Foster Father of the Year

I am so thrilled and excited to let you in on some WONDERFUL news...

My sweet hubby Mike has been selected as the Salt Lake Region 2010 Foster Father of the Year!!!

I am so proud of him! No one deserves this award more, and I am so blessed to have him as my husband and as the father of our little son. He is such an amazing man, and I am overjoyed that the rest of the world is noticing it too!

I was so excited when I heard the news. I got the call on a Monday afternoon a couple of weeks ago. Mike was still at work, and I wasn't sure how to tell him. I knew this was WAY too big for a "Hey, guess what?" phone call, so I called up our neighbors and our parents and asked them to come over that night for cake and ice cream. Then I made a big sign that said...

"CONGRATULATIONS for being chosen as Foster Father of the Year -
Mikey, you are the best!!!"

I hung it in our kitchen, with a bunch of balloons attached, and we were all waiting when he got home.

The look on his face when he read the sign probably mirrored what mine must have looked like when I received the call a few hours earlier. We were both shocked, surprised, excited, and very humbled.

It wasn't that I didn't think Mike should get this award, because I ABSOLUTELY do, it is just that I wasn't expecting him to win. We are relatively new to the foster scene, so I figured there was bound to be someone more experienced who would win.

However, as each day passes and the magnitude of this award has a chance to sink in a little more, I see that it doesn't take lots of kids to make a great Dad. It can take just one - or in our case, two. Mike knows how to be a great Dad, and lives it every day and in every way! I am SO happy and proud that he is being recognized for the amazing job he does every day. I love you hubby! (And I hope that as I go through this next year as your "first lady" some of your greatness will rub off on me!!=)

Mike's award will be given at the Chalk Art Festival on Saturday, June 19, 2010 at the Gateway in Salt Lake City. It will start at noon by the fountain and everyone who wants to come is invited and welcome. Hope to see you there, but if you can't make it, just be sure to catch him on the late night news!

My husband, the celebrity...=)

(There was an article written about Mike in June's edition of "the Foster Roster", Utah Foster Care Foundations monthly newsletter. It was very touching, and contained excerpts from several of the nominations that were submitted on his behalf. It isn't available online yet, but as soon as it is, I will post a link so you can check it out.)