How do I love thee? Let me count the ways!

As many of you know, February 2nd is an important day. First, we all pray that Punxsutawney Phil fails to see his shadow so we can celebrate an early spring. But more importantly, we celebrate the birth of one of the most amazing and beautiful women to grace this planet. And this year, of all years is a special year. My gorgeous wife is turning:

35!

As a way to celebrate her birthday I wanted to write some of the things that I admire most about her.

H-eart: Heather is one of the most kind hearted individuals I know. Whether it is babysitting, making little birthday bags, or just talking to somebody on the phone, there is not a day that goes by where she is not serving somebody in need. In fact, the running joke in the ward is, "How does Heather get everything done?" Some may think she, like my brother, may have had one too many Red Bull's, but the reality is she just has an extraordinarly large heart and she sees, and more importantly feels, the suffering around her and does everything she can to make a person's day better. I think her heart is one of the things that I most cherish about her. E-yes: One of Heather's body features that I love, among many, is her beautiful eyes. A comment that I get on a regular basis is, "Oh, your kids are so lucky because they got Heather's eyes!" I couldn't agree with that statement more. She has beautiful eyes. Not only are they big and beautiful but they sparkle when she is being mischievous or when she is excited. I'm am so glad my children have her eyes. A-cumen:For those of you that don't know, Acumen is another word for wisdom or intelligence. I was trying to figure out how to fit this quality in her name and was happy to learn about this word from the thesaurus. Whether I am using wisdom, intelligence, acumen, or just plain street smarts Heather has all of them in abundance. She knows more in her bones than I know after years of studying books. She is a wise and knowledgeable person. She has such a vast knowledge of so many different subjects it astounds me. As an example, many of you may not know this but she has an Associates in Theatre and Drama, a minor in Zoology, and a bachelor's in Human Development and Family Science. We recently found out that Katie tested at a very high level at school. I'll give you one guess where she got her brain. Although a lot of Katie's intelligence is natural (and Baker's and Griffith's for that matter), they also reap the benefits of having a caring, nurturing mother who spends a great deal of time teaching them. Not only is Heather an amazing intellect but she is a wonderful teacher who is incredibly bright and patient. T-enacity:When Heather wants something, Heather gets it. It is one of the qualities about her that most attracted me to her initially. One of my favorite stories about Heather stems from this picture. This is the night we were going to the hospital to get induced with Baker. Katie really wanted a certain toy from the prize booth. Poppy and I, being the proud males that we are, vowed that we would win her that toy. Several attempts later, and several dollars as well, we came up empty handed. Heather seeing that it was useless to leave a woman's job to a man, got a quarter went over to a machine, and three minutes later came back with a fist full of tickets. At times, it seems the elements even obey her will.
H-ot and H-andy:This first picture is one of my favorites of Heather because I feel like it captures her personality so well. She is a vixen (using the third definition of course because the first is absolutely not true). But unlike most vixens she also is incredibly handy. If there is anything that needs to be fixed, she learns how to do it, and gets it done. In fact the other day I came home and she had a snake out fixing our toilet. What an amazing woman. This second picture captures her ability to take charge and get things done. When we lived in Texas I went on a week long field trip to Monterrey, Mexico. While I was gone Heather went to Lowe's, bought new flooring, and installed it all, by herself, before I returned home from my trip. I was astounded. I knew she was good but that moment cemented in my mind, how good she truly was. I also realized, once again, how lucky I was to marry such a strong, powerful, and resourceful woman

E-xample: As I've grown older and travelled around the world, or at least the United States, I've realized that I truly could not have found a better woman to mother my children. Based on many of the qualities that I've mentioned above, and many that I simply don't have the space to list, I am glad that my children have such a wonderful mother to emulate. She is such a wonderful example to them, and to me, of how to live a Christ like life. If my children, especially my daughter, grows up to be a strong, powerful woman like Heather I am going to be a very happy man. Just one example, of many. As always our children, like most, get into trouble. I know it is hard to believe but it happens. When they fight, they are sent to time-out, but what happens next is precious to me. Heather has taught them to walk up to the person they've offended, square their shoulders and apologize for what they have done. In a society where personal responsibility is dwindling and everyone seems to look for someone else to carry the blame, it is so nice to meet somebody that does not flinch from virtue and good old fashioned morales. I love her for that and know that my kids, in the long run, will be eternally grateful for her amazing example.
R-esponsible yet Rambunctious: As I mentioned above, one of the qualities that come from her good old fashioned morales is her willingness to be responsible. Although comical this picture does an excellent job of portraying Heather in the role that she plays, not only in our immediate family, but also in our extended family. If you can't tell she is running off to set the timer. Heather takes care of everybody and everything, while I generally sit around and wait to be told what to do. She is the glue that holds us together. She often jokes that she wishes that I were more the man of the relationship and that she didn't have to call about bills, or call to get something fixed, and although I think I am improving, or at least taking one step forward for every step back, she is always there to pick up the slack. As a result she often gets the raw end of the stick but the amazing thing is that she rarely, if ever, complains. She is truly a remakable woman. And yet, despite the incredible amount of responsibility that she shoulders she still maintains a zest for life that is closely unmatched. She does things, like wear a nightie to the Relief Society Pajama Party, just to make people laugh, in an attempt to improve their day. I have thousands of other stories where she is the life of the party. She has an electric personality that is contagious. Everywhere we have been people have flocked to her and enjoy being in her presence. She is truly one of a kind.

For those of you reading this post I would like to invite you to share one of the qualities that you most admire about Heather. Please feel free to leave a comment sharing your thoughts and feelings about this awe-inspiring woman. I'm sure, like me, your life has been enriched by your contact with her. My only fear is that she will never truly understand how much she means to me and how much I appreciate all that she does, for me, and more importantly for our children. I should also mention how grateful I am to Dad and Mom Baker for their role in raising such a wonderful daughter. I am truly blessed as a result of living with this woman!

Here are a few more of my favorite pictures of Heather: This shows you how resourceful and willing to do what most would never imagine themselves undertaking. She went on a walk with 7 kids to the park and all of them were under the age of 6.

Finally, I don't know how she does it, but somehow she has found a way to resist my devilish ways. Perhaps she has a superpower that I have yet to discover. Either way, I am very grateful that she tolerates me and keeps me in her life. I am a better man for it. I love you Heather with all my heart.

Happy Birthday Heather

We all love you and are incredibly grateful that you were born into our lives!