On being a Dad

In the big chair w/ Daddy
Originally uploaded by Carolina On My Mind.

Today I got a glimpse of my wife's world as a mama. She helped out with an event at our church while I stayed home with the kids. It was only for half a day and boy was I ready to hit the hay at 8pm. I actually fell asleep giving Elijah his bottle today.

It was next to impossible to get anything done that I had planned to do. It was crying, calming, crying, whinning, falling, crying, hugging, whinning, picking up and holding, hugging, kissing, spanking, hugging, holding, whinning, screaming (not me, actually), crying, napping - aaaahhh - oh wait... one just woke up... crying, holding, cleaning, changing, holding...

You get the picture; and that was just until 3pm. But you know what, I loved every minute of it.

And every hug, every time I picked one of them up, every moment I had was an opportunity to love - and even teach - my children. It's what being a dad is all about.

Partners in Crime

Partners in Crime
Originally uploaded by Carolina On My Mind.

A picture's worth a 1,000 words. Need I say more?

A Rich Man's Dream

Big Sister
Originally uploaded by Carolina On My Mind.

All you have to do is take a look at this picture to understand the title of this blog. This was taken about a week after coming home from the hospital. I'm sure sibling rivalry is in our future, but Ella is already taking to her role as big sister and being so sweet to her new little brother.
She still just calls him "baby," but that's a start. She giggles when he cries and wants us to hold her more than normal. That's big deal if you know Ella because she is a perpetual ball of energy. She is not our snuggler, he is. But all of the sudden, when Mama or Daddy is holding Elijah, Ella likes to be held. Those of you with more than one child or who have siblings yourself are probably smiling. Ya'll have experinced this firsthand (yes, "ya'll". The sweet tea is kickin' in).
I am now typing one-handed (excuse typos) As I was writing, Eijah was spitting out his paci and crying. The moment I picked him up, stopped crying. See? Snuggler. Sure makes for interesting typing, or anything else for that matter. Now we're on man-to-man, one parent to each kid. Whew!

Well, to finish my entry today, one quick story. Yesterday was a daddy-daughter day. We went on a train ride at the Durham Life & Science Museum. My fearless daughter hugged my neck and didn't let go the entire 10 minute trip. As my friend so appropriately put it, "That was worth the price of admission alone."

As I close, my son is now asleep in my arms, and there's no price tag you can put on that.

Oh yes, and yesterday was the first time my little girl called for me when she woke up. Who can resist a cute little voice calling out, "Daaa-dy." Actually, it was more like a whine, but who's counting?!

Admission to museum: $8.50
Having children: priceless.

For everything else, well, you know the rest.

Home At Last

Elijah first day home
Originally uploaded by Carolina On My Mind.

Well, I may not be a rich man in the material sense, but they say (whoever "they" are) that having one girl and one boy is a rich man's dream. Well, I must say, it's also a poor man's dream and it certainly makes me feel rich.

This would've been up sooner but being in the NICU with our son for 9 days and having computer trouble contributed to the delay.

So for all you first-timers to our blog, and for those of you who I hope haven't given up checking this out due to lack of postings, without further ado I give you Elijah Thomas Shaw.

A Bone To Pick

The only reason I am writing this is because as we are iChating, my friend, Derrak, is giving me a hard time for not having any recent blogs. So, here you go, D. This one's for you, bro!

I have no excuse except to say that my only concern in starting a blog was that I knew I probably wouldn't do well at keeping it up. Too busy being a husband, daddy and pastor I suppose. But with my friend's prodding, I have a newfound drive to resume my blogging.

Once again, we'll see...

Sweet Tea

Life is what you make of it. "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps" (Prov. 16:9). Since this is the case then, it's our job to learn contentment and to make the best of where we are. In our family's case, God has made that a little easier by putting us in a place like North Carolina. And even though I was born in OH, I think I was destined to be a Southerner, simply for my love of sweet tea.
If I had to descibe the South in one word it would be "Sweet Tea." yes I know it's two, but it might as well be one down here. Anywhere you ask for tea down here, it's going to be sweet. Life is good with sweet tea. Somehow it makes things better. Even a bad meal can be redeemed... even stomached with sweet tea.
So why all this talk about sweet tea? Because we just got back from Ohio. I knew we had crossed into the North when I ordered sweet tea and got a funny look from the waitress.
What got me thinking about this is that Akron, OH was not my dream destination, but even without sweet tea I managed, we managed. In fact, I found myself really missing it on this visit. And one thing the South doesn't have, the Swinson's Gally Boy. If you don't know, you really are missing something.
But I digress. I loved Akron, just like I loved Tulsa, OK before that. Why? Because of what I made of it. I love the fall in Akron, I love the size of Akron, I love the food in Akron, and most of all I love the people that God placed in my life during my time in Akron. Two of whom, along with their spouses, my wife and I love deeply and consider lifelong friends.
It doesn't get much better than that.

As I finish this blog, I simultaneously finish an iChat with one of those close friends. Life is good... even if there wasn't sweet tea.

The best place on earth... at least for now

Well, here goes, my first blog. After being inspired by my friends' blogs, Derrak and Tim, I decided it was worth publishing my own and trying to keep it up. Time will tell.

I feel a bit like Doogie Howser as I write... trying to think of concise and clever ways to express my thoughts. Don't know how good at that I will be, but this will be fun... at least for me.

Nothing too deep to start my first blog. Living in North Carolina has just been one of the best things in our family's life. Hence, the title. Alisa and I always said we wanted to live here some day; we just never thought it'd be this soon! Not only are we close to the beach and equally close to the mountains, but more importantly we are close to family. Family both by blood relation and our church family. We moved down here from Akron, OH - leaving family and friends behind - to begin serving on staff at Providence Baptist Church. It has been one of the most exciting and rewarding experiences in our lives.

Although we left those close to us behind, I spoke of family here. Our church family is wonderful. Within just a few weeks we met and immediately connected with our now close friends, the Zumwalts. All the pastors on staff (16 in all) and their wives are great, but we've really been blessed to become close to a couple of them as well, and the entire church has so graciously accepted us. It's hard to believe we've only been here 2 and 1/2 years and at the same time that we've ALREADY been here 2 and 1/2 years. I could go on, but needless to say we love it at Providence.

Among the most exciting things to happen to us since moving to the South has been the birth of our daughter, Ella Caroline! What an incredible gift! So incredible that it brought Alisa's parents all the way from Seattle, WA to live in Wilmington, NC - the beach! And talk about a family affair... my brother-in-law was stationed at Ft. Bragg, NC until recently (Special Forces, we're very proud of him) and my sister-in-law just moved north of Winston-Salem few months ago. Whew!

Wow, much more than I originally anticipated writing. Well, hope you've enjoyed it. If any of this seems disjointed it would be due to the fact that my wife and I are up to our normal Sunday night routine: watching eating a late dinner on the couch and watching "Alias". The third season just came out on DVD this week... it's our one vice. What can I say.

Until next time...

Scott