Kristen Is the Toughest, Hottest, Funniest Girl of All-Time

Langston is going to have his Mom's fighter spirit.

Me and my wife talk about everything, but a lot of the time our conversation circles around one thing: trying to figure out what the hell other people are thinking. Everywhere we go, everything we listen to, we always come across some nutcase that is completely unaware of manners or the vibes he/she are putting off.  I think that I’ve become more aware of this since I’ve been with my wife because the lunatics are always flocking to her, falling in love with her, or stalking her from a bush. I’m always asking my wife if I can kick their ass, but she always tells me to let it go; it doesn’t matter (she is much better at dealing with this; I guess a woman has to be).

Anyway, a couple of days ago, we were talking about all of the crazy things that other pregnant women do. The small minority of women that use their pregnancy to get, get, get, and the pregnant women that put their baby at risk by smoking cigs and drinking and taking pills. We were shocked how common this actually is!! And, we were shocked at how nonchalant people can be about it (one person even asked my wife if she would like something to drink: beer? Glass of wine?).

At home, there is nothing better than Kristen's smile

But, this isn’t the case around our house. Kristen cares way too much about Langston to put him in any kind of harm. She watches what she eats, and she does everything a great Mom is supposed to do. On top of that, she keeps such a great outlook about everything by smiling and joking and laughing and wanting to be active. Even when she’s a little sad, there is a smile that is ready to crack through at any moment. She amazes me every day with how tough she is (I’m really humbled and motivated by the fact that she insists on working and teaching during her pregnancy). It’s undeniable that she cares about her family and her son more than anything. She is already the best Mom in the world, and we all know that Langston is going to love her more than anyone can imagine, just like his Dad does.   

It's All in the Family

Langston's room as of today.

In about a month and a half, Kristen and I are going to have our first baby: Langston James Snyder. I can still clearly remember the day that we decided that we should have a baby. I remember the day that we found out that she was pregnant. And, I remember every day since then. It’s been slow, and it’s been fast at the same time.

In many ways, I think being a father during pregnancy is so much different than being a mother. A mother’s job is to take care of the baby, sacrifice her body and everything in her world- her job, reputation…everything. A mother loses herself completely because the job of carrying and creating another person is so tough and demanding and grueling. A good mother gives everything that she has for the baby. That’s what Kristen does every day.

A father’s job, on the other hand, is to make sure that his wife stays grounded and happy and feeling wanted. It’s a difficult task because women naturally feel lost during pregnancy, especially when they’re having their first child. During pregnancy, a father has to be a little more focused on his wife than the baby because realistically, there isn’t much the father can do. He’s a cheerleader, a bench player, a guy on the sidelines. I think a lot of men get lost in this role because it is difficult to stay on track.

Langston's I'm a Monkey Cup. If he is anything
like me, he WILL be a monkey.

But, it is a very, very important job nonetheless. If a man doesn’t keep his wife happy and their relationship intimate, he can lose her forever. She’ll be assigned strictly to a role as a mother and will no longer be a lover, a friend, or anything that a healthy relationship is based on. No woman wants that. 

In today’s world, people always want to make EVERYTHING about the child, but there are some things that need to be kept in perspective, especially a relationship. After all, there is no greater gift for a child than having happy parents. I don’t think people should ever sacrifice parts of a marriage; I think they need to incorporate their children into it.

Langston's I'm a Lion Cup. My
good friend Ronnie always called me young lion.
Now, there's a new kid on the block.

So, that’s what Kristen and I have been working on. She shields the child, and I shield her. It’s a team effort, and all three of us are in it with different roles. We all love each other equally, but naturally, it’s in slightly different ways. Ways that nobody outside of the family could even realize or understand.

I love Langston more and more every day, and I haven’t even met him. I don’t know his personality (except for a few small things that my wife tells me about), and I don’t know his likes and dislikes. Not yet, anyway. But deep inside of me, I have these feelings and these instincts about what he’s going to be like. I feel like he is going to be a strong baby, a guy that doesn’t take shit and is comfortable with himself. I feel like he is going to be polite and mannerly. I think that the girls are going to love him. I think that he is going to be talented: an athlete, a scholar, a musician, social. I have no idea if any of these things are true or real, but I feel them and I want them for him.

I can't wait for me and Langston to shoot
some b-ball together. Maybe, Grandpa can
show him a few tricks on how to play physical.

I think a lot of men have fears about being a father, but I don’t. I’m very confident. I think this is because I had a great father. He was a guy that was always there for me and took care of everything. He taught me to play basketball, and he supported everything that I ever set out to do. Because of that, I’ve accomplished it all. Today, we’re like best friends. We can talk about everything and do anything together. We have respect for each other as people. This is what I want for me and Langston, and I’m sure that is what we will have. I love you buddy, and I can’t wait for you to get here.

It's All in the Pudding...Just Ask My Wife

Kristen... damn, she is beautiful

Thanksgiving of 2012 was the first major holiday that Kristen and I spent together. We had been seeing each other for a little over a month, and I already knew I was crazy about her. I already knew that this was the girl that I would ask to marry me. So, I ended up making an extremely complicated Thanksgiving dinner in my tiny apartment just to impress her. All of it was made from scratch.

There was turkey, mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, asparagus, carrots, corn, cornbread, stuffing, pumpkin pie, and apple sauce. There was more food than anyone could ever eat; basically, i went completely overboard. But, she loved it! And to this day, there is still one food that she always talks about: the banana pudding.

This banana pudding is one of the best desert recipes that I have ever come across. It is great to impress your wife, girlfriend, boyfriend, or husband. And even better, it can be a pretty healthy desert if you stick to the appropriate ingredients.

Here it is:

1 8 ounce package of cream cheese (I use the reduced fat Philadelphia cream cheese)

1 14 oz sweetened condensed can of milk (fat free version is the best)

5 oz worth of pudding mix (I like to stick to vanilla, but there are cheesecake, lemon, etc. versions)

3 cups of cold milk

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 8 oz container of whipped topping (fat free version is just as good)

4 thinly sliced bananas

1 package of vanilla wafers

To make it, all you have to do is line the bottom of the bowl with sliced bananas. Then, mix all of the wet ingredients thoroughly and pour the pudding over the bananas. Finally, put the cookies on top.

Last Weekend

Ever since I made this pudding for Thanksgiving, Kristen had been begging me to make it again. Last weekend, I brought it back for a  date night. We watched Before Sunset (pretty good for a romantic movie), I made Chili for us, and we capped it off with the Banana pudding again. Kristen went wild, and I reminded her of why she married me ;)