Breadwinner

Today I want to mention my husband. I know it's not Father's day yet, but my husband...well I'm just thankful for him. He is working so hard and so much lately and I am just thankful and grateful that he is. When he works and brings money home it makes me feel many things. I am the type of person that needs certain things taken care and after all that I can deal with other things. I need my bills paid and on time and I need food on my table. After those are taken care of I can start to deal with whatever else I need to. If I have those things I feel secure and taken care of. Sure it would be nice to have to not worry about money and always have it on hand...shoot to just have money in my wallet that isn't allotted for something...that's just MINE! Sure that would be nice, but more often than not, that's not how we live. And I'm fine with that. So I wanted to highlight Frank tonight. He's working so hard right now and well...he's a tired fella and I want him to know how much I appreciate what he's doing for his family. So thank you Frank (pretty sure you don't read this though, I could be wrong though) .

This is newborn Frank, Ian is the spitting image of him and Ian's baby picture is pretty much the same just 20+ older. He's so darn cute!

Frank is NOT a morning person by nature, but because we have kids he is by necessity. He, as do I, prefer to sleep in. We often reminisce about how we used to sleep in until noon, get up and eat, and if we felt so inclined, go back to bed. Aaaahh those were the days...but I know he wouldn't change what he's got now for NOTHING!
He's a handsome fella in my book! And he does many things he'd rather not and LOTS of things cut into his sports watching time, but more often than not he's good about not letting that affect what we are doing as a family. Don't get me wrong, he's still watching sports and sometimes he's watching it while we have family get togethers, but we've come to an understanding...if he can have it on to check on now and again he's good, which is fine with me (most of the time). If I had to guess, I'd go out on a limb and say that Christmas is Frank's favorite holiday. This guy I have to reign in EVERY year present wise. He just wants to get and get and get for his kids and I have to keep telling him we don't need that many gifts for EVERY kid, we have 4. He doesn't get where I'm coming from most of the time and well neither do I really. We do go round and round with Christmas a majority of the season, but in the end it gets done and everyone has a good holiday.

This was a fun day for Frank. He went fishing with his dad and brothers and was the only one (If I remember correctly) that caught a fish...Salmon. A Red Letter Day I tell you! He enjoys fishing very much, the funny thing is, we are NOT big fish eaters and I'm pretty sure we had that fish sitting in our freezer for EVER! And now they (and by they I mean his family) have started what I think is going to be a tradition or something that happens every year, where they go to Ilwaco and go fishing on a charter boat. Now on this thing they can catch their 'quota' I guess is what you would call it. So essentially they get 2 fish...well they did this last August...we STILL have fish in our freezer and he is going to add to it some more. Oh well, guess he has fun fishing...as long as I don't have to clean it and whatever with it, I'm fine.

And when Frank has spare time he does like to have fun. I put this picture of Frank on his 30TH birthday cake. One of my favorite pictures of him. I still have a good laugh looking at this picture

This man also has more patience than I have in my little pinkie! At times I get jealous of that cause I wish I could be like he is with the kids and I'm not. And I would LOVE to be able to cook with my kids and not stress out about it but I can't. Frank on the other hand lets the boys help him do all kinds of things in the kitchen with him. And not even in just the kitchen...in all sorts of things he lets them help (and we use this world help loosely) him. This picture is of Ian helping make dad's famous chili. He's so good about it and I have maybe 2 things a year I allow the kids to help me with. And EVERY year I ask myself what the HELL was I thinking!!! One of them is Christmas cookies we make for Santa...I think the other thing is helping make whom ever's cake for their birthday..more often than not it's Frank's birthday cake. I love this attribute about him. And ABOVE all else, he is a doting father. He loves his boys very much and they absolutely ADORE him. I enjoy listening to the boys when he walks through our front door after a long hard day of work. What a way to come home! Everyone is so happy and excited cause they've missed you ALL day! And the hugs that ensue when he walks thru...for like half a sec I think to myself I'd like to have that too...but for half a sec...I don't want another job than what I have. I have about all I can handle...he does it all...breadwinner, husband, brother, son, and father.Thank you Frank for all you do for this family! It is much appreciated and hasn't gone unnoticed by me. I love you!

Does anyone else, after reading this, think it sounds like an ad for like a date? You know something like...and while he likes long walks on the beach in the sunset he also likes to go to a sports bar to hang out with his friends...Anyway, that's what I kept thinking while I was reading it.