Ten Things {2014}

Father's Day 2013 fell during a very busy time for the Ritchie family.  We were preparing for a big move, chasing an 11 month old all over kingdom come, and I was secretly growing baby #3.  In the shuffle of it all, my annual "Ten Things You Should Know About Your Dad" post took a backseat.  Well, I'm happy to say that this year, despite all of our continued craziness, I've re-committed myself to the list!  Some items are silly, some are serious...but combined they paint a picture of the most amazing husband/dad we could possibly ask for!  

Harrison and Max, here is this years "List of 10"....

1.  I'm not 100% sure why, but your dad snaps in the shower.  It's the funniest thing.  I'll be lying in bed and all of a sudden hear the click click click of his fingers sliding across each other.  What a goof!

2.  When mommy sees a bug/spider in the house, my hunter's instinct kicks into overdrive and I can't rest until I've squashed the little bugger.  Your daddy, on the other hand, doesn't kill bugs.  When I question his reasoning, I usually get the response, "What did they ever do to me?"  Instead of frantically smooshing them in a wad of toilet paper, he catches them and sets them free.  What a gentle soul...

3.  As much as I love him, sometimes your daddy drives me bananas....like when he swears that he has gout (ps-he does NOT have gout.)  He also has a variety of other "ailments" such as peri-umbilical hyperalgesia....translation:  he doesn't want me to touch his belly button.

4.  Daddy's biggest, irrational fear??  Zombies. I kid you not.

5.  He has a little bit of a plant obsession.  Since we moved into our new house he's put hundreds, yes HUNDREDS, of plants in the ground.  I've heard him say on more than one occasion that he's "hanging up his trowel" for the year, only to find him back at it a week later!  

6. Your Daddy definitely out ranks me in the world of Play-Doh.  I make a pretty impressive pancake, snake and snail (snake rolled up), but he goes into crazy sculptor mode when he plays with you.  One day I heard him say he was making a duck...I didn't think much of it...but then I saw the darn thing and it was perfect.  Perfect.

7.  Daddy has a closet full of clothes that he never wears.  Give the man a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and he's good to go.  In the summertime its cargo shorts and a "well worn" cut-off t-shirt.  I came downstairs about a week ago and he said to me "can you tell who I dressed Harry like?"  Low and behold my little boy was a daddy mini-me.  There was also the day when he came down holding a perfectly good shirt from Harry's closet and said "do you mind if I cut the sleeves off of this??"  Sigh.

8.  He can go from WIDE AWAKE to asleep on the couch in a span of about 5 seconds.  One minute we'll be having a conversation, the next his eyes are totally bloodshot and he can hardly hold his head up.  I've never seen anything quite like it.

9.  Your daddy is reliable.  He will ALWAYS be there for you.  Always.  He's true to his word.  Sticks to his promises.  Never flakes on a commitment.  Gives everything his all.  That is never more true than when it comes to his family.  If I could pick one quality that I hope he passes on to both of you, that would be it.  

10.  Most important of all, your daddy LOVES being a daddy.  He loves to make you smile and is the best at making you laugh.  You are his #1 priority and he would move Heaven and Earth to give you the best life possible.  I'm not sure who is luckier....you for having such an amazing Daddy, or me for getting to sit back and watch his love for grow every single day.

A few more of my favorite daddy moments...

Happy Father's Day, Mathew!

Ten Things - 2011

Ten Things - 2012