Oh God...I Need a Gun!

These boys won't let me hold my peace, already.

Sunday Go To Meeting Hat

This morning was long it seemed. I wanted to be out of the house by a quarter to ten, but sleep felt good and I wanted more of it. We were finally all set to go at about ten o'clock. That is when I mentioned to Mommy that C.J. should wear her white hat with her cute dress today. So we got the hat out, put it on her and CJ has now officially been labeled a "Hat Wearer", even at this young age. She accompanies her hat with a fabulous smile.

C.J. shared some jasmine rice with Daddy today. I was eating my dinner and she looked over at me so I decided to share. Now that she is getting a little bigger I want to share different foods with her. I have to be careful though, I have to make sure things are not heavily seasoned and that they are soft so she will not choke on them. Her introduction to pancakes is coming soon.

Also today C.J. and Jaylen got to play together. She was a little mean, though. She tried to run him over in her walker. They were both having issues with sharing...they try their best but have a little ways to go. I mentioned today that it feels weird but they will be in school at the same time.

That is about it today. C.J. has taken off her hat and is now being difficult as she is in her crib. She should be asleep but I guess tonight may be one of her nights to cause a ruckus. So you all continue praying for quiet nights in the household. We know that prayer changes things, people, and situations.

Make Up Day

I remember in elementary school we took the California Achievement Test. This test would begin on Monday morning and end on Thursday. If you missed a day during the week you would have to make the day up the following week. Well I missed a post yesterday. I was out having a grand old time with some old friends and did not get in until this morning. Now I will confess I am getting older because I used to be able to rebound quickly from a night like that, but now it is quarter to nine at night, and I am still feeling the effects of only having four hours of sleep. This morning I had a meeting at eight and needed to drop Mommy off someplace, so I needed to leave a a little earlier than I normally would have.

So if I dropped Mommy off, who had C.J.? Daddy is the answer, my people. You guessed right. With only four hours of sleep and after a very long week, Daddy had to step up to the plate today. I would say that I hit the ball out the park. I would also say, "THANK GOD FOR MOMMY AND MOTHERLY INSTINCT." What mothers do, no wait, what C.J.'s mom does, no even better, what MY BABY (she was mine first) does is magnificent. I needed to eat and had to change my order at breakfast so I could manage C.J. and my food. Then the clean ups, and the chasing, the feedings, and the changing, the changing, OMG I could have thrown the towel in. But I come from good stock, and have been prepared well for this line of business.

So Daddy and C.J. had a make up day today. We hung out this morning and then caught back up with Mommy, and of course C.J. was the victor of the shopping sweepstakes today. She always is. I am going to fight for my crown back real soon. So we strolled around the mall and C.J. is sitting up like a big girl now...no more bringing the carrier in the mall with us. Soon that piece of equipment will be laid to rest in the Johnson home. I saw a suitable bathing suit for C.J. so we picked that up today. I think Daddy should be the one to pick all bathing suits out. I do not believe some of the stuff I saw, and furthermore can not believe that someone would put a baby in some of them. I will speak on that at another time because last night I saw little girls dancing as if they were fresh off the pole. The sad thing is that one of the mother's (no let me call it what it is, a girl who has a child) took her kid up there on stage. I just shook my head and told a friend that C.J. was off to the convent.

So the make up day has been great. Daddy and C.J. went to a breakfast meeting, played tag on the floor, and jammed down the highway. Daddy also made sure his Princess, even as a child, is adorned as such. So now I am gonna call it a day. You all keep praying. The stuff from the kids last night, I am talking elementary aged kids, too. We know that prayer is the only thing that can change things, people and situations.

What A Day, What A Day!

Already running late the flat tire on my truck was the last thing I expected to find or need. The reality is that, yet again, my tire was messed up. Of course I was VERY, VERY upset. I have put so much money in that truck, and it seems like every time I turn around, there is something new needing to be repaired. After looking back at it, I have to thank God for having another car to hop into that was already gassed up and ready to go. There goes those traveling mercies we pray for daily. I was able to get C.J. safely to the babysitter and get to work. That is what matters to me most. The interesting thing is that my Princess slept through the entire fiasco. It would be a good thing too because I will admit that I had a cussing fit that she needed not to hear. Since she has been in my life, cussing has almost become obsolete from my mouth. A Princess being born will do that for you.

So now I go through a productive day at the office and I come out ready to commute back north, and I see a ticket on my car. $50 for having a flat tire and needing to drive your spare to work. I called campus police immediately, and they instructed me on how to appeal the ticket. That made me simmer a bit, but I did not boil over. So I get up north and get to the babysitter on time to pack C.J. up and carry her out to the car. The next automobile dilemma...a check engine light. That is right. Now my spare car is acting up. The only problem is I can not get the hood up to check anything so my mind starts to wander. How will Mommy get to work tomorrow? How will C.J. get to the sitter? How will I get the tire I need for the truck? How will I get to the bank? I honestly had resigned myself to waiting until the morning and wishing the light would mysteriously go out on its own, but thought later on that would not be fair to Mommy since she still needed to get to work and C.J. needed to be at the sitter. They love her there, and anticipate her coming daily. So with a determined HEART (as I said my head was made up to wait), for C.J. and Mommy, I went outside (I hope you all know I know very little about cars) and tried over and over again to get the hood to the car up. I called my dad for advice; I will admit that. Finally I got it up and checked the oil. That is taking a stick out and wiping it so I can handle that well enough. I was almost out, which as my father said, could be the cause of the light coming on. So I nursed the car to the gas station and put a few quarts in. As I came back home on my final turn the light went out. Whew, we live to fight another day, Daddy and the "Hoopdie Deluxe"!

Now this all occurred on a Thursday, which is C.J. and Daddy bath night. Of course we keep that going. Tonight I bathed her, "Eucerined" her up and prayed with her. I also read about the Berlin Wall to her. I know what you are thinking...What strange reading material. Well you must understand that my Princess is 12.5% German as her Great-Grandmother was German. Daddy believes that it is important that C.J. learns about all aspects of who she is. So C.J. will always have diverse educational experiences. I want her to be able to build the uniqueness that she has within and the only way for her to build is by exposing her to all she is. After reading I put her down and she was asleep within ten minutes tonight...Good job Daddy!

So I learned that the devil is busy, and if you continue to Praise God, he will continue to throw daggers and in my tire he literally threw one. What I have to condition myself is to automatically see the Praise opportunity instead of needing the day to pass before I remember that God blessed me with another vehicle and I did not have to miss a day of work. God is GREAT and GREATLY to be PRAISED. You all continue to pray. We know that prayer changes things, people, and situations. I think I fit into every category tonight so stay on those knees a few more minutes on my behalf!

Galatians 6:7-9

OK, I bet you are wondering why a scripture for a title. Do not be scared...go ahead and read it. Tonight Daddy left his Princess yet again and went to the last night of revival at church. The message was "Don't Give Up!" What I took from it was that I have to wait on the Lord and continue to sow good. In God's time I will reap good. I need to sow faithfulness and devotion in my marriage so I can reap endless love. I must sow love, care, support, opportunity, experiences, and education into Princess C.J. so one day I will reap a successful strong black woman. I must sow hard work and dedication at my job so I can continue to sow success career wise.

The message was so on time for me because I needed the reminder to wait on the Lord. I have allowed impatience to seep in but tonight I got the spark I needed to drive it out and allow patience to return to its rightful place in my spirit. Now you might ask what this has to do with C.J. Well, when her foundation is secure, she has the ability to stand without wavering. The message of the scripture lesson will help her along the way one day and I am glad it will be her Daddy that provides it for her. So go on and continue praying folks, prayer STILL and ALWAYS will change things, people, and situations.

April 27th Another Late Night

You are correct, it is 11:00pm and I am just getting in. Tonight I had to work up North in Livingston. As usual I dropped Mommy and CJ off on my way so I would not have to backtrack and lose time. No one would have thought that this fair would last so long. I mean I was so busy that they began to turn the lights out on some of the families still around. It was a good night at work but it wore Daddy out even more.

When I finally arrived to pick up CJ and Mommy I heard them both before I saw them. They were calling hogs! I left the car running thinking they would be ready. When I saw they were not I quickly strapped CJ and and got back to the car in a hurry. At least it was warm for them. I knew CJ was really sleep because she did not even blink when I moved her from her Grandmother to the carriers or from the carrier to the crib. Usually she would wake up to great her Daddy but that is OK, I want her to get her rest too.

These late nights are soon coming to an end. Simply because all the school will be out so their will be no evening fairs. Prayerfully the number of late nights out will change due to another calling. Lets keep praying! We know that effort will change things, people, and situations!

NOTE TO CJ: The nights get long sometime but you have to always keep trucking when duty calls. Hard work always pays off!

Something Has To Give

OK, so with babies you have to be prepared for all the changes that happen. One day C.J. is the sweetest little girl on the planet. The next day, she is not. The funny thing is that she can change from hour to hour, which has been the case from the time we pick her up from the babysitter to the hour when we attempt to put her to bed. Now I will denote that C.J. still blesses us by sleeping through the night. She has had sympathy on us since she was a little lad. However, know when bedtime comes she acts as if she does not want to go to sleep. We really try to get her down early because we know she must start her day much earlier than the normal almost nine-month-old child.

The problem with her not going to sleep is that she is loud about it. So loud that one would think that we are doing something mean to her from the sound. The reality is that it is quite the opposite. She usually has been bathed, fed, read to, prayed with, and laid in a very comfortable crib. She has no reason to be as loud and unruly as she is. Daddy usually can not take it and will go in the room to try and comfort her and then after he leaves Mommy will do the same. We both hate to hear her cry and get fussy but as Mommy says, "We can not let her play us."

So we have a 90% united front. Daddy still has a weakness but is growing out of it. As I always say, "That is my little girl and I am always going to be partial to her." I do not want to create a monster (some may say that I am already working from behind, but I am just enjoying being a Daddy and having a Daddy's girl) so I know I have to be cognizant of how I respond to her. So, on that note, be sure to pray for me as I continue to grow as a father. Pray for C.J. too because Mommy said she's gonna have to get kicked out if she continues to have these bedtime manners. We all KNOW that prayer changes things, people, and situations, even C.J.'s bedtime practices.