Thank You, Brian

As wives, mothers, caregivers, and women, we take our job and responsibilities seriously.  We pack the lunches, make the ever necessary coffee, get breakfast for our husbands as they rush out the door, eat breakfast with our children, straighten the house, clean the house, organize the house, teach our children about the Lord and help them get a good start in academics, do the laundry, wash the dishes or load the dishwasher, put the dishes away, plan the meals, cook the meals, bake special things for our families, give the baths, sweep up the floor (reminds me that I have play-doh crumbs on the dining room floor that I need to vacuum up), put the dinner dishes away, prep the lunches and coffee pot for the following day, make the grocery list, do the grocery shopping, log the family memories, organize our photos in ways that make sense to us and will be accessible to our husbands and children, we meet the needs of our husband and children, and then we go to bed so we can do it all again tomorrow.

Why do we do so much and take these responsibilities so seriously?  For me, it is out of a heart of thankfulness and gratitude to the Lord and my husband for allowing me to stay home and be the kind of wife and mother I always dreamed of, having the job I always wanted.  I am so appreciative for a husband that works hard at his job and willingly takes overtime, while also taking care of the things at home that I am not capable of or qualified to do. And what he does all day makes what I do look like a piece of cake!

Brian, thank you for being the spiritual leader of our home.  Thank you for the spiritual stands that you take in regards to how our home reflects the Lord.  Thank you for not allowing the idea of me going back to work to be an option for us (I can't imagine not being here to enjoy all of these moments with our daughter).  Thank you for doing everything you can so that I can stay home with Addie and soon to be Ian.  Thank you for putting our needs before your own.  Thank you for taking the time in the mornings to read the Bible with Addie.  Thank you for instituting "No TV Tuesday" in our home.  Thank you for always telling me that I'm beautiful, even on days that I don't feel it.  Thank you for always making me laugh (this time around, let's try not to make me laugh until a few days after the C-section, okay?).  Thank you for always making an effort to be at my doctor's appointments with me (you have only ever missed two due to work).  Thank you for being such a hands on father to Addie- that will pay off in so many ways now and down the road.  Thank you for always taking me to family gatherings for my side of the family and keeping me connected to those I have known all of my life.

You are such a sweetheart.  You are my best friend- on Easter weekend when I had to go it alone with Addie, I felt totally lost and like half of me was missing.  You are my one true love.  I feel totally at ease and where I belong with you. You allow me to share my feeling and to be me at all times- whether that is silly, goofy, serious, reflective, frustrated- without making me feel ridiculous. I am so blessed to be your wife... and that you chose me. You are so loving to Addie and it reflects to others what an awesome Daddy you are.  Even my grandma told me on Monday that Addie doesn't just have a father in you, but she also has a friend that she can always turn to.   You are a good son and son-in-law.  You have always treated our parents well.  I love you......