Happy Early Father's Day to my Daddio!

Since Father's Day is coming up, I thought it would be fun to write a post about my Dad. I know I've done this before with random memories, but I wanted to say more. It's been a few years anyway.

I'm really thankful for my Dad. He's always been the quiet and more laid back parent, but has always been there and many times has served as the voice of reason.

I'm thankful that my Dad has always been a big part of my life growing up. He did tons of things, even things I can't remember because I was a baby.



He fed me bottles...and helped clean up my projectile puke. Gave me baths. Changed diapers. Heck, this guy was brave enough to keep me overnight (or possibly 2 nights?), when I was only 6 weeks old, so my mom could go on her women's retreat to camp over an hour away. This was in a day and age without cell phones to check in!

As I got older, Dad would watch Saturday morning cartoons with me. He'd take me on walks...and carried me home when I wiped out running down the giant hill at Roosevelt. He was the one who tucked me in most nights. We'd read stories and pray. Sometimes he'd pray in a Donald Duck voice. It was basically the best thing ever. Sometimes he'd lay in bed with me for awhile before tucking me in. He taught me the planets and continents when I was 4 years old.

He also gave us "Ruptie Tupties". Something his own dad did. It may go further back than that, but I'm not sure. What are they? You lay in bed and you get bounced up and down super fast while the "Ruptier" says, "Ruptie tuptie, tuptie, tuptie!" Weird? Maybe. I've passed it onto Daniel and he loves when I do it. Maybe someday he'll pass it on to his own kids.

He came to the Dad night at preschool and I got to read, "Just Me and My Dad" in a tent with a flashlight. I also got to put shaving cream all over his face and shave him with a Popsicle stick. We also did a safety patrol activity where that dad's where all some kind of community helper and us kids rode tricycles around roads made from masking tape. It was all fun and games until some dad who was a "police man" wrote me a ticket. I was profoundly upset and I'm pretty sure I just stuck by my dad after that!

When I was 6, I got the chicken pox. Dad discovered them while we were playing doctor and I told him to put the bandaid on my owie. Turns out they were pox. Thankfully, mine we super mild, but it didn't stop my dad from cracking jokes. I was pretty offended when he asked me if I laid any eggs? How rude!

Dad was the one to teach me how to ride my bike. I was a slow learner, but he finally took me up to the school blacktop and let go of me while I was peddling. There's a chance I crashed into a fence the first time that happened, but it wasn't too long after that, that I was cruising. One of my favorite things ever was when Dad would take me on a bike ride with him. I loved getting to ditch my sisters and felt pretty special that it was just Dad and I. He only tried to "kill me" once, by biking all the way to Morgan Creek on a blazing hot summer day. I'm still amazed I made it home without passing out. Mom was not happy with him. Haha!

He liked to do things outside. I mean, we had no cable and internet wasn't really around yet, so we all spent a lot of time outside. The best days were those lazy weekends where we'd throw the Frisbee around. Poor Dad. I usually ended up throwing it sideways and it would either go in the street or smack into the front of the house! Or we'd play wiffle ball or lawn darts. Always a fun time. Sometimes he'd come out on a hot day and soak his feet in our wading pool while we played and tell us stories. We'd shoot our Super Soakers at each other and just chill out on the deck.

In the winter he'd play board games with us. Not always, but it was always the best when he did! I remember him teaching Erica and I how to play Clue, and when it was time to make the accusation, he did it in the most dramatic voice, so we always did that too!

He was usually the one to take us sledding too. Mom would come along sometimes, but Dad was the one to actually sled with us...or accidentally give me a push, straight into a tree! I still have no idea why I didn't roll off the sled when I realized it was going to happen!

We always loved when Mom would go on retreats. She usually went on 2 every year. Ladies Camp and the Women's Winter Warm Up. Those were the nights when we could watch stuff we weren't allowed to watch. Mostly, The Simpsons (because Dad thought it was hilarious) and Tales From the Crypt. I loved it, but it legit scared the crap out of me. I pretended like it didn't, but I had to check my closet and under the bed every night because of that show!

Dad was the creator of "Electric Man". He'd lay in the dark with us girls and make up creepy stories. When Electric Man was coming he'd start saying, "Bzzzt! Bzzzt!" Then at the climax of the story he'd "electrocute" us by shaking us and yelling, "BZZZZT!!!" Man, those were the best.

Dad taught me how to drive. Mom tried, but both times ended in yelling and tears, so that was the end of that. No tears with Dad, but I did almost hit a tractor and mail truck, I got flipped off and I took a corner on 2 wheels, but we lived to tell about it. That dude has some serious patience.

He was the voice of reason, many times. Especially through my teenage years when Mom and I would get into it. He let us have it out, but sometimes I'd vent to him later. Sometimes he'd agree with me that Mom was over the top (sorry Mom!), but he was always quick to stop me if I was wrong and tell me not to talk about Mom like that. I'd go sulk, but get over it.

He's helped me move 3 times. While Mom gets the credit for helping pack up and clean, Dad gets the credit for moving the heavy stuff, putting together a bunch of crap for me and driving a big moving truck from Iowa to Illinois! And I'm sure if he can he'll help us when we move again! I know how much he LOVES it. Not. :) But, he still does it, because he loves me.

He's always been good at helping fix things too. Whenever something broke when I lived on my own, it was Dad to the rescue! He still helps when he comes to visit. Although my favorite, was when we moved in and he was helped us with something electrical in the basement. Whatever he did, made it so that if you turned off the basement light the dryer would shut off. It was a total National Lampoon's moment! I couldn't figure out what was wrong with our dryer for a few days and then had to wait until they visited again to get that one fixed!

Now, I watch him with Daniel and it just makes me smile. Daniel is the little boy he never had. Dad still does the same things with him that he did with us. He gives him baths (when Daniel allows it), changes his diaper, puts him down for naps and takes him outside to play.

Anyway, there are thousands of memories, but I just wanted to say, Thank You, Daddio! I love you!