Happy birthday?

Today is another birthday. I am truly a blessed man.

I have no health issues to speak of, great job, beautiful home, reliable vehicles & an amazing family. What more could I ask for?

Hannah and Rae hand made me a card and Shayna brought me a polar pop and butterfinger bites - after she ran over a tree and wiped out a mailbox.

She was trying to be nice and surprise me and she was very successful. She burst into my office crying and told me she wrecked her car.

We dealt with the accident report and talked about how it could've been much worse. No one was hurt.

My point: All the consequences of this are inconveniences. It's gonna cost her money to get car repaired, insurance is going to go up, she has to go to court and they may suspend her license for a little bit. I will take inconvenience over injury any day.

While this feels like a cruddy thing to happen on ur birthday, I can't help thank God it wasn't worse.

My family is healthy and safe. Happy birthday to me.

Last attempt - perfect

Raegan turned 5 this week and I remember the day she was born. I held her and all I could say is "she's perfect."

Since I have 4 daughters, I joke and introduce Rae as my last attempt for a boy. I am serious when I say that because we are definitely not having anymore children and as much as I thought I wanted a boy, I was wrong.

I wouldn't change this precious little princess for NOTHING. She is the littlest princess and she is nothing short of perfect in daddy's eyes.

It is hard to believe how long ago it seems that she was born but it seems like it was just yesterday too. Life is an awesome journey and this little girl makes it more fun, entertaining, exciting and joyful.

My point: We often think we know what we need but most of the time it is more about what we want. I may have prayed for a boy thinking that is what I wanted but God knew this little girl is what I need.

I will be playing with my girls and I will say out loud "daddy didn't need no boys." I guess I said it enough that they started saying it for me. We get to playing and being goofy and one of them will say Daddy don't need no boys...

That is sooooo true. My last attempt for a boy = perfect!

Happy birthday Rae Rae. Daddy loves you little girl.

kayaking

Today my oldest baby girl turned 15. I am so proud of her and wanted to do something different so I had planned a hike and along the way I was going to share 15 things I want her to always remember.

Somehow when I got on the websites to see some good trails, I came across a kayak trip. I tucked that option in my pocket and figured I would give her the choice. While we were driving I asked if she wanted to go for a hike or a kayak ride and she chose the kayak option.

Once we got in the boat, I thought of a lot of life lessons I could teach on this 1.5 hour trip. The coolest one we shared was how I am now allowing her to make more decisions for her life. A coach helps someone get where they want to go. I believe she knows what God wants her to do so it is my job to help her get there. I don't want to accomplish my will for her life, I want her to tell me what she feels God's will is for her life and I will help steer and guide thru rough waters.

We encountered some obstacles along the way, she got tired of paddling, we worked together, we communicated differently but we made it. It was a great growing experience for both of us.

My point: I want the best for my daughter and I have to begin to trust her and help her get where she feels called to be.

I will always be her daddy, I will always be there for her and I will always love her. I am sad she isn't a little girl but I am excited that she is growing into a young lady.

Happy birthday Shayna. I love you little girl... 3

if love was measured by balloons

Megan Renae Fowler Nov 8, 2004 - Nov 12, 2004

Today I celebrated 4 of the best days of my life. My Megan was born 5 years ago today. She died 4 days later but I choose to focus on the life of love she lived. That child knew nothing but love her entire life.

It is a family tradition to buy a balloon for each person. We then write a personal note on ours and when ready, we release the balloon to the sky.

Tonight I did something a little different. I didn't plan it, it just sorta happened this way.

Normally I write a ton of stuff and fill the entire balloon with words but tonight I was crying really hard and my balloon got soaked. Since it was so wet, it made it difficult to write on. I started thinking about it and I really liked the idea of speaking the words to her out loud and sending my balloon up with my tears. I managed to write her name and "I love you little girl" on my balloon before sending it off to the great unknown.

As I watch the balloons get further and further away, to the point they disappear, I seem to find some peace - I feel very close to Megan during this little ceremony. The whole family sent up their own balloon with a special message, including Raegan. It was precious.

My point: I will never forget my Megan, so I choose to celebrate her life. I want my family to have a healthy outlet for pain. We all need that...

If my love was measured by balloons, the entire sky would've been filled.

I love you little girl!

you say it's your birthday...

Well another year has passed for my beautiful wife. She turned thirty something yesterday and I just wanted to say that I am thankful for the day she was born.

I think birthdays are a lot more fun for kids but it does make ya stop to reflect on life when you realize a year has past.

Birthdays are a good time to look back and evaluate and a better time to look ahead and dream. I love that we have a lot to look forward to. Not only are we getting ready to move into a new house, but we will also be finishing up the new sanctuary at C3. We will also see some pretty amazing things happen in lives of our girls. They never cease to amaze me with how fast time seems to go...

My point: It is pretty cool to be in love. I love my wife and I look forward to another year together. I hope all your dreams come true babe.

This is a pic from our honeymoon cruise.

I know this post was a little sappy but I will return next week with my common wit and sarcasm soon...

3/4

Well another year has passed in the life of my oldest daughter Shayna. She turns 12 today. She is absolutely beautiful both inside & out. 

Birthdays cause you to reflect on memories. Many years ago, we visited one of Shayna's friends who had a mother battling Lou Gehrig's disease. She couldn't communicate verbally at all.  My heart broke for her because I thought - how can I tell my kids & spouse how much I love them if I can't speak. 

On that day Shayna and I decided that we would figure out a way to say "I LOVE YOU" without having to use words. We decided that one would do something 3 times and the other would respond back with 4. We figured "I LOVE YOU" is 3 words and "I LOVE YOU TOO" is 4 words so it just made sense. 

So if ever there was a time I couldn't speak, I could blink 3 times and she would know I was saying I LOVE YOU. I tested this from the time she was just a little girl. She would be on my lap watching TV and I would squeeze her leg or hand 3 times and without thinking she would squeeze back 4 times. I was amazed at how quick she caught on at such an early age. 

Even now, when I text her I will either end with the words I LOVE YOU or I will put "1.2.3." and she will respond with "4". If we are going somewhere and can only see each other but not hear - I will hold up 3 fingers and she will hold up 4. 

I am so glad I have a nonverbal way to communicate. If for whatever reason I couldn't tell my family I love them, it would be horrible. This way - anything in 3's or 4's - we know what is being said. 

My point: We need to be intentional about making great memories to look back on. Have something special for the people you love. Be intentional with what you say and how you say it. 

Happy birthday Shayna 1.2.3...

the parallel

Yesterday was my dad's birthday, it also just happened to be Ronald Reagan's birthday.

I would like to parallel the lives of these two great men. There are some amazing similarities. I trust you will be amazed by them.

Ronald Reagan - first name is "Ronald"

My dad - has a brother named "Ronald" (he is in the pic in the background)

Ronald Reagan - loves jelly beans

My dad - can spell "jelly beans"

Ronald Reagan - known as the "great communicator"
My dad - communicated great with a belt

Ronald Reagan - was on tv

My dad - loves to watch tv

Ronald Reagan - was the 40th president

My dad - is the president of the Barry Manilow fan club

Ronald Reagan - was married to Nancy

My dad - is married to Kathy (they both end with the letter "y")

Ronald Reagan - in office during the "Iran contra scandal"

My dad - had to go to my principal's office during my "spitting scandal"

Ronald Reagan - his wife was known for "just say NO"

My dad - his wife always says "NO"

Ronald Reagan - was on a postage stamp

My dad - has mailed many letters with postage stamps

Ronald Reagan - was a man of influence

My dad - was the greatest influence of my life

These are just a few of the amazing parallels of two great men.

My point: Birthdays are a great time of reflection. There are so many great memories I share with my dad. I can only hope my children love me half as much as I love my dad. There are so many lessons I am still learning from my dad. He made so many sacrifices for me and my family. As a dad myself, I can now appreciate some of those sacrifices he made out of love.

Thanks dad, for everything. Happy birthday. I love you very much.

11 years

It is so hard to believe that 11 years ago this day, Shayna Kathleen was born into this world. She was a pretty big newborn. She weighed 9+ lbs. I look at her and of course I can't help to try to recall what happened to the past 11 years. That is more than a decade (I thought I would show off my smarts a little with that statement). I can't wait to see what dreams she reaches for and what lives she impacts.

I am always telling her: "life is about relationships and relationships are about communication" (feel free to write that down, its a good one). I believe if she can learn to deal with people issues in the early years of school then she will be better equipped to deal with them later in life. I tell her to learn how to communicate with the difficult people because life is full of them. Invest into relationships by becoming a good communicator.

I remember when she was too little to even talk. She would cry (communicate) and I would tell her "Shayna, calm down and talk to daddy." Believe it or not, she would normally comply. My mom saw Shayna in a bit of a frustrated tantrum and was trying to calm her down when I walked over and said "Calm down and talk to daddy." My mom said "yeah right, like that is going to work." No sooner did those words exit my moms mouth - Shayna sucked the tears back into her eyes and pointed and cooed calmly. All my mom could say was "wow, who would've thought." Of course I was flaunting a little...

Since the early stages of life, I taught Shayna to communicate her feelings with words. I believe that is why we still to this day have a great relationship with words. I love when she comes to me and shares how she feels. Of course it's not all positive. Sometimes she says things like "I don't even know how I feel. I just feel blah", or "I feel like I want to run" or "scream into my pillow"... I love that she can communicate these things instead of moping around and making me guess what is wrong.

My point. As a father I love when my children communicate with me. As a christian, I know our Heavenly Father loves when we communicate with Him. Next time you are feeling blah or like you want to run or like scream into your pillow, pause and tell your Father. He cares and wants to hear it. He tells us to come to Him when we are tired or carrying burdens and He will give us comfort and rest. (Matthew 11:28)

As I look at how fast the last 11 years have passed, I can't help be sad and excited. Sad because I am older and now have visible gray hair but excited to see what is on the horizon for this life.

We don't know how much time we have left and before we know it another decade will have come and gone. Make good decisions today so you don't have to look back and wish you would have done things different.

Happy birthday Shayna. I love you little girl.