Eight years!

Brian,

You're the best! 

You are handsome, you are handy around the house (there's nothing you can't make or fix), you are cheerful, you're a hard worker and a wonderful provider, you are intelligent and always learning, and you run after God's ways and seek His will for our family.

And you are a wonderful dad! As a parent, no one thinks your kids are as cute as you do, but there are two of us, and we have the best times enjoying our kids together. You are fun with Will and tender with Barrett (whom you call "the Bear Man") and they are quite the little men with you. And no one laughs at my stories about the kids like you do.

You saw these pictures at dinner last night and you cracked up.

You said, "This is what we will show at his wedding...

... 'Will swimming, before he got a kiddie pool'."

When I told you that Barrett had a second tooth, you congratulated him heartily.

big two-toother

When I told you about William demonstrating the popcorn maker to his brother, saying to him, "Pretty cool, huh?" ...only you could appreciate how sweet it was.

  

Last night, we had a quiet evening at home before heading out to dinner. I had dropped the kids off at my parents' earlier in the day, and it was wonderful to have that uninterrupted time. It felt like the old days, only better.

You put Will to bed last night like a pro. It's been a little while since you've done it, so of course the change in routine meant a Little Man Mommy Meltdown. You handled it very well. I heard sobs and sobs from upstairs and then... happy conversation. 

You are so, so different from me. You are disciplined and minimalist. You are a nature lover and a healthy eater. You are quiet and you are a listener. You are early-to-bed and early-to-rise, and rewarded accordingly, as the old saying goes.

Last year, when your job search was discouraging and weary and fruitless, I saw how deep you really go. I saw your effort and your optimism and your strength. I felt the Lord impress upon me that so many of the blessings I enjoy in my life are a direct result of YOU. Thank you for marrying me.

Love, Maeg

July 2014, Charlevoix. I hate that Barrett's not in this, but he was home with Nana.