Happy Happy Birthdayyyyyyy!!!!!

You guys, it's my favorite holiday!!! ALEX'S BIRTHDAY! I come from a long line of party planners, and if your birthday isn't a big deal in your house, what are you even doing with your life????????!!!!!!!! You need streamers, balloons, ice cream and cake! Your birthday is a milestone, a time to reminisce, and it's almost like your own personal New Year's Day. It's a time to make goals for the coming year, and of course pull out the baby albums and look at the baby fat that it took you 'til high school to get rid of!

Today on September 7th we get to celebrate my handsome, best friend and all his amazing character traits, like making a whole pot of coffee every morning and even his lesser ones, like missing the clothes hamper by three inches. Every. Single. Time.

Another thing I've realized, this is my fourth time planning a birthday celebration for him! Every year I always attempt to do something, big{ish} or at the very least something meaningful. For example year one: I left my last class in Ohio at 2:30 pm and drove ten hours home to STL to hide in my friend's trunk, then had her drive to Caleb's house {where unknowingly to Alex, I had Caleb lure him over and keep him occupied there all night} and then popped out of the trunk and nearly gave him a heart attack. Year two, we went up for the weekend to my grandparents' farm and rode ATVs and shot guns and ate food All weekend long. Every man's dream come true, basically. Year three Noah helped to make his naked chocolate cake that he loves but never actually gets because everyone else in the world loves icing. Still. Alex finally got his own cake the way he likes it. Now it's year four. YEAR FOUR. That's nuts. Although I do have a few surprises up my sleeve, this day and weekend are mostly going to be filled with family and friends, food and presents.


Alex, my Love,  you are amazing and I love you more every single year we are together. On our good days and bad you are the reason that our marriage vows stick and how we keep from going under. You are the rock in this marriage. I've never, ever had to question your love, because you live it every single day right out in the open. You are the best father in the world to our baby boy. You make me fall head over heels in love with you just with the little things, like making me coffee, or helping to fold the laundry, or writing a quick love letter on a notepad. You are a blessing to me. You make everyone who makes contact with you, end up leaving with a smile on their face. You have discovered the long-coveted secret of contentment. You fill our family with joy. I feel as though I have never known true love until I have known you. I like to think that I have some skill in writing, but when it comes to you, my dear, I frankly feel like while the words flow and come out freely enough, I am still stumbling to get them out because there is no way in the world to describe it except, perhaps: I love you.
I love you.
I love you.
I love you.
Today is your day and I celebrate all that you are and all that you have to be. And I smile, because even though it's your birthday weekend, I am the one who is getting the best present of all; and that is the ability to do life with you. Happy Birthday, my Love!

Photo credit to Joy Lynn Photography who always does such stunning work on our family pictures!