Happy Late Birthday, Wes!

Wes turned 28 on Sunday. Due to extreme inability to function, leave the house, plan a party, etc. we decided to put off celebrating his birthday until I was a little more recovered. Poor guy. Luckily, he did get to play in a very fun all-day volleyball tournament with his brother, Bryan, the day before. So it wasn't like we did nothing, right? I was going to take him indoor surfing, but now that's going to have to wait. We are both excited and he opted waiting for that activity rather than doing something else.
I just wanted to tell you a little about my sweet hubby in honor of his belated birthday:

This is Wes right after Kolton was born. From the minute it all started, Wes has loved being a dad and has been a very involved father. He gets really busy sometimes with work and our debt payoff plan, but when he gets home he jumps right in and helps without being asked. They are always soooo excited to see him when he gets home. He just enjoys our kids so much, and really enjoys fatherhood. One of his favorite things to do is give the boys a bath. It's kind of their special thing and they love it when Daddy does it, because it means they can splash as much as they want. The bathroom is always sopping wet when they're through, but he always cleans it up, and they really enjoy that time together. I love to hear the giggles each night coming from that general direction. It's so cute. All three of them!

At 6'4'', Wes is the shortest of all his brothers. Not something he loves, but I get a kick out of it! Above is a picture of him with his brother, Andrew, when he got home from his mission.

Wes LOVES volleyball. I think it would be safe to say that it's his passion. He enjoys playing a good game and really likes winning. ;) It's been fun to have this shared passion and play together as often as we can, but it's equally fun to watch him play, or to go to the BYU games (Wes's brother, Andrew, plays for the Y) together and cheer for our favorite players. He's a better player than he thinks he is, and he's getting better every day. I hope he plays forever, he enjoys it so much. Wes is easy to keep happy. He's happy when me and the kids are happy, when he's fed and rested and loved, and when he gets to play volleyball.

Wes is very athletic and enjoys lots of sports and activities. We work out together every day. He loves soccer, golf, and just generally being active. He really loves the outdoors. We got to know each other better because we also share this passion for the outdoors and spent many days rock climbing, snowshoeing, hiking, surfing.....anything and everything active. This is a picture of him on the wake surf. Not quite as fun as the real thing, but good consolation, and Wes is pretty darn good at it!

I feel so blessed to be married to Wes. He is truly my very best friend and such a great example to me. He is truly strong in areas I am weak. He's very easy to get along with and everyone enjoys his company so much. He doesn't always say a lot, he's kind of reserved, but when he decides to say something it's always worth hearing (a gift I think he inherited from his dad). He never complains or criticizes. He's very dependable. He works really hard. This guy got himself into pharmacy school just about as quick as possible, and he got into an amazing accelerated school, passed every single test (a passing grade is a 95% or above) and was a pharmacist by age 27. I think that's a pretty big accomplishment to have a doctorate degree that young. He is so thorough and dependable at work, he had 3 or 4 job offers without even ever having to apply for a job. He works at Kirkpatrick Drug, an independent compounding pharmacy, and he absolutely loves it. We went to dinner with his boss a few weeks ago, and he was talking about how much he trusts Wes, and how everyone who comes into the pharmacy loves him. He says they ask for him when he's not there. He's also told him numerous times how lucky he feels to have Wes work there, because he is careful not to make mistakes, and he is quick to notice when something's not right. Wes has got a LOT of integrity. That's one of the things I love most about him.

He's like that at home too. He just does what needs to be done without complaining or being asked. He brings a very sweet spirit into our home. I love that he's a snuggler and snuggles me and the boys all the time. I really think that the strongest men are the most affectionate also. He is such an amazing teacher of our boys. He is so good at teaching them about the gospel. I think that it's another gift he has. He's a wonderful primary teacher and loves his kids. Wes is probably happiest in the primary.

I could go on and on and on about him all day. I feel so blessed to have Wes in my life. We have really just been showered nonstop with blessings since we've been married. I think it's mostly because of him and what a good person he is. He is an amazing example to me of so many things. He's very Christlike. They say to marry above yourself, to pick someone you feel like is better than you. I know he's better than me, and I feel so surprised and happy every day that he picked and to spend forever with. (I definitely got the better end of that bargain lol.) I'm so glad I married someone who shares the same zest for life and goals and the gospel as me. We have so many happy memories together, and we have the blessing of spending lots of free time together because we like so many of the same things. I love it when he's home and wish he could be with us all the time. He's an amazing man, and eternity is truly going to be heaven with him. I love you, Babe! Happy Birthday!