This picture is significant for multiple reasons. Jake was there at that party Saturday.
He has been under some intense writing deadlines of late, and we have not seen much of him. Last weekend was really vital writing time for him, but that man chose to keep his commitment to go to a men's conference he signed up for back in December, join us for the last part of that birthday party Saturday, and go to Sunday school yesterday... even though it would have helped him immensely to have just worked on school.
Before we had kids, I thought I wanted a houseful of cute, football playing little Jakes. The Lord evidently had more pink than blue in mind when he created our family, and my man truly loves being THE man for his four girls.
He's not afraid of being left with all three little ladies and never was, even when they were brand newborns. He's confident going anywhere with them on his own.
I can throw a dress, a pair of tights, a bow, and a kid to him, and he can give me back a neatly dressed young lady ready for church.
He can tie a mean bow.
He bathes all three in the bathtub simultaneously and successfully cranks out three squeaky clean, non-drowned little girls. I only bathe the girls myself in dire circumstances- that's really Jake's rodeo.
He's king of our family dance parties and definitely the most popular partner.
He knows to ask what I'd like different people to wear and doesn't get frustrated with "complicated outfits."
He walks in the door from work and jumps immediately into "play" mode. Somewhere in between his office and our front door, he very successfully switches hats and is totally in the "Daddy" zone when he gets home, every time. This is especially significant because Jake's true personality is to be re-energized by some downtime. Downtime doesn't happen until after bedtime in the Gross household. But Jake comes straight home from work anyways.
He doesn't throw situations on me because he doesn't want to deal with it- he handles discipline issues head on and is a proactive, involved Daddy.
Every night, he prays over his children.
Jake does not back down, ditch out, beg off, or avoid any part of being the girls' daddy and my husband.
Not that he hasn't had a million excuses to do all of the above with everything he has on his plate and all the pressures of getting a doctorate.
But he doesn't make excuses. When he has to be away, he truly misses the girls and wants to come home for dinner- which is usually a bit chaotic- when he can, because he loves being in the circus that is our family.
I think about how flattered and flabbergasted I was (I think there was even a little hyperventilation involved there), when my friend Michelle told me that JAKE GROSS had been asking what my dating status was and if he could have my number. Even after I went on our first date, I remember being just encouraged that there were MEN out there like him, even if he never asked me out again.
I think how everything I knew then was just the tip of the iceberg. Jake Gross is a great man, I respect him above any other, and it's an honor to be his wife and the mom to his kids.
But then we found the right place and fit right in. Alaina and Reagan were quite accessorized...
Blythe and Joy's costumes were Jane's tutus. Joy, don't kill me in years to come for putting yours so high on you. You were tripping when it was lower...
So are these.
Mr and Mrs Almeda with their own personal diva.
Blythe has a penchant for bling and was delighted to be allowed to wear some of her own.
Just the night before, Jake had been telling Abby Jane how she would never be too big or too grown up to sit in her daddy's lap. Exhibit A...
Birthday kiss.
Birthday laughs
THIS IS MY LIFE. My lap is always like this, but there's not many pictures because by the time Jake gets home, my lap needs to be fixing dinner and doing other things and is done with being a playground. It's that whole "embrace the camera" deal- I'm usually on the other side- so I'm trying to work on getting photos of the everyday so my kids know in years to come... I WAS THERE!!!!! 
But if mom's close by, I'm not a bad second to a sippy cup.
Abby Jane made a mini-slide out of a diaper box on its way out to the trash.
You never want to put a man who you don't know personally on too much of a pedestal. But from what I do know about Gene Chizik, I put him on my short list of highly respected men of leadership.
It was definitely one of those "Auburn family" experiences.
Learning how we roll...
