Annie and Emma unbuckled their seat belts and tried to be the first to sit next to me. It was time for our “pre-preschool” parking lot conversation. We had been talking about Christmas on the drive over and they were offering some final thoughts. Annie squeezed her tush between the seats, sat down and said, [...]

“So I’m not four anymore?” “No, Annie. You’re five now. Happy Birthday!” For weeks Annie and Emma have been talking about how they would soon be five years old. Now that the day is here, they seem a tiny bit wistful pondering that being five means they are no longer four. I understand that. We [...]

[audio:http://www.asliceoflifetogo.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/09/01-The_Challenge_Of_Parenting.mp3] Before we have kids, parenting is a black and white process. Like a textbook or a flow chart you put on the refrigerator door. On any particular issue, if “yes” follow this arrow. If “no”, follow this arrow. But then the baby comes and you realize babies don’t read books and they don’t do [...]

For the past few years I’ve worked a part-time job at the Team Shop in America West Arena. It’s where the NBA’s Phoenix Suns and the Arena Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play. Like airports, it’s a venue that allows one to observe all sorts of human behavior and interaction. Anytime there are 10,000 plus people [...]

[audio:http://www.asliceoflifetogo.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/09/BuildingARockPileToRemember.mp3] What will your kids be looking at in the picture albums when they become adults? Children learn what they live. What kind of environment are we creating for our children? What are we doing to help them develop a sense of identity and place? How do we teach our kids about God and His [...]

Stop. Look. Listen. Sound advice for drivers approaching railroad tracks. It’s also good advice for parents. At 11:30 this night I stopped, looked and listened in the doorway of my babies’ nursery. Opening the door slowly, I peeked in. Maybe it was fatigue from a long day at work or maybe it was a reflective [...]

It was relatively quiet for a late afternoon at the Omaha airport. I was waiting out a two hour layover, pondering the price of a Diet Coke and cookie I had just purchased. “$5.80? Pardon me, miss, but is there a major league baseball game going on behind this counter?” She gave me an “I [...]

Last week I got to take my girls to play group for the first time. Usually it’s the Mommy that takes kids to play group but this day Daddy got to go. It was great fun to watch all the little ones play. It was at the Kaylor’s and we had an Easter egg hunt. [...]

Last February I took my Dad to a Phoenix Suns game. We had a great time even though the Chicago Bulls weren’t the toughest opponent. When you go to a game with your Dad, it doesn’t really matter who’s playing. Early in the 2nd quarter, a young family showed up to occupy the empty seats [...]

They played quietly by the couch, behind their Aunt Cora’s large black antique trunk that serves as a coffee table in the living room. On the other side of the trunk, Christmas chaos. There were 22 people in the house this holiday night. Children made up 50% of that number and accounted for 96% of [...]

Tonight was bath night for the girls. Just like every other bath night. It begins with them in their high chairs. Goldfish crackers in the crease of their shirts and peaches in their hair. Sweet, sticky faces with baby tooth grins. They signal dinner is over by backhanding their mostly empty sippy cups onto the [...]