Riding out the storm...the Bieber storm that is!

Oh...how could I forget...the constant front row seat promotions on KISS...the pre-pubescence crooning of "One Less Lonely Girl" in the background of said promos, the laughter of Harry Potter mistaking him for a girly singer, and the line of cars on the 2nd Ave. exit off of I-235 that'll fill up the Well. I'm talking about Justin Bieber...I've just been caught in the middle of a Category 5 Beebs storm!!!!

At one point or another, Tayden asked to go to the concert. But he has a horrible track record at concerts/shows/events where there is a smattering of people...he always, always, always falls asleep!

Allow me to present the evidence: Barney when he was 2 - got scared, cried, and fell asleep. Sesame Street Live, fell asleep. Britney Spears, fell asleep (understandably). Monster truck rally, yea, the kind where they sell ear plugs at the show, fell asleep! And king of them all, Black Eyed Peas...fell...a...sleep!!!! $80 ticket, so excited to see them, "I got a feeling" all the way in...snoooooooooozzzzzzzzze!

Needless to say, the Beebs was simply out of the question. Nevermind that his cousins Paige, Emma and Kyle were going, I will not be bamboozled again. So we have a new rule for Tayden, only concerts or shows under $20 - and if it includes popcorn, a drink and the outside chance of a splendid good time - bonus! What's your cut-off point to entertain your babies? What general rule do you follow when considering event worthiness? And does nobody except me think that the circus is a creepy and slightly dangerous family outing (see When Animals Attack, or Killer Klowns II: The Revenge of Bobo)? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Back to JBieber, I have no doubt he put on a spectacular show, so if you were there, please confirm my theory that there are only two groups of fans: tween or pretween girls, and cougar moms of said tween and pretween girls. Both probably suffer from hearing loss tonight....I can hear the high pitched screams all the way out here in Urbandale!

On Father's Day...

So here we are...my very first blog (or more like attempt to blog). Caveat to all readers, and somewhat of an apology...first, I am not a writer. I think I got a C to just barely pass English, Literature, and other classes that put words/thoughts together and tested my ability to discern if they were arranged correctly or not. However, I did make it to the final 4 or so in my 7th grade spelling bee contest, and I think I carried that skill to adulthood. Then spellcheck came along and dashed my dreams, but that's another blog, promise! So I feel I'm technically qualified to publish these words. Second caveat: this blog is meant to chronicle the events, the happenings, the lessons learnt, the aches, the pains, the meltdowns, the happiness and the joys of Daddyhood when Diapers and Delirium set in. If you have a faint stomach or degenerative tissue around your heart, please leave now!

Do I feel I'm qualified to opine about these topics? I have three kids - yes. Am I that different from other dads? Um...not really...but I make a mean smoked pork butt, while caring for the babies AND doing several loads of laundry, all before noon on a Sunday! Am I trying to be funny at the expense of my kids or family values? Sometimes. BUT I love everything about them. They bring me the type of joy that's only describable by pulses of the heart and the length of that ear-to-ear smile. The journey to get there is just so filled with LOL moments and reportable occurrences, that I had to document them here.

Father's Day was just last week and I thought it'd be a perfect time to begin documenting all the things that permitted me to celebrate my efforts as a Dad. You see...Tayden (5), Kailan (23 mos) and Knolin (8 mos) call me Dad, and they provide more than enough fodder for me to write about several times over. From first-time soccer goals, to classmate birthday parties, to stomach bugs picked up from playgrounds, I got lots and lots of perspective and insights to share. I hope other dads can get a laugh from my experiences, while other moms will probably only shake their heads in deep disappointment...forgive me now!!!! And for you single people, consider my words a form of traditional and natural birth control...the pull-out method has been proven NOT to work...hence this blog...enjoy!