Man With A Plan

This is an older picture, from our vacation in May to NYC, but one of my favorites. We had just boarded the shuttle at the airport to catch our plane back home. You see that gigantic blue bag on the ground? It's loaded with two car seats, and weighed at least 50 pounds. It is the most awkward shaped bag, with the flimsiest of handles, but it was what was necessary for traveling with kids in car seats. We just got back from another trip and he carried that blue bag through a crowded airport again, but this time with an infant seat base and two other car seats inside. It easily weighed over 60 pounds. I watched him carry it through the airport, sometimes dragging it because it is so dang heavy, with five curly headed kids following him, and me trailing behind with my own loaded suitcase and Juliette in her infant seat. He passed up the little rental carts, because he'd rather "tough it out" than waste $10 just to use it for 5 minutes (okay, realistically it takes our crowd longer than 5 minutes to get to the check in counter, but you get what I mean). 

That blue bag drew blood as he carried it. I only found out on the drive home when I saw a cut on his arm. He certainly never complained!

He holds babies while he eats, so that I can eat alone. This might not seem like much, but if you saw the man eat while holding a baby you'd understand how this says love! 😂 And when I say I want a Dr. Pepper with dinner, he brings me a whole 2 liter. We visited the mall on our trip and he took the kids to the candy store. They each filled a bag, and when I mentioned I wanted coconut haystacks and the store didn't have them, he found a candy store that did. I asked him for two of each kind, and he bought me four of each. He loves to spoil. (Like buying us presents on HIS birthday! Who does that??)          

As I watched him lead us, almost effortlessly, and definitely without ever wanting to give up, a word came to mind. Navigator. "To plan and direct the route or course."

He is our navigator. Through the airport, through a little town on the Wisconsin border, through life. I am incredibly grateful for his leading and the sacrifices he makes for our family. He's a man with a plan. (Like literally, his hobby is fine tuning said plan in an excel spreadsheet. Total nerd.) 

Someone joked about Nathaniel being my navigator on the road because it was my first time driving through a new city without Justin. (He had some work to do so the kids and I explored on our own). It's the perfect word to describe what a father should do for his family and I'm so glad God chose Justin to lead us.

I love you, Honey Bun. 
A song for us.