Photo of the Day: {daddy & his boy}

[jason.and.creide*july.4.2012]

Funny of the Day

It's me again! Sorry for the lack of contact - in response to the question one of my friends always asks me when I go underground - no, I have not been abducted by aliens. I am still just trying to figure out how to do this recover from cancer with four kids thing... Just when I think I am starting to get some stuff figured out something rocks the Gressman boat and I feel like I have to start over. I am not complaining (or meaning to sound "complainy") it has just been a process.

Anywhoo... I do have a funny of the day for you that I could not resist sharing. It is actually from my 6 year old. He is my quiet one and most like his daddy. Thoughtful, sweet, and definitely a protector. Yep, sounds just like my hubs through and through. 

He wants to be a soldier when he grows up and he loves policemen, although when he sees them in public he gets really shy. We were in a nearby town a few months back eating at a Subway and a couple of them came in to eat as well. He stared at them for the longest time and finally my hubby took him over there to introduce him. They ended up letting him sit in both of their cars and run the lights and all. They did draw the line when he started asking about their shotgun that was installed in the front seat. He actually asked them if it was their rocket launcher. LOL. It was a cool experience for him nonetheless. 

He is amazing with his baby sister. I know I have shared the story of when she was born and he said, "I am her 'tector." He will stop in his tracks to help her in some way. The other day I heard him say to his little brother, "We don't let Kearyn (baby sister) cry. Whatever she wants - give it to her." Lord have mercy. 

Anyway, for this "funny of the day" I have to share my secret shame. I have a slight obsession with shows like Forensic Files, Cold Cases, etc. In fact, if God wouldn't have called me to be a wife and a mother that is probably what I would be doing but I like where He put me instead. 

So, I was watching an all new type of forensics show that I found on Netflix (yay me!). My 6 year old came in at the end and heard that the bad man was sentenced to 100 years in prison. My boy's eyes got wide and he said, "100 years, wow mom, that is a long time. Will he even live that long?" I explained the situation and said no, that he would just serve the remainder of his life in prison. He said, "Well, do they feed them or do they starve." I said no, they feed them. He said, "Do they feed them broccoli?" I couldn't help but to laugh at that one. In a 6 year old's mind there is not greater punishment than going to jail AND having to eat broccoli.

Happy Friday!

Andrea

Our Impromptu Father's Day

The thing we have discovered on this journey is that you can't take anything for granted. Each chemo treatment has been so different for me. Sometimes I can get out of bed on Saturday (treatment is always on Wednesday), sometimes that doesn't happen until Monday. For the most part now I know what to expect and when to expect it. I know that if I push too fast I will pay for it the next day. Sometimes, it doesn't matter how badly I want to do something my body just won't let me. So, we don't plan much on my treatment weeks - which come around like clockwork every other week. This past week was a chemo week as well as Father's Day and we didn't plan anything. However, when Jason got home from church that afternoon I had a burst of energy. We decided to grab a bite to eat at a local diner about 10 minutes from our house. 

This diner happens to be my grandad's favorite hangout. On most afternoons you can find him there having coffee with his buddies. Even in his 70's he is super social. This is totally off the subject but my mom told me a story the other day of a man showing my grandad photos of some gold that he had found panning or something like that. Grandad, in fine form, whips out his own cell phone and starts showing pictures of Kearyn. That's right - she is more precious that any amount of gold. :-) 

Anyway, we went to this diner and had a cheeseburger and our favorite - iced tea. No, it is not sweetened (sorry to disappoint my readers from the south) - Jason and I gave up the sugar a few years back. (I know, I know, it seemed impossible at the time too!) We had a delightful time and in the midst of it I snapped these photos with my iPhone (explains the quality but if you want to know a secret almost all my photos are taken with my iPhone because I always have it with me!) Anyway, I just wanted to share this moment with you. We cherish each and every one of them. 

Happy Father's Day to my husband - the best dad ever! 

Kearyn 4: How much does this daddy love his little girl?

Jason is a wonderful father (husband too but that isn't the focus of this post). He is an incredible father to our three boys - and there is no doubt that he is teaching them daily on how to become the men that God is calling them to be.

But then God threw us this curve ball.......her name is Kearyn Jaedance and she has these big greenish-brown eyes and these eyelashes - most importantly.....she isn't afraid to use them - boy does she use them. She uses them on her brothers - then she turns this secret power onto her daddy and he caves like a big pile of mush. She tries to use them on me but my super-mom powers (that and the fact that I am a girl too) totally deflect the puppy dog-eye/fluttering eyelash lethal combo.

There is no doubt that this daddy loves his girl. But the true question is how much does he love his girl? There are no words...... but maybe a picture or two will give you an idea.

This daddy loves his girl so much that he will eat cake with no hands.
What is a little frosting on the face after all. 

This daddy loves his girl so much that he will even wear a bow in honor of his baby girl at her 1st birthday party. Now that is true love.

God bless all of the daddy's in the world who sit cross legged and

 have afternoon tea parties with their little girls. 

God bless the daddy's who patiently brush the tangles from their little girl's hair

 and try their best to put pigtails in - even if they aren't quite even. 

God bless the daddy's who painfully enter their little girl's closets

even though all the ruffles and bows can be quite intimidating. 

God bless all of the daddy's who try their best to pick out "matching outfits" - 

after all, all shades of pink go together, right? 

God bless the daddy's who teach their little girls to dance by allowing them to stand on their big daddy feet - 

not at all minding the scuff marks left by her favorite pair of princess shoes 

because he knows that someday he will be dreaming of the day 

that she was small enough to leave those scuff marks.

God bless the daddy's who don't mind going to jail for a very long time in order to protect his little girl. This commitment is only enhanced in the teen years and especially strong during events such as Homecoming and Prom. 

God bless the daddy who unselfishly walks his little girl down the aisle and

 "gives her away" to the man she loves.  

~God Bless the Daddy's by Andrea Gressman~ 

***Photos by Sarah B. - thank you Sarah for capturing these precious memories. ***