Happy Father's Day

I have been waiting for months for Fathers Day. I had this great gift idea back while we were living in New Zealand. A few days before Fathers Day I told Ashton that I was so excited to give him his gift. He started trying to guess what it was so I started giving him some clues...it is something that will last forever; it is something that I made.

We went down to the DC temple on Saturday and stayed with my grandparents on Sunday. I was telling my Pop-pop the clues I gave and he asked, "What? Are you pregnant?" No, I'm not. But those things did fit the clues. A child would last forever and I would have to be some part of the making.

Father's Day morning I woke up and snuggled up to Ashton and woke him up and told him happy Father's Day. He said, "Thanks, but I'm not even a dad yet." Then I responded, "Well, remember how I told you how I made you something that would last forever? Well, WE made something that would last forever." His eyes lit up and he got so excited. He grabbed me and held me so tight and started kissing me and kept asking, "Really? Really?" And I kept reaffirming. I finally started to feel bad and had to tell him that we aren't having any children yet.

I got him so good. He deserves some of his own medicine. Last April fools he gathered his whole family together to tell them that we were having a baby. They were elated. It was time he understood how it felt.

So the real gift is something that I made. The Maori people in New Zealand have a special way of keeping their family history. They used to carve it on their faces. One side would be for their mother's side and the other for their father's. I am in love with the symbol of the fern and it is found all over New Zealand. It represents a new beginning, new growth. (It simply reminds me of what the atonement can do.) It is the perfect symbol for a new family. They would use a similar pattern when they carved the history on their face. In New Zealand they also have sacred family meeting homes called a marae. On the posts of the marae they pain their genealogy with a symbol much like the one of the fern. It is absolutely beautiful. They use the colors red, white and black. (Interesting how they use red on the door post just as the Jews put the red blood of the lamb during the passover on their door posts.)

In our painting, one is for the boys and one is for the girls. Each time we have a child we will add to the painting, keeping our own family record. So far there is only Ashton and I to show for.

So, here is to you Ashton! The world's best dad who is not even a dad yet.