Fathers

This is my children's Father... I think they might just have the smartest Mommy for catching herself such a great fella. We have 5 beautiful, smart, awesome kids together. Cory is a the best Dad just ask Max, Cooper, Brody, Ivy and (as soon as he starts talking) Tanner and they will tell you. He is a friend, buddy, chum, coach, cheerleader, rule maker, rule breaker, nickname giver, treat sharer, time giver, technique shower, math checker, spelling quizzer, advice giver and so many more things. My boys have a friend in their Dad and my daughter has a protector in her Dad. He loves them so much and they know it. I am thankful for his endless patience and loving manner with our kids. I am lucky to be on this parenthood roller coaster with him because he can see the good when I can't, he can make me laugh when I don't think its funny, he can help me win the fight when its something worth fighting over, and simply he loves me so for that I am very lucky.

This is my Dad

To follow up on my Mother's day post I want to tell you about my Dad. My Dad did the unthinkable just a few short years after welcoming 3 girls into the world with my Mom- he set about to raise them by himself. I am sure this is something he never thought he would have to do but do is just what he did. I think I might have crawled into a hole and stayed there but I remember very clearly there being a cake and presents at my birthday just 10 short days after my Mom passed away- I just don't know how he did it. My respect for him is so immense. It must have felt like such a large task being asked of him. Yet up to the challenge he stepped. While I see some of my favorite attributes coming from my Mom... I am who I am because of my Dad. He taught me how to cook meals, keep a clean house, wash a dish, weed a garden, throw a baseball, shoot a basketball, drive a car (though it was at the age of 8), cut a ceramic tile, mow a lawn, pluck a turkey (I didn't like that one too much and don't use the skill often), paddle a canoe, shoot a gun, and one of the hardest things I have learned- that a family comes in all shapes and sizes and that what we had was as much a family as the ones I envied - all of it - it all started at my home with my Dad. I am thankful for how hard he tried to be the parent I needed at all the different stages of my youth and still now in adulthood and through parenthood. I am thankful for all the times he came and still comes to my rescue. He was my biggest fan when I needed it and he taught me to understand criticism when I recieved it. He has become, as our parents do, one of my best friends and by far one of my favorite people - I admire his strengths and his talents and I am thankful for how he raised and loved me and it is his example that I turn to when I feel like I am fumbling... I mean, he did a pretty good job!