Columbus Commons Family Fun Day

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We are always on the look out for inexpensive things to do with the kids around town…and sometimes it is not easy! Hell, just going to McDonalds will run a family of four $20+ these days.

So when I heard about the Columbus Commons Family Fun Day, I was excited. It is free to walk around and look, but what fun is that? It only costs $5 per kid for an all day pass to all of the activities.

Instead of rambling on about what a good deal it was, how about I share some pictures to show how much the kids enjoyed it!!!

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Say Cheese!

I promised, a few posts (and weeks) ago that I would put up some of the pics from our latest photo session with Lotz Photography.  These are some of my favorite shots yet of our family, and Ace in particular!  He is becoming the little-man-of-1000-faces.  Enjoy… 😀

A Scary First…

DadThing has been filled with stories about Ace’s firsts.  From his first step to his first night with no bottle.

However, something happened this weekend that was a first for me.  It was not nearly as happy a time as when Ace rolled over for the first time.  I spent my first ever night in the hospital.

I have had a problem with my heart since I was in junior high school, but no doctor could ever tell me what it was.  I have had multiple EKGs, Echoes, stress tests, you name it…and they all come back normal.  I swear the doctors thought I was making stuff up.

Ya see, sometimes, especially when I exert myself, my heart goes crazy.  It beats really hard and with no real rythym.   Sometimes I feel like I’m going to pass out and I almost always have to sit down until my heart calms down a bit.  Usually I can get it to stop within 10 minutes or so with some techniques I have discovered over the years, but not Saturday night.  After about 3 hours I drove myself to the emergency room.

I did not feel bad.  There was no pain, I did not feel faint or anything.  I just knew that something was not right.   I walked up to the ER receptionist and told her that I would like to be seen for a rapid and irregular heart beat.  She took my name and social security number and I immediately went back for an EKG.

The nurse doing the EKG seemed very urgent and I immediately went into triage to have my vitals checked.  My blood pressure was high and my heart rate was 180 beats per minute.  A normal heart rate is around 70 beats per minute.  Yikes!  The triage nurse, said “Wait right here.  You are next to be seen.”

I did not pass GO, did not collect $200, and went directly to an ER bed where I was immediately stuck with an IV, had X-Rays, and then lied there for a few hours hoping the medicine would make my heart beat normally.  The urgency of everyone in the ER was kind of frightening. 

This has been happening to me for over 15 years now and I had become used to living with it, but I guess it really was something serious…atrial fibrillation.

About 6 hours later I was admitted to the hospital.  After another 4 hours of lying in the hospital bed hooked to heart monitors a nurse rushed in my room as she yelled into her phone, “I need an EKG STAT!!”  I thought that something bad had happened.  I thought my heart had really gone crazy and I was in trouble…

However, she then looked at me and smiled.  “You converted!!”  My heart beat had converted back to a normal sinus rhythm.  This was a good thing because if the medicine did not convert me, they would have had to shock my heart with the paddles….while I was awake and alert. 

I had to stay in the hospital for another day in observation to make sure that my heart did not go back into atrial fibrillation again, and to also make sure I did not have a stroke (a side effect of being in atrial fibrillation for an extended period of time).

Momma brought Ace in to visit me and I will never forget the look on his face when he saw my lying there in that hospital bed.  He was confused and scared at the same time.  After he realized that I was OK, he did grab my finger and we took a few laps around the observation unit.  Ace pulling me, and me pulling an IV.  The little old ladies and the nurses got a kick out of him taking Daddy for a walk.  😀

So now I am back home, with no restrictions, and a little different out look on life.  I have cut caffeine out of my diet.  Once I have that under control, smoking is next.

I can’t live like there is no tomorrow anymore.  There are a few people in this world that count on me being there…and I’m going to do my part to make sure that happens. 😀

Play Ball!

The other night we packed up and headed down to the local minor league baseball stadium for Ace’s first baseball game! We were greeted by swarms of fans, the smell of hot dogs and popcorn, and a night full of the All American Past Time…Baseball!

Ace, of course, could care less about the actual game, but was too busy eating Goldfish and smiling at the old ladies. 😀

We actually went for one of our friend’s kid’s birthday party, so after the second inning all the kids there for the party got to go out into left field and do the chicken dance with the cheerleaders. So there I am, out in left field with Ace (and the cheerleaders 😀 ) helping him flap his wings, shake his butt, and clap like a drugged up chicken.

Here are some pics of Ace’s first baseball game…

The Coop
“The Coop”

Ace Figuring Out His Cow Bell
Ace figuring out his new cow bell…

Ace Has Figured Out The Cow Bell
I think he’s got it figured out…anyone have any Tylenol?

Dad And Ace Enjoying A Hot Dog
Gotta teach this boy right…any babseball game requires the consumption of at least one hot dog. 😀

Mascots Are Scary
What the hell is that thing?

Ace Paying Attention To The Game
It was an exciting game…

The Chicken Dance
The Chicken Dance (I’m the one squatted down using Ace as a puppet, cause I don;t do the chicken dance, but I sure can make Ace do a killer rendition of it. 😀 )

After The Chicken Dance
Ace and I walking off the field after getting our groove on…

Grandpa’s Glory – Part II

Back in October, I wrote a post about Ace’s Grandpa, my Dad.  Ace and his Grandpa didn’t get a long too good at first.  Grandpa would say “Hi!” and Ace would scream like a banshee!

It was tough on Grandpa, but things have been getting better…

Ace, Momma, and I spent all weekend at Grandpa’s just hanging out and swimming in the pool!  We had a blast and got some nice tan lines as a result. 😀

As you probably know, Ace loves to ride on the mower, and when Grandpa started his up Ace wasn’t going to quit until he was taken for a ride.  It wasn’t hard for Ace to convince his Grandpa for a quick ride on the mower, but a quick ride turned into 20-30 minutes of lapping the yard.  😀

Grandpa and Ace Riding On The Mower

And after a long day in the sun, nothing is better than a nap in the recliner…

Grandpa and Ace Napping In The Recliner

It makes me think back to when my Grandpa took me for rides on his mower.  Something I will never forget!  I’m going to have to dig up some pictures of me riding on my Grandpa’s mower and napping in his recliner…and post them here of course.  😀

Sometimes it’s scary how much Ace and I are alike… 😀

Hostinger