It’s a time for the sweets
A time for the sweeter
A time for the cheesecake
And the cheesecake eater
                             -my dad
And speaking of cake…
I announced about a month ago that I would be giving up sweets until Easter Sunday with two exceptions. One being Valentine’s Day, and the other being Fat Tuesday. And if my calendar is correct, I believe today is Valentine’s Day!
This time last year, we made the decision that I would no longer be an unemployed dad, but officially be a stay-at-home dad. And here I am a year later, still happy we made that decision. It started out slow and cold with a winter that felt like it would never end, but it ended up being a really good year with a lot of growth, both physical and emotional. It didn’t seem like it in the moment, but looking back, a lot happened. From the insignificant, to the noteworthy, to the unexpected (good and bad), it all piled up to be quite the year.
With budgets being tight and expenses being high, sometimes you have to get creative with gift giving. I always have a hard time sticking to a budget, but this year I was determined to not go over. And because of that, I had a really hard time deciding on what to get my family for Christmas, especially my brother. After roaming around the mall for a total of 5 hours on two separate trips and coming home empty handed (except for the Mrs. Fields cookies I bought for myself), I realized that sometimes the best gifts aren’t purchased. I decided I would make him a homemade gift. It would literally be the most thoughtful gift ever. The Thought Transfer Helmet!
My Christmas morning started at 3am when I went to bed and woke up at the same time.
To say I didn’t have any expectations this year, whether intentional or subconscious, I’d be lying. It’s just what I do. I build images in my head. Last year for Christmas, Ellie was sick. And in addition to being sick, she was barely a year old and didn’t quite get the whole Christmas thing at all. But this year, she knew(okay, I trained her to know) what a snowman was, could point Santa out on the Christmas tree, and she was excited at the site of seeing wrapped presents. So even though I knew she wouldn’t be tearing down the stairs in the morning with super excitement quite yet, I still had a certain image in mind of what this Christmas would be like. But just as life with a toddler is, not many things go as expected.
Wishing everyone a great holiday! Cheers to good health, good food, good company, family and friends.
Merry Christmas!
