Dear Kaden and Kylie

A note to your children when they get older.

Dear Kaden and Kylie,

I know that you love your father and he loves you.  Sometimes there are little things I see that you may not, and I want to explain.

Your father absolutely loves to be out in the yard or on a court playing ball with you two.  He is always teaching you the things he knows to make you the best that you can be.

He worries about you when you are playing, when you are eating, and when you are sleeping soundly at night.  He worries about you especially when you are not in his care.  He reminds you to be careful everywhere you go, and I know he wishes he could be there to protect you in everything you do.

Sometimes he leaves mushrooms in the woods when he knows he'll be able to take you soon so that you can "find" them yourselves.  Kylie, you asked your dad just last night, "Remember that time we walked by two mushrooms twice and then I finally found them myself?"

He is so very proud of you.  He is proud of your funny jokes, your off-the-wall comments, and your two completely different personalities.  He shines with pride with every little thing that you do, and you may not ever realize the extent of it.

Kaden, he passed down his baseball cards to you the other night...a piece of his childhood.  I saw the way you and him looked through them together, with the same happiness.  He is letting you mow the yard and although it may feel like a chore at times (even though you never act like it), it is something he is so proud to see you do.  He says you're careful and he knows he can trust you to not run into anything.  He likes to toughen you up by wrestling, and you are his favorite fishing and hunting buddy.

Kylie, you pick the calluses off his hands and rub his back.  You have his sense of humor and you never fall for his jokes, ever.  Together you two can be quite an ornery pair, and sometimes this consists of him telling you to pinch my butt.  He is always telling you that you're pretty and smart.  You love to cuddle with him on the couch and fall asleep (or pretend to) at night, and you and him both like to wake up early and go get donuts -- it's kind of your thing.

Your father cannot get enough time with you two.  He lets you stay up past your bedtime sometimes because a few hours in the evening doesn't come close to enough time with you.  We watch a lot of Ax Men because it's a show you really like, Kaden, and to be honest, we can't really stand watching your Disney Shows. 

He goes to all of your practices, games, and school events because he wants to see you, he wants to watch your progress, and he likes to know what to help you with or compliment you on.  He is very involved in your lives, and when you are at your mom's, he calls you all the time just to catch up and tell you that he loves you.  He doesn't like to say "bye" so instead, you guys are always crocodiles and alligators.  

Your father loves you and I hope that through the years, you will know how much he means it when he says, "I love you."

Love,
Kristi

Happy Father's Day, Keane. 

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For Father's Day, Keane got a wind chime, fillet knife, homemade mushroom stick from Kaden, and a feather pen from Kylie. 

And some fill-in-the-blank notes from his children.