Daddy . . .

This morning while Isaac was taking an early nap because he had a late bedtime last night, Abby and I had this conversation:

Abby: Where Daddy?
Me: At work.
Abby: No. Daddy sleeping.
Me: No, Daddy is at work.
Abby: (a little quieter) No. Daddy sleeping.
Me: No, Daddy is at work.
Abby: (quieter still, with a "you are wrong, Mommy, and I don't mind telling you as many times as I need to" look) No. Daddy sleeping.

This went on for a while, Abby getting softer and more persistent each time.  Lesson #1: You can't win an argument with a two-year-old, at least not THIS one.  Lesson #2: Daddy has Abby wrapped around his finger, and she thinks of him all day long, even when he is nowhere to be found.

That is one thing we had in common, even during our disagreement about where Daddy was.  We were BOTH thinking about Daddy.  And I wanted to share what some of MY thoughts have been this morning/this weekend about this little girl's Daddy.

Friday night, he showed up early from work with two movies in his hands: The Muppet Movie and The Muppet (something) Caper.  I forget the title.  So, we popped in The Muppet Movie, I went into the kitchen to make dinner, we laid a blanket out on the living room floor, and we had a family date/picnic, complete with breakfast quesadillas and all.  After we got done eating, Dave tried to pull me down next to him on the sofa. (Where else would I rather watch a movie on date night?)  But Isaac had other plans.  He cried, and Dave said, "No -- it's Daddy's turn to sit with Mommy.  She's Daddy's first."  He continued to whimper but walked away for a moment.  Seconds later, he returned, looked up at me with puppy dog eyes, whispered, "Mommy . . . " and took my hand.  All the while, he was staring at David like, "No -- she's MY Mommy first." And when I got up off the sofa for a few seconds, he shot Dave the most triumphant look ever!  And we both laughed!

Even though we don't get that many traditional "date nights" any more, and we don't get to cuddle on the sofa and watch a movie undisturbed very much anymore, I love that Dave still tries to bring fun and laughter and spontaneity to our family!  And once the kids were in bed, I beat him at Quiddler.  What more can you ask for? :-)

Saturday Dave announced that he wanted to go hiking SO BAD!!!  I have to agree with him.  I would LOVE to get out for a few days and just get lost in the trees and mountains and wildlife and streams and waterfalls that you find almost anytime you go hiking in Idaho or Washington.  But around here . . . we're kind of at a loss.  Dave disappeared into the office and when I went in to see what was up, he said, "I found something."  I asked what it was and he showed me this picture of a town that looked like an old ghost town with a movie set in front of it.  I must have looked confused, so he explained that he did a search for somewhere to go hiking and found this: a town with a movie set because quite a few movies have been filmed there.  And it's run by the National Forest Service (I believe that was it, anyway).  I still must have looked confused.  I said, "And you can go hiking there?"  He laughed and said, "Well, at least you can walk around.  But it's the closest thing I could find around here."  We both laughed, and I hugged him and told him it was a good try, anyway.  Needless to say, we didn't go.  It was late enough that it would have taken more time getting there and home than we would have had to actually spend there. 

And even though we don't get to go hiking or backpacking this summer because of the move, pregnancy, the twins, etc., I love that this is something that is a part of David and that will always be a part of our lives.  I love that it's something he seeks . . . and that he's always willing to have an adventure even if it isn't EXACTLY what he has been hoping for.  Close is better than nothing at all. 

While Dave let me sleep in Saturday morning, he got the laundry done!  There were about three loads, plus some I hadn't folded and put away yet from my attempts to get it all done during the week.  And what a great surprise it was to walk out into the living room after we had had a small disagreement about something and find that he wasn't moping . . . he was folding the laundry.  Finishing the task he had begun just to get it done.  As soon as that was done, he came and announced that he was taking Isaac and going grocery shopping and asked if he had missed anything on his list.  We added a few small things and off they went. 

I love that Dave is always willing to chip in around the house.  I remember when we were first married that I started to feel guilty for not having things all clean or all done when he got home.  And he simply asked me why I thought it was my job, since he was sure he had never said it was.  I had just assumed . . . I mean, I'm the wife, right?  But he's never treated me like that.  In fact, we have kind of shied away from chore charts and such because we didn't want to outline whose job this was and whose job that was.  We work better just chipping in whenever we can and getting things done that need to be done.  I am sure that will change as the kids get older, but I am so thankful that we share that interdependence right now!

Saturday evening we took the kids to the Los Angeles County Fair.  The fairgrounds here are BEAUTIFUL, among the best I've ever seen.  And though we aren't really ride people, we did want to take the kids to see the animals.  We agreed beforehand that we were going to buy just one thing: Dave calls them elephant ears; I call them tiger ears; the most common name for them, at least in the West, is scones.  They're a classic fair tradition for both of our families.  We figured it would probably cost us $4-$6 to get one (commercialized fairs America, right?).  After taking the kids to see all the animals and feed the animals at the petting zoo (I was too cheap to pay $2 for 1/3 of an extra small Dixie cup of pellets, so I just gathered the ones that had fallen on the ground -- it was still really fun for them!!!), we walked around the food area.  I say area, but it was a huge stretch, the entire length of the fair.  We didn't find a single stand that sold tiger ears.  Not one.  Nothing even close.  The only "close" thing was funnel cakes, but we didn't really want all the sugar.  So, in order to still buy something at the fair, because we had said we would splurge on ONE thing, we bought a foot long corn dog and some french fries.  Needless to say, we won't be doing THAT again!  They were incredibly overpriced and didn't really taste that good at all!!!!  But the KIDS . . . the kids loved it!  They loved every minute of it!

And I love that Dave helps me not be so financially tight that I miss small opportunities to create memories with the kids.  He is always looking for small things he can do to have a special memory with them . . . taking them to the water park or to the zoo or to the air plane museum at Edwards Air Force Base or on a daddy date to go grocery shopping (he even buys them a small treat most of the time -- grrrrrrr!).  And whenever he sees something new, he automatically wants to share it with them . . . with us!  And his efforts at making each weekend a special family event have been contagious!  And I just love, love, love it!  I hope we won't stop when he goes back to grad school -- because it's just so nice to have family time and family memories again!

Sunday after church, we were standing in the kitchen, talking about what is coming up this week, making dinner, and just chatting while the kids played on the floor.  At one point, he stopped me mid-sentence and said, "My word, you are beautiful!!!"  That, of course, got a smile, a laugh, and a hug and a kiss.  And THAT moment was interrupted by Isaac laughing!  We looked over at him and saw him watching us, the funniest expression on his face, like he had just seen us do the funniest thing EVER and wanted to be a part of it.  We, in turn, burst into laughter!!!

But I love that it's never going to be awkward or strange for my kids to see me hug or kiss or hold hands with their dad.  That isn't something either Dave or I have from our homes growing up, and it was always something that was very important to me.  Something I looked forward to and wanted to be sure would always be there between my husband and I for my children to witness and EXPECT!!!  And I love that with one simple, heart-felt, out-of-the-blue expression, Dave STILL melts my heart and takes me from huge pregnant mommy to newly-wed.  I know, you are probably gagging right now . . . but it's the small things.  The comment, the hug, the touch of his hand, the kiss on the cheek or the forehead, etc.  And they DO make all the difference.

And that's how Daddy has been on my mind today . . . .  Just wanted to share!