Bet You Can't Have Just One

Last week Erin and I were surprised by a visit from our friends from Michigan.  We met them through Toyota, and our families have spent vacations together over the years.  They were driving cross country to move one of their siblings' stuff to San Francisco.  And since they were driving through and hadn't met our girls, they stopped in for an impromptu visit.  Basically their family is awesome in every way imaginable.

They were only able to hang around for a few hours in spite of our numerous requests to stay a little bit longer.  While they were here, the topic of kids came up (since one of the sisters is getting married next month) and what we'd consider the perfect amount came up.

We're not really at the point where we feel the desire or pressure to have more.  I definitely want to have a son, but I know that this is out of my control.  But it was great to have the discussion with this group because they have five siblings in the family, and they had four daughters before having a son.  I don't know that I'll be able to go that many rounds just to have a boy, but it seemed to work out great for them. 

I'm pretty sure we're not going to end up with five kids.  Erin will pull the "No mas" card long before we even get close to that point.

We all agreed that we feel bad for only children because they'll never know what it's like to have that relationship with a brother or sister in a big family.  I'm so thankful we had twins for this very reason.  They'll always have at least one person around their age to stand in their corner.  Friends aren't guaranteed to always be there, but a brother or sister is.

And as a parent I have to wonder, how do you stop at one?  We didn't have the option since we had two right away, but I feel like it wouldn't have even been an option if we started with one.  I look at how our girls interact with one another.  I see how they run up to each other to give hugs and kisses.  I also look back at my life growing up with an older brother and two younger sisters, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

I can't imagine a child that didn't have that experience growing up.  I can't imagine a family really feeling like a family with only one child.  I'm glad that I don't have to.

Twitter Machine Tuesday

Today is my sister's 28th birthday, and all I can keep thinking is how old she is and how old I am by proxy.  I don't know if I'm the only person that feels this way, but I never feel older on my birthday or when I look at myself in the mirror.  It's always when I see someone else getting older that it hits home for me.

I get that I'll be turning 30 in October, and I realize that is milestone birthday.  Some may even say that is old.  I don't personally.  Yet I see that my sister is 28 and I think "Man, we're getting older."  It's weird and a little backwards.

Anyways happy birthday to my little sister.

-The Call Elmo app is so entrenched in our lives that the moment the girls get in our bed in the morning they say "Elmo?"
-Although I'm going to make sure they avoid that Elmo impersonator that cusses kids out
-Ana actually is saying the word Giants now and points to any logo I have on me when she sees it. #getemyoung
-It just goes to show that you don't choose your teams, your team chooses you.
-Or your parents choose them for you #eitherway
-Working on some more Criminally Underrated stuff for you. Should be out next week.
-I've had a Groupon for Icing on the Cupcake for like a month without using it.
-Obviously my love and devotion for cupcakes should be called into question.
-After the surge of cupcakes, cupcakeries & cupcake TV shows, how has there not been a similar surge in Mini-Pies? #getonthatamerica
-Alex Trebek. Who is a game show host that just had a heart attack?
-Anthony Davis trademarked his unibrow. I think Bert has a case against him #sesamestreet
-A lot of chick flick lovers are going to be heartbroken by Nora Ephron dying #sleeplessinseattle #whenharrymetsally #youvegotmail
-I don't think the All Star Game is a big deal, but it would be cool to see some more Giants make it #sfgiants #MLB
-I don't know how we lived without Facetime. Seriously coolest invention ever.
-If your child is getting picked on by a bigger, older kid that may have a disability, how do you respond?
-Any time we don't watch The Bachelorette on a Monday has to be considered a win.
-Erin, her siblings and I went to the Giants-A's game on Sunday. Last second trip and was totally fun.
-I don't want to be a snob or anything, but AT&T Park provides a much better in-game experience than Oakland
-A's won with a walk-off. And an A's fan said it was the best game ever. #perspective
-And her argument when I said that the Giants won the series "Well we suck, so it isn't a big accomplishment" #really
-At least we agree on one thing, the A's do in fact suck
-My wife and I have been eating ice cream more often. Probably because she is foul temptress.
-Ana likes to tackle Grace. It's how she shows her affection.
-Ana has been blowing kisses for a while, and Grace has started doing it too. It seriously is too much for my heart.
-I know there are more popular condiments, but guacamole is far and away the best #thereisnoargument
-Seriously stop thinking about better condiments. You just won't win this one.
-I still hate the Dodgers in case you were wondering #sfgiants #beatla

That's all for this week.  I have to get myself ready for another Giants-Dodgers showdown.

Twitter Machine Tuesday

Fathers Day is a great day to reflect on being a dad, but it can also be a lot of damn work.

It used to be about buying a gift for dad and writing him a nice card (or more accurately having your wife do it because she'd better at that stuff).  Now we drive to places after loading the girls in the car along with everything we could possibly need for 8-10 hours away from our home.  This followed cleaning the house before we left to make sure we didn't come home to a disaster site.  Trust me my past self was my present self's favorite person when we finally got back home after the long day.

All I'm saying is that being a father means that you have kids which means you're probably chasing said kids throughout the day.  This means that what you've really earned is a good night sleep on Fathers Day evening.

-Matt Cain is a better pitcher than you. Period. #sfgiants
-If Sandy Koufax is reading this, you are the only one with a legit argument
-Golf is the most boring of spectator sports. I'm reminded of this every Fathers Day. #usopen
-Any champ that can be determined simply by another guy losing is horrible. #usopen
-I mean a guy who never led the entire time he was on the course won it? Weak #usopen
-Microsoft created what will probably be a better tablet than the iPad. It still won't sell as well. #applefanboys
-Arsenio Hall is coming back to late night. It's like 1990 all over again!
-Let me hear what the dog pound thinks...nothing?  Ok then.
-I hate the movie, but I'm very intrigued by Cars Land at Disneyland.
-Why couldn't Disney do something Incredibles related? Like an island or 50's style city.
-Johnny Depp is back on the market...ladies
-I can't believe Brave is already coming out this week. A strong female lead in a Pixar is win-win.
-I'm all for preventing flopping in the NBA, but some guys are going to have to change their games #ginobili
-I hate the DH. Call me a baseball purists, but it is just a stupid rule to extend the careers of no-glove players
-I really want to go camping. I can't wait to take our girls to the great outdoors. I don't know if they're ready to sleep in tents.
-It's looking more and more like the Heat are going to be the champs unless they have a monumental collapse.
-Of course LeBron suffered cramps. He is a vagina.
-On Tuesdays Erin's mom brings the girls by our work after watching them. It makes my afternoon.
-Ana got inside of a Scion FR-S and Grace climbed in with her. My two loves met for the first time.
-I just don't get excited about the Olympics at all. #thereisaidit
-Futurama is back for another season! Love that show.

I'm pretty low on ideas after a long week and day, so I'm checking out for now.  See you next Tuesday.

Being A Dad

I didn't post anything on Father's Day because I rarely post anything on Sundays.  Not only that but we spent a large portion of the day in the car (or at least it seemed that way).  Erin had an awesome observation about it.  Her exact words being "Whoever put Mother's Day and Father's Day on Sundays obviously didn't have a job to go to the next day."  So very true.

Anyways I could have planned ahead and written this post last week and scheduled it for yesterday, but planning ahead and mapping out all my posts really isn't my style.  Case in point, I didn't even realize I was about to reach 200 posts until I was already at 195, and I didn't even plan from that point.

But as always I digress.

I was thinking about what it meant to be a dad on the drive to and from the Bay Area yesterday.  There is something about a long drive that allows you to reflect on your life.  Especially when you aren't driving and at least one of your kids passes out for an extended period.

Being a dad isn't just about knocking somebody up although that is a necessary ingredient.  When it comes to being a dad giving the life is nowhere near as important as shaping it.

You need to be a hand to hold.

You need to be a shoulder to cry on.

You need to be open arms to hold and protect.

You need to be a pillow on sleepless nights.

You need to be the light in a dark room.

You need to be strong for protection.

You need to be stern and lay down the law (even when it sucks).

You need to be the jungle gym to climb on.

You need to be a playmate when the need arises.

You need to be the clown when they want to laugh.

You need to be the example of how a husband should treat his wife, so they don't end up a douche or married to one.

You need to be the chef and the maid (until they can pick up their own toys and clothes).

You need to be ready to read every one of their books about 1000 times.

You need to show them how to fly on their own but remind them that the nest will always be there for them when they need it.

Mostly you need to want to be all these things because your children need all of these things from their dad.

I'm lucky to be Grace and Ana's dad.  I don't really need any gifts on Fathers Day because waking up to their smiling faces is good enough for me.  Happy Fathers Day to all the dads out there.

Beat the Heat

It's so damn hot!  Milk was a bad choice!

Oh and here is how Grace beats the heat when it hits triple-digits.

Stay cool out there people!