To say that Liam is a little obsessed with fountains is probably an understatement. Most toddlers are interested in cars or trains. Not my son. All he cares about is when he will get to see a fountain. And to be fair, it is practically impossible to go anywhere in our area without going by at least one. Thankfully, this obsession was restrained to when we were in the car. But it has slowly crept it’s way into the house.

Not only do we want to see fountains (or water falls) all the time, but Liam also loves to make fountains out of his blocks. Then, he likes to drive the cars around them. Then Liam discovered the faucet. It wouldn’t be so bad if the kid didn’t want the faucet on 24/7. I mean I can only waste so much water in the name of fun before I start to feel bad about the environment (and my wallet for next month’s water bill). But this morning I caved and allowed him to play with the faucet for a good 30 minutes. He was happy and quiet. And really that’s all that matters, isn’t it?

Yesterday was my dad’s birthday. I had every intention of writing this post then, but I found that it was just too difficult. It would have been his 72nd birthday. He was young by today’s standards. I can remember going up to Michigan to celebrate his 70th birthday and thinking that it was amazing that he had made it that far. Now, I wish that he would have made it farther.

I often joked with my mom that he was a cyborg; I thought that he would never pass away. Throughout the years of abuse that he put his body through, there were plenty of times that he put himself in harm’s way. But my dad was a fighter. And he fought right down to the end.

Yesterday was a difficult day. I should have been spending the day with him. His daycare center, Uncle Norm’s Place, would have had a party for him which I’m told would have included cake. He would have loved that. Then, Stephen, Liam and I would have gone over to my parents’ house for dinner followed by more cake. Instead, the day was spent at home with my family. We had a quiet dinner with my mom. It was not how I had ever imagined spending my dad’s birthday.

I know that in the coming years his birthday will become less grueling, and this just the first of many holidays to come this year. I hope wherever he is that he had a wonderful birthday.

*As a side note, I know some of you were at the memorial service that was held last weekend. I’ve included the video that was shown. I hope you enjoy seeing some of the pictures from my dad’s life.*