December 2015

December is here and the snow is falling.  November seems to have flown by.  If there can be said to be a downside to this job it is that time seems to go by too fast.  I believe that my ever changing schedule and irregular hours prevent me from getting into a routine that slows me down.  Anyway, on to a recap of events and of course, some pictures.

Occasionally Mandi gets a day off.  She's the hardest working lady I know, and her job is almost 24/7.  When I am off, I encourage her to take some personal time... time away from the house, from me, and from her motherly duties.  Its hard for her, I know.  Forrest is her absolute favorite (I'll settle for second fiddle, he is cuter than me after all) and leaving him behind is tough.  But its also an important mental health check :P  Her time away generally involves time with her sister, or bebopping around town.  This means the little man and I get some Daddy/son time.  Its always a little awkward.  My ways are not mommy's ways.  So I try to keep us on the move.  This past Saturday that meant meeting up with Great Grandma at the mall :)  Forrest enjoyed riding the "escayator" and a "Bob the Builder" ride.  

I'm going to take a brief moment to brag on my son.  He's funny, he's cute, and he's smart.  He also thinks about others, a lot.  He's thoughtful of his mother, other children at school, and of course Gigi. If I could be said to have one concern it is his picky eating.   This kiddo is terrible at trying out new foods.  In his defense, he comes by this difficulty from me, and I came by it from my mother.  Hes the latest in a long line of picky eaters.  I now know, intimately, the struggle my father and mother had with me.  I fear for his nutrition.  He likes to eat: cookies, ice cream, donuts, strawberries, and bread in that order.  That about covers it.  Mandi and I have read the books, the blogs, and talked to his pediatrician.  I have done the research myself, and scoured medical journals.  None of the advice has worked, and the best we can do is give him vitamins as we can, and hope that he gets enough protein.  Well... pictured above is a little bit of victory.  This is Forrest after devouring a piece of french toast... which as you likely know is covered in egg!  GOTCHA LITTLE MAN!  Heh Heh.  He not only ate it, but he wanted seconds.  It took powdered sugar to do it, but hey, protein is protein.  He also tried and tolerated beef toasted ravioli, which while not a great food, at least has beef.  We will keep working, and from my own experience I know his diet will expand with time.  But at least we have a way to get some eggs into the boy :)

Thanks to one of my staff members at work, I came into 4 free tickets to a Rivermen game.  It was decent hockey with 2 fights (Peoria came out on top for both).  Almost won a free biscuit.  Noah, Helton, and Wes tagged along.  Good times had by all.

And finally, a little Christmas spirit.  Those of you who know me know that I don't care for Christmas.  I traveled quite a bit as a teenager (often going to Florida for the holiday), and because my parents are split the Christmas tradition was always a little haphazard.  I have very fond memories of the Holidays to be sure, and my Mom and Dad always did a great job.  But it wasn't the idyllic tradition I think my wife had.  As well, I don't particularly care for the pagan symbolism, commercialism, and materialism that comes with it.  The music is nice, but the bottom line is that Jesus was probably born in the spring.  And kneeling before a pagan symbol (a burning tree at Beltine) and exchanging material gifts is not something I think Christ would approve of.  The whole thing is just backwards.  Family, Yukon Cornelius, giving, love, etc... those things are great, of course.  But it just rubs me the wrong way.

BUT, I lose on this argument.  My wife wants a tree, so we have a tree.  And if its going to be there, I am certainly going to enjoy a glass of Malbec in my Laz-E-boy chair and bask in the glow.  Merry Christmas, and bah humbug.