It's a special day...

My wonderful wife turns one year...wiser...today.  It's her birthday!

My wife always puts me to shame when it comes to gift-giving.  Actually, 'puts me to shame' is putting it nicely.  She destroys me.  Every year, for every occasion.  I really try, but I never stand a chance.  Our first Christmas was a very humbling experience...I bought her one big gift, and she sat and watched as I unwrapped her nine gifts.  I told you - destroys.

I think I've done okay this year.  Here's the spread (there was also her favourite ice cream - Ben and Jerry's Coffee Toffee Crunch...but that was eaten before this picture was taken).

We'll also be heading out tomorrow night to celebrate with an evening that I've planned (sorry, can't spill the beans).  I'm hoping I've moved up at least half a notch when it comes to gift-giving.

Oh, and I took some time at lunch this afternoon to do this:

Vote!

It shocks me every election how few people vote.  Numbers usually come in between 30-50% of eligible voters who actually cast a ballot.  In central Ontario, the highest voter turnout I saw was in Owen Sound, 52%.  The lowest? Barrie, 31%.

This post is not to rip on anyone who didn't vote.  It's to encourage you to think about voting next time around (hint hint - federal election, October 2015).  Voting is a privilege.  People around the world fight and die for, and dream of the opportunity to have their voices heard.  There are dozens of countries like North Korea where the people are so oppressed...and we're on the complete opposite end.  We have freedom.  We can express ourselves without fear of persecution, jail time, torture, or even death.

If that's too dramatic an approach - although in reality, it's not - then bring it back to your life personally.  I always think it's funny when people complain about the government, specific politicians, high taxes, horrible roads, a failing school system...or whatever else bothers you (take your pick), and then an election rolls around and they don't vote.  I've always been of the mindset that if you're going to complain, you should have a solution to go along with it.  Complaining doesn't do much.  Solutions fix problems.  If you're upset with the way things are, one solution is to vote.  It's important to note that this also goes the other way - if you like the way things are, then vote to keep it status quo.  Otherwise, things might change and you'll be on the other side of the fence ("Oh, it's too bad that person didn't get re-elected...")

To me it's sad in general that we don't realize the incredible privilege we have to vote.  But it's even more sad after everything that happened in Ottawa last week.  Corporal Nathan Cirillo's death was a reminder that brave men and women have fought (and continue to fight) for our country, and they protect the freedoms we have today.  People would die to have the privileges we have.  And last week, one man did just that.

Being a dad...second time around

My new son is just over three weeks old...and growing like a weed.  What's the deal kid??  Slow down already!  My goodness, the newborn stage is so short...

Fatherhood.  Awesome.  I love coming home and seeing my 22 month old.  He's fun.  He's happy (usually).  I absolutely love watching him learn about the world around him - new words everyday, how things work, the highest stair he can jump from, etc...  He teaches me patience, innocence, genuine excitement, trust, selfishness (yes, selfishness), and what it means to love unconditionally.  The most heartbreaking thing though?  Watching him cry.  Can't stand it.  But I know that sometimes it's necessary for discipline, or it's part of the learning process (I.e., when he realizes, 'Oh, that stair was TOO high').

And now, there's a second one.  I know it's only been three weeks, but it's funny how much you learn the first time around.  I'm much more relaxed with this newborn.  I've learned to try to REALLY cherish the time that he's young and small, because it flew faster than I could ever imagine with our first born.  I've learned to just sit with him and enjoy.  Just stare.  Take him in.

I've also learned that with two kids so close in age, sleep can be a rare commodity, and diapers begin to take over life.  Even still, I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Nostalgia...

I'm not a 'Dancing with the Stars' type of guy, but this is perhaps one of the best things I have ever seen.  Enjoy a trip down Memory Lane.

I need a good, unique challenge...like this one!

I love a good challenge...and something that's unique.  I wish I could be as creative as some people.  I saw this video today, and it got me thinking...what can I do right here at home that's a neat challenge like that?  No special effects, no expensive production crew required, just something creative and pretty epic...  I'm going to think about what I can do...ideas are welcome!

Bittersweet moment

Alas, another bittersweet moment in the saga of my son growing up all to quickly.

This past Friday night we moved him from his nursery room into his big-boy room with a big-boy bed.  An exciting time as he's growing up...but tough on my wife and I!  How did this day come so quickly??  We decorated the room last week (my wife mostly) and made it fun for him.  We made sure to get him excited about his big-boy bed.  And when the moment actually came, it was no problem at all - he slept all the way through his first night, and has been great since.

That full night sleep is an absolute blessing, but it's a bit tough too - my wife laughed as she mentioned how she wished he would cry out a bit so she could go in there and comfort him, haha.

I was not upset at that part at all (I like my sleep), but more so at his old room being empty.  That's when it hits me - when I walk past there or in there at night, and he's not there...what happened?

Love my kid.

Why is summer so busy!

Whoops, it's been a while since I've blogged!  It's the busyness of summer...summer gets loaded with so much 'stuff', and before you know it, it's over.  It seems like every weekend gets booked with work, family get-togethers, plans with friends, church activities, and if you're lucky, a chance to do some of those tasks around the house that need to get done.  After all that though, there's barely any time for you and your family.

So how do you stop and smell the roses in such a busy season?

1) Stop.  It's as 'simple' as that.  Notice how simple is in brackets?  I realize this is a difficult thing to do.  But sometimes we just need to stop everything we're doing and take a breath (or 10), and smile at the blessings around us.

2) Deliberately schedule time to rest.  This can also be a tough one.  When there are so many things on the to-do list, it's hard to schedule time to not do anything.  This may lead to an inner battle, where you'll be fighting to tell yourself that you are not wasting time in those moments.  But rest assured, you are not.  You are giving your mind and your body some much needed rest.

3)  Enjoy the small things.  Not everything has to be big for us to enjoy it.  We don't have to go on a road trip every weekend.  We don't have to make it to every out of town family gathering.  Some things on the to-do list can wait a few months.  An hour at home or at the park with the family can be better than driving two hours to get somewhere 'fun'.

4)  Don't forget about God.  When life gets busy, what's the first thing that gets dropped to make room for everything else?  Let's not sugar-coat it, for a lot of us, it's our devotions.  But when you're doing 'busy' without God, that's a recipe for disaster, stress, fatigue, and the classic 'grass is greener' syndrome, to name a few.

There are lots of other tips, but we're already busy enough without trying to remember 15 different things.  Pick one or two of these, try them out, and see how you feel.

Now to put it into practice myself...wow, those roses outside my window really are quite pretty...