My Sweet Husband

This 2nd pregnancy has been a bit more difficult than it was with Grayson. I am not sure if the 2nd is just harder or if it's because she's a girl and she's already being a little stinker. Through this tough time though I have realized one thing even more than I ever have and that is how wonderful Joey is. He truly makes me feel treasured by him. He's honest and always puts our family at the top (under God, of course) of his priorities.
I felt compelled to blog about him today because I have just been thinking about how caring and sweet he is to me. He is loving, a strong leader for our family not only as a husband and father but as a spiritual leader, as well. He is always affectionate and makes me feel special. We have our times when we're stressed and not the usual lovebirds but we have seen those times become more and more rare as our marriage and family move even closer to the Lord. I feel like as my relationship with God has grown and my eyes have been opened to so much more.....I appreciate my husband and love him even more.
I used to think it needed to be 50/50 and I do feel that in a sense still. I think things should be discussed together and a decision should be made together but when it comes to effort....it shouldn't be 50/50...it should be 100% from both ends. My friend Amanda put it into that term while I was talking to her the other day....that's exactly how I feel and I am so thankful that God has given me a husband as wonderful as Joey. It's not our anniversary or anything like that but I have just observed him over the past few weeks and I've seen how he takes care of Grayson and me and he does it lovingly and not forced. Here are some verses I found on marriage:

Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them.

—Colossians 3:18-19

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one gflesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

—Ephesians 5:22-33

I know Joey and I have not been married for 20 years, its barely 4, but I think the time you're married doesn't make it valuable, its the substance of a marriage. And our substance is Christ and his word.

So, I guess my point of this blog wasn't just to profess my love for Joey (well maybe part of it was...:) but it is to share how important making God the center of a marriage is. No marriage is perfect and there will be some rough patches but having Him as the stronghold makes it all have more meaning, it makes the hard times easier to get through and really follwoing God's word on marriage adds so much more meaning and joy to a husband's and wife's relationship.

So...thank you Lord, first of all for guiding us and...thank you, Joey, for being the sweetest husband! I never would have imagined that when we got engaged 6 years ago that we would be so blessed.....