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Sunday, June 16, 2013

These guys...

In honor of Father's Day I'm going to list 5 things I have in common with my dear ol' Dad:

1. We love beer. Much to my mother's dismay, I have inherited his love for the brew.

2. We love the Florida Gators. Growing up in Alabama, I could have easily ended up an Auburn or Alabama fan. Dad made sure he took me to Gator games often, and instilled an overall love for the SEC in me. He's even cool with the fact that I married an Alabama fan.

3. We research, but are impulsive buyers. As soon as our mind is set on a certain product - why wait?! My sweet husband will plan for months to save and buy an item, whereas I have the mindset "if I'm gonna buy it eventually let's just do it now!"

4. We're people-people. Is that the plural of people-persons? I'm not sure, but roll with it! I haven't met a person I can't talk to. I may not want to continue to talk to them, but I can at least initiate a conversation. I'm thankful for receiving my dad's social persona. It's gonna get me places.

5. We love this country. Yep - the US of A. Obama, Bush, Clinton. No matter who is running this great nation, my dad has supported and defended it. Sniffles during the National Anthem or a flyover can be heard from both of us. I think the first time I ever saw my dad tear up was while watching a war movie. I'm thankful that he pushed me into the career I'm in today, because if I reap nothing else from it, it's given me a much deeper sense of patriotism to have supported the warfighter myself.




Josh is by far the best dad I know. Here are 5 things I love about him as a dad (and husband):

1. He's been involved in Carter's care since before he was born. He went to every appointment at UAB. He was there to take care of me while I recovered after delivery, and wanted to know everything the nurses could teach us in the NICU. From the time we came home, we learned Ostomy 101 together, and conquered feeding issues hand-in-hand. He kept C for a week by himself when he was only 9 months old! It wouldn't be a stretch to say he's changed more bags/diapers than I have in the past 2 1/2 years. He does PT with him basically every day he's home, and I'm convinced C would not be as advanced in his motor skills if it weren't for his efforts.

2. There aren't many men that are rushing to get their kids from daycare on their off-day so they can play with them. Josh is that dad. He wants every last minute with that kid. He looks forward to "firsts" and wants to be there for moments like C's first dip in the pool... his first zoo trip.... and that makes my heart swell.

3. We're on the same page. Raising kids is complicated. Raising Carter is more complicated. We could very easily baby and pamper him because of his medical issues, but we choose instead to treat him like any other kid. We have very little problem when it comes to being on the same page for discipline and limits for Carter.

4. He's a great example of many things. Fitness. Work ethic. Determination. Fitness may not be important to a lot of people, but for our situation with C it is. We want Carter to know that despite his medical complications, he can find ways to adapt and still care for his body. Josh is a hard worker, and isn't scared of physical labor. He's always willing to lend his skills to a friend if he can help them out, whether it's welding, concrete, or just lifting something heavy.

5. He's becoming a spiritual leader for our family. Everyone goes through hard times in marriage, and there are many difficult dynamics in ours. I can say that from the day we were made aware of the complications with Carter, Josh and I became a different couple. We had no choice but to rely on the Healer. We witnessed a miracle on an ultrasound screen during the shunt procedure, and we're determined that Carter will know the God that gave him to us. Every day Josh is growing in the Word, and every Sunday Church of the Highlands speaks blessings into our life.



 

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