I just rocked my sweet, almost four month old baby to sleep in his room, and put him in his crib for what will hopefully be his first full night of sleep in his own room. It’s beyond time, but it doesn’t make it any easier. I’m praying for a peaceful night of sleep for all of us tonight….
I have much to catch up on here, and plan to do so this week while I’m off for Spring Break. The snipers are still alive and kicking!
Tags: baby, snipers, spring break, sleepThis really has been a great weekend. My amazing wife ran in The Color Run – Atlanta (I’ll let her talk more about that), the weather was wonderful, I got to help Chase with a school project that turned out tenfold better than expected and it was Wrestlemania!
Solar System
First up, the school project. Ever since I can remember I’ve always excelled in any sort of project that was due at school. Whether it was a diagram, a science fair presentation, sculpture, plant rubbings, you name it. The main reason was my mom and dad. At the time I loved it! We would spend hours in the kitchen or garage working on the best possible thing to turn in. I would build elaborate objects to turn in that would ensure that I would get some sort of recognition. Regardless of how I was doing in the class or when it was due, we would always be working on the best of the best. I have vivid memories of late nights in the kitchen gluing the last newspaper clipping onto a board showing some info about water purification. I remember building some overly complicated windmill thing for a project in college with the aid of my dad. It has to be this sense of overachievement that led me to what we put together for Chases solar system project this weekend.
At first it was pretty basic. Jess and Chase got a kit to make a solar system and a foam board to put the planets on. We had some tempra paint to paint the planets and it was going to be a slam dunk. However, after some trial and error it was discovered that painting styrofoam was a lot more challenging that initially thought. We tried several different methods, and eventually we got frustrated. I am not one to easily give up so I did some research and found the right kind of paint to use and Chase and I were on our way to get some supplies. An hour or so later and we had an amazing project that any kid would be proud to bring to school. I really thought it looked cool and can’t wait to hear the feedback tomorrow. No matter what I was going to make the project a success. Unlike John Cena, when I said that I was going to put everything I had into it, I meant it.
That brings me to my next point. The main event at Wrestlemania this year was John Cena vs. The Rock. They have been pimping this match for a year. I was extremely eager to see it. I was excited about all the other matches (well most of them) tonight, but I really was eager to see the outcome of this one. I had my money on Cena, but as luck would have it… my money was in the wrong spot.
I spoke with my friend Adam about this for a while leading up to the match, but Cena really had it all on the line. He had to win. The Rock, had nothing to lose. Tomorrow, The Rock will go back to making his movies, but John Cena will go back to wrestling every single week. After such amazing matches as Triple H vs. The Undertaker I was expecting greatness from the Cena/Rock match. What I got was a really good match with a piss poor ending. When the Undertaker finally beat H3 you could tell that both men were simply spent. When Cena was done with his match, he looked like he was just kinda chillin. The ending was so terrible. In my opinion The Rock had nothing to gain from beating Cena and as much as Cena talked about putting his entire soul into the match, I felt like it was a half-ass ending. They had to carry Trips out of the ring, Cena was just hanging out after his match. They really could have ended it better. The best thing that can happen at this point is for The Rock to come out tomorrow and put Cena over. Otherwise Cena is going to have to turn heal. That’s really the only thing, but then again, this is the WWE and anything is possible.
So that was pretty much it. I had an epic time building a solar system with Chase, then I got to watch Wrestlemania with my family and friend. I wish John Cena had won the match, but it’s not “real” so it should be just fine.
Tags: wrestlemaniaCan someone define that for me? Is it even possible to really put a definition on the term best friend? We’ve all had them. From early childhood we’ve had people or friend that have been our “best” friends. A person we can go to with our deepest thoughts, someone who will be there for us no matter what. We’ve all had that go-to person that no matter what, will tell us what we don’t want to hear, in a way that we need to hear it.
As I’ve gotten older I’ve had several “best” friends. Ryan Ricks, my gaggle of friends in high school, my first girlfriend, many, many people have carried the burden of being MY best friend. It was never something they asked for, but always something I bestowed upon someone, or some people in the case of my high school comrades.
Today however, I have one “best” friend, that is my wife. Jess is and will always be my go-to person for everything. No matter if I am at my lowest of lows or my most triumphant, she is my go to. I certainly have friends that I will confide in. Jon for example I can talk with about most anything. He has been there for me in some pretty crazy times. James and Bob…those are my guys. They will be there to help be dig out of a hole if I were to get stuck and give me that outlet that I need. Rick, Neal, Sean, Bryan, etc, that group of guys I could hang with and talk to for hours and never miss a moment of happiness. My guys are my guys. The good thing about any and all of my friends, if I just want to go out, have a few drinks (or not) and relax, I can totally do that and have a fantastic time doing so. Every one of my friends have had an impact on where I am today. But above all, my best friend is my wife, and for that, I am forever grateful.
If I wake up in the morning, step on the scale and have gained or lost two pounds, Jess is the first person I turn to. If I have a hard day at work, I will talk about it with Jess and get back to even keel in no time. If I run my best 5k, stub my toe, change Lane and get peed on, have a life changing poop, or just have a normal everyday day, my story falls towards Jess. My wife, Jess is my go-to and I love her for that. I’ve been through some shit and Jess has heard me out, told me what I didn’t want to (but needed to) hear and helped me when I needed to. I’ve also had great success and she has been there to celebrate with me. Jess is and for ever will be my “best” friend. I love my wife an couldn’t ask for a better person to have as my go-to person.
So best friend means a lot to me. I have one best friend, but several “best” friends.
Tags: jess, friends
Running for my life!
One week ago, ran for my life. Well, I don’t think I was ever in any actual danger, but there were times when it sure felt like I was ready to die.
I had watched the videos, done the laps around the neighborhood, countless squats, lunges, situps, etc. But the one thing I wasn’t prepared for was all the mud! I don’t think the makers of the course could have picked a better day to have a run such as this. Every conceivable inch of the course was covered in some form of mud, just like the zombies, there was no escaping it. From the moment we stepped out of our warm, dry car we (Jess, Lane, Chase, and I) were destined to be filthy. Even getting to the registration area seemed like an obstacle, especially since Jess was pushing a stroller.
Eventually it was my time to run and run I did. Out the gate I knew this was going to be tough. Every step was a challenge just to stay vertical, but off I went. At first it didn’t seem TOO bad, despite the mud, but then I hit the first hurdle…large bails of hay, and zombies. Not only did I have to climb over the hay, while covered in mud, but there were “zombies” trying to take away our “life” (3 flags that would determine if I was a survivor or a zombie at the end of the course). I made it through the first obstacle unscathed and then it was more mud running. Throughout the course there would be hill with zombies, trenches of water with zombies, large tractor tires with zombies, etc. They through everything they could think of into this course, but that’s what made it fun. Yes, I said fun. Running through this grime and over obstacles and into 5ft deep lake while being chased by zombies was so much freakin’ fun.
In the end I was turned into a zombie, but I figured I would be. Only about 5% of the people that run the course finish as a survivor. I had a very respectable time of 1hr 4mins, and that’s something I can live with.
After the race the next challenge began. The family was soaked, muddy, and ready to go, and I was caked in mud. We still had a hike to the car, and the weather wasn’t in our favor. Eventually we made it and I had the pleasant experience of standing completely naked beside my car trying to wipe the mud off myself with a dry t-shirt and baby wipes.Finally I was clean enough and we were on our way home. We were all done with zombies, rain, and mud for the day. It took three showers to get fully clean, but man was it worth it. The “Zombie run” was something I won’t soon, or ever forget. I had a blast and can’t wait to run it with Jess next year!
The video:
Click here to view the embedded video.
The pics:
Diva much?!
So can honestly say I have NO idea where he get’s it from /sarcasm
…but I do believe our baby is a diva! But then again, when you are as adorable as he is, I don’t blame him. I mean, look at him! It may just be me being a proud pop, or the fact that Lane just takes really good photos, but I think our baby is simply beautiful.
That’s all, I just wanted to put it out there. Below are his newborn photos courtesy of Graceology!
Morning "coffee"
No one ever said raising or taking care of a baby was easy. Well, I’m sure someone has said that, but at least no one I’ve ever talked to. However, over the past week or so things around the house have just kinda fallen into place. Lane is sleeping 5-7 hours each night. Jess and I are getting back into a routine of sorts, Chase is really taking on the role of a big brother with flying colors, and things are just good.
Certainly we have our days or nights when all we want to do is sleep or finish that load of laundry and Lane has other ideas of how we should be spending our time. Last night for example, he decided that it would be a good idea to stay up until midnight. It would have been one thing if he was up crying or fussing, but not our kid. He was just smiling and making faces and being a happy baby. It’s hard to get frustrated at a baby that just wants to look at you or pull on your shirt (kid’s got a grip) and smile. To keep him happy all we have to really do is make sure he’s fed when he’s hungry, has a new diaper when he’s wet, and get’s some sleep when he’s tired. There isn’t a whole lot of complication around that.
I don’t have the experience of raising a baby and it’s been nearly 10 years for Jess so this is all new to us. We’re figuring it out as we go along. Should we put him down or hold him until he sleeps? At 7.5 weeks what’s the “usual” thing for babies to be doing? Does his poop look normal? When did he last eat? Do you think he’s cold? All these things and more are constantly on our minds, but the more we interact with Lane the easier things become. Take this morning for example. I’m writing this post while feeding him. Two weeks ago that would not have even been a thought of a possibility. Now it is all second nature.
Click here to view the embedded video.
In a few years we’ll look back on mornings like this and remember how “easy” we had it. Then over time that too will become easy. I honestly don’t believe that raising a child is difficult. It’s only ever as hard as you make it. There will always be challenges like “did my son just eat sand?” or “did he forget to pack extra underwear for summer camp?” but we get through it.
Today is easy. My beautiful son is asleep in my arms while my amazing wife is peacefully sleeping in our cozy bed. The pets are fed and enjoying the quiet morning and the sun is breaking through the clouds. How much more could a man ask for on a Saturday morning?
Tags: lane, reflections, peace
Benjamin Lane - 1 month
Over the past month I have learned a lot of interesting and fascinating things.
The list could go on and on. I’ve learned a lot about myself and how a child so small can have an enormous impact on my life. Jess and I are all that Lane has. He came in to this world a month ago not having any idea what was going on. He could never comprehend life outside the womb and everything he knows or has learned so far has been by us. I can’t wait until the 2 months, 10 months, 5 years, etc. Just to watch this little guy grow and learn is just a wonderful process. He has changed my life and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Happy one month birthday my son!
Tags: lane, birthday
Bacon, Egg, and Cheese breakfast cups
Around here, breakfast on Saturday mornings gives us the opportunity to try something new and delicious. I often find myself wanting to get up and make some sort of extravagant meal involving tons of ingredients and steps and something that takes a considerable amount of time to prepare. Then again, I also find that waking up and having a cup of coffee and a bowl of cereal works just as well.
This morning, however was one of those rare occasions when I had a chance to make something that didn’t take up a ton or time and was doubly tasty. We knew that Chase was going to be with his dad and that it would be a good opportunity to try something from Pinterest. Everyone oohs and awws over the offerings on there and why not get to it and make something that we wouldn’t normally have the opportunity to try.
For today’s meal I found some Bacon, Egg, and Cheese breakfast cups. There are a dozen or so recipes, but they pretty much all accomplish the same task, put bacon, eggs, cheese, and toast into a bite size portion for easy consumption. Jess got the stuff while at the store yesterday and I woke up nice and early to get these made so we could enjoy them. So while Lane and Jess snoozed away, I made the delicacy you see above. They were super easy, tasted fantastic, and were pretty damn filling. I can’t wait to look for more breakfast or dinner… or lunch ideas.
In case you are curious, here is the recipe:
Coat the wells of a muffing pan with a little butter or cooking spray, or bacon grease if you really wanted to. Then using a cookie cutter, knife, sword, fist, or teeth cut the center of the bread and place in the muffin pan. It’s a good idea to keep it about the same size as the bottoms so that everything else (mostly the bacon) will fit in nicely. Cooking the bacon until it is just slightly under what you would normally like it to be. My wife likes her bacon crispy so I cooked it for about 5 mins. The trick is to make sure that it is pliable enough to wrap around the molds in the muffin pan. Once you have the bacon cooked, cooled, and patted down (I wouldn’t hurt to get rid of SOME of the bacon fat you know) place it in the muffin pan forming a little bacon cup. Once you have all of your bacon bread cups made, sprinkle a little cheese in each one. Now crack the eggs and place the yolk in, making sure not to break them. You won’t need all of the whites so I cracked the eggs in a bowl first then just put in what I needed of the whites. After all your cups are full of egg, top with salt and pepper and any other garnishment you would like, I prefer paprika, but this is up to you. Yes, you have a choice in this! Now bake your little meat cups for about 8-11 minutes until the whites are no longer clear and the yolks are good and runny. You might like the yolks a bit stiffer, or you might go all Rocky and eat them raw. But there you have it! Delicious meat, cheese, egg breakfast cups.
Oh, and knowing that most people won’t read the whole paragraph, here’s a summary:
Tags: recipe, pinterest, bacon
6:30 bed time
Sleep has quickly become a topic of much discussion around the Turner house. We’re to the point where we’ll take it any chance we can get.
Recently Lane has had some stomach issues that keep him up more than a 3 week old should be. And as everyone knows, when the baby is awake, we’re all awake. For now, he’s snoozing in his little bed, so mom took this opportunity to grab a little shut-eye as well.
I’m sure it’ll all work out soon, but for the time being we’ll just keep on snoozing on the couch or going to bed at all hours of the day.
Tags: lane, sleep