first scout meeting

well technically 2nd, but it was the first one i was actually prepared for. the actual first meeting we just introduced ourselves and me and the kids threw frisbee around. 

jess helped me prepare for the meeting, so much info to go through. i was nervous and stressed about getting it right but i think it went pretty good. 

just Gus and two other kids (little boy and girl) so it was a manageable group. hard to keep kids listening for an hour, but we went over the scout law and oath and played games and actually checked a few boxes. just dads there tonight which was nice. felt less pressure than when the moms were there, not sure why. 

i feel like i was so busy trying to stay on top of things that i kind of missed how neat it was having Gus learn the oath and law etc. when we got home i got him to read it to Jess and Isobel and almost got choked up listening to his little voice say those words i’ve said a million times over the years. two meetings in and i was already feeling proud of my son. 

we’ll see how it goes from here. being the den leader is not exactly the road i expected to be on right now, but i can do it; i’ll get the hang of it. 

Gus turned 6

Well we had a successful birthday weekend for Gus. Friday night we went to Plaza Mariachi with family. Saturday we had the biggest kid party so far in our backyard. It was so crazy hot out but the kids had a blast. There was a water bounce house and a piñata and pizza, we went big. 

disc golf with the burkas

always fun

sleepover

had a great time sleeping over at the Burkas last week. all the girls slept at our place while gus and i went to scotts. it was great and everyone did great. it’s a real treat to have friends live so close. 

31 may 2018

you two are both in your respective beds reading your own book... quietly. and this was after this a moment earlier. you both just stopped and went to you own bed with your own book.

it’s adorable and amazing.

egg hunt @mary janes

mom went to knoxville for the day and we stayed home and went to mary janes for some pre-easter egg hunting. your aunt marjorie and robin are so thoughtful and always do nice things for you two. they put out eggs and got you stuffed bunnies and just generally showed you guys love. really lucky to have them and the rest of our family. they’re a good bunch.

recent favs

The Great American Eclipse of 2017...

...was covered by a cloud during totality. It was so depressing. School was out, I took the day off, we all went down to the riverfront in Nashville, brought snacks and our glasses, played in the water fountains... but 2sec before the sun was blacked out, a giant cloud covered it up and did so until well past totality. 

I mean, I was beside myself. Ask your mom. A full and total solar eclipse happens where we live?? This is truly a once in a lifetime happening. The eclipse ran across the entire USA, bringing the whole country together for sometime good and not political... and we didn't get to see it. 

We did see the partial eclipse phases though. I remember looking up and seeing the sun be slowly swallowed by the moon... it gave me an oddly eery feeling. And as totality drew near, the sunlight turned to a weird dim gray light I've never seen before. Then the sky went dark as night, but the surrounding horizon maintained its brightness, only it turned orange like an almost gone sunset, in all directions. The temperature dropped at least 10deg. You could hear people "oooooo"ing and "aaaaahhh"ing  all around us, across the river even. And then 2min later, like nothing even happened, the sun came back out. People were mostly quiet after that. You could tell everyone around was just as astonished at missing it because of a cloud as I was, so at least we weren't alone. 

Over the next 24hrs I heard and read nothing but anecdotes about how amazing it was and it was like nothing they'd ever seen before. Images started being shared. I grimaced a lot that next day. I'd missed the biggest cosmic event to been seen in TN in the last 500yrs. Im still bummed but calming down a bit. After all, I must be somewhat more special because I didn't see it like the majority of people, right? haha... ugh

But in the end, we had a nice day, my nagging anxiety about finding the perfect viewing spot was now replaced with unchangeable regret (hahaha), i don't think anyone damaged their eyes during viewing, and we made it home safe and sound. You guys were good sports despite not getting naps. 

hoping this new app works; i miss blogging

had a fun night out with the kids. went to tim and jenny's for jacobs 18th birthday. grilled out and had a fire. kids ran around having a good time. isobel had a cold drink in her hands that made them cold and she would walk around and put her cold hands on someone and laugh when they jumped. she did it about 150 times. pretty funny. angus just keeps growing and developing, picking up new words to say and understanding even more. his little blond curls  and laugh.

life is so drawn out its hard to imagine being an old man watching my kid's kids run around wondering where the time went.... but that's how all old men are. no one can grasp the passage of time. we're all just doing our best to get through each moment.

in case this doesn't get said enough, my kids are really wonderful and watching them run around and play and laugh and find pure joy in the most random thing, wonder in next, it's so refreshing and rewarding.


(this wasn't tonight but i needed to test uploading a picture)

(testing a new blogger app because the official one just disappeared(?) blogging isn't quite the rage that it used to be, but i think there always something rewarding about journaling regardless of the overall purpose. there's someone so fun (and usually embarrassing) about reading back through a log of thoughts and feelings and observances.)

Our Little Gus

First off, I apologize for not writing more down, buddy. We just have less and less time nowadays and we're terribly unreliable writers. We think about writing all the time but just take pictures and video instead.

So let me catch you up...

You're about to turn 1yr old, like in 6 days. And you've been the most wonderful baby. You came right on time and mom was only labor for maybe 5-6hrs. You've been healthy as a horse since day 1. You only cry when you're tired or hungry and have one of the most calming demeanors I've seen in a baby. You laugh and smile way more than Isobel did when she was baby. Speaking of, you're very patient with your big sister (shes been quite a pill since she turned 2!)

...

so of course i started this entry july 27 of last year... it's now June... so there go those memories :P (isobel is still a pill tho.)



gustav you've been such a treat. so full of laughter and enthusiasm. a few ear piercing screams but mostly laughter. you're now getting into the terrible 2s where you say "no no no" to everything and you're super attached to your "paci" but you seem to love life and mom and usually me and definitely isobel (who you call "abby") (oddly enough you call abby "abby" as well) you and isobel were slow to take off but over the past year as you've come to life, you and her have become quite the little partners in crime and annoying each other. everyone and then there's 5min of quiet playing or playing together and it's beautiful but it only lasts a short time before someone starts crying and we have to separate you both.

but i really did just this week notice that angus you've changed into a little kid and seem to not really be a toddler any more. you sleep in your own bed and understand so many words and thoughts can see so many more gears turning when i talk to you now.

gus you're mom is so sweet on you. she cuts you way more slack than isobel and i can barely get her to put you down sometimes. someday we'll both seem weird and old and out of touch to you but i want you to know your mom absolutely pours herself out for you and isobel. she's a really good mom and gives you everything she has.

goodnight :*

ps. currently you hate swimming in the pool. you like water enough but scream theentire time i hold you in the pool. we're working on it though and i think we'll have it turned around by end of summer.