It really does.

It’s still really hard to conceptualize the fact that they aren’t going to be little kids forever. That this is the only time in our lives that we’re going to enjoy each other just as we are right now.

It makes me feel sad and scared. I wish I could just enjoy it.

Some days I do. Mercury just wants to play basketball with him. It’s such a simple, earnest need. They’re getting better at talking about their feelings and needs (better than their Dad anyways…though I’m working on it;) and whenever Mercury’s sad or frustrated it usually comes down to one simple need:

“Play with me.”

I love playing with him. I love the joy on his face and his pride when he makes a basket. I love how he scrambles to catch the ball and makes up rules for all his different sports.

I wish I could slow everything down and just play with him until he’s content. But there’s always something else. A meal, a nap, a boiler acting up, a country falling apart, an argument to be had, a day to recover from. So much that gets in the way of being a good dad.

How do I tune the rest of it all out and just be a good dad?

This wasn’t what I intended to write about. So I’ll try and remember what that was and get back to that.

Here are a few things that are going on right now:

Restaurants

We’re going out to eat more and everyone loves it. Like once a week at least. I think we should go even more. No cleanup, we just get to sit and enjoy each others company. It’s like the perfect amount of time…just within the bounds of their patience.

I look forward to many years of going out to eat with this family.

Especially once Phoenix can order for herself and then every time I can say “Well, that was the Order of the Phoenix!” and then everyone else can get annoyed and hopefully someone goes “Daaaaad!”

My Mercury

Phoenix has for sometime now referred to her brother as “My Mercury.” It’s quite the term of endearment and feels like a very “twin” concept. She really loves her Mercury and takes good care of him. I hope that she continues to look out for him as they grow together.

I’m The BABY One!

This one I don’t like as much but it’s certainly a big thing right now. Inevitably at some point in time every night one of them will belt out “I’m the BABY cat!” Or elephant or tiger or whatever. Then whichever twin didn’t declare themselves the “BABY One” winds up being the “Momma One” and then I’m the “Grandfather One.”

I’m all about pretending to be animals. Love it. 10/10.

But I hate the pretending to be a baby. And I don’t like that then the rest of the night then if I call them Phoenix or Mercury I’m quickly corrected to “No! I’m the BABY one!”

I usually find amidst my annoyance some pride for their newfound ability to manipulate a situation with the power of imagination.

I’m the baby one.

A Yittle Pancake….

Mercury’s big into sports right now. He always wants to play basketball or hockey or soccer or baseball or golf. But currently all of them are played in the basement with the same inflatable balls, just variations of how the ball is moved and what is done once it is moved.

I was going through a laundry list of outside sporting equipment to get them for the spring. Once I had finished my list Mercury was repeating it.

“Baseball Glove and a Baseball and a Baseball Bat…..maybe it could have a little pancake on it?”

He really loves pancakes right now.