Here's to You

We have had an amazing long weekend, soaking in all the love and comfort our hearts
have to offer.  I sit here this morning feeling refreshed, my soul nourished and
rejuvenated.  There is so much to reflect on and share, but since I did not get to post
on Father's Day on account of our great escape, I wanted to take today to reflect on the
man who has my heart.  The man I am lucky enough to call husband and friend, the man
my girls are lucky enough to call Daddy.

 I've always dreamed of having a family, being married to my best friend and raising as
many children as God allowed.  Not a day goes by that I do not give thanks and count
my blessings that those dreams have come true.  Shawn and I have spent 12 years
together, living and building a life we believe in and are passionate about.  I could not ask
for a better, more loving man to raise our daughters.  

Shawn is a man's man, the kind of man you call when something is broken and needs to
be fixed, the kind of man you ask to open a jar or scare off bogey monsters, who drives a
big truck and wears a tool belt around his waist.  But all that masculinity aside, he has the
most gentle soul I know.  His hands, so big and strong, callused and hardened and
stained from a long day's work, his hands so delicately hold our babies.  It is a beautiful
thing to witness the vulnerability these girls bring out in him.  Watching him go from
building a barn to changing a diaper, repairing an electrical circuit to brushing his little
girl's hair, from fixing a car to putting pink Barbie band-aids on scraped knees.  His
voice, so strong and deep, gently lulling his baby to sleep.

 He is the kind of man who would rather be behind the camera rather than in front of the
lens, playing guitar rather than fronting the band.  He asks for very little other than a
few words of encouragement and as many kisses as we are willing to spare.  When I
was pregnant for Brees, we had an ultrasound done at 21 weeks to determine the sex of
the baby.  When the technician announced that we would be having another girl, I could
not help but notice a brief look of disappointment on his face, a quick moment of sadness
over not getting the little boy he had been dreaming of.  Our doctor patted him on the
arm and said, "How precious, another little girl to dote on her daddy, to steal your heart
away and stretch it even bigger.  What could be better than TWO Daddy's girls?".  The
smile that spread across his face at this thought was priceless.  Because she was right, the
love these little girls have for their father is immeasurable.  And it has made his heart
even bigger and more open than I could have ever imagined.

So here's to you, my loving husband, with all your strength and fire.  Thank you for
working so hard and never complaining, for killing spiders who sneak up on us and for
making the best popcorn.  Thank you for singing to us before bed and teaching us how
to properly use a screwdriver, for drawing up the best baths and always making sure we
are safe.  Thank you for enjoying life to the fullest and inspiring us to
do the same.
You are an amazing husband and father and we are so lucky to have you.