Happy Father's Day!

We were a little preoccupied on the actual Father's Day, so I asked J to give me an extra week to coordinate a weekend of celebrating what a great man he is to our family.  He was happy to oblige, because he's a great man.

So Friday afternoon, we used our kidsbowlfree.com coupons to all go bowling.  If you haven't signed your kids up for this yet, you really should.  Every kid in your family under 12 gets 2 free games of bowling every weekday for the whole summer.  We signed up for the family pass on top of that and both of the grown-ups get 2 free games every day for the summer for the cost of one game.  (You still have to pay for shoes, which was $12 for the family at our local place.)  The girls had a blast!  They had a special ramp that you could push up to the foul line and let them push their ball down the ramp toward the pins.  It was perfect for C.  And A really enjoyed seeing "real" bowling instead of Wii bowling.  Z was a trooper and slept through almost all of it.

Saturday morning, the girls gave cards they had made to Daddy and we decorated with a banner and some balloons.  We made a pie that Daddy had raved about and had it for dessert at lunch.

For my gift to J, I had planned a surprise date.  One of our neighbors was kind enough to come watch all three kids and I tried to orchestrate the afternoon so that I could feed Z, run out the door, and be back in time for his next feeding.  J has been trying to get me to the gun range for a long time and I knew it would mean a lot to him if I finally caved and went.  I thought we would go to a nearby indoor range, so I arranged babysitting for middle of the afternoon.  Alas, I heard through the grapevine that the nearest range is no fun; we would have to go a little further out of town to what I learned was an outdoor range. This is how I say "I LOVE YOU!"

That's me, shooting a gun, outside, at 5:30 pm in the blazing heat.  (You can be doubly sure it's me 'cause I'm wearing a hat.)  File it away, because you won't see that again ever anytime soon.  I think J had a good time teaching me some really basic gun safety and introducing me to his latest hobby.  It was good to enter his world and see what fun looks like for him.  I have to admit, though, that I was surprised by my reaction to shooting.  It made me cry.  No kidding.  Granted I'm a postpartum hormonal mess, but I still wasn't expecting to tear up when I pulled the trigger. And no, it wasn't a happy cry.  Something very powerful about firing a gun.  I don't like the idea of being responsible for that action.  I don't want that kind of power in my hands.  But if we're going to have one in the house, I am at least grateful to know how to hold it and how to make it work if I need it. I can honestly say I'm not scared of it anymore, but I'm nowhere near comfortable with it.

We made it back home in time to feed the kids and get them in bed before a long night with a newborn.  Happy Father's Day, J!  I wish every kid had a dad like you who would play rough, talk soft, stand firm, and be crazy like you do with our kids.  You make me a better mommy and I thank our God for bringing us together and blessing us with three special kids who bring out the best in you.  I love you!