Happy Father's Day...

Happy Father's Day Dad!! You are the most amazing man that I know. Thank you for being there when I've needed you most, for always pushing me to do my best, for always having faith in me and encouraging me when the chips were down. Thank you for all the advice, for your empathy and understanding, for our daily chats, and for always being so positive and enthusiastic. You are an amazing role model, a true inspiration to all, and someone that I am proud to call my dad!! I love you SO much. I found this poem that I wrote for you when I was younger...

Daddy's Little Girl

On March 16th, I entered this world

Brown hair, blue eyes, a personality started to unfurl

I was Daddy's Little Girl...

Bathing suits, kickboards, and swimming caps

Baseball gloves, Dodger dogs and cracker jacks

I was Daddy's Little Girl...

School fights, detention and below-average grades

Rejection, break-ups and heart breaks

I was Daddy's Little Girl...

Dislocated knees, surgeries and broken bones
Hawaiian vacations, surfing and snow cones

I was Daddy's Little Girl...

Disneyland, Knotts Berry Farm and Wild Rivers

Collecting coins, air shows and movie adventures

I was Daddy's Little Girl...

One day, I'll have my degree, a successful job and my own family

But, wherever I go and whatever I do...

I'll always be Daddy's Little Girl!

Happy Father's Day Kevin!! You are such a wonderful daddy!! There was never a doubt in my mind that you would be a great dad, but I never imagined for one second that you would be the amazing father that you have become to our precious daughter. Since becoming a daddy, here are a few of my fondest memories:

• Hearing you say that you were so happy to be getting a daughter because you were getting the best of both worlds. One, you were getting a "daddy's girl," and there is nothing stronger than the bond between a father and his daughter. And two, you can still do all the things with a daughter that you can do with a son (fish, play catch, go camping, watch NASCAR). After all, that's what I did with my dad. There has been no bigger compliment than hearing you say, "I hope that one day, my relationship with Dakota will be as strong and as close as the one you have with your dad." Just remember this...

"A son is a son til he finds him a wife,

but a daughter is a daughter for the rest of your life!"

• Seeing your ear-to-ear grin, accompanied by tears, in the delivery room when you saw your baby girl for the first time.
• Always insisting on pushing the stroller wherever we went. Such a proud daddy!
• Watching you be Dakota's personal cheerleader as she learned to roll over, crawl, and walk for the first time.
• Seeing your eyes light up when Dakota screams "da-da" as you walk through a door.
• Watching our daughter talk to you on the phone while on our "girls trip," and seeing the excitement and love in her eyes when she heard your voice. It melted my heart to see her kiss the phone because she knew you were connected to it.
• And, always hearing you say how precious, beautiful, smart, and amazing Dakota is. Hearing those words makes me feel like I'm the luckiest woman in the world. To have a man that loves his child as much as you do is a true blessing.

You're one in a million Kev. I love you!!

I obviously wasn't blogging this time last year, so I thought I would include some pictures from that Father's Day. They're just too cute not to include...

As for this Father's Day, we spent the morning in bed. I went out and bought Kevin's favorite breakfast...a sausage, bacon and cheese croissant. Ya, it's not the healthiest meal, but he's allowed to cheat on his day. Dakota had a few sprinkled donut holes, which sent her into a crazed sugar high. haha. Unfortunately, our cream colored sheets payed the ultimate price, as they now have hundreds of vibrant colored specks embedded in them.

We also gave daddy his Father's Day gifts, which he loved. He got a book, homemade cookies, and some Sees Candy. Ya, the last two he could do without, but again, he's allowed to splurge on daddy's day! Dakota helped make the cookies, just as she did for Grandpa.

I wanted to post these pictures earlier, but I was afraid Grandpa would see them before today, and ultimately ruin the surprise. Below is a compilation of pictures that I took of Dakota making cookies for the first time, which we made just for Grandpa. I printed the pictures out and put them together with a binder clip. Here's how they came out....