Daddy Diary: It's been a while...

7/14/13

I can't even remember the last time I was on here with an update...but I'm guessing it's been a while, so I figured I should provide some updates for those faithful followers...

Over the past 2 weeks, Daddy Daycare has been in full swing...and I'm happy to announce that Erica is still alive and well!!! It has mostly been really enjoyable! There was one day during our first week together where nothing I did was right and she fussed most of the day! Of course, it had to be the longest day of the week...Laura went from work to her running club before coming home around 7pm...a full 12 hours of Daddy Daycare!!! I must admit, Daddy Daycare has been awesome!!! I love every minute of it! Despite sitting down, and then jumping back up a second later to change a diaper or frantically search for a burp cloth while puke is running down my arms...it's a blast!!! Erica is full of sounds and noises that keep me wondering what her voice will sound like when she starts making more noises that just squeaks and squeals. By far, my favorite things during the day are the little naps she takes in my arms! She'll fall asleep pretty easily with some burping pats on her back, or if I hold her hands together on her tummy, she'll fall asleep while laying in my arms. It's a total blast and I'm loving it while it lasts! I feel totally worthless in the sense that I can't get much done during the day on some days, but it's great knowing that it's not time wasted, but time well spent that I'll cherish forever!

The 4th of July was a lot of fun celebrating with my 3 girls. We didn't make any plans, and decided to stay home rather than travel. Our friends, Adam and Shana, came over for dinner and brought their 1 month old girl, Ava. Erica seemed to enjoy her new friend and seemed rather confused and looked around when Ava cried. It was almost like she was wondering who was crying if it wasn't her! We had dinner on the deck and they headed out early in the evening after a few hours of hanging out with us. After they headed out, we got Erica ready for bed, and then headed down with her to our neighbors house where a bunch of our neighbors were gathering for a bonfire and some drinks. We hung out there for an hour or so before coming home and getting Erica tucked in for the night.

Since the 4th of July...time has flown by! In fact, my entire summer has flown by so far, and it's half over already! June went by in the blink of an eye with all the trips we/I had jammed together once school got out. But July has settled down a bit for us, yet still continues to speed along. Erica and I are now pretty much established our daily routine: she gets up each morning around 8-9am, she gets a bottle before we head out on a walk to give Lexi some love and attention, we get home in time for Erica's second bottle and then a nap before dad eats lunch, and then we pretty much alternate the rest of the day with short naps, bottles and a ton of diaper changes. My routine is much simpler: I generally catch at least one of the following shows throughout the day...Cops, Everybody Loves Raymond, and re-runs on the History Channel. When I can, I try to get some reading done, but I must admit that I am way behind schedule in terms of how much I would have liked to have read by now!!!

Here's a quick update on Elvis, our Equinox...It's alive!!! We had the engine replaced on it, after learning that the timing chain broke and then broke other parts of the engine within as it tore apart. Our mechanic said we'd need to replace it and that it looked like it wasn't installed correctly at the factory because a few bolts were missing, and another part was completely sheared off. Fortunately it was completely covered by a GM factory warranty and we didn't have to pay a dime! Long story short, we were completely ticked off with the mechanic's inability to call us and keep us updated on the process, it was then towed to a Chevy dealership so the warranty work could begin. Just over 2 weeks after it broke down on the highway in the cities, Laura picked it up after work with the help of our neighbors! (Have I mentioned that we love our neighbors?!?!)

And lastly, just today, we returned home from a weekend at the lake with my parents. I went up with them Thursday afternoon with Erica and Lexi, while Laura headed up after work on Friday night. Erica enjoyed the ride up in the back seat with Lexi and grandma, (there was plenty of room, actually!) until we made it to Moose Lake, and then she got fussy. After a quick bottle and diaper change in Barnum, we made it to Duluth for a quick growler fill-up at my favorite brewery, Fitger's Brewhouse for my all time favorite beer, Apricot Wheat!!! Then we made our way to the lake and took Erica out to stretch and be free of her car seat before heading into Two Harbors for pizza and the grocery store. Friday was a fun day for everyone while we waited for Laura to join us: Grandma hung out with our girls at the lake while I helped my dad check an item off of his bucket list by hiking up Minnesota's highest point on Eagle Mountain (Northeast of Lutsen by about 20 miles). It was a beautiful day for a hike...up a hill!!! 7.8 miles later, we were back at the car and driving the 1.5 hrs back to the lake to pick up my mom and Erica for the walleye fish fry in town for dinner. Laura joined us later that night after her drive up. The following morning, Laura, my dad and I headed to the gun range for some plinking. Apparently, I won again...but didn't realize we were keeping track of the score. I've always been a good shot, and I'm happy to say that it's one of my few hobbies, and it's 1 thing that I'm pretty good at in life! I was able to hit a silhouette target at 100 yards, open sights, with 3 different handguns, and was able to hit the same target with my rifle at 400 yards...again, open sights!!! I wasn't aiming for the bull's-eye' by any means, but this steel plate target made a very audible "ping" when it was hit, and I was happy just to hit the things at that distance!!! Over the past year or so, I've discovered that I absolutely love shooting with my lovely wife and my dad. We've gone together several times, and it's great to share this hobby with people I love, and to see both of them steadily improving and becoming a lot more accurate...though I must now be a little concerned for my safety if I ever get Laura really angry at me!!! After our time at the range, the 4 of us took Erica to the parade in downtown Two Harbors and walked through the art tents during their yearly festival called "Heritage Days." After a short stay in town, we headed back to the lake and hung out for the afternoon before I cooked authentic, steak tacos for dinner. We finished the night hanging out at the lake. Laura and I planned to head to the nearby resort to do some swimming once Erica went down for the night at 8, but some fussing and big fits kept her awake until after 9:30, so we didn't make it! My parents treated us to a breakfast date for just Laura and I this morning while they watched the girls. It was great having a meal out with Laura before packing up and heading home. And now, Laura and Erica sit in the chair next to me...keeping each other entertained with smiles, noises and lots of puke and cleaning!!!

Well, that's all I have for now. I'll add pictures to this post soon, so check back in the next few days for some pictures of the events described above. Thanks again for reading my Daddy Diary! I hope you enjoy it and I hope you continue to check in with us on occasion! Take care!

Shooting at the range...notice the dumb deer just left of center!!!

Count the white targets on the far left side...each is 100 yards apart, starting with 100 yards as the first one...you get an idea for how hard they are to see at the distances I described above...