Turning the big 33

March is a month for birthdays around here! Chris turned 33 on the 4th. We had two sick kiddos at the time, so we had to keep it fairly low-key, but we sure had fun celebrating Daddy anyways! Ella helped me make lasagna and an Oreo cheesecake for dessert, which are two of Chris' favorites. All Cade cared about and could talk about was giving Chris his presents. And there are absolutely no secrets in this house- Cade told Chris what his presents were about fifty times before he actually opened them! High five for not keeping secrets, Buddy! Mmmm...

Daddy and his buddies Chris opened Cade's card first. Cade picked it out himself, was so proud, and couldn't wait to for Daddy to see it. Then, on the night before Chris' birthday, Cade got upset, decided "the monkey card too grosso", and wanted to get a new card. Oh, the drama! I finally convinced him that Daddy was going to think it was great and so we gave it to him.
"Look, Dad, the monkey picking nose!"- complete with a demonstration! haha! This boy is too much! Just like we thought, Daddy loved it!

Then Ella and Harper gave Daddy their card telling him 26 reasons why he was so great.

Then on to the gifts! Ella and Cade were very specific about what they wanted to give Chris this year- "smell good" (cologne), socks, and gummy worms. Cade was most excited about the last part!

Big hugs for Daddy!!

My kids and I are so blessed to have Chris in our lives. Let me tell you a little story about why I love this man so much. We were out to breakfast a couple of weeks ago, and the waitress was really struggling with service that morning. We waited almost twenty minutes for drinks, then when she brought out the food, she realized she forgot to ring in my order. Now, I have been there, done that. I waited tables all through college and am usually the last one to complain when we are out to eat. That morning, however, was a bit ridiculous. The kids were pretty much finished by the time I got my food, and our nice, peaceful breakfast ended up lasting almost two hours (and those of you who have been out to eat with three little ones know things don't stay that nice and peaceful for that long!). I wanted to speak with the manager, but Chris stopped me, paid the bill, tipped the waitress well, and guided me out of the restaurant. When I questioned him, he said, "Loving people the way God wants us to doesn't mean complaining and always pointing out what they've done wrong. She knew she messed up and talking to the manager wouldn't have made her day any better." Yep, I'm pretty certain I needed that reminder that morning, that we're all in need of God's grace. I love him for making me want to be a better person. And I'm so thankful my kids have this kind-hearted, thoughtful man as a father and role model.

Happy 33rd birthday, Daddy!! We love you so much!