Happy Father's Day!

Dear Dad,

1. I obviously need to get more photos of you. While you are remarkably handsome in those pond-waders of yours, you do have better moments than this particular one.

2. Thank you for allowing me to have your name for 11 years. It was nice to be in the center of the alphabet for awhile. Also, I got to stand by Chris Haynes in the lunch line, and he was cute.

3. Thanks for taking me fishing, and hiking, and camping a lot. I really enjoy those activities. Also, a love for the outdoors kept me from going entirely diva-girly during those important, formative years.

4. Thanks for always having a road atlas in the house. I will retain a love of places and geography for the rest of my life. I will teach my children this love. It's because of you.

5. I will try not to be bitter about the fact that while I was a teenager, you could not for the life of you understand why I wanted to spend all of my time at football/basketball games; and now you attend them more than your teenage daughters. (perhaps my good influence finally wore off on you. or perhaps it is that now you don't have to worry about 3 small children running around at the game...) (i prefer to think it was my influence)

6. thank you for teaching me that it really IS important to stack the wood just so. It looks better. It stays up better. And even though I will probably never have to stack wood again for the rest of my life, I appreciate that I can do it better (at least aesthetically) than my husband. :)

I can feel myself getting sappy so I'm going to stop now. It does not do to get sappy in front of a computer who cannot appreciate it in the least. Thanks, Dad, for being such a great Dad.

I love you.

Dear Craig,

hahahahahahahahahahaha!
oh that was a fun day. you and your rediculously-fast-growing facial hair.

thanks, honey, for being such a good dad to our kids. They get so excited every day when I tell them that you are on your way home from work. Connor begins plotting out the evening - trying to think of what he can get you to do with them "maybe we should wrestle tonight. but i have been wanting to watch him play that new game..." (Fletcher just lies in wait, so he can jump on you. In case you haven't been noticing)

thanks for reigning me in when I get out of temper and patience. thanks for not getting annoyed when I do the same for you. thanks for showing the kids that you love and respect their mom.

I hope the boys inherit your sense of fun and adventure, and your eternal child-like enthusiasm. I hope they inherit your work ethic, and your maturity. I hope they learn to stand up for themselves, and not to be afraid or ashamed of who they are.

I love you.