Happy Fathers Day!

I am blessed by many wonderful men in my life, two of which are my dad and the father of my children. My father always did what he could to provide for our family, even when it meant that he was unable to be at some of our functions. He has been an example of prayer, home teaching, service, and scripture study in my life. There have been times, where I may have felt less affection from him but I know and knew he loved me. I feel that I have a pretty good relationship with my dad and am proud to call him "my dad".
The second man, the greatest blessing in my life, is my husband. He is an excellent father and husband. He works our for our family to provide for us and lead our family in righteousness. Jake is very patient with both me and our children. As a child, when I thought of marriage and family, I never envisioned marrying a man that is such a good father. Jake exceeds all expectations (society and personal) of being a good father. I can take the examples of both those men and learn a little about parenting myself. I am confident that many of Jake's attributes as a father came from his parents and the example of his father.
Thirdly, I am blessed with a wonderful Papaw.....I had the best grandparents ever....my kids are blessed with good ones too but mine rocked. He never forgets us kids and visited often growing up and makes it a point when we are in Jackson to come see us. His actions show that he cares for us.
Fourth, I have awesome brothers and the same amount of great brother in laws. Both of my brothers teach me a little something....and both have very distinct, different personalities. They each hold a special place in my heart for different reasons. Both my brother in laws are still relatively new to the family but I am enjoying getting to know them and their attributes better.
Fifth, I am blessed with two precious boys of my own. It is my hope that they take the best attributes from each of the above mentioned and their other uncles and develop those attributes into their lives as they grow. I hope when Will and Christopher are older, they are as gospel oriented as their Papa, as smart and fun, as their uncles, as family oriented as my Papaw, and as gentle, patient, non-judgmental, and as well balanced as their father. I hope Christopher and Will are learning now as young as they are to show love through their actions and not just word. My boys have several tremendous examples to look up to.
Lastly, I am blessed with the knowledge that I have a loving Father in Heaven and brother, Jesus Christ. They have my best interest in mind and silently cheer me on everyday. I am blessed to have a relationship with them and a sure knowledge that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ live for me today. It is through obeying the principles and covenants of the gospel that I know that I can be eternally with my family and have ever-lasting happiness.

Happy 1st Birthday Christopher

Today was a special day in our home. We celebrated our last first birthday...yes, that is correct, our baby turned one. Christopher is a source of joy in our home. He is not mobile yet and we are 100% okay with that. He has discovered table food and has a distaste for his baby food. He loves cocoa puffs cereal, cheetos, goldfish, and crackers. He smiles much more often these days and laughs. Yesterday, his daddy and brother were playing cars and Christopher had a car, he started making car noises too. It was way cute. Christopher enjoys swimming pools but is not a fan of baths and he loves to be outside. We are blessed that Heavenly Father blessed our home with him.