Dadda the Great

You know Dadda's around when the ice cream truck goes by and there's a frantic search for a dollar so a treat can be purchased. Yes, Daddy's nicer about toxic food than Mommy.

For Father's Day, we spent a day at Lake Anna swimming to cool off from record heat temperatures in Washington, D.C. You, like always, seemed unaware of the heat and would point to the playground and train park while Mommy and Daddy passed you swimming, "kick kick kickers," back and forth in the shoulder height lake water. Lake Anna is a blast! Gorgeous trees, great playgrounds, and lots of buddies for you to befriend. We swam, played, ate watermelon and chilled mangos with PB sandwiches, until it was time for your nap and we drove home so Daddy's could cheer on the-was it the cubs???-some such sports team/game/tv watching thing during dinner while Mommy told herself, "Father's Day, Father's Day, Father's Day." You'll soon learn Mommy is not the parent to watch television with!

You give the *BEST* squeeze tight hugs!

Good Morning Dadda!

Happy Father's Day!!!

Your first malasada!!!

Best EVER portugese donuts!

The funny thing about marrying your college beau is that you don't know who he is going to become. You don't know "what he does for a living," where he is going to want to settle down, if he'll be content in his profession, or how he'll react to life's challenge. You grow up together. You don't know someday he'll be ready to move into a house and build roots before you will. You don't know he'll surprise you at a midwife or baby's doctors appointment because he knew it was important to you that he was there. You don't know he'll develop an interest for fantasy football, stocks, and playing poker. You don't know a lot of things.

All you know is the boy throwing rocks at your window. And, if he is not on your doorstep-he's calling you on the phone. Because he never ever wants to be away from you. Even when your tired and have your beakers on. All you know is the boy who would blow off anything to spend a few more hours lazing about doing nothing in particular as long as it means you are together. All you know is the boy writing you bedtime stories, singing you love songs on the guitar, sending you flowers, buying you rings, slow dancing in his bedroom, and taking you to see Beauty and the Beast-just because.

You never dream he'll follow you to California or Washington D.C. or stand by you at your Grandpa's funeral, or become a vegetarian, or go to China with you to see your little brother living overseas, or convince your family that a family compound house is a great idea, or hope to have a cat sanctuary for homeless cats after you had to beg him to let you have one.

You don't know he'll babysit your nieces with you or work in the NICU. You don't know he'll roll over and go back to sleep when you tell him your in labor only to later massage your back through the 30 hour duration of it because it is the only thing you can repeat and the only thing he can do to try to help you. You don't know his provider instincts will kick in so he'll endure night after night of work because you cry when you think of having to leave your baby still marred from being separated those early days in the NICU. You don't know you'll spend your sixth anniversary watching him dig holes for your 14 month old son at the same beach you were married.

All you know is that there is a boy so used to giving lines to girls you have to call him out on everyone until he breaks and becomes "real." What you do know is that there is a boy who will do anything not to let you go. That deep in your heart of hearts you know that he is capable of loving someone the way that you can. Then again, what else do you really need to "know" anyway?