Tomorrow, Niko starts 3rd grade. Last week, we met his teacher, and he was organizing his school supplies at his desk. He is excited to resume his schooling! He’s got lots of new clothing from Lands End, Old Navy, and Primary. He has a new lunch bag and water bottle, and his backpack from last…
Tag: The Dad Speaks
Goodbye Summer and Hello Back To School
Next Monday, Niko goes back to school, and this year, his class will be on the 2nd floor! Some schools in the area start tomorrow. He has his school supplies, and a few days ago, we ordered new clothes for him. He still won’t wear shorts and a t-shirt! He wears a t-shirt and a…
The Tired Dad
Yesterday and today, Niko has woken up at 4:30 am. And, when that happens, I am awake with him. I have always allowed Nina a few extra bits of sleep as she isn’t the best sleeper. I don’t like the super early wake ups, but I am really hoping it’s a growth spurt or something…
The Dad’s Business Trip
When I started at Health Equity on October 9, 2023, I had meeting invite emails for a Finance Conference for the following July. I accepted it and it blocked out those days for me on my outlook calendar. I didn’t think anything of it and didn’t even know if it was for me. In May,…
IKEA
Yesterday, we ventured to IKEA mainly to get Niko a new art desk. His current one was found abandoned near my parent’s house about a year ago, and they rescued it and made it nice for him. When we got that old one, there was a date written and even though I don’t remember it,…
Seven Stops Saturday
Yesterday, and not planned, Niko and I went to 7 places. We had a wonderful time, and he is always great company. That morning, I had offered to take him to him to Rivercenter Mall or North Star Mall or to the movie theater for Inside Out 2 or the new Minions movie, but, he…
Urban Air (again)
Niko has been asking for the past several weeks to visit Urban Air, and finally, yesterday, we were able to go. It’s not my favorite place in the world, but for Niko, seeing his happy smile and seeing jumping around makes it much better for me. This time, I brought a ticket for me and…
Painting and Babysitting
On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, we had our bathrooms and kitchen painted. The person we hired had already done some other work for us in the past, and I trusted him and knew he could paint as he is “a jack of all trades.” I was not expecting him to bring his 10-year-old daughter with…
Father’s Day
Being a dad is the best thing I could’ve ever asked for, and I just love him so much. For the longest time, Nina would hang out with him in his bedroom until he fell asleep. But, for the past few weeks, I have been doing it every other day. It’s a drastic routine change…
Goodbye 2nd Grade and Hello Summer Break
On Thursday, Niko finished his last day of 2nd grade. That morning and before we got him to school, one of his baby teeth finally fell out! It was loose for a few weeks. It was funny because he woke up and I heard him say my tooth fell out, can you find it in…
Claw Crane
Yesterday, we didn’t sit around our house enjoying the cool a/c, we weren’t at my parents house, and we weren’t at a hotel. We were actually at the movies where the theater has an arcade, bowling lanes, and a cafe. Niko won three stuffed animals at the Claw Crane Machine! Yeah, I was impressed with…
Oh, What A Week (May 17 to May 24)
As I started writing this, it was looking like a TV series, so I decided to scratch everything I had written and try my best to keep it to a 30-second commercial! Our A/C was out, and eventually, we ended up with a whole new system! They replaced it on Thursday, May 23rd, and by…
Mothers Day Surprise
Originally, this was going to be titled, Ode To My Wife – Part 9 (Happy Mother’s Day), but that would’ve required me to actually think and write something super amazing about Nina, which is easy as she does so much for me, Niko, and Riley. But my thinking and writing part of my brain hasn’t…
Niko’s Birthday
Niko had a few requests for his birthday last Thursday, and we happily obliged. First, he wanted cupcakes and cookies to bring to school for his class. Thanks to HEB, the local grocery store as Nina picked up a few items along with cupcakes and cookies on Wednesday. Of course, when Niko came home from…
My Birthday Food
I think I need to rename thedadspeaks.com to thedadeats.com, because I love to eat! And, for my birthday, which was last Tuesday, I got Chinese food. But, before I dive into my fortune, let me tell you about Saturday, Sunday, and Monday and what I had to eat! So, pull up a chair and I…
Triple Birthday Celebration
Yesterday, we celebrated my dad’s 80th birthday which was last Tuesday, my birthday which is this coming Tuesday, and Niko’s which is May 2. Niko and I are less than 80! Normally, we would celebrate by going out to a restaurant, like we did for my mom’s in February. But, my dad had knee replacement…
Brick Fest Live
In January, and while I was scrolling through Facebook, I saw an advertisement for Brick Fest Live in San Antonio, TX scheduled for this weekend. Without even thinking or asking the family, I submitted my contact information so I could be alerted when tickets went on sale. Later, when I did tell Nina and Niko,…
Saturday Thoughts
Yesterday, we got our house cleaned from top to bottom. Unbeknownst to us, she made Niko’s bed and arranged all the pillows and blankets in a very nice layout rather than the what Niko prefers. And, what he prefers is very detailed and it takes Nina and I working together to get it correct. If…
IHOP Again…
Yesterday, I was planning on getting gas in Nina’s car and going to Goodwill to donate some stuff. Afterwards, Niko and I were going to do something fun in the world. I gave him several things to choose: UrbanAir, the museum we visited on 3/22 for his field trip, the children’s museum, North Star Mall,…
Field Trip
My name is Mark, and I survived the 2nd grade field trip on Friday to a local museum. I didn’t chew on any dinosaur bones, I didn’t take off my clothes and pose as an old timer from the old times, I didn’t push the red button in the space exhibit, I didn’t build a…