Happy Father's Day!

This is Hadley's first Father's Day, and her birthday will be here in a week, followed closely by Dad and Kevin's birthday. So much to celebrate!

I joked with Mom and Dad about how this is their last first birthday. (We hope)

Lots of love out there to all the daddies. You are the ones who we ran to when Mom didn't let us have our ways; the ones who danced with us at weddings or Daddy Daughter Dances at school; the ones who protected us and gave each boy we brought home a stern eye, and each girl a careful welcoming; you were our Papa Bears, with a pair of big, snuggly arms to nestle into.

I'll never forget the things my Dad did for my brother and I, and now Hadley. He taught us how to ride our bikes. He took us swimming and walking. He brought us to work in the summers, even though we were loud and often bothered him in his office. He let us bring home countless cats, dogs, rats, hamsters, fish, a tarantula, and one time even a chameleon. He grills steaks for us every Sunday, a cigar hanging out his mouth like a Mafia don.

He faithfully drags us to Cardinals games, even in horrible Sun Devil Stadium, and Phoenix Suns games. I still love his standard uniform of a sleeveless cotton shirt (in order to show off his massive arms), shorts, and white Nike sneakers with white socks, complete with a baseball cap and sunglasses. You knew when he laughed, because he didn't do it often, that something was really funny. He powered through bad grades and high school drama with Kevin and I, coached Kevin's recreational football teams, let us "dog-pile" on him and whack him with pillows even when we had gotten big enough for some serious damage, and got up many many mornings at 6:30 am to drive us to school.

He supported both Mom and I when she became pregnant with Hadley. He quietly stressed for our future, wondering if Hadley would make it into this world, and if she would be whole and healthy. He worried that he wouldn't have enough love to give to her, that he couldn't split it one more time between the three of us. He drove Mom to the ER last Father's Day, late at night, because Mom was worried about Haddy; then, after spending hours there, he patiently left when she decided everything was okay after all.

He stood by me while Mom gave birth, and kept me from panicking with his cool attitude. (He'd been through this twice, after all!) He got up at 3 am and sat in Haddy's rocking chair, bleary-eyed and tired, and gave her the tiny bottles, and then got up 3 hours later to drive Kevin to school.

He adores Hadley. She truly is his little princess, the apple of his eye. He tickles her and holds her during NFL shows, kisses her and plays with her. He swims with her in her little floatie and carries her now extremely heavy carseats.

My dad is awesome. I love him so much. Hadley is lucky; she gets him all to herself while she grows up. I know I've given you some hard times in the past, Dad, but...I'll always be your little girl.