Actually found some time to take a little vacation this year. It’s my mom’s tradition of going to Old Orchard Beach, Maine every year, and various family goes up at various times during the stay for a make-shift family vacation. We went up first and had a good time, see above!
I know, I know, I have been slacking, this video should have been live a while ago. This was baby girl’s first parade!
I was sitting on the couch after everyone went home and the festivities were over, just in a dark living room with nothing but the Christmas lights and music and my thoughts. So i sent this text to my aunt.
I recall one Christmas on wagon wheel Road dad got me a red Ryder BB gun just like “a Christmas story” he got two of them one for me and one for him although I don’t recall us ever shooting them together. But that Christmas day me and uncle Dan spent the whole day outside shooting them we would come back in the house and eat some dinner and spend some time with the family and then run back outside and shoot them some more, uncle Dan always spent Christmas playing with me and my new toys, I’ll never forget that.
Then She replied
Uncle Dan said he remembers that and how quickly a BB he shot at the tree ricocheted off the tree and came back and hit him in his shin. I asked if you shot it and he said no you were reloading. He loved playing with you when you were a kid! Maybe as adults you can find something fun to do together. I have a BB gun, which was my Uncle Al’s (Gram’s brother). Do you still have yours and your Dad’s?
I just wanted to preserve that here for the memories. Christmas memories are the best ones.
She eventually found a photo
I & My Best friend Sean have inadvertently started our own holiday traditions and that I have been enjoying very much.
Halloween:
The Crow, when we were younger and inseparable we would watch this movie all the time, It a great movie and has a great soundtrack and we would watch it almost every night before passing out. The whole movie takes place the night before Halloween “devils night” and so now we always text each other the night before Halloween to make sure we will both be watching the movie, this past Halloween however we kicked it up a notch and we were texting back and forth while watching, I had started watching about 10 mins prior so I was a little ahead. I don’t recall why but I was not having the best day that day so this little live movie watching/texting really brought up my mood, I enjoyed it, and will be our tradition moving forward.
Christmas & Christmas Eve:
This year, and hopefully every year moving forward we wait until everyone else is asleep and we get on Xbox and play video games on Christmas Eve until a little after midnight (Christmas Day). It’s a nice way to spend the holiday with a friend when life is too busy to meet up and playing as the clock turns from Christmas Eve into Christmas Day is even better, we wrap up our game, have cheers, and say Merry Christmas. There is a part 2 however, on Christmas night after all the festivities when the families are asleep we meet up again and play some more Xbox and discuss how our Holidays went. Its something I look forward too, there is a different feeling when it’s a Holiday, I enjoy staying up late, in the living room with the fireplace roaring, the Christmas lights are the only lights on and I’m playing Xbox with my best friend, it’s a great way to spend an evening and the holiday.
I urge you to try to find a similar tradition you can do with a good friend or family member, it’s just one of the things you can look forward to and really makes the holidays even better.
Before becoming a dad I would have never thought how much fun I would have playing with my baby, with baby toys or just watching her play. The way she lights up when she pushes a button and it does something just melts me. She will smile so big and then look at me, I can’t take it. Just watching her have fun is so fun for me, I never would have thought that.
I don’t mind that I’m not playing Xbox or that I’m so behind on movies and tv shows. I just watching my baby girl lean and have fun and that is the best time I could have.
Because she will only be this age once.
I am more tired then I have ever been, I get up many times a night so babygirl can get a clean diaper and some yum yum’s. I also play and interact with her as much as possible during the day, I’m not really the type to sit her down with some toys so I can play a videogame, usually, I will do that once in a while just so I can get a small break but that’s about it.
The truth is though, as tired and run down as I feel I wouldn’t change it. The moments with her in my arms when I feed her are the best moments of my day, she will always wrap her little hands around one of my fingers and hold on tight, she will look up at me while she sips on her bottle and then she will ultimately fall asleep in my arms. She looks happy, peaceful and content and to be honest, I feel the same way. I feel the most at peace when she is asleep in my arms. SO many parents seem to be counting down until the baby can hold their own bottle, sleep in their own bed, occupy themselves and so on. Why? She is at an age where she needs me and i am there for her every need and I love it. I do not understand the need or want to rush your child to grow so you can have more free time. My days are now filled with caring for, loving and entertaining my babygirl and I am trying to enjoy every second of it.
It was maybe 3 am, I can’t remember they all blend together now but it was dark and it was late, or technically early, we have to keep the room dark so she goes back to bed after bottle but I had my babygirl in my arms and she had just fallen asleep after her bottle and as I stared at her it made me think about this, about how I need to enjoy this right now, there are no do-overs. Those late-night feedings are a special time, they are a time where we just bond, she gets so happy when I come and pick her up and take her into bed with me and I always give her a kiss on her head before I give her the bottle and then she just settles into my arms and looks up at me.
On a related note there is nothing better then the happiness she expresses when she sees us in the morning. I will hear that she is awake and when I walk over to her and soon as she seems the smile on her face is ear to ear and she will start kicking her little legs and her arms start moving and nothing warms my heart quite like seeing how happy she is to see me. I will always say “Good Morning Babygirl” and you can just tell she is overwhelmed with happiness and her smile and body movement shows it.
Daddy loves you Babygirl.
This was Isabella’s first Christmas, she was only 3 months but it was still very special. Some people say “oh don’t buy her anything, she is too young she won’t remember” and to this, I say “Hogwash!” It’s her first Christmas, its special and she will be getting gifts and let me tell you, even though she won’t remember this she still had a great time. She opened presents the best she could, she loved the wrapping paper and the sound it makes, she loved the lights and all the guests and attention she got. She had a great time and we had a great time watching her have a great time.
We also took her to the enchanted village which my mom has been taking us to since we were kids, its a tradition that I was very happy to share with her and again, she may not remember her first time going to the Enchanted Village but she has a great time looking at all the lights and animatronics. It’s always a long day with a newborn and making bottles and changing them all while out in public and it can be tough but I love taking her to do these special things. Its only Christmas once a year and she is only any age once, so live it up I say. Spoil her! I almost forgot we also took her to Edaville Railroad on the coldest day of the year, again i beleive she had a good time and we had her all snuggles up in the baby carrier getting all our body heat but if i could do it again, id go on a warmer day.
Taking pictures and making memories we can share with her when she gets older is what it’s all about.
Please check out the video above to see some highlights from this year’s Christmas activities.
