I’ve had this post stuck in my head for the last few days and finally have a little moment here to put it out here. It is difficult to put it into words, but I’ll try my best. This week my little girls made me feel so very proud to be their Daddy. All the little things just add up and overwhelm me all the time about how much I worship the ground they walk on and how much they love me right back. It’s magical. Pure magic.

When I say little things, my mornings usually start with one girl snuggled up on one shoulder and the other snuggled into the other. I don’t care if it is an an hour or more before we get up. Sometimes I even fall back asleep. They almost always fall asleep and I just love to lie there and soak in the sound of their breathing coupled with the weight of their heads on my arms and chest. I know there isn’t much time left for this and I really think that’s unfair, as I’m not ready to accept this growing too big for things like this.

On Monday’s I play soccer and I always hate telling them I have to play. My oldest usually responds with an “awww, I’m gonna miss you.” At least when I do get to play hockey I rarely ever leave to go when they’re still awake. Soccer though is done much earlier. I also get that reaction most Sunday evenings when I mention its back to work after a weekend of together time. I love my weekends more than anything else.

I also love coming home from my long days at work. I’m not there for extended hours, just the hours I am there are extremely long and difficult lately. Tuesday was quite the day. I came home to my girls working on a special surprise for me. There’s something out there on some website where the kids can make a “me” book. I dunno where it is or I’d provide the link. Anyway, my oldest was the engineer and chose all things that would appeal to me and her at the same time. They then spent a couple hours coloring in the pages and getting everything just right before it was presented to me just before dinner. I don’t save everything they make for me but I do keep a lot and this will be one of them. I’ll probably regret not saving everything someday, but I seriously don’t have enough storage space. I get notes ALL the time and I love every one but some just get lost or damaged during playtime.

Our oldest can read as well. We knew for a while she could, but lately she has felt confident enough to admit it. It’s pretty awesome when your child asks you if she can read you a story. Then she does it. It’s great, no matter what the story is.

It’s also pretty cool I can get my nerd on and wear my Star Wars shirt one day this week and get bombarded with compliments from my girls. So much so my oldest insisted on wearing hers the next day. They love and crave all things Star Wars, especially my oldest. She cannot wait for Star Wars Weekends at Disney this year and the big convention called Celebration V here in the fall. We will be taking her to that, mostly for her, but a little for her Daddy too. We often play the Star Wars Lego video game together and she is really quite good at it. I always dreamed of playing games with my kids like that, I just didn’t expect it so soon. For a nerdy Dad like me, I wouldn’t want it any other way.

This week we discovered my oldest has two loose teeth. I was shocked. What? She’s only 5! Teeth don’t come out this early do they? I guess so. That means she’s close to getting some part of her that will be of the grown-up variety. I am so not willing to accept anything of the sort just yet. Little kid problems are much easier to explain and handle than the problems of older ages. Also, I don’t know why, but that whole loose teeth and yanking them thing makes me a little squirly. It’s just a little creepy I think.

My youngest is not without her advancements as well. She wants so much to be just like her big sister it will have her doing things long before her sister did. She is really trying hard to read and is doing pretty well for a pre-pre-school kid. Often though her frustrations and 4yo attention span get the best of her, but I love to see her try. She is delicate, teeny tiny, and sweet as anything. But she also has a strong will that often gets her into trouble.It’s part of what makes her so unique.

Needless to say I love being their Daddy and I love when they call me that. I have a shirt that says Fatherhood is the toughest job you’ll ever love and I couldn’t agree more. Every day is better than the last and I love being a part of each one. I never feel like I don’t make the most of my time with them at this age and that is the advice I give to all who are new or about to be new parents. Never waste a second. Take some moments for yourself now and then, but never waste a second with your kids. You never know, someday they might just insist they take their picture with Darth Vader without any prompting or pushing involved. What could be cooler than that?

Side note: My sister finally got to bring her new baby daughter home from giving birth on Valentine’s Day. My poor sister managed to get pneumonia while in the hospital right after giving birth. The baby was fine, but mama needed some extra time in the joint. I swear that kid has the worst luck when it comes to medical difficulties. Funny though when I spoke with her on the phone, aside from the frustrations of being in the hospital, she was as happy as I’d ever heard. Rightly so. She has all the things I described above to look forward to. I’m a little jealous as I miss those late nights. Honestly.

Welcome home Ellie! We cannot wait to meet you next month.