HBD Mason

Happy birthday, buddy. Mom took the entire day off today, and I took off at noon to celebrate your birthday with just us three. We went to Chick-Fil-A for lunch and then to AMC to watch Minions: Rise of Gru at 1:30. After that, we picked up Charlotte, ran some errands and came home. Mom made a great steak dinner and then we played Fortnite together. We got 1st place two times in a row.

It’s really crazy going to the movies as a kid, and then going back to the same movie theater 25 years later with your 8 year old son. It makes me want to stop time. I know I say that all the time.

Your 7th year was incredible. We rode bikes, you lost teeth. You got straight A’s except for one B the entire year. You started BJJ and got a 2nd place. You jumped in the deep end and swam to the side of the pool. I could go on forever. I’m extremely proud of you, and super sad it’s over. Year 8 will be amazing, I love spending time with you. Honestly, you’re the absolute best. I can’t wait to do more things.

Love, Dad

Happy New Year!

The end of the year sneaks up so incredibly fast. First, Thanksgiving comes up out of nowhere, and before you know it, it’s Christmas. This year, we went to see Pawpaw in Brookhaven. It’s always good going to Mississippi. I love that place. It’s so down to earth and quiet. The kids all had a great time playing outside in the wide open spaces. It was a quick trip though.

KLD is doing smashingly. Vincent and I built maybe two or three decks this month. I’ll end the year with around $210k in sales. Nothing compared to last year, but I’ll have made more money this year. Employees are a gigantic nightmare. Last year, I ended up hiring and firing about 12 or 14 guys. It’s really ridiculous trying to find good help. We’ve done some really awesome projects, and we’ve really got a good system going between the two of us. We built a 20′ x 24′ deck with a handrail for $12k in 6 business days.

Christmas was super fun this year. Charlotte is old enough now that she’s talking a lot more, and its easier to understand her. Mommy and I really enjoy seeing the looks on your faces when you come down and see your presents Christmas morning. Both kids got lots of great presents – not only from Santa, but from family and friends.

Mommy’s second foot surgery was today. It went very quick and easy compared to the first time. She’s been sleeping all day on the couch downstairs. Hopefully, she’ll never drive barefoot again lol.

Mason’s doing so good at jui jitsu! I’m so proud of him. He’s been sticking with it since Aug. 31st. I actually started going at the beginning of December haha. I think we’re both learning a lot. Mason especially, it’s teaching him a lot about life as well.

Things are going so great right now. Christmas break is coming to an end, but we’ve all had such a great time. I can’t believe how big Charlie is getting and how much she’s starting to talk. Don’t blink!

Love,

Daddy

Fall 2021

Not much time has passed, only two months, but so much as happened so quickly. Your mother got into a small wreck August 31st. She was driving down Thomasville Road, and it was raining real bad. There were some cars stopped in front of her, she braked, but the car hydroplaned. She rear-ended a black car, and somehow hurt her foot. Apparently, she was putting on brakes very hard with her right foot, it came off the pedal or something and she fractured a bone in the top of her right foot. She had to have surgery to put a small metal plate in her foot. She’ll have another surgery next month to get the plate taken out. The car wasn’t even messed up bad. It had a scratched bumper and a dented hood. So, she’s been scooting around on a knee-scooter for the last month and crutches. It’s not easy chasing you guys around on crutches.

Next up on the big events for the Fall of 2021, Mason started Brazilian Jiu Jitsu! I think we started the day of mom’s car crash or the day after. There is a new martial arts gym that opened just a couple of minutes away from the house. I took Mason by to see what it was all about, and Shane, the head instructor, got him to just attend a class to see if he liked it. Mason loved it, I signed him up, and he’s been doing it ever since. So far, it’s basically Mon – Thursday night every night at 5:30 pm. He’s only been doing it for about 6 weeks, so he’s real green, but he is showing so much promise. He’s really enjoying it. One of the most important things that he’s learning is how to lose. It’s hard growing up with parents that are 100% praise all the time for every little thing that their baby does. Mainly because they’ll start doing something like public Jiu Jitsu classes, and they’ll start getting their butt kicked in everything all the time and it’s a wake up call. It’s hard to be a good loser. It takes patience and understanding of the big picture of what you’re trying to actually accomplish with BJJ. There’s so many little things he’s learning, and its great for him as a person overall. I highly recommend a very personally accountable (individual) sport.

Oh, and deck building is going great. Love you guys!

Love,

Dad