Chad turned 41 today.
I teased him that at our age it is cheaper to buy 2 candles than the 41 required.
He made fun of me taking his picture while we sang "Happy Birthday" to him.
And then he very carefully blew out just one candle...
(signifying he still has a girlfriend.)
I love when he flirts with me.
The kids groan and make all sorts of rude comments - but secretly, they love it too.
Right kids?!?
Wyatt was (perhaps) the guest of honor!
Chad told him, "Dude! It's really not fair. You are showing me up on my birthday! You have WAY more hair than Grandpa does!"
Wyatt thought he was pretty hilarious!
TayTay decided she needed to be a part of the fun, too.
She is never far from her nephew. . . or from her daddy, for that matter!
Our entertainment for the evening was supposed to be my dad. He was showing his horse in Texas at a huge show. It was broadcast live on the web. Mataya nearly flipped when she discovered that "neighs" could be found on my computer. She was so excited. She laughed and laughed.
(And yes, she is sitting on the counter. She is a monkey. I have never had a climber before. This little lady keeps us hopping!)
Chad got home from work in time to hook the computer up to the big TV. We were so excited to watch Grandpa!
Unfortunately this is as much of my dad's ride as we saw.
UGH!!!
Just as he was up to rein, my computer froze. We missed his entire ride, except for his final stop. Boo!
In the end, Chad's birthday was like every day. Busy. Noisy. Full of laughter and a few arguments. The food was above average, and he did get gifts - but the day was really fairly ordinary.
Chad, however, is far from ordinary.
You, Chad, are the bravest person I know. You are calm in the face of chaos. You make business decisions that I would never have the courage to make. I think your iron will and extreme courage is what I like best (and what freaks me out the most) about you. You never give up. You rarely take no for an answer. You can fix anything. You work hard and play hard. You cook like a chef. You tickle better than any other daddy (and granddaddy) there ever was. You laugh at your own jokes until we join you. You love loud movies, especially if the kids watch with you. You are determined and kind. You back a trailer better than anyone I have ever met. You see beauty in a mess, and eventually the rest of us do as well. You know me and love me more and better than anyone ever has or ever will. You are my hero, Chad Dietrich. I am so thankful to walk through each day holding your hand.
