Dearest Desmond, you new favorite thing to do is “Tummy Time” it really gets you worked up and excited. You also absolutely LOVE your mom. You will just talk and talk to her, and respond to everything she says. It is just incredible to watch. You also love the ceiling fan and the tree we have in our living room. You will just stare at it with such intensity. Your mom took some pictures from Monday nights tummy time. I just love that time together so much because we get pictures like this! You really are the funniest little being I have ever known.

Do you realize that when that little kid saw momma kissing Santa Clause underneath the mistletoe toe that night, how traumatic that was? I mean did he run tell Dad? I bet he didnt, it would have broken his Dad’s heart! The torment that poor little kid must have felt keeping that secret! I am almost 30 years old now, and up until last year I never figured that song out, and no one every thought to explain it to me! I thought Santa had it made, some Milk, Cookies, and a little kissy kiss at each stop. Player!

Christmas is coming and I am very excited! My Grandmother is coming, MY parents will be here, and I have a son of my own that will be showing up shortly after! I find myself planning all these play dates in my head, of all the cool things we will get to do. It’s like getting to live your childhood all over again, but this time I will have a smaller version of myself to do it with. I keep remembering all the fun things I did as a kid. I had an active imagination that is still as clear to me today as it was back then. All these things I want to share with him. I feel we have grown closer these past few months, I feel him move as he moves around in Jackie, I love to feel him move, its my new favorite pass time. We talk about man things, and sing weird songs about goats and chicken wings, he likes that.

I love the anticipation of Christmas, this Christmas will be the last Christmas of just Jackie and myself, and thats OK. We will always have our time and make time for each other, but Christmas after this year will be a new, and exciting change for us both. I will however make a point of this, when he is old enough, I will explain the meaning of that song to him, so he is not as confused as I have been all these years.

As a kid I was convinced there was a boogie man that came out at night and would walk up the hill footpath into our neighborhood in Ireland. He would have a big sack or trash bin he would put you in, from this there was no escape. He would look for children who were not in bed yet. If you were still outside playing you were sure to be caught by him, and never to be seen again. I would lay in bed and wonder if he was outside right now? I knew I was safe, I was already in bed, but what of the other kids? I could hear them outside playing still! Maybe it was only kids under a certain age who could see him, and be taken? I would peak out my window and look down the street, only to see shadows in the distance. He was out there waiting for me. To this day I have the clearest memory of that wonder and fear, and a clear picture of what I thought the boogie man would look like. Big, bald, and ready to grab me! Thanks Mom and Dad for scaring the ever loving snot out of me forever.

Happy Halloween Everyone!

So Jackie and I have started our registry and as we were going through the items we needed, the discussion of bathtub items came up. As we talked about things to help manage bathtub toys and other items that would be piling up in there. I had a sudden flashback to when I was a child and would take baths. I felt a sudden pain in my legs, arms and buttocks, and it was then I realized the horror of bath time! For whatever reason my mom would place cactus plants all around the rim of the bathtub. It was like a war zone, and my buttocks were the targets, I know Jenn can back me up on this one. We would argue who sat at what end, because one end had more of them then the other. So mom why did you have cactus all around the bathtub? I know they look fancy, but they sure were a pain in the bubbles. I for one am not going to keep this traditional alive.

Finding old photos that were taken before owning a digital camera is refreshing and takes a peak into the past…. There were so many photos that looked so great, I could not scan them all, but here are some that I pulled from the pile that I really like a lot. Enjoy!

Jenn, the picture of us makes me laugh, I just had to put it in there. God Bless Christmas Krackers.

Believe it or not I am smiling in this picture….I was however VERY sick when this picture was taken. I had the “MUMPS” if you are not sure what that is, follow the link. Why am I smiling? Well it was Christmas morning, and I had in my possession the Millennium Falcon, the fastest ship in the galaxy. I was the ONLY kid in the street with this, and at that very moment, my life was complete. I was so excited to find this picture, because it proves that I actually owned an original piece of Star Wars history. I loved that ship. If I had it today I could probably retire.Being sick with the mumps sucks, I remember trying to eat a snickers, my first snickers ever (they were called Marathons in Ireland). I could not open my mouth to eat it….how sad is that? I did however have my Star Wars toys, and life was good for that very reason.

Dear Honda, I want to thank you for being so good to me, I know I am on borrowed time, but I wanted to take this moment to thank you for not breaking down when I know you should have by now.

I am sorry that you look like a motor cycle at night because one of your head lights does not work. I know that confuses your on coming buddies.

I am sorry that the break light is on, I know you hate seeing that red light as much as I do. I know you need new breaks, but thank you for continuing to stop each time I hit the pedal.

I am sorry your A/C is broken, its really hot outside right now, and that sure sucks for both of us. I sure hate sweating each day on the way home.

I am sorry your CV joints knock like a collection agency at the front door wanting their money every time we make a turn.

I am sorry your transmission is knocking, I hear it knocking too, but it cant come in.

I am sorry the stereo volume only works when its above 90 degree’s outside because the glue has melted on the volume knob and allows us to adjust it.

I am sorry only 1 out of 4 speakers work at any given time, I am just as baffled by that as you are. It sure freaks me out when the driver side front speaker kicks in all of a sudden, there nothing like having a mild heart attack driving down the road.

I just ask that you hang in there a little bit longer, I will help you get the little things fixed, just be strong a little bit longer Little Honda. Together we can make it to work each day, if we just pray a little bit each morning as we do our morning and evening commutes together.

So today seven years ago, Jackie and I began our journey together. But looking at these two pictures they tell me that our story began long before then, we just had no idea at the time.
I love you Jackie.

Well, I think it is time to share the story of why I have a special place in my heart for goats. I think I have freaked some people out by expressing my love for them, (my sister-in-law) and I may have also freaked out a few dozen farmers at Cracker Barrel, last Saturday morning with my new hat. (Thanks Jenn, it was so worth it)

When I was in 1st grade, my teacher Mrs. Wheeler would like to single me out when I misbehaved in class. Actually, I think she just liked to single me out because I was shy. She had this book called “Gregory, The Terrible Eater” and every now and again she would pull this book out and read it aloud to the class. The book is about a little boy goat named Gregory, who will only eat vegetables and real food for his meals. His parents would try and force him to eat junk food that was stored at the dump site where they lived. Things like tires, cans, and other weird items, this made him an outcast. Anyway, I grew to love that little goat, he reminded me of myself. He was shy, nervous, and lacking in confidence, but good at heart. So every time I see a goat. I am reminded of that age when I was young and shy and innocent. Every time the whole class would all laugh at me for being a goat named Gregory. Today I own a copy of that book, my beautiful wife bought it for me, and now when I read it, I see that it is a nice heart warming story. It was very therapeutic. One day my kids will get to know all about Gregory the Goat, and learn to love him too, just like I do.

High Lights from my very own Pancake Tuesday 2007!
Just like mom makes em! Big N Round!
Imanard.