Jared's 1st Father's Day

Today was Father's Day.  I never expected to be celebrating Father's Day with Jared, but I have to say, I like it.  Although Jared drives me crazy at times (this is no secret as I drive him crazy as well), Kathryn sure loves her daddy.  He makes her smile and laugh and Jared just adores her.  Kathryn wasn't sure what to get Jared, so she decided on a picture of the two of them that has "Daddy & Me" on the frame.  Then, she was supposed to make a stepping stone for Daddy with her hand print, but Jared was never gone from the house long enough for us to get it done in secret, so...she and Jared will be completing that project together. 

Around 2pm, we went to Rick & Dee's for a lobster/steamer dinner for a combination Father's Day/good bye party for my mom.  They really went above and beyond.  Kathryn was terrific there, even though she didn't get her afternoon nap.  She was so enthralled with everything that she stayed happy the whole time.  She even got to see the horse, goats and chickens and she loved the three mastiffs.  I'll make another post about that once I get the pictures off my mom's camera.  One highlight of the afternoon was after we fed her her peaches and Jared decided to toss Kathryn in the air.  Well...the peaches came right back up right on Jared's chin.  It was hilarious.  I wish I'd gotten a picture!  Now we're home and she's asleep (actually she woke up and is now playing in her crib).  Rick & Dee will be here shortly for dessert.  Overall, it was a pretty nice day.

I also wanted to include some thoughts about our dads, Kathryn's grandpas.

 Unfortunately, Kathryn didn't get to meet her Grandpa Dan here on Earth, but something tells us they were pretty good buddies before she got here.  Kathryn will often look up and stare into nothing and get the biggest grin on her face and start giggling.  We always wonder what she's staring at or who she's laughing at, and we tend to believe she might be seeing her Grandpa Dan.  Jared would've been so proud to show-off his baby girl to his dad and I know Grandpa Dan would've had a soft spot for our Kathryn.  I hope we can share stories about her grandpa so Kathryn will know that he loved his family and still does and even though she won't know him in this life, he is looking out for her and keeping her safe.  

My Grandpa Junior and my dad are pictured below.  I would've loved for Kathryn to have met my grandpa.  He was an amazing man.  I can just imagine them playing together. 

My dad loves Kathryn and we're both lucky to have him in our lives.  My dad loves to make things for his grandkids and I'm looking forward to all the cool stuff he does for Kathryn.  Growing up, I remember being afraid of my dad, I guess because he was gone a lot and when he came home, he was very serious.  Don't get me wrong, he was a great father.  He was always there for sports events, band concerts and everything else.  He just seemed a bit intimidating.  This changed my senior year in high school.  It was like once he realized Tarin and I were both leaving, he got very emotional, and he's been very endearing and sweet (for the most part!) ever since. Tarin and I always joke that our husbands have a lot to look up to because our dad never let us down.  We mentioned something once (like a flat bike tire) and it was taken care of the next day.  We are so blessed to have him for our father.

One more Father's Day note:  Congratulations to my best friend Katie Draves and her husband Eric on the birth of their little boy Owen today. What a Father's Day present!