Father's Day does not come at an optimal time for the Shull Family: busyness of the end of the school year (report cards, graduation, closing up the classroom...), HSM camp for Ryan, a week of single-parenting for Michaela. But, I did holidays. I love anything that can be made special for the kids. Give me an excuse, any at all, and I will find a way to make it fun.
I also really think it is important to take the time to celebrate what an amazing partner I have. Really, the kids and I are lucky, so lucky, to have Ryan. He is great with our kids, is such a leader for our family, and all the while seems to have fun in the process. I couldn't ask for more. He doesn't like a fuss to be made over him so I have to take the opportunities when they come.
We chose to celebrate Ryan's day on a random Monday in June when we were both off of work. It ended up being a thousand degrees, so the day's activities had to be rearranged a little. Now that Liam is 4 (which you will soon find out if you spend more than 13 seconds with the kid), he was big enough to be involved in the process. We started by making Part 1 of Ryan's gift, which we did last year as well.
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| Spells out D-A-D-D-Y. Such a change from last year. |
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| Here is the P-A-P-A picture. Couldn't get Liam to smile. |
The theme of the day was treasure hunt. Liam is kinda into pirates. And by kinda, I mean, crazy-like. We wrote out clues for Daddy of things to do and gifts he had to find. All of the activities were things that Liam decided Ryan liked to do or things they enjoyed doing together. The only thing Ryan requested was to sleep in as long as he could. I get it. Once the kids came, those mornings lounging in bed are replaced by pleas of "I'm hungry!" and "read me a story, Daddy." Breakfast in bed commenced our morning, followed by the first clue, which led him to the wrestling masks and a poem about wrestling.
Do you remember I mentioned it was a thousand degrees? Our next stop was supposed to be the coffee shop where we could hang out and eat a danish with a cup of coffee. Again, one of our favorite things to do together. We postponed that and went on the bike ride first. It was already 85 degrees and it was just 10:00.
Now to the coffee shop where he picked out a new travel mug. We (ahem, I) have serious issues with losing, breaking and overall maltreatment of said mugs. I still need a new one, and I might have to break down and buy myself one. Do you know how hard it is to find a mug that keeps coffee warm and doesn't spill? I tip mine over in the car on a weekly basis, I don't finish the coffee before noon, and I stick them in really random places in my classroom. But, I digress.
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| Do you see how sweaty my boys are? It really was hot! Ryan opened up his picture here and we had a nice laugh over how much the boys have changed in just a year. Stop time. Stop. |
The final destination was a local pizza joint. It's new. It's delicious. And we will be returning there again.
The big gift for Ryan was a pair of black Chuck Norris Converse shoes, which have been on Ryan's wishlist for a LONG time. When Ryan opened his shoes, he also opened up a pair for Liam and a pair for Aaron. I love, love, love the idea of them wearing the shoes together. I included a poem in the package that talks about a child following in their Father's footsteps. And it's true. Liam and Aaron think the world of their Daddy. He is a superhero, stronger than anyone, and the only one who can sing them a bedtime song and say bedtime prayers with. These shoes can be a reminder to Ryan of his two precious boys who adore their Daddy, and then in turn, be reminded of the love our Heavenly Father has for all of his children. I am reminded of this verse in Deuteronomy 1:29-31
Then I said to you, "Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. The LORD your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the desert. There you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place."
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