First Father's Day

Today I have partnered with Artifact Uprising for a special Father’s Day post. All The Cake by Hannah readers can use CAKE15, now through June 12th, for 15% off your order from their site!

I knew Paul was going to be my husband just a few weeks after meeting him. I remember coming home from church and telling my roommate I could see myself falling in love with him and marrying him. She looked at me like I was crazy, because without getting into the messy details of this girl’s crazy heart, that was bonkers for me to EVER say about anybody. Love at first sight isn’t everybody’s story, but it was for ours.

I was 19, and quickly fell in love with how Paul held himself, how respectful he was, how handsome he was (because, hellooooo look at that face!), and how much he loved Jesus. I could see a life with him. I could picture myself as his wife. I could imagine us taking trips together, taking him home to my family, and creating our own home full of traditions. One thing that was almost impossible for me to picture, though, was being a mom. It’s something I always had struggled with, and I didn’t even know for sure if I ever wanted to be one. I had some crazy fears about motherhood and pregnancy. But Paul, Paul could be a dad. Of that I was certain. I knew very early on in our relationship that he would make an incredible father. He is a leader, he is a teacher, and he is so goofy. I loved watching him play with his little cousins, because it was a tiny glimpse into what it could be like if we did have kids one day. Though it was hard to picture myself as a mom, I always could picture Paul as an incredible daddy, just like my own. I had such an amazing example growing up of a father and husband, because my dad was such an amazing one. Paul fit the bill.

Clearly, Paul and I got married from our love at first sight story, and obviously -with a baby sleeping in his crib 10 feet from me as I write- my heart changed over the years toward the idea of becoming a mom. I can’t help but think so much of my heart change had to do with the father’s heart Paul always had and I could see from so early on. It’s a piece of him I fell in love with. In a way, knowing Paul was going to be such an amazing dad helped settle my own fears of becoming a mom. Watching Paul be a dad to Knox feels like a natural extension of who he is. Seeing my husband step into the role of “daddy” has made me fall in love with him all over again. Not only do I now have a second love at first sight story with my sweet son Knox, but I have a love story that is continuing to unfold and grow deeper with my husband.

Celebrating Paul is so easy, and for his first Father’s Day I wanted to do something special for him. We celebrated a little early around here, because he will actually be in Africa on Father’s Day. It is so like Paul to be serving and leading a group in the most off the map village in Africa on such a special day for him. I teamed up with Artifact Uprising to celebrate Paul, framing 6 photos of our growing family from the last 4 years. It was so fun to pick from such an archive of amazing photos (shout out to Cottonwood Road Photography for all the beautiful pictures we have of our family around the house!) that I feel display our sweet family so well. From our 2 year anniversary photos, to our puppy Presley who we got just months after getting married, to our maternity photos, to newborns. Our family wouldn’t be what it is without Paul. He is the cornerstone of our home. He is our provider and leader. He pushes me to Christ. He is the most self-assured and unshakable human I know. He is wise, and he is as steady as the tide.

Paul, happy first Father’s Day! Knox and I love you so much.

xoxo, Hannah (and Knoxy!)

Photos by Stratton Creative for The Cake by Hannah’s Partnership with Artifact Uprising

The Photos

I chose the Modern Metal Frames in the black finish. They are sleek, simple, and very “Paul.” I knew he would love these most when I was looking for the perfect frame. I did 6 photos in the 12×12 size for our entry hall to create the gallery wall we’ve been talking about doing for months. I measured out 6 inches apart horizontally and 2 inches vertically. It filled the space perfectly and truly transformed our hallway!