finally catching up to me

My wonderful husband is thirty years old today. And I am missing all my chances to remind him of how old he is now, because he and Henry are still there and I am here. Although, last year while we were up there, I made sure they put "Happy 30th Birthday" on his cake. That felt good.

Timon really is a catch. My friend Andrea pointed that fact out to me about 9 years ago, and I'm glad I listened. She is smart (and classically trained!). I could go on and on listing the reasons why he's a great guy, but I'll pick just a few to share today...

1. He is a great, great dad. He makes so many things possible for me to do independently with my work and travel because he almost ALWAYS is able and willing to take care of Henry on his own. He didn't think twice about how he'd handle things when I went trotting off to Greece for a week, or when my family needs me, or when I have a week-long mission trip with the kids, etc. When Henry was 3 months old Timon brought him to Alabama to show him off to friends and family by himself. It was hard to share the holding of our son because Timon wanted him near all the time. It's nearly always been like this (Henry's not even 2 days old here):

I can only imagine how Bertha will get Timon wrapped around her little finger within seconds of her arrival in September. While I am uncomfortable at this state of pregnancy, Timon is always there with a statement like "I can't wait to meet our new baby!"

2. That brings me to my next point - the day before they left on vacation just now, Timon had me sit on the exercise ball in front of him and gave me a spectacular back rub, one that he hoped would last me through the week-long absence. He's done more than his share around the house to make up for my decreasing physical abilities (I'm going to need arm extensions soon if I plan on washing any more dishes) even while working full time in an un-air-conditioned work shop and doing the bulk of transporting Henry to and from preschool.

3. Here's a recent exchange that took place at 8:45 pm:
Me (standing in front of open cupboards): Hey, would it be weird if I made a pan of cornbread right now?
Him: No, I guess not.
That right there is love, people. No criticism for a crazy pregnant lady wanting cornbread late at night.

4. I gave Timon a hard time while he was packing, making sure all his needed items were included - and then I forgot to pack any pajamas at all for Henry. All he did was chuckle at me over the phone and reassure me that he'd make it work. Would I be as kind if he did something similar? I can't promise that I would have been.

And one more reason: This is his professional staff photo (I've shared it before in a different kind of post) hung in the lobby of the theatre he works for:

He rarely fails to make me laugh.

I love you, Timon. I am so glad you came rushing into this world, about 6 weeks early, in your parents' bed in the middle of the night. The world is blessed that your parents knew a midwife close by and that prayers and advances in medical science kept you healthy until you could leave the hospital. I hope we have at least the next 60 years to spend together, laughing at our children and delighting in God's promises, side by side. Happy birthday.