Happy Birthday Jonny, Jenny, Mom, and Aubrey!

Today is my darling husband's birthday. He and his twin sister, Jenny (Happy Birthday Jenny!), were born 31 years ago. He is such a blessing to me - the best husband and father I could ever ask for. One of his friends was commenting the other day on how impressed he was with the relationship that Jonny and I have and I told him that we do have a great relationship, and mostly it is because Jonny is patient and sweet when I get snotty with him! It is so true. He is the calm steady one - truly my rock.



Some of the things I love about him...

-He had tarragon and thyme in his spice arsenal when we got married. I don't even have any recipes that use those spices, but apparently you can only make a proper bernaise sauce with tarragon...
-He says words like "proper" and "thingae," which is pretty much a filler word they use in England for any word you can't think of.
-He knows all the characters and songs in Emma's favorite cartoons.
-He can tell when I am having a not enough sleep or not enough food meltdown and gently says, "Why don't you let me watch the kids while you go take a nap?"
-He is crazy about our children, and they are crazy about him.
-He doesn't care how silly he looks, as long as the kids laugh.
-He makes us big plates of nachos to share while we watch TV.
-He has infinite patience for tedious tasks, whether it be untangling a little girl necklace or fixing malfunctioning electronic equipment.
-He has a passion for good food.
-I hear him say things to our kids like, "I haven't had a good snuggle with you since I've been home from work. Come here."
-He plays the guitar beautifully and sings and makes up funny songs for the kids.
-He has nearly every piece of sporting equipment known to mankind...volleyball, lacrosse, wrestling stuff, track stuff, football, rock climbing, biking, golf, you name it, he's got it.
-He loves me even though I'm so not a sporty girl.
-He tells Emma every day that she is gorgeous, and even though I'm not into raising vain little people, I know how important fathers are in shaping little girls' self esteem.
-He loves to research things and learn about new people, places, and ideas.
-He is a hard worker.
-He loves watching movies and can tell you within 0-5 seconds of watching a scene what movie it is from.
-If he accidentally wakes me up at night I snap at him to be quiet. If I accidentally wake him up at night he hugs me and kisses me and says, "I love you baby."




Today is also my Mom's birthday. How do I even describe all the things she has taught me over the years? Just everything I am and everything I want to be. Perhaps most important of all she told me, "Amanda, when you are getting ready to go out with your husband, be sure you always do your makeup before you get dressed. Because if you're running late, he can make you leave without your makeup on but he can't make you leave without your clothes on." I love you Mom! Happy Birthday! This is us in La Boca, Argentina where she and my Dad served their mission.





As long as we are talking birthdays, let's talk about my older sister, Aubrey. Her birthday was on the 21st. She is only 14 months older than me and has always been one of my best friends. We talk on the phone at least once a week and rarely does a conversation last less than an hour. We can tell each other stories and include all the mundane details that you usually wouldn't tell people for fear of boring them to death. We have had our last two babies three months apart and a week apart. She is an absolute dream - so supportive, a good example, sings like a nightingale...Happy Belated Birthday to you Aubrey!