After my morning of wood splitting, I headed home and proceeded to blow leaves with G & C for about an hour.  I can’t even tell you how happy the G man is to be out working in the yard with Dad.  Brings a smile to my face every time (even when he’s blowing leave BACK in the beds that I just spent 20 minutes cleaning out).

And I thought weekends were supposed to be relaxing?  I need to get back to the office.  I need a break.  Thank god for Extra Strength Tylenol!

Saturday started out very nicely.  We decided not to go to soccer as the G-man wasn’t feeling well and we were certain that the fields would have been complete crap based on all the rain we’d recently received.  With that decision behind us we were free to have a lazy morning around the house which included scrambled eggs, smoothies, and pancakes.  There’s nothing quite like a quiet (relatively) breakfast with my wife and kids.

The big event for Saturday was the G-man’s first movie!  Pop took him and his mom to the movies to see Toy Story 3D.  I stayed home with C so I didn’t get to see how cute he was but based on what Amanda said I’m sure my heart would have melted.  Hearing her describe him sitting there with his feet up, his 3D glasses on and his popcorn was just awesome and really brought a smile to my face.  At one point he leaned over to his mom and asked if the bad men were going to get him.  Adorable.

Later that evening Amanda and I got to have an kid free evening out.  We went to dinner with my bro and his wife at Crop Bistro & Bar.  I’m not a “foodie” but if you’re in Cleveland I’d highly recommend it.  Food, atmosphere and especially the company were amazing.  Amanda and I were also celebrating the anniversary of our first date… 16 years together.  Wow.  Not sure where the time went but I’ve loved every minute of it.

Sunday was cutting day (as Thursday was rain filled).  I’ve talked previously about G’s love for all things power tool.  I figured I’d pull out all the stops as Super Dad and got him his own blower!  I fear that I’ve opened Pandora’s Box but I can’t tell you how happy he was to be out there blowing leaves with Dad.  After the leaves were gone we cut the grass and put up some Halloween decorations.  Uncle Kent got engaged yesterday (congrats my man!) so Mom was out of the house in the afternoon with he and his new fiance Melissa.  The boys needed a nap so I stayed home and after they got up we did a couple of errands.  On the way home I decided to really up the Super Dad quotient and stopped at McDonalds for some fries… sure it was a cheap way to score some brownie points with the boys (and to piss off mom in the process) but the smiles on their faces while they ate their fries made it all worth it.

Sunday night dinner is generally a pretty laid back affair.  Last night was BW3s for the boys and I which means WINGS!!!  I can no longer get by with a dozen as the last time we did that I got 4 wings… MAN do those boys eat.  After dinner G and C got some home made applesauce from grandma which they douse with cinnamon.  G got a little over zealous and managed to get some in his eye.  Note to everyone out there.  Cinnamon hurts like a son of a bitch when it gets in your eye.  At least that’s what I gathered from G’s reaction.

All in all I didn’t get nearly enough knocked off my list but I had a great time with the boys and Amanda.  In the grand scheme of things that’s all I was hoping for this weekend… a complete success!

Twitter/Facebook Update
And so it begins…
9:04 AM Jun 14th from TweetDeck

And we’re off. Errands… Dad’s best friend. #fb
10:34 AM Jun 14th from TwitterBerry

I’d purposefully put off this trip till Sunday morning cause I wanted to have a little more time available to us.  We had to make a return out a Aurora Farms and they’ve got a great playground for the boys, a duck pond and a ton of “rides” that G loves.  (As I’m writing that last sentence I realize it sounds eerily similar to “Frank The Tank” in Old School).

As I said, we had a return to make and then my plan was to stick around, play on the playground and let G “drive” some of the cars, planes and trucks.  We made the return with relative ease and it was off to the playground.  The G-man is to a point in his life where he’s fearless.  He’ll climb on anything and always like to take the path of most resistance.  He’s the kid going UP the slide.  Once G’s got something in his mind it’s pretty tough to deter him.  That’s why I was treated to these views pretty much all weekend:

As you can see, G's off to the races.

I swear I was TRYING to keep up.

Our errands were done and the playground was behind us.  It was time for G to “drive” and we’d be good to go with a successful trip behind us.  NOT SO FAST Super Dad — boom.  Accident.  As I did last night at the mall, I scooped him up and we were off to the bathroom.  Luckily I’d replenished our backup underwear and shorts in the truck so we didn’t have to take a ride home with wet clothes.  For those keeping score:

Super Dad 2 – Kids 5.

Twitter/Facebook Update
Oh the stories I could tell. #fb
11:33 AM Jun 14th from TwitterBerry

It might sound like I’m doing a lot of bitching and I definitely don’t want it to come across that way.  I had an absolute blast this weekend.  Sure I had to change a ton of diapers and had to deal with quite a few potty accidents but with kids this cute who can complain?

Twitter/Facebook Update
Fries, rings and shakes. Oh my. #fb
11:48 AM Jun 14th from TwitterBerry

That’s right, I decided on the way home to really up the “dad is cool” quotient and spring for Burger King.  Definitely not something we do on a regular basis but all in all my boys were awesome for me all weekend and I wanted to treat them (not to mention that I’m a sucker for fast food).  Needless to say, they really enjoyed their burger, fries and especially their milkshake!

Super Dad 3 – Kids 5.

After all that I’d been through this weekend I decided to cut my losses and stay at home after naptime.  We had an absolute blast playing with the bubble grill (which G decided he’d use as a blower to go along with his power tool obsession).  C was content to sit with me for a while and try to chew on my sandal.  When he figured out that I wasn’t going to allow that he was off to the races as well and I spent the better part of the afternoon/evening chasing them around the yard.  After the weekend we had it was a great way to end.

After I’d put them to bed I did something that I’ve not done in a long time… I sat in a quiet house and read a book.  I was taping the Indians game so I could zip through it later, the NBA Finals sucked and I was exhausted.  I’ll reiterate again – not sure how Amanda does this on a regular basis.  She’s truly amazing.

Even though I lost the final tally 3-5 I felt like the King of the World.  I’d managed to get through a weekend with no broken bones, didn’t watch too much TV with the boys, managed to win a couple of bucks playing online poker and had a great time doing it all.  The only thing that would have made it better would have been if Amanda was here with us… come home soon babe.

PS – Don’t tell Amanda about these posts… if she thinks I can handle it on my own she’ll get some crazy ideas and be jetting off all the time * gulp *

Amanda was in Denver for a wedding and was away from me and the boys for the first time since they’ve been born (for those of you keeping track that’s over 3 years!)  When I left work on Friday afternoon I really didn’t know what I had in store for me.  Being Super Dad (in my own head) I KNEW that everything was going to be just fine.

Friday Night
Actually this went pretty well.  My folks spent the day with the boys and there were PERFECT for them.  Actually… they were too perfect.   By the time I got home it was just a matter of finishing up dinner and doing bedtime.  Piece of cake.  Actually it was a beautiful evening so we took the dog for a long walk around the golf course. 

After they were in bed I jumped on Full Tilt Poker for some online action – but that’s another story for another blog.  I also got to watch a GREAT hockey game where my Pittsburgh Penguins took down Lord Stanley’s cup… amazing.  I doubt very seriously that the Pirates are going to keep the trend going but right now Pittsburgh is looking like title town!

Super Dad 1 – Kids 0.

Saturday Morning
No grand parent help… Super Dad is on his own.  Had a kick ass breakfast (eggs, bacon, fruit, oatmeal) and we were off and running.  I recently got a crack in my windshield so we had to be home between 8:00 AM and 12:00 PM for that dude to show up.  They called to confirm at around 10:30 and of course I missed it due to a diaper change.  When I called back 3 minutes later he informed me that the technician had been sent to another job and he would be at my house after noon.  Awesome.  So, I packed up the boys and off we went to the bank, UPS, etc.  Drive through… a dad’s best friend.

Twitter/Facebook Update
Day #2 of the “dad and boys alone” experience off to a good start. #fb
8:49 AM Jun 13th from TwitterBerry

After our errands we came home and played for a while before it was time for lunch.  My boys can both eat… BIG TIME.  So meal time can be a pretty drawn out process.  Before I knew it nap time was upon us.

Super Dad 2 – Kids 0.

Saturday Afternoon / Evening
At this point I was cruising right along not really understanding why mom ever had a problem with these guys… they were AWESOME.  We’d been playing, laughing, eating and generally having a great time.  The other shoe just had to drop soon right?  Hell yeah it dropped… big time.  Here are my next four updates (note the times):

Twitter/Facebook Update
On the way to get fitted for tuxedos with the boys. #fb
4:56 PM Jun 13th from TwitterBerry

Well that didn’t work out. #fb
6:54 PM Jun 13th from TwitterBerry

On the way home. Almost bedtime for the boys. Then its time for dad to relax. Not sure how mom does this. #fb
8:51 PM Jun 13th from TwitterBerry

Boys in bed… 2 days down, 2 to go. It’s Miller time!
9:43 PM Jun 13th from TweetDeck

What happened you ask? Well… let me tell you.  As I stated before my brother is getting married in July and G and I are in the wedding.  So, we needed to get measured for our tuxedos.  I’d told him on Friday night that we were going to get measured so he’d know what to expect.  He seemed generally excited to “stand like a statue” and get measured.  So we rolled up to Beachwood Place and tried to find the Men’s Warehouse (which if you’ve never been there is pretty fucking difficult to find – I spent 20 minutes walking around the mall and that was AFTER I looked at the map).  Anyhow, we get in there and are helped by a 18-20 year old dude that has no idea what he’s about to get himself into.  G does pretty well getting measured (while C watched on from his stroller) but then proceeded to unroll about half the ties in the joint.  So, now I’m not only trying to make sure that G is measured properly, but I’m making sure that C isn’t tearing shit apart and I’m trailing behind G re-rolling the ties on the table.  Houston – we may have a problem.

Once the dude got all of G’s measurements it was off to the dressing room.  He proceeded to give us a jacket that I could have fit into.  I looked at him and told him he’d have to go a LOT smaller if we were going to fit the G-man at all.  I told him to give the smallest shirt, jacket, pants and shoes they had.  At this point G was starting to get a bit testy with me.  A couple of jackets and shirts later he was really starting to get pissed and on the third pair of pants he went completely ballistic. (Not sure what part of “give me the smallest” the clerk didn’t understand).  Tears, screaming, and a general 3 year old meltdown.  (For those of you that have never been fitted for a tux, the stores are generally pretty small.  If you think a screaming 3 year old is loud outside, try listening to them in a changing room).

Super Dad 2 – Kids 1.

So we make our way out of the dressing room and it’s time for dad to get measured.  G continues to run around the store so I decided to take action.  I put him on a chair and offer him a bribe if he sits still.  It appears to be working until as I’m getting measured he says, “Daddy I need to go peeps”.  Fuck.  I stop what I’m doing and walk over to him and then I see it… he’s wet.  Dammit.  I can’t really blame him cause he’s 3 and hasn’t had an accident all weekend so Super Dad springs into action.  I swoop him up and tell the clerk that I need to leave ASAP and I’ll be back to take care of my fitting.  I’m obviously trying to get out of the store as quickly as possible but this guys takes THIS time to sell me on the Men’s Warehouse Perfect Fit Rewards program – really?  Do I have “jackass” stamped across my forehead?  Needless to say I declined his sales offer and managed to get out the door without them knowing that my son had just pissed all over their carpet.

Super Dad 2 – Kids 2.

I’m making my way back to the car (which of course has all the way across the mall cause I couldn’t find Men’s Warehouse) carrying G, pushing C and it’s looking like it’s going to rain.  I was carrying G cause I didn’t want him to have to walk around the mall with wet sweat pants but this unfortunately meant that my t-shirt was now soaked as well.  We make our way to the car and it’s just starting to drizzle.

• Right front pocket – no keys.  Hmm… that’s strange, I ALWAYS keep my keys here...
• Left front pocket – no keys.  Maybe I put them here…
• Right rear pocket – no keys.  This isn’t looking good.
• Left rear pocket – no keys.  Oh boy… here come the rain.
• Right cargo pocket – no keys.  Panic setting in, maybe I put them here…
• You get the idea.

I forgot to mention that during the screaming and pissing I’d handed my keys to C to keep him quiet.  He neglected to tell me that he’d placed them on the floor on the way out of the store.

Super Dad 2 – Kids 3.

Once we finally got back to the car I changed G into his spare shorts and underwear and it was off to the grandparents for dinner.  We were there about 20 minutes before I noticed the G-man just kind of “hanging out” on the patio with a weird look on his face.  Yep… accident #2.  At this point I think he’s doing it just to piss me off.  Well, I’d already burned through my backup pants/underwear combo so he was relegated to a diaper for the remainder of the evening.

Super Dad 2 – Kids 4.

Dad asked me what we wanted to drink for dinner.  I informed him that G would have milk, C would have water and I would have bourbon on the rocks.  The rest of the evening was relatively uneventful as we made it home with no more accidents.

As I sat in my chair after the boys were in bed, I watched Kill Bill Volume 2, played some poker, had a beer and reflected on my day.  They had me on the ropes but I was bound and determined to get through it without having them kill one another or me.

To be continued…