Happy Birthday Brett. 42. I am not a big fan of sappy husband posts. I don't know why. I tend to say, "yeah, yeah, we know you love him. We get it, he's great, blah blah blah. Just tell him, you don't need to tell us." I'm going to try to do a b-day post about Brett without being too sappy. If I don't, some day when my family is so anxiously reading every word I've ever written (because I will be long gone, and they will be so interested in what my personality was, who I was, the woman behind the name on the genealogy chart...), then my family will not know how grateful I was to be married to Brett (the man behind the name next to my name on the genealogy chart..)
I was feeding Kate at 5:45 this morning and I was thinking about Brett as he was sleeping, and of what a good father he is. I thought about how his favorite thing to say right now is, "let me take the baby." As soon as he woke up at 6:30, he saw me holding Kate in my comfy chair and the first thing he said through a yawn and closed eyes was, "Here. Let me take the baby." Any time she starts fussing, it's "let me take her." Any time we go anywhere, he puts on my little baby sling (pink) and says, "I want to hold her." And he does. I won't be too sappy and tell you how that makes me feel.
This picture captures something so beautiful to me. How lucky are little children who come into the world with a pair of these hands to love, guide, bless them? These big, strong hands can also be so gentle and safe. This is Brett's favorite chair to hold her in early mornings when he is letting me sleep an extra hour. I won't be too sappy and say how seeing these hands makes me feel.
A half an hour later at breakfast. All older kids are rebelling a bit against 7 a.m. scripture study. They seem to still be getting ready, or not waking up early enough. Brett will just start reading out loud as if to remind everyone everywhere in the house --I am still doing it! You are missing it! I won't not do it, just because you aren't! Read, read, read...louder, louder, louder... Now Brett has Kate as a captive audience, regardless of who else is there. She's going to be pretty darn spiritual, I'm sure :) I won't be too sappy to tell you how it makes me feel every morning when I see and hear this..
So, dad, do I take that scripture literally or is it simply allegorical?
He sure loves her. I love him for loving her.
Thank you Brett for being so patient in all areas of your life and with me. I am so different than you in so many ways. We really are almost opposites. I still remember meeting you at BYU and going out with you on that first date. I remember thinking, who is this guy? He is so sure about life and where he is going. He makes everything seem so easy, even if it's hard. You and I still laugh at how your first impression of me was so wrong. You saw me taking notes in a Franklin Day Planner and thinking- wow that is a sharp girl. Little did you know that I bought that book because I was so not organized and after a week, I realized I hated it, hated having to write everything down and then remember to look at what I'd written down and then feel guilty if I didn't do it. Once I was with you, I knew that your Franklin Planner was MORE than enough for the both of us and I could be my little gypsy self again.
I remember you picking me up at my apartment at 5 a.m. in the winter mornings while you went to do your student government interviews and I would go into the Wilkinson Center lounge and practice the piano for 1-2 hours. No one there, just a dark room and a grand piano and knowing you were somewhere in the building doing your thing. I never would have done that without you getting me there.
I remember meeting your family on our first date. We were at the Homecoming Spectacular in the Marriott Center. You had to give the opening prayer (only at BYU, I know.) We met your parents and two of the cutest little brothers I had ever seen. They seemed to glow to me as I stared at their smiling faces. Your parents were in Provo to support you. I felt so at home with them from the beginning. You had a big extended family who was always together. I remember meeting Grandpa Blake, the epitome of a family patriarch.
I remember watching how much you thought about God and what He wanted you to do. Also, how you made room in your life to show Him how much you loved Him. I hadn't seen anyone do that before like you did. You made room for him..that's the best way to describe it and you still do. I am grateful that our kids see you do that.
Oh my, this is getting way sappy. Brett, I don't tell you enough that I love you. I am sure I take for granted the amazing things you do and the faithful, kind husband you are to me. You never criticize me. I am a words person and if you did, I would feel awful. On the contrary, I know that you think I'm pretty great, not because I am, but because you tell me you think I am. In order not to be sappy, I won't say how this all makes me feel:)
Ok. I'm done. No more. I just want our kids to know. I want you to know. Happy Birthday. e
