My Baby Daddy

It's become a tradition to do this post every Father's Day.

To have a post dedicated to the father of my children.

For me to unabashedly brag about everything he does, who he is, and just take delight in it.

So...without further adieu, My Baby Daddy:

• has the BEST belly laugh
• is frugal and appropriate with our finances (not to be confused with cheap, because he's not)
• gives freely of his time- even when he doesn't have any extra to give...he still gives
• has a teachable heart

• is unassuming
• visibly melted when he found out we were having a baby girl
• can read people fairly quickly
• wisely discerns about who to spend his spare time with
• loves to read bout theology and sit and talk about it with me at night

• hooks up my computer stuff for me so I don't have to deal with cords and technology
• believes in Christian education
• can make a mean campfire
• teaches the boys about safety every chance he gets

• prays for us.  Everyday.
• talks to me before making any large(ish) purchases
• thanks me for spending time making home-cooked meals

• enjoys a simplified life, and would make it more simple (if we would let him)
• remembers to water the garden when I forget (frequently)

• tells his daughter that she's beautiful

• encourages me to be a better me
• is full of entrepreneual spirit and started his own business (10 years now!!!)

• doesn't do anything to impress anybody
• is comfortable being himself

• dances with Baby L. when she's all dressed up

• has the ability to self-differentiate in hard situations
• thinks logically

• researches both sides of every situation

• is a staunch conservative bordering on libertarianism
• is ridiculously intelligent (see previous four statements)

• has a fantastic relationship with his parents
• makes funny faces that make me grin

• has the ability to meet the boys where they're at
• drove the boys to school every day for 5 months after Baby L. was born- without complaint

• talked about character-building lessons on the ride to school

• cheers for the Chicago Bears (well....no one is perfect....)
• is a fan of Michigan football and Detroit Tigers ( redeeming himself with those)

• would rather have a quiet picnic with me than a huge boy's night out

• helps me clean the house without complaint
• encourages me to be the best Mom I can be
• forgives me when I'm not

• works his fingers to the bone (yes, literally- ask him to show you his finger tip) to provide for us
• intentionally does not drink alcohol
• is debt free- still
• is wise, but still in constant pursuit of knowledge
• is a great leader of this family

• is our spiritual cornerstone
• prefers salty over sweets

• is the yin to my yang
• loves cuddly babies

• is amazingly good looking
• has a coffee cup that I have dubbed "the pacifier"
• never complains when I give him a questionable hair cut
• is humble

• works 12-14 hour days and still makes it to 95% of the boys' baseball and soccer practices
• looks even better with scruff
• gets along GREAT with my family (actually, a little too well)
• has a servant's heart
• loves a good photo bomb

• is worthy of my love
• is worthy of my admiration
• is worthy of my respect
• has my heart.

First Summer 5QF

We're into summer!  Hooray!

I'm still waiting for life to slow down a bit....

....still waiting.....

we've had some fun, some drama, some not-so-fun....

but all in all, we're all good.

I have a bazillion blog posts swirling around in my head.

Lots to fill you in on.

A giveaway to host.

So...fun stuff coming up soon!

But first:  questions:

   

1. What do you appreciate most about your children's Dad?

This is a good starter to get me ready to do my annual Baby Daddy post. 

But, seriously...  What's not to appreciate?!?!?

Hard worker, forgiver, great kisser, good hugger, faith based, christian education supporting, staunch conservative, cute tooshie, supporting man all balled up into a HOTTIE. 

Seriously...the only thing I'm missing is a ribbon to wrap him up.

Or a cherry on top. (Isn't that how the saying goes???)

But really, my mind just totally went to the gutter with that.

**blush**

moving on....


2. Do you always wear your seat belt?

Yep.  In general, I'm a rule follower.  I don't leave my driveway (or turn on my car in the first place) until all passengers are buckled.
3. Do you dream and do you remember them?

Whoa nelly.  I do remember some of them.  I've heard that if you make an effort to write them down first thing in the morning, you'll end up remembering more and more.

 

I'm not sure I want to remember more.

 

I think I have an alternate personality when I dream.  Really...some of the things I remember, I really don't want to remember.

4. What is one thing you swore you'd never let your kids do before having them, that you have now changed your ways about?

Hmmmm...junk food.  I swore I'd regulate everything that goes into their mouths  And honestly, I've gotten much better at regulating healthier eating...mostly because I've noticed a huge difference in their behaviors when they eat junk.

And there's probably a ton of other things I swore I'd never do with kids...but they all escape me at the moment.  (conveniently)  I had all these rules in my head to create the perfect children...

I live by the addage, "I used to be the perfect mom.  And then I had kids."

5. If you could be granted one wish, what would it be?

To always be 100% healthy.  No colds, no adrenal issues, no stomach flu....no excess fat....no wrinkles....no droopy skin as I age....no age spots....beautiful hair and nails....100% healthy.

Redemption

We were back on our way to the church last night.




I happened to look at the lawns on the way.



You know....keeping my eyes open for geese.





And- wouldn't cha know it...





I ran across a gaggle of them.



Many little ones.



Three big ones.





So, then my head goes back to the mother walking with two goslings on Sunday.



The mother who only has one left.



In my head, this mother and child were welcomed into a neighboring gaggle.



They are coping with their loss well, and growing stronger every day.

And they all lived happily ever after.

The gosling

I was on my way home from church yesterday.

There are a few roads that I travel on this route that have a lot of fowl.

Geese to be precise.

Every spring, I watch all these little families of geese waddle along side the road.

It's kinda fun to watch them grow.

Yesterday, a mama goose and two gosslings were trying to cross the road.

They were headed into the lanes opposite mine.

Most of us who travel this road know to keep an eye out for these feathered friends.

Not this guy...

He barreled right down the road. (yes, on his phone...I'm totally judging him)

Hit a gossling and mutilated its tiny body.

The mother just a few inches from her baby...

...I saw her beak open and I heard her cry.

My heart broke for a goose.

LIMP, Limp, limp....l....i...m....p

I am looking forward to the fresh breath summer will give me.
Because:


1. I won't need to get moving right away in the morning to drive the kids to school.

1a.  I won't need to get dressed before noon.  (wait...who am I kidding?  half the time I'm driving the am route in my jammies.)

d. No homework.

8. No waking baby L up to go pick up the boys in the afternoon

b.  No more packing lunches

12.  No more CRAZY schedules!



This is a picture of me and my kiddos on Mother's Day.

Dave did me well by foregoing the hanging basket this year.  Birdfeeder and Spoonlickers (my first time ever!) were on the agenda.  It was blissful. I'm a lucky mama.


Even better!  Mother's Day afternoon, guess who FINALLY learned how to tie his own shoes?!?!? 



This is where I've been spending most of my time this spring.  Sitting diamond-side.

A. is playing in a new league this year.  He's actually doing very well, and when his team gels, well....they gel good.  We were the home team during this particular game.



See this girl?

I love her so.

Almost finishline 5QF

My boys have exactly one more week of school.

One week!

Then they're all mine.

And I'm all theirs.  (More on that in a future post)

Eeeeekkkkkk!

Anyway, because we're still running this race, hobbling toward the finish line...I'm going to keep this prelude brief and get right to the questions:



1. What is an acceptable age for girls to start dating?

Sigh.  I'm not sure about that one.  A year ago, my answer would have been totally different.  Now?  I've got a daughter.  I refuse to think about anything past potty training.

A lot of different people have a lot of different definations about dating.  Some think that it's ok for their 3/4 grade kids to "declare their dating status."  I think that's a bit premature.

Then, the Duggars think you don't really date until you choose your betrothed, then you court, then engagement and then the first kiss happens at the wedding.

I'm somewhere in the middle.  I would like my daughter to wait until there's a little maturity and self-esteem built before she dates.  But I learned a LOT about myself through some of my relationships- both the successful one and all the failures.  I'm not going to discourage her from dating a few people, but I will keep my eyes open and shoot down the skeevy ones.  (Which I hope she won't even give the time of day to....)

2. Do you think your kids should have summer homework?

I do have some supplemental workbooks that we do a page or two out of everyday.  The kid's teachers have told me that they can totally tell which kids fell prey to the "summer slide" and which ones didn't.  Those that didn't tend to be natural leaders starting the school year. 

Why wouldn't I take that 5-10 minutes a day and do that for my kiddos?

There's 23 hours and 50 minutes left everyday for FUN FUN FUN!!!

3. Would you prefer to live without AC or heat?

Neither.  Moving on.


4. What the worst thing about staying in a hotel? (Besides not being with your family)

Scratchy sheets.  I really dislike scratchy sheets.


5. So, do your kids really get "104 days of summer vacation"? (Bonus points for those of you that get this reference!)

Hello, Phineas and Ferb. 

I'm not sure, I haven't counted.  But I do have a friend who counts summer vacations.  There was one summer a few years ago that we just happened to have 110 days of summer (as opposed to our usual average of 98-103), and she GRIPED about that extra week the ENTIRE SUMMER.  I say, "BRING IT ON!!!"  Let's have fun.

Top ten things NO ONE told me about motherhood

Today is top ten tuesday...but you get a theme.


Because that's about all my brain can scrounge up for you right now.  And...well, lately I've felt like SOMEONE should have warned me about parenthood-isms....wouldn't have changed my mind...but you know, proper prior preperation prevents piss poor performance. 

Say that ten times fast.

1.  There would come a day that I'd be laying on a table in the middle of the room naked.  Totally naked.  With 5 people shining bright lights on my who-ha...and I wouldn't care one bit about the nakedness.

2.  You could be filled with so much love and angst and anger and frustration and pride all at the same time... like smashing unicorns, atom bombs, Rainbow Brite, and a j'hadist all in one small room and waiting for it to explode.  What an oxymoron of emotions.

3.  Brain.  What brain?  Yeah....that.  I can tell you that with every additional child, brain cells hide in teeny little forgotten corners of the brain.  And get eaten by dustbunnies.  They're gone.  Dead.  Meanwhile, I'm staring at the screen with eyes glazed over.

4.  Wearing spit up is not sexy...but that doesn't stop him. :)

5.  Sometimes all you need is a spoonfull of Nutella locked in the pantry for a quick pick-me-up.  Othertimes, you need some wine.  Occasionally, the entire bottle.  The good mommy friends will supply said bottle. (and bring one for themselves.  :)

6.  Yoga pants.  Wardrobe staple.  No judgement.

7.  May.  The month of May.  It's INSANE!  Worse that the Christmas season.  May is crazy.  Busy, crazy, insanity.  And the the last day of school comes, and you feel like someone slammed on the brakes so hard you have whip-lash.
8.  A mama protecting her young is instinctual and carnal.  Don't mess with the mamas.

9.  It is entirely possible to get 1.5 hours of sleep and still function the next day.  However, "function" may need an alternate defination.