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the kids explain their cards to Jake. Kate drew a card of a balloon with a stone tied to it so it wouldn't float away, with clouds in the sky, stones on the ground and Jake and my heads with crowns because she said we are a king and queen.

my dear husband had a birthday this week.

he deserved a great day, and we did our best to make that true.

the night before me and the kids "sneaked" to his office and filled it with treats and balloons.

the kids loved that part. the loved sneaking the keys, buying the balloons, and in the morning when Jake said he was going to work the kids excitement for his surprise bubbles out in the forms of "don't eat all your chocolate!" and " we put something in your office" and other attempts at hints. When he got to work he found his office surprise. And the kids are still talking about it.

Jake's away from home office gave us a lot of opportunity to surprise him this year.

I told him to come home by 4:30. I wanted him to know I had some plans for him but not what.

So when I showed up at his work at 2:00 to steal him away from work to take him to see "The Hunger Games" I think it was another great surprise. I handed him the tickets and he replied "where are the kids?" His mom was kind enough to come watch them at my house.

We hurried to the show. And it did not disappoint. Of course it is the first movie we have seen in like 3 years in a theatre and because it was we treated ourselves to gigantic diet pepsi.

We returned home to anxious kids. I had helped them put up streamers before I left, wrap presents, decorate a cake. When I told them I was taking Jake to a scary movie, they said maybe they should get him scary plates and cups.... they think birthday's have to have a theme. They had many suggestions usually an army birthday, lots of ideas including anything they deemed manly. They had lots of ideas to buy him for his birthday. Kate's idea- a farmers hat. Sam's idea- a tree saw. I took them to the store and they picked out a remote control helicopter and he was pleased with it. They were bursting with excitement as they watched him fly his new helicopter. Then recited "Happy Birthday" perfectly multiple times then helped him blow out his candles. We talked a lot about our kids the whole day. How they make birthdays so much fun.

Watching them was such a clear moment of joy.

Watching them be so excited for their father.

Because not only do they have a super love for birthdays.

They love their dad.

They love him so much that they want him to be so happy on his special day, just like me.

They love him because he loves them so well.

And that just makes me love him more, and them more.

I am a blessed woman to have him and them in my life.