Daddy Daughter Date

If there is anyone in our house that has endured the most change and handled it with the most grace, it is sweet little Avery Ann Piland.  She adjusted to the arrival of a new baby in the house wonderfully and accepted the redistribution of mommy and daddy's attention without complaint.  She had a few rough days in the very beginning, but settled into the "new normal" much more quickly than we expected. Norah took a bit longer to accept the change and required a lot of our time and attention as we tried to balance discipline and grace. Add onto that all of the time and attention required for a newborn... 4 year old Avery amazed us with her ability to understand that this was a time of transition for our family. Although she's not without the occasional meltdown or tantrum (what preschooler is?), for the most part she is a helpful, sweet, blessing to our family... playing with Norah and holding Paige like it's her job.  Erich set aside some time on his days off from work to make sure that Avery was being reminded that she is special to us and every bit as loved as the younger two by taking her on a couple of Daddy Daughter Dates.

out to eat for breakfast... complete with "minnie mouse" pancakes

blowing on daddy's coffee, one of her favorite jobs

our sweet friends, Dave and Mackenzie, own a salon that Avery loves to visit. A girly girl to the core, she loves to get her hair done and her nails painted.  Erich made an appointment for Avery to get her nails painted and she was in heaven.

pink sparkly nails courtesy of Mackenzie's sister, Sagan, who is always so great with Avery and makes her feel very grown up and special.

Avery's preschool hosted a "Father's Feast"... a day for all the dads to come spend a day in the classroom with their kids.  Avery loved getting to introduce daddy to her preschool world.

Another daddy daughter date came a few weeks later when Erich and Avery went to see Disney on Ice in December.  It was a surprise for her and she was so excited!

There are no words for what this does for my heart. I hope she never stops holding his hand.

Soaking up an afternoon with her dad while the younger two napped at home.  She loved it!

Erich feels that it is very important for him to not only date his wife (lucky me!), but also to "date" each of his daughters.  We have heard the sermons and read the books that say a woman's view of men is shaped in large part by her view of her father and the relationship she had with him growing up.  It's safe to say the bar has been set high for any men who might pursue our little ladies down the road.  Their daddy has already stolen their hearts...