Happy Birthday, Jonathan!

Jonathan's birthday was this week. He is now officially "Forever 29." We spread his birthday celebrations out over 2 days, because of his busy schedule. The day before his birthday the kids and I took him out to lunch at Pizza Factory, and then while he was at class that night, I made a strawberry birthday cake for him. So when he got home we had dinner and then cake, and I gave him a lift-pass to Brian Head. (He got his real birthday present back in November on a really good sale. He wanted a boxing bag, gloves, and a medicine ball. So now our entertainment room is also a gym! :-))The kids put all the candles in the cake and couldn't wait for Daddy to see it!

Jonathan let Bailey and Colby help blow out the candles.

On his real birthday, he bought steaks and shrimp and made a gourmet dinner (yes, he cooked for his own birthday, but I had a cold, and he's a way better cook, anyway) for the two of us. We gave the kids frozen pizza! :-)
Anyway, it wasn't the most exciting birthday ever, but I hope he enjoyed himself. And to end his birthday week, I wanted to give him...

29 Reasons I Love and Appreciate Him:

1. He's a great chef, especially on the grill. He loves to find and try new recipes, and he's also very talented at coming up with his own little meals.
2. He gives great hugs.
3. He's totally subjective about our kids, thinking they're the best/smartest/cutest kids in the whole world, no matter what. (I'm more objective, which gets on his nerves a little, I think.)
4. He's a Mr. Fix-it Handyman Type. He's also very talented with making and building things.
5. He's understood me better than anyone on earth, almost from the moment we met. He knows when I need him to really listen and be tender, but he's also tough with me when that's what I need, even if it's not what I want.
6. He's a die-hard Tar Heels basketball fan. I can't help but love his blind devotion.
7. He loves the church and has an unwavering testimony.
8. He can't keep a straight face when Colby says or does anything bad, but he thinks that by covering his mouth with one hand, Colby won't notice.
9. He loves to tease and/or see people be teased.
10. He loves the outdoors.
11. He's perfectly willing to do almost any house cleaning that needs to be done (although I don't think I've ever seen him clean a toilet).
12. He works tirelessly, day in and day out, to support our family while getting himself an education.
13. He has strong work ethic, so every boss he's ever had absolutely adores him.
14. He takes his schooling seriously and isn't afraid to share his opinion about things, so his professors love him and depend on him.
15. He cuts his own hair.
16. He's dyed my hair a couple times; and although it always seems to me like he's going too fast and being careless, in the end it always comes out right.
17. He knows the entire soundtrack to the Sound of Music (and he's going to call me from work tonight the second he reads this one and tell me to delete it).
18. He was disappointed when we found out we were having a girl with Bailey, but the second she arrived, premature and fragile, and he was given the chance to carry her to the NICU, he was forever sold and tied up tight.
19. He loves everything, good and bad, about Colby, because Colby is his personality twin.
20. He has cared for me and our kids, without complaint, while I've been on bed rest during each of my pregnancies.
21. When he's really determined about something, there's a quiet forcefulness in his eyes that I just love. That's one of the first things I remember really admiring about him.
22. We've had an on-going war, since we were engaged, about who's taller.
23. Every once in awhile he surprises me with something he knows or is interested in that I wouldn't expect from his typical tough-guy persona (see #17). I always fall a little bit more in love with him at those times.
24. When we first met he had an adorable southern accent that just melted me, and it still comes out when he talks to his family and friends back home, or when he gets excited or angry.
25. He supports me in anything I want to do or try.
26. There's a huge part of him that's still 11 years old and dying to go outside and play in the mud.
27. He served an honorable mission for the church that helped make him the man he is today.
28. His high degree of common sense is the perfect balance for my lack thereof.
29. He's the most perfect husband in the world for me and has always been. He loves me even when I sometimes feel like I haven't given him any reason to love me, he's patient with me, he makes me laugh, he does more than his share of housework, he's a great father, he honors his parents (and mine), and so much more. I know that I am so blessed to have him and thank Heavenly Father every day for sending him to me and opening my eyes to what a wonderful man he is. I don't know what I did to deserve him, if anything--maybe I don't, but I'm so grateful to have him!
I LOVE YOU, HONEY!