Daddy's Girl

Today I am wearing a brand new outfit.

Brand new from one of my most favorite stores, Eddie Bauer.

On Tuesday night, my Dad took me on a date and bought me two complete new outfits.  I felt like a princess - I feel like a princess.

And if my Dad had taken me along for a ride to check out a garden tractor with him, I still would have felt like a princess.

He drove me to the big city in his 49 Panel van, the only one I know of, the one that is all my Dad.  It has turquoise visors...I love those visors.  I love that my dad built the entire thing himself, that the heat hardly works, that it's loud and echoey and old and fully uniquely wonderful.

For dinner we went to Cracker Barrel, because it's my favorite as much as his.

And to be honest, the whole evening was so wonderful and so dear to me I didn't really think I should blog about it.  Some things are so precious you just want to hold them to yourself.  This is one of those moments.

But last night at dinner, somehow or another my husband recalled this song while he was teasing the boys and - as is typical for us at dinner time - he youtubed it and as soon as I heard it, I knew I had to share it with you all.

For the Daddy's who read this blog - tell your daughter you love her.  For the daughter's who read this blog - hug your Daddy and let him know you will always be his little girl.

Because you always will be.



I love you, Father dear!

My Birthday Cake Surprise

You heard all about my romantic husband's surprise date for me. That was Saturday, the day BEFORE my birthday.

The next day was my actual birthday and I spent the day letting my husband make me steak and then sorta picked up the house a bit and answered facebook birthday well wishes. I decided I really needed a cake for my birthday and even though I didn't have red food coloring I thought I would try a Red Velvet cake.

Just about that time, a vehicle pulled in. And from the back of the mini van came my mom and my sister singing happy birthday to me.

(I don't normally wear a white dress at HERE at my HOUSE (in fact, my mom was thinking I was exceptionally brave and daring to purchase one) but this is my BIRTHDAY dress and I wanted to show them what my romantic hubby had bought me.)

My mom and sister came bearing cake.

This cake is made with coffee. Do you have to wonder then why it is my favorite? Then you top it with cherry pie filling and then you top that with cool whip. It's soooooo yummy.

Please note that I am not 311 years old. My mom had a three candle, a one candle and I had a single candle to make my correct age. My boys loved teasing me I was 311 though.

And it's a good thing they showed up because my birthday cake turned out like this........

Pitiful.

I had my mom snap a photo of all of us on my birthday.

Why, yes, that IS S2 in his football gear (he had to show everyone!) and that is S4 with a helmet on. Because you always take pictures on Moma's birthday with a helmet on.

Please excuse the clean laundry piled in the chair. And the seeds in the other chair.....

But I rather love this photo anyhow.

I happened to catch a cute picture of Blaine, my sister's newest baby. How can you NOT love those big ol cheeks?

S4 had to give Baby Backup a big ol hug....

My niece, I love her. She is so........okay words escape me. I am just glad she likes me now. And I have to share this story with you....In Sunday school they asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up and she shot her hand in the air and growled authoritatively "A Dinosaur!"

Here is a pic of my sister and I on a very hot birthday day. We had been giggling quite a bit by the time this one was taken and I do believe I will be framing this.

But I KNOW I will be framing this one......

My Dad and Mom and I on my birthday. This was the greatest gift ever, a visit from my parents on my birthday and a picture to remember the day.

Thank you for making the best birthday ever EVEN BETTER. I love you all so much!

Valentine's Day

As a whole, I do not much care for Valentine's Day.

There, I said it.

This is why....

If you need to show how much you love someone on just one day of the year

you have serious problems.

I did not realize just how passionately people either hate or love Valentine's Day till I was browsing Twitter and Facebook today. Wow.

But don't get me wrong, I may not be overly crazy about Valentine's Day but far be it from me to neglect a day set aside just to remind everyone in my family that I love them dearly! I made - okay, I attempted to make - heart shaped pancakes for the boys this morning. Completely loaded in chocolate chips.

Isaac informed me that they were good but not great but he liked them because he knew I made them with joy in my heart. Seriously, that is what he said.

And all the boys in my family get a little heart filled with chocolates because they get such a thrill over that.

That's it.

The day has a special feel to it, I won't deny it, but it's not my favorite day of the year. And I always feel bad for my husband if he tries to stress over it at all. Cuz he should know by now, he is my gift

every

single

day.

Along with all my boys' hugs and kisses and cuddles.

A friend of mine, who has known me since before I was even a thought and has been married longer than I have been alive, wrote this today...

Since today is Valentine's Day, what is your best marriage advice? here's mine~ just be friends, Quit worrying about the roles, rules, and expectations and work on friendship.

I find that perfectly said. (thanks Nancy Hopkins!)

I was talking to Jake last night and told him when I think of Valentine's Day there are two memories that make me love the holiday....

One is my mom. Every year (I guarantee if I show up at my parents house today, it will be there for me) my mom bakes these huge valentine cookies for us. She frosts them in white frosting and writes our names in cursive in red.

The cursive always made them more special. Because before I knew how to write in cursive, I knew that it was fancy writing on a fancy cookie that was just for me.

And that said love to me.

I make those same cookies for my boys now. I let them frost them and decorate them. But I do not ever write their names in cursive on them. I save that for my mom, it's her special gift to all of us.

My other most prominent, brings me to tears every single time I recall it, memory of Valentine's Day involves my Dad.

I am the firstborn, the guinea pig (I know, S1 is OUR guinea pig!) of the family. My Dad, in a regular stroke of genius, seen the writing on the wall and realized I was growing up way to fast and stepped in to fully make me feel special before some man came along and stole his daughter away for forever.

Highschool was not pleasant for me. I transported there from a teeny tiny Christian school and never did I feel I belonged. I hated Sweetest Day and Valentine's Day where everyone bought carnations for their special someone and had them delivered during class. I think it's why I still hate carnations - though I should get over that now.

They would wheel the squeaky cart into the class and call out names of all these popular girls and guys who would get oodles of carnations. And I never got one.

Not that I thought I would, but I would still listen just in case.

And my sophomore year, my name was called on Valentine's Day. And it wasn't any awful carnations. It was roses.

Real, live, beautiful, intoxicating roses.

The card read "From the guy who loved you".

This, of course, stumped me. Someone loved me and didn't? Someone loved me and I messed that up? Who would love me?

I called my mom on the pay phone in the hallway at school and rattled the story off, still drinking in the scent of the roses, the pure beauty of them in the dark, cold brick hallway. She was stumped too.

My Dad hadn't told her that he had sent them to me.

And when I got home from school, he told me that the card was supposed to read "From the guy who loved you FIRST".

That I would have gotten.

To this day, I cannot recall this story without tears forming in my eyes. My Dad made me feel like the most precious girl in that whole school - heck, in the whole county.

I adore my Dad. It's my mom I talk to all the time and see for coffee and text back and forth too. It's my Dad I hardly ever get a chance to talk to...but I love him. And I am reminded how much he loves me every single Valentine's Day when I think back to this story.

And I thought I'd just share it all with you.

Because it's the little things - the little EVERY DAY things - that show someone you love them. Every day you can find something to make the day special...365 days of love.

It's what made these moments so special to me.

Try it on your family, rain love on them. It makes every day Valentine's Day......

Daddy's Hands

Today is my Dad's birthday and I would be remiss not to mention it.

I am forever thankful for my Dad, forever thankful that he is here to celebrate another birthday with him, forever thankful for what he has taught me and the patience he has had with me. He is my hero and I would be totally lost without him. Every time I hear this song, I think of him so I thought I would share it with you all today.

How does a girl ever tell her dad fully how much she loves him? Because for forever I will always be his little girl...

Love you, Father dear.

S1's New Shop

Sometimes I wonder if by sharing so many snippets of our family's life makes our precious memories less precious?

So I wasn't sure if I was going to share this with you all or not. But I decided to...because I do believe I will have many Blog Posts in the future about this.

While we were camping, my Dad was home, building S1 his own shop.

S1, who fixes bikes and tractors and doors and anything else that needs work. Who took over our teeny tiny milk shed when he was old enough and was happy to be there. That son.

My Dad wanted to give him something he knew he would have appreciated when he was that age.

So my Dad built this.........

And he hauled it to our house on the back of truck trailer (can you imagine seeing that come down the road?), and then he spent dinner and then brunch the next day to get it all set up right for him.

And he brought over the 1960 Wheel Horse they had put together so he could store it in his own shed now.

I don't think S1 could get any happier.

I don't think this Moma's heart, this daughter of my son's Papa, could have been any more full.

Thank you, Father dear.