If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to Mommy Daddy Blog. We wouldn't want you to miss out on our updates or giveaways ;-)! Thanks for visiting!

But I know two people who did! The winners of the 4th of July giveaway for two Russ Shining Stars Eagle Plushes are:

#5 - Sheliza
#8 - Melissa

Congratulations on winning, Sheliza and Melissa! We’ll be in contact with you two shortly! Thanks to everyone that entered and shared their 4th of July celebrations with us!

Today’s Flashback Friday features a picture of Daddy and I last 4th of July. We took this picture during a fireworks show. The streaks you see in the picture are due to said fireworks. Today I’m being a bum. I’m wearing the SAME shirt again!

In honor of the 4th of July, we are giving away two Russ Shining Stars Eagle Plushes! For a chance to win, leave a comment telling us how you are celebrating or how you celebrated Independence Day! 2 winners will be chosen on July 6th at 7PM CST! This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only!

It’s that time of the year again! Family reunions, mosquito bites, fireworks, 100 degree weather, water guns, BARBECUE!!! In case you haven’t checked your calendar recently, one of my favorite holidays is coming up: the 4th of July!

For Mommy and I, the 4th of July has always been a big day for us, especially since we used to live near Chicago. If you ever plan to visit Chicago, definitely do it around this time of the year. Because when it comes to the 4th of July, I think it goes without saying that Chicago definitely does it BIG! I’m talking barbecue every square inch of the city, the Taste of Chicago, and one of the best fireworks shows in the WORLD! And Mommy and I have enjoyed it this way for many years! Even now that we live 6 hours away from Chicago, we still return every year to celebrate the 4th of July, Chicago style!

So we’re packing up our stuff, grabbing our little man, and hitting the road to Chicago tomorrow morning. We’ll be spending 5 days up there, a muuuch needed “vacation” that we’re going to use to relax, spend time with family, and enjoy the 4th!

I know I’ve been kind of missing in action over the past week. I’ve been pulling extra hours at work so that we’d able to have these 5 days in Chicago. And I’ve also been sick. It seems that my allergies got the best of me, but it’s not easy when there’s clouds of pollen floating around everywhere outside. I’m better now, just in time for our trip to Chicago! Of course we’ll be taking a hell of a lot of pictures and shooting some videos of Jayden enjoying his second trip to Chicago. Maybe we’ll actually do a lot more than just sleep this time around!

As for stuff going here on Mommy Daddy Blog, definitely expect some big things for July! We know how you all love giveaways, so we have many of those lined up for this month. Also, a new design is in the works, and that cartoon couple you see right up there at the top of this blog is getting the boot! We think you guys will love it though (at least we hope!). But most importantly, Jayden will be turning 3 months old this month! I can’t believe that it has already been almost 3 months. It seems like it was just yesterday that Mommy went into labor and Jayden was born. And now here he is, getting all big and cooing like crazy! For the past week or so, I’ve been able to get him to respond to me. It’s this certain annoying sound that I make to Jayden, and almost every time that I do it, he’ll coo back and/or smile. I’ve been trying to get it on video, but he always seems to stop doing it the moment I press record. I guess my little man’s a little camera shy. I also sometimes can get him to smile just by smiling at him. It’s like he sees me smiling and tries to mimic me. Fatherhood is such a beautiful thing!

So that’s about all for now. Time to get some shut eye, have a 6 hour road trip to make tomorrow!

I recently had a chance to chat with Tahirah Kotati, owner of Eclectique Soul Paper and Gifts. Over at Eclectique Soul Paper and Gifts you can find fine stationery, invitations, announcements and unique handmade mementos. I really enjoyed browsing through Eclectique Soul as it is filled with creative whimsy. I truly believe that Eclectique Soul takes handmade to another level. Tahirah celebrates diversity in her hand drawn fanciful illustrations. They are then printed on archival quality cardstock, and individually hand decorated with an assortment of crystals, glitter, and embellishments, which create stunning keepsakes that last a lifetime.

Tahirah started her business last year designing party invitations for her family and friends in her quiet, two bedroom apartment in Atlanta. The response was phenomenal, and with support from loved ones Eclectique Soul is now full fledge company!

Eclectique Soul’s Vision
Believing there is beauty unique in all of us, we strive to break and recast the “standard” mold.
Exposing children early on to an affluence of experiences can only lead to a better tomorrow.
As consumers we want choices in our products, which reflect our image, beliefs, taste and lifestyles.

Our mission is to produce the finest products that celebrate diverse ethnicities and cultures, we wish to defy stereotypical gender roles and celebrate the triumphs of life’s journey. From our invitations to our birth plates, our products use only the best materials to create pieces that can be cherished for a lifetime. Made by hand, infused with love, from our souls to yours.

In honor of Independence Day, Eclectique Soul wants to give away a double scoop of Cherries Jubilee hair bows to 2 of our readers! A double scoop is a set of two hair bows featuring a man wearing a patriotic white top hat! Visit Eclectique Soul’s Etsy shop and comment here telling me what your favorite item is! To ensure arrival by Independence Day, winners will be chosen on June 26th at 7PM CST! This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only!

I know it’s a little early to be talking about halloween costumes but I’ve been anticipating Halloween ever since I discovered that Daddy and I were pregnant. Daddy and I feel that once you grow up, holidays get boring. When children are in the picture, it’s like enjoying childhood all over again. I probably mentioned it before, but I’ll mention it again. Daddy and I would occasionally shop for our little one(s) years before Jayden. If we saw something cute, we’d pick it up.

We have accumulated bins of children’s clothing aka “the baby stash”. In those bins are a few Halloween costumes. We have a choice between a pumpkin and a chili pepper. The pumpkin costume will be too large for Jayden by October, but the chili pepper costume should fit just right. Since we already have a costume for him, we’re going to put it to some use, however I can’t stop obsessing over other kids costumes that I have seen. I have a thing for lions. If there is a lion on it, Jayden has to have it, especially if “ROAR” is written on it. Saying “ROAR” like how Cedric The Entertainer said it on one of his stand ups cracks me up. So Jayden just may be a chili pepper and a lion this Halloween, maybe even a Tootsie Roll, lol. Ok maybe we’ll save the Tootsie Roll for next year.

Right now is a good time to shop for Halloween costumes. Since the season is over, they’re on super sale. During the Halloween season sometimes they are marked above retail simply because the demand is high. Right now costumes are marked over 50% off at BuyCostumes.com. You don’t want to miss out!

The “Celebration of Daddyhood” Father’s Day Giveaway and Celebrate Motherhood With PeaceLoveMom Giveaway we held over the past couple of weeks were definitely a lot of fun! But now it’s time to announce the winners!

As for the PeaceLoveMom Giveaway, the winner of a Lucky Mom Cantaloupe Soft Tee is… Mary! Congratulations Mary! And thanks PeaceLoveMom for making this giveaway possible!

Now for the Father’s Day Giveaway! Let’s go over the prizes one more time and find out who has won!

A gift that can’t be refused!
ONE lucky daddy will receive a GoodFather T-Shirt from Dr. MOZ! This t-shirt is perfect for the new daddy and a great way for wives to show their husbands what a “goodfather” he is! The winner will receive a short-sleeved t-shirt with the choice of a size between medium to 3xl.

Winner: Amanda!

I’ve been meaning to ask…
TWO lucky daddies will receive a Dad Relationship Keepsake Journal from Sand Dune Publishing Co.! These journals contain 35-45 questions that daddy can answer in his own handwriting. The journal is then given back to the son or daughter to cherish forever!

Winners: Kari Follett and Christy!

“Dude, I can see my reflection in your shoes!”
FIVE lucky daddies will receive Shine To Go Shoe Polisher from Kimberly-Clark! Keep daddy looking clean with this “on the go” shoe polisher! Available in black, brown, and clear, five winners will receive a set of all three colors!

Winners: Bunny, Cindi, Kam Aures, Yolanda, and Suzie G!

Time to give that coffee a makeover!
ONE lucky daddy will receive a custom coffee mug from Jenera Healy Photography! The winner will be able to choose any photo from the Jenera Healy Photography gallery to be imprinted onto the cup! This gift is perfect for the daddies out there suffering from boring-coffee-mug-itis!

Winner: Kristie Noguera!

“Sir, do you have the time?” “Why yes I do!”
ONE lucky daddy will receive a Waveceptor Timepiece from Casio! With tons of features, including solar powered batteries and Atomic Timekeeping Technology, this timepiece will surely keep daddy happy (and on time!)! The winner will receive the WVA430J-1A model.

Winner: Sky!

Congratulations all of you, and thanks to everyone who entered! I enjoyed reading what all of you had to say about daddy/fatherhood, and what being a father means to you. I enjoyed it so much that I’ll be doing a follow-up in the next few days. So look forward to that!

Also, I’d like to give a huge thanks to Dr. MOZ, Sand Dune Publishing Co., Kimberly-Clark, Jenera Healy Photography, and Casio for sponsoring this giveaway and making it all possible! Once again, Happy Belated Father’s Day to all of you wonderful fathers out there!

And remember, if you’d like to stay updated with new giveaways and everything else here on Mommy Daddy Blog, the best way is by subscribing to our feed in a feed reader via RSS, or by getting daily updates e-mailed directly to your inbox!

Tell me something, how did she do it? How exactly did she get away with it? She did it right under my nose! How could I have not seen it coming? She outsmarted me! She has got to be the sneakiest woman alive!

As everyone knows, yesterday was Father’s Day. In fact, it was my very first Father’s Day as a father. I wasn’t expecting anything at all…… ok maybe I was… a little. But the gift of being able to spend the day with my son was all I really wanted. But I know her. I know how sneaky she is! I knew she had something up her sleeve!

All week long, prior to Father’s Day, I asked her the same exact question…

“So, what are you getting me for Father’s Day?”

And all week long, I got the same exact answer.

“Nothing at all.”

Wow, talk about harsh. I knew she didn’t mean it though. I knew she was planning on getting me something for Father’s Day.

So I turned this house upside down. I looked through cabinets, under rugs, in Jayden’s diaper. And NOTHING! No gifts ANYWHERE! Was she telling the truth? Did she really not get me anything for Father’s Day?

So there I was, with Jayden, in bed, watching a movie. I glanced at the clock and noticed that it had passed midnight. I’m thinking that since it was now officially Father’s Day, she’d give in and admit that she got me something.

“So can I have my Father’s Day gifts now?”

No answer.

“Well can I?”

No answer.

“So you really didn’t get me any gifts for Father’s Day, huh?”

“It didn’t come yet.”

“See! I knew you got me something! I knew it! You lied to me!”

“Yeah, yeah.”

After finally getting it out of her that she got me a gift for Father’s Day, I continued to watch the movie with a huge grin on my face, knowing that my gift would arrive within the next few days. But then all of a sudden…

“Greeeg! Go read Mommy Daddy Blog!”

Well damn, couldn’t even say please! Just ordering me around like she always does. So I grabbed my laptop and went to MommyDaddyBlog.com. Hmmm, there’s a new post up. Heeey, what did I tell her about calling me “Greggie Poo” in public! I read the post, and let out a few “Awwwww”’s. Then I got to the bottom…

“Greg, look under the black recliner!”

At that very second, I began to grin from ear to ear as I leaped out of bed, ran to the living room, and knocked over the black recliner. And there it was. A red and white striped box. I grabbed the box and shot back into our bedroom.

“You lied to me! You told me that my gifts didn’t arrive yet! You liar!”

All she did was sit there with a mischievous smirk on her face as I tore the red and white striped box apart. Inside were two gifts, this…

and this…

I looked up at her with a grin on my face.

“…but……what……how……you tricked me!!!”

“I know!”

And she went back to typing away on her computer, as I basked in the leathery smell of my new wallet! But little did I know, that wasn’t it.

“Greeeg! Refresh the post!”

Huh? Refresh the post? I put down my two new toys, grab my laptop, and hit refresh. I notice something new at the bottom of the post.

“Now look under Jayden’s tub!”

Wha? Another one? I run back to the living room where Jayden’s little baby tub is sitting. Beneath it is a storage bin. I open the storage bin and there it is. A shiny gold gift box. I grab the gift box and run back to our bedroom, where once again, she’s sitting with a mischievous smirk on her face.

I tear open the box, and inside are these…

I looked up at her and smiled.

“I love you, you sneaky woman!”

“I love you too!”

And that’s how the story goes. How did she do it? How was she able to order these gifts, have them shipped to our front door, sneak them in, wrap them, and hide them right here in our own house, all without me knowing? Nothing is supposed to get past me! I’m supposed to catch everything! I still can’t believe that I didn’t at least find the one under the recliner. I sit in that recliner every single day! Why didn’t I think to look under there? Right under my nose…

As for the gifts, I love them!

My old wallet was falling apart to the point where it couldn’t even hold my credit/debit cards securely anymore. As soon as I saw that one of my gifts was a new wallet, I immediately emptied my old wallet, put everything in the new wallet, and threw my old wallet out.

Anyone that knows me knows that I have what they call compulsive check-every-single-component-of-the-car-to-make-sure-it’s-working-and-up-to-par disorder. After experiencing two car accidents first hand, both of which were due to car parts failing, I can’t help but to freak out even if something as simple as the clock doesn’t work in my car. I’m constantly checking to make sure my tires are inflated to the right PSI because I’d really hate to blow a tire and be stranded, especially since we live in the middle of nowhere.

And I love polo shirts. If I were rich, my closet would be a mile long, full of polos. DrJays.com is also one of my favorite stores to buy clothes from. So she really scored extra points for that one.

So as you can see, Father’s Day was full of surprises for me. I loved every second of it, especially since I spent it with Jayden. We decided to to take Jayden for a walk later on in the day. We got all the way to the park, had the stroller pulled out the trunk and everything, until…

*drip* *drip* *drip* *drip* *drip*

Thanks a lot, Mother Nature! So we’ve postponed our walk until later on this week.

Well I hope all you other fathers out there enjoyed your Father’s Day as much as I did! I didn’t get a chance to wish all of you guys a happy Father’s Day yesterday. So Happy Belated Father’s Day to all of you!