Happy Daddy Day & Saturday Summary!

Happy Father's Day to my favorite daddies! 

What great truth is in this quote-

"I never knew how much I loved you until I saw how much you loved her." My husband is a great daddy. He never hesitates to change diapers, give baths, spend 1-on-1 time, and do whatever necessary to make sure Ellie Claire's needs are met. He loves playing with her, wrestling with her, and always letting her win. He tickles her until she belly laughs and plays peekaboo like a champ. There is no doubt that he loves her and she loves him. He has set the bar quite high in 17 months of daddy-hood!  I made James a photo book of he and Ellie Claire from the past year. This is the second year I've done this because I always want to make sure Father's Day is a super happy and memorable day for him to look back on. We had Father's Day a little early on Saturday-complete with decorations, presents, chicken alfredo, salad, his favorite rolls (Sister Schubert) , and homemade frosty ice cream. Most importantly, we spend time together outside as a family on the porch and then cuddled and played with Ellie Claire before bed. Hearing Ellie Claire laugh with (or at!) her daddy is my most favorite thing! Sunday morning, we enjoyed breakfast at Dairy Queen (had planned to make pancakes at home for him but he likes our traditional breakfast on mornings when we are busy), sang a duet at church ("Your Love Never Fails" by Jesus Culture), and enjoyed lunch with my parents before he had to head work (work because he has next weekend off for the men's conference with church). What a great time together!

 

Click here to view this photo book larger

Not only am I thankful to parent beside my best friend, I am SO very thankful for my own dad. When I try to put into words how special that he is to me, I can't! He has always been a solid rock, a super hard working provider for our family, and a gentle spirit to quietly show me how to live like Jesus. He's always there to help me with anything I ask (over the years there have been some pretty crazy/extreme requests), listen, or provide advice when I need it-and he's never been wrong! I am so very blessed to have the dad that that I do & I don't dare take him for granted!  He's also a super good Poppy ("Bopah" according to her) these days & I just love seeing Ellie Claire interact with my dad. Their smiles when they are together are contagious! He is certainly head over heels for her! These pictures capture just a tiny bit of that!

Finally, most importantly, I am thankful for my Heavenly Father-how lost I would be without Him! I am so appreciative for how God created families, especially fathers for us to love and respect. This video is called "The Ultimate Love Letter from Our Heavenly Father."  I love this!

20 Facts About The Horton's!

       In honor of our one year anniversary, I decided to make a list of things about us that many people may not know. 

       

       1.     We are messy house people.  We're forever flawed. He converted me from an organized, clean-freak into a follower of the creed “boring people have immaculate houses”. Our philosophy is life’s too short to worry about cleaning house all the time!

2.  We have scary obsessions to our kitty-children Walter & Wallendy. Both cats have 50+ names that they go by. On our last trip away, we spoke of them frequently and are considering installing a “kitty cam” for while we are away. There’s got to be an app for that!

3.  We have really good conversations on long car rides. Like all the way to or from the beach without turning the radio on once.

4.  We don't always like each other-like when he leaves his dirty laundry laying around or I leave UFOs in the shower….  but, we ALWAYS love each other :)

5.  We don't always go to bed at the same time.  I always go first.  James rolls into bed anywhere from 15-30 minutes later, usually after his last “Wikipedia” moment of the night. I’ve converted him from a morning person (gag) into a night owl! I love that we both have summers off to stay up really late, work on stuff around the house or watch TV, and then go out really late for a Taco Bell run. We’re fat.

6.  We endure each other's TV show addictions.  We could discuss Snooki and the latest “Teen Mom” for hours and I can also name at least 15 Braves players without any assistance. He has come to love “Say Yes To The Dress” and I can sometimes tolerate Monday Night Raw (sometimes, the theme music is getting very old). It’s called compromise.

7.  I talk a lot and am very sociable.  James talks a lot around people he is comfortable with, yet people sometimes think he’s shy/stuck up.  However, we're both really people-people at heart.

8.  We are both very good at ping-pong. This allows for some very serious competition, in which I am most frequently the World Champion.

9.  We *love* to take walks around our neighborhood after a long day at school. Less frequently, we love going to the Y and then become gluttons at McDonald’s or Pizza Hut afterwards. We are fast food junkies with a desire not to be. He once even tried Zumba with me! He had all the women laughing 20 minutes in….and proceeded to fall out in the floor. HA! J Not as easy as it looks!

10.  James drinks lots of milk.  Like 2 gallons a week. I drink lots of Diet Coke.  It could be worse.

11.  We often do the exact same task very differently.  However, we frequently read each other’s mind and say the exact same thing at the same time. Weird.

12.  James is one year and 3 months older than me but doesn’t act like it. We were both born in months that start with “A”. He has a really good memory of when he was young. I don’t exactly, but I remember having a very happy childhood.

13.  James is really good at making me laugh at inappropriate times. His manners are few and far between. I love him for that.

14.  We share a love for missions. We constantly say “I smell Haiti” (whenever somethings on fire) or “I wonder what our Haitian babies are doing right now?”

15.  We both LOVE the smell of coffee but neither of us drink it. We’ve considered buying a coffee pot and making coffee just for the smell in the mornings. Is that weird?  I’m sure when we have kids we will need it!

16.  I’ve recently converted James into an agriculturist AKA a person who hearts FFA. He never understood it and thought it was for rednecks until this past week at the National Ag In the Classroom Conference. A changed man!

17.  We both cry when watching “The Notebook” and pretend we are the characters. Who doesn’t?

18.   We both agree that doing laundry is - by far - the worst household chore to do. His version of helping me is throwing EVERYTHING into the washer at once, pouring in a whole cup full of detergent, and pushing the button. When he helps me put the laundry away, I find many things placed in the wrong spot or just randomly laid on the bed. I try not to complain J

19.  I love that my family loves James so much (how could you not?). It means a lot to both of us. He’s a show-stealer.

20.  I'm a teacher, he's a teacher. We love our jobs. We love living life together. We compliment each other, challenge each other, and do not merely co-exist.Together we live, laugh and learn. We love to eat, spend date nights in Teacher Stores, and plan our futures (and it doesn't matter if people say "Gag me"). We're totally BFFs.

I love you, James! I'm so looking forward to the many years together to come! I'm thankful that God placed us together! You are everything I need and want in a husband and I thank you for making me so happy! 

Here's a Yoohoo toast to many more years of good health, happiness, and lots of laughter!