We’ve had conversations ranging from their love of dictionaries (No, really. That’s how you learn the state capitols and did I know that Uncle Joel lives in the capital of Arizona … which is Phoenix. Just in case.) to what exactly did I mean by “No tattle tailing” and we’ve had plenty of impromptu lessons on division and solving story problems. There has been plenty of drama and screaming and running around outside. The drama has nothing to do with people not getting along and everything to do with five females breathing air in the same 25 feet.

It’s like perfume. Not the scratching your face kind. Just the lovely scent of happiness wrapped tightly within what’s cool or not, pretty and who can do it better.

We took a Short-Bus to the Little Ceasers drive-thru, then went to a t-ball game and ran the caffeine off. Just in time for the sugar overdose of ice cream and then back home for a movie and popcorn, gummy bears, jammies and animal crackers.

I plan to read stories with the most outrageous accents I can come up with later. I’ll be acting out the Sneeches and Are You My Mother? with everything I have.

So far the only project I’ve accomplished is buying the supplies for the Fort Kits as their take-home gifts and putting groceries away so I can be ready for tomorrow morning’s feast for Princesses.

There was plenty of dress-up and reading books, checking out the apartment and having our daughter lead her friends and cousins all over like a tour guide.

I can’t wait for the lights to go out and the giggles (and probably snoring) to heat up. I’ve already heard whispers of the girls telling each-other who they’re in love with. Prince Eric is at the top of that list.

My cup overfloweth.

Dad’s unite! The one day a year where jokes about your wife are laughed at, you can sit on the couch watching sports and eating hot-wings and she’ll swoon at your from afar. The only day of the year that you’re doing nothing is actually a turn on for her. Celebrating fatherhood … the other aphrodisiac.

So what the hell do you get him?

Thats a toughy. Aaron doesn’t wear ties. So ….

For starters I made this:

Which can be downloaded here.

It’ll give the kids something to do with dad without feeling like they have to finger paint yet another card. Which is totally Mothers Day material … but Dads? They need meat. Emotions? Hand prints? Aww … baby kittens. THAT ARE EATEN BY BULLDOGS EVERYWHERE. Give dad a break. He doesn’t know how to tell the kids one more time that this picture of what? is that him? the house? it’s an airplane? Oh of course it is! is a wonderful gesture. Which it is, Billy and Sally. You did great.

Dad just needs to lie down and have his Scotch via I.V. before the days events begin.

Let’s put Political-Correctness aside for one day and shout about how awesome testosterone is. You like them apples? OH YES YOU DO.

So, now that we’re all on the same page about our 1940′s MadMen style father figure. Let’s buy Him the gifts.

He drinks coffee every morning and by 1pm he’s not sure if he’s ready for another espresso or just a tilt of the wrist of something stronger. You married an entrepreneur 101: Stress is what’s for lunch.

Source: urbanoutfitters.com

The guy walked the 100 mile forest of the Appalachian Trail for crying out loud. I bet he still likes adventures. I also bet there’s a Zipline near you. Is he afraid of heights? Oh, I’m sorry – the conversation about what to get Him for Fathers Day is over here.

Source: notventures.notcot.org

Last Valentines when you finally bought something new for the “special drawer” he was pleased. As always. I’m willing to bet though that seeing you in short shorts with one of his old college T’s and some awesome orange converse shoes on one of these? Tops that special drawer … and you won’t even be naked. Take him down the hill you’ve always coughed at when he reports his route to you? Emergency room bill notwithstanding … you just renewed your wedding vows, the guy is reminded all over again why you’re the one he wanted to have kids with.

Source: etsy.com

He doesn’t have a ton of hobbies? Not into football, golf is boring, the occasional hiker, would bike on a league if he had time, doesn’t have a gym membership because he doesn’t have time? I’m guessing you probably don’t own a boat then either. You could rent one just for Fathers Day. (We did that a couple years ago) and spend the afternoon on the water, with or without kids.

That could be a budget booster though, too. So maybe you can just bring the dingy from the junk pile out back into your living room and dress up Junior as the pirate. Serve fish for lunch, watch something boaty or fishy on TV and have a nerf gun water fight for dessert.

Source: littlelovely.typepad.com

And at the end of the day of longboarding, zipling or boating he has room for one more surprise you can get away with this.

Source: deskstore.com

After he sees all the thought you put into the One Day All About Him he’ll be sure to finally say yes to hosting that Wine and Cheese Party you’ve been talking about for months. Which he’ll be ok with because at least the decanter does cool shit.

If at the end of the 17th of June you still have no idea what to buy him? Try replacing his tennis shoes, buying him car washes, lotto tickets or a certificate for an interior car cleaning. He’s always wanted to try lobster? Make it. You want to cash in on the Christmas money and buy him that new tech-thing … I bet he’ll appreciate it. Letting him off the hook for lawn-care this week or putting the kids to bed while he reads yesterdays paper for the rest of the month … those count to.

Whatever you do for the Father in your life – whether that means you had children with him, he raised you, is 1/2 your DNA, married in to raising your kids, or is a really special man in your life: treat him right, respect him. And break the personal barrier – give that guy a hug.

Then slap him. Of course. And dare him to drink the entire bottle of Screaming Ass Hot Sauce.

Beer’s will be on ice by the grill.

I’m making her cake. Crazy, I know. Here’s the recipe for the cake I made and this is the frosting. (Scroll for frosting)

For the filling I’m going with fresh strawberries.

Here’s the inspiration I took for the wedding cake (from pinterest of course)

Source: weddings.theknot.com

Source: hellolucky.com

Source: my-wedding-concierge.com

The cake is only for the bride and groom so it’s not huge, although I did go with 4 layers, so ok … it’s kinda big. It’s tall It’s a wedding after-all! Every bride deserves a little height on their wedding day.

The big reveal will come after they’ve seen it (so tomorrow). Can’t wait to see how the inside looks.

Anyone else ever make a wedding cake before? Leave a comment and tell me your favorite cake/your own wedding cake memories!

Anything special on my Life List? Should we do a dance on camera and post it online? Submit our entire story to Dave Ramsey? Drive on down to his show and yell on air?

Leave a comment and tell me, in your wildest dreams (within budget of course!) what would YOU do to celebrate being debt free??!

You’ll be the first to know and it’s getting seriously close. How are we going to ring in this occasion? And will you ring it with me?

It boggles me.

He is pure. Pure love. Pure happiness. Pure joy.

The boy loves dirt but is afraid of bugs. Unless his sister is collecting worms … then he’ll watch. But not touch!!!

He requested a TRACTOR birthday with a DANCE party. We delivered on the Tractor portion of the festivities and just let him bounce around to the rhythm inside of him all day long.

As we celebrated his vivacious love for the life that he breathes into everyone around him we watched him make dreams and wishes and friends.

Before our eyes he’s becoming more than a baby, more than a boy. He’s becoming Him.

Happy Birthday, tadpole.

I’m embarrassed to say that we didn’t make it down for any of the Tulip Time festivities this year. Boo hiss. But we still ate well

And busied my helper with something, anything to keep him from pretending to be a “baby kitty”. Which sounds like a flamingo in heat. Weird.

Pop corn kernels and a few kid friendly utensils and I made dinner with relatively litter interference. Thats what we call a Pro Tip.

The rest of the weekend was a wonderful blur of birthdays, showers and a girls’ day.

Walks in the park after rain … one of my favorite things ever.

I mentioned last week that I would be posting more cooking how to’s “tomorrow” (at the end of the post) and I needed you all to think we were business as usual over here because I was planning an entire day of birthday madness for my mom.

And she reads this here silliness. Couldn’t have the surprise foiled on the birthday girl.

Not that you needed an explanation but I did want to let you know I currently have 3 more in my arsenal coming your way.

Be prepared for Pork Chops by way of Molly’s kitchen, roasting asparagus and Curry and Rice. Plus some other randomness. As usual.

The last few years I’ve had this dream of picking up my kids from their last day of school and taking off for a week without knowing where we were going.

This dream takes place in a vintage Ford pick up. Not unlike the one you see pictured above. Details on this car (and photo credit) can be found here.

For some reason I’ve always pictured a green or greenish/blue pick up … but this vintage cream one will do. It has the big cab with awkward pleather upholstery, huge steering wheel and roll down windows.

I mean, seriously. This is awesome. Throw a tent in the back and a bag of clothes. Make a pit stop at every roadside stand with a box of oranges or peaches. Drink sweet tea on porches by moonlight and let my daughter man the camera all the while.

We’ll sing old timey songs, buy ridiculously too-big sun glasses and sun hats, drive with her feet perched outside the window and drink from striped straws every chance we get.

I want to make it as far away as possible without actually getting anywhere. Maybe we’ll drive 20 miles in the span of 5 hours – stopping at every grassy knoll to pick flowers, have a pic-nic or browse junk piles on the road.

We’ll stop at every “Worlds Largest!” tourist trap, spontaneously swim in un-found creeks with baby waterfalls. We’ll talk.

We’ll hold hands.

We’ll have bubble gum contests and cry from laughing so hard. We’ll perfect peeing on the side of the road.

We’ll stay off the mainstream highways, promising each other to look for every dead end and take it. We’ll learn how to change oil, change a tire and what the heck a serpentine belt is. We’ll BUY belts and boots and doo-rags for our back pockets, then abandon the truck a mile from a station and walk there … for fun.

We’ll have to buy a gas can.

Because we can.

Kindergarten is almost over, it’d be just me and her. Her and I. Together. With sunshine and flip flops and an old, trusty Ford forging the way to a dream come true.

Should I do it? Would you?

**Who wants to buy me the car and sponsor the trip?

So, are we having fun? Yes. Amazing fun, I can’t even explain it or tell you about it yet. I just need to marinate in the past week before I have anything besides “YAY!” to say.

I will say that our camping adventure turned out to be quite the actual adventure. We ended up camping only one night and not at the place that was planned originally. No, no. We camped just miles from the Mexico/Arizona border with Border Patrol cars cruising up and down the dirt roads every hour or so. With a sign in the camp site that warned travelers to beware of the illegal immigrants and drug trafficking that occurred in the area.

Lets just say that I didn’t sleep well.

And ok, I have something to say about this because it was fun. Camping for the first time with my kids on top of for the first time with my brother – the stuff of my dreams people. But I haven’t been camping in a veeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrry long time. Long long time. 6 years.

So ok, whatever. No big deal. I’ll just take both my kids out in the middle of nowhere, with no service, near an international border and sleep outside.

Sounds awesome.

I would have done better the second night having one underneath my belt but we got rained out.

Instead of fishing, we went to the zoo. Instead of campfire food we made little pizzas in the oven and ate in the living room. Instead of s’mores? We’ve just been eating chocolate.

Obviously.

I’ll have more to share, photos for you to see and memories to document in a couple days. We jet home tomorrow morning and try to switch our clocks from Pacific time-zone to Eastern in a short afternoon to be ready for normal life again on Wednesday.

I’ll need some coffee. And a maid.

There have been and will be a lot of firsts on this trip …

# First time I ever traveled across country by road trip with my dad alone.

# First time I ever spent a whole day with my brother – went to work with him, then on a mountain bike ride, and then to band practice.

# First time in Arizona, seeing Sedona and it’s beautiful mountains.

# My sons first time on a horse.

# Our first time camping together (my sons first time ever and daughters that she’ll remember) with fishing and tenting and starry night skies.

# My first time visiting a sibling.

And on and on. It’s been full of memories so far, conversations, moments that you want to keep forever.

Camping this weekend! A first for our son and not that our daughter remembers – but we went once when she was 6 months old. I think it’s time.