Shortly after this picture Santa met his demise at the hands of Teaspoon attacking him like a spider monkey.
Hard to believe it but my youngest wasn’t even around this time last year. In fact Lushie would go into labor on the 26th and pop the little guy out 26 hours later.
Christmas tree is already packed full of presents for the monsters and around 6am my mother-in-law will be showing up with gifts from the out of towners. Monday we”re hosting brunch for my family and then comes a week of slacking before 24 hours of geeking out over hockey (4 games in 24 hours. LOVE IT!)
Being a dad has changed my life in ways that I never imagined. My life has become providing the best I can for my boys. I’ve started to appreciate the smaller things and cherish the time I get to spend with them. When I was 25 I used to mock people like me. Now, I snicker and tell that whipper snapper to get off my lawn.
I know the boys wont remember Christmas in too much detail but I will. Of course I’m going to be a camera whore and take as many pics as I can. I really don’t have pictures of Christmas as a kid (one lady in my office said she was sorry I don’t have any family, wtf ever that means) since we lost most when our basement flooded at the last place so I’m happy to make new ones.
I hope everyone is able to spend some time kicking back and visiting family, no matter how batshit crazy they may be. I’m thankful for my friends I have met and those I’ve only chatted with online. All of you have played a part in my life and I’m blessed to know such kickass people.
This is going to be the first Christmas with both boys and while I am looking forward to them opening gifts I stood in my basement tonight wondering where we’re going to fit everything.
Winter is starting to creep up which means their outside toys will be coming in and i need to find room in a basement that still has boxes we haven’t touched since moving.
I’ve been saying since the day we moved that I would work on the basement to throw out what I didn’t want or need. Problem now is that we keep accumulating stuff and just put it down there to look at later.
First thing I need to do is invest in more plastic totes since the cardboard boxes are falling apart. We don’t really have junk ourselves but the mess that Captain Obvious left us in the house is still there. I really would like to rip out the workbench to build an area for my recording equipment or I can wait about 6-12mo for Baby O to move into Teaspoon’s room. Realistically I know I’m never getting that room because Lushie will find some use for it.
I’d like to sat that if I had a week off of work I could get everything done but I know with the kids and wife here that can’t happen without someone having a meltdown.
For those of you that own houses and have kids, how do you make more room or find time to go through the boxes already there?
I’ve never been a big Christmas person. In fact the holiday would annoy the shit out of me every year because of how fake everyone was about being good and giving meanwhile the uber obsessed ones would drive me insane with their bat shit craziness like most of Steelernation. It wasn’t until I started having a family that this would change and while I’m still a bit “meh” I’m coming around.
This year was different. This year I was stunned!
Before I started break from work I received some monumental news from a co-worker that I can’t say until its “officially official” but will hint that.. no I won’t. You’ll have to wait. Then I won $20 on a $3 scratchoff card Lushie got me as a stocking stuffer and $35 from a football pool that my mom apparently entered me in at the church I belonged to in Erie. I was feeling pretty good by this point and as a small family we had a great Christmas day.
We celebrated Christmas at my bro’s a little late because my mom was sick. What I opened as my present left me stunned. I will be attending the Winter Classic on Saturday with my nephew/godson Ben. What a lot of people don’t know is that as a Pens ticket holder I was offered tickets in the summer and had to say no because it was too close to Lushie’s due date. I was devastated as a hockey fan but knew this is one of those things I had to do. My freaking kid could be born, I’m not missing it! I was bitter for awhile and refused to even read coverage.
I started to get angry. I told a few people on Facebook/Twitter about it and was actually called “stupid” and “dumbass” for passing up on such an event. The bitterness grew but by taking a step back I realized it wasn’t Pens fans saying it, it was the Steelers fans who jumped on the band wagon. People can be brutal on the interwebz 
Back to the ticket. So I sat on the couch stunned. My brother said that the family will make sure that if Lushie goes into labor that a plan was in place to make sure I don’t miss the birth. I was speechless. Not because I had a ticket but because my family pulled together to make sure this happened and I had no idea. Some may think that a game like this is trivial but unless you’re married to me you have no idea how many things I have had to turn down.
And then…
Lushie went into labor at my brother’s. She didnt say anything just in case it was a false alarm but around 6pm she said we needed to find a sitter. By 4pm the following day my 2nd son was born.
This Christmas I’ll be in hockey nirvana. Friday I’m going to the Alumni Game with my good bud John, Saturday I’ll be at the Winter Classic and I have a new healthy son.
The picture from our Christmas photo shoot at the Mellon Arena that the Pens held for season ticket holders.
This is our last Christmas holiday without the pitter patter of little feet. Jackson will probably be about 8 months old by this time next year. We spent last night at my brother’s house with his family and my mom. While it’s over 50F in Pittsburgh and no snow on the ground it was still a Christmas atmosphere. We ate, we drank, I rocked the ping pong table and then NHL08 with the boys. I brought over a bottle of Southern Tier Choklat which I think is the greatest chocolate beer ever brewed. You can read my review of it here.
This morning was nice and lazy for Lushie and myself. While watching A Christmas Story for the 4th time this season we opened present and munched on Chex Mix she had made earlier this week. Right now the best present of the holiday is the 1st season of Welcome Back Kotter. Quit laughing, I’m a Kotter junkie
I’d like to take a moment and thank everyone for their support this past year. I became better friends with the Yinz Team gang, found out we’re having a baby boy in the new year, watched my podcast reach many milestones, heard the news of my company announcing it’s shutting down and made new friends through social networking. Life is at an interesting crossroads right now and I thank all of you for making 2008 a fun trip.
May all of you have a joyous holiday season and enjoy fine craft beverages!
cheers!
December is usually the slowest month for me with blogging. Holidays, end of year at work, school finals and some other randomness that gets thrown my way.
random thoughts over the next 10 minutes
- I plan on watching A Christmas Story at least 5 time between tomorrow night and Christmas night.
- Side note to the previous, I once hung out with Flick after a Pirates playoff game. He got in front of me for a foul ball. Told him he sucked in The Toy.
- Finished the winter semester with all A’s so I’m pretty stoked about that.
- Lushie had a doc appointment this morning and reports that Teaspoon is in great shape. Measurements are all on course. When she did try to get a picture for us though he turned his back. 22 weeks and already giving attitude.
- I’m not a fan of Christmas (most holidays in general actually) but Lushie is working on me about it.
- For some reason my business thinks it’s OK to run the AC when it’s 10F outside. The vent for said system is directly above me.
- I’m getting back in touch with a lot of friends from pre-Pittsburgh days thanks to social networking.
- Someone I know still thinks new media and podcasting is a fad. Their kids getting into it now makes it hip and someone won’t stop asking me about it. Time to start making shit up.
- Listening to NIN’s Fixed CD (That would be halo 6 to us fans). It is the bad ass. Yes, you read that correctly. 9:09 minute version of Wish.
- I think my feet are frozen. I just dropped a router on it and nothing. Trying to find Dick Hammer and have him stomp on it.
- HP laptops are not waterproof nor lightsabreproof… just sayin.
- The floor above me is being remodeled and the drilling is above my head. jagoffs
- We’re shopping tonight for Christmas dinner between Lushie and myself. We’ll be feasting like rockstars!
- My hands are cold and I need to nuke leftovers.
- Christmas shopping is done. Time to buy the beverages.
cheers!
There are very few rules I tend to stick with when I write on here. The number one golden rule is no picture of Lushie (only if approved) unless I want to die. She’d rather stay off this thing and I can respect that. Well unless she wants to rant.
Last night the 2 of us were invited by the Pens to have Christmas photos taken on the ice at Mellon Arena. Yet another reason why they treat their season ticket holders better than any other sports team in the city. We started with a picture on the Zamboni followed by the goal on the south end, penalty box, players bench and finally the moment of truth… center ice.
I have to admit that actually standing at center ice and not just where it may or may not be because of flooring was pretty freakin cool. I had chills. This was like stepping up to home plate at PNC Park. I had to take a moment to reach down, touch the ice with my hands and absorb the moment. I’ve played hockey and even curled for a bit so I know what it’s like to be on ice but when it’s the one of the team you love, it’s special.
We have a nice collection of pictures that the Pens have given us a chance to make into greeting cards. The one above is from my camera phone so trust me when I say the quality is hella better. We’re probably going to have some made for family once Lushie finds the one she likes. After that I may post them online.
Tonight is Pens vs Flyers at the Mellon Arena. Drew is probably already drinking in Philly to numb the pain of the impending doom. After the comeback in Detroit is there really any question?
cheers!
