SofiandNatalie.com

The holiday season is here, and I have more than most to be thankful for. So much, in fact, it’s almost impossible to put into words everything that is in my heart and mind. I have a beautiful, loving wife, two daughters that mean more to my very being than any words could ever express, good health, and more of life’s basics (clothing, food and shelter) than any one person deserves.  These blessings are with me throughtout the year, and thanks to my daughters the ones that really matter will be with me, in their words, too, “always and forever.” Read the rest of this entry »

I didn’t write this story, but I think about it often.  Every time I tell my girls, “just a minute” or “not right now” I’m forgetting the importance of the moment and that I will never get this time back.  Once the moment is gone it’s gone forever – and while there will be many more minutes and times for us to play, why waste a single one of them if I don’t have to?  So for that reason alone, I am sharing this story with our readers, in hopes that it will help each of us remember the value of time.

Enjoy ~

Papa

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It has been some time since I’ve last posted (again) and so much has been going on that I hardly know where to begin.  Today, though, I had another thought that I wanted to try to get down here, if not for the few readers of the site, then to remind my children later in their own lives what they meant to me, each and every day.

See, today, like to many before and after I woke with the reminder of how beautiful my life is and how blessed I am by my loving, adoring daughters.  It’s amazing to me that even on the days that I get up thinking, “oh, not another day,” that they wake up with all the excitement that comes with a new day.  They hardly even remember yesterday, and even the biggest upsets and nastiest boo-boos are forgotten completely.  They come to each day completely ready for whatever the world has to offer, open to absorb, learn, and truly enjoy every little piece.  Even days that are something like yesterday and a little like tomorrow are important beyond comprehension and most importantly they are enjoyed for exactly that.  They know that the best part of the day is what you do when you’re awake – and I am very glad to know that my children make the most of that every single day.

So yes, there will be more posting this weekend – hopefully a little catchup for some of the recent stuff – and even more after that, but for those of you that have forgotten that each day is new, this is my wake-up for call for you.  Look into the eyes of a child – borrow a child if you don’t have one handy – and see the mystery and amazement that comes just from being awake.

Papa

I didn’t realize until I took a few minutes to look back that some of the most exciting times of the year are the holidays, and they also happen to be the times that I post the least to this blog.  It seems that there is so much going on that there is rarely time to get a few words into the blog.  That said, I will try and keep up a little better, because so much of what Sofi and Natalie are enjoying right now is what I was really hoping to share with their audience.  So keep your browser open, there is definitely more to come!

Papa

The guys who fear becoming fathers don’t understand that fathering is not something perfect men do, but something that perfects the man.  The end product of child raising is not the child but the parent.  ~Frank Pittman, Man Enough

Summer is over; we’re coming into fall.  It’s easy to see everywhere you look.  The weather is changing; stores are putting out their holiday wares and advertising is making the inevitble swing to push us to shop. For me though, it’s all a reminder that another year is nearly over, and my children are getting older.  Every day when I leave in the morning I wonder what will have changed between the morning and when I get home, and every day I’m amazed by how much it seems I’ve missed.  My babies are growig up, learning, and perhaps what I fear most, yearning for their independence (all while still wanting a hug and a kiss.)

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I’m sorry to everyone that’s taking time to read this, because I know that it’s taken more time then I promised.  Unfortunately, it’s just been a struggle to get my restored copy of wordpress back up and working the way that I want.  I think that I have overcome this problem now so hopefully we’re back and I’ll become a posting fiend again!

Keep checking back – there’s much more to come!

Papa

It’s been so long since I last contributed anything to the blog, I’ve almost forgotten how, but after a very, very long break I’m back to contribute on a much more regular basis. For those that don’t know, we’ve been out ill for pretty much the whole of two months – mama and the girls both had the stomach flu, followed by colds, and then Sofi and Natalie both contracted pneumonia. So basically we’ve had two months of battling fevers, enjoying the Good Samaritan Hospital Emergency Room and everything that goes along with being sick. At the same time, I scratched my cornea to the point where I was only able to see out of one eye – we were just loads of fun.

But, I’m knocking on wood now – we’re all well and definitely ready for summer. Mama is off this year and the girls have been enjoying every day. I’m very happy that they get to play and have fun all summer – even though I’m also a little jealous. But that’s okay – knowing they’re happy will be enough for me. So let the posting begin…

Papa

When I decided to create this blog, it began as a labor of love.  It was a way for me to put down into words the love and happiness that my children had brought into my life, and a way for me to “give” them their history so that later on they could know how their actions had impacted my life and opened my eyes to a happiness and joy that could be neither bought nor stolen.  If, at some point, I happened to make them laugh or cringe in embarassment later in life, all the better.  Realizing this, I always think that there is something more that I can give, something else that I can share, or some way that I can be better for my children.  And of course, when I think these thoughts, I am reminded of Diane Looman’s poem:

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“Why’s the kitchen shaking, Papa??”

Of course, by the time Sofi got that thought into and out of her head she was in my arms in the guest bedroom door-frame and Natalie was in Mama’s arms in our bathroom door-frame, and just like that both girls survived their first earthquake – no worse for wear.

According to the USGS:

A moderate earthquake occurred at 8:04:54 PM (PDT) on Tuesday, October 30, 2007.
The magnitude 5.6 event occurred 8 km (5 miles) NNE of Alum Rock, CA.
The hypocentral depth is 9 km ( 6 miles).

From our perspective, it felt to me as though the house was rolling a little bit, but it was over pretty quickly.  I’d say from start to finish less than five seconds, but the aftershock (our excitement at the event) in our house was much longer than that.  The girls weren’t afraid so much as reacting to our reaction, which was of concern, perhaps a little fear, and to some extent excitement as well.  Fortunately, at the end of the day, everyone is fine.  The house is fine.  We’re no worse for wear.  A Charlie Brown’s Halloween Special is on the television and there’s special popcorn.  Would be interested to know who else felt the earthquake; post in the comments and let us know your thoughts.

Papa

I went to Fry’s Electronics tonight with my daughters.  It’s Gina’s night out and I figured this would be a good bonding experience for us.  As always, I needed a couple of things anyway and, I thought, how bad could it be?  Ha.  What the heck was I thinking?

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