On Father's Day...a few days later...

For whatever reason, I have become a sappy, sentimental girl at the ripe old age of 28. It works out fabulously because I married a sappy, sentimental boy who isn't completely freaked out by it - only slightly freaked. As a result, when big emotional, lovey, sit-around-holding-hands-talking-about-your-feelings holidays crop up, I am like a big, ol' dork ready to share my feelings.

Father's Day is no different. Father's Day took on a new meaning for us a couple of years ago when our girl was born. I know I didn't make a big deal out of it before, & Josh isn't really a make-a-big-deal kind of guy, but I'm slowly turning that around in our house. Holidays & birthdays are big - will be big. Will be big every year from here on out. We celebrate birthdays for a week. No ifs, ands or buts. A week of celebrating that one cool person in the house. Breakfasts, little gifts, sappy cards, & special notes telling them how special & wonderful & amazing they are. Holidays blow up in this house. You will be able to smell our holiday-decked-to-the-max house down the street. Cinnamon, brown sugar, pumpkin spice...oh, it is on, holidays. It is on.

We started celebrating Sunday with the extended family, but Josh wasn't able to come because he was working. There was food & simpin' - what our girl does best.

So, this Father's Day, due to a full work day for Dada, we pushed the day back to be sure we celebrated Dada properly. We packed up the car, packed a picnic dinner - complete with some of Dada's favorite goodies, headed to our favorite spot on the beach, & lazed around in the sun until our skin was sun-kissed, & our girl was ready for bedtime. 

Watching our girl toddle back & forth from the shore to our blanket heaving her bucket full of water never gets old. She's determined. This is the job she has to do at the beach; she knows it; we know it. It's intense. If only we could know what was going on in that little blonde head of hers. 

So, we celebrated. We were sun-kissed, full, & happy, & we drove away, still very light outside at 7:30pm, with the windows down basking in the warm, summer sun. It was a good day.

We love our Dada. He was made to be her Dada. They are two peas in a pod. Their love is so sweet & tender. It is heaven to sneak a peek at them deep in conversation, & arms all wrapped around each other. This girl toddles over to us, blankie in one hand, Tigger in the other & asks, "'nuggle?!" He looks at me, smiling & says, "We did it, babe. Our girl loves to snuggle." May it be ever this way with them. 

It's a good-Father's-Day-kinda-day.
a.