Happy Father's Day!

I am so blessed to have so many great "fathers" in my life. I'm gonna share a little about a few of them in honor of Father's Day.

First up, my own hubby and a fabulous father, is Lonnie. He is an excellent example to our boys and they look up to him so much. A constant phrase they use is "When I'm big like Daddy..." and then they fill it in with some important adventure like, "I'm gonna drive myself to the store and buy my own dinosaurs." (That is what Walker said this morning. I'm sure Connor would say he was gonna go fast on the jetski or motorcycle.) He is their wrestling and rough housing partner, and he is their go to source for all things adventurous. Lonnie is strict when he needs to be, but also patient and kind. Everyday he is teaching them how they should treat a future wife by his example in how he treats me. He works hard to provide for us, but also values his down time and loves spend it with his family.

Next is Pop a.k.a. Poppy. Poppy is my dad. He hung the moon in my boys eyes. He fits the "grandpa" bill perfectly.He is always fun and there's never trouble. The word "no" is not in his vocabulary when it comes to the boys. It is a constant source of joy for me to watch them with him because he was such a different dad than Pop. Don't get me wrong, he was a great dad, but we had rules and had to follow them. I'm thankful for that now, but it cracks me up to see him get to only have fun. He has a green thumb, and is teaching me lots about plants and yardwork. Poppy started the Youtube revolution with my boys, and they love to watch different videos on his laptop before bed.

Papaw Russell is my Great Grandfather. He is Pop's granddad and is as patient as the day is long. I always hoped my boys would get to know Papaw Russell because he always held such a special place in my heart as a child. He used to be in law enforcement, but is incredibly talented in other areas. He built his own home, and all of the outbuildings. He raised hogs, chickens, and is a gifted gardener. I tease him that he is a renaissance man. The boys love to go visit Mamaw and Papaw because they have lots of animals and plenty of room to run.

Grandpa is my mom's Dad. I am his oldest grandchild, and I hold that spot proudly. (I'm his favorite, but don't tell anybody!) His favorite color is yellow and he is an avid sports fan. He has had a difficult life, but has overcome his obstacles and is a sweet, gentle spirit. These days he tends to sit back and watch the chaos that results from 9 children, 14 grandchildren, and 2 great-grandchildren.

Jerry is my father in law. He married my mother in law a couple years ago and my boys adore him. He is tall like Lonnie, and the boys think that is really neat. He is a carpenter by trade, and Connor loves to watch him work on anything. It is so nice to have my own Mr. Fixit. He's an avid fisherman and loves animals. Jerry is a genuinely good person, with a zest for life. He loves to go and do, and is always up for adventure.

Last, but in no way least, is Papa. Papa is Lonnie's grandfather and is about a good as they come. He has worked hard for everything that he has, and still works hard everday because he doesn't know any different. He is generous beyond words, and my 2 boys are his "Main Men". Walker is his namesake (Elliott Walker is his name, so we reversed it to Walker Elliott.) Papa is one of the most knowledgable people I have ever met. He follows the news and reads the paper so he is always up on current events. He could tell you everything from how to roof a house to what happened on Jerry Springer (his favorite show, HA!) that afternoon.He was born here in the lowcountry and his accent is almost Cajun sounding. When I first met him I had to listen very carefully. I could listen to him talk for days on end. He especially loves to tell jokes, and he always repeats the punchline to make sure you got it. He is my go to source if I need something fixed or if I have a how-to question.

Now none of these men read this blog, but I still wanted to do something on my blog for Father's Day to honor them. I have plans to spend the whole day with some of these great men. I hope your father's day is really special too!