Ode to Adam

I have made a lot of really great decisions in my life. The decision to go to UC Davis and double major in Native American Studies and Sociology was one of them. The choice to go into teaching and return to my hometown of HMB was another. The decision to be a vegetarian at 9 years old was perhaps the healthiest decision of my life. But among all of these great decisions without a doubt the best decision I have made to date is the decision to marry adam and start a family with him. As you all know he is dedicated, loving, playful, supportive, eager to learn and grow, and incredibly passionate about justice, the environment and the world. He has exceded all my expectations as a husband and father and  I feel blessed daily to have him in our lives. I want to really express what it is I love about adam and the kind of father he is for those of you who don't get to see him in action.

He has been a natural from day one. Natural at attachment parenting, gentle discipline, and playful parenting. Couldn't ask for more.

More and more I meet fathers who don't do things like take the children out and about alone, change diapers, fix meals, wake up at night to comfort the child. Adam changed diapers for both babies for days before I even started to. He helped at night when the babies woke up, he has helped get them down for naps, taking Charlie to the zoo alone for hours on end when he was 18 months old, and just done everyday things to help and support us. I am thankful for that.

 Although playing in the toilet is not my idea of fun, Adam and Charlie had over 25 minutes of fun exploring the clean water (or so he says). Charlie was around 18 months. I don't think it is ok to let a toddler play in the water, but I do think it is great that adam fosters charlie's curiousity in everyday things.

He is so much fun to roll around with.

 And he is so sweet when the kids are sick. This pic was taken during xmas and he walked around carrying Kate and a towel and caught her vomit all day long. What a dad, rather than running away from vomit, he acted fast to catch it.

 

He has welcome cosleeping and embraced it fully.

  

He has taken his own interests and turned them into things he can do with his children, like tennis, gardening, and as shown here hiking.

This pic says it all, he is often found on the floor playing with the kids. He is silly, playful, and always engaged with the kids.

 

More hiking together....

And washing lettuce from the garden together. 

He is always down to get wet or dirty with the kids.

He is great at taking something Charlie is interested in and teaching him about it. I often overhear the two of them talking about how birds hunt, or alligators hatch from eggs....I am not the best with these types of things and often have to turn to adam and ask something like, Adam what do jellyfish eat?

Yes, he does have a very cute butt. But the reason I posted this was to show you how amazing Adam is. Charlie tackled the baby and rather than adam "scolding" Charlie he jumped right in, turning a potential hazardous situation into a playful one where everyone was happy. He is the master of this thing called "playful parenting" and can instantly change the course of a meltdown, or moment of defiance by creating a game and lightening the mood. A true gift.

He is eager to teach Charlie about gardening, and brings him out there in the early morning or late evening for weeding, watering, planting, and inspecting. He is patient when Charlie steps on his plants (kind of) and my heart melts when I hear things like this: "daddy, can we go check on the worms?" or  "Charlie, do you want to help me feed the worms?"

Adam is so laid back and easy going. Before having kids we spent hundreds of hours together, traveling, hiking, backpacking. He is very easy to travel with, loves to have fun, is open to anything and very flexible. Not everyone is like this. It is even more important when having young kids. He goes with the flow and helps me stay balanced and calm.

I loved that he has passed on his love for tennis to Charlie and Kate. I love that a perfect weekend day for adam is bringing his whole family to the courts for some good ole tennis fun, and that he even humors me by playing with me once the kids are worn out. I look forward to some competitive doubles once the kids are older.

 

On each hike we take I often find myself in this position. Standing behind both kids and adam and smiling ear to ear. This is my little family.

 I love the way adam takes the kids in the backyard to garden or play giving me much needed breaks to cook, clean, or sip a glass of wine.

I am lucky that Adam wants to spend time with us whenever he can. Every Saturday and Sunday he wakes up and says, "what are we doing today" Parenting is teamwork, and Adam is an excellent team player. Adam you are a role model for our children and for all parents. Everyday I am thankful for what you do for our family.