The King of our Castle

Why do I call him this? Because he calls us his princesses....and because he is. He is the reason I get to stay home and spend this precious time with the girls. He is the reason we live in a home where we each have our own bedrooms with walk-in closets. And he is the reason we will never be without our share of shoes. He is our king.

We had a great day dedicated to showing him just how much we love him yesterday. Although at this point I'm really the only one that can really show any true appreciation, I'm pretty confident in knowing that I appreciate him more than enough for the three of us. I appreciate him and the father he is to the girls in a way only a fatherless girl can. My dad passed away a year and a half ago but I lost him well before that. At 6 years old, him and my mom divorced. At 10 I was only seeing him once in a while. At 17 he moved back to Mexico. And by 22 I would see him for the last time. I remember being 19 when it stopped affecting my life so much that he wasn't in it but it's funny how, no matter what, I never stopped wanting to be Daddy's little girl and I certainly, to this day, have not stopped thinking about him. I have never been able to get through a father-daughter dance at a wedding without tearing up and I've never been able to get through even the cheesiest "after school special"-like episodes on TV about a dad and his daughter without wondering, even for a moment, how different I may have turned out if only my dad had been around. I gave up the hope of having him in my life long before he passed away but the fantasy of it is still with me. The difference now is that I'm watching my girls live it out. Anthony is so much more to them than I had ever wished my dad could be to me. It's bittersweet to know that they will never be able to appreciate the incredible father he is the way I do because they will never know life without him. They'll never really know how incredibly lucky they are to have him as a dad. And, although they may never be able to appreciate him in the sense that I can, I know that as they grow they will quickly learn to see him for all that he is. But for now, for my girls, I will tell you what I love and appreciate so much about their dad.

1. The way he teared up the moment they were both born (he NEVER cries)
2. How hard he works for the life we have
3. He is one of the best people you will ever know. Genuine and kind-hearted beyond belief.
4. He has a smile that will make you melt
5. The way his eyes light up when he smiles
6. The way his entire face lights up at the sight of any one of us
7. The way he dances when we're the only ones in the room
8. His innate ability to put our names into any song
9. His inability to learn the right words to almost any song
10. The pancakes he makes for us every Saturday and Sunday morning (Mickey Mouse being his latest creation for Ana)
11. The dirt on his hands after a long day of work
12. His ability to wake up at 3:30 in the morning to go to work for us
13. When he calls at the end of the day to let us know "he's on his way to us"
14. How he calls everyday to see how "his girls" are doing
15. That he tells me everyday that he's missed "his girls"
16. The endless paces back and forth he's taken during Ana's, and now Maddie's, fussy times
17. The spa treatments he gives Ana when he puts her to bed - bath, massage, teeth, ears, hair, the works!
18. The way he loves their mom after all this time
19. How important he is at work because he's so darn good at his job
20. The incredible amount of respect he has and shows to his parents
21. The yummy banana milk shakes they'll come to love as much as their mom does
22. How respectful he is of people
23. How much he loves having their Aunts Dana, Kristie, and Carie around even though he always gives them such a hard time
24. How he's already making plans to turn the loft into a huge bathroom to accommodate his three girls
25. The way he always checks on Ana one last time before going to bed
26. The way he kisses Maddie goodbye every morning and says "I love you"
27. The way he's taught Ana to sing all the words she knows
28. How happy it makes him that Ana loves, loves, loves his truck
29. The little boy inside of him that runs to the window at the sound of a cool car
30. The way he's put so much of his own wants on hold for us with little complaints
31. The way that we, his girls, fill up his heart so completely that it shows in his beautiful face
32. The way that, as long as he can help it, Ana and Maddie will never, ever know what it's like to be without a dad

I could of course go on forever but I'll break here.

Happy Fathers Day to the most wonderful dad I could have ever hoped to have for my kids.