The Men I Admire the Most

It's Father's Day today . . . and I ended up so sick I barely moved until after 11AM. So, no breakfast in bed for Greg. Sorry, hon. Instead, he did what he always does, and jumped in and took care of whatever needed to be taken care of . . . he got diaper changes done, breakfasts made, kids fed, and Annie and him off to Church in time. He is such a hands on father, with nothing he views as 'not his job'. He loves spending time with his girls, and they (Ellie especially right now) are just his biggest fans. Ellie hears his voice, and her head shoots up, and she takes off in a full 'sprint' of a crawl towards his voice . . . by the time she actually sees him she's squealing with delight, all the while yelling, "Da Da Da Da Da Da Da!!" Annie giggles and kinda jumps up and down soon as she hears the garage door open at the end of a workday. Unfortunately for poor Greg, he never really sees this, and by the time he makes it all the way inside, she acts much more nonchalant about his arrival most days. I may just get video of this one of these days, so he can see her sheer joy at his homecoming, before she recovers he cool as he walks in the actual door.
I'm grateful for the kind of Dad Greg is, and it makes me undescribably happy that my girls are so lucky to be raised by the kind of man he is . . . their lives/self esteems/educations/everything will be better because of the man they are so blessed with as a father.






And to my own Dad:

I could not have asked for a better father. I am who I am because of who you are. (Take that how you will). My sisters and I are better people, better women and stronger and more capable because we had a father who had the utmost faith in us. We all very much believed we were able to accomplish anything in this world. We knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that we could do anything a man could do, "except be a Dad," of course. I've said it before, but I think at one point or another, every single one of us was making plans for our tenure in the White House one day.

You may one day have to answer for unleashing on the world the egos and personalities you did, but we think we're great. :-) And that's pretty much your fault.

Thank you for teaching me how to play. Generations of time will be blessed by the "Tickle Monster" game because of you. Being raised the way I was, where our family played together, is what makes us so close now. Sure, I couldn't stand my siblings occasionally during my angsty childhood, and I didn't want to be anywhere near them at times . . . but because of our family's ability to play and have fun together, there is no other group of people I enjoy spending my time with more now that I'm grown up.
Thank you for teaching me the importance of travel. I will always set aside a little money each month towards vacations, because of what they mean to me. My kids will see more and experience more because the ability to do that was always seen as an amazing opportunity in my own family.
Thank you for teaching me to work.
Thank you for telling me that my siblings were my most important friends I would ever have. I didn't always believe you, but like so many other things where I thought you were full of it, you turned out to be right.
Thank you for teaching me that family always came first. There was never a single time in my life that I didn't know that your family was always your number one priority. That means a lot to a kid.
Thank you for always making learning fun. I love that I married a man who will (over)explain everything to my children about the world around them, because it was one of the things I loved most about my own father.
Thank you for teaching me how important learning was, and how it should be a part of your every day life. You will always be my first choice for any kind of 'lifeline' type of help on any game show.
Thank you for raising me to fear the next 'natural consequence'. I know my husband, and my brother in law, are actively taking notes about all the 'hilarious' punishments they've heard stories about, just waiting to use them themselves one day. I think they're both giddily looking forward to the first day their children don't put away their laundry, so they get to go put it out on the front lawn just before the school bus arrives. Or to dump the garbage pail out onto their beds because they didn't take out the trash, even after being asked for the third time by their mothers. The little lessons you taught us have stuck with us. I know I'm looking forward to 'helping my kids clean their rooms' one day. Just like my Dad did it. :-)

Thank you for how you and Mom raised me. The upbringing I had will be a huge blessing to my own children, as I try to become the parent you were. (You know, when I take the best parts of your parenting strategies and discard the crappy ones . . . you're the one who taught me that. Take what works best for you, get rid of the rest.)

You raised me to believe that each generation had a duty to the next. That if each generation would work to improve upon their own lives for the sake of their children, and make sure their children are even better people then they were themselves, that the world would be an ever improving, more wonderful place.

I'm working on it. I promise to do my best.

Thank you for being the Dad you were. My life has been infinitely blessed because of you.



And to my father in law, K.C:

Thank you again for raising the son you did. My life is beyond what I ever could have hoped for, and that is entirely because of the man your son became. So thank you. For the bottom of my heart.
And for my girls, who are so lucky to have grandparents who love them and will always be there to be a part of their lives. They will be shaped by a grandfather who loves them and takes the time to play with them and be there for them, and for that, I am so appreciative.

Happy Fathers Day!

Thank you for being the men and fathers that you are. I am blessed because of all of you. And I can't imagine two luckier little girls than Annie and Ellie, to have such great examples of good men around them. Fathers, grandfathers and husbands who will show, by example, my daughters what they should expect in the men they come into contact with.

Love you all!