@reiver ⊼ (Charles) 💬

One of my cousins is in the hospital. One of the cousins I knew growing up.

I want to go see him. I am trying to figure out how I can do that.

My (3 year old) daughter helped my wife make dinner yesterday 🙂

She helped make a type of chicken meal.

I feel asleep on a soft mat on the ground (in my home) — I was really tired.

My (3 year old) daughter didn't want to leave me.

Laid near me. Wouldn't leave to go to her bed. 🙂

I played tic-tac-toe with my (4 year old) son and (3 year old) daughter yesterday 🙂

This is the first time we have ever played.

I explained the rules of the game to them. That there is (potentially) a winner in the game. And, how to win.

I played with each of them 🙂

My (3 year old) daughter asked me a question this morning...

...

MY (3 year old) DAUGHTER:

"What is your favorite color, Daddy?"

ME:

"I think it is blue."

MY (3 year old) DAUGHTER:

"No! It's yellow."

...

🙂

My (3 year old) daughter will draw things — and then color it.

I think she has been doing this for a while.

She seems to really enjoy it.

My (4 year old) son seems good at figuring things out.

For example —

He figured out (on his own) how to transform all his transforming toys. Even the ones meant for adults, that have complex transformations.

He figures out (on his own) how to take apart and put together various toys.

When he was very young, he would figure out how to open supposedly "child proof" locks on gates.

Etc.

He has been doing these things for a while. It started well before he was 4 years old. It has been a number of years.

I played "tea party" with my (3 year old) daughter the other day 🙂

She set chairs. Put some of her stuffed (plushy) toys and baby dolls on them. Got a bunch of (plastic) cups. And, we had a (pretend) tea party 🙂

My (4 year old) son saw us playing — so he came over and played, too.

At "Frozen: The Broadway Musical" with my family.

My (3 year old) daughter loves Frozen! Loves it! 🙂

She (my daughter) is wearing an Elsa dress — Elsa is the main character in Frozen.

This is primarily for her (my daughter).

I started teaching my children how to do addition.

Ex:
3 + 2 = ?
2 + 7 = ?

Although, I set them down this path years ago, by teaching then the numbers as a song. And, teaching them to count.

(I used to teach math.)

I just noticed that my (3 year old) daughter went and got a cutting board and a butter knife, and cut-up a banana and ate it.

I wonder how long she has been doing that.

It is Christmas Day.

My children got up late today.

They just finished opening their Christmas gifts 🎄⛄️🎁

They seem pretty happy 🙂

My (4 year old) son and (3 year old) daughter seeing Darth Vader without his suit —

"Is he hurt?"

🙂

My (3 year old) daughter to my mother:

"Don't see the cake."

My mother:

"What cake?"

My (4 year old) son to my mother:

"It is a surprise."

...

I suspect my children don't yet understand what "surprise" means 🙂

We (my family and I) are at one of my kids' friend's birthday parties.

We might let our kids open 1 Christmas gift early. Maybe.

🎄

I noticed my (3 year old) daughter getting food from the refrigerator in our home recently 🙂

Likely she has been doing it for a while — often when I notice a behavior, it isn't the first time.

My (4 year old) son has been doing it (getting food from the refrigerator in our home) for quite a while.

I just remembered that — back in the 1980s, when I was still a kid — my brother and I used to make pretend wrestling championship belts out of cardboard.

We would cut them to shape. And, decorate them with black markers — and sometimes attach pieces of metal to them.

We would often pretend to wrestle.

...

Back then (when we were in elementary school), I even wanted to become a "pro wrestler" when I became an adult. I even had a name for myself to use if I became a wrestler — The Nightmare.


I planned to paint (part of) my face — when pro wrestling.

And, I had a series of special moves that had numbered names: *nightmare №1*, *nightmare №2*, etc.

Before I had kids — I used to weigh-lift regularly.

I think most of the time I had a 6 day weight-lifting schedule with 2 days off.

I hurt myself yesterday lifting something. (Not weight-lifting — just lifting something.)

I think I would have never gotten hurt from that if I were still weight-lifting like I was before.

I've tried weight-lifting regularly again like I did before — multiple times. And, while I have weight-lifted more time this year than I did last year — it isn't regular yet. (I didn't weight-lift much last year, so it wasn't difficult to beat.)

I have found it difficult to do it (weight-lift) regularly again. Not because I don't want to — I actually enjoy weight-lifting. I find it mentally relaxing. And like how I feel afterwards. But because of other things. Probably 2 things.

№1: When my children were very young, I wanted to be there for them and my wife. So, I didn't leave to go to the weight-room.

№2: I work a lot.

My children are a bit older now — which makes many things easier.

And, I think, given that I got hurt from lifting something — I think I really need to find a way to go to the gym regularly again. At least 3 or 4 days a week — if not more.

I hurt myself lifting something yesterday.

This morning, my (4 year old) son came downstairs while I was struggling to eat breakfast in the kitchen.

After I ate, I wanted to get back to the living room.

He (my son) seemed very adamant about helping me 🙂 And, was extra compassionate to me 🙂 — both in his words and his actions.

His (3 year old) sister did similar yesterday 🙂