Author: daustin23

This blog started on December 27th, 2009 and I, for one, am upset that I didn’t think of it sooner!  I still have the photos and memories of Ryan’s first Christmas but they’re fading fast.  Now, on the other hand, I can forever enjoy Coop’s first Christmas.  He didn’t have a clue what was going on except that he was held by many and up until 10pm with only a few small naps.

First Christmas Pictures

Christmas is definitely a wonderful time to give and receive love and gifts between family members and my family was certainly very generous to us.

At the end of the day though, I wouldn’t hesitate to trade all the great gifts and wine for a set of chubby cheeks and a beautiful smile.  That’s Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!

I found this scene the other morning. Ryan had climbed on the counter and grabbed a screw driver so he could “repair”our heating vent.  Cooper decided he’d offer any help he could muster.  At first I got angry but then I realized that this is very likely ingrained in his DNA.  You see, Ryan’s great grandfathers (both of them) were really handy.  In fact, Ryan’s great-great grandfather built the house I grew up in.  My father is incredibly handy, having handily remodeled our basement as well as a handful of other really significant projects.  He’s so handy that at one time he partnered with his friend to create a contracting company.  So, I backed off a bit and explained that Ryan would need some supervision if he wanted to use a screw driver because, while i appreciated his effort to help, they could be pretty sharp and dangerous.  He agreed and happily handed me the screw driver.  So, I tell you all that to ask this.  It is “righty – tighty?” right?

Social media outlets like Twitter and Facebook are abuzz with folks who’re saying that 12/21/2012 will be the last day for planet Earth.  Apparently, the Mayans predicted this a few centuries ago and now we’re all tweeting and liking this news.  As a short aside, I have a prediction of my own.  In twenty years, the English definition of “liking” will change from it’s current definition of “having fondness for or high regard for,” to “acknowledging that something somebody said on Facebook was interesting.”  No longer will teenage boys say they “like” a girl for fear that it might be misconstrued to mean they only acknowledge her on Facebook.  Anyway…

All of this worrying by thousands of people around the world even prompted NASA to create a full website explaining that, in their high scientific regard, there is nothing to worry about.  So should we worry?  Just to be sure, Papa P and I checked with our chief scientific advisor, Mr. Cooper Austin, and he has determined that we’re going to be fine. He doesn’t have his doctorate yet but I’m willing to go out on a limb on this one and say he’s right.

I find one of the greatest joys of parenting is watching them grow up. What continues to amaze me are the inherent traits that seem to be a product of human nature versus human nurture.  Take, for example, Cooper opening his first ever present.  There hasn’t been an opportunity for his parents to mess up his nurturing and yet he inherently was super protective of his new toy.  While his brother who, through great parental nurturing, was offering his advanced dexterity with his opposable thumb, Coop was having none of it.  His inherent distrust for his brother’s helpful gestures, while somewhat warranted, were also completely driven by his biological makeup.  He was ready to go to blows to protect his new ball, and weighing in at just under 8 pounds less than his brother, this was one battle we would’ve needed to stop very quickly.  That’s where nurturing really comes in handy.

I’ve heard the news today
that at least 18 children and 8 adults were killed in a school shooting in Connecticut, just 45 miles south of Hartford.  Having many friends and co-workers who live not to far from this school, it brings things crashing down to earth.  It’s definitely a scary time and it made me think a lot about my childhood and how times were so different.  It wasn’t that long ago that we were doing duck-and-cover drills in preparation for the time that the Russians decided to bomb Albany, NY or from earthquakes that hit Upstate NY every ten thousand years.  That was a much simpler time, no doubt, and one that makes me wonder how we went from that to today’s news.  It was definitely a selfish act on the part of somebody who really needed help and it reminds me to take a moment and really appreciate all you have.  It also reminds me that, though you might want to turn your back on a society that is increasingly selfish and dangerous, you ought to do just the opposite.  Embrace the world, its dangers and selfish people, and really try to live the message of kindness.  If we can pass on positive, kind thoughts and actions, you might just make the difference in somebodies life.  Perhaps the life of somebody who otherwise has no hope and thoughts of taking these kinds of actions.

Today, the world needs a Super Hero.  Perhaps that can be you or I.

Okay, that might not be so nice but the truth is, it’s true!  A few weeks ago my Grandfather had gone through some very risky surgery and we’re all very thankful that he has come through and is seemingly on the mend.  It was November 2010 that we celebrated his 81st Birthday and now, two years later, Cooper was able to celebrate his 83rd!

So, this brings us back to the title… to us he’s a great father, grandfather, husband and friend.  Ryan loves his GG and has a great time with him.  Cooper loves his GG and chews on him.

As has been our tradition off and on for a number of years, Jenn and I spent Saturday afternoon with my parents and the boys trying to find the perfect Christmas tree for 2012.  We didn’t find it.  Mostly due to improper planning and standard nap times, we didn’t arrive at Bob’s Christmas Tree farm until 3:45 and it closed at 5.  Truth is though, it was about twenty seven degrees below zero and there wasn’t a really nice tree to be seen.  Perhaps we didn’t give it enough time, though my frozen fingers were telling me otherwise, but there were a ton of really beautiful three foot trees but, like with all these places, you pay the same flat rate whether the tree is 3 feet or 300 feet, so needless to say we were disappointed.  Then, my mother saved the day.

From out of nowhere she found a suitable tree. I say suitable because my dad had to go Edward Scissor-hands on the tree in order to get it to a point where it could be brought home.  It’s a nice looking tree.  Worth $45 when you could buy one of those pre-cut trees for $20?  Probably not…. except when you saw Ryan’s face
after the tree came crashing to the ground (with his help of course.)  A proud moment for our little hero and a glimpse into how my parents taught me to see the big picture.  That tree will have much more than $45 worth of value this season with the memories from today behind them.

So I spent some time today explaining to Cooper what Black Friday is and how some people wake up insanely early and fight traffic to get great deals on things they don’t need less than 24 hours after celebrating why they’re so thankful for things money can’t buy. This was his reaction.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.  I logged on to Facebook and Twitter this morning and the world was telling me it’s Thanksgiving Day.  There were tons of “I’m thankful for my family” and there were also things like, I’m thankful for; the Cowboys and Eagles being complete head cases, the air, great food, my kids, my dog, cat, horse, iPhone, iPad mini etc.

As I sit down to think of all the things I’m thankful for, as I wipe the sleep from my eyes having averaged only 5 hours of sleep for the last 3 1/2 years, I’m thankful for strong coffee… oh and my wonderfully adorable children, beautiful wife… and football on Thanksgiving.

“Scientists tell us that the fastest animal on earth, capable of traveling 120 feet per second, is a cow being dropped from a helicopter” – 

Dave Barry

I don’t know what the attraction to cows is but for me, I’m amazed by them.  From the moment this afternoon when I gazed out of my in-laws window and saw these majestically nasty creatures in their pasture, I knew I had to walk down and see them.  Happily I had some companionship that was at least as equally impressed by these four legged slobbering dirt balls.  Once we got near them, I was (and remain) impressed by how friendly they were and how skittish.  They didn’t realize they could squish us with one charge and they even allowed themselves to get chased by Maddie…. crazy animals but really cool!