Mr. Crackers turns 40!

Today is the day Mr. Crackers turns the big 4-0! I would make some wisecracks here about his age and the passing of time, but since I am just 9 months younger than him I would just be setting myself up for similar abuse next February.

(I know this is a Christmas picture - clearly I need to get some more shots of Mr. Crackers in the coming months!)

In honor of Mr. Cracker's birthday, I am dedicating this post to him. To give proper credit where it is due, I got this idea from Maggie Mason over at Mighty Girl whose husband turned 40 back in March. On her husband's birthday, Maggie listed the 40 things she loved most about him in her blog. That seemed like such a nice tribute that I filed the idea away to use when my own hubby turned 40. (Maggie also gave her husband 40 gifts on his big day which unfortunately for Mr. Crackers I chose not to do. After all, unlike Maggie, my blog generates absolutely no income for the family & merely serves as a distraction from all of the chores around the house that I should be doing instead.)

So without further ado, here are 40 reasons why I love Mr. Crackers (in no particular order):

1. You have a terrific sense of humor.

2. You take tremendous pride in your work.

3. You always say "thank you" after eating every meal I cook for you.

4. The fact that you always pitch in to help clean up after every meal.

5. You always go out of your way to help your friends and neighbors.

6. You are an idea man.

7. You are always willing to sit through chick flicks with me.

8. You will eat almost anything I put in front of you and you can always seem to find something positive to say about the food no matter how awful it really is.

9. You pick up trash laying on the ground no matter where you find it.

10. You can be a bit of a rule breaker from time to time.

11. You are definitely not a push-over (unlike Mrs. Crackers)

12. You make an excellent batch of spaghetti.

13. Your tendency to tackle large building projects in the backyard.

14. Your tenacity at seeing those projects completed.

15. You've got a truly great head of hair.

16. The fact that you love your parents (& mine).

17. You look great in glasses.

18. You always pitch in to help keep the house clean.

19. You willingly spend a week with my family on vacation every summer.

20. The fact that you insist on cooking dinner every Saturday night.

21. You are great at coming up with fun family activities.

22. You enjoy shopping as much as I do.

23. You are fun to hang out with - you can always make me smile.

24. The fact that you don't complain even though I am driving a new car and your car is over 10 years old and is starting to fall apart at the seams.

25. You agreed to let me stay home and raise the kids instead of sending them to daycare.

26. You always say I love you to me and the kids before you leave for work in the morning.

27. You've got a beautiful smile Mr. Crackers.

28. You are always working on the yard and the house.

29. You play Wii with C on the weekends.

30. You encourage me to go on Mom's Night/Day Out activities.

31. You are friendly and outgoing.

32. You willingly give the kids their bath.

33. You take good care of yourself and your family.

34. There is no one I would rather spend my free time with.

35. Let's face it, you are an attractive guy.

36. You are a terrific problem solver.

37. Two words: low maintenance.

38. You have great taste when it comes to picking a wife.

39. You are a wonderful husband and...

40. A terrific Daddy to your kids.

Happy 40th Birthday Mr. Crackers!

We are so lucky to have you in our lives - we love you!