The deadlines at Mike’s job mean that he consistently works long days. In an effort to make it home in time for part of dinner or at least bedtime, he goes to work extremely early in the morning. The kids were sad about not seeing their dad in the mornings, so he started drawing them these notes to help them feel better.
The kids have quite the collection of notes now, and they treasure each and every one! Johnny usually makes a specific request the night before. Emma consistently asks to be surprised, and Lily sometimes makes a request and sometimes asks for a surprise.
I love that, besides helping the kids feel better about missed time with their dad, these notes are capturing memories and interests the kids have right now. I enjoy watching Mike draw them in the evening after the kids are in bed, too!
Added bonus? Emma has started writing notes for me! And yesterday she brought home cards for both me and Mike that she had drawn during recess!
MaryAnne is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.
What a wonderful father :)
He is fantastic! :)
Those are PRECIOUS!!!
So sweet!!! My husband works long days too.
I bet this meant the world to the kids! My kids would be in heaven!
I love seeing their reactions to their special notes every morning!
How sweet! My husband works 12 hour days and travels for weeks at a time, so we’re always looking for ways to make him more “present” in our son’s life, even when he’s not here. Thsnk’s for the post…and tell you’re husband that he’s a fantastic artist!
That is so sweet! They’ll leave the house with an awesome scrapbook of dad’s illustrations. I love it!
Wow! Mike is a fantastic artist!! Love the notes — they are heartwarming to see. What a wonderful way to connect and turn a challenging experience into a routine they can look forward to.
Hope everybody is feeling much better … and hope you catch up on some z’s soon. Love, Y
These are great! Especially that Emma is in on it now!
Love the drawings, absolutely! That’s an excellent way to show our kids how much we love them. Priceless!
These are adorable! I love this idea! Your husband can draw so much better than me ( I draw more like Emma lol)
I’m pretty sure Emma draws better than I do :)
Oh my gosh – I love his notes so much! He is a great illustrator – SAVE those, maybe they could be a book!!!
Hands down cutest post ever. What a simple act that makes a huge impact and your kids will not only remember but have all of these lovely tangible keepsakes. Your husband is a gem.
I love him :)
These are absolutely priceless!! What a wonderful way to connect.
these are just precious! what a great way for dad to relate to them when he’s working long hours! a very good daddy!
Mike is an awesome dad :)
Love this! What a special way to connect with the kids with him going to work early. I bet they definitely are treasuring those notes. Love that Emma is drawing her own notes!
Princess loves to draw notes too. I love Mike’s pictures and notes! I might give this idea to Jeff because he’s been doing the same thing.