And September is almost over.........

It's been a crazy month. I was on leave for a while and got to hang out with my little family. Frankly I was spoiled. I returned to work and to one of the most demanding jobs I have ever undertaken. I miss spending the time at home with Mel, Zoe, and Teagan. Speaking of the little monkey, he just hit 8 weeks old and is so precious. I look at him and I see the future. Don't get me wrong, I see that in Zoe as well, just differently because she is getting so old already.

 10. Zoe will be 10 years old this November! Sometimes I can hardly believe that it's already been 10 years since she joined our world. My God, where has the time gone? One minute I am chasing high school girls around after school, the next I am in the mountains of South West Asia chasing the Taliban, and 2 seconds ago I met the love of my life Melissa. This life is so short when you look at things through the lens of your children.

The new job is hard but it is a very fulfilling job. I finally feel that I am back in a real leadership position again. Being a team leader was a leadership position, but you don't actually get to lead. I guess you would have to know what I am talking about to get it. At the new job I have so much more authority over the day to day operations of the unit, and I thrive as a leader under pressure. I love motivating young NCOs to do their best and grow as leaders.

Anyway, enough about work. September has been a whirl wind month, full of baby visits, outdoor activities, and new beginnings. Our little family is growing and getting used to the new routines. I am so proud of Melissa  for the way she has handled everything, and of Zoe for being so flexible and sharing her Mom and Dad time with Teagan. Someday I hope I can really show them how much they mean to me and how powerful of an influence they are on my life and day to day decisions.

The Cardinals just won against the Astros to tie up the wild card race with the Braves. One more game left in the regular season. Come on Cards, get another win for us!

Wake me up when September ends..........

A month ago Melissa gave birth to our beautiful son Teagan. The little guy had a rough go at first with not putting on weight but boy is he now! He is up to 8lbs 12 ozs as of two days ago! I stopped by today and picked up Colin Meloy's first book, WILDWOOD. Hopefully this becomes a monthly tradition, picking up a new book for our family to read together. They say children who grow up in households with lots of books do better in their studies, however Freakenomics disproved that theory. Either way, it allows for great bonding time and sets a good example for kids to follow. The little guy has brought such a light into our lives. I didn't even know it was possible to have more happiness in my life, but he has shown me that you can never be too happy. It will be kinda cool having one kid in college and one kid in Little League when I retire.

I cleaned out my desk at work today. Kind of a weird feeling really. I am moving over to take over a station not far from where I currently work. New challenges, new faces, new experiences. Melissa and I are prepared for the change and she is being so supportive of my career choices. I will hate to not be working around the people I will be leaving behind, but relationships have been forged which will last a lifetime. I hope that when the time comes for change in our children's lives they will be as adaptable as we have learned to be.

With the first of September right around the corner I can't help but remember the 11th. Such a bittersweet day for me, as it is associated with 9/11 but it is also a day Melissa and I celebrate every month cause we met on August 11th. I will never forget, nor will anyone, that day when our world changed.......

On another note Grandma Stanfill has been in town for a week now. She has been such a huge help and it has been nice spending more time with her outside of the crammed schedule of a vacation. She is becoming one of my favorite people around, if only for her happy attitude and lust for life. She is truly a role model for our daughter Zoe. She has had a good life and raised three wonderful children. I can only hope to be half as successful!

Melissa and I are going on our first date tonight since the little guy has joined us. We are hitting up D.C. Cobbs for some great veggie burgers, pretzel twists, and maybe a beer or two. Good thing we can walk home!

That's the news folks........