Dear AJ...

Everyday there is something new with this guy. A young man with the whole world in front of him. He is in his last few days as an only child and he may no longer be the center of attention.

Over the past two years, he has grown in so many ways. He started talking at 9 months. Started walking at 13 months. Took a dump in the toilet at 2 years old.

As a father, there's always going to be some funny, sweet, rude, kind, and memorable moments. These articles are dedicated to the dad's who are really out there being present in their kids' lives.

These are The Dad Files.

December 24th, 2018
The Taste of Christmas

Everyone is gathered together at your great-grandmas house for Christmas Eve. Tamales, rice, and all kinds of Mexican desserts are spread across the kitchen. You've stuffed your faces for hours, absorbing energy in order to stay up until midnight to celebrate Christmas.

Family games are being played, and one in particular that is rather disgusting. There is a ball made completely of plastic wrap and it is filled with the jelly beans from the game Beanboozled. These jelly beans are tricky because half of them are regular flavors, and the other half are flavors like Boogers, Toothpaste, Dog Food, and Vomit.

The worst part about the game is that you don't know what the flavor is until you bite into it. Your family members are literally throwing up from some of the flavors. Having to tap out from disgust one bean into the game. But candy is candy, and you didn't care about the flavor.

After everyone was done playing the game, you wanted to get in on the action. You and your little cousin thought it would be a good idea to dig into the box of jelly beans. And before you guys could even begin, everyone got out their phones and was ready for the show.

The reactions you two were going to give were going to be too good not to record. These memories needed to be saved. But your reactions, or lack there of, was the best part.

Your cousin ate about two beans before his eyes started to water. He was struggling to finish his second bean, as anyone would. He wanted no part of anymore of those beans.

You, however, went the other way. You love candy so much, you did not care about how they tasted. You ate one bean, and then another, and then another, and then another... This went on for about five minutes.

With every bean you ate, you only grew happier. Dancing and jumping up and down because not only were you being allowed to eat candy, but you were being encouraged. About 20 beans in, your breath could be smelled  from across the room. It finally got to the point where your dad was shouting and screaming "AJ PLEASE STOP! YOU'RE EMBARRASSING YOURSELF!"

Everyone had a nasty bean, but not you. You loved every flavor that touched your taste buds. Rotten Eggs, Stinky Socks, and Spoiled Milk. Nothing, NOTHING could shake you. You ate that shit like a champ. You won the game, but your reputation definitely took a hit.

So if you have ever burped and thought to yourself, "That smells like Canned Dog Food" now you know why AJ.