Wow... what a week! It was a great one for the kids and I. Zach was player of the day for his touch team, Paige celebrated her 7th birthday and I got to see Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals perform live in Wellington.
Zach has been playing touch rugby on Thursday nights for his school team. He really loves it, and is improving all the time. Getting him to try sports has been a little difficult. Zach is the kind of child that is apprehensive when trying new things unless he knows that he can do them. Until now, this has limited his experience. I was really proud that he gave it a go... I know from my own experience that being a part of a team is a great way to learn and grow as a person while having fun at the same time. When I got home from my singing lesson on Thursday evening, Zach was getting into his PJs and held up his 'player of the day' certificate. He was so proud of himself.
It was also a big week for Paige. After months of getting excited, her birthday party finally arrived. She chose to have a sleepover party at home with four of her friends. Whilst this was super exciting for her, it was bloody terrifying for me! But, being the good, well meaning father I am, I put my fear aside and planned her party. The evening started with the School disco, which the girls attended, then they were dropped off at home just after 6 pm. When they arrived, they were so excited... The noise was almost deafening. But soon the pizzas arrived, and they settled down to watch a movie. When they got bored of the movie, they went and all did some drawing. We also had cake (thanks Daily Bread Bakery!).
When it came time for bed, the kids happily snuggled down in their sleeping bags on mattresses in the lounge. I read them a story, and played them some songs (well, that's what Paige's bedtime routine is). I asked the kids "who would like a hug?" All of the girls took me up on the offer. After lights out, there was certainly a whole lot of yapping (mostly instigated by Paige). But after 10:30 they all nodded off. They did wake up at 6:30 am, but that was fine, they were happy. I got up and made them pancakes for breakfast and they played most of the morning. As it turns out, I had nothing to worry about. In fact, I had as much fun as the girls did!
And the highlight of my weekend came on Sunday evening. A couple of months ago I saw that Ben Harper (one of my favourite modern artists) was coming to Wellington, so I promptly snapped up two tickets without having someone to go with. I was confident that I'd find someone to go with, be it a friend or a date. As it turns out, I managed to find a date for the evening.
We started the evening with dinner at Zibibbo (well worth a visit, Wellington people!), where we chatted over some great food. We then headed to the venue, and arrived just as the support act began his set.
Ben Harper's support act is a guy from Auckland called Miller Yule, and his five-piece band. They played a number of quite folky / country songs. My date and I thought he was great. He had a great voice, and his band were really good.
After Miller finished his set, there was a short break. Then Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals came on. Wow... Just wow! They were amazing. He played a great mix of his old songs and his new songs (mostly old songs, though). Ben's voice was great, and his band were very good indeed. Particularly his percussionist, who played bongos (and a Djembe at one point)... This guy had the biggest smile on his face the entire night.
The audience were right into it as well. There were so many people up dancing in their seats (my date and I included). It was just great fun. At one point Ben ditched his microphone and sang to the crowd without any amplification. It was a great moment - well done that man - and well done Michael Fowler centre (the acoustics are fantastic in there).
All up, I am really lucky to have the opportunity to attend events like this. Best Sunday I've had in a long time.
So, I guess that the moral of the story this time, is I am doing a good job with the kids, even if it does not feel like it every day. It's important to enjoy the good moments in life, and to celebrate successes.
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