Life of a parent

When I start receiving requests to update our site from the Philipines, I know it’s been too long (thank you Nate and Jessica 😉 ). Our lives have been quite hectic since returning from the cruise…we’ve had soccer practice, soccer games, classes on parenting, parent teacher conferences, my sister’s baby shower in Indiana, preparation for the garage sale of all garage sales (postponed to November)…geesh! What happend to bachelorhood???

I’m starting to learn just how much work it is to be a parent. For example, it’s football season and I think I’ve seen one full game all season. No more setting up 3 TV’s and spending my Saturday watching Penn State on one with my roommates Florida State on another (miss those times, Brad!) I’m lucky if I get to catch half a game! I watched the Colts play for the first time this season last week, and only got to see it because it was Monday night football and was AFTER Justin went to bed. And this is an undefeated team, mind you. Then I saw Penn State play for the first time this past weekend…also a team with a great record that I only know about through the news.
No. Instead, I spend my weekend planting flowers, mowing the lawn, cleaning out the garage, cleaning bathrooms…oh wait, I still leave that one to Lisa…repairing Justin’s bike, cleaning out the garage, mooching off neighbors, changing my oil, getting tires rotated, cleaning out the garage, folding laundry, leaving my shoes all over the house…it just doesn’t stop. No longer can I eat a box of macaroni and cheese for dinner at 11pm. No more waching 6 straight Tivo’d CSI episodes. No more “Friends” marathons. Life is definitely different.
But you know what? It’s better too. Because how much fun is it to jump on a giant trampoline with Justin? And how much fun is it to hop on our bikes and go riding along the canal, or play in the hot tub, or dig in the dirt, or watch Veggie Tales? Yes, life is very different. I’ve made sacrifices, but I’m now learning that I make sacrifices in exchange for something so much better. I have a wife who cooks me actual food every night, and keeps our house spic ‘n span, and motivates me to actually plant flowers that make the house look so much nicer. I have a 5 year old to play with, to build things with, to imagine with. And at the end of the day, I can sit down with my amazing wife and just talk. Talk about our day, our dreams, who we like and don’t like, where we see ourselves in 5 years, how we can better raise Justin…
I wouldn’t trade it for the world.