father’s day 2019

We had a really relaxed Father’s Day, but I still wanted to post something about it. These girls sure love their Daddy, and they definitely wanted to make the day special for him.

At church they sang, “I’m So Glad When Daddy Comes Home”, and then all the dads got to eat (lots and lots) of pie. I know Michael loved it.

The girls surprised him with all the cards and drawings they made for him. He was covered with art!

We had tacos for dinner and made him a Hershey’s chocolate cake! Kaya, Kaelyn, and Nella were really into helping, but not so into getting a picture taken this time. Michael unintentionally fell asleep on the couch while we were doing this.I don’t know what it is about this cake recipe, but I am obsessed with it. I put a simple chocolate glaze on top instead of frosting.

Of course, we had to do a Father’s Day questionnaire with the older girls (based off this one). Here’s what they came up with:

What is Daddy’s name?
Kaya and Kaelyn: Michael!
What is his middle name?
Both: I don’t know what his middle name is!
How old is he?
Kaya: 31 years old!
Kaelyn: But almost 32!
How tall is Daddy?
Kaya: 61 feet tall.
Kaelyn: 61 feet! The same as Kaya.
How much does he weigh?
Kaya: 430 pounds.
Kaelyn: 430. I don’t know.
What is his favorite food?
Kaya: Pizza, hotdogs, spaghetti, and burgers!
Kaelyn: Spaghetti and pizza!
What is Daddy really good at?
Kaya: Tickling us!
Kaelyn: Riding his bike. And he’s really good at riding his moped, because he’s been riding it like forever! For like 7 months.
What does he love to do?
Kaya: Play with us!
Kaelyn: Play with us!
What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy?
Kaya: Pillow fight!
Kaelyn: Play games! All the games! Except for the scary ones.
How are you just like your Dad?
Kaya: I don’t know.
Kaelyn: We both have bluey eyes! And we like playing games together.
What makes Daddy happy?
Kaya: When we run to him when he comes through the door from work!
Kaelyn: Giving him cards!
Anything else you want to say to Daddy?
Both: WE LOVE YOU DADA!!!

to our favorite daddy (2019)

To Michael, who is perpetually surrounded by pink, rainbows, flowers, a million stuffed animals, bouncing curls, high-pitched squeals, the happiest giggles, and most of all, love, from four of the sweetest little girls to ever walk this earth.

He’s the funniest guy in the world, the best storyteller, and the silliest friend.

His hugs wash away all their fears; his jokes wipe away their sadnesses.

For our girls, he is everything.

He’s got nearly-perfect patience, and he gets up with babies in the middle of the night. He’s emotionally intuitive, which is an amazing gift to all of us, especially when any of the girls are upset, angry, or just not sure how to handle their feelings. We couldn’t dream of a better Daddy.

His love for them is perfect. I’ve never seen anyone so happy for someone to come home at the end of the day as these girls are when he walks through the door each and every evening. Even little Evie screams, “DAAADAAADAAA!” and crawls her way over to him as fast as she can.

I’m grateful that my best friend is their best friend, too.

Happy Father’s Day, Michael!

 

father’s day 2017

This already feels like forever ago, but we had a sweet, simple Father’s Day celebration for our one and only best guy. Michael is the most amazing Daddy. His girls are his whole world, and I’m so grateful for his love, patience, and guidance when it comes to raising our daughters.

Each of the girls surprised him with one of his favorite candies…
…and subsequently begged him to share everything with them!Kaya made him a custom pipecleaner-pony-bead bracelet. He’s actually worn it every day for the past two weeks, and it’s surprisingly still holding up!I think the pictures just get crazier as this post goes on…
We ended up having our church’s stake conference on Father’s Day, which made our Sunday schedule a little different than usual. The primary kids sang “I’m So Glad When Daddy Comes Home” the previous week, and at the end of church, all the dads enjoyed some pie.

Of course, we still wanted to make him a special treat on the real holiday. We mixed up some homemade brownies. Kaelyn is always the first to jump up and help me bake!
If you can’t tell, the girls got completely sugar high on the brownie batter. Needless to say, they didn’t eat any actual brownies.

Kaya came home with one of those “my dad” surveys from primary, too. Here were her answers:

My Dad is… 29 years old.
My Dad’s favorite thing to do is… tickle me.
My Dad’s job is… helping me take a bath.
My Dad’s favorite food is… pizza.
My favorite thing to do with my Dad is… play hide and seek.
My Dad is really good at… volleyball.
My Dad makes me laugh when he… tickles me.
I am so happy when me and my Dad… hug each other.

Happy Father’s Day, buddy! We sure are lucky to have you.

father’s day weekend 2016

We kicked off our Father’s Day weekend with an amazing dinner, cooked by a great family from church who invited us over. I’ve been dying to try this lemon pound cake, so that’s what I brought along. It was moist and lemony- definitely not a disappointment!
Michael spent Saturday morning doing what he always does since we acquired our own yard- mowing the lawn! Father’s Day didn’t get him out of this chore. Sorry, buddy.

_MG_3140 We spent the afternoon at the pool, and after the girls had their nap, we surprised Daddy with some very small gifts. He was leaving for his trip on Saturday night, so we obviously had to celebrate a day early!

Kaya absolutely loves giving presents, and she always insists on the recipient closing his or her eyes beforehand in order to make it even more exciting. I just love this genuine joy:_MG_3206 Both girls made him a card with a big giant fish on it._MG_3211“Dear Daddy: You’re a great catch! ‘Fishing’ you a Happy Father’s Day!” It was definitely cheesy, but he loved it, and Kaya was so proud of her craftiness._MG_3212 We also surprised him with a new photo collage for his cubicle at work. He was in need of some updated pictures!_MG_3208 We gave him this book to read with the girls, and our littlest bookworm snagged it immediately._MG_3210 We also supplied him with a few sweet treats for his flight out to Seattle. Thankfully, he isn’t opposed to sharing his stash with a couple of Swedish Fish fanatics before he had to leave town._MG_3215 We enjoyed a little pizza and some Wii games before we had to drop him off at the bus that would take him to the airport. On Sunday, we girls were all on our own… but church went smoothly, and we made sure to take a few silly selfies to send to Daddy.IMG_20160619_124323 (2)-01

We all wore matching coral-colored outfits. I really wish my babies could stay exactly as they are now and always think that matching with their mom is cool. 🙂IMG_20160619_124328

Happy Father’s Day, bestie!

party weekend!

This weekend, a couple of our favorite crazy people came to town… Jeff and Lelia!_MG_8012 Don’t worry, we know how to take a serious picture too._MG_8011

They were here for a wedding, and we definitely enjoyed having them stay with us for a couple of nights! Kaya had so much fun dancing at the reception that she’s been asking to go to another “party” every day since. Anyone else feel like getting married?

We also enjoyed some time at the pool, and I ran errands in preparation for Kaelyn’s birthday party next weekend. I feel like I’m never completely ready for hosting events like these!

Sunday morning was Father’s Day, which obviously called for homemade donuts! I’m currently loving this recipe.

Yummy donuts = happy daddy._MG_8003 He was delighted with his small surprises- a couple of candies/treats he likes, a card “signed” by Kaya, and a new photo collage poster for his cubicle at work. I feel like having personal photos really brightens up his space, and he says that people still stop and ask him about the ones he currently has hanging up!06222015collage2I didn’t get a picture of him with both his babies on Sunday… but these are two of my favorite recent ones. He loves his girls, and they definitely adore him! We could not imagine a better daddy.06222015collage1

father’s day weekend

I’d say that Michael definitely enjoyed a “manly” weekend, filled with going to the shooting range, playing Xbox, and renting a Redbox movie of his choice. He definitely earned it though, because I dragged him and Kaya out of bed at the crack of dawn on Saturday morning to take some maternity/family photos. This is definitely one of my favorites!
_MG_2862

On Sunday morning, I got up a little extra early to surprise Michael with some homemade donuts! I used this recipe, and they turned out amazing! It was my first time using the new donut pans I got for my birthday, but I definitely shouldn’t have waited this long because it was even easier than I expected it to be. Michael was pretty excited (as was Kaya), so it was definitely worth giving up a little sleep to make these.Processed with VSCOcam with hb2 presetI also surprised him with a small printed photo collage for his cubicle at work. Most of the pictures he had hanging up were over a year old!fathersday2014collage

Even though it was Father’s Day, he still took care of Kaya so that I could take a nice, long nap. I’ve been sure to enjoy my Sunday naps, since I only have a couple left before our princess is supposed to come!

Happy Father’s Day!

through the waves

I already posted this on Facebook a few days ago, but I wanted to save it here too, especially in honor of Father’s Day.

Going through pictures from our beach trip, my heart just melted when I saw this one. I couldn’t imagine a better daddy for our two girls. Whether he’s holding them up through the tide at the ocean or helping them navigate the “waves” of life, I know he’ll always be there for them (and me)! I’m so grateful for his hand to hold.

_MG_2437

Happy Father’s Day, buddy! I can’t wait to see your heart melt all over again in a couple weeks for our new little girl 🙂

father’s day recap

Michael had a pretty great Father’s Day (well, in my opinion, he did)! We started off the day with sleeping in and whole wheat chocolate waffles. Mmm._MG_6654

I ordered Michael a special surprise that STILL hasn’t gotten here yet, but he had some other fun goodies to open (from Kaya, of course). She made him a card and got him some Reese’s Pieces (his favorite!) and a new shirt!_MG_6690 _MG_6692_MG_6695

I love that I got this shot as “practice” while setting up my camera. That’s pure, unposed love right there._MG_6664 Buddy, you are so crazy silly with Kaya and she loves it more than anything. You are the best daddy any little girl could ask for, and I know you guys are going to become best friends as you help her grow up.06172013photogridThanks for taking care of us. We love you SO much!
_MG_6680-2