father's day: 2014

i'm so far behind in my posts and trying to play catch up.

grandma was in town this year for father's day,
so instead of making c breakfast in bed like we often do,
we visited our favorite neighborhood restaurant isabel's cantina.

everyone must have had the same idea because it was packed!
it was a beautiful morning so we waited outside in the sunshine.
our neighbors showed up with their kiddos so we chatted until our
table was ready.

between our group, our meals were quite eclectic:  i enjoyed a
scrambled eggs and avocado plate, c had a breakfast burrito,
mom enjoyed pancakes full of fresh fruit and finn and scout enjoyed 
french toast.  everything was so yummy!!

though i tried to convince c to rest all day,
he was determined to start the banquette project.
he built one IKEA cabinet and I convinced him to leave the others to me.
i couldn't resist snapping a photo of my socal sweetie...sporting a tool belt
while wearing boardshorts and flip flops.  *grin*

we made sure the rest of christopher's father's day was relaxing.
he watched a world cup game, ate brownies we made for him the night before,
he swam with the boys, and he said hi to aunt jen from the pool while mom and
i were talking to her via skype.  that evening we roasted hot dogs outside and watched
mary poppins.  remember this movie - i hadn't!  after seeing saving mr. banks,
c and i were inspired to watch it and to introduce the disney film to the boys.
they weren't very interested but did enjoy the supercalifragilisticexpialidocious song.

last, i found a previous father's day survey that I thought would be fun for the boys to
answer.  it was fun to compare this to what they said last year.  

 Scout, age 6:
1.  how would you describe dad?  smart, helpful and kind
2.  what makes dad happy?  when he gets to be with the family
3.  what makes dad sad? i can’t think of anything.  dad’s never sad
4.  what is something dad always says to you?  i love you
5.  what makes dad laugh? when i tell him new jokes
6.  what is dad’s favorite thing to do?  mmm, i think play tennis and go to the beach
7.  if dad became famous, what do you think it would be for? doing the best architecture
8.  what is dad really good at?  building
9.  what is dad not so good at?  cooking
10. how do you know dad loves you?  he hugs me all the time and tells me  

Finn, age 10:
1.  how would you describe dad? funny, happy and really adventurous.
2.  what makes dad happy? family
3.  what makes dad sad?   stress
4.  what is something dad always says to you?  i love you
5.  what makes dad laugh?   jokes
6.  what is dad’s favorite thing to do?  playing tennis or going surfing
7.  if dad became famous, what do you think it would be for?  for his architecture. 
i think he would win lots of orchids at the orchids and onions thing.
8.  what is dad really good at?   being a father
9.  what is dad not so good at? cooking
10.  how do you know dad loves you?  he helps me with my school work,
hugs me and tells me he loves me.
 

Angela (i answered these questions with 'my dad'  in mind)
1.  how would you describe dad? intelligent, humble, steadfast and faithful
2.  what makes dad happy?  music and his faith
3.  what makes dad sad?   seeing his loved ones lack faith or struggle in life
4.  what is something dad always says to you? it's been great talking to you
5.  what makes dad laugh?   silly movies/sitcoms: pink panther, monty python movies
6.  what is dad’s favorite thing to do?  listen to music, watch tv and sleep, and geneology work
7.  if dad became famous, what do you think it would be for?  mmm, i don't
know about famous {he likes to be off the radar}, BUT  he could easily
be recognized for being the best neighbor on the block.  he's forever
helping widows with projects, repairs, etc.
8.  what is dad really good at?  repairing things and knowing and explaining
history 
9.  what is dad not so good at? cleaning {at least's what my mom says}
10.  how do you know dad loves you?  he shares openly with me


i feel so grateful to have a father who is the epitome of what a good father is,
AND a husband who genuinely loves being a father and makes it his top priority in life.
his children are secure and confident knowing they have a father who loves them and is
dedicated to family.

finn and scout have men in their lives who show them what being a father is really about.
my hope is someday they will be equally great fathers.

a good man

today is my father's birthday.
i found this poem by Debra Stiles that sums up my father so well.

A Good Man
He’s a good man, so smart and serene.
Always keeps his word and always says what he means.
He’s never selfish or boastful, would give the shirt off his back.
Giving isn’t something this man lacks.

Family comes first and he'll protect them at all cost
Working too many hours he knows that's a loss
Integrity follows where ever he goes.
He is a proud man, and it shows.

His wife is so happy and eager to please.
She appreciates him, and all his kind deeds.
His words are loving and uplifting, and always makes her smile
so she's more than glad to go her extra mile.

He knows he doesn’t have to worry. he does his up most best.
He faces his challenges and passes the test.
His friends all gather round and look forward to their visits.
He just has a way that is hard to resist.

He’s a good man, so smart and serene.
I enjoy my time with him, if only in my dreams

i miss you dad and am so grateful to have you in my life.
you are the epitome of a good man
a man who truly understands what's important in life.

if everyone had a man like you in their life,
i think this world would be a much happier and peaceful place.

i'm a lucky girl
happy birthday dad!
xo

james taylor at his best

after running errands this afternoon,
i promised finn he could watch the movie cars while i prepared dinner.

he's probably watched it 500 times but it never fails to keep him captivated
 and it gives me a little window of time for me to get caught up on things.

finn and scout love all the different cars in and all the racing that takes place,
and c and i like the messages it teaches the boys.
i especially love the james taylor song in it our town.

whenever it comes on,
i ask finn to turn it up for mommy and whatever i'm doing,
i stop and just listen.

for some reason i'm reminded of my dad when i hear it and i'm not sure why.
maybe it's because it's about a simpler time and my dad has told me alot about
 his little town where his mom ran a grocery store right off their main home.

i have vague memories of his town but what i remember is all good.
i almost get nostalgic for a time and place i never really even knew.
for alot of reasons, i love this song.

if you haven't ever heard it, take a few minutes and watch this little clip from the movie
and listen. i promise, you'll be happy you did. it's james taylor at his best.

the lyrics:
long ago, but not so very long ago the world was different,
oh yes it was you settled down and you built a town and
made it live and you watched it grow it was your town

time goes by, time brings changes, you change too
nothing comes that you can't handle,
so on you go never see it coming,
the world caves in on you on your town.
nothing you can do.

main street isn't main street anymore
lights don't shine as brightly as they shone before
tell the truth, lights don't shine at all, in our town sun.

comes up each morning just like it's always done get up,
go to work start the day open up for business that's never gonna come
as the world rolls by a million miles away

main street isn't main street anymore
no one seems to need us like they did before
it's hard to find a reason left to stay
but it's our town,

love it anyway
come what may,
it's our town.

thank you for the music

thank you for the music, the songs i'm singing
thanks for all the joy they're bringing
who can live without it, i ask in all honesty what would life be?
without a song or a dance what are we?
so i say thank you for the music for giving it to me
-ABBA

i heard this song for my first time when i saw the musical mama mia with my girlfriend maia.
she's a HUGE abba fan and knew every word to every song.
i knew a few, but this one was brand new to me.
i instantly fell in love with it and ordered the CD the next day.

i was pregnant with finn at the time and sang it over and over during my pregnancy. 
i think he came into the world humming it.
he and christopher know every word to the song and have had the pleasure (or torture)
of watching hollywood's movie version numerous times as we own the movie and i play it often.
the text above is the chorus which to me is the best part of the song.
it is a reminder that music plays an important role in my life - it brings me joy!

i grew up in a home where music was appreciated, enjoyed and encouraged.
my father is *passionate* about it and would spend his free time in the family room
listening to music and sharing his records/albums with us kids.

he listened to all types - choirs, classical, johnny cash, peter, paul and mary,
elton john and my personal favorite, paul simon and art garfunkle. oh, how i loved them!
to this day, when i go back to florida to visit,
i find dad sitting in his comfy reclinder listening to music.
he's always anxious to share a new song or piece with me.

my parents allowed me to start taking piano lessons when i was about 8 years old
and i continued with it until i was in high school.
i look back and realize what a financial sacrifice that was for them with 7 kids to raise and feed.

music was important to them and since i was the one that expressed the most interest in piano
(i think all or most of us took lessons at one point), i was allowed to continue.
though i never had much natural talent, i enjoyed playing and still do.

when i sit and play these days, i have little people that squeeze in next to me or sit on my lap
and drown out my music with their banging. this won't be forever, but this my life now.

i am so thankful to my parents for those piano lessons and for sharing their love of music with me,
especially my father.