Father's Day

No, of course I wasn't going to let Father's Day go by without a blog post....

But, I am getting an early start because Father's Day is even bigger than Mother's Day. Why? you might be asking. Well, you'll see.

First, Michael's Father

Stuart Lubitz

Michael did some digging for me this time and found a couple pictures taken with his first camera. I included the pancake mix photo below, it's pretty cute. So, I have known Stuart for 24 years. That's a long time. Almost as long as some of my siblings have been alive. So, what to say about Stuart. First, I think my kids are pretty smart, I mean really smart, super smart (who doesn't right?) and I attribute that to Stuart. I believe Stuart has that smart gene and he has passed it down to my kids (Michael is now calling himself the conduit--of course we think Michael is pretty smart too!). Now, I know a lot of my family is smart in different ways, but I am talking a keen kind of intellect here. Another really cool thing about Stuart is that his sons idolize him... now, that must be an awesome feeling. Both sons have chosen career paths that follow in the footsteps of their Father. Both sons love their work and love to work--that's a great ethic to pass down. So, what more can I say. Stuart is an inspiration.

Stuart as a new Dad. Michael is the two month old baby.

Michael's first photo shoot. His new camera

did not have a flash and he wanted to acknowledge

the fact that his Dad made great pancakes (but

there wasn't enough light in the kitchen, too cute!)

David looks pretty confused, or probably just

wanting his pancakes!

I know Michael wanted this picture in here not

only because his Dad coached his team, but also because

Michael played center... yes, this is the year Michael was

the tallest kid on the team!

Michael's graduation from ASU, 1986.

Great picture of Michael and Stuart

at our wedding, although I think these

photos make them look like conjoined twins.

Michael, Stuart and David

(Joey in the backpack)

And on to my Dads.

George Peter Fleming.

Geo has been my Step Dad since I was 6. Its kind of hard to call him a "Step" Dad because Tiff and I lived with him since he and Mom got married in 1970. So, basically, he's another Dad. Not a replacement of the first, but an addition to the first--who says you can't have two Dads. We saw him when we got up in the morning and every day when he got home from work. We ate dinner with him and he was always there. He helped us with everything from homework to buying our first car. He is simply the greatest Step Dad a kid could ask for. He is kind, gentle, loving, funny, and adores kids, all kids. He loved us and has always been there for us and that is what really matters.

Well, I'm not sure what happened here, someone

seems to have lost his head. Before he and Mom were married,

George used to come over and bring old Charlie Chaplin movies and

a projector and we would watch them in the living room on White Lake Road.

Tiff was kinda shy and it took her a while to take to George,

but once she did, she did!

Our First Trip to Disneyland. I just had to

throw this one in (tee hee... its been a while

since Mom wore a two piece)

Paradise! George and Chris ocean kayaking

at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel

Hawaii, Geo's 60th Birthday Trip

(people used to think Joey and Sammy were twins... )

Michael and Geo on Northern Europe Cruise

Me and Geo on a train to Berlin

Fun times!

Chris, Akiko, Judy and George Fleming

Now, Ichiban, Numero Uno, #1 Dad. The Dad that has been there since the beginning, well my beginning actually, not the beginning of time. The Dad that took me golfing when I was two and then loaned me his golf clubs when I was 14 so I could play on the high school team. The Dad that loved to play games and when Tiff and I would come to visit on our weekends, he would do something like pile all the pillows from the whole house on the living room floor and then let us jump off the kitchen counter into the middle of the pillow pile. Or, we would set up side by side hotwheel tracks down the length of the hallway and we would race all the cars to see which was the fastest (you realize Dad didn't get a boy until the 5th try... not that girls don't play with hotwheels, but I'm just saying). Anyway, Dad was always the coolest!

Loy Gene Godsey

So, here he is before all of it. Before marriage,

before 9 kids, and 12 grandkids... no wonder he looks so sad,

at 17 years old, he could not have known how great it would

all turn out.

I want Byron and Bridget to go to this same spot on the coast

and have their picture taken like this in September of this year

I think the photo would look awesomely similar

Interesting picture... so we are all crouched

down in order to get a better shot of the

bushes? and where am I supposed to go swimming?

Crater Lake Oregon Summer 1972

Dad's haircut is very cool

Dad, Kim and Jill

Okay, this is one of my all time favorite pictures ever.

I almost used this one on Jill's Happy Birthday blog

because she is so adorable in this picture, but I restrained

myself so I could use it 2 days later.... I have such

great willpower

Well, I'm not sure if this weekend brings

back such great memories for Dad (it seems the car towing

incident just got brought up again this past week), but it brings

back great memories for me and some pretty

good pictures for me to use on my blog

And Dads become Grandpas... I think Joey is

cursing me in this picture. I think he is thinking

"Sammy is crying his head off here and it is really

annoying to me and Papa Skip and our freaky

turtle creature that we made in the sand and you

are taking a stupid picture!"

Well, last, but certainly not least, not a Father of mine, but a Father to my children and a pretty darn good Father at that. Sometimes he may be quirky (okay, most times, okay, all the time), and sometimes he wears big glasses, but he is cool nonetheless and a great Father.

Michael Garden Lubitz

Joey says Michael's a great Dad at bathtime (or was,

now, of course, our kids bathe themselves :-)

Sammy says he is a cool Dad when just hangin' out

on the sofa (Sammy's actually a little bigger now, in

case anyone hadn't noticed)

and when I spit up all over him

and when he would get down on the floor and

read a book to my whole preschool class even though

he was wearing a suit.

The kids are almost grown now (I know, I know,

I'm not anxious for it to be over either), but I can say

to Michael, You Done Good!

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads we know. Hope this

day brings lots of laughter and joy and pride!