HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!!

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah - I'm late, as usual! I thought it only appropriate to honor all the "dads" the girls and I have in our lives.

First: - Mike - my "biological" father, who I met when I was 18 years old and is such a wonderful man. I so love our talks about life, family, books and POLITICS (how can two people who didn't know each other for so long have the same political views? And be so similar in the type of books they read? Crazy...goes totally against my "nurture versus nature" theory). He's "Grandpa" to the girls and his wife Linda (we share the same birthday- cool huh?) is Grandma. They love my girls and my girls love them. They love me and accept me unconditionally and I love them. We love to visit them at the beach in NC and we hope to see them soon. And we totally need to write that book...

Second: Denny - my "father-in-law", also known as "Pop-Pop" to the girls, who is a loving man, always gives me a hug and a kiss, is there at a moment's notice (even though he lives almost 2 hours away) and who gets the biggest smile on his face whenever he sees the girls.

Third: Ted - Lovingly known as "Mister" to my girls along with Gamma Judi. Long time neighbors of my mom and dad, who moved in the last year (we now live in their house and love it) and probably one one the most wonderful men I know. He and Judi have been a huge source of support and love to me and I am forever grateful to them and love them very much. The girls think they are the "funnest" people they know, who get down on the floor and play with them and give the girls thier undivided attention. We can't wait to see Gamma Judi and Mister this summer.

Fourth: Daddy - my wonderful, incredible father who took me and my brother into his life and into his heart when I was 12 years old. He married my mom, adopted me, made us a family, continues to make my mom happy - which I am so grateful for and which she deserves - and made me his little girl. He's "Poppy" to the girls and they, along with me, adore him. I'm so very lucky and proud to have him as my dad.

(As a side note, how lucky are my girls to have so many grandparents??? They have a Mimi and Poppy, a Grandma and Grandpa, a Gamma Judi and Mister and a Mom-Mom and Pop-pop, not to mention a plethora of "aunts" and "uncles". I guess it does take a village to raise a child. And each of them bring something unique and different into my children's lives. We are incredibly blessed)

And last, but most certainly not least, my incredible husband Brian. There are no words to describe how wonderful he is - as a father, a husband and a person. He takes on parenting as a partnership. He loves his girls so much and when the girls start to talk to him and tell him what happened during their day, or when they go up and give him a hug and a kiss and an "I love you", the look on his face shows me that I am the luckiest woman in the world. Our marriage has had it's rough spots over the past (almost) ten years and we both know there are more to come. But we love each other and we are in love with each other. It's that simple. and we're a family. We can face whatever is thrown at us and we will stand together and make it through. I may doubt this in my head at times, but I know it's true in my heart. To you, my wonderful husband, love of my life, the man who still makes my stomach do flip-flops when you look at me in that certain way, you have my undying devotion and all of my love.

Happy Father's Day.