The Daddy of Our Home

It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's....OUR DAD!!!

Happy Father's Day to my husband, quite possibly the best Father EVER!!! I knew when I met my husband that he would make an amazing father. That is one huge reason why I was attracted to him, that and his massive biceps. (And, for those smarty pants people that might be reading this, I guess it really wasn't when I met him that I thought that, because we met when we were 8, and I can guarantee I wasn't thinking "This little boy would make a great father.")

Nevertheless...
my husband is a wonderful father, and I love him so much. And to show him how much I appreciate him, and to let others know just what they're missing, I wanted to write a little blog about "The Daddy of Our Home."

The Daddy of Our Home
1. Somehow manages each day to wake his bride with a good morning kiss and morning chat, shower, get dressed, teach early morning seminary, cuddle with his kids in bed, and lead our family in morning prayer all before the hour of 7:00 a.m.
2. Shares his bowl of cereal with the princess and shares his steak with the prince
3. Always has time for a round of wrestling, or racing, or pirates, or pretend church, or Super heroes, or whatever else the kids have thought up during the day...that mommy's too worn out to play with them anymore
4. Flatters his wife by asking her opinion with what he's chosen to wear for the day
5. Bears his testimony to his family often, even if it's not FHE or family scripture study
6. Always holds his wife's hand in public
7. BBQ's a mean BBQ, and allows his son to help with every step....even though it takes twice as long for dinner to get done
8. Dances with his wife in the kitchen, and his daughters in the family room
9. Teaches our kids the simple things of life that mean so much, such as...Water is fun to play in and won't hurt your eyes, peanut butter doesn't belong on toast, snowmen are fun to make, some jokes never get old, you really CAN do it, kisses work when whining doesn't, loving family is important, and you have to eat oreos with milk.
10. Fixes anything, knows everything (or if he doesn't will always find the answer on his cell phone or Ipod *wink*), and can practically do it all! (Neighbors even call my husband to come fix their problems!)
AND ONE MORE JUST FOR FUN....
11. Loves his wife and shows that so well to his children by how he talks to her, treats her and respects her and expects the children to do the same.

I love you Kyle! Thank you for being absolutely amazing! We love you Dad!

To Touch a Cloud

So...how long do you wait before you check yourself into a home? This was my frame of mind Wednesday of this week. I felt very tired, cranky, and irritable with my children. And I don't know about you, but when I am that way, I'm upset with myself for being that way and I just get MORE irritable and upset. It's a vicious cycle.

So, I decided, if the children couldn't get along inside the house, we wouldn't stay inside the house, so off we went in the car to who knows where. Just anywhere to get away from the four walls that were suffocating me and my children.

The day was a dreary day, and as we drove past Casper Mountain, my son said, "Look! The clouds are touching the mountains. I want to touch a cloud!" My daughter immediately chimmed in and said, "Me Too! I want to touch a cloud." I thought, well, why not drive up the mountain. Might as well. So we headed that way to touch a cloud.

As we climbed higher and higher, my children's excitment escalated as well, and I couldn't help but have my own mood lifted. The kids were saying things like, "Here we go! We're getting closer. I've NEVER touched a cloud before! I can't wait to touch a cloud." My irritablity faded as I realized how simple and beautiful life really is if we only allow it to be.

We reached the "look out point" and climbed out. Indeed, we were in the clouds and the children were thrilled! They giggled and smiled and "could not believe it!" (I love when my children say, "I can NOT BELIEVE IT!!!") As I watched my children in the clouds, loving such a simple thing as touching nothing but air, I realized once again that I have three beautiful blessings in my life who were truly sent to me to bring me closer to God, to help me "touch the clouds."