Father's Day -- ohhhh, yeahhhh....

I know, I know.

For the rest of the country, Father's Day is over. Long gone. A blip on the radar.

But in my own little blogging world..... I'm just now getting to it.  Ha!!

But I absolutely have to say how very grateful I am and how blessed I feel that we have this amazing guy:

And also THIS amazing guy:

I love the steadiness and the wisdom that Todd's father brings to our whole extended family. He is truly a treasure to us. He is slowing down a bit these days, but still as awesome as ever! LOVE our Grandpa! And he's such a great grandpa to all our kids ..... like these two:

So silly!

Grandma hosted our family for Father's Day, and we had a Hawaiian-themed party -- hence, the plastic leis! We missed having the other kids here with us, but it was still so nice to get together with family.

And a little silly.

Or a lot silly!

That's one of the fathering qualities that I love about Todd..... when he wants to, he can be just as crazy as any of these three crazy girls. Once, he unceremoniously dropped a child into the hot tub -- fully clothed. She did NOT expect that from her dad:

(He almost had Alyssa too, but she had the advantage of being forewarned.)

But there's way more to him than just that.

He has always been a wonderful provider and protector for our family. Owning our own business, which has seasonal work, can make it a little tougher at some times of the year, but he has always made sure that we never worry about any of our needs. Ever.

As a young, clueless teenager, I used to snicker whenever I overheard my Depression-era mother say, "Well, at least he's got work."       Like it was some huge achievement. But with age comes some understanding, and I really do appreciate that we have work.

Todd is also a wonderful teacher to our kids. Any one of them could recite his mantra: "Anything worth doing is worth doing right. The first time." They may not always live it (yet), but they sure know it. I think one of the most effective family home evening activities we've had was the night that he took the teens outside, opened up the hoods to the vehicles, and discussed maintenance, care, and how an engine works. 

As busy as he is, he takes the time to spend time with our kids. That last photo was a steelhead fishing trip he took the boys on. He has helped them through all their Scouting years, helping each one of them attain his Eagle Scout rank, and gone on a whole lot of campouts along the way -- including those Winter Campouts. (Think about that one for a moment: Winter. Campout. In Northern Idaho. Oh, yes.)

He has been a baseball or softball coach for every one of them (and I'm sure Emma's turn will come, too.). For the girls in particular, that added up to a lot of years and a lot of teams. He had years when he coached three teams at the same time: each girl's Little League Team, and also a travel-ball team:

(Alyssa is always the "tall girl in the back" of group photos)

He's the guy who teaches his kids by example. He almost never instructs the kids on what work he wants done .... he will go out and DO it, and pull the kids along into working alongside him.

He's the guy who disciplines his kids when I am more of a softie than is good for them. He's also the guy who tells me to lighten up when I'm being too hard on them. He taught me a great lesson many years ago, by showing me that each child is different, and they don't all pop out of the same mold.

 And. This is the guy, who treats me like a queen.
He buys me flowers, because he knows how much I love them -- and then pops an allergy pill so he can stand to be in the same room with them.  He drives long hours on trips and lets me snooze away in the passenger seat. He brings my visions to life.....  Our living room entry that now looks like this:

Started out by looking like THIS:

Yes, seriously!

And yes, .... I sketched out the arch of the entry, the columns, the lights in it ..... and he built it all.

As you read through this blog, if you click on any of the entries on the "Home to Haven: Remodeling" page, you can see an abundance of his hard work. That represents many, many long hours for him, often quite late into the nights.

Right now, even as I type this, ..... this is what he's doing:

Hard at work again, on the latest landscaping project in the front yard. I'll tell you more about it when I have more to show you. Hmm... what's that old saying about the difference between men and boys is the size [and cost] of their toys? So true!!

He brings home surprises, he makes memories with us, he supports and sustains us all. He leads by example with our spiritual lives and our children always know where he stands on any issue. He blesses us continually.

He lifts me up, and also keeps me grounded.

I am forever and eternally thankful for him. Words cannot adequately express how much I love this guy.

So, Happy Father's Day, sweetheart! You are truly the BEST!!