29

Erik turns 29 today.  This summer has been very busy for us as we adjust to life as parents, and I think when life gets busy it's easy to stop articulating appreciation.  Erik is seriously awesome, so in honor of his 29th birthday and our upcoming anniversary (on the 31st)  I thought I would share some things he does that make him so great.

1.  He gets up with Clara early in the morning on his days off so I can sleep in.  This means some weeks he has to wake up early every day.  This is especially meaningful coming from Erik because he is not someone who naturally enjoys waking up. 
2.  Every Sunday morning he makes us blueberry waffles
3.  He serves in the church and holds the Priesthood

Clara's blessing day.  Erik did a great job and it was a beautiful experience for our family.

4.  He works really long hours so I can be a stay-at-home mom and he doesn't even whine
5.  He takes me to Idaho for Christmas every year and fully participates in all of my family's traditions.  Traditions are very important to me and I appreciate that Erik makes an effort to be a part of them even if he doesn't fully understand why they are such a big deal.
6.  He's been making a really big effort to be more helpful without household chores lately

Cowboy Erik.  Anyone who has been reading my blog for a while knows how I feel about this.

7.  He is very motivated and has great follow-through
8.  He does all of the edging (I am afraid of the weed-eater) and most of the mowing
9.  Erik always talks very nicely to me.  This is important because I am totally oversensitive and tear up if anyone even looks at me the wrong way.  I don't think Erik has ever yelled at me.

The captain's hat on Erik does it for me.  Also I wanted a picture, but not one where you could see my face because I didn't have any make-up on.

10.  He got us a great car to keep Clara and me safe.  Also it's super cute and has heated seats, which is what I actually care about.
11.  When I was pregnant Erik took such good care of me.  He even took me out to get cake batter ice cream in the middle of a huge wind storm because I insisted I would go without him if he wouldn't go.  When I was really sick he would bring me my medicine and some crackers to take it with before he left for work so I wouldn't have to get out of bed. 
12.  He gives really great, like near professional, back rubs

New daddy with his sweet baby

13.  Erik is very very honest.  He's very good about making sure we always pay a full tithe, and I absolutely trust him.  I have a friend who recently mentioned she was worried because her husband was coming home from work later and later and she was worried he wasn't being honest about where he was going.  If Erik started coming home later that thought wouldn't even occur to me because that would be so wildly inconsistent with Erik's character.
14.  He does tummy time with Clara every evening, even though more often than not she spits all over him.  He's really involved with making sure she's developing correctly, and gets so excited when she makes progress.
15. He plans awesome trips for our family.  Besides Idaho, in the past 2 1/2 years we've been to Hawaii, Mexico, the Bahamas, and Washington DC.  We've recently started tentatively planning a trip to Brazil.

This picture is from our most recent (as in, last week) trip to Banff.  It was pretty gorgeous.

16.  He calls and checks in with me around lunch time everyday.  This is important because as fun as having a baby is, it can feel a little isolating sometimes.  Having him call makes me feel good that he's thinking about me and Clara and gives me some adult conversation.
17.  He always remembers to take the garbage to the curb on Tuesday nights.  Seriously, if it were up to me to remember we would be up to our eyeballs in thrown-out leftovers and dirty diapers.
18.  He's really supportive of my goals.  Whether it's getting my Master's Degree, learning to play the organ, getting pregnant, or reaching an exercise goal, Erik has my back.
19.  Erik is pretty good about eating reasonably healthy and getting enough exercise.  This is important to me because I kind of like him and would like him to stay around for a while.

Two cute snugglers worn out from tummy time

20.  He let my sister come and stay with us for a whole month.  While this has been a nonstop party for me, I can understand that he might be a little over-estrongened. 
21.  He's very involved with Clara.  When he gets home from work the first thing he does is scoop her up and talk to her.
22.  He cuddles me and holds my hand even though he thinks those things are uncomfortable
23.  He keeps great track of our finances and makes really smart financial decisions.
24.  Erik is a good listener.  Since I like to talk, I really appreciate this characteristic.  He knows way more about cheerleading, reality TV, and home decorating than he probably cares to, but he always listens even when I'm repeating myself.

Erik in Mexico right before we went swimming with the dolphins.  I caved and paid $25 for one of the pictures of a dolphin kissing Erik, but then I lost it on the plane.  I want to cry every time I think about that.

25.  He eats all my cooking, even the recipes that don't turn out.  If it's good he tells me so, when it's not he very sweetly thanks me for taking the time to make it.  For his birthday cake he chose funfetti cake with rainbow chip frosting, which was smart of him because it's pretty hard (though not impossible) to mess up a cake mix.
26.  Erik is very frugal, which I appreciate.  I also appreciate that he is not critical in those times when I am not the most thrifty. 
27.  Erik is really good about involving me in any semi-major decisions.  While I would expect nothing less, I recognize that this is not the case in every marriage, and I'm glad that's how it works in ours. 
28.  Something I have admired about Erik ever since I first met him is that he is very good at talking to people.  He is very well-spoken and can make conversation with anyone.  I always feel awkward when I have to have conversations with people I don't know very well, but this is something Erik is naturally very good at. 
29. Even though home maintenance and "handy-man" stuff is not something he enjoys, he's being working hard at learning more about it and is already so much more handy than he was when he got married 3 years ago. 

This is Erik painting the nursery.  We were going from pink and green to grey.  We actually ended up painting it twice because the first time it turned out too blue.  I should do a post on the nursery because it turned out pretty cute, but I digress.

Overall, Erik is a fantastic husband and dad, and a total winner.  I would pick him again in a heartbeat. So happy birthday to this handsome stud!  Clara and I can't wait for him to get home from work