Cheers to you, babe

This is a typical picture of my husband: juggling two babies, the remote, the phone, and his address book, and sitting in his favorite chair. Oh, and his very serious face.

I guess what they never tell you when you get married is that yes, it's a whole lot of work, but you learn to love someone in ways you never thought imaginable.

I fell in love with a man with beautiful eyes, a great big heart, smart and always thinking, so hard-working, a nice pick-up, studly college football career, goofy fun-loving friends, a great family, big goals for his future, and boy did he ever love me too.

Yes, I still love him for all those things, but they seem so much smaller now compared to the way I now feel about my husband, the daddy to our two girls. He works so hard for us. He braves the elements to move cows (along with the rest of the family -- ranching is hard work!!) He spends his free time in the evenings lining up trucks and loads and solving problems for drivers, shippers, and feed lots. He even fits in his snuggle time with the girls, and likes to read "Where the Wild Things Are" with Ella before she goes to sleep. He tucks the girls in, and instead of going to bed, which I'm sure he's plenty tired, he spends time with me, catching up on our DVRed shows (what did we do before DVR... I mean, the commercials? And our favorite shows right during bath and bed time?!!?) or helping me clean up after dinner.

And while I could go on and on about the things this guy does for me, for his family, and the kind of patience that he has (I think he'll end up mapping out every road that winds in and out of this ranch for me, because I always seem to get lost) I would probably bore everyone, and it would really embarrass Spencer anyway (he doesn't really like blog attention).

So, although I may not always be great at showing my appreciation for you, I am very blessed with you as my husband. You've given me two of life's greatest gifts, our sweet little girls, this beautiful place we call home, and you are a wonderful man to share it all with.

And it's supposed to be YOUR birthday! How lucky am I? Happy birthday babe! Hope this next year is better than the last... can you imagine? :)