father's day

Father's Day has always been a day that has brought up a lot of emotion for me. Prior to being married it was a day that reminded me of my singleness and all of my unfulfilled desires. Once I was married there was a sense of nearness to the fulfillment of my dreams that was actually quite sweet.

That sweetness was nothing compared to the joy that fatherhood has brought me. My first Father's Day was a couple of weeks after we finally took Riley home from the hospital. Sweet indeed.

Father's Day now is full of that sweetness, and a sense of completion for the longings I had for so many years. But it's tempered by sadness as I always, quite keenly, feel the loss of my Dad. His is a good act to attempt to follow though.

Dad & I - I was seven




















What I really want to write down right now however, are the impressions I have of my kids at this point in their lives. And also the things I love most about them.

Riley Boy



















Riley is a kid with a really sweet disposition. He's easy going and really fun to hang out with.

I love his inquisitive nature (even if it means that he frequently destroys stuff trying to figure out how it works.) It makes him really fun to show things. Today I took him on a hunt in the back yard to find out where ants have their house. He saw the little holes that they crawl in and out of and, most exciting, got to see an ant carrying food back home. His excitement at this type of "discovery" is an incredibly joyful thing for me.

He loves to play and will instantly insert himself into any group of kids that he comes upon. It's so funny to see him go and sit right in the middle of a big group of girls. But even more he loves to play with his parents. One of my favorite things is when he pats the floor or ground next to him and says, "Sit." If I have ANY time at all I'll give it to him when he does this.

He is a very bright boy; he learned to read by 2 yrs. 9 mos., he knows his colors and can count to eleven. He currently loves to count things (members of the family, houses on our street up to ours, A/C units...) He mastered jigsaw puzzles long ago, leaving therapists who were testing him for his speech delay in amazement.

He has always loved books and has been reading (or at least looking at) them for as long as I can remember. Reading books to him is one of my favorite activities and we have done so in many different locations...even when on mountain bike rides (great rest period at the top of a killer hill.)

Riley loves TV and video, which we do try to limit to a certain degree. That has been tougher with Kendall's presence though, as watching a video will keep him from pulling at Mom or acting out when his baby sister needs Mom's full attention to eat. His current favorites are Blue's Clues and Winnie-the-Pooh. He also loves all the Pixar movies and the occasional Bob the Builder or Backyardagains. Something I love is to see when he starts interacting with Steve on Blue's Clues. It's fun to watch him.

He's an adventurous boy, seemingly without fear when climbing but also one who enjoys things like fast bike riding with Daddy in the woods and our newest discovery...amusement park rides. I can't wait until he's big enough for Six Flags! He also loves swimming, hiking and kayaking. One of the things I love best about my son is that he's someone who is fun to DO things with.

Riley is a very independent boy. He always wants to do things himself if he can and he rarely asks for help. I have to ask him several times if he needs help with something before he'll respond.

He is also showing a depth of emotion that has surprised me at times. Once when he was with me at the office he was being very difficult and actually a bit mean to me. I sat down in a chair across from him and asked him what was going on and why he was being mean to me. I told him that it made me sad (which it had.) He stopped cold and sat quietly for a moment. I then saw a tear coming out of the corner of his eye. My first thought was that I had upset him or angered him further. Not so. He got out of the chair, climbed into my lap and gave me a big hug with tears streaming down his face. It made him sad that he had made ME sad. And I didn't think that I could love him any more...

I LOVE the fact that Riley keeps showing me that there is a lot more to him than I think there is (and I think there's a lot...) He keeps me on my toes.

Kendall Girl













This is one of my favorite pictures of her. Why? She was smiling at ME when the picture was taken...

Baby girl is still small enough that there's a lot less to say about her than her brother. She is starting to show some personality though, and I have to say that I'm liking what I see.

She's a very cute girl and this shows up most when she smiles. Lately this has been more and more frequent. She generally wakes in a sweet mood with big smiles. I love singing silly little songs and talking to her while I make lunch or whatever task I am doing in the morning. She is for the most part happy to just hang out with you...as long as she can see you. I put her in the bouncy seat or the portable swing and she's good to go. It's nice having her sitting there very contentedly.

Kendall is starting to babble a bit, and I really love listening to her start to give her voice some use. She does cry a bit (of course) but most of the time I know what she wants as her cries have become almost like language.

She does let us know what she wants more than her brother did. Kendall knows what she wants (for the most part) and stops sounding off pretty much as soon as she gets it. I think one of the things I get the biggest kick out of is the approximately 5 seconds of crying she does after I give her an adjustment. She lets loose and then just suddenly stops. Just wants to let me know she didn't like it.

With Mama heading back to work I get to hang out (and doze) with my baby girl in bed for a little while in the morning. It's a time that I really love, even if I'm only giving her a bink and occasionally rubbing her tummy to help relax her and send her off to her morning nap. It's generally a very peaceful time and I love to just lay there and look at her. She is such a cutie and I feel my love for her growing stronger with each passing day.

I have to say that before Kendall was born I really wondered if I could ever love another child as much as I love Riley. It was hard to imagine, even though everyone (including me) knew that I would. I can say now that I know I can. It simply amazes me.

I'm very grateful for the precious gift the God has given me in my family. There is sometimes truth to the old adage that good things come to those who wait. The wait was long but worth it. The depth of love I have for these people stuns me at times. My hope though, is that at the end of my life my kids will know that I loved them as much as I know my Dad loved me. If that's true then I'll have done a good job. Like I said, he was a good act to attempt to follow.


Jonathan