Happy Father's Day!

 I am getting behind on sharing our summer travels (partially because we have had an action-packed week, and partially because another grad school class has just begun).  That said, today is Father's Day, so the summer stories will have to wait another day.

Happy Father's Day to the amazing Father's in my life.

I cannot express my immense joy and humility that I not only was raised by an honest, hardworking, loving, honorable man who loved being my Daddy, and loves being a grandfather, but I also married an honest, hardworking, loving, honorable man who loves being a Daddy.

The icing on the cake is that my Father-in-law is an honest, hardworking, loving, honorable man who loves being a father and grandfather, and I have a brother, and two brothers-in-law who are honest, hardworking, loving, honorable men who love being Dads.

Yesterday, I also got to visit with my grandfather, the only living great-grandparent of my children, and... you guessed it, he is also an honest, hardwork, loving, honorable man who has loved his years as a father, grandfather, great-grandfather and great, great grandfather (one of my older cousins is a grandma).

I thank the Lord for the wonderful Fathers in my life.

Cousin Memories

Hubby and I do not live near our nieces and nephews and so we really try to get to know them, have tons of fun, and get to know them better and build our relationships when we're in town.

This trip, we opted for a hotel overnight in St. Louis with Aunt Brooke, Uncle Chris, Memaw and Pepaw and ALL thirteen cousins.  Thirteen came and ate and swam, and played, and twelve spent the night.  We had two suites and the nephews (Howard, Judah, Silas, Hunter, and Brady) slept in Memaw and Pepaw's room, and the nieces (Zivah, Mayah, Tracey, Caroline, Fridah, Lee Lee, Scarlett) slept in Uncle Chris and Aunt Brookie's room.

I'm writing this blog at 10:44pm... so I'm hoping that we all make it through the night successfully.  All children are peacefully sleeping as I write this...

Thank you for the prayers.

Also, when you read this, it will be June 8.  June 8, 2002 is the day that my sister, Tracey, went to heaven.  Knowing that she is an aunt that never had the chance to build relationships with her nieces and nephews makes me appreciate even more this special overnight with so many of my nieces and nephews.

Nine Years Five Months

 All of my girls have to wait until age ten to get their ears pierced... but yesterday was a very big day.

After nine years and five months, my oldest got her ears pierced.

We had a very special day with three cousins and three Mountain Miller girls all getting hair cuts, and hair styles, and manicures and pedicures.  This is an adorable salon specifically catered to little girls.  My kids have been there one time before in 2018 (so five years ago), and then they got to go yesterday.

It would be very special for Tracey to get her ears pierced on her tenth birthday... but it was also VERY special for her to get her ears pierced yesterday surrounded by her sisters, her mama, her memaw, and three of her favorite cousins.  Hopefully she will remember that for the rest of her life.

Of course Caroline and Lee Lee were all ready to get their ears pierced too... so new tradition -- they have to ten, or the trip to St. Louis that is most close to their tenth birthday, and we will go back to that same Sweet and Sassy salon with their cousins.

It really was an incredibly special day with the girls.

Mother's Day

 Happy Mother's Day

Happy Girls

 These are two very happy girls with their happy Pepaw.  We sold Caroline and Lee Lee's dollhouse back in Rifle, and they understood the reason why.  We discussed it with them and we told them it was very possible they could get a new dollhouse when we moved to Rangely.

Fastforward 7 months and 2 moves later, Lee Lee got a dollhouse for Christmas, and Caroline got dolls for Christmas, and Pepaw and Daddy spent several hours last night putting the house together.

These girls are incredibly excited about the new house and the new dolls to go with it -- and it gets to be in their bedroom!

Happy Father's Day!

We are so lucky to have such wonderful fathers in our lives.

Our children are young, there are so much they cannot yet understand.  They cannot thank you for all that you do for them, and all that you sacrifice for them.  They do not know how fortunate they are to have you because they only know life with you.

They are too young to sincerely thank you, so I will.

Thank you for wanting them.

Thank you for loving them.

Thank you for working so hard to provide for them.

Thank you for cheering for them in their activities.

Thank you for watching their home performances dancing around our family room.

Thank you for teaching them.

Thank you for encouraging them when they get discouraged.

Thank you for making them laugh.

Thank you for telling them stories.

Thank you for showing up for them at school performances, graduations, ball games, wresting meets, dance recitals, honors assemblies, and more.

Thank you for being such a great Daddy, Papa, and Pepaw.

Thank you.