Archive for the ‘Childhood’ Category

Dear BeanMan,

I can’t believe its been a year already. Last year when we woke up today, we were grinning from ear to ear and poking you in your mom’s belly. Your mom and I were so excited that day. We didn’t know what was about to happen, but it didn’t matter, we knew it would be great. Then you came and it was so much more than great.

Bean Man, you have changed our lives. You made us a family! Its something we had always talked about but I never thought that it we be this much fun. From the first little speck on the monitor to the little man you have grown into, I can say that you have made me the happiest dad in the world. You brighten my day with your smile and laughs.

I know your only one year old, but you have taught me how to be a better person. You taught me how to be patient and I will always be thankful for that Bean. I can’t wait for you to grow up so I can teach you the same thing. I am going to teach you everything I know. We will build tree forts and I will teach you how to ski. I will teach you how to play golf and how to drive a stick shift. It makes me excited thinking about it because I know its going to be so much fun.

But for today, on your first birthday, the day when you finally get a number, I just want to tell you I Love You. This has been the best year of my life and you are the best thing that has ever happened to me.

Love You Buddy, Happy Birthday.
Dad

***************

Read Katie’s birthday letter to Bean over in The Bean’s Page.

Be sure to check out the Bean’s birthday video slide show over on the Confessions page.

As you all know, we here at MC are picking up and heading south. Its crazy how all of this happened and I’m still not sure how it seemed to all work out. It wasn’t easy getting this far, and its not over yet so we will keep you posted of course. But making this decision was really hard for me in particular. It took me a LONG time to get comfortable with the idea of going back to Florida, mainly because I love it here and I love our life here.

I don’t know if you know this about me, but I’m an independent person, I always have been. I talk to my family once a week or so, sometimes more and sometimes less, but we are all ok with that schedule. Its been like that ever since I went to college. So it didn’t bother me when we made the decision to move to Connecticut to live. Sometimes I hate that I can’t see my sister for lunch and things like that but I have learned to live with it. I know that they will always be there for me if I need them. Maybe that is a little selfish on my part, but I love that me and Kate have our own lives up here. And it makes it so much more fun when family does come to visit because we could show them places that they had never seen before!

I won’t lie. I have fallen in love with New England. As a kid I was always jealous that we didn’t have snow. It flurried like twice when we were growing up and I can remember being so excited I couldn’t even sleep. CT is a beautiful place to live. There is so much history and culture and not to mention the scenic drives are endless. I love love love love love seeing the seasons pass. I’m of the out-doorsy type and I used to think the Utah was the most beautiful place I had ever seen but I think CT takes the cake. Each season has a completely different mood and feeling and I’m going to miss that so much. In Orlando, everyday looks the same. Sunny, usually warm, it will shower around 3pm, and the trees never loose their leaves. Poor trees.

But possibly the biggest hesitation I have for packing up and moving out are all of my brothers in NYC. I can’t tell you what it means to have people around that you have known for 15+ years. Justin, my best friend since the sixth grade, grew up down the street from me when we were kids. We have been friends for so long that I can remember having sleep-over’s and talking about kissing a girl for the first time. And I can remember the first time we tried a beer. And building tree-forts. Hell I new him YEARS before I met Kate (side note, I think they actually had a thing before we got together. weird.) Now I see him playing with my son and it blows my mind.

My other boys, that justin and I met in high school, all live in the city as well and let me tell you having that support group a train ride away has been awesome. I love all of those guys and I’m going to miss them more than anything.

Now I had a feeling that we wouldn’t be around all of these wonderful things forever. I figured when we had kids that we would end up in the Carolina area which both of us had the desire to live at some point. I certainly never thought we would go all the way back to Florida, and I really didn’t think we would be heading there like tomorrow.

But the reason I can to terms with all of this is this little guy.

You see, on the flip side of all of this, I have this Bean that need to think about now. I keep going back to the fact that I don’t know where I would be if my grandparents didn’t live next door to me growing up. I was my granddad’s little shadow as soon as i could walk and I know that I want BeanMan to have a relationship like that with his grandparents. We can’t do that from Connecticut, it just doesn’t work. But I guess that’s what you do when you have kids. You still make your life decisions, you just make those decisions with someone else in mind.

I love our life here. The past five or years has been some of the best years of my life. Our marriage is stronger than ever and we have a little family of our own now, so I feel like this chapter is complete. We are at a fork and we have chosen the path to Florida. The important thing is that we made the decision together. Kate started the conversation, and we talked, and we argued, and we talked, and we made the decision that we felt was the best one for everyone evolved; Me, Kate, Bean, the Dogs, and our families. My friends will always be my brothers, and Connecticut will always have its scenic drives, but Bean Man will only grow up once. And I really want him to grow up with his family close by.

The Bean is a morning person, and by morning i mean he rolls out of bed around 8 or 9.  We usually try and let mom sleep because she is staying up with him during his first breakfast around 3:30am.  I love waking up with the Beaner and having my morning coffee.  The bean loves his coffee in the morning too, I personally think he puts WAY too much milk in his… but i don’t judge.

This morning over coffee me and the bean discussed something that was bothering him, his bedroom.  The bean said that he loved his room and he thinks that mom did a wonderful job designing it, great color, good feng shui, great closet…

Dad – “Well then whats the problem big guy?”

Bean – “Dad, it just doesn’t have anything in it that’s COOL.  I need something in there that makes my room cool dad!”

Dad – “Haha… Well bean, what do you think it is you need in there?”

Bean – “I don’t know dad…  maybe a dart board or a poker table or something…”

Dad – “Well that’s what we have the man-cave for little buddy, but I think I know what your talking about let me see what I can do…  But don’t tell your mother.”

Me and the Bean walking into his room after some “cool” has been added.

*Note – The Bean’s bedroom door always stays open, it doesn’t even have a doorknob.*

(yes, the doorknob is on the list of things to do)

Dad – “Now turn around Bean, and close your eyes.”

Dad – “Ok Beaner, open your eyes!  I added a Pink Floyd and a Radiohead poster to the back of you door, two of the “coolest” bands just for you buddy.  When you can hear a little better i will let you listen to them, but for now…  you’ve got some cool.”

Dad – “What do you think?  Do you feel a little better now?”

Bean – “Dad…(hiccup)…(burp)….(spit-up)… your the best!”

Dad – “But remember Beaner… Don’t tell your mom, or she might make you take all your “cool” stuff out to the man-cave.”

-Chris