Happy 8th Anniversary, Hub

June 2nd is Matt's and my anniversary.  If you've been around us any, you've most certainly heard me refer to Matt as Hub.  This is my name for him, though I've had others, such as Matchbox and Caveman (though that one really offended a co-worker of mine; "You call your husband Caveman?" she asked again and again.  Little did she know that Matt looked at it as a term of endearment; me not so much at first, but since he liked it so much I began to also. Then the Lord found him, and Hub is not so much of a caveman anymore, but Kennedy and I still enjoy telling him he is on the Geico commercials!)  I digress.

Well, today for our anniversary, I sent Matt off to work with a very sleepy kiss. We talked on the phone a few times, I took the kids to get their hair cut (pictures later, but too CUTE!!), I took Kennedy to her first tumbling class (where Matt met us), and then we went to eat (as a family) at Logan's (our anniversary tradition).  Case behaved himself for the meal, Kennedy always does, and as a special treat, Santa and a rock star (by rock star I mean a goth kid that Kennedy couldn't stop looking at; in the car she mentioned the rock star-her words not ours) even made an appearance!  We got home, I took Case to bed, Matt took Kennedy to bed, and that was our anniversary.  Seems a little boring, huh?  WRONG!!!  Let me explain.

Matt and I have a love unlike most people.  We truly know that God designed us and put us together because we best suit each other.  We are married because God wove a path from my childhood home in Atlanta to Matt's home in New Hope.  When my family left Atlanta, we went to Florida and then to Tennessee, before finally settling in Alabama (that's a whole different post).  I was seventeen when Matt and I began dating.  I remember everything about that first date and that first kiss.  Matt had me cracking up all night on our first date (not an easy feat mind you).  Later we danced, and then there was that magical kiss.  A kiss that told me that I never wanted to kiss another man for the rest of my life.  Matt and I fell in love, got engaged in May 1999 and were married on June 2, 2001.  We have a wonderful marriage, made all the more wonderful when God found us a few years ago.  We do not need a special day to celebrate our love.  We celebrate our love everyday.  Sure, there are bumps along the way, but we talk through our conflicts and always compromise.  We love each other enough to try to work on our shortcomings.  I do respect and reverence Matt, and I know that he loves and respects me with all of his heart. He is the head of our household and the one wearing the pants in the family (literally and figuratively ha!).  I am the one keeping the house (halfway) running.  We're a team, and with God on our side we are winning the battle here on this Earth, which runs rampant with sin, smut, divorce, infidelity, and filth everywhere you turn.  

So here are a few things that I love about my Hub (by the way, his nickname for me is Apey).  I love how he looks at our daughter as though she is the most beautiful and amazing little girl he has ever seen (because she is).  I love how he wrestles with her (though I wish they would stop when Case is asleep).  I love that it breaks his heart that she is growing up WAY TOO QUICKLY because it is breaking mine too, and we can lean on each other.  I love how he prayed for our second baby to be a boy so that he could teach him how to be a man (what a great example Matt is to Case).  I love how he has supported me in all of my endeavors.  He really encouraged me to finish my master's degree, and he always reassures me that I am a great teacher, even when I feel as though I have failed in a situation.  I love how Hub has encouraged and supported my efforts to nurse the babies.  I would venture to say that most husbands aren't so encouraging on this aspect, which is probably why a lot of new mothers either don't try or give up quickly.  It has been doubly hard with nursing Case because my milk supply keeps going up and down, but Matt has prayed about it each time that he has seen me in distress.   I am normally cheerful and upbeat, so a distressed Apey is no fun!  I love how Matt makes me laugh!  I love how Matt shows Kennedy new tricks and how he loves to lay with Case on his chest.  I love that he is in Kennedy's bed right now, sleeping with her because he knows a day is coming when he can't do that anymore.  I love how he compliments the meals I prepare and (hardly; there was a green beans incident) never complains about my meals.  I love our funny sayings (such as manaversaire).  Did I mention that I love how he looks?  My Hub is just so handsome!  I love that Matt and I are committed to being the best parents that God will allow us and teach us to be.  I love that Matt (and I) put God first in all things.  We do not waver on our beliefs, but yet we are accepting of the beliefs of others.  I love that Matt is a light to others.  I love that he is good at all activities that require only a single person (such as yo-yo-ing, jumping rope, puzzles, etc.; he's an only child after all).  I love how his face lights up when Case smiles at him.  I love how he sat with a bottle in Kennedy's mouth for a solid hour when we were trying to get her to drink from one for daycare purposes.  I love that he did it again with Case (though it only took a few minutes for Case since he was much older than Sissy had been).  I love that he actually reads this Blog.  I could go on for the next hour or two, but it's late, and I need some sleep.           

I love you, Hub.  Thank you for a wonderful 8 years of marriage.  I know we don't have to have a special day to celebrate, but maybe for ten years, we could get away, just the two of us for a few hours. <3>