This man is no fool!

Fifty six years ago on April Fools day an amazing husband, father, Papa, and friend was born!

He is smart, funny, talented beyond belief, selfless, generous, loving, and so much fun to be around, he was born on April fools day but he is no fool... He is absolutely wonderful, and today we got to spend most of the day with the family and it made my heart so happy! We had yummy snacks, and enchilada's, and chocolate brownies and ice cream for the birthday boy. We got to just relax and hang out and celebrate being a family that has such an awesome dad!

My dad is the kind of man that has no clue how loved he is, has no idea how ridiculously talented he is, and has no idea how much better our lives are because he is in it!

This little blue eyed beauty stares at her Papa with the most loving gaze, she looks at him in a way that says, "Papa you make me so happy!" 

However in this pic she is looking at me like she might scream if I take another picture of her :)

My dad is the kind of man who seems to have everything when it comes to material goods, he has a beautiful home, a nice car, nice clothes, and the list goes on and on, but still I have never seen a man put every ounce of blood, sweat, and tears into his work the way he does. He works day in and day out for his family, and even though his children have grown, he is so the kind of guy that will still work his tail off to ensure that both his kids and his wife are taken care of.

...And with that said, for a man who has everything, there is absolutely nothing he loves more that his grand kids. These two angels light up his world like the fourth of July, EVERY single time he sees them! There is absolutely nothing he wouldn't do for his babies, and these babies love him in the most delightful way!

This is the look little nuggy makes when she lays eyes on her Papa. It seriously is the sweetest thing!

It's crazy to think of the days when these pictures were just us four, when we my dad was filming us rapping in our homemade music videos, and taking our picture by the Christmas tree. It's crazy to think of all of the baseball games my dad coached, and all of the conversations we would have about good grades, and college. It's just too crazy to see the way our family has grown yet to feel as though I am still 7 and my dad is the only man in my life. It's crazy that life really does go that fast!

This picture pretty much sums up exactly what nuggy and her 8 month old heart feels for her Papa, and I have to say that I see that face and I know what she is thinking and feeling, because I feel it too! Maybe that's a hereditary thing a mother can pass down to her children...a fiery, passionate, outrageous love for two people who would move heaven and earth to make sure you are taken care of, loved and adored!  

Tonight after her baba, Nuggy, so still and so content just laid in her Papa's arms. She gently ran her little baby fingers through his facial hair, and rubbed her hand on his cheeks. She normally doesn't like laying like this, but tonight you could tell she was at peace. She felt safe in her Papa's arms, and felt no real hurry to move. She spent minute after minute gazing into his blue eyes just studying this man who used to hold me this same way. Every time I see this I feel as though my heart could burst, because like I said before I feel it all too! And what I wouldn't give to be her again, to lay in his arms and have him rock me and to show him that there is absolutely no other love than the love between a daughter and a daddy!

My heart is full and heavy at the very thought of my dad. Full with love, respect, and admiration. Heavy with sadness and longing. My dad has lived a life that most could never even begin to be able to understand. He has not always been treated the way he should have been, and I don't ever think he will be able to grasp the sheer abundance of which he is loved. He has lived many days where anyone else would have given up, but he didn't, and he wont. He is stubborn, and sarcastic, and honestly doesn't always have a cup that is half full, but considering the hand life has dealt him I would say it is nothing short of a miracle that his heart is as soft, and generous, and as huge as it is! He has been one of the greatest examples of hard work, and making the best with what you've got. He has taught us to fight hard, work hard, and accept people for their virtues and flaws.

I love my dad in a way I can't even put into words, and for me, a person of MANY words, that says a lot about my feelings for him! Our relationship has had its peaks and it's valleys, but it has a rawness that I would never replace. I love my dad with the hairs on my head and the toes on my feet, I love him with all of me, because so many times he has loved me just the same.

I have learned over the years that we all speak our love differently, some are loud and some are soft. Some scream it from the rooftops, while others say it with a look. My dad, he loves us soft and quiet, but his love could move mountains! His love and unshakable support has often times left me feeling as though I have a debt so big I could never repay. He has never stopped taking care of me, and seeing his passion to continue to support me and my new family just reinforces the heart God has given this man.

As I think about this glorious day, when 56 years ago God created my dad I feel a kind of gratitude that is unique and in a category all it's own. And my prayer on this day, and every other day is that, miraculously, by the grace of God my dad can spend the next 56 years discovering how fabulous, and wonderfully made he really is. My prayer is that he can come to know the infinite ways God loves him and can rest in the peace of his grace. That he can know without a shadow of a doubt that he is a good man, a loved man, and a man who has positively influenced the life of this adoring little girl!

Happy Birthday Daddy, what a wonderful BEAUTIFUL day to celebrate such a wonderful man!

Love you!