So many great moments this past year. It is so difficult to choose a favorite. Instead, here are my top ten with a little about each one…my blog, my rules!
10. Coaching T-Ball & Softball–I loved coaching t-ball, it is chaos, but I love seeing the kids develop and have fun. Softball was a fun, new experience for me. I was an assistant coach, but also the guy who got to pitch to the girls.
9. Hershey Park–I did not have high expectations for Hershey Park, but the kids had so much fun there, and I did not realize how nice of a park it was. We definitely want to go back.
8. Savannah–When it was announced that work would be taking us to Savannah, I was pumped. It was a beautiful city, and these trips are always great for Lindsey and I to enjoy a little time to ourselves.
7. Penn State vs. Iowa Wrestling–Seeing Penn State beat Iowa at the BJC with my brother was a highlight of the year. We had fun before the match by hanging out and enjoying a few beers with friends.
6. Payton’s Dance Recital–I truly enjoy going to the recital. This year was a plus because I ran into Ryan there! Also, we had a great time after by taking a huge group of us to Applebee’s and annoying the server.
5. Pirates Game–We took Lindsey’s step-brother’s family to a Pirates game, and spent the day in Pittsburgh doing some fun stuff.
4. Penn State vs. West Virginia Opening Game–My brother and I went to the opening game of the year, and we got to see the Nittany Lions beat up the Mountaineers at night.
3. Someone Special Dance–I am not going to lie, I was super excited about this. Going to eat before with Adam and Em, then spending the night there, mostly just talking to adults since our kids just run around, it was a fun time. Maybe someday Payton will dance with me, haha.
2. Movies–I took the kids to five movies this year. Four of them were just me and them (Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, Elemental, Wish, and Little Mermaid), while Payton and I went to see Barbie. Logan and Lindsey went to TMNT and Super Mario Bros.
1. Summer Party–We bought a gazebo from Big Lots. I put it together, which was tons of fun, and a few weeks later we had our second annual summer party. It was great having the gazebo, since it gave people a place to sit, then at night we were able to put on a movie. The party was the perfect blend of adults and kids. A bunch of us played Beersbee (a brother my game made for me, and we used at my bachelor party), or just had fun drinking beer and talking about sports. The kids had every outdoor thing imaginable, including the blowup pool. Cannot wait until our next one!
This year also saw a tremendous loss for our family. Lindsey’s step-dad, Tip, passed away. He was a huge part of Payton and Logan’s lives, and it has definitely hit them hard. They talk about him and keep him alive in their memories. Even today, Logan was singing the Burger King jingle, and I asked him if he ever actually ate there…and he said “yeah Dad, Pap took me there!”
So I cannot end this post on a sad note…here is a quick story from Christmas.
Lindsey and I decided we would take the kids to Disney next year. Lindsey got them some clothes and other things for the trip, and their wristbands. She put them in a box, and had them open the gift on Christmas Eve. Lindsey was so excited and decided to record the opening. I am not kidding when I say this, my wife was practically vibrating with excitement. The kids tore open the boxes and looked at the gifts, and started saying what they saw…
“Oh, a Mickey shirt”
“A Disney water bottle”
“Some kind of book”
“Oh a Disney wristband!”
Lindsey says “do you know what this all means?” And Payton says, in the most unimpressed voice ever “we are going to Disney?” But it gets better. Later, we are somewhere else and Payton opens a word search book from someone, and she lets out the loudest squeal of excitement “OH MY GOD, A WORD SEARCH BOOK!!!!!”
Now to be fair, the kids are excited about going to Disney, but I think they kind of expected a trip this coming year since we told them we were not going this year, and may go next year. And since Christmas Eve, they have both asked about five hundred questions.
