We Love Our Daddy!

We Love Our Daddy!
(This is taken from a gift I (Amy) have been given for Mother's Day and the girls and I wanted to give it to their Daddy,too!)

I think my dad is handsome when he...
McKenna: preaches!
Bailey: when he gets ready to go somewhere.
Avery: when he puts his church clothes on.
Quinn: "Da-Da"

My Daddy's favorite activity is...
McKenna: playing with us!
Bailey: spending time with his family
Avery: football!!!!
Quinn: "Da-Da"

My Daddy goes places. He likes to go...
McKenna: to the beach.
Bailey: Outback!
Avery: Florida
Quinn: "Da-Da"

My Daddy helps me...
McKenna: by putting me to bed every night.
Bailey: helps me get down from a tree when I am stuck!
Avery: make goofy sounds
Quinn: "Da-Da"

My Daddy does not like...
McKenna: when we disobey :(
Bailey: Dunkin' Donuts iced coffee!
Avery: people saying bad words!
Quinn: "Da-Da"

My Daddy can cook. He cooks the best...
McKenna: chicken
Bailey: eggs
Avery: fish
Quinn: "Da-Da"

My Daddy likes to...
McKenna: hug and kiss me!
Bailey: watch sports
Avery: play with us
Quinn: "Da-Da"

My Daddy's favorite food is...
McKenna: steak
Bailey: chicken spaghetti
Avery: chicken
Quinn: "Da-Da"


My Daddy's favorite restaurant is...
McKenna: Outback
Bailey: Starbucks
Avery: Outback
Quinn: "Da-Da"

My Daddy's favorite color is:
McKenna: Blue
Bailey: Garnet
Avery: Green
Quinn: "Da-Da"

My Daddy likes it when I...
McKenna: hug and kiss him
Bailey: pray for him
Avery: when I say "Da-Da"
Quinn: "Da-Da"

My Daddy works hard. He...
McKenna: builds things for our house
Bailey: preaches good
Avery: works really, really hard
Quinn "Da-Da" :)


My Daddy spends time with me. We...
McKenna: play outside
Bailey: plays on Webkinz with me.
Avery: takes me to ice cream
Quinn: "Da-Da"

My Daddy needs a vacation. He should go...
McKenna: to Hawaii ("with my Mommy," says my Mommy!)
Bailey: Los Angeles (with Mommy!)
Avery: Las Vegas
Quinn: "Da-Da"

I like to do nice things for my Daddy. I...
McKenna: clean up the yard
Bailey: cut the grass
Avery: read a book to him
Quinn: "Da-Da" :)


My Daddy does not like it when I...
McKenna: disobey
Bailey: Cry
Avery: do bad things!
Quinn: ("He likes everything I do!")

My Daddy likes for his family to be...
McKenna: Godly
Bailey: lovely
Avery: healthy
Quinn: :) :) :)


For Father's Day, my Daddy should be able to...
McKenna: relax
Bailey: spend time with his family
Avery: relax on the beach
Quinn: ("hold me")

Father's Day will be good for my Daddy because...
McKenna: we will be in Florida
Bailey: he'll get to spend time with Mommy!
Avery: relaxes on the beach
Quinn: ("I'm here!")

To My Daddy

Dear Daddy,
It seems like it's been years since I have actually gotten to spend a Father's Day with you in person. I hope that this letter to you will bridge the distance between us today a little closer, and serve as a reminder to you that I love you very much.
Thank you, Daddy, for loving my Mama. I know that had you not decided when you were five to marry her, there would be no ME!
Knowing you have loved Mama for the last 38 years is the best gift you can give your children. Thank you for letting us see a marriage that is strong, happy, fun, and most of all...with God at the center.


Daddy, being the oldest, thank you for loving me more than you do the other two! Just kidding! Thanks for being a Daddy that took us places so you could spend time with us. You taught me to fish (with corn!) and watched me catch my first catfish. You taught me to shoot a basketball (not a volleyball! You know what I mean!) and came to all of my games when I was playing church ball. You bought me my first Atari, therefore aiding my addiction to video games and fueling my desire to have a Wii to this very day! ;) You gave me a pet to love despite Mama's obvious disdain for them. You tenderly took me in your lap the day my favorite dog, Jodi, died, to explain to me what had happened to her. I am sure it didn't hurt you as much as it hurt me, but you pretended it did. You provided the best of everything for us. I know that we didn't have a lot of money growing up, but you took us places to give us a view of the world outside of our own. Our family vacations to Florida, to every state out west, to the beach and beyond, are my most favorite memories. Thank you for the sacrifice you made that we could spend time together.
Thank you for teaching us to laugh. I know that was a team effort considering who our Mama is and she wouldn't have it any other way, but thank you for humor in everyday. You may not remember it, but one of my funniest memories of you is when Missy and I hid your Sunday sermon in the refrigerator before you left for church one Sunday. You laughed, thankfully!
You taught me to love others unconditionally. From my earliest memories, you placed a great importance on loving others more than ourselves. Being a pastor, that would seem a given that you would be like that, but no...that's just who you are! You love others and want for their very best, and that was something instilled in us early on.
Thank you for living an example of Christ before me, that one day in the summer of 1980, I would give my life to Christ. My all time favorite memory is walking forward to tell my pastor (YOU!) that Jesus had come into my life, as you bent down and put me on your knee and prayed for me to live all my days for Him. Later, having you baptize me is a picture I hold in my heart forever!
You taught us sacrifice. While learning this was not without pain for me, you taught us that God was calling us all to sacrifice for Him in order to walk in obedience. For us, that meant moving away to another country to spread the gospel. It was hard for me, but I am eternally thankful that God called our family because it showed me that God's calling was on all of us, not just you and Mama. It showed me a lost world that Christ died for. It gave me a love for the unlovely.
Thank you for surrendering to the call. I am sure it wasn't easy for you either.
Thank you for being a man after God's own heart. This raised the bar high for any man that would come into my life. I know that I found that same man in Jeff, who loves God passionately and without compromise. I thank you for the example you gave in finding you on your knees in the basement praying for our future husbands, and then seeing your prayers answered for us.
And now, thanks for being a great Papa to our girls. They love you dearly.




This Father's Day, know we all may be a little older, but hopefully we are a little wiser, and more thankful, too. I know that I am thankful for you and the Dad that you are. Know my prayers are with you today. May you never grow tired of loving, of learning, of laughing, or living each day to the fullest. I love you, Daddy, and I will always be thankful to be your little girl!

On Saturday, we will embark on our family vacation. In the past, oh so many years, we have gone to the beach. I love the beach! I come back feeling relaxed and caught up on my reading, watching TV and bowling. We just always kick back and relax, not a worry in the world!
This year, we are venturing out of our "comfort zone." We're going to Florida. It's not like we haven't ever been to Florida. We go often enough. We just haven't gone lately, and I must admit I have some trepidation about going with four children all that long way. We are breaking up our trip by stopping in Green Pond to leave our dogs....oh yeah, did I mention they are traveling with us part of the way? That is perfectly normal and acceptable to my "country boy" husband, to have our dogs travel with us. I guess I'm OK with it, but could do without the distraction and excitement of it as far as the girls will be concerned.
Anyway, we will at least get to spend the night before heading off on our long trip down south. We will stop for a couple of days in Orlando to take the girls - and me- to Sea World! I love Sea World. You never get too old for Shamu, right? After our stay there, we will head further south to visit my sister-in-law, brother-in-law and their two boys in Boca Raton. We always have a wonderful time with them. My sister-in-law has the tremendous gift of hospitality and she makes us feel like one in a million when we are together, plus, I love to just sit and chat with her. She is like a kindred spirit to me. We are excited for the opportunity to see them outside of the usual holidays we have where we normally catch up.
I look forward to going away next week, and pray that I come back feeling refreshed and relaxed. Hopeful that I will have all of my sanity in tact, as well. As I type this, one daughter has already run through the house screaming and crying. One daughter is very sick. One daughter is taunting another daughter (No, it's NOT Avery!), and the good child is going around cleaning hoping that I don't notice because she is trying to surprise me! I guess I'll just have to sit here and pretend I didn't notice until she is done! :)
Anyway, pray for us as we go. We are truly grateful for the opportunity. God has shown His favor on us by providing a way for us to go, the time for us to go, and a very supportive church that has allowed us to go. We are thankful for our other pastors and their families that support us as we go away and get some R&R. I think this is the first time in many years when we haven't been stressed out to the max before leaving for vacation. It is a blessing to be a part of a place at LifeSong that you want to come home to after vacation. We will miss worshiping together on Sunday, but our prayers are with you!

Keep checking in while we are away. I may blog and load some pics of our trip periodically. I may be the one with a big smile on my face, or possibly the one with crazy hair and a crazy look in my eye! You decide which!

Public Service Announcement

I consider it my personal duty to inform you of a service to society being provided today. It is...drum roll, please...FREE DONUT DAY AT KRISPY KREME...the HOT sign is ON!! I discovered this from a favorite blog of mine. Pass the word along. It may be that this provides you a little bit of sanity today. I have yet to decide if I will indulge, but according to how my day is going today, I may cheat and have one, too! Let me know what your favorite flavor is. Mine is chocolate frosted, custard filled! Have a great Friday!

Thankful Thursday mixed with Random Thursday

I have a lot of friends and family that do Thankful Thursday, so today I'm doing it, too. I don't make promises to do this every Thursday, but today I feel especially thankful and it just happens to be Thursday, so here goes:

*I woke up at 5:30 this morning and was scared...thought I'd heard a noise, so my dear husband checked things out, reassured me, and I stopped being scared. I'm thankful for my big, strong husband. If there had been an intruder, he could take 'em, so I'm not worried.

*So very thankful for my girls. They started their Thursday/Friday responsibility job charts today and did a super job. I added some jobs from what they had last year and they did their very best. Our mission statement for the summer responsibilities is "Through love, serve one another." Galatians 5:13 I feel especially loved today!
*Thankful for peanut butter ice cream...HOMEMADE peanut butter ice cream, that is, and good friends to share it with. Yum, yum!
*Thankful for air conditioning. I'm not trying to brag, but my aunt is working a job where there is no air indoors right now and I find that especially cruel, and yet increases my own personal gratitude, so I love air...cold air!
*Thankful for the internet b/c w/o it I am quite sure I would have no friends seeing as how my phone doesn't ring much and that might indicate I don't have friends, but I'll never know b/c I know as long as I have internet, I have friends to talk to everyday. I love it and the convenience of hopping online and shooting off an email!

Now, for just being random:
*Quinn said "OK" today. McKenna asked her if she wanted a juice box with her lunch and she nodded her head, and then McKenna said, "is that OK?" Quinn said "OK." I heard it! So cute!

*I love the song "Signature of the Divine - Yahweh" by Needtobreathe . It makes me happy. I may pass you on the road and you might see me singing it lifting my hands with a great big smile on my face!

*I lost weight today. Only a couple of more lbs. until my next goal. Not trying to brag, but you imagine how I must feel after birthing four babies and trying to remove them from my thighs!

*Only 9 more days until vacation. I can't wait. Don't plan on calling me, or Jeff...we won't answer you while we are gone. Not b/c we necessarily don't want to, but we don't have free minutes in Florida, but we probably won't answer anyway b/c we are on vacation!

*My sister, Missy, has not called me in two days. I try not to be offended, but I think she has gone back to the days of not liking me. I talked to her briefly last night to find out if I should risk making sugar-free PB ice cream...she said, "yes, tell me how it turns out." She hasn't called to find out, so maybe she will read this blog and find out for herself just how good it was. Homemade PB ice cream is a specialty in our family. You may think yours is the best, but get over it...ours is!

*My other sister, Katie, is in Venezuela for a month. I'm jealous...period!

*My husband is the happiest I've seen him in a while. I know that most of the reason is he's a full-time pastor again, so he's just come back into himself. I choose to believe that the biggest reason for his happiness is he gets to spend more time with me in the mornings. I don't see him much even in this change, but we do get to enjoy our coffee together in the mornings, and I love it, and probably should add it to my Thankful Thursday list, too!

*That's it...if you made it to the end of these lists, then either you are more thankful today, or you are wishing I would get a life!

This right here is what I feel like! My world has been turned upside down in a matter of a few days! Four people under the age of 11 have come in and turned my days into a plethora of activity. For this mom that simply cannot function without coffee first thing in the morning, it has been a shock to my system. I have not been given the advantage of quietly sipping on my coffee contemplating the destruction of the world, wondering when Angelina Jolie will give birth to twins, or what kind of luggage is best for me to carry on my vacation, per the voice of Matt Lauer or Meredith Viera. No, I have been awakened to the sounds of an elephant's feet, otherwise known as Avery. Has the child ever been quiet? NO! NO! And NO! She comes pounding down the stairs promptly at 8am everyday. I guess I should take some pride that it's at 8am, though, because I threatened their life...OK, maybe not threatened, but I spoke with great authority as any good Mommy would do..."do NOT come down those stairs until it is 8am or AFTER! Do you hear me?" Apparently, Avery heard me. Kudos to her for being a prompt little booger and for being able to tell time! This morning it was Avery I heard saying, "Mommy, Mommy, want to see what the tooth fairy brought me?" I turned over with glassy eyes to see...WHAT? Five dollars. Well, that tooth fairy is a generous sort! She must be the best tooth fairy in the world...one that would take compassion on a little six year old that had to have that precious tooth pulled at the dentist's office yesterday. She deserves $5, OK? Don't judge the tooth fairy! You may wake up to find all your teeth gone one morning if you do, and not a dime to show for it!
Back on track, my life has been turned upside down. I haven't functioned by schedule not one day since they have been home. There is, after all, nothing keeping me on task. No children to drop off, no errands to run before I pick them up, or no pick up to do at all. I have been flying by the seat of my pants...literally. When my dear husband sees how much we handed over to Costco yesterday, I may be banned from any summer excursions. I think I did pretty well, though, on my shopping trip. I did buy Jeff something while I was there. 100 Forever Stamps for all the bills he'll pay this summer! Oh, the irony!
I am sure you are asking, "what is the point of this post anyway?" My answer is, "I'm just killing time before it kills me!" Anything that occurs in our lives from here on out is subject to being blogged about. Just ask my kids, anything funny you've read about them saying has already been pre-approved by them. They say it, then ask, "Mom, will this end up in your blog?" "Yes, honey, yes!" You, too, may be my subject one day. That's the beauty of a blog. I like being random, so random I'll be today!