It's the most wonderful time of the year...

As I was driving Tanner to school this morning, we were listening to Christmas music. We were both loudly singing ‘Santa Claus is Coming to Town’ and I could barely sing with him due to the tears in my eyes. Call me emotional or a hot mess (I’m actually both right now lol), but Christmas is such a special season. I’ve been so busy here lately with filling orders that I haven’t really had a chance to stop and just enjoy it. I did that this morning with my favorite 2.5 year old.

These rush of emotions didn’t come out of no where….there are a few reasons for them. Hearing my sweet child sing, thoughts of my dad flooding my mind and how much he’d love that boy in my back seat (he passed two days before Christmas), really understanding in that moment how very blessed my family is, and most of all thinking about the real meaning of this season. Last night in bible study we talked about things we could do this season to share the story of Jesus’ birth with our children, not just Santa and lots of gifts. I’m so thankful to be a part of an awesome group of ladies who really love the Lord. I need that on Wednesday nights (and every night really) and I’m thankful.  I really want Tanner to understand, even at this young age, that it’s really ALL about Jesus. We sing Him Happy Birthday, make angel wings out of his little hands/feet, bake Jesus a birthday cake and we talk about his birth. I started this on his first Christmas and really I think it’s more for me than him. Like everyone else, I get caught up in the shopping, being busy, stressed and always in a hurry that I need to stop and think…it’s not even about that. We celebrate Christmas because it’s the day our Lord and Savior was born. And that’s the real reason of this season.

Tanner's first Christmas and our cake for Jesus. His lil feet are the angel's wings. This was before Pinterest ya'll....this is as far as creativity goes for me :) But it's such a sweet keepsake for him. 

Last year we did his hands for the angel wings :)

In other news, aside from my emotional self, my child is hilarious, loving and is growing up on me! I’ve been keeping a few things up in my busy little head that he’s done lately that just makes me giggle and smile.

-         Cha Cha got us new Christmas pillows for our anniversary and I put them on the loveseat. After his nap that day, we were sitting there and he said, “I got new pillows on my couch momma”. What?! First, I was shocked that he told me that in a complete sentence and second, I can’t believe he’s so observant. It took Trevor a few days to realize we had new pillows lol!

-         A lot of nights after I get him out of the bath and we’re putting his clothes on, he’ll throw his little hands up and says, “Come here Momma”. I lean down and he hugs me so tight and won’t let go. I almost cry every time. So sweet, so innocent and so full of love.

-         I asked him to bring me his breakfast plate this morning and he says, “I sure can”. Lol…really it made me laugh out loud.

-         We heard him upstairs the other day saying, “skip, hop, jump, huggg tight”. His daddy reads him this particular Peter Rabbit book every night before bed. He has Tanner repeat after him and he’s memorized the whole book. Makes my heart melt for so many different reasons.

-         Last night he got in his running stance and said, “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, and 20” and took off running as fast as he could. He may leave 7 out every time, but it just makes me proud that he’s a counting machine. So thankful for his school and teachers who teach him all of this good stuff.

-         And last but not least, the memory that I know will stick forever in my little brain is that of Tanner at his first ever school musical. The two year olds got on the stage to sing for Thanksgiving. We really weren’t sure if he’d run off stage or hide or what. He’s really unpredictable. So they sang the first song, he did the motions and participated. The second song he kind of just stood there. Bring on Jesus Loves Me on the third song and we’re ready to rock and roll. I was taping it for Trevor because he couldn’t be there due to work. He’s singing along and I see his feet slowly moving forward. He goes up to the microphone and holds the base of it and sings in it. The audience laughs and he giggles. He did that off and on for the whole song. He made up a solo for himself…who knew he was so brave lol. I surely didn’t. Therefore, Santa is bringing him his own microphone. I’m pretty sure I’ve got a future star on my hands ya’ll =)

I'm so glad my friend got this shot of him. Makes me laugh...I love this boy so much!

Oh the life of a mom. I really am truly blessed….so undeserving of all of these blessings. God is so good! I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas. Take the time to count your blessings and I bet you’ll have tears in your eyes too. Merry Christmas from my family to yours!

Magan

Happy Birthday to my fave 16 year old!

16 years is a long time. I think back 16 years and remember patiently waiting for the arrival of my brother. I was no longer going to be the baby of the family; now I was going to have a real life baby that I could play with whenever I wanted! My mom allowed me to even pick out his name...what an honor. Jarrett...you can thank me for your awesome name =) Having a brother so much younger was awesome. A few reasons why:

1. He was amazing birth control for the future.
2. I could play dress up with him any time I wanted.
3. He was a great distraction...whenever I was getting in trouble, I'd just throw the attention on him. Worked a lot :)
4. Whenever I was bored, he'd play...any time, any where.

Seriously, he was amazing. Actually, he still is amazing. I was 13 when he was born...I felt like such a grown up once he came into this world. I'd change diapers, feed him, the whole works. Fast forward 16 years and he's an uncle to my little one and doesn't do one of those things lol! Where's the love Jarrieta?! :))

Today on his special sweet (guess I should say manly) 16th birthday, I just wanted to take a minute out of my busy day to tell this incredible young man HAPPY BIRTHDAY! From the moment I laid eyes on you, you were my best friend (whether you knew it or not). And now, you're still my best friend. I'm so, so, blessed to have you in my life. Believe it or not, you've taught me a lot. Your greatest attribute is your big heart. I love that you love everyone. You don't like when people are stuck up or make fun of others. You don't like when others think they're better than you. You are always willing to be that friend to someone that no one else notices. You are an exceptionally loved person. You're quiet demeanor is awesome (until you get cray cray). Your wise jokes go along well with that quietness...meaning you're one funny guy. You love the Lord. You care...something a lot of teenagers don't do. You can be respectful most of the time. (And lazy a lot of times too hehe). You were cute as a button when you were born (Tanner looks a lot like you) and you're handsome as can be now. I'm proud. I'm so darn proud of you that I could burst. I'm thankful. Thankful for our relationship and thankful you're MY itty bitty brother. And so thankful that Tanner has one heck of an awesome uncle!

So here we are 16 years later. You have your drivers license, a car and you're in the 10th grade. Whew...where did those 16 years go?! If there's one piece of advice I could give you (I know, I know...that's all I ever do is give you advice) it would be to cling to the Lord and ask Him for guidance each and every day. Know that I pray for you daily. For you to continue your walk with Him and to make the best choices possible. These next few years will be the toughest of your life, but you'll make it through just fine. We are always here for you every step of the way. I can't wait to see what the future holds for you. I know you're going to make me even more proud (if that's even possible).

Soooo...
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday dear Jarreita!!!!
Happy birthday to you!

Trevor, Tanner and I love you to the moon and back! Can't wait to make even more memories with you my crazy little bubba! Happy 16th :)

Love,
Sissy

Tantrum Time =)

My best friend doesn’t have children (yet). She keeps her sweet (3 month old) niece a few days a week. We were talking the other day about how no one really tells you how hard parenting is and the books lie too. They tell you all of the gushy, fun, lovie stuff. Never the stuff that makes you want to pull your hair out or go to the doctor for crazy meds. So of course I try to fill her in as best as possible. Keeping a newborn is hard work. Keeping a toddler is 10x harder. Okay, maybe not all toddlers (such as my niece or Tanner's 2nd cousin), but some do act a fool. I’ll be glad to be real honest with you here in a hot second. 

When Tanner was a baby he was sooo good! He slept well, ate well, took a bath well and even behaved in public. It was pretty easy. When he started walking it got a little crazy. He got into things and didn’t always want to obey. When he hit 2, well lets just say things went south on the behavior scale. I have a few theories for this:

1. He is spoiled rotten (R-O-T-T-E-N)
2. He takes after his mother (I’ve been told by all of my family recently that I acted the same way, pitched the same kind of fits and (an added bonus) I even pulled hair.
3. Final conclusion to this is he has hit the terrible 2’s (ding, ding, ding). That’s the answer I’m going with J

This isn't a tantrum pic, but it is kinda funny. I found him laying in our bed watching tv one night with one of my fuzzy socks on. Cracks me up!

Soooo…next thought. Have you ever been so embarrassed as a mom that you just wanna hide in your house and never leave again?! No seriously, it’s not to that extent but I do get embarrassed (my husband says this is so wrong of me…he’s never taken him to Wal-Mart by himself). I have a top three list of the funnest, most embarrassing (for mom) tantrums so far. We’re 2 ½ ya’ll…got a ways to go.

1. Tanner had his first field trip last week to a fun pumpkin farm. We took a hayride, fed the goats, played games and had a snack. It was super fun…until…he saw the hayride taking its last group out. He sooo wanted to go again but didn’t understand that he’d already had his turn. And then I tried to take his picture (totally dumb on my part…he hates pictures). It just all went downhill in a split second. Before I knew it he was flailing in my arms like a wet cat. Seriously. I felt like 40 parents and their well behaved children were all staring at me. He was crying so bad he couldn’t catch his breath. You know what cry I’m talking about. It was a sad situation that he was so disappointed but geez louise. I was sweating from being so embarrassed. It finally got better after I grabbed his little pumpkin they were handing out and ran him to the car. I will NEVER. EVER forget his first field trip. EVER =)

   

   This was before the melt down, obviously. Fun times, nonetheless =)

2. We had a mom/son date night a few weeks ago. I took him to the chicken slide (Chick-Fil-A) and let him play. That’s his absolute fave. Then we went to the nice ole Wally World. I promised him a toy if he would sit in the buggy. That’s right…bribery. I use it often. He finally decided on a fun Jake and the Neverland Pirate bath toy. Hoorah! That was easy…until…we got up to the cashier. It was an older lady, a little younger than my grandma. She asked if she should put his toy in a bag, at this point he’s out of the buggy, and I said sure. Oh lawwwie, you would’ve thought he’d been shot. He took off running and screaming in the other direction. Guess he thought that lady was stealing his toy. I had to go chase him down and bring him back to pay. That lady just stared at us like she was scared for her life. I politely said, “Tanner quit screaming and crying, you’re scaring the cashier”. I apologized to the lady behind us who quickly said she has a 1 year old and totally gets it. Whew…so glad someone gets it because the cashier totally didn’t.

   

   See that cool pirate ship...I should've left it at Wally World after he scared the cashier!

3. And the tantrum of all tantrums (thus far) happened on Monday. I had to run into Babies R Us which is now combined with Toys R Us (not cool by the way…totally messes up my game with my toy loving toddler). Again, I promised him if he’d stay with me (he insisted on walking this go round) we would go look at toys. He did super good so we headed to the toys…of course he spotted the train aisle. Not just the trains, but a nice big train table displayed in the middle of the aisle. Thanks again Toys R Us. I let him play for 15 minutes or so. I begged and pleaded and said everything possible to mankind (in toddler terms) to get him to step away from the train table. Nothing worked. Nothing. So I had to pick him up wailing and screaming with a blood red face and carry him to the check out line. Thankfully a sweet lady said her lane was open with no wait and then asked if my child was okay. I told her he didn't want to leave the train table and her reply was, “it gets them every time.” How nice. While I was rummaging through my purse with my 35 lb toddler attached to me kicking and screaming, I couldn’t deal so I put him down. He proceeded to fall on the floor on his stomach and kick like what you see those crazy kids do in the movies. At this point I was really sweating. I had no idea how much money I gave her, much less how much my purchase was. I picked up my child and hustled it out to the car. We had a nice talk and headed home. My grandma said if that was her she would have wore my hiney out. Come on, Mama…it’s 25 years later. I so can’t do that. So what do you do?? I’m still figuring that out.

   

   Oh how I loathe that train table set up right in the middle of the aisle. No really, it was actually a really fun train table :) Santa might just bring him one...he'll be counting the tantrums the next few months though!

So there you have it. My child is cray cray. Lol! No not really. He’s a toddler who pitches fits. I’ve heard the Trying Three’s are really fun! I’m looking forward to those. Maybe by then, time-out will actually work. But until then, I take it day by day, tantrum by tantrum and remember he's ONLY TWO YEARS OLD! Someone told me the other day to remember that kids have bad days too. You know when you have a bad day and wanna kick everyone in the face that annoys you?? Well, kids have the same feelings. They just express it in other ways...like meltdowns or tantrums. Okay, who am I fooling?! I'm almost 30 and have meltdowns and tantrums at times (not really ya'll) =)

Don’t get me wrong, he’s not like this all of the time. 97% of the time he’s a loving, caring, helping, smart, considerate, sharing little guy. But that 3% will really getcha. Many moms, including mine, tell me that one day I’ll look back and laugh. I guess that’s why I keep up with this kind of stuff. One day I will look back and appreciate the grown man he’s become and wish that for one second he’d pitch a fit. He’s growing up before my own eyes (*tear) and to be honest, I’d rather him act a scene in public or be a little crazy because that means he’s still little. My little boy J

 

A pic to prove he really is precious =) I found him in his room like this a few days ago...reading a Christmas book.

I’ve so missed writing in my blog. I always have so many things to say about my wild child, but sadly I’ve been so busy….obviously super busy with my fit throwing son (lol), but also with life in general. Can I just say that I'm way blessed?! I am. I'm so in love with my little family that it's incredibly crazy! But anywho, maybe one of these days I can write more often! Until then…

Magan

Catch up...

Wow! It's been over a month since I've posted anything in my sweet lil blog. Life has been crazy here lately. Crazy with all kinds of things that have just kept me super busy. Some good, some bad but nevertheless I'm still counting my blessings and thanking God for all He does for me and my family. So there you have it. Sometimes life just gets in the way, but I'm glad to be back (for a hot second). Lol! I know it'll be even crazier over the next few weeks.

Gosh, I've got a lot to catch up on. Really a lot of Tanner stuff to catch up on. He is a funny lil character. His personality just blossoms a little more each day. I'm in love, oh so in love with that sweet boy. Here are a few of the 'new' things about Mr. Tan man:

-  He is repetitive. You read that right...he repeats things a million stinkin times. Sometimes it's hilarious and other times it'll drive you bananas. I googled it the other day because I got slightly worried and a lot of the things I read said that repetition is a way of learning. I think he just does it to drive us crazy. He told Trevor and I the other day that he fell down at school. And he kept telling us. And he kept telling us. Okay, you get the point. He really said it like 20 times until we said, "You fell down at school, Tanner?" and his reply way "uh huh". And that was the end of it. As long as you reaffirm what he's saying, he'll stop. Teacher friends...why do they do this?? Surely ya'll know?! Again, it's pretty hilarious 94% of the time. The other 6%...well, enough said above.

Stinker. 

- He is pee peeing in the potty a lot! It started about 4 weeks ago and he randomly went and my Mama's house. I kept asking him if he needed to go after that and he just kept going. We've not mastered the potty, but we've started. Woo hoo!!! He gets so caught up in playing that he doesn't want to stop and go. We're gonna have to work on that. He got really excited in the beginning because we made a potty board and put it on the fridge. Any time he went he'd get to put a sticker on it. That's kinda not cool anymore, so I'm movin on to candy. That's right...bribery. You pee pee, you get some m&m's. He'll probably laugh at me because one m&m won't cut it for piglet, but we'll see. Anywho, Trevor and I are super proud. Tanner just gets sooo excited and says in his cutest voice, "I pee peed momma/daddy"...and then we do the potty dance, we jump up and down, we give high five's and he runs around the house half naked. It's fun times ya'll! =)

The Potty Board!! :)) It's actual wayyy full now!

- He's grown ears of gold. Or maybe he just actually listens more. Well, he doesn't really always listen when we tell him 'no' or 'stop', but he does listen to what comes out of our mouths. The old saying, lead by example...well, it's in full effect. Thank goodness we don't sling around bad words in our house, otherwise we'd be in trouble with our 2 year old. Trevor said the other night 'gah' and then I said "gahhly bum" (I know, who says those things lol?). Tanner fell off the couch (it didn't hurt him, whew) and he looked up with this funny expression and said 'gah lay'. We just laughed. Lead by example....new motto for me. That little boy picks up everything now!

Crazy curly haired child. Sadly, he's going to get his first trim in the next week or so. The curls will hopefully stay?!  I'm already sad.

- His Toy Story obsession is still in full blast. He's fell back in love with his trains also. I set his tracks up in his room because they were taking over my living room. He's always just played downstairs, but now he likes to hang out in his room. He'll yell and ask me to bring him a snack or his water. Really?! It's likes he's 10 years old or something. It's crazy how fast he's growing. He's veryyyy independent and prefers to do things on his own. I'm game with that. Whatever floats your boat little monkey.

Tanner/Andy and Woody chattin with daddy.

Other than that, we've been hanging out. He's had a two week break from school and starts back up next week. I think he's really missed his friends. He talks about school a lot, so I'm hoping he'll have just as much fun this fall as he did over the summer. As for me, I'm going to miss that little munchin for the 4 hours he's gone two days a week. At times I feel super guilty for sending him to school (I know I've talked about that in past posts), but I've come to the realization that it's good for him. It's like a mini vacay for him to be away from me and hang out with his buddies. I've come to terms and I'm dealing with it =) He loves going and I love that he loves going. And not to mention, I can really knock out some embroidery work during those quiet 4 hours.

This is what we do on Friday nights...hang out in super short beach chairs (the kind you put at the edge of the water) in our driveway. Lol...he loves it, so I do too :))

Daddy, Tanner and Pop putting together a train puzzle. Okay, maybe Tanner's just supervising.

I haven't had much time to decorate or be crafty. But I did finish up my side of the closet a while back. I've still got to hang some curtains and re-do Trevor's side, but that's seriously a work in progress. I bought this white organizer thing from Target a while back. I used it in my craft room and then moved it to my closet. I bought these really large baskets from Bed, Bath & Beyond and they fit in the organizer thing really well. I finally bid farewell to the shoe boxes and put them in the baskets according to wedges, flats, flip flops, etc. I used two of the leftover baskets for swimsuits, belts, etc. It's worked out perfectly! I feel organized and our closet stays clean most of the time.

This is the wire organizer thing I bought from Target and those huge baskets are awesome!

I got this little organizer from Wal-Mart, I believe. It just velcro's up top and is perfect to hold shorts in the summer and sweaters in the winter. 

I hope ya'll had a great summer! Schools back in session and football is on the way. I've got an itch for cooler weather, pumpkin candles, fall decorations, Halloween costumes and GAMECOCK football :)) Fall/Winter is my favorite time of the year...I'm ready, oh so ready for it to get here! Enjoy your day! Until next time (which is hopefully not another month away)...

Magan

Family Vacay #1

Vacation's are amazing. Well, except for the week before you go and the week after you get back. The week you're actually there is amazing. We just returned from a wonderful vacay with my family in Panama City Beach, FL. The week before we left was crazyyyy busy. I was filling orders, trying to pack up our entire house to take with us, getting the house cleaned (I like to come home to a clean house...weird huh?!), paying bills, etc. etc. The week after was just as crazy...trying to get back into our routine, embroidering some more, cleaning my nasty house (yep, it got that dirty in just a few days lol) and etc. etc. BUT it was worth EVERY BIT of it!

My precious lil family! Love my boys :))

Sweet dolphin swimming right near us! 

The sweetest, funniest and cutest kiddos!

My BFF and I always say now that we have kids that vacation is no longer in effect, it's a trip nowadays. I remember going to PCB with just Trevor a few years back. It was peaceful, relaxing, quiet and we did whatever we wanted. That boils down to the following: sun poisoning from roasting all day on the beach, breaking the bank from eating out every day and shopping too much, and gaining lots of weight from all of that eating out. This go 'round we didn't get roasted because we had to take nap breaks, we didn't eat out a ton because as you know our son doesn't love to and we didn't gain much weight because we were chasing after our 2 year old. But let me just say, it was THE BEST vacay we've had with my family thus far. We had a blast! My older brother took his 2 girls and Tanner was in heaven being with his cousins for a whole week! Hands down, it was just a perfect week.

All of the girls in pink :))

Me and the hubs with the lil ones!

my precious Tanner.

Playing in the sand with his Mimi! :))

We were blessed to have beautiful weather all week. We stayed at Splash, which is a super kid friendly resort. They have a fun waterpark and frog pad for the kids and a few different pools and lazy river. We all enjoyed it! There were a few evenings that we just stayed out on the beach and let the kids play. I realized I had not done that in years. We didn't take showers or rush to get ready and go out to eat, we just fixed us a quick bite for dinner and played. We made some fun memories that I'll never forget! The kiddos enjoyed riding rides, eating junk food and jumping in the bounce houses at Pier Park. We rented a pontoon boat one day and went over to an amazing little island. We snorkeled, went swimming in the perfect aqua water and even saw a dolphin right near us. It was such a fun, fun day! Trevor and I enjoyed a nice momma/daddy date night one evening. And we all enjoyed some delish seafood one night. Having that whole crew go out to eat was fun times let me tell you. Thankfully we could sit outside so Tanner and his little cousin could play under the tables and act crazy. =) Oh and I forgot to mention, I indulged in a great mystery book while we were there. I just LOVE reading at the beach. Tanner would nap and I would read. Gosh, I sound super old. I'm not even 30 yet, but that was some good stuff. Needless to say, we all got lots of rest, sunshine, food and best of all...family time!

Two kids hiding under a table = quiet time for the parents lol :))

Snorkeling with her daddy :)

My Family!

Now that we're home and quickly slapped back into reality, I'm back to the grind of every day life. My little life that I love so much! Since I'm not good at keeping baby books/scrapbooks of Tanner, this is where I'm gonna keep that important info. A few new things about my main squeeze...

Tanner's obsessions:

When he was about 14-16 months old he fell in love with Mickey Mouse. He loved the hot dog dance, the whole crew and had to have every thing Mickey (or at least we thought he did). He was even Mickey for Halloween last year.

When he was about 20-22 months old he discovered choo choo trains. He then discovered Thomas the Train. We had to buy train tracks, millions of trains that never stopped running and Thomas pj's. He's still slightly obsessed.

His latest obsession is Toy Story. Thanks to my mom for buying him the DVD...thanks to Trevor for playing it for the first time on our long ride to FL...thanks to Pop & Cha Cha for buying him all of the figurines...and thanks to myself for buying him a Woody shirt. It's safe to say, all he talks about now is Toy Story, Woody and Buzz. It's adorable. I hope he keeps this obsession up till Halloween...he would be super cute as Woody this year :))

Bathtub fun!! He's totally into bubble bath's right now...he asks to take one every night as he politely brings me the biggg thing of bubbles. Sometimes he'll turn the water on too. How sweet of him lol!

His latest favorite words are mine, no and uh-huh. All used in correct term, might I add. These words totally go with his new two year old personality he's gaining...read below for more info. 

He is putting sentences together a lot now. He asked me the other night, 'Mom, I want more turkey'. Heck yeah buddy, I'll be glad to give you some if you keep rolling out sentences like that!

Selfie on mom's phone :))

He is really talking about the potty here lately. We haven't had a successful go 'round yet, but we're getting closer. I've had to come to the realization that all kids potty train at their own pace (and I reverted back to my post of not comparing him to other children). Not all of them go once they hit two...they're all different! But once he does grasp the concept, I"m taking 3 days and we're gonna camp out at home and use the potty every 30 minutes. I'm dead serious. I'm sick of diapers (and so is my wallet)!!!!

He's been going to Mother's Day Out two days a week this summer and he LOVES it! It's more like a fun summer camp. I've been very impressed with his behavior and how he just walks right into his class and gives me an air kiss. I picked him up today and he was sitting in the floor eating a sucker and listening to his teacher read. Mind you, he doesn't sit long anywhere or anytime. I was shocked! And SUPER proud :))

He is becoming more and more head strong every day. It's scary. For real. He will tell you what he wants and when he wants it. He's getting a little attitude here lately. I'm not sure how we're gonna cope with the trying three's if we can't get past these terrible two's. I guess he's just coming into his own (at least that's what I keep telling myself).

The Monday after vacay we had the beach blues so we went to Chick-fil-A to play and have an ice cream. This lil stinker wasn't ready to go home! 

On the flip side, he is a VERY loving child. He gives me kisses out of the blue and talks about his daddy all of the time when he's at work. He loves to give hugs and gives the sweetest air kisses. He's got a little heart of gold, just like his mom lol =)

Eating ice cream at Pop and Cha's restaurant. Their's is the best :))

I guess that about wraps it up! A lot of goodness thrown into one post. I like it! I hope ya'll are having an amazing summer so far!! We get to go to the beach again with Trevor's family in September (Family Vacay #2) and we're all looking forward to it! I love the beach and I love spending time and making memories with our families! Until next time...

Magan

Father's Day...remembering the men that I love most

I’ve had a crazy busy past week, but that’s the story of my life lol! It’s nice to sit in my office upstairs and just write….all.by.myself. It’s nice to reminisce. A lot of times I find myself so focused on my family, that I tend to forget about me. I forget about my feelings and I don't have time to always think.Well, I did just that last night. I gathered up my big scrapbook filled with stuff from my dad and all of the pictures I have of him. I sat down in my office all by myself and cried, laughed, smiled and just thought about way back when.With Father’s Day coming up on Sunday, it always takes me back. It’s such a bittersweet holiday for me. It makes me yearn for my dad. It makes me miss my Papa. But it also brings a smile to my face just to think about the amazing father figures I have in my life. Not to mention my husband who is an amazing father to our child.

I was just thinking last night while smoochin on my lil love bug how much I love him. Seriously, my heart could burst with the amount of love I have for him. Now that I’m a parent I realize how much my daddy loved me. I was his little princess and he was my prince daddy :). He spoiled me, doted on me and left me sweet little notes in my lunch box every morning before he left for work. He would ground me and then let me go to my friend’s house the very next day. He made me do chores and taught me to be responsible. He loved having ice cream dates at Dairy Queen when I finished cheerleading practice before we would head home. He let me enjoy my childhood, but was also strict. He taught me about work ethic and how to never give up. He was a fighter and a strong man. He battled cancer for many, many years but never gave up. I’m thankful for those memories. I’m thankful that I had my daddy here with me for 15 years of my life. But goodness gracious, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss him with every ounce of my being. It’s hard to graduate high school and college and not have your dad there. It’s even harder walking down the isle to marry your best friend without him by your side or having your first baby and him missing it. I know it's so selfish to feel that way, but I'm only human. God needed him more than I did and that gives me peace. It’s reassuring knowing that he is here and did see me accomplish all of those things, as he’s here with me every step of the way in spirit.

young handsome daddy of mine :)

I have stacks of these notes. I'm so glad I kept them...what an awesome reminder of how much he loved me. 

so sweet :)

I still love to carve pumpkins...I guess because he reminds me of him.

It's hard not to wonder 'what if'. What if he was still here...what would he think of my husband? I'm sure he wouldn't approve of a lot of the boyfriends I had, but I'm almost positive he would love Trevor. I wonder what kind of grandpa he would be? I bet a darn good one. My brother and I teach our kids about Papa Ben and my sweet Tanner Benjamin carries part of his name. I wonder what he would look like? He was always so handsome to me. I wonder where he would be working at and would he still live in the same house? I wonder so much about him and what it would have been like if he was still here. While I can wonder all day, I know for sure I'll see him again and really, that's all I need to keep me going.

stylin and profilin in the bright shirt :)

Daddy and my brother :))

The other sweet man in my life that has always been my rock was my sweet Papa. After my daddy passed, he filled that void of the father figure I needed so very much. He was the one who always made sure I was in church. He was the one who always took me to Burger King for chicken nuggets. He was the one who always carried me to the lake to camp every summer. He was the one who gave me advice about everything. He was the one who was always so very proud of my accomplishments. It’s equally hard not having him here, but I know he’s having a much better time in Heaven. That makes me smile.

I remember this day like it was yesterday. Hearing him say he was so proud of me was worth years of hard work. 

This was the last picture Tanner took with his Papa. He passed a few weeks after. So thankful I have such sweet pictures to remember him by. 

Although Father’s Day floods me with many memories of my daddy and Papa, it also makes me so appreciative of my step-dad, father-in-law and husband. My step-dad has been there for me since my teenage days. Bless his heart; he had to put up with a whole lotta crazy from me! He can fix anything and is such a handy man. I’m thankful for him and all of the advice he’s given me, all of the projects he helps me on and for loving Tanner unconditionally. My father-in-law is another blessing in my life. He is the man who has all of the answers. He’s business savvy and for that I am grateful :)) He is willing to help at the drop of a hat and the love he has for his children and grandchild is something special. I’m thankful for these two men and for how much they love me. They are both awesome father figures in my eyes. God knows what He’s doing and He put these two men in my life for a reason. I’m blessed.

He LOVES playing chase with Poppi :)) 

Spoiled rotten by his Pop!

My sweet brother was the one who walked me down the isle on my wedding day. I never would have thought almost 8 years later we would be as close as we are today. He reminds me so much of my daddy. He is an extremely hard worker and provides for his family. He is a fighter, never gives up and always stands for what he believes in. He cares for his girls like my daddy did for us. He treats them as if they’re princesses every day. That’s how it should be. The love he has for his girls is unconditional. He is one of the best daddy’s I know and I know without a doubt my dad would be so super proud of the man he has become. 

My sweet brother. I'm so glad he was by my side and gave me away on that special day.

And last but not least, my husband. I have doted on him many times in my posts, but I’ll say it over and over again…he’s one amazing daddy. He makes me wanna have lots more babies, just so I can see how great he is with each one. Lol totally kidding. Maybe one more and that’s about it. He certainly fits the bill for a father. He loves his child, he’s protective of him, he a disciplinarian, he’s caring and most of all he’s a great role model for Tanner. I’m proud to call him my husband and even more proud to call him the father of my child. Tanner is uber lucky to have him for a daddy!

Trevor's first Father's Day :))

So Happy Father’s Day to all of you special men in my life! Enjoy your day and don’t do a thing =) I love ya’ll to the moon and back!

Make sure you hug your daddy tight and give him lots of love if you’ve still got him here. And if not, just reminisce…remember the past. Hold those memories close. That’s what I plan to do.

Enjoy your weekend!! I plan to spend mine with those awesome dad’s listed above! Until next time…

Magan