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First Friday #4: Kyle and Papi

Posted by | June 06, 2011 | BAMBINOS | 5 Comments

Over the last couple weeks, I have been able to bond more with our boys. I’ve been spending some quality one-on-one time with them as a pair.  Mainly since I have been working so much and been so distracted, we thought it was getting critical that I did something.  And it’s been working.

Heather spends so so so much time actively engaging and doing so much for our kids and family.  She has a tremendous emotional bond with our kids that is beautiful.  But at the same time, there is something about spending time with me that is so incredibly powerful.  To have a connection with their father is a huge deal for sons.

There has been better behavior with them, and toward me, more cuddles, more affection, less general anxiety.  Just by simply spending a little (and not even that much) more time with my boys.  It should be an enormous lesson.

And though I have been spending more time with just Kyle and Owen, I stil have not been spending much time one-on-one.  You know, with three kids, that’s just hard to do.  But with First Friday, it’s really helped.

This past weekend was my first First Friday – we did all three kid’s with Heather first – and Kyle and I got to have a nice nice nice nice nice nice night on the town.

Kyle is our Italian food connoisseur, lover of a variety of pastas and breads. Heather found a great hole-in-the-wall place in South-side Bethlehem, “Sal’s Brick Over Pizza and Italian Restaurant” and we made the most of it. We loved Sal’s – everything made from scratch – reminded me of our Italian landlord from Boston (who regularly cooked for us great-grandmother style).  Freshly baked Italian bread with garlic sauce, blackened mahi-mahi with a crab and scallop sauce.

In a new twist, Kyle designed his own dish.  His normal penne Alfredo (which in Sal’s case, was more like a slightly cheesy cream sauce).  But he asked them to sauté (or in his words, “cooked”) tomatoes on the side.  While this was a bit strange, when he ordered, I didn’t realize his intention.  When the plate arrived, he immediately scooped the tomatoes onto the Alfredo – a new dish was born!  The server commented that it looked great and should be added to the menu.  You can see his plate above.

Turns out it was also First Friday in Bethlehem also that night.  There were street musicians, folks strolling the streets, shops open and welcoming people in for exhibits, music, drinks and other special events.  There was a great jazz band from Moravian that Kyle loved (and mentioned in his nightly prayer) – that’s him dancing below.

We had a great time. I can’t wait for the next First Friday!

 

5 Comments

  • Gail says:

    He looks so happy, Braydon! And the tomatoes make the meal healthier too. Nice going.

  • Megan says:

    Actively engaged fathers are one of the best gifts ever for a child. Way to go!

  • Kate says:

    Great post Braydon! Your First Friday tradition sounds like a keeper. You’re so right about the importance of a father spending one-to-one time with their children. I can so relate from my own experiences as a child growing up with a very hard working father (who had very long hours) but also made a lot of effort to balance and address the imbalance of his work and domestic spheres. Kyle’s ingenuity is a wonderful thing, his new creation looks delicious…might try that myself! Looks like you both had a lot of fun, wishing you all happy days!
    – Kate

  • stevensh93 says:

    Looks great!

  • Kerry says:

    Sounds like a fun night and Kyle’s dinner looks yummy! Love the shout out for the Moravian jazz band too. I’m going to make a note to send you guys news about music events at Moravian since you live close enough to enjoy them.

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