Father’s Day
“I’m kinda sad about growing up. I’ve had such a good childhood.” - Aubyn
What parent doesn’t want to hear that from their child?
When Aubyn said this, Justin and I just looked at each other dumbfounded.
What an unbelievable compliment to get from your child and we just stared at each other in disbelief before hugging the heck out of her.
This love of her childhood?
I credit Justin for that.
In case you didn’t know, he’s an amazing dad.
Well, he’s at least well above average.
He would counter and tell you all the places he falls short, but I wouldn’t.
He’s a great dad and I would have shared this all yesterday if we hadn’t been busy spending the whole day hosting friends and families.
Justin brings the fun. He always has. And the wide-eyed wonder, adventure, and the mischief…
I have fun with him, why wouldn’t I expect the same for my kids?
And they do. Both with him and because of him.
He steps back and asks, what would make this special for my kids?
Whether its a treehouse in the backyard or a secret nook inside the house.
Or our trip to Colorado.
Sure, he wanted to see all these places, but there wasn’t one stop he didn’t take the kids into consideration. He put so much time and energy into planning it, giving his family an amazing gift full of memories that will be with us for years and years.
He works hard, but shows the kids there is a time to play too.
Sure, he may be exhausted from a long day and think it’s sweltering outside, but he’ll go throw a football or jump on the trampoline.
He loves God and demonstrates the importance of that relationship, how everything we have is because of Him. Making sure church and co-groups are a priority, especially when there are other things fighting for our attention and time.
At night, he tucks the kiddos in and kisses them goodnight, making sure they know just how special and loved they are, before praying over them.
It is Justin who wools (tickles and wrestles) the kids, pushes them to climb mountains (literally and figuratively), and encourages them to try new things. On the softer side, he will rock them on the side of a riverbank and pray over them or let them climb on his lap when they first wake, even though that is his quiet time. He will laugh out loud at an ingenious prank pulled on a sibling, but also remind them of the importance of siblings and to always have their back.
Quite possibly my favorite photo from our recent trip.
There is nothing he won’t do for his kiddos’ well-being and there isn’t anything they wouldn’t do for him.
As much as he loves them, that love is returned in spades.
They are blessed to have such an amazing dad and we celebrate you this Father’s Day! (or day after in this case) Keep leading the way for our family. We will be right behind you, following in your footsteps.
