A Reason to Celebrate...

I love celebrating. I really and truly do. Not just the big holidays like Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter... but anything and everything in between: Groundhog's Day, Memorial Day, Gingerbread Man Day, Chinese New Year and Mardi Gras!!! Heck... we've even celebrated Harry Potter's Birthday! I must admit though... there's one holiday that I've let myself ignore.

Father's Day.

I've never felt like there was much for me to celebrate. I don't have much of a relationship with my own dad, what remnants are let are filled with anxiety, awkwardness, and stress. There's sadness and anger in there too and it's easier to ignore most of the time rather than "fix" it.

My father-in-law doesn't it like it when we get him gifts, and just like his wife, he threatens us jokingly each time we do it anyway. I usually try and let my Husband take care of a Father's Day gift for him, because I just stress about it and I never feel like he's going to like what I pick out anyway. I'm insecure like that sometimes.

Even though we knew that Baby Chomp was coming last year at Father's Day... I still didn't remember it or think about doing anything for Nate. I should have. He induldges me all the time. He'll come home from grocery shopping, arms full, and I'll find that each item has been checked off my list, even when there's more Sweedish Fish than bathroom tissue on that list!

He works sooo sooo hard to take care of us. He consistently long days at work and still finds time to squeeze in repairs and yard work. He helps me whenever I ask... sometimes even when the words haven't let my mouth yet. He listens to my never-ending blabbing, he runs errands, makes cookies with me (ok, ok... FOR me), and loves me even though I need to work on sooo sooo much. It's amazing knowing that he is there for me... he's strong enough to stand tall and let me lean on him, with out it causing him to buckle under the weight.

All of this deserves considerable amounts of praise and celebration.

But that's not all. This year is different.

This year, my sweetheart, my husband... is a Daddy!!!

He's a great one. Baby Chomp loves him sooo much already.She lights up whenever he's around. I feel lucky to have him... for me and for her.

For the first time in a long time I say Happy Father's Day... and I mean it!