Birthday Boys

It's common knowledge that men marry their mothers and women marry their fathers. I sure tried to buck that trend, dating lots of guys who were complete opposites of my dad. But in the end, I found someone pretty darn similar in so many ways.

My two favorite Pisceans celebrate birthdays this week, and an astrological sign is not all they have in common. My husband and my dad are both incredibly patient, a trait I truly admire because I somehow missed the lesson on patience and have almost zero, despite my best efforts. These men are also both so very grounded and grounding. I still remember the day, back when I was 16 and newly-licensed, that I backed my dad's Mercedes straight out of a parking space and into another car. Without so much as a grimace, my dad calmly said "ok, let's pull forward and I'll check out the damage". I know Ben would react in exactly the same way; I know this because he's been there with me when we've received bad news, or been scared, and he has this calm assurance that just convinces me everything's going to be okay. Just like my dad. And although I married Ben for his good looks (and his Colby Eight membership, let's be honest), I was equally attracted to his mind. Both he and my dad have great heads on their shoulders, are supremely analytical, and look at the world with a deliberate and rational eye (again, not a particular area of strength for yours truly). When making a big decision, like a house purchase or a job change, there's no one better to analyze the pros and cons, crunch the numbers, and research every single possible outcome, than these two.

But by far the most important similarity between these two great men is their natural skill at fatherhood. I already spoke of their patience, an especially important trait for dads, but Pisceans are also known for being gentle and kind, and I can count the number of times I've heard Ben and my dad raise their voices, combined, on one hand. Watching these two men with my two boys melts my heart and makes me so thankful to have the family I do (both born into and chosen). I'm probably biased, but I'm pretty sure that these are the two best dads in the whole world.

Happiest Birthday to my February Fish! Here they are taking Ethan for a spin on his tricycle this past weekend.

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