Happy Fathers Day

What Makes a Dad?

God took the strength of a mountain,
The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun,
The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages,
The power of the eagles in flight,
The joy of a morning in spring,
The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity,
The depth of a family need,
Then God combined these qualities,
And there was nothing more to add,
He knew his masterpiece was complete,
And He called it – Dad.

Author unknown

I just want to say Happy Fathers Day to all of you Dad's out there!
You Father's do an amazing job with your kids. If it is your first Fathers Day! Enjoy your day with your baby/child/children!

I especially want to say thank you to my wonderful Hubby Cliff for being the best Dad to our wonderful kids Cameron, Claire, Carly, Catie and Caroline. Our world is a better place because you are in it! Thank you for loving us the way you do!

We love you Cliff. Happy Father Day. We hope you Golf game is good! Enjoy your time off!

Cathy xo

This is the entry I submitted to Today's Parent magazine. Cliff to my surprise was not picked, but he is the winner in my eyes.

Here is the entry I submitted:

Stop the presses -- allow me introduce you to my husband Cliff, our Dynamite Dad! Cliff, who is best known as Daddy at our house, is father to our 4 children, Cameron, Claire, Carly and Catie. When baby number five arrives in May, our troops will total 5 children, all 6 and under. That alone should earn him a Medal for Father of the Year.

Cliff has two jobs, his paid position as a full-time Journeyman Electrician, and his unpaid job, father, chef, chief tickler, humourist and family treasure. Somehow he manages to support us all in his own magical and wonderful way.

When our dynamite daddy is home, be it morning, noon or the middle of the night, Cliff is the first one to pitch in. He is a pro at changing diapers, finding lost articles of clothing, reassuring a fitful child. He presides at the nightly bath ritual. He makes potty runs and gets up nights to sooth a sleepless child when they call out for their Daddy.

All that and he cooks too! He can whip up a batch of fabulous pancakes for breakfast—our Saturday morning favourite, make his famous guacamole, BBQ like a pro, makes bread in the bread machine, he even makes his own pasta, and his father-in-law raves over his beef jerky! He is a great cook. And if that weren’t enough, he does bathrooms too! All this is done without complaint.

Before Christmas during an unusual cold snap, including snow on the west coast, Cliff bundled us all off to the Christmas Tree farm to cut down the Christmas tree. So much better an experience for the kids in the snow. Why wait for the rain? That’s our Cliff.

In the evening when the kids are dressed in their jammies and are ready for bed, they fight for a place on his lap at night. They love their Daddy. And that shows on the faces of our children.

I asked the kids why their Daddy was the best; these are their responses:
Cameron: I like to watch and help Daddy with wires and tools
Claire: He likes doing puzzles with me and give me great big hugs
Carly: I love it when Daddy tucks me in at night
Catie: (Mommy has made this observation about Daddy and me) I love it when Daddy gives me a bath and then tickles me to make me laugh

The icing on the cake here is that really, if you could picture his heart you would see that it was made of pure gold. He has the biggest heart of anybody I know. It bursts with love for his family, and friends. I am so proud of my Husband Cliff. Contest or no contest, I publicly wish to express my love, gratitude and appreciation for Cliff the best dad around.