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When I look at the photos of yesteryear, when our kids were all tiny, I shake my head in wonder that we were allowed to haul them home from the hospital. Troy and I look to be about 12 in those photos. We look more like babysitters than parents.

We weren’t really that young, both 21 when Janelle was born and 25 when we finished up with Scott and Lisa, but now that we’re in grandparenting mode we can look back and see that we were just babes. Just babies playing house.  We felt old enough and were confident in our parenting skills. After all, we both had younger siblings we’d bossed around and were actually quite good at it. What else would a good parent need, other than the ability to boss a kid around?  To me, being a mother was a lot more fun in real life than as a kid with a toy chest full of dolls. In the first place, real babies had real reactions. Dolls could sit in a heap for days and not cry from hunger or wet diapers. My real babies let me know immediately that there was a bit of a problem at one end or the other. It was wonderful being needed and adored and to bask in their smiles and coos.  To Troy, being a father was a bit like playing high school football and having possession of the ball. The goal was to protect it and not to lose it, let it drop or let it be stolen. He carried the babies like a football, too, cuddled close to his body with a one-arm hold. And he never dropped them. I don’t think, anyway.

Troy had just joined the Army when I got pregnant with Janelle. The tests were confirmed just a few short weeks after he went back to base after a short leave. Since he was in the field outside of Fort Lewis, Wash., and couldn’t be reached by phone, I sent a telegram that said something like, “Congratulations! Dr. Mac says you will be a new papa in about eight months. I love you, Jan.”

The new father-to-be was beyond excited. He went AWOL. He made his way back to the base, changed into civilian clothes and caught a train to Montana. He was flat broke and spent the silver dollar Dad had given him for good luck to buy a bowl of soup. Luckily he had an understanding commanding officer.

He never lost this excitement and passion for fathering. He nurtured and loved his three children and helped form them into the adults they are today. Now he uses his fathering abilities on our eight grandkids. The life lessons and the love of God that he teaches them are invaluable. When I chose him to be my husband, one of the reasons was because I knew someday he would be a terrific father. He has never disappointed me.

So, Happy Father’s Day to all you fathers. At the end of this column are some thoughts on fatherhood just for you.

You’re invited

North Pole Christian School is hosting an open house every Thursday in June, July and August (with the exception of July 3), starting June 19. The public is invited to visit the school and learn about education opportunities for children ages preschool through 12th grade. Hours for the open houses are from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

In addition, fall registration is now open at the school, which is located at the corner of Newby Road and Silverleaf Avenue. For more information, call 488-0133. Or visit the school’s Web site at www.npcs.org.

More homes still needed

As of a few days ago, Don Duke was still short five homes for the ball players who are arriving this week to play on the Athletes in Action team. To try and give this more publicity, I asked for some experiences host families have had with these young men. Terry and Sharon Kerstetter, who have hosted AIA players for five years, responded. Terry said the experience has been a blessing.

“We get involved with these young men as though they were our own. Try to give advice where needed and listen a lot. They try to eat us out of house and home, but we stay just a step ahead, and I believe they’re satisfied.”

Terry said he still keeps in touch with most of these fellows and has followed their careers in college and, some, as professional ballplayers.   “I think for the most part, if more people would take that step and host, they probably would wonder why they waited so long to do it,” he said.

To host an AIA player, contact Don Duke at 488-9779.

NPWC garage sale

North Pole Worship Center will have its big sale again this weekend. The church is selling a ton of stuff — including office supplies, leftover building materials and many other items, at its old church building located at the corner of Badger and Plack roads. Shop today from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Ways to save gas

I was interested in the letter to the editor recently that suggested Fairbanks synchronize its traffic lights so people aren’t made to idle longer than necessary. When you consider how much time you spend at street lights and multiply that by all the lights and all the vehicles that go through them, it is a tremendous amount of wasted gas.

Better management of the lights would be very beneficial. The letter to the editor that mentioned the Birmingham mayor who put his employees on four-day work schedules to save money was interesting also. I’d go for that!

Recently CNNMoney.com had six suggestions on how to save gas. Here are shortened versions of their tips:

1. Don’t race away from green lights. Save gas by accelerating slowly.

2. Don’t race up to red lights. Slow down well before the light. According to them, using these two tips can save as much as 35 percent of your tooling-around-town fuel.

3. The highway isn’t a speedway. In most vehicles, driving at 75 mph instead of 65 mph reduces fuel economy by between three and five miles per gallon.  4. Don’t be a bumper buzzer. Hang back and you won’t have to speed up and down. Tailgating wastes gas.

5. Don’t stop and idle. With modern fuel-injection engines, it takes very little extra gas to restart a car once it’s warmed up. Avoid long idling lines at fast food restaurants.

6. Avoid short hops. For really short trips, consider walking. If you do drive, save up your errands and plan your route ahead of time.

Mosquito tip

Someone needs to try this and tell me if it works. Supposedly if you use a spray bottle with Listerine and mist an area it’ll keep the mosquitoes away. Let me know.

Happy Father’s Day

• A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty.

• A father wants his son to have all the things he never had when he was a boy, including five As on his report card.

• A father is a man who expects his son to be as good a man as he meant to be.

• If the world beats a path to your door, you probably have a beautiful teenage daughter.

• A mosquito is like a small boy, when he stops making a noise you know he’s into something.

• Small children are washable, though most of them shrink from it.

• A boy is a person who shouldn’t do the things his father did at that age.