Can you believe half of 2015 is already over? Where does the time go? I know everyone asks this as a rhetorical question, but I’d seriously like some answers! And, if possible, maybe how to get some of that time back…….even if we don’t have a flux capacitor, or DeLorean.
Speaking of time travel, I would start by going back to when I wrote my post from yesterday. Yeah, I’m an idiotdummy supreme asshole for referring to something about many of my kind and undeserving neighbors. I have since removed it and there’s no need to bring it up again, but just know I’m basically king asshole in asshole land and wish I could take it all back.
It only took one of my neighbors to call me out about it and as I reread the post, I developed that dreaded lump in the throat feeling of major shame. And my wife is on their side, she let me know how much of an ass I am too. Sometimes, we need others to let us know when we’ve done wrong, and this is one of those times for me.
So, to all of my neighbors, I truly and deeply am sorry for my words and ask that you please forgive me. I love our close-knit community and would hate to be shunned from hanging out with you. I’ll say it again, I am sorry and if there anything I can do to make it up to you, please tell me. Even if it’s some sort of public humiliation, I’ll do it…….to an extent. Hell, I bet Kelley would even bring the camera to post it all over social media. Whatever it takes, I just want to keep our friends!
I can’t shake this guilty conscience and it’s weighing heavy on my mind. Times like these I find solace in looking at the countless pictures of Avery from the past to present. I started wayyyy back to a year ago, but it’s crazy how much she’s changed since just the beginning of 2015.
Yeah yeah, kids grow, blah blah, I know, but it never ceases to amaze me just how much and how fast. So I went through each month of 2015 thus far and found a pic to share. Enjoy!
January 2015
600 photos from January and I wanted to post them all, so I just pointed my mouse on one and clicked.
February 2015
Only a little over 400 pics this month, but figured I’d keep with the chair theme.
March 2015
No chair this time, but we did go back up to 500+ pictures. Her curls are starting to appear this month.
April 2015
We put my childhood boots on her and caught a few good pics. We need to do this again soon. 470 pics this month.
May 2015
We really slacked last month with only 315 pics. Geez, are we bad parents or what?
June 2015
Only 61 pics so far, but we have plenty of days left in the month. Her eyes are so beautiful and they just really stand out here.
I can’t imagine what another 6 months will do for her growth, but I’m not rushing anything. Of course, it would be nice if she’d just tell us when she poops!
One more time. Neighbors, I apologize and hope you’ll still greet me with a smile and wave when we see each other. Please, if anything, let me know how to earn your forgiveness.
Have you ever said something you immediately wished you could take back? How did you handle it if so?
Do you look back at pictures month-by-month to see how much your little one or ones has grown?
Phew! The Five Photos, Five Stories Challenge is complete and now it’s back to, well, basically the same thing with more pictures. And most of them are current. And….okay, you get the point. If you missed them, here are days 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.
We celebrated my 31st birthday over the weekend and kept it fairly low key, just as I prefer. Actually, we did more than I’d normally go for, but had a great time doing so. Last year, I celebrated by running a 5k while pushing Avery (we came in 1st place!) and then went to a local brewery called Martin House.
Placing 1st in our first race together!
Kelley wore Avery in the Ergo as I enjoyed a few craft beers. She was the designated babywearer. I can’t believe how small Avery was, she slept the whole time we were there! I thought it would be awkward, but apparently a lot of parents bring their kids to the brewery and we even saw another couple wearing their baby too.
This time, G-Ma came over to watch our wild child so Kelley and I could go on a nice hike before heading over and enjoying a few brews together. The brewery is right along a big river with miles of trails, so we parked right there and went on our way.
It was perfect, no driving multiple places, just sweat it out on a hike and walk right up to the brewery to cool down. And sweat we did; hellllloooo Texas heat! It wastes no time warming up around here and that sun was unrelenting the entire time. We walked at a brisk pace and ran a little at the end because, beer.
The overall time and distance based on the Sports Tracker app I used was 1 hour 24 minutes and 5.2 miles. Neither of us were really dressed for a run, but I kept comfortable and rather cool since I had on my Rhone Apparel shorts.
We hiked from the trail right up to the brewery line as they were opening. The sun continued it’s abuse, but I’d say we looked pretty cool. The Rhone Bullitt shorts I was rocking allowed complete freedom of movement while still providing plenty of pocket space for my phone, five pennies I found on our hike (a penny earned….), and even a snail shell I thought looked cool enough to carry around.
The clothes you wear when you’re active can make or break you, and Rhone makse athletic apparel that looks and feels good and performs even better. Even after our sweaty trek, my shorts still looked good and were stench-free as we stood around the giant vats in the brewery. Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for the many cyclists hanging around in their stinky bike shorts.
Good beer, beautiful wife, and shorts that don’t stink!!
Speaking of bikers, we sat next to two awesome cyclists in their 60’s and had a blast talking with them the entire time. Very lively people, and they even got me another beer! I had an extra beer coupon since it was my birthday so we only paid for one beer glass tour and I just shared some of my beer with Kelley, hence her small white cup. But after hanging with our new friends, somehow we ended up with this….
Like my “beer fingers” typo? Cab instead of can? Yeah, I had more than I needed and will stick to water or Zevia for a while. Probably didn’t help that all I had was black coffee all day, and then the 5 mile hike…..yeah, not the best pre-drinking combo. Meh, I had fun with my wife and that’s what matters most.
Keeping fit and healthy also matters a great deal in our home. Anyone who reads this blog will see that fitness and nutrition are high on the list of priorities that make up part of our daily life. So things like the Dad Bod seriously tick me off. No, it’s not cool or sexy….EVER! Our kids are a direct reflection of us, the parents, and I surely don’t want Avery thinking a dad bod is how a guy, or anyone, should look.
1. A body resembling a man who lives a sedentary lifestyle, flabby, usually comes with a keg gut. Sometimes can see penis, most of the time cannot. Body resembles his personality; dull, lifeless, and very conservative.
2. Once in shape, but clearly has lost most athletic properties. Best suited for sitting at a desk chair, possibly doing ones taxes.
Doesn’t sound appealing to me and I don’t know how anyone could be attracted to it. Plus, I want to be an awesome role model to my daughter and let her see how living a healthy, active life, is fun and rewarding.
In an effort to combat this passing fad, Rhone Apparel is having a sale for $25 off all orders over $100 when you use the code NODADBOD at checkout. On top of that, you get free shipping on all orders over $75, so you can walk away with good deal for some outstanding clothes. And if you click this link, you’ll get $20 credit towards your next purchase. In doing so, Rhone will also give me a $20 credit, so we all win, and winning, as we all know, is way cooler than losing.
Oh, hey, and guess what’s coming up? Father’s Day! Keep the dad in your life healthy and active by heading over to Rhone’s site and getting a nice pair of shorts and a shirt to keep him motivated to stay active and be able to fit into the clothes you get him!
I love my General Short Sleeve shirt and Bullitt Shorts so much that I have to keep cleaning them to reuse several times a week. I’m actually taking advantage of the NODADBOD coupon code to pick up a pair of their Mako Shorts for a little Father’s Day gift to myself. Because you never know when you’ll need the ability to swing a heavy kettlebell around…..
….or play with your kid in the backyard.
Yes, she has to be picked up a lot, so it’s nice to have clothes that work with your movements and not against as they don’t allow free range as you bend and stoop.
There’s more to come on the birthday front, but for now head over to Rhone and see what you like for a little gift to your self for Father’s Day or for the husband/father you love. Having a good set of clothes to keep motivated may be all it takes to avoid the Dad Bod and keep fit. Do you want your kids growing up to see dad keeping active, or just sitting around?
He and I both usually detest such challenges as they take away from what we’d usually blog about and just from our time in general. Time is precious, who wants to spend it dealing with blog challenges? Well, turns out we both do….kinda.
When other friends nominate you, it’s hard to refuse. That’s what made Gary accept, and that’s why I’m accepting now. Plus, I have enough pictures I’m more than happy to share and write about that picking 5 should be easy.Gary followed through with 5 consecutive posts as per the challenge guidelines and he wrote a separate blog post each day on top of that.
For me, I’m taking this as an opportunity to have 5 blog posts essentially created for me over the next 5 days. Beginning tomorrow, June 4th, and ending Monday, June 8th my posts will revolve around one photo and a quick description of its importance to me. The theme will focus on Going Mom and me entering our first days as parents. Hopefully you’ll enjoy each post and it will allow you to look back at your first days of parenthood.
The last post on Monday is not a coincidence, it’s my 31st birthday, so I figured having a post schedules will be best since who knows what crazy plans my wife and/or mom have for me. Okay, I know, there are no crazy plans. Both my mom and Kelley have to work, so I’ll just hang with my daughter which is perfectly fine with me!
Don’t worry, we still have plans, they’re just going to be 2 days early and we’ll celebrate on Saturday. Another good reason to accept and start this challenge. Going Mom and I are going trail hiking around a nearby lake for about 2 hours and then heading over to a local brewery to relax over a few hard-earned brews.
Visiting a local brewery for my 30th. Avery slept most of the time.
…she’s going to sit this one out at home and hang with G-Ma for the day. I think she’ll have more fun with G-Ma than being with Mom and Dad after a few drinks anyway. Just a hunch.
So there you have it, I have 5 photos to find and 5 stories to write, so I’m off for now. I’m part of an exciting campaign with Life of Dad where dads from the North, South, East, and West regions of the US are uniting to help raise awareness and donations for The Great American Milk Drive which benefits Feeding America. Be on the look out for my post with all of the specifics and how you can help our team of dads from the South raise the most money for this very worthy cause.
Have a wonderful rest of the week and weekend, I’ll see you soon to share pictures of the new Ferrari I got for my birthday! Hint: It probably comes surrounded in plastic and blue cardboard if I actually get one. 🙂
Have you heard of the 5 Photos, 5 Stories Challenge?
Do you like or dislike these types of challenges?
What’s your ideal birthday celebration?
An at-home dad on a mission to keep it real when it comes to food, fun, and raising a healthy, happy family.
