Unlimited Tater Tots: Jun 24, 2009

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Greatest Father on Earth

I couldn't let a Father's Day go by (or at least not too many days pass)and not post something about all the wonderful fathers I know. I am surrounded on every side by fabulous fathers who do their jobs with perfection. Each of them do their jobs differently because each of them have unique circumstances, wives, children, lives...but they share so much in common that makes them wonderful fathers! I am so grateful for my own father, my father-in-law, my grandfather, uncles, cousins, brothers, and brother-in-laws. (See what I mean by surrounded?) But the one father I'd like to celebrate today is my husband...the father of these 3 amazing children we have...the man who truly exemplifies fatherhood for me.

When I started dating Chris, I was pretty impressed from the beginning. There were so many things about him that I instantly admired and the fact that he was oblivious to the fact that he was so exceptional made him even more desirable to me. I guess he just assumed that all men knew how to clean a house, take care of a yard, entertain nieces and nephews, change diapers, hold babies, open car doors, save money, make smart decisions, treat people with respect and compassion, etc. But I knew better. I'd been out on that dating scene for a few years and I knew this was no ordinary man. Matter of fact, 10 years later, that fact is driven home to me almost daily...I am blessed...and so lucky! By the time we started dating, got engaged, got married and finally got pregnant, he'd waited a LONG time to be a father! And from the moment that first baby boy was laid in his arms, he was a natural. Tender, loving, caring, compassionate, attentive...nothing has been off limits. He handles all the natural disasters like a seasoned professional...diapers, poop, urine, throw up, spit up, blood, etc. He feeds babies in the middle of the night (and during the day!), changes diapers in men's restrooms, plays Polly Pockets and Littlest Pet Shop with the same ease as baseball and soccer, tells fantastic bedtime stories, loves adventures, stops what he is doing to listen or play or help a child finish a project, does fantastic birthday cakes, prays with his children, reads scriptures and holds father interviews and makes sure we have family home evening, takes his kids to see all the movies they are dying to see at the sticky shoe dollar theater even though very few of those movies are at the top of his "must-see" list, helps build outstanding pinewood derby cars, does amazing art projects, draws all the best pictures for the kids during sacrament meeting, colors in coloring books, celebrates achievements, geniunely loves to eat dinner with his family and ask what everyone did that day and how things went, puts children to bed, rubs legs with growing pains, potty trains children, makes mind-blowing Halloween costumes, and loves Disneyland. I love watching him give his children father's blessings, administer baptismal ordinances, and exercise his priesthood on behalf of his family. There is such strength in compassion and tenderness. Every child needs a father like this man I am married to. This world would be such a different place if every man understood what the real definition of "father" meant.

I love this man I am married to. I love watching him father our children with all the energy of his soul. I love that he never gives up and is ever seeking to learn and grow and improve. I truly applaud all he is and all he is helping our family to be.

I love you Chris.

Thank you.

Vacation with the family, 2009.

Hiking in Moab.

Chris is the man in charge of all birthday cakes in this operation. Every one of them is a work of art. This picture shows the pre-planning meeting where the children assemble and the cake is discussed. Sketches are drawn, ideas tossed around, and in the morning I am never disappointed by the masterpiece on the kitchen counter.