Father's Day

Yesterday was Father's Day. It was a good day for Sam (I hope!) The morning was a little crazy for us, espeically since I was still preparing for my sacrament meeting talk so we had to have a Father's Day brunch instead of breakfast. I wanted to do something special for Sam so I tried to make crepes. Five attempts and 3 burnt pans later I finally had this sad little crepe for him. I did get a little better as I went along. They weren't beautiful, but with buttermilk syrup they were quite delicious if I do say so myself.



After brunch Sam did get to take a Father's Day nap. Here is Max joining him doing his "pretend sleep".


It was a holiday so Max thought this was the appropriate way to wake Sam up from his nap.



Brunch might have been slightly disastrous, but dinner was practically perfect.


After dinner Sam and the kids did what they do best. Reed said, "Now this is a Father's Day!"






I think I knew Sam would be a great father before I even knew it would be my future children calling him Dad. Seeing him in action I know my impression was right on. He is a funloving father who loves to play, teach and help his children excel in all the areas of their lives. They are lucky kids and I'm lucky to have a great partner in this crazy adventure called parenthood.

Sam and I have both been blessed in the father department as well. This post just wouldn't be complete if I didn't take a moment to record a few of the things I love most about my dad.

1. He is patient. As a father I think of this as one of his defining characteristics. Growing up this was something I really appreciated, especially when I did things that required correction. He was firm, but calm.

2. He always made me feel important and loved as an individual. Whether it was stopping by to get a doughnut (usually a maple bar) on the way home from school, or making an effort to come to as many of my gymnastics meets as possible (and record my scores), or taking me to Hawaii for the day because I was bored, he made me feel special. The one on one time I had with him was meaningful and helped me to know that I was important to him.

3. He is steady as a freight train in the gospel. I have never wondered or doubted how important the gospel is to him. He is steadfast and my life has been blessed by his consistency.

4. He has sacrificed so much to provide greater ease and opportunity in my life. This is a big one. I couldn't begin to list all of the ways he has sacrificed on my behalf. I am embarrassed to think of how little I understood or appreciated this fact when I was a child and teenager. I am beginning to understand now and I am so grateful for all the time he did without so I could be involved in all the good and fun things life had to offer.

5. He has 'saved the day' for me numerous times in my life. If I am ever in a desperate situation (and I have been a few times) I know my dad will make every effort to 'save the day'. I can think of a few times at BYU where he was the only one who could have helped me and he took the time to do just that. In more recent years he saved the day for my whole family when he flew to Connecticut and packed up our apartment and truck while Sam was in the hospital and Reed and I out of necessity had to return to North Carolina without him. Knowing that I could call upon him has brought me comfort throughout my life.

Here are a few things that Sam loves about his father.

1. He laughs at my jokes. Not the eye-rolling half laugh I get from Lindsay, or the chuckle I get from my mom because she's being nice, but a full laugh that let's me laugh with him. In fact, my laugh is his laugh and I'm sometimes surprised to hear my laugh echoing in the phone when I talk to him.

2. He gives good advice--not because he always gives perfect advice, but because he gives it with such confidence. When my dad gives advice, it's easy to follow it because of how he gives it.

3. He likes to be useful. I've finished thirty-one years of life and I'm still trying to learn from his example in this department. When he comes to visit he always has to jump in immediately and help with whatever project he feels needs his attention. Because of him I have trees in my frontyard and a gate in my backyard, and when he works he works hard and gets things done.

4. When he is spiritual he is very spiritual. Sure he likes to cultivate the image of a cowboy or a hunter, but it's no secret that he has a soft center (just ask him to tell you about the I.O.U.s). My mom may have been responsible raising the spritual bar in our home when I was growing up, but my Dad made it cool to be spiritual. I love to listen to him talk about the gospel because he is very passionate and has great insight.

5. He loves dogs. Oh wait, this one belongs on a different list. I guess I should say that I admire his persistence when he wants something. I truly believe that someday he will find a way to give us a dog, but I will fight it. Maybe we should have taken a picture of our fish decomposing in its bowl so that he stops thinking a dog would be safe in our house.