This One's for Dada

In honor of Father's Day, this is a list of reasons I am so glad to have Daniel as the Father of my children.

He......

1. Makes Elijah giggle like no one else.  He comes up with the silliest and most creative ways to make Elijah laugh.  Like putting his pants on his head.  Or emphasizing the "B" sound in a sentence.  Or making crazy animal noises. Or throwing Elijah up in the air and catching him.

2. Provides for our family.  He works hard every day to get his work done so that he earns the money that we need to live a comfortable life.  He makes sure that he keeps his boss happy so he can keep his job.  And he keeps our family as his number one priority at the same time.  He still makes sure he is home for Elijah's bedtime every single night. It's a delicate balancing act, but Daniel does it.

3. Does all of the chores that I don't want to.  He cooks dinner for us every night.  And it's delicious every night too!  He mows the lawn and gets the oil changed in the car and fixes things when they break.  He pays all the bills and makes sure we're saving enough money, and investing enough for the future.  

4. Balances out my anxiety-prone, introverted personality.  He is the reason we get out of the house and do things on the weekends.  Because for me, it seems easier to just stay at home.  But Daniel thinks that a little extra work to pack the diaper bag is worth it for a little adventure!  He is the one that decided we had to go downtown to see the Denver Chalk Art Festival.  He planned our road trip up to the mountains when Elijah was just a few weeks old.  He regularly asks friends to come over for dinner and cooks elaborate meals for them. 

5. Keeps life interesting with his endless pursuit of new hobbies.  Whether it's gardening, composting, brewing his own beer, making his own yogurt, or exercising, Daniel always has a new hobby that he's trying out.  And lucky us, we get all the benefit without all the work.  We get to eat the home grown produce and taste the home brewed beer.  

6. Lifts our mood with his optimism.  Daniel is one of the most optimistic people I have ever met.  When I ask him a question, I always know what his answer will be because he doesn't believe in negative thoughts.  His motto from the very beginning has been that positive thoughts produce positive results.  So even when I'm worried or stressed or down about something, I know that Daniel will lift me up.

7. Is always someone I know I can lean on.  He is always there for me on my hardest days.  When I thought I would fail a test, and therefore fail a class, and not graduate from college, and not get a good job, and be poor the rest of my life, Daniel was there to reassure me and get me through another night of studying.  When I was hugely pregnant and exhausted and felt like I couldn't possibly get out of bed and spend 8 hours at work, Daniel gave me the boost of energy I needed to get through the day.  When Elijah was up from midnight to 3am crying continuously and it seemed like he would never stop, Daniel was there to remind me that he would stop crying eventually and this would be a fading memory.  When I had to go back to work and leave Elijah at day care, Daniel would answer the phone every single morning and listen to me cry.  He is always there in my hardest moments and never lets me give in to the fear or exhaustion.

I am so incredibly lucky to have Daniel as a partner for LIFE.  And Elijah is lucky to have you as his Daddy for LIFE.  We love you!