Thursday, January 15, 2009


Happy Birthday Dad!

My dad's birthday was January 8th. He would laugh, although love, that he was a topic on my blog. For those who did not have the true pleasure of meeting my dad, I wanted to share some of my favorite things about him. My dad had the driest, most sarcastic sense of humor (it apparently was a genetic trait that he passed on to us kids!) He always made up the funniest sayings, little tunes and songs. I often find myself doing the same thing with delaney and hudson. We have silly songs and sayings that we say that we are not quite sure what they even mean, they just somehow seem to fit so naturally with our family. My dad was a generous man, the kind of man that taught us kids to give money to those who needed it, always stressing that there was someone who would always need it more than us. He gave to people he knew and those who would never even know his name. I hope that I can help to instill that kind of generous spirit in delaney and hudson. Life with my dad wasn't always easy. But for those of you who wonder and question whether someone can change, I can assure you that they can! My dad's illness changed him. The last few years of his life were filled with much sorrow as we watched him deteriorate but they were also filled with love and laughter and the assurance that he loved us unconditionally! My dad also loved being a grandfather. He radiated love whenever he was around them. The walls of his house were covered with drawings that all of the grand kids had made for him. He displayed them with pride and as if each one belonged in a museum.

As another birthday passes and thoughts of him fill my heart and mind, I smile.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Monday, January 12, 2009

Jesus, thanks for being such a GOOD SPORT!

You never realize just how much the things that you say and do influence your children (good and bad), until you hear yourself coming out of their mouth. The other night we were saying our family prayers and Delaney was doing a beautiful job. We have been working on making sure to say all of the things that we are grateful for when Delaney added,
“And thanks Jesus for always being such a

GOOD SPORT
and having such a good attitude for all of those things that you do for us!”
Matt and I started cracking up. I don’t think that I have ever heard anyone thank Jesus for being such a GOOD SPORT!