Happy Birthday, Pappaw! (blessing #4)

My dad, a.k.a. pappaw, had a birthday last week. I can't remember my dad EVER being excited about his birthday. But he's gracious and lets us celebrate it anyway and tries not to think about the increasing number of candles atop his banana pudding or chocolate cake.

Dad may not love his birthday but I do since its a great excuse to celebrate an incredible person.

I've blogged before about how great I think my dad is. Like when he sings to my kids,

the way he loves him some Oreos , and how I see his traits in myself.

I did a birthday post last year. Its all still true.

I love that my dad throws himself into everything he does, 100%.

I love that my dad loves to play with his grand kids. When we were visiting home last month, twice in four days he took a collection of grand kids out for the day, by himself. They did "Memphis stuff" and "kid stuff" for hours. The kids returned fed and exhausted while pappaw returned on cloud nine. He truly had fun! and I love him for it.

I love that even though my dad has a hectic schedule with church and work responsibilities demanding his time, he's finding/making the time to lace up his running shoes and pound the pavement. I think he's trying to show ol' Mother Nature and Father Time whose boss. Bob Boston will not "get old" until he's good and ready. I'm pretty sure that's going to be NEVER! and I love him for that too.

I love that my dad loves to text back and forth with my seven year old.

I love that my dad loves to listen to the endless chatting of my five year old.

I love that my dad loves to try and decipher my three year old.

I love to talk running with my dad. I wish I could run with my dad. Someday.

Thank you, dad, for being such a big fan of our little Hutchinson family.

We love you "too much"

(as Joe says).

(p.s. It goes without saying that my dad is definitely one of my many blessings in 2010.)

Like Father Like Daughter

I wasn't going to blog today because I'm so stinkin' tired but I just HAD to share this.

If you know my dad very well then you know he is famous, or is that infamous, for bumping his head.

So, this afternoon I was heading out the front door to watch the kids play out front. I opened the front door and whacked myself in the head with the front door. I (not so proudly) admit, I cursed (thankfully the kids were outside). It freakin' hurt! And now I've got a goose egg on my forehead.

I mean honestly people, who whacks themselves in the head with front door?

ME

Dad, I appreciate you passing on your height and build to me but you could have kept the whole head bumping thing. At least I'm in good company.

Wandering Around One Night

I was craving . . . something . . . the other night. Adam and I found ourselves wandering around Target trying to figure out what I "felt like". Perusing the soda aisle, look what we found? RC and west of the Rockies too. Just seeing RC takes me back 20 years (I know, you're shocked that I'm that old!) to family vacations. My dad was/is a driving machine, partially thanks to RC. RC will forever make me think of my dad. (Funny thing is, I can't drink caffeine after noon or I'll be up all night and RC tastes a lot like Pepsi. Kinda yuck! And still we bought it.)
RC in hand, we continued on to the cookie aisle. With my dad on my mind I was instantly drawn to the Double Stuff Oreos. Double Stuff is SO where its at!

( my dad with his peeps)

So on some random weekend evening, wondering around Target, I took a stroll down memory lane. Me, Adam, RC, Double Stuff Oreos and my dad.

Happy Birthday Pappaw, yet another blessing

My dad had a birthday last week. I don't think he'd mind a bit if I told the blogworld that he turned 59. My dad! 59! Is that possible? Is it possible for parents to make their kids feel old? Isn't it usually the other way around?

My dad is the youngest 59 year old I know. His graying hair looks very distinguished, his smooth face (thanks to him listening to the woman folk in the family years ago about using . . . lotion), his handsome smile (also thanks to the women folk) and his tall, lean build make him look much younger.

I have a really awesome dad. I do. I'm old enough to admit it freely and openly. My dad has aways been a big fan of . . . well, me. To this day my dad will call me out of the blue and ask me what I've done for myself that day.

My dad is a big fan of being a dad. He took/takes the job very seriously. I learned to cut and "weed whack" the yard, change a tire, properly wax a car, demo an old vinyl floor, work real hard and follow a good dance partner like nobody's business.

My dad is a big fan of fun. When I was three, my dad took me and Audra (5) to Myrtle Beach for a week. He even took us to the "Santa's Land" theme park in July (now that's dedication).
When I was 12, my dad took all four of us kids to Myrtle Beach for a week by himself (my sweet mom doesn't beach). He took off his watch and did whatever we wanted all week long.
When I was 15, dad took us four kids to California, by himself (my sweet mom didn't fly back then. Something about barfing from her heels the entire flight.) That's just my dad. He loved being a kid, having kids, acting like a kid. I think it keeps him young.

Since I am blessed to have an awesome dad, my kids are blessed to have an outstanding pappaw. If you were to check my cell phone usage I guarantee that my dad's number gets talked to the most. My girls know that they can call pappaw anytime, day or night. And they do. My dad says that if he can keep them talking and wanting to talk to him now, maybe, just maybe, when they are teenagers, they'll still want to talk to pappaw. I love that my dad worries about that. I think his plan just might work.

I could write a novel about the caring example he sets for me, the friend he is to my kids, the lessons I've learned and all the fun things I've done with my dad.

A few years ago, as a gift, each of us kids wrote three stories/experiences that we remember most about our dad. Once compiled there were 12 different stories. Wonderful reminders of a fatherhood well spent.

I love you dad. Happy Birthday

Best Pappaw Ever

My kids are blessed to have the best and coolest pappaw, pretty much ever. My dad makes an extra effort to stay close with my kids even though we live so far away. Ella and Grace LOVE to call pappaw at night for bedtime stories. They put the phone on speaker and lie in bed, in the dark and listen to my dad tell them stories that he told me as a kid. He then sings them a few songs. He sings them songs that were passed down from their four times great grandma (Grandma Dean) whose husband died in the Civil War battle at Shiloh. And he sings them Elvis.

My dad (and mom) were supposed to be here Wednesday night to stay for a week and attend the Boston Family reunion. But work got all messy for dad (other people, not dad) and now he HAS to stay in Memphis. Thankfully my mom is still coming but we are thoroughly bummed that pappaw wouldn't be.

I am so terribly thankful for the wonderul parents Heavenly Father gave to me and the incredible grandparents they are to my kids. The video above is black since it was dark in my girls room when story time was winding down. This is my dad singing Elvis to my girls. How cool is that?