"Any man can be a father; it takes someone special to be a dad." I've always loved and believed this quote. And it's how I feel about all three of these guys in this post. Starting with my dad, he has always been such an example of honesty, service, unconditional love and hard work, among many other things. It is from him that I gained my love for music and music trivia. I have tons of memories of riding in the car with my dad, listening to the radio and he could always tell me who was singing the song that was playing, why they wrote the song, who produced the song first, etc! He is an amazing musician--he plays mostly by ear. He can hear a song and play it on the guitar soon after without ever seeing the written music. My dad also has a great sense of humor! I remember lots of funny things he used to say to us, such as, "Nobody rattled your cage." when we butted into a conversation that didn't involve us. Or if we said we wanted something, he'd say,"Well, want in one hand and spit in the other and see which one fills up the fastest." Or "Hubba hubba chop chop" to get us to hurry (no clue where that came from...Dad?) I love and admire my dad for so many reasons. He didn't come from the easiest background at all, but he is an amazing man and dad despite that. Something he taught me when I was learning to drive has stayed with me throughout the years, and I bet he doesn't even know it. I was always so concerned with the drivers behind me getting mad if I was going too slow (I was learning to drive a stick shift--it was not pretty!). He noticed this and told me,"Dont ever worry about what's behind you--they don't affect you at all." It has taught me not to worry about the past cuz I can't change it anyway. I love you, Dad. I can't wait for you to get home and meet little Haylee.:)
Onto our next father...this is Sean, Cameron's dad. It is to him that I owe so much of what I love about Cameron. He taught Cameron all about hard work and having a sense of humor. Cameron told me that when Sean was a leader in the Priest Quorum, he was talking to the guys about Prom and asking who they were taking. At one point in this conversation, Sean taught them that "life is too short to take an ugly girl to the Prom!" I remember going over to Cameron's house in Show Low before he got home from his mission. Sean didn't know it at the time, but since I had a hunch I'd be marrying his son, I was going over to not only talk to him and Penny, but to WATCH him WITH Penny. My mom always taught me that you can learn a lot about a guy by watching his dad. This doesn't ALWAYS hold true, but in this case, it sure did. I don't remember a moment that he didn't have his hand on her knee or his arm around her shoulders. And he was so sweet to her. If you ever watch Cameron with me, you'll see a very similar scene. Sean rebuilt a truck with Cameron that became Cameron's truck in high school and those are memories that Cameron treasures. He wants to do the same with his kids. Sean is a big people person--loves to have a good time and has lots of friends. Cameron is the exact same way. I'll never forget at our wedding reception in Show Low, it came time for Sean and I to dance and instead of a slow ballad, a Bob Marley song began playing. Sean didn't miss a beat, just started dancin'! Thank you Sean for being such a great dad to Cameron and for teaching him so many things that have made him the wonderful man I married.:) Love you!
And happy FIRST Father's day to you, Honey.:) The four years that we weren't able to get pregnant were made that much more difficult because I knew what an awesome dad Cameron would be. He was amazing from day one. Since I had a c-section, I was pretty much outta commission in the hospital for a day or two. As most of you know, the first diaper is often the worst. Cameron didn't hesitate to change little Haylee when it was time. He could've waited for his mom to come, knowing she would willingly do the dirty deed, but he knew that as the daddy, it was his job. I'm almost happy I had to have the c-section cuz it gave Cameron and Haylee some really good daddy/daughter bonding time. Cameron is still such a great, involved dad with Haylee. He takes the Saturday and Sunday morning shifts while I get to sleep in and since he works from home, he often helps me out with Haylee when I need it. I remember a time not too long ago that after I'd put Haylee to bed, she was crying. He was concerned so I said he could go in and COMFORT her, but he was NOT to pick her up. A few moments later, here comes Cameron HOLDING Haylee out of her bedroom! Apparently, she'd been crying harder than he'd ever heard (not uncommon) her cry and was worried. It was so sweet to see how concerned he got about his little girl. You're a wonderful daddy, Honey, and I'm so happy I married you.:)
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY TO ALL THE DADS OUT THERE!!!
First of all, no this is not a picture of Haylee (obviously)! She would never show me those two front teeth she just started cutting! She's been a different child this week--a little fussier, wakin' up once each night, a little more attitude, etc. I knew this was not MY child, so today the thought came to me to check her gums (brilliant idea!!!), and two little sharp teeth poked my finger on the bottom! I'm so excited for her! She will be nine months old a week from today and is FINALLY getting teeth! I will post pictures in a little while of her new venture--getting on her hands and knees and rockin' back and forth! She's gonna be mobile in no time and then the house rearranging will begin!
