"Fathers Are So Special...

...with a very special love, they watch us and protect us, they guide us and direct us, back to our home above." I know it's really late coming but i wanted to give a tribute to my wonderful father and my sweet husband for being such wonderful fathers. Being the only girl in my family i've never had to share the "Daddy's little girl" spotlight. I love it. I have such wonderful memories of me & my dad...i remember going to play tennis with him early Saturday mornings and having him teach me over and over how to hit the ball...poor guy never had a chance! lol. I have -0- athletic ability but he was always so patient with me. (Although, i CAN throw a football almost as far as my husband!) Afterwards we'd go get McDonald's breakfast and i remember never wanting those moments to end. I've never met anyone like my dad. He has this incredible unconditional love for everyone he meets. He sees people for who they are, not for the problems they have or mistakes they've made. He has a testimony of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and when he bears his testimony i can't help but cry as he pours out his heart. I love my dad so much. I've been able to have him as the father of my home and also the father of my ward for a long time. As my bishop and my dear father he has given me such wise and inspired council that literally helped me find my eternal companion. He has sacrificed so much for me and my little family. During a really difficult time for Seth & i my dad was always there for us, never taking sides, just simply counseling us for hours and hours while bringing us back in unison with our Savior Jesus Christ. When i went to Girl's Camp when i was younger i was so lucky to always have my dad there because he was in the bishopric at the time. I remember one year he had to leave early and my tent was positioned so i could see the road leading out of camp...and as i watched him drive away i couldn't control my sobbing. I missed him terribly and Girls Camp simply wasn't the same without him. My dad is one of the hardest working and busiest men i know and yet i've never heard him tell anyone 'no' when they needed him. He understands so many levels of love and is such a passionate person. My dad is my hero, he's a leader, he's my buddy, he's one of the very few people that knows everything about me and still loves me with all his heart. I'm so grateful that my Heavenly Father has blessed me with such a special father to care for me, teach me, love me, and guide me back to my Father in Heaven. I love you Dad...SO much.

I still remember like it was yesterday the day Seth & i found out i was pregnant. It was magical. (Since i was vomiting and refused to eat hot dogs it was a dead give away that something was up. :) After i took the pregnancy test we left it on the bathroom counter and stepped out into the family room to pace and pace and pace. We couldn't stop smiling...it was like our faces were stuck in cement, and nothing could erase our excitement. I quickly ran and peeked around the corner of the bathroom and swore i saw two lines and i squeaked...Seth ran after me yelling for me to wait for him and he grabbed it while we both stared at each other. Within seconds Seth was swinging me around in his arms calling me 'Mommy' over and over. Then we jumped on the couch, the bed, and around the kitchen while we went through every emotion possible. Something changed in Seth that day, visibly. He looked so...fatherly...so proud...so capable. He was even more gentle with me (if that's even possible) and our love for each other multiplied by hundreds. Since that day he has loved little Nicci with the most beautiful tenderness. Seeing him hold Nicci for the first time is a memory that i will cherish forever. He held her like he was holding the most precious and delicate of all diamonds. Nicci was jaundice after she was born and she had to sunbathe everyday, and he would always lay in the sun with her...like her little buddy. :) Seth has worked so hard and gone to school since we've been married and he always makes it his first priority to come in the door at the end of the day and hug his girls before anything else. He shows Nicci how to love her mommy and it's just so overwhelmingly beautiful. Seth plays the guitar very well and sometimes he plays primary songs and sing them to Nicci in Portuguese...my heart swells a million times it's normal size as i watch him with her...our angel. He's such an incredible father and i am beyond blessed to be able to raise a family with him as the head of our home, so blessed to have such a wonderful father for my little girl, and so very blessed to share eternity with this wonderful man i'm still trying to comprehend as MY companion...for eternity...

Happy Father's Day to the two most wonderful men in my life! I love you with all my heart.