27Jun
Fifteen years ago, if someone would have asked me if I knew who Kate was I would have said, “that redheaded girl?”
Twelve years ago, if you would have told me that I would begin dating the girl I would eventually marry I would have said, “you’re crazy”.
Ten years ago, if you would have told me that after I married Kate we would pack up and move to Connecticut I would have said, “you are off your rocker”.
Six years ago, on our wedding day, if you would have told me that we would buy a house in Connecticut and have two dogs I might have fainted.
Four years ago, if you would have told me that this would be the house that we would have our Bean in, I would have smiled with fear.
Two years ago, in the middle of a long night, if you would have told me that the little Bean would fill our lives with so much joy, I would have said, “you are too tired to think straight”.
One and a half years ago, if you would have told me that we would soon pack our bags and fly south, I would have said, “it is so hot in Florida”.
One year ago, if you would have told me that our house would be vandalized and we were having a baby girl, I would have said, “now that’s just ridiculous”.
Nine months ago, if you would have told me that we would only be in this house for eleven months, I would have said, “I’m staying here forever”.
Six months ago, if you would have told me that the first three months of having our second baby would be a very long three months, I would have said, “nah, it will be fine!”
Two months ago, if you would have told me that we would be buying a house in July, I would have said, “you are too tired to think straight.”
One month ago, if you would have told me that our little firecracker Gracie would finally settle down, I would have thrown you out.
Twelve years ago, if you would have told me that I would still be able to enjoy a quiet rainy Saturday sitting on the couch watching movies with that same redheaded girl, I would have unknowingly smiled.
Kate,
I stopped wondering what the future will hold many years ago. Our lives change every single day, so I do not even worry about what is next. But I do know that I love my life. I am married to one of the coolest, most beautiful people that I know, and even though every minute isn’t sunshine and rainbows, every day I love you more and more. Kate, twelve years ago we were trying to make it home by curfew and look how far we have come. You have made me a dad, and you have watched me grow into a man and I am so thankful that I have you each and every day. You are an amazing mother, a spectacular wife, and my best friend. There is no one I would rather go through life with, and I cannot even imagine what the next twelve years will bring. But I know that I want you to be by side through all of them.
I love you,
Chris
26Mar
All day I have been thinking, “I wonder if Kate will have enough energy to put some pictures up tonight?” Then I thought, “wait a minute! I have a blog too!” I know its been a while since you have heard from me, but that should explain the life of a dad and husband to a pregnant wife. I’ve been busy just trying to survive.
Brutal I tell you. I’m so glad that’s over!
But since I have this little space of my own, and I’m just so darn excited to show her to you, I figured I could give you a few highlights of the last few days/hours/minutes cause I know you just can’t stand it. I don’t blame you either, Gracie girl is C.U.T.E. Now I won’t go into too much detail because I know Kate will want to give you the play by play. But here are some highlights.
This is Gracie and I right when she came out at 6:25pm. I think I look weird in this picture, but I guess its that new daddy look.
That is the look Bean Man had when he first got a look at his little sister. I think he was more nervous about me wearing plastic scrubs then he was about Gracie.
Mom and Gracie getting to know each other while we waited for Kate to be able to move her legs again. It took a long time for that epidural to wear off. It also took a long time for my fingers to recover from the epidural incident. Ouch.
Kate looking so happy to not be pregnant anymore. You can’t see me in this picture, but I was doing a jig as well. I’m so proud of her for making it thru 38 weeks without actually killing me. Love you Gracie’s Mom! By the way you look amazing in this picture, it must be that new mommy look! 
This is when Bean Man really got to meet Gracie. He was so curious, a little nervous, and very gentle.
This is a perfect little moment captured by yours truly. Bean Man was leaving that first night and said “Bye Bye Momma, Bye Bye Baby” It was the sweetest thing I have ever heard.
Sweet little Gracie.
See Bean Man, Gracie has little fingers too!
I’m going to end there… just to keep the suspense.  I will say before I go that the second time around is great so far. It was such a wonderful surprise on Friday to get that phone call saying, “sweetie we have to go to the hospital”. I think I have been smiling ever since, except for those few minutes where I thought I was going to lose my fingers. Having a second baby is so fun! You know what to expect, so it feels like a walk in the park! When Bean came we were scared, like any new parents. But with Gracie I know what’s coming. I know how much joy and love came into our lives with Bean Man, and I can’t wait for that to grow even more now that we have a Gracie girl too.
…But two is enough. Haha. Stay tuned.
15Nov
I need to reach out to the men for a minute.
For some of you, you haven’t reached this point in your relationship quite yet. For others, this will be a battle that is long gone and forgotten about. But it is inevitable, this will happen to you at some point. When you move in with a woman, your going to have to fight for your belongings. I will say that there is usually a grace period. Sometimes this grace period is 5 minutes and sometimes its 5 years, but at some point the big discussion about YOUR stuff will happen.
Now some of you could be categorized in the small percentage of couples that have the same taste. I’m really not sure how that happens, but sometimes the stars align and two quirky people fall in love and combine their star wars collections into one magnificent super collection. However, this is a small percentage of you out there.
Typically what happens during the big move in, if your combining your stuff into a brand new place, the woman decides which of the man’s things can stay and which one’s need the boot. A few days ago I was talking to a co-worker who was saying that she recently moved into her boyfriend’s house and that she hates his huge brown leather reclining couch. For those of you in this situation, i’m sorry, but you have zero legal authority to make him get rid of that couch. You moved into his house, and until you get married or move to a new place, that stuff stays.
I would like to state though that some of these items need the boot. That six foot tall cardboard cutout of Britney Spears that you grabbed out of that grocery store and kept in your living room for 3 years, that probably needs to go. Sorry Britney.
Also, that inflatable Budweiser Chair with cup holders that has a matching eight foot tall inflatable goalpost that used to come in handy when solving roommate arguments… that can probably go too. These items need to go and it’s okay to let them go. You’re an adult now. You can pass these things along to a younger generation.
There are, however, items that get tossed out or packed into a closet that are arguably worth holding on to. This is where the epic battle begins. The fight over your possessions is one of the first fights you will have when living together for the first time. Things worth fighting for are things like your shot glass cabinet, your stereo equipment (which really has no place in this fight. Women have no say when it comes to anything dealing with the entertainment center), your frosty mugs, that jacket that you have worn everyday for the last 10 years, your tools, grilling equipment (also in the no discussion category), posters, house decor, bed lines, etc. Some of these will make it through and some of them you might have to part with.
With that said, if your lucky enough to acquire a man cave in your new place, it’s all yours! Let your lady do whatever she wants with the house and you can take all of your stuff to your man cave, which she has no say in. This is really the best case scenario.
The reason I bring all of this up is that during the last month or so, while we have been getting settled in the new place, I discovered a box of lost treasures. These beauties.
These were lost in my battle. Honestly I was focused on some of my other valuables and these were quietly tucked away while someone was unpacking the kitchen (this someone shall remain nameless). They have been packed away for years and almost completely forgotten about. When I found them, I flashed back to that day and decided that it had been long enough! I was bringing these bad boys back! Move over Tupperware, I need some space! And you know what, this was the best decision I have made in a long time. Kate likes using these “cute”, themed, plastic cups. We have been using them for years, and they were fine… only because I forgot how great it felt to hold a real pint glass!
Listen up guys. I’m calling on you today to find that box of lost treasures. Pull out your pint glasses and make space in the cabinet! Take back some of your man-hood, and don’t settle for cute plastic cups anymore. You deserve a nice heavy frosty mug. One word of advice though, your lady will try to fight back. Example A: Katie yells from the kitchen one evening, “OH NO! one of your glasses “broke” in the sink!”
Touche, wife of mine… Touche.
18Oct
Here’s a little insight into the life of a married man with one son, and another baby on the way. It’s tough. I’m going to go ahead and say that the husbands job is just as hard as the wife’s job with #2.
(Maybe that is what we should call The New Guy, “#2″ – “Number Two, you look so healthy, and youthful. Frau, you look so… right.” – What movie?)
Sure, Kate has to grow a baby. But you know what grow a baby means? It means she is too tired or to sick to cook, clean, do laundry, give Bean a bath, etc. Grow a baby means come home from work, take a nap, wake up for dinner, take a nap, wake up to throw up, take a shower, go to bed, toss and turn all night with a chance of throwing up, wake up the next morning and start alllllll over again. Sounds tough right? It’s exhausting and I can totally vouch for that! Really, I do feel bad for her.
But a dad’s role during number two is just as hard. Because the wife is pregnant, my day-to-day goes like this: go to work, come home to a hungry bunch (some who yell and some who bark), feed the dogs, make dinner, empty the dishwasher, play with Bean to distract him from his stomach which is obviously eating itself because he hasn’t eaten in the last 5 minutes, finish cooking dinner, sit down for a nice family meal, wipe the spaghetti off the ceiling that Bean probably threw, wipe Bean down because he has spaghetti in his hair, watch Bean destroy the house by dragging every single toy out, play with trucks, throw the ball at the dogs, grab the little man for a bath, get soaked in the bathroom because Bean like to splash, get the little man into Pj’s, maybe a quick read, and lay him down. Then its off to clean the kitchen, do the dishes, pick up Bean’s crap, grab a load of laundry (maybe), send Kate off to bed upset because she doesn’t like to go to bed by herself, and finally if there is nothing else going on, land on the couch for a little quiet time. Which usually includes barking dogs.
Do you see how much bigger my paragraph is!?! Number Two, is very different than Number One. The first time around you have no idea what’s coming so you spend your time by your bride’s side. You hold her hair back while she is yacking. You feel bad for how big her feet are getting. With Number Two I know exactly what’s coming. I still feel bad for her and know how hard it is to grow a baby, but my job is hard too. This time there is another little guy that needs attention or he turns into this strange screaming yelling crying little man that no one can understand. So who takes care of Dad? Who help’s me out during all of this? Should I call my mom, will she help me?
I’m not writing this to be mean or take anything away from how draining it is to grow a baby, I’m just saying “where’s the love ya’ll?” I love my bride. I love that she is pregnant again. I don’t even mind giving in to a little foot rub here and there. But don’t think the man’s job in all of this is easy. Number Two is very different and its tough!
But with all of that said, this weekend during our much needed break from each other, I missed them more than I ever have before. Kate was home, I was in Gulf Breeze, and Bean Man was with his grandparents. Don’t get me wrong I had a great time and I will tell you guys about that soon, but I thought about the fam all weekend. Our life is so hectic and everyday it seems crazier than the day before. But I love it. The older Bean gets the more his personality shows, which means more screams and yells, but I love it.  Kate is pregnant again and she is so sick sometimes we can barely have a conversation, but that doesn’t matter either.  I still love her more than a fat kid loves cake. This past weekend I drank for two days straight and most of that time I was surrounded by women in bikinis, but I was thinking about my preger wife back home who didn’t feel well and my kid who was having fun at Disney. Its funny how your perspective shifts over time.
dads
Man Cave
In the Kitchen
Vacation
