Family celebrates first Father’s Day

Dakota and Lauren Hufferd sit on wicker furniture on their porch after a day’s work as 8-month-old baby Knox squirms on his mother’s lap.
There is no sweeter sound for Dakota than his son’s laugh.
“I could listen to it all day,” he said.
This Sunday, Dakota will celebrate his first Father’s Day with Knox and his wife Lauren.
Dakota, 27, and Lauren, 26, both grew up in Iola and attended high school together.
They began dating in 2006 and were married on Aug. 21, 2010. Dakota works for the City of Iola in the gas department and Lauren began working at Class Act Salon in 2009 and later purchased the business in 2012.
The couple, who has been together now for nine years, finishes each other’s sentences when retelling the day they found out they were going to be parents.
“Well, you were messing with the fire place,” Lauren said. “And I came out of the bathroom and sat the pregnancy test on the coffee table.”
“And I was like let’s not panic, we can finish the dishes, and then go to WalMart to do another test,” he said.
“We ended up taking five tests and they were all positive, except the last one,” Lauren said with a laugh. “Oh, and he got called into work after we found out.”
Their excitement about being new parents grew as they awaited the arrival of baby Knox. He made his appearance into the world in October of 2014.
“Being a father is really great but also kinda hectic,” Dakota said. “We’re never on time to anything we do now but being a dad is the best feeling ever.”
Through the years Dakota wants to teach Knox about baseball and how to be a good person. He would love for Knox to be a kid who loves being outdoors.
“We like to go on a lot of walks and he has a little trailer he rides in behind the bike that he loves,” Dakota said.
“He’s always been outside since we had him,” Lauren added. “He’ll definitely be in the garage with Dakota working on projects.”
Mornings are Dakota’s favorite time of day because he gets to spend time with Knox before he goes to work. Lauren said at night Dakota reads Knox books. Parenthood suits the Hufferds well and smiles spread across their faces when asked about the possibility of another child in the future.
“We would love to have another,” she said.
“We would like to have one soon,” he added.
As for advice for new dads, Dakota said time with your child is precious.
“Time flies by really, really fast so enjoy every moment,” he said. “Oh, and also practice on not getting any sleep.”