Spencer's 36th Birthday & Day of Thanks

Happy 36th Birthday, love!! I decided that since his parents were going to VA for Thanksgiving, that we should have a nice quiet Thanksgiving at home so we could celebrate Spencer's birthday alone.  Which ended up being wiser than we knew... since we all got sick with coughs, fevers, sore throats, ear & sinus infections. boooo. Instead of cake Spencer requested homemade chocolate eclairs (we hardly make cake for each other's bdays anymore. Not when there are so many better desserts out there!!). It was my first time making eclairs so I was nervous, but i made them Wednesday morning to make sure they'd be ready to go Thursday night (and in case i ruined them and had to start over!) :) I made the pastries and Kaden helped me make the homemade pastry filling/pudding and it turned out great! Spencer took care of the main dinner stuff: turkey, potatoes & gravy, rolls (night before), yams... I helped Perry make the green bean casserole Wednesday night. I really wanted to make the dinner by myself for him, but I got very sick the night before and Spencer whipped into action! It was done and ready, and even the fancy table setting by 1pm! He's the MAN!!

As we celebrate the birth of this amazing man of ours on the same day as Thanksgiving this year, we have so much to be thankful for! And many of our blessings are because of him. Spenc is such an incredible caretaker and provider. He worked hard his entire life to have a career that he enjoys in a company he loves and with people he really likes. He works out early before we wake up and heads to work early so he can spend more time with us in the evening. He is always busy helping around the house, taking care of odds & ends, and home improvements. His handy work never ceases to amaze me! Just this week, he added beadboard & bag hooks to the kitchen hall, and did it all like it was nothin. :)

I love all that he does to take care of our home, cars, & temporal needs. But what makes me fall in love with him more everyday, is the way he loves us and spends time with us. The kids always have fun with their daddy. Sometimes they get a talking to about some life lesson they need to learn, but even then, he is so loving. 

Last night, his birthday eve, I had to go to bed early. We've all been sick and I have a sinus infection that won't quit. I had a fever and was feeling awful. I don't usually have fevers when I'm sick. I took some tylenol/codeine which is usually strong enough to knock me out. Then, I got in bed before the kids and Spencer did bedtime alone (not his favorite thing to do).  More than an hour after taking the medicine, it wasn't working. My head hurt so much that i couldn't fall asleep. I asked Spencer to give me a priesthood blessing. I don't remember what he said, but my headache eased up and I fell right to sleep for the rest of the night. I only woke for a few seconds here and there in the night, when I felt his gentle hand checking my forehead and cooling me with a wet cloth. At 4am he got me more medicine to keep my fever down. He could have easily slept through the night (as i had expected him to) and I would have been fine. But he was worried about me and wanted to be sure I was ok. I thought maybe he'd set alarms to remind him to check me, but he said he didn't, just automatically woke up to make sure I was ok. I feel terrible that he started his birthday out like that. Even as I write this, I cry tears of complete happiness because of how blessed I am to have this amazing man love me so much. I honestly know if it had been reversed, I wouldn't have woken up to check on him without an alarm reminding me. He loves me so deeply & so selflessly that I can't begin to express how grateful & overwhelmed with love I feel. To say I love him so much is an understatement!!

I've been thinking of the scriptures in 1Corinthians 13 describing charity, but as Charity is the pure love of Christ, I have been saying it in my head like this... 

4 [Love] suffereth long, and is kind; [Love] envieth not; [Love] vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
8 [Love] never faileth

I could also replace it with "Spencer" and it would describe him perfectly as well. I am eternally grateful and incredibly humbled that we get to belong to each other forever. What an amazing journey we have ahead of us. I LOVE celebrating my husband's life! I LOVE the awesome dad that he is! Kids, never take him for granted and never set aside the lessons he has worked hard to share with you. Never doubt how very much he loves each of us. You are all SO lucky & SO blessed!