Just like Daddy

My prayer for these two boys is that they would be just like their Daddy.

Quinn and Clayton,

You have a father who is marvelous. He is the farthest thing from the dad who watches TV and hardly acknowledges his children. He is quite the opposite. He plays with you every chance he gets. He reads with you, wrestles with you, plays ball with you, does "school work" with you, tells you he loves you and hugs and kisses you to no end. He is patient with you and never looses his cool.

Your father goes above and beyond the typical "dad duties." He does laundry, scrubs floors, vaccuums, dusts, does dishes...all without being asked or nagged. He does these thing voluntarily for the betterment of our family...to make your life better and my life easier....not just now right after birth but on a regular basis.

Your dad can take the pain of life after giving birth and turn that discomfort into stitch busting laughter. He can take a PBS nature show about the Tibetan Wild Ass and make light of a body torn in half without making fun. He is willing to run to Walgreens at 9:30 at night for nursing pads, ibuprofen, and pain relieving butt spray. Many men wouldn't venture near nursing pads, especially when they'd rather be getting ready for bed. Not your daddy....he went willingly, with a smile, and a crack about the Tibetan Wild Ass.

Your daddy relentlessly perseveres through difficulty and challenges. He never quits and never loses hope. He is the hardest worker I have ever known regardless of the task. He does all this because he is a man of great character and honor, who keeps his word, loves faithfully, and leads boldly.

My prayer for you is that you learn from him what it means to be men, leaders, friends, brothers, fathers, husbands, laborers, community members. That you learn his humor mixed with hard work, his playfulness mixed with determination, his love and committment, his friendship and fatherhood, his loyality, honesty, humility, bravery, integrity, and faith.