

So I am sleeping away this morning. Then I hear this through the monitor. "I'm awake......I'm awake......I'm a big girl wakey wake". Needless to say I laughed out loud which woke up N. So I hustled off down the stairs to my little creative peanut with a smile on my face.

Fortunate Ones

I was sitting tonight watching J play. I have a pretty heavy heart tonight due to some bad news we got this afternoon, so it was nice to just sit and watch him play for a bit. He had a dish and a ball and he was desperately trying to figure out how to pick up one while holding the other. He tried everything. He tried picking up the the ball with the bowl. He tried picking up the ball with the hand he was holding himself up with while he held the bowl with the other. A quick face dive cured that. He tried scooting the ball with the bowl. He kept putting one down to pick up the other only to realize that he didn't have both. Finally he maneuvered them into a position where he could pick one up with each hand while sitting on his bottom. Success! He celebrated by banging them together and laughing. I was proud of him for figuring this all out on his own without crying for me to do it for him.
I got to thinking about how fortunate we are. You know how sometimes you get a bit of tunnel vision about things? I do anyway. I start cranking about how irritating certain little things are. Today it was a client who had two brand new cars and a great credit score only to find out that they had a bankruptcy just a few months ago. It made me feel like that was part of a financial strategy at my expense as a tax payer. My wife quickly pointed out that I don't know all the circumstances and that perhaps the new cars are the only good thing in their lives and that they might not have nearly as good a life as we do. My wife is such a good person with such a big heart. She always sees the good and tries to help everyone she can. I love that about her. So I put some extra effort into finding the best possible insurance and price for them. The client was very grateful. That helped extend my periphery vision a bit.
Then N called to tell me that a dear friends brother was in a motorcycle accident last night and has a traumatic brain injury. He only has about a 30% chance of living at this point. That opened my eyes wide and helped me realize that I have no real problems. He has a young boy at home and it makes me feel so sad for them all. I wish there was something I could do. Go back and gently place a helmet on him so he wouldn't notice, or lift his kick stand for him as he took off. I don't know why these things happen to decent people who are just trying to get by in this world and raise their kids the best they know how. It seems there are so many rotten people out there cheating and ripping us off and doing bad things, and it's the good ones that suffer. I know there are those that will say he should have worn his helmet and this and that but I say they have never known the simple pleasure of the wind in their hair on a country ride. I am the first to say that I don't ride without my helmet anymore and I am the first to tell the story of how my helmet saved my life one lovely Saturday evening. But that is not to say that I never rode without one. I always enjoyed the freedom to decide what was best for me and so I can't fault him for that. I only wish things were different for him and for his family. Motorcycling is like a brotherhood and I feel the loss of one of my own. I only hope and pray that modern medicine can help him recover and live a full life for himself and his family.
Meanwhile, I am reminded of how fortunate I am to be able to just sit and watch my son grow and learn.

First Date

N suggested that K and I go have some daddy daughter time while she was napping on Sunday. I thought that seemed like a good idea since we usually only get time as a threesome with J. I love that too, but recognize that we are going to need some one on one time occasionally. J and I will need that too at some point. Kung fu panda was just released so I thought taking her to a movie would be fun. Then maybe some dinner somewhere special like Mcdonalds. I hope that will always be a special treat. I don't want my kids to think that is what people normally eat. I don't eat it very often and am always amazed at how salty it is when I do. anyway, so it was decided. movie and dinner. and a quick stop at Kroger on the way home for some essentials. A good date plan.
I asked her, when she awoke, if she would like to go to the movies with me. I have never seen her get so excited at the prospect before. I went to clean up and change first as I had been working in the yard and was hot and sweaty. When I got ready and came downstairs, K had put on her pretty new dress and was all made up for our date. She strutted around in it so that I could see how pretty she looked. Then she announced "I look like a beautiful Princess", and I agreed. So off we went.
We made it through the fifteen minutes of commercials and trailers and crap they put in front of movies nowadays. Then the movie started and after about five minutes K looks up at me and says "I'm done watching the movie daddy". So off to the lobby we went. She was ready to play. she wanted me to chase her around the lobby. Perhaps it was the candy and lemonade coming back to haunt me. I let her burn a bit of energy and then tried to take her back to the theatre. No luck. She simply wanted to play. I gave her a choice. The movie or going home and she started to squeal. So off we went. I was so disappointed. I wanted it to be a great day out for us. I guess I have to watch out for that. I got my expectations up and forgot that she is still only two. So we went to Kroger for some groceries.
I called N and she was supportive and suggested that we still get a bite to eat. After that I was encouraged and K seemed interested in the movie again. Off we went to see the ending. We caught about ten minutes this time and then she had to go potty. At least she let me know instead of having an accident. The bathroom was not in the best shape as most men's rooms aren't, so I didn't know how she would do with me holding her while she went. I guess she had to go bad enough because she did great. I was very proud of her. We did end up seeing the last ten minutes or so of the movie. It was nice.
Back at Kroger, we found our cart still sitting there with our groceries in it. It gave us some time to talk about how nice the movie was. She wanted to tell mommy all about it. Last stop was Mcdonalds. She did very well and was well behaved. In an amazing sort of coincidence, the toy in the happy meal was the kung fu panda, so it all kind of fit together nicely.
So, in the end, it all worked out very nicely and we had a wonderful "date". She was so excited that she talked non stop for 15 minutes when we got home telling mommy all about it. I realized that no matter what else happens I have to make sure to take time to have these kinds of one on one times with my kids. Even if it is just something simple and sort of unspectacular.
I remember the few times I got to spend time by myself with my dad when I was a kid in vivid technicolor detail. I grew up in a family with six kids, so it was a rare moment but it was very special to me. It made me feel like I was the center of the universe for a few amazing hours before returning to my place in the melee. I hope it will mean as much to my kids.

It's the Little Things

You know how it's easy to forget the little things in life?
Tonight I was reminded of the simple joys in life that crop up when you least expect it.
N made quesadillas for supper with a side of corn. It was quite good. K was eating very well. Suddenly, she says "I think I'll eat the corn". Then I could see her trying to loosen up a piece that was stuck in her teeth with her tongue. She had this look on her face. It was utter confusion mixed with concentration as she tried in vain to loosen the stuck corn. I looked at N and we both started cracking up. I asked if she had a piece stuck and she said yes. Then she started laughing too. She kept trying to loosen it and we all kept laughing. It never occurred to me that she hadn't experienced that before, but I guess we all have a first time for everything. I told her that it would come out when we brush her teeth. You know how you can't leave it alone though. she kept trying and it was sooooooooo cute. It struck my funny bone and we all kept giggling as she tried all our suggestions. Eat another bite of Quesadilla. No luck. Drink some milk. No luck. I am giggling just thinking about it. Finally she says " I'm done daddy". I asked if she wanted to go brush her teeth and she said yes. So we go in to remove the stuck corn. By the time we got the toothpaste on the brush she had worked it loose. I could see her chewing on it and she stated "I eat the corn daddy" I asked if she got it loose and she said "I ate it daddy" and then we both laughed some more. We brushed her teeth anyway to get anything else that might be stuck.
I love it. I love the firsts. I know some firsts will be more exciting and some will be sad and some will be significant, but that one was just tremendous. I forget how much these kids can teach me sometimes. Like just being in the moment, so I don't forget how much joy can come from something so simple as eating supper together.

I thought of something I don't want to forget while I was writing this. That is the way K says J's name. Dak. "where's Dak daddy?"

Mirrors and Reflection

We were talking this weekend about how our kids do and say everything that we do. It's like holding up a mirror. K doesn't hold anything back either. She will look at you funny if you raise your voice to tell her not to yell in the house. She doesn't hesitate to tell me NO NO Daddy.
My favorite has to be when she says " Honey Honey, noooo, we have to play in the sun room". Honey, honey. N and I both say this to her when we are trying to get her attention to redirect her. hopefully, she is taking some of our good habits too.
It was a nice day over here. We all spent the day together. playing, washing the car, hanging out. I made baby food for J. It is starting to get fun. I had made some duck stock a while back and had it in the freezer. I decided to cook some navy beans in it for the flavor. I don't salt my stock when I make it, so it works quite well for baby food. I added some carrots and onion too. I ground it up in my food processor and it turned out pretty well. I then sauteed some chicken and pureed it into baby food. Then I made rice. Now, he can have some chicken and rice or beans for meals. I turned the rest of the beans into soup for us. It came out really well too. I can't wait to have it for lunch tomorrow.
I am really enjoying being a dad. It is very difficult sometimes, but I love it. I can't describe it really but I hope all dad's feel this way. I am lucky I found a great wife who is so good with them.