Funny Story

Since Aaron starts work at 5am, he usually has to get to bed around 9:30pm in order to wake up at 4am each morning. Most mornings, he's so delirious when he wakes up that he rolls out of bed, hits the shower, throws on some clothes, and heads to work half asleep. Last night Aaron went to bed around 9:30 as usual and I stayed up awhile later blogging and reading because I can't fall asleep that early. So, I creep into bed at 11pm and as I'm getting into bed, Aaron throws off the blankets and heads for the bathroom. A few minutes later, I hear the shower running and wonder what Aaron is up to. I go into the bathroom and find that Aaron has turned on the shower and is getting ready to get in. Confused, I asked Aaron if he was going somewhere and he said he had to go to work. I asked him if he knew what time it was (11pm) and he looked at the clock, snapped out of his semi-zombie state, and said "YES!" Poor guy. I must have woken him up when I got into bed and he was so tired that he just went into auto-pilot mode and started getting ready for work, no complaining, on an hour and a half of sleep. I laughed at Aaron's obvious nightwalking, but I gave him a big hug too because I was so grateful that he was ready to silently go to work at 11pm to provide for our family. I am so proud of Aaron for the hard work that he does everyday to support our family and I'm grateful for the sacrifice that he makes to wake up at the crack of dawn each morning to make sure that we're taken care of. I love you, Aaron!

Growing Like Weeds

Happy Father's Day!

Things I've Learned From My Dad:

1. Attitude matters. One of my dad's favorite quotes says that life is 10% what happens to you and 90% what you make of it. My dad has taught me that I can't control what others say or do, but I can control how I react to it. I can't tell you how irritating this motto made me when my dad would reprimand me for fighting with my brother, but I have come to understand its truth in later years.

2. You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. My dad makes casual conversation with everyone from the gas station attendant to the cashier at the grocery store. I've learned that if you treat people nicely, most people will be nice in return.

3. Laugh. I've always appreciated my dad's quick wit and unique sense of humor. My dad tries to give me a hard time because he wants me to learn not to take myself so seriously.

4. Its only money. Obviously, those who have more money can say this with more ease than those of us who have less, but my dad has taught me that objects are just objects. Shortly after getting my driver's license, I totalled my car. I was really nerveous to call my dad, who was out of town at the time, because I was sure that he would scold me for being reckless. After I told my dad what had happened, the first thing he said was, "its just a car." He only cared that I was safe.

5. By the same token, I've learned from my dad how to take care of the things that I do own. My dad told me that he may not have had the nicest or newest things growing up, but his things were always clean and well-cared for. I watched my dad shine his church shoes most Saturday evenings and learned the importance of taking care of what we had. I think my dad coined the word "dung-out" and it became a standard word in our family vocabulary as we would 'dung-out' our house each Saturday morning to make our house as nice as it could be.

6. My dad doesn't live the gospel in a flashy or pushy way, but he is unwavering in his commitment to living the gospel daily. It isn't unusual for acquantainces of my dad's to approach him and ask him about the gospel because they envy the "light" he carries. I think my dad defines integrity.

7. Think outside the box. We've always teased my dad about his obsession with buying and selling. One of his favorite pastimes involves the classified section of the newspaper and a good 'marking pen.' My dad seems to always be able to profit from taking a risk, thinking outside the box, and being creative. My dad is constantly coming up with new programs or incentives for his ward or job. Sometimes Aaron tells me that I'm just like my dad because I'm always trying to think of 'the next big thing.' I would be proud if I had inherited that trait.

8. Work hard/Play hard. I never had to be told to do my homework or study for an exam. I knew from watching how hard my dad worked that it was just expected. My dad always provided for our family. He often travelled during the week or worked on weekends so that we would have enough for our needs. When my dad wasn't working, he was having fun.

9. Ain't nobody happy unless mom is happy. Watching the way that my dad prizes my mom, I've learned how I want to model my marriage. My parents just like spending time together whether its pulling weeds in the yard or going for a Sunday drive, they just enjoy each other's company. When Aaron and I first got married, my dad counselled with Aaron and shared with him a story of when he and my mom were first married. My dad told Aaron that after a silly fight, my mom had started to cry and my dad decided right then that no argument was worth ever making her cry. My dad told Aaron that if Aaron ever makes me cry, its Aaron's fault. period.

10. Ask Dad. Growing up, whenever we wanted something (pizza for dinner, a puppy, etc) our strategy was always to ask dad. We knew that dad was the softy. My dad gives me a hard time because whenever I call home I usually ask to talk to my mom since we just gab about this or that. When I really need help, have a serious question, or need advice, I still ask dad.

This list is certainly not exhaustive. I could make a list a mile long and not be able to write down all of the lessons that I've learned from my dad. I probably don't tell him often enough, but I wanted to honor him this Father's Day by telling him that I love him and that I'm grateful for all of the things that he's taught me. I love you dad!

Old McDebbie

We decided to save the zoo for another year and chose to take Hank to a nearby petting zoo, Old McDebbie's Farm, where Hank could interact with the animals up close and personal. Hank loved petting the bunnies and kittens and couldn't stop feeding the goats, llamas, donkeys, and ponies pellets out of his hand. We even got to feed a camel! The goats were quite clever. We would give Hank a quarter to retrieve pellets from the vending machine and the goats would jump up like dogs and steal the pellets directly from the machine. Hank didn't seem afraid of the animals at all. He stuck his hand right out to feed a hungry pony with teeth that made me a little nervous. Hank had a blast. Aaron was not being cooperative with having his picture taken but I warned him that all pictures are fair game....I think Aaron will really appreciate the one of him mimicking the emu.

Gifts Galore

Its official, Hank is a spoiled rotten 2 year old. Hank's Nanas and Papas and Uncle Adam and Aunt Brittany helped Hank celebrate his birthday with a second party on Saturday. Hank absolutely loved all the attention that he got from his Nanas and Papas. He didn't mind the load of presents either. Hank is a lucky boy to have such great grandparents and uncles and aunts.

Happy 2nd Birthday Hanky Boy!

Its hard to believe that Hank is 2 years old! I woke Hank up this morning by singing him Happy Birthday and he replied by making a blowing sound (practicing to blow out his candle). On Saturday we're going to celebrate Hank's birthday by visiting the petting zoo (please pray for decent weather) with both Nanas and Papas, but we still wanted to make his official birthday special as well. Hank enjoyed spending the day playing with his buddy Ethan, who stayed at our house today. We took Hank to a cupcake shop to pick out a fancy cupcake and then played at an indoor playground. Afterwards, we came home to eat our cupcakes and open presents. Hank actually licked the frosting on the cupcake this year (major improvement over last year) but was more interested in blowing out his candle. We let him blow out the candle over and over since he'd been practicing so hard for it all day. Then we let Hank tear into his presents. Aaron and I got him a workbench with millions of power tools and equipment. Hank was so serious about it. He opened up the gifts and immediately carried the screwdrivers off to work on the dining room table. The comedy of the night was the irony of watching Aaron struggle to assemble Hank's play workbench. I guess the presents were a hit because Hank insisted on going to bed with two screwdrivers and a wrench. I love that kid! Happy Birthday Hanky!

To My Baby...

I'm sure every mom loves her baby. Its a rule--you have to love your baby. I love Hank, not just because he's my baby, but because he is an incredible, sweet, bright, thoughtful, energetic little person. I really love Hank for the person that he is and for the amazing little personality that he's developed. I truly feel fortunate to have been given such a special son. I don't know how I got so lucky because I really feel like I got the very best one! Hank is a gift. He has brought our family so much joy and happiness and we are grateful for each day that we get to spend together. On the day that Hank was born, I wrote in the journal that I keep for Hank, "I love you more than I can ever put into words. I loved you before you were even born and I will love you forever and ever. You will always be my baby and I will always love you." I love you Hank!