Dad's Day

It is a celebration with my husband because he is an AWESOME dad and his greatness needs no explanation around here, just ask any one of our kids. They go running to him every day when he gets home from work. "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!!!" He lets them get muddy and grass stained. He lets them do adventurous (cough cough..dangerous) activities that I would hesitate over. He lets them get their hands dirty. He lets them swim in the bathtub. And supposedly he gives better kisses, because mine our too sloppy and our one daughter always wipes mine off her face...!?? He also gives great hugs and he says, "I love you" every day and night.

It is also a sad day for me because my own father has passed.

I'm feeling a bit melancholy as I sit here and type this at 1:37 AM (the only time it is truly quiet in this house). The only thing that keeps coming to my mind is that I'm so thankful my husband is the father to our kids, that my dad was to me. Our children get to enjoy living as kids and not having a care in the world because he works very hard to provide that for them. My father liked my husband when I first introduced them, while we were dating. My dad probably knew a lot more than I did at that time and he's probably wishing he could say..'I told you so!'

In my mind, my dad spends his days sitting on a John Deere in heaven with charcoal heating up on a Weber ('cause GOD knows a real man doesn't use gas!'), smoking and drinking a beer, while he laughs at all the goofy things our children say and do, while we try to keep up with them!

And I owe a 'thank you' to my father-in-law, although I doubt he'll ever read this. Even before we knew my dad was terminally ill, my father-in-law had always done the 'dad' type things for us and continues to do so. He endlessly helps us do repairs with our house. When he visits he can't sit still. He will mow the lawn. Fix anything that needs fixing. Clean anything 'outdoors' because he still likes to live in the '50s stereotype, but that's ok, because I'm not great at using a power washer. He'll run to the hardware store. And he also makes our kids very happy. I do say 'thank you' and appreciate everything he does do for us. I know if my dad were around, we'd probably have so much help, I wouldn't have a honey-do list for my husband!

Happy Father's Day!