World's Best DaddyMan

Hannah and dad watching Meg swing the bat!

This year the girls made daddy a card. I asked them what their daddy did that they were thankful for and here is their response:

Daddy, thank you for...doing special things with us, going downtown, for picnics, walks, making pennies (working and making money), making little schievers (filled pancakes), pancakes, waffles, reading us stories every night, for giving thanks with us, helping us, bringing us to church, being kind to us, taking us fishing, taking us to parks, for your hugs, kisses, nose kisses, ear nibbles and for all of your love.

Daddy has me wrapped around his little finger hairy leg.

I am thankful and grateful for Charlie. I know that God has richly blessed me and my children with a man who loves the Lord, loves us, sacrifices for us, works so hard to provide for us, hugs us, plays with us, teaches us, carves out time for us and makes us a priority, makes breakfast on the weekends, has not just one hand but two hands in helping me with the kids, does activities that we like to do, plays games, reads, plays with chalk, takes us fishing, reads to us from the Bible and thinks up very creative things for us do. I am amazed at the daddy Charlie is, not because I didn't think he was good with kids (I've always known/seen that) but because being the father of three small girls who like to talk is exhausting and he is the most patient, gentle and loving man I know. Thank you, Babe for loving us so much!

This was one of the gifts that the girls picked out for daddy, funny how that works-really being a gift for them.

I am also thankful for my dad. Sadly I didn't tell him that enough. But I hope he saw how much I learned from him in my 27 years of watching. He taught me how to work hard and value it, how important it was to be a part of a church body, to give generously, to respect others, to be disciplined in whatever I do, commitment, how to love my family, to take care of my car-by parking way out in the end of a parking lot so as to not get a door ding, and speaking of parking lots...the value of a well designed parking structure as opposed to one not done by Walker PC. All that to say, I never got to give my dad his last Father's Day gift-he died one week before I could have him unwrap it. It was a shirt that I very carefully picked out. So instead I gave it to Charlie that year (he knew that it was intended for my dad) and I can think of no one that my dad would rather have it then his Chaz. To this day I don't know that Charlie would ever let anyone call him that-except my dad. My dad loved Charlie and I know he would be so proud of him too.

We had an awesome weekend together as a family. Yesterday Charlie and the girls watched me run my first 5K then we headed to the beach for the afternoon with some friends. Today was church and a picnic on the beach tonight with some other friends from church.

This is how we start out most of our weekends. After everyone wakes us, some how we all end up in our bed-even Rudy and Lucy. You can see just a little of Charlie head sandwiched in between Kate and Megan.

Then daddy makes us breakfast-we help him, of course, by sitting on the counter, asking questions, telling him how mommy does it, and spilling things...