A Natural

To say Trav is going to be a great dad is probably the biggest understatement I could say. He is going to be a terrific dad. A one of a kind. He's simply a natural. 

Knowing this was one of the reasons I fell in love with him. After meeting him, before we started dating, I brought him to dinner at my parents where at that time we only had 4 nieces and nephews running around. Although nervous with the family he immediately took to the kids. A month later Hudson B. was born and Trav waited up at night with me to hear the news and than asked to come to the hospital to meet him. Without a blink Trav treated my sister's kids as if they were his own. He loved on them, played for hours, and never said no when they asked him to do something. Over the next few years between our sisters 8 more were added to the mix and Trav loved each of them more each day. From endless hide and seek games, to movie nights, day dates, and slumber parties he melted my heart with what a natural he was. 

To think of Trav with our child makes me even more giddy for April. I cannot wait to see our baby snuggled up in his arms. 

Trav will be a dad who....

....never says no. I can't say I've ever heard him say no to a niece or nephew. He is always up for riding scooters, playing hide n seek, watching cartoons, playing a game, shooting hoops or throwing a baseball, going swimming, and more. Our kids are going to be awfully lucky!

....disciplines with love. He is the most patient, gentle, and kind person I know. Having never raised his voice at me or been angry, I know he is going to be a great leader and a great example to our kids of having such a kind heart. While I know he will discipline, I also know it will come from love and what is best for our kids.

....always laugh. There will be times when we are burnt out or our kids are sad, but Trav always manages to find the good in a situation and make people smile. Our house will be filled with laughter.

....prays. Baby H has been added to our daily prayer list and this is only the beginning of years to come for praying for our children. A few weeks ago I kept waking up in the morning remembering Trav's hand on my abdomen. I thought I was going crazy and having weird dreams that always ended up with his hand there. I finally asked him if I was indeed crazy and he responded with," No, when you are already asleep I like to put my hand on our baby while I pray for him/her." My heart melted. Our baby is so blessed.

....encourages. He will without a doubt push our kids for greatness and encourage them the whole way. 

.... leads by example. My prayer has been our children would grow up following in the footsteps of their dad and the kind of person he is. From a kind heart, to a sense of humor, a love for others, and a life devoted to Christ, our kids will have quite the dad to look up to!

....loves. Having one of the biggest hearts I know, love is going to pour out all over our kids. No matter what goes wrong or what mistakes are made, Trav is going to love our kids to pieces. He will set an example for loving others no matter what and to always put those you love before yourself.

I could go on and on but those are the highlights. While the Lord has been preparing Trav for fatherhood his whole life, the past 7 years we have been together He has used our nieces and nephews to help prepare Trav for the dad he would one day be. Click on the link and the pictures will give you a glimpse....

He's Going to be a Great Dad!