Father's Day 2019

Father's Day is a special time.

Our society thinks it's funny to bash dads--to mock them, belittle them, ridicule them. I know there are many men who shirk their responsibilities, but we shouldn't let those men be the standard. My life is filled with strong, family-men--men who are hardworking, who love unconditionally, who remain faithful. We need to spend more time praising those who are good examples of what a father should be.

I want my kids to know how blessed they are to have the daddy they do. Leighton is our provider, our stability, our leader, our handyman, our resident tech geek, our protector. And he does all these jobs well. He is giving, intelligent, and honestly good at everything. He is forgiving and disciplines our children in love. 

He is well-deserving of our respect and honor, not only on Father's Day, but throughout the entire year. I could not ask for a better man to be the daddy of my babies.

Every year, I sit down with the kids one-on-one to complete these questionnaires. It's one of our favorite things. You can tell how important family is by reading their answers. 

By Jake, 13 yr

My dad is 36 years old.

My dad weighs 150 lbs.

My dad is 5’11”.

My dad's favorite color is green.

My dad's favorite food is banana pudding.

My dad is really strong. He could lift a lot.

My dad always says we better be good for Mom.

My dad is the best at making Mom happy.

My dad's job is taking care of us.

My dad laughs when Nicky mispronounces words.

My dad and I like to go to the store and play video games.

My dad really loves when we behave.

I love my dad because he loves me.

It makes my dad happy when Mom makes him rib and banana pudding.

Alyssa 11 yr

My dad is 36 years old.

My dad weighs 103 lbs.

My dad is 6’10” tall.

My dad's favorite color is green.

My dad's favorite food is ribs.

My dad is really strong. He could lift the van.

My dad always says “why is there another needle on the floor?”

My dad is the best at being a dad.

My dad's job is a safety guy.

My dad laughs when at half the jokes Jake says.

My dad and I like to read.

My dad really loves me.

I love my dad because he loves me.

It makes my dad happy when I’m good.

Zac, 9 yr

My dad is 36 years old.

My dad weighs 110 lbs.

My dad is 5'10” tall.

My dad's favorite color is green.

My dad's favorite food is steak.

My dad is really strong. He could lift 50 lbs.

My dad always says "I love you."

My dad is the best at fixing machines.

My dad's job is a safety guard.

My dad laughs when he reads these (questionnaires).

My dad and I like to play board games.

My dad really loves his family.

I love my dad because he’s my dad and we’re supposed to love our family.

It makes my dad happy when he’s around our family.

By Tyler, 7 yr

My dad is 36 years old.

My dad weighs 35 lbs.

My dad is 25 inches tall.

My dad's favorite color is green.

My dad's favorite food is everything Mommy makes.

My dad is really strong. He could lift a small table.

My dad always says "clean up your room."

My dad is the best at working.

My dad's job is to fix stuff.
My dad laughs at funny jokes.

My dad and I like to play with Legos.

My dad really loves Mommy!

I love my dad because he’s my dad.

It makes my dad happy when Mommy is making dinner.

By Nicholas, 4 yr

My dad is 4 years old.

My dad weighs 60 lbs.

My dad is 17 feet tall.

My dad's favorite color is blue.

My dad's favorite food is banana pudding.

My dad is really strong. He could lift a horse.

My dad is the best at lifting a pig.

My dad's job is to work.
My dad laughs when smelling flowers.

My dad and I like tackle.

My dad really loves Mommy!

I love my dad because.

It makes my dad happy when loving Mommy.

P.S. "And tell Daddy that I love marshmallows and hot dogs roasting on the fire!"

Happy Father's Day, Leighton! I hope you know how very much you are loved and appreciated. I love raising these kids with you. Thank you for being an amazing example to them.

Father's Day 2018

I love Father's Day. I hope to always show Leighton how loved and appreciated he is throughout the whole year, but it is extra special to set aside a day to honor him. The kids make him cards, we buy him gifts, I cook his requested meal for dinner, and we always have cinnamon rolls for breakfast. 

Leighton works so hard for our family. He provide for our needs monetarily and makes it possible for me to stay home to raise and educate our children. If anything is broken around the house, he fixes it. If I want something built, he makes it. He's our leader, our protector, our provider. He is so talented, so intelligent, so creative. I often say there isn't anything he can't do. And while he did not have the best example growing up, he himself is an amazing father. His children know that he loves them, he loves their mother, and he loves the Lord. Not only do they hear it, but they see that love in action. 

I don't think they understand just yet how blessed they are to have a father like that and to grow up in a strong and loving home. But I do pray that they follow his example and become just like him.

One of my favorite things every year is completing these questionnaires with the kids. It's so special to hear their answers and to see their daddy through their eyes. 

By Jake, 12 yr

My dad is 35 years old.

My dad weighs more than me.

My dad is 5'11" tall.

My dad's favorite color is green.

My dad's favorite food is Mom's.

My dad is really strong. He could lift enough.

My dad always says "be good for your mother tomorrow."

My dad is the best at being my dad.

My dad's job is destroying things.

My dad laughs at non-sarcastic jokes.

My dad and I like to go to the store.

My dad really loves when we clean up the house and listen to Mom.

I love my dad because I do.

It makes my dad happy when we listen to Mom.

By Alyssa, 10 yr

My dad is 35 years old.

My dad weighs 75 pounds.

My dad is 6'2 tall.

My dad's favorite color is green.

My dad's favorite food is anything Mom makes.

My dad is really strong. He could lift me.

My dad always says "I love you."

My dad is the best at anything to do with tools.

My dad's job is to be the saftey guy.

My dad laughs at stuff we do.

My dad and I like lots of stuff.

My dad really loves his family.

I love my dad because he loves me.

It makes my dad happy when we obey.

By Zac, 8 yr

My dad is 35 years old.

My dad weighs about 76 pounds.

My dad is 5'8 tall.

My dad's favorite color is green.

My dad's favorite food is meatloaf.

My dad is really strong. He could lift 25 pounds.

My dad always says "I love you."

My dad is the best at fixing machines. (That was an easy one.)

My dad's job is computer work.

My dad laughs when he hears a funny joke.

My dad and I like to watch movies.

My dad really loves meat.

I love my dad because he's my dad.

It makes my dad happy when we have a clean house (because that's what makes Mom happy.)

By Tyler, 6 yr

My dad is 35 years old.

My dad weighs 55 pounds.

My dad is 100 inches tall.

My dad's favorite color is green.

My dad's favorite food is cinnamon rolls.

My dad is really strong. He could lift 100 lbs.

My dad always says "clean up your room."

My dad is the best at working.

My dad's job is working.

My dad laughs at jokes.

My dad and I like to go swimming.

My dad really loves Mommy.

I love my dad because.

It makes my dad happy when he's with Mommy.

By Nicholas, 3 yr

My dad is free (3) years old.

My dad is like dis! tall.

My dad's favorite color is red.

My dad's favorite food is fwimp! and muffrooms! (shrimp and mushrooms)

My dad is really strong. He could bwing the Duplos up here!

My dad always says "I love you" to Mom and kissing Mommy.

My dad is the best at going at the store.

My dad's job is ride a horsey.

My dad laughs at a hat.

My dad and I like to ride our bikes.

My dad really loves me and he can hold you me.

I love my dad because!

It makes my dad happy when he play the Xbox guy.

Happy Father's Day, Leighton! You are the perfect husband and father for our family. We love you and appreciate you so very much.

Father's Day 2017

Father's Day is one of my favorite times of the year. It is always my desire to show Leighton how cherished and important he is to us. And while that's my goal throughout the whole year, there's something special about taking the time to devote all our energy to showing him our love on this special day. I want to make sure our 5 little ones love, honor, and respect him, and that example starts with me. Too often, dads gets a bad rap. They are demeaned by the entertainment industry. They are criticized on social media. They are undermined at home. I refused to bad-mouth my husband, whether it's publicly to others or privately to my children. Oh, it's not that he's perfect (I could tell you the things he does that grate on my nerves . . . but then I'd have to tell you what I do myself that annoys me, as well; we all make poor choices at times), but I believe that it's important as a wife and mother to build him up. 

Leighton is an amazing man. He experienced some difficult things growing up, but he didn't let those circumstances define him. He's patient and understanding. He's loving, faithful, and giving. He works so hard to provide all of our needs and many of our wants. He's incredibly talented and I always say there isn't anything he can't do. He leads our family well and loves the Lord. I could not ask for a better man. He is the perfect husband and father for us. He loves me and our children, and he's my favorite person in the world. 

This is our sixth year filling our these questionnaires. I sit down with the kids one-on-one to ask questions about their daddy. Some of their answers make me laugh, while others melt my heart. It is obvious that they know they are loved and love him in return. Here is my husband through the eyes our of children.

By Jake, 11 yr:

My dad is 34 years old.

My dad weighs 170 lbs.

My dad is 6’3”.

My dad's favorite color is green.

My dad's favorite food is ribs.

My dad is really strong. He could lift a (Lego) house.

My dad always says dinner is delicious.

My dad is the best at building things.

My dad's job is managing a yard for a demolition company.

My dad laughs when I make up a good joke.

My dad and I like to having Nerf wars.

My dad really loves when we obey.

I love my dad because he does stuff with us.

It makes my dad happy when we obey. 

 

 

By Alyssa, 9 yr:

My dad is 34 years old.

My dad weighs 105 lbs.

My dad is 5'3".

My dad's favorite color is green.

My dad's favorite food is anything Mom makes.

My dad is really strong. He could lift me.

My dad always says I love you.

My dad is the best at fixing things.

My dad's job is working at Blue Star.

My dad laughs when I tell a joke.

My dad and I like to play with Legos.

My dad really loves our family.

I love my dad because he loves me.

It makes my dad happy when we clean up.

 

 

By Zac, 7 yr:

My dad is 34 years old.

My dad weighs 10 tons.

My dad is 6 feet tall.

My dad's favorite color is green.

My dad's favorite food is meat.

My dad is really strong. He could lift 5 lbs.

My dad always says I love you.

My dad is the best at lifting stuff.

My dad's job is fixing machines.

My dad laughs when I tell him a joke.

My dad and I like to have Nerf wars.

My dad really loves Mom!

I love my dad because he’s my dad.

It makes my dad happy when one of us does something nice for him. 

 

 

By Tyler, 5 yr:

My dad is 34 old.

My dad weighs 100 lbs.

My dad is 15 feet tall. 

My dad's favorite color is green.

My dad's favorite food is biscuits and gravy.

My dad is really strong. He could lift the couch.

My dad always says clean up your room.

My dad is the best at building.

My dad's job is working.

My dad and I like to play games.

My dad really loves Mommy.

I love my dad because I love him.

It makes my dad happy when when the whole house is clean.

 

Happy Father's Day, Leighton! You are so loved and appreciated. We are blessed to call you ours.