Tag: birthday

Birthday Boys

I love August 4th.

Today is the day I became mama, the day my twin boys came into our arms. We weren’t expecting it at all that day. I was 36 weeks and thought we had more time. But my body said otherwise.

I don’t think I realized at the time how sick I was. Looking back I can see God’s hand on it all. He took care of me and the boys through quite an ordeal. I don’t love that we had such a rough start, but I’m thankful for how God moved and was there for us.

I think it’s like that in life, you go through something hard and it’s not until you are through it that you can look back and see God’s Providence and protection. He is truly always right there with us.

Today marks 25 years since that day and so much has passed. I really can’t believe so many years have passed. Now both boys are married and living their amazing lives and I get to watch them with so much joy. There truly is no greater joy than seeing your children being adults who are kind, generous, wise, funny, and successful. It makes all those years so so worth it – so if you’re a mom in the throes of know-it-all adolescence or tantruming toddlers, don’t give up! All those boundaries and discipline and love and sleepless nights will pay off.

When I look at these beautiful people, I’m in awe that they are part of my family. I get choked up thinking about those sweet, smiley little boys I once knew who are now handsome young men. I feel so proud that I get to say, these are my sons.

Samuel and Isaiah, I hope you both know how proud I am of you. I hope you know how much I love you. I hope you know you always have a piece of my heart. Happy 25th birthday! Feels like a big one. Celebrate and remember to thank the Lord for all He’s given you.

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights” James 1:17

The Best Dad in the World

47804There he is. The Best Dad in the World. And a big goof.

I’m sure many of you think your hubby is the best dad ever. But I have proof. See:

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You see, my kids think so…

He is pretty awesome, if I do say so myself.

Today’s my hubby’s birthday and so I thought I should brag on him a bit.

Where do I start? How do I start? I could list off all his wonderful traits, which would be all true, but would it bore you? We all can say something nice about someone else, right?

So, I’ll tell you a story about this guy.

Once there was this one sort of spring day (funny, I know) where I had to pick up a friend. Well, that didn’t seem like any big deal…until I saw her driveway. I wasn’t sure Bertha was going to make it. I kind of thought her driveway might swallow Bertha whole. Well, we made it through, with mud literally flying in every direction. It was a little unnerving, I’m not gonna lie. One of my greatest fears is getting a 15 passenger van stuck or putting it in the ditch. It’s not like at that point you can be inconspicuous about it. I mean it’s a periwinkle blue, 15 passenger van. I think you could hide a fighter jet easier.

Well, like I said, we made it, gritting our teeth and praying. Then I had to go down it again to drop her off. Made it again, barely.

By the time I got home and put Bertha in the garage I didn’t think much of it anymore. My mind was on dinner and evening things.

The next morning we had to run some errands so I packed everyone into the van. Let’s just say she wasn’t blue anymore but a nice shade of mud brown. And it wasn’t just a light coat. Oh no, it was clumps and chunks hanging off of her.

Well, as we headed into town I called Andrew and the first thing he said was, “Where in the world did you go yesterday with the van?”

“Oh, you noticed that?”

“Uh yeah, right when I drove into the garage last night. Did you find a low-maintenance road somewhere? Cuz if you did I’d like to know where it’s at. I may need to check it out after work.”

“No! Honestly, I just went down a friend’s driveway!”

“Where do they live again?” was his very quick reply.

“So, can you meet me at the car wash and wash it for me?” I asked nice and sweet like.

So, you know what he did? He left work and met me at the car wash and while I sat inside the van with the kids he scrubbed all that mud off. And there was a lot. Probably plugged up the drains in the car wash! Hopefully they can’t track mud to a person’s house or I may have incriminated my friend!

It may not seem like much, but it meant a lot to me. And he does these kinds of things for me all the time. Maybe he doesn’t bring roses and chocolates home but almost every night after a full day of work he does the dishes because he knows I don’t like to do them. He makes sure I have gas in the van, fresh lightbulbs in the house, and does whatever strange little project I ask for. And when I’ve had a horrible day with one of our kids and tell him about it, the first thing he does when he gets home is pull that kid aside and have a chat before he eats or sits down, even though I know he’s tired and hungry. And he doesn’t do it because he has to or because I make him.

He does it because that’s who he is. His very inner being exudes love, generosity and kindness. He has what people might call a servant heart and it’s a very natural part of his being.

I look up to him. I really do. I fail so often at serving selflessly. I often serve my family with an attitude of resent and grudging. I often just want what I want. So, I look up to him and his ways, and try my best to emulate him. I pray my kids do too. If they can learn a servant’s heart from their dad, they’ll have learned pretty much all they need to.

So, to the Best Dad (and Husband) in the World…

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I love you!