Naturally nothing in life is easy so we weren’t thrilled to find out that both boys are playing at the same time on different fields every Tuesday evening.  This means that either both of us need to go to the games every week or we need some grandparent/uncle/aunt help along the way.  For opening week I made sure to leave work early to make sure I was there on time.  Not only did I manage to get a great snapshot of the boys standing together, I also got a couple of videos of them in action:

The first game of the year for the C-man

G takes his first swings of the year

Finally I’ll leave you with this.  If you think kids playing t-ball is cute just wait until after the game.  The “high five line” is about the most precious thing you’ll ever see.  Most of the kids actually enjoy this just as much (or more) as the game!

In no particular order:

1. Being a dad allows you to be a kid.   I have a tendency to do some stupid things.  The wife does not like this.  However, in the eyes of my boys these same things make me a hero.
2. Kids who have an outgoing personality can be dangerous.  Watch out ladies!
3. I have less time to keep myself in shape now that I’m a dad.  I don’t care… there always seems to be an opportunity for a workout.
4. Kids pick up on stuff.  This includes your language, your likes and dislikes.  It also includes what you watch on television and what you like to eat.
5. Sometimes being a parent isn’t what you think it will be.
6. Kids say some funny stuff.  Don’t believe me?  Here’s another example.
7. When you think your kids are safe they will find a way to get hurt.  No… seriously.
8. Potty training sucks.  Plain and simple.
9. A child doused in Miller Lite is a terrible thing… but kind of funny at the same time.
10. Weekends are for family.  And they’re awesome.

So there’s a look back at my first 5 years.  I’m a little fatter, a little wiser but simultaneously a little dumber from hanging out with these yahoos.  But I wouldn’t change a thing.  I’ve been covered in poop, barfed on, laughed at, jumped on and ridden.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… I love being a dad.

Happy birthday G.  Love you buddy.

1. I’m part of the @clevelanddotcom Twitter Twenty! #CLE20
2. I live in Cleveland but I’m a Steeler fan. In my defense, I grew up in Pittsburgh.
3. I chewed tobacco for 17+ years. When I quit I started http://www.killthecan.org/ to help others quit.
4. I’m adopted. So is my brother but we’re not biological brothers. Still love him to death.
5. I once left a brand new grill in its box in my garage for over a month. @MikeHumphries was not happy about it.
6. I’m starting to think that doing this 100 facts list was a bad idea.  (Please note that I was only up to #6 before I started having second thoughts…)
7. Even though this list was a bad idea once I start something I’m uber stubborn. I will complete it.
8. Prime example of #7? The WrestleMania Project – http://wp.me/pj6R5-j7 First post in Sept 09 and still going.
9. I’m married to my high school sweetheart.
10. I’ve got two kids. I enjoy playing with their toys probably more than they do.
11. I have a blog at http://406northlane.com/ where I tend to act much younger than my age.
12. I have what some would consider “a potty mouth”. I freely admit it and don’t think it takes away from my character.
13. I blame @Ken_Diesel for giving me the crazy idea to do this list.
14. For some strange reason, I wasn’t even following @Ken_Diesel from this account. It’s been remedied.
15. All of these tweets will be compiled into a blog post. (You’re reading it now)
16. Sometimes I’m scared that I put too much of myself “out there”. Then I realize no one cares anyways.
17. I’m trying to be considerate and not flood people’s Twitter feeds. But its noon and I’m only 17/100. #GoTime
18. Robert B. Parker is my all time favorite author. I read his works over and over again. He passed away last year RIP
19. I wonder… does Twitter keep ALL of my tweets? Can I see every single one I’ve ever made?
20. I should pass 2,500 tweets during this exercise.
21. Megatron was my first Transformer. But I have to say Soundwave was probably my favorite.
22. I live in Ohio and I’m not a Buckeye fan. Sue me – I went to another Big Ten school. Don’t worry not Michigan.
23. I’m Polish. I enjoy Polish jokes. Anyone who gets bent out of shape over stuff like that is wound too tightly.
24. There are 2 topics I rarely talk about: religion and politics. It’s pointless. People have their minds made up.
25. I can no longer drink “regular” – diet all the way regardless of brand.
26. My family is the most important thing in the world to me. This should have been fact #1
27. I will be watching #WrestleMania 27 next Sunday evening. It will be awesome.
28. #WrestleMania 28 has already been announced to be in Miami, FL next year. I was hoping for #Cleveland
29. My all time favorite baseball player is Jim Thome. Got to meet him a couple weeks ago. Turned into a little girl.
30. I am fascinated by #tattoos but don’t have any… yet. I’ve got 3-4 designed in my head.
31. I just destroyed Taco Bell for lunch.
32. I will not tweet something that I won’t say to your face.
33. I’m convinced that there is a movie quote perfect for every situation.
34. Just bought this tremendous Voltron t-shirt: http://twitpic.com/4cu0ww
35. I’m pretty sure that this “Internet thing” is here to stay.
36. I truly do hope that I’m doing this slow enough to not spam up people’s feeds. I’d hate to piss people off.
37. Growing up I was a Leo. Not sure if that’s still the case or not.
38. I prefer Target to Walmart. It’s more “upscale” (though that’s not saying much).
39. I prefer Burger King to McDonalds. Their fries are FAR superior.
40. I was a competitive swimmer for 17 years. Amazing the difference between 8 miles/day and 8 beers/day #college
41. I’m pretty sure I’m addicted to fast food. Seriously.
42. IMHO there is only one “Trilogy”
43. I have some incredibly “pretty” Twitter followers.
44. Cleveland gets a bad wrap nationwide, but I will defend her to the death. It’s a GREAT place to live.
45. I love being a dad. Even though the kids are a pain sometimes, it’s totally worth it when they greet me at the door.
46. Though I’m being optimistic, I do not have high hopes for my beloved Cleveland Indians this year.
47. I stayed away from Twitter for a long time cause I thought it was silly. I still think it’s silly. #HereToStay
48. I’m starting to get worried that I’m going to get to #100 before the end of the day.
49. I promise to tweet less tomorrow. I recognize that this is ridiculous.
50. I am half way there. I am in fact, living on a prayer. #BonJovi

At that point, I made the following tweet:

I’m making the executive decision that 50 #100factsaboutme is more than enough…

And just like that… I was done.

This is simply a shot of my shirtsleeve.  I love this particular shirt, but the sleeves are just REALLY long.  Not really sure if it’s just made incorrectly or not cause the rest of the shirt fits just fine.

There’s an absolutely AMAZING restaurant in the Cleveland area called Melt Bar & Grilled.  They make grilled cheese.  That’s not quite fair… they make the best grilled cheese known to man.  The above pic is a shot of my sandwich from a recent trip with my wife, bro and sister in law: The Parmageddon.  The description from the menu: 2 potato & cheese pierogi, fresh napa vodka kraut, grilled onions, sharp cheddar.  My description: INCREDIBLE.

My boys are getting to that age where their toys come with decals.  As they’re 4 (G) and 2 (C – until next month) guess who gets to do the decaling work… Super Dad.  This particular kit was a tough one as it took me longer to get the stickers on than it did to build it.  However all of my frustration was totally worth it when I saw how happy they were.

Even with my infinite childlike behavior, I think my wife would agree that I’m good for at least one thing: running errands.  Unfortunately, many times I even mess THAT up coming home with the wrong thing.  SO, on a recent trip for additional fettuccine I decided to take a photographic “wish list” of what I was to bring home.  I’m happy to say that with minimal issues, I did in fact return home with the correct item.

For many people, spring means birds, snow thawing, and finally seeing green grass after a long winter.  For me it means WRESTLEMANIA.  And with WrestleMania comes one thing: The Beeramid.  I sent this shot to Pip just the other day letting him know that the pre-Mania stockpiling had begun.

As I was getting out of the shower this morning, C strolled in and said, “Daddy… your penis is so long!” Oh… if their mother would only say the same thing.  Now keep in mind he’s two and a half so he doesn’t really have a whole lot to compare to but every guy likes to be told stuff like that so regardless of the comparison I was pretty happy.

He followed that up seconds later with another profound statement that brought me right back down to Earth, “Daddy… you smell like a homeless man.” Seeing as I was stepping OUT of the shower rather then IN this did not bode well.

At least I’ve got a bigger package than a 2 year old.

Over the last couple of weeks, there have been a couple of examples of G showing his pimp hand but there were two in particular that stand out.  First are from band night a couple of weeks back.  One of the local PTA organizations was sponsoring a night where the kids and their parents could go and watch the high school marching band practice.  The kids got to go onto the field and actually march right along side of them.  Naturally, G took it upon himself to find some older women to hang out with.  The one pictured here had no idea what she’d gotten herself into when she began returning his attention.  Needless to say she had a bit of a 4 foot shadow for the rest of the evening.

If you’ve got children, you know that if you turn your back for a split second they’ll be gone.  I was on G patrol and mom was watching C.  I saw them out of the corner of my eye and watched as my youngest son was having a blast with the drummers (all while sucking down a bag of Chili Fritos – that’s my boy).  As I turned to find the other apple of my eye, I realized quickly what a mistake I’d made.  G had disappeared into the crowd and now SuperDad needed to spring into action before Mom figured out that I’d lost her son in the midst of a high school marching band.

When doing detective work, you need to know about your subject.  Where they hang out, what they like and who they like to associate with.  Once I put on my Sherlock Dad hat, I knew just where to look… the Starlets!  As you can see, G had set up shop in a prime location to perpetuate his pimping.  Well done kid… well done indeed.

On a personal side note… when did they start letting these young children into high schools?  I know I’m not the spring chicken I once was, but there’s no way in hell that I looked this young when I was in high school.  I’ve heard rumors that I’m getting older and for the longest time I simply wouldn’t allow myself to believe them.  I may have to rethink that stance.  Dammit.

A while back we spent the weekend on a resort celebrating my in-law’s 40th wedding anniversary.  We had an outstanding time even though we did have some bicycle issues.  They boys absolutely love going to the pool and they both made MAJOR progress with swimming this summer.  G also made major progress on his pick up lines.

Now there was some question as to how old this girl was.  Guesses at her age ranged from “pre-teen” (SuperDad’s guess) to “engaged to be married” (Great Grandpa).  Luckily we live in a digital age and we’ve got some video proof of the pimpage.  So you tell me… how old is this chick?  And how much of a mack daddy is G?  I can only say that I’m super scared of this kid growing up.  Not sure we live in a town large enough to contain him.