What to get a hard working Dad . . .

So I mentioned that my Father's Day gift was an epic failure. But I really did have good intentions.

Lamon has been working in the yard a lot lately, and one night while I was helping him get some of the hedge out I noticed that his work gloves had holes in the fingers. I thought to myself, "I am going to surprise Lamon with some new work gloves for Father's Day!"

I was so excited about this idea because I am usually pretty terrible at the surprise gift giving thing.

So I got on Amazon and found some gloves with great reviews and put them in my cart along with another cheaper pair just in case. I bought them and boom, my father's day gift was on it's way and he didn't have the slightest clue!

Well the day they were to arrive Lamon and I were in the front yard and suddenly Lamon looked down at his gloves (with the finger holes newly repaired with duck tape) and he said, "These are the best gloves in the whole world!"

"Really?"

"Ya. I just love these gloves." He then began to tell me where he got them and just how great they were, and I knew then and there that my great idea wasn't so great after all.

But it would get worse.

The package finally arrived, and I intercepted it before Lamon could open it. When he left for work I decided to open it up and check it out. I mean, maybe the gloves would be so amazing that he would just be blown away that he ever thought his current gloves were so fantastic. So what did I find?

The first pair (the more expensive ones with great reviews) were totally flimsy and were a size medium and barely fit ME. Great. On to the second pair. And the second pair? They were a Women's extra small, and I couldn't even get them on my hands. Awesome! Lamon just happened to come home early from work and saw my awesome gifts before I could return the evidence. As he was looking at the size medium pathetic gloves I told him that he had better return them, and that he should love me for the thought anyways. And he said, "No . . . I think I want to keep these." Ha ha. I love you Lamon.

So what do you get a hard working father?

Women's size extra small gardening gloves. You can't go wrong.

Never too tired to be a Dad!!

It's been a while since I have posted on our blog. It's about time I forget about the daunting task of updating the last year of our lives and just jump in and start writing about the here and now. And there isn't a better subject to blog about than Lamon! In fact, there isn't a better day than Father's Day to write a huge long post about how awesome my husband is.

The truth is I really need to do an excellent job bragging about Lamon right now. . . because my Father's Day gift was a real bust . . . but I will get to that later.

First I want to point out the obvious. Lamon is AMAZING. But everyone already knows that don't they . . . so let's get specific shall we?

There are so many things that make Lamon such an amazing Dad, but one of the things I appreciate most about Lamon is the way he teaches our children to work.

Lamon teaches them to work by example and by working along side them.

The other day I was sitting inside nursing the baby while watching Lamon work hard through the front window. He was using the pick ax to cut up a humongous gargantuan root in our front yard, and he was looking mighty fine while doing so. I'm not kidding either. I even called him on his cell phone from inside and said, "Uh . . . your hot." He looked up towards the window with that "Oh boy Mary. You are ridiculous" look, and just shook his head and put the phone back in his pocket.

But seriously,  I think I have mentioned before how men are most attractive while doing certain activities, working being among them. Spending time with kids is of course on that list too, and at that particular moment Lamon was doing both. So pretty much he was extremely attractive and I had to get the camera out to take some pictures. While I was admiring Lamons muscles Hayden suddenly jumped in front of me and said, "You think Daddy is strong, check out these . . . " And then he flexed his muscles for me. Ha ha! Funny kid.

So here are the pics I took.

Warning: looking at these photos of Lamon may cause heart palpitations.

I love that he likes to have the kids around him while he works. He really does take the time to show them how to do things. I have no doubt that when they leave our home they will know how to work hard and do things for themselves thanks to Lamon. He was showing Drew how to make pancakes the other day while I was . . .  feeding the baby . . .  (that's what I do lately), and I yelled from the living room, "Wow Drew, Now you know more than Mommy did when she got married! . . . I remember when Daddy taught ME how to make pancakes!" That got him laughing pretty hard.

Perhaps the events of Friday and Saturday can explain what I'm talking about better. On Friday Lamon worked an 18 hour shift. He left at 10:30 in the morning on Friday and got back on Saturday morning at about 7 o'clock. Most men after an 18 hour shift would reasonably sleep throughout the entire next day, but Lamon didn't do that. Instead he took all of us to the Park for the Orem Rotary Breakfast. Then after breakfast he came home and helped me get the kids going on their chores and then went and helped a friend retrieve a tiller and till in his yard. After that he came home and started working intensly on our yard for the rest of the afternoon until he took us all to the parade. After the parade we all went to have icecream at our cousins house, and then Lamon took Andrew, Hayden, Ada, and Tilson to see the fireworks while I . . . fed the baby . . . and put him to bed. When they all got home Hayden was in hysterics. He was throwing a huge tantrum and calling Daddy the meanest Daddy ever etc. The tantrum was lasting forever . . . and finally I came into his room and asked Hayden why on Earth he thought Dad was the worst Dad ever, because I was pretty sure that he was the best Dad ever. So then Hayden proceeded to tell me that he was the worst Dad ever because he didn't pay for him to have a $4 dollar sword at the carnival.

Explanations of why a $4 dollar sword at a carnival was an absolutely ridiculous purchase wasn't really going to help at this point so I just said,

"Really? Hmmmm. Okay Hayden. So Daddy didn't buy you sword? That stinks. But lets think of all of the things that Daddy DID do today. After each thing I asked, "You didn't like that so much?" . . . "I bet you didn't like it when Daddy did _______?" The evidence was there. I finally said, "Guess what you guys? Did you know that Daddy worked ALL day on Friday and ALL night long until the morning time? He didn't even sleep. Did he come home and go to sleep for the rest of the day? . . . He could have. I was going to let him. But you know what? When I went to wake him up to tell him we were going to the park for breakfast do you know what he said? . . .  He said, 'But what if I want to come too?'  Our tired Daddy got up after sleeping for like half and hour and spent the rest of the day spending time with us. That isn't my idea of a bad Daddy.

Of course that worked and Hayden completely stopped his tantrum. Ha ha. Just kidding. Not really. But when he woke up in the morning he walked right up to Lamon and apologized and thanked him for all of the things he had done on Saturday after not sleeping for two whole days. He also went on to tell him that he wanted to be exactly like him when he grew up exept for one thing.
We asked, "Oh ya? What's that Hayden?"
"I don't want to be bald"
We started laughing at that and then Hayden said, "Well there is one way that I might want to be bald and that is . . . if I had head lice."
Oh boy he makes me laugh.
But honestly we really do have the best Daddy ever. He is never too tired to be a Dad!