Tribute to my MANLY man

Seeing as yesterday was his 22nd birthday, I decided James needed some attention! Especially since I had lost his present all day (I had hid it on Wednesday and could not find it anywhere. It finally hit me this morning where I hid the rest of it!). Even though it was fast Sunday, and James fasted all the way until 6:00 (by that time I had eaten like 5 meals!) I was impressed with James' unselfishness. Our one morning to sleep in was interrupted when James remembered he was supposed to teach Elder's Quorom. I was sympathizing that he had to teach on his birthday when he interrupted me with "Shawnne, every year I've given someone else a present on my birthday, and today, my present will just be to teach the elders!" He left for morning meetings (even remembering to shave), and rumor has it, he did a great job on his lesson! (I wouldn't know because I was in primary getting invited to a "How to keep the reverence in your class" training meeting. I tried to tell them I didn't need the training , but then, I looked around and saw that one of my sunbeams had already escaped under the front table and was blowing in the table leg holes while whistling to make it sound like a flute, the other one was hanging off his chair yelling "I have poop in my pants over and over", while the 2 sweet visitor girls were both crying for their moms, and my other boy was running out the back door. That, and I was denting the tiny little chair I was sitting on. My sunbeams all prefer the big ones so I take the small...sometimes I think James has the easier calling!) But, James even had meetings after church, volunteered to clean up some yards this week, planned a going away party for some of our friends that are moving, AND held PPI for some of the elder's in our living room while I made dinner. Although, I did overhear the word "epoxy" and "stain" one too many times to have it count.... ;) Even though all James wanted was for me to make a good dinner, chocolate layers, and to relax and go to bed early...... I think we only succeeded at going to bed early! (I'm good at that). I did catch him packing my pathetic attempt at chocolate layers in a tupperware for breakfast this morning though..... So maybe I got 2 things right!

James never ceases to amaze me with his continual just plain PATIENCE with me! Some of my favorites:

Even after a day of failing a test, having his pell grant money taken away, and being beat by Neil in basketball, he still managed to make me feel better even though I had put our car through it's first car accident! Granted, I collided with the automatic car wash... James did not complain about my dents!

One day I was really sick, he drove to Wendy's because I wanted Chicken nuggets, I threw those up within 5 minutes. I then wanted a slurpee so he drove me there. I threw that up with in 5 minutes, and he covered the red snow up. I then came in and wanted to watch a movie. He put it on pause 10 times so I could throw up and never once complained! When I eventually passed out at the toilet and woke up crying, hating my life and being pregnant, James laid on the floor next to me and the toilet, until I calmed down. The next day, I found a little note he had been keeping in his pants pocket of all the nice things he wanted to do for me. He'd even been checking it off! What a man!

Somehow in the past four years James has really managed to take the fast track. Not only did he serve a mission and get married, but he started college, brought up his GPA (he had all A's and B's this semester with one C+!), changed his major, had 3 different jobs, and dealt with me. Yet, he still is most happy when he plans for his little boy to come. I caught him pushing around the stroller in the living room... ;) Somehow I lucked out to have him....Happy birthday!