Father's Day

"I never knew how much I loved your father

until I saw how much he loved you."

I must admit it, seeing my husband nurturing, teaching, and just plain loving our daughter brings a smile to my heart. He is so good with her - sure he forgets to change her diaper when he gets up with her on Saturday mornings, but hey, he gets up with her on Saturday mornings while I sleep in - delightful! And during those morning playtimes, he gives our Natalie his full attention and some pretty creative ways of playing - leave it to the mind of an engineer to test things like the number of stacked cups that will still slide down the ramp.

Despite his quiet nature, he holds the best conversations with Natalie ... mostly just mimicking her sounds and showing her how to vibrate her lips with pitch changes ... but she "chats" with him very enthusiastically.

And I know our baby girl is going to see amazing places thanks to her daddy and his love for the great outdoors. She's already accompanied us on more than a handful of hikes, and Chad has big plans for next school year when I go back to work and the two of them will spend every Monday together - on some wonderful outdoor adventure.

To celebrate Father's Day, we established a few traditions a hike, a handprint, and a hammock.

Hike: We hiked a trail to Poo-Poo Point; I know the name is ridiculous, but it's really a great hike with an amazing view of Mount Rainier and a front row seat for watching paragliders take off - a paraglider wears a parachutes (obviously) but jumps off the side of a mountain rather than out of a plane ... crazy, huh? I think I'd like to try it. Anyway, most of the photos in the collage were taken during our Father's Day hike - a tradition we hope to continue every year, weather permitting :) Okay, so I got curious and googled Poo-Poo Point ... "the point got its name from logging signals using a whistle that made a "poo poo" sound." Funny, 'cause Chad and I say it got its name from the many paragliders who've pooed their pants during take-off ... either is a viable option!

Handprint: So I have this great idea that each year - on Father's Day - we will do a little craft - a stamp of Natalie's handprint in an 8 x 8 scrapbook. Each year will have it's own page with the handprint and list of hand-related accomplishments from the past year ... something like, this year my hands learned to hold a sippy cup, crawl all around, and touch the whiskers on my daddy's face. Of course, I can't post any photos of this "great idea" because it hasn't happened yet; we ran out of time on Father's Day ... but I am hoping it gets done tonight!

Hammock: We've had this hammock for many, many years ... like since we lived in Florida some 10 years ago. But we haven't hung it. Don't ask me why. It's one of those, "why didn't we do this sooner?" kind of things. And Chad christened it with a good nap as part of his Father's Day celebration :)

We ended our day with a yummy meal at a local Mexican restaurant and a quick trip to the park. What more could a first-time daddy ask for?

Oh, and our gift to Chad is somewhat selfish. We got him a few guitar lessons so he can serenade his girls and be a big hit at birthday parties and what-not :) I know there's musical talent there, if only he would learn a few chords!