I like to eat dirt...it makes me happy!!

Sooooo this is what happens when I turn my back for a SECOND! He got into my ONE potted plant and got a mouthful of potting soil. You just gotta laugh...

In the Bath!!

Father's Day

I've been reflecting today on how fortunate I have been in my life to not only have a great father myself, but to have chosen a great father for my own son. While my dad and my husband are very different men, they have several common features that make them terrific fathers -- they are loyal, steadfast, devoted and affectionate. My dad taught me about integrity, duty and sacrifice, and made me believe -- deep down in my bones -- that I was smart and beautiful and interesting. He told me that I was exceptional, and he expected me to be exceptional. When so many other young girls doubted their own worth, I did not. I knew I was special -- I could see it in my dad's eyes. David is gentle and patient and mellow -- he is everything I'm not and so together we make the perfect parenting team. He is mellow and easygoing, and finds humor in every situation. I never have to ask or beg or nag him to watch the baby or feed the baby or bathe the baby...he is always in there, right beside me through all the wonders and hardships and surprises of parenthood. His joy for life and his awe of our son is infectious. He makes me a better mother.

I think that so many of the problems of today -- so much of the unraveling of our social fabric -- can be attributed to the loss of strong father figures. This is not to say that dads must always conform to the exact same traditional mold -- they must at least be present. They must care. They must try. Any idiot can have a child...but it takes a real man to stick around and raise one.

So this goes out to all the father figures out there -- including stepfathers, foster fathers, adoptive fathers, guardians, and grandfathers...but especially to my father and to my son's father. Keep doing what you're doing. It's important. It matters. And we're thankful.

First Family Portraits

So today at 5:30 p.m., we are taking our first official family portrait. I've hired the same photographer who did Samuel's first shots (which I realize I haven't posted yet...I don't have them electronically, so a long afternoon of scanning is ahead of me one of these days). We'll be taking them on the beach, and we're doing the whole suburban yuppie matching thing...all wearing jeans and white shirts (don't judge, you know you think it's cute).

I just knew that I had to get this done before David deployed. I'm usually really bad about these kinds of things...which is evidenced by the fact that Sam's baby book is still sitting, half completed, waiting for me to find the time to fill it out! It's not that I don't care...no, it's not that at ALL. It's just that these kinds of things (taking pictures, taking video, making keepsakes) fall by the wayside for me because I'm so caught up in the moment of actually BEING, so I don't think to DOCUMENT. Does that make sense??

Anyway, I'm really excited...she's a great photographer (Kate Gardiner -- http://www.kategardinerphoto.com/), and I just know the photos are going to look fantastic on my "family photo wall" (another project I have yet to get started on!). As soon as I get them back, I'll get some posted...