Fun With Family!

One thing I've noticed lately, which I really knew all along, is that the kids really enjoy doing fun and different things as long as you can find ways to make it fun and entertaining.  Yeah, I know...  If you're a parent then that's not really anything you didn't already know either.   Many times there are educational opportunities that go along with the activity as well and you can sneak them in when the kids are least expecting it and it makes learning more exciting.  The hard part is that, unlike when we were kids, we as parents now have to compete with the DSI, Wii, PS3, X-Box, etc.. and don't even get me started on the texting thing....  I was actually looking somewhat forward to the time when a boy would call the house for our daughter so I could see if he had the right type of phone manners.  Now they all have cell phones!  UGH!  Yes, I know I'm old fashioned, but there's nothing wrong with that....

My best friend and I often joke about the fact that we're turning into cranky old men before our time.  I tell him we were just born into the wrong generation.  I'm a product of the "Yes Sir", "Yes Ma'am", "Please" and "Thank you" upbringing and I'm a firm believer in it but it seems like those qualities are lost on the younger generation.  Oops, there I go again being the cranky old man.... 

I'm sure you can all relate in some way to what I'm talking about.  It's 70 degrees outside in November and you tell the kids to go out and play and they're glued to some game on one of the a fore mentioned devices.  Not that it's totally bad that they're doing that but when I was a kid... Look out, cranky old man quote coming up.....  we climbed trees and played ball and raced our bikes and jumped off the swing sets etc. You thought I was going to say, "Walked to school, up hill, both ways, in the snow, carrying our little brother." didn't you...  I'm not that old!  That's what my parents use to say when they were telling us to go out and play...

Our kids enjoy the Wii games and PS3 stuff as much as any kid does but I've found that the best activities are the ones you can do together one on one with them or as a family together.  Just a few months ago our daughter helped me install the basketball goal at our house and it was a learning experience for both of us...

She's somewhat of a Math wiz so I took the time to add some Math to the project while she helped me mix the concrete and set the pole in the ground.  It was a lot of work but we were both outside, working on a project together and it made the project so much more meaningful and enjoyable to have her there with me.  Since she helped install the pole she got to take the first shot once everything was done.  Did she make the basket?  Let's just say I think she should stick with being in the band :-)

Tyler and I went Turkey Hunting recently and he said to me, while we were out in the woods, "You know Dad, everything is better out in the woods!"  I couldn't agree more!  We saw Turkey Tracks, Deer Tracks, tons of birds, explored the railroad tracks nearby and were out in the woods together for the better part of the day.  Later in the afternoon we heard a noise and Tyler couldn't figure out what it was, pretty soon a giant Owl flew out of a tree and Tyler thought that was really cool.  He then asked, "When is Owl season Dad?"  Yep, you guessed it...  Time for an educational opportunity.  There's not such thing as Owl season son.  I let him bring his toy gun out in the woods to help him learn gun safety and where to point the gun, how to hold it etc.   Last year he earned the nickname of  "Thunderfoot" because his tiny little feet found each and every twig in the woods.  You would have thought I had "Snap", "Crackle" and "Pop" hunting with me that day.  This season he seemed to avoid the twigs a little better but the nickname stuck!  "Thunderfoot" and I plan on going Deer Hunting this season as well. 

The smiles on their faces and enjoyment they had doing things like this were so much more gratifying than having their nose buried in some electronic device playing some game.  They can do that anytime.  They're only young once and life is short so cherish your time and take lots of pictures!

An Apple For My Teacher!

Thankful for your FREEDOM, thank a VET!

Thankful for your SAFETY, thank the MILITARY, FIREMEN & POLICE!

Thankful for your KNOWLEDGE, thank a TEACHER!!!

I went to College with many aspiring teachers years ago and now I'm married to one as well.  My wife Wendy and I met at my best friends house on May 26, 1990, I proposed on May 26, 2000 and we were married on May 26, 2001.   To make a long story short, our paths had separated in the Fall of 1990 because we went to different colleges.  I went to Northwest in Maryville and she was at the University of Florida in Pensacola.  It's now the Summer of 1999 and we hadn't seen each other or talked in 10 years.  I was working at Q104 and covering traffic one afternoon and Wendy had just recently been transferred back to Kansas City.  She was driving home listening to the radio and recognized my voice.  She called the radio station and actually got through on the request line, which is a miracle all by itself.  The rest is history...  Ironically she called me on 7-26-99 and it showed 5:26pm on her cell phone bill.  So yes, the number 526 has some special meaning to each of us, but that's not why I wrote this entry.  That's just back ground info.

Family is the most important thing of all and I'm so grateful for mine!  I couldn't ask for a more wonderful friend than my wife Wendy.  She has her degree in Accounting and she left a really fantastic career with State Street nearly 8 years ago to stay home with the kids.  At that time we were expecting Tyler and Carissa was only 7.  Shortly after Tyler was born we started looking for a bigger house and moved from Lee's Summit to Grain Valley.  Little did we know, when we planned to move, that Grain Valley was building a new grade school in our subdivision.  School is only 4/10ths of a mile from the house and Wendy started to sub in the School District and pretty soon she had a full time position as the Computer Teacher at Prairie Branch Elementary, where she's been for the past 6 years.  We couldn't ask for anything better because she's there with the kids during the day and home when they get home.  The Grain Valley Newspaper The Pointe just recently did an article about the School District and how they're using new technology in the classroom and it was Wendy's classroom that they featured in the article.  So here's an Apple For My Teacher, Wendy!  I still can't believe they misspelled her name in the photo.  They got it right everywhere else BUT the photo...

We're all where we are today because of our teachers!  Have you thanked your teacher today?

http://www.grainvalleypointe.com/articles/2010/11/03/school/doc4cd058ea9adaa760175782.txt

Congratulations sweetie...  I know the article was about the School District as a whole but I'm so proud of you!  You're so good at your job and the kids just love you!  It's funny because years ago when I was in radio it seemed like everywhere we went we'd run into people that knew me.  My how the times have changed!!!  Now everywhere we go all I hear is, "Mrs. Hagan...  Mrs. Hagan....  Mrs. Hagan!"  It's really cool to see the kids come running up to her to say hello....

Checkered Flag!!!!

If I've learned anything through all of this it's that "Family Comes First", because it's highly unlikely that years from now I'll look back at my life and say.... "Gee I wish I would have spent more time at work." 

My former boss, who is still a good friend, said that to me about six months ago as she was getting ready to leave work and stay home so she could spend more time with her family.   She was the one who hired me and I really enjoyed working with her.  She found out she had Cancer and she's got a tough road ahead of her to beat that stupid disease.  During one of our conversations she said to me, "You're not going to look back and wish you would have worked more, take the time off and spend it with your family.  You only get these years with them once, so go enjoy it!"  Wise advise from a wise lady if you ask me.

So with the above in mind I took time off last week to spend with the family and I left work early yesterday in order to get home in time to get our son ready for his BMX race and get him to practice early.  I named this blog "The Dad Blog" when I started because it's the first thing that came to mind and it seems so fitting now because focusing on the family is what a Dad is suppose to do.  Anyway, I got home early last night and hurried to get our son Tyler ready so we could head out the door to practice before the race.  He loves racing and he's been doing quite well so far so we bought him a new Race Bike and last night was the first time he got to race it.

During Practice Wendy was nervous watching Tyler go over the jumps as he would get the bike completely off the ground.  Each jump resulted in a gasp of air from Wendy as she clutched her heart every Tyler went airborne.  Tyler flew around the track finishing 2nd in the qualifying round which automatically transferred him to the Main Event!  When the time came for the Main Event Tyler took off out of the gate at full speed and he was in second place at the end of the first straightaway, but a quick dive to the inside on turn number one gave Tyler the lead and he never looked back!  He held the lead for the remainder of the race beating the rider in 2nd place by over four bike lengths.  It was his very first Feature Win!!!  Yes, it's true...  I won't look back years from now and say, "Gee, I wish I would have worked more."  The rewards of family are great, cherish each and every one of them and take lots of pictures along the way...

Tyler gets his first Feature WIN!!!  November 2nd 2010  BMX RACE  7 Year old Novice Class.

Congratulations from Mom is the coolest thing ever....  Second only to me figuring out how to upload photos on a blog..  LOL!!!!