Dear Rachel at 19,
Hey it's you, 12 years later. FIRST, lets clear a few questions I am sure you have:
- Your children are adorable and the girls love to dance. Your girls look just like you :).
- Yes, child birth wrecks your body, but is completely worth it.
- You have that blonde, headed little boy you dreamed of, he is a heart breaker and loves you so much.
- You have so much better fashion sense now, so trust me, life as a mom is pretty glamorous :).
Now, I need to tell you something important.
Quit stressing about Shane. I know he is pissing you off and is having a hard time with this whole commitment / relationship thing. I know he is back and forth with you and seems to spending too much time with his buddies. I know you are pissed and you just want a big fat diamond and be married.
Patience, my dear. PATIENCE!
It gets better. Actually, life is fantastic these days.
Shane is the best man in the world and loves you unconditionally.
Guess what? You are happier than you could even imagine. This man makes your every day even better, and even with three kids (oh yeah, you have three dogs, can you believe it?) he shows you way more love than now. I know it sounds insane and totally lame, but trust yourself, I know what I am talking about! Let me tell you a few things about him that will rock your world:
Shane loves our kids so much it makes your heart flip. He will do anything for them. The best part, these kids love him so much and think he is the greatest man in the world...you could not have chosen a better daddy for your three kids.
He goes to all the dance competitions and recitals without a complaint. He gets furious when Claire does not win to the point of ready to kick some ass :). He cheers loud and is definitely her biggest fan. Look how handsome he is with your girl and giving her flowers :)
Look at this little boy - he is yours and looks just like his daddy. Shane is doing such a great job raising this little man. He teaches him everything and is making him a strong, Christian young boy. He teaches him about hunting, fighting, baseball, football, girls, Jesus, and all the good music to listen to :).
Oh yeah, Shane is bald (well he is losing his hair and he just shaves his head). As you can tell, he is even hotter :)
There are no words describe Shane with this little bit. His relationship with Bree is the cutest thing ever. You are going to melt when you see this and love him even more.
He still wears stinky, dirty, hats....and you still secretly love him in them...every once in awhile he will turn them backwards still :).
He hugs and kisses these kids all the time. He does the same with you. You still get butterflies.
Shane has exceeded our dreams and plans for his career and he has been very successful! He works so hard for our family and we get to do fun things together like beach vacays because of it. He has to wear a suit all the time for work and let me tell ya, he cleans up well! Way hotter than prom :)
He is still the funniest guy you know. You are going to laugh for the rest of your life :)
He even dresses up to match the family for Halloween! He takes as many pictures as you ask (mostly without complaining) and is always a good sport for you in all your shenanigans!
He always carries the sleeping kids...just like daddies are supposed to.
He is so good at buying jewelry! He loves to give it to you and has great taste!
He is still that same kid you met 4 years ago...the SAME one!
He changes many diapers, gets up with the kids in the middle of the night, does almost all the dishes, helps with laundry, and always does the kids' baths.
This little girl can do no wrong in his book. He tries but she has him wrapped.
He loves family time. He loves dinners with the 5 of us. He loves quick runs to Sonic or for snow cones.
We go on dates all the time. As much as we love our babies, our alone time is more important. We are teaching our kids how important our relationship is so they will have successful relationships one day. Dates are better now...and we don't have to make out in the car :).
You do work full time. I know you thought you would be stay at home mom, but you work. It's ok. It's actually great. The kids stay with Mom and love it. Shane is a HUGE help too. He helps get kids to and from school, dance, ball practice, etc. He understands you work too and sees that we have equal ownership in your responsibilities.
You no longer have control over finances, he took them. Before you have a panic attack, trust me it is better. You still have nice clothes and a nice house, but a budget does not kill you. Shane even has patience with you and forgives when you go over :)
He always make sure we are at church. He is your rock when it comes to dropping off screaming kids.
He always makes you go on in to church and he waits back in the hall until Bree stops crying :). He knows so much about the Bible and is a FANTASTIC Christian role model to the three kids.
He likes to "play" with the kids. I know you think he is immature now. Trust me, you haven't seen anything yet, but the crazy part - you secretly love it now :)
His favorite outfit on you is still a little black dress. You will own many :)
Obviously, you have nothing to worry about and need to chill out. Your life has barely started and the best it yet to come. Love that man and give him his time. He loves you so much and will be there for the rest of your life.
Love - Me
Happy Father's Day Shane! We love you so much!! Claire, Owen, and Bree and so blessed to be able to call you daddy...and I am so blessed you are my baby daddy :).
