Happy Birthday, Richard!

You can tell Matthew has learned to read phonetically.....this says "I LUV YUW DADE." He even put a line over the "u" so it would be the 'long u' sound! Too funny! He said the picture was of himself and his Daddy walking down the road.

Matthew wanted to show off some of his math work on Daddy's card....he messed up on the first "4+4", so he did it again...he's so proud of knowing his math facts!

Sarah Beth's card...I wrote what she dictated "I love Daddy's birthday party and Daddy." You can see that they both got a little carried away with the markers while they were making cards....they said they were trying to look like clowns! So glad they were washable markers!

Special birthday hats and a cake made by Matthew and Sarah Beth!

Happy 37th Birthday, Richard! I feel so blessed to have such an incredibly wonderful husband. We have dated since I was 14 (well, I couldn't actually "date" until I was 16, but we were "going together"....do they even still use that term these days?). Although we've only been married almost 11 years, it feels like we should almost be at our Silver Wedding Anniversiary! In a good way, of course! We had our few break-ups and dated a few other people, but we were always drawn back to one another, and I know the Lord had it planned for us from the beginning. I posted a few months ago on why I love my husband so much....it was one of my first posts....so I won't go into all of that again here, but I do so love my husband, my first love, my first boyfriend, the daddy to my babies! He is so precious to our family, and I appreciate all that he does to take care of us, love us, and always keep us laughing.

Richard has been somewhat incapacitated the past 6 1/2 weeks due to a muscle injury (we finally have a diagnosis, thank goodness...piriformis syndrome), and he has had to lay on the floor with ice most of the time he is at home. I have never seen him in such pain as he has gone through these past several weeks, and it was so difficult to watch him hurting, and feel so helpless to do anything to ease the pain. Even more difficult for him has been his inability to "participate" in our family functions....taking care of the kids, going to ballgames, going to church, playing out in the yard, horseplaying with the kids, working in the house and yard, etc. I realize just how much he does on a daily basis when I've had to do it all myself (except for the yard of course...that will always be his job according to him!). Anyway- we've both learned how much more we need to appreciate our health and just the ability to do the everyday things we are able to do. He is slowly getting better, and I see so much how his presence in just the little things makes such a difference for me, and especially for Matthew and Sarah Beth. We are so thankful for him to be feeling better.

So....that's what happens when you get OLD, I guess.....things start breaking down! No, really, although he thinks he's old at 37, I still see that sparkle of youth in his eyes and his personality, and he'll be back to working out and jogging soon, he hopes, anyway. I do believe he is wise beyond his years, but that's about the only thing that's "old" about him! I love you, my precious husband! Happy Birthday!