We’re taking a break from sharing about travel to share something completely different and for the people involved, infinitely more impactful. We’ve partnered with Huggies to share a few stories and some big thank yous for the staff of NICUs around the country. We were very fortunate with both of our boys having very smooth […]
When the family goes camping, nobody exhibits more enthusiasm, excitement and anticipation than the kids! Children not only see this as an adventure, but they like the idea of spending time with parents who aren’t texting, working and otherwise distracted. Our friend, Paul Turner of TakeOutdoors.com has some great insight to share about camping safety […]
There is no one destination on Earth that we’ve been to as many times as Disneyland. It’s actually shocking to start calculating how many hours we have spent in both Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure. Our Disneyland tips come from hundreds of hours of fun both with and without kids. that’s right, sometimes we’re in […]
This post about summer travel packing and family friendly kid products is sponsored by Johnson’s Baby, one of our staple brands at home and on the road. Summer is totally underway. We’ve already had trips to Disneyland, Wisconsin, Florida and more. That means that we’ve honed down our travel packing, daily prep on the road, […]
Our notes here about saving for the future originally appeared on GaysWithKids.com, which is a great resource for families and same-sex couples looking to take the plunge into parenthood. Recently, we saw some online promotion and hashtags around saving up for the future and just general thoughts on good practices with money. Chris and I […]
Well, Thanksgiving came and went in a flash which means that it’s time to wrap up our year… but not before we do our one and only Christmas tradition: doing the Christmas tree. Decorating a Christmas tree as a family has become one of our absolute favorite activities out of everything we do over the […]
Following the recent shocking election of Donald Trump in the United States, our minds are spinning out of control of what to do. We cannot relocate our lives and run away from this. We can’t secede from the Union (or can we?) and we can’t just sit at home moping about so many of our […]
Since summer keeps us going going going we are always a tiny bit excited for fall. Fall is the perfect time to chill for a bit (for at least three weeks straight), prep for the next big trip (usually a warm couple weeks in Mexico) and do our pumpkin thing. Yes, most families have some […]
September means something different for every family. Most parents (and kids) are totally in school mode, but not us. We’re still in the days of enjoying the last weeks of summer and keeping busy with travel and house projects. Come next year though, we’ll be sending kids to school for the first time… or will […]
Every year we get together with our family for a big family reunion trip. Hold up, that’s a vague statement because our family is enormous. We get together annually with our immediate family for a week at Lake Cushman on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State. We love it there; it’s beautiful. We love even […]
We travel a lot, right? Do you ever wonder what actually sticks with kids and makes a lasting impression? When you’re planning your own vacation, do you seriously talk to your kids to see what they want to do or where they want to go. After interviewing our own 4 year old, it’s become a […]
We’re always sharing the positive side of family travel and being two dads, right? Every now and then we add a dose of reality by looping everyone in on what it’s like to be an LGBT family in unpleasant places or awkward situations, but did you know that even in a world as progressive as […]
Disclosure: I have received information about #HowWeFamily from the makers of TYLENOL. The opinions stated are my own. This is a sponsored post. Last year Father’s Day was a struggle to figure out. We were both worn out from life, with Chris working bunch over in Seattle in the week before, and me being here at […]
Probably the best thing about being a blogger is getting to tell stories about what we do every day instead of just keeping it to ourselves. We love talking to people! Having a blog to share our ideas, tips, and just fun times is great. One of the things that we get to share about […]
Being a dad is the coolest thing ever. You get to teach your kids about bugs and cooking and building things and art and hiking and so much more. While our youngest is still in the toddler stage and not about to voluntarily hike on his own, our oldest, Oliver, is quite the trailblazer… 80% […]
Disclosure: I have received information about #HowWeFamily from the makers of TYLENOL. The opinions stated are my own. This is a sponsored post. Strangely we’re always asked how we celebrate Mother’s Day. Um… like any other family does? We have moms. We have women in our family who are moms. We celebrate them. “Oh, but one […]
Looking to get set up with the right supplies, services or tools for some awesome travel? Take a look below at what we recommend and who we partner with. Camping Gear Check out our Set Up Camp page for specific recommendations REI: we love REI’s gear and quality. Shop REI.com here! Looking for great gear […]
Do you know what I love about modern television and online marketing? Advertisements that speak to me and that I don’t mind watching or looking into more. A catchy ad does wonders for a brand, like the Disney World ads that have tiny bits of magic woven into them. Or there’s an ad for the […]
Originally written for GaysWithKids.com When people ask us where our favorite places to return to for family travel are, we’re pretty quick with our answers: Cabo San Lucas, Disneyland, Georgia/Florida… Georgia and Florida? Like, the South? Yes, it’s true. We’ve written before about how the South is changing and how it’s worth giving a second […]
Dads have the stereotypical reputation of a few key things: bad jokes, BBQing and convincing the family to rough it. None of these are bad stereotypes, but also none are true for every dad. I’ll be honest, these all are true for us…and doubly so as we’re a gay dad household. Our sons are used to […]
Before we dig into our family’s story and how we came to be the fun crew we are today, remember that having a baby via surrogacy is a strange and bumpy path, particularly for people living in places with either very conservative laws or health systems that aren’t as progressive as ours in Washington State. […]
The story behind the picture at the beach: we live very close to a great beach. Like, we can walk there in five minutes so we’re there ALLLLLL the time. It’s still special and exciting to go even though we practically live there March through October. This particular day was a very special one though. […]
The story behind the picture: I’m a stay-at-home dad (me, Rob) so I get to do fun stuff with the boys every day. Chris works in Seattle five days a week, so most of his fun time is mainly on the weekends or when we’re traveling. One of our favorite things to do is to […]
Originally written for the Smart GayLife Before we had two kids, we were bold with our travel choices. We could throw caution out the window and road trip through rural Mexico and get stopped and searched by armed military. We could visit friends in San Francisco and stay out until 3am. We could trek through Canada […]
Having two dads isn’t the norm. It’s true. But gosh, it would be nice if we ran into more families like ours out there. We do what we can to raise our kids just like any other parents do, but as they grow, we’ve got an extra step of calling out our family situation. We […]
Originally written for GaysWithKids.com It’s funny. As I think about traveling as a gay man or as part of a gay family, I try to consider what makes our travels gay. Yeah, um, it’s just that we’re gay; nothing else. I was sitting here analyzing our adventures and writing and realized that our journeys aren’t […]
Holidays are a strange phenomenon. We set aside a day to specifically think about a topic and then gather with people to celebrate it, aka cook food we don’t normally. Christmas makes sense because clearly you’re either celebrating the birth of Jesus or you’re celebrating your own sense of how well you know others by […]
Originally written for GaysWithKids.com My husband and I aren’t shy people. We do karaoke, take the kids to nice restaurants, wear Euro-style swim trunks, hold hands as a family in public… You know, we’re not crazy but we’re not shy. This includes traveling to potentially homophobic places. We don’t intentionally put ourselves and our kids […]
I’m used to individual parenting. I mean, I’m home alone with the kids most of the time and I’m fine dealing with random tantrums and epic breakdowns with no logic behind them. When I’m on the road though and I’m staying in somebody else’s house, yeah no. At home I’m the epitome of patience and […]
You know how there are those things that you’ve loved your whole life and can’t imagine ever not liking? Yeah, for me that was going on road trips: with friends, with family, on my own – anything. Some of my favorite childhood memories were camping with my family, far off in the Rockies or up […]
I remember each person’s reaction when we told them that we were having a baby. Most people were shocked, followed by full of joy and wow and OMG. There were those that just couldn’t process it because, I mean, gay guys raising a baby? And then there was one reaction that really stuck with me. […]
Once upon a time… Back in 2009 one of our friends randomly mentioned to us “Hey, do you guys want kids? Cuz my cousin mentioned that she’d be interested in being a surrogate in the future…” Well, we met and it was a perfect fit. She was amazing, she had sarcastic wit, and she possessed […]
Fifteen years ago today I graduated high school. It was not thrilling, but just another day that meant that life continued on, but without school. I had no clue what was going to happen for me. That was my life: no clear direction. Why do I mention that it’s been 15 years since high school? […]
Before you jump in a lake, let somebody else test the water for frigid temperatures or piranhas. Same goes for helpful ways to navigate the world of occupying a child. The kid products we like have saved us in some tough pinches. Below you’ll find our recommendations for tactile toys, iPad apps, kids books […]
2 dads traveling the globe with their 2 sons, teaching them the value of culture and education, experiencing the outdoors, and giving the kids a broad world view.
