The many faces of Dave Or HAPPY FATHER'S DAY BABY!

I have been scanning family photos into the computer so that I can easily access them. It is really paying off because Ashlynn can now point out and name both Codie and Keagan accurately by sight. That is something that makes my heart feel good.... and it brings a great big smile to Dave's face too. But at any rate I came across a couple of really good ones of Dave.... I mean some seriously good ones that make me laugh out loud. Ashlynn saw one of them and started giggling and said " Silly Daddy" Silly Daddy indeed... but you see that is one of the things that I love the most about her silly daddy. There is rarely a shortage of fun around Dave.


He is enough to drive any sane person crazy on a good day. He always leaves the windows down so the car gets rained on. He forgets just about every birthday that is important. ( he asked me today how old Ash would be this year at Christmas... it is not hard to keep track of two years!!!) He can't for the life of him call to make any appointment at all for himself... but he gets irritated when I make appointments and they don't fit into his schedule that he keeps in his mind. He goes to the doctor and tells them exactly what is wrong with him... and then wonders why they don't take his word for it. He is a handful! And I do mean a handful.
He is a pain to have around when you are the person in charge of keeping the house up. David starts removing clothes at the front door and leaves a trail through every room. He takes his wallet and his keys out of his pockets and leaves them willy nilly where ever they may fall... and then expects that I know where they are when he needs them. He cannot for the life of him rinse a dish. It is almost as if he has some kind of mental block about it. In fact he has a really really bad habit of putting bowls half full of cereal and milk in the sink and just leaving them. He NEVER puts paper down when he uses the clippers on his hair and indeed he then leaves all the hair clippings in the sink until I come along to clean them up. He is a menace. I have given up on the idea of a clothes hamper or basket for the dirty clothes... because invariably come wash day it would be empty and clothes would be every where around it. And there is no such thing as turning a shirt right side out... oh no. And if you think he is bad around the house you should see the sty that our car becomes during the week while he is going back and forth to work. Its enough to make a woman want to scream!


Yes Dave drives me crazy and I do mean crazy. He keeps me hopping and there is no doubt about that... but he keeps me laughing too. Through all of the crazy ups and downs that our life has seen he has created endless laughter. He can smile and light up a room. He plays as hard as a little kid ( and sometimes it is really hard to distinguish him from a little kid)! He gets Ashlynn giggling to the point that it is hysterical to watch and she loves every minute of it. He teaches her exceptionally bad habits and she relishes it. The boys used to also. They loved the time they spent with their daddy. He watched movies with them and played video games with them and they enjoyed every second of the time he gave them. This daddy who is more like a child! It has been frustrating having an infant with him.... he makes himself useless ( purposefully mind you yesterday when I asked him to dress her she ended up with two pairs of pants and no shirt ?!?!)... but as Ashlynn has evolved into a toddler I see the fun that is shapeing up for her with her daddy and it puts it into a little bit of perspective. And we all have to take the good with the bad.


It isn't easy being his wife! Half the time he is off on a jaunt with a new ideathat he is sure that he can create that will make our life that much easier. So I listen and try to help him with the design that he does in his head... even if the science of it glazes my eyes. That is the thing for a man who didn't get his GED until I helped him to in 2004 he has an AMAZING understanding of complex science that astounds me daily. When he is busy researching something he may spend every hour of the day on the computer with his back to the house. During those times he is my absentminded professor. Then once he is done he is in sharing mode and he needs to talk it out. So I am the sounding board for a genius and very often I can hardly keep up. During these times he keeps himself busy picking up toys or cleaning the desk top etc. But it is easy to see that his mind isn't fully engaged in anything but his thoughts as I watch him pick up toys and put one in the sink and the other on the counter. Then I see him pick up dirty clothes and put them in the toy box. The other day I watched as he was making a bean salad while talking and he closed the ziplock bag on the ham and dropped it behind the coffee maker only to then turn around and open the refrigerator to get the mayo out. Frequently it is my job to follow along after him to pick up what he has absently put "Away" We have lost entire meals that were just bought due to them being placed in the refrigerator rather than the freezer... and if you can't find the chips the only logical place to look is the refrigerator. ( You can see then why the house is always in an uproar with him around!)


So you say what do you love about him you've spent this entire post complaining about him. I suppose it seems that way... but all of this is something that I would gladly say to him... and often do. And while it may have seemed like I was complaining I hope that it was done affectionately. Because while it isn't easy to be his wife, it is worth it in a lot of ways. Yes I could perhaps spend my life with someone who is a lot more "TOGETHER" But how much fun would that be. Dave may not be organized enough to keep the house running smoothly ( trust me I can't do anything right now but make a baby and our house is FALLING APART AROUND OUR EARS!!!!) but he sure can make life interesting. More often than not he is willing to drop everything on a whim to have a little bit of fun. Almost invariably he is able to find fun in something that everyone else finds tedious. And then there is the sweetness that is so very much a part of him. If I am having a bad day he will come home from work with a treat or he will take Ash and send me away to go shopping. He loves me and NEVER for one second lets me believe that I am anything but EXTREMELY attractive to him. ( Even when I weigh more than him and can't fit through the doorway any more because of this kid!)He has a remarkable way with animals that never ceases to amaze me... and can nearly always make them friends in a matter of minutes. He is a twelve year old boy in a mans body who is as quick to admit that something wasn't a very good idea as he was to jump into trying it. We have supported each other through losses that no one should have to endure, as well as through triumphs that every one loves to celebrate. And through this all we have loved loved and I will say again loved each other. We have been silly, serious and sad together. We have been everything there is to each other... and we have been all there is in the world to each other. This is a man who gives his heart completely and loves in a big way. This is a man who is a wonderful father and a remarkable partner and while he exasperates me and pushes me to the limits of my patience he also always makes me laugh and makes me feel loved. There isn't another in this world who I have met so far that I would rather have by my side! So with out too much more to be said by me I am going to leave you with a montage of Dave photos... and you will see for yourself... this is a man who you just HAVE to love. I sure do! Happy Father's Day to all of you fathers and to the man I love best.... David Haynie.