Happy Father's Day

Okay, so I know I am a little late with this post, but I have been trying to get all my projects done while I am down to one kid! The kids come home on Saturday and I can't wait to see them!

This is a subject that my I have such strong emotions about, that I am not sure I will be able to do it justice in words. I feel so incredibly lucky to have Jason in my life and for the father that he is. He was born to be a dad. It is one of the things he does best and he has many talents.

We started dating when the kids were really young. They took to each other right away. I just started laughing to myself remembering those

days! Lauren was 3 and was still throwing tantrums from time to time if she didn't' get what she wanted. I remembering Jason looking at me in disbelief and asking, "Why is she doing that?" Or after lunch when Jessica was missing her front teeth and tried to eat her sandwich using her side and back teeth, "How does that happen? Most of her sandwich is on her face!" Haha! I'm laughing still. Ahh, his rookie days...

Now, as the kids were planning to go on a hiking trip, Jason said, "Lauren will make it about 10 min and then she'll be too tired and want to be carried." We were out one afternoon and called to check on the kids. The babysitter said Jessica was fighting with Lauren. "Did she have a snack when she got home? She probably just needs to eat. She gets a little grumpy when she is hungry.

"When we talked about getting married, he told me that he knew that when he married me, he would be marrying the kids too. When we were looking at rings, he used to look at the ones with three stones to represent the three kids. The thought he put into that, made me love him even more. I thought that it was fitting that he proposed to me in front of the kids on Christmas morning.

He always has their best interest in mind. He was an assistant coach on Austin's baseball team for two years. During soccer season, he spent countless Saturdays at the soccer field, cheering on the girls. He is always thinking of ways to help them improve or practice their game.

He loves motorcycles. Our first Christmas while we were dating, he bought the kids quads, so they could enjoy the sport with him. He wanted to be able to spend more time together. It is something that we have all grown to love as a family and has helped us all stay close to each other. "The family that plays together, stays together." We have so much fun together.

He is involved with their academics and helps them set goals for improvement. At night, he helps them study and has been known to sit through an entire princess book, read out loud by Lauren. All of the kids teachers know him and occasionally he will email them to check on their progress. He goes to every Back to School Night, Parent/Teacher Conference, Open House and Winter Programs. He even comes to the Awards Assemblies when he can get away from work.

He turns into pappa bear if someone hurts the one of the kids. He is very protective of them. He is always thinking of them and wanting them to be happy, but the parent in him knows that some lessons in life are hard. He misses them terribly when they are gone and complains that the house just seems so empty without them.

When Ashlyn was born, he cried. After we brought her home, he said he just wanted to call everyone he knew and tell them how amazing it is to have a baby, but then he realized they already knew. If he was ever having a tough day, he would just take her into our room and lay on the bed with her. He said it always put things into perspective and made him feel peaceful.

For the first three weeks after she was born, Jason worked from home. It was so wonderful for all of us to have him around. We took turns feeding her at night and he never complained. I think he looked forward to it. He has always been so good with her. He is a natural father.
To me, it is not always the grand gestures that makes someone a hero. Sometimes, it is the small and often unnoticed acts that makes a person a hero to me. Jason is such an example to me. He is so selfless and loves unconditionally. I am so proud of the father that he is and the father that he doesn't have to be.