Ka-Chow! Ka-Chow!

To say Buddy loves cars, tractors, trucks, anything with wheels is an understatement. I cannot even tell you how many he has or even where they all are. They are like little surprises hidden all over the house! I find some hidden in the plants, on the table, in our bed, in Sister's closet, in my shoes, on the stairs. You just never know.

Every morning he wakes up and picks out about 6 from the 100 he has in his bed with him. He will carry those 6 around all day plus BeBe~like the picture above. They are dropped about a million times, rolled off the table, crashed into each other, thrown off the couch-you name it, he's done it. He even puts them in the stroller and takes them for a walk outside. He knows every car he has and when there is one missing! I don't even know how he keeps up!

His favorite car by far is Lightening McQueen. We are on McQueen #3 right now...and I keep a back up just in case it gets lost. It's not even worth the heartbreak that comes along with not having McQueen in his hands. A few months ago, he got a McQueen tattoo, which eventually came off in the bathtub. That poor baby cried about it for about 2 months...every night! We went to Hobby Lobby a few weeks ago and found a LM stamp. Buddy saw it first and when I handed it to him from the shelf, he hugged it and said, 'I wub it Mommy!' So, I bought it. And, every night after bath, he gets a new one on each arm. It is so sweet to hear how he giggles with pure excitement each time I put that "big, big wite'nin queen tamp" on.  

It's the little things that make him happy, for now.   

My Daddy

Daddy's 60th birthday is today! We celebrated at the lake this past weekend and had the most redneck cake ever! It was suppose to be a lake scene...but turned out to be lots of bright blue icing with 40 plastic fish stuck all over it!  Guess who thought she needed to take 3 of those fish home to add to her collection?

My daddy is the cream of the crop, the best of the best. There is no imitating and no one better! He is a husband, father, son, brother,deacon, farmer, fixer, good listener, the list could go on and on. I think his favorite title is Papa! So, for his birthday, I have compiled a list ~

Things I LOVE about my Daddy!

1. I love that he loves my momma! And has provided Bub and I with a stable family. Together they have shown us what true love is and what working at a marriage is like. Thank you!
2. I love that he is a great dancer and dances in the kitchen with me and momma.
3. I love that he created some kind of fear in me from when I was young(in a loving way)...I have never wanted to let him down!
4. I love that he can say my name in a certain tone and I know exactly what it means. WB tried this once after we were married...it didn't work for him!
5. I love that he trusts God so much that he banks his livelihood on his faith every year. That's what being a farmer means. He works the ground and plants a crop each year and then waits on God to make it a good one. Even though the good ones don't come that often, his faith doesn't waiver and he turns right around and does it again.
6. I love that his lap is still big enough for me to climb in when I want to. He's a great girl daddy!
7. I love that he is respected by every person that has ever come in contact with him.
8. I love that he gave every kid he coached equal playing time~even if they weren't that good. And didn't care when parents didn't like it.
9. I love that he always knows where everything is...anytime I need directions, I always call him!
10. I love that he makes Chex Mix every holiday.
11. I love that he would walk down the hallway beating on the walls to wake us up for school. And if we didn't wake up, he would come in our rooms and sit on us!
12. I love that he picked me up from elementary school and always had a coke and peanuts in the truck. Then, when he picked me up from middle school, he didn't mind that I thought coke & peanuts was too fattening.
13. I love that he picked me up from high school in the most beat up, oldest farm truck he owned. I didn't really love that, but we are totally doing that to Sister one day!
14. I love that when my first date came to the door to get me, he opened it and said "What are you doing here?" I made him answer the door for every other date I ever had.
15. I love that he called me Chelsea Clinton when I got a perm in the 9th grade. I had a straightener put in it twice after that.
16. I love that he was a very strict parent and didn't allow me to do things that I am now grateful for!
17. I love that when tucking me in at night, he would push all the covers under me so I was locked in like a mummy. I still like my sheets to be tight and tucked in.
18. I love that he gave me my diploma on stage when I graduated high school.
19. I love that he still has my senior picture in his wallet and always puts everything behind it.
20. I love that he always pumped my gas until I went off to college. I had to learn then because my brother refused to do it.
21. I love that he tried to bribe me to stay home for college by buying me a new car. Then he didn't get mad when I decided a month before Fall Quarter that I wanted to go to Auburn!
22. I love that when WB asked him if he could marry me after only 2 months, he gave his blessing. I also love that they had a private conversation and I still don't know what was said.
23. I love that we had booked a harpist for our wedding but daddy said no, that he wanted violins. I really wanted the violins too.
24. I love that when I got a bad haircut (right after WB and I were married) he advised WB just to sit down and shut up that nothing he could do would make it better. I think he remembers #15 too.
25. I love that I remind him of his mother.
26. I love that he showed us that owning your own business is risky and very hard work, but worth it in the end.
27. I love that my husband has a lot of his same characteristics.
28. I love that he loves our kids and loves to spoil them.
29. I love that he respects us enough as parents to honor the rules we have for our kids.
30. I love that Buddy's middle name is his first name.
31. I love that his legacy will never be matched.
32. I love that even though our time together here is short, we will be living in eternity together one day!

Happy 60th Daddy! I will always be your little girl!

The logistics of getting to Heaven~according to Sister

The following conversation took place in the car today:

Sister~"Mommy, how are we going to get to Heaven? I mean, I know God's gonna come pick us up in his truck, but how are we going to get on the clouds?" as she is gazing in the sky.

Me~"Do you think there is a road in the sky that we can't see?"

Sister~"Yes! I think that's it! And, I think he is going to give us a treat on the way since we've been good!"

Me~"What kind of treat?"

Sister~"I bet it's a lollipop! And it's going to be a really big one because it's a long way to get there!"

I LoVe that girl!