Happy Father's Day!

This father's day was a special one for me for two reasons: 

1.  It was my husband's first real father's day

2. I gave my grandpa a pretty amazing gift my sister and I had been working on for quite some time.  

I invited Taylor's parents over for dinner to celebrate.  We had a great time, and a delicious dinner of filet mignon, chicken and vegetable kabobs, grilled pineapple, strawberry spinach salad, and creamy potatoes.  Seriously, I was pretty proud of the spread.  

Taylor has been a really great dad.  He just loves Liv so much.  It's like I've seen a whole new, tender side of him I didn't quite know existed.  Having a child has really bonded Taylor and me because nobody loves our little Liv as much as the two of us do.  And I know he loves me which is going to teach her more about love and life than anything else will.  Unfortunately, I can already tell who's going to be the disciplinary....me of course.  She can't do any wrong in his eyes.  Even when I point out that Liv's forehead is kind of huge (in a cute way of course) he is fiercely defensive.  : ) 

That evening while Taylor and his parents watched Liv, I went over to my grandparents, and handed him the 51 page book of his life history.  My grandpa was diagnosed with Stage 4 Lymphoma.  I am very close with my grandpa.  He truly is my hero.  Writing and compiling this book with my sister, Callie has been one of the most moving experiences I will never forget.  It was a lot of work.  We'd ask him questions, record it and then go home and write.  Then edit, then write, then fact check, and repeat.  It was worth it though because I sure love this guy! And after he's gone someday, I'll be able to pull out this book and remember why.  

We included a quote by Earnest Hemingway before the foreword that expresses my feelings perfectly on how I feel about my grandpa: 

"I had an inheritance from my [grandfather], 

It was the moon and the sun, 

And though I roam all over the world, 

The spending of it's never done."

Oh and the back is just grey with this written in white: "Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones.  A legacy is etched into the minds of others and the stories they share about you."  It's just perfect. 

The cover

Aren't my grandparents the cutest?