Dinner and a show

Last night we met my wife's family for dinner at their church. I didn't really know anybody but they knew us and everyone wanted to hold Lilly and were telling us how cute she was. This struck as odd. Not that they were complimenting our daughter, she is very adorable, I will admit that. Its just that they seemed surprised by the fact. After all, a lot of these people were either at our wedding reception or met me one time or another and they all said the exact same thing, "you guys are going to have such cute kids!" That was the natural first reaction we always got. Never good luck or congrats! Always a comment that our genetic make up is superior to non-mixed race couples.  This got me thinking, if I were the same race as my bride do people then say things like, "Your kids will be ugly little ogres, but congrats anyway!"? So why so shocked that our Lilly-Bug is so stinking cute?

Anyways, lol, we saw lots of people and everyone wanted to hold our Lilly,, two moms in particular. They had kids of their own, but they also adopted little black girls. So at first I was wondering if they were scouting for a new addition. Then I wondered why their kids looked so much like me, and I asked Kristyn if they saw any resemblance, but she just laughed. Honestly I saw these kids early in the evening and for me when I go anywhere I always look for the "other" black guy who I am sure is hiding everywhere I go. I have no idea why my brain works like that but I do it all the time. SO when I see two different black kids with two different white moms I was looking real hard for the other "dads" like me. I guess I like scavenger hunts.

It was a great dinner and Lilly had fun./ it was nice to rub shoulders with new people and to make new friends and see a familiar face(shout out to Marvette). I hope I didn't offend anyone with this posting. Its just me being me. When you lived the life I have you just have to make jokes. Its all gravy, baby!


Tip for the day:  When your kids ask why someone has different skin, like a random black stranger who happens to be walking by, don't freak out at your child's outburst of curiosity. Simply say, "Because they are just better than us." My advice to help stop racism, and hopefully get a laugh when it happens to me...again!

Whats in your mouth!?!?!?

Oral fixation or just morbid curiosity? I am not sure but for some reason kids love putting things into their little mouths.Anything within arms reach will do. My daughter is no different. For example at a photo shoot at a neighbor's home we brought out beads as props. Well those bad boys made her smile. Apparently they tasted like Similac because in her mouth they went and stayed...for about an hour.

She loves her blanket and her hand, and the hand of anyone holding her. Not sure what other babies like so here is a list of Lilly's top ten things she puts in her mouth. Notice pacifier or binky are not on this list

10. Bottle, because a girl has gotta eat

 9. Blanket, because without teeth your mouth gets cold

 8.Spit up rag, who doesn't like seconds

 7. Toys, how else do you play with them

 6. Someone else's fingers, you weren't sucking on it

 5. My wife's pillows, I ain't letting her touch mine

 4. Bath toys, different taste than regular toys due to soap and water flavoring yummy

 3. Her little feet, I admit I do it too, her feet not mine I can't stretch like that. Not since I was in show choir.

 2. Cell phones, smartphones make her giggle in 4G speeds

 and #1. Charger cords for phones and laptops! Because electricity and drool really go together

She is a pretty cute kid and I love her. Now how do I get my BlackBerry back? Well,at least I know that she likes fruit.

Also I am going to add a parenting tip at the end of every blog posting because honestly who knows more about parenting than some guy with an 8 month old that likes sucking on power cords

Tip of the day: If something happens to your child that doesn't leave a mark, do not tell your spouse! This only applies to the kids that still don't talk. =-)

Role reversal

So I live in a rural township in Northern Utah. Its a small farming community. I live on the corner of the two major roads, down one direction are homes with horses and sheep. Up the other road are two dairy farms with two different  types of milking cows.I work at one of them. I milk cows. For those of you that know me you are probably laughing so hard you may need to change underwear. Thanks for that. I love where I live and I like what I do believe it or not. I have the very best neighbors a man can ask for.

My job allows me to be home most of the day. This helps out my wife quite a bit since she has two major positions at a local hospital. So we don't need a sitter to watch our daughter, Lilly Mae. So while most of the moms out here are stay-at-home mothers, we have switched roles for the time being. Its not like I already stick out as the only "brotha" in a 10 mile radius or anything, but I am known as Mr. Mom, and you know what I like that title just fine.

So this blog is just me sharing with you,  the world, the ups and downs of fatherhood when being a dad is truly a full-time gig as you read and share some of my experiences as I witness my daughter grow and what impact being at home has on us both. Enjoy our adventures!