I come from a family of 7 kids with me fitting right in the middle. I have 2 older sisters and an older brother, and then 3 younger brothers. My poor mom had to count things out to make sure the boys all got the same amount. We had to race for seconds at the dinner table when our favorite meals were fixed and for most of the boys (me included) that was when there were mashed potatoes with meat and gravy on the table. Maybe it is because of this but I like collecting my own things and I love getting presents. These days I mostly ask for movies, books, and games.
Jon's siblings
Over our marriage I have been collecting movies like crazy. I have almost 550 including almost 100 animated films. I've collected about 60 family movies with the idea that my kids might enjoy a tradition of Friday family movie nights. I've always been pretty proud of my movie collection and we have a lot of friends who use us as their rental store. I should start charging so I can add to my collection faster!
Growing up with 6 brothers and sisters has also made me very competitive. Over the last nine years I have been collecting board games. It is hard to choose whether to spend my allowance on games or movies! Tara plays with me pretty regularly and we play with other couples quite a bit but I'll be excited to have family game nights with my kids as they get older. I have 153 games. I know this because I am so competitive that I actually have a website to track my games and how many times I play them and who wins each time. The website is called BoardGameGeek so I admit that I am a bit of a nerd when it comes to games. Would you believe that we have 12 different versions of Monopoly in our collection?! My brothers and I would have tournaments every week growing up. You'd be surprised how fast a two-player game can go. I have tried to be less competitive as I've gotten older (and hopefully more mature) but Tara has been upset enough with me a few times that she has slept on the couch!
I've recently been adding more kids games and hope to start playing more with Sophie. These days she really likes a game called Kinderbunnies. I've got Catan Junior that I am excited to give her for her 6th birthday soon. It is so fun to teach her using games. She is becoming quite good at adding and subtracting after playing Sleeping Queens a lot.
Growing up with 6 brothers and sisters has also made me very competitive. Over the last nine years I have been collecting board games. It is hard to choose whether to spend my allowance on games or movies! Tara plays with me pretty regularly and we play with other couples quite a bit but I'll be excited to have family game nights with my kids as they get older. I have 153 games. I know this because I am so competitive that I actually have a website to track my games and how many times I play them and who wins each time. The website is called BoardGameGeek so I admit that I am a bit of a nerd when it comes to games. Would you believe that we have 12 different versions of Monopoly in our collection?! My brothers and I would have tournaments every week growing up. You'd be surprised how fast a two-player game can go. I have tried to be less competitive as I've gotten older (and hopefully more mature) but Tara has been upset enough with me a few times that she has slept on the couch!
I've recently been adding more kids games and hope to start playing more with Sophie. These days she really likes a game called Kinderbunnies. I've got Catan Junior that I am excited to give her for her 6th birthday soon. It is so fun to teach her using games. She is becoming quite good at adding and subtracting after playing Sleeping Queens a lot.
Playing Killer Bunnies
My hope is that you know your baby will be raised in a home where fun family traditions are important. I treasure my childhood and the family relationships that I have built over the years. I also enjoy road trips and traveling to new places. Please know that your child will be raised in a home in which they will be loved, they will know that they are loved, and they will have every opportunity to learn, have fun, and always find a welcome place of acceptance and safety.
San Francisco, Tara's first visit
Graduation day for his PhD
Zip lining in Mexico
Having fun in Mexico
I guess I should also mention that I am a recently tenured mathematics professor at our university here in town and will be able to give your baby a good home with everything he or she needs. This is an important thing to know for your peace of mind but I thought I should spend more of my time describing the type of person I am and the kind of family life I value.
