Several years ago I was having a really bad day…woke up with a migraine, was tired, grumpy and stressed. Mark suggested I go and get a massage. I happily agreed. I find massage is a real help for my migraines…Mark drove me to the massage therapist and dropped me off. While I was getting a massage he decided to go run some errands. An hour later, he picked me up, after he asked me how I felt, he handed me a box. I opened it and to my delightful surprise was a set of green mason jars. To most this doesn’t seem like that awesome of a gift, but to me it was. I love mason jars and had told him how pretty I thought the green mason jars were. I was so excited he bought me them. You see it was the fact he listens, and no matter how small the gesture, he makes my world better. His ability to make me smile and laugh is awesome. They say to truly enjoy life, you need to truly enjoy the little things. I believe this and have really come to realize this even more since becoming the parent of an autistic teen. Mark has a lot of patience, and is a very calm person. This is very helpful having 4 kids, with one being autistic, I am used to a lot swirling around me.
Mark brings calmness, happiness and love to me and my kids. He is beyond an awesome stepdad. It’s so touching to me how much all 4 of my kids love him. I look at his relationship with Peyton and I can’t express how thankful I am he is in his life. He teaches Peyton not only with his words, but with his actions. He explains things to Peyton in a manner that Peyton not only understands, but he also teaches Peyton. I tell Mark almost daily one of the things I love best about him is how much he makes me laugh. The truth is though, it’s not only how much he makes me laugh, but how much he makes my kids laugh, especially Peyton. Mark likes to tease and banter,but he does it in a sweet and caring way. Peyton enjoys his funny quips and it really warms my heart to see Peyton laugh. Mark is an awesome cook as well and one of his specialities is pizza, which just also happens to be Peyton’s favorite food! I love seeing Peyton light up when he sees Mark is going to be making Pizza. I also enjoy sending pictures of his kolaches, pizza, brisket, cinnamon rolls etc… To my older kids as they too can’t get enough of his cooking! 
Tonight Mark made calzones and pizza, both were awesome! I used my green mason jar as my water glass, as I often do. I couldn’t help but think as I watched Peyton light up that Mark was making his favorite food, and I was using my green jar…..just how lucky we are to have such an awesome man in our lives. So if it truly is the little things in life that make you happiest, I am ecstatic . Mark’s everyday acts of kindness and love don’t go unnoticed. So as I write this and drink my water from my green jar, I hope Mark knows just how much we all love him, and how saying Happy Father’s Day may just be a small thing..but it’s filled with lots of love and just like my green jars..it may be a small gesture,but it means the world to be able to say “Happy FATHER’s Day” to him.