Tim & Becky

I always have a hard time getting organized enough to get a picture taken, order prints and address cards for Christmas so this year I’m sending out Valentines cards. This is the link to what I will be sending out.

Stationery card

View the entire collection of cards.

I find that one of the most interesting parts of being a Dad is watching as my children discover who they are.  Cooper struggles at times with his awkward and inappropriate sense of humour and Levi is just discovering that he has hands.  As a Dad over this past year I have loved watching the kids grow into themselves and develop into such wonderful people.  Indulge me as I share a bit.

Cooper Reading to Lydia (9/19/12)

Cooper

He would never admit it, but he is a deeply caring boy who at times can show a tremendous amount of empathy.  He is confident in his abilities and is very matter of fact and honest sharing with others things he has learned.  Whether it is mathematics, grammar, the necessity of baptism, or the importance of democracy, he will gladly share what he knows.  His 10-year-old sensibilities about fairness can be a struggle for him at times, but it also means that he is generous in giving credit to others when due. That’s good for me because I still get lots of hugs from him.  I’m lamenting the day when it isn’t cool to hug dad anymore.

Blanket Pile (6/21/2012)

Catelyn

Proudly proclaiming a love for all things “boyish”, Catelyn is the girliest girl in the house.  Her love for mud, Legos, soccer balls, and a propensity for injuring herself is balanced by one of the sweetest and most generous of personalities.  Catelyn has the ability to make friends almost instantly and she will literally give you the food off her plate or the clothes off her back if she feels you are in need.  Her love for art, music, and singing fills our home with a constant energy that is noticeably absent when she is away or engrossed in a book or reading The Friend magazine.

Lydia

Of late, my little princess has dubbed herself the quietest child in the family.  This is mostly true between 9pm and 6am.  She says she is quiet because she is thinking.  And she does!  At times she will break her silence with completely off topic questions or statements, but often she will interject with a perfectly timed and thought out one-liner that will have us all laughing.  Her developing sense of humour is not too surprising in a home where her big brother and dad are always trying to one up each other on the funny scale.

Photo by NightSpirit622

Levi

My angel baby is a miracle and a joy that I am so grateful for.  His complete dependency and innocence are a tremendous responsibility and privilege.  The way his face lights up when he sees me melts my heart every time and watching the way Becky works so hard to care for him has made me love her more than ever.  Levi has a distinct advantage of having three siblings who dote over him and cant wait to teach him everything they know.

Our children continually delight and surprise me.  As Becky and I count down the days until are family is sealed in the temple we are very aware of how truly blessed we are.

A lot has happened with work lately but my Sunday afternoon project these last two weeks was to make a little art piece for the baby’s wall.   It’s made entirely out of construction paper and was a lot of fun to make.  Nothing supper fancy but it’s better than a blank wall.

Sun = Lydia’s hands
Fish = Catelyn’s hand
Trees = Becky’s hands
Little boy fishing and snake = my thumbs
Giraffe = Cooper’s hand

We had our big 20 week ultrasound on March 8, 2012 and got to see our new baby BOY!  He looks great and the technology they have now is just amazing!

Becky has written a couple posts so I figured it was my turn.

If you haven’t figured it out by now, in a matter of just a couple of weeks I went from being a bachelor, eating frozen foods, and staying up to all hours of the night … to a husband, father of three, eating amazing home cooked meals, and being awakened at all hours of the morning by sleepless children.  I’m a pretty lucky man if you ask me.

Fatherhood is something I’ve aspired to my entire adult life but I always imagined reaching that goal in a more organic way.  You know, the traditional process…

“I do”
~     “I’m late”
~          …9 months later…
~               ”It’s a boy!”
~                    ”your turn to change the diaper”
~          … two years later …
~               ”It’s a girl!”
~                    ”I really hope that’s chocolate on your hand!”
~          … two and a half years later…
~     ”It’s a girl!”
“I’m exhausted…”

I’ve been blessed to skip those first several years of  fun and jumped right to the “I’m exhausted” phase.

I’ve also been blessed to skip right to the “‘I love you daddy’, bedtime story, Cub Scout, singing together at the piano” phase.

Overnight triple fatherhood isn’t something I would necessarily recommend but I couldn’t imagine my life any other way.  I’d write more but I’ve got two girls wanting more of my attention.