We are excited to announce The Dad of the Month for January 2019: Sam Monin!

Sam is a real dad who is doing the best he can for his family, no matter what. He faced hard times and continues to face them with positivity and strength. Check out his story in his wife’s nomination:

“I would like to nominate my husband, Sam Monin, as dad of the month. We have had a pretty difficult last year and he has never stopped being an amazing father to our 1-year-old son. He works hard supporting us so that I can stay home with our son, who he is so proud of.

Sam was diagnosed in September with a 4cm brain tumor called craniophyrangioma, after having severe headaches for a year and losing some of his vision. He had to have emergency surgery the day after he got the MRI. The hardest part for him during recovery was not being able to pick up our son. He only took a week off of work, and still managed to be the one providing comfort and reassurance to his family.

We found out I was pregnant 6 weeks after his surgery, to our surprise and joy. He was so excited and didn’t worry for one minute about the medical bills we already owed, or that he may have a lot on his plate.

Then, in December I had a bad bleed and found out I had a very large hemorrhage. We were told in the hospital that I had a 99% chance of having a miscarriage, and the only thing that may help is bed rest. So just when Sam finally had the okay to pick up our son again, I couldn’t lift anything heavier than 5 lbs. He should still be focused on his own recovery, and now he is taking over all the household chores, doing pretty much everything for our son, and working a very demanding job, all while remaining grateful for everything we have been blessed with.

We are hoping for a good outcome, but I know everything will be okay either way because we have such a strong man in our life. He is so loving and patient (and pretty goofy sometimes), and I couldn’t think of a better Dad for our son.”

We can tell how much this dad loves his family and shows up for them every day, through good times and bad. Along with earning the coveted DAD OF THE MONTH title, we’ll be sending Sam $500 and The Dad gear, including a very special, not-for-sale The Dad of the Month shirt! (Wear it with pride, Sam.)

Click here to read more or nominate a special dad in your life.

The best part about Star Wars is that there’s something that most people can appreciate—rich character arcs, badass villains, and otherworldy droids and weapons.

But Chewbacca… Chewbacca is for everyone. Man or woman, young or old, human or otherwise – you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t love that big walking carpet. Even someone as young as 8-months-old can’t keep their cool around him, as shown by a recent viral video.

“Lil Chewie” was visiting Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Disney World Resort, Florida with his grandparents, Rachel and Eric Herrholz, when he finally met his hairy hero. Sporting his own Chewbacca apparel, the little boy was totally tickled while the famed Wookiee co-pilot playfully grunted and poked at him.

“This was Lil Chewie’s first visit with Chewbacca. We dressed him in a Chewbacca outfit, and Eric wore a Han Solo shirt,” said Rachel, regarding her Facebook video, which has since been viewed over 2 million times. “We were not expecting him to react the way he did. Chewbacca came over to get us.

“Next thing I know, I heard him laughing. I looked up and he was belly-laughing. Chewbacca was just as excited. I started to record. I was amazed and I wished his Mom and Dad were with us.”

The adorable interaction took place in the ‘Star Wars Launch Bay,’ an attraction where park-goers experience “immersive exhibits of costumes, models, concept artwork and actual movie props” as well as a meet-and-greet with Chewie himself.

“I am blessed that my grandson can make people smile and bring them happiness in this world we live in,” Rachel added.

I’m pretty sure any world with more Chewbacca in it is going to be happier, overall.

Nothing is more dad than laughing at your own jokes. Here are our 12 personal favorites from last month. (Actually as voted by you, based on Facebook engagement.)

1. 20/80 Rule

2. Adventurous Eaters

3. Morning Person

4. Change the Channel

5. Didn’t Do My Research

6. This IS Christmas Music

7. Suspect Has Been ID’d

8. Careers

9. Yelling Match

10. Origins of Cool

11. Ooops

12. Curtains

Check out last month’s top memes here.

Of all the sequels, reboots, remakes, reimaginings and updates swirling around in Hollywood, this is not one I ever expected.

Apparently a third Ace Ventura movie may be in the works.

The first Ace Ventura helped kick-off Jim Carrey’s box office dominance in the mid-90s. Along with Dumb and Dumber and The Mask, Ventura was a huge hit, launching the Living Color comic into the stratosphere, from which he wouldn’t completely come down until he shifted to more serious, sentimental fare. (Remember The Majestic? Me neither.)

Now, on the heels of what looks like a scenery-chewing performance in the forthcoming Sonic the Hedgehog movie, Carrey may be returning to one of his most iconic roles. He’s already played Ace twice, butt (pun intended) the second one didn’t go so well. He’s also no stranger to returning to characters after a long time off, as evidenced by the ill-fated Dumb and Dumber sequel he starred in a few years back.

Whether this actually happens is yet to be seen, as the Twitter frenzy around it was kicked off by a cryptic, detail-free tweet from an CNBC writer.

Ace Ventura 3?! 🤔 pic.twitter.com/wEfz9VEgV9

— Daniel Richtman (@DanielRPK) December 9, 2019

The punctuation and emoji in the tweet seem to suggest that even as he puts the rumor out there, he doesn’t necessarily believe it. Of course, there is little need for facts on social media, and the rumor was quickly up and running, with Ace Ventura’s production studio adding fuel to the fire with a tweet of their own:

👀 #AceVentura3 https://t.co/ygqtDlQO4I

— Morgan Creek (@Morgan__Creek) December 7, 2019

Again, side-eye is far from a definitive statement. Side-eye emojis don’t usually have greenlighting power. And just last year, Tommy Davidson, a friend and former co-star of Carrey’s, told US Weekly that the actor is not interested.

“[Carrey] doesn’t want to do it now. But Jim is one of those kind of artists that, you know, he does what he feels, he does what he believes in. I asked him about it. I told him, ‘Hey man, it’d be nice in Jamaica.’ He said, ‘No I’m not doing those now,” Davidson said.

So we’ll see. But based on the social media response, even if Jim Carrey’s not ready for Ace Ventura 3, his fans are.

THIS IS THE BEST NEWS EVER!!

— Zak Frost (@Zakvlogz) December 7, 2019

“My fiancé, Nicholas, is 10 years younger than me but has exceeded my expectations of being a father since the day our daughter was born.

I was waiting so long to be with someone that I would be happy raising a child with. Neither one of us is perfect and we’re figuring things out as we go but he’s been the backbone of our family.

He works 60+ hours a week to provide for us. He has never complained about cooking dinner on my bad days and even cleans too. He is hands-on when it comes to raising our daughter. He respects my role as a stay-at-home mom and I want him to know how much I appreciate everything he does for our family. Because I know he does more than I ever expected. Without complaint.

Happy birthday, Nicholas! We love you more than you know and appreciate more than we can show.

Thank you for everything you do and all of the adventures.”

– Lisa Ishihara

Want to share a story about fatherhood? Email [email protected]

Check out the previous editions of Father Figures here.

A major part of being a parent is making sure your kids appreciate the things you loved growing up. Few things hurt more than your kid yawning during an iconic moment in Star Wars or asking to play Minecraft when you’re teaching them how to use the warp tubes in Super Mario Bros.

Fortunately, Back to the Future superfan James Napier has never had a problem getting his kids to share in his excitement for his favorite movie franchise, in no small part due to his DeLorean, which has been immaculately restored to resemble Doc’s time machine from the 1985 classic.

“I take it out on weekends and I drop my kids off at school or football sometimes. They like it and their friends find it quite amusing!” says Napier. “You see other people’s jaws drop when we drive past. The family adores it—although my wife Emma probably doesn’t want to know how much it has cost me in total to restore!

“We drive it everywhere we go—you’ve got to make the most of it.”

Folks in the area can’t seem to get enough of the stainless steel coupe, especially since there’s reportedly only one other like it in the U.K. Napier’s youngest daughter, Daisy, says she loves when people honk their horn as they drive past.

“It’s really cool. Dad is probably a bit crazy to build something like that!” the 8-year-old reports.

It took time, money, and a lot of elbow grease to get the vehicle to the pristine condition it’s in today. When Napier bought it for £55,000, someone had already tried to convert it into the iconic time machine but with really shoddy workmanship.

“It was quite run down. It needed a lot of work,” says Napier. “Somebody had tried to make it into a Back to the Future car—but it was really quite bad! The car was an absolute mess. I was completely nuts.

“I thought maybe I could salvage some of it, but in the end, I needed to get rid of everything and start from scratch,” he added. “I probably spent around 1,200 hours working on the car and it was quite expensive to do. It was a seven days a week job.

“It might have took a while, but it’s definitely worth it.”

He says the project cost approximately £80,000 from start to finish.

Now, Napier drives the art piece in charity events around the U.K. and is always happy to indulge people who want a photo op. He even added all the bells and whistles to give it the same flair as the DeLorean from the films.

“In the film, you see white plumes of smoke and that’s done by fire extinguishers in the film,” he continued. “We’ve done something similar—we’ve used CO2 fire extinguishers with a remote control.

“We have a smoke machine inside the car too so when you open the doors smoke comes out so it’s like you’ve traveled in time. A lot of the props inside makes the exact same noises. We’ve got the iconic car doors and lights too.”

It’s been a long road to get Napier’s DeLorean up and running to such exact specifications, but with the machine they have now, they don’t need roads.

From Van Wilder to Deadpool to Pikachu, there’s no role to which Ryan Reynolds can’t adapt. Parenthood is no exception. His Twitter is a goldmine of fatherly wisdom, and we’ve collected his 15 funniest dad tweets to prove it.

He reads to his kid.

No matter which kids book I read to my screaming baby on an airplane, the moral of the story is always something about a vasectomy.

— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) August 7, 2016

He keeps her in check.

The mobile above my daughter’s crib is just a whole bunch of NuvaRings. So she remembers how lucky she is.

— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) October 20, 2016

He listens.

I can‘t tell if my daughter’s smashing plates all over the kitchen floor or singing the theme song to Paw Patrol.

— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) December 27, 2018

He makes sacrifices.

Happy birthday to my baby girl! Sad I lost my virginity. But thankful I have a daughter.

— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) December 16, 2015

He’s a teacher.

I’m teaching my daughter that the sun goes down each night because it’s mad at her. Probably gonna write a book on parenting at some point.

— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) June 5, 2015

He demonstrates trust.

Totally caved and tossed my daughter the keys to the car. She looked really happy as they bounced off her tiny infant face.

— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) June 12, 2016

He’s a great storyteller.

Went to Disneyland because my daughter’s obsessed with Mickey Mouse. She was so excited when I got home and told her.

— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) January 30, 2017

He has an answer for everything.

On our 6am walk, my daughter asked where the moon goes each morning. I let her know it’s in heaven, visiting daddy’s freedom.

— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) October 16, 2016

He rolls with the punches.

My daughter just sneezed into my yawning mouth. Seemed really fucking pleased with herself. Joke’s on her. She’ll have to bury me someday.

— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) April 16, 2016

He is selfless.

I watched Frozen without my two year old this morning. Despair reveals itself in many forms.

— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) November 9, 2016

He remembers the little things.

My daughter loves being buried up to her neck in sand at the beach. Her little face lights up when I come back to get her the next day.

— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) July 16, 2017

He’s honest.

Being a father is the single greatest feeling on earth. Not including those wonderful years I spent without a child, of course.

— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) July 22, 2016

He’s heroic.

Being a Dad isn’t just about eating a huge bag of gummy-bears as your wife gives birth. It means being comfortable with the word hero.

— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) June 18, 2017

He’s encouraging.

If my daughter proves she can take care of the Fire Ants I got her, we’ll get her the damn kitten.

— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) June 3, 2018

He’s… well. He’s Ryan Reynolds.

Being a father means responsibility. Not just for your main family, but also the secret one in Denmark nobody knows about.

— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) June 19, 2016

Here’s a story you may have missed in the post-Thanksgiving – pre-holiday season shuffle.

When Shantel Carrillo first shared an ultrasound of her then 20-week-old baby girl, she had failed to notice a stunning detail. She and her partner, Bryce, were so focused on the baby’s face that they really didn’t notice anything else in the printout. Thankfully, a friend on social media immediately pointed out the odd appearance of a figure appearing to kiss her soon-to-be-born child.

“I posted the ultrasound,” Carrillo shared with NBC’s San Diego affiliate, “and right when I posted it, like 30 seconds later, someone’s like, ‘There’s an angel kissing your baby!’”

For Carrillo, who recently lost her father, it was no abnormality.

She posted the ultrasound side-by-side with a picture of her late father holding her oldest daughter when she was born. Even if you don’t believe in all that angels stuff, you’ve gotta admit that this is pretty freaking crazy either way.

“It could very well be him – you never know,” she told NBC 7. “It’s so his character; that’s just so my dad.”

The post, of course, has spread, as things posted to Reddit have the tendency of doing. Plenty of folks agreeing with the original poster, with others claiming it’s just the angle of the photo. As for Carrillo, she’s happy either way.

“It does look a lot like my dad and it’s awesome. And, you know, it could be him, just saying, ‘Hey, I’m here, and it’s all good,’” Carrillo said. “Or it could be that the placenta just looks like my dad, which is awesome, too.”

Whatever or whomever it may be in the photo, it has certainly given the expecting mother a treasured memory that she’ll have to share for years to come.

“It’s just a cool picture to have; it just is what it is,” she said.

If nothing else, she now has an amazing name for a new metal band.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Dad Shaped Placenta.”

There’s no doubt that your Facebook feed is full of family portraits and holiday photos, but here’s a few you may have missed that are sure to brighten up your day.

A photographer and educator out of the UK has gained notoriety recently after her pictures of kids dressed up as Disney characters went viral.

Nicole Louise Perkins is a full time TA at a special needs school, which has allowed her to spend time with some pretty amazing little kiddos. But it was her passion for photography that inspired a unique idea. Last year, Perkins helped craft an awareness campaign called “Down Right Beautiful,” which featured children with Down syndrome.

“There is just something so amazing about children with special needs,” she recently told TODAY. Beyond capturing some incredible photos, Perkins says the resulting campaign helped those new to Down syndrome understand a bit more from those who have already been living with it. “Each person involved had their own page with their story and any advice their parents would give to new parents who have just been given a diagnosis.”

32 individuals, from babies to young adults, were photographed for the initial project. The resulting reaction inspired Perkins to do it again, only this time, with a twist. The kids were all dressed as Disney characters and the final products are… well, see for yourself.

So far, the photos have been viewed over millions of times, with fans from nearly every corner of the globe chiming in on the positively perfect portraits.

“Comment after comment of how happy the images had made people, how much they love them and just so much positivity — it left me feeling so full inside,” Perkins shared.

While the reaction to the photos has been instantaneous, Perkins hopes the message has a lasting impact. “I hope the project helps people realize that Down syndrome isn’t scary and that the people that have Down syndrome don’t have less of a life,” Perkins told TODAY. “They have great lives and along with that, they make the lives of the people around them much richer.”

We couldn’t agree more.

When a new baby is born, plenty of people are ready and waiting to share their amazement in the miracle of life. But one dad is reminding everyone of the real miracle in childbirth: the woman who brings that child into the world.

As a father who has stood bedside as their wife went through the most intense and excruciating experience, I can certainly attest to the feeling of awe (and terror) that takes over as you watch your partner suffer with little you can do besides saying “keep going”.

So when William and Lauren Battle welcomed their second child in November, the proud husband like sharing credit where credit was due. William posted an image of his wife mid-labor, along with his message of gratitude. “I honestly don’t know how she did it. The pain was so intense, so overwhelming, that even I felt it. Everyone in the room felt it. Yet she pulled through. Her pain was gruesome. Her struggle seemed almost unbearable.”

The Texas dad saw everyone else, from nursing staff to onlookers and family, focused on their baby boy. But William was still in awe of his wife. While William says he could almost feel the pain she was experiencing, he admits that at the end of the day he was just along for the ride. I was merely a passenger, never to truly understand the excruciating pain she was experiencing,” Battle shared.

“She gave her labor every ounce of life and energy she had in her. And then gave a little bit more. And through it all, at the end of it she selflessly gave all of us a glimpse into what she has been enjoying exclusively to herself for the past 9 months. We all finally get to love and hold the boy that she sacrificed her body, comfort, energy, and self for. My son is an absolute miracle. Babies are absolute miracles. But to me, the greater miracle is his mother, who has shown me what selfless sacrifice really is. What love really is.

My wife is the real miracle.”

The post has over 48,000 shares on Facebook, with thousands of commenters chiming in with their own stories. Moms shouting out the dads who stood by their sides as William did with Lauren. Dads recognizing the sacrifice their partners made over the years.

While William is happy to be holding their newborn, he closed with a message all dads should take to heart. “Babies are absolute miracles. But to me, the greater miracle is his mother, who has shown me what selfless sacrifice really is. What love really is.”