Birthday Party for Daddy!

My dear sweet wonderful husband turned 29 years old on Tuesday June 9th. We were woken up at 5:40 am to our wonderful crying children. Just the way to start off your day! While Jake was at work the boys and I made some decorations for his little party. We made a long paper chain.....Samuel thought it was pretty cool to make a long chain......Jack just wanted to play with the glue and glue strip after strip of paper onto another piece of paper! After we did some crafts we went in the kitchen to attempt to make a cake. Now I am NOT a cake maker......I usually just make it from the box but this time I decided to make a layer peanut butter cake that I found on the back of the cake mix. It turned out fine until my two little helpers decided to sneak some pieces of cake off the side and then after that it wanted to fall on the one side! We decided that the cake might not look the greatest but it sure did taste good!

We had a nice day with our husband and dad as he came home and ate lunch with us. One of the nice things about being here in Vernal is everything is close.....he works about 5 minutes away so it is easy for him to go home for lunch. When Jake got home from work in the afternoon the boys wanted to open the front door and yell SURPRISE....which they did and then we showed him our decorations, cake and present. After that we went out to eat to one of the very few restaurants here, came home and sang happy birthday and ate our yummy peanut butter cake and ice cream!

I originally was going to give Jake this picture I found for Fathers Day but was too excited to give it to him so he got it for his birthday! He knows I love sentimental gifts! Plus he already told me he didn't need anything for his birthday since he already bought himself a dirt bike! He loves his dirt bike as there are many places out here to ride it! Back to his birthday gift....I found this picture by Liz Lemon Swindle titled "Even Superman needs a Dad" It shows a boy walking down the street in his superman cape and he dad walking with him spending time together and talking. It is a really sweet picture that shows the love a father has for his son and the love a son has for his father! This is the story behind the artwork.....I thought it was so beautiful so I thought I would share.

Even Superman Needs a Dad

Driving through a parking lot, I saw a boy and his father coming out of a store. The boy was imagining himself as a mighty hero, but he looked at his father with more admiration than any hero is likely to receive. Right then, I knew I had to paint "Even Superman Needs a Dad."

This father took an interest in everything his son had to say. Every moment seemed magical. While this little boy looked a bit out of place dressed in a Superman cape and red cowboy boots, his father could not have looked prouder. Who was the real Hero? Who was more in awe of whom?

When I look around at the thousands of Supermen who play alone each day it breaks my heart. Looking at these two I remember a wonderful father who took the time to be there for me, who taught me by example what a father should be.

I enjoy watching someone look at the painting for the first time. Their gradual smile tells me they understand the feeling that brought about this painting. For a brief moment they forget there are bills to pay and work to do. They forget their worries and remember for a moment that life is wonderful. That is the joy in painting.

When I look at this painting I can see Jake walking down the street with our "superman/superwoman" children in hand, loving them, listening to them and being their hero!

I love you Jake and I feel so blessed to have met you in our history of rock and roll class at the University of Utah! I think the world of you, I look up to you, I admire you, I am so grateful for your willingness to provide for us and to also be the fun loving husband and father you are! Happy 29 years old babe!!