Father's Day... fun and fulfilling

Blogging tributes to my husband are always hard for me to write. Not because there aren't wonderful things to say about him or because he isn't worth writing about... It's just that I struggle not to write a long, flowery post about him that still leaves me feeling like I've not said nearly enough.

My husband was meant to be a father. When Father's day came around this year I was made thankful again that I am the one who gets to be the other half of this equation.

One of the very first things I noticed about Jeffrey was how good he was with kids. Not that I wanted kids right away... I said I wanted to wait 5 or so years after we got married, he wasn't so sure he wanted to wait so long. Ha! Imagine our surprise when God made the descision for us two months after we were married!

But God knew what he was doing.

Jeffrey was so patient with me through the ups and downs of pregnancy. He was the perfect birth partner and a natural at newborn care. My attempts to bathe, burp, change and swaddle were often clumsy by comparison. He took pride in changing every diaper in the first couple days of our 3 children's lives. You would have thought he won the lottery when our midwife told him he could catch our first son as I pushed him into the world. Our oldest would sleep for hours on his chest, a little fact he still likes to share with her when she isn't being very sweet.

These days with no babies in the house his role is changing... the fathering moments have turned more toward settling sibling spats, recounting stories about his own childhood that they delight in, enjoying the thumping feet of the 'herd of over-exuberant elephants' who meet him at the door when he gets home and trying to fit as many cuddles and conversations as possible into the small amount of time that he's home.

There are so many signs this was what he was meant for. The man and the father that he is... His spiritual testimony and example, his care and hard work, his love and laughter. They are all such important pieces of who we are as a family. I am so, so, so thankful for him.

Happy Father's Day, my love.

***

This year Father's Day at our house started at about 12am. Jeffrey had been gone all week and despite me rather lame attempts at encouraging bedtime, the kids were bound and determined to wait up for him. The older two spent the time reading comic books and finger-marking what pages they thought dad would appreciate the most. He finally limped in the door a few minutes after midnight...

Pip kept "calling" him to ask when he would be home.

 OH, the raucous!

My breath was held as I showed him the Father's Day surprise I had spent all week preparing. Our room had needed a face-lift and I had wrapped up the process just in time for his arrival (more details coming). He loved it! (outward sigh of relief)

And an even bigger sigh was heaved when he agreed to finish the kids' bedtime routine...

(Tuck-in, Tuck-in, Tuck-in)

"Goodnight Lissie"

"Goodnight Daddy"

"Goodnight T-boy"

"'Night Dad"

"Goodnight Pippy"

"Goodnight to ya!"

"Sweet dreams Daddy"

"Sweet dreams Lissie"

"Sleep tight Daddy"

"You too Lissie"

"Don't let the bed bugs bite"

"Ok, Lissie go to sleep now"

"See you in the morning..."

"Ok, Lissie, goodnight now!"

"Goodnight, da--" (door shuts) 

***

Sunday was a day to be filed away in our happy file.

Getting ready for Meeting, Daddy with his boys, Sweet card my mom made for Jeffrey

Waiting for our table, two of our nieces, our family table, My 'other' dad and mom, my single brother-in-law who loves kids [wink-wink]

My poor nap-deprived hubby, picnic with my fam, my brother and his sweetheart [wink, wink] 

It was a lovely blur of food and family punctuated by our children going home with my mom for a week. You need not ask what I will do with myself as I can assure you the list is very long and I'm sure I'll find things to do!

The best part (for me) was sweet-talking Jeffrey into letting me take family pictures after lunch. This may or may not have been influenced by the fact that Father's Day put him in a good mood and I promised not to be psycho at lunch trying to avoid messy shirts... Thank goodness for Photoshop. 

 Some of the outtakes

 Just a little fussing and fixing

Pip is fine with having his picture taken but the biggest challenge is just getting him to stop talking long enough to take any! He kept crawling back up to have me take more shots but after the third time he looked at me suddenly and said, "Done." and started to climb down. To which I said, "Bull!"

No really there was a bull.

And they all wanted to see him so off they went. Jeffrey and I strolled behind them at a more leisurely pace and I sent a quiet inner prayer toward Heaven for such a beautiful day.

Love,

Thankful Mother in NE