And his smile

While driving around today, I was listening to a book on CD and there was this great poem in it. While I listened to the author read it it made me think of my children and how lucky I am to have such great kids. It also made me think of ways that I can be a better dad to them. The poem is called Father Forgets and I think everyone should read it. So to make it easy for you I will just included it here. Also there are a few more pictures of our bathtub shoot from last night.

Father Forgets

by W. Livingston Larned

Listen, son; I am saying this as you lie asleep, one little paw crumpled under your cheek and the blond curls stickily wet on your damp forehead. I have stolen into your room alone. Just a few minutes ago, as I sat reading my paper in the library, a stifling wave of remorse swept over me. Guiltily I came to your bedside.

There are things I was thinking, son: I had been cross to you. I scolded you as you were dressing for school because you gave your face merely a dab with a towel. I took you to task for not cleaning your shoes. I called out angrily when you threw some of your things on the floor.

At breakfast I found fault, too. You spilled things. You gulped down your food. You put your elbows on the table. You spread butter too thick on your bread. And as you started off to play and I made for my train, you turned and waved a hand and called, “Goodbye, Daddy!” and I frowned, and said in reply, “Hold your shoulders back!”

Then it began all over again in the late afternoon. As I came Up the road, I spied you, down on your knees, playing marbles. There were holes in your stockings. I humiliated you before you boyfriends by marching you ahead of me to the house. Stockings were expensive – and if you had to buy them you would be more careful! Imagine that, son, from a father!

Do you remember, later, when I was reading in the library, how you came in timidly, with a sort of hurt look in your eyes? When I glanced up over my paper, impatient at the interruption, you hesitated at the door. “What is it you want?” I snapped.

You said nothing, but ran across in one tempestuous plunge, and threw your arms around my neck and kissed me, and your small arms tightened with an affection that God had set blooming in your heart and which even neglect could not wither. And then you were gone, pattering up the stairs.

Well, son, it was shortly afterwards that my paper slipped from my hands and a terrible sickening fear came over me. What has habit been doing to me? The habit of finding fault, of reprimanding – this was my reward to your for being a boy. It was not that I did not love you; it was that I expected too muchof youth. I was measuring you by the yardstick of my own years.

And there was so much that was good and fine and true in your character. The little heart of you was as big as the dawn itself over the wide hills. This was shown by your spontaneous impulse to rush in and kiss me good night. Nothing else matters tonight, son. I have come to your bedside in the darkness, and I have knelt there, ashamed!

It is a feeble atonement; I know you would not understand these things if I told them to you during your waking hours. But tomorrow I will be a real daddy! I will chum with you, and suffer when you suffer, and laugh when you laugh. I will bite my tongue when impatient words come. I will keep saying as if it were a ritual: “He is nothing but a boy – a little boy!”

I am afraid I have visualized you as a man. Yet as I see you now, son, crumpled and weary in your cot, I see that you are still a baby. Yesterday you were in your mother’s arms, your head on her shoulder. I have asked too much, too much, yet given too little of myself. Promise me, as I teach you to have the manners of a man, that you will remind me how to have the loving spirit of a child.

What habits have we let slip into our relationships with our kids, co workers, friends, and our spouse?

Spying the camera

Having some fun

Our Sweet Girl

I wish she was always this sweet. Something about this image reminds me of the Guess ads back in the day.

Horseshoe Bend

One in the afternoon is not the best time to try and take landscape pictures, especially when you don’t have any filters and your in Arizona. If you haven’t hiked (really walked) out to this over look before make sure you do it next time you are in Page, AZ. it is pretty cool.

Crossing the Finish Line

He made it two laps around the school block. he was planning on doing three but decided two was good enough. I agree.

Emperor Scorpions!

For Mr. H’s Birthday we had Creature Encounters come and the kids (plus the adults) loved it. It was very entertaining and the kids got to hold all the animals they brought. They had scorpions, a tarantula, hissing cockroach, little snakes, huge snakes, and a big old tortoise.

Silly Kids

This is the “cake” Jenn and the kids made for Mr. H’s Birthday. I think it is pretty cool.

This weekend we took the youth of our stake up to the This is the Place Heritage Park and did some service. We moved a whole lot of logs by hand cart, weeded, and just some general clean up. The youth seemed to have a good time during the service part of the activity but I think they enjoyed the pizza’s a little more. After we ate we walked over to the new monument for the Mormon Battalion and enjoyed the dedication of it.

Are you still taking pictures.

Thanks to the Bastians we were able to go and stay with them and some of our other friends in one of Miriam’s friends cabin in Island Park. We had a great time, Lava on the way up, Yellowstone one day, and then just hanging out in Island Park the other day. This is a picture of the kids looking for frogs in the stream behind the cabin. We only saw one little frog but the older boys tell us there were a lot more. Anyway you cant ask for a better sky or place to just hang out. Every time I am in the area I want to move and learn to fly fish. It just looks like it would be so relaxing on all the winding rivers in the area.

First Day!

I can’t believe that our oldest just started kindergarten. Jenn pointed out the other day that we have already gone through about a 1/3 of his time at home. Once he hits 18-19 he will be out of here. It is crazy how fast it really does go.