Day 1 - 2013

I told myself, as I counted down the final moments of 2012 with Braden and Emma, that I should really write a journal / blog post once a day throughout 2013.  I've heard all the reasons for tracking your thoughts throughout the year.  I also know how cool it would be to look back over the year and remember all those events, be they mundane, exciting, wonderful or terrifying.  

So here I sit at 11:00 on Day 1 of 2013, typing away on my first entry in the journey of the new year.  This is a post  that can lead to 365 other posts extolling the year ahead.  It's also a post that could be an empty promise.  Only time, and my will power, will really tell.

I also struggle a bit with this type of journal.  I want to be able to share my thoughts, feelings, memories and goings on with my friends and family.  I'm also open to sharing them with perfect strangers who may find wisdom, ideas, entertainment or, most likely, humor in what I have to say from day to day.

I also realize that some of my thoughts need to be private.  Not because they are perverted, weird, politically incorrect, etc... but because there are events in my life that I need to keep private for one reason or another. So, how do I completely journal about my life in a way that I can share with others, but still also log my own thoughts that need to remain private?  I'm not sure I have the answer to that.... but for now, we'll just go with it.  It is only Day 1, after all.

For example, I've spent most of my time off of work around the holidays pondering my future and career decisions.  A week from yesterday will mark a different kind of Day 1, as my company will execute on all the integration actions involved in our merger.  This will be an exciting day, a terrifying day, a sad day and a hard day.  Those that will not be moving on with the new company will be missed.  We'll wish them good luck as they move on while we silently thank God that we are not looking for new opportunities in a hard time.  For some it'll mean new opportunities with new companies.   For others, it'll mean new opportunities in the newly merged company.  Others still may find themselves in roles they aren't happy doing.  Like I said, it'll be a hard day, no matter where you fall.

And here I find myself skirting some of those private thoughts.  I have decisions ahead of me that can lead to some great new opportunities.  I'm excited.  I'm scared.  I can't wait to get started, yet don't know quite where or how to start.  I look forward to the next year knowing that I'll have one of my biggest challenges ahead of me.  I'm confident that it'll be rewarding and full-filling.  And I'm confident that I will tackle this challenge with everything I have to offer.  I welcome the challenges that 2013 brings me.  And with God and my family by my side, I know I will succeed.

I've said as much as I probably can at this point.  I should also be getting to bed soon.  Emma, Braden and I rang in the New Year together, so I'm a bit tired.  They didn't quite understand the concept of the new year, but they were thrilled to stay up until midnight!  Emma kept asking "But why does the ball have to drop?"  I failed to explain it in a way a 5 year old was able to grasp.  I don't think Braden questioned it because he was just happy to be up.  It was a fun night of bonding over a movie (Ice Age 3) and Xbox.  For the record, Braden and Emma BOTH cheat at Kinect Sports Volleyball.  That and the ceiling's too low in our basement for me to jump and spike.  Ow.  

So, Day 1.  2013.  I like it.  Writing has a way of centering me that feels good.  I think I'll try this again tomorrow.  And the day after.  We'll see about the rest of the 365 days after that.  One step at a time, as they say.  So, before this post bleeds into Day 2 of 2013, I'll get my butt off to bed.

Happy New Year.
God's blessings.
Happy Day 1.

A Whole Month!?!

It’s been over a month since I blogged last???? Uh oh.
Let’s see… updates:

• Braden and Emma now take showers instead of baths… much more fun.  Much steamier in the bathroom for Dad.
• Braden has been evaluated by a therapist for what we think is ADHD and PDD symptoms.  He has also had some intelligence testing and his therapist believes he’s extremely intelligent and needs more stimulating activities to help.  We’re not sure where the 'extremely intelligent'  part comes from and aren't quite convinced.  We don’t think his ADHD symptoms are major in any sense of the symptom, but we do think he struggles with it a little and can use some help.  And no, medication is not on the table no, or in the near future.
• Emma is starting potty training, which is going about as well as we expected.  In other words, not well at all.  She has yet to actually go in the potty.  I’d be happy if she managed to go ON the potty at this point.
• School is out for the summer!
• We have new neighbors moving in this weekend.  They have a 4 year old girl, a 2 year old girl and a baby coming in November, so they’ll make great playmates!  Plus they go to Trinity and will be in Braden and Emma’s class next year.
• Bindi is 18 weeks old today and weighs 55 lbs.  In spite of that, last night she figured out that she can climb on my lap in the recliner last night.  She’s actually not a bad cuddler… until she decides she wants to get down.  Graceful she isn’t.
• Braden and Emma are at Grandma and Grandpa’s house this weekend.  We’re monitoring the Appleton emergency bands closely.

Twelve Things Good Bosses Believe

The following list was taken from an article in the Harvard Business Review.  I think it's a great list and something that I wish I was better at.  I think I do well at some of these and obviously could do better at most of them.  I'm sharing this here in hopes that it'll remind me to keep at it and so that others will remind me to do better.

1. I have a flawed and incomplete understanding of what it feels like to work for me.
2. My success — and that of my people — depends largely on being the master of obvious and mundane things, not on magical, obscure, or breakthrough ideas or methods.
3. Having ambitious and well-defined goals is important, but it is useless to think about them much. My job is to focus on the small wins that enable my people to make a little progress every day.
4. One of the most important, and most difficult, parts of my job is to strike the delicate balance between being too assertive and not assertive enough.
5. My job is to serve as a human shield, to protect my people from external intrusions, distractions, and idiocy of every stripe — and to avoid imposing my own idiocy on them as well.
6. I strive to be confident enough to convince people that I am in charge, but humble enough to realize that I am often going to be wrong.
7. I aim to fight as if I am right, and listen as if I am wrong — and to teach my people to do the same thing.
8. One of the best tests of my leadership — and my organization — is "what happens after people make a mistake?"
9. Innovation is crucial to every team and organization. So my job is to encourage my people to generate and test all kinds of new ideas. But it is also my job to help them kill off all the bad ideas we generate, and most of the good ideas, too.
10. Bad is stronger than good. It is more important to eliminate the negative than to accentuate the positive.
11. How I do things is as important as what I do.
12. Because I wield power over others, I am at great risk of acting like an insensitive jerk — and not realizing it.

Where does a Mastiff ride in a Car?

Anywhere she wants to!

Yes, this is our 35 pound, 13 week old Mastiff doing her cat impersonation and riding in the back window of our Camry on the way home from puppy class.

Bantam Bindi

Bindi will be 12 weeks old tomorrow.  I don’t think I can quite get a feel for how much she’s grown in size, however we did weigh her last night at the vet.  She’s 32.6 pounds.  Yep.  She’s gained 11 pounds in under 3 weeks. 

Last night was the second week of puppy kindergarten.  It’s so funny seeing the contrast between her and the other dog in the class, who probably ways 3 pounds. 

She’s starting to do well.  The main reason is that Kathie picked up some freeze dried liver treats.  She goes absolutely crazy for them.  She follows you around watching you for any kind of command.  So far she’s learned sit, down, come, stand and touch to some level.  She’s a pro at puppy pushups.  She’s also learning release.  Kathie was even able to get her to come when she was across the yard playing with the neighbors dog.  Those liver treats are THAT good.

She’s still pretty nippy, but it’s pretty limited to her ‘crazy’ puppy times. When she’s just outside or hanging out, she’s getting much better.  But if she gets the crazies, then it’s very difficult to get her to stop. We’re going to try a spray bottle next. 

Happy Birthday Braden!

Wow, five years old!  Where has the time gone!? 

Braden is very excited to be five and we’re very proud of him.  It’s definitely a bittersweet feeling, though, as it’s amazing how quickly they grow.

Last night after prayers, Braden said he couldn’t sleep.  That sparked another Bradenism conversation:

Braden: “I know, I can think about the really nice birthday presents I got.  That will help”

Me: “Good idea.  Happy Birthday, buddy”

Braden: “Happy Birthday. I’m very excited!”

Me: “Me too.  I’m very proud of you and I can’t believe you’re five years old already!”

Braden: “When is this talk going to be over?”

Me: “Now.  Good night.”

Busy!!!

Things are going well.  Ok, as well as they can when you have 3 small kids and a 10 week old puppy at home.  It’s Easter break this week and I’m guessing Kathie will probably go crazy fairly soon.

Braden continues with his gross and fine motor skills therapy sessions twice a week.  He is already getting tan from playing outside!  He loves playing with all his friends and (sometimes) his sister.  His birthday is next Monday and he’ll be five.  He’s very excited.

Emma is a constant:  A constant roller coaster of emotion.  She can be the sweetest girl one minute and a screaming devil child the next.  She’s very smart and I think she takes advantage of our lack of constant discipline at times.  Wait, I meant to say consistent there.  No, actually, with her it’s probably constant.  But I mostly joke about Emma and her fits.  She really is a sweet girl.  Her latest thing is pretending to be a baby, a momma or a daddy.  “I’m not Emma!  I’m a baby. Waahhhh”

Alex has had a rough week or so.  He hasn’t been feeling quite himself and we suspect it’s new teeth coming, but really aren’t sure.  No fever or other symptoms.  He’s just cranky a lot.  Ok, a lot for him… because he still is a very happy kid.  He’s also getting physical therapy once a week to help out with his core muscle tone.  But that doesn’t stop him from trying to climb everything in sight.  The other day he figured out he can get into the bathtub.  Or, rather, he figured out that he can get over the edge of the top and that gravity takes over from there.  He also really enjoys being outside and swinging.

Bindi is doing well.  Probably amazingly well for a 10 week old puppy, but it’s a little hard to judge when your embedded in the situation.  She has had a few accidents, but is house broken for the most part.  Of course we don’t really let her out without supervision yet, so there’s still some work there.  She’s getting a little better with the nipping and is starting to learn commands.  She came up to Emma the other day and Emma said “Sit!” and her little..um… moderately sized… butt plopped right down on the ground and she sat there looking for her treat.  At last measurement she was 27 pounds, but I think she’s growing in size faster than weight.

I know this is getting a bit long, so I’ll leave you with a Bradenism.  Braden took on himself to hide an Easter egg for Emma in his toolbox.  Then he wanted to give her a subtle hint, so he said “Emma, there’s an egg in the toolbox.  No.  Wait.  I didn’t mean that.  Um…. there’s an egg someplace where we carry lots of tools.”  Subtle he isn’t!