Happy Birthday, Dad

(Ok, so this post is going up a bit late - I'm behind on my blogging. The message is just as heartfelt as it was the day of his birthday!)

My Dad turned 65 today! Given the fact that his birth father passed in his early 20s and his adoptive father also passed at a relatively young age, its a pretty remarkable accomplishment. And I think that living through a valve replacement last year gave him a different perspective on life.

This morning we hopped in the car and drove to my parents house to spend the day with him. We took him to lunch, and had a really wonderful meal. (Next time, we're leaving the cranky kids at home, but since it was his birthday, we decided that they had to be there.) Returning home, we spent part of the afternoon going through an old box of family photos, trying to figure out who the people were in the really old photos (early 1900s and probably older), and laughing at the pictures of all of us in our early years (including Mom's big glasses, Dad's lambchop sideburns and our horrifically big hair in the late 80s).

He is a pretty remarkable guy. Pete and I call him "the original MacGuyver", because there is nothing he can't fix or build, and more often than not, his solutions to a problem are so blindingly simple but completely amazing to those living obliviously (like us).

He has a lifetime's worth of tools and he knows how to use them. He is creative and talented at woodworking and building. Growing up he always had something for us - really unique Halloween costumes (one year, my sister went as a stop-sign, complete with working red, yellow and green lights on the front) and I don't think there is a room in my parents house that hasn't been remodeled - by him - at least twice.

He has a quick wit and searing sense of humor (that my mom, often the beneficiary of it, may not appreciate like the rest of us, but I understand!) I get my wit from him. (Pete will add, at least we both think we are witty, but he's not the one writing this blog.)

He is a man of few words, but we know that he loves us. And I certainly hope he knows how much we love him too.

Happy Birthday, Daddy.

Happy Father's Day, Pete

Its always a good day when you can make Daddy cry. (tears of joy, that is).

Since Maddie and Sam are early risers, (some days way earlier than others), we took Pete out to breakfast as soon as everyone managed to get dressed and out the door - about 7am, here. (Hey, at least we didn't have to wait in line to eat!)

When we got home, the kids were anxious to open the presents, er, help Pete open the presents we made for him. Sam surprised him with a tie made at camp, which every business-daddy needs. They next helped him open a mug and plate set ("the plate is for your toast, Dad-dee!") that we created at Paint it Up. (Lots of fun, and another story, indeed.) Then was the "Daddy" picture we created for him, and finally, a book from Shutterfly, which cinched the sappy award. It actually is a wonderful book that allowed us to fill out form pages and add pictures - "How we are like you", "How we are different", "People admire you because". We had lots of fun with it.

Seriously, though, Pete is a wonderful, dedicated father to Sam and Maddie. He revels in whatever he does with them - even if it is mowing the lawn with Sam, which is a favorite father-son activity around here. He starts his day with one of the kids on his lap, mooching cereal from his bowl, and ends the day reading them stories and putting them to bed. Sure, they try his patience - Sam IS the child-master of testing and pushing buttons, and Maddie hits her witching hour long before Daddy gets home from work....

My father is another example of a wonderful Dad. When I was growing up, we were in awe of him - he is a man with a large presence. (Frankly, he was huge, and we were tiny) He never raised a hand, and rarely raised his voice. He has a wicked funny sense of humor, and we call him "McGuyver", as he not only can make or fix anything, but come up with a much simpler way of doing it that has you slapping yourself in the head at the simplicity of it. (Although, complex is not out of his range, either.)

Pete, Dad - I love you both for who you are. Hope you had a great day.
I highly recommend the 8x8 photobooks....