Happy Father's Day

Happy Thursday Girls!

 

 

I can't even believe we are halfway through June!  The time is just flying by!  This weekend is Father's Day, and my children are so blessed with two amazing dads!

Just a girl and her two dads!

 

As most of you know, I am divorced and my 5 kiddos are from my first marriage, Mark has 3 children from his first marriage...so yup that's 8 kids between us!  My ex-husband lives 600 miles away, and though he has a great relationship with the kids, and travels down here as often as he can to visit with them, it is primarily Mark and I who care for them day-to-day.  Getting divorced and having 5 kids is scary, thinking about trying to move on an find a man that will not only love you but be totally OK with 5 kids is even scarier!  You guys have heard me say more than once on here that I think my husband is just fabulous, and the truth is, he really really is!  It really takes a very special person to come in and be a dad to another man's children...but Mark never for a single second even thought about running for the hills...lol.  He came into our lives and from day one just treated my kids as if they were his own, now if you were to ask him, they are "our" kids....he isn't a step parent, he is just a parent.  He couldn't love these kids more if they were his own.  Olivia wasn't even 2 when Mark came into our lives, and from day one he was changing diapers, giving baths, helping with homework, you name it, he did it, and never once complained or said I'm not doing it, their "your" kids.  He is such a special man, and he has the kindest heart of anyone I have ever known. 

 

When I got a divorce I worried about raising 3 boys alone, I mean how was I supposed to teach them all the things a dad teaches his son, I panicked.  I couldn't have asked for anyone better to raise my children than Mark.  My boys adore and respect him more than I can put into words, and there is no one that could even come close to being a better role model for how to be a "good man" than my husband.  My boys, my girls, me....we are so beyond blessed that he is ours.

This just makes my heart happy...we are all so lucky! 

I have so much love and respect for Mark, he does what he does every single day for us, not because he has, to but because he wants to, and that means everything to me.  He is a hands on , totally involved dad to my kids, and every single day he makes each of us know how much he loves us.  Sometimes he will tell me I am the best thing that ever happened to him...clearly he is confused...he is the absolute greatest thing to ever happen to us. 

 

Being a parent is hard work, being a parent to someone else's children can be even harder, and I am so thankful that never once in the past 6 years have we ever encountered any of the issues that many blended families do.  My children have never once said "you can't tell me what to do, you're not my dad", we never had any issues blending together, we all just go together so seamlessly.  Now don't think our life is perfect, because oh boy it's far from that, we fight, we argue, and all the things everyone else does, but at the end of the day, both Mark and I feel so lucky to have found love again with each other, and that we were able to build a life together. 

With divorce comes a lot of guilt, I still to this day, get sad that my first marriage failed, that my kids had to go through a divorce, I hate that their dad lives far away and misses out on so much of their life.  And though there are days of major guilt, it eases a little knowing that my kids are growing up in a home surrounded with love, that they have two parents living the home who love them more than life itself.  I am thankful that both my ex-husband and Mark understand the importance of us all getting along for the greater good of the kids.  People give us crazy looks and think we are absolutely nuts when we tell them that we spend holidays together with my ex, that we have vacationed with him, that when he comes to visit he stays with us at our house...I guess it's not the NORM for most divorced couples, but for us the kids have always been the priority, and being a parent means sacrifice and doing what's best for the children, not always yourself.  It's our job to make sure our children know they are loved and have parents who are united when it comes to them. 

I am so glad my kids are able to celebrate two amazing dads on Father's Day.  I hope all the special dads in your life have a wonderful Father's Day!