Happy Father's Day to all the amazing dads! Our celebration today was a bit different from previous years due to continued social distancing. The world is in chaos, but we took a break to spend the day celebrating the awesome dads in our lives!
Grant is my co-ringmaster, and I couldn't run this circus without him! Parenting five kids, including a child with extra needs and a clingy baby is not easy. He always said he wanted one, maybe two, kids, but he wrangles the chaos quite well!
My own father has always been, and will always be, my rock! I always thought he was the best, but when I see him interact with my kids, I realize that he's an even better Papa. My kids adore him, and the feeling is mutual. All I could think about today was how blessed we are to have him in our lives!
We had a simple Father's Day celebration today, but it was a great day! One thing we're learning from social distancing is that simple can often be better. Going back to the basics can be a good thing, because it allows us to focus on what truly matters. It isn't about getting stuff or doing things. It's about being together!
We had a late night on Saturday, and Coen was up earlier than he usually is, so I got up with Coen and let Grant sleep in. When everybody finally woke up, we had lunch together. The kids can barely contain their excitement over giving gifts on birthdays and holidays, so we decided to tackle that earlier in the day!
The way we do Mother's Day and Father's Day is letting each kid pick a gift to give, and make a homemade card if they are able. Lexie has reached the point where she is starting to buy her own gifts to give, so that's a fun change! Sadly, we didn't have any homemade gifts from school due to the pandemic. This year, we decided to go green, and bag the gifts in reusable shopping bags. (The real reason, however, is that the gift bags are stored in a bin in the attic, and with the 90 degree weather, I was NOT going into the attic!)
Our kids give their gifts one at a time. Usually we go oldest to youngest, but Coen was ornery today, so we reversed the order! Grant was given a ton of candy and snacks, a new mug that says Parenting Style: Survivalist (TRUTH), matching father and son socks that say Couch Potato and Tater Tot, and two new records for his vinyl collection. (He was really excited about those!)
After Grant opened his gifts, he had some fatherhood responsibilities! We bought a new car seat for Liam, and it needed to be installed before we headed out to visit my dad. Thankfully, car seat technology advances every year, so the seat was quick and easy to install! (Side note: Liam is going to be in a harness booster forever at the rate he grows!)
We spent the afternoon visiting my dad. It was so nice to just sit on my parent's deck and chat for an hour! Liam and Coen are Papa's boys, so he always has one of them on his lap. Our little boys are busy, but they toned it down today. Our visit felt just a bit more relaxed than our visits usually are!
Grant's dad passed away 8 years ago, so Father's Day has been a bit tough for Grant since then. He always reminds me to make sure I visit my dad and spend time with him while I can. I would anyway, but I learned not to take my time with him for granted. We just make the moments count!
My dad is a wonderful dad and a wonderful Papa. We are so thankful that he plays an essential role in our lives. I know how lucky we are to have him, we are grateful that we are able to spend so much time with him!
After our visit, we stopped at a local restaurant to pick up some takeout. Grant was craving wings, so I switched up our menu plan a bit! Grant and the kids ate pizza and wings, and I had a chicken salad, so it was an easy meal! We watched an episode of Outer Banks with the older kids, played outside, then finished 13 Reasons Why before he headed to bed.
Our Father's Day celebration wasn't elaborate in any way. We didn't see a bunch of people, we didn't go out to eat, and we didn't really do anything out of the ordinary. Instead, we had a simple, perfect day. We celebrated Grant all day, and we got to spend time with my dad. We were together, celebrating the amazing dads in our lives, and that's what mattered the most!
How did you celebrate Father's Day?
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