better late than never!

i know i am a few weeks late with this post, but father's day 2010...

better late than never, right? :)

we started our celebration friday nite, where we took my dad out to dinner. it's always a little crazy when we get the cousins together, whether we go out to eat or stay in... so this year we went out. and for the most part, the kids were well behaved and we had a good time! i am so thankful to my dad for all he has done for me, and all he means to our family! god truly has blessed us with such a godly example to look up to. i remember asking my dad to come to church with us when i was young. for a while, he said no. then he gave his life to the lord, and every since then, he hardly misses a sunday at church. but whether he is in church, or out of church, he is a great man. he would give you anything you asked of him, even if it were the shirt on his back. he is the true meaning of servant. so dad, i know it doesn't get said as often as it should, but we all love you so much. you are so good to us, you give us more than we deserve, and you spoil the kids rotten! i know the past year isn't what we would have imagined it to be, def not how we would have chosen. but dad, you have handled it with grace. and trusted god every step of the way! over the past 10 or so years, you have patched more tires than we can count, changed my brakes more than they should EVER have to be changed, and fixed our lawnmowers and grills when we didn't know how! :) you always give great advice, and even better hugs. i know you are always here for me, no matter what! i'm so thankful for an earthly father that mirrors our heavenly father so closely!

so this year, father's day started off really special for nate. on sunday, we visited a church down the road from us where we got to hear coach bobby bowden speak. nate has been and fsu fan forever, and we didn't want to pass up the opportunity to hear coach bowden bring the word! i have never heard him speak before, and he was wonderful. it was a great service. coach was very entertaining. but not only did he keep us laughing, he shared a few great things with us. one of his main points was that we as christians need to be available. he said god wants you to be available, and he will use you. he said that's how he saw his role as coach at fsu for 33 years. he said he was available, and that's where god called him! simple huh? he also said if you believe, go tell others! don't be ashamed! and that is one thing i believe bobby bowden is not... and that is ashamed! i think whether you like fsu or not, or even whether or not you like him as a person, you have to agree that he is not ashamed of sharing the gospel. he and his wife have 6 kids and 21 grandkids. what an awesome example bobby bowden is, not only to his family, but the football players and fans that have looked up to him for many years. one more thing coach bowden said that i thought was so funny but true is this "we christians need to come out of the closet- everyone else is!" good point! (we took the camera but nate didn't want to act like a crazy fan, so he didn't take any pics... and i thought that meant he didn't want me to take any either. at the end of the service, i hated that i didn't take some pics, and nate said "i didn't say you couldn't take any, i just said I wasn't going to!" oh well. it was still great to hear him speak, even if we didn't get any pics!

after church, all of nate's family went to rachel and dalton's for lunch. we ate til we were stuffed, like always! the kids played and we had a great afternoon just hanging out. we spent time with nate's dad, and i think he enjoyed that. john is also such a blessing to our family. he is full of godly wisdom and advice. he's been known to get into some deep theological conversations from time to time (HA!) but it's great that he is always here for us. so often i think of how thankful i am that he and terri raised such great kids. i am so grateful that nate came from a home very similar to mine growing up, where he was raised in church, and also raised by an awesome mom and dad, who showed him tough love when he needed it! :) thanks john and terri. grandaddy was blessed to be able to retire at the end of 2009, and i know the kids have absolutely loved spending more time with him on the days they go to meme's. he helped them plant a garden, and of course he goes with them to alabama adventure. we are blessed for sure to have john in our lives!

now, i just want to say what a great dad nate is. he works hard to provide for us. he is tired when he gets home from work, but he more than pulls his share at home! he usually has dinner going when i get home with the kids. and he helps clean the house, bathe the kids, he does my long honey-do lists, plays with the boys, and usually doesn't complain about any of it! he watches the kids so i can go get my pedicures, or go shopping every now and then. i know that our boys seem to always want mama, but there's just not enough of me to go around sometimes! :) nate always steps up to the plate, no matter what's going on. as the boys get older, i know they will be all about their daddy. he is already their hero, and to see the look in his eyes when he talks about them is so precious. and vice versa. there's no doubt trace and lucas are both just like their daddy. he loves them and he is a great godly example to them. i am so thankful for a faithful father to our boys, and such a great husband as well. i could never ever make it as a single mom, and truly i thank god for nate! we love you to the moon, and back!

so for father's day... enjoy a few pics of just nate, and his boys! love it!
daddy and his littlest mini-me! :)
i love this one below, of nate flying a kite. trace was following his every step~ don't you love it?

my sweet boys! couldn't imagine life without them.

"sons are a heritage from the lord, children a reward from him." psalm 127:3