Oh Poppi! :)

Today is Stephen's Dad's birthday. Happy Birthday Dad! Happy Birthday Poppi! Thought I'd post some fun pics. Handsome dad in his younger years!

I love this family shot. I think it was for Stephen's birthday which is only a couple of weeks before his Dad's.

This is a favorite too. 

Mom and Dad used to watch Madeline twice a week when we still lived in California. He loved taking Madeline on walks. It was their thing to do. Here they are coming back from a walk and you can see Poppi picked some flowers for Madeline. :)

One of my favs of Dad with Madeline.

And a new fav of mine of Dad with James.

Hope you had a wonderful birthday!

68 years young

Dad standing next to a tall ship in Holland, July 2009.

Today Dad celebrates his 68th birthday - and to those that know him, all would say he's a young 68 year old! I mean really I have a hard time believing that Dad is nearly 70. He's still the fix-it man of our family. Still working on projects, although he has not updated his blog in over a year with them. He still enjoys a good exercise workout...and still enjoys relaxing with a nice cold beer and some peanuts. :)


Dad painting James' room in our new home, August 2009.

Dad (and Mom) have always been such awesome parents, very supportive, very helpful, very thoughtful. And we're so thankful and blessed by them. When we bought our house Dad and Mom came out here for a week to help us get moved in, then 4 weeks later they came out here again to watch the kids for us while we went on our weekend getaway to Boston.


Dad with Penny Lane and Madeline at the San Marcos river, September 2009.

The kids really had a great visit with their Opa and Oma in September. Opa usually gets them giggling by tickling them or being silly. We're so glad our kids will know their grandparents.

So Dad, here's to a wonderful 68th birthday! May our Lord bless you with good health and many more years to come. We love you very much. Thank you for all that you do. We miss you and hope to see you again soon!

63 today!

Stephen with his mom and dad back in 1994.

It's Dad's 63rd birthday today!!! Happy Birthday Dad! Lots of hugs and kisses for Poppi from Madeline and James!!! Dad is a pretty amazing guy. So hard working and always placing his family first. He is so gentle and patient with the grand kids, you can tell he really makes the most of his time when he spends it with them. We feel blessed to have him in our lives, and I know Stephen is honored to have been born to such an incredible father.

We love and miss you so much!

Have a terrific day!

We'll call you via the web cam and Skype later today.

Madeline about to give her Poppi a kiss. :-)

My Dad

Me & my Dad at our favorite indoor water park in Scheveningen, Holland. We loved going here every time we traveled to Holland. I was probably about 7 or 8 in this photo, Dad would've been around 45.
Today my Dad, our kid's Opa, turns 67! Yup, he's been considered a Senior Citizen for a few years now. ;-) People have always said both my Dad and Mom look a lot younger than their age - I hope I inherited those genes! My Dad is one of my heroes. There is truly so much I admire of him. Growing up he modeled so many excellent qualities for my brothers and I. He was a hard-working provider, working the graveyard shift for most of my childhood years. But when he was at home he partook in the household duties as well. He was a teacher and a mentor for me, still is. But most importantly he was and is always there for me.

My Dad walking me down the aisle.
Unfortunately living in different states now, we're unable to see him often. We love when he comes to visit - because he always fixes anything that is broke! :-) Seriously, we always seem to have a list for him. But we also enjoy our visits with him because we get to spend that special time, playing with the kids, site seeing, and taking him out for a Texas steak. When we visit at their home in CA, Stephen's right out there with Dad having a cold beer sitting on his outdoor bar and bbq area. My Dad's sort of given himself the appearance of being "the stern Opa", but underneath that facade he's definitely a fun-loving, silly Opa. :-)
So Dad, on this day may God bless and keep you always. Because you have truly blessed all of us. We love and miss you very much! Hugs and Kisses from your kleinkinderen, Madeline & James!