Daddy's Birthday

So I turned 30 this year.

Yeah, 30.

Mom always said I'd be lucky to live through 18, let alone see 25.

I don't feel all that much older - well, maybe physically (my knees keep getting worse and worse, and I tire out a lot faster). And I guess I've matured mentally - I mean, let's hope so, right? But I certainly don't feel old at heart. I still love my cartoons and games and fantasy books. I still love fart jokes and potty language just as much as ever. I still listen primarily to punk music. I still wear my slippers whever I go, whether it's appropriate or not. I still appreciate slapstick and laugh my face off at a good hard kick in the nutties.

Taryn asked me the other day what I thought I'd be doing at 30, saying that she always knew she would be married with 2 kids. I told her that I honestly had no idea. I'd never thought that far ahead. (Mom would say that was one of my bigger problems) If I had taken a guess, I would have said living somewhere in the Northwest, probably rooming with 3 or 4 other guys, playing music, drinking, and working just enough to get by. But certainly not Married With Children.

Boy would I have been wrong. And I couldn't be happier!

With a new baby, a toddler big brother, a home search nearing its end (fingers crossed), and things basically as tight as they've ever been, this year I decided that for my birthday I wanted our Family to spend the day at the park across the street. Simple.

We love this park. It's beautiful and peaceful. It has great play structures, is extremely clean and never crowded, has plenty of open space for Eli to run free, and even a path leading up a hill to a water park nestled at the top. Plus, the weather couldn't have been better - clear blue skies and a comfortable 68 degrees.

We took our time getting ready that morning and even had a nice big breakfast (something Taryn & I never get, not with our schedules). But of course, Eli & I, being the men of the house, took a fraction of the time getting ready that the girls did, so we left early and walked to the park together, getting there around 11am. Taryn and Addy didn't make it until after 12p.

Eli ran immediately for the slide. His daycare has them both indoors & out and he LOVES them. He made sure to spin the steering wheel each time he passed it before slipping down the slide (going down both forwards & backwards). Luckily the structures are large enough for me to play too.

As I said, I never thought of myself as getting old, but my stamina sure isn't what it used to be. Thankfully, by the time Taryn arrived, Eli was ready to take a break and have some milkies.

But even before finishing the cup, he was ready to go again.

So when I say the structures are big enough for me to play too, I mean just barely.




Eli refused to let his cup go the entire rest of the time we were there. What a stinker!
Just remember kids: Don't drink and slide, because you might spill your drink.


We took another break and made a call to Auntie Niser. She wished Happy Birthdays and sent her love to the whole Family. Eli had big smiles listening to her voice, and waved goodbye (still not realizing that Mommy & I haven't upgraded our iPhones to include the video chat yet). We also received a call from Taryn before she showed up, relaying some very exciting news. Our realtor had contacted her that morning after Eli & I left to say that the Seller's Agent had accepted our offer, and they were forwarding it to the Lenders for final approval. Now, we've been in this situation before, and realize that that doesn't exactly mean much. But it was fun to celebrate a small victory and say that we bought ourselves a house for my Birthday.

Then it was back to the craziness.

With Daddy working hard to keep up.

Eli and I had so much fun. He even went on the Big Boy slide, climbing all the way up the structure by himself (with milkies cup in-hand).

I took Eli on every piece of fun stuff that the park had to offer. He especially liked the over-sized teeter totter.

And then came the hill. In the past, Eli hasn't been too big about roaming the parts of the park that don't include slides, but today he had his sights set on taking the hill. We chased each other up and down the path that follows the water as it flows from the water park at the top to the snakes head at the bottom.

And while we were up there, Eli found that the back side of that hill has a cemented pathway that is very steep. Daddy made the mistake of showing him how to stomp down the hill taking BIG steps while saying "Wow" with each one, picking up speed and letting momentum drive us to the bottom at a run, straight into Daddy's waiting arms. Eli thought this was the greatest thing ever. He went up and down that hill at least 30 times. No exaggeration.

Now remember when I said that I didn't feel like I was getting older, then had to ammend it to exclude the physical pains? Yeah ... that's because of this.

Although, we did take a time out to sing Eye of the Tiger.

Here's age catching up with me, caught on film.

And the whole time this fun stuff was going on, Addy was sleeping away. We were at the park for over 2 1/2 hours, and she didn't stir once. She's so calm, it's a gift.

There were a few parents and their kiddos there, and since we stayed so long, we saw quite a few of them come and go. Eli ran up and down the play structures with some of the boys, and was sliding in tandem with one little girl. Whenever any of them left, Eli would stop and wave goodbye to his new little friends.

As soon as we told him it was time to go, he made a run for it.

Maybe he was getting tired too ...

Makes me feel better to know that.

Within 30 minutes of being home, this was the scene. Addy passed out in Daddy's arms, with Eli passed out under the blankets on the floor next to us. I tell ya, having fun is tough stuff.

But we all got a second wind by the end of the night. We ordered pizza and watched a movie, and had a very relaxing evening until the kiddos went to bed. Of course, as soon as that happened, Taryn & I passed out too.