Family Pool Day 07/08/11

"Wayne" & "Gramma Lorraine"

Today was a great day! Jr. and I went for a bike ride (our third in a row) to the park and then over to my parents house to spend time with "Wayne" and "Gramma Lorraine" as Jr. calls them. Kids were great which was nice since the whole house has been sick for at least a week. (Thanks to Jr. for spreading his germs - I still love you son!)


After spending the morning with family, we brought the kids home, put them down for a nap and Michael and I met up for a tennis match. It's nice to know that while Michael is a national champion athlete (albeit volleyball), his big brother (9 years and 3 months older) can take him in a random game of tennis.

Anika

After tennis, Codi, myself, and the kids went to the pool. It was Anika's first pool adventure. She did not appreciate the big kids splashing her, but she still seemed to like the pool. Jr. continues to show no fear and blind trust in me as he jumps off the side of the pool and expects me to catch him. It's 10:00 at night right now and I still think he would be jumping off the edge of the pool right now if I let him. I can't seem to get him to hold his breath. Every time we practice and I dunk him, he comes up choking water.

Codi & Jr.

Needless to say, I was pooped out. Jr. has been asking me to stay with him in his room after we finish reading books. He has mastered all the stalling tactics ("one more story," "can I hug you," "Daddy please stay with me.") Usually I try to figure a way out, but not tonight. I said, "Sure son, I'll stay with you. I fell asleep for 30 minutes, and would probably still be sleeping in there had he not been playing with my face with his feet! (I love that kid!)

Today goes down as a great day!

Eric Sr.

Fishing with Papa

My dad started taking me fishing when I was so young, I can't even recall the first time.  Fishing was one of our "bonding" activities. For ten consecutive years, dad took me to Canada on a week long fishing trip. It was an annual highlight that I always looked forward to. Fishing was an integral part of my relationship with my dad. Aside from the Canada trips were the regular trips to Lake Geneva, which even included several fishing contests (and we even placed on the top three more than once)!  Dad would pull me out of school to go fishing.

Sometimes dad and I would hunt for our own worms. (It's funny the things that got me excited as a kid). If it rained really hard, dad and I would take flashlights and cover the lens with a semi-transparent red tape. We would then go out into the soaking wet field and hunt for worms that had risen to the surface of the wet ground.  It was such a blast, and if I were to be honest, I would go worm hunting with Dad tonight if he asked.

This past Friday, Dad and I took Jr. fishing for the first time. I think he has what it takes. He's generally patient and did not ask, "When are we going back to the car" until the 2 hour mark. (Not bad for a 2.5 year old.) While he was enticed by bobbers and leeches, nothing captivated his attention quite like the pair of pliers on the boat.  As much fun as it was to be fishing again, it was even more fun to watch Jr. and Dad interact on the boat.  I have a feeling these two are going to cause a bit of trouble as Jr. gets older. Either way, the day was a big success and a great "lead-in" to a Father's Day weekend.

-Eric

Future American Idol Winner!

Jr. knows that we sing to Anika to help her calm down if she is upset.  For the past few weeks, whenever Anika begins to cry Jr. breaks into song to soothe her. He's pretty funny because he is very proud of himself if Anika stops crying. We have been trying to capture this on video for a while now, and we finally pulled it off.  Enjoy.

Eric

"I Love Her Daddy!"

I think anyone who is a parent hopes their children will be friends for life. Codi and I have been telling Eric that Anika is his "best friend."  The two of them totally love each other, and as much fun as it is to see Eric express his affection for his sister, it is equally exciting to watch Anika love on her brother in her own way.  Anika can be in a cranky mood, and the presence of her brother will change her.  She tracks him with her eyes as he plays around her. She looks around, almost with concern, when he leaves her field of vision.  I'll never forget when I brought Anika into Eric's room after he woke up one morning and he said in his cute little two year old voice, "It's Anika Daddy, she's my best friend!"

Eric likes to get in the crib with Anika when she wakes up. He even asked Codi if we could move her crib to his room. I have a funny feeling these two will be sleeping together in the bunk bed a lot sooner than expected. I hope these two stay close as they get older!

Things Eric says, that makes me a proud dad:
"She's my best friend!"
"I love her Daddy!"
"It's ok Anika, it's ok." (when she is crying)
"She needs her 'nukie' Daddy"
"Come to me, Anika" (as he puts her arms out)
"She's awake Daddy, let's go check on her!"
"Whatcha doin Anika?"
"Can I hug her?"
"I'm gonna give her a kiss."

-Proud Dad

The End Of An Era - A Tribute To My Brother

When I was 14 years old, a friend of mine convinced me to try out for the high school volleyball team. I hadn't really ever played before, and really wanted to play tennis. Nevertheless, it was definitely one of the better decisions I made in high school. My brother was almost six years old when I started playing, and that started the beginning of his volleyball era. Michael was enthralled with the sport. He became somewhat of a team mascot. He would shag balls for us during pre-game warm-ups.  Everyone on the team knew him, coaches included. We nicknamed him "Shag," and made a T-shirt for him (which looked more like a dress because it was so big).  Even though Michael didn't really have a choice on whether or not to attend a game, he was always happy to be there.  It was pretty special for me to have my little brother always at the games and rooting for us.

I got married when Michael started high school and did not attend near the amount of games he attended for me. When he was a senior in high school, I was able to get job coaching the JV boys volleyball team at his school. Truth be told, the motivation behind that was to get to hang with him more. We may have heckled and argued a bunch - but hey, we're brothers!

Now, Michael is a senior in college, and last night I had the opportunity to watch him play volleyball at the semi-finals of the national tournament in Iowa.  I haven't been to as many of Michael's college games as I would like, but I'm glad I didn't miss this one, because it was his last.  Michael and I have always been competitive, and seeing as how he has won a national title two years ago, I guess I can admit that he is a better volleyball player than me.  I'm proud of my brother. He's been playing volleyball for at least 10 years. That's a long time to commit to something. 

So Michael, I'm proud of you. You played a great game last night. It's a bummer that I'm not watching another game instead of writing this, but I'm glad I made it out.

I love you brother,

Eric

Codi's first day back at work...

Today was Codi's first day back at work. I'm not sure what she was more worried about, the idea of being back at work, or leaving me alone with the kids. Anika has proven to be a bit difficult at bedtime and usually takes anywhere from 2 to 3 hours to get completely settled and in bed. Codi was worried about bedtime so she asked me to have Holly come over and put Eric to bed.

The kids and I had a great afternoon. Eric was particularly entertaining when Anika woke up from her nap. He was bossing me around and telling me what to do with Anika. "Put her in the bouncer Daddy!" "She needs her nuk, Daddy!" "She wants her bottle Daddy!" It was as if Codi coached him to make sure I did everything right. It was pretty comical.

We went for a long walk to the park, and played there for a while. Holly rode her bike over and hung out with us for a bit. Eric made a new friend and Anika was an angel.  On our walk home, we walked past a youth baseball game. Eric was pretty interested in it so we watched it for a few minutes. I wonder if he'll want to play baseball?  It was hard to look at Eric and think in 12 years he could be playing on that baseball diamond with those kids. I'm in denial that he is going to grow up. 2.5 years old is the coolest age ever and there is a part of me that just wants time to freeze. He is so caring, kind, and considerate. I hope he keeps those qualities as he gets older.

Anyway, it is currently 9:56pm and Anika has been asleep since 7:04. I did have to go in there for 10 minutes around 8, but if she stays asleep until Codi gets home this will be a record. 

I love my kids.

Eric

We're going to the Cottage Daddy!!!

03/31/2011

Today we drove up to the cottage to tackle a pretty big landscaping project. Tilling, leveling, and seeding the "new cottage." Eric, however, just wants to go the cottage to be at the cottage. He seems to have discovered the "mysteries" of the cottage, because he gets so stinkin' excited about it. We weren't 15 minutes into the drive and Eric said, "almost to the cottage Daddy." (Sure thing son, just another 2.5 hours and we'll be there.)  He was cute because along the drive he would periodically ask Codi, "you going to the cottage too mommy?" As I write, I wonder if he thought we were dropping him off?

Eric had a hard time containing his excitement and he couldn't wait to be there and he couldn't wait to see his "Gramps" even though we told him Gramps wouldn't be there until tomorrow.  It kind of makes me wonder if that's how Bud (a.k.a. Gramps) felt when he went to the cottage when he was a little boy.  The cottage is this special place that has Domagata family history right down to the dirt the house sits on.  Because I didn't grow up in the family, I appreciate the sentiment, but I'm not sure I truly understand all that's behind it. Eric and Anika on the other hand, get to be the next generation who get to experience all the cottage has to offer. They are going to grow up with it, and have this deep appreciation for it - at least they better!  This place will forever be a part of them.  They are so blessed (as am I). I think watching Eric's excitement for this place puts things into perspective.  Bud and Holly have built this fantastic "new cottage," and I can't wait to see what the years ahead will be like for my family. Am I going to watch my grandchildren play up here? I think that's our hope - and I'm pretty sure it's Gramma and Gramps's hope as well.

Eric