Life

Today is Henry's fifth birthday. As I sit here tonight and think about what I was doing five years ago at this exact moment, I'm amazed. My son has changed my life in so many positive ways that I'll never be able to show him my appreciation. I know that toys and gifts and candy aren't my greatest gifts to him. I know that its the time I spend with him playing catch in the backyard, playing putt putt golf with the family, going to the donut shop on Saturday mornings. Because those are the things that I remember doing with my dad and those are the memories of my youth. It's funny, thinking back to what you remember when you were five years old. Or seven or ten. Sometimes special memories are the important ones, the big things that have occurred in life. But often they are the simplest things.

Not that Henry isn't having a great birthday. We gave him way too many presents tonight, including a new bike and a bunch of Star Wars toys. We went to an indoor glow in the dark putt putt facility to check it out for his upcoming birthday party with friends (yes, we're running late on it) and then he chose Hoggys for dinner instead of Applebees. Tomorrow is his first teeball game and then we'll likely watch some of the OSU game before heading down to Great Wolf Lodge down my King's Island. We are going to the Reds game tomorrow night and who knows what we'll do on Sunday, maybe go to King's Island or maybe not. Regardless, I know we'll have one happy little boy who had a great birthday weekend. And maybe he'll file some of it away to reflect on when he has a little boy of his own.