day of the dads

Alright, I'm late, I know. Having read just the sweetest blog posts yesterday the blogging world over about dads and husbands, I feel totally guilty that I didn't prepare one in advance. But isn't it also kind of a good thing that we were having too fun-filled a day for me to get around to blogging?

 

I'm so glad I was able to waddle down to the shoreline with my camera in time to catch these when I spotted this happening from my sandy perch. Here we have: slighlty-mulleted Sean-Father (who tried to get a nice Father's Day haircut yesterday but "the only woman who knows how to cut my hair" had a line of four people before the shop even opened) and well-tanned Greg-Grandfather (that'd be my dad) doting on this very fortunate daughter/granddaughter.

Jordan and I indeed are very lucky ladies to have these guys. So very lucky. We live in a world where much, much too often fathers are absent and/or disengaged. My dad has only ever been the most present and the most engaged with each and every one of his eight kids. All eight! What a feat. I wish I had had the presence of mind to snap some pics out of our old albums when I was at my parents' house last. There are pages upon pages of bike rides, backpacking trips, surf lessons, evening hide-and-go-seek sessions with the neighborhood kids, the more recent, raging Vegas trips, and countless other activities all hosted by my pop. And all with an enthusiasm and energy that was contagious. I hold my dad in awe; he seems nearly tireless.

Then there's that newer, mulleted father. I remember the very first night we spent with Jordan. She had to be taken to the ICU because of an alarmingly low white blood platelet count. We were up allll night long, tired and worried and anxious, and Sean, with heavy blackish circles under each eye, said something like "I've never experienced this type of worry. How can you love someone that you just met a few hours ago so intensely? I feel like all my happiness is tied to her." To me, sounds like a father's love. And this completely inexperienced, slightly awkward first-time father grew into the most natural, most dedicated, most enamored dad I've ever seen.

Yikes, sorry for the slew of sappy, I got a little carried away. What I mean to say is, I hope you all had a wonderful day celebrating the most important men in your life. As I look down at my belly, currently bouncing with a serious case of in utero hiccups, I know that this kiddo will be blessed with excellent examples of manhood that he may aspire to.

This was Jordan's present to her dad. She was a little upset that her handprint didn't quite fit in the shadow box that she bought, but she's over it now.

Happy Father's Day, friends.