Archive for category Family Time
ArBOOretum
Nov 2
Dadaji
Feb 11
My grand father, or Dadaji as we called him, passed away a few hours ago at the ripe old age of 91. That’s him with Jack back in 2008. It’s hard to articulate how I feel right now. I lived with him till I was 13, and even though my parents were there too, I identified with him much more than with them–probably the reason why I am much more like him than like my father.
Dadaji was the first person in his family to get a college education, even though it meant moving out of his parents house when he was 13 and moving in with relatives far away. He got a Bachelor’s degree on scholarships, and when he finished he got a job in the Agriculture and Co-op Department of Gujarat. He worked there his whole life, raising five children in a one-bedroom rented condo pinching pennies, and ensured that all five of his children earned college degrees.
He was a great man. I don’t think I’ve ever looked up to anyone more. Every belief I hold at the core of my being is one I learned from him. He taught me to never take anything for granted, because what you have today could very easily be gone tomorrow. I am thankful for the happenstance that made me a part of his family. I am thankful for the way the stars aligned that gave me so much time with him. I am thankful that my son got to meet him. I am thankful that he’s in a better place.
Since I can’t articulate it, here’s Pearl Jam. Rest in peace, Dadaji.
The Birthday Party
Jan 23
Halloween
Oct 31
Bookstore With Grandpa
Sep 4
At a duck pond
Aug 22
The Backyard
Apr 29
Jack gets more excited about going to the hardware store than he does about getting a cookie–and he gets pretty damn excited about cookies. He also loves–LOVES–the outdoors. The weather here has been simply amazing the past few weeks, and we took advantage of it this weekend. We gave our backyard some much needed tender love and care, which included resodding some patches. One thing I absolutely love about Lowe’s is that they not only sell kids’ tools, they put them right next to the adult tools. So the wheelbarrow section had a little kids’ wheelbarrow, and on top of that they were red! It was love at first sight, and I kid you not, he played with it for 3 hours straight. He went around the yard picking up ripped up packaging from the stuff our chocolate lab had snuck out of the pantry over the past week. He picked up dirt with his little kid shovel to put in there. He raked up leaves with his little kid rake and put them in there.
Good times.
First Swim of the Season
Apr 28
It’s the two weeks a year in Houston the weather outside is perfect. Not a cloud in the sky. Cool enough to drive with your windows down, and you can mow the lawn at 2 in the afternoon without getting sticky. Not quite warm enough for swimming just yet, but we did it anyway. After the oh-shit-this-is-cold moment and before the oh-shit-I’m-really-cold moment, we had a splashing good time.
Bring on the summer!
He doesn’t care how long you’ve been planning this trip, or how much money you’ve spent on it, or how much you’ve been looking forward to it–or even how much fun it can be if he gave it a chance. He doesn’t feel good and he wants you to know it.
He was too excited to go to sleep on time. It wasn’t quiet enough for him to sleep as long. And he woke up when he heard you getting up. He’s overtired and he wants you to know it.
Kicking, screaming, rolling on the ground.
> Jack, do you want to go see some dolphins?
>> AHHHH!!!!!
> How about whales?
>> AHHHHHHH!!!!
> You want a cookie?
>> …yeah
A moment later he’s holding a cookie way too large for him to carry. Another moment later, the cookie is broken into three pieces on the cobblestone, and he’s rolling on the ground next to it
> It’s okay! Daddy will get you another one! Lets go pick another one out from the bakery!
Repeat.
Been at the park an hour now, and you’ve made it about 200 yards. Three trips to the bakery. You finally make it to the dolphin feeding area. Does he want to feed them? Nah. Does he even want to see them? Nah. He’s thirsty and he doesn’t want any of the drinks you have with you. None of the food you have with you either. The only place that’s open nearby is the bakery. So your wife walks him around while you make yet another trip to the bakery. 15 minutes and $11 later, you’re back with frozen lemonade in a souvenir cup. You wouldn’t dream of giving him anything this sugary in real life, but hey, it’s vacation!
Screaming continues, in between gulps.
> Do you want to walk?
>> WAH!!
> Do you want daddy to carry you?
>> WAH!!
> Do you want mommy to carry you?
>> WAH!!
> Do you want to sit in the stroller?
>> WAH!!
Starting to get frustrated
> Do you want to go back to the hotel?
>> WAH!!
> Do you want to go back home?
>> WAH!!
> Another cookie?
>> WAH!!
> Something else to eat?
>> WAH!!
Getting desperate
> Play with daddy’s wallet?
>> WAH!!
> Daddy’s phone?
>> WAH!!
> Daddy’s camera?
>> WAH!!
> Anything, anything at all to make you feel better, buddy!
He’s turning red. His face is covered in tears, snot and cookie crumbs.
Oh man, you’re that family in the park now! You know, the one you’ve walked by shaking your head, thinking, “that’s just bad parenting.” Other families walking by glare at you as they judge you. Some share a sympathetic “been there before” look, but the rest just shake their head.
“Oh man, I’m so glad you’re not acting like that!” you hear one mom tell her kid, “that kid is not a happy camper!”
Mowing the overgrown backyard is sounding good right about how. Heck, you’d rather be sitting at the sticker shop waiting for them to do that overdue inspection on your wife’s car that you’ve been putting off, right about now. Or finishing that wiring job in the study. Or even cleaning the garage. *shudder*
Finally, your wife steps in and offers the kid nursies. He agrees, and for the first time in over an hour, the kid is finally quiet. He’s calming down. You can feel his heart rate slowing down.
Breasts. To think you liked those things before you had a baby–you had no idea how often they’d save your butt. Your relief soon turns to horror when you think about what you’ll do when he’s too old to breastfeed. The glass is always half empty for you, isn’t it? Live in the now, dumb ass!
Anyway, twenty minutes go by and your little tyke is feeling a lot better now. Not his usual playful self by any means, but a whole lot better.
So you go play in the tubes, and you go play in the water, and you go watch a show with whales and dolphins. It’s only a fraction of what you hoped to do, but you have a damn good time doing it. You drive back to your hotel and he takes a nap with mama, while you head to the bar, having learned some very valuable lessons:
- you haven’t seen it all
- you were too hasty to label people as “bad parents” before
- breasts are awesome
Good times.
I Love My (Wife’s) Minivan
Mar 15
I know that just cost me a lot of street cred right there, but it’s true. We’ve had this thing for two years now, and I can’t imagine life without it. Actually, I can. I drive a mid-size SUV, and whenever I take Jack out in it, I realize how much I take the van’s comforts for granted.
Now I know there’s lots of guys out there who wouldn’t want to be caught dead riding a minivan, much less driving one–I used to be one of them, but no more.
 The outside |
For starters, the van has a lot of power. Looking at it, it doesn’t exactly scream DRIVE ME, but with 250 horses under the hood, this isn’t your mama’s minivan. With traction control, sportmatic transmission, anti-lock brakes and the turn radius of a much smaller car, this thing is actually a lot of fun to drive! Oh, and it still averages 18mpg. |
 Power sliding doors |
The doors slide open so even in a tight parking spot, you have plenty of room to maneuver so you can strap that cranky 2 year old to his seat without bruising your elbows, bumping your head, or putting a dent in the car next to you. And there’s so plenty of room all around for toy bins. And diapers. And wipes. And towels. And change of clothes. For all of us. |
 Spacious trunk |
The 3rd row of seats doesn’t take over the trunk–you actually get a real trunk. And because the vehicle doesn’t have to be so high off the ground, the trunk is actually 12 inches deep–you can haul a whole lot of junk in this trunk! |
 Lots of space |
The 2nd row has so much space around the seat that someone can get in the car and walk to the 3rd row without you having to play musical chairs. Tried that in an SUV lately? |
 Plenty of leg room |
The third row can actually seat normal sized people. No wheel wells or drive shafts taking over the space–the floor is actually flat. And look at the amount of space between my knees and the 2nd row of seats. |
 Lots of cargo space |
Pull out the 2nd row of seats and stow away the 3rd row seats, and in 2 minutes you have enough cargo space to haul two couches. |
 Kick ass stereo |
A 6-disk MP3/WMA player with a 16-speaker surround sound system with a wide screen DVD player ensures your toddler will never be bored in the car. Ever. Okay, so my kid doesn’t get to watch TV–but I’ve been known to watch a movie in the drive way from time to time. |
 Seats that remember you |
My wife likes the seats all the way up while I like them all the way back. Programmable seat, brake pedal and mirror arrangements mean no complaining about having to rearrange things every time I drive. And when you turn the engine off, everything moves out to give you more room to walk out. Also, when you put the thing in reverse it lowers the mirrors so you can see the lines, and sonar sensors on the rear bumper ensure you don’t hit anything. Oh, and it came standard with side curtain airbags. |
 His and Hers temperature controls |
My wife and I can never agree on the temperature–one of us is always hot while the other is cold. Three-zone climate control solves that problem. More impressive than flying cars, if you ask me. |
 View of the sky |
“Jack, do you want to see the sky?”That question has ended several upset spells with my little guy. |
 A workout for your fingers |
Buttons to open every door in the car. Yeah, it seems a bit ostentatious, but when you have a toddler in one hand and grocery bags in another and it’s raining outside, they sure do come handy. |
Okay, so maybe you’re saying, man, this guy is laying it on thick! Well, yeah I am. I hated the idea of getting a minivan. I was a dick to the minivan salesman when we went to test drive one while my wife was pregnant.
> So what do you think, Mr. Shah?
>> It’s a minivan…
> Yes, and a really good one. You test-drove it. What did you think?
>> It’s a minivan…
> Okay… so what’s it going to take to have you take it home today?
>> Make it not a minivan.
Right. But we had four large dogs and two cats when we had Jack. There was no way we could all fit in the same vehicle once we put in the baby seat. It was either a minivan or a massive SUV, and the minivan is way more practical. And safer. And fuel efficient. And cheaper.
So yeah. I love having a minivan.
