Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Dad Day

I started to gather some pictures of Travis with the boys, and I got a little carried away. Because nothing quite melts my heart and gets me sentimental (and sometimes a little jealous) like seeing the way that Travis and the boys love each other. 

I wanted to talk about my own father and father-in-law, but it turns out that this is a post about Travis. So let me just say: My dad is awesome. He is passionate, intelligent, hard-working, and hilarious; and he helped give me the skills and confidence that I needed to survive in the world. He also taught me (usually through deeds, rather than words) what it means to be a good person, a good parent, a disciple of Christ, and a loving parent and spouse. I am forever grateful to him and delighted that he is my children's grandfather. 
My father-in-law is the kindest, calmest, most quiet-spoken and sincere person that I have ever been blessed to know. He is always quick to show love and support and offer counsel kindly and without judgement. I am constantly baffled by how good he is, and I am grateful to him for helping to raise Travis into the wonderful man that he is. 
My kids have a pretty fantastic supply of wonderful male role models and father-figures. 



 And if having a supply of "father-figures" isn't enough. The boys have this wonderful man as their actual father. He is the best husband and dad in the wide world.



He is the man that snuggles them when they are sick.
That wrestles, and tackles them when he gets home from work.
That gets up with them at the crack of dawn, and holds their hands until they fall back asleep. (Happened this morning).
That pushes them on the swing for an hour, because I only have the patience to do it for five minutes.

I feel like I get a lot of props for being a twin-mom. At least weekly (seriously), a stranger  pats me on the back and says, "You're doing a good job."  Because people are very kind, and they see me getting kicked in the face at church or screamed at in the check-out line and feel the need to whisper encouraging things to me.
I love it.
But people do not do that Travis, and trust me: he deserves it more.
Because he's not just being patiently screamed at by two-year olds. Sometimes it's by me, and he is just as patient and wonderful when I do it.


Travis holds our family together. He works day (and often night) to support our family financially, putting in longer hours and taking terrible jobs so that the boys and I do not lack anything. His dedication to his work and family allows me to stay home with the boys, even though it's probably not the greatest financial decision we've ever made.
And yet somehow, he also manages to support us in every other way imaginable. He's there for the boys when they need him, and he's there for me when I lie face down on the couch crying that it's too hard (something he never does, by the way.)
He's quick to praise, slow to complain, and always willing to change a poopy diaper or bathe a vomit-covered boy at 3am.
And he never rarely whines about the fact that both boys want him to hold them at all times, and they weigh about 30lbs each.



He is calm, gentle and patient. He gets up in the night more than I do. He changes all poopy diapers when he's home. He usually does the dishes, and is always happy to fold laundry, make dinner, or complete any household task that I just can't face.
This sounds like just a boring old list of praise, but here's the thing: Travis is nothing short of the most good, patient, and wonderful man that I've ever met (which is obviously why I had to lock that down and marry him.)
I grateful every day for the support that he gives me and the love that he gives the boys. They are so, so lucky to have him for a dad, and I am so lucky to have him as my husband.


A picture from Sunday: Happy Father's Day!
I hope that every one out there has a chance to have a good dad, or see their children raised by one. There's really nothing in the world quite like it.

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4 comments:

Unknown said...

Oh man you're making me emotional. Travis probably doesn't know this but he has always been a huge role model and positive influence that I constantly look up to. That's my big bro!

Zaralex said...

You are lucky :) lol

MARCIE said...

Really a beautiful post Becky. Travis certainly won the hearts of everyone in our family. He is the best!

Breanne said...

So sweet! At risk of sounding like a creeper, I ran the AF Canyon Half Marathon on Saturday and I saw him there taking pictures! I've read your blog for so long it felt like I had just spotted a celebrity or something. Ha!