WC # 10 Happy Birthday Josh AND Happy Anniversary Bart & Emily!

'Tis a double-header day in the Sloan family, May 19th is!!!  Since I haven't done any anniversary posts yet and I have devoted posts to family birthdays, today's primary focus will be on Josh, but first, I just want to wish a very happy 6th anniversary to Bart & Emily!!!

The WHOLE Sloan Family
Salt Lake City LDS Temple
May 19, 2007

Wishing you both a bright and blessed future for many, many years to come!
I love you!

And now, on to Josh....

Joshua David Gailey, born May 19, 1981, was first introduced to the family the winter of 2002.  I probably know Josh better than I know any of my other sons/daughters-in-law just because of the timing and logistics involved in his and Brooks' courtship.

I remember sitting in Brooks' car when she was telling me about this new guy that asked her out.  He wasn't the typical guy Brooks went for, she was generally pretty picky about the men she chose to go out with and Josh didn't quite fit the bill.  One of his eyes strays due to a toddler eye surgery gone bad when said toddler smashed his corrective glasses in the door because they gave him a headache and his eye bothered her.  Fortunately, however, his charm, sense of humor and naivete won her over.  She fell for him and decided to let him into her life.

Brooks & Josh
Dating in Rexburg

We all knew she was a goner before she would admit it.  The whole family was together for Christmas in Pocatello, Idaho for the birth of the first baby in the family and Brooks kept leaving the room to check her email; but she wasn't checking to see if Josh had written her....but funny how chipper she was when he had...

I knew Josh was going to fit in with the rest of the family.  Before Brandon and Barton met him, I warned them about his eye and told them NOT to say a word.  Not that I thought they'd really say anything bad, but it would be like one of them to say "Hey! What's up with your eye?"  I wasn't sure how Josh would react and I knew Brooks wouldn't like it, so I just told them to behave.  Imagine their joy when Josh was the one who brought it up!?!?! And then to excite them even more, he demonstrated his ability to put a glass in his mouth!  Yep.  He had the twins' approval.

One slight problem.  The romance was going along splendidly, but Brooks had a specific requirement.  She's extremely close to her brothers and insisted that they be able to attend her wedding.  Since they were prepping to leave on their missions for two years, she decided that she would either be married before they left OR she would wait two years until they got back.  Next thing I knew, Josh and Brooks were engaged and a May wedding was planned!

Josh & Brooks
Manti, Utah LDS Temple
May 30, 2003

Josh & Brooks moved in with me the summer after they got married and that's when I really got to know him. He painted the bedrooms in my poor little house in Butte, Montana, built a wardrobe for the closet-less bedroom and remodeled my garage into an extra bedroom for when more family came to visit.

It wasn't just the hard work I appreciated in Josh though.  He tolerates my stupid questions.  Always has answers, whether their right or not; he's very good at making things up that SOUND right! (It took me a little while to figure out that he frequently DID make things up!) He also made it a personal challenge to try to crack the Walmart jargon code.  Since Brooks had worked at Walmart since she was sixteen, she understood things that I was talking about when I'd come home on the weekends and I'm afraid we lapsed into Walmartian language.  He became quite good at cracking the code though and even began to join in the discussions.

He's also good at coming to my rescue...he's good at finding solutions to my questions; he helped me solve my problem when I couldn't figure out how to insert pictures into my blog; he has a great memory and helps me find things; and heck, he even rescued me in bed once!  We were all in Fallon, Nevada for Dylan's blessing and his parents were kind enough to offer several of us beds to sleep in.  I got his sister Angela's water bed.  Problem was, turns out, Angela preferred the bed not be full so it was softer & squishier.  I woke up in the middle of the night and had to go to the bathroom and since the mattress was below the side of the bed, as I sat on the edge, my feet wouldn't touch the floor.  I kept trying to rock to get up enough momentum to hurl out of the bed to no avail.  Feeling that I was surely going to end up wetting the bed (I guess I could have said the bed sprang a leak!) I threw myself back on the bed in frustration and growled.  At the same time though, my hands hit the wall and woke Brooks.  Worried about me, she got Josh to come check on me.

Nearly in tears, I had to tell Josh I couldn't get out of the bed.  He didn't even laugh at me! (Well, at least not to my face!) He just took both of my hands, we counted to three and he pulled!  What a hero!

Josh is a great dad.  I first realized how good he would be when I watched him playing ring-around-the-rosey with these two little angels!

Andi & Cari
Thanksgiving, 2004

Of course, by this time, he was already a father, but Ethan was a little young to join in on the game.  But, every time the girls cried for more "rosey," Uncle Josh was holding hands and falling down with them on cue!

Ethan (in a "dress") with Andi
Thanksgiving, 2004

One of the truly amazing things about Josh is his willingness to ask me for advice about raising his children!  I mean how many dads do that?  But even when he saw that I had purchased "dresses" for his SON to sleep in as an infant, he went along with it and guess what?!?!?!  He actually decided that even though they were nightgowns, they REALLY were quite handy for those middle of the night diaper changes! I had to smile when I saw Josh holding Claire, wearing her new nightgowns two weeks ago when the family was together for Bart's graduation!

Josh & Sloan playing with bubbles
August, 2008

I have a sneaking suspicion that Josh would agree with this Jack Handy quote:

• Children need encouragement. If a kid gets an answer right, tell him it was a lucky guess. That way he develops a good, lucky feeling.

Josh spoils Brooks.  I sure hope she appreciates him.  He's always gotten up in the night with all of the kids and he is always willing to play with them and comfort them.  (Not always the best at discipline; but he tries.  And he's gotten better over the years.  He just doesn't always recognize the "playing dad against mom" game!)  He helps cook and clean. He lets her sleep.  He recognizes her frustrations and encourages & supports her.  He makes her laugh. He remembers their anniversary and her birthday and never misses an opportunity to make her feel special.

He blesses their home with his priesthood; ensuring his children recognize the love and guidance of a Heavenly Father. He participates in Family Home Evening, reads scriptures with his family each night and teaches them to pray.

When Josh & Brooks first started dating, he was planning on becoming an architect. Perfect mate for an Interior Design major, right?  Over time, that went by the wayside.  For a little while it seemed that teaching might be an option and somehow it evolved into a career in dentistry!

Dr. Gailey and Family

2011

And along with completing his doctorate, he also became a captain in the United States army....

Captain & Mrs. Josh Gailey

Josh is a very special young man.  His kids are blessed to have him as a father.  Brooks is lucky to have him as a husband. The rest of the family loves and appreciates him and I think I speak for everyone when I say Happy Birthday Captain Doctor Josh!

• If you're robbing a bank and your pants fall down, I think it's okay to laugh, and let your hostages laugh too, because come on - life is funny- Jack Handy