father's day

google search says that father's day could have started in 1908 in fairmont, wv. as a church sermon. i'm going with that just based on the wv tie kthanxbai. since i don't have a good "you can't really tell who he is shot" i'm putting up a pic of "old bessie, betsy, bethie" for the hubs.

i've been thinking about this post because i wanted it to be just right and not just a mush pit as it could easily be.

ok, so , if you've been reading for awhile you know by now that the hubs is the love of my life. i met him when i was 14, (i am careening into 40 as i type), we started dating when i was 15, broke up at 18 and it was on again off again until i was 21. we got married when i was 24 and had the first spawn when i was 29.

by the time had her i think the hubs was just relieved that i wouldn't be moping around and crying that month cos i was indeed pregnant. we tried sooooo long that first time and i was fairly far along before we actually knew.

i had never put much thought into what kind of father he'd be. i loved him so i thought he'd be good. boy, did i underestimate him. the girl's birth story is a post for another time, but let's just say it wasn't the most pleasant or quick. the hubs had never been around babies.

he was the youngest of four kids, so no babysitting his siblings as i did. when his brother/sister started having kids he wasn't around them as BABIES. so basically, with the girl he was paranoid (and still is around new babies (like under 6 months)--i think he's only held my niece puddin once and that's cos i forced him to). anyway i won't go year by year about how awesome he his but seeing him hold our baby for the first time and seeing that lion-like protection that exuded from him, omg, it just like quadrupled what love i had for him.

while i think part of it was the father/daughter connection and the fact that she was the first, the hubs was the same when the boy came along. he is one of those parents that honestly and truly put their kids before anything else. even me. and i wouldn't have it any other way. i'll be here when the kids move away.

it's weird because i was always around kids (babysat my bro and sis) and nieces and nephews but the hubs is so much better with kids. maybe not with babies (although when ours were babies he totally changed diapers and took them to the dr etc.)but with kids? he has more patience with them. he can relate to them, not that he's childish, but it's like he's not forgotten how to think like a second or fifth grader. it's amazing. he can reason with them. he's not the type of dad to get in the floor and wrestle around (at least not much) but both of my kids turn to him at the drop of the hat when some thing's wrong. they come to me for the physical comfort but when they need help they go to him.

ok, i'm getting a little verklempt.

the hubs is the most amazing dad and my kids are so damn lucky to have him.