As the year winds down, I am fortunate enough to be able to spend an evening with each of my immediate family members independently. Son #2, Son #1, and my wife. Depending on the mood of any of the parties involved, including myself, the activities can be extremely strenuous on the fabric of your patience or pleasant and peaceful and quite rewarding.

The 29th of December, my wife took Son #1 to the Nutcracker. It was a special night for mother and son away from the diapers, wipes and bassinets of the house. What this meant is that Son #2 and I were alone together. For those of you scoring at home, Son #2 is about 3 weeks old which mean he does a total of three things. Sleep, shit, and nurse. I can handle two of the three. For a total of 60 minutes, Son #2 screamed. OK so maybe he does four things. This was not the typical fussing which would have been very welcome given what really happened. The screaming I experienced was that of a small 20 inch long banshee inflicting terror in an effort to voice his displeasure with his father and my lack of the organs required to satisfy his nursing needs. Son #2 pounded two bottles of breast milk and was looking for more. 60+ minutes later, he broke me down into giving him a third. Bless my wife for leaving 'supplies.' Son #2 likes the real thing more than the bottled equivalent. The next hour and a half was marked with several fits and what I could only determine as the 'stink eye' if he could focus on me visually. As the evening was winding down, Son #2 calmed and began studying me in a most inquisitive way. Maybe he approved of me not losing it with him and powering through my ‘mammarial’ deficiencies. Then again, maybe it was just his way of showing me that he can scream louder and then gloat about it. Either way, I love that kid for fighting the establishment, even if it was me at that point.

Son #1 missed me and said he would have stayed at the Nutracker if I was there. I was flattered he missed me so much. At bed time, I mentioned I had a surprise for him the following day. I proceeded to explain to him that I would need total commitment on behaving like a good child. Those of you who know Son #1 know that a request of this magnitude is like asking a state governor to not embezzle cash or sleep with a high priced hooker. Good luck. With good behavior, the 30th of December would be a day that I took Son #1 to see the Disney motion picture, Bolt. Son #1 nearly pulled the plug on today by not getting dressed when asked, not peeing on the toilet, and acting like a rabies infested rabid animal. Never underestimate the power of coercion. Get dressed, pee, and settle down or no movie and your toys will be sold to the gypsies. Problem solved. My wife and Son #2 had errands to run so Son #1 and I were on our own. We headed to the new theater in our area. I had researched a bit and found this theater was playing the 3D version. This meant cool-guy glasses which my son might be opposed to wearing. All though, the incentive was the short film, Tokyo Mater. Son #1 is a freak when it comes to all things 'Cars.' This short film was more than enough incentive to rock the cheesy Disney 3D optical enhancing devices. I found the movie entertaining and was significantly enhanced by the 3D viewing experience. Son #1 pounded the popcorn, sat still in the theater, and enjoyed the film with his dad. On the way out, he grabbed my hand and skipped to the car. All the way, he talked about Bolt and his friends. Unsolicited, he explained to me that the glasses made Bolt 'come out of the TV at him.' He also explained that when he could, he would like to get the Bolt video game and movie if he was a 'good boy.' But lastly, he looked up at me and told me he liked going to the Bolt movie with me. I melted.

Tomorrow is New Year's Eve. A green light to drink extreme amounts of alcohol and rid your self of all of the stupid things you did in the previous year and make promises to not do those in the new year. At least that's what I do. My wife and I have arrangements for my parents to watch Son #1 and #2 while we hit the bar scene to watch my brother-in-law's band. So tomorrow is an adult evening for just my wife and me. We haven't planned much of anything. I know when the show started and where I am taking the boys. But other than those two waypoints, I got nothing. Seeing my brother-in-law's band will be great. Their shows are high energy and they are pretty talented. Moreover, I get a tough time for helping them with their marketing needs and then never showing up to shows. I have a high absentee rate as well as an excuse list a mile long. For my wife and I, it will be a needed break from the house arrest of kids, weather, and the holidays. With the addition of Son #2, we all ready feel the new level of responsibility. This break for a 'night out' will help us reclaim a little immaturity even for only a handful of hours.

Writing now presents to problem with summarizing my last activity with a family member. Unfortunately, I have no intention on writing tomorrow night for a final blog entry for the year. Wrapping up the year with my wife, even with out a plan, is the stamp of approval for me on a year of great ups and downs.