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!