Wow where has time gone! I feel like I have blinked and two months has gone by. I now really see what people were talking about when they say "enjoy every minute because it goes so fast"!
Where should I start?
Let's start with what you all come here to read about and that is Jordyn and Sawyer!
It's been incredibly fascinating watching these two grow side by side and learning together. What it has really showed us is how different it is to have a little boy and little girl. Their development is very different and they each have their strengths. Let's just say Sawyer has now rightfully earned the nickname "Sawyer the Destroyer" and Jordyn our "little sweetpea thinker".
Sawyer has entered little boy mode where everything needs to be "smashed" with a ever so serious look on his face and if said "object" does not do what he thinks it should down will come the tears...Sawyer also has that million dollar smile that literally is a day changer for many... Having a bad day, take a look at this kids full face smile and it will lighten your day up a bit, I know it does for me! He also has his not so smiley moments where the world is coming to a complete end because he can't figure out how he can "eat his toy dinosaur" or "why his toy dinosaur can't eat him".. Kids... Lol... Sawyer has also discovered furniture walking over the last month (8 months old) and you can't get that kid down and speaking of trying to eat everything... Brett mentioned to to me that yesterday if Sawyer could create his menu for the day it would include the following .... The TV remote, Brett's Cell Phone, The Couch and the Dog (she is a "chocolate" lab, fair enough Sawyer)...
Now to Jordyn.. What a special little girl! Not taking anything away from the equally special Sawyer but she is so special in many different ways. I have told many friends it's amazing to see two kids the same age but one boy and one girl and see how different they are.. We call Jordyn our little thinker... She's incredibly observant and I am convinced she's 15 steps ahead of everyone else in the room. She just soaks everything in. She was the first to say "dada" and is much more verbal with "words" than Sawyer. Jordyn is the type of little lady that will sit on your lap and as you stare into her big blue eyes she will stare right back with the same admiration. These special moments are priceless and nothing else matters at the time. Jordyn has also become quite mobile but not quite as strong as her brother yet.. But not far behind...
Overall these two little ones have been a continued blessing to Brett, I and our family and friends. At the age of nine months the impact they make on people's daily lives simply amazes me... They enrich all our lives and it's such a beautiful thing.
As many of you know Brett and I just got back from New York, which was a trip we won through an incredible Gay Family resource website and Facebook group "Gays with Kids" https://gayswithkids.com . Let's talk for a moment about this group, they offer a tremendous amount of information and resources for Gay Dads and aspiring Gay Dads in several different formats from video, editorial and blog postings from Dads just like me! What a gift to our community to have such a great network within Gays with Kids! They partnered with Orbitz Gay Travel and dealing with Jeff their director of marketing was exceptional and I would highly recommend booking with them!
I would also like to take a moment and thank you all for taking the time and voting for us to win this much needed trip. Their were thousands of you that took the time to vote and share and we are so thankful for that. We would also like to thank Brian and his team @ Gays With Kids and Jeff at Orbitz Gay Travel for putting on this rewarding contest that really highlighted Gay Dads everywhere!
Now to our trip! Wow, what a city New York is.. It was so much more then I could ever imagine. The sheer size was mind blowing and how alive the city was enthralling!
We had the chance to see so many of the "must see's" the city had to offer including the "top of the Rock", Central Park, walked the Brooklyn Bridge, The 9/11 Memorial, Kinky Boots and we even caught a Vancouver Canucks game at Madison Square Gardens to name a few!
Being away from Jordyn and Sawyer for the first time was extremely hard.. I had to remind myself several times that we deserved this time and the kids are going to be ok.. How could they not be ok! They spent 6 days with Grandma Bannister and Aunty Lynda and from the pictures they had an absolutely amazing time.. I was so happy that Sharon (grandma) was able to look after them with Aunty Lynda (Sharon's Sister) for so many reasons.. Sharon lives out of town and does not get a chance to see the kids as much as she would like due to our distance apart and her sister lives all the way in Ontario. Lynda planned her trip around spending these six days with Sharon and our little twins which meant so much to Brett and I.. Sharon and Lynda have a very admirable relationship for any siblings.. It was so cute to see them "co parent" Jordyn and Sawyer while we were gone.. They did such an amazing job I don't even know if Sawyer and a Jordyn noticed we were gone lol!
In closing I wanted to share with you my personal experience within the 9/11 memorial that will stick with me forever. The moment we stepped foot on the grounds these towers once stood I felt something.. My heart became heavy and my appreciation for the air I breath, my children, friends and family became intensified. Here I stood were many stood before just going about their daily lives and then absolute terror broke lose. as Brett and I entered the memorial my heart tightened more as I read and listen to first hand stories from survivors and from those that past. One section within the memorial museum was a large room that had a room within in...once you enter the main room the four walls are filled with thousands of pictures of those who lost their lives on Sept 11th, 2001.. Emotions went on over drive as I look at these pictures and I see people's moms, dads, brothers, sisters, grandparents, aunts, uncles, husbands, wives, children and friends..within this room they had a dark room within it with bench seats all around the edges. Brett and I entered this room and spent quite sometime there.. It was our way to pay our respects to those that were lost and those who lost loved ones. As we sat within this room a name, picture, biography and audio message from a family member would play on the wall. The audio message was a favourite memorie of their lost loved one. With tears running down our face we see the full emotional impact this attack had on so many. With this feeling in my heart I can only imagine the feeling of loss many still feel. After three hours of walking through this incredibly special memorial we left with the love we get to share each and every day, an apreciation that we get to go to bed together each night and wake up to each other every single morning, we get to share laughter and tears and we get to create special moments and memories with those we love.
Walking through this memorial really showed me how "rich" we are, not in material things but in the love we share each and every day with one another , our children and the special people in our lives. So after your done reading my blog today, go tell someone how much you love them and what makes them special to you.. One message I will leave you with is, never take for granted the special moments and time you have with those you love as life can change so quickly and those opportunities can be lost.
Lots of love, blog again soon..
Justin
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