My lover turned 33! I swear, he gets better looking every year! Love him so much it hurts sometimes! I thought I'd do my favorite 33 things about him to celebrate!
1- Every year on HIS birthday, he takes his mom flowers for her 'BIRTH'-day. Seriously? How sweet is that?
2- He has never once snubbed his nose at changing a diaper. Ever. He helps with ALL things when it comes to parenting.
3- He still tells me thanks for dinner every night before bed. 6 1/2 years later and every night he thanks me!
4- He still holds my hand. EVERYWHERE we go. You guys, this is huge for me and our marriage. I love it!
5- He works so hard for our family! He went into a brand new industry at 30 years old and is continuing to make everyone around him fall in love with him! SO proud of him.
6- He is the BIGGEST people person that I know. He loves people, can talk to anyone, and makes everyone feel special. I LOVE that about him!
7- Kailee still calls him daddy, and I love it. Their bond is amazing. She adores him and respects him so much and it's the sweetest to see them interact. He's going to have a HARD time the next few years.. His baby girl is growing up! I swear, he was born to be a girl daddy!
8- Hank can't wait for him to come home from work! Sometimes he runs right back to mama, but when he hears the garage open, the excitement on his face is priceless! I can't wait to watch them play catch, fish and be boys together!
9- He treats my family SO dang good! He hasn't considered them in-laws... maybe ever!? They all adore him and the feeling is undoubtedly mutual!
10- He LOVES shopping. Almost more than me.. And I'd consider it a top hobby of ours. YIKES, sometimes that doesn't make for the best combo.. But it's so fun to be able to shop WITH him.. We love browsing stores on weekends, and we'd do it all day if our bank account would allow ;)
11- He says sorry. Let me never forget how big of a deal this is.
12- He tells me and our babies ALL the time how much he loves us.
13- He still kisses me and grabs my bum when I'm in the kitchen and I love it! I know it's gross for Kailee, especially. But I'm happy she gets to see us show affection!
14- He is and always has been SO good at making sure the kids respect me. He doesn't give an OUNCE of leniency there and I appreciate it more than he knows!
15- He LOVES his coffee, tacos, pizza, burgers and beer! But he is SO good at eating healthy too! He inspires me
16- He has loved me through ALL stages of our relationship. He loves me and kisses me and holds my hand whether I'm at my heaviest, thinnest, or 41 weeks pregnant ;) oooorrr 41 weeks postpartum ha ha!
17- He is such a loyal friend. He loves his friends and will defend them to anyone or anything.
18- His laugh is one of my favorite sounds in the world! It's infectious!
19- He loves his Country, and has taught Hank to put his hand over his heart when he sees the American flag.
20- He still texts me during the day to see how our day is going. I love that. We may not text ALL day like we used to, but seeing a text from him asking about me and/or the kids still gives me butterflies.
21- I LOVE watching sports with him and sharing that passion. It's something we talk about at least once a day and it's so fun to chat about what we heard on sports radio, or what we saw on Twitter regarding BYU, The Jazz, The Braves, Patriots or Steelers. We joked the other day about how much our relationship is based on sports!
22- He smells SO good, always! His cologne is.. YUMMY! ;)
23- He gives the worlds best hugs. Sometimes when I'm having a bad day one of his big long hugs completely changes it. I never feel as safe as I do when he's hugging me like that.
24- He is so supportive of everything I do. My job, my hobbies, Rodan + Fields. Anything and everything I do, he is 100% behind me.
25- He is the worlds loudest sneezer. Seriously. His sneezes make me jump!
26- He also (truly) believes he is quiet when he is getting ready. I swear, he even opens drawers loud! I creep around so he can't hear my footsteps when he's sleeping, and he's the deep sleeper! I hear EVERYTHING so if he's even remotely loud I'm up. And he's loud.. ;)
27- He really doesn't ever complain. He is positive 99% of the time and keeps me that way too.
28- He owns more pairs of socks than any human on this planet, I'm sure of it.. Don't get me started on hats and watches!
29- He cracks his knuckles ALL the time.. That's how I know when he's actually going to get out of bed. He cracks his knuckles and his wrists and EVERYTHING before getting up.
30- He takes a lot of pride in how he looks. I love that about him. From his shirt to his shoes, he's got an awesome sense of fashion!
31- He is the best daddy. He loves his kids more than anything and would do anything for them. He plays, he teaches, he disciplines and does all the things you'd ever ask for in a father. None of us are perfect parents, but our kiddos will look back and know without a doubt that their daddy loved them more than life!
32- He is an amazing husband. He is so caring, kind, loving, protective and just the best! Our life and our marriage aren't perfect. In fact, far from it. But when I think of the list I wanted in a man, he checks off every single one of them. I want everyone to feel as loved as I do. I want everyone to feel as safe as I do. Marriage is the best when there is a man like him!
33- He is my very best friend! I tell him everything, I turn to him when I'm sad, when I'm happy and every emotion in between! Having a marriage based on friendship is more important to me all the time. He's my everything!
I love you, babe! Happiest birthday! Thanks for choosing to live this life with me! I love sharing it with you! xoxo
Such a great weekend with family and friends! Saturday morning it was up early to surprise Brody at his soccer game where he scored 2 goals! He was so cute running up the sides yelling the score! Makes me so excited for Hank to play someday!
Not many pictures, but SO many people there to support our K bug at her dance competition at Layton High School. I get emotional sometimes thinking of all the love that surrounds her, and wondering if she has a clue how loved she is! Not only does she have FOUR parents, she has FOUR extended families who absolutely adore her!
Her team knew their effort wasn't great on their Jazz dance, but their Lyrical was awesome! So proud of her and her hard work! So sad I didn't get more pictures of her with family.
In attendance: Grandma and pa Reynolds, Nate and Ella, Grandma Merrilee, Lindsay, Brooklynn and Brody, Great Grandma and pa Mellor(from Burley!) and Great Grandma and pa Robbins(from Tremonton!). To say she is loved and supported is truly a huge understatement! We are so very thankful for all of your support!
We again had quite a bit of time between dances so we went out to lunch on Jason's suggestion of Pace's in Layton. It was super yummy and the Kailee and Brooklynn loved sitting outside while the rest of us were inside! And as we were getting ready to leave, a car pulled up in the parking lot and it was Aaron and Aubrey! So fun to see them too!
After the competition Kailee and Brooklynn were having a sleepover at Grandma Merrilee's and Hank was staying with Lindsay so Jake and I could go out for his birthday! It was fun to surprise him, hide Hank's overnight bag, and have some adult time with my hubby! We went out to The Break sports bar in Daybreak with some friends for yummy food and drinks! We had a great time! Side Note: we were driving over to Lindsay's car to drop Hank and his stuff off, Hank was sitting on my lap and when he saw Lindsay he stood up.. RIGHT into the windshield! Yep, shattered it. Now that I've done that to BOTH kiddos, I'm never letting them sit in the front with me again! :( I felt so dang bad! Also, don't call CPS. We were in a parking lot.. ;)
Sunday it was up to get the kiddos and lunch at ParkStone for Jake's birthday lunch with my fam! So much good food! Yikes! We headed home to find out we had scored lower bowl tickets to the Jazz game that night! WHOA WHOO! We had a blast, ended up being on the 5th row! Thanks so much, mom and Tony for the fun night!!! GO JAZZ! Hank loved it! Then he fell asleep in the 4th quarter and slept through the most insane noise ever! Loved it! And THAT folks, is why we've chosen to take our kids everywhere! He is used to it, he didn't try to run around, he just sat on my lap and watched the game! We love taking our kids places and experiencing things like that through their eyes! We have some pretty dang good kids who are well behaved and SO MUCH DANG FUN!
xoxo,
Lacy
Holidays are so much dang fun with kids! Holidays are also pretty dang heartbreaking sometimes in split families. I hate calling 'us' that, because we aren't 'split' in any negative sense, but reality is, we are. Listen, I rave about our situation often, and rightfully so! We've worked damn hard to get to this place of peace and happiness and friendship! It's not all been a walk in the park. It's not been easy from day 1. And there are times it is still not easy, or anywhere near it.. Those times are usually holidays. One of us couples (and also extended families) are heartbroken every other year, every other holiday. And truthfully, even the years she is with us, a small piece of my heart is hurting for the other side of the family. It's SO hard, and no joke! I think it's why so many people try extra hard to make a marriage work.. Who wants to split and miss out on holidays with their babies? NO THANKS! I can't imagine how hard it would be if we all hated each other! :(
I'm still learning how to navigate holidays with two kids. One of which isn't there for half of them every year. Please, someone tell me how to keep the joy and excitement and happiness when half of your heart isn't there? This is the real and raw stuff. This is the hurt side of it, even in a situation as amazing as ours! Now look, I'm also not so naive (at least anymore) as to how hurtful it is for Jake and Angie. Especially Angie. She's her MOM! I can't even imagine it.. I have only known sharing Kailee, she on the other hand, birthed her. Now, not discrediting Jake, he's her daddy and loves her just as much.. But mama's are just different. I think we can all agree on that one. Even with an amazing relationship with your dad, there is just no comfort like that from a mother. But my heart does hurt too. I am not her mom but she is absolutely my child. I don't know how many people that makes sense to, and that's okay. It's the truth. I miss Kailee every second she isn't with us, but holidays come with an extra sting. Now that Hank is old enough and is so excited about holidays, it's so sad not to share that excitement with his sister. And visa versa with Boston, it's dang hard! It's been a huge challenge for me to try to keep the joy and excitement for Hank's sake, even when Kailee isn't with us. I'm trying, and it has gotten a tiny bit easier, but I don't know if it will ever be perfect. It's the hardest part of our situation, no doubt.
This year our Easter weekend was JAM packed full of fun! We drove all over, or at least it felt that way! Friday after work Jake, Hank and I headed up to Grandma Jeri's house for the night. Cheyanne had a bridal shower that next day, and Jake was doing a wedding up in Tremonton so it worked out great for some time with my grandparents. I love them SO much! You'd never guess they were 80 years old (well, not grandma quite yet!) they are still so involved and do so much with us and our kids! We are SO lucky! Grandma had dinner planned and of course it was steak, baked potatoes, rolls, salads and all the yummy things you could imagine. Seriously, eating well at her house is NEVER a problem! Hank loved being there, seeing the ducks out front and playing with the new toys. He also loved the big fish grandpa has mounted in the office and kept calling it a shark! It was hilarious! He had to take each one of us back there to show us the 'shark' :) We had such a great night!
Saturday morning before the wedding and shower, they put on an Easter egg hunt for Hank! He was OBSESSED with the eggs this year, I had to serve his snacks in them and everything! He was so cute searching for eggs, and had to open each one as he found it! He'd take a bite of the treat or eat a jelly bean before moving on to find another one! It was so cute! Easter Egg hunts at Grandma Jeri's are THE best! Kailee has only done 1 or 2 there, and she talks about it EVERY year! They put treats and money in the eggs and their huge back yard makes for some awesome hunts! We are so lucky to still have them in our lives and so active in everything we do! Chey's shower turned out so cute and so much fun and Jake's wedding went awesome as well! SO proud of him and Mustache Ministry! ;) He really is so great with people and this little side gig has been fantastic for him!
After the shower and wedding we rushed back home for our Easter party with the Andrus Family! We hurried to meet to get Kailee and head to the party. Another perk to 'making it work'... It was Jason and Angie's holiday. They could have said, "our weekend/our holiday", but because we are in a good place, that is NEVER the case! As long as it doesn't interfere with plans, we always make it work for KAILEE! She is the one missing out if any of us try to be selfish with our time. It is amazing to know that we will work it out for her to be to everything whenever possible! So thankful they were so willing to work with us on the party! With a weekend that packed I didn't have time to prep my part of dinner it so we made it just in time to get it ready before dinner! We did pizzas and they were all SO yummy! The kids had a blast hunting eggs and playing outside, it was a gorgeous day! They love being at grandmas and being together! It's fun to have such extremes with our families.. My side has just the 4 grand kids, but due to circumstances of split families Hank is the only one that is always with us, so our time with ALL the Andrus cousins is really special, fun and important!
We took Kailee back after a fun night and then it was home to bed so the Easter Bunny could come! He did good this year and didn't spoil Hankster too much! The traditional swimsuit and Summer outfit and then a couple books and treats and we called it good! He loved it, and especially loved hunting for eggs! He would get SO excited when he'd find them it was so cute! Holidays really are so much better with little's! We enjoyed a very rare down day at home on Easter Sunday and it was wonderful!
So many great memories and happy times, even through the feeling of incompleteness. I'm not sure if that will ever go away, probably not but I have tried very hard to change my attitude, especially since Hank has been born to think of it as a blessing that I have K in my life at all, and not sadness because she isn't always with us. I'm sure it's something I'll have to work on for the rest of my life, but she is worth it times a million!
Hope you all had a special Easter! I'm not much of a religious person anymore, but I do know what this day represents and I'm so grateful for our Savior Jesus Christ. I'm grateful to know and FEEL that He lives! One of my favorite Hymns is "I Know That My Redeemer Lives" and that song is one I still sing in my head often, especially during the Easter season and it brings me so much comfort.
xoxo,
Lacy
