David's 35th Birthday

David turned 35 and we all enjoyed celebrating our favorite guy. 

We played some games, ate some cake, and told him that we love him. (The day after his birthday we went to the Utah Home Show and out to dinner for a date.) 

David is such a wonderful father. 

Here are the top five things we have loved about him THIS year:

(okay, these aren't really the top five things. But they are five things we love that are particular to this year, as opposed to something like "kid tacos" which was a super hit last year.)

1-Speaking Spanish. Lydia and Austin have been taking a Spanish class and they are loving learning things like "hola" and "adios" and they LOVE that David knows spanish. He's basically has celebrity status and you should hear the pride in their voices both as they talk about their dad to others and his spanish speaking abilities AND as they talk to him showing off what they've learned. 

2- Freeze Tag. This is a new favorite and they love to play this game with David. He took one for the team the other day while playing. He was cornered in the living room but took a flying leap over the edge of the couch, clipping his shoulder on the corner of the wall, in a successful attempt to get back to the family room and unfreeze the rest of us. He was the hero of the day and the kids love to play with him. (Another favorite thing that I'm going to squeeze in here because it goes along with playing with him, they love singing "the name song". It starts with their name and goes through a variety of consonant sounds, but it's so filled with love (even though it's just a silly song, not sentimental at all). They just glow whenever it's their turn. "Austin, Austin, bo baustin, banana fanna, fo fostin, me, my mo mautin, austin!" 

3- Dates with Dad. If you ask Lydia about David, she always talks about how kind and funny he is. I asked Lydia her favorite thing to do with Daddy right now and she said "When he takes me on dates." Her favorites are things like the Jazz game or to go and get pizza. Wiggy Wash Car Wash is a particular favorite of Austin. David gets coupons for a car wash whenever he gets his oil changed and Austin loves to go with him. They usually take a special Daddy/Austin date to go. 

4-Breakfast cereal routine. David will put Chex in the bottom of the bowl and cover it with yogurt, then with an apologetic look on his face, he will hand over the bowl saying, "Sorry kids, we ran out of cereal, so all you get is yogurt today." They love this. Every time, they pretend to be disappointed but obliging and then act surprised when they scoop and bite into a mouthful of yogurt coated cereal. Giggles upon giggles have happened through this ritual. If he forgets to make his comment, even Caleb will correct him by asking "Say it!" The kids love it. They love how silly and happy and kind he is. They love him.

5- After Lucy was born, I didn't recover as well or as quickly as I have with past pregnancies which means I really depended on David more than I've ever needed to before. (Of course, I've always depended on him very much and he's always been there for me and for our family, but this time was more.) We all asked more of him, which is tough when he had already been giving us 100%. He's taken a huge load without complaint, on top of his already heavy plate. He's kind, patient, and willing to sacrifice much so that the rest of us are taken care of. I love him for this. Even though he doesn't get the recognition that he deserves most of the time, I hope that he knows that he is appreciated more than he even knows is possible. 

We love you David!