Father's Day

Exhibit A for why I love Leila's Daddy.



You may wonder what about this picture strikes me, and I am going to tell you. Look at how happy Leila is? This picture was taken on Friday afternoon. Cory stayed home from work on Friday for a couple of reasons. First of all, he had been up half the night out helping the sandbagging effort in Iowa City and secondly, Friday is normally Grandma day, but with the flooding we didn't have any daycare available so this Friday was "daddy day." Though Leila did tell us that she misses Grandma, she had a wonderful day with her daddy.
Aside from the smiling face on my baby girl, look at how cute that hair is? :) Who do you think put in those pig tails? That's right...Daddy. When I came home from work today I passed Leila and Cory out for a walk and I couldn't help but smile at how happy and cute they both were.

When I first met Cory back in the summer of 2000, we spent a lot of time talking to each other online while I lived in Coralville and he was home in Elkader for the summer. We weren't dating at the time, but just friends that talked occasionally and while were talking online one day he told me that he had to go and help his neighbor set up her window air conditioner. That was probably the first time since I had met him that I thought, "wow, what a nice guy!" I have to say that since that day in 2000 that phrase has crossed my mind several times.
They say that women look for a man to marry that reminds them of their father. I have to say that I agree. When Cory and I started dating, I knew that he was the one for me for a few different reasons.
He is the kind of thoughtful person that will nearly always put himself out to help out someone in need. That may be helping an elderly neighbor set up her air conditioner, or going out in the middle of the night to help sandbag people's homes and water sources.
Something that has always been important to me is family. Anyone that knows me knows that my family, immediate and extended are precious to me. When Cory talks about his parents, brothers, and sister, I know that he understands. In the time that we have been together I think that Cory's love of family has only been strengthened, and we are both lucky to have joined loving families with our marriage, and I am so happy to have all of that love and all of those connections to share with our daughter. My love of family is something that I learned from my dad, and that is something that I knew I would need to find in a mate.
Before I ever decided to marry Cory I knew that he would meet my final, and most important criteria. I knew that he would make a wonderful father.
I grew up with a dad who played with me as a child and taught me as a young adult. My parents have both influenced me tremendously and I look to them and how I was raised as we raise our daughter.
Cory takes wonderful care of his daughter, so wonderful that he is even willing to try his hand at pigtails. I remember my dad putting my hair up when I was a little girl too. I have to be honest and say that it wasn't quite like mom, but my dad could still do a pretty impressive braid! I know that Leila is going to grow up with a super dad, just like I did.

See, I told you it wasn't quite like mom ;)