Michael celebrated his 30th birthday last week, but because we were at the beach, I wasn’t able to finish this post in time! I thought it’d be fun to write down some things about him, especially for our girls to look back on one day. So, here we go, 30 facts for his special birthday:
1. He can make our kids laugh harder than anyone else can, over the littlest things.
2. He puts up with all the bedtime shenanigans that the girls put on nearly every night, with an incredible amount of patience and love.
3. He also comes up with the best little games/actions to make things fun- like making a heart shape with his hands, putting them over his eyes, and saying “heart binoculars!” to the girls, as they do the same back to him. They usually blow him a kiss through their “binoculars” and say, “Did you feel it?”
He also does “up and down” (lifting them in the air over and over) to put them into their beds, and gives “stuck kisses” (which are kisses on the cheek that pause for a moment in order to make whatever animal sound the girls ask for. I usually hear a lot of barking, baaing, or mooing coming from their room)! He’s the best.
4. He always tucks me in, too, and gives me a goodnight kiss. Every single night.
5. His favorite color is blue.
6. He loves sweet and spicy mixed together… like pineapples in his salsa.
7. As a kid, he was actually lactose intolerant. Thankfully, he grew out of it!
8. Everywhere we go, someone always makes it a point to tell him how outnumbered he is with all these girls in the house. I know he loves it, though I think eventually he wouldn’t mind having a boy around (especially when Kaya says “no boys allowed” in regard to whatever pretend play scenario is going on)…
9. He frequently likes to joke that we’re going to have a dozen kids. Um, nope. I love my kids, but who has time for 12 of them?!
10. Ever since I can remember, I’ve always called him “Buddy”, and he’s always called me “Roo”. I have no idea how we started the nickname thing, but I love it.
11. His favorite board game is Blokus, and he almost always wins.
12. When I asked him, he said his favorite food is spaghetti, but if I had answered for him, I would have said burgers. I don’t make them at home, so he loves when he gets to go to Five Guys or Red Robin.
13. His least favorite foods are mushrooms and olives.
14. Favorite dessert: cookies and rocky road ice cream.
15. He says he’s always known he wanted to be a “nerd” (a.k.a. software developer) when grew up.
16. To add to the nerdiness, he is now a Docker captain, and pretty proud of it.
17. His go-to outfit is a polo and khaki cargo shorts. He’s got just about every color polo you can imagine at this point. If he’s not wearing a polo, he’s probably wearing one of the million Docker t-shirts he’s brought home from conferences.
18. He really loves to watch the SpaceX rocket launches, and has started getting the girls interested in them, as well.
19. He dreams about owning a Tesla car one day.
20. His favorite place to be is anywhere outdoors. Riding his bike, sitting in the hammock, etc. One of his favorite scents is freshly-cut grass.
21. All the church callings he’s served in from his early twenties until now: full-time missionary, Sunday school teacher, 11-year old scout leader, executive secretary, online stake seminary teacher, early-morning ward seminary teacher, and ward clerk.
22. Favorite hymn: Come Thou Fount.
23. His favorite holiday is Christmas (a perfect match for me)!
24. He doesn’t cook often, but he makes great tacos, waffles, and pancakes. If we have breakfast for dinner, he’s usually the one at the griddle or waffle iron (and there’s usually a ton of chocolate chips and/or sprinkles in the batter)!
25. He’s not super into television or movies, but when asked to pick a favorite, he went with The Imitation Game.
26. He’s really one great piano player, and he’s always willing to share his talent and play at church whenever anyone asks him. He also knows how to play the trumpet!
27. Every night, we like to watch a little Jimmy Fallon and/or Studio C together.
28. His current favorite sport to play is volleyball!
29. He seriously cannot take naps… if he does nap, it ruins his sleep for later that night. He is also a night owl and gets his best work done when he stays up late.
30. In his 30s, he’s looking forward to: seeing the kids grow up, continuing what’s going on at work, and traveling around the world.
There are so many changes that have come along in our 20s. Buddy, I’m so proud of you and everything you’ve accomplished. I’m so grateful we’ve been able to bring three beautiful baby daughters into this world, and I love working on our own home together. You keep me safe, help me stay grounded, and love me more than I thought anyone ever could. I love you.
Happy 30th Birthday!
There was also a lot of puzzle-building that weekend…
And, I’m glad to say, they practically kicked us out of the house (in the most loving way possible) to go out on a date. We don’t ever leave our kids with babysitters, so this doesn’t happen nearly as often as it should. There also aren’t nearly as many pictures as there should be, because most of our date happened after it was already dark outside. So… Here’s Michael eating Coldstone. It felt good to be a little spontaneous!
We also had dinner at an authentic Turkish barbecue that one of his coworkers, Russ, was throwing. Mediterranean food is one of my major weaknesses, so of course it turned out to be a good time.
On Sunday, Grandma Gina made us her delectable homemade chicken nuggets. Anytime she asks us what we’d like her to cook, those nuggets are my only answer. I guess they’re so good that they’re all I can think of! The girls had such a great time helping her mix up the flour and spices.
Nella grabs her foot; Grandpa and Michael grab theirs. Monkeys see, monkeys do.
I love having time with our family. These are the days!
Just as I was imagining Scout thinking something along the lines of, “Does this cone make my head look big?”, Kaya blurted out, “Scout, you look like a LAMP!” That just might be the quote of the year.
This crazy dog loves sitting in the hammock with anyone who invites her. She’s also obsessed with her peanut-butter-flavored Nylabone and any soft toy that has a tail. 
Her people are her favorite things in the whole world. Every morning, she gets so hyped up to see the girls that she’d wiggle right out of her fur if she could.
Daddy was out with the older girls one evening, and Nella was fresh out of the bath just as I noticed that the lighting outside was absolutely perfect. I dressed her up and we headed to the backyard.
It was fun to have a photoshoot for no specific reason at all. It was easier to do these sorts of things when I had just one child, but now, the spare minutes are a little harder to come by, so I cherish them even more. Plus, it’s always fun to have some special time with just one of my daughters.
There’s just something about a horse barn… ok, everything about a horse barn… that makes me feel so much peace, calm, and happiness: the smell of hay and sweaty horses, the soft sounds they make as they move in their stalls, and the sweetness of a horse pressing his giant head up against your side, waiting for you to rub his nose or scratch his ears. Horses have a profound effect on me that nothing else seems to, which is why I often miss my days of working at the barn and riding so very much.
Nicole also has a few chickens (and the coolest chicken coop I’ve seen), so the girls loved watching them, too.
They also had a litter of hunting dog puppies for us to visit with. The girls were so excited (and these babies looked so little compared to Scout)!
Brian grilled up some chicken and corn on the cob, and we enjoyed dinner outside together. Nicole brought out ice cream for dessert (a Teerlink family tradition for Sunday nights!), and I believe this was Kaya’s first time ever having it in a cone. It was a hit!
Kaelyn’s first cone!
Michael, with his ice-cream-sandwich-shoved-into-a-cone-topped-with-an-extra-scoop dessert, covering up his eye to be funny, because for the first time since I met him almost nine years ago, he had an allergic reaction to something! His eye was completely swollen and red. He was fine, but it was a little concerning to me just because he’d never had anything like this before.
Being silly (with that swollen eye)!
It was sad to leave, but we still had a few hours of driving left to get home. There’s nothing like having fun with your cousins (and second cousins)!
It brought me so much joy to see Lelia as a mommy. Bryce is one lucky little guy! I love that we could take a picture of us together, each with a baby in our arms.
Kaelyn just couldn’t believe it when we asked her if she wanted to hold two babies! This 
Two days later, we were able to attend his baby blessing!
So many family members were there, but I didn’t get a photo of the entire group. Here’s our four-generation shot, though!
We were so glad to see Grandpa Teerlink!
Grandma loves Nella…
…and Grandpa loves being completely silly!
After the blessing and pictures, we enjoyed some refreshments (Lelia’s Andes mint cookies… mmmm)! I also got to hold Bryce one more time, and he took a little nap on me. I already miss when Nella would curl up on me like this. Why are these newborn days so fleeting?
It’s safe to say, I’m smitten with my little nephew. I’m so glad we were able to be at his blessing and enjoy some time with family.
Of course, there were Dunkin’ Donuts, courtesy of Karl! I think these will always be my favorites, despite the amazing local donut shop we have here in town.
We also got to meet my parents’ new puppy (I know, he doesn’t look like much of a puppy, right?) for the first time! His name is Buddy, and he’s part pit bull, just like Scout! The only difference is that he is stronger than an ox (I’m not even exaggerating here)! Scout didn’t like being pummeled by his overzealous attempt to play with her, so they didn’t really get to be friends.
But yeah… I pretty much fell head over paws for this puppy. How could you resist those eyes?
I think my Dad is pretty smitten with him, too.
We had some naps on Daddy… (and a change of clothes for Kaelyn, after she tripped and landed in Buddy’s water bowl!)…
Clockwise: Auntie Joyce and her friend, Melissa; Karl and Kaitlyn; hopefully you know who those people are; and Auntie Carol and Alan!
Princess Nella sat in her throne with her foot upon the table for the entire meal. She also cast a spell on everyone with that sweet little smile of hers.
We all headed back to the house for some cake and gifts! My dad had an Oreo cookies and creme cake for his birthday party, and everyone loved it, so of course, we had to repeat it!
I found this little decorative watering can at Goodwill and just knew my mom would love it!
It turned out that my dad hadn’t finished his gift shopping for my mom, so 
My dad actually ended up going back and getting it, and as it turns out, my mom loves her Concrete Chicken. I think I like the joke about the gift even more than the gift itself.
I also helped him choose a new bird feeder for her, shaped like a butterfly!
But Karl and Kaitlyn’s gift had to be the best of all…
And, of course, there was a whole lot of baby cuddling on this trip. Auntie Joyce always loves my babies.
Apparently, Nella loves pinching her Great-Auntie Joyce’s cheeks. Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around?
I was so happy to see these two… it’s been way too long!
Grandpa Peter was obviously smitten with “Pumpkin” (as he calls her)!
My mom said this truly was the best birthday ever. I’m so glad we got to celebrate it all together!