It hasn't really been fall here yet. For those of you who are not here, we have had the worst drought in the history of The Great State of Texas this year. We broke the number of days over 100 degrees, and several other records that we didn't enjoy breaking. As I write this it is 10:18 p.m. and it's still 80 degrees on October 12th. That's insane. I must admit, it has cooled down considerably and we have been able to have the windows open at night. That is awesome. It even rained a little last weekend.
What have the boys been up to? Well, they have been discovering new things. They have discovered what it is like to pull all the pots and pans out of the cabinets and beat them against the floor. They know how to push the furniture around to where it best suits the little guys. They scream at the top of their lungs out of sheer joy. The steal things from each other and laugh when you tell them "No". They make sounds of all types. They talk to each other in some strange language that only they understand. They fall down. A lot. It's tough growing up.
They do things like this:
Just hanging out and watching some TV. That's it. No big deal.
Carrie and I both work full time from home at this point which is nice. Grandma Ethel comes over and takes care of the boys so we can be in the office and get work done. It's pretty cool, cause anytime we want we can go see what the boys are up to. It's definitely hectic around here. We work at least ten hours a day, and in between all that we have boys to take care of and hang out with.
I have found a few interesting changes that have taken place for me personally. First of all, I used to be a total psycho about my front yard. I put fertilizer on it four times a year. I was on the Scott's Lawn Program, and I was crazy about it. I sharpened my mower blade before each cutting. I bagged the grass and raked the lawn afterward. I even roped off a little section and I would verbally assault anyone stupid enough to walk on my yard. I mowed it on the highest sitting and trimmed it with military precision. I hand watered the yard. My yard was immaculate. Friends used to make fun of me. I didn't care. I have lots of friends. I only have the one lawn.
Now, I couldn't care less what the lawn looks like, and I can tell you that it is dead. Completely dead. I mowed it twice all year on the lowest setting and I hated every second of it. Check out this picture.
See how bad it is. I don't care at all. It can die even more and I wouldn't care. Is it possible for a lawn to die further. I don't think so, but it can. I don't care. Turn to dust. Why did this happen you ask? I'm not sure. First of all, I felt that fertilizing the yard was bad for the environment. All those chemicals going into the water supply can't be good. Besides that, we had a drought and it was against the law to water your yard. Fine with me. The yard has looked that way all year.
The other thing I don't are about is our swimming pool. I have been trying to talk Carrie into letting me fill it up with dirt. I'm going to have to put a fence up around it next week to keep the boys out of it. I used to enjoy cleaning it and making it look nice. Whatever it was that made me crazy about the lawn and the pool went away. It evaporated from my body as if it never existed. Who was that guy?
These are just the things I notice.
I'm sure there are other things that have changed about me that I don't even think about. Time doesn't seem to move in the same way anymore. Things that used to seem so important are now trivial. I guess if I had to put my finger on it, each moment seems a little more precious than it used to.
There are three things in the yard that I did work very hard to keep alive.
When the boys were in the NICU, before Carrie came home from the hospital, I planted three crepe myrtles in the front yard. One for each boy. I made a little garden of sorts. I sacrificed a bit of what was my precious lawn. I wanted to do something to signify the birth of the boys and make Carrie smile.
The crepe myrtles survived the drought. They thrive in the Texas heat. They are actually dwarf crepe myrtles that won't get very tall. They are very pretty when they are in full bloom, and thanks to the diligent watering, they bloomed all summer and continue to do so.
Their counterparts are blooming also.
This is Cash.
This is Cade.
This is Zane.
I have been all over the place and played the guitar for amazing crowds and amazing people.However, this is easily the greatest crowd I have played a note for.
This is Cash, who along with his brothers and me, and even their Mom were extremely disappointed in the way the Boston Red Sox fell apart in September. Cash still wanted to wear Dad's Red Sox hat with pride.
People ask us if they have different personalities. That's a silly question. They are three different people and I don't give it much thought. Of course they do. They are loud, demanding, inpatient, and dramatic. For those of you that know their parents this will come as no surprise. They also love to laugh and love to play. They are extremely loving and affectionate little boys. There is no feeling quite like walking into their room in the morning and turning on their light. They go crazy. They jump up and down in their cribs, laugh and smiling. They can't wait to start another day. I try and rotate which one I pick up first every morning. They don't seem to care. They don't have a care in the world and that's awesome. I want to keep it that way for them as long as possible.
Now a note for the boys when they are 15 years old.
Dear Boys,
I want you to look at this picture. This is how much you used to like me.
Love,
Dad
Who needs a yard?
