Happy Birthday Brian (A.K.A. Super husband!!!)

Brian,

Happy Birthday to the love of my life.  I have a million thoughts running through my head right now.  They all have to do with how much I love you, how I think you are amazing, and how much richer my life has been with you in it.

You are my best friend.  You "get" me :)  We finish each others thoughts, sentences, songs, and jokes.  We should live really long lives because we laugh every day.  If I could spend time with anyone on the planet it would be you.  You make me feel special, loved, and beautiful.  I am your princess and you are my prince :) Sometimes I really do feel like I am living a fairy tale. 

Every morning I wake up to you telling me I am beautiful and that you adore me.  You take care of me and treat me like a queen.  You do most of the cooking (because you want to).  You love to clean the house when I go out just so you can surprise me and help me out.  When you go to the grocery you often bring me flowers just to be sweet.  You watch the kids (all six of them) and tell me to go have fun with my girlfriends and family.  I don't think I have ever seen you stressed out.  I never hear you complain and you see the best in everyone. 

I think you are the smartest guy in the world.  You don't even watch t.v. but you seem to know everything that is going on in the world.  Most of the time I have no idea what you are talking about when it comes to money, politics and world affairs.  Just this morning you explained the value of gold to me (how money used to be backed by gold etc..) When you talk to others I am always thinking in my head "That's my husband, the smartest guy on the planet" :)  You have started a business from the ground up and have invited others to join this venture of yours.  You want others to have the ability to spend more time with their kids and families like you do. You work hard.  I don't know how you balance it all but somehow you make me and the kids feel like we are the most important people in your life and yet still run a successful and growing business. 

Ok. . . this section is definitely going to bring me to tears.  It's about the dad that you are.  I have never met anyone that connects with their kids the way you do.  The kids have the day off school tomorrow and you are already thinking of how you can make the day special.  You told me that you wanted to hang a sign on the door so that when they come home tomorrow they will read "Come find daddy and then enjoy a day of games with daddy".  You will have each kid find you (while you hide for each one) and then spend the day playing games with them.  You planned your work week around this!!!  From the moment you met my kids you treated them like your own.  Hannah holds your heart as your only daughter.  No matter how feisty she is you love her all the more.  Every night she asks you to come in her room and sit on her bed so she can have a "daddy-daughter" talk with you.  You two talk about everything under the sun.  In a few weeks you are taking her to a daddy-daughter retreat at Springhill Christian Camp.  You are sooo excited about this.  It makes my heart happy.  She is crazy about you.  Hudson was afraid to let his guard down and let another person in his life.  You take the time to play one on one with him, you tell him how proud you are of him, and you treat him just like the other boys.  You talk about life with all of the kids.  You spend time teaching them and connecting with them.  You play games with them, tell them stories, make music videos with them :), and tuck each one of them in and pray over each one of them every night.  Basically, you rock the socks off the daddy role :)  When your life fell apart you were the glue that held your boys together.  You reminded them of God's unfailing love and of your love for them.  You put your life and business on hold in order to keep their life going.  You taught them that love has no boundaries.  You taught them about forgiveness, love, and hope.  Oh how I love you!!!

Everything in life is better with you in it.  I am so blessed to call you my husband and best friend.  I am madly in love with the smartest, best looking, funniest, sweetest, kindest, and most genuine man on the planet :)  Your love for God and for others has greatly impacted my life.  I will never be the same.

Happy Birthday Handsome :)  I love you!!!!   

Happy Birthday Luke!!!

Dear Luke,

You are turning 8 today!!  This is the second birthday we have celebrated together :) 

You are silly, a little bit of a dare-devil, and super smart!!!  Daddy and I say you are the one that kind of falls under the radar a bit.  You typically just go with the flow.  Your brother, Hudson, is crazy about you.  The two of you spend hours playing legos, dart guns, and ninja's. 

Your favorite color is yellow.  You love to climb on things (anything!!).  I am often telling you not to climb up the outside of the stairs or to stop jumping on the furniture - lol.  Your a little monkey :)

We were excited to hear from your teacher that you are very, very smart.  She has no doubt that you will be in the high ability class next year.  It's funny b/c you don't talk about school much or do any school work at home.  We had no idea that you were off the charts in smarts!!  Your daddy and I are very proud of you.

You share a room with your two younger brothers (Hudson and Leo).  You never want to sleep on the top bunk b/c you prefer to sleep with one of your brothers every night :)  You also sleep with your pillow pet and dog :)

I think you are a sweetie.  At bedtime you often thank God for bringing your dad and I together.  Every night you want big hugs and kisses.  You will not go to sleep without them :)  You tell me often that you love me.  It really makes my day.

You are playing tackle football this year.  You are on the line!!!  We aren't sure why b/c you have daddy's build (long and lean).  You are tough but we think you might be better as a running back :)  You are a little taller than your older sister Hannah and weigh a little more as well.  The two of you are only six months apart in age.  She really loves hanging out with you!!  She even wrapped a present for you and made you a sweet card for your birthday (she did this all on her own).

For your birthday we had a family party at Frost Bite.  MeMe and Kevin, Papaw and Pamaw, Auntie Anna and Jerry, and Me and daddy were all there.  You got some nerf guns, a disk gun, money, a cool bank, and some other fun stuff.  The morning of your birthday I bought donuts for everyone and put a candle in yours :)  You got a kick out it.  On Friday we had a party along with your mom Jess at Chuckie Cheese.  You invited your class and your football team.  There were around 20 kids at the party.  You had a blast!!! 

I love you so much and I am so blessed to call you my son :)  Happy 8th Birthday Luke!!!

Love, 

Mom

Blended

For some reason the term "blended family" came to my mind this morning.  I started thinking about what the term "blended" means.  The definition of blended is this:  To combine or mix so that the constituent parts are indistinguishable from one another.  Hmmm, very interesting and very cool. 

As I look around and see families that are supposed to be "blended" I realized that I see more families that are sitting in the blender with all of their separate ingredients than ones that are truly blended.  Maybe they are afraid that being "blended" will hurt.  It would mean giving up some of your own identity.  It would mean accepting all the other ingredients.  You can't blend some parts and leave others out.  It's all or nothing. 

Seems funny but I started to imagine putting all sorts of fruit in a blender along with lots of ice.  Each ingredient is visible and separate before you blend it.  Each ingredient is good on its own but it's so much better when you blend them together to make a smoothie :)  I then thought about the sound the blender makes when it crushes the ice and blends the fruit.  It makes a loud sound as it crushes everything.  The parts are being crushed and smoothed out.  In the end you have a delicious drink and you can't tell which part is a strawberry or which part is a blueberry.  They are one.

A blended family should be this way.  You all come into it with different life stories.  You bring your hurts, your passions, your joys, your everything :) with you.  At first it is obvious which kids are are yours and which ones are his.  In the beginning you realize that you have one set of rules and he has another.  You may realize that your kids sleep with blankies, prefer the light on, and want to sleep in the same bed as their parent (Ha ha - I am sure you could guess who's kids these were) while his kids sleep without blankies, don't want the lights on, and love to have the door shut :)  At first it was hard to be affectionate with someone else's kids.  I loved them but I hadn't raised them.  In the beginning we were all separate parts to one equation. 

In time we started to blend.  The actual blending process can hurt a bit (think about the blender).  It looks messy at times and it can even be painful.  You may even feel crushed at times.  When it's over you realize you have become something beautiful.  One day you realize that no one can tell which kids are yours or which kids are his.  People start to tell you that your son looks like you (and you grin on the inside) or that your daughter looks just like her daddy (He grins from ear to ear on the outside and inside- lol).  Pretty soon you turn the lights out and realize that all the kids are sleeping without blankies, with the lights out and doors shut :)  Kids are in their own beds and they like it (and so do you).

A few months after that you realize that you are giving out hugs like water and that you are starting to love all the kids the same.  You get offended when people ask which kids are yours and which ones are his.  There are no his and hers.  They are "ours".

One day you smile inside because people start seeing you as a family of eight and they have no idea that you haven't always been this way.  All they see is a "blended" family.  They don't see the differences.  They see one unit.  The parts look the same.  You remember what it took to get here and you realize it was all worth it.  You start to forget what your life of three used to look like and your life of eight is all you can think about.

If you are sitting in the blender worried about being hurt, take it from me the pain is worth the gain :)  Give hugs out like water.  Tell your kids (yours and his) that you love them like crazy.  Do special things with each of them.  Remind them of how rich your life is with them in it. 

" See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland."   ~Isaiah 43:19

Amen and Amen :)  Thank you God!!!