Daddy Blogging Wednesday--Take 1

So here we go...it's Wednesday and that means it's...
DADDY BLOGGING WEDNESDAY
So what's on my mind? A lot...like always. We are in the midst of the Holiday Season, which is one of my favorite times of the year. There is so much to be thankful for this year. Amy & Peyton are amazing, my family is spectacular and my friends are wonderful. We have had a rough year at B&T Kitchens, but that was to be expected. We actually did better than we could have imagined and I still have a job.

And these are just the "tip of the iceberg".

But today I am going to talk about myself. Sounds quite egotistical doesn't it? Rest assured that I am not the egotistical type. I am hardly the manly type. Amy always jokes that I must have more estrogen than she has. I cry easily...to the point that it is quite embarrassing.
But who else am I?
I am Kevin. I was born in 1978 in Virginia Beach to a wonderful family. I have a sister (Cole & Bailey's Cove) who is 3 years younger. She now has 2 beautiful children and a wonderful husband. He works for my dad's construction company. I work for my parent's kitchen cabinet company (B&T Kitchens and Baths). As a child, I had insecurity issues...I probably still do. I never felt comfortable being myself or letting others into my life. It was a struggle until I met Amy. I married Amy, my college sweetheart, on October 4, 2003. We met at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington in 1997 and the rest is history. Fast forward to 2003...we married in Winston-Salem, NC on a beautiful day. We had talked about our family dreams and desires since early on in our relationship. We both knew we wanted children. She wanted 3...I thought 2 was ok. We thought it would be something that just happened when we were ready. This was not reality for us. We tried and tried and tried and ended up going through IVF. This was the most trying (physically, emotionally, financially, etc) time in our lives. We struggled with each other because of the stress involved, but there were funny times too. I don't particularly like needles and to have to jab someone with one every day was, well...difficult to say the least. Sometimes it would take me minutes to just get warmed up enough to give the shot. And why did we have to go through IVF? We both had infertility issues. My "boys" were not shaped properly which meant they were probably spinning in circles. Amy had Poly-Cystic ovaries. We were a match made in heaven. We learned a lot about each other through IVF and infertility, but we had to hide most of our feelings from others because they just didn't understand. It was hard, but it worked on the first try. We learned Amy was pregnant on September 13, 2007. It was amazing and the next 8 months were amazing. First heartbeat, first kick, ultrasounds, birthing classes, etc. Peyton was born on May 15, 2008 and we started our lives as a family.
This last 18 months has been amazing. Amazingly rewarding, Amazingly difficult, Filled with an Amazing love that I could never have imagined.
Fast forward to today...I am still insecure about things, but have found myself opening up more and more. This blog definitely helps. When I met Amy I was a 6'4" 165 lb "stick". Today, I am a 6'4" 250lb "big boy"...marriage has definitely been good to me. I have a severe fast food addiction. I am not a "manly man". We laugh because i struggle with the simplest tasks around the house. My dad builds houses and I struggle to hang a blind over our windows. Did I mention that I sell kitchens? I know it is crazy, but i think i am pretty good at what i do. I am a manager...i make sure everything gets done. I have installers who are the best and make me look good. I think that is important in life. Realize your weaknesses and find a way to overcome them. I have a handful of great friends. I live within 5 miles of most of my immediate family (Mom & Dad, Sister, Brother-in-law, Nephew & Niece, Aunt, Uncle, Cousin, Grandma & Grandpa). This is great, but what is not great is that I live 300 miles from Amy's family. It is tough and at times I feel guilty because I am the reason she moved here, but this is our life together and we make everything work. I work hard, but love that moment when i pull up to the house and Peyton & Amy are waiting at the door for me. Peyton is smiling and waving to me. Amy is having him blow me kisses. I walk through the door and his first words..."DOG". Then i realize maybe he was blowing those kisses and waving his sweet little hands at Bailee, our Chocolate Lab. It makes me laugh. I am so Blessed to have such a wonderful family and I never let this go.

I know this has been all over the place, but it is hard to start. I will get better...I promise.

One last thing. Do you ever know that you need to give something up, but love it so much that you can't, but complain about the effects of it? I do and this is the reason why I am a 250lb daddy that loves to have his son sleep on his chest...yes, my 18 month old son who...yes, sleeps in our bed every night because I want to feel that love and not make him cry it out. At least he sleeps for a little while in his crib before making the move to our bed. I have come to realize that I don't have to do it for others...as long as we are happy and healthy! And now that i have written all of these thoughts, I am going to Taco Bell!