Monday was Jeff's birthday. He turned 33 but I'm going to stay 29 this year...for the 4th year in a row.
He's well loved around here and well loved at work. This is no secret. He's blessed to work with some amazing Jesus-loving people who not only put up with adore him, but encourage him in many ways as well.
My man has many nicknames - I call him "Jefe" (which is 'boss' in Spanish) - and I thought it was hilarious when I found out that a ton of people at work call him that, too. Another nickname they've given him there (from over a year ago when he was almost 50 pounds heavier) is, "The Fridge" because he reminded them of the football player nicknamed that as well.
Anyway, this year for his birthday one of the ladies at his work, Renee, (who has a cake-making business as a side job) made him this:
I couldn't believe how amazing it looked! She even has him holding his favorite coffee cup!
Anyway, Happy Birthday to my amazing husband, Fridge.
I'm not above admitting that I'm the Mom who decides to grocery shop at Winco pretty much because it's so much cheaper! there's a separate room where they keep the alcohol. There's a big sign outside the swinging door that says no one under the age of 21 can come in, so I leave my kids right outside the door and stand in the kidless nice and cold room for a minute and pretend I'm on vacation (don't freak out, I can still sort of see them).
Yes.
That actually happens.
I might also end up grabbing a Mike's Hard Lemonade Lite (or six) to pretend I'm on vacation during the 15 minutes between the time the kids go to bed and the time Jeff and I go to bed.
I live life big, you guys. Real big.
{NOTE: I'm under no illusion about how very blessed I am in this life and when I write posts like this it's mostly a joke. I don't know exactly why I felt the need to clarify that, but I did. I have four of the best kids in the world and I know it, but I still get tired and drink alcohol sometimes, ya know ? So to clarify again: I love my husband/kids/Jesus in a BIG way and I wouldn't change a thing - this is an adventure we're on and it's crazy scary ours. I'm happy with that. Okay. That's all.}
Conversation last night over dinner:
Carter: "Wow Mom, this is so good! Who did you get the recipe from?"
Me: "I just sort of made it up - I didn't get it from anyone."
Carter: "No seriously, this is GOOD - you didn't make it up, right? "
Me: "Buddy, I just threw stuff together."
Jack: "Well that's just shocking! I didn't know you knew how to do that!"
{I love that I can take whole wheat noodles, chopped up grilled chicken, pesto, and a little Parmesan cheese and toss it all together and my kids think I'm the greatest chef ever. Obviously I set the bar super high on a daily basis for them to come to this conclusion about a pasta dish.}
One of my sons (who will remain unnamed) was being naughty and playing with my earrings while he was using the toilet and my favorite pair ended up in the toilet.
Guess what they landed on?
Yup.
So, I started my day disinfecting earrings (however you're supposed to do that) and then all but burning my hands off trying to get them clean but honestly, no matter how clean your hands are after that there's no way to un-see yourself reaching in a toilet to grab something you plan on wearing again.
Hand sanitizer is going to be my best friend for a while.
Also?
Raising boys is not for the faint of heart (or for the germaphobic).
Just sayin'.
We're in it full swing now....this Summer thing.
And honestly? I'm LOVING it (finally in that *good* place again).
Yesterday we got to have "church" at our friends' place with a bunch of the families I love the most. We all met at their house and had a great missionary speaker (through whom God just blew me away!) followed by a delicious potluck and then the kids all played on a huge homemade slip-n-slide, a couple big trampolines, a play structure, and sprinklers while us adults had amazing discussions and fellowship. It was so much fun! Can't wait to do it again next month!
Today is chill day. Natalie and I got up early and made banana muffins for breakfast and the boys are out splitting and stacking some wood with my Dad before it gets freakishly hot (it's supposed to be mid-90s today). I'm going to get my workout in (as soon as Fischer finally goes to sleep) and then right after lunch we'll head to the lake (BLISS).
Tomorrow is up early to go blueberry picking (one of my favorite days of the year - I LOVE blueberries!) with my sister Jeremi, followed by Bible Study at the lake on Wednesday.
Thursday (which is the fourth of July, in case you're living under a rock) Jeff and I have a hot (literally) date going to a friend's wedding and I'm excited to get dressed up and get to hang out with my HOTTIE husband for an evening (and be around people who don't call me "Mom").
Jeff gets Thursday-Monday off of work and I'm so excited for all that time with him I can barely stand it. Have I mentioned lately how blessed I am by my husband? He is all kinds of amazing and even though we had a few (really) rough years towards the beginning of our marriage (maybe sometime I'll write more about it - but let's just say that I was *not* a communicator and that can do major damage - FAST), anyway, he's pretty great and I'm looking forward to some family time camping, fishing, barbequing with friends, and just enjoying the blessings that the Lord has given to our family!
I will (hopefully!) remember to document all this breaking-news events and share next week. Have a great week, you guys!
