To the man of my dreams on the day after his birthday (close enough)

My handsome Husband on his 37th birthday

"OUR" Adam turned 37 yesterday.  He used to be "My" Adam... but not anymore.  Nona tries to claim that he is only "HER" daddy... it really digs under Jack's skin when she refuses to admit that Adam is also HIS daddy.  I know she knows that, but boy she likes to make her brother squirm.

A healthy game of UNO!

In the past Adam's birthdays have always been about Ice Cream cake, weekends at the lake, and outdoor fun.  This year... Adam's birthday was about an angry bird chocolate cake and watching Jack open all the presents.  Nona kept interjecting "that one is for Daddy" - when in reality there weren't any presents for Adam. Our 3 year old could see the clear injustice that was taking place. Guess that's the truth about getting older around here!  He did get to spend the entire morning golfing with his Dad and brother though.  I spent the day chasing after the kids, cleaning, grocery shopping, and preparing for our evening guests.  I'm not sure I really saw much of Adam on his birthday.  So in retrospect, I felt that Adam deserved a few kind words in honor of his birthday:

The engineer on the evening train

the partially smashed angry bird/golfing b-day cake

Dear Adam-

Our first weeknight evening together in YEARS. Adam thought he
would cook a nice meal and the children would magically eat it. HA!

 We love you. We love your playfulness. We love your seriousness. We're thankful for your sacrifice of working overnight to spend more time with us. We love that you are the ultimate 'handy-man'.  You fix all our problems- from changing light bulbs and batteries, opening those darn lids that are always on too tight, fixing bikes, fixing cars, soothing those 'owies' and calming those tantrums, tiling floors, refurbishing fireplaces, cooking dinners, installing car-seats, and building tables from scratch. You're the reason I never have to worry about things around the house.  You're smarter than the average Joe, you're more creative and crafty than my searches on Pinterest.  You're kind to every stranger, and you love every soul you meet.  You care about every story you read (and you try SO hard to make me care too).  You are a genuine listener- and the ultimate story teller. You sacrifice your toys and dreams (though there is a good share of kicking and screaming) because you hope and dream about the future of our family. You remind me how to have fun, you force me to dream- to think bigger and better. You are still MY ADAM- I just choose not to taunt the children as NonaJane chooses to do.  So even though I didn't buy you a boat, or a motorcycle (a camper, an ultimate cruise vacation,  a tractor, OR a diesel truck...) know that I love you more than all those items rolled together in one giant imaginary birthday present.  (and everyone who knows me knows that I am terrible at gift giving anyhow... so really no surprise that your
birthday present is imaginary now is it?)

Man at work

Happy 37th Birthday (belated) to my wonderful husband.  I am so THANKFUL and appreciative and HONORED to be your wife.  Thank you for choosing me, and loving me, and supporting me thru thick and thin.  We make a pretty good team- I still say you are better than any man I ever dreamed of.
Your wife,
Kelly