Papas & Dadas

The men in my life are pretty great.

They are and have always been brave, kind, patient, loving, funny, faithful, and so much more.

I was lucky to spend some quality time with many of them this week and was again reminded of how wonderful they really are.

The past couple of weeks have also reminded me that one of them is no longer here for me to learn from and talk to.

The reality of this is hard and emotional, and coming home to where he should be and is not makes it real all over again each and every time.

Not going to lie, wishing my dad happy father's day at the cemetery was far inferior to doing so with a hug and a kiss.

But overall I wasn't as sad as I expected to be today.

Granted I didn't attend a sacrament full of talks on amazing fathers and the blessings they are in our lives, because as true as that all is I think it would have been hard to sit through it with out feeling like I was being punched in the stomach.

Instead I spent the day with lots of people who loved my dad and who he loved in return, and we all remembered how great he was.

And instead of being sad I was so grateful that he was and always will be the one I get to call dad.

Even though Stella was only 6 months old when Dad passed away, I have no doubt they built a special bond that continues today.

I show her lots of pictures of my dad and remind her that Papa Scott loves her so much.

This weekend Stella was looking at a large family picture of the entire Gunter side.

There are over 20 people pictured, all wearing black and smiling through the snowflakes that were falling around us outside the cabin.

But without hesitation she bent down, pointed to my dad's smiling face and announced "Papa!" with joy.

I know that she feels close to him and that makes me so happy.

Stella was also able to celebrate the fact that she has the best dada around.

She must have known there was something special about her dad today because she probably called out for his attention no less than 1 million times all day long.

And each time he would lovingly respond to her inquiries with a smile on his face.

Stella and Little Sis are so lucky to have this guy be the one that they get to call dad.

He really is the best money can buy.

Always eager to help and give mom a break, even if it is after a long day of doing the school thing and he is as tired as can be.

I gave him a golf shirt as an early father's day present back in Ohio, but didn't plan on having anything for him today.

Turns out he got a little gift after all when he placed his hands on my ever growing belly and felt a few kicks from sister for the first time.

We are the three luckiest ladies around.