Flat Daddies

 

I have already commented on your site previously however since then my husband passed away in Iraq . Thank you,and thank God for her flat daddy she has it by her bed every nite so she get feel closer to her daddy and remember his face always. he was a great daddy and a great husband he will be missed always. thank you for this creation. it is just great for the deployed but also for the fallen soldiers too .

Kate Wright

I got my "flatdaddies" (should be "flatmommy") on Mother's Day . . . it was great to celebrate Mother's Day with a life size picture of my Mom. Thanks to you and my Nannie - I get to see my Mom - it is really special. Thank you! Hi Mom

Lauren Garrett

I can't tell you how excited I was when my daughter's flat daddy arrived! She goes up to him all the time and talks to him. Even at 11 months old, she knows that it's her daddy. Thank you so much for his presence. Now when he calls from Iraq, she can hear him and look at him! We try to take him everywhere, so far his biggest trip has been a road trip from Virginia to Florida.

Amy Schrock

 

I wanted to thank you so much for our Flat Daddy. My son was only 6 months old when my husband left. So we started telling the flat daddy good night and if you said where is daddy he would point to that giant poster of him on the door. When my husband returned I had him stand where the Flat Daddy was and it was then I pulled my 3 kids out of bed to see their surprise. They didn't even notice him standing in front of the door, so I had my daughter turn the lights on. There was this huge squeal and laughter throughout the room. My son who was now 18 months old said Dada to the real Daddy. Thank you again.

Shannon

Thank you so much for this special gift for my children! My daughter loves being able to blow daddy a kiss and say goodbye to him when we go out and goodnite before bed every night. We always have to leave the light on for daddy and she adores being able to talk to him when ever she wants. My son who is only 8 months old loves staring at his daddy, this will definitly help him remember him as the time goes by. This helps keep their daddy in our lives while he is gone and will definitly make his homecoming a lot smoother. You made my kids very happy and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

Mandy

I would just like to thank you so much for the flat daddy we got the other day. My son is 13 months and my daughter is 1 month. I am so glad that they'll have a chance to get used to seeing their daddies face while he is gone for the next 7 months. I know it is going to take some getting used to once he gets back, but hopefully this will help ease the transition. Thanks again!

Francine Askew

When we first recieved our flatdaddy I rolled it out on the floor and had the girls lay on it to hold it open so I could take a picture to show Daddy. When my younger daughter saw the picture she said "Look, Daddy is holding us." Thank you for that, she has been having a difficult time missing Daddy lately.

Angela

Thank you so much for our Flat Daddy. After my daughter did a Flat Stanley project in kindergarten her whole class was excited to meet her Flat Daddy. He has been on picnics, played on the playground, observed classes, saw my sons school play and rests in our living room. Although we can't wait for our real Daddy to come home, our Flat Daddy was a nice stand in. Thank you, Lynell

Lynell Boveri

 

Our son was 14 months old and our daughter was 3 weeks when their daddy left on his second deployment. Our son gives his Flat Daddy kisses every night before bed and we use Flat Daddy to practice learning eyes, ears, nose, etc. When my husband came home for his 2 week R&R our son recognized him immediately even after 9 months because we see Flat Daddy everyday and talk to him all the time. It has been the most wonderful thing to keep the kids "in touch" with daddy while he is gone.

Julie Murray

 

I've been telling my daughter that she would be getting a special present since I ordered her Flat Daddy and today when we got it and she saw it for the first time I had tears in my eyes. Daddy ate dinner with us, watched her take a bath (since she's now such a big girl that she swims), played with her and her dollhouse, and at this moment is in her bedroom watching over her as she sleeps. She can't stop talking to him. I thank you for this from the bottom of my heart. I have not seen her this happy since her Daddy left over two months ago.

Kimberly Herman

 

Hello. I received my free Flat Daddy last year about this time. It was so awesome! We still love looking at it. We didn't get it until last 2 months of deployment but we have it in the beginning for this deployment! Dad came home only for 8 months and is gone again for a year. :( So needless to say we are super happy to have our Flat Daddy.

Jenn Scrabeck

Thanks for my flatdaddy!

TJ Gleason

I just wanted to send a huge Thank You for our flatdaddy. When he's not out at soccer games or school visits, he stays in our living room. Having him to see everyday keeps my children 6 yrs, 3 yrs & 11 months old talking about him daily. When asked where is daddy, my 11 month old will point in his direction! Thank you for keeping us close!

The Lopez Family

Here is a picture of our flat daddy. I told our son now daddy can watch him play with his toys and make sure he is sharing with his friends. Here is our "family" picture with our flat daddy. We love it soooooo much thank you guys for making this possible

Dionne and Evan romero

I gave birth to our first child not too long after my husband deployed. I have been showing my son our Flat Daddy EVERY morning since we have had it... now at 5 months he reaches for it and smiles sooo big when he sees it. Thank you guys, even though we can't have daddy here, the flat daddy is the next best thing. And I'm hoping that it will help my son to know his daddy's face, so when he sees him after being gone for a year and a half he will know who he is.

Ashley Parker

 

First of all I just want to thank everyone at flatdaddies.com for "Our Flat Daddy". When our package first arrived it was about a month before my husband was returning from deployment. My two daughters were home when the package arrived and after the initial moments of silence, seeing their daddy in life form, we decided to flatten the picture on the floor while I layed beside him on one side, my oldest daughter layed beside him on the other and my youngest daughter on the picture itself. We just looked in each others eyes with tears welling and looked at daddy too. It was one of those "Awh" moments, and I thank you all for that. My husband is home now, and my youngest son who was just 2 months old when his daddy left, just turned one and has a ritual of saying hi to daddy on his picture, each evening as we pass by him hung on the wall. He knows him now and loves to see his daddy both in person and flat.

Elizabeth Bruhl and family

My 15 month old daughter loves her Flat Daddy and so do I! As soon as I put it up she said "dada!" and has been talking to it ever since. It just goes to show that she does still remember her daddy and misses him just as much as I do.

Erica

 

Flat daddy was such a blessing to our family my daughter would hug and kiss him as well as my son he thought it was great. I love to see him at the dinner table with us, he has gone on several outings with us. Just to have him with us in such a big way was really comforting we are now experiencing a second deployment with our flat daddy and I was just so happy to have this to help us thru those times when we really miss him. Thank you for all your support

Erika R.

Thank you so much for such a wonderful gift to our family. Our son was four months old when Daddy left and will be just turning a year on his return. Flat Daddy has helped him learn, "Dada." He knows that's the voice he hears occasionally over the phone and computer; he knows that's the guy who reads him books on DVD every morning w/ his oatmeal; he knows who Mommy is constantly talking about! We kiss and hug it every night and every morning. It has been such a help for my husband to continue to be a part of our son's every-day life. I love having it hang in our home as a constant reminder of the days going by and how much closer we are getting to the day we are all together again as a family. It will always be in our home and will always serve as a cherished memory of a bittersweet time in our lives. Thank you all so very much. -- Carrie & Cam Cieliczka (Daddy is GMC Kyle Cieliczka)

Carrie Cieliczka

Our flat daddy was a great way to celebrate Father's Day during my husband's 15 month deployment. We all love seeing him everyday and it has been wonderful for our baby to be able to recognize his Daddy's face. Our flat daddy has been an amazing tool to help us cope with the separation. Thank you!

Melissa Brooker

 

Thank you so very much for our flat daddy! Having him here while real daddy is in Iraq has made this deployment (our first) a little easier. Our daughter loves to talk to him and even shares drinks from her sippy cup! Thank you again, this has meant so much to us.

Annie Kisselburg

Our Flat Daddy has helped keep the kids connected to daddy while he has been deployed for the past 7 months. Thanks for providing such an awesome service to military families all over the world!

Heather Escamilla

Maliah loves waking up every morning to say hello to her daddy. This is the only way she knows him, since he was only home for her birth. She readily smiles and talks to his picture. I know this is going to ease his homecoming for her. She will recognize the face of her daddy. Thank you so much for this!

Elizabeth Ramirez and Maliah Ramirez

All three of our kids Love their (flat)Daddy! They alternate nights snuggling w/daddy but our 5yr old always ends up with him by the morning! Thank you very much for helping so many people make it through a difficult time.

Lacy M

Thank you for the Flat daddy, my husband left for Afghanistan on a 15 month deployment when my daughter, Isabella was 3 weeks old. We practice walking to "daddy" daily and she now waves and smiles whenever she see's his photo (she is 9 months) We are hoping she will have an easy transition to her Dad when he gets home. Thank you again for being so thoughtful in providing us with the free flat daddy, it really does mean a lot to us.

Brittany

Thank You Flat Daddies !!!! We are enjoying the poster so much !!! Deployments are hard and now they seem to be even harder at 15 months. Trying to stay close to your service member seems to be out of reach sometimes. Every little bit helps !! Thanks Again !!!

Romana Marks

We received our Flat Daddy today. I have a 7 yr old and a 4 month old...This is my husbands 4th deployment...I really wish we had this prior. My 7 yr old loves it...my husband hasn't left yet but is soon to leave...I will sit the flat daddy near my husband so that hopefully my 4 month old realizes it is the same person...and when daddy comes home it won't be like she doesn't know him...THANK YOU...we are definitely spreading the word to everyone...

Dawn Corey

 

Just wanted to say thanks for this amazing gift. My two year old loves to see her daddy around all day. She kisses and hugs him before she goes to bed. The best part is that we can include daddy in our prayers at night. Thanks again.

Michele Johnson

My granddaughter, Mikayla, 2, is so proud of her "DaDa", who is currently in his second deployment. We got the Flat Daddy and the Fabric Family in the same week. She kisses her Flat Daddy all the time and carries on conversations with him, in her two-year-old jibberish. Her Fabric Family has become her security blanket. This is a great project and I thank you for it, and for the prayers and support of all military personnel and their families.

Cheryl Summerhill

We love our Daddy Reed. He has been with us for about 7 months. We have 6 1/2 months left of our 15 month deployment. He has really helped our daughter, she has him watching over her all night. She hugs and kisses him every night. She has tea with him, we do family pictures with him. He is a part of our family too! Thank You. The Myers

The Myers

Thank you for finding a way to ease the separation our children feel while a parent is deployed. Our son knows his daddy is working but it is so nice to have a picture of my husband here for our son to look at. Our son will play next to his daddy and my husband has been able to come to family parties. Jokingly, he has even sided with me when picking movies with the kids. Thank you again for providing this wonderful gift to our children.

Marcy

We received our flat daddy a few days ago and mounted it. The kids loved it immediately. He sits at the table while we eat and we even had a plate in front of him! I must admit there have been times after the kids are in bed and it is quiet and it is just me - I round that corner and see this person sitting in the chair that I did not expect! Makes your heart leap a bit. I appreciate this donation on your part, it makes it much easier on the kids to actually see such a large photo of their Dad instead of a 4x6 that does not leave much of an impression. Thanks a bunch!

Cori

I finally was able to get a picture of dd giving her "daddy" kisses before bed. the flat daddy has helped so much and we love it!

d. pulliam

tennille inman

My husband's been gone for the past few months and missed our son's first birthday and wont be home until he's almost 2 yrs old. He was so worried that he wouldn't recognize him when he came home. As soon as I set up the flat daddy, our son ran up to it and started yelling "da da" and now talks to him, kisses him and reads his books to him. Our flat daddy travels everywhere with us, he came to our son's first birthday, family cookouts, church, the pool, our wedding anniversary and family vacation. Thank-you so much for allowing us to make wonderful memories with our "daddy"!

Allie Cadoret

Thank you for bringing our loved "home" to us. We take him everywhere! He won't even be left out of our Christmas photo this year, he fit right in! You guys have made our year without him that much more bearable! Thank you Flatdaddies!!! He is our hero and so are you!

Laura Moon

It has been 3 months since my husband left for his second tour in Iraq, and sometimes it becomes difficult for my children and me. However, when we received our Flat Daddy a couple of months ago, I was so moved, it is difficult to put into words. My son Austin was too young to understand that the Flat Daddy was a picture of his Daddy. However, he just turned one year, and seems to be more aware of his surroundings. One morning after I was done cleaning out the baby wipe warmer, I entered the room and I caught my son kissing his Flat Daddy. Tears welled up in my eyes I was so moved. Thank you Flat Daddy for the most wonderful gift of all.

Natalie Robello

We have really loved having "flat daddy" while my husband has been gone. These pictures were taken on our 3 year anniversary. The "flat daddy" has added life into our home, while my husband has been gone. He goes to baseball games, dinners, cookouts... and people love it! My kids thank you... and so do I!

Erica Mahan

 

Thank you sooo much for the Flat Daddy program. After we found out that my husband was getting extended for 3 more months I secretly ordered flat daddy. We received our picture yesterday. My teenage kids were very excited. They could not believe how big the picture was of their daddy. Thank you again, we are truly blessed.

Jo Barrale

Our flat daddy has helped my children cope with long deployments. Thank you for this wonderful gift to our family. Flat Daddy gets lots of hugs and kisses from the little ones.

Carrie Machen and family

 

I just wanted to say thanks so much for our flat daddy! Since my husband left for Iraq, our toddler has asked for "da-da" too often. Everyday, I don't know how to answer his question "Da-da?". I was so happy to open up the package and be able to show him a life-size Da-da! My son's eyes were as wide as saucers and he gave so many kisses to his "Da-Da"...It brought me to tears. (We're going to have to laminate our flat daddy...because of all the kisses.) This really brings him closer to home. I can't thank you enough for helping our son stay close to Da-Da during these 15+ months.

Julie H.

 

I just ordered my flat daddie and we are so excited to get it in the mail. I'm the proud spouse of a US Airmen. My husband is on his second tour to Iraq and will be missing out on a huge event this time...the birth of his daughter. We currently have 2 sons and they are going to love having "daddy" around. I'm going to take our flat daddie to the hospital when I deliver so he can "be there" with me. Thanks so much! You guys are awesome!!!

Cyrena Stewart

Thank you so much for our Flat Daddy. My daughter (age 9) has loved hauling him around everywhere. We take photos of him and make the real Daddy guess where he's been. We're having a tough deployment and our Flat Daddy has helped more than I ever thought- Thanks!

Tracy Schwartz

My children so loved the picture of their father when it came in the mail. We adfixed it to foam core poster board so that we could keep it on the upper lip of our china cabinet so that it felt like he was eating with us every meal. We also brought him on outtings with us. We were in two veteran's parades and he came with us. The picture was a great conversation starter at events too. My kids liked to take pictures with "dad" every few weeks so we could show dad how much they were growing.

Elly

tennille inman

We have really enjoyed our FLAT! My husband is deployed and only got to spend his R&R with our newest addition...I think this is a great idea for the boys to keep dada around! We love and miss him sooo much!

Marina Mills

When I got my daughter's flatdaddy in the mail I wasn't quite sure what to do with it. It took me a week to decide. It was kind of hard for her to carry it, but she wanted him to go everywhere with her. So I made it into a backpack! She loves that she can carry him anywhere and not worry about tripping or falling over. Thank You so much! She can love on him anytime she wants....This has made one little girl very happy!!!

Sonya Predmore

When my husband came home on R&R in February, it was very difficult on my 4 year old daughter so I took a picture of him and sent it in for my daughter. She was so thrilled when it came in the mail, she shows it to everyone. I even got excited. Flat Daddies/Flat Mommies are also good for the spouse when I really miss him I really like looking at the life size picture of him. It really turned out fabulous. Thanks for the generous donation of the Flat Daddy my daughter and I will enjoy it through the next 7 months!

Kate and Lexi Wright

I just received pictures from my wife showing my Son with his new "Flat Daddy". The emotions that I had seeing him kiss the picture of me is indescribable. I just wanted to send the picture & say thank you to you & your sponsors for supplying my son with the ability to see his Daddy every morning when he wakes up. Thank You! SSG Cunningham 3D Brigade, 3ID

SSG WIlliam Cunningham

My husband is deployed to Iraq and I ordered a Flat Daddy to keep him alive in the hearts of my young children, especially my 1 year old. Whenever he sees Flat Daddy, he still says "Da-da" so it must be working! Flat Daddy has had several outings, which the kids love, and here is one of a trip to a local parade...

Katie Hanna

My little girl was so excited when i showed her the flat daddy. When she wakes she talks to the pic. and kisses it im so happy i ordered a flat daddy and they gave it for free. Thanks so much for making my little girl happy through out this first deployment....

Ann Mendoza & Ryanna Mendoza

Here is our flat daddy sitting at the dinner table. He also rides with us in the car,sleeps in his bed and the dogs just love him.. Well, Love to bark at him.. But recently while he was home for R&R(June 08) the dogs knew who he was and I think that has a lot to do with flat daddy since they were just puppies when Dad left!

Beverly Bloom

 

Thank you for our Flat Daddy. What a blessing it has been. My husband has three months left on his second deployment and I believe our Flat Daddy will help our 2 1/2 year old cope with Daddy's absence and will help our 5 month old recognize Daddy when he gets home. What a wonderful service for military children. Thank you to Flat Daddy sponsors for such a comforting gift. God Bless. Charlotte Strakos

The Strakos Family

Thank you so much for our Flat Daddy! This is my husbands first deployment to Iraq, and I really didn't know how our two children were going to handle it. I had heard about flatdaddies.com from our FRG and I ordered one right away. Though our Flat Daddy doesn't make us miss--as my daughter calls him; "our real original daddy"--any less. It is really nice to have him at our nightly family dinners, in his chair where we miss him the most. I also just want to thank all of your contributors who have donated the funds in order to provide the flat daddies to us for free. You are greatly appreciated! Thank you, The Bates Family

Hope Bates

Our flat daddy arrived the weekend my husband left for sea. one month later I gave birth to our second daughter. I took him to the hospital with me. The doctors & nurses taped a mask on his face for the birth and we had such a great time! That enabled him to actually be there for the birth. We have another daughter that is 5. She sleeps with him in her room every single night and will wake me up if she cannot "see" him during the night. She even took him for show & tell to school! Our christmas photo had our flat daddy, the girls and I. It was a hit to all who got it. We have enjoyed it and it has helped my 5 year old with him being gone. This also helps so as my other daughter gets older, she can see her daddy before he comes home. Thank you so much for this special gift you have given us. Thank you.

Adrienne Trogdon

I came across this idea from a friend who thought my kids would like it. Turns out that email was the greatest gift. The flat daddy has truely been a blessing. My kids make sure he is always where they can see him, my youngest son crawls on him and has helped him know his dad. My older son sits and talks to him and tells him things and has just been there for him. It is lifesize so it truely has been the best thing for them while their daddy has been gone. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart!

Amanda Wooden

We received our flatdaddy Reed today. My kids love him. He is by my daughter's bed, she said so she can see him always, she has been giving him kisses all day. Thank you soo much. The Myers

Terri

My husband and I had a two year old daughter and were expecting our second child, a boy, when he was deployed. I wanted our daughter to remember her daddy, and our son to get used to seeing his daddy, so I ordered a flat daddy. He has joined us for meals, family gatherings, and even visited his bowling team up at the bowling alley for a drink. My daughter loves to give him hugs and kisses, and even sometimes dances with him. I know how much he wished he could have been there for the birth, so I brought flat daddy along. He joined me in the delivery room and stayed the whole stay at the hospital. All the nurses and doctors got a kick out of meeting our flat daddy. Here is our first family picture.

Shawna Mack

Thanks so much. It's so beautiful. I love it!!

Gloria Garcia

My daughter loves seeing her daddy, even though it's not the real him. Our daughter is 9 months old, and with her daddy being oversea's she didn't really know who he was besides from pictures. Well now that we have our flat daddy she can walk up to him and touch him. My heart melts everytime she waves at the flat daddy, and says "Dada" then opens her mouth real big, and gives him kisses. Thank you for our Flat Daddy. We wouldn't be able to get through this if it wasn't for the flat daddy.

Brandi Lipinski

 

Thank you soo much, I hung the picture in my kids room and on the bottom I wrote days on there so they could have their own countdown. We started at 210 days and every day they look forward to getting up so they can mark another day away. This was such a great idea. Thanks again

Kaiser's

We have had our Flat Daddy for a few months now and it is such a great idea. Our five year old son talks to "Dad" and carries him around the house. My Husband left a week after our daughter was born and we make a point to include our Flatdaddy in most things so she will know who "Daddy" is when he comes home. It was especially good timing as we received ours the day after my Husband left. So far he has been with us on two family trips, a first day of school, a Church outing, two birthdays and a lot of rides in the car! We even had a family Christmas portrait made with him.

Amanda DeBord

My husband deployed a few months ago and his biggest fear was that our one year old son would not remember who he was by the time he got back from deployment. My son Alec is AMAZED by his flat daddy, he constantly points at it, will look at it and giggle as if daddy is standing right there, I highly doubt that my son will forget who his daddy is. Thank you so much for this wonderful program and for the wonderful person who sponsored our family in order for us to receive this lovely gift completely free. God Bless you all!

Julieann Martin

Having Flat Daddy has been so much fun and makes for fantastic pictures! He's been able to come to the neighborhood cook-outs, vacation in Fort Lauderdale, and he even dressed up for Halloween! Thanks to Flat Daddies, we'll have a family photo this year for our Christmas Cards!

Meghan

 

We have a deployed Daddy and found out about your site through another family with a deployed Daddy. Ours hasn't arrived... but I wanted to thank you for the gift of your photo for my friends family. They have had it up and talked with it for 8 months now. In tradegy, it is bringing even more comfort to the family. Their Daddy was killed in Afghanistan last week. Your flat Daddy picture is helping many family members in memorializing this brave soldier. Thank you for what you are doing for keeping our soldiers close to our hearts during deployments and tradegy.

Army Wife, Mom, friend

Thank you so much for sending us our "flat daddy." On the day that we received our "flat daddy," my daughter and I also received news that we were able to get a house in Port Hueneme, CA. Due to the fact that we are going to be moving soon, I wondered if I should post the "flat daddy" on foam board and risk it being destroyed in our move OR should I make a life-size poster for my daughter in a poster frame. Needless to say, I wasn't going to risk anything happening to my daughter's "flat daddy" so I put it in a poster frame. That afternoon when she woke up from her nap she was so excited to see her life-size poster of her daddy. My husband has been deployed for almost a year of my 2-year-old daughter's life, but she still remains a "daddy's girl." Now, with the help of our "flat daddy" she is able to give him kisses and tell him goodnight. I have sent many pictures to my husband in Iraq of our daughter with her "flat daddy" and he couldn't be happier that she has it. Thanks again for helping to make his time away a little easier on my daughter and me! Your efforts are GREATLY appreciated. The picture is of my daughter giving her daddy a kiss!

Courtney Wallace

Although our "flat daddy" is not the real thing, we find some comfort in seeing his face, life size, around the house. The children enjoy having him at the table or watching a movie with us. When communication is so minimal, and you haven't seen them for months at a time, something as simple as this life size poster, is a true token of joy.

Joy Steuer

I just wanted to let you know that we did get a flat daddy the first deployment made it into a backpack and she loved well now we are on deployment #2. Her flat daddy is still surviving being toted around!!! The best thing we have ever received...Thank You so Much!!!

Sonya Predmore

We , my husband and I had a granddaugter born and living in our home while he was deployed ( 07 - 08 ) I ordered her a Flat Grandpa at 3 months of age. We talk to her papa , he went bye bye in the car with her and he received night night kisses. Julie's first word PaPa. Grandpa came home at 9 months of age. His biggest fear, that his first grandchild would be afraid of him. The meeting went like a MasterCard commercial. He came through the door , first HI , a big smile , first kiss, a big giggle and then Little Julie lean back , after months of working to get her flat papa to talk and play , he finally talked to her. Love at first sight. Picture was taken 5 minutes after meeting.

michelle wallace

 

My husband just left for Iraq for the second time and I have my ups and downs but my way of dealing with it is prayer. I have a 15 year old step son who lives in Florida. My husband and I were trying to have a child together but we have had difficulties and then he had to leave so that makes it hard. I try to be strong for him because I do not want him to have to worry too much while he is gone. We have only been married for 4 years and in that time, 2006, was the first full year we have had together. Many people ask me how I get through and I tell them God, My Family and My Husband. Otherwise I would be pulling my hair out. During the time of his deployment I do not watch the News nor do I read articles in the paper or on the computer because I do not think that I could cope the way that I do not knowing. I thank everyone who supports the Soldiers and their families, without you guys and gals we wouldn't make it. I always tell my husband before our conversation ends: That I Love Him, I Miss Him and To Be Safe, and I let him know that he is My Bestfriend, My Soulmate And My Hero. Thank you for letting me share my story.....

Eunice Aiken

We just got our Flat Daddy today, and my kids are over the moon! They have both been hugging and kissing him since i pinned it up! I"m gonna go get a poster fram for it tomorrow! Thanks so much!

Amanda Dunbar

 

My daughter, Molly, is 13 months old. When her Flat Daddy came, I hung it overlooking her crib and she just GLOWED when she saw her Daddy! She kissed it and said "daa daa" and just stared at him with a huge grin on her face. It was a magical moment!!!

Abby

 

We have 3 children at home all under the age of 5. I was amazed to see how excited all of them were about their flatdaddy. The 2 year-old plays with him all day and even tries to feed him. The 8 month old constantly stares at him and babbles while smiling. The 4 year-old talks to him and tells him everything that is going on. In the morning and before they go to bed they always kiss him and tell him that they Love him. This is such a great thing for our lives thank you so much!!!

Tracey Whitmore

 

We received our flat daddy about a week ago and immediately put it in our 3 your old sons bedroom. It hangs directly across from his bed and my son says daddy watches over him while he sleeps. Thanks, I'm sure it will help our son remember his daddy while he is deployed.

Sheila Lindvay

 

I just want to thank everyone involved in the flat daddy process. It was the greatest feeling to open the container and then pull out that cut out. Especially when you haven't seen your husband and or father in almost a year. It brought tears to my eyes and I just want to thank everyone so much! You don't know what it means. So thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Mrs. Cody A Sergents Wife, USMC

When i heard about Flat Daddies i was so shocked to see what it was...my daughter at the time we got it was 6 years old...with daddy gone on a long deployment she missed him more than anything in the world...i told her we could take him everywhere and she told me " mommy i want to keep daddy in my room", i ask her why? " " she told me" because daddy can play with me and watch movies and kiss me goodnight everynight" Everytime she thought about her daddy she would climb up her wall and give him a kiss it was the sweetest thing i had ever seen...even if she had a secret to tell him she would walk up to it and tell daddy her secret or tell him what she did that day or where she went or who she played with...having the flat daddy made my daughter so happy in knowing that even though daddy was far away it was right at home with her whenever she needed him the most...today my daughter is 8 years old and she still has flat daddy on her wall...she still gives him kisses at night (even though daddy is home), but i have never seen her more happier...its her favorite poster in her room and she wouldnt give it up for anything...she asked me recently " will i have it when im older?" i told her" yes you will have it forever", because having her daddy home or away she is always daddy's little girl...and its a bond that they share and always will...

Kathy Gilbert

Our boys, Carter 5, Jackson 3 and Lincoln 1, LOVE their FLAT DADDY!! They are so excited to have him "there". He plays Legos, watches movies, attends Tee-Ball games, birthday parties, holiday parties, and pre-school graduation. We take pictures of flat daddy and all of the places he has been and put them in an album to show "real daddy" when he returns from Afghanistan. The boys are so young and have a difficult time understanding why daddy is away for so long but having flat daddy "watch" them has been priceless. It has been most beneficial for our 1 year-old who was 7 months when his daddy deployed. He will be almost 2 when my husband returns and at least he will "know" his daddy. Every night they give him kisses and and hear their daddy's voice when they each press their bear's paw from Build A Bear with daddy wishing them goodnight and I love you. Thanks for helping my children cope with the deployment.

Wendy

When my Husband came home for R&R.I gave birth to our daughter Alyssa,she is now almost 12 month old. My husband got KIA on March 10,2008. So the Flat Daddy he ordered is the only thing what is about life size pic of him . We look at him every day and talk to him and she kisses him. So I want to thank Flat Daddy for giving me the opportunity to show my daughter her Daddy and grow up with a life size pic of him.

Angela Suzch

We got our Flat Daddy in the mail yesterday. We came home and there it was on the porch! I opened it up unrolled it and my 2yr old son started to squeal with excitment "DADDY!" We love our Flat Daddy and it's now hanging up on the living room wall. I have also already spread the word to friends with children. Thank you Flat Daddies!

Ashley Smith

 

Oh my goodness. I am so excited. Daddy leaves in a few short days and our flatdaddy arrived today! The kids will love it! Thank you.

Danielle West

 

When I first decided we needed one of these, saw an article about the "Flat Daddies" My Husband was more excited about our girls getting a Flat Daddy than I was! But I love seeing our 9 month old give it kisses & talk to her "daddy", it's so sweet! And he is proud to know that his girlies get a "life-size" Daddy to hang around with until he gets home!

Amanda Jones - UANG Wife

 

My children, ages 1, 2 and 13, love their Flat Daddy. When he first arrived my children were so excited they wouldn't go to sleep. I ended up with the 1 and 2 year old and Flat Daddy in bed with me because they wanted to sleep with him. My one year old carries him around even though it is bigger than her. They take him every where and give him kisses good night every night. He has had dirt poured on his head, been hit with a ball (my son wanted him to play baseball), they even wrestle with it. While I know they would rather have their dad home having the Flat Daddy has made his time away a little easier on all of us.

Nicole

Having our flat daddy was a great way for our youngest to see her Daddy life sized. He left when she was 2 months and she now knows that he's not really 2 inches high like in the other photos. She loves to 'talk' with her flat daddy. I really think this will help in the transition when he comes home at the end of the month. Thanks so much for helping my daughter recognize her Daddy.

Kim Longo

 

I just wanted to say Thank you for the Flat Daddies program. We received ours on the best day!! My 4 year old daughter had to have surgery and her "daddy" could not be there so when we got back home....there it was!!!! After the trying time my little girl had, it put the biggest smile on her face. Thank you so much!!

Stacey

tennille inman

We received out flat daddy and hung him up in my daughter's room, but I find myself going in there just to see my husband's face. He's been gone for 4 months and it's comforting to see his face; especially when I'm really stressed out from raising 2 kids!

Amy, USMC wife

It was a blessing to receive our Flat Daddy. My son was thrilled to have the presence of his daddy around. It was a tremendous feeling to know that with the help of the Flat Daddy that Jacob was able to remember who his daddy was until he returned home to us. We are so grateful.

Kimberly

Thanks so much for our "Flatdaddy", we have it in my son's playroom. My husband is on a 15 month tour in Iraq. When I ask my 17 month old son Robert where his Daddy is, he points to the poster and hugs it!

Stephanie Schoennauer

Army life is hard, my husband left when my daughter was 2 months old and returned just before her 18 month mark. I believe the flat daddy is one reason she adapted so quickly to his return...she acted like he never left! Thank you so much for helping support military families! It means so much to all of us!

Heather Boelman

 

Hello - I just want to take a second to let you know how impressed I was to hear about your company making the FlatDaddies available to children of our servicemen and women.  We hear so much these days about \"supporting our troops\" but few are actually making the effort to do something and it sometimes becomes an empty phrase, so easy to say and then forget about it. We all can do a little something!

Thank you from a Marine Mom.

We received out FlatDaddy 3 days ago. My daughter didn't know it was coming and when she opened it her face lit up brighter than I've seen since her dad's been deployed. Now we have it framed and will have to show it off before hanging it up. Thank you so much, it's wonderful.

Rhett Burton

My kids are older but they love their flat daddy. We have him hanging in the dinning room right now. The picture I am sharing is part of what we did for his birthday. We hung a sign that said Happy Birthday dad and took the boys pictures and video with it and emailed it to him. Thank you so much for the flat daddy. We have so much fun with him and everyone that visits loves him. Thank you again for putting some sunshine our way, during the time he is away.

Angela Tague

When I got our flat daddy I got it all ready to surprise my son and the reaction I got was priceless! Now he carries it everywhere and calls it his Happy Daddy. This is such a marvelous idea and organization. Thanks so much for making my sons day, week, month, year!

Sarah Kloiber

My husband is overseas for 15 months and I use the flat daddy to refresh my sons memory of his dad. My son just turned five and has autism and thanks to the flat daddy, he was able to keep daddy in his room and say good night every night so that when he came home for his short vacation, my son looked him in the face and called him dad for the first time without being prompted. Was the sweetest words my husband ever heard. Thanks for making these available. Such an asset for us.

Kristine Gunther

 

I received my flat daddy over the weekend and when I unrolled it my 18 month old pointed to her daddy's face and said "daddy" and then leaned in to kiss him.

Devon Pulliam

When my husband left in February, we had a 5-month-old and a 23-month-old. They are now 11 months old and 2 1/2, respectively. Having their dad leave for a year to go to Afghanistan has been an incredible hardship (especially on my two-year-old). When we received our Flat Daddy, I cut him out and stuck him to the wall where the kids could reach him, right in our living room. My 2-year-old daughter loves giving him kisses & hugs, saying Good Morning to him, and even feeding him popcorn and making him Fruit Loop necklaces that I staple to his neck. My baby doesn't even know who or what a dad is; he was so young when my husband left. However, since the day I put the Flat Daddy up on our wall, he loves looking at it. He crawls over to it, talking to his dad, smiling at him, and even leans up against him and cuddles with his blanket. I am encouraged to see this, and hope it makes the transition easier for my son when my husband comes home. Although he will not be used to him in person, at least his dad will be familiar!!! It has been such a blessing to have this life-size picture of my kids' daddy where they can see and touch it every day. This truly is an inspired program. THANK YOU, FLAT DADDIES!!!!!

Melanie Nydegger

I think this is an awesome idea and I am so glad I did it. My children are older but it has made for some good laughs having our flat daddy till the real thing comes home...Thanks so much!

Natalie

Our daughter, Sarah, is 2 1/2 years old and loves her flat daddy! We had it laminated so she rolls around with it, kisses on it, and reads it stories. I admit she even puts chapstick and other 'make-up' on him occassionally! Thank you so much!

Kylene Krupp

Thank you so much for our Flat Daddy. My children have been having a rough time with their best friend being gone. Seeing Dad every day has made it easier. They have shared everything with him and they talk to him all the time. They even joke with him. Today we celebrated Easter and Dad was able to celebrate with us. Thank you again for making it possible for us. I cannot express how much it means to us!

Susan McCutcheon

Thank you so much for our flat daddy. Here is a picture of our daughter at Christmas time with her flat daddy. My husband is home safe now thank goodness. Thanks again for the flat daddy. It is very special what you do.

Anna Gonzales

Our Flat Daddy helped us a lot. It was like he was there somehow. Here is one moment captured with Flat Daddy while ours was away. Enjoy!

Nichol , Tyler & Jenna Sands

 

last jan 2007 my son and husband both deployed as part of operation defending freedom they would be gone a total of 15 months we ordered a flat daddy of each and i bought poster frames and hung them in my hallway.my small grandchildren live with me 2 and 4 at the time and those flat daddies help them to be able to see there grand dad and uncle anytime they wanted.they were so helpful thanks for what you do for the families left behind

Debbie Evans

My children are 6, 2 and 1 and they loved having the Flat Daddy! It arrived a month before my husband came home and it made for a great transition! The little ones got used to his face much easier with such a large poster. It also helped my six year old daughter decide to have a birthday party. She kept saying she wanted to wait for her dad to get home but she also wanted to have her party. She was really torn. When the flat daddy arrived she broke into a huge grin and announced she was having her party because Daddy was going to be there! We celebrated all the missed birthdays again when my husband got home, but I think everything worked out really well! The dogs even barked at it when I put it up! THANK YOU!!!!!!

Carissa Osgood

kids love their flat daddie they will talk to it tell their flat daddie goodnite

tennille inman

What a wonderful program!! We love our Flat Daddy. It goes everywhere with us. It has been to swimming lessons, T-Ball games, the Pastry shop, my son's school, and on a road trip from VA to PA. I got lots of quizzical looks from those driving by as Flat Daddy was sitting in the front seat. It has even gone to my bible study with me. My kids (5, 3, and 8mths) get the biggest kick when Flat Daddy "picks" them up from school. They run up and hug him. Our baby gets so excited when she sees him she squeals and kisses all over his face. It has also helped me deal with the separation as well. He sits at the table for dinner and we go around the table to discuss our day and our 3 year old looks at Flat Daddy and says "So, how was your day Daddy?" She answers with, "oh you had lots of meetings." HAHA! When we go to my son's school, his classmates say, "Hey, your dad's here again." Flat Daddy was even the guest D.J. at the 50th day of school celebration at our son's school. (Attached picture). Now, the whole school knows us as the Flat Daddy family. I'm very happy to be a walking advertisement for your organization!! It has brought so much joy to us during my husband's deployment. Thank you again from the bottom of my heart to Flatdaddies.com and all their sponsors for making this program possible. You may never know how much of a difference this makes!! Sincerely, Beth Ann Lockert

Beth Ann Lockert

We just received our flat daddy and the reaction my son had was priceless. It almost made me cry for him to have a reaction like that (he was diagnosed with autism last year). As soon as I took it out he shouted "daddy", now we can't wait to paste him on the poster board and bring him everywhere.

Toni Norton

We just got our Flat Daddy 4 days ago and already have taken over 50 pictures of "him" doing fun activities with our family. Our 4 kids and their friends have really enjoyed getting to "hang out" with our Flat Daddy. Thank you so much!

Stephanie Camenisch, Navy Wife

We are on our second deployment with out Flat Daddy and the kids are having so much fun with him. They are a little older this time so they are enjoying taking Flat Daddy every where. We even have a photo album on Facebook called The Adventures of Flat Daddy so my husband can follow it and see all the places Flat Daddy is visiting. We get many comments on how great of an idea it is. THank you so much again for helping make deployments a little easier on families.

Nicole Cadotte

Thank you for our Flat Daddy, he is our hometown hero! This week our Flat Daddy (HM1 Michael Beery) had the honor of "meeting" Mrs. Mann's 4th Grade Class at St. Joseph's School in Herndon, Virginia. The students mailed letters to Michael (currently stationed in Kuwait) over the Christmas season. We are looking forward to having our real Daddy home later this month, but until then we have the next best thing. Love, Kris and Jack

Kris Beery

I received this Flat Daddy as a surprise gift!!! I didn't know what it could be when I opened it and when I saw my sweet husband I laughed, I cried...it was like going to a good movie! I put him right by my side of the bed so I can see him at night and when I wake up in the morning. All we have is each other, so thank you a thousand times for bringing him closer to home. Thank you, thank you, and bless you.

Elizabeth Hanafin, ARMY Wife

I ordered my flat daddy just after the arrival of our son, Kayne. My husband, Bryan, deployed 3 weeks after Kayne was born--My daughter Elyse was 7 years old at the time. I thought that the flat daddy was a good way, along with videos, to keep Kayne and Elyse in touch with their Daddy who would be gone for 15 months. I could have never know the great impact that it has since had on their life... My brother-in-law Sgt. Marcus Mathes who worked with my husband, and was deployed with him, was killed in action on April 28, 2008 just steps away from Bryan. Bryan brought Marcus home to my sister at the beginning of May and then stayed for his EML. When he left, my daughter was in turmoil. Her Uncle Marcus was killed, so she thought that would happen to daddy as well... Seeing his face in our home everyday both gives them both some peace. Elyse talks to her flat daddy everyday to let him know how things are going for her. He gets in our family photos and makes us all feel closer to him. This flat daddy has really helped us during this deployment. We still have 6 months left, and I am sure we have more good times with 'Flat Bryan' to come! Thank you sooo much! Heather, Elyse, and Kayne Harvey PROUD family of 'Flat Bryan' Harvey and Sgt. Marcus Mathes KIA 28 April 2008

The Harvey Family

My husband has never had the chance to see my daughter's piano recitals. This time she asked if she could take her flat daddy, so "Dad could feel like he finally heard me play!" This has allowed my kids to share their lives with their dad through pictures and stories. It has been a great bonding experience for our family!

Tara

My husband had to leave his baby girl when she was just 2 months old. I immediately ordered her a flat daddy and was thrilled to receive it. She is now 6 months old, we take "flat" daddy with us various places, and make sure we say good morning and good night to daddy every day. I also place "flat" daddy in front of her toys while she plays. It just melts my heart to watch her turn in her jumper to look at him, then smile, laugh and jump like crazy. She loves to see her daddy's smiling face while she plays. I can't thank the generous sponsors and makers of the "Flat Daddy" they have truely given me a little piece of heaven during this long, difficult deployment.

Leia Webb

We love our flatdaddy! He is having a great time visiting other flat daddies and mostly just hanging out at home!!

Jodi

Thats awesome!! I know we did get ours for a while due to cost restraints for ya'll but our 10mth old son, Silas aka Bubba, "talks" to his Dad-Dad all the time. I have it on the wall in our living room and when he's playing or watching Blues Clues, he always includes Dad-Dad in his conversations, tries to share his snacks and toys with him. Well, the picture...hehehe. I will most definatly be contacting my Red Cross Chapter to do my part to help ya'll out since the services ya'll provide families of deployed soldiers is amazing! Thanks again from all the Whitehead's at Fort Huachuca, AZ. I've included a picture of us the last night of my husbands' R&R, take 07/18/08.

Ella Whitehead

We have had our flat daddy for a couple months now. We love him!! We have brought him to my sons' school for their performances. I graduated nursing school and I brought him to the pinning ceremony to sit in the audience. We also have a 9 month old, who just sits and stares. She has warmed up to him now and calls him dada. His cutout looks so real. This is a wonderful idea and we love it! Thanks! We will keep you updates with the other places he goes!

Kati Cox

My daughter just received her "flat daddy" and it is wonderful. It goes where ever she goes and everyone around she tells that it is her flat daddy and soon her real daddy will be home from Iraq, but she loves her flat daddy just like her real daddy. It's too funny. Thank you so much, its a god sent.

Lindsey Savant

My son's Flat Daddy arrived just in time to attend the district track meet for his 10 year old daughter. Kylie put her bronze medal for the 400m around Kyle's neck before she wore it herself.

Oma

My husband was recently deployed so I ordered a Flat Daddy. Our girls love him and fight over who gets to have him in their room at night. I didn't do so well at putting our Flat Daddy on the poster board so I ordered another one. Since we have two of them both girls can sleep with him at night. He even made a road trip to Chicago this past weekend. I think this is an awesome idea and I plan to order a fabric family for my husband.

Kara Heuer

We received our flat daddy about a week before my son turned 3. He was thrilled to see such a life-size picture of daddy! He helped me stick it to the poster and cut it out! He carried him around the house and yard showing him everything! He played with him when he woke up in the mornings and before bed at night. Daddy helped with bathtime, watched us read books, and even watched us eat dinner. It was just so nice to have a reminder of daddy around. I even caught my son reading books to daddy. But the photo shows the true importance of our flatdaddy, when mommy couldn't make it better, there was flatdaddy. Thank you flattdaddies for helping so many families through the months. You are such a blessing!

Amanda Brandon

 

Flat Daddie's arrived this week to my beloved grandson, which is 5 years old, autistic, and missing daddy incredibly in Iraq. He has never smiled so much, and so happy staring at daddy now! THANK YOU

Donna Caldwell

My father in law is in the Maine National Guard and Flat Daddies were made before they recently deployed. My mother in law made one just for fun of her husband and since they have no small children at home she just had it sitting in her chair in her living room. When we came to visit my girls who are 2 years old went crazy to see grandpa sitting in the chair. They carried him around and kissed him, put him to bed and everything else they could manage. I think that this is the best project ever. I will be doing this for my husband when he deploys in May. Thank you!

Angie

I can't even begin to express how excited we were to get our Flat Daddy. The wait was worth it. My 2 year old finally understands that his father is not a cell phone! I do have to warn people though, it's very freaky to walk into the kitchen and see the Flat Daddy sitting at the table--they're so realistic! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. I can't wait to start taking pictures of him with the kids and in funny places!

Kimberly Howard

Thank you so much for our Flat Daddy. Our boys love seeing their dad first thing in the morning, and giving him a kiss goodnight each evening. Makes us feel like he's not so far away!

Julie Marchesi

My baby absolutely loves her flat daddy she runs around playing with it and every time it's in front of her she gives it kisses..I think it'll help a lot when he gets home because it's life size, before he came home for R&R I just had a small picture but with this she see's his face more clear she also puts head bands and all that on him...I love it too, this was probably one of the best in things someone has ever made thank you so much...........

Junella Smith

 

My Flat Daddies shipment is just what my daughter needed. Now she can kiss him good morning and good night every day. Even though I know it's not him, I find myself talking to him once in a while.

Dorothy Anlage

 

I can't thank you enough for our flatdaddie!!! We just received it today and I plan on putting it on a foam board. We will take good care of our flatdaddie so he will last for years to come! Thank you again sooo much!!! When my daughter first saw, it she immediately said....Dada!!!

Michelle K.- USAF Wife and Mother

 

I just wanted to say thank you for my flat daddy. I totally forgot that I had ordered it so it was a wonderful surprise. It will be a nice reminder of what I will get back at the end of August. Thanks again!

Emily Russell, Marine wife

Our Flat Daddy has been great for our children. My husband and I, while home for R&R, put our's in a frame and put it on the wall for them to see every day. A friend and I also let our Flat Daddy's hang out for a while. You guys are doing a great job for our children. THANK YOU!

Jacki Frye

Hayley and Amanda LOVE their flat daddy so much. We couldn't bear to cut it, so it was placed on their wall in their bedroom. We look at it daily, and sit on their bed and talk about their dad. They miss him so much, and having this "bigger than life" poster of him, in their room no less, helps them a lot. I have "caught" them talking to "him" from time to time. It helps them to have visual of him there. This, truly, has been the best gift my daughters could have received. Thank you, and your sponsors, so much for blessing us. It was the best Christmas gift we could have received.

Jennie Osborne

 

We received our flat daddy yesterday. I wasn't quite sure what it was so I unrolled it and as soon as my 7 month old son saw daddy's picture he stared for a minute then smiled from ear to ear. He hasn't seen daddy since he was 2 months old and him recognizing him meant a lot. Later on I showed his nonni and he tried giving it a kiss and rubbed his face. This means a lot to us and I am so thankfull we have something he can look at and remember daddy! Thank you so much! You've made this deployment a little easier!! -The DarkHorse family

Asheigh DarkHorse

This pic has truely been a blessing. My daughter has only seen her daddy about 6 months of her 2 yrs due to back to back deployments. My younger son is almost 4 and has only seen him 16 months, and the oldest is 9 and has seen daddy about 5 of those yrs. The hardest has been our 4yr old, who is autistic. It took him a little bit, but he warmed right up to his flat daddy, and so did the little daddy's girl! The oldest walks by and give his "dad" a high five every morning. Thank you so much, you don't know what a world you have given to my 4 yr old, and pure joy for the rest of us! Pictured is our 4 yr old kissing his "daddy"....who has never been able to picture associate until now! What a blessing this has been.

Donna Hayes

Our Flat Daddy was worth the wait! The "real" daddy has been gone for two months, but now Flat Daddy joins us for every meal. My 17-month old daughter can't walk past him without pointing and saying "Daddy" with a big smile on her face. She gives him hugs and kisses, points out his ears, eyes, nose... very sweet. Thanks for bringing a tangible element to daddy's year long absence. We appreciate it!

Kelly Wright

We ordered our flat daddy for my 19 month old daughter. My husband deployed when she was 9 months old and will not be home until she is 23 months old. Having the flat daddy helps show my daughter that her daddy is with us if only in pictures and memories for now. She will go every morning and kiss one of his pictures. The flat daddy will help my daughter not to be as scared when daddy really comes home.

Sara Holcomb

Thank you so much for the flat daddy! It is so realistic that it took a few days to get used to because it would startle me whenever I went into the room with it thinking there was someone there. It really helped my 1 year old be comfortable with my husband when he came home for his R&R leave. Thanks again!

The Lewis'

I just received this pic of my 13 month old daughter. With the help of Mom, she now knows my face and can point out Dada in other photos. This is the second deployment Flat Daddy has been used - my two other children enjoyed it last time. Thank you for your support as this product definitely helps families cope with the separation.

Mike

tennille inman

This form only allowed me to submit one photo with my story but I also wanted to share with you my 6yr old hugging our flat daddy.

Stacy Beilke

Let me begin by saying this is the best thing that I have ever seen. I have three girls ranging in ages of 12, 10, and 2. My older girls understand why daddy is gone but my baby girl really doesn't understand. My youngest was born during my husbands second deployment and now he is on his third. They really haven't gotten the chance to bond. But this flat daddy is a life saver. She takes him everywhere she goes. When we go for our morning walk she has her daddy with her. This is the best sergeant next to having him here physically. Thanks so much Jennifer Madron Fort Stewart GA

Jennifer Madron

 

After 5 1/2 months under our belts, our Flat Daddy came with only two weeks to go. It has filled such a need in our household! After I surprised the kids at lunch with "Daddy" sitting at the table, my four year old son sighed and said, "I wish my Flat Daddy could put me to bed. Can I hold him?" and wrapped his arms around it with his eyes closed in bliss. And my eight month old daughter may now recognize my husband when she sees him in person again. Flat Daddies don't just help with deployment, they help smooth the way for the reunion, too. Thank you!

MamaGeph

 

THANK YOU!!! This was such a wonderful thing to have. It always brought a smile to my face during the time my husband was in Ramadi, which was exactly what I needed!

Anna Hancock

My husband left behind 6 young children when he deployed to Iraq. It has been a struggle for them to have their daddy gone and to understand what is happening. Our Flat Daddy has been such a blessing! My 1-year old twin sons are able to see (and hopefully remember) their daddy. My 3-year old twin daughters love to dance for daddy. Even my 5-year old and 7-year old sons want to include Flat Daddy in our daily life. Last week one of my baby boys picked up Flat Daddy and carried him around the house, kissing him. It was the sweetest sight and the photos of that made melted my husband's heart when he saw them. Thank you so much for this incredible gift!

Heather Eckstein

USS Dwight D Eisenhower homecoming, 2007. How was I going to make sure my husband and the girls' daddy knew where to find us on a pier with tens of thousands of other people? The answer was easy - it wouldn't be hard to spot us if he spotted himself first! Enter FLAT DADDY! Prior to homecoming, our Flat Daddy was a comfort to us - a little part of the man we love was still with us. Homecoming day was a huge hit with our Flat Daddy. Not only for my husband, but everyone that saw it. Every newspaper and TV station wanted an interview. Complete strangers wanted our photo. Everyone thought Flat Daddies is the best idea ever. For so many reasons, they're right. Thank you so much for what you do for so many of us in the service.

Bindi, Sapphire and Trinity Stokes

Thank you so much for our Flat Daddy! We received it yesterday and it was a bigger gift for us than we possibly could have imagined. Thank you again!

Mary

Daddy didn't totally miss our daughter's first day of 2nd grade

Dayna

I have 4 small daughters and my husband has been overseas for 8 months now. Before we received our flat daddy my smallest daughter would wander around the house calling for her daddy. Now she has a place where she can "sit" with daddy. All the girls will sit by the picture or give it a kiss but its used the most by my 2 yr old. Thank you so much. Our flat daddy has been such a blessing during this hard time.

Kimberly Jones

Deployments are hard on everyone but especially kids. Our flat daddy was the best thing ever. The kids can have dinner with dad every night and still give him a good night kiss. He can go on rides with us and par take in our picnic's. Thanks you so much for the great job you do. The pictures are life like. It's absolutely amazing. Keep up the great job. Thank you from all of us!!!! The Edgar's

Nikki Edgar

Thanks for the FlatDaddy. It was great to take Christmas pictures with his girlfriend and with the grandchildren. We are amazed at how realistic he looks in the pictures. I think even my son was amazed at the realistic likeness of the Flatdaddy! As friends and relatives enter our house they are shocked to see him sitting at the kitdhen table. We thank you for the Flatdaddy that we've shared with family and friends. This is a great service and I hope it recieves continued funding bringing joy to other parents and children of other servicemen. thanks, again. Diane

Diane Lavoie

We LOVED our Flat Daddy. We unfortunately didn't get it until 2 weeks before his return. However, we got it in time to take it to the airfield. He said he could see his 16 year old daughter, Courtney, waving it around when they were landing the plane. What was so funny is that she is normally very shy. So when he landed, she was screaming "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy" really loud and waving it in the air. All the soldiers were passing by us and WOW, did they smile and laugh. We were so happy to cheer them up after such a long, exhausing trip home. Thank you sooo much for sending us our Flat Daddy! The Rauchle's

Lisa, Courtney and Lexie Rauchle

We LOVE our flat daddy! We take him all over the place! We love to pose for family photos with him : )

Carrie McCarty

My kids love their flat daddy, it has really helped them deal with their daddy's deployment. They say goodnight to him every night. They set him up and he watches tv with them. Thank you so much for a great idea that has helped so many kids.

Jessica Neil

 

We were so excited to get our Flat Daddy today! My 2-year old daughter has had a really hard time adjusting to my husband's absence this past two weeks. As soon as I pulled it out of the mailing tube and unrolled it, she squealed "DADDY!" and gave it a big kiss!! Thank you so very much for the service you provide to America's military children!!

The Daniels Family

I just got our flat daddy and my son LOVES it! I have it hanging in his room for him to see when he falls asleep! Thank you so much it helps alot!

Kristen and Ayden Moore

Our third child, Sam, was born 6 weeks before my husband was deployed. We keep the flat daddy around him as much as possible, so he may grow used to daddy's smiling face. Our flat daddy sits at the kitchen table with us, rides in the car with us, and has even accompanied us to Chuckie Cheese to celebrate our daughter's 7th birthday. Emily even brought it to school with her to share with her class on a special day. Thank you so much for this wonderful gift that we all love, and that helps us get through tough holidays and special occasions. Your generosity has made such a difference in our lives!

Kate Kehler

Our flatdaddy is priceless! It came shortly after my husband left from his 2 weeks R&R and our 5 month old boy talks and kisses his flatdaddy! I really do beleive he knows who he is now! Thank you and your sponsors for our flattdaddy!

Kate & TJ Gleason

 

We love our flat daddy! My 14 month old lays on the floor and kisses daddy every night before bed. My older kids like it that daddy can still sit with us at dinner. It's just nice to still have daddy around!!!

Heather

We received our Flat Daddy back in July. My kids and I were so excited to get it. We took him on many adventures including out to dinner at Texas Roadhouse, Applebee's, Bob Evans, and Don Pablos (for his birthday), to the Toledo Zoo, and to a family reunion. He rode in the front seat of the van with his seatbelt on all the way from Georgia to Ohio. I get so many comments on it and many people ask where they can get their own. I also get lots of strange looks but it is all worth it to have "daddy" with us through this difficult time. Our Flat Daddy had so many adventures this summer that he got pretty bent up. Now he sits in the front seat of the van at all times. I love driving through the gates on post and getting the MPs to do a double take. One lady asked for his ID. I joked that I didnt think he brought his wallet with him. I just love having it so much so that I ordered a new one to have for holiday pictures. I didnt tell my kids we were getting a new one so they will be very excited when it arrives. I can not thank Flatdaddies.com enough for offering such a great program for families of deployed soldiers. I love that my kids ages 6, 5, 3, 2 and 1 can have their dad around even while he is on the other side of the world. My 2 and 1 year olds will be able to recognize daddy when he comes home and that is a gift that is priceless. Thank you flatdaddies.com and I hope you like the picture of our Flat Daddy on one of his adventures.

Brianna Whitehead

It was great to recieve my flat Daddy today. It is perfect!!!!! I can not wait for my 5 children to come home from school to see it. Thanks so much for making our time apart a little easier.

Brenda Lewis

 

As a Special Forces Engineer Sergeant, my husband is gone a lot, whether it's a deployment (he's on his fourth now) or TDY. We got a flat daddy for our son last deployment, and as our son is very young, I feel it helped him remember his daddy which made redeployment a great deal easier. Now that's he's a little older he tells his flat daddy good night, good morning, and even blows him kisses. I really believe it has helped keep him connected to his father, even though they're miles apart.

Tracy

Our flat daddy arrived in Germany!!!! My six year old insisted on "sitting on daddy's lap" for dinner that evening. Thank you Lexmark and Flatdaddies.com

Diane

Still in the early stages of this deployment but what I can say is that this two dimensional stand in is the next best thing! My 6 year old builds forts with dad, and my two year old wrestles, plays trains and pack him next to him where ever he is hangin out. He goes to bed every night with a hug and kiss on dad (flat daddy) and wakes every morning with a hug and kiss for him. I couldn't be happier that we decided to get this and the life size "realness" of him is so much like really having him here. My two year old carries him to the door begging to go bye bye with daddy and my 6 year old helps her baby brother out by carrying him everywhere they go! Thank you thank you thank you! What a blessing Flat Daddy has been and will be for the next long long chapter of our lives!

Rose Waterfield

Thank you so much for our flat daddy. My daughter Ashlyne was 2 weeks old when my husband left for a 15 month deployment. Her flat daddy will definately help her get to know what her daddy looks like so that it will be an easier transition when he is finally back home with us. Thanks again so much!

Erica Oleksiak

We love our flatdaddy. I got him the month he deployed. We take him everywhere w/us and i do mean everywhere: the store, the mall, church, restaurants, He even made an apperance at his brothers wedding. I get stoped all the time, and ask where i got it. My daughter loves her flatdaddy, she dances w/him, kisses him, talks to him, sings w/him. It has been a great blessing to have him. Thank you so much!!! God Bless This pic is of us on 4th of July. Sitting in the same spot we sat in last yr. w/daddy.

Teresa Ruiz

The kids really love flat daddy and he is helping the kids along while the real daddy is gone for this next year. Daddy gets to go everywhere with us, and will be present and accounted for in the truck when we move in a couple of weeks. This is a wonderful service you provide to all of us left at home.

Joy Shearer

My husband was gone through most of my pregnancy. So, we took him along to doctor appointments, he sat at the table for Thanksgiving and Christmas, came to my baby shower, and of course was at the birth. Here is a shot of him at my ultrasound. Having my Flat Husband meant the world to me and became a huge hit with our family and helped me deal with him being away when I needed him. Thanks so much

Sara

I have an 8 month old and a 7 year old. When their Daddy left the baby was only 4 months old and his Daddy was very concerned that he would not recognize him when he came home. The Flat Daddy is helping to not let that happen. Flat Daddy is in what ever room he is in and the boys interact with it. Thank you so much for our Flat Daddy it helps not only the boys, but myself to see him everyday.

Dawnita Bolen

This is the best thing ever. I can't thank you enough for this wonderful and exciting offer! We take my husband everywhere we go and record video clips to send him in Iraq of him shopping with us, eating with us, driving around in the convertible, and even getting pictures taken in the Texas bluebonnets with us. Everyone around here just gets a kick out it and asks where we got it and asks how we did it. I am so proud of my Flat Daddy! He stays in my car with the seatbelt on him while I am at work and even goes to my daughters' softball games with us. This really boosts moral for him, myself, his family, and many strangers too. His fellow soldiers all want to know where they can get one for their wives so they can be in weddings, etc. haha. I love it!! Thanks again!!

Kim Tormala

 

I'm a new army wife. My husband and I were married on Valentine's Day this year. We knew that soon he would be deployed to Kosovo, so I ordered a Flat Daddy. Now that he's gone, I've been keeping a blog of what we've done together. To see pictures, visit www.ayeartogetherapart.blogspot.com Thank you!

Amanda

We just received our Flat Daddy last week and he has been a great addition to our family. Both, of my children, ages 2 and 5, love to kiss Daddy and talk to him. Our real Daddy has been gone for over 8 months and he won't be home until next year. I surprised my son by waiting at his bus stop with our Flat Daddy. He was shocked and so excited, as were all of the kids on his bus. Thank you for this awesome gift.

Janel Skrabanek

My son has been enjoying his flat daddie "father" for a few months now and he "talks" to him everyday. He even reads him his books. He loves his "DaDa" and my husband will be returning from his 2nd tour the end of May!! Thanks for the help keeping our family feel a little bit more complete!

Jessica Lantz

My husband will be home in two months after a year-long deployment and this is the best Christmas present you could have given my daughter. She loves it! Thank you so much!!

Rocio VanHouten

My husband came home for R&R to watch our daughter's birth, but had to leave the day after. The flat daddy gives her a chance to get to "know" him before he returns home!

Erin Picado

My husband deployed to Iraq when I was 6 months pregnant. He was able to return home for our son's birth, but left 2 weeks later, and did not return until our son was 7 months old. In the time he was away I kept the flat daddy in my son's bedroom. And once my son became comfortable with 'tummy time' I started putting him right on top of the flatdaddy, like in this photo. my son would study his face and touch it and often laugh. It made him familiar with my husband, and for that I am so grateful! When we picked my husband up from the airport, my son was not only comfortable with him, but he was laughing with him, and smiling at him, and touching his face.

Lindsay

 

my flat daddy has been through one deployment and we are now entering another. We hung it up on our living room wall and when he came back from Iraq it went down. I am not happy it is being put back up (for that only means another deployment) but I am excited that we have it. It is so nice to look at the pic when you miss them more than you can stand. 12-15 months is a long time to be without your spouse and this helps you feel connected. Thanks Flat daddy!!!

Brenda Lewis

My husband sent me a Flat Daddy after he left for overseas. Although we do not have small children at home, you can see I have had alot of fun bringing Dave to workout class, also church dinners, get togethers, so one does not need to have small children at home to enjoy a Flat Daddy.

Julie Swaney, proud wife of David Swaney

I have 4 children, 10, 6, 2 and newborn. My 6yr old son likes to hug the flat daddy. My 2yr old daughter has to have the flat daddy next her bed watching over her as she sleeps. For the first 3 months daddy was gone she would wake up every night screaming for daddy. She also likes to take daddy shopping and on drives with us. She's always kissing him and laying him on the living floor so she can lay on his lap to watch t.v. My newest son was born shortly after my husband got to Iraq so he didn't get to hold the baby until he came home on leave 6 months later. The baby will be 11 months old when my husband comes home in a few weeks. Even though daddy hasn't been here his first word was still "dada". The flat daddy is always around so I know it will make the reunion more smooth and exciting... as it should be. Thank you for helping my children during this difficult time! OK, me too... I love seeing his face staring back at me.

Stacy Beilke

I ordered my Flat Daddy for my children. I had my son two months after my husband had deployed and felt that my son really needed to grow seeing his daddy. When I received the Flat Daddy my children were so excited. We took him everywhere with us! On homecoming day, I flipped him over and wrote a message telling my husband where I was in the crowd. When we got home, the children were waiting, and my then 5 month old son looked at his daddy for the first time, and said his first word DA DA. I credit the flat daddy for it all!

Cindy Craven

This form only allowed me to submit one photo with my story but I wanted you to see our baby playing with the flat daddy. He's spent more time with his flat daddy than his real daddy. It means so much to me to keep that bond going. Thanks!

Stacy Beilke

 

My flatdaddy is 'Babe'. I took him to work with me and he made us all smile and at times surprised us - even me! 'Babe' is so true to life size. I love my 'Babe' and when he is not travelling with me he stays in the kitchen watching me cook. And when I'm not cooking he sits in the livingroom - where he has a bird's eye view of all my comings and goings. Thank you to the many people and businesses who continue to support the military and their families of our deployed soldiers.

Monica Cook

I couldn't thank you enough for our free flat daddy. My daughter was a week and a half when he left. She'll be one next month and he still wont be home for another three months. Knowing he was going to be gone for the first year of her life this was such a great idea to help her recognize him. She is always going up to the poster and saying "Dada" and giving her daddy kisses. We ask her where daddy is and she looks for the poster. I joke with my husband that she's going to be shocked to find out he's a real live person! Haha. Again, thank you so much. This was such a wonderful gift and it means a lot to me!!!

Kelli Jenkins

My husband is a Marine and has been stationed in Iraq since December of 2006. My daughter Kylie was 3 1/2 months old when her daddy left...She is now 15 months old. I have Kylie's "flat daddy" taped up to her closet door so several times a day I will say "go kiss daddy" and she goes and kisses her "daddy." It is so sweet. I just wonder how she is going to react when the real thing comes home and he kisses back! :) Thank you so much for providing Kylie a fill in "daddy" while her daddy is gone. I don't mind being able to look at him every day as well. :) Thanks so much!!!!!

Erin Ledyard