Sleep is optional

Hola - for those of you with kiddies you will understand and for those of you who are contemplating pro-creating please take this post in the spirit in which it is intended.

Parenting is the hardest job of all time - Obama or McCain will have it easy running the Country compared to running a household.
This may sound really bad coming from a father of 2 of the most beautiful, fun, annoying, loud, smelly, inconsolable, happy, playful, inconsiderate, loving, charming, humorous, intelligent, stubborn, forgetful, selective, obsessive, messy, warm and caring kids of all time. For you rookie parents out there (I myself am merely a 3 year veteran) you will inevitably come to a moment of clarity, a sort of self realization that you in fact are not in charge of anything. Despite the title of "Parent" or "Head of household" maybe even "Mr. Boss Man" you will realize that you have absolutely no control. For instance Sofia, my 12lb 9 week old baby will run this house with her eyes closed and mouth open, she dictates the lives of 2 full grown adults with professional level experience, college degrees, 5 years of marriage and 3 previous years of parenthood with Daniel. If she decides that Eileen or I should not sleep then so be it all it takes is a simple whimper or loud scream in the middle of the night, or she will dictate our eating schedule by remaining a perfect angel until the moment that our eating utensils touch our dinner plates. These are a few examples of the power that this little darling wields at any given moment.
To sum it up: I am merely stating that parents are both the luckiest and unluckiest of all God's creatures. I count it a blessing to have 2 children that I call "my own". When I lose sight of this blessing and get to the point of jumping out of a window I think about the fact that God in all His infinite wisdom, power, love, patience, and forgiveness (among other things) chooses to utilize these attributes by adopting me and billions of others into his family. It is hard to imagine the volume of parenting skills required to be the PERFECT parent to humanity. This simple truth helps me get through it - it definitely doesn't make it easier but it helps.

So to my Heavenly Father - Thanks for putting up with me...thanks for choosing to deal with someone who has probably drove you crazy time and time again, I ask that you help me realize when I am moving away from your will... oh and one more thing if you can help us out by keeping Sofia asleep at least 6-7 consecutive hours a night that would be great.

Hillbillies vs Mexicans

Ok so My family and I have been in Little Rock for about 10 months now...needless to say it is a different scenario altogether. Here are some distinctions of the South that I have notice during my short tenure here.

• In Little Rock when someone says "bless your heart" it is not good. example: "that guy just lost his job...oh bless his heart" , "your just dumber than a box of rocks...oh bless your heart" , "your twin brother is so ugly...oh bless your heart" - are you getting the vibe here?
• Tornado sirens serve as "white noise" during the midnight hours.
• Insects are larger and louder and stop at nothing to irritate you.
• Somehow, someway Mexicans still end up bussing tables, cleaning offices and providing their agricultural expertise.
• A long commute is considered anything longer than 12 minutes long.
• Fast food places do not stock ketchup on a regular basis.
• People don't understand sarcasm and more often than not they end up looking at you blankly (like the people in the movie Men in Black who have just been zapped by that red laser thingy) until you snap your fingers or you re-word your last statement.
• Bad service should be expected - not because people are rude but rather because the 2 - 3 braincells they have can't work together long enough to figure out what you are asking "bless their heart".
• Complaining about the extremely poor service quality in any capacity is like calling a retarded kid for double dribbling on the basketball court - you just have to let it go.
• Walmart started here in Arkansas...
• White people in Arkansas love them some cheese dip.
• When someone suggests a "good mexican food restaurant" it means that the restaurant serves cheese dip , chicken flutas and ground beef tacos.
• Women love to accessorize anything and everything.
• Big hair is so in style.
• Stopping at red lights is for tourists.
• People are nice to you and will have meaningful conversations with you at the drop of a hat.
• For many people brushing their teeth is optional.
• People go to church!
• If you are a guy who doesn't have a boat, fishing pole or hunting gear then you are pretty much S.O.L.

With all that being said - Little Rock is a great experience for the family - people here are genuinely nice and take you in like family. We can't wait to see what's in store for us in the future but Little Rock has and may continue to be a great place to raise the little kiddos.