HUBBY'S B-DAY

Today is my husband's 36th birthday...old man! Just Kidding! I'm only 3 years behind!
He is such an incredible guy and I can't wait to sing for him tonight with the boys and spoil him.
I have a few surprises up my sleeve for him. He thinks it's just having a special dinner, but we'll see!
I've been thinking about what I want to say to him, but I can't even think it through without tearing up. He's the love of my life and I know I am blessed for that reason alone. When I think of him, I get this little love pang in my chest. He's too good to me, too nice to me, too loving and caring to me.
He had taken the men's ministry in our church to a new level and it's incredibly inspiring. He's so driven to get the other men to follow after God and to grow in Christlikeness. He will spend hours calling men before an event (one that he usually has organized) just to put a spark there to make the difference to get them to attend. He always says, if he can just get them to go, they'll form a relationship, they'll hear the Word, they'll get interested and it may just be the step they need to take. God has used him and I know he lives for the Lord. He makes sure he is fed each day, he loves it and lives it. I'm shocked at how God has changed him. I used to lie in bed next to him at night and when he'd fall asleep, I'd put my hand on his head and pray, "God, please let him be the man of God you've called him to be, Lord I know you can use him, I know there's more for him." I had faith that God would answer that prayer--and in no way do I take credit for what Jesus has clearly accomplished for him--but I never knew God would go above and beyond. I had sort of resigned to just living out my faith regardless of where my husband was. And then...well we lost two babies two years in a row. And, somehow in the midst of all that--God began to change both of us. Now my husband preaches the Word of God that he lives (periodically), leads communion service, leads a strong men's bible study that is completely word focused. But, even with all that aside, he's a dedicated husband and father. I couldn't ask for a better man to raise children with. He loves his children like there is no tomorrow! They have so much fun together too (as you can see in the first pic of "bubblewrap wars".) He's a great dad and example to them.
It is mindboggling though, just how must my man has been transformed. He truly is a Christian. He truly loves the church, He lives for Christ.
What an inspiration he is to me.
I genuinely thank God for this man. Not only is he the absolute love of my life, he's better than I could have ever imagined and I am so grateful. (And, he's so nice to look at!)

EIGHT IS GREAT

Today is my oldest son's eighth birthday. As I wrote his card out last night, I got so emotional about it. I actually wept. Time really does go by way too fast. It made me reflect--have I done enough? Have I wasted so much time. Am I too hard on him? Even though I have had two baby boys after him, I still feel like he is my little baby and he was just born. All of a sudden, he's eight! Where did the time go? His first adventures were also mine since I was a brand new mom, so completely unaware of the true responsibilites that were ahead of me. I do remember the night he was born, I asked my husband, "are you going to sleep?" Because I thought one of us should stay awake all night and make sure the baby keeps breathing. This unbelievable sense of needing to protect him came over me. The next 5 weeks of sleep deprivation as he thought day was night and night was day had me thinking I surely would go crazy. During his seventh week, I woke up and had this amazing realization that I loved this little guy, that I was in love with him. It really did take me that long to feel a real bonding--all I knew up until then was meeting his needs. I also had a traumatic experience with his birth, so I think it took me a while to make it through that emotionally. Anyway.....enough about me for goodness sake!

He's such a beautiful person with an incredibly tender demeanor. His father and I love his sense of humor. We can just sit and chat with him as though he were our age and we're even more interested than is! I love his laugh and the way his eyes twinkle when he is happy (just like his dad.) He is so passionate about reading that it baffles me. We often have to make him put a book down just to go to bed hours after bedtime! And, it isn't uncommon to find him with bookmarks in 2-4 different books that he is reading simultaneously. Before he was two, he was reading. Not full words, but letters. I'll never forget the day he walked up to me and said "Mama, W437GTYK571." Startled, I paused for a second and said "What did you just say?" I then looked around thinking "am I on candid camera or something." He repeated it. "W437..." and as he did, I realized that the list of numbers was on a packing sticker from a new delivery we got...it was on his forehead! The boy had read it and memorized it and my husband stuck it to his forehead with the instructions, "Go tell Mama!" The next few days, he still remembered it. It boggled my mind, but we had a lot of fun with things like that. We always remind him that God gave him a good brain and he must be thankful for it, not show it off. My hope is that he uses it for God's glory...I pray he lives out a life sharing God's Word and living it. He certainly won't have any trouble reading or remembering it!

I remember when he was just maybe four and I was explaining salvation again to him. When I got to the part about Jesus had to take all of sins on his body, he said so sweetly, "Did it hurt?" Oh my goodness, the tenderness that was on his lips. "Yes, honey, it really did hurt him..."

I am just so thankful for my eight-year-old baby boy! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!