Back To School

There's been lots of excitement about school lately in our household. The Summer has flown by like the wind and CJ just started the second grade last week. Tyler met his three pre-school teachers today to include one intern as they did a nice home visit and he starts next week in the 4 yr. old school district program. Tyler has been talking about going to school for weeks and I can't get over his excitement! It was awesome to see him today try to follow his teachers out the door as if school was starting today!

He was ready to go, wearing his new "Diego" backpack, and ready to be a "BIG BOY" like his older brother. I was really happy to see him so excited! Poor little Madison felt left out and walked up to me and said, "Daddy, I want go school." She had the cutest little pout with her bottom lip hanging out. I gave her a hug and said, "You will go to Daddy's School!" (a quick suggestion offered up by one of the teachers). Meanwhile, I thought this suggestion wasn't going to work at all and was going to lead to some loud tears as if life had just ended.

"Yay," She said exuberantly clapping and jumping up and down as if she had just won the lottery! Much to my surprise, the suggestion worked and I told her that I would take her to the store to pick up some Pre-K things for her and I to work on together. I'm not so sure that she comprehended all of the adult things I had to say in that moment, but nevertheless, she was just happy because she was going to school like her big brother, Tyler! At least, until the reality sets in later.

When school starts back up this time of year, I can almost hear all the "hallelujahs" coming from all the stay at home parents and friends of mine after the action packed summer with kids has finally come to an end. I can't even begin to tell you how many status updates on Facebook I've seen within the last few weeks where parents exclaimed their joy and excitement of having school start back up again. You would think that we're all ready to go to a rock concert or the biggest party of the year from all the hoopla.

I can understand the feeling. Besides, there's only so much nagging, bickering between the kids, and pool parties you can take before you're ready to pull your hair out. The single parenthood is twice as exhausting, so it's very much appreciated whenever I have a friend watch the kids for me just so I can go shopping alone. Trust me, going to Wal-Mart alone is like being on a mini-vacation in itself when you're a single parent. It's sad to say, but so very true!

Where does the time go sometimes? It goes by too fast and I'm already sad at the notion that Tyler is soon going to be out of the little tyke stage. When they're young, you get all the hugs and kisses that you want. When they get older, it's like, "C'mon Dad," as CJ sometimes says to me. Next Monday, I'm taking Tyler to his open house at his school to get a feel for the classroom and then he starts the next day. He will be going for a half a day, five days a week and I can't wait to see how he does. I'm really excited for him as he's been asking me for a long time now when he's finally going to be able to go to school like CJ.

As for Maddie, I think we can pretend pre-school for the time being. As long I draw excitement into it, she'll be fine. She has the best attention span out of all my kids and loves it when I read to her. I think she would love to be a teacher one day because she is always trying to pretend that she is the "Mommy" for CJ and Tyler. She is very caring and nurturing at heart...something I absolutely love about her. I'm so happy that she's not a tomboy in a house full of boys. She matches her clothes, something my boys don't do very well, and loves to change her clothes all the time.

In fact, when I was telling Madison that it wasn't appropriate for her to change her clothes in front of CJ's friends who were playing in our house the other day because she's a girl. Her response was, "But I'm not a girl, I'm Madison." She had her trademark cute little pout going on too, but it didn't work. All I wanted to do was laugh out loud when she said that but I didn't want her to think I was nuts, so I kept my composure. I just smiled and said, "You're not a girl?"

She said, "Yeah, I'm Madison!"

I'll just say that if Bill Cosby ever comes back to host another "Kids Say The Darnedest Things" show, I think my kids would be great prospects! Laughter is never a shortage in my household. Until next time, have fun with back to school!

Celebrating Life

In early June after school had just ended for CJ, I took all the kids down to FL for CJ's "Wish" trip. When Make-A-Wish first contacted us, I was kind of shocked because I was always under the assumption that Make-A-Wish only granted wishes to kids who were terminally ill but that wasn't the case. You can read about CJ's cancer story in a post that I wrote back in October of last year. A Make-A-Wish representative came out to our house and interviewed CJ awhile back and his wish was to go to Disney World! Well, we went on this much anticipated trip this summer to celebrate CJ's remission from cancer and I was completely amazed and humbled by the whole experience.

First of all, it was a week long once in a lifetime all expenses paid trip to Orlando and we could frequent any theme park while we were there if we wanted to but there just wasn't enough time to do it all in a week. We stayed at a wish village resort for kids called "Give Kids The World" in Kissimmee, FL just 20 minutes away from all the theme parks. If you've never heard of it before, please check out the website, www.gktw.org. This resort for kids is like a wonderland theme park for kids in itself. We stayed in a wonderful villa fully equipped with everything we needed and every building at the resort was intended to give kids oooos and awes. One of the restaurants was called the "Gingerbread House" and it literally looked like a gingerbread house. The whole place was amazing, filled with volunteers to serve the wish child and family.

The kids were all stoked as you can imagine when we arrived! CJ and his little brother and sister were showered with gifts upon arrival at the welcome center and I will never forget the smile on CJ's face as he was given a stuffed Mickey that was later signed by Mickey later in the week. "Give Kids The World" is definitely a piece of heaven on earth. The place and the people that serve there give families encouragement, faith, and hope. After the kids and I got settled into the villa we went for a walk around the place and the kids faces just lit up at everything they saw. As much as I enjoyed the experience with them, I couldn't help but see a few wish kids that looked very frail and sick. My heart dropped at the sight of one of the kids with his family when CJ and I opened the door for them upon entering the Gingerbread House for dinner.

As happy and as excited I was for CJ and our family, I couldn't help but watch this little boy who was probably about 5 years old guessing by his height. You could tell he was really weak and that the chemo had taken its toll on his weight. The sight of him reminded me of the photo album that sits on a table at the Blume Children's Cancer Clinic in Charlotte, filled with kids that have come through the clinic but knowing that some of them didn't make it. I was struck with sadness but saw the strength in his parent’s smiles. CJ of course noticed right away that this particular boy looked very sick and he started asking me consecutive questions in a whisper, "Daddy, what's wrong with him? Is he going to live? Is he going to be OK?"

I told CJ that I didn't know but we can pray for him. When you see a little boy like that fighting for his life, it makes all the other worries and challenges in life very miniscule and brings perspective. It also reminded me that I've lived a life that some kids only dream about but never get a chance to experience. The love in that place was seen everywhere and the elderly people who volunteered there time to help you with your trays, bring you whatever you needed, was a very heart-warming experience. There just aren’t enough words I can write to describe what it was like to be there.

The kids and I thoroughly enjoyed the activities and events that took place at Give Kids The World and one of these days, we will go back to see CJ's star placed on the wall or ceiling in the "Castle of Miracles" with the other 100,000 wish kids' stars who have walked through this amazing place. The kids and I didn't have to wait in any lines at the theme parks and both CJ and Tyler got to fight Darth Vader which was one of the highlights of the trip. We got a chance to feed the dolphins at Sea World, hang out in the "Wish Lounge" at Disney to take a break from the extreme heat, and Madison got to meet all the princesses to her delight!

In fact, we got to meet many of the Disney characters when they came to visit at Give Kids The World. It was also very nice to have my mom, step-dad, and brother up there with us for a few days. The whole experience and getting to see CJ's wish fulfilled was awesome! We had a blast and will never forget it!

After the grand week was over and we were home, I picked up the book, "Gift of Life" to read about the man who founded Give Kids the World, Henri Landwirth. He went after donations to make this resort so that no child will ever die again without seeing their wish to meet Mickey realized. The words that came off the page relative to the GKTW resort had me in tears because we had just experienced much of what he had to say in this book and I also learned about a child who came to the resort, saw Mickey, and then passed. It all gives us more reason to celebrate life and make it count today because we never know if our end will be tomorrow.

Travel Hiccups

Much has happened since my last post in February and I figured it's about time that I finally update my blog! Obviously, being a single parent dad with three small children, you're never short of great memories...usually the kind that could be on any comedy sitcom where the actor playing the parent can definitely sink his teeth into the challenging script. The challenges sometimes take us away from our kids. For instance, I had to take a flight from Charlotte, NC to Ithaca, NY for a job interview last March.

With all job interviews, you want to be on time and I didn't anticipate the nightmare of travel hiccups that I was about to embark on when I arrived at the Charlotte airport very early in the morning. I was expecting to arrive in Ithaca, NY at 11:19am, have lunch with the President and V.P. of the company during the interview process and then get a tour of their facility. I found out at the airport that my original flight had just cancelled and I had to take a flight to Laguardia, NY instead and then fly to Ithaca. I was OK with it after I learned that I would get to Ithaca a little earlier than anticipated. However, when I got to Laguardia, my flight to Ithaca was delayed twice and then eventually cancelled.

You can only imagine the sneers, jeers, snickering, pouting, and downright tears coming from some of the college students trying to get to Ithaca, NY. The drama from some of these Cornell University and Ithaca College students at my gate was a sight to be seen as I was anxiously sitting there with my own frustration. Heck, these kids were worried about getting to class after their Spring Break had just ended and I was sitting there in my three piece pin-striped suit worried about getting to my interview on time for a job. A poor girl next to me was crying and another young man was yelling at the helpless gate attendant.

I let the company know what was going on and they were gracefully understanding of the whole situation. The only flight that I could jump on that would get me at least close to Ithaca, NY was Syracuse, NY. Therefore, I flew to Syracuse, rented a vehicle and drove an hour to Ithaca, NY where I arrived a little after 4pm. The hour drive in pouring rain was highlighted by the fact that I was driving a brand new red Escalade and couldn't feel the road at all. As nice as the Escalade was, I would have traded that in for my "soccer mom" minivan anytime for this drive!

The V.P. let me know before I flew to Syracuse that he would just pick me up at the hotel after I got settled and then we would all have dinner. After the nightmare of trying to get to Ithaca had ended, I met with the company execs in the lobby of my hotel and spoke for awhile there. The last part of the interview occurred over dinner and then they were nice enough to give me the tour of their facility after dinner. They were very nice and gracious. The interview went well but the travel expectation of the job exceeded what I was originally told over the phone much to my disappointment and they were also just exploring ideas. Nevertheless, this job wasn't for me.

The flight coming home from Ithaca was much smoother but the comedy never ceased to end. While at the Ithaca airport, I listened to an elderly lady complain about her travel woes coming in and out of Ithaca airport and how she had no choice but to deal with it. The funniest moment came when she pointed out that the airport only has two gates which was obvious to everyone sitting there. All I could do at this point was laugh to myself and just pray to God that I never have travel hiccups like that again.

Sweet Little Moments and Dress Drama

The kids and I have been battling colds over the last several weeks. The colds would leave and then come back around again in fickle fashion as if to say they love our family and can't let us go. Seriously, first Madison was sick, then Tyler, and then CJ. I got hit with Bronchitis when it was all said and done as the cold monster wanted to save its best for last. I haven't been sick like this in several years.

I got sick after the kids got over their colds and it's definitely no cake walk in the park trying to take care of little ones when you are sick with Bronchitis. In a single parent home, you don't have the luxury of having another parent right there to help you with the kids and tell you that it's OK for you to go to bed and rest now. However, what you do have is little ones who can make you laugh and still make you feel loved and special in some of the sweetest ways.

Tyler for whatever reason enjoyed trying to imitate my hacking cough while I was doing it. When I was done, I would just look at him with a puzzled look on my face and then he would stop and smile. The only thing I could do is smile back (internally laughing to myself) while telling him that it's not good for him to imitate my cough. All my kids can be comedians in some way, shape, or form, but I can never discount the fact that they are all like sponges. They are learning every day and watching every move I make so they can try to imitate me.

I know that one of these days, I won't have the pleasure in having my little toddlers follow me everywhere I go. I just cherish these moments until they become teenagers and then it's not so cool to follow dad everywhere. Recently, Tyler did one of the sweetest things for me. I was coughing up a storm while laying down to rest. Tyler was watching me and said to me, "Daddy, you're sick!"

The next thing I know, Tyler is running to my bathroom. He then proceeds to pick up his all-in-one potty seat, runs out of the bathroom, and puts it in front of my dresser as if he is trying to save me from imminent death. He then steps on top of it so he can reach the bag of cough drops on my dresser, takes one out, runs over to me and says, "Here Daddy, you need this!"

He smiled at me and I gave him lots of praise as he made me feel like I was worth a million bucks. If my heart was made of chocolate in that instance, it would have melted all the way down and then I would have really died. After the praise, he ran off with a big smile on his face as if he was a super hero running to save someone else. It was very cute to say the least. It's moments like this that make me wish that he never gets bigger or gets any older. Madison has the most innate nurturing characteristic out of all my children. She's always concerned about her brothers and I if we have an accident and get hurt. She would run to us and say, "Are you OK?" She will repeat it over and over again until you respond.

Madison is a very caring little girl but also very prissy. For all you parents out there who have prissy little girls, you know exactly what I am talking about. I'm actually thankful that she is all girl in a house full of boys, but there are times when the prissiness can make you want to go insane relative to her desire to change dresses or clothes in general ALL day long. Literally, it's an all day affair and it's not just a one day thing with Madison. It's an everyday thing that comes with the territory of having a girl. She is a very strong willed child who is usually good at using her charm with Daddy. Most of the time, I give in to her desire to change dresses and clothes at every request, but it can get old at times when she wants to change outfits one right after another. You can't help but love her soft voice say, "I want wear this, I want wear this, I want wear this, Daddy, please, I want wear this, I want wear this Daddy, please!"

In the same breath, these are the moments where you can't wait for them to get a little bit older so they can change themselves as much as they want without hounding Daddy to do it about a dozen times a day. Patience is very key in dealing with dress drama. In due time, it should get better...at least I think so? :)

New Year, New Hope

I've got some of the best friends that a man could ever ask for and that could never be said enough. God has really shown his love for the kids and I through some of them over the holidays. I am truly blessed and grateful to have such great friends, even those who do great deeds for my family and yet wish to remain anonymous. There is a domino effect that takes place when you plant good seeds in life and the fruition of paying it forward may not always get noticed, but it is always felt by those involved and has a way of impacting others.

I recently had the opportunity to watch the movie, "Invictus", with some great friends of mine from church. We all appreciated the "guy time" and the chance to watch a great movie. A great movie is an understatement to say the least relative to this movie. I thought this movie was AWESOME and incredibly moving. The movie has already been nominated for 3 Golden Globe awards. I strongly recommend this movie to anyone who is interested in seeing it.

Invictus was really refreshing to see after all the garbage that we hear about and see in the media day in and day out. It's nice to see a movie that is meaningful and can impact people in a positive way. I won't give the movie away but the story about Nelson Mandela and how he impacted a nation is awesome. I walked away from this movie feeling rejuvenated to some degree, like I can take on any challenge.

It's amazing to me how people in our society thirst for the latest celebrity scandals or news, scrutinizing celebrities every move or decision, as if they are above the human race. I mean really...come on people!!! They are not GODS...just human beings like you and I. I don't think I'm alone in saying that I am tired of hearing about the Tiger Woods scandal. In our society, negativity thrives over inspiration and I hope that someday, this will change.

I hope that more men will stand up like Tim Tebow has done during his college career and proclaim his faith! I loved how he had reporters tongue tied and dismayed about his goal to remain pure until marriage. I loved how he impacted his entire team, coaches, school, and nation. We need more stories like this in our media, more stories that are meaningful and impactful.

I can only hope and pray that 2010 will have produced better fruit in our world than it did in 2009. I definitely don't want to just stand by and watch it all happen as it unfolds in 2010. I just want to play my part in helping this world become a better place, somehow, and in some way...just like some of my best friends! Thank you for reading and to God be the glory!!!