3 Reasons 4 Gratitude

I am so thankful to have such an incredible father that raised me in such an upright way!  He taught me how to love, be kind, generous, thankful, and humble!!  He is a world-class man!!  I am so thankful he is such an involved part of Sophia's life so that he can teach her those amazing lessons!!  Sophia just adores her Papa!  One of their favorite things to do is snuggle on the couch while watching Elmo or Micky Mouse!  She loves going bike riding with her papa too!! (also her daddy and grandpa Long)!

My dad: What a STUD!!!

 Oh, sweet husband of mine .... where do I begin?  You have continued to wow me since the first day we met!  You are an amazing man, with incredible character .... God's special blessing upon my life and the lives that you touch each and every day!  You are an amazing HUSBAND and FATHER!  Sophia just adores you!!  As I she wrote in your card, you know just the way to make sure smile!  You instill great confidence in her that it will be hard to shake it!  You are an awesome provider and leader for this family!!  Thank you!!

Cheese!

Sophia watching daddy open his Father's Day Card we made for him!

Sophia and Mommy got crafty (Thanks Disney Family Fun magazine for the idea for the card!)
I think it turned out quite nicely!

Sophia's note to her father ... in her wording! :) 

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars! (Recipe included below)

Another reason to be so grateful is for my wonderful father-in-law!  No wonder my husband turned out the way he did ... he had a great role model in his father, Whitney!  Whitney has the character of GOLD and incredible humility!  He taught my husband invaluable lessons, those of which Nate has kept near to him all the years of his life!  Sophia loves spending time with her grandpa!  He knows just the way to make her laugh and she adores playing piano with him!!

Nate, Sophia, and his parents before the start of the Carmel Mini-Marathon last weekend

Reflecting upon this Father's Day, we have so much to be thankful for!!  Godly men in our lives to help direct, shape, and mold us .... Thanks LORD for this incredible blessing!!

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars (= 100% AMAZINGNESS)


3/4 cup butter, melted (I half-ed the recipe and only ended up having 1 tbsp of butter and that worked fine, will use only a tiny bit when I make it again and it saves tons on the fat)

2 cups of gluten free crushed up animal crackers (I used Mi-del arrowroot GF cookies, you could use any cookie if it didn't need to be GF)

1 1/2 cup of confectioners' sugar

1 cup PB (I used the Organic Smuckers Creamy -- when buying PB, try your best to avoid those with hydrogenated oils ... almost all your mainstream PB's have them ... you have to read the label and look at it.  Good peanut butter should only have listed as its ingredients: PEANUTS and SALT.

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup PB

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the butter, animal cracker crumbs, confectioners' sugar and 1 cup PB until well blended.  Pour and spread evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 9x9 pan.
2. Put in freezer for about 15 min to harden.
3. In the microwave (or stove top) melt the choc chips and the 1/4 cup PB, stirring every 30-45 sec or so.  Once the choc/pb are combined and melted, pour over the top of the PB mixture in the 9x9 pan.  Spread the choc so it covers the top evenly.  Set it back in the fridge for 20 min, then serve.

Keep refrigerated so they retain shape! ENJOY!