Day 1,576 - The One About Ellie's Baptism

I've gotten to be a part of many special moments in the lives of Ellie and Ethan. First time rolling over? Check. Crawling? Check. Eating solid food? Check. First steps? Check. Bike riding? Check. First day of school? Check. I think my point is made. Obviously I've been present for most of the big milestone moments in the kids' life. However, this past Sunday may very well have been my favorite moment of Ellie's life thus far as I got the opportunity to help baptize her in front of our entire church!

Ellie being baptized wasn't a last-minute decision or anything like that. It's something that's been talked about for a long time in our home. In fact, Ellie's been discussing this very subject for close to a year and a half!

Throughout our kids' entire lives, we've taken effort to make sure that we were sharing the Gospel with them on a near daily basis through Bible stories, family discussions over what we read, and praying together each night. Therefore, Ellie has always understood that the basis of our faith is that Jesus is the sinless Son of God and that He died on the cross in pretty much the most horrible fashion imaginable, taking the brunt of our sins so that we may one day have eternal life with God. While Ellie knew all the right answers, for the longest time Bethany and I weren't 100% positive if she fully believed or not. Those concerns were definitely put to rest though.

For one thing, sometime after we returned to church post COVID, Ellie began wanting to join us in church each week for service instead of going to Children's church. That was totally fine though as she wasn't a distraction and she even took her own little notes about the sermons each week. Over time, Ellie began asking more frequently when she could get baptized. Since we were still 100% uncertain, we encouraged her to have a chat with Sharon, our church's children's director. Sharon let us know that she believed Ellie was ready. After that, one of our lead pastors, Rustin, sat down with our family and after having a chat with Ellie agreed that Ellie really had put her faith in Christ and that it was time for her to be baptized. So with that, we scheduled the big day for the last Sunday in August, the 28th.

When the big day arrived, we were accompanied to church by both sets of grandparents who had come into town for the occasion. Finally, as the service began to wrap up, it was time for us to head to the stage. Rustin had asked me to share a little bit of Ellie's and our family's story before she took her place in the cattle trough on stage that our church uses for baptisms. A special treat that I did not anticipate at all was that I would actually get to help baptize my daughter. With Rustin kneeling on one side and me on the other, after Ellie made a final proclamation of her faith in Christ, we gently pushed her under the water and brought her back up. With that, Bethany wrapped a warm towel around a dripping wet Ellie and Rustin quickly prayed before she went to the back to get changed.

There's so much I love about this photo. Chief among them though is the massive smile on Ellie's face and the fact that her shoes are just haphazardly strewn about on the floor of the stage.

While it was ongoing, I certainly was just kind of living in the moment. However, the more I've thought about it, the more I realize just how special Sunday was. For one thing, I got the opportunity to help baptize my own daughter. That's an experience that I'm going to hold on to for a  very long time. For another, I'm proud of Ellie standing up in front of our entire church and proclaiming her belief and trust in Christ. That's something that Bethany and I have prayed for both of our children since they were born and to see it happen was totally amazing. God really does answer prayers; you've got to love it!

#DaddyWrite

Day 1,571 - The One With the Failed Pool Trip

I strive to be a pretty good dad. In fact, I take great pride in the fact that I'm not downright horrible at my job. Occasionally, I even get a modicum of credit from my children regarding my dad skills. On the flip side though, there are times that I absolutely lay an egg.

With Monday marking the final day of summer vacation, I always find myself dealing with a large array of emotions. For one thing, there's always a slight tinge of relief that I'm done trying to entertain/referee two very enthusiastic and opinionated children. On the flip side though, I'm generally pretty bummed about the summer ending. For one thing, I know that I only have a certain number of summers to enjoy with my kids while I'm young and I want to make them count. Also, I'm aware that I'm reaching the end of my career as a stay-at-home day which means it's only a matter of time before I need to plan out the rest of my life. Slightly scary proposition if I do say so myself.

Regardless of all of that, I always want to do my best to make each day count. As a result, when Ellie let me know that she wanted to go swimming for her final day of summer, I decided to make that a reality. It honestly seemed like an easy enough thing to accomplish on the surface as we have a friend who lives in the apartment complex across the street who was more than happy to give us her pool code. Therefore, as soon it seemed feasible to go swimming (9:15 am), we loaded up in the car and headed across the street.

As we pulled into the complex, I was somewhat surprised to see that the pool was empty on such a hot day. Imagine my surprise when I discovered the pool was locked and I had to break the news to two very sad children that the pool wasn't open yet. After taking a few minutes to navigate the ocean of emotions coming from my back seat, I was able to placate the kids by offering to take them to Kearney to a splash pad. So with that, we headed towards Kearney.

On the way there, I received a text from Bethany, who had checked in with her friend, confirming that the pool opened at 10. I happily relayed that news to the kids and turned the car around to head back to the pool. When we arrived, I made the decision to leave the kids in the car so that I could check the pool myself. Unfortunately, not only was it still locked but there was a worker in the pool treating the water. He informed me that it wouldn't be ready for swimming until after lunch. Fairly arbitrary window but I figured I could work with it. With that, the kids and I headed to Sam's Club to get a few items we needed to pick. And yes, we were still wearing our swimsuits. We're those people now.

Tell me how you really feel about our trip to Sam's Club, Ellie.

Around 1:00, I decided the time had come to check the pool again, so we ventured across the street only to find that it was still locked. At this point, you can pretty much guess that Ellie and Ethan were inconsolable. All I could do was start calling local pools to verify that they were open. The only problem is that every pool I called had just closed for the season over the weekend. Finally, there was no other recourse; it was time to go to Kearney.

Once we arrived at Kearney, it was not farfetched to say that I was feeling stressed. In fact, I was downright done with life. However, as I watched Ellie and Ethan splash in the water and listened to them happily shriek in excitement, I realized that it wasn't all bad. I could sit there and be bummed and frustrated about the course of the day or I could get in the water with them and enjoy my afternoon. For the record, I chose the latter and it turned into a pretty good day. Ellie and Ethan even thanked me profusely for taking them to the splash pad.

Who would have thought that a disappointing trip to the pool could have turned into a great afternoon at the splash pad? Not I but that just goes to show what I know.

#DaddyWrite

Day 1,570 - Ethan's "White Whale"

Confession time.

I've never actually read the book, Moby Dick.

Yes, I realize that it's only one of the most famous novels of all time. However, I've never actually taken the time to read it. I did write a seven-page research paper about the book during my senior year of high school though. Between watching the movie and skimming some essays about the deeper meaning of the book, I was able to score a solid A.

Now, despite not reading the book, I can tell you that one of the most important parts of the story is Captain Ahab's obsessive quest for the "White Whale". He would not be denied even to the point of death.

Now, I believe that we are all Ahab at one time or another and find ourselves obsessively desiring a "White Whale" of our very own. For Ethan, his "White Whale" quest finally reached its long-awaited conclusion today courtesy of his favorite big sister.

Ethan's really a fairly content child. It's not common for him to ask for things when we go to the store. Normally, a quick glance at the toy aisle and he's content. However, there is one particular toy that he's been asking to own for well over a year: a deluxe "Paw Patrol: the Movie" Chase police car with an accompanying motorcycle. Almost every time we go to Walmart or Target, Ethan has to longingly lay eyes on that bright blue car, dreaming of the day when he might be able to call it his very own.

Ellie, for her part, has paid attention to her brother's longing eyes and has desired to do something about it. Much like Ethan, Ellie does not wont for anything. Money and things really have no value to her. Instead, she loves personal time and words of affirmation; that's the path to her heart. Oh, and food. She really loves food.

Anyway, a couple of months ago, Ellie came to Bethany and I and asked if she could use her own money to buy Ethan the Chase car. Bethany, to her credit, tried to talk her out of it to no avail. Then, we reached a compromise that Ellie could do so if she really wanted. However, she had to have a good reason to give Ethan a gift. The two of them put their heads together and decided that it would be a perfect gift to bestow upon Ethan when the time came to start school. Therefore, we started watching the price online this summer and helped Ellie pull the trigger when the car finally went on sale for $15. Since then, it's been safely tucked away under our bed waiting for the appropriate time to gift it to Ethan.

Ellie, for her part, can't keep a secret. As such, she told Ethan that he was going to get a present on August 17th. Why the 17th? Well, it's Back to School night and it would give him several days to enjoy playing with it before school officially begins. Since Ellie spilled the beans, Ethan has been checking the calendar regularly, counting down the days until today.

This morning, bright and early, the time had finally come. As soon as breakfast ended, Ethan found himself sitting in the living room floor with a giant bag in front of him, waiting for permission to open it up. Finally, he opened it up to find his "White Whale" that he had literally waiting months for. He was so excited that he jumped up to his feet and began racing laps around the living room. Finally, he was reminded that Ellie had given it to him and he wrapped her in a huge hug before continuing on in his excitement.

While I certainly loved seeing Ethan get his "White Whale", my favorite thing was seeing the pure joy on Ellie's face as she gazed at her brother. She really has the sweetest, most giving soul and was clearly overjoyed to see Ethan so happy. It's times like these that make me believe that maybe we really are doing something right with the way we're raising these two kids.

After all, I can't fake parenting like I could reading Moby Dick. I actually have to put in the work especially if I want to get an A.

#DaddyWrite

Day 1,563 - Hanging with Amelia in Atchison

In Casa de Holt, the Summer of Adventures rages on. With two weeks left to go, we're trying our very best to make some fun memories and maximize our summer fun. Some of our adventures are pretty commonplace and have happened before like trips to the Zoo or even today's trip to Chiefs Training Camp. However, there are lots of new adventures to be had like last Friday's trip to the Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum in Atchison, KS.

While taking the kids to an Amelia Earhart Museum may not sound like their cup of tea, it actually is. Both kids are absolutely fascinated by history. In fact, both Ellie and Ethan have every U.S. President memorized. Honestly, that's probably not normal for their ages at all. Ellie initially learned about Amelia Earhart in school last year and she also recently watched an episode of Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum about her. Therefore, Amelia was certainly fresh in her mind when it came time to go to Atchison.

I'm the type of parent that loves to surprise my kids. It's not uncommon for me to not tell them anything about an adventure that we're going on outside of how long the trip to get there will be. While not knowing details doesn't bother Ethan, it absolutely drives Ellie nuts. She will inevitably start yelling at me for not telling her where we're going or what we're doing. Does that make me tell her the answer? Nope, not at all. In my opinion, it's probably good for her to be surprised now and then. Taking that into account, you can imagine that by the time we reached the Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum, Ellie was excited and very ready to get out of the car.

After a quick bathroom break, we purchased our tickets and headed into the Museum. The first thing to catch our eye was an AI Reproduction of Amelia Earhart welcoming us to the Museum by telling us stories about her life. Ellie actually thought it was so cool that she decided she needed a picture with Amelia when she was done talking. After that, we headed to see some actual Museum exhibits.

Once we were in the main section of the Museum, Ellie and Ethan were fairly excited to see the centerpiece of the Hangar, a reproduction of the plane Amelia Earhart disappeared in. They especially loved how shiny the plane was due to the reflective aluminum plates all over it. From there, we wandered to an interactive computer exhibit that gave the kids the opportunity to create their own backyard roller coaster much as Amelia Earhart did. Ellie initially failed the safety test on her coaster but I'm proud (and somewhat confused) to say that Ethan's was perfectly safe on the first try.

Following that, we proceeded to weave our way through the Museum. One of the next things that the kids absolutely loved was a rivet gun game with the objective being to attach as many rivets to a plane wing as possible in a particular time frame. Despite my best efforts, I don't think either Ellie or Ethan ever completely understood the task at hand. However, they still had fun doing it. After the rivet game, the kids headed inside a kid-sized plane cockpit where they were able to play and learn about the various controls of a plane courtesy of the disembodied voice of Amelia Earhart.

From there, we headed to the top floor of the Museum where the kids learned the finer intricacies of navigation based upon charting stars and via radio waves and sextant. My favorite part of the Museum though had to be the wall of theories regarding Amelia Earhart's disappearance. While most made some modicum of sense, there were definitely some conspiracy theories that were absolutely outlandish. At the end, you could place your vote for what you think happened to Amelia. For the record, crashing in the ocean was leading the way.

While it certainly took us a little while to get to the Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum, I would definitely do it all over again. I love seeing Ellie and Ethan experience new things and also love making new memories with them. Based upon the last few days, they'll certainly be talking about this one for a while.

#DaddyWrite

Day 1,560 - Expecting the Unexpected

One of my favorite moments of each year has to be those occasions when ESPN rebrands one of their networks to ESPN 8: The Ocho. In case you're wondering, this year it's ESPN 2 and it runs through August 5th.

I think my favorite thing about it is how you learn to expect the unexpected. For example, I've already watched the Savannah Bananas play baseball, a Cornhole championship final, and the Table Hockey championships are next. I even got Bethany sucked into the festivities. I'm not going to lie; she's fairly excited about the Wisconsin Auctioneers Championship which will be held tomorrow morning at 5:30 am.

While it's probably fairly random for me to be writing about The Ocho, it makes sense in my head. That's especially true when one considers how my day today revolved around embracing the unexpected moments that occur and making the best of them.

As I mentioned yesterday, my goal right now is to make the best use of Ellie's and Ethan's last two weeks of summer. That essentially means that we're cramming as many fun activities into that time frame as we can. This morning's event found us heading to Zona Rosa for "The Coffee Club". Unbeknownst to me, Zona Rosa has hosted a weekly play session for kids on Thursday mornings to come and play at the playground on site and also splash in the adjoining splash pad. There's also always an additional activity that changes each week. While kids are having fun, parents are encouraged to buy coffee and make a new friend.

Our biggest reason for checking out "The Coffee Club" was so that Ellie and Ethan could enjoy the outdoor story time that would be held. Of course, I knew that they would have a ball playing on the playground as well. As soon as we arrived, we learned there was another activity: Kite decorating! Both kids picked out their free kite to take home and spent a few minutes coloring designs of their choosing before unceremoniously handing them to me and making a beeline for the playground. Soon though, it was time for the kids to take a seat for story time.

Once story time ended, it wasn't a surprise to see Ellie and Ethan make their way back to the playground. What was surprising though was to see the sky open up shortly thereafter and let loose a total downpour of rain. I asked the kids if they wanted to leave but they really wanted to stay. Therefore, the two of them spent the next half hour flying down wet slides at breakneck speeds over and over again. Eventually though, the two of them wore out and decided it was time to head for home.

Our next opportunity to embrace the unexpected revolved around an unexpected trip to the grocery store to get some salsa for tacos. After picking out all of my necessary groceries, I headed up front to pay and soon discovered that my Sun Fresh account had $5 of free money that was begging to be spent so I applied that to my purchase for the day. Taking into account that I had spent $5 less than I planned, rather than heading home, I instead took the kids to our local snow cone stand to share a Cherry Cola snow cone. Needless to say, they were stoked (and a little hyped up on sugar). While we were putting the finishing touches on our snow cone, yet another rainstorm blew up meaning that it was time to head home.

When we arrived home, I immediately shifted my mindset into dinner mode. However, the kids disagreed with that mindset. They instead wanted to spend some time outside playing in the rain. Since I didn't have a good reason to say no, I abandoned my plan for tacos and instead threw a frozen pizza in the oven and joined them outside for some fun in the rain.

Ellie and Ethan initially had a firm hold on their umbrellas as they splashed around in the driveway and on the adjoining sidewalks. However, they eventually abandoned them, choosing instead to get a second set of clothes drenched for the day. It was pretty fun to watch them play though. For the first time, they discovered that a manhole cover on our sidewalk had a grid pattern on top and somehow came up with the idea to fill each square with a rock. Now, I have no clue why they did this but it was awesome to watch them have so much fun. Not to mention, they were working together well and didn't even scream at each other once!

Now, it's true that very few parts of our day went according to plan. Getting soaked in the rain (twice) and eating snow cones were nowhere on my list for the day. However, much like ESPN 8: The Ocho, having fun was definitely on the list and that's exactly what Ellie and Ethan did.

#DaddyWrite

Day 1,559 - Finishing Summer Strong

Summer can be both a blessing and a curse.

Yeah, that's right; I said it. It may not reflect super well on my chances of winning the prestigious (and totally fictional) "Bandit Heeler Father of the Year Award" but it's true. It's definitely a feeling that leaves me feeling guilty especially when you consider that Ellie will be starting second grade in a couple of weeks and Ethan will be starting preschool.

At the beginning of summer, there is always excitement in the air at getting to have so much time with both kids. However, by this stage of the summer, we've exhausted many of the fun activities we planned for the summer. Also, the kids find themselves ready to have some semblance of normal routine in their lives again. However, that being said, I am bound and determined to make the most of our last two weeks before school begins.

Yesterday, being out and about was the story of the day. In the morning, we began our day by heading to Pleasant Valley Baptist Church in Liberty so that the kids could expend some energy by playing on the indoor playground there. Over the last month, that indoor playground has become a life saver due to the intense heat and consistent rain showers each day. Once we finished up our time there, we headed back home for a lunch and quiet time before heading back to Liberty in the afternoon. Our reason for doing so was so that the kids could go bowling at Retro Bowl!

I'm well aware that there are bowling alleys closer to our home than the east side of Liberty. However, none of them participate in the Kids Bowl Free program which gives each kid two free games of bowling a week. All we had to do was pay the shoe rental and we were all set for an afternoon of fun. One of my favorite things about it was seeing how successful each kid was at bowling (even if Ethan was usinga ramp). In fact, Ellie and Ethan both bowled multiple strikes and spares. After we finished up our two games of bowling, it was time to hit up Yogurtini for a little dessert before heading home. While there was no real occasion for doing so, it felt like a 16 oz cup of yogurt with all of the toppings we could handle for $6 was reason enough.

After we finished up our yogurt, it was time to head home. Whenever the kids and I have an outing such as this one, I always tend to wonder just how much they enjoyed it. Was it fun for them or was it nothing special? Well, I always manage to get an answer to that question one way or the other when Bethany gets home from work each night. If the kids had a good day, they will talk her ear off and share every last story about it.

Also, if I ever need additional clarification, all I have to do is listen to the kids' prayer at night where they thank God for their favorite parts of the day. Guess what was there? All of the things we did on this day. Maybe that's enough to qualify me for the slightly less prestigious "Bandit Heeler Father of the Day Award".

#DaddyWrite

Day 1,546 - There's Nothing Like a Birthday at SDC

Some people are Disneyland people.

Some people are Six Flags people.

Some people are Sea World people.

There's probably even a few Worlds of Fun people out there.

As for Ellie and Ethan, it seems that they are Silver Dollar City people.

That became very evident several months back when we made the suggestion of going to Silver Dollar City for Ellie's birthday. The overjoyed response of both kids made it very clear that is what we were going to do. Therefore, for Ellie's birthday a couple of weeks ago, we headed to Branson for a three day, two night vacation that would include two full days at Silver Dollar City courtesy of our fancy new season passes.

Basically from the time we arrived at our condo on Sunday, both kids were anxiously awaiting their entry into Silver Dollar City. After a full day of swimming and belly full of pizza, it was finally time for Ellie and Ethan to head to bed for the night with the promise of a trip to SDC awaiting them the next morning. Before we knew it, the next morning had arrived and it was time to make our way to the park.

Once we arrived at Silver Dollar City with my parents in tow, the first thing we did was seek out some craftsmen to watch. While both the woodcarver and the glass blowers were off for the day on Monday, we at least got the chance to enjoy watching a blacksmith create his wares. Before too long, the kids got antsy just watching craftsmen create things and Ellie, in particular, was ready to ride a ride. Her ride of choice? Mystic River Falls.

Since our trip to SDC last year, Ellie has mentioned Mystic River Falls and her desire to ride it again on multiple occasions. In fact, it's not farfetched to call it her favorite amusement park ride of all time. What was exciting about this trip though was the fact that Ethan was now tall enough to take part in the action. Therefore, after taking in a few more sights, our family split off from my parents and got in line for Mystic River Falls. For the record, the lines for this ride normally are about 40 minutes in length. Somehow though, we got in the shortest line ever and were on the ride within 10 minutes!

Once our wild river rapids ride was over (and we checked poor Ethan for a concussion), we decided it was time to eat a quick lunch of some tasty BBQ before continuing on our journey through the park. It's evident that we all have our favorite things about Silver Dollar City. For example, Ellie loves Mystic River Falls and Ethan adores Grandfather's Mansion (a twisty-turny funhouse). As for me though, I think my favorite part of this trip to SDC was Nik Wallenda's Zirkus.

The Zirkus, which took place in the Silver Dollar City Opera House, consisted of a variety of different acts to enjoy. There were trained poodles, various contortionists, tightrope walkers, and a very enthusiastic clown. While I was certainly enjoying myself, that was not the case for Ethan. In fact, the little man was so tired that he fell fast asleep on my shoulder for nearly the entire performance. No worries though as he did wake up just in time to tell "Blippi" (the circus clown) how much he enjoyed seeing him.

After we made our way out of the Zirkus, Ellie and I made our way to the legendary Fire in the Hole roller coaster which is celebrating its final year of operation at Silver Dollar City. While I wasn't sure how Ellie would handle a roller coaster, I was happy to see that she loved it. In fact, the second we got off, she was already asking to ride again. Sadly though, it wasn't a great time to do so. Instead, we went to go meet up with Bethany, Ethan, and my parents near the RiverBlast ride where my dad and Ethan had actually gotten drenched in what is known as the world's largest water fight. The pride that both guys showed as they got off the ride soaking wet was well worth it though. I honestly wish I had a picture of it!

Before we knew it, the time had come for us to leave the park for the day and head back to our rental house for the night. Never fear though as the next day would come soon enough. After an enormous breakfast with my parents, the four of us said our goodbyes to them and headed back to Silver Dollar City for one more day of fun.

PANCAKE!!!

As soon as we arrived, we made our way to the American Plunge where two straight trips down the log-flume ride left us soaking wet. Since we were already drenched, we figured there was no time like the present to take a ride on Mystic River Falls. Following our further drenching on Mystic River Falls, we decided to take a family trip on Fire in the Hole before making our way to Marvel Cave.

Now, you may be thinking that Marvel Cave is yet another ride at Silver Dollar City. However, if you're thinking that, you'd be mistaken. The park was actually constructed adjoining a massive cave which happens to give tours each day and Bethany and I were bound and determined to take the kids down into a cave. After a quick snack and bathroom break, we took our place in the line and patiently awaited our cave tour. Finally, the time had come and we began our journey down hundreds of stairs to the caverns below.

Not long after we entered the cave, our guide asked the group of 40 if anyone was celebrating a birthday. Low and behold, this day marked Ellie's actual birthday and as such, he led the crowd in a rousing chant of "Happy Birthday, Ellie!". With that, we descended deeper and deeper into the cave. Along the way, we actually reached an area where our guide turned out all of the lights in the cave and lit a single candle for light. While Ethan wasn't fazed by that at all, Ellie found herself clinging a little tightly to my legs and that point. It also didn't help that she was cold. Once the lights were turned back on, we proceeded to head even deeper into the cave, going through some tight areas in the process. Eventually, we reached the other end of the cave and proceeded to climb up multiple flights of stairs until we finally reached the train car that would take us the rest of the way to the surface.

After disembarking from the train, Ethan and I made a quick run to the bathrooms as the little man had needed to go potty for at least half of our time underground. Following that, we headed to the kids' area of Silver Dollar City and spent some time riding various ride with the kids there. Finally, the time had really come for us to consider heading home as we knew that we had a three to four hour car ride ahead of us. However, we let the kids talk us into one more ride on Fire in the Hole before leaving the park. That being said, it really wasn't a hard sell.

Not long after we got in the car, Ellie was already talking about coming back to Silver Dollar City again. In fact, she's brought it up at least once a week since then. She and Ethan have even tried to convince me that we need to drive to Branson some day while Bethany's at work. Even though I love SDC, I'm not convinced that we should do that...yet.

#DaddyWrite