Vote for FireDad in Redbook’s Hottest Husband Contest!

 FireDad  27 Responses »
Feb 242009
 

If you follow me on twitter, you already know the news. But I’ll officially share the news with everyone here:

FireDad is a Top 25 Finalist for Redbook’s Hottest Husband contest.

I should provide some back story. It started last year when I was reading Redbook’s Hottest Husband results for 2008. Only a few of the top 10 were under 30. This upset FireDad greatly (or, to some degree) so, to rectify the situation, I threw together an entry, picked some photographs and sent them into the contest. I  may have mentioned that time he won an award for saving some guy’s life. Months passed. A new year began. And on the day that I returned home from a trip to the mountains, an email was waiting in my inbox. From Redbook. They wanted to talk to me for a phone interview and they needed some more face shots of my (hot) husband. Amused, I made the phone call and then told him the news. He laughed, saying that would be the end of it.

Weeks passed. We figured it was a bust. And then, last Thursday, I got another email informing me that he is, in fact, in the Top 25 Finalists. And, the kicker for us, that online voting would begin on February 24, 2009 (today, folks). Now if you know anything about me, you might know that I have a large internet footprint. And so FireDad and I are hoping that you’ll vote for him. Why? Well, we could win…

You could win an eight-day, seven-night trip for two to the Westin Casuarina Resort and Spa in Grand Cayman.

Doesn’t that make your toes tingle with glee?

And so, I’m imploring my readers to please go vote for FireDad (otherwise known to the rest of the world as Josh Hatfield). His individual finalist page can be found here. I’m sure he’ll love the stories I told. To be fair, I was nervous and rambling. In case you don’t know or remember what he looks like, I’ve thrown this video together. As an added bonus, you get to see how much LittleBrother really looks like his Daddy.

And, if you’re not the video viewing type, here are a few of my all time favorite pictures of my Husband thrown together in a quick collage. He really is quite handsome, no?

But more than handsome, he is an amazing, awesome husband. He has supported me through some of the most difficult days of my life. He loves me unconditionally, even when I leave the coffee pot on all night or spill things on a burner on the stove and accidentally attempt to burn down the house. That’s enough to drive any firefighter insane. He has supported my writing and working from home. He makes me laugh. He dries my tears. He tells me he loves my post-baby body. And the list goes on. Furthermore, he is an amazing, hands-on dad to those two brothers. I never have to nag about spending time with the boys. I don’t have to worry about leaving the kids with him as he takes on his fair share of the parenting duties and knows exactly how to handle them… and their moods. I’ve seen him melt into a puddle of goo when given a hug, kiss and nose kisses or just simple cuddles. I know the love he has for his boys and our family in general. He’s not just a hot husband. He’s one heckuva husband.

While I don’t normally ask for something on the blog without offering something in return, I don’t really want to bribe people for their votes. So, very simply, I am asking people to head on over to the Redbook online voting page and vote for Joshua Hatfield (listed as Joshua H. on the actual voting page). I can promise that if we win, we’ll be vlogging the entire trip. While that may not be the same as relaxing on the beach yourselves, I can tell you that the two of us will soak up enough sun, fun and relaxation to share with the entire blogosphere. I promise.

If you feel so inclined, I’d love if you’d help spread word about this little contest. Again, I don’t have anything to offer in return but my extreme gratitude. Some places you could share the voting link ( http://tinyurl.com/vote4JoshuaH ) would be Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or your own blog. You can also link to the video ( http://tinyurl.com/firedadvideo ) and this post ( http://tinyurl.com/sdbvotepost ) so people know who they’re voting for. You can also embed the video if you feel so inclined! You can only vote once per IP address so I will need the help of the blogosphere and my internet friends to keep word going about this contest. While our families are big, I’m hoping the help of online friends will give us a shot!

I’m sure the 24 other finalists are attractive, great husbands. But I’d love to give my hot, awesome husband a real, relaxing vacation for all of the hardwork that he has done and continues to do for our family. If you could help me achieve that by voting for him, I’d be forever grateful.

An Evening at the Fire Department, in Pictures

 FireDept Stories, Photography  10 Responses »
Aug 082008
 

I have some fabulous rants coming up next week but I wanted to end the week on a good note. Yesterday was a very productive day. But, at the same time, all the running and doing and finishing and fixing threw LittleBrother off of his nap schedule. Instead of a morning and an afternoon nap, he napped from late morning into early afternoon, thus making the stretch from waking until bedtime a rather long one. I kept coming up with things to do to keep him entertained but by 5:00, as we finished supper early, I knew what needed to be done.

I packed both boys up and we headed to the Fire Department to visit FireDad.

It’s one of the perks of being a Fire Family. It really, really is. What kid doesn’t like fire trucks? They’re big! They’re bright red! (Well, real fire trucks are bright red. Ask FireDad.) They make noise! There’s lots of bells, whistles and buttons! Okay, and that’s just my excitement. Yes, that’s right. I love the fire trucks just as much as the kids. What’s not to like?

More over, I love the look of amazement on BigBrother’s face as he is lifted into the driver’s seat (or, as happened yesterday, as he climbs up by himself for the very first time ever into one of the trucks). I also love the fact that he runs off all of his energy as he races back and forth between trucks, thus making for an easy bedtime.

And so, last night we went and visited FireDad and let BigBrother run off some energy. This was our first visit since LittleBrother learned to crawl. And so, despite the floors being dirty, LittleBrother crawled off some energy as well. I followed along with my camera and snapped the discoveries that he made along the way.

The wheels were vastly interesting. Perhaps he was able to read the word “good” and realized that his diaper, a Goodmama, said the same. Doubtful, of course, but it made for some cute photo ops. He was infatuated with the wheels and the shiny things for quite some time.

Then he found something shiny. BigBrother, for the record, also loves the bell on the front of this truck. He rings it and rings it and even after he is told to stop ringing it, he rings it again. This is thanks to one of FireDad’s coworkers who taught him how to ring it. Previously he had been just happy to bang on it with his hands. LittleBrother, it seems, is starting the same infatuation. Now if we could only keep people from teaching him how to ring it.

Then I brought over FireDad’s helmet and had him look at it. He seems unsure of what to do which I assume is because its so honkin’ heavy. Also, FireDad’s head is insanely smaller than my large cranium. The thing doesn’t fit me! Which is further proof that BigBrother has a majority of my genes (his head is in the 85th percentile) while LittleBrother takes after FireDad in that respect (right around 50%). This picture makes me kind of weepy. Probably blowing it up and framing it for both parties.

And before the critics come out and ask me why we’re ignoring our older son, I give you the reason, which is twofold, as to why there are so few pictures of him from yesterday. 1. Remember that BigBrother has had two years of photo opportunities at the Fire Department by himself. LittleBrother deserved some lens time! 2. BigBrother is nothing but a blur as of late. Constant motion. Constant talking. Constant constant constant! But, for this picture, he climbed up on the back of a truck all by himself and said, “Cheese!” And so, he got one great picture.

We’re pretty lucky. These boys have access to fire trucks any time they so desire. Except for that one time when we weren’t at our own Fire Department and BigBrother didn’t understand the reason that he had to wait in line to see the fire trucks. But, all the same, we’re incredibly lucky. These children will know, unlike a friend of ours in his youth, that fire fighters are their friends. There won’t be any fear. It’s a good thing, let me tell you.

Plus, really, bed time was a breeze for both of them! That makes for a happy FireMom!

Next week, in addition to my rants, I’ll let you know how to get some good pictures of your children with the fire trucks. We’re off to spend a weekend in our own city for the first time in weeks and weeks!

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