A Berry Happy Birthday--To You! (Too much Strawberry Shortcake!)

So many birthdays!

Erik's birthday is today--so although you like to stay incognito on my blog, tough titties baby! Here are 32 things ('cause, duh, he's 32) you may or may not know about my spouse.

1. He hates hates hates eggs. Really. With a burning passion. Even the IDEA of deviled eggs makes him gag. If Sophie wants him to eat something and he balks, she says, "But there's no debbled eggs in it Dad!"
2. He was an amazing radio DJ in college, as well as an amazing professional radio DJ for a couple years before and after we got married. In fact, he won a broadcaster of the year award, but we spaced the banquet because we didn't know it was in his honor. (Remember that time we did it on the desk at KBRE honey? GT.)
3. He loves his children with great, great, intensity.
4. He has apocalyptic nightmares several times a week.
5. He loves Dune. (I, however, do not.)
6. He never looks at other women--at least in my presence. Doesn't even mention who's hot in Hollywood when we're hanging out with friends. (I, however, do.)
7. He broke both arms in grade school. (They were playing Star Wars. He was standing on the jungle gym. When he was "shot" he flung himself backward, falling through the jungle gym.)
8. His 2 culinary specialties are fajitas and English muffin pizzas.
9. He loves wine spritzers.
10. He runs like, a million miles a day. Really, like 7 or 8.
11. He loves to play Madden football and some boxing game on the PS2.
12. Lately, he's into Entourage.
13. He loves gravy. Loves it.
14. He talks about fixing computers in his sleep.
15. He's dynamite in the sack.
16. He sometimes asks me if his pants make his head look to small. (Sorry babe. Had to mention it.)
17. He gives me a run for my money at Scrabble, even occasionally winning.
18. He travels hundreds of miles, literally, every week in order to be a father to his son/my stepson.
19. He has the most delicious shoulders I have ever seen.
20. He has now performed 3 karaoke numbers, IN PUBLIC. (Anarchy in the UK, Hit Me Baby One More Time, and You Give Love a Bad Name)
21. He's a Frisbee thrower extrordinaire.
22. He never puts his laundry away, but has a complex system of moving it among, like, 7 laundry baskets.
23. Although I refuse to do his laundry, he often will wash a load for me.
24. He often washes my hair for me.
25. He LOVES cartoons. In fact, when I was about 8 months pregnant, and asked him how he really felt about the fact that he was about to have a daughter, his answer was, "Well, we'll probably have to watch a lot of girl cartoons."
26. He gets down on the floor and really plays with Sophie, and the other kids in our life.
27. The only way he'll eat corn is on the cob. Period.
28. About this time of year, he starts helping with the dishes at my Mom's house (more than usual. That is, he always helps, but begins now to go the extra mile) because he's "saving up" for Thanksgiving--so he can eat and then sit on the couch and watch football without feeling guilty.
29. He's a gifted writer, particularly of fiction.
30. He brushes his teeth with Sophie's Barbie electric toothbrush.
31. His favorite clothes are full of holes.
32. He has a constellation of moles on his right forearm that look just like a puppy paw print.

Now then, on to Kodi. I totally totally forgot Kod's birthday which was like, 3 days ago. Add to that, I don't even know exactly how old she is. So in honor of Kodi, who I love like a sister, who I could not live without, who is one of the only people who I feel comfortable hanging out with in my messy house with no bra, here is my absolute favorite Kodi story.

In the LDS church, you're baptized at 8. After that--you have to stay sin-free (or repent like a mad man) to get into the highest level of heaven. So, sweet Kodi, on the night before her 8th birthday, figured she'd better get her major sinning out of the way. She pondered for a while, and then hit on the perfect, most sinful activity an almost 8 year old could engage in. She sneaked into the neighbor's yard and jumped naked on their trampoline. Yes!

So Happy Birthday to both of you.

Today's best thing about being a mom:
I love how Soph can get so excited about something so seemingly insignificant. A box of Backyardigan bandaids, her first maccaroon, a bottle of apple juice in the shape of, jump-back, an actual apple!

Today's worst thing about being a mom:
We went to the dentist to start having her cavities (that's right--plural) filled. Fuck, dude. What a tortuous nightmare. Long story short, we're going to have to take her to the pediadontist and have the rest of them done while she's asleep. Nightmare.