Husband

While writing about my children, which I often do (duh), I really only mention my husband in passing. The boys fill up every detail of my blog, my days, and my life. However, one of "the boys" in my life is Craig. He's the boy. The main one. The first one. Without him I wouldn't have my children, my life, or a huge part of me. 

This weekend marks our fifth wedding anniversary and this past June we recognized our 11th year together total. I say "recognized" because we do not typically celebrate in the same fashion as most couples. By that I mean, we don't celebrate. Yes, yes, we've gone to dinner for our anniversary before and if one of us thinks to snag a card for the other it is appreciated, rarely reciprocated, but never expected. Our milestones don't go completely unnoticed; they just aren't celebrated traditionally or consistently. This year, instead of forgetting to buy a card or realizing last minute we cannot secure a sitter to go out, I have decided to dedicate this blog post to Craig.

Craig's that handsome guy pictured above.

 In honor of our fifth wedding anniversary, here are the top ten reasons I love my husband:

10). He is a giant child. To put it into perspective, we own a popcorn machine, a funnel cake set, and a cotton candy machine. At one point we also had a s'mores cooker and a snow cone machine. For past birthdays he has received corn dog mix, toys for his desk at work, and a Flowbee. *Yes, a Flowbee.* For his most recent birthday he got a year's supply of nacho cheese! This is my husband. He's a complete goofball and I totally love it. 

9). He loves to eat. This is slightly confusing because he is very slim and goes most hours of the day skipping meals completely, which is something I just do not comprehend. But, when he does sit down to eat a food he really enjoys, that guy can eat. I recognize Craig's "I'm too full" face two to three bites before he stops eating because I have seen him enjoy too large of a portion of his favorite foods so many times. Once, he was bet a dollar by each family member at Easter to eat a third of the cake we had. He ate it and earned all three of those dollars. He also happens to be very supportive whenever I want to eat. Even if I just ate, or don't need dessert, he is always happy to say, "Get you some!" So as a girl who severely enjoys food, I definitely don't mind having a husband who encourages that and joins right in.

8). He gets better looking with age. I don't know how he manages it. I moisturize and scrub and nourish all damn day. Craig doesn't even wear sunblock, his hair is getting grey, and he washes his face with bar soap. Who does that? He's defying all odds and getting more attractive as he ages. It's like the George Clooney effect. It should make me mad because I only look older and more tired.  But, a husband who gets hotter and hotter? What's not to love? 

7). He is talented. I mean, like really talented. One of the reasons I was initially attracted to him was because he was very good at playing guitar. At the time, I was taking violin lessons and was struggling with it. One day he picked up my violin and plucked the strings to the tune of "Twinkle Twinkle" out of nowhere. He has taken piano lessons and taught himself to at least hold a beat on the drums. I cannot even play "Hot Cross Buns" on a recorder. He doesn't get very much time to play guitar nowadays but, when he does, he can still learn any song, figure others out by ear, and play quite a few from memory. Amazing. 

6). He is fun. I can honestly say, that after 11 years together, I still have fun with my husband. Out on date nights or making Bloody Mary's on a Sunday afternoon, we have fun. Is every moment of our day together a party? No. We have our fair share of boredom and mundaneness (I call them week nights, ha!). But, occasionally a Friday night will be turned into a cheesy John Travolta or Nicholas Cage movie party (Broken Arrow, Face Off, or Con Air, anyone?). A Saturday will turn into a date night.  A down moment will suddenly fill up with laughter when we say, "Remember when ____," and we've got a lot of those. 

5). He works hard. Whatever it takes to get the job done, he does it. Traveling to multiple cities back to back, answering phone calls on the weekend, changing plans to meet with a customer.... He does it. He *jokingly* has a mug at work that says, "Everything I touch turns to 'SOLD'" As silly as it is, it's true. He is great at his job, whether it be making sales, managing people, analyzing data, or identifying potentially successful new customers and employees, because he works hard at it. 

4). He challenges me. Don't ask me if I love this about him while he's challenging me, because I would tell you "hell no". My life would definitely be easier if my husband would go along with whatever I say. But, that's not a relationship that inspires growth. I need someone who will make me think. It helps me to act with intention and it provides me with the chance to learn, even from every day situations. Someone who challenges me is something I would never have asked for in a spouse, but now I cannot imagine it any other way. 

3). He is smart. I have repeatedly said that my husband is one of the smartest people I know. He can take apart almost any electronic, fix it, and put it back together. He can completely gut and refinish a bathroom *mostly* by himself. Stocks, IRA, 401K, money market accounts, blah blah blah... he understands it all and utilizes every one of them to save for our future. He has negotiated the buying and selling of all three of our homes, thank goodness because I am not good at that stuff! Directionally adept, street smarts, common sense, he has it all. I don't even like driving new places without him because I get panicked if my map app takes too long "rerouting". When I am with him we are never lost. I cannot begin to explain how comforting it is to know that no matter what happens in our future (moves, job changes, ups and downs, zombie apocolypse) my husband will figure it out.

2). He is supportive. Going from working a full-time job to being a stay at home mom was a huge change for our family, but it was my choice. Craig was on board with that decision, not only because he valued having me home with our child(ren), but because it was what I wanted. He is generally supportive of whatever I decide to do, whether it be with the kids or for myself. When I registered Kendan for preschool he challenged me (see #4) to make sure I was making the most informed decision I could in the situation. But, ultimately, he supported the choice I made; even though he felt preschool could have waited a year. If I tell Kendan "no" on something or begin to implement a different parenting technique, Craig follows my lead (most of the time. Sometimes he and Kendan are in cahoots on the "no bath night" bandwagon). Even things as trivial as starting every Sunday morning alone with the kids while I'm at yoga, waiting to eat dinner so I can go for a run first, or doing the dreaded bed time routine any time I want to go out for a girls' night... he's supportive. Can't ask for much more. 

1). He loves his kids. Like, he really loves his boys. Especially when they hit the fun age where they can walk and are beginning to communicate more effectively. Craig's relationships with the kids have only gotten more and more amazing as they get older. Especially with Kendan as his imagination has grown. I have had my husband call me while away for work and request to speak to our toddler. Not me. Just Kendan. He brings the boys home presents from his travels weekly; which they adore but, mostly they just get excited to have him home. He is definitely the "fun parent" in our family. Seeing Craig as "Dad" is the best. 

My husband is sometimes really goofy. Sometimes he is serious. Sometimes he is a super hero. Other times he is the boss. Sometimes he has to leave us for several days but a lot of the time he is home and in his pajamas. And that's exactly where we like him to be. 

Thank you for all that you do for me and our family. I love you, Craig!