What the kids can teach me :)

I am a pretty simple guy. I work my normal day, come home ,eat dinner, play with girls, and even sometimes go online to check my e-mail and update my blog. Now , I am not what you call " technically inclined" when it comes to the new gizmo's and gadgets that are available these days. In fact my old cell phone wouldn't even let me send text messages. I am more of a hands on "let me figure out how it works" kinda guy. I can read blueprints, layout and build anything from a deck, to totally remodelling our bathroom, tearing out a wall between our kitchen and spare bedroom , to make a larger dining room. Most of the time I can figure out everything I need and know what it will look like completely finished......... before I even start. Yesterday was a huge eye opener to me................I bought a Blackberry Pearl flip. The "thing" barely made it home without being thrown out the window. I mean how many things does a person need to do on their phone anyway? I took me over an hour of going through a tutorial on how to use the "thing" to end up more confused than when I started. It probably wasn't the best idea to bridge the gap from my old phone with this one. Of course , in my frustration with not being able to figure it out ....Cindy says to me"Why don't you sit down and read the instruction manual so you don't get so irritated?"....................YA RIGHT!!!!!!!! I think to myself. Doesn't she know I don't need an instruction manual......I am a MAN, I will figure it out in SPITE of the instructions. An hour or so later Luke comes into the kitchen and asks if I need any help. Any help........from a 14 year old....YA RIGHT I think to myself...., but I thought to myself"What can it hurt". Within about 5 minutes he's rattling off all kinds of terms like SMS this and blue tooth that , and it turns out the "thing" has a camera in it. While Cindy wasn't watching he walked me through some of the basics of what I can do on the phone.............holy crap there is a lot of stuff in it!!!!!!! Today I felt like someone right out of MIT, I was sending texts, receiving texts, taking pictures, adding contacts ,.......I was on a FIRE!!!!!!, for me anyway. To be totally honest the "thing" is really cool, I can't wait to see what else it can do. It just goes to show that if I can join the 21st century "tech" wise...anyone can. Hopefully Luke can keep teaching me without charging for it.

Feeling just a little bit older

Each year comes and goes and I usually don't give much thought to getting a year older. I still feel young inside and out. I think I still look young for my age...heck I still get I.D.'d for a beer now and then. Today was like an enormous wake up call for me. No, I don't have any medical problems. I am not in need of any "little blue pills". All of my hair is still where it is supposed to be, on my head and not in my ears. It was if the world "slapped me in the face" and said HEY!!!! your getting OLD!! Today my son Lucas took the test and passed for his DRIVING PERMIT. I remember the day we first brought him home from the hospital..........he was so small.........time couldn't have gone by so fast, but it has. For years his biggest interests were watching Disney movies, playing video games, and hanging out with his dad. Now, his attention is on school, girls, and goofing off with his friends. To be truthful my nose gets a little out of joint sometimes with his life being filled with so many other things that don't include me, but I remember what it was like to be his age. Hanging out with your parents wasn't cool,and I don't think it ever will be at that age. Sure we still do a lot of stuff together....guy stuff. Today I took him driving for the first time, I thought I was going to DIE. In between correcting him and trying to hold back the yelling and laughing at the same time, I thought "Now I know why my parents wanted the other one to teach me to drive" It is Scary. I know it won't be long before he gets the hang of it, and he'll be wanting to drive everywhere. Cindy has decided that I will be the one that teaches him to drive, you notice I said Cindy decided....I was absent for that vote I guess. He is growing up so fast...........................he is turning into such an awesome young MAN.........I am so proud of him. Hopefully I survive this round and live long enough to be there in 2 years when it is Maddie's turn to learn to drive. I think I will be having one of those "votes" when Cindy is absent.

What if she hadn't asked?

I ask the question , because I look back on my life and what it has been like with Cindy. Shortly after graduating high school, I packed my bags and left Pennsylvania and came here to Iowa to just "hang out" with some of my uncles and help them build houses for the summer. Over the next year or so I traveled back and forth to visit my parents and friends in Pa., and coming back to a more laid back lifestyle in Iowa just goofing off and pounding nails. I met Cindy and a bunch of her friends when I was working part time here in town, and going to school at the local community college. As a group we would go out to bowl or shoot pool.....I even snuck a bunch of them into a "dive" bar in Des Moines that I went to with my uncles from time to time. One of those little wholes in the wall that had no intention on "I.D.ing" you, as long as you had cash to pay for your drinks and you didn't get rowdy. One day Cindy asked me "If I had an extra ticket to the Brooks and Dunn concert would you want to go?". I told ya sure sounds like fun. I didn't know at the time(stupid man) that she had not bought the tickets yet. Cindy is a very shy person , so I knew that it took a lot of guts for her to ask me. We had a blast......and were pretty much inseparable each day since. We spent so much time together , doing everything together. One day it just hit me that I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her, I wanted to build a life with her, and to have a family with her. Well needless to say I am embracing everyday spending the rest of my life with her, and we are continuing everyday to make a life and to love one another. And, the family thing ....we've had some great times and some of the saddest times we will ever go through................................but the family remains stronger and bigger than ever. Now I sit here and think where would I be, and who would I have become....If she hadn't asked me to go to the concert. where would our lives have taken us? I know I wouldn't be half the man, husband,or father that I am today. It seems GOD puts us right where we need to be at the perfect time................................
OH and by the way Happy Valentines Day
Cindy
I Love You

I should be careful what I wish for!!!!!!

Cindy and I both know that children with disabilities will have limitations, and even the smallest milestone is a huge leap for them. I know that the girls will probably never speak many words , but my hopes are that they will learn alternative communication skills, like sign language or gesturing. We have our own "little" language here at home. We know what the girls are wanting , or what they are going to get into most of the time. But, I find myself wanting more for them all the time. Sometimes Kayla is trying her hardest to communicate with us (she hoots) , but sometimes it takes a while to know what she wants. With Becca , usually her eyes give her away on what she is up to!!! That girl can find trouble in a blink of an eye ;) Lately we have noticed a lot of higher cognitive ability with the girls. I am sure a lot of it has to do with sibling rivalry, and to get more attention the other. Becca is very hands on.............especially with other peoples hair. She likes to pull your hair , either to get your attention or to get a response. Oh boy does Kayla respond.....LOUDLY. The funny thing is Kayla sets Becca up to get in trouble. Cindy and I have both witnessed it many many times. She will walk over to Becca, bend over, and put her head in Becca's lap................kinda like dangling fresh bait in front of a hungry fish. Becca knows it is wrong ,but just can't stop herself from doing the deed. Right away Kayla will start yelling and run over to us like she is totally innocent in the whole matter. I have even seen her take Becca's hand and place it on her head..............it's like entrapment if you ask me. Becca on the other hand is not always the innocent little angel she thinks she is. Many of the "clashes" her and Kayla have are initiated by her:) Becca has had a pretty tough time with her seizures, and we have been doing everything possible to try to get them under control. A few months ago she had VNS device implanted to try and help control the severity and amount of seizures she has. Her one on one aid at school is awesome about keeping track of how many seizures and how long they are in a journal. Just yesterday Becca was being a little extra "crazy" at school ( pretty much swinging her arms at her Aid and laughing instead of listening.......typical Becca)........finally her Aid told her that if she can't be nice that she couldn't play, and turned her back halfway to Becca. That little turd "FAKED" a seizure...can you believe it. She threw her arms up like her normal seizure, but the difference this time was her eyes were totally focused on her Aid. Becca's eyes always stair off into space and sometimes wander kind of like "lazy eye" when she seizes. This time she was focused on her Aid the entire time, and even looked at the journal right after "FAKING". She knew that the Aid had to write down the seizure, and it just so happened that the Journal was in the bag on her wheelchair. Instead of taking her punishment she manipulated the situation so that her Aid had to come back and interact with her. What a little "schemer". I was so proud when Cindy told me the story !!!!!!!! I am in awe of both of the girls and how far they have come...........and I know I should be careful what I wish for , but I can't wait to see what the learn how to do next.