An Ode To My Thirty Year Old Man

Braden's birthday was last Sunday. A month before his birthday, I thought about planning a surprise party for him. I looked around Pinterest for a good theme, I made a Pinboard filled with ideas. I bounced some ideas off my family, and I began to make lists. Then I got frustrated.

I became frustrated because all my ideas and all the things I pinned were more about me than my husband. I had a dessert table planned, a burger bar, a cool creative tablescape, adorable decor, fun games, and a darling photo booth planned. Unfortunately, while Braden would have been a good sport about the whole thing, the truth is he is rather low key. He's not really one to be the center of attention (clearly this is another case of opposites attracting) and he'd much rather our money go to different place than on a party for him. The more I tried to plan the perfect party for him, the less it was about him and became about me. I realized this in the nick of time and out of utter frustration I scrapped the whole thing and settled on making him his favorite breakfast of biscuits and gravy and having burgers with family. There was ice cream cake of course (another one if his favorites) but other than that, it was a pretty basic birthday. It made me kind of sad and a little disappointed in myself to have not made his day more special.

But, when I saw him laugh and laugh at the dinner table, and share his cake with the twins and about die laughing with my dad over a stupid Bud Light commercial I knew that in spite of the lack of grandeur, he had a pretty great day. And that's why my Braden is so wonderful. He is a simple man. He'll never cure cancer, or go to the moon. He'll probably never rescue anyone from a burning building, win a Nobel prize, or be on the Forbes richest list. But he is tied for the best father that's ever lived (tied with my father, obviously) and he has quickly and quietly become the most perfectly crafted companion for me. He fills in all my gaps, doesn't put up with my crap, and forces me to be the best person I can be (usually by teasing the crap out of me). And honestly, lets be real, he is absolutely crazy about me. I'm pretty nuts about him too, so that works out.

Since we're getting all gross around here, I'd like to spill a few of the best things about Braden:

1) He pretends to not like newborns but I always sneak in and catch him talking quietly to Clementine and smooching on her when he thinks no one is watching. That little girl will be the end of him.

2) He loves how spicy Georgia is and always calls her his firecracker. Then they squawk at each other.

3) When Evie couldn't go to sleep tonight he went in a snuggled her in the tiny daybed the twins share until she fell asleep.

4) He always talks to Penelope in her crazy Peepers language ("ah-AH-ah" for those of you that have heard this) and tries to do her crazy eye (for those of you that have seen this) with her

5) Landen is his best buddy. Hands down. And he ALWAYS buys him a new racecar when he goes to the grocery store. We have a thousand cars in this freaking house

6) When Olivia forgot her gymnastics clothes today, he drove all the way out to drop them off so she wouldn't be sad she forgot them. He does all kinds of special things for the kids so they won't feel sad for a minute.

7) He is seriously the funniest. His best talent is singing and changing the words to songs to really inappropriate hilarious new lyrics. I just told him today that its too bad that no one else will be able to hear his songs because they are so freaking hysterical but so so so naughty. He's a riot.

I'm super glad he made it to thirty- lets hope he can survive the next 21 years raising all these crazy kids (and being married to me)