Daddy's day

Today, I am thankful for the three most precious babies in the world, though I confess that one is hardly even a baby at all, another is dangling precariously on the brink of becoming the big girl she so desperately wants to be, and the third, while barely a toddler, is doing everything he can to keep up.

It's a cliche, but it's true, my children are my life. And while this is a Father's Day post about how I relate that to my kids, I can also speak freely for Hot Wife by saying that without our babies, we would have a whole lot more time on our hands, but a whole lot less to be thankful for.

We often catch ourselves watching them, The Eldest, The Mini Middle One and The Final Addition, overwhelmed by our good fortune to have landed three heatlhy children that lack for nothing, least of all potential.

And they are some cute to boot.

And funny. And loving. And cuddly.

And frustrating. And stubborn.

And eager. And determined.

They are each their own little individual, but also a group of three.

Amigos. Siblings. Cohorts. Compatriots.

Partners in crime too.

They are too young to conspire against us, though I am sure some day they will learn that the sum will always be greater than the whole of its parts... that together they can overcome any challenge, any obstacle, anything that stands in their way, except of course for Hot Wife and I, whom I'm afraid will always hold the upper hand over the three little offspring we created.

But if the worst of their indiscretions is to cover for each other over broken curfews or broken windows, then we can also safely assume that they will turn to one another when the time comes to heal a broken ego or mend a broken heart.

And as that happens, as they grow up together, learn together, face and overcome the pitfalls that have at one time or another put all of us in our place, I will stand back and watch, as Hot Wife and I sometimes watch our children now, thankful that we have them, that they have us, and most of all, that they have each other.

So on Father's Day, let me turn the tables and be the one to give thanks, to The Eldest, The Mini Middle One and The Final Addition, for making my heart swell every time they call me daddy.

And to Hot Wife, for having carried my children and made me their dad.