Every year, my wife and I have a scheduled date the morning of Christmas Eve. On that date, we look back at the previous year and share our highlights and what we are looking forward to in the coming year.

2011 was a good year to look back on, although not without it’s hardships or challenges. Here are some of our highlights from 2011:

• Our 2nd son, Stone, was born. There are so many memories and fun things that surround his birth:

• our awesome Doctor (Adkins) and how he nearly missed the birth of our son
• our friends Stephanie and Thomas who were visiting when my wife went into labor (kind of)
• how much our oldest, Howie, loves his little brother
• the timing of a summer baby
• and more…

This blog has been active (loosely defined, of course) for over 2 years now. 2012 is going to be a building year for this blog, which will hopefully build into a community, and ultimately, a recognizable brand among men.

Here are some things that you might see beginning in January 2012…

• A new logo. My buddy Bobby is a great model for the current logo, but I’m looking for something that can be transferred to other mediums. More on ‘other mediums’ later.
• Updated website. The look will change according to the logo. Not quite sure where this is heading yet.
• The About section. This is not a blog about me, but is going to be more about building a community of men that live with principles, passions, and purpose. I’m going to simply give direction.

If you haven’t perused my blog yet (maybe you’re mainly reading this via email or RSS feed), I would appreciate some feedback on my about page.

Maybe you know this about me already, but I sometimes have a hard time putting into words what I really mean or want to say (that’s why it’s so great that I married my wife – she helps me with those things!).

Would you mind checking out my about page quickly and giving me some feedback? Maybe think about these things as you read:

• What else do you want to know about me?
• What do you know about me that I didn’t mention?
• Does this make me want to read this blog every day for the rest of my life?

Wow...I had hair back then!

My wife and I have a few acquaintances that have been dating the same person for a very long time. I’m not saying there is something intrinsically wrong with dating for a long time, BUT, we who are married can all agree that there are advantages to marriage (other than the obvious – should you choose to abstain). Those advantages are for another post…

When people date for a very long time, oftentimes there is one person of the party who isn’t happy with just dating. Let’s pretend that it’s usually the woman. They want to get married. They want the commitment. They want to put the dating scene behind them (I can’t blame them, now that I’m on the other side of dating). What’s the solution? Continue Reading…

I'm crazy about these guys!

I consider raising children a great blessing and privilege that is unique to marriage. No other relationship has the deep responsibility of raising and shaping a child together. It often surprises me to hear when couples have very few conversations, if any, regarding how they are going to parent and raise their children.

A friend of mine (and mentor – she is so wise!), Carolyn, sent me the following message shortly after hearing that my wife and I were pregnant… Continue Reading…

Me and Howie, my firstborn son.

Being a father is scary, rewarding, challenging, and intimidating all at the same time. The birth of my first son, Howard (pictured right at about 7 months old), knocked me out of my socks. I broke down and cried so many times right after he was born. Yes, I’m a crier (sometimes I wish I wasn’t). I was overwhelmed with the reality of helping give life to this beautiful child, with responsibility, and love for this little ball of skin and hair.

All fathers will deal with having children differently, and I’m sure that the first few nights at home are more of a shock for some than others. I’ve heard of fathers that completely separate themselves from children because they are afraid they will harm them (and sometimes this isn’t helped by overly protective or untrusting mothers). There are also fathers that are over-involved and don’t let their wives do what they do best – love and care for their children.

After we had our second son, Stone, we were presented with a handout that our doctor gives to all parents of new children. I laughed at first, but quickly realized that there are probably fathers that need to hear this. I needed to hear it, actually. Here’s what it said… Continue Reading…

Thanks to Chimothy27 for the photo.

I want to be a great parent to my children, and I love when I come across ideas and thoughts from other sources that relate to parenting.

Right now I’m reading The Speed of Trust by Stephen M.R. Covey, and one of the first things he talks about in his book is “Being credible: to yourself and others.” He argues (and I completely agree with him) that people will base their trust in you by your credibility. In a nutshell, what you say is what you mean. It seems obvious, right? Well, Covey gets to the heart of what this really means, and even gets into parenting.

Here’s what he says…

Continue Reading…

Sometimes you just have to enjoy a good laugh. I’m thankful for amazing technology to be able to capture some of our favorite moments as parents. More on technology and ‘enjoying moments’ later…

For now, I hope you enjoy hearing my son laugh half as much as I do…

Matching Ear Protection!

Mowing the Lawn!

As a new parent I have quickly realized that by involving my son in whatever I’m doing will take at least double the amount of time that it normally takes. BUT, I love how my son learns when I involve him in what I am doing.

I believe that one of the main roles of parenting (if not the main role) is instructing our children, and one of the best ways that I can instruct my son is simply by letting him observe and be involved with what I am already doing.

Continue Reading…

My wife and I are constantly talking about parenting and what we can do better as parents to our son. Ultimately, we want our children to grow up as responsible adults that have impeccable character. This is a challenge for me, as some of the best parenting happens as our children observe us as adults.