p.s. to the previous post

Father's Day 2010.

Azure woke up early, guzzled 8 oz., wrestled around between two sleepy parents, then proceeded to speak her first word.  "Dada".   Repeated 100 times with the accompaniment of rolling giggles.  By the end of the day it progressed to the full "hi Dad" with a wave.

What are the odds?!

rewind to Father's Day

We were camping.

But let me rewind further first...

Jim & I have a thing for each other, yes.  But that doesn't mean we speak it in the same manner.  My love language is written words.  His is limited to one particular {three letter} word. 

So I used to stalk the poor boy with notes, cards, three page letters.  Some were angry..some poetic..some preach-ish..and some downright scary in retrospect.  But I continually let him know how I felt in black Pilot G2 retractable ball rolling ink.  And once in a while I'd get a snippet of his heart caught on paper in return. 

It meant the world. 

Then we had three kids - the love stuck, but much of the wooing inevitably stopped.  Still. On every Mother's Day, May 31st and Anniversary I hint around that more than anything I'd love a page from his pen.  And on most Mother's days, May 31st's and Anniversaries I bask in perfect attention from my Jim.  Sans the written word. 

But on this Father's day, my dream came true in a way I had never anticipated.  The boys had given their dad notes and gifts and headed off with cousins.  And that's when Jim melted my heart.  He grabbed pen and notebook, and scribbled off an impromptu note to each of them.  Telling them he was Proud.  Telling them of bright Futures.  Telling them of his huge Love.  For them, our flesh combined.  A bit of his heart..in ink..tattooed on pieces of scrappy notebook paper in the forest outside of Flagstaff.   

I teared up reading them.  And then gobbled those pages out of the boys' hands and into my own pockets.  Not convinced that they'd keep them safe enough. 

I love this Father of my 3.  In Verdana 12 point font from my computer in our downstairs office.

superhero cake

did I mention that my brother {as in my only brother} now lives here in town?

did I mention how happy this makes me?!

Tyler's is a boy family.  4 boys to be exact, ages nearly-3 to half-past-8.  Jim thinks I'm funny, but I always lament the nieces and nephews who live far away.  I want to watch them grow..know their passions..see their tempers..cheer their triumphs.  And the Hendrix gang {bike gang, I hear, but it's still too hot to verify that tidbit} has been absent from my watching for far too long. 

But, on to the cake (Cyn & I did this one together yesterday).  A superhero extravaganza.  Sure to please any boy at 7. 

And Tyler's Wyatt just happens to be that age.  Today.  Happy Birthday, sweet Wyatt!

how I know I'm awesome

people give me awesome handmade gifts, like these...

rolling pin by my woodworking wonder of a father-in-law (hands fit perfectly in the sides to roll oh so smoothly).

cupcake apron by my similarly cake-minded friend and visiting teacher.

the boy who finally fits in his hand-me-down suit

caught in a moment of self-admiration

D, totally normal size for his age, makes me realize how big Aidan is.  This suit that's baggy on D at almost 5 1/2, fit A perfectly at 4 1/2.

I love dapper Sunday boys.