Springtime in the Park

The beginning of a great new tradition may have set it's first foot forward today. The Long Family, Jamie Hughes and her son Bailey, Jamie Graham and her daughter Kennedy joined the Wheat clan for a play date at Trinity Park this afternoon.

The weather blessed us today with clear blue skies and a sense of refreshment in the air after the wind and rain from last night. The kiddos enjoyed each other's company and kept themselves entertained while the adults got some much needed adult communication. The baby gibberish was limited to anyone under 8 months old...

Thanks to everybody for joining us today, we had a blast and look forward to many more dates in the future.

Run for H.A.N.K.

With the Fort Worth Police Department, and especially the Nava family holding a spot in our hearts and minds, Robyn, Jaxson, and I hit the pavement to raise money for the Helping Another Next of Kin (H.A.N.K.); a foundation that helps support the families of slain officers from the Fort Worth Police Department. Henry "Hank" Nava was shot serving a search warrant almost 18 months ago, and his wife Teresa started the foundation to help families that experience the same tragedy she did.

FWPD has a special place in my heart. My mother works with the FWPD on a daily basis at her office and also spends countless hours volunteering for DART and other miscellaneous organizations that helped to make Fort Worth one of the greatest cities. My mom is also very close to the Nava family and was a close personal friend of Hank. Giving to H.A.N.K. and the FWPD is the least that we can do.

God bless all the men and women in uniform, you keep our families safe and allow us to enjoy living our lives and not worrying about being safe. Stay safe and thank you all for doing what you love to do and not asking for anything in return.

Last Man Standing

What once was an endless supply of naturally produced food for our little buddy has now come to a bitter sweet ending. Tonight, March 30 2007, Jaxson will consume his last bottle of "Milk-o-Mom."

While Robyn has officially been done breast feeding for a few weeks now, the surplus in the freezer has occasionally been used in emergency situations or while momma was out of town. So, through this process, what have we learned? Following are a few discoveries that I have made over the past seven months.

1. Every man, yes that means you, at some point will taste breast milk. Not sure if it Newton's 10th Law of motion, or just a sick game that our forefathers play on us, but at some point we as men will taste the milk. Mine came unassumingly one night while feeding Jaxson some cereal. Curious what it tasted like, my man curiosity got to me and I put a little bit on my tongue thinking the cereal was made with cow milk. Wrong. The next day when I told my lovely wife what I had done, she mentioned to me what the "recipe" for the cereal was. And that is how I discovered what Milk-o-Mom taste like.


2. Breast milk really does produce happy and healthy babies. This is very evident in the two kiddos that I know best that spent their first few months of life getting their resources from momma. Beckett and Jaxson are two of the happiest, loving, and healthiest babies I have ever seen. Not sure if it is the bonding that takes place between mom and baby that produces this or maybe it is the natural chemistry make-up of the milk, or a combo of the two - but it really does produce beautiful babies.


3. Last, but certainly not least is the theory of watching a boiling pot. We all know the saying, "A watched pot never boils," and this is so very true. When you are standing glaring at a bottle warmer at 2:15am wondering when the little orange light will turn off signaling to you that the milk is ready, it really feels like the next ice age will be here before the bottle is warm and ready to go. Never stand and watch, walk the kid around the house, solve the mystery of where Jimmy Hoffa is buried, or read War & Peace - anything that will be quicker than standing and waiting.

To all the new dads, soon to be dads, or any male that is someday planning to have kids - print these lessons learned out and put them away somewhere. You will be back and you will agree with all three.

Cheers.

Nice Gums....

If this doesn't brighten your day, then you need some help.

(Robyn gets the credit for this photo)

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

Besides being baseball season, spring is my absolute favorite time of year. The smell of rain after an afternoon shower, green grass, blooming flowers, blue skies, yadi...yadi...yadi...

With a good day of work behind me and several successful meetings with clients, I get to come home to a smiling happy boy and a beautiful wife. After wrapping up dinner we decide to get in a quick walk before the sun goes down, because it sounds like has stopped raining outside....

Well, the rain didn't stop. And this is the photo that tells the whole story....

"But mom, I thought you said we could go outside and play..."

"Put Me In Coach, I'm Ready To Play.."

With softball season in full swing now, Jaxson was able to make it out to the field last night to see his daddy and his fellow "Blue Collar Ballers" pull out a come from behind when in the bottom of the fifth inning. Maybe it was his presence at the field that lifted the team's spirits enough to keep the bat's hot. Can't you just see the intensity on his face as he cheers fanatically as his old man is up to bat.

Concentration is Key

Even though our little buddy can sit up for extended periods of time on his own, sometimes he still needs to concentrate extra hard to make sure he doesn't lean to far in any one direction.

He has learned that his arms don't need to stick out perpendicular behind him to keep his balance, and he is now able to play with toys simultaneously while watching mom and dad act like idiots trying to make him smile for the camera.

Get That Thing Out Of Here

America's Past Time Gets One More Fan

Boys and baseball go hand-in-hand. All little boys hope that when they grow up, they will be a professional baseball player. And all grown men, wish they could be little just one more time so they could suit up the cleats and walk across the chalk line one more time and take one more swing.

Baseball is a passion of mine. I love the feel of walking out of the tunnel into the stands for the first time each baseball season. The smell of the grass, the crack of batting practice, kids playing catch in the parking lot, and the roar of the crowd as the team runs onto the field for the first time. I love it all.

Being able to pass on my passion for the greatest game ever played to my son is a dream of mine. The day that Jaxson and I can step outside and play catch for the first time will be a moment in time that I will want to freeze. There is more to the game than the sport of baseball itself. The game teaches you patience, leadership qualities, teaches you to be quick on your feet, and most of all - you learn how to win and lose in the game of life with dignity.

On Saturday, the family went down to The Ballpark in Arlington to pick up our fist set of Ranger's tickets for the upcoming 2007 season. The day started out with Jaxson stepping into his first baseball jersey (he isn't allowed to wear the actual Ranger's jersey until the season begins). In May, my beloved Ranger's will take on the Red Sox of Boston; however, the stakes are extra special this year. Jaxson's friend Beckett and his mom and dad will join us for our first of many dual family outings to the (newly re-named) Ballpark to watch our Ranger's take on their Red Sox.

Play Ball.

Green With Love

With a mixture of heritage between Robyn and I, Jaxson has some Irish in him somewhere. Depending on the direction that the light is hitting his head, sometimes there is a slight hint of red in the boy's hair - and we all know how pale his skin tone is, so he's gotta be Irish, right?

Happy St. Patrick's Day. Go celebrate with some Irish Nacho's from J. Gilligan's (a local Irish Pub here in Arlington) and a good green beer.

Together Please...

If I could just get them to look at the camera at the same time, life would be so much easier.

"Dude, I told you they would catch us...."

Hoops, Kids, and Good Food

Long time friend and co-daddy Christian spent the evening at our house last night and brought his little pet monkey, Beckett. He isn't actually a monkey, but the way he likes to squirm, hang his head upside down, and the way he crawls all over his daddy - you would swear he and Curious George used to be buds.....

It was a joy to see the two boys connect again after a few months apart. There was definitely some type of communication and connection between the two. You can see the bonds already growing between the two, looks like many years of friendship down the road.

Jaxson is making huge strides in the mastery of sitting up right. I think Beckett taught him a few tricks last night, because today Jaxson seems to be much more at ease sitting up by himself and just enjoying the sounds, colors, and toys spread out across the room.

Good to see you boys again last night, and looking forward to the upcoming summer nights spent at The Ballpark in Arlington (I still can't make myself call it AmeriQuest Field - just not the same).

BTW - The Rangers are going to win it ALL in '07.

Jaxson Turns Military On Us.

Warning: The following content may be unsuitable during breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack-time, or if you are even thinking about eating anything.



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Men are proud of their time on the ole' porcelain throne. We all know it. It is our time to think and contemplate the goings on in the world around us. Great things happen on the throne, hell, Elvis died on the pot. All this is the reason I am so happy what my boy has done the last few diaper changes.




A few months back, while having a conversation with a fellow new daddy who will remain anonymous, he told me his child had, and I quote, "pooped a grenade." After I picked my self up off the ground from laughing, we finished our conversation and life went on.....until last night and this morning.



There are moments with your children that make you question if they are human or animal. And once again, last night and this morning was one of those moments. Jaxson, being the boy that he is, likes to grunt when he is doing his business. We all deal with our problems in different ways, and this is his way of handling the situation. We go to change the boy's diaper, and low and behold, he "pooped a grenade!!" Still not sure how what came out of him, came out of him - but it did. His poop, really did look like a damn grenade. I was going to take a picture, but I figured I would let your imiganation do the work.

Sorry, but I just had to share the news with everyone.

Pictures of Other People's Kids

Here are just a few of the pictures from last weekend. I have ALOT, and these are some of my favorites, just wanted to share.

Cody in "Time-Out." And yes, he will stand there until you tell him that he has "served his time in the slammer."

Chad and Cody and sharing some quality time at the art table.

It's her party and she will cry if she wants too.

Sometimes you gotta think outside the box.....

A Day to Celebrate

Jaxson and Pops were able to share a special bond today. On this day 54 years ago, Pops was born and on this day 6 months ago, Jaxson was born.

Absolutely amazing that six months of our lives have already been blessed by our little buddy. Six months ago at this time I was working on 36 hours of no sleep, high on life, strung-out on adrenaline and cheap hospital coffee, blind to the world outside our hospital room, and oblivious to the beauty and humbleness that I was about to experience. Being a father is the absolute greatest single event a man can do in his life. Watching your child become their own personality, their own soul, and their own person is the greatest reality show that could ever be made.

God knew was he was doing when he made babies.

Watching my dad interact with my son today was a moment that is forever etched in my mind as one of my favorites. You never truly understand how much your parents sacrifice for you until you have to begin making sacrifices for your children. The funny part is, you don't mind doing it one bit. You love it.

Babies make tough men cry, big men small, strong men weak, and more than anything else - a child makes us all realize how lucky we are to be living in the world we live in.

Happy 6-Month Birthday Jaxson, and Happy 54 glorious years Pops.

Monkey See, Monkey Do

By the way, my wonderful wife is due all the credit for the photos....

Three Generations, One Photo

Boys Will Be Boys..

My nephew, Cody, already has such a distinct personality. Most of the time, he is in his own world, and will occasionally let someone else in. I guess he felt comfortable enough with Jaxson, at dinner last week, the boys seemed to make a connection. Between the grunts from Jaxson and Cody with his kid "babble", I think they actually carried on some type of conversation.

Not exactly sure what they were discussing, but I am sure they were planning their mischievous actions that I am sure will be here sooner than later.

Be Very Quiet, I'm Hunting Wabbits.

Elmer Fudd has nothing on this kid.....

No, I Didn't Have Writer's Block....

It has been so long since I posted something, I almost forgot how to turn the computer on.

The last few weeks have been just under absolute craziness. With me trying to hit my deadlines for work, Robyn running Pampered Chef, and our little buddy having a horrible ear infection and a fever, I simply didn't have a good opportunity to sit down and write.

So, for all of you who are rolled up into a ball in the corner rocking back and forth and occasionally pounding your head against the wall, MANY post are coming....I will try and space them out over the next two days or so - all things in moderation are good.

Spending last weekend in New Braunfels with Chad, Jenn, Jaycee, and Cody was definitely a change of pace and a weekend away that the enitre Wheat clan needed and enjoyed. Jaycee turned the BIG 4 a few weeks back, so we threw her a princess party complete with castles, crowns, frilly girlly stuff, and a few frog's with lipstick on them, but they stayed frogs - no princes here.

Happy Birthday Booger, before you know it you will be turning 6 and wondering where your life has gone.