Happy Father's Day!

 

Eric is a gift to any child that comes in contact with him.  He is humble, kind, caring and generous of his love, affection and time.

Before we even considered getting married, I knew that I wanted Eric to be the father of my children.  We were young and figured, "Who needs to be married?"  We were going to have a family without the formalities of marriage.  There was not a doubt in my mind that with or without a marriage certificate, Eric would always be there for his children, guiding them, loving them, and giving them all the support they need to succeed in life.

Of course, once I became pregnant with Gabby,  my father was furious at our idea.  "What are you guys thinking?"  "What about the kids!?" and my favorite..."what would I tell my children when they asked me, "who's my daddy mommy?"  It was difficult to convince my dad that we knew what we were doing.  He adored Eric and knew he would make a fantastic dad, but didn't get our "young and immature thinking."

Several months down the road, we did get married.  My dad was so proud and excited.  Since I'm his only girl, he never questioned the expense of our wedding and encouraged me to take advantage of the fact that he only had to do this once:)  I always knew Eric was the guy for me.  It became even more crystal clear the moment Gabby was born, that I had been right all along...he was going to be the best dad ever.

I'm not sure what the girls would say on most days about their dad being "the best".  As with all kids, as a parent he is annoying, weird and embarrassing most of the time.  What I do know is that Eric shares a special bond with his girls that brings tears to my eyes when I think about it.  They know he is there for them forever and always.  He is tough, strict, stern and at the same time fun, silly and fair.  As I have said before, I believe that he is their first true love (which is going to make it hard for any guy to beat!)

Yesterday, for Father's Day, Eric participated in the Ricky Byrdsong Memorial Race Against Hate 5K run.  This was his first 5K and a big deal for him.  Although the girls were slow to get up at 6:30 am to get Eric to the run, they proudly watched him line up at the start line, take off and then they anxiously awaited to cheer him on as he passed under the finish line.  We were all proud of him, especially the girls.  What a great way for the girls to start Father's Day...Cheering on the guy that cheers them on every day of their lives!

Happy Father's Day Eric!